Stories from Friday, July 18, 2003

Heidi Hall had a serious managing editor look on her face when she came into my office Monday morning. She said I should move my column to the Sunday space most recently occupied by Jean Bell Mosley's column. She had a list of reasons. Heidi said Jean Bell and I are alike in many ways, particularly our folksy writing style...

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Lynne Ann Weaver, who married into a celebrity family, liked to go to the farmers market with co-workers to buy produce for her husband to cook. Gloria Olivera Gonzalez, a struggling immigrant from Mexico, cleaned an office to make extra money before going for vegetables to serve her children for dinner...

MERIDEN, Conn. -- The drivers in Center City are idiots. They cross double yellow lines, ride curbs and run stop signs. Many just ignore Trooper Roger Beaupre when he activates his cruiser's flashing lights. Others panic and brake in mid-intersection...

SUMMERHAVEN, Ariz. -- Catherine Westervelt wouldn't turn her eyes away from the pile of rubble that had been a family treasure. Staring at ashy remnants and bits of misshapen metal, she could muster only a halting whisper as she tried to talk about the vacation cabin, built by her father more than 30 years ago...

WASHINGTON -- An agreement was reached Thursday between the United States and Russia on Western access to two traditionally closed Russian nuclear cities, marking another step toward shutting down Russia's last two plutonium producing reactors. The agreement signed in Moscow establishes arrangements for foreign access to the once highly secret cities of Seversk and Zheleznogorsk for the construction of two fossil fuel-burning power plants...

Starting next year, medical students around the country will have to pass a live-action test of clinical skills and bedside manner to graduate. The National Board of Medical Examiners, which designed the exam, said it will measure critical but often overlooked skills needed to produce an accurate diagnosis, including how well students listen to their patients and how they question them...

CHICAGO -- He was trusted, a true believer. He stood quietly in the background at rallies while his leader preached his gospel of "racial holy war." He was also an FBI informant. Court documents reviewed recently by The Associated Press provide a glimpse into how the informant managed to infiltrate the inner circle of white supremacist Matthew Hale, secretly recording hundreds of conversations...

Jolie says work with U.N. has changed her NEW YORK -- Angelina Jolie says being a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations has changed her life. "I used to lie there at night and wonder what it was that I needed to do," she tells Cosmopolitan magazine in its August issue. "That's how I stumbled on going to Washington and learning about the U.N. and traveling around the world. It completely changed me."...

Southeast Missourian There are so many catchy songs to belt out when one is feeling particularly patriotic. "America the Beautiful." "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." "Welcome Home USA." > > Click here to listen to the song in MP3 format...

The drumbeat follows its own grim rhythm: three U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq last week, two more shot this week. It echoes across this country, affecting military families who avoid the TV news and those arguing over the war and what comes next. The combat death toll hit a disheartening milestone Thursday as the Pentagon acknowledged its casualties from hostile fire reached 147, the same number of troops who died at enemy hands in the first Gulf War...

LOS ANGELES -- "Six Feet Under" and "The West Wing," the Emmy front-runners, will be laboring under handicaps at the awards ceremony in September. Last year, HBO's macabre funeral home drama was the top nominee with 23 but converted only one into a major award, for directing. Can "Six Feet Under" exhume more trophies among the 16 nominations it received this year?...

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- In a stunning appeal for forgiveness, Zimbabwe's Christian churches apologized Thursday for not doing enough to stop political violence, hunger and the economic collapse of the nation. Western governments and human rights groups blame the chaos embroiling the once-prosperous and stable southern African country on the increasingly autocratic and violent rule of President Robert Mugabe...

HONG KONG -- Chastened by street protests, embattled leader Tung Chee-hwa admitted Thursday he had made mistakes and asked for a second chance, promising to listen more to Hong Kongers about an anti-subversion bill that fueled the uproar. Critics immediately voiced doubts he would become an effective leader. The political crisis facing Tung's administration deepened Thursday with record unemployment figures announced less than 24 hours after the resignations of two Cabinet members...

