Stories from Saturday, May 17, 2003

Gates, Brokaw make amends for ditching bill WATERTOWN, S.D. -- The world's richest man and one of the country's top news anchors sat down at a cafe for cappuccino -- but both left without paying the bill. Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates came to Watertown to talk to librarians about computers that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had donated...

ST. LOUIS -- Smokers traveling through Lambert Airport in St. Louis can puff away after all. A bill before the St. Louis Board of Aldermen bans smoking in all buildings owned or leased by the city, but Alderman Freeman Bosley Sr. excluded the airport from the ban. Bosley allowed the exemption after airport administrators showed him a video of how the airport smoking lounge exhausts remove smoke from the lounges...

MADRID, Spain -- U.S. television rights to the 2010 and 2012 Olympics won't necessarily go to the highest bidder. Four networks -- NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox -- will submit offers next month to the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne, Switzerland...

The AssociatedPress CONCORD, N.C. -- Bill Elliott put his fear of speeding down pit road aside Friday night, just in time to earn the pole for NASCAR's all-star race a record fifth time. Under the unique qualifying format for The Winston, drivers race two laps around Lowe's Motor Speedway then pit to change four tires before running a third and final lap. The speed limit coming on to pit road is 45 mph, but there is no limit exiting...

WASHINGTON -- Al-Qaida is out to prove it is still a force, U.S. counterterrorism officials said Friday, suggesting the bombings in Saudi Arabia and terrorist threats in Africa and Asia are part of a coordinated effort to strike lightly defended targets...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, May 17 Firefighters responded Thursday to the following items: At 5:54 p.m., medical assist at 2542 Masters. At 7:53 p.m., gasoline leak from vehicle at 123 N. Pacific. At 8:48 p.m., medical assist at 3232 Kage Hills Drive. At 10:01 p.m., medical assist at 1106 N. Fountain...

Arrest warrant issued for alleged scam artist An arrest warrant was issued Friday for a Perryville, Mo., man who Cape Girardeau police say scammed a handful of businesses out of small amounts of cash by posing as a visiting fellow professional or a close relative of the business' former owner...

Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department Saturday, May 17 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Garrett C. Fink, 23, of Cape Girardeau was arrested May 9 on suspicion of driving while intoxicated...

Today, beginning at 2 p.m., 1,024 mortarboard-wearing students will cross the stage at the Show Me Center, indicating that they've completed a rigorous academic program and earned the right to a diploma. The number of Southeast Missouri State University graduates this spring is an all-time record for a single commencement ceremony at the university, so it may take awhile for every diploma to be presented...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, May 17 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Nathan E. Bell, 20, of 206 Kramer, Sikeston, Mo., was arrested Friday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and speeding...

There are so many important and interesting historic sites in Cape Girardeau that one hardly knows which one to preserve first. There's Marquette Hotel's success story, of course. The condemned downtown hotel was headed for destruction before the state stepped in with a contract to turn it into office space for government employees...

Have you ever seen a Jew with a tattoo? Perhaps not, since the tradition against that practice is as strong, though not as well-known, as the one against eating pork. The basis is biblical: "You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves: I am the Lord." (Leviticus 19:28)...

What do the Jackson Indians golf team and a pure swing have in common? Uninterrupted momentum. The Indians take a headful of steam into the Class 4 state meet Monday and Tuesday at the Rivercutt Golf Course in Springfield, Mo. After gaining a state berth by finishing second to Poplar Bluff in the District 1 tournament at Bent Creek, Jackson claimed the SEMO Conference tournament title Tuesday at Dalhousie Golf Club. ...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Atlantic Coast Conference decided on its expansion targets Friday, and forced the Big East into survival mode. The ACC presidents voted in a conference call to begin formal discussions with Miami, Syracuse and Boston College. The expansion, which could take affect for the 2004-05 academic year, would make it a 12-team superconference with a football championship game...

ST. LOUIS -- Police stepped up security Friday prior to planned agricultural protests on Sunday, making arrests in condemned buildings, confiscating items similar to those used in violent protests and angering those who planned peaceful actions. St. ...

JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- Fear of terrorism -- along with roadblocks and heightened security -- spread from the Saudi capital to Jiddah on Friday after U.S. officials warned Americans of possible attacks in the busy Red Sea port. Tamas Braun, a Hungarian who works for a Saudi bank, flew the 190 miles from Riyadh to Jiddah for a diving getaway after Monday night's deadly attacks on foreign residential compounds in the capital...

