Stories from Friday, February 4, 2005

Some time ago -- maybe even a few years, since the past is getting dimmer and dimmer as I add candles on my birthday cake -- I complained in this very column about the stickers on fruit sold in supermarkets. Dear reader, you are about to learn more than you ever wanted to know about those stickers. And about my peevish whining...

The two-dimensional and the three-dimensional will combine this month to produce an exhibit for people with varying artistic tastes at the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri galleries. The council will be featuring the works of local artist Tirrell Grimsley and California artist Joshu Lucas in its galleries at 32 N. Main St., starting with a First Friday reception today from 5 to 8 p.m...

Individuals and organizations interested in becoming involved with helping the homeless are encouraged to attend a seminar the Community Caring Council will hold Feb. 18. A noted homeless advocate and motivational speaker -- herself a former homeless person -- Julia Tripp of Boston will lead a morning panel discussion with individuals who have been or are currently homeless, said Tom Davisson, executive director of the CCC. In the afternoon, Tripp will engage in a dialogue on homelessness...

WASHINGTON -- Whether or not there's a "wardrobe malfunction" at this weekend's Super Bowl, the new Congress appears ready to dramatically boost fines for indecency on the airwaves. Bills in the House and Senate call for raising the maximum fine from $32,500 to as much as $500,000 per incident. There is strong bipartisan support in both chambers, with lawmakers saying their constituents have grown tired of coarse programming on radio and TV...

BY JESSE J. HOLLAND ~ The Associated Press WASHINGTON -- Alberto Gonzales won Senate confirmation Thursday as attorney general despite Democratic accusations that he helped formulate White House policies that led to overseas prisoner abuse and was too beholden to President Bush to be the nation's top law enforcement official...

WASHINGTON -- A Marine general who has commanded troops in Afghanistan and Iraq told a forum, "It's fun to shoot some people." The commandant of the Marine Corps said Thursday he has counseled Lt. Gen. James Mattis about choosing his words more carefully...

NEW YORK -- Grant Hill of the Orlando Magic edged Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal by slightly more than 65,000 votes for a starting spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star team. Hill received 1,497,489 votes in fan balloting to O'Neal's 1,432,438, allowing him to join Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson, Vince Carter and LeBron James as the starting five for the East at the All-Star game Feb. 20 in Denver...

ST. LOUIS -- Cory Spinks' hometown fight has turned out to be a lot more of a drawing card than promoters envisioned. Spinks' welterweight title rematch against Zab Judah on Saturday night is a sellout, with a total attendance of more than 22,000 expected. That makes for the largest total crowd at an indoor arena in the history of boxing, promoters said...

LONDON -- Nelson Mandela on Thursday compared widespread poverty in developing countries to man-made evils such as slavery and apartheid, and urged wealthy nations to do more to fight it. At a rally in central London's Trafalgar Square, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and former South African president said developed nations must provide more aid to poor countries and lift their crippling debts...

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration overlooked health effects and sided with the electric industry in developing rules for cutting toxic mercury pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general said Thursday. The agency fell short of its own requirements and presidential orders by "not fully analyzing the cost-benefit of regulatory alternatives and not fully assessing the rule's impact on children's health," the agency's internal watchdog said in a 54-page report...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's Social Security proposals stirred fresh political worries Thursday among Republicans and brought calls from some lawmakers to abandon the president's central idea: letting people divert part of their payroll taxes to private retirement accounts...

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- He heard himself called a selfish player, a malcontent, a bad teammate. What really got to Corey Dillon was that for the first seven years of his career he never heard anyone call him a winner. "For years, I really lost hope," the New England Patriots running back said as he prepared to play the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl. ...

A congressional committee in Washington listened this week as uniformed military personnel and family members testified about the benefits provided when a combat death occurs. Currently, there is a tax-free death gratuity of $12,420. A proposal would increase that to $100,000, but only when the death occurs in a designated war zone. Another proposal would raise life insurance benefits available for all service members to $400,000 from $250,000...

