Stories from Tuesday, October 2, 2001

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- The United States gave its NATO allies "clear and compelling evidence" Tuesday that points "conclusively" to involvement of Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaida network in last month's attack in New York and Washington, NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson said...

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Reserve, faced with an America gripped by fears of more terrorist attacks, is expected today to push a key interest rate to its lowest level in four decades in an effort to get consumers spending again. In the wake of the worst terrorist attacks in U.S. history, consumer confidence has plunged by the largest amount since the Persian Gulf War, an ominous development given that consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of total economic activity...

WASHINGTON -- The government has decided against requiring farmers to cut back on planting cotton that is genetically engineered to produce its own pesticide. Environmentalists are worried that insects are going to become resistant to the crop's pesticide, which also is an ingredient in sprays used by organic farmers...

WASHINGTON -- Major depression makes an important part of the brain actually shrink. Stress seems to be a suspect, but no one knows how to stop or reverse the atrophy. Now a new study of primates' brains says a European anti-depressant seems to counter the shrinkage -- raising calls for more research to see if other medications might help people, too...

WASHINGTON -- They won't have to look far to find him. "The young dogs are going to chase me around," Michael Jordan said. "Well, I'm not going to bark too far away from them, either. I'm not running from nobody." The NBA season doesn't open officially for four weeks, but the old man is playing mind games already. ...

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- For the second time in three years, the Atlanta Falcons will have to play most of the season without Jamal Anderson. Anderson, an All-Pro in 1998 when the Falcons reached the Super Bowl, learned Monday that he tore a ligament in left knee against the Arizona Cardinals...

WASHINGTON -- Michael Jordan's need to play basketball again is stronger than his fear of tarnishing his legacy. "When I retired last time, I didn't say I was ready to quit the game," Jordan said Monday at a news conference attended by about 200 media members. "It's an itch that still needs to be scratched here, and I don't want that itch to bother me for the rest of my life...

ST. LOUIS -- Kurt Warner, who came from nowhere to become the NFL's MVP in his first season as starter in 1999, keeps finding ways to amaze. "In a few years, people will look back and realize he might be one of the best to play the game," coach Mike Martz said after Warner threw for four touchdowns in a 42-10 blowout of the Miami Dolphins Sunday...

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Efficiency overcame emotion Monday night as the San Francisco 49ers beat the Jets 19-17 in New York's first home game since the terrorist attacks. The 49ers (2-1) rushed for 233 yards behind rookie Kevin Barlow and veteran Garrison Hearst...

WASHINGTON -- A Missouri accountant convicted of helping drug dealers hide their profits will not get a chance to have his conviction thrown out by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court refused Monday to consider whether federal prosecutors abused their power in promising Charles I. Covey immunity to get evidence against the dealers, then sought charges against him with the evidence...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court opened its new term Monday with a rebuke of former President Clinton, suspending him from practicing law before the justices. Clinton was among 18 lawyers nationwide who got the same discipline. The justices gave Clinton 40 days to say why he should not be permanently disbarred from practicing law before them. A Clinton lawyer said the former president would argue that high court disbarment would be inappropriate...

Jackson Tuesday, Oct. 2 Firefighters responded to the following call Sunday: An alarm on South Hope. Firefighters responded to the following calls Monday: An emergency medical service on North Georgia. An emergency medical service on West Vale. An illegal burn on Mansfield...

Jackson Tuesday, Oct. 2 DWI Todd Morris, 29, of 1402 Belair Drive, Apt. B, was issued a summons Thursday for driving while intoxicated and failure to properly affix front license plate. Theft A theft was reported Tuesday at 3051 E. Jackson Blvd. A theft was reported Thursday at 2828 E. Jackson Blvd...