SAO TOME, Sao Tome and Principe -- With a host of influential foreign leaders lined up against him, the leader of a military coup in this tiny West African nation gave assurances Thursday that he has no plans to rule the oil-rich country. International pressure mounted on Maj. Fernando Pereira to negotiate a peaceful settlement to the crisis with the elected officials he ousted in a coup on Wednesday...

SEOUL, South Korea -- South and North Korean soldiers briefly traded machine-gun fire in their border zone Thursday, raising tensions even as Secretary of State Colin Powell expressed optimism about diplomatic efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear standoff...

MONROVIA, Liberia -- As negotiators pushed back the deadline for a political settlement in Liberia, government officials on Thursday accused the rebels of launching a fresh push on the beleaguered capital, swollen with refugees from previous fighting...

LONDON -- Princess Diana's former lover, despised in Britain for revealing intimate details of their affair, has stirred up more revulsion -- and fascination -- by boasting the princess was good in bed and allowing excerpts from her private letters to be read on a television documentary...

MOSCOW -- A powerful shrapnel-filled bomb exploded Thursday near a police station in Russia's troubled Dagestan region, killing three people and injuring 18 others, officials said. The bomb, attached to a parked motorcycle or scooter in the city of Khasavyurt exploded at about 10 a.m., the regional Interior Ministry said...

LONDON -- A new study reopens the question, long dismissed by researchers, of whether women who eat high-fat diets increase their risk of breast cancer. The study found that those who average more than 90 grams of fat a day have roughly double th\e risk of those who eat just 37 grams...

By Denise Clemonds JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Southeast Missourian's July 2 editorial, "Certificate-of-need law too full of loopholes," pointed out the problems of Missouri's law, which favors those who have the means to force an exception to the law...

Endeavor looks like off-road vehicles from the competition A few years ago, like many of you, I bought a mountain bike. Several of my friends already had one. I had been coveting those big-tired, macho looking machines for some time because their technology was very appealing. Front and rear suspension, 21 gears and a light alloy frame...

With most of the key players gone from last year's American Legion baseball team that won district and zone titles, Dunklin County expected to struggle some this season. That's been the case, but the squad showed Thursday that it might be down, but definitely not out...

Belote, McGinnis win annual Lassies' Classic Betty Belote and Sandi McGinnis won the first hole of a playoff with defending champions Harriette Myers and Diane Fowler to win the Lassies' Classic Thursday at Cape Girardeau Country Club...

After last year's breakthrough 8-4 season, a lot more eyes are on Southeast Missouri State University's football team. And even though practice won't begin until early August, the Indians -- which return 19 starters from the school's winningest team since 1969 -- are determined to be physically and mentally prepared for the season...

Thirteen home games, along with road tests at Arkansas and DePaul, highlight Southeast Missouri State University's 2003-2004 men's basketball schedule announced Thursday. The Indians have non-conference home dates against Wisconsin-Green Bay, Missouri-Kansas City and North Texas, in addition to home games against Division II teams Kentucky Christian and Oakland City...

SANDWICH, England -- The British Open was full of mystery Thursday. How could Tiger Woods hit a tee shot into a small patch of thick grass before thousands of people without the ball being found? Can Greg Norman, winless in five years and without a major since he ruled Royal St. George's a decade ago, conspire with fate to capture another claret jug?...

EAGLE, Colo. -- After two weeks of investigation, the district attorney will announce Friday whether Kobe Bryant will be charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman. The announcement is scheduled for 4 p.m. Bryant, a three-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, surrendered to authorities July 4 on allegations he attacked the woman at the exclusive mountain resort Lodge & Spa at Cordillera in nearby Edwards on June 30...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri defensive end Nick Tarpoff was dismissed from the football team Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to felony possession of an illegal weapon. By pleading guilty to the felony charge, Tarpoff faces up to seven years in prison and a maximum fine of $5,000...