RABAT, Morocco -- Terrorists exploded four bombs in the coastal city of Casablanca late Friday, killing at least 24 people and damaging the Belgian consulate, a Jewish center and a Spanish restaurant, officials said. At least three of the blasts were from car bombs, and the fourth appeared to be detonated by a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt, according to security officials in this North African nation...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The first legislative session since 1948 with Republican majorities in both chambers of the Missouri Legislature ended rather anticlimactically Friday without the usual scramble to complete major bills. "We're under new management," quipped Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush launched his re-election campaign Friday with high approval ratings and a clear path to the Republican nomination -- but with political clouds from the sluggish economy. Hoping to achieve a goal denied to his father, Bush filed formal notice of his quest for a second term with the Federal Election Commission. ...

LOS ANGELES -- Phil Jackson is feeling good about his own health, as well as the future of the Los Angeles Lakers. "I think I would have been a little more defeatist at another time," Jackson said following the Lakers' 110-82 loss to the Spurs that ended their three-year run as NBA champions. "I have to feel better about my own personal health and the direction I'm going. We've had a great run."...

ST. LOUIS -- Ignoring a sore knee and ailing back, J.D. Drew hit one of the longest home runs ever at Busch Stadium. Drew's mammoth two-run shot off the top of the right-field video board helped the Cardinals end the Chicago Cubs' five-game winning streak with a 7-4 victory Friday night...

Cape Girardeau native Jack Oliver is taking on a new role in the Republican party: the deputy finance chairman for President Bush's re-election campaign. He is moving over from his role as deputy chief of the Republican National Committee. Oliver helped Bush raise more than $100 million -- a record amount -- in his 2000 campaign...

MURRAY, Ky. -- Southeast Missouri State University's Tim Alvarez has made his mark as one of the nation's premier pitchers this year primarily through a starting role. But Friday, Alvarez turned to relief to break the school single-season record for wins...

Briefly Baseball Yankees first baseman Nick Johnson will miss four to six weeks with a stress fracture in his right hand, the latest injury in his young career. Expos right-hander Tony Armas Jr. will have surgery next week to repair slight tears in his rotator cuff and shoulder...

Jackson defeats Poplar Bluff in JV soccer opener Jackson disposed of Poplar Bluff 10-0 Friday in the semifinals of the Jackson junior varsity soccer tournament. In the other semifinal, Central defeated St. Vincent 2-0. The championship game was moved to today due to rain. Jackson and Central will face off at noon...

BALTIMORE -- The Kentucky Derby winner likes a sloppy track. So, Funny Cide should be in great shape when he tries to take the next step toward becoming the first Triple Crown winner in a quarter-century. It poured at Pimlico on Friday, and the weather forecast called for even more rain today in the hours leading up to the Preakness Stakes...

ST. LOUIS -- Life is normal again for Marshall Faulk. On Friday, four days after being cleared in a domestic abuse lawsuit, the Rams running back was back in his element at the team's minicamp, wearing a helmet instead of a suit and tie. "My mind's always on football," Faulk said after the first of two two-hour practices. "Regardless if that had been going on or not I was looking forward to this week and being around the guys and getting a feel for what the new team is going to be like...

SKOKIE, Ill. -- Fifteen suburban Chicago teenagers were charged with misdemeanor battery Friday for their alleged part in a videotaped hazing in which high school girls were beaten and showered with filth. The 17- and 18-year-old seniors were charged as adults and face up to a year in jail. Authorities, however, saved their harshest words for residents of affluent Northbrook they accused of stonewalling the investigation...

Texas Democrats return to Lone Star State AUSTIN, Texas -- Runaway Texas Democrats returned to a heroes' welcome at the Capitol on Friday after their self-imposed exile in Oklahoma killed a redistricting bill they hated. Legislative business in the House of Representatives resumed...

To the editor: The mayor, board of aldermen and entire city staff of Jackson would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the individuals, businesses, organizations and neighboring communities that went above and beyond the call of duty to serve our great city in the wake of the May 6 tornado...

To the editor: I would like to make a few comments regarding the passing of Henry Burnette, longtime Cape Girardeau resident and a friend to many. I recall as a youngster going to Ruhs market to pick up a few things for my mom. I usually wound up at the meat counter, and there was Henry always willing to wait on me and pass the time of day. ...

