Stories from Saturday, January 17, 2004

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Both sides claimed victory Friday after a Jackson County jury found airplane parts manufacturer Parker Hannifin Corp. negligent in the plane crash that killed the late Gov. Mel Carnahan and his son in 2000. After a two-month trial and three full days of deliberation, the jury awarded compensatory damages of $3 million for the death of Mel Carnahan and $1 million for Randy Carnahan's death. However, the jury did not find reason to award punitive damages against the company...

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- Central's boys basketball team ran into a rejuvinated New Madrid County Central team on Friday night in a SEMO conference matchup. But while Friday's game was a far cry from Central's blowout victory over the Eagles in Central's season opener, the result was the same in a 72-65 win for the Tigers...

To the editor: Since you have no cross burnings in Missouri and you're trying to pass a law against it, maybe you shouldn't miss the opportunity to pass a law preventing elephants from flying. I know elephants don't fly now in Missouri, but someone may read an old Dumbo comic book and teach one to fly. Wouldn't it be wise to be on the politically correct safe side and pass anti-flying elephant laws now since elephant dung falling from 5,000 feet could possibly be fatal?...

To the editor: Does anyone besides me find something odd about the recent article saying Gov. Bob Holden and state Sen. Peter Kinder are working toward legislation against cross burning? I am not in favor of cross burning, but I am against weaselly politicians, and I am tired of their rhetoric...

CASEYVILLE, Ill. -- Clyde A. Trucks, 74, of Caseyville died Thursday, Jan. 15, 2004, at Alton Memorial Hospital in Alton, Ill. He was born Jan. 7, 1930, in St. Louis, son of Clyde and Mildred Granamen Trucks. He married Shirley Wright. Mr. Trucks was a retired train engineer and road foreman with Terminal Railroad...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Wilma Wright, 87, of Poplar Bluff died Friday, Jan. 16, 2004, at Three Rivers Healthcare Center. She was formerly of Union County, Ill. Friends may call at Hileman Funeral Home in Jonesboro, Ill., from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday. The funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Jonesboro Cemetery...

Charles Grady Beardslee, 84, of Maineville, Ohio, died Thursday, Jan. 15, 2004, at Meadowbrook Care Center in Montgomery, Ohio. He was born Jan. 14, 1920, at Blodgett, Mo., son of Paul and Frances Groves Beardslee. He and Virginia Porch were married April 22, 1956...

Albert Wallace Orr, 80, of Jackson died Friday, Jan. 16, 2004, at Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau is in charge of arrangements.

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- The Rev. Jessie Odell Devenport, 93, of Marble Hill died Thursday, Jan. 15, 2004, at Eldercare of Marble Hill. He was born Nov. 29, 1910, near Bessville, Mo., son of Jessie Leroy and Nora Octavine Moore Devenport. He and Vallie May Lincoln were married Jan. 8, 1928. She died July 5, 1993...

David J. Eakens, 75, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Jan. 16, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born June 3, 1928, at Tallapoosa, Mo., son of Velva Wogover. He first married Vina W. Davis April 17, 1954, in Colfax County, N.M. She died March 13, 1972. He later married Vivian A. Klein Phillips May 12, 1973, in Colorado Springs, Colo. She died Aug. 26, 2001...

10 years ago: Jan. 18, 1994 Coldest temperatures so far this winter and perhaps coldest in more than five years, hit area; arctic blast arrives in wake of second major snowstorm of season that dumps 8 to 10 inches of snow on district Sunday. Los Angeles - Former Cape Girardeau resident Bryan Walker, his wife Monica, and 7-week-old son Ethan were among those who fled their Glendale, Calif., home when earthquake struck Monday...

10 years ago: Jan. 17, 1994 City crews hit streets as ice and sleet began to fall yesterday afternoon, but they weren't able to treat roadways fast enough to prevent motorists from slipping and sliding on icy surfaces. MILLER CITY, Ill. -- Construction of new levee will get under way here this week; portion of 17-mile levee along Mississippi River broke in mid-July, allowing floodwaters to cover more than 30,000 acres of farmland...

McGill Son to James Darren and Shelia Dianne McGill of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 4:20 p.m. Monday, Dec. 29, 2003. Name, Dawson James. Weight, 7 pounds 4 ounces. Third child, first son. Mrs. McGill is the former Shelia Small, daughter of Harriet Small of Charleston, Mo. She is a teaching assistant with Cape Girardeau Public Schools at Blanchard Elementary. McGill is the son of Don and Sue McGill of Jackson. He is employed at Loxcreen Co. Inc...

More sales I JUST returned from the Osage Community Centre, waiting an hour and a half for my number to be called for the winter and spring garage sale. I felt I was playing bingo. If the city needs revenue, why not have the garage sale monthly or every two months? That way, more people would have a chance for tables, and the city would benefit...