Mustafa Stokely received a death threat on his answering machine after terrorists attacked the East Coast. An anonymous man threatened to "cap" the Southeast Missouri State University senior who lives in a Cape Girardeau apartment. Stokely, 39, also has heard disparaging remarks from some students, who mistakenly view him as an anti-American Arab. He recently overheard a female student tell her friends in expletive-laced language that all "foreigners" should leave the United States...

Amid tearful goodbyes from family and friends, 28 U.S. naval reservists left Cape Girardeau Monday for duty on the island nation of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. The 23 men and five women left on a chartered bus shortly after 8 a.m. to waves from family and friends and salutes from full-time military personnel...

Public hearings Consent ordinances Held a public hearing regarding the request of Midamerica Hotels Corp. to rezone part of Lot 35, Doctor's Park, from C-1, local commercial district, to C-2, general commercial district. Held a public hearing regarding the request of George and Patricia Bockhorst for a special-use permit for the extension of the Armor Mini-Storage complex at 1678 Kingsway...

Cape Girardeau Tuesday, Oct. 2 Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday:At 6:20 p.m., an emergency medical service at 518 S. Hanover. At 8:07 p.m., an emergency medical service at 45 S. West End Blvd. An emergency medical service at Locust and Fort...

The crowd count may be down this year, but more than 500 people are expected to attend the annual Industrial Week Dinner, to be held Wednesday at the Show Me Center. Highlight of the event will be the presentation of the "Commitment to Excellence" award, honoring the 2001 Industry of the Year...

WASHINGTON -- A man who has been jailed in Pakistan since the 1986 hijacking of a Pan American World Airways flight has been arrested by U.S. authorities and is being returned to face hijacking charges, officials said Monday. Attorney General John Ashcroft said Zayd Hassan Abd Al-Latif Masud Al Safarini was arrested by American authorities Friday after he was released in Pakistan...

NEW YORK -- Gary Matthews Jr. hit a long homer and drove in three runs and Jimmy Anderson allowed just four hits in eight innings to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-1 victory over the New York Mets on Monday night. New York, which blew any comeback hopes by losing two of three in Atlanta last weekend, dropped 4 1/2 games behind the first-place Braves in the NL East...

BALTIMORE -- Jose Cruz Jr. homered to back a solid pitching performance by Esteban Loaiza as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 1-0 Monday. Cal Ripken, beginning the final homestand of his career, went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and is hitless in his last 25 at-bats. He also had two throwing errors from third base, his first two-error game since April 1999...

Associated Press/Suzanne Plunkett New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani addressed the United Nations General Assembly Monday. Stepping onto the world stage, Giuliani urged the United Nations Monday to hold accountable and ostracize any nation that supports terrorism. U.S. carrier dispatched, without its aircraft...

McALLEN, Texas -- About 2 million Mexicans failed to convert their border-crossing cards into new high-tech IDs by the Oct. 1 deadline, and hundreds were turned back Monday when they tried to get into the United States. Some said they were unaware of the cutoff date for getting the new "laser visas," while others said they had been expecting the U.S. government to grant an extension, as some members of Congress have requested...

ST. PAUL -- Up to 28,000 Minnesota state employees went on strike Monday, brushing off suggestions that the walkout was ill-timed in light of the terrorist attacks and sagging economy. Minnesota's two largest unions of state employees walked out over pay and benefits in the first such strike in 20 years...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- All but giving up on efforts to mediate the standoff over Osama bin Laden, Pakistan's president said Monday a U.S. military strike against Afghanistan appears likely, and the Taliban's days are probably numbered. That blunt assessment by Gen. ...

Kentucky official cleared in probe of wedding FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Lt. Gov. Steve Henry did not violate ethics rules when he used state employees to help stage his lavish wedding last year to Miss America Heather French, an ethics commission said in a report released Monday...

UNITED NATIONS -- New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani urged the United Nations on Monday to hold any country that supports terrorism accountable, and U.N. chief Kofi Annan said the global unity displayed after the attacks on the United States must not fade...

