Stories from Saturday, January 25, 2003

Some congregations opt to hold Super Bowl parties From staff and wire reports There is a place for worship, and a place for football. On Super Bowl Sunday, some churches try to offer both. For many congregations, Super Bowl Sunday is a dilemma: should the evening's service be canceled or continue with diminished crowds...

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- The National Park Service is fuming over a commercial in which a park ranger pours a glass of Metamucil into Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park to help the geyser stay regular. Park Service officials scoff at the notion the famous geyser would ever need help, and point out the damage that can be caused by dumping things into the park's thermal features -- not to mention that venturing near geysers and hot springs is often very dangerous...

MADRID, Spain -- Police arrested 16 suspected al-Qaida terrorists Friday, and U.S. officials said the men may have links to the deadly ricin poison case in Britain. Spanish authorities said those arrested were connected to recent moves against terrorist targets in Britain and France, but did not directly tie them to the ricin arrests...

KUWAIT CITY -- An American civilian who was shot by a suspected Muslim extremist in Kuwait is out of intensive care and may return home soon, the U.S. ambassador said Friday. Ambassador Richard Jones praised Kuwait and Saudi Arabia for their quick action against the suspect in Tuesday's ambush that also killed an American contractor working for the U.S. military...

NAIROBI, Kenya -- A plane carrying members of Kenya's new government crashed in western Kenya on Friday, killing one minister, the two pilots and seriously injuring at least three other ministers, the president's spokesman said. The 24-seat chartered Gulfstream carrying 12 people crashed shortly after 6 p.m. as it was taking off from an airstrip in Busia on the Ugandan border, spokesman Isaiah Kabira said...

ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Turkey's top politician said Friday that all countries including the United States -- not just Iraq -- should eliminate weapons of mass destruction. Recep Tayyip Erdogan also said his country would not decide whether to support U.S. military action until the U.N. Security Council weighs in. Turkey was a key U.S. ally in the 1991 Gulf War and was expected to play a similarly important role in any new war against Saddam Hussein...

JERUSALEM -- Israeli soldiers killed two Palestinians in the West Bank on Friday, and helicopter gunships pounded Gaza City with 11 missiles, destroying a metal workshop and damaging a hospital chapel. The army also raided Beit Hanoun in Gaza, calling on residents in a northern neighborhood that borders Israel to evacuate their homes...

ST. LOUIS -- There were no dry eyes at the funeral Mass for William Kuntscher when the Deutschmeister Brass Band struck up a melancholy farewell ode to a fallen comrade. Kuntscher, an eccentric and simple man, was the band's soul, mascot and cymbal player. Friends say the lonely, miserly bachelor who was murdered -- possibly for his money -- found his hope in life from German music, his spoiled beagle Freckles, baseball and beer...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Record low levels on the Missouri River are causing problems for some communities that rely on the nation's longest river for drinking water, as well as utilities that use the water to cool equipment. And an official with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Friday continued drought conditions could hamper summer recreational activity on the river and restrict barge traffic when it resumes in April...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- For years, Missouri officials have been unable to develop a good way to identify casino gamblers who owe child support and seize their winnings. But a new federal proposal might do the job. The Bush administration wants to require that the names of people who win more than $5,000 be run through a national locator service already used by the IRS, state lotteries and other government agencies to keep track of people who owe money...

ST. LOUIS -- Two St. Louis men were charged Friday in connection with a robbery and police standoff at a check-cashing business on the city's south side. Johnny Cooper, 38, was charged with robbery, attempted robbery, armed criminal action, burglary, felony restraint and tampering with evidence. Rodney Rhodes, 48, was charged with hindering prosecution...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Friday ordered the release of $200 million to a federal home heating aid program to help millions of low-income people pay their heating bills. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said the money would help such individuals "respond to the rising cost of home heating oil, particularly during this cold snap."...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, Jan. 25 Firefighters responded Thursday to the following calls: At 1:51 p.m., mutual aid for Scott City at 3200 Havco Drive. At 9:35 p.m., smoke detector activated at 1408 Ripley. At 11 p.m., odor in building at 150 S. Lorimier...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, Jan. 25 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Timothy W. Hershey, 36, of 285 E Street, Cape Girardeau, was arrested on a Cape Girardeau warrant for failure to appear...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, Jan. 25 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Rickey K. Hunter, 38, of Chaffee, Mo., was arrested Jan. 13 on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and driving while revoked...