TOULOUSE, France -- Lance Armstrong's struggle to dominate a surprisingly difficult Tour de France could hinge on beating the clock in today's individual time trial -- a decisive race on undulating terrain. The four-time champion holds the overall lead in this year's Tour, but only by 21 seconds. Unlike past years, his top rivals feel victory is within their grasp...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) -- A jury sitting in mock judgment of Pete Rose decided Thursday night that baseball's career hits leader should be eligible for the Hall of Fame, even though most of the jurors think he bet on baseball. The 8-4 vote was a victory for defense attorney Johnnie Cochran over Alan Dershowitz, taking a rare turn as a prosecutor for the ESPN-produced event. The lawyers were allies on O.J. Simpson's defense team...

The SEMO Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission is in the process of gathering emergency personnel from around the county to come up with a county-wide hazard mitigation plan. Chauncy Buchheit, deputy director of the planning commission, appeared before the Cape Girardeau county commission Thursday to set up a committee...

Southeast Missourian Cape Girardeau school board members and administrators continued a discussion of the district's objectives for the 2003-04 school year Thursday evening in the second of two meetings scheduled this week. This year's list of goals is expected to be finalized for a vote of approval at the next board meeting, set for Monday at 6 p.m., said superintendent Mark Bowles...

SAN DIEGO -- His hand-painted expression reflects a history of battles. His camouflage helmet is cracked, but the stitching on his green fatigues is remarkably intact. He is the original G.I. Joe -- the 1963 prototype of the "action figure" that revolutionized the way American boys play. Today he'll be sold at an auction that could make him the most expensive toy ever...

Cape Girardeau County must spend at least 25 percent of county road and bridge tax money raised from Jackson property owners on repairs and improvements to streets in that city, Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon says. But county commissioners say the attorney general's opinion isn't law, and the city of Jackson won't get the money -- an estimated $75,000 to $80,000 a year -- without a court fight...

A new funding program may become available soon for businesses damaged by the tornado that ripped through Jackson in May. Chauncy Buchheit with the SEMO Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission met with five Jackson business people Thursday to hand out applications for state assistance that could include zero-percent loans...

To people who love beer, brewing your own is the ultimate fantasy. Since 90 percent of the 250,000 home-brewers in America are male, that would be male fantasy. "Mmmm, Gummy-beer," Homer Simpson once marveled. Mark Sprigg, Mike Mills and Jeff Byrne feel the same way about beer, especially about making it. ...

WASHINGTON -- How old is too old to drive? States are taking a harder look as the number of elderly drivers increases. Accidents like the one in Santa Monica, Calif., where an 86-year-old driver killed nine people and injured dozens more Wednesday when he drove into a crowded farmers market, are cited by those who believe older drivers should have to prove their capability...

AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Hideo Nomo pitched six strong innings and added a two-run homer and an RBI double, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers over the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 Thursday night. Nomo (10-8) limited the Cardinals to two hits and one unearned run while walking four and striking out five. He threw 85 pitches in addition to running the bases on a hot, humid night...

Jackson firefighters were still working a fire at 10 p.m. Thursday at a storage facility for Thompson Enterprises on Lenco Avenue. The fire was reported about 8 p.m. No one was reported injured. The Cape Girardeau and Gordonville fire departments also sent engines and firefighters to the scene...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A speaker purported to be Saddam Hussein exhorted his followers to wage a holy war against U.S. and British forces in a new recording played Thursday -- the anniversary of the revolution that put the former leader's party in power in Iraq...

BAGHDAD -- Iraq could be ready to hold elections as early as next year, a step that would open the way for American and allied military forces to leave, the U.S. administrator said Thursday. The timetable for elections would be driven by the speed with which the Iraqis write and ratify a new constitution, L. Paul Bremer said in an interview with a small group of reporters at his headquarters in one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces...

JERUSALEM -- The Bush Administration is pushing a new round of Mideast diplomacy with White House visits by the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers later this month, as a truce by Palestinian groups has eased tensions slightly. Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas will make his first trip to the White House on July 25, his office said Wednesday. The trip is also the first by a Palestinian leader since Bush took office...

