Stories from Thursday, November 22, 2001

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Florida-Florida State rivalry has again grown into more than just a football game. A soap opera is more like it. Call it The Battle of Twisted Knee. Gators tailback Earnest Graham said Wednesday he is considering a lawsuit against Seminoles defender Darnell Dockett, the player Graham believes intentionally caused the knee injury that will keep him out 3-to-5 weeks...

BOONESBORO, Mo. -- Andy McMurry considers himself an abstract artist, blending colors and textures and patterns with eye-catching appeal. His approach is organic, the results naturalistic and his subjects, invariably, end up bare-skinned. McMurry's art is his flock of 400 naturally colored sheep, bearing wool in all hues of brown, black and white, with shiny grays and rich chocolates and a few fleeces with hints of blue or red...

PINCKNEYVILLE, Ill. -- Standing in this spot five years ago might have gotten you trampled by a dinosaur. It was that recently that trucks as large as brontosauruses and bulldozers built like stegosauruses roamed freely in this part of Illinois. For much of the 1970s, '80s and '90s, this was coal mine country. Today, the land once mined by Arch Minerals Corp. is owned by the state of Illinois, which purchased about 16,000 acres in the past year...

PEORIA, Ill. -- The holiday table at Sophie and Jerry Agatucci's house won't groan under the weight of turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Instead, the meal will center on Teresina Agatucci's homemade ravioli with meat sauce...

TOKYO -- Less than a week after approving an emergency budget to pay for job programs, the Japanese government said Wednesday that it was planning another burst of public spending to boost the ailing economy. Signs that Japan's slump may be deepening after more than a decade have increased pressure on Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to dip into the nation's coffers yet again...

BEIT SHEMESH, Israel -- Diana Torzinski hoisted the plump pink sausage off the rack and began slicing it for customers who were well aware their purchases are fueling the latest dispute between secular and observant Jews in Israel. In this working class town of 50,000, the battle has focused on Petersburg and Olga's, delis owned by immigrants from the former Soviet Union...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The United States and its allies moved to seal off potential escape routes for Osama bin Laden from Afghanistan -- even by sea -- while a spokesman for the Taliban said Wednesday that the Islamic militia no longer knew the terror suspect's whereabouts...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- At an Agriculture Ministry laboratory outside Kabul, scientists worked with anthrax. If Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network wanted to get its hands on the deadly substance, this laboratory, now badly damaged by U.S. bombing, could have been a source...

PARIS -- Riot police used tear gas to break up clashes between Afghan and Kurdish refugees that left 29 people injured at an overcrowded Red Cross center near the entrance to the Channel Tunnel, officials said Wednesday. Two of the injured suffered serious knife wounds, a Red Cross official in Paris said...

JAMESPORT, Mo. -- A northwest Missouri sports editor was doing his part-time job as a driver for a youth agency when he was involved in a crash that killed him and two teen-age passengers, a longtime friend said. Robert L. Carter, 52, of Chillicothe, Mo., and Eric Erikson, 14, of Jameson, Mo., were pronounced dead at the scene of Tuesday's accident in Daviess County, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said. Jerry Durosette, 17, of Jameson died later at Liberty Hospital...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The doctor who triggered inquiries into a Kansas City pharmacist accused of diluting chemotherapy drugs got an award Wednesday from the FBI. Dr. Verda Hunter picked up the FBI's 2001 Director's Community Leadership Award for her role in initiating the criminal investigation into Robert Courtney, a pharmacist charg-ed with diluting chemotherapy medicine for cancer patients to pocket hundreds of dollars...

CHICAGO -- Archer Daniels Midland Co. and several other food processors have agreed to sell Cuba grains and soybeans in the first such deals in 40 years, a move prompted by the devastation caused by Hurricane Michelle. A joint venture of ADM and Kansas City, Mo.-based Farmland Industries will sell hard, red winter wheat to Cuba, ADM vice president Larry Cunningham said Wednesday...

ST. LOUIS -- A sudden rash of injuries doesn't appear to be a huge concern for the St. Louis Rams, who returned to practice Wednesday a bit beat-up but still on top. "That's why we have good backups," defensive coordinator Lovie Smith said. "Seventy thousand fans in the stadium don't want to hear that we have a couple of injuries."...