Examples of well-behaved, well-educated students with their priorities in the right place abound in our region. Still another example comes from Jackson Middle School, where geography teacher Tammy Brotherton's seventh-graders created and mailed 135 pamphlets to Prince Sultan Air Force Base in Saudi Arabia. ...

OAKLAND, Calif. -- An influential Christian radio host, best known for his failed predictions of the second coming of Christ, has run into more derision and criticism for telling listeners to abandon church. Harold Camping says his Bible studies have revealed that what he calls "the church age" has ended. He has told his worldwide radio audience that Satan has taken over all churches...

The Associated Press NEW YORK -- The famous oil painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware River was vandalized at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, allegedly by a former museum employee who glued on a computer image depicting a fake view of the World Trade Center attack...

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- An Evangelical Lutheran Church bishop has lifted the penalties against a congregation that broke with policy by ordaining an actively lesbian pastor. The national church's rule against gay and lesbian pastors still stands, Bishop Peter Rogness said, but discussion of the issue "would be better served by striking a more reconciling posture." The denomination is currently re-examining its policy...

For area bar owners, the question isn't whether the Oakland Raiders or Tampa Bay Buccaneers will win the Super Bowl on Sunday. With the Rams out of the game after playing in the bowl two of the last three years, the question is whether more people will come out to watch the event or stay at home. The answer is tough to predict but, like the outcome of the big game, everyone has a hypothesis...

CHICAGO -- Michael Jordan hurried off the court where he once ruled the NBA, not even taking a last glance over his shoulder. It wasn't the ending he wanted or imagined, but it was goodbye nonetheless. With the Chicago fans cheering him one last time, Jordan finally faded from view...

Lennox Lewis says his next fight may be a rematch with Mike Tyson in June. Talks for a proposed bout in April between Lewis and Vitali Klitschko have collapsed, Judd Burnstein, Lewis' attorney, said Friday. Burnstein said Lewis will watch how Tyson does Feb. 22 against Clifford Etienne in Memphis...

Firefighters from six departments or districts battled until 5:38 a.m. Friday, putting out a silo fire at Havco Wood Products. Scott City's fire department responded to the fire at about 1:30 p.m. Thursday. There were no injuries. "It's been a long day," said Scott City fire chief Jay Cassout Friday afternoon. "Firefighting is bad enough for paid people, but it's real hard on the volunteers who have to turn around and go back to their regular jobs. It's tough."...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- In Baghdad's Friday book market, you can get "The Guidebook to Nuclear Reactors" for $2, and for about a buck you can have your own copy of "Saddam Hussein, His Struggle and Political Thought." A bustling area of several streets and small alleys lined with bookstores and hawkers, the book market has for decades brought together academics, artists and students in a leisurely hunt for bargains. ...

MIAMI -- Florida's $9 billion-a-year citrus crop escaped major damage Friday from an arctic blast that brought rare snow flurries to Cape Canaveral and shattered record lows as far south as Miami Beach. Though the mercury dipped as low as 15 in Panama City Beach and 19 in Jacksonville, citrus growers said temperatures in the prime growing region farther south did not fall below 28 for more than four hours, the threshold for damage...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The reason many people live an unhappy life is because they are seeking the wrong sources for their happiness, says an area author. The Rev. Oscar Lukefahr, a Catholic priest, has written a book titled "The Search for Happiness" in which he describes what the Bible says about happiness...

Central's boys basketball team continued its strong turnaround season by rallying past host Mehlville 40-37 Friday night. The Tigers, after going 4-21 in their first season under coach Derek McCord last year, improved to 12-4. The Panthers from St. Louis County fell to 4-11...

