Stories from Tuesday, October 7, 2003

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Pedro Martinez, Johnny Damon, Manny Ramirez and even that maligned Boston bullpen -- they all were tougher than any curse. Martinez pitched seven gritty innings, and Ramirez broke his slump with a decisive three-run homer as the Boston Red Sox completed a three-game playoff comeback, beating the Oakland Athletics 4-3 Monday night in Game 5 of their AL division series...

The Scott City Fire Department is one of 19 Missouri emergency response crews to receive a helping hand from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. More than $1.1 million in federal dollars from the 2003 Assistance to Firefighters Grant program is destined for disbursement across the state in an effort to bolster emergency preparedness. Scott City was selected to receive $41,355...

YAZOO CITY, Miss. -- A fire roared through a single-story house early Monday, killing five of six young children who were left home alone while their mothers were out at a nightclub, authorities said. The two mothers were charged with manslaughter. The children ranged in age from 1 1/2 to 10, County Coroner Ricky Shivers said. A 9-year-old boy was rescued after trying to punch out a window to escape the flames...

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- An American and a Briton won the Nobel Prize in medicine Monday for discoveries that led to MRI, the body-scanning technique that has revolutionized the detection of disease by painlessly revealing internal organs in exquisite 3-D detail...

'Newlyweds' tale good for second season NEW YORK -- Television's guiltiest pleasure, "Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica," is coming back for a second season. MTV announced Monday that it has renewed the reality series, which follows pop singers Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson as they muddle through married life...

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Arnold Schwarzenegger tried to maintain his momentum amid sexual-misconduct allegations while Gov. Gray Davis pleaded to keep his job Monday as the California recall candidates barnstormed the state in the final hours of the historic campaign...

BEIJING -- The launch could happen as early as this weekend from a remote base in the Gobi Desert. China's first manned space flight could carry one "taikonaut" -- or as many three. It could last from hours to several days. Other than that, the Chinese government isn't really saying...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- In a brazen daylight attack, gunmen assassinated a hardline Sunni Muslim politician and four other people Monday, spraying their car with automatic weapon-fire before fleeing. The motive was not immediately known, but the politician, Maulana Azam Tariq, had made many enemies as head of the outlawed Sipah-e-Sahaba group, blamed for the killings of hundreds of minority Shiite Muslims...

GROZNY, Russia -- The Kremlin's hand-picked man to lead Chechnya was declared the winner Monday in the region's presidential vote, a widely expected outcome praised by President Vladimir Putin as a sign of hope to end the bloody insurgency here borne of nearly a decade of war...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- U.S.-led coalition forces killed a Taliban commander and 19 other militants in fighting in southern Afghanistan, Afghan officials said Monday. Mullah Abdul Razzaq Hafees, one of several Taliban commanders in the country's south, was killed about 10 days ago in Dai Chupan district, about 60 miles north of Kandahar, said Khan Mohammed, the city's military commander...

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- An Italian aid worker who dedicated 33 years of her life to helping Somalis was shot and killed outside the hospital she founded to treat tuberculosis patients, a Somali official said Monday. Annalena Tonelli, 60, was shot about 8 p.m. Sunday by a man who had been hiding in the shadow of a tree, waiting for her to emerge from the hospital in Borama, the official said...

STANWELL PARK, Australia -- Nathan Johnston says he surfs just for fun. Friends and family see it as an act of extraordinary courage and perseverance over adversity. Shrugging off the fact that he is blind, the 18-year-old dismisses the idea he's showing any special courage in learning to ride the waves at Stanwell Park, a picturesque town 12 miles south of Sydney...

ATLANTA -- Friends and family of the Atlanta minister fatally shot at his church say they hold no bitterness for the woman who opened fire shortly before Sunday service, killing him and her mother before committing suicide. Church members said Shelia W. ...

WASHINGTON -- Protesters seeking the return of a Ten Commandments monument to an Alabama courthouse concluded their East Coast caravan Monday on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court, where a mural of the tablets is displayed inside. Several hundred people knelt during a musical rendition of the Lord's Prayer as organizers combined religious meditation with a call for legislative and judicial action...

A contingency of 110 area National Guardsmen will be participating in military war games at Fort Irwin, Calif., as part of its annual training, according to Capt. Kevin Compas of the 1140th Engineer Battalion's Bravo Company. The troops, mainly from Jackson and Perryville, will be traveling to the National Training Center, the only training facility in the world that is suitable for force-on-force and live fire training of heavy brigade-sized military forces. ...

A proposed convenience store will be built at Sprigg and Highway 74 despite opposition from some neighbors who said it would create traffic, crime and alcohol problems. The Cape Girardeau City Council voted 6-1 Monday night to approve plans by Clila LP to build a Bi-State Southern convenience store and gas station on the southeast corner of the intersection near the new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge. ...

