Stories from Monday, January 14, 2002

$$$Start When Sikeston, Mo., native Chris Dye attended Missouri Baptist College in St. Louis, he lived right next door to a sandwich shop called Mr. Goodcents. So when he was looking to start his own business after a few years in marketing and insurance, he decided to open one of the sandwich shops in Cape Girardeau...

ATLANTA As the game ended, the dejected Atlanta Thrashers slowly skated off the ice with another loss. Players quickly undressed and headed for the showers -- all except rookie Dany Heatley. He put a hat over his wild, unkempt hair and sat at his locker, patiently awaiting questions from reporters...

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Brett Favre griped at halftime about the way his talent was being wasted. Then he went back out and did something about it. The Green Bay Packers heeded their quarterback's call to open up the passing game, and they scored 19 points in the second half of a 25-15 victory over San Francisco in the wild-card playoffs Sunday...

WASHINGTON -- From Afghanistan to Europe to the U.S. Midwest, suspected terrorists, often beating a hasty retreat from their homes, camps and caves, have left behind a mountain of suspicious items that U.S. investigators are combing for clues. Information in some discovered documents has led to arrests, thwarted attacks and a "peeling back of the onion of al-Qaida," says one intelligence expert...

WASHINGTON -- In warehouses hidden across the nation are tons of pills for anthrax and radiation and vaccine for smallpox -- but the nation's anti-terrorism stockpile is far from complete. Next month, in a closed-door meeting in Atlanta, FBI and other intelligence agents will meet with physician experts on germ and chemical warfare and radiation to figure out what therapies should be bought next...

WASHINGTON -- The bodies of six Marines killed in an air crash in Pakistan were on their way home Sunday. Military investigators continued to search the crash site for the last of the seven victims.

WASHINGTON -- The contest to win control of the Senate is extraordinarily evenly matched at the start of this election year and hinges on races in about a dozen states. Democrats have only a one-vote lead in the Senate, meaning the overall outcome could be decided by a single campaign mistake or external factors like the economy...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush fainted briefly in the White House residence Sunday after choking on a pretzel while watching a National Football League playoff game on television, White House physician Dr. Richard Tubb said. The doctor, an Air Force colonel, said Bush quickly recovered and was doing well...

Cape Girardeau Monday, Jan. 14 On Sunday, firefighters responded to the following calls:At 2:19 a.m., an emergency medical service at 632 Good Hope. At 4:45 a.m., an emergency medical service at Broadway and Middle. At 7:37 a.m., an emergency medical service at 308 W. Lorimier....

Cape Girardeau Monday, Jan. 14 ArrestsKelvin T. Foster, 22, 1413 William, was arrested Saturday on a Cape Girardeau County warrant for domestic assault and a Pemiscot County warrant for first-degree robbery and aggravated assault. Jackee M. Nicholson, 32, 1413 William, was arrested Saturday for stealing and false declaration at Schnucks Markets, 19 S. Kingshighway...

Chamber director completes program Jeff Glenn, director of membership development for the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, recently completed a week-long professional development program with the Institute for Organization Management. The program was held Jan 3-8 at the University of Arizona...

Business After Hours to feature high-tech facility The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce will host its "Business After Hours," 5 to 6:30 p.m., Tuesday. It will be held at the Otto & Della Seabaugh Polytechnic Building on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University...

As assistant director at the Career Service Center at Southeast Missouri State University, Fran Bock helps people write resumes that get them noticed.By Laura Johnston ~ Southeast Missourian Although the new semester at Southeast Missouri State University begins today, students are starting their job search months before graduation...

NEW YORK -- Ever wish you could get ahead of the game when it comes to managing your personal finances? There are a number of steps you can take to get on the right track, from organizing your papers to checking your credit reports and updating your insurance. What better time to start than at the first of the year?...

Area business leaders and economists began this year with optimism, hoping that economic recovery is on its way. A rebound in consumer confidence, surges in home sales, automobiles and other big-ticket items along with better performance of the stock market have some people hoping that better days are ahead...