Just three days after a fourth-quarter collapse, Notre Dame cleared the rubble and showed it still had its foundation intact. The Bulldog seniors headed the cleanup crew Friday night at Jackson High School as the upperclassmen played a pivotal role in Notre Dame's 63-62 victory over Jackson...

A different type of Austin Peay basketball team will greet Southeast Missouri State University today when the squads square off in a key Ohio Valley Conference matchup. Southeast (7-10, 2-3 OVC) and Austin Peay (9-6, 2-2) are one of seven squads in a logjam for the second through eighth spots in the nine-team conference. Only two games separate the teams between first-place Morehead State (7-0) and last-place Tennessee State (0-4)...

Southeast Missouri State University's women have gotten off to painfully slow starts in their last two games, although the Otahkians went on to win both contests handily. But if that happens again today, when the Otahkians visit Austin Peay for a 5 p.m. Ohio Valley Conference showdown, coach B.J. Smith doesn't believe his team will be so fortunate...

Southeast Missouri State University's gymnastics team finished third out of seven teams at Friday's Cardinal Classic in Muncie, Ind. The Otahkians finished with a strong team score of 192.425, only a slight drop from Sunday's first home meet of the season. Central Michigan University won Friday's meet with 193.2 points, and host Ball State took second with a 192.975...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- After a two-year layoff, the NGA/Hooters Tour will return to the Bootheel Golf Club this summer. The tour has scheduled a full week of events that will begin July 14 and end July 20. "It's a chance for people that have never experienced a big-time golf event to come out and see some of the top players in the world," Bootheel club pro Jeff Ketterman said. "It's also a way for us to kick something back into the community. We're very excited about the tour coming back."...

From The Wall Street Journal Iraq's chemical weapons program is so vast that even Hans Blix can find it. Such was our initial reaction to the recent big news: The discovery, south of Baghdad, of 11 warheads in "excellent condition" designed for the specific purpose of delivering and dispersing chemical weapons...

Delirious is that guy you don't want to meet in a dark alley. Just look at him. He's a disturbed, demonic masked hellion who doesn't make a sound unless to speak in tongues. And even though he wins -- and wins a lot -- he's the wrestler your mother would've warn you about...

The amazing progress of Saxony Lutheran High School -- from good idea to financial reality -- has all the earmarks of divine intervention. It was the fall semester in 2000 when the school opened, using St. Andrew Lutheran Church on Cape Rock Drive in Cape Girardeau for classroom space. There were eight students that first semester, and finding textbooks and preparing a curriculum were struggles...

Lynwood plans open house event on Sunday Lynwood Baptist Church will host its "Life @ Lynwood" event from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the worship center. The event is a look at the congregation's vision and information about ministry opportunities. The audience will hear from each minister on staff about upcoming plans and programs...

Triplett Son to Giles and Terri Ann Triplett Jr. of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 5:32 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, 2003. Name, Isaiah Keon. Weight, 7 pounds 3 ounces. Second son. Mrs. Triplett is the former Terri Knotts, daughter of Sharon Knotts and Rick Knotts. She is employed at Hab Care Inc. Triplett is the son of Shelia Triplett of Cape Girardeau and Gene Triplett. He is employed at Steak-N-Shake...

WASHINGTON -- Tom Ridge was sworn in Friday and began the daunting job of stitching together a Homeland Security Department from the tens of thousands of workers who patrol America's borders, secure computer networks, check for contamination of crops and otherwise help guard against terrorism...

MARYVILLE, Mo. -- Pay phone usage has become obsolete at Northwest Missouri State University, and soon coin-operated phones won't be available on campus. University officials said cell phones and inexpensive pre-paid phone cards have become so popular that very few people are using pay phones on campus. The average monthly revenue from each of the 29 phones is about $4.55, far from the $135 it takes for them to break even...

BEIJING -- A former Chinese bureaucrat who served a prison term after calling for free elections has been expelled to the United States, activists announced today. Fang Jue, who was released from prison last July but detained again before a major Communist Party meeting in November, was put aboard a United Airlines flight to Chicago on Friday afternoon, New York-based Human Rights in China said. It said he was allowed to contact his family only after he was aboard the plane...

