Stories from Wednesday, August 21, 2002

TORONTO -- Canada is unlikely to join a U.S.-led invasion of Iraq unless proof emerges that Saddam Hussein plans to attack the Western world, Defense Minister John McCallum said. In comments published Tuesday with Canadian newspapers, McCallum said the government had yet to decide whether to take part in a military campaign against Iraq, but he believed there was insufficient evidence now to justify Canadian participation...

TRENTON, N.J. -- The state of New Jersey has agreed to pay $250,000 to settle claims by three motorists who said they were pulled over and searched by state troopers because of their race. The state did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement announced Tuesday...

LOS ANGELES -- NASA has found a missing $159 million spacecraft, thanks to a half-dozen telescope images that confirm the silent probe is in orbit around the sun but possibly broken in pieces. Astronomers at observatories in Arizona, California, Hawaii and elsewhere have captured pictures of the Contour spacecraft, which has been silent since Thursday when it left Earth orbit to embark on a multiyear mission to visit at least two comets...

PITTSBURGH -- After his oldest son's second car accident, Jim Dowdell began thinking of ways to improve traditional driver's education classes for teens. He decided the key was to let them hone their reaction times and accrue behind-the-wheel experience before they drove a car...

SAN DIEGO -- Investigators believe the San Diego-based Sept. 11 hijackers who helped crash an airliner into the Pentagon initially were sent to California to pinpoint targets in the Navy's largest West Coast port, a federal law enforcement source told The Associated Press...

In the past year, jets have been transformed into missiles while a bacterium has been used as a poison and shipped through the mail. While much has been done to guard against another attack since Sept. 11, security experts say one certainty is that terrorists will try again...

RICHMOND, Va. -- A man who was cleared by DNA evidence after serving 15 years in prison for rape will be granted an unconditional pardon by Gov. Mark R. Warner. The pardon is to be issued Wednesday for Marvin Lamont Anderson, who has been on parole since 1997...

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Smokey Bear is back on the scene with a new message geared toward adults, but the lovable World War II-era icon of forest fire prevention has a new rival. Creators of the 58-year-old mascot revamped Smokey's kid-friendly message after studies found average adults didn't think they would ever start a wildfire. Most also believed wildfires occur hundreds of miles from population centers, although the movement of people toward the wild has changed that...

CHICAGO -- A new study suggests gingko supplements do nothing to quickly improve memory in healthy people, a finding that goes against years of well-publicized claims that helped turn the supplements into a multimillion-dollar industry. The over-the-counter supplements are made using extract from the fan-shaped leaves of the gingko biloba tree...

AKRON, Ohio -- In the wake of recent accounting scandals, the University of Akron business school is urging its students to enroll in a new ethics course -- in the philosophy department. "Certain words are sort of owned by certain departments," said Stephen Hallam, dean of Akron's College of Business Administration. "One of the words that is sort of owned by the philosophy department in lots of universities is the word 'ethics.'"...

By J.M. Hirsch The Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. -- It's encouraging to see the publishing world keep pace with the increasingly diversified and demanding vegetarian palate. At one time, titillating tomes on 200 ways to boil brown rice (there actually are quite a few of these), or endless volumes on blanched bean curd were standard bearers of vegetarian fare...

CHICAGO -- United Airlines' pilots union has shelved a vote on a proposed 10 percent pay cut as the troubled carrier pushes for even bigger cutbacks and cost savings in a bid to avoid bankruptcy. The 9,200 pilots had been scheduled to vote starting Tuesday on whether to approve a tentative agreement calling for the wage reduction over three years, resulting in an estimated $520 million in savings...

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- White farmers ordered by Zimbabwean courts to leave their land by Tuesday loaded their belongings on trucks and were looking for places to stay, union leaders said. "It is a desperately sad situation. People are loading up their assets to move out. Many have nowhere to go and are looking for places to stay," said Ben Freeth, a district official for the Commercial Farmers Union, which represents 4,000 white farmers...

ROTTENEGG, Austria-- Tight-lipped and teary-eyed, Henrietta Karl leaned on her shovel Tuesday amid the tangle of muddy debris that trashed her home and offered this requiem to Europe's worst flooding in well over a century: "Now the real work begins: rebuilding a life."...