Farewell reception planned for minister La Croix United Methodist Church will host a reception for the Rev. Brent Mustoe, district superintendent of United Methodist churches in the region, after its weekend services. The reception will be held after the 5:30 p.m. service today and after the 11 a.m. service Sunday...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Carol Hall's warm smile and lilting Australian accent form a spiritual magnet, drawing people from every direction and helping explain why they are comfortable sharing their innermost thoughts. Such finesse is critical for Hall's work as a corporate chaplain, a guidance counselor who offers workers a ministry but cannot offend an employee's spiritual sensibilities for fear of breaking religious harassment laws...

Today Hope Circle of Grace United Methodist Church will meet at 6:30 p.m. for a tea at Francine's. Cheryl Mothes and Amber Larson are hosts. Sunday Third Sunday services at 11 a.m. at Apple Creek Presbyterian Church near Pocahontas. The Rev. Jimmie Corbin will be the speaker. The gathering will celebrate the church's 181 year history. There also will be a baptism during the service...

Palestinian negotiator submits resignation JERUSALEM -- A top Palestinian negotiator resigned after being excluded from the first Israeli-Palestinian summit in three years this weekend in a move that could also signal growing tensions between Yasser Arafat and his new prime minister...

UNITED NATIONS -- Russia, China and France made clear Friday they want major changes in a U.S.-backed resolution to lift sanctions against Iraq, but Germany indicated it was likely to support the proposal. With President Bush's administration pushing for a vote next week, Security Council members finished a paragraph-by-paragraph review of the nine-page revised draft resolution late Friday. ...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Saddam Hussein is gone. And Rad Hamoudi is back. A near-capacity crowd turned out Friday to see the first soccer match since the downfall of Saddam and to cheer Hamoudi -- Iraq's greatest star and long considered one of the Arab world's best goalies, fresh from years in exile...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Up to 30,000 top members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party will be banned from any future Iraqi government, a senior U.S official said Friday as part of a sweeping decree aimed at putting "a stake in the heart" of the long-entrenched organization...

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The escalating SARS crisis in Taiwan cost the health chief his job Friday, as he quit to take responsibility for the rapid spread of the virus that has forced the closing of two hospitals. He was the second top Asian health official to lose his job because of SARS; mainland China's health minister resigned a month ago, and more than 100 other Chinese officials have been punished or fired because of SARS, according to Xinhua news agency...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- With just two minutes to spare, lawmakers gave final approval Friday to legislation that would greatly expand the ordinance-writing authority of the Cape Girardeau County Commission and a handful of others around the state. The 102-47 House vote on the ordinance measure made it the last bill of the 2003 legislative session sent to the governor before the mandatory 6 p.m. adjournment deadline. The Senate had endorsed the bill 30-0 about 40 minutes earlier...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Legislation giving Missourians an easy way to spot unwanted commercial e-mail received final approval Friday. But unlike the original proposal, the bill sent to the governor includes no statewide system of blocking annoying computer messages...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Department of Transportation would be examined by an outside inspector general controlled by the legislature under a bill heading to Gov. Bob Holden's desk. Supporters of the legislation touted it as a way to increase the accountability of the agency responsible for building and maintaining Missouri's highways...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Rookie state Rep. Scott Lipke learned first-hand the legislative definition of a Christmas tree. Lipke, R-Jackson, had sponsored a simple, two-page bill designed to ensure that the Missouri Department of Transportation fairly compensates landowners in his hometown for loss of road access caused by the redesign of Highway 34-72...

Southeast Missouri State University's parking prayers could be answered if the school's fund-raising foundation buys the First Baptist Church property on Broadway, school officials said Friday. School officials said the university foundation would offer $3.5 million to buy the 3.4-acre tract at 926 Broadway and its three buildings -- the church itself, an education building and an activity center. The property sits just south of Houck Stadium...

Brunke Daughter to Rickey G. and Susan C. Brunke of Jackson, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 7:33 a.m. Tuesday, April 22, 2003. Name, Hannah Jo. Weight, 7 pounds 10 ounces. Third child, second daughter. Mrs. Brunke is the former Susan Scholl. She is a hairdresser at The O'Haira. Brunke is the son of Earl Brunke of Scott City. He is a logger...