GERALD HERBERT * Associated Press Store manager Ganba Puntsg held ephedrine-free dietary supplements at the Yes Natural Food store in Washington Monday. People who thought ephedra helped them drop pounds are looking to alternatives to replace the soon-to-be-banned dietary supplement.By Laura Johnston ~ Southeast Missourian...

I once believed everything must be perfect to measure up to my standards, and felt if imperfections existed within my life I had failed. I assumed I must work intensely to make the crooked lines straight, straighten others out, and correct all blemishes within my environment. Consequently I desired that things be lined up all in a row, everything fitting where it should -- people, possessions and attitudes...

SAN FRANCISCO -- They're cheering again at Yahoo! Inc. The dot-com bellwether has recovered $21 billion in shareholder wealth by astutely anticipating the habits of Web surfers -- so much so, in fact, that it now outranks MSN and America Online as the Internet's top destination...

WASHINGTON -- The United States will revise its plan to create self-rule in Iraq, the U.S. administrator said Friday after consultations with President Bush, but he rejected postponement of a June 30 deadline for ending the occupation and handing over power...

Cape Girardeau pet owners would be barred from owning more than four dogs and four cats under a proposed ordinance being considered by the city council. Pet owners who want to keep more animals would have to obtain special-use permits and business licenses to operate kennels at their homes, city officials said...

LONDON -- Here's a fashion tip sure to make female soccer players uncomfortable: The sport's chief suggests they slip into something a little tighter on the field. FIFA president Sepp Blatter said women should consider wearing more revealing uniforms, such as skimpier shorts, to bring more attention to the game. At least one top player called the advice "ridiculous" and "irresponsible."...

By Catherine Hanaway The new legislative session affords state government the chance to give Missourians the opportunity they deserve. Nothing should stand between the residents of this state and a job. Legislators and the governor should work together to ensure that state government uses its resources in the most efficient and beneficial way to serve the people and to create jobs...

Judge denies injunction in razor patent case BOSTON -- A federal judge denied Gillette's request for a preliminary injunction to block Schick-Wilkinson Sword from selling its new, four-bladed Quattro razor. Quattro hit shelves in September, but its prospects were clouded by Gillette's argument that the four-blade arrangement was too close to a three-bladed system patented by Gillette. ...

Sharon happy to have Ozzy back home NEW YORK -- Ozzy Osbourne is back home after injuring himself in an all-terrain vehicle accident in England more than a month ago. His wife, Sharon Osbourne, told her talk-show audience Thursday that her husband had returned to their house in Beverly Hills, Calif., the previous night. The 55-year-old metal star was in a coma for eight days after the Dec. 8 crash. He fractured his collarbone, eight ribs and a neck vertebra in the accident...

JERUSALEM -- The Bible tells of earthquakes splitting open the hills of this holy city with apocalyptic fury, adding to the mayhem of battles and punctuating Jesus' crucifixion. Now, a geological survey says the heart of biblical narrative -- Jerusalem's walled Old City -- would be among the worst hit parts of the city in the event of another earthquake because it rests on layers of debris, not solid rock...

ST. LOUIS -- Long before he broke out, sex offender Thomas Ingrassia knew of a loophole that failed to make it illegal to escape from the state's Sexually Violent Predator Unit, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Friday. Ingrassia told the newspaper in a telephone interview that he had researched the law using a few old statute books in a library at the mental health facility in Farmington prior to his 2001 escape...

ST. LOUIS -- A ruling that Missouri state Sen. Jon Dolan should not have left his military assignment in Cuba to cast a vote in the legislature has left other politicians serving in the military confused about their responsibilities. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Friday that some politicians are planning to perform the same functions that Dolan's superiors at U.S. Southern Command said he should not have performed...

WASHINGTON -- Industrial production at the nation's factories, mines and utilities rose by only 0.1 percent in December, slowing from the previous month's big increase. The gain reported by the Federal Reserve Friday followed a revised 1 percent November jump, stronger than previously estimated and the biggest in four years...

WASHINGTON -- Most Americans think celebrities get special treatment in the nation's legal system, but they also believe Michael Jackson, Kobe Bryant and Martha Stewart will get fair trials, an Associated Press poll on celebrity justice found. Nearly half the people surveyed said they think Stewart will be convicted, while far fewer believe Jackson and Bryant will be found guilty, according to the poll conducted for the AP by Ipsos-Public Affairs...

In one of the most startling images in a movie filled with them, the astronauts in "2001: A Space Odyssey" discover an obviously man-made monolith on the surface of the moon. A year before man actually stepped onto the moon in July 1969, the movie artfully asked us to consider again our place in the universe and not to assume we know enough...