MORLEY, Mo. -- Martha Ann Rodgers, 79, of Morley died Thursday, July 17, 2003, at Sikeston Convalescent Center in Sikeston, Mo. She was born Feb. 23, 1924, at Wardell, Mo., daughter of Louie Jesse and Florence Elizabeth Lewis Bollinger. She and Murile Rodgers were married April 12, 1942. He preceded her in death June 8, 1954...

I LIVE in Scott City, and we're having a real trash problem here. I was just wondering? Can we only pay half our trash fees since we only get half-time delivery? It's trash day. No trash pickup. This is not the first time, and it probably won't be the last. When does that contract run out?...

To the editor: The fracas over those 16 words spoken by President Bush reminds me of the ruckus raised by Merle Travis in 1946 when he wrote the song "Sixteen Tons." Some in the government saw the lyrics as potentially subversive. In 1955, Tennessee Ernie Ford sang the song on his TV show, and it became a hit...

To the editor: I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Tim Hahn, Relay for Life coordinator, and the multitude of volunteers, businesses, organizations and surrounding communities that helped make the 2003 relay a tremendous success. This year Cape Girardeau and Jackson combined their efforts along with many volunteers from surrounding towns. ...

To the editor: I note with interest the city leaders' search for a regional identity that will make Cape Girardeau a destination location. Economically and culturally we are two cities: a thriving retail and medical community primarily centered in west Cape and culturally homogeneous, and on the east a small university and charmingly diverse historical community set on the Mississippi River. ...

To the editor: Your article "Days of thunder" about events at the Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival said, "A couple of Black Hawk helicopters were also showcased as military re-servists demonstrated a typical refueling operation." The story left the Missouri National Guard helicopter crew members who participated in the air show a little flat...

PUXICO, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Conservation will sponsor a hunter education class at the Duck Creek Conservation Area headquarters building near Puxico. The class will consist of three sessions: 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 5, 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 7 and 8 a.m. to noon Aug. 9...

Southeast Missouri anglers have many places to wet a line. Besides the Mississippi River, and many streams and lakes, there are several small ponds located on public lands that provide angling opportunities. These ponds provide fishing to those bank anglers who either do not have a boat or who choose the convenience of fishing from shore. Pond fishing often offers solitude and wildlife viewing opportunities not found in larger lakes, along with quality fishing for sunfish, catfish and bass...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Danny Ross Mays, 48, of Sikeston died Wednesday, July 16, 2003, at his home. He was born Dec. 29, 1954, at Gideon, Mo., son of Ruben and Myrtle Ganus Mays. He and Tina Eichmann were married March 5, 2002. Mays was a farmer. Survivors include his wife; a son, Danny Mays of the home; three daughters, Mary, Paula and Harlea Mays, all of Sikeston; his mother of Sikeston; four brothers, Ruben Mays of Davis Junction, Ill., Bill and Reed Mays of Sikeston, James Mays of Rockford, Ill.; five sisters, Marilyn Johnson of Rockford, Ill., Glenda O'Dell and Shirley Henry of Mayfield, Ky., Carolyn Day of Sikeston, and Janet Powell of Dexter, Mo.. ...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Gertrude Webb, 83, of Cairo died Sunday, July 13, 2003, at Daystar Care Center. She was born May 21, 1920, in Helena, Ark., daughter of Hampton and Mary Taylor Cage. She married Henry Webb Sr. Webb was a member of Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall in Cairo...

Dear Tom and Ray: I live in Los Angeles. I have a '93 Honda Civic Del Sol with 127,000 miles. Last week when I was driving home from work at 75 mph on the southbound 405 freeway, someone in a passing car on my left or someone in an oncoming car fired a shotgun. ...