To the editor: Regarding Cape Girardeau's decision that homes should limit their pet population to four animals is absurd. It isn't the number of animals that is the problem. It is the people who care for the animals. I had at one time in Lewisville, Texas, a total of 22 animals in my home. ...

To the editor: A recent letter suggested that righteousness is superior to social justice. I am compelled to say that this view completely misrepresents the major emphasis of the Bible. There can be no righteousness without social justice. In fact, social justice is the barometer by which God measures the righteousness of nations and individuals. ...

To the editor: If Janet Jackson thinks the vulgar and indecent stunt she pulled at the Super Bowl last year increased her chance of remaining a popular entertainer, she has a lot more thinking to do. Her intentional vulgarity has not been forgotten, nor will it ever. Shame and disgust are all she can claim. No credit is every given for actions such as that. There is some good in everyone. I am sure that is true of Janet Jackson also...

To the editor: I keep waiting for someone from academia to provide some insight for the evolution-creation controversy, but none seems to be forthcoming. My training was mostly in chemistry, but I took some undergraduate courses such as comparative anatomy and genetics...

Try smiling; Looking for witnesses; A free country; Follow the money; Support for First Steps; The real victims; Say it ain't so; Poor rationalization; Medicaid assistance; Inconsiderate trashers; A matter of faith; The little things; Heed the consequences; It's not a speedway; Homework or spirit?; Proud of heritage; Support the farmer

KALMUNAI, Sri Lanka -- In soothing tones, a Sri Lankan judge on Thursday assured a distraught couple they would get back the baby they are fighting a court battle to claim -- if a DNA test next week proves they are the parents. The judge also said he would consider ruling on the case much earlier than the April 20 date he previously set, raising hopes of a quick resolution to the couple's agonizing custody battle for "Baby 81," an infant boy who survived the Dec. 26 tsunami disaster...

MOSCOW -- Russian and Chechen officials dismissed a reported rebel announcement of a unilateral cease-fire as a bluff Thursday, while rumors swirled that militant leader Shamil Basayev was killed in a clash with foreign mercenaries. A British TV channel, meanwhile, went ahead with a broadcast of a taped interview with Basayev on Thursday night, drawing a furious rebuke from Russia...

JERUSALEM -- Senior Israeli Cabinet ministers on Thursday approved the release of 900 Palestinian prisoners and the handover of the West Bank town of Jericho to Palestinian control in coming days -- gestures meant to build goodwill ahead of next week's Mideast summit...

The Tigers breezed to a 126-point victory. Southeast Missourian The Central boys swimming team cruised to the Show Me Conference meet title and picked up another state qualifier Thursday in a record-setting day at Black River Coliseum in Poplar Bluff, Mo...

Dexter built a 12-point halftime lead and held on for a 54-42 girls basketball victory at Scott County Central in Thursday night's matchup of state-ranked teams. Brittney Peet scored 13 points to lead the Bravettes (12-4), who were ranked No. 7 in last week's Class 1 girls poll. Brittany Godwin added 11 points and Janet Penrod scored 10...

Southeast picked up its first OVC road win with a 75-68 triumph against UTM. MARTIN, Tenn. -- Southeast Missouri State had not won at Tennessee-Martin since the 2000-01 season, losing all three games by at least 16 points. But the Redhawks looked plenty comfortable at Skyhawk Arena on Thursday night, as they held off UTM 75-68 for their first Ohio Valley Conference road victory of the season...

The Redhawks' domination continued with a 79-56 road victory over Tennessee-Martin. MARTIN, Tenn. -- It's one thing for Southeast Missouri State's women to crush their Ohio Valley Conference opposition at the Show Me Center, as they did during a recently completed four-game homestand...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraqi officials Thursday released the first partial returns from national elections, showing a commanding lead by candidates backed by the Shiite Muslim clergy. Sunni insurgents unleashed a wave of attacks, killing at least 30 people, including three U.S. Marines and a dozen Iraqi army recruits...

UNITED NATIONS -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan ordered disciplinary action against the head of the U.N. oil-for-food program in Iraq on Thursday, after a report sharply criticized Benon Sevan for "undermining the integrity" of the United Nations through a "grave conflict of interest."...