BERLIN -- German police stormed the Iraqi Embassy in Berlin Tuesday and, without firing a shot, ended the five-hour occupation of the mission by a previously unknown Iraqi opposition group. The group had taken Iraqi diplomats hostage to draw attention to their demand for an end to the rule of Saddam Hussein, authorities said...

LONDON -- A school caretaker was charged Tuesday with the murder of two 10-year-old girls whose disappearance from an English village has dominated the news for two weeks and shocked much of the country. Police said they had charged Ian Huntley, 28, with the murders of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells...

MOSCOW -- A military helicopter crash that killed 114 people in Chechnya was most likely caused by a rebel attack from the ground, Russia's chief prosecutor said Tuesday, and a news agency reported that a missile launcher had been found nearby. Monday's crash outside the Russian military headquarters at Khankala has been described by media as the country's worst military air disaster...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Surrounded by his key lieutenants and masked, gun-toting bodyguards, Osama bin Laden declared "holy war" against the West in a 1998 press conference that was videotaped by al-Qaida and aired Tuesday by CNN. However, a Pakistani journalist who attended the press conference, held at an al-Qaida camp near Khost in southeastern Afghanistan, recalled that the taciturn bin Laden showed passion only when he spoke on two issues: U.S. ...

Residential building collapses in Moscow MOSCOW -- An explosion destroyed part of a residential building in the north of Moscow late Tuesday, killing at least one and leaving a 45-foot-wide hole. Officials feared up to 15 could be trapped. Moscow police spokesman Valery Gribakin said the blast killed one person and injured three. He said police believed the most likely cause of the explosion was a natural gas leak on the second floor...

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Israeli special forces killed the brother of a radical Palestinian leader in his home Tuesday, Palestinian intelligence officers and witnesses said. The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the killing of Mohammed Saadat, brother of Ahmed Saadat, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine...

Iraqi officials say Abu Nidal took own life The AssociatedPress BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq confirmed Abu Nidal's death, saying Tuesday that the feared Palestinian terrorist leader had committed suicide. In Baghdad's first official confirmation of his death, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz told reporters that Abu Nidal had killed himself...

HERSHEY, Pa. -- For many here, the notion that Hershey Foods Corp. would remain in the town built by late chocolate magnate and philanthropist Milton S. Hershey was as entrenched as the candy company's 97-year-old factory on Chocolate Avenue. That notion died when the nation's largest candy maker was put up for sale, leaving many residents wondering what the town will look like if a company with no ties to the Hershey legacy buys it...

SEATTLE -- In the 1990s, adults "grinded" on inline skates and "shredded" on snowboards. They were extreme. These days, many are kicking red, rubber balls, swinging plastic bats and jumping rope just like ... well, kids. Move over extreme games. Wiffle ball, kickball, dodgeball, even jump rope are becoming increasingly popular with adults...

The Wall Street Journal We're pleased, we guess, that The New York Times thought our article on Iraq by Brent Scowcroft last Thursday was important enough to lead its front page two days in a row. We'd be more pleased, though, if instead of trumpeting our story to advance a tendentious theme, the Times kept its opinions on its editorial page...

Last Sunday our family celebrated as our Ross received his third-grade Bible from church. It is a tradition in our church that all children receive a nice Bible as they are ready to enter third grade. It seems that he was only born about three years ago, not that he is entering third grade. We had much of our family together, which made it even more special...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri will receive an additional $3.5 million for its continuing effort to automate juvenile court records. The U.S. Department of Justice recently approved $2.5 million in grants for the state's automation project and another $1 million is included in the federal budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. Missouri has already received $11 million in recent years to automate juvenile records...

ST. LOUIS -- After first telling a trial court judge to reconsider his denial of a Madison County official's claim for back pay, a state appeals court on Tuesday reversed the trial judge's later ruling in the official's favor. Madison County Public Administrator Kenneth L. Pate claimed he was owed $13,600 in back compensation from 1997 and 1998...

PICTURE PERFECT By Laura Johnston ~ Southeast Missourian Photographs with great color that captured spontaneous moments were selected as the finalists in the annual Foto Fest photography contest. A panel of judges selected six winning photos from a field of 24. Each of the entrants already had been selected as semifinalists in previous weeks of the contest...

FULL OF CLASS By Callie Chitwood ~ Southeast Missourian Ask students at Southeast Missouri State University to sum up their first day of classes, and most of them say the same thing: hectic...

