Stories from Monday, November 12, 2001

Cape Girardeau Monday, Nov. 12 Property damageA vehicle window was damaged Sunday at 775 Perry Ave. A vehicle window was broken Sunday at 719 Perry Ave. A vehicle window was damaged Sunday at 1700 Perryville Road. A vehicle window was broken Sunday at 2016 Evergreen...

BRISTOL, Conn. -- Mark McGwire, the former single-season home run king, told ESPN that he is "worn out" and will retire from baseball. McGwire strongly hinted of retiring several times this year, when he batted just .187 with 29 home runs as he was slowed by a bum right knee...

CHICAGO -- No amazing comeback win for the Chicago Bears this time. Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers' defense wouldn't allow it. The elusive Favre -- who was 19-of-32 for 268 yards -- threw touchdown passes to Bill Schroeder and Antonio Freeman, and Green Bay kept Chicago out of the end zone Sunday to beat the Bears 20-12...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- At least 260 people, including 29 spectators, died at auto racing events in the United States since 1990, The Charlotte Observer reported Sunday. The spectators killed included five children and, in addition to the average of 22 deaths a year, another 200 drivers and fans suffered traumatic injuries, the newspaper said...

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- After seven years and 226 races without a victory, Bill Elliott wasn't even sure how to celebrate. After taking the checkered flag in the Pennzoil 400 Sunday, he did a tentative burnout in front of the main grandstand at Homestead-Miami Speedway, then did a couple of rubber-burning doughnuts before driving slowly to Victory Lane, relishing the moment...

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- Greg Norman took his place among golf's greatest players Sunday night, paying tribute to Jack Nicklaus for his example that learning to lose gracefully was as important as winning. Norman and the late Payne Stewart were among six new members inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame during a 90-minute ceremony at the World Golf Village that showcased style and success by players, administrators and equipment pioneers...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Sgt. Andy Cooper took off at 70 mph down Malone Avenue more than once on a weekday night last summer. Whether it was a report of an assault with a shotgun or an accident with injuries, Cooper was in a hurry. "Tonight isn't nothing," he said, cruising in and out of business and residential areas. "Wait until Friday night, when everyone gets a paycheck. Then we'll be busy."...

ROLLA, Mo. -- A Missouri National Guard armory was dedicated for the late Gov. Mel Carnahan at a ceremony here Sunday. "Of his many responsibilities over the years, there was no role he took more seriously than commander-in-chief of the Missouri National Guard," the governor's widow, U.S. Sen. Jean Carnahan, D-Mo., told 200 people at the dedication ceremony...

REPUBLIC, Mo. -- City leaders unhappy with police chief Sam Hartsell told him he had two choices: retire or be demoted within the department he had led for more than two decades. So Hartsell retired on Halloween without explanation, leaving many in this town about 15 miles southwest of Springfield thinking their beloved police chief had quit on them...

CHICAGO -- Midwestern white-supremacist groups are using the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to recruit new members, according to a study by a Chicago-area anti-racism group. The Center for New Community, a six-year-old faith-based organization in Oak Park, counts 338 "white nationalist" groups in 10 Midwestern states. ...

ST. LOUIS -- Watching Marshall Faulk run at will, St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz knew that resting the NFL's reigning MVP for three weeks was the right thing to do. Faulk ran for 183 yards and two touchdowns in just one half, leading the Rams past the Carolina Panthers 48-14 Sunday...

WASHINGTON -- When Russian President Vladimir Putin makes his first visit to the White House on Tuesday, President Bush hopes he can overcome Russian objections to his missile defense plans with promises of new cuts in the U.S. nuclear arsenal. What the two presidents can accomplish the next day at Bush's Texas ranch -- over a chuck-wagon picnic with crooning cowboys -- is less tangible, but perhaps more important to Bush's war on terrorism and his broader agenda for U.S.-Russia relations...

Cape Girardeau Monday, Nov. 12 Firefighters responded to the following calls on Sunday:At 1:52 a.m., an emergency medical service at 314 S. Ellis. At 9:20 a.m., a medical assist at 1542 Saratoga. At 11:13 a.m., a medical assist at 3440 Lowes Drive. Jackson...

NEW YORK (AP) -- A plane crashed Monday morning in the Queens section of New York, and buildings reportedly were on fire in the neighborhood. The plane crashed shortly after 9 a.m. and thick, black smoke could be scene in televised reports. The type of plane and number of people aboard were not immediately known...