Age: 41 Key responsibilities: Manage day-to-day operations of a regional shopping center to include leasing, operations, marketing, finance, security, maintenance, housekeeping, government relations and community involvement. How long have you lived in the area? I actually live in Perryville, Mo., but I have been in the area and working in Cape Girardeau since May 15, 1995...

CHICAGO -- If his first punch had connected, Shaquille O'Neal would be facing a far harsher penalty. After years and years of being on the receiving end of the Hack-a-Shaq defense, O'Neal finally snapped Saturday night when he was fouled hard by Brad Miller and Charles Oakley of the Chicago Bulls...

LOS ANGELES -- After two months of up-and-down results, No. 11 UCLA showed it is one of the best basketball teams in the country when it knocked off No. 1 Kansas. Still, the question persists: Why can't they play like this all the time? "We always take for granted the Ball States and the Pepperdines," forward Jason Kapono said. "Anytime we play the Georgetowns and Kansas, we come in and play with heart and passion."...

Antarctica's harsh desert valleys -- long considered a bellwether for global climate change -- have grown noticeably cooler since the mid-1980s, scientists report, even while the Earth as a whole is warming. Air temperatures recorded continuously over a 14-year period ending in 1999 declined by about 1 degree Fahrenheit in the polar deserts and across the White Continent, according to prominent researchers from 11 American universities and government laboratories...

HOUSTON -- Losing his retirement investment in Enron Corp. was one thing. What really hurt, says Charles Prestwood, was realizing that his unwavering corporate loyalty ran only one direction. "We had great trust, great loyalty," said Prestwood, 63, who retired as a plant operator in 2000. "We were trained loyalty above everything. And we were loyal."...

CHICAGO -- Doctors may be inflating the costs of treating urinary tract infections by ignoring treatment guidelines, according to a new study. The study, published in today's Archives of Internal Medicine, suggests that doctors are driven by drug company promotions to use newer, more expensive drugs...

WASHINGTON -- Two Bush cabinet members said Sunday they never considered intervening in Enron's spiral toward bankruptcy, nor informed President Bush of requests for help from the fallen energy giant. "Companies come and go. It's ... part of the genius of capitalism," said Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, when asked if he was surprised at the sudden collapse of Enron. ...

SAN FRANCISCO -- After years of ignoring people caught damaging the environment in Northern California, federal prosecutors are cracking down on salmon snatchers, illegal trail cutters, oil dumpers and other polluters. The U.S. attorney's office in San Francisco has gone from being the worst in the country for prosecuting environmental crimes to one of the best at a time when the Justice Department is pursuing more pollution prosecutions than ever...

HANNIBAL, Mo. -- Samuel Clemens' hometown has grown accustomed to Mark Twain mania over the years. But even in Hannibal -- a town of 18,000 which draws a half-million Twain tourists annually -- there's eager anticipation about Ken Burns' new documentary...

NEW YORK -- From the desk where they sit for the opening of "Good Morning America" each weekday, Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer can check out the competition just by looking up. Above the cameras, behind the gaggle of technicians, through the studio window that looks over Times Square, the giant faces of Katie Couric and Matt Lauer of NBC's "Today" appear on a Jumbotron screen...

LOS ANGELES -- Moviegoers weary of pre-Oscar seriousness escaped to "Orange County" over the weekend, but the teen comedy couldn't match the struggles of a hobbit and a mathematician at the box office. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" was in first place for the fourth weekend in a row, grossing $16.2 million and pushing its total take to $228.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday...

SAN VICENTE DEL CAGUAN, Colombia -- Stoking fears that Colombia's war will enter its bloodiest phase, leftist rebels declared the peace process over Sunday and prepared to abandon the safe haven that has served as headquarters for three years of negotiations...