By Scott Moyers ~ Southeast Missourian Some might be tempted to call it street art, but police and city officials say the colorful doodlings that have been popping up on several buildings and vehicles in Cape Girardeau are cases of vandalism and criminal offenses...

Sometimes the cause and cure for a gardening problem are immediately obvious, such as when tomato fruits have, on their ends, blackened areas that are sunken or flattened -- blossom end rot. The cause of blossom end rot is calcium starvation of tomato fruits. Calcium is a component of cell walls, which just do not form when calcium is deficient...

My first recollections of my dad in the vegetable garden are images of him pushing a large wheeled cultivator the length of the garden in order to make a furrow for planting. Why this sticks in my mind, I don't know. I can remember nothing about helping, playing in the garden or harvesting....

By Bill Theobald JOLIET, Ill. -- A small sign, barely visible, in the back window of the family car is all that signals other drivers to beware there is a student driver at the wheel. What most people do not know, however, is that most student drivers are being taught by student teachers: parents...

NEW YORK -- Union head Donald Fehr made his most pointed criticism of the baseball owners' economic proposals, calling them "a wholesale attack on the salary structure." In memos sent to players and agents, Fehr said management's revenue sharing and luxury tax plans would result in crippling losses for baseball's biggest spenders. The New York Yankees, who gave up $28 million of their $242 million revenue to other teams last year, would have to surrender $86.9 million, Fehr said...

RENO, Nev. -- A 10-year-old girl who disappeared Tuesday from her home in central California was found safe in Nevada with a family friend who used to baby-sit her, authorities said. The man with her was arrested. "The child is fine," Nevada Trooper Pat McGill said. "She appeared to be in very good health."...

DENVER -- Qwest Communications International Inc. said Tuesday it was selling its yellow pages business for more than $7 billion to help the heavily indebted communications giant stave off bankruptcy. Cash raised from the deal with a group of financiers will be used to pay down some of the company's $26.6 billion in debt...

MONTREAL -- Even the titan of the computer revolution says machines can't beat humans at the strategic game of bridge. "In terms of the game of bridge itself, computers can't play at any reasonable level," Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said Monday during a break at the World Bridge Championships. "Even I can probably beat the best bridge software that exists today."...

Rich Beem's victory in the PGA Championship definitely provided a boost to his career and demonstrated how far a person can go if he has the talent, dedication and financial support to pursue a dream. Not only did he secure his place on the PGA Tour, he promoted the art of dreaming...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Danny Copeland's collegiate running career may be over now that his eligibility has run out, but that hasn't slowed him down. Copeland won overall in the fifth annual Jackson Homecomer 5K race Tuesday night. Copeland finished in a time of 18 minutes, 24 seconds, more than 40 seconds in front of second place...

Monday marked my return to the lackadaisical university schedule I call the Graduate or Die Plan. Over the next 50 years, one of those two things will happen to me, and there likely will come a time when I stop caring which it is. Having a real job can be a real nuisance when you're attempting to become educated. ...

A Cape Girardeau resident was killed early Tuesday in a crash at 609 N. Mount Auburn Road. Leslie Rae McKenzie, 42, died after her Kia Sportage struck a tree at 7:43 a.m. The investigation into the accident has shown she was driving northbound on Mount Auburn and may have first driven off the right side of the road, overcorrected and then went off the other side of the road where she crashed, said Cape patrolman Jason Selzer...

There is quality if not quantity regarding local products on Southeast Missouri State University's football team. The Indians list just seven former high school athletes from the immediate area on their active roster -- but three of those hold down starting positions and two more do all the place-kicking...

Newly acquired offensive tackle Grant Williams isn't expected to challenge struggling John St. Clair for a starting job on the Rams' line, at least not yet. "Probably not now," coach Mike Martz said Tuesday. "John's playing pretty well right now, John's going pretty good this week, John's going to be fine...

By Dr. John KochQuestion: I have been treating my dog for heart failure. One of the medications he has been taking is a diuretic. The diuretic reduces the fluid that builds up in his lungs and helps him to breathe easier. I have noticed that this medication does not seem to produce consistent results. ...

Victim names alleged shooter in dying words, police say By Mike Wells ~ Southeast Missourian Billy Jones Jr.'s death was not intentional, but it was still murder, law enforcement authorities said Tuesday. A 25-year-old man was charged with killing Jones after being identified by the victim as he lay dying in a hospital bed, police said...