From Shakespeare to Mantovani at SIU CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Shryock Auditorium's 2003-2004 season will include performances of the musicals "Saturday Night Fever" and "The Music Man" and of Shakespeare's "Richard III," dance performances by the Trinity Irish Dance Company, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and of Les Ballet Africains "Jubilee!," and a comedy revue by Chicago City Limits...

NEW YORK -- Mention the word "design" and people think of architecture, fashion, perhaps furniture -- forgetting that design also applies to toys, book jackets and even a humble garlic press. It's a mistake that a new show at the Museum of Arts & Design seeks to remedy. "US Design 1975-2000" features more than 250 of the most influential works by leading American designers whose styles matured after 1975...

It starts out as a typical night in a local bar. Albert Pujols and Garret Anderson try to knock the cover off the ball on the big screen, people enjoy a few rounds of pool in the back, a country-rock band belts away on stage and patrons enjoy some ice-cold beer...

One and a half stars (out of four) If you are keeping track, there are only three things about this film experience worth remembering: The ultra sleek Nemo-designed automobile, the massive submarine Nautilus, and where the theater exits are in relation to where you parked your vehicle. After that, it is a blur of Matilda (the favored gun of Allan Quartermain), The Phantom, Tom Sawyer, Captain Nemo, Vampirella (Mrs. Harker), The Invisible Man, Dorian Gray, and Mr. Hyde/Dr. Jekyll...

10 years ago: July 18, 1993 The Rev. Earl E. Weis of Fairfield Bay, Ark., is guest preacher at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson, as part of church's 100th anniversary celebration; topic of his sermon is "Faithfulness and Its Final Reward"; Weis was pastor of St. Paul from 1978-86...

Singer Tina Turner performed at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau in 1987. The name of the venue was incorrect in Thursday's edition. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error.

Ralph E. Tripp, 89, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, July 16, 2003, at Missouri Veterans Home. He was born March 1, 1914, at Oriole, Mo., son of Willis and Rena Atchison Tripp. He and Alma Stueve were married Aug. 24, 1945, in St. Louis. Tripp was a meter reader and serviceman 35 years with Missouri Utilities. He was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church...

DNA evidence continues to play an increasingly important role in criminal cases. Thanks to databanks of DNA samples taken from individuals convicted of homicides, certain sex crimes and other violent offenses, prosecutors believe they are able to convict more offenders and even prevent repeat offenses, particularly in serial rape cases...

Court fees collected in Missouri are used for a variety of purposes. But Gov. Bob Holden has vetoed a bill that would have allowed counties to use money from a new fee to be used on crime-reduction programs. The governor said the bill is unconstitutional because revenue from court fines is supposed to spent on education...

ST. LOUIS -- Thousands of tourists were evacuated from the Gateway Arch Thursday after a fire broke out at an electric transformer about 50 feet from the famed St. Louis landmark. Thick black smoke could be seen hovering over downtown for miles. No one was hurt. The cause of the fire was not immediately known...

CHICAGO -- Using unusually harsh words, a magistrate judge denied bail Thursday to an alleged spy for Saddam Hussein, saying he had "hitched his star to the murderer and torturer of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis." Khaled Dumeisi held his head in his hands as federal Magistrate Judge Edward A. Bobrick accused him of spying for "the maniacal, perverted, homicidal mass murderer and torturer of women and children."...

ST. LOUIS -- A pilot for Trans States Airlines Inc. was fired a week after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks because of his Muslim religion and because he looked Middle Eastern, a federal agency claimed in a lawsuit filed Thursday. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Trans States on behalf of Mohammed Hussein, who is actually a native of Fiji. ...