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Guarded by U.S. troops and attack dogs, a second group of suspected Osama bin Laden supporters departed Sunday for a U.S. prison camp in Cuba as U.S. bombers flew their most punishing raids in weeks on caves near the Pakistani border...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- President Pervez Musharraf's vow to crack down on terrorism failed to persuade India to ease the military standoff, and Kashmiri militants vowed more attacks against Indian rule in the Himalayan territory. India's government on Sunday welcomed Musharraf's promise to prevent Pakistan from being used as a base for terrorism and to ban five Islamic extremist groups. ...

PLATTE CITY, Mo. -- A Platte County man was found dead inside his home Saturday night following an exchange of gunfire with deputies, the sheriff's office said. Authorities entered the home after four hours of getting no response from the 63-year-old man, whose identity had not been released. No one else was inside during the standoff...

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Two-time defending champion Andre Agassi withdrew from the Australian Open with a wrist injury he described as potentially career-threatening. "I'm worried about the state of it and what it might mean," Agassi said Monday (Sunday CST). "It was a decision I labored over. It's very rare in your career when you wouldn't want to be the defending champion, but this is one of them."...

Like so many college coaches, Steve Spurrier was intrigued about life on the other side of the street. Now he's going to find out about it -- firsthand. After suddenly deciding to pack up his visor and playbook at Florida and take off for the NFL, Spurrier finds plenty of potential employers. Carolina, San Diego and Indianapolis all have openings. More could follow...

MIAMI -- The defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens looked the part. The Miami Dolphins looked awful at playoff time, as usual. Bruising defense, a grinding ground game and one pivotal pass helped Baltimore beat Miami 20-3 in a wild-card playoff game Sunday...

Commercial flight boardings at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport have increased over the past two months, a development airport officials were pleased to see. Boardings for flights to St. Louis increased 24 percent in November and 17 percent in December...

Southeast Missouri State University's women's basketball team can salvage at least something out of a disappointing homestand tonight. The Otahkians (8-6 overall, 1-3 Ohio Valley Conference) host Tennessee State (2-10, 1-3) at the Show Me Center and try to snap a three-game losing streak, all the defeats coming last week at home against OVC opponents. The game is at 7 p.m...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- When a vacancy opens on the U.S. Supreme Court, the nomination and confirmation process is closely watched nationwide and heated debates over judicial ideology are at the forefront. Openings on the Missouri Supreme Court, however, tend to be filled with little controversy or rancor and with scant public interest outside of the legal community. ...

Seven-year-old Alexia Phillips giggled when she saw Mary, a two-ton baby African elephant dressed in a gold headdress and matching ankle bracelets, dance in circles and play a tambourine with her trunk. She smiled as a man named Enrico juggled red and blue hoops, gold bowling pins and three flaming batons...

Missourians are on their honor when it comes to personal property tax forms that list everything from cars to cattle and farm machinery to mobile homes. County assessors don't check on how many cows and chickens a farmer might have or the number of computers and other equipment in a business...

B-2 is not just a bomber. With the right card and the right numbers, B-2 could mean cash for bingo players. "Bingo doesn't take a lot of skill," said Elsworth Statler of Cape Girardeau. "It's just all in the luck of the draw -- getting the right cards."...

Weldon Macke was 38 when he ran for Cape Girardeau County auditor for the first time. The 71-year-old Macke, who was challenged only twice in elections since then, will give up the job at the end of the year simply because he thinks the time has come to retire...

AP Business WriterNEW YORK (AP) -- Investors succumbed to worries about earnings and sold stocks sharply lower Monday while they awaited fourth-quarter results that will begin in earnest this week. The selloff resulted in the Dow industrials' first six-session losing streak since late 2000...

Associated Press WriterAURORA, Mo. (AP) -- After a brief stop in Springfield, President Bush was to arrive in this southwest Missouri town Monday amid tight security. Missouri State Highway Patrol and sheriff's deputies' cars could be seen along a 10-mile stretch of Missouri 39 leading into Aurora...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Shaquille O'Neal of the Los Angeles Lakers was suspended for three games without pay and fined $15,000 by the NBA on Monday for throwing a punch at Brad Miller of the Chicago Bulls. Charles Oakley of the Bulls was suspended for two games and fined $10,000, and Miller got one game and $7,500 for the fight, which occurred with 2:44 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Bulls' 106-104 overtime victory on Saturday...