They can be spotted in local stores around the start of every school year, pushing carts piled high with stickers, bookmarks and popsicle sticks. What they don't have are requisition forms from school districts. Each year, local teachers spend thousands of dollars out of their own pockets, stocking their classrooms with everyday supplies schools can't afford to buy for them...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A clip could have been called on Dante Hall's spectacular, record-breaking punt return against Denver, Kansas City Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil agreed Monday. But whether Julian Battle hit his man on the back or on the shoulder as Hall scampered about and slipped a swarm of would-be tacklers depends on the angle the play is viewed from, Vermeil added...

CHICAGO -- Count Jack McKeon among all those people who counted out the Chicago Cubs when it came to the postseason. Then again, the Florida manager hardly expected his team to make it, either. No matter. Barry Bonds is gone. So is Chipper Jones. Albert Pujols, Jim Thome and Jeff Bagwell never even got a chance to play...

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The numbing semifinal loss to Germany ended the U.S. women's impressive World Cup run. There's still a game to play, but it's not the one they had hoped for. The defending champions will face Canada on Saturday in Carson, Calif., for third place. Germany and Sweden play in the title game on Sunday...

CHICAGO -- On a gorgeous October Monday, Chicago Cubs fans gathered outside Wrigley Field to do a couple of things virtually unheard of in their lifetime. They took pictures of the message on the old park's marquee: "Cubs Win!" And they picked up tickets to the National League Championship Series -- the one featuring the Cubs, the franchise with a nearly unmatched record of futility...

NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees were back home Monday, resting up for the AL championship series while their next opponent crisscrossed the country and scrambled to advance. The imposing rotation is all lined up, and the first two games of the ALCS will be played at intimidating Yankee Stadium...

TEMPE, Ariz. -- NFL career rushing leader Emmitt Smith has a broken left shoulder blade and will be sidelined indefinitely. The injury occurred early in the second quarter of Arizona's 24-7 loss to Dallas on Sunday in Smith's first game against the team he played his first 13 seasons with and helped lead to three Super Bowl victories...

Southeast cross country teams finish 12th, 17th Southeast Missouri State University's women's cross country team was 12th and the men 17th in Sunday's Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational in Chicago. Kaci Pilcher led the women's team in 27th among 560 starters. ...

Huskies fill the role of sad sacks Things got so bad in the second half for Washington on Saturday, when UCLA outscored the Huskies 39-0 en route to a 46-16 rout, that Bruins defensive end Dave Ball recorded sacks on three consecutive plays. On the second one, Ball and his twin brother, Mat, arrived at quarterback Cody Pickett simultaneously, each getting credit for half a sack...

The memories of special times long since past brought the crowd at Texas Stadium to its feet. On the Las Vegas Strip they cheered for the warrior they once knew. Emmitt Smith is a football player -- perhaps the best ever to play his position. Evander Holyfield might be one of the five greatest heavyweight fighters ever...

By Ed Williams Those involved in solving the financial plight at Southeast Missouri State University, which was described in the Oct. 1 Southeast Missourian, need to direct their attention toward hidden costs as well as the obvious direct costs...

The Jackson Board of Aldermen approved a motion Monday night to set the fall clean-up, fix-up week for Oct. 13 to 17. During this week, residents do not have to purchase trash bag stickers for more than three bags. Trash routes will run on their regularly scheduled days and all refuse must be placed at the curb by 8 a.m...

Friday is the last day to reserve tickets for the Southeast Missouri Symphony Subscription Series. The orchestra will perform five concerts during the series. The cost of subscription tickets ranges from $27 to $54. The cost for students is $23...

Scott City is searching for a home for the Head School, a historic one-room schoolhouse donated to the city earlier this year. At Monday night's Scott City City Council meeting, Carolyn Pendergrass, chairwoman of the city's Historic Preservation Commission, said her preference is to place the 20-by-30-foot building on the city street that runs in front of the park. The Scott City Park Board has denied an application to locate the schoolhouse within Hawthorne Park...

ST. LOUIS -- Gov. Bob Holden said Monday he will draft emergency rules to ban concealed weapons in all state-owned or operated buildings to ensure the safety of state employees and the public. Holden, speaking at a news conference in St. Louis, said guns have no place on state property...

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- It has a "Hey, let's put on a show" ring. A youth group in Kansas City, Kan., is reopening a multiplex movie theater at the Indian Springs shopping center. But there's nothing amateur about the plan: Members of the Ravens Youth Organization, with help, will screen first-run movies, put on professional smiles and offer a clean, comfortable movie experience so lacking in the central city...