BOGOTA, Colombia -- An American writer and two hikers emerged smiling from the Colombian jungle Friday after nearly a week in the custody of right-wing paramilitaries, while leftist rebels kept captive two foreign journalists working for the Los Angeles Times...

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- A woman is accusing her doctor of branding her uterus with his alma mater's initials before removing the organ during a hysterectomy. Stephanie Means and her husband sued Dr. James Guiler on Wednesday, seeking unspecified damages for emotional distress...

WINCHESTER, Va. -- A man trying to beat his dog to death with a gun was fatally wounded when it apparently went off accidentally, police said. Raymond Poore Jr., 43, called his wife at work Thursday and told her that their dog had bitten him and he intended to kill the animal, police Capt. David Sobonya said...

LONDON -- Actor-comedian John Cleese told London's High Court that a British newspaper article suggesting his career flopped when he moved to the United States was offensive and damaging. Cleese, who is suing The Evening Standard newspaper over the article, earlier rejected a compensation offer of $16,000 from the newspaper because he regarded its published apology as insufficient...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A man on death row for 16 years was released from prison Friday after prosecutors concluded they do not have enough evidence to retry him for the 1986 murder of a Tampa teenager. "I'm on top of the world," Rudolph Holton, 49, said as he wiped away tears under his sunglasses...

OAKLAND, Calif. -- They're a menace to society, an armor-plated horde in silver and black. They're loud and lewd. And they're devoted to the Oakland Raiders, win or lose. They're the Raider Nation, fans with a reputation as brutish as their team, long considered the NFL's renegade franchise. Come Sunday, they can't wait to do their part to intimidate the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the Super Bowl in San Diego...

For years Dr. Dale Haskell and his guitar have performed a "musical incursion" just before Dr. Harvey Hecht begins teaching his 19th century American novel class about "Moby-Dick." Haskell is there to sing "Moby Book," a tune about the big white whale book...

From staff, wire reports Just four doctors rolled up their sleeves for smallpox shots Friday in a feeble start for the U.S. government's plan to vaccinate a half-million front-line health care workers across the nation in case of a bioterrorist attack...

VIENNA, Austria -- The head of the U.N. nuclear agency will tell the Security Council on Monday that Saddam Hussein has done a "quite satisfactory" job of cooperating with inspectors in some areas but that they need more time to complete their search...

DAVOS, Switzerland -- The United States faced more criticism at the World Economic Forum on Friday, this time for conducting a war on terrorism that opponents claim targets Muslims and violates human rights. After weathering complaints about their stance on Iraq, American officials were told they are guilty of racial profiling and should try harder to discover the roots of terrorism...

WASHINGTON -- The FBI is questioning as many as 50,000 Iraqis living in the United States in a search for potential terrorist cells, spies or people who might provide information helpful to a U.S. war effort. Agents have fanned out across the country to interview Iraqis in their homes and where they work, study and worship. ...

Cape library to put on 'Monologues' in February The Cape Girardeau Public Library's board of directors voted Friday to host a staged reading of "The Vagina Monologues" in the facility's community room. Brooke Hildebrand Clubbs of Jackson, who is an adjunct professor in the Communications Department at Southeast Missouri State University, will perform the reading at 7 p.m. ...

10 years ago: Jan. 25, 1993 Scott City - Bob Brison has announced his retirement as superintendent of Scott City Public Schools; Brison, who became superintendent of local district in 1986, has been involved in education for more than 30 years. Cape Girardeau Sears, Roebuck and Co. ...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Elba M. Welker, 83, of Perryville died Thursday, Jan. 23, 2003, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. She was born Aug. 26, 1919, in Perry County, daughter of Clell A. and Emma M. Kline Gibbar. She and Robert L. Welker were married April 19, 1941, at Brewer, Mo...

Today The Rev. Oscar Lukefahr will sign copies of his book "The Secret to Happiness" at 1 p.m. at Barnes & Noble. Sunday Installation service for the Rev. Dr. David Felty at 9:30 a.m. at First Christian Church. Felty is the church's new senior pastor...