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Three months after the presidential election, one of the nation's biggest makers of touch-screen voting machines has created a companion printer that spits out paper records. The prototype that Diebold Inc. is now touting is exactly what some critics of the ATM-like machines have been demanding for several years...

FORT HOOD, Texas -- Sgt. Javal Davis pleaded for leniency Thursday in the sentencing phase of his trial for abusing Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib, saying he hoped a few minutes of poor judgment would not end his Army career. "I'm not a perfect soldier -- I'm not G.I. ...

LOS ANGELES -- Prosecutors announced Thursday they will not file charges against a police officer who was videotaped clubbing a car-theft suspect with a flashlight in a case that evoked comparisons to the Rodney King beating. The decision was denounced by minority community leaders and Mayor James Hahn, who said, "I do not agree with that decision. I saw what you saw."...

Rankings for the top 6 programs on basic cable networks as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for the week of Jan. 24 through 30. Each ratings point represents 1,096,000 households. 1. "Law & Order," TNT, 3.3, 3.64 million homes. 2. Movie: "Widow on the Hill," Lifetime, 3.2, 3.47 million homes...

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The gild is back on the crown. Knoxville's grand old movie palace, the Tennessee Theatre -- designated Tennessee's official theater in 1999 and a registered national landmark -- has reopened after a nearly $25 million restoration...

ABOARD THE USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN -- The U.S. aircraft carrier that led a massive tsunami relief operation steamed away from the disaster zone Thursday after a mission that helped repair America's bruised image in the world's most heavily populated Muslim nation...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- A senior U.S. defense official said Thursday that Washington is considering an appeal from Pakistan for F-16 fighter aircraft -- a request that has received a muted response from the United States in previous years. U.S. Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith would not say whether the two sides were close to reaching any deal...

NAGPUR, India -- A passenger train smashed into a trailer carrying wedding guests Thursday in western India, killing at least 52 people and injuring 10 others, a railway official and witnesses said. The dead included 30 women and 10 children. The accident occurred near Kanhan, a small town 500 miles northeast of Bombay, when a train bound for the central Indian city of Nagpur collided with a trailer being pulled by a tractor that was crossing the tracks, said Jagdish Kumar, deputy general manager of South-Eastern Central Railway. ...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Linda Leu Shell, 62, of Marble Hill died Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2005, at her home. She was born April 2, 1942, in Kankakee, Ill., daughter of John Myrl and Leota Speer Harris. She and Waymond Shell were married Aug. 30, 1958, at Lutesville, Mo. He died June 28, 2000...

TAMMS, Ill. -- Darryl Nicholson, 23, of Tamms died Saturday, Jan. 29, 2005, in rural Pulaski County. He was born April 15, 1981, in Cairo, Ill., son of Joseph Nicholson and Gloria Cross. Nicholson was a graduate of Egyptian High School and received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice science from Illinois State University at Normal. He was recently hired as a nuclear security officer for Wackenhut Corp. in Cordova, Ill...

PULASKI, Ill. -- Ruth Louise Chancy, 77, of Pulaski died Thursday, Feb. 3, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Feb. 22, 1927, in Mounds, Ill., daughter of Ralph and Bessie Mize Cruse. She married Lloyd Chancy, who preceded her in death...

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) -- A statue of the late King Leopold II, whose Belgian government was responsible for the deaths of millions of Congolese, was mysteriously taken down Thursday, a day after it was re-erected to remind people of the horrors of colonial rule...

VIENNA, Austria -- Iran is testing some parts of machines that can be used to make the fissile core of nuclear warheads, despite a pledge to freeze such activities, diplomats said Thursday citing U.S. intelligence. The revelations dealt a fresh blow to hopes Iran will scrap uranium enrichment...

Associated Press BOGOTA, Colombia -- President Alvaro Uribe was hospitalized with a stomach infection Thursday, forcing the postponement of a fence-mending summit with Venezuela's president, officials said. Uribe was taken to a hospital in the coastal city of Cartagena, his office said in a statement. It provided no other details. Earlier, the office said he had contracted food poisoning...