To the editor: Years ago, when I was growing up during World War II, my mother gave blood to the Red Cross almost every time the doors were open. She had cards attesting to gallons donated. When I was older, I started giving blood whenever I could and my active work permitted. I too made the gallon club-plus until I could give no more for health reasons...

LET ME say I have no racial bias. I think all people are created equal and should have equal rights. But the recent fury about Rush Limbaugh's comments is absolutely ridiculous. He is not the first sports announcer or public figure who has gotten into some kind of trouble for making a comment about a black person. ...

James Frederick "Fred" Rich, 81, of Cobden died at 2 a.m. Monday, Oct. 6, 2003, at his home. He was born May 1, 1922, in Cobden, son of Lyman and Rose Kendall Rich. He and Louise Tripp were married Aug. 24, 1942, in Cape Girar-deau. Rich is survived by his wife; four children, Kay and husband Lloyd Kimmich-Choate of Cape Girardeau, Judy and husband Ron Casper of Cobden, Leta Rose and husband Blayne Smith of Cobden, Becky and husband John Oakley of Draffenville, Ky. ...

Ethel V. Goines, 86, of Jonesboro, Ill., formerly of Dongola, Ill., died Monday, Oct. 6, 2003, at Jonesboro Health Care Center. She was born Jan. 9, 1917, the daughter of Robie and Minnie Ramage Dunn. She married A.C. Goines and he preceded her in death on March 27, 1967...

Thelma Juanita Chron Kies, 82, passed away Sunday, Oct. 5, 2003, at the Lutheran Home, where she had resided for several years. She was born Sept. 2, 1921, in Charleston, Mo., daughter of William and Dessie Sitzes Chron. She was married to William J. Kies Jr. Dec. 11, 1942. To them were born two sons, Joseph and Jim. They made their home in Cape Girardeau...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Lois Lavern Horn, 73, of Sikeston died Saturday, Oct. 4, 2003, at Clearview Nursing Center. She was born July 6, 1930, in Risco, Mo., daughter of Benjamin and Linda Mae Blevins Sanders. She and Wesley A.D. Horn were married in 1947. He died in May 1986...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Jesse D. "Pete" Castleberry, 92, of Sikeston died Sunday, Oct. 5, 2003, at Miner Nursing Center in Miner, Mo. He was born Feb. 7, 1911, in Pangburn, Ark., son of Clayton Carroll and Viola King Castleberry. He and Letha Geraldine Andres were married Oct. 11, 1930, in Sikeston. She died Jan. 20, 1989...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Olga Ruth "Babe" Casper, 88, of Mesquite, Texas, died Monday, Oct. 6, 2003, at Lake Point Hospital in Rowlett, Texas. She was born Feb. 16, 1915, in Mounds, daughter of Clyde and Flossie Chance Titus. She married Wesley Casper, who preceded her in death in 1964...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Nelbert H. Geringer, 86, of Perryville died Monday, Oct. 6, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Aug. 31, 1917, at Biehle, Mo., son of August and Mary Werth Geringer. He and Alma B. Wingerter were married May 17, 1945. She died Nov. 5, 2002...

Georgia Dorothy Conner, 87, of Jackson died Sunday, Oct. 5, 2003, at Potosi Manor Nursing Home. She was born Aug. 22, 1916, in Chester, Ill., daughter of George and Dora Ebers Hoffman. She and Patrick Conner were married May 14, 1940. He died Sept. 22, 1994...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- William Arnold Jackson Sr., 83, of Sikeston died Saturday, Oct. 4, 2003, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born Jan. 31, 1920, in Paducah, Ky., son of Ewen Owen and Edith Mitchell Jackson. Jackson was a welder with Pipefitters Local 203 in Denver, Colo., 45 years, retiring in 1982...

Nelson Patrick, 80, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Oct. 6, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. McCombs Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau is in charge of arrangements.

Sides Daughter to Brooks Joseph Sides and Maranda Helene Meyer of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 1:57 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, 2003. Name, Britain Jayla. Weight, 7 pounds 5 ounces. Second child, first daughter. Ms. Meyer is the daughter of Ken Boyd and Madonna Boyd of Las Cruces, N.M. Sides is the son of Sylvia Sides of Cape Girardeau...

To the editor: "Cozy cottage -- Charming house is full of delightful surprises" by Tammy Raddle Sept. 7 describes the house at 1451 Pemiscot as "most likely built in the 1940s." It was built in 1936, the year my grandparents, Lonnie Wilson Temple and Irene Bradley Temple, purchased it, and where they lived for the rest of their lives...

