Stories from Saturday, May 1, 2004

WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Friday defended his speech a year ago on the deck of an aircraft carrier proclaiming the end of major combat in Iraq and said "we're making progress, you bet" in bringing stability to the war-torn country. Answering reporters' questions in the White House Rose Garden with Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin at his side, Bush said that when he spoke aboard carrier U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln he also emphasized that "there was still difficult work ahead."...

Dennis E. "Deno" Stewart, 52, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, April 30, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born Jan. 15, 1952, in Gideon, Mo., son of Stancel J. and Maurine Nichols Stewart. Stewart was employed at Tipton Commercial Laundry and attended Lighthouse Baptist Church...

MOREHOUSE, Mo. -- Jacques Allen Hann, 46, of Morehouse died Thursday, April 29, 2004, at his home. He was born July 12, 1957, at Dexter, Mo., son of Bernard A. and Esther A. Michl Hann. Hann was employed at Industrial Tool and Die of Miner, Mo. Survivors include three sons, Josh Hann of Fort Campbell, Ky., Matt and Sean Hann of Scott City; his mother of Morehouse; seven brothers, Norman, Philip and Paul Hann, all of Dexter, Neal Hann of Morehouse, Julian Hann of Russellville, Ark., Leon Hann of Oklahoma City, Okla., Joseph Hann of Cape Girardeau; seven sisters, Bernadine Evans of Troy, Mo., Doloris Dee and Joan Moore of Sikeston, Mo., Trinita Smith of Pontiac, Mo., Mary Latham of Matthews, Mo., Matilda McMullun of Cape Girardeau, Eileen Hann of Dexter; and two grandchildren.. ...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Timothy Dean Jarrett, 55, of Sikeston died Thursday, April 29, 2004, at his home. He was born June 21, 1948, in Denver, Colo., son of Alton Lee and Juanita C. Buckendorf Jarrett. He and Christina Ewton were married Nov. 28, 1973, in Reno, Nev...

Wendell E. Hashley, 82, of Connersville, Ind., died Wednesday, April 28, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, while visiting a son. He was born Nov. 21, 1921, in Jackson, Mich., son of Henry E. and Elizabeth Esterline Hashley. He and Florence E. Brown were married Nov. 15, 1942, in Richmond, Va. She died July 5, 2001...

Angela M. Brice, 93, of Jackson died Thursday, April 29, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born July 20, 1910, in St. Louis, daughter of John and Josephine Lamantia Sciortino. She and Ira F. Brice were married June 16, 1936, in Cape Girardeau. He died April 10, 1993...

McCLURE, Ill. -- Russell Miles Hill, 88 of McClure, died Friday, April 30, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

10 years ago: May 1, 1994 Under Missouri's gambling law, riverboat casinos can't float the Diversion Channel, says official with Missouri Gaming Commission; Lady Luck proposes to dock riverboat on Diversion Channel at Scott City. JEFFERSON CITY. Mo. -- First construction phase of $68 million Mississippi River bridge at Cape Girardeau could be let out for bid as early as October 1995, if all federal money is in place...

Correction In Sunday's edition of the Southeast Missourian, an article on LPGA touring pro Karen Stupples did not list the correct name of the Rotary Club chapter before which Stupples appeared on April 22. Stupples spoke to the Cape West Rotary Club. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error...

In Friday's edition, the name of Brigitte Bollerslev, who was named volunteer of the year by the Jackson Rotary, was mispelled in a photo cutline due to a source error.

Future inspiration I AM a student athlete at Southeast Missouri State University. I believe it is time for us to retire the nickname of Indians. Because of its lack of use, I feel no connection or tradition associated with the name. I would much rather change to something that will be used. ...

Today Gospel singing at 7 p.m. at Shiloh Baptist Church in Villa Ridge, Ill. The Gloryroad Travelers and Victory Way will perform. The Teen Challenge choir New Creations will perform on the lawn at Pulaski Christian Church at 6 p.m. A hot-dog roast will follow the service...