Associated Press WriterKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- U.S. warplanes intensified bombing raids on terrorist hide-outs in eastern Afghanistan on Monday in hopes of striking Osama bin Laden's die-hard supporters, and the United Nations called on donor nations to step up aid to rebuild the country...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Only one other city was the scene of more drunken-driving fatalities during a three-year period in the mid-1990s than Kansas City, a new study says. The city was second only to Dallas in the number of drunken-driving fatalities between 1995 and 1997, according to the study published in the February issue of the journal Preventive Medicine...

Associated Press WriterEAST MOLINE, Ill. (AP) -- President Bush renewed his push Monday for expanded trade as a cure for recession, undeterred by a fainting incident that left him with a scraped cheek and bruised lip. He vowed anew to oppose repeal or delay of the tax cuts enacted last year...

Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- The FBI has apprehended a man accused of killing his wife and three children last month and dumping their bodies into the Pacific Ocean, the agency said Monday. "I can confirm" that authorities have Christian Longo in custody, spokesman Bill Carter said...

AP Medical WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush was doing well and back at work Monday after fainting briefly in the White House residence while choking down a pretzel a day earlier. "I feel great," Bush told reporters on the White House lawn as he prepared to board a helicopter for a two-day trip to the Midwest and Louisiana...

Associated Press WriterTULKAREM, West Bank (AP) -- A Palestinian militia leader who admitted killing Israelis and survived an Israeli missile attack on his car last year was killed in a bomb explosion outside his West Bank hide-out Monday...

Associated Press WriterALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- A trial that could reveal Osama bin Laden's internal operations should be televised, a lawyer for accused Sept. 11 accomplice Zacarias Moussaoui argued Wednesday. Moussaoui, the only person accused of conspiring with bin Laden and the hijackers to kill and maim thousands, sat at the defense table in a green prison jumpsuit, cocking his head slightly to hear the arguments...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Ricky Van Shelton will return to the Black River Coliseum Wednesday following his crowd-pleasing performance there last May. Shelton will be the featured performer for Missouri State Troopers Association's semiannual music show. Ashley Dart will be a special guest...

10 years ago: Jan. 14, 1992 Although federal officials have labeled this winter's flu outbreak as nationwide epidemic, local and regional health officials in Southeast Missouri say flu's major impact peaked here in late December; Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Ga., reported last week that flu deaths reached epidemic levels in last week of December and first week in January...

Football A power struggle between owner and coach left Marty Schottenheimer without a job and put the Washington Redskins in position to win the Steve Spurrier sweepstakes. Schottenheimer was fired Sunday night after he refused to renegotiate a clause in his contract that gave him ultimate authority on player moves. ...

To the editor: I miss walks after dinner in the summer evenings. I miss knowing who my neighbors are, if they're well or need help. I miss children who have respect for other people. I miss the family gatherings -- other than a reunion. I miss seeking kids playing in the park without fear of abduction or molestation...

To the editor: I just read about American Legion Post 63's desire to relocate from above the old Broadway Theater in order to better accommodate older members who can't navigate the steep stairs. If that old building could only talk. Having grown up in Cape and visited the Legion Hall with my mother and father many times during the 1940s and 1950s, I definitely have many fond memories of the old hall: dances during World War II for the aviation cadets learning to fly at Harris Field, watching the World War I veterans jitterbugging with my sister, the Golden Knights Drum and Bugle Corps it sponsored during and after World War II, Poppy Day, the midget auto races at the park, American Legion baseball, Missouri Boys and Girls State and, most of all, the great Fourth of July picnics it held during and after the war. ...

Fuel-tax facts THE ARTICLE in the paper about the proposed gas tax and past revenue and how it was spent failed to indicate the total revenue that was collected based on the 6-cent-a-gallon fuel tax that was passed in 1992. Before people approve any more money for the highway department, they should know how much money the 6-cent tax has generated. ...