JERUSALEM -- A car bomb exploded in a Jerusalem neighborhood on Monday, causing only minor injuries but leaving another crack in the latest Mideast cease-fire. The truce has been marred by daily violence since it was formally declared last week, but Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and senior Palestinian officials Ahmed Qureia and Saeb Erekat met Monday in an attempt to keep it from unraveling. Both sides have blamed the other for the continuing unrest...

AP Tax WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush said Tuesday he is nearing consensus with Congress on a stimulus plan that could boost the economy without doing long-term damage. "There's no question our economy is hurting," he said, but stopped short of saying it is in recession...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Poison gas. Explosives. Hand-to-hand combat. Knives. And religious exhortations. The 11-volume "Manual of Afghan Jihad," or holy war, makes chilling reading -- a how-to guide to what it calls the "basic rules of sabotage and destruction."...

A Florida man pleaded guilty Monday to a drug felony charge, after officials said they found a ton of marijuana when they searched his tractor-trailer truck. Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry H. Ferrell said the drugs were found May 17 when officers at a truck scale in Pemiscot County noticed discrepancies in the paperwork the driver provided to them...

HOUSTON -- The magic number for both Barry Bonds and the Houston Astros is two. Two more home runs will give Bonds 71 for the season, breaking the record of 70 set by St. Louis' Mark McGwire three years ago. Any combination of two victories by the Astros or two losses by the San Francisco Giants will give the Astros at least a wild card spot in the playoffs even if they don't hold on to their one-game lead over St. Louis and win the NL Central...

Blues name Weight assistant captain ST. LOUIS -- Doug Weight hasn't played a regular-season game yet with the St. Louis Blues, and he's already received a promotion. The Blues on Monday named Weight as an assistant captain, joining Al MacInnis, the other assistant, and captain Chris Pronger. Prior to coming to St. Louis this summer, Weight was captain of the Edmonton Oilers from 1999 to 2001 and served as assistant captain for the six seasons before that...

AP Diplomatic WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush said Tuesday the idea of a Palestinian state has always been part of the peace process "so long as the right to an Israeli state is respected." The Sept. 11 attacks on the United States sidetracked an initiative by the Bush administration to launch Israel and the Palestinians into a new peacemaking process that only now is beginning to take shape again, a senior U.S. official said Monday night...

LONDON -- British and Irish rescuers called off a search late Monday for an American doctor who disappeared while rowing across the Atlantic. Nenad Bilic, 62, of Chicago, a retired cardiologist, set off on his 21-foot boat from Cape Cod, Mass., on May 11, heading for Bantry Bay on the southwest coast of the Irish Republic...

ST. LOUIS -- At peace with the state's plans to take his life this week, Michael Roberts fumed when told that attorneys had filed more appeals Monday in hopes of blocking his execution in the hammer slaying of a neighbor seven years ago. "This is news to me," he said during a telephone interview from his Potosi Correctional Center holding cell. "Lawyers do what they want to do. I have tried and tried and tried, and they just file one thing after another behind my back...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The effects of Missouri's new drunken driving law already are being felt after the first weekend it was in place. The measure passed by lawmakers and signed by Gov. Bob Holden earlier this year went into effect Saturday, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported five arrests under the law during its first two days...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's student loan default rate fell more than 1 percentage point in 1999 over 1998, the Missouri Department of Higher Education reported Monday. The default rate in 1999 was 5.4 percent, compared to a default rate of 6.7 percent in 1998. More recent rates are not available...

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. -- Taking college-level courses could become more convenient for residents of three mid-Missouri counties under a proposal to bring a community college to the Lake of the Ozarks area. Proponents of the plan are asking school boards in Camden, Miller and Morgan counties to endorse the formation of a community college district, which would require voter approval. Funding for the community college would come from property taxes, student fees and state aid...