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- A top Serbian general accused of playing a role in the murder of hundreds of Kosovo Albanian civilians during a 1998-99 crackdown surrendered Thursday to the U.N. tribunal in the Hague. Gen. Vladimir Lazarevic has been detained and will have an initial appearance scheduled in several days, the tribunal said in a statement...

TBILISI, Georgia -- Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania was found dead Thursday following an apparent gas leak from a heater, dealing a blow to the young government's efforts to wipe out corruption and resolve two simmering separatist conflicts in the former Soviet republic...

The Associated Press UNITED NATIONS -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan proposed sending a 10,130-strong force to monitor a peace deal ending Sudan's civil war, and warned of the "hugely complex task" that would await the mission, according to a report released Thursday...

VATICAN CITY -- Easing fears about Pope John Paul II's latest health crisis, the Vatican said Thursday he was improving and breathing more easily, but hinted the frail 84-year-old pontiff may have to spend up to a week in the hospital to fully recover...

CAIRO, Egypt -- Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said Thursday that fugitives in his Palestinian group would not sign pledges to halt attacks because that would negate the legitimacy of their right to fight the Israeli occupation. Mashaal, in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials ahead of a historic Israeli-Palestinian summit next week, also denied any links to the al-Qaida terrorist network or Iraqi insurgents, saying Hamas is "a nationalist liberation movement" limiting its operations against the Israeli occupation.. ...

NEW YORK -- As an actress, Nicole duFresne had roles in dozens of way-off-Broadway productions. But it was an unfortunate real-life line witnesses say duFresne uttered before her slaying -- "What are you going to do, shoot us?" -- that has brought her to the public's attention...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Former HealthSouth Corp. president and director James P. Bennett has been indicted in a massive fraud at the rehabilitation giant, prosecutors announced Thursday amid the fraud trial of former CEO Richard Scrushy. Bennett, 47, was accused of fraud, conspiracy, insider trading, money laundering and lying to the FBI in a scheme in which he sold company stock worth about $17.4 million, according to a statement from prosecutors...

srobertson Saturn Relay is new GM 'mid-van' In researching this week's test vehicle, a 2005 Saturn Relay, I discovered an interesting coincidence. Saturn, the planet with the mysterious rings, is arguably the most beautiful object in the sky. Saturn, the car company, is building a beautiful new sports car called "Sky." With a body of steel (not plastic that Saturn is famous for), it will be available in 2006, and is designed to do two things: move the Saturn brand upscale -- between Pontiac and Buick -- and bring customers back to Saturn showrooms.. ...

The Cape Girardeau City Council in January approved a tourism bureau spending plan that includes purchase of a trolley bus. But like the trolley at Fort Scott, a federal grant would be needed to pay most of the cost. "We feel a trolley would send a very clear message that Cape Girardeau is a tourist-friendly community," tourism bureau director Chuck Martin said...

Wednesday is the chance for locals interested in attracting film and television production to Cape Girardeau to learn how to do just that. Missouri film commissioner Jerry Jones will be at Academic Auditorium on the Southeast Missouri State University campus at 12:15 p.m. to present an hour-long program on how local people can get involved in location scouting for those productions...

Children who truly need services provided by First Steps will still receive them if the early childhood special education program is eliminated, Gov. Matt Blunt said Thursday in response to concerns about his recommendation to cut funding next year...

FORT SCOTT, Kan. There's more to this small, southeastern Kansas town than a restored frontier fort. Fort Scott's old-style trolley bus has sparked tourism, chamber and city officials say. Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau officials believe a similar venture will work here, allowing tourists to get a good look at the Mississippi River city's attractions and historic sites...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Matt Blunt on Thursday criticized a $20 million judgment against a tobacco company as an "egregious" example of a court system in need of reform. Blunt's comments came a day after a Jackson County jury awarded the punitive damages to the family of deceased smoker Barbara Smith, of Lee's Summit...