ST. LOUIS -- An airport taxi driver has a practical gauge for the economic health around Lambert Airport -- the amount of time between customers. Right now it's a four-hour wait between trips. American Airlines' decision to cut by half the number of departures from St. Louis only will make it worse...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- An Independence Fire Department captain has been charged with two felony counts after an altercation in which he knocked one man out, broke another man's jaw and caused a woman to break her pelvis. Jackson County prosecutors on Wednesday filed two felony counts of second-degree assault and one count of third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, against John M. Vansittert, 37, of Independence. The charges stem from a June 27 incident in Kansas City...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A 13-year-old Springfield boy was fatally shot in the head as he and a friend played with a shotgun, police said. The death of Hayes Norbury remained under investigation Thursday, Springfield police officer Gina Wolf said. An autopsy showed the boy died of a single shot to the forehead area with a .410-gauge shotgun...

CHICAGO -- City inspectors have found hundreds of building violations since they fanned out into neighborhoods to inspect porches after last month's fatal collapse, city officials said. Building inspectors have so far visited 683 properties to examine porch systems and other building elements such as electrical wiring, said Carrie Coughlin, a buildings department spokeswoman...

Britain investigates claims of fake war report LONDON -- Sky News has suspended two journalists and opened an investigation into a charge they faked a report claiming to show a missile being launched from a submarine during the Iraq war, the satellite network said...

BENTON, Ill. -- On the loose for nearly a month, a large amphibious lizard was reunited with its owner after being captured in a field of wheat near Lake Moses. Joanna, a 20-pound, 6-foot-long Asian water monitor, was captured Wednesday. Her odyssey began June 18 when she escaped from her cage and took refuge in the Lake Moses area...

WASHINGTON -- The 2001 recession, the country's first downturn in a decade, officially ended in November of that year, only eight months after it had begun, an academic group declared Thursday. The decision was made by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a group of academic economists which is the recognized arbiter of when recessions begin and end in the United States...

Cape Girardeau Friday, July 18 Firefighters responded to the following items Thursday: At 2:16 a.m., an alarm sounding at 3257 William. At 8:21 a.m., a medical assist at 2530 Fairlane. At 9:55 a.m., a medical assist at 1025 N. Sprigg....

Cape Girardeau Friday, July 18 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Brandi Michelle Hale, 20, of 331 S. Lorimier, Apt. A, was arrested Wednesday on Cape Girardeau warrants for contempt of court and failure to appear...

WASHINGTON -- In a passionate speech to Congress Thursday, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said history will forgive the U.S.-led coalition if weapons of mass destruction are not found in Iraq because of the broader good of fighting tyranny and preventing future terrorism...

'Bad Boys II' It seems everyone in hip-hop and R&B turned out for the P. Diddy-produced "Bad Boys II" soundtrack -- indeed, the only missing link seems to be the warbling of the omnipresent Sean Paul. Yet for all its razzle-dazzle star power, "Bad Boys II" is just slightly above average. Indeed, it's surprising how some of the biggest names fail to deliver here...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Following a trend started by term limits, nearly two dozen current or former state representatives are already looking to move up to the Missouri Senate next year. While the House of Representatives was virtually swept clean of veterans when term limits first kicked in for last year's elections, the changeover in the upper chamber in taking place in two waves because only half of the Senate's 34 seats are on the ballot during each election cycle...

WASHINGTON -- Henry Kissinger and other top Nixon administration officials worried about how they would explain to a skeptical American public their plan to expand the Vietnam War to Cambodia and Laos, according to newly declassified documents. A task force that answered to national security adviser Kissinger met several times before the United States and its South Vietnamese allies targeted North Vietnamese supply routes in Cambodia in 1970 and Laos a year later to discuss how to sell the policy to Congress and the American people.. ...

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration has added 10 new sites to the list of big-money Superfund toxic waste cleanup projects and delayed work on 10 others, factoring in the potential for economic development as well as possible health risks in choosing the locations...

WASHINGTON -- In the first study to show a direct genetic link between emotional stress and depression, researchers found that people with a certain type of brain chemistry gene were more vulnerable to deep depression after traumatic events such as the death of a family member...

LOS ANGELES -- Democratic California Gov. Gray Davis faces a Republican-led effort to remove him from office. If the drive qualifies for the ballot, it would make him the first governor in state history to face a recall election. Here are answers to some questions about the recall process...