ALLENVILLE, Mo. -- Mary Alice Amos, 72, of Vanduser, Mo., died Monday, Aug. 19, 2002, at her home. She was born Aug. 22, 1929, at East Prairie, Mo., daughter of Andrew and Essie Vance Spinks. She and Robert Junior Amos were married May 15, 1948. He died Feb. 8, 1985...

Taxpayers should vote I DON'T think it should be right for the school district to raise personal property tax 6 cents without a vote. Repaying welfare SO THE blacks think they should be paid for their ancestors' slavery. I think they should repay the government for drawing welfare when they could have worked...

To the editor: Why is there such a stigma against nursing homes? I hear and read of arguments against and for nursing homes. I would like to add mine. In 2002, when a husband and wife both work outside the home, there is better care for their parents in a good nursing home. ...

Baseball Ricky Gutierrez's season is over, and now the Indians second baseman is concerned about saving his career. Gutierrez said doctors have recommended surgery on his injured neck, which he hurt while diving for a ball in the first weeks of the season. An MRI revealed that discs in Gutierrez's neck are rubbing and pinching his spinal cord...

A game at defending national runner-up Oklahoma highlights the schedule that awaits Southeast Missouri State University first-year women's basketball coach B.J. Smith. The Otahkians and Sooners will square off on Dec. 28 in Norman, Okla. Also spicing the non-conference road schedule for the Otahkians is a game at perennial power Southwest Missouri State and two tournaments, at Wisconsin-Green Bay and Saint Louis...

A poll -- on the Southeast Missourian's Web site, semissourian.com -- with respectable participation indicates that most people are taking the West Nile virus outbreak in stride. The results, compiled Sunday, showed that 64 percent of the 204 people who participated in the poll believe West Nile is no more of a danger than other diseases, aren't worried about it at all, are worried primarily about animals or have no opinion...

If they watch television for awhile, adults may get the impression today's teenagers are interested in nothing more than fashion, hair care and rap music. Of course, that's not the case, and the evidence isn't stronger than in Thebes, Ill. There, a group of teenagers led by Ada Osorio, 17, raised money to bring The Wall That Heals to their town of 478 people...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Fewer Missouri high school graduates took the ACT college entrance exam this year but scored collectively better than a year ago, according to figures released today. Missouri's average score increased slightly, from 21.4 last year to 21.5 in 2002, according to ACT Inc., a non-profit company based in Iowa City, Iowa, which offers the test...

Cape Girardeau Wednesday, Aug. 21 Firefighters responded Tuesday to the following calls: At 7:44 a.m., motor vehicle accident at 600 N. Mount Auburn. At 8:10 a.m., alarm at 402 S. Silver Springs. At 1:02 p.m., structure fire at 3440 Lowes. At 1:43 p.m., emergency medical service at 111 West Park Mall...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Oscar J. Rayoum, 81, died Monday, Aug. 19, 2002, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. He was born Nov. 10, 1920, in Ste. Genevieve, Mo., son of John H. and Laura A. Smith Rayoum. Rayoum was a member of VFW Post 1202. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and was awarded three Bronze Stars, Good Conduct Medal, and Unit Citation with one Oak Leaf Cluster...

ANNA, Ill. -- Gary L. Craig, 51, of Anna died Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2002, at his home. He was born April 22, 1951, in St. Charles, Ill., son of Owen H. and Elta Mangrum Craig. Craig was a food supervisor 26 years with state of Illinois, retiring April 1, 2002. He was a former co-owner of Craig's Lawn Mower Repair Shop...

TOKYO -- Remains recently unearthed in North Korea and believed to be those of seven American soldiers missing in action from the Korean War were repatriated Tuesday to the moan of bagpipes and the crack of a 21-gun salute. A bugler blew taps as the caskets, draped in powder blue United Nations flags, were carried by full-dress military honor guards under a full moon and into a hangar at Yokota Air Base on the outskirts of Tokyo...

If Bill Roth-Roffy had his way, he would never see another prescription drug ad on television. The 83-year-old resident of Bethesda Orchard Senior Living in Webster Groves, Mo., a St. Louis suburb, believes the TV ads drive up the amount he has to pay for prescription drugs. He told Republican Jim Talent on Tuesday that one way to keep costs low would be to prohibit the ads...

FREDERICK, Md. -- Americans love to go it alone, at least when it comes to driving to work. Figures from the 2000 census show about 76 percent of workers 16 and older drive alone to their jobs, up from 64 percent two decades earlier and 73 percent in 1990, even though commutes are taking longer...

