Stories from Thursday, December 13, 2001

The sudden shift of thousands of federal agents to the terrorism investigation has come at the expense of traditional crimefighting against drugs, bank robberies, illegal immigration and white-collar crime, an analysis conducted for The Associated Press showed...

WASHINGTON -- An Air Force B-1B bomber flying a long-range combat mission to Afghanistan crashed in the Indian Ocean Wednesday. A Navy ship pulled all four crew members to safety. "We're all pretty bruised up and have some cuts, but overall we're doing very well," the bomber's pilot, Capt. William Steele, told reporters at the Pentagon in a satellite telephone call from the USS Russell, the guided missile destroyer that launched a small boat to rescue the crew in darkness...

The Associated Press WASHINGTON -- The number of people age 65 and older more than tripled over the past half-century to a record 420 million worldwide. In general, seniors are better educated, retiring earlier and living longer. Vast differences in quality of life exist between older people living in the United States and Japan, for example, and those in Malaysia, Costa Rica and other developing countries where the biggest increases in this population are expected...

BOSTON -- Baseball's average salary broke the $2 million barrier for the first time this season, and the New York Yankees led the major leagues with an average of nearly $4 million. The final average salary of a major league player in 2001 was $2,138,896, according to final figures released Wednesday by the Major League Baseball Players Association...

BOSTON -- Jason Giambi is finally ready to officially join the New York Yankees. After days of anticipation, New York planned a news conference today at Yankee Stadium to announce a seven-year contract with Giambi worth about $120 million, a baseball official and a lawyer familiar with the talks said on the condition they not be identified...

CHICAGO -- Keith Tkachuk scored the only goal of the third period to help the St. Louis Blues tie the Chicago Blackhawks 2-2 Wednesday night. The Blackhawks' lead over rival St. Louis for second place in the Central Division remained at three points as Chicago ended a four-game homestand 2-1-1...

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Corey Marko loves attention but still doesn't understand why people make a big deal out of his prosthetic legs. Need proof? After a tough loss for his hockey team, the 13-year-old goalie took off his legs, turned them backward and started walking around the locker room to cheer up his teammates...

DALLAS -- Former Dallas Cowboys lineman Nate Newton was arrested Wednesday on charges of carrying at least 175 pounds of marijuana in his car, his second such arrest in six weeks. Newton, facing a felony charge of possession with intent to deliver, was being held at the Lew Sterrett Justice Center, Dallas County Sheriff's Department spokesman Don Peritz said. The former player was to be arraigned Wednesday night...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- If the Denver Broncos try to cheap-shot Eddie Kennison, he'll be ready to give as good as he gets. "If that's the way they feel, and if they don't understand, then to hell with them," the Kansas City wide receiver said Wednesday. "I'm a grown man and I'm going to do everything I possibly can to protect myself and protect this ballclub."...

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Before the season started, no one gave the Chicago Bears much of a chance to reach .500, let alone make the playoffs. Now they're 9-3 with a chance to clinch a playoff spot Sunday, and fans are crabbing they're not winning big enough...

WASHINGTON -- The House unanimously passed an intelligence bill Wednesday that will place new emphasis on traditional human spy networks that have served as a key to the war on terrorism. "The events of Sept. 11 are a sad reminder of what happens when we let our intelligence guard down," said Rep. ...

WASHINGTON -- Iraq's refusal to allow U.N. weapons inspectors into the country presents a mounting threat to America and its allies, stated a House International Relations Committee resolution. The committee vote Wednesday came days after President Bush warned Iraq it would be held accountable if it developed weapons of mass destruction...

The U.S. Supreme Court once again has been asked to decide the constitutionality of a federal law that attempts to shield children from sexually explicit pictures and other objectionable material that are readily available on the Internet. The court struck down an earlier version of the legislation as an unconstitutional limit on free speech. ...

Cape Girardeau Thursday, Dec. 13 DWIDina Marie Hill, 28, 140 E St., was arrested Tuesday for driving while intoxicated. Arrests Dennis Leslie Ricketts Jr.. 45, 1506 N. West End, was arrested Tuesday on a Bollinger County warrant. BurglaryMissouri license plates were reported stolen Tuesday after a burglary at Morley Motor Co., 60 S. Kingshighway. A doorframe and lockbox for keys was broken...