Cape Girardeau Tuesday, Oct. 2 DWIBrian Keith Vogel, 33, of Scott City, Mo., was arrested Friday for driving while intoxicated at 400 Morgan Oak. He also was arrested for driving with a revoked license. ArrestsPaul Steven Watts, 39, of 430 Broadway was arrested Friday at Capaha Park for violating the park curfew...

Southeast Missourian A Jackson, Mo., man sustained moderate injuries late Saturday night near New Wells, Mo., while a Cape Girardeau driver and her Scott City, Mo., passenger were both moderately injured in an accident Sunday afternoon near Scott City...

Marching band to play in Jackson today The Cape Central Marching Band will take part in the Jackson Band Festival today. Last weekend, under the direction of Neil Casey, Josh Lamar, Billy Keys and Dina Strickert, the marching band placed third in the SIU-Music in Motion Band Competition in Carbondale, Ill...

Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, the nation's longest-serving senator, collapsed Tuesday on the Senate floor. But a few minutes later the 98-year-old Republican was described as standing and talking...

Associated Press WriterNEW YORK (AP) -- Clumps of bodies, including those of 15 firefighters, were found under the rubble of the World Trade Center as heavy equipment allowed workers to move giant steel beams and large pieces of debris. The number of confirmed dead grew by 30 on Monday to 344, the largest increase since the first week after two hijacked jets smashed into the twin towers. Officials have identified 289 of the bodies, while 5,219 are listed as missing...

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., collapses on floor of Senate.

Students in the Cape Gir-ardeau area have been able to use CrimeStoppers to report crime or violence at their schools for years. Thanks to a new federal grant, all Missouri students, parents and teachers can now make a single call to report school violence...

Daily American Republic POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- "I am shocked," said Courtney Chilcutt of Dexter, Mo., and the Butler County Fair Teen USA winner. "I'm overwhelmed. Everybody hopes to win the crown, but. ..." She couldn't stop smiling and there was a sparkle in her eyes...

Man who killed jailers gets death penalties COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A man convicted of killing two jailers in an unsuccessful attempt to break a friend out of jail was given two death sentences on Friday. Michael Tisius, 20, of Moberly, was convicted in August of first-degree murder in the deaths of Jason Acton, 36, and Leon Egley, 33...

Daily Statesman DEXTER, Mo. -- The skies over Dexter will be filled next weekend as aircraft of all makes, sizes and models take part in the annual Dexter Air Day. The annual show is sponsored by the Crowley Ridge Flyers in conjunction with the Dexter Airport Board and is slated to begin early Sunday morning...

Mentoring program chief to speak at Friday coffee Marge Sullivan, director of the Missouri Mentoring Center, will be the guest speaker at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce First Friday Coffee program, to be held at the Show Me Center at 7:30 a.m. Friday...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Jurors sentenced Kim. L. Davis to life in prison without parole Tuesday in the dragging death of a 6-year-old Independence boy. Davis dropped his head in an apparent sigh of relief with the news that he had avoided the death penalty sought by prosecutors...

Associated Press WriterPARIS (AP) -- A French-Algerian man has provided authorities with intricate details of a plot to carry out a suicide mission against the U.S. Embassy in Paris, saying he was recruited by Osama bin Laden's deputy and told the time to act had come, officials said Tuesday...

Play videogames long enough and you begin to despair of ever finding anything new and unusual. But "Metropolis Street Racer," a production of England's Bizarre Creations for the Sega Dreamcast, isn't just another racing title. There are many fascinating aspects of the game to keep you busy for weeks...

Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush announced that Reagan National Airport, closed since the terror attacks on the United States three weeks ago, would reopen Thursday under tight security. "There is no greater symbol that America is back in business than the reopening of this airport," Bush said Tuesday from the terminal of the airport, which sits close to the White House and other national landmarks...

Associated Press WriterBRIGHTON, England (AP)-- British Prime Minister Tony Blair issued a ringing call Tuesday for action against terror, saying Afghanistan's Taliban regime must "surrender the terrorists or surrender power." "This is a battle with only one outcome. Our victory, not theirs," Blair told his Labor Party...