Eight members representing three local clubs recently attended the annual conference of the National Association for Family and Community Education (FCE) Leadership in St. Louis. They are: Sue Jones, Mary Klaproth and Carolyn Thompson of Town and Country FCE Club; Opal Collins, Linda Farrow and Dortha Strack of Kage FCE Club; Ruth Pohlmann of Cheerful Country Doers FCE Club; and Marjorie Swan, a member at large...

American Legion Auxiliary Members of American Legion Auxiliary went on a field trip Aug. 14 to St. Mary's Antique Mall and had lunch at the Family Inn. Myrna Powers announced the legion will hold a service at Freedom Corner to commemorate Sept. 11...

DEXTER, Mo. -- Despite the cleanest getaway in memory, four people were arrested in connection with the robbery of a Dexter carwash Monday morning. The Dexter police haven't released any details of the case pending the issue of warrants, but a witness helped fill in some blanks...

10 years ago: Aug. 21, 1992 Sikeston - Woman and four of her children died early yesterday in house fire that Sikeston officials are calling "worst fire tragedy" in years; Patrice Jefferson, 30, of 403 Dorothy Street, was pronounced dead at scene; also killed in fire were Roy Otis Portwood, 9; Lathreta Portwood, 7; Derick Jefferson, 6, and Carnail Jefferson, 4...

Baer Son to Timothy Joseph and Ann Marie Baer of Perryville, Mo., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 1:45 p.m. Monday, Aug. 12, 2002. Name, Jacob Anthony "Jack". Weight, 5 pounds 7 ounces. Fourth son. Mrs. Baer is the former Ann Hoeckele, daughter of Paul and Donna Hoeckele Jr. of Perryville. Baer is the son of Ken and Judy Baer of Perryville. He is employed by Baer Engineering and Land Surveying...

PUXICO, Mo. -- The Rev. Donald G. Dunivan, 58, of Puxico died Monday, Aug. 19, 2002, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 27, 1944, son of William Lester and Elva Dunivan. He and Lorraine Barnhart were married July 26, 1982, in St. Louis...

Cape Girardeau Wednesday, Aug. 21 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Jared K. Durbin, 32, of Jackson, Mo., was arrested Tuesday on a Cape Girardeau warrant for failure to appear...

WASHINGTON -- A top lieutenant to Enron Corp.'s former chief financial officer will plead guilty to criminal charges, the first admission of guilt by an executive of the fallen energy-trading company, sources close to the investigation said Tuesday...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The federal government is investigating a Missouri artist who has been placing stickers on quarters to protest a U.S. Mint decision not to use his design for the state's official quarter, The Associated Press has learned. Doug Hecox, a spokesman for the Mint in Washington, said Tuesday that information about Columbia artist Paul Jackson's distribution of the quarters has been forwarded to the Secret Service because it may violate the federal laws against defacing currency.. ...

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- When Bruce Carter learned a thief had broken into his Ford Mustang, he figured it was to swipe his radio. What was taken? The air bags. Carter and six of his neighbors woke up Monday to find themselves part of the air bag theft statistics. Six other Mustangs in the Remington apartment complex where he lives also were broken into...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Jackson County has agreed to ask voters in November to extend an existing sales tax to finance the arts in the metropolitan area. Voters will be asked in the Nov. 5 election to extend the one-eighth-cent sales tax, which generates $240 million a year, with $40 million going toward a downtown Kansas City arts center...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Without whispers, snickers or showboating, the class of eighth-grade boys rose one by one and promised to study hard and earn high marks this year. It wouldn't have happened like that last year, before Southern Leadership Academy separated the entire school into boys' classes and girls' classes...

ST. LOUIS -- A day after word that that an elderly St. Louis woman may have become the first Missourian to die from the West Nile virus, health officials announced Tuesday that four more St. Louisans may have been infected with the mosquito-borne illness...

FREDERICKTOWN, Mo. -- In Madison County, straddled along Southeast Missouri's old lead belt, the mineral is cause for pride and concern. The residue of lead mining that drove the region's economy for 300-plus years is poisoning some of its youngest residents...