Baseball The Houston Astros on Friday signed veteran outfielder Orlando Palmeiro to a one-year contract. Palmeiro, who turns 35 Monday, hit .271 in 317 at-bats with the Cardinals last season. Kerry Wood agreed to a $9.75 million, one-year contract with the Chicago Cubs, who hope to work out a multiyear deal. ...

ROME -- When you think of Christianity and Rome, the Vatican is what springs to mind -- the home of popes and the colonnaded square that welcomes visitors into the massive, marbled St. Peter's Basilica at its core. But the first organized church in Rome was actually built across the Tiber River in the fourth century by the Emperor Constantine at St. ...

TodayConfirmation Masses, St. Mary Cathedral, 2:30 and 7 p.m. Bishop John L. Leibrecht will celebrate these Masses. SundayCelebration Service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Immaculate Conception, Jackson, 2 p.m...

After hearing stories about the struggles that Cape Girardeau's black community faced during desegregation, area churches and ministers vowed to work together to strengthen the community. That promise for better partnerships between the black and white religious communities in the city came after a joint worship service held on the federal Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday last year...

The new year is proving to be one filled with entertainment at the Show Me Center. Christian artists MercyMe, Amy Grant and Bebo Norman will perform at 7 p.m. March 4 as part of the Imagine Tour. Tickets go on sale Tuesday at the box office. In the past month, the venue has hosted matchbox twenty, booked 3 Doors Down and Larry the Cable Guy, and announced the MercyMe concert. Other big-name artists are expected to announce concerts at the Show Me Center, too...

BOSTON -- Bill Belichick had just wrapped up the regular season with the NFL's best record and turned his single-minded sights to the playoffs when he was hit with a question that, for once, caught him off-guard. "Do you have any New Year's resolutions?" he was asked, 36 hours before the end of 2003...

DE SOTO, Mo. -- The Missouri National Guard member killed in an accident earlier this week at an eastern Missouri armory has been identified. The victim was Sgt. Elly A. Magruder, 25, of Hillsboro. She was fatally injured Tuesday as she and another Guard member unloaded a 10-ton capacity jack from the rear of a pickup at an armory in De Soto. ...

Scott County sheriff's deputies arrested Clyde R. Staples, 37, of Berryman, Mo., Friday afternoon after he allegedly attacked a construction site worker near Benton, Mo., and left him seriously injured. Staples was charged with second-degree assault and armed criminal action. Bond was set at $150,000...

ST. LOUIS -- State officials are continuing to maintain Missouri's list of suspected child abusers pending a change in the law or a possible appeal of a judge's decision declaring it unconstitutional. Cole County Circuit Court Judge Richard Callahan struck down the list last week, saying it violates the due process rights of suspected abusers who may be falsely accused. But Callahan let the current system remain in effect until a better one could be created...

Another legal question has come up between the city of Jackson and Cape Girardeau County. Unlike the widely publicized road and bridge tax debate, which has statewide implications and may involve hundreds of thousands of dollars, the new disagreement is over the city's authority to inspect and issue permits for county building projects within the city limits...

ST. LOUIS -- Doug Weight scored on a power play with 1:37 remaining in regulation to give the St. Louis Blues a 2-2 tie with Minnesota on Saturday night, extending the Wild's overtime unbeaten streak to 24 games. Weight's 10th goal answered a power-play goal by Nick Schultz of the Wild with 3:31 left. ...

With pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training in less than a month, the Cardinals roster is beginning to take shape after months of trades and free agent signings. Cardinals pitchers Woody Williams, Steve Kline and Jason Simontacchi, along with former Cardinal Danny Cox and announcer Wayne Hagin were in Cape Girardeau on Friday night along with nearly 750 Cardinal fans at the Osage Community Centre talking about team moves and other topics as part of the annual Cardinals Caravan...

ST. LOUIS -- Businesses and cell phone users could add their telephone numbers to Missouri's No-Call list under a proposal announced Friday by Attorney General Jay Nixon and state Sen. Steve Stoll, D-Festus. The current law allows only residential phone numbers. More than half of Missouri's households -- 1.5 million -- are on the state registry. An additional 265 households signed up Thursday...

As Tom Farden begins his first season in charge of Southeast Missouri State University's gymnastics team, he is confident of one thing. "In my five years here, this team is more prepared than any other team we've had," Farden said. Farden, a Southeast assistant the past four years who was named interim head coach in August after Patty Stotzheim resigned, will lead the Otahkians into today's 2 p.m. season opener against Hamline and Wisconsin-Whitewater in St. Paul, Minn...

Strong interior play from center Tim Lorenz and forward Casey Petzoldt helped keep Saxony Lutheran's boys basketball team undefeated on Saturday. The pair combined for 34 points as Saxony improved to 10-0 as it cruised to a 56-34 home victory over Greenville...