Many of the people referred to the Christmas for the Elderly program haven't made major gift requests but would like simple items like a fruit basket or gift certificate. Christmas for the Elderly is a joint program of the Cape Girardeau Jaycees and the Southeast Missourian that provides gifts to the community's senior citizens in need...

Many children in Cape Girardeau won't have a merry Christmas unless more donations to Toybox come in. There are only a few toys left to fill the more than 300 application requests remaining -- and time is running short. Delivery is set for Dec. 20...

Jim Bequette's hometown, Bonne Terre, Mo., was a company town. His great-grandfathers and a grandfather worked in the lead mines. Bequette's father was an accountant for the St. Joseph Lead Co., and his stepfather became its vice president. Shortly after New York investors bought nearly 1,000 acres of land in St. Francois County in 1864, the St. Joseph Lead Co. became a pioneer in underground lead mining. By World War II the company was the largest lead mining operation in the world...

WASHINGTON -- Federal Reserve Governor Edward W. Kelley Jr. said Wednesday he will step down from the Fed's seven-member board at the end of this month. Kelley, who has served on the Fed's board of governors for 14 1/2 years, longer than any other current member, said in a letter to President Bush that his resignation would be effective on Dec. 31...

Cape Girardeau Thursday, Dec. 13 On Tuesday, firefighters responded to the following calls:At 6:24 p.m., emergency medical service at 324 S. Lorimier. At 6:39 p.m., emergency medical service at 1030 Broadway. On Wednesday, firefighters responded to the following calls:At 7:33 a.m., vehicle accident at Ranchito and Kingsway...

LONDON -- A new exhibition of letters and manuscripts of J.R.R. Tolkien gives insight into the very private man who wrote "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Tolkien was a reluctant celebrity, and one of the letters that went on display at The British Library on Tuesday reveals his irritation at the loss of privacy that followed the success of his books -- "The Hobbit" in 1937 and the trilogy in the 1950s...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush told congressional leaders Wednesday he will withdraw from a treaty considered a cornerstone of arms control but one that hampers his quest for a defense against missile attack. Several senior Senate Democrats criticized the move. Sen. Joseph R. Biden, D-Del., suggested there might be a legal case against acting without Congressional approval...

ST. LOUIS -- When it comes to running, Kurt Warner is no Donovan McNabb or Daunte Culpepper. Still, St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz would like to see his quarterback tuck the ball and take off a little more often. "He needs to," Martz said. "There's some coverage stuff where (defenses) have started to go so deep, and if he has to hold (the ball) for a certain length of time I'd like to see him take off and go with it and just go down."...

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- In a case moved to St. Joseph for trial, a Kansas City woman has been acquitted of tampering with a witness at her son's Clay County murder trial. Kim Jerdee, 39, was accused of offering Michael Morse marijuana to change his testimony at the murder trial of Brett Johnson...

JERUSALEM -- Israel cut off all contact with Yasser Arafat early Thursday after Palestinian militants killed 10 more Israelis in a bus ambush. The move could wreck U.S. efforts to construct a truce. The Israeli Security Cabinet issued its dramatic announcement just hours after Arafat bowed to long-standing Israeli demands and ordered the offices of the militant Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups closed...

The Associated Press TOKYO -- All over Japan, children are gathering around "stadiums" no bigger than a serving platter to shoot spinning, battling tops of plastic and metal enchanted by the spirits of monsters and dragons. The tops are called "Beyblade" and are the latest rage in the nation that brought the world Pokemon, PlayStation and the Power Rangers. Now they are coming to toy stores in the United States...

BOGOTA, Colombia -- Former Hell's Angel Glenn Heggstad, a self-styled "outlaw on the edge," was looking for danger on a solo motorcycle trip through Latin America. He says he found plenty of it in Colombia, where leftist guerrillas took him hostage and gave him the scare of his life. ...

TORA BORA, Afghanistan -- Joined by U.S. special forces on their front lines in the eastern mountains, Afghan tribal commanders set a new deadline Wednesday for trapped al-Qaida fighters to surrender -- and said they must hand over their leaders as well...

LOS ANGELES -- The chairman and another member of the militant Jewish Defense League have been arrested on suspicion of plotting to blow up a Los Angeles mosque and the office of an Arab-American congressman, federal authorities said Wednesday. JDL chairman Irv Rubin, 56, and Earl Krugel, 59, were arrested Tuesday night after the last component of the bomb -- explosive powder -- was delivered to Krugel's home, U.S. ...