IRVING, Texas -- The Denver Broncos are coming off their worst game of the year. The Dallas Cowboys are coming off their biggest blowout loss in the 13 seasons they've been owned by Jerry Jones. No wonder both teams will be wearing disguises when they play Thursday...

WASHINGTON Still in his sweats, Michael Jordan went straight from practice to a meeting of Washington Wizards upper management. Hours later, he was in full uniform, playing a team-high 41 minutes and accounting for 83 percent of the points scored by the starting lineup...

The Associated Press COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A construction worker was killed when he became pinned between two bulldozers, police said. Ronnie Paul Nowlin, 26, of Columbia, was clearing some land for Lonnie Trucking and Excavating on Tuesday when a Caterpillar bulldozer became stuck in the mud, police Capt. Mike Martin said. Another Caterpillar unit hitched a cable to the rear of the stuck machine in an effort to free the equipment...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A Kansas City, Kan., man has been charged with wounding a Kansas City, Mo., police officer during an exchange of gunfire. Hugh L. Riley, 28, was charged Tuesday with assault of a law enforcement officer and armed criminal action. Bond was set at $500,000...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Police at the University of Missouri have arrested a student suspected of destroying a Confederate flag in a dorm room. Dave Sierpina, 18, of Aurora, Ill., was arrested on suspicion of second-degree burglary and property damage. Police Capt. Brian Weimer said Tuesday that Sierpina had been visiting friends around Nov. 3 when the second-floor room of Matt Pitts and Joe Naumann was vandalized...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- An order blocking a cold weather rule intended to help people with overdue natural gas bills remains in effect pending further review, a judge said Wednesday. Cole County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Brown continued a temporary injunction he issued last week that affects only two utilities...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Good weather conditions for the second year in a row helped Missouri hunters kill a record number of deer. During the fall deer firearms season for adults that began Nov. 10 and ended Tuesday, hunters killed 205,867 deer. That total was up 4,702 from last year, the Department of Conservation announced Wednesday...

SEOUL, South Korea -- Farmers opposing the World Trade Organization's free trade talks clashed with riot police Wednesday to protest openings in South Korea's rice market. About 10,000 farmers tried to march on a government complex in Kwachon, south of Seoul. Riot police armed with batons and plastic shields blocked the protesters...

BEIJING -- China swiftly expelled 35 Westerners, including six Americans, who had demonstrated against the government's crushing of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, the official Xinhua News Agency said Wednesday. The Westerners had all left China by Wednesday evening, Xinhua said. They had protested Tuesday by sitting cross-legged, chanting and unveiling a banner on Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Police quickly took them away...

NEW YORK -- Amid heightened security, the 75th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade promised to be a star-spangled event following the Sept. 11 attacks. Tribute to America, the first float in Thursday's parade, features a giant Statue of Liberty surrounded by midshipmen from the Merchant Marine Academy of New York waving 50 state flags and 50 American flags to the tune of "America the Beautiful," sung by Broadway star Betty Buckley, of "Cats" fame...

British scientists say thieving birds watch their backs more than honest birds do. Experiments by animal-behavior researchers at the University of Cambridge show that scrub jays that have been previously observed stealing food from others tend to move their own food to different locations to hide it from other sneaky predators...

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Small-town schoolteacher Reta Schwisow was 21, married for three months, when she got the news she was dreading: Her husband was missing in action. It was Aug. 10, 1944. Two weeks passed before she learned her 20-year-old husband, Lauren, was alive; it would be almost another year before he was released from a German POW camp and returned to her...

ST. LOUIS -- Lillian Morris hasn't always had an easy time of it. She battled through anemia, a stroke about 10 years ago and more recently, two broken hips. But this much she knew: She had lived on the same patch of family land in south St. Louis since 1939, at times confined to bed or a wheelchair, and she was not about to give it up to move into a nursing home...

Nov. 22, 2001 Dear Adams family, Thanksgiving arrives with uncertainty about the future. It will not surprise if nostalgia for the 1950s and pre-Vietnam War 1960s surfaces the yearning to reclaim our innocence is so strong. But the 1950s were scary, too, the fallout shelters and the duck-and-cover drills at school and a crazy Soviet named Kruschev beating his shoe on the desk at the United Nations....