To the editor: I'm glad to hear you guys are discussing concealed weapons with calm and common sense. My wife is a native of St. Louis, and I resided there for seven years. We are both NRA pistol and home safety instructors. Florida was the first state to pass concealed-carry in 1987. ...

Lindsay Reinagel overcame two walks and three errors to pick up her 12th win as Notre Dame won 4-3 against St. Louis NotreDame on Monday. Reinagel pitched a complete-game seven-hitter. Whitney Ostendorf's two-run home run gave the Bulldogs (16-3) an early 2-1 lead, and two runs in the third sealed the win...

WASHINGTON -- While President Clinton was trying to broker an elusive peace between Israelis and Palestinians, the FBI was secretly funneling money to suspected Hamas figures to see if the militant group would use it for terrorist attacks, according to interviews and court documents...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush declined to criticize Israel Monday for its air strike deep inside Syria, saying Israel "has got a right to defend herself." But Bush also said he had cautioned Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to try to avoid escalating tensions in the region...

WASHINGTON -- Pharmacist Stephen Setter regularly asks families of Alzheimer's sufferers what drug they use to help the often-agitated patients sleep better. Tylenol PM, many respond -- not knowing, Setter says, that it contains an ingredient that can further confuse someone with dementia...

Public hearings Heard request of St. Francis Medical Center for a special use permit to place a temporary mobile office at 150 S. Mount Auburn Road for pre-sale memberships to its new Health and Wellness Center. Heard request of Robert Cox for a special use permit to construct an addition to his home at 825 Independence St. in a C-1, local commercial district...

WASHINGTON -- Bob Graham, a political veteran whose low-key style failed to gain traction in the crowded Democratic presidential race, said Monday night he was ending his campaign. "I'm leaving because I have made the judgment that I can not be elected president of the United States," Graham said in announcing his exit from the race on CNN's "Larry King Live."...

Cape Girardeau Tuesday, Oct. 7 Firefighters responded Sunday to the following items: At 8:48 p.m., medical assist at 1330 Broadway. At 8:49 p.m., fire alarm at 701 Broadway. Firefighters responded Monday to the following items: At 8:03 a.m., electrical short at 843 N. Main...

Cape Girardeau Tuesday, Oct. 7 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrest Scott E. Peetz, 44, of 3655 State Highway F, Cape Girardeau, was arrested Monday on a Scott City warrant for failure to appear...

I've noticed a couple of Speak Out items in the paper that deal with overweight kids these days. Can you really blame us, though? I mean is there anything greater out there than fast food? You order into a little box, drive around, pay and get your food. Now wouldn't you say that's convenient? Unfortunately, fast food shows its evil side in most college students...

hen Josalynn Smith and Sable Van Meter showed up for their first chess club meeting, neither knew how to play the game. But 45 minutes later, the 7-year-old pair of second-graders were learning how to solve chess problems, move pieces across the board and understand the basics of the game...

And now, the winner in the "Worst Name for a Videogame" category -- Capcom, for "P.N. 03." "P.N. 03" stands for Product Number 03, presumably our heroine, the svelte, sunglasses-wearing mercenary Vanessa Schneider. She's sent to some unnamed planet, where a computerized weapons system has snapped and turned the world into a battle zone...

Conner gets scholarship to Murray State University Stephanie Conner, a 2003 graduate of Central High School, has been awarded a recognition scholarship to Murray State University in Kentucky. She is the daughter of Ross and Marlena Conner of Cape Girardeau and is majoring in nursing...

For many years, when people talked about the new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge that would span the Mississippi River, it was prefaced with the word "someday." Now look at it, nearly finished and ready to be used on an everyday basis. The same wistful tone has often been used in Jackson when people talked about the interchange that would connect Interstate 55 with an extended East Main Street...

Southeast Missouri residents don't have to go to St. Louis to see top acts anymore. Several performers who have No. 1 hits on the charts are coming here to perform at the Show Me Center. Matchbox Twenty, a rock 'n' roll band that has had several top hits, is headlining a concert Dec. 7 at the Show Me Center. Currently, it has five songs that are in the rotation at a local radio station. Even the band's opening act, Fountains of Wayne, has a song on the charts right now...

The Central Marching Tigers won first place at the Washington Marching Competition Oct. 4, in the high school band's third contest of the year. The band also won best percussion and best color guard out of seven bands in their division. The band, under the direction of Neil Casey with assistant directors Billy Keys and Josh LaMar, travels to five competitions each year in addition to performing parades and home football games. ...

The bottom where the railroad tracks cross County Road 204 in Scott County gets so foggy sometimes that Kay Glastetter used to turn off her radio and listen to hear if a train was coming...