Elizabeth Jean "Betty" Wrape, 74, went to be with her Lord Sunday, Jan. 13, 2002. She died at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 4, 1927, in St. Louis, Mo., daughter of Eugene Arnold and Dena Diviney Tuchschmidt. She and George Wrape were married for 49 years...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Benjamin Mark Tally, 79, of Mounds died at 7:24 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 13, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born April 6, 1922, at Mound City, Ill., son of Mark and Emma McDaniel Tally. He and Floy "Pepper" Shumaker were married Jan. 5, 1946, at Blytheville, Ark...

NEW HAMBURG, Mo. -- Hattie Rebecca "Becky" Dirnberger, 92, of New Hamburg died Saturday, Jan. 12, 2002, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 11, 1909, at Benton, Mo., daughter of Robert Cooper and Amelia Steimle Brock. She and the late Claude William Dirnberger were married Oct. 3, 1931, at Benton. He died May 9, 1996...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Fred Joseph "Fritz" Bles, 86, of Scott City died Saturday, Jan. 12, 2002, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 1, 1915, at Commerce, Mo., son of Ambrose and Mary Theresa Hess Bles. He and the late Llolav Summers were married July 16, 1960, at Sikeston, Mo. She died Jan 16, 1995...

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. -- Sylvester "Vester" Andrew Klipfel, 80, of Glenwood Springs died Thursday, Jan. 10, 2002, at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Grand Junction, Colo., following several months of illness. He was born Dec. 31, 1921, at Benton, Mo., son of Lawrence and Clara LeGrand Klipfel. He and Nellie Medlock were married...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Mary E. Mattingly, 97, of Perryville died Saturday, Jan. 12, 2002, at DePaul Hospital in St. Louis. She was born Aug. 16, 1904, at Perryville, daughter of Henry C. and Emma M. Hoffman Mattingly. Mattingly was a cook at Perry County Memorial Hospital and a member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church...

GRAND CHAIN, Ill. -- Darrell DuRall, 64, of Grand Chain died Saturday, Jan. 12, 2002, at his home. He was born Nov. 22, 1937, in Mounds, Ill., son of John Henry and Pearl M. Stell DuRall. He and June Kelley were married Dec. 22, 1957. DuRall was retired from the U. S. Army. He was a photographer, a member of the Fraternal Order of Police in Florida and Cairo, Ill., and a member of the National Riffle Association...

HENDERSON, Nev.-- Viola Mae Sylvester, 80, of Henderson died Monday, Jan. 7, 2002, at her daughter's home. She was born May 27, 1921, at Swan River, Manitoba, Canada, daughter of Ellerth and Harriett Sagnes. She and Helmuth Sylvester were married Aug. 20, 1940, at Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Malvern T. McClure, 76, of Perryville died Sunday, Jan. 13, 2002, at Forest Park Hospital in St. Louis. He was born Nov. 16, 1925, at St. Mary, Mo., son of Meltie P. and Virginia DeClue McClure. He and Marion Ritchey were married April 12, 1947...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Threda E. Jones, 82, of Cairo died Saturday, Jan. 12, 2002, at Daystar Care Center in Cairo. She was born Sept. 13, 1919, in Alexander County, Ill., daughter of the late Oscar and Zora Frields Wilson. She was married to the late Eslie Jones. He died in 1991...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Agnes E. Butler, 92, of Jonesboro died at 3 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 13, 2002, at her home. She was born Oct. 21, 1909, at Pomona, Ill., daughter of Henry and Hattie Runion Lipe. She and Floyd Butler were married June 7, 1941, at Cape Girardeau. He died March 7, 1992...

The Cape Girardeau County Commission, struggling with whether to invest in a new juvenile detention center for the 32nd Judicial Circuit, until recently has been giving mixed signals on where it stands on the matter. The commission and circuit judges and juvenile authorities are at odds over whether to build the center. ...