A wholesome corner of the world we live in. For weeks we've been blessed with the colors of autumn. As I walked down the street yesterday, a driver smiled and waved at me. This is a friendly place. Food was stacked in mountains at our company Thanksgiving lunch on Tuesday. ...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Diann Bradshaw was only 5 when Scott City schools superintendent Roger Tatum began his teaching career. Thirty-three years later, he's retiring, and she's taking over the position. Bradshaw, Scott City Middle School principal, will move into her new job July 1 and become the third new superintendent promoted in the area since September...

Southeast Missourian The Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center received its long-awaited supply of influenza vaccine Wednesday and will hold two flu shot clinics next week before opening its doors to walk-in clients. The center gives flu shots to about 6,000 patients each year...

Travelers lined up in airports and crowded trains and highways Wednesday, many saying they felt confident and safe while others admitted being nervous as they began the first major holiday travel period since the Sept. 11 attacks. "I was afraid to fly before, but now I'm really afraid," said Amanda Mrowca, 18, of Chicago, as she and her family waited at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to board a flight to Miami...

PHILADELPHIA -- No charges will be filed against two sisters who ran an unlicensed boarding house that caught fire in April, killing eight people, prosecutors said. An investigation found that the house's wiring, overloaded by electric space heaters used by several residents, short-circuited and the ensuing fire spread through the walls. Kerosene heaters further fueled the blaze...

COLUMBUS, Ga. -- A judge dropped unlawful assembly charges against 31 people arrested while protesting a school for Latin American soldiers. The 19 women and 12 men fasted for two days and refused to give their names to their jailers when they were arrested Sunday after two days of demonstrations against the former U.S. Army School of the Americas at Fort Benning. They pleaded no contest to obstructing a police officer and guilty to obstruction of a public road...

NEW YORK -- The city's official estimate of the number of people killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist assault on the World Trade Center has dropped below 3,900 -- far lower than the most conservative projections just after the disaster. And Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said Wednesday the tally would likely drop further, perhaps by hundreds, as police detectives continue to pore over the missing-person list to eliminate errors and duplications...

DERBY, Conn. -- A 94-year-old woman who lived alone and seldom left her rural home died of the inhaled form of anthrax Wednesday in a baffling new twist in the bioterrorism investigation. Ottilie Lundgren died five days after she was hospitalized with respiratory problems. She is the fifth person to die of anthrax since early October, and the first case of the disease outside of New York, New Jersey, Florida or Washington...

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- President Bush, visiting with troops before Thanksgiving, told cheering soldiers Wednesday the war in Afghanistan is going well but "the most difficult steps in this mission still lie ahead." He said it will take time to find terrorists in caves and deal with fanatics who will fight to the death...

PHILADELPHIA -- A surplus of coins, perhaps compounded by Americans emptying their change jars in the softening economy, has prompted the the U.S. Mint to begin layoffs. Instead of 23 billion new pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters next year, mint officials now believe they'll need only 15 billion...

PALERMO, N.Y. -- A fire that destroyed a Sikh temple in upstate New York was set deliberately, but investigators say they don't know why. The temple, Gobind Sadan USA, was set ablaze Sunday. "We're handling it as an arson," Oswego County Undersheriff Bob Lighthall said Tuesday. "I don't know if it's kids in the area that just happened to pick that property ... or if it's because of their religion."...

CHERRY POINT AIR STATION, N.C. -- A Marine Corps EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare jet crashed into the Atlantic on Wednesday after all four crew members ejected safely. The cause of the crash was under investigation. The plane went down 26 miles off the coast, said Maj. James Bell, a spokesman for Cherry Point Air Station...

HOUMA, La. -- Three teen-agers charged with terrorizing bingo players with squirt guns have struck a plea bargain requiring them to write an essay titled "Why I'm Proud to Be an American." Chad Leblanc, Woodrow Straley and Clint Walker burst into a bingo hall on Oct. 15 and sprayed 10 players with large squirt guns. Police said the teen-agers created "a near panic" among 175 players who feared the prank was connected to terrorists attacks...

Dutch researchers have found the strongest evidence yet that pain relievers like Advil, Aleve and Motrin may ward off Alzheimer's disease. A large study of people 55 or older concluded that those who took certain nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory medicines every day for at least two years were 80 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer's...

QUOTE: I believe in the fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man. -- Dr. C. John Ritter By Sam Blackwell ~ Southeast Missourian Treating the sick in Third World countries renewed Dr. C. John Ritter's love for medicine...