Gerri M. Lawson, 62, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, April 30, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Cletus J. Rollet, 79, of Perryville died Thursday, April 29, 2004, at his home. He was born July 30, 1924, in Perry County, Mo., son of Elbert and Nellie LaRose Rollet. He and Shirley M. Weinhold were married Sept. 24, 1955, in St. Louis...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Louise Aldred, 72, of Cairo died Thursday, April 29, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born July 6, 1931, at Morley, Mo., daughter of Harry and Velma Gilliland Barks. She married Herschel "Bill" Aldred. Aldred was a member of Cairo Baptist Church...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Kevin Dewayne Reed, 20, 128 S. Park, Cape Girardeau, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Arrests...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following items on Wednesday: At 3:03 p.m., an emergency medical service at 27 N. Park. At 4:38 p.m., an emergency medical service at 2829 S. Sprigg. At 4:55 p.m., a fire alarm at 630 North. At 8:33 p.m., an emergency medical service at 1400 S. West End Blvd...

After a couple of years of huge gaps between spending demands and revenue, nearly two-thirds of all states expect to end the current fiscal year in the black. That's good news for many reasons. One is that states are usually mandated by their constitutions to spend only what they raise in revenue. Another is that some vital programs will have funding that was cut for budgeting purposes restored in next year's budget...

Any mother can raise a good family if she follows her A, B, Cs. A -- Always trust your family to God's care. B -- Bring the family to church with you. C -- Challenge them to set great goals. D -- Delight in their achievements. E -- Exalt the Lord ; give thanks to God at mealtime...

Reaching people who have no church to call their own has been an important element of La Croix United Methodist Church's growth. The church was formed more than a decade ago to reach the baby boomer generation and young families without a church home in Cape Girardeau...

To the editor: I appreciate your presentation of information on autism in Missouri. When I first became interested in children with autism, I had to spend days researching different sources. The information in your articles is stated in a clear format that anyone could understand...

To the editor: Autism is a word that strikes fear deep in the heart of every parent who hears the diagnosis. It is a moment of utter dread followed by grieving, a child's life ended before it has a chance to begin. And nothing could be further from the truth. ...

To the editor: Although last week's Speak Out caller was quick to consign Native Americans to the "dustbin of history" and probably would not recognize us without feathers, moccasins and war paint, we are alive and well in the United States today...

ORAN, Mo. -- Aubrey Dempsey "Jack" Whorton, 77, of Florissant, Mo., died Wednesday, April 28, 2004, at Christian Hospital Northeast in Florissant. He was born Feb. 20, 1927, in Russellville, Ark., son of True and Ather Deatherage Whorton. He and Peggy Louise Brindley were married Oct. 9, 1955...

Larry Riley Johnson, 59, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, April 30, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born June 14, 1944, at Canalou, Mo., son of James Riley and Alice M. West Johnson. He and Rose Marie Campbell were married Nov. 14, 1964, at Canalou. She died May 26, 1997. He and Judy G. Weibrecht were married Sept. 19, 1998, in Cape Girardeau...

Selda Arabelle Briggs, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, April 30, 2004, at the Lutheran Home. She was born Jan. 12, 1914, in Monroe, Maine, daughter of Fred Fuller and Mildred May Brailey Barden. She and George Willis Briggs were married Aug. 30, 1935, in Monroe. He died in June 1981...

New pastor named to Post Oak Congregational Church in Patton Darold Mills has been named the new pastor at Post Oak Congregational Methodist Church near Patton, Mo. Church Women United to hold Friendship Day dinner May 7 Church Women United, an ecumenical organization, will celebrate May Friendship Day May 7 at 6 p.m. ...

TULSA, Okla. t's Wednesday night, and the hottest teen hangout around is packed and throbbing with what seems an unholy beat. A DJ spins dance tunes upstairs, sending boys in sagging pants into contortions. Downstairs, girls surf the Internet from rows of iMacs flanking a glassed-in basketball court. Hundreds of new arrivals flow under a neon sign reading, "Oneighty," slowed only by a weapons check at the door...