WASHINGTON -- Rates on 30-year mortgages fell for a fifth straight week, but other shorter-term rates edged up a bit, influenced by the Federal Reserve's decision to raise a key rate it controls for the sixth time since last June. Freddie Mac's weekly survey of mortgage rates released Thursday showed that rates on 30-year, fixed rate mortgages averaged 5.63 percent for the week ending Feb. 3, down from 5.66 percent last week...

WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld disclosed Thursday that he had offered President Bush his resignation twice during the height of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal last year. He said he wanted the decision on his future to be placed in Bush's hands...

25 years ago: Feb. 4, 1980 Gary K. Atchley, a former state highway patrolman and Cape Girardeau police officer, becomes the fifth Democrat to file for Cape Girardeau County sheriff. Snowmobiling has resulted in the injury of three Cape Girardeau residents; Gary Lynch, athletic director of Central High School, and Kent Cargle, president of the school board, were injured in a snowmobile mishap near the city Wednesday night, and Ken Drury, son of Mr. ...

Spontaneity is, of course, an uncertain thing in the art world. It can lead to blindingly brilliant flashes of beauty and creativity, or it can totally destroy a perfectly orchestrated project. Harnessing the power of surprise is what lies behind the beauty of a Japanese pottery technique that has grown quite popular in recent years -- raku...

Cape synagogue included in national magazine; Cello, piano faculty recital at Southeast Feb. 13; Museum to feature works for Black History Month; Shryock Auditorium to feature Azugano Feb. 11; Historic Site to celebrate Valle birthday Feb. 13; Arthur Simon to discuss world hunger at SIUC; Oran native featured in William Woods art exhibit; Muny announces youth chorus auditions for 2005

New at the theaters...

Four stars (out of four) "Sideways" stars Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church -- you know, the monkey from "The Planet of The Apes" and what's-his-face from "Wings." This movie includes everything: drama, romantic comedy, buddy film, road-trip movie and so much more...

Williams...

Basketball...

Firefighters responded to the following items on Wednesday: * At 4:54 p.m., citizen assist at 414 Washington Ave. * At 7:12 p.m., emergency medical service at 1556 Lexington Ave. * At 7:24 p.m., emergency medical service at William Street and Mount Auburn Road...

Firefighters responded to the following items on Tuesday: * At 6:16 p.m., emergency medical service in the 900 block of William Street. * At 11:12 p.m., emergency medical service in the 3900 block of Annwood Drive. * At 11:09 p.m., emergency medical service in the 1000 Towers Complex...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released Thursday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests * Judy Carol Combs, 51, 300 E. Marvin St., Fredericktown, Mo., was arrested on a Perry County warrant for failure to appear for distribution...

The road and bridge tax dispute between the city of Jackson and Cape Girardeau County that began in 2002 is days from ending in a settlement. Jackson Mayor Paul Sander said Thursday that the board of aldermen unanimously accepted a settlement offer from the Cape Girardeau County Commission...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A bipartisan group of state representatives on Thursday filed legislation already endorsed by the governor and many law enforcement agencies that would tightly control the sale of common cold and flu medications used in the manufacture of methamphetamine...

Ex-congressman, two others guilty of fraud; Kansas man charged in death of toddler; Mom, grandma, uncles charged in girl's death; State treasurer will no longer bank with France; Blunt combines two state positions with appointment; Panels focus on changing school funding plan

A Sedgewickville, Mo., man in the Cape Girardeau County Jail awaiting an April jury trial was bound over Thursday to Circuit Court Division II on unrelated additional charges. Michael Wayne Berry, 26, was charged with a class B felony count of possession of a prohibited article in a county jail -- a cigarette lighter -- and a count of misdemeanor tampering...

Grain drop is lifeline for starving fowl, deer; Cape man injured in one-vehicle accident

Worker productivity rises in 2004, down at year's end; Clearance sales, spring clothes bring in shoppers; Two more telephone companies talk merger

WASHINGTON -- A fragile compromise that would curb class-action lawsuits and achieve one of President Bush's second-term goals survived its first test Thursday when senators foiled attempts to alter the legislation. But Democrats are hoping to make changes to a bill that many of them would not mind seeing fail...