DEXTER, Mo. -- The Dexter Board of Aldermen rejected the recommendation of its police committee and voted not to hire a new police officer. In a rather unique move, the board voted 2-4 against hiring a candidate recommended by the committee. Committee chairman Butch Waldrup presented to the board the application of Jeff Mitchell, 31, of Malden, Mo., for an opening on the local police force...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Jesse Oneal Coats, 84, of Scott City died Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2001, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 16, 1917, at Fornfelt, Mo., son of Jesse Frank and Alta Oneal Coats. He and Evelyn Rose were married Dec. 7, 1941, at Jackson, Mo...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Harry H. Brown, 62, of Perryville died Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2001, at Perry Oaks Manor. He was born Jan. 8, 1939, in Perry County, Mo., the son of James Mathew and Chlola Clodean Brown McCarthy. He married Judith Hunt in 1961. He married Norma Dewees on Nov. 3, 1984, and she died April 23, 1997...

DONGOLA, Ill. -- Roxie E. Penrod, 89, of Dongola, died Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2001, at Union County Hospital in Anna, Ill. Born Sept. 29, 1912, in Dongola, she was the daughter of John and Eva Keller Lingle. On Dec. 24, 1947, she was married to Ernest Penrod. He died June 9, 1996...

FARRAR, Mo. -- Elda C. Mangels, 76, of Farrar died Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2001, at Perry County Memorial Hospital in Perryville, Mo. She was born Sept. 28, 1925, in Uniontown, Mo., to Karl "Charles" and Elsa Bultmann Kasten. She was married to Walter E. Mangels on Nov. 24, 1946...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Ernestine Johnson, 64, of Chicago Heights, Ill., formerly of Cache, Ill., died at St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights Monday, Nov. 19, 2001. Service will be held Monday at noon at First Central Baptist Church in Cairo, Ill. Burial will be in Spencer Heights Cemetery near Mounds, Ill...

PARK FOREST, Ill. -- Forrest C. LeSar, 83, of Park Forest, formerly of Olive Branch, Ill., died Sunday, Nov. 18, 2001, at the St. James Hospital in Park Forest. He was born Jan. 18, 1918, son of Charles and Clara Barnett Le Sar. He and Vera Flagg were married after World War II...

Brittany Michelle McDonald, 11, of Cape Girardeau, died Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2001, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Born Sept. 5, 1990, in Poplar Bluff, Mo., she was the daughter of Bobby and Lula Medley McDonald. A fifth-grade student at Eagle Ridge Christian School, Brittany was a member of Mount Auburn Christian Church, and was active with youth activities in the church and with her Sunday school class...

Big assessments DUE TO a recent increase in my tax assessment, I've become very discouraged with our county government. I live in a house that I bought 50 years ago. I raised my children in it and hope to die here. But because of a huge increase in taxes, I've begun to be upset, depressed and thoroughly disgusted with our tax system. ...

CAIRO, Ill. -- George Richmond, 64, of Buncombe, Ill., formerly of Cairo, died Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2001, at Hillview Health Center in Vienna, Ill. He was born on Feb. 14, 1937, at Cairo, the son of Lloyd and Loretta White Richmond. He was a retired cab driver...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Dora Lee Lampkins, 85, of Scott City died Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2001, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born on Jan. 20, 1916, at Malden, Mo., the daughter of Frank and Ruth Piles Gordon. She married Ray Lampkins on Oct. 5, 1935. He died on Jan. 31, 1981...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Naomi Bowman Glenn, 76, of Charleston, died Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2001, at her home. Born March 20, 1925, in Dardanelle, Ark., she was the daughter of John and Rosa Lee Cossey Bowman. On Feb. 12, 1946, she was married to James A. Glenn, who died April 7, 1993...

AP Basketball Writer LAHIANA, Hawaii (AP) -- Duke emphatically ended Ball State's run of Top Five upsets. The top-ranked Blue Devils beat the Cardinals 83-71 Wednesday night, something No. 3 UCLA and No. 4 Kansas couldn't do the previous two days, and won the Maui Invitational for the third time in as many appearances...

Associated Press Writer KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- After hearing it at least a half-dozen times, Clarence Gilbert started frowning at the questions: How did it feel to miss that first free throw? What was going through your mind? But Gilbert was patient with the questioners, giving the same answer each time: "I just knew I had to hit the second one."...