The SEMO Conference tournament's four quarterfinal games were postponed Friday due to rain and will be played today. Notre Dame will host two games today: Jackson and Central at noon, immediately followed by Notre Dame against Kelly. Sikeston will host the other two: Sikeston and New Madrid County Central at 9 a.m.; Dexter and Poplar Bluff at 11 a.m...

The Associated Press PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- The European Union expanded at midnight today to take in a region isolated during the Cold War, creating a 25-nation economic giant with the potential to rival the United States. Church bells rang and fireworks exploded over eastern Europe in celebration...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Wide open. Probably wet. Definitely wild. That's how the Kentucky Derby is shaping up, even though Wimbledon and St Averil were scratched with injuries Friday and trainer Bob Baffert, a three-time winner, won't be around for all the fun...

Representatives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will be coming to Cape Girardeau this week to inform residents of the danger of predatory lending practices. Those HUD representatives will join a group of local lenders and real estate agents to put on a presentation in the Lincoln Room of the Drury Lodge on Thursday...

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals followed a game-winning home run with a game-winning walk. LaTroy Hawkins walked Mike Matheny on a full count with two outs to force in the game-winning run in the ninth inning, giving the Cardinals a 4-3 victory Friday night over the Chicago Cubs and spoiling a sharp outing by Kerry Wood...

Armed with Palm Pilots and a $95 million budget, Democratic organizers hope to exploit voters' anger toward President Bush and the disputed outcome of the 2000 election to produce a record-breaking Nov. 2 turnout. They're doing it the old-fashioned way -- knocking on doors and registering voters -- with information-age technology, such as the hand-held computers carried street-to-street by canvassers...

The Associated Press ST. LOUIS -- Seldom has a sixth-round draft pick attracted such attention. Jeff Smoker is the lone quarterback in the St. Louis Rams' three-day rookie minicamp and coach Mike Martz was watching him closely on Friday. He'll be scrutinizing him all weekend, maximizing the opportunity to put an early stamp on the former Michigan State star...

Ah, springtime in Cape Girardeau. The dogwoods. Sniff. The beautiful parks. Honk! The poetic hills and valleys. Hack, hack! The nostalgic Mississippi Riv, Riv, Riv ... Achoo! In Southeast Missouri, where noses run as fast as the rivers, mold and a vast range of pollinating trees and plants team up like supervillains set out to destroy the day...

Forget Eastern Kentucky's suspect non-conference schedule -- Southeast Missouri State University coach Mark Hogan says the Colonels are for real. "I picked them to be No. 1 in our league," Hogan said. "They will be one of the best teams we've played. Statistically they will be the best club."...

Jamie Birk and Suzi Lair had offensive statistics last season they would just as soon forget. But they've bounced back in a big way this year, turning in performances at the plate that figure to hold plenty of fond memories. Birk and Lair are two of seven Southeast seniors who will close out the home portion of their college careers this weekend when the Otahkians (14-29, 9-9 Ohio Valley Conference) host first-place Eastern Kentucky (34-14, 17-4) in a three-game series...

Paul Bucher pitched five shutout innings and drove in two runs as Oran cruised to a 12-0, five-inning home victory against Bloomfield on Friday. Bucher allowed two hits. Oran 12, Bloomfield 0 Bloomfield 000 00 -- 0 2 3 Oran 401 7X -- 12 7 0 WP -- Paul Bucher, 2-0. LP -- Vaughn. 2B -- Bucher (O). Multiple hits -- Oran, Austin Dumey 2-3. Records -- Oran 12-2...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Lawmakers negotiating a final version of next year's state budget worked all week to reach compromise on difficult issues but could not find common ground on one of the biggest: Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor, elderly and disabled...

CINCINNATI -- A federal appeals court Friday upheld a judge's decision to strip retired autoworker John Demjanjuk of U.S. citizenship, saying the government had proven he was a Nazi death-camp guard. The Justice Department said afterward it will begin what could be a years-long process to force the Ukranian-born Demjanjuk to leave the United States. ...

A program on methamphetamine designed to reach elementary students at the third- and fourth-grade levels was the focus of a presentation two Southeast Missouri State University professors made this week at Gov. Bob Holden's methamphetamine summit in Kansas City...