BENTON, Mo. -- Three cases that motivated the creation, in June, of the first major case squad in Scott and New Madrid counties remain unsolved. Although the idea had been discussed for several years, law enforcement officers in Scott and New Madrid counties, the Sikeston Department of Public Safety and the state highway patrol combined investigative forces after the bodies of three residents of Sikeston's West End were discovered in a six-month period...

Home and business owners in some areas of Cape Girardeau may be eligible for tax credits of 20, 25, even 35 percent to renovate historic properties. "Tax credits can make a significant financial difference in an area," said Catherine Dunlap, director of Old Town Cape, which coordinates the Main Street program in Cape Girardeau. "We have some structures in downtown Cape Girardeau and the Haarig District which could qualify for some of the tax credits."...

Private graduates Army basic training Army Pvt. Logan N. Kirk has graduated from basic infantry training at Fort Benning, Columbus, Ga. He received training in drill and ceremonies, weapons, map reading, tactics, military courtesy, military justice, physical fitness, first aid and Army history and traditions...

NEW YORK -- Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday the Bush administration is sending a "powerful signal" to the world that it seeks a new Middle East where Israel and the Palestinians can live side-by-side in their own states. Powell said President Bush's remarks to the United Nations on Saturday in support of Palestinian statehood did not really "break new ground," but that the administration soon will follow up with a more explicit outline of its position on the kind of settlement it seeks.. ...

WASHINGTON -- Osama bin Laden likely has some chemical or biological weapons, and U.S. forces have bombed some sites in Afghanistan that could have been involved in producing them, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Sunday. Rumsfeld and other top Bush administration officials said they doubt bin Laden's al-Qaida network has a nuclear weapon, as bin Laden told a Pakistani journalist in a recent interview...

WASHINGTON -- As students rushed to get in touch with their parents in the anxious hours after the Sept. 11 attacks, Principal Ann Monday decided she had bigger worries than enforcing her school's ban on cellular phones. The attacks have led school officials to reconsider bans on cell phones and pagers during school hours. ...

WASHINGTON -- A U.S. helicopter lost in Afghanistan a week ago cost up to twice as much as the government spends yearly on scenic byways. Each cruise missile is worth several American homes. The total expense of the Afghan war may be nearly as hard to find as people hiding in Afghan caves. By one estimate, the military assault is costing $500 million to $1 billion a month -- and above the $1 billion in promised U.S. economic assistance to Pakistan, and debt relief for the country...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Folu Oladipo is a prisoner of war. The hopeful future pilot is not in jail -- not anymore -- but he's got about as much freedom since his Sept. 26 arrest in Fayette as any other prisoner. He can't work. He can't go to school. He can't go home...

WASHINGTON -- The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is likely to elect its first black president during a four-day meeting that begins today. Diversity also will be the focus, and the group will renew the church's fight against abortion, while proposing a day of prayer for peace as the war in Afghanistan continues...

CHICAGO -- If automated touch-tone phone systems drive you bonkers, imagine one designed to see if you really are. That's generally the idea behind an experimental program set up to screen older callers for early signs of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, and supporters say it's not as crazy as it sounds...

A vote-by-vote review of untallied ballots in the 2000 Florida presidential election indicates George W. Bush would have narrowly prevailed in the partial recounts sought by Al Gore, but Gore might have reversed the outcome -- by the barest of margins -- had he pursued and gained a complete statewide recount...

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Top Hollywood executives met with a senior White House official Sunday to discuss how the entertainment industry could help with the war on terrorism. Participants said they talked about Hollywood-produced public service announcements and first-run movies for troops in the field, but emphasized there was no discussion of altering movies or television shows...

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Two-thirds of people taking widely prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs do not get as much benefit as drug company statements suggest they should, a study found. Although the reasons for this are not entirely clear, researchers suspect a simple answer: Patients do not take their pills as diligently as they should...

NEW YORK -- Your sweat might help you fight germs. Researchers have found that human sweat contains a versatile antibiotic that might be on the front lines against disease-causing bacteria. Scientists already knew that skin contains germ-fighting substances that go to work after skin injury and during wound healing. The new work found a protein in sweat that was much different chemically...

Clinton's old Oxford digs for sale at $1 million OXFORD, England -- The house where former President Clinton lived during his time as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University is for sale -- for the very un-studentlike price of $1 million. Clinton rented a ground-floor room in the building at 46 Leckford Road in leafy north Oxford from 1968 to 1970...