Daily American Republic POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Poplar Bluff authorities are looking for information on the people who damaged nearly 75 headstones in the Woodlawn Cemetery last weekend. According to police detective Fred Landwersiek, the damage happened sometime Friday night or early Saturday morning...

Gosche Daughter to Bryan and Kathi Gosche of St. Charles, Mo., Missouri Baptist Hospital in St. Louis, Mo., 12:14 a.m., Friday, Nov. 2, 2001. Name, Kayle Elizabeth. Weight, 8 pounds 14 ounces. First child. Mrs. Gosche is the former Kathi McCoy, daughter of Lyle and Elizabeth McCoy of Thebes, Ill. She is senior designer with Mosby Publishing in St. Louis. Gosche is the son of Mick and LaDonna Gosche of Kelso, Mo. He is a senior quality engineer with Glato Smith-Kline of St. Louis...

10 years ago: Nov. 22, 1991 Many Cape Girardeau area residents got unexpected and rare view of one of U.S. Air Force's top weapons systems, the B-1B bomber, as it flew over southern edge of city yesterday afternoon; Steve Kaeser, air traffic manager with Federal Aviation Administration's Memphis Air Traffic Control Center, confirms that bomber flew over Cape Girardeau at altitude of 12,000 feet...

Capt. Lars Evald Toftemark, 33, of Columbus, Miss., died Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2001, at the Baptist Memorial Hospital in Columbus. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

DARIEN, Ill. -- Lucille Carson, 82, of Darien, formerly of Anna, Ill., died Monday, Nov. 19, 2001, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, Ill. She was born Feb. 10, 1919, at Anna, daughter of Ira and Rose Leora Bostain Colboth. She and the late Clarence "Kit" Carson were married June 29, 1950. He died March 12, 1986...

Jacob Lee Myres, 79, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2001, at St. Francis Medical Center. He was born March 4, 1922, in East Prairie, Mo., son of Albert and Maggie Olene Ferguson Myres. He married Betty Byrd on Nov. 21, 1951, in St. Louis, Mo...

Jackson has fielded some impressive wrestling teams over the years but last season ranks as one of the program's best in quite some time. The Indians, featuring eight state qualifiers -- including one champion -- posted a fourth-place finish in the Class 4A state meet, the squad's best-ever showing in the state's largest classification. And they had seven all-staters, the most since 1982...

Cape Girardeau Central's wrestling program has progressed solidly in Josh Crowell's relatively brief tenure and Crowell is confident that will continue as he enters his third season as the Tigers' coach. After winning just two dual matches and having no state qualifiers for the first time in 12 years during Crowell's first season at Central, the Tigers made major strides in 2000...

WASHINGTON -- American women may soon buy the world's first birth control in a skin patch. The Food and Drug Administration approved Ortho-Evra on Tuesday, a patch that prevents pregnancy by emitting the same hormones used in birth-control pills. Studies found it is as safe and effective as the pill -- but women must remember to apply a patch just once a week as opposed to taking a pill every day...

WASHINGTON -- The Hearst Corp. has tentatively agreed to divest a drug database company and pay back $19 million in profits to settle antitrust charges, the Federal Trade Commission announced Tuesday. The agreement must still be approved by the commission...

WASHINGTON -- In 1832 an American naval lieutenant, a man of fiery temperament and independent means, sought out the most prominent sculptor in Paris and commissioned an imposing statue of Thomas Jefferson. Although he was spending his own money and had no official commission to act, the officer intended the statue to be a gift to Congress and the American people...

WASHINGTON -- The government approved a pill Tuesday that could dramatically transform treatment for hundreds of people left gasping by a rare but often fatal type of high blood pressure. Tracleer becomes the first oral medication to treat pulmonary hypertension, a disease that causes dangerously high blood pressure in the artery connecting the heart and lungs. If not alleviated quickly, it can destroy the heart...

WASHINGTON -- The capital's French city planner called the great stone house "The Palace." For 50 years the government more modestly called it "The President's House." And for the next half century it was "The Executive Mansion." But in the fall of 1901 Theodore Roosevelt, sweeping into office like a fresh breeze, officially gave the old house the name Americans had called it almost since the first coat of whitewash was slapped on its sandstone walls in 1798...