Cape Girardeau-based Rust Communications announced Friday the acquisition of the Shelbyville Times-Gazette in Shelbyville, Tenn., from David and Nina Gay Segroves. The 8,200- circulation daily newspaper is 60 miles southeast of Nashville and is the Rust family's second newspaper in Tennessee...

Baseball X-rays on the bat of Philadelphia outfielder Pat Burrell showed no cork. Burrell had his bat confiscated Thursday by St. Louis manager Tony La Russa. The Arizona Diamondbacks played Friday in their first game without injured All-Star first baseman Richie Sexson, who was placed on the disabled list Thursday with a shoulder injury...

Correction: A story in Friday's edition should have reported that the Fujita Scale of tornado damage has six categories, with F-0 being the weakest. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error.

NEOSHO, Mo. -- A southwest Missouri teenager faces a felony charge after he was allegedly caught attempting to secretly videotape girls in a high school locker room. Vincent James Ruzic, a 17-year-old senior at Neosho High School, remained jailed Friday on $5,000 bond on an invasion of privacy charge. He was expected to be arraigned Monday...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Members of the Kappa Alpha fraternity tried to load an antique cannon on their front lawn with fireworks, but destroyed the cannon and blew out the window of a second-floor apartment across the street. An 8-inch portion of the cannon, which legend says dates to the Civil War, crashed through the roof of the apartment building Thursday. No one was hurt...

WASHINGTON -- The Sept. 11 commission said Friday that it went into its private interview with President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney with the understanding that it would be restricted to about two hours. The disclosure, which came amid questions as to why two Democratic commissioners left the three-hour meeting early, appears to contradict the suggestion by the Bush administration in March that it wouldn't be setting time limits amounting to one hour each for Bush and Cheney...

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea reportedly agreed Friday to open its heavily armed border for relief goods from the South, countering criticism it would rather remain isolated than accept aid for victims of a deadly train explosion. North Korea's Red Cross sent a telephone message to its South Korean counterpart Friday, saying it would allow South relief trucks to travel to the town of Kaesong just across the countries' border, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported. ...

FALLUJAH, Iraq -- Led by a former Saddam Hussein general, Iraqi troops replaced U.S. Marines on Friday and raised the Iraqi flag at the entrance to Fallujah under a plan to end the monthlong siege of the city. A suicide car bomb on the outskirts that killed two Americans and wounded six failed to disrupt the pullout of Marines from bitterly contested parts of the city...

LOS ANGELES -- Truckers parked their rigs on a busy freeway outside Los Angeles on Friday morning, snarling rush-hour traffic for miles in a wildcat protest over high diesel prices. About five tractor-trailers stopped in the northbound lanes of the Golden State Freeway in Commerce, 17 miles southeast of downtown, according to the California Highway Patrol. ...

Jackson pleads innocent to new indictment SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- With a nod of his head, Michael Jackson pleaded innocent Friday to a grand jury indictment that expanded the child molestation case against him to include a conspiracy count involving allegations of child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. ...

CAIRO, Egypt -- Arab outrage flashed across the Middle East on Friday as TV stations showed graphic images of naked Iraqi prisoners being humiliated by smiling U.S. military police. President Bush condemned the mistreatment, saying he shared "a deep disgust that those prisoners were treated the way they were treated."...

SOMERVILLE, N.J. -- Former NBA star Jayson Williams was acquitted of manslaughter Friday in the shotgun slaying of a limousine driver at his mansion, but found guilty of trying to cover up the shooting. Williams, 36, was convicted on four of six lesser charges related to tampering with evidence and trying to cover up the death of Costas "Gus" Christofi, 55, who was killed by a shotgun blast as Williams handled the weapon. Collectively, the charges carry a maximum penalty of 13 years in prison...

I went to a college that valued its equestrian program, and I thought at the time there was something that separated horse people from everyone else. It was not that everyone else hated horses. They just never quite got what all the fuss was about. Watching the Lipizzaner stallions perform Friday night at the Show Me Center reminded me of that...