UNDER THE AEGEAN SEA -- The turquoise foam envelops the submersible as it hits the sea. Then it dips slightly and dives -- moving gracefully like the mythical sea nymph that shares its name. Archaeologists who have peered through the sub's glass-bubble nose look upon the sea floor with the same excitement as their predecessors surveyed the Greek landscape a century ago: anticipating great finds and new clues about ancient civilizations...

NEW YORK -- President Bush, touring the World Trade Center's smoking rubble two months after suicide hijackings, called on Americans to remember "the terrible harm that an enemy can inflict" as they reflect anew on the sacrifices of their military...

MYSTIC, Conn. -- James W. Graham remembers his U.S. Navy service not as a fight against the Japanese or Germans, but as a fight for black sailors trying to make it in a white Navy. Ethel Mary McGinn recalls that her service in the WAVES taught her compassion for others that would remain with her throughout her life...

Awash in patriotism that has surged since Sept. 11, Veterans Day celebrations across the nation bustled with heavy turnout and raucous cheer or proceeded with renewed solemnity and reverence. In the tiny resort town of Branson, Mo., the sidewalks were stacked four deep on Sunday; its 6,000 residents were expecting some 150,000 guests...

LOS ANGELES -- There's a tickle of delight when actors surprise us with other talents. It's true in the case of supporting players -- for instance, Jane Krakowski, who plays Ally McBeal's secretary, displaying her show-stopping chops as a singer and dancer on the Fox series. Who knew we were looking at a musical star, not just a TV second banana?...

JABAL SARAJ, Afghan-istan -- Opposition forces claimed to have the Taliban on the run across much of northern Afghanistan on Sunday, as the ruling Islamic militia abandoned stronghold after stronghold in a withdrawal south toward the capital, Kabul...

BRANSON, Mo. -- Dwey Cook couldn't help but think of the commitment and courage being shown by the troops fighting in Afghanistan as he watched the floats and color guard units parade down the main streets of this tiny resort town in honor of Veterans Day...

CLAYTON, Mo. -- A Presbyterian church that lost a senior pastor to suicide about six years ago is digesting news that another one has left the pulpit, this time by resigning after admitting he plagiarized sermons. The Rev. W. Barnwell "Barney" Heyward Jr. made the confession in late October in a statement he read to his 1,800-member Central Presbyterian Church of Clayton congregation, said Eric Schmidt, the church's executive administrator...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Federal security tests at Kansas City International Airport in the 1990s showed hundreds of security lapses and even more violations leading to fines of $418,000, a newspaper reported Sunday. Undercover federal agents got fake weapons past security screeners and were able to sneak into off-limits areas at the airport, according to The Kansas City Star's analysis of Federal Aviation Administration records from that decade...

ST. LOUIS -- Driving through south St. Louis, there are not-so-subtle indications when you've reached a Bosnian neighborhood. Shoes are stacked high on front steps, marking the Bosnian custom of checking your shoes at the door. There's the hospitality once you're inside: Sit down. Talk. Have a bite to eat. Drink coffee -- strong coffee. Milk with that? Sugar? Eat. Talk. Stay a while...

CHICAGO -- A foundation that awards so-called "genius grants" every year to scholars, scientists and artists is giving $5 million to organizations to study and report on issues related to the Sept. 11 terrorists attacks. "This fund focuses upon important questions that have been brought into sharp relief by these tragic events and all that is happening as a direct result of them," Jonathan F. Fanton, president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, said...

Drew Juden became chief of Sikeston's Department of Public Safety chief in April. His goal has been to make the perception of Sikeston as a criminal center a memory.By Andy Kravetz ~ The Associated Press PEKIN, Ill. -- Michael Buley and his brother Christopher were roughhousing in their family room on a rainy Sunday morning recently...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Whatever the agenda for the Legislature's fall veto session, it changed Sept. 11. Lawmakers returning to Springfield Tuesday are thinking about the security concerns the terrorist attacks raised and the economy that they toppled...

The Associated Press JERUSALEM -- A Palestinian militant was killed Sunday when a bomb he was making exploded, Palestinian security officials said, and an Israeli was shot dead northeast of Tel Aviv in what police suspected was a Palestinian attack...