SAN ANSELMO, Calif. -- In this wealthy bastion of hot-tub liberalism, where aging hippies encourage their children to embark on spiritual journeys, there is a mixture of outrage and mercy for the young neighbor whose odyssey led him to the Taliban...

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- A top administrator at the University of Iowa's medical school was stabbed to death early Wednesday at an apartment. Dr. Richard P. Nelson, a 55-year-old executive dean, was found by police before daybreak and died at a hospital...

AUSTIN, Texas -- An appeals court Wednesday overturned a woman's conviction and death sentence in the slaying of her neighbor, saying police violated her rights by using a statement she made after asking for a lawyer. Kimberly McCarthy, one of seven women on Texas' death row, was granted a new trial...

HONG KONG -- A proposed patent by agro-giant Monsanto on genetic blueprints of high-yield soybeans has caused alarm in China, where the crop has been grown for thousands of years. The argument over the patent -- though the application was made in the United States -- reflects a growing awareness of intellectual property issues in China and their bearing on the country's fate as it opens its markets and moves into the World Trade Organization...

The Associated Press BELFAST, Northern Ireland -- Police efforts to prevent and investigate Northern Ireland's deadliest attack were seriously flawed and should provoke wholesale reform of a secretive intelligence unit, an investigator reported Wednesday...

The Associated Press JERUSALEM -- The military wing of the Islamic militant Hamas group said Wednesday that poisonous chemicals planted on bombs its activists exploded recently have spread terror among Israelis even more effectively than its earlier attacks...

When Stephen Sachs of Clayton found out he won a Rhodes Scholarship, he did something most college kids do when they need money, not after they've gotten it. He called his parents. And those who saw Christopher Elders of Kansas City display the skills that won him national debate honors in high school are not surprised he's also won a free-ride to Oxford University...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The FBI is investigating how a Chemical Week magazine bearing the Kansas City Public Library's mailing address made its way to an abandoned al-Qaida training camp in Afghanistan. FBI spokesman Jeff Lanza said the bureau learned of the magazine's discovery Wednesday through media accounts. Even so, an agent will go to the library to investigate, he said...

KENNETT, Mo. -- An Independence Township maintenance crew found the body of a man, believed to be 20 to 25 years old, in a Dunklin County ditch Wednesday morning while they were completing road work. Dunklin County Sheriff Bob Holder said Wednesday evening the death has been ruled a homicide...

ST. LOUIS -- One day after receiving approval from federal regulators, Swiss-based Nestle S.A. completed on Wednesday its $10.3 billion purchase of pet-food leader and St. Louis institution Ralston Purina Co. The 107-year-old Ralston, which was started as a horse-feed business in 1894 by William Danforth, joins the late Trans World Airlines Inc. as the latest local company absorbed by a rival...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Springfield police caught on a home video striking a man suspected of shooting at a detective have been exonerated of claims they used excessive force in making the arrest. Springfield Police Chief Lynn Rowe said an internal investigation found that the officers were doing what they were trained to do when they struck suspect Tony Mann, 33, near his face...

The Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Police found a woman and a 5-year-old boy dead in a Kansas City home Wednesday. Officers went to the home after the owner's daughter, called about her mother.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Ethics Commission is one of 12 state ethics agencies that has not issued a finding against a legislator for violating conduct laws in the past five years, a study says. But the Center of Public Integrity of Washington, D.C. said in a report released Wednesday on its Internet site, that the reason for the problem may be because of a lack of funding for the Missouri agency between 1997 and 2000...

ST. LOUIS -- Missouri casinos have been booming lately, defiant of a nationwide recession. More popular slot machines, a reluctance to travel, and fewer jobs statewide are among the factors being cited for the increase in money left behind by gamblers...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Senate's only physician is proposing legislation that would expand Missouri's ability to respond to disasters such as a chemical or biological attack. Sen. Marvin Singleton, R-Seneca, chairman of the Senate Committee on Improving Health Care, has filed a bill that would broaden state government's ability to deal with a terrorist attack or natural disaster...

Dec. 13, 2001 Dear Carolyn, DC's parents have returned from five weeks in India. They brought home silks, metal sculptures of dancing divinities and ankle bracelets along with stories of incredible stone carvings in temples and of seeing people bow down to farm animals....