10 years ago: May 17, 1993 Cape Girardeau City Council is considering holding special election Aug. 3 on proposed amendments to city charter implementing ward system of electing council members; charter amendments have been recommended by council-appointed committee and include proposed boundaries for six wards...

To the editor: This is in response to Daryl Fridley's letter, "Public should be involved in cuts at our schools." I am a junior at Central High School, and I am in Fridley's U.S. history class. I completely agree with Fridley's letter and would like to provide a student's perspective on this matter...

Biblical familiarity AFTER ALL of these terrible storms with so much hail, many people are saying they never saw hail so large and so much of it. It seems God's fury was being poured out everywhere. It made me think of Revelation 16:21: "And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent, and men blasphemed God because of the plague, for the plague thereof was exceeding great." A talent is around 60 pounds of stone. ...

Mary C. Kirn, 86 of Jackson died Wednesday, May 14, 2003, at her home. She was born June 18, 1916, in Benton, Mo., daughter of Eugene and Clara Diebold Essner. She and Ed Kirn were married May 6, 1941, at Benton. He preceded her in death Feb. 19, 1990...

Wade A. Gurley, 62, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, May 15, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born Aug. 31, 1940, at Sikeston, Mo., son of Ralph and Verna Dubois Gurley. He and Sue Boyer were married Oct. 20, 1989, in Cape Girardeau. Wade was a conductor with Union Pacific Railroad (formerly Cotton Belt) 35 years. He was a member of the Elks Lodge...

Darrell Wayne Crawford, 68, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, May 15, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born Oct. 6, 1934, at Campbell, Mo., son of Robert Harold and Lois Inez Barnes Crawford. He and Anna Lee Box were married Nov. 28, 1959, at Second Southern Baptist Church in Malden, Mo...

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Reba E. Haas, 87, of Mound City died Thursday, May 15, 2003, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. She was born Nov. 19, 1915, in Mound City, daughter of Hosea and Elsie Edwards Dunlap. She married Stewart Haas, who died in 1980...

THEBES, Ill. -- Harold Masterson, 80, of Thebes died Thursday, May 15, 2003, at Ratliff Care Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 8, 1923, in Miller City, Ill., son of James and Ida Kelley Masterson. He and Nellie Foster were married July 27, 1943. She died May 29, 1985...

GRASSY, Mo. -- Ernest Gale Cameron, 91, of Grassy died Friday, May 16, 2003, at Elder Care Nursing Home. He was born Aug. 23, 1911, in Marquand, Mo., son of Ernest and Cora May Burton Cameron. He and Hazel Lucille Newell were married July 7, 1941. Cameron was employed several years by Missouri State Highway Department. He was a member of Grassy Friendship Baptist Church...

Colleen Platt, 76, of Jackson died Friday, May 16, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson is in charge of arrangements.

LICK CREEK, Ill. -- William L. "Bill" Bowen, 76, of Lick Creek died Thursday, May 15, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 9, 1926, in Jonesboro, Ill., son of Guy and Hulda Reischauer Bowen. He and Myra L. Gurley were married March 28, 1954, in Jonesboro...

Brian K. Kreher, 38, of Jackson died unexpectedly Wednesday, May 14, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 6, 1965, in St. Louis, son of Dominic and Joan Brandon Kreher. Kreher was employed at VIP Industries in Fruitland and was a member of Abundant Life Church at Gordonville...

Richard T. Haynes, 86, of Overland, Mo., died Monday, May 12, 2003, at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in Creve Coeur, Mo. He was born June 17, 1916, in Cape Girardeau, son of Joseph and Daisy Pettego Haynes. He married Veta Wright. Haynes retired as an inspector and developer with Eastman Kodak. He was a member of Glad Tidings Assembly of God Church in Vinita Park, Mo...

ANNA, Ill. -- Helen D. Musgrove, 94, of Calvert City, Ky., died Friday, May 15, 2003, at Marshall County Hospital in Benton, Ky. She was born June 3, 1908, in Detroit, Mich., daughter of Henry and Emma Klein Cass. She and Joe Musgrove were married in 1926 in Detroit. He died in October 1963...

Two necklaces hang from Kim Patrick's neck, both featuring similar silver pendants in the shape of a little boy wearing a baseball cap backwards and overalls. One she bought in March to wear at her son's college graduation; the other she purchased after his death in a car accident April 18...