By Daniel Winningham ~ Southeast Missourian Jackson's boys basketball team demonstrated they have several weapons as they handed Notre Dame a 66-45 home loss Friday night. Senior guard Nick Fiehler led Jackson with 13 points and junior forward Jason Schafer added 12...

SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- The Michael Jackson circus came to town Friday as the pop star showed up in court 21 minutes late to plead innocent to child molesting, got a scolding from the judge, and then danced on top his SUV in front of a cheering crowd...

EUCLID, Ohio -- A Bush administration proposal designed to bolster the struggling manufacturing sector drew sharp criticism Friday from union leaders who called the plan "absurd election-year double talk." Commerce Secretary Donald Evans recommended the creation of a President's Manufacturing Council and a new assistant secretary in the Commerce Department who would focus on manufacturing...

Parenting video classes begin in Scott City "The Five Languages for Children," a video program by Drs. Gary Chapman and Ross Cambell, will be presented at First Assembly of God Church in Scott City. Randy Morse, pastor, will present the series of classes for parents, grandparents and all who want to develop a better relationship with their children. The first class will be at 9:30 a.m. Sunday and will be repeated at 6 p.m. Tuesday. A textbook can be purchased at local bookstores...

ust as people have dreams for what their future should hold, today's churches need to find similar dreams for themselves, an area pastor says. Statistics on church membership and growth show that about 80 percent of American churches are stagnant or declining in membership. Without a renewed sense of vision, some churches won't be able to survive much longer...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests William R. Edward, 51, of 6235 County Road 621, Cape Girardeau, was arrested Thursday on a St. Francois County warrant for passing a bad check...

Cape Girardeau County The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs Jason M. Simington, 24, of Cape Girardeau, was arrested Jan. 11 on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Tracy J. Smith, 37, of Cape Girardeau, was arrested Jan. 11 on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and endangering the welfare of a child...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded Wednesday to the following item: At 11:01 p.m., medical assist at 100 S. West End Blvd. Firefighters responded Thursday to the following items: At 5:29 a.m., medical assist at 1739 Northbridge...

Pope meets Israeli rabbis in reconciliation effort VATICAN CITY -- Pursuing his goal of reconciliation among religions, Pope John Paul II received Israel's chief rabbis Friday in a 35-minute Vatican audience and assured them of his commitment to Catholic-Jewish cooperation. ...

Construction work on the new Diversion Channel bridge on northbound Interstate 55 near Scott City will delay traffic next week, state highway officials said. Motorists can expect delays on the northbound I-55 ramp at Nash Road, Tuesday through Friday from 7 a.m. ...

Archbishop sees 'crisis' in Anglican gay dispute CHARLESTON, S.C. -- An influential archbishop from the West Indies said the global Anglican Communion is "in a state of crisis" over the elevation of an openly gay bishop in America's Episcopal Church and the recognition of same-sex unions by some in the Anglican Church of Canada. ...

BONNE TERRE, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Corrections may move its execution chamber away from the maximum security prison that houses death row inmates, spokesman John Fougere said Friday. Under the plan, the inmate scheduled to be put to death would be moved about 25 miles to the Eastern Reception Diagnostic Correctional Center in Bonne Terre days before the execution, Fougere said. ...

CLIMAX SPRINGS, Mo. -- The school board in Climax Springs has decided to keep its superintendent, even though the state Board of Education revoked his teaching and administrative licenses after he was convicted of stealing money from a school where he was previously employed. Brian Kirk was found guilty in January 2003 of stealing from the Osage County School District in Linn, where he was superintendent from 1992-2001...

CHESTER, Ill. -- Before Popeye the Sailor, Olive Oyl and Wimpy were the stars of a beloved comic strip, they walked the streets of this little town where their creator grew up. Popeye's real-life alter ego, according to locals, was Frank Fiegel, a one-eyed, pipe-smoking man with a penchant for fistfights. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- It's a motorist's dream: Push a button, change a red light to green and zip down the street. Right now, it's possible, and it's cheap. But some lawmakers want to make it illegal. A device known as a mobile infrared transmitter, or MIRT, has been helping fire trucks and ambulances reach emergencies faster since the 1970s. Several companies now sell the device for about $300 on the Internet, and state officials fear that almost anyone can get one...

Utility bills are soaring this winter, hurting homeowners and businesses alike, for reasons that have less to do with nasty weather than with tight supplies of natural gas and oil. While brief cold snaps can magnify the impact by temporarily driving up energy consumption, what's been driving prices higher in recent months is a combination of factors including supply constraints, the economic recovery and the declining dollar...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission formally apologized Friday for abandoning six years ago the ambitious 1992 state plan for road projects. An advisory panel appointed by the commission last year called for a public apology among its several recommendations for restoring public trust in the commission. Commissioners said it's time to put the issue of the so-called 15-year plan behind them...