Dear Lee: I grew up with my cousin, Mike. Relatives often commented on our similar rebellious patterns. I was there at times when no one else was, those times when we were younger and both struggling to understand. He grew up to be so kind. He loved his brothers and sisters...

More than 200 churches in Missouri participated in last year's Souper Bowl of Caring, and many area churches will seek donations again this year. Last year churches from Charleston, Mo., to Cape Girardeau collected moneys for area food pantries on Super Bowl Sunday. Congregations across the state raised more than $50,000...

It seemed, recently, I had been a regular visitor at numerous funeral homes to pay respects to deceased friends and family, and mourn personally, as well. I reasoned death seemed to come at "appropriate times" (considering age and state of health) for some, but felt others were snatched prematurely from this world. ...

Using color is probably one of the most difficult issues to face in home decorating. A little color can go a long way, and the house at 1316 Primrose in Jackson shows just how that perfect balance of color can be reached. Several of the rooms in this house are warmed by colors like dusty geranium, citrus green and buttery yellow. Yet, the majority of the house uses light colors that optimize natural light, giving the home a light and airy feel...

To the editor: In response to the letter to the editor "Certain events are meant to be held outdoors": I disagree with the comment that monster truck shows and rodeos should not be held in the Show Me Center. It is very rarely that the people of Southeast Missouri have such a big event come to the area, and these are two of the most popular events held in the Show Me Center. ...

To the editor: Regarding the Jan. 12 story about the T-shirt cannon: The two students featured in the story were identified as "mechanical engineering students." Later, the story said they and about 10 other "engineering students" worked on this project. A little later in the story, the faculty adviser of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers was identified as "an engineering professor."...

Patricia R. "Patti" Riggs, 50, a longtime resident of Snohomish County, Wash., passed away at her home in Mill Creek, Wash., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2003. She was born Oct. 16, 1952, in Cape Girardeau, the daughter of Claude and Opal Young Riggs. Patti grew up in Washington's Sedro-Woolley and Mount Vernon areas, attending school in Mount Vernon until moving to Snohomish County 36 years ago...

Speeder is nabbed THANKS TO the Jackson Police Department for nabbing the person who was constantly speeding on Mulberry Street. We will not miss this dangerous speeder or his loud mufflers that disrupted the peace and quiet of the neighborhood. Anti-war pattern...

Donald Lee Shrum, 57, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2003, at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nev. He was born Jan. 20, 1946, in Cape Girardeau, son of Milton and Virginia Ridings Shrum. He and Phyllis Aaron were married Sept. 21, 1983, in Cape Girardeau...

Grace "Virginia" Phelps, 82, of Burfordville died Friday, Jan. 24, 2003, at Heartland Care Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 18, 1920, near Burfordville, daughter of Chester F. and Kate Burford Phelps. Phelps was a member of First Baptist Church...

Dillman R. Reisenbichler, 73, of Pocahontas, Mo., died on Friday, Jan. 24, 2003, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson.

The Rev. Laura Marie Stoner, 64, of Jackson died Friday, Jan. 24, 2003, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. She was born Dec. 3, 1938, in Careywood, Idaho, daughter of the Rev. Jesse and Lutie Kennedy Jett. She and Charles Kenneth Stoner were married Jan. 7, 1959. He died April 22, 1997...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- James Oliver Crader, 56, of Marble Hill died Thursday, Jan. 23, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born April 19, 1946, at Lutesville, Mo., son of Lester W.F. and Marcia Goskie Crader. He and Sylvia Gipson were married May 13, 1988, at Grassy, Mo...

Callie Allison Dockins, three days, died Friday, Jan. 24, 2003, at St. Louis Children's Hospital. She is the daughter of Jamey and Dee Dee Sarff Dockins of Jackson. Friends may call at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday.

The state's stinging budget crises hasn't forced the Missouri National Guard to close any of its armories yet -- but it could if the situation doesn't improve. That's what a National Guard officer from Jefferson City told a few current and former Guard troops Friday afternoon at a special meeting at the Cape Girardeau armory...