Today The La Leche League Breast Feeding Support Group will meet from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the St. Francis Education Center. Contact Carol Stoverink at 334-2705 for information. Asthma education class meets at 6:30 p.m. in Room 103 at Southeast Missouri Hospital. The class is for children and adults who have asthma and is taught by a respiratory care staff member. For information, call 651-5825...

The Cape Girardeau County juvenile detention center reopened Wednesday equipped with $35,000 in improvements, including the installation of electronic locks on cell doors to improve fire safety. Five juveniles were brought back from the Mississippi County detention center, and three more were expected to be housed there by day's end...

Associated Press WriterJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Gov. Bob Holden is working on a plan to cut more than $200 million from the state budget without laying off any state employees, officials in Holden's office said Thursday. The governor, who already has vetoed or cut $359 million from the $19 billion state budget, is expected to announce the latest round of cuts Friday...

Associated Press WriterJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Some Missouri voters will have new state representation for the next decade based on new legislative districts unveiled Thursday by a judicial panel. The six-member Missouri Appellate Apportionment Commission voted unanimously on a map for the 34-member Senate and 4-2 on a map for the House...

AP Business WriterNEW YORK (AP) -- Profit warnings from Ciena and Lucent Technologies, along with news of more layoffs and deteriorating retail sales, unnerved Wall Street Thursday and prompted heavy selling. The spate of negative news indicated that parts of the economy are likely to remain weak early in 2002, a disappointment to investors who have been buying stocks for weeks on increasing confidence of an impending economic recovery...

Every time Cortia Williams thought of quitting college, she remembered her grandmother's dying wish that she graduate. It was a wish that came with $500 in change, saved up in two tin cans stowed carefully in a trunk in the New Madrid, Mo., home of her grandmother, Edna Williams...

Degrees will be conferred on 514 graduates during commencement exercises at Southeast Missouri State University Saturday. Sheryl Crow, an internationally known singer, guitarist and songwriter who grew up in Kennett, Mo., , will deliver the commencement address at the 2 p.m. ceremony in the Show Me Center...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Little wonder someone would come up with the idea for a drive-through shot clinic in an area where everything from chewing gum to prescription drugs is dispensed through a window. For 90 local people who received flu vaccinations while sitting in their cars Wednesday morning, it was the best idea they'd seen in a long time...

A woman was hospitalized after nine vehicles were involved in four accidents within moments of each other on Interstate 55 Wednesday night. Northbound lanes from Route K to U.S. 61 were closed for about an hour, and traffic backed up for miles. Spilled fuel and a wet road were major contributors to the wrecks, which occurred about 6 p.m. near mile marker 99, said Cape Girardeau police...

Holiday carols, a glittering Christmas tree, balloons and snacks helped create a festive atmosphere Wednesday when the Area Wide United Way announced it exceeded its annual fund-raising goal of $875,000. As of this week, the campaign raised $877,459 with more contributions expected, chairman Steven C. Bjelich said. The total amount raised will be announced in late January...

MCCLURE, Ill. -- Authorities in Southern Illinois continued to search Wednesday night for a missing Alto Pass, Ill., man who has Alzheimer's disease. Walter Gibbs Sr., 73, was last seen about 5 p.m. Tuesday while going to McClure to visit friends. He was driving a white 1998 Dodge pickup truck...

MOSCOW (AP) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called the U.S. decision to withdraw from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty a "mistake." In a nationwide television address, Putin repeated Russia's often-stated position that the treaty is a cornerstone of world security...

Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- The House overcame its objections to base closings to give final passage to a massive $343.3 billion defense authorization bill Thursday. The bill includes pay raises for all service members, an increase in anti-terrorism funds and full funding of President Bush's prized missile defense efforts, for which he is pulling out of a 29-year-old arms control treaty with Russia...

Associated Press WriterGAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) -- Israel severed all contact with Yasser Arafat on Thursday, launching airstrikes and sending troops to Palestinian towns after a bus ambush that killed 10 Israelis. Arafat's spokesman called the moves "an official declaration of war."...

Associated Press WriterNEW DELHI, India (AP) -- Half a dozen armed men stormed India's Parliament on Thursday, leaving at least 13 dead and 17 wounded during the more than half-hour shootout, authorities said. Police Chief Ajai Raj Sharma said six officers and an army commando died. ...

Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- Retail sales plunged a record 3.7 percent in November as consumers, buffeted by huge job losses, terrorist attacks and a recession, got the holiday sales season off to a dismal start. The Commerce Department said the record drop in retail sales followed a 6.4 percent upward surge in October, also a record. ...

Associated Press WriterKANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) -- Fearing retribution, 13 injured Arab fighters were holed up Thursday at the city's main hospital, threatening to blow themselves up if anyone other than medical staff entered their rooms...

Associated Press WriterTORA BORA, Afghanistan (AP) -- Backed by intensifying U.S. airstrikes, Afghan tribal fighters launched a new assault Thursday against trapped al-Qaida forces. Commanders said key terrorist leaders had likely fled Osama bin Laden's besieged mountain base for neighboring Pakistan...

AP Diplomatic WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- In a historic break with Russia, the Bush administration Thursday withdrew from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, a move effective in six months, The Associated Press has learned. The U.S. ambassador to Moscow delivered formal notice of President Bush's decision to Russian officials at 4:30 a.m. EST, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity...

Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush has invoked executive privilege for the first time to keep Congress from seeing documents of prosecutors' decision-making in cases ranging from decades-old Boston murders to the Clinton-era fund-raising probe, The Associated Press has learned...

Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- On a translated tape released by the Pentagon Thursday, alleged terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden says "we calculated in advance" the number of casualties in the Sept. 11 attacks. He also said "we did not reveal" the attack plan to the hijackers until "just before they boarded the planes."...

Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- Osama bin Laden contentedly recalled the Sept. 11 suicide attacks against America on a videotape released Thursday by the Pentagon, saying the destruction exceeded his estimates and the event "benefitted Islam greatly."...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- World War II veterans only have through Jan. 1 to apply for state medallions, medals and certificates honoring their service. To be eligible, a veteran must be living, a Missouri resident and have served in the U.S. military, either at home or abroad, between Dec. 7, 1941, and Sept. 30, 1945. They also must have been honorably discharged...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Waged between World War II, which brought the nation together, and the Vietnam War, which tore it apart, the Korean War is a historical footnote to many Americans. However, legislation the General Assembly will consider next year could bring new attention to the sacrifices of Missourians who served in the conflict...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Clinton Harold Aslin, 68, of Haughton, La., died Sunday, Dec. 9, 2001, in Haughton. He was born March 19, 1933, in Bloomfield, son of Ernest and Eva Aslin. He married Berta Wallace in 1954 at Bloomfield. Aslin was a 1954 graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia and was in Air Force ROTC...

ALTO PASS, Ill. -- Mildred S. Richardson, 97, of Alto Pass died Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2001, at Rehab and Care Center of Jackson County. She was born Sept. 11, 1904, in Alto Pass, daughter of John and Lettie Hollenbeck Hardin. She and Hubert F. Richardson were married Jan. 4, 1929. He died in 1981...

BENTON, Mo. -- Thomisa Louise Colbert, 68, of Benton died Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2001, at her home. She was born Jan. 17, 1933, in Vincennes, Ind., the daughter of Carl and Florence Nightengale Nugent. She married Sequoyah Colbert on Sept. 11, 1962, in Chicago, Ill...

To the editor: The Bush-Ashcroft plan to use secret trials on suspected noncitizen terrorists seems to have stirred up a lot of questions. I do not have a problem with these type of courts. They would probably eliminate the three-ring circus: no delay tactics, but efficient, swift and fair justice...

Which is it? I'M READING the comment "Uncle Sam's babies." The caller said that a welfare recipient who has more than one child out of wedlock is a burden to society. That confuses me. If the girl has the babies, she's a burden to society for being on welfare and collecting money. If she has an abortion, then she's a killer for murdering babies. Which is it? Does she have the babies or not?...

Because of circumstances that were basically beyond his control, Southeast Missouri State University junior point guard Kenny Johnson was academically ineligible for the first semester this year, meaning he missed the Indians' opening six games. But instead of sulking, the junior-college transfer chose to make the most out of a bad situation...

All-state honors for the 2001 season were awarded to several area soccer players by the Missouri State High School Soccer Coaches Association this week. Cape Girardeau Notre Dame, the fourth-ranked team in the Class 1A-3A state poll, placed a host of players on the team...