NEW YORK -- Edward Hibbert has a lot of things on his mind these days but the most pressing seems to be a platter of small fish and how quickly his pants fall down. The actor, best known as the fussy restaurant critic Gil Chesterton on NBC's "Frasier," has been furiously concentrating on both these things in preparation for a Broadway revival of the British farce "Noises Off."...

$$$Start By Jeanne Wells I'm writing to address the recent discussions regarding homosexuality and Christianity, specifically the letter from Jared Rouggly. The most popular and commonly cited biblical condemnation of homosexuality is the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18 and 19. ...

Heliciculture has become one of the newest and fastest growing industries in the United States. Heliciculture, the process of snail farming, is being developed by a number of individuals. The market place is wide open and is among the numerous "alternatives to agriculture" being introduced where new agriculture enterprises are discussed...

MILLERSVILLE, Mo. -- An Oak Ridge, Mo., man was killed Sunday when his motorcycle left the roadway and struck a tree. Ronald Dodds, 53, was driving on Cape Girardeau County Road 349 at 1:18 p.m. when his 2001 Suzuki motorcycle left the road and hit a tree three miles south of Millersville...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush met with advisers Monday seeking details of an American Airlines plane crash in New York. Bush postponed a scheduled interview with Russian and American reporters so he could monitor the investigation into the crash of Flight 587, which had just taken off from John F. Kennedy International Airport en route to the Dominican Republic. He meets Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, opening three days of talks in Washington and Texas...

NEW YORK (AP) -- An American Airlines flight that had just taken off for the Dominican Republic crashed Monday, and buildings reportedly were on fire in the Queens section of New York City. Flight 587, an Airbus A300 that can hold 275 passengers, crashed shortly after 9 a.m. and thick, black smoke could be seen miles away. There was no report of the number of casualties, either on the plane or on the ground...

NEW YORK (AP) -- An American Airlines Airbus A300 crashed Monday morning in the Queens section of New York, and buildings reportedly were on fire in the neighborhood. The plane crashed shortly after 9 a.m. and thick, black smoke could be seen miles away...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Sikeston is attractive to drug dealers for the same reason trucking companies like to locate there: Easy access. The same highways that trucks travel to haul consumer goods are also the roads used by traffickers to carry cocaine base to the West End of Sikeston...

Some stood on Freedom Corner saluting the American flag as taps played in the background and noisy cars drove by on the busy street. Some sat at the Veterans Home listening to Sen. Jean Carnahan tell how America has changed over the past two months...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Two days before he was found shot to death in a wheat field outside Sikeston last May, 22-year-old Jason Robinson sat on the floor in the office at Mission Missouri in the Sunset Addition, reading the Bible. "That was a wake-up call," says Janie Pfefferkorn, executive director of Mission Missouri. "That's how close we are to what's going on."...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Drew Juden grew up in Cape Girardeau watching cops park in his parents' driveway at Independence and Lorimier to catch speeders. Eventually, an officer caught him. Juden was racing with other boys in wagons along Independence when his wagon flipped...

Paul Loeb, author of "Soul of a Citizen and Generation at the Crossroads," will deliver a free noontime lecture Wednesday at Southeast Missouri State University. Loeb's Common Hour presentation will be held in Crisp Hall Room 125. He will sign books after the lecture...

Southeast Missouri State University will celebrate the second annual International Education Week today through Friday with events ranging from a fashion show to a information fair on study abroad. "Knowledge about the culture and language of our neighbors throughout the world is becoming increasingly important in the daily lives of all Americans," U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige said in a prepared statement released by Southeast officials...

Associated Press WriterNEW YORK (AP) -- An American Airlines jetliner en route to the Dominican Republic with 255 people aboard crashed moments after takeoff Monday from Kennedy Airport, setting homes on fire. There was no immediate word on the number of deaths or injuries...

AP National WriterNEW YORK (AP) -- Neighbors jolted from their beds as a jet crashed near their homes on Monday ran outside with fire extinguishers and garden hoses, trying to fight fires left by debris from the crash, witnesses said. "The whole house jumped," said John Maroney, 47, who said pieces of plane fell a few blocks from his home. "That's probably what shook us up from our beds."...

Associated Press WriterKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Anti-Taliban fighters seized the most important city in western Afghanistan on Monday and were closing in on the last Taliban stronghold in the north, opposition spokesmen said. Taliban fighters were fleeing positions along the front north of the capital...