Associated Press WriterJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri service stations that significantly raised prices after the terrorist attacks have paid fines totaling more than $60,000, Attorney General Jay Nixon said Tuesday. The fines were paid by 48 service stations that raised prices above $2.49 a gallon immediately following the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon...

AP White House CorrespondentWASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush said Tuesday that Afghanistan's ruling Taliban will suffer certain consequences for the Sept. 11 attacks on America unless it meets his demands that it turn over Osama bin Laden and his followers. "There is no timetable ... there are no negotiations," he warned...

AP Military WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld will travel to the Middle East for talks with political and military leaders in the region, spokeswoman Victoria Clarke said Tuesday. Rumsfeld is making the trip at the request of President Bush, Clarke said. Which countries Rumsfeld will visit and which officials he will meet are still being arranged, Clarke said...

CHICAGO (AP) -- United Airlines will immediately begin installing steel bars on the cockpit doors of all its planes, and other airlines are also considering new security measures to protect pilots and calm nervous passengers. United officials say they've obtained a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration that allows the airline to install the bars and locking hardware without going through an approval process...

Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- The Federal Reserve, faced with an economy that went from bad to worse after the terror attacks, cut a key interest rate Tuesday by a half-point, driving it down to a level not seen since 1962. The rate cut, the ninth this year, is aimed at getting consumers and businesses -- whose confidence has been badly shaken by the Sept. 11 attacks -- to spend and invest to keep the economy from becoming even weaker...

10 years ago: Oct. 2, 1991 Doug Kaminskey, Cape Girardeau environmental services coordinator, said yesterday that first day of citywide recycling service went "better than expected"; Kaminskey said collection and sorting of recyclable materials went particularly well...

Information in R. Joe Sullivan's "River City Journal" column Sept. 14 regarding the death of a former roommate of his son's was inaccurate. The former roommate is alive and well in Wichita, Kan.

Other than the fact it doesn't have a winning record, Southeast Missouri State University football coach Tim Billings acknowledges there is plenty to be pleased about regarding the performance of his young squad so far this season. But one area that distresses Billings to no end is turnover margin. Southeast -- particularly over the last three games -- has been abysmal in that department...

Cape Girardeau Central High School's boys soccer team picked up its sixth straight victory Monday -- but fell just short of a sixth consecutive shutout -- as the Tigers destroyed visiting Farmington 11-1. The Tigers, who raised their record to 14-3-1, received a three-goal hat trick from Whit Lynn and two goals from Jon Mark Thompson. Josh Fee, Heath Orr, Chris Limbaugh, Aaron Meystedt, Clint Hoffman and Arthur Pilsner all added single goals...

7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 1 City Hall Public Hearingsn Held hearing to discuss the city's response to a request for proposals for housing development issued by the Missouri Department of Economic Development Community Development Block Grant program. Held hearing to consider the voluntary annexation of property owned by the Missouri Department of Transportation...

JACKSON, Mo. -- A city-owned building most recently leased to a carpet business will soon house Jackson Fire Department administrators. The building at 503 S. Hope St. previously was leased to Phillips Carpet. It is located near the city's police and fire department building...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- In 1974, Missouri Delta Medical Center opened its dialysis center -- the first between Memphis and St. Louis -- with four stations. "It's the oldest dialysis unit in Southeast Missouri," said Charles Ancell, the medical center's chief executive officer...

Taking steps to avert an all-out recession has more economic importance than bailouts of hard-hit industries and businesses. Making sure the nation's economy is sound is a matter of national security. With the report, weekend before last, of some terrorists interested in renting crop-dusting aircraft in Florida as their next weapons of choice, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded such aircraft nationwide...

Kindergarten students chatter quietly in the hallway outside their classrooms at Jefferson Elementary School as their teachers try to get them lined up for recess on the playground. Teachers remind a few toward the back of the line to keep their hands at their sides...