HOLBROOK, Ariz. -- Most kids likely would jump at the chance to sleep in a giant teepee in Indian country out West, even if its a concrete imitation serving as a quirky motel room. And, yes, there are plenty of adults -- with or without kids -- drawn to the romance of the Old West and Historic Route 66 who'd rather bunk at the Wigwam Motel than yet another chain motel...

FORT WORTH, Texas -- As the cowboy slowly rides off, he turns to the crowd of onlookers and waves goodbye. It was the end of another day's work for the Texan, guiding a herd of longhorn cattle along a familiar trail lined with tourists. As he dismounts back at the corral, one of his cowboy pals calls out, "Let's meet at the White Elephant Saloon in an hour or so."...

Try this for a little fun and relaxation: beaches of sugar-white sand, plenty of saltwater fishing, and relaxed Southern living. Now consider spending a little time taking it easy on Alabama's Gulf Coast, and use the Internet to help make your plans...

WASHINGTON -- A Minnesotan -- or, gasp, Canadian -- turkey. Wisconsin-grown cranberries. Rolls from Kansas wheat. Illinois pumpkins and Georgia pecans. Sweet potatoes from North Carolina, or maybe the Dominican Republic. The feast for one of the most American of holidays comes from all over -- even abroad...

The attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon have underscored the importance of knowing how to quickly evacuate an office. To protect yourself at work, know where fire exits are located and participate in fire drills, which should be held at least once a year, according to the December issue of Consumer Reports...

Cape Girardeau's brightest holiday tradition, the Downtown Merchants Association Parade of Lights, will proceed Sunday along Broadway and Main Streets through the downtown area of the city. The Parade of Lights, a nine-year highlight of the holiday season, will be highlighted by more than 110 cars, walking groups and theme floats and this year will feature a special patriotic salute to America by the DMA...

FRUITLAND LIVESTOCK FRUITLAND, Mo. -- Fruitland Livestock Auction Tuesday. Receipts, 823; last week, 751, last year, 1030. Compared to last week feeder steers and heifers under 500 lbs sold steady to 2.00 higher, offering over 500 lbs sold 2.00-4.00 lower...

Cape Girardeau Wednesday, Nov. 22 Firefighters responded to the following call Tuesday:At 5:32 p.m., an emergency medical service at 1072 Linden. Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday:At 1:42 a.m., a faulty furnace at 1504 Dunklin...

Cape Girardeau Thursday, Nov. 22 ArrestsDaniel Gordon Neumann, 40, 606 Silver Springs, was arrested Tuesday for assault. Gene Allen Perkins, 29, 149 S. West End Blvd., was arrested Tuesday for failure to appear on a probation violation. Val Paul Mitsky, 56, 542 S. Spring, was arrested Tuesday for stealing cigarettes...

Jackson Wednesday, Nov. 22 Firefighters responded to the following call Wednesday:An emergency medical service on South Hope. An emergency medical service on North Hope.

JACKSON, Mo. -- Mary Margaret Rafferty, 91, of Jackson, died Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2001, at the Lutheran home in Cape Girardeau. Friends may call from 5-8 p.m. Friday at Immaculate Conception Church in Jackson. Funeral service will be 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the church. Monsignor Edward Eftink will officiate, with burial in Memorial Park Cemetery. Arrangements are by McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson...

The American flag flew at half-staff Wednesday at Eagle Ridge Christian School, and teachers and counselors had the task of teaching Thanksgiving lessons to children whose minds were on fifth- grader Brittany Michelle McDonald. The 11-year-old was killed in car crash after school Tuesday...

Kingston Wilson, 33, of Cape Girardeau pleaded guilty Monday to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. He appeared before U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel in St. Louis in connection with the felony. Wilson now faces a maximum of 40 years in prison and/or a $2 million fine...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's mobile office will visit Perryville Nov. 29. The mobile office will be at the Perry County Administration Building from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Scott Dismuke, mobile office director, will answer constituents' questions and write down any concerns...

PONTIAC, Mich. -- Ron Rice saw clouds and heard voices. But for a few frightening seconds, the Detroit Lions' safety didn't know if he could move. Rice's close call came after colliding with tight end Steve Bush during Detroit's 45-38 loss Sunday at Phoenix...