CHICAGO (AP) -- Employees and visitors at the Sears Tower will have to pass through metal detectors and have their bags X-rayed as part of increased security at the nation's tallest building. The X-ray baggage scanners debuted Monday in the tower's two main lobbies. Metal detectors will be operating inside the lobbies in a week, according to a building management memo and a building spokesman...

Associated Press WriterKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Taliban Supreme Court judges have indefinitely postponed the trial of eight foreign aid workers, fearing their anger over the U.S. airstrikes would prevent them from making a fair ruling. The defendants -- two American women, two Australians and four Germans -- are accused of spreading Christianity in Muslim Afghanistan...

DENVER (AP) -- A United Airlines plane with 90 people aboard was escorted by military jets to Denver International Airport, where it landed without incident Monday morning. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the escort after Flight 1145 failed to respond to an inquiry, United Airlines spokesman Chris Braithwaite said...

Associated Press WriterKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Opposition forces broke through Taliban front lines Monday and pushed to the gates of the capital, Kabul, after a string of stunning victories in northern Afghanistan. The ruling Islamic militia deployed tanks at entrances to the city, fearing an all-out assault...

Associated Press WriterUNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The United Nations closed off its headquarters to pedestrians and vehicles early Monday as news of the plane crash in New York City stunned leaders of member nations who gathered here for the annual General Assembly debate...

Developments related to the jetliner crash in New York City: -- American Airlines jetliner en route to Dominican Republic crashes after takeoff from New York's Kennedy Airport, setting homes on fire in Rockaway section of Queens. -- No immediate word about whether any of the 246 passengers and nine crewmembers on Flight 587 survived...

AP White House CorrespondentWASHINGTON (AP) -- White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said there were no unusual communications from the cockpit of an American Airlines plane that crashed Monday in New York, and a senior administration official added, "It's looking like it's not a terrorist attack."...

AP White House CorrespondentWASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush met with advisers Monday seeking details of an American Airlines plane crash in New York, and a senior administration official said no threats against airplanes had been received...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- As a 30-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Henry Hungerbeeler is familiar with conflict. Since becoming director of the Missouri Department of Transportation in March 1999, he's continued to see an ample amount of combat. Hungerbeeler took over an embattled department vilified for breaking its promises to Missouri taxpayers and not providing needed transportation improvements. It wasn't a problem of his creation, but solving it has been the focus of his efforts...

10 years ago: Nov. 12, 1991 Every program in Cape Girardeau Public Schools is "fair game" for budget ax that is set to fall this spring, says Supt. Neyland Clark; school board heard report about upcoming $1 million budget cut at last night's meeting...

Lincoln Elementary School served blacks in Sikeston before desegregation. A map in Sunday's edition referred to the building as a high school. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error.

After watching film of Wednesday night's 31-6 sectional victory over Rockwood Summit, Jackson coach Carl Gross said he got "chill bumps as big as golf balls." That's because he saw his offensive line open up some fairways for backup tailback Stuart McIntosh...

Cape Central and Washington had to work a little extra to get into the Class 4A state quarterfinals this year. A total of four overtimes to be exact. Both the Tigers and the Blue Jays are coming off double overtime victories in sectional play Wednesday night...

Charleston coach Brent Anderson realizes the challenge his Bluejays face tonight. But Anderson isn't about to concede a thing. The unranked Bluejays will put their 9-2 record on the line at home against second-ranked, 10-0 John Burroughs in a Class 2A quarterfinal game. The kickoff is set for 7 p.m...

P Those fortunate enough to be sent to drug court have an excellent opportunity to turn their lives around and become productive citizens. Time will tell how successful Cape Girardeau County's new drug court is, but if it works as well as those in other Missouri counties, the program should be around for a long time...

The recent harvesting bee organized by friends to help area farmer Bob Nitsch had to have brought back memories to those old enough to remember when farmers routinely got together to help each other plant, harvest or complete other farm chores. Nitsch, of Jackson, was hospitalized and worried about harvesting 130 acres of soybeans near the Diversion Channel...

New banking center to open at Schnucks The Bank of America will hold a grand opening for its new Schnucks In-Store banking center at 19 S. Kingshighway this month. Kristie Carner will be manager of the new center, heading a staff of five associates in offering full-service banking. The new location will feature teller services and access to a number of services, including auto loan, home equity lines or credit, new checking and savings accounts...