Cubs broadcaster's foot amputated CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs broadcaster and former All-Star third baseman Ron Santo had his right foot amputated Wednesday because of problems caused by diabetes. "I spoke to him on the phone and he sounded great," said Mary June Rose, program director for Chicago-based WGN Radio. "He was in good spirits and very alert and positive."...

The discovery of antibiotics in the 1940s drastically improved health care in America, but they also could be creating a health-care crisis. Antibiotics are powerful tools when used correctly, said Dr. Michael Kolda, emergency room medical director at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Yet the overuse of antibiotics can have a detrimental impact on society...

Georgia K. Likens, 87, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2001, at her home. Ford and Sons Mt. Auburn Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Private graveside service for Betty E. Nicholas of Cape Girardeau will be held Friday at Cape County Memorial Park Cemetery. Rocky Tallent will officiate. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Nicholas, 71, died Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2001, at her home...

The Missouri Cattlemen's Convention will be held today through Sunday at the Tan-Tar-A Resort, in Osage Beach, Mo. The theme is "Team Beef: Building for Success," a focus on helping producers strengthen their place in the beef industry. Speakers for the four-day event include Chris J. ...

The Cape Girardeau Planning and Zoning Commission has approved a plan that will eventually bring six new condominiums to downtown, the first of which sold for $125,000. The commission approved a plat for Spanish Street Condominiums at Wednesday night's meeting. The condominiums are owned by Greg Williams, a member of the commission who abstained from voting...

10 years ago: Dec. 13, 1991 Southeast Missouri State University's "New Vision of Excellence" capital campaign is nearing and will ultimately surpass its $25 million goal, says university's development director, Don Ford; as of end of November, campaign was at 97 percent of goal with more than $24.2 million having been raised in pledges, cash gifts, securities and in-kind contributions...

Musgrave Son to Kip Colby and Lisa Marie Musgrave of Dexter, Mo., St. Francis Medical Center, 8:42 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2001. Name, Kolby Nicholas. Weight, 8 pounds 1 ounce. First child. Mrs. Musgrave is the former Lisa Maloney, daughter of Archie and Lucille Maloney of Puxico, Mo. She is a FACS teacher at Holcomb High School. Musgrave is the son of Denton and Veta Musgrave of Dexter, and the late Jo Nell Rehm. He is a sales representative with Kohlfeld Distributing Inc...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Maude Lee Kurtz, 97, of Scott City died Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2001, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born March 9, 1904, in Esto, Ky., daughter of Dudley and Myrtie Hudson Grider. She and Alfred T. Kurtz were married June 28, 1925, in St. Louis. He died June 10, 1978...

DEXTER, Mo. -- Jerry L. Shipman, 81, of Dexter died Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2001, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 3, 1920, at Dexter, son of John and Pearl Smith Shipman. He and Helen Stoker were married Sept. 29, 1940, at Malden, Mo...

ANNA, Ill. -- Donna L. King, 71, of Anna died Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2001, at her home. She was born Jan. 31, 1930, in Union County, daughter of Daniel Jack and Reba Clutts Mull. She and Carl King were married July 22, 1946. King had been a fitter at the former International Shoe Co. She was a member of Anna Heights Baptist Church...

ANNA, Ill. -- Ralph "Bud" Cunningham, 70, of Anna died Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2001, at Union County Hospital. He was born Dec. 29, 1930, in New Smyrna Beach, Fla., son of Ralph M. and Mabel Norfleet Cunningham. Cunningham was a lifeguard at New Smyrna Beach many years, and had been a pipefitter in construction work. He was a life member of Disabled American Veterans...

ST. LOUIS -- Michael Bernell Mueller, 44, of St. Louis died Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2001, at Missouri Baptist Hospital in St. Louis. He was born May 1, 1957, in St. Louis, son of Bernell and Mary Jane Mueller. Survivors include a daughter, Heather Mueller of St. ...

BOSTON -- Loading up on vitamin E and other antioxidants is probably worthless for heart patients and may even interfere with widely used cholesterol-lowering drugs, a study found. Antioxidant nutrients, especially vitamin E, were widely recommended a few years ago as a promising way of keeping the heart healthy. However, several recent large studies that tested the idea failed to show any benefit, and now a new one raises the possibility that the pills might even be harmful for some...