MARTHASVILLE, Mo. -- A 14-year-old eastern Missouri boy was killed after his best friend accidentally shot him with a revolver, police said. Kevin David Shortt of Marthasville died Friday afternoon. His friend, a 15-year-old who lives in Chesterfield, Mo., remained in juvenile custody while investigators reviewed the case...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- TEVA Pharmaceuticals USA on Tuesday became the first large generic drug company to join Missouri's prescription drug plan for seniors, advocacy groups for the elderly said. However, TEVA officials have told the state the company will withdraw its support for the SenioRx Program if the legislature does not reduce by next May the rebate companies are required to pay for the program...

ST. LOUIS -- Three more birds at the St. Louis Zoo have died from the West Nile virus, and about 20 other sick or dead birds were also being tested for the disease, zoo director Bill Boever said Tuesday. Lab tests confirmed that a yellow-billed duck, a hooded crow and an Inca tern all died of West Nile, zoo spokeswoman Christy Childs said. In July, a black North American crow housed at the Children's Zoo died of West Nile...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Two drug makers -- claiming they knew nothing about Robert R. Courtney's drug dilution scheme and had no duty to act even if they did -- have asked a court to throw out a lawsuit seeking to hold them liable for the Kansas City pharmacist's criminal activities...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- In another attempt to tighten security at government buildings, the state has bought a $16,000 electronic door designed to control the flow of people into the Capitol. The door, which is expected to be fully operational today, allows only one person to pass through it at a time. It connects a state Senate parking garage from the Capitol...

WASHINGTON -- Nearly a year after the Sept. 11 attacks, the FBI issued a nationwide bulletin Tuesday night seeking the arrest of a Saudi newly identified as a suspected associate of the hijackers. The bulletin issued to law enforcement across the country sought the immediate arrest of Saud A.S. al-Rasheed, 21, of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia...

WASHINGTON -- Attorneys for domestic marketing powerhouse Martha Stewart handed over more than a thousand pages of e-mail and phone records Tuesday to a House investigative panel examining her sale of ImClone stock. But lawmakers heading the investigation didn't rule out issuing a subpoena to force Stewart to appear before the panel...

WASHINGTON -- Teenagers say marijuana is easier to buy than cigarettes or beer -- one in three say they can find it in a matter of hours -- but only 25 percent admit trying it, a national survey finds. When the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse polled 1,000 teens last winter, 27 percent said they could buy marijuana in an hour or less; another 8 percent said it would take a few hours. ...

WASHINGTON -- Advocacy groups say the government should ban children from riding all-terrain vehicles and force other riders to obey new safety standards, contending a surge in deaths and injuries show the ATV industry has failed to protect and educate riders...

WASHINGTON -- Pushed by Congress, the Bush administration is set to promote "embryo adoption," where one infertile couple donates leftover embryos to another. It's the latest move in the heated debate over the moral and legal status of an embryo...

WASHINGTON -- Federal regulators on Tuesday settled price-fixing charges against doctors groups in Texas and Colorado, part of an increased effort to combat health care practices that drive up costs for patients. The Federal Trade Commission has dedicated more resources and staff to antitrust issues involving health care in the last year, said Jeff Brennan, head of the health care division in the FTC's competition bureau...

MIAMI -- As the grounds crew grooms the infield shortly before the game on a balmy weeknight, the ballpark is so empty the rakes smoothing the dirt can be heard from the upper deck. The ambiance at Florida Marlins games tends toward the funereal: eerie silence interrupted by occasional organ music. Empty seats outnumber fans six to one as the Marlins stumble toward another losing season, which would be the ninth in their 10-year history...

ST. LOUIS -- Kris Benson allowed one hit in seven innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates, who had lost six straight to St. Louis, homered a season-best five times in an 8-0 victory over the Cardinals on Tuesday night. Brian Giles, Craig Wilson, Adam Hyzdu, Aramis Ramirez and Rob Mackowiak homered and Jason Kendall had a three-run double for the Pirates, who have won only four of their last 14...

LOCAL EVENTS Two-man best ball, Hiddren Trails Country Club, Dexter, Saturday and Sunday. Mixed scramble, Westwood Hills Country Club, Poplar Bluff, Saturday and Sunday.WGC NEC Invitational Site: Sammamish, Wash. Schedule: Thursday-Sunday...

Poplar Bluff hopes to get help for transit system POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Poplar Bluff city manager Tom Lawson said he plans to go with Greg Batson of Ozark Foothills Regional Planning Commission to Jefferson City today to see if there is any kind of financial help available for city's ailing transit system...