Puchbauer joins Prudential Linda Puchbauer has joined Prudential Financial's Cape Girardeau office, 1020 N. Kingshighway, Suite B, as a representative, providing financial services and insurance to clients. Puchbauer, of Jackson, Mo., is a member of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce, where she is chairperson of the education committee, and a member of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce...

NEW YORK erry Esposito didn't need a government report to tell him the jobs are disappearing. The auto mechanic -- cut from the payroll at TWA last month even as he was consoling his fiancee, an American Airlines flight attendant also fresh out of work -- has already met face-to-face with the new economic reality...

PEORIA, Ill. -- Things were finally clicking for David Jenkins. He had switched to days after 10 years on the graveyard shift. He was operating computers for a national mail-order company, a job with decent pay, health benefits and an employee stock-option plan...

Most college basketball coaches don't regard results of exhibition games as all that important, but Southeast Missouri State University's Gary Garner thinks there are exceptions. Such as tonight's second and final exhibition contest of the season for Garner's Indians, who take on the Dreambuilders at the Show Me Center...

Miami is still No. 1 in the AP media poll. A shaky No. 1. The Hurricanes (8-0) held off Boston College 18-7 on Saturday, then held off No. 2 Nebraska (11-0) in Sunday's balloting by the 72 sports writers and broadcasters on the AP panel. Miami wasn't as lucky in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll, where Nebraska took over the No. 1 spot, with the Hurricanes second...

ANNA, Ill. -- Fred Nekola, 87, of Anna, died Saturday, Nov. 10, 2001, at his residence. He was born Oct. 1, 1914, at Chicago, son of Frank and Josephine Milanovich Nekola. He and Jane Ross were married March 24, 1956. He was a mechanic. Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Therese Pedraza of Loxahatchee, Fla.; three sons, Ron Nekola of Anna, Frank Nekola of Fanning Springs, Fla., and Dale Nekola of Oswego, Ill.; four grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Darrell E. Alcorn, 84, of Sikeston died at his home. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Ponder Funeral Home in Sikeston.

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Donald Lee Hopper, 71, died Sunday, Nov. 11, 2001, at St. Francis Medical Center. He was born Feb. 2, 1930, at Girard, Ill., son of Clinton B. and Hazel I. Rigg Hopper. He and Phyllis Irene Ashby were married Feb. 4, 1948, at Carlinville, Ill...

KARNAK, Ill. -- Violet Marie Thompson, 79, of Karnak, formerly of Metropolis, Ill., died Saturday, Nov. 10, 2001, at Mercy Health Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. Arrangements are incomplete at Wilson Funeral Home in Karnak.

BELL CITY, Mo. -- Mary Kathryn Pearson, 80, formerly of Sikeston, Mo., died Nov. 11, 2001, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. She was born May 2, 1921, at Niles, Ohio, daughter of the late Sidney "Sid" and Margaret Jane Beardsley Mullins. She was married to the late John Henry Graham. She and Alfred Dee Pearson were married May 21, 1994...

PUXICO, Mo. -- A. Wayne Findley, 72, of Puxico died Saturday, Nov. 10, 2001, at his home. He was born Nov. 22, 1928, at Puxico, son of the late Alfred L. and Pearl King Findley. He and Beverly Siler were married July 29, 1972, at Puxico. Findley was a retired commercial vehicle inspector with the Missouri State Highway Patrol. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, served in the Signal Corps and was affiliated with the Baptist Church...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Funeral services for Marie Eifert Landgraf will be held today at 11 a.m. at Eisleben Lutheran Church in Scott City. Burial will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery in Cape Girardeau. Friends may call at the church from 9 a.m. until the time of the service...

It's getting nastier SPEAK OUT could be a good forum for the exchange of ideas. With some positive attitudes, a lot of good could come from it. But it seems to be getting nastier. It condemns people for their political-party affiliation. Here we are, condemning people because they're gay and taking God's job away from him. ...

In a history-making season of firsts, perhaps the most desired one eluded the Southeast Missouri State University women's soccer team Sunday at Houck Stadium. Top-seed Southeast (16-2) dropped a 1-0 decision to second-seed Eastern Illinois University for the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship and the right to be the first to represent the conference in the Division I NCAA tournament...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Providian Financial Corp. seemed to outsmart the rest of the credit card industry in the 1990s. Using the power of computer analysis, Providian figured out a way to reap huge profits by lending money to millions of consumers lacking the income or credit rating to attract other bankers...