Editor's note: This is a chapter installment from Jean Bell Mosley's book "Wide Meadows" that was first published in 1960. Last time: A visit with the flying geese. The places we went that summer. To the Kimberly diamond mines in South Africa; to Holland, where we saw the tulips and windmills, and I played with the Dutch Twins for sure; to Niagara Falls and California to visit kinfolks, and to see our aunts in Texas. It was lots of fun....

To the editor: I'd like to tell those who have any thoughts of hate crimes against our Islamic neighbors to leave them alone. We're going to need every option, every country, every person opposed to terrorism to catch and prosecute terrorists. Focus on Osama bin Laden and his followers...

To the editor: I'm an elderly retired registered nurse who recently returned to Cape Girardeau to live with my daughter. On Sept. 25, I went to Doctors Park for an appointment. I tripped and fell on the sidewalk, unable to move. I called for help. A pretty young woman rushed to help me. Soon many responded. All provided compassionate and competent care until the ambulance arrived and took me to the hospital. The ambulance crews and emergency-room staff were great...

Son to Timothy Gene and Angela Denise Clayton of Matthews, Mo., St. Francis Medical Center, 7:52 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2001. Name, Brett Allen. Weight, 6 pounds 11 ounces. Third child, second son. Mrs. Clayton is the former Angela Helmes, daughter of Glen and Ruth Helmes of Matthews. She is employed by New Madrid County and at Helmes Quick Sack. Clayton is the son of Eloise Fee of New Madrid, Mo. He is employed at Helmes Quick Sack...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Ora Helen Schlegel, 83, of Jackson died Sunday, Sept. 30, 2001, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 21, 1917, at Delta, Mo., daughter of Frank and Selena Lewis Withers. She and Herbert H. Schlegel were married Aug. 24,1940, in Cape Girardeau...

CANALOU, Mo. -- Funeral for Tressie Drew, 38, and daughter Courtney Maxine Drew, 9, of Canalou will be held at 10 a.m. today at Ponder Funeral Home in Sikeston, Mo. The Rev. Jack Lewis will officiate. Burial will be in Garden of Memories Cemetery at Sikeston...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Charles O. Kent, 74, of Marble Hill died Sunday, Sept. 30, 2001, at his home. He was born July 16, 1927, at Bunker, Mo., son of James and Eliza Jane Copeland Kent. He and Maxine S. Wilcox were married Jan. 26, 1946. Kent was a maintenance worker for Martin Marietta...

Funeral Mass for Jordan "Jody" Gajewski of Ashley, Ill., will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Michael Catholic Church in Radom, Ill. The Rev. Paul Wienhoff will officiate, with burial in St. Michael Cemetery. Friends may call from 4-9 p.m. today at Nashville Community High School in Nashville, Ill., and from 7:30-8:45 a.m. Wednesday at Campagna Funeral Home in Nashville...

Lots of construction TO THE person who asked SEMO to build dorms: Have you driven down Henderson lately? That is all that Dr. Ken Dobbins does: build things. If you have missed all the construction at SEMO the last few years, you either never come to campus or are stuck in a faculty office with a view of the river...

To the editor: Bob Miller's column "Move was worth it, Mario" describing some of the things that Mario Whitney had to endure was a column that was long overdue. I have been following Mario since he started for the Jackson High School football Indians in 1999. ...

To the editor: Doesn't Rush Limbaugh realize how foolish and out of character he sounds emulating the speech patterns of William F. Buckley? Be yourself, Rush. You made it this far with help from God. You sure don't have to be a voice clone of Buckley at this stage of your career.D.L. HUTCHESON...

DEXTER, Mo. -- Dexter Police Chief Ken Rinehart's last day was Monday, after he resigned last week. Dexter Mayor John Pruitt said an interim chief would be named this week. The chief's resignation followed several days of speculation concerning his future with the department...