Stories from Saturday, January 29, 2005

The 1700 block of Broadway reopened to traffic late Friday afternoon, three days after a concrete slab accidentally dropped on a worker, seriously injuring him. Tuesday's accident at the site of construction of a parking garage also damaged the precast concrete structure and forced the local contractor, Kiefner Bros. Inc., to shore up the structure with metal poles, city emergency officials said...

TRENTON, N.J. -- A federal court invalidated the patent on Friday for Merck & Co.'s second-largest selling drug, the blockbuster osteoporosis treatment Fosamax, in a decision that offers millions of patients hope for a cheaper version sooner, but darkens the company's already clouded outlook...

NEW YORK -- Consumer products giant Procter & Gamble Co. is buying Gillette Co., a leading maker of men's shaving supplies, for $57 billion in a bid to expand its sales overseas, broaden its product lines and gain clout against massive retailers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. P&G, whose products like Tide, Pampers and Clairol are mainly targeted at women, will also pick up Gillette's expertise in marketing to men...

Unhappy with the hundreds of millions of dollars school districts are carrying over from one year to the next, the Missouri State Teachers Association wants the legislature to consider capping end-of-year balances. "The idea is that taxpayers are giving money to districts to spend on students, not to put it into the bank," said Mike Wood, director of governmental relations for the association...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Lincoln University's athletic teams have been put on probation for four years by the NCAA because of systemwide violations that resulted from trying to revive the Blue Tigers' football program. Officials at the Jefferson City school, which reported the infractions to the NCAA in 2002, blamed an influx of athletes in the late 1990s -- when the football program was re-instituted...

WASHINGTON -- The economy finished 2004 with its best performance in five years despite slowing in the final stretch. The outlook ahead: a moderate jog, rather than a sprint. The broadest barometer of the country's economic standing, the gross domestic product, clocked a 4.4 percent increase for all of last year spurred by brisk consumer and business spending, the Commerce Department reported Friday...

Scott City Scouts holding pinewood derby Sunday; Help with student aid application available; Author of Olympic athlete bio to be on KRCU show; Two teens killed when pickup hits ambulance

Small business of the year * 1992: Advanced Business Systems * 1993: Bluff City Beer Co. * 1994: KBSI Fox 23 TV * 1995: Ford Groves * 1996: Hutson's Fine Furniture * 1997: Horizon Screen Printing * 1998: JCS/Tel-Link * 1999: BART transportation service...

The following items were released Friday by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs * Nicki D. Moore, 20, of Cape Girardeau was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. * Lonny D. Thompson, 43, of Jackson was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and driving while revoked...

NEW YORK -- One of Leona Helmsley's hotel employees is suing the real estate queen, claiming Helmsley's pet dog bit her. Zamfira Sfara, who works at the Park Lane Hotel near Central Park, says in court papers that she was working in Helmsley's apartment on the building's 46th floor on Nov. 26 when "Trouble" struck...

LOS ANGELES -- Better hurry. There's just 30 moviegoing days left till the Academy Awards. Studios behind the five best-picture Oscar nominees announced Tuesday are rushing their films out to more theaters this weekend, counting on the awards attention to pad the box-office haul on some of the movies by tens of millions of dollars...

DALLAS -- A convenience store owner in one of Dallas' poorest neighborhoods was amazed when she started seeing children from the elementary school across the street buying candy and chips with $100 bills. It turned out that a youngster had apparently found tens of thousands of dollars in suspected drug money and was handing it out to others...

With Poplar Bluff star forward and North Carolina recruit Tyler Hansbrough out of the lineup Friday against Cape Central, junior guard Ben Hansbrough made sure the Mules didn't miss a beat. Ben Hansbrough made up for the absence of his older brother, who is nursing an injured right foot suffered two weeks ago at a tournament in Springfield, Mo., with a college-ready game of his own to lead the Mules to a 73-62 win against the Tigers...

Kevin Bartels and Aaron Kinder combined for 54 points as Delta eased past host Saxony Lutheran 67-54 in boys basketball action Friday night. On his way to 21 points, Kinder came out of the gates on fire, nearly putting the game out of reach within the first five minutes. Before a near-capacity crowd had even been able to get settled, Kinder hit three 3-pointers and had the Bobcats (9-8) up 13-2. Kinder had 13 points in the first quarter, which ended with Delta ahead 22-10...

Southeast Missouri State University's previous matchup with Samford certainly doesn't bring back any fond memories for coach Gary Garner and his players. The Redhawks were pretty well sliced and diced last season by the first-year Ohio Valley Conference member as Samford rolled to a 70-58 victory in Birmingham, Ala. It was the only meeting between the squads in 2003-2004...

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Serena Williams overcame a back injury and rallied to defeat top-ranked Lindsay Davenport 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 to win the Australian Open women's title Saturday. Williams stretched her winning streak at Melbourne Park to 14 matches and captured her seventh Grand Slam singles title, ending an 18-month drought. She also won here in 2003, but couldn't defend the title last year because of an injured knee...

Joe Ogilvie keeps selling himself short. After shooting a 6-under 66 Friday to go to 23 under in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic at La Quinta, Calif., he downplayed his round. "I got lucky, basically. The way I played, 66 was a gift," said Ogilvie, who had a two-shot lead over Australian Peter Lonard (64) with 36 holes remaining...

Southeast Missouri State University's previous matchup with Samford certainly doesn't bring back any fond memories for coach Gary Garner and his players. The Redhawks were pretty well sliced and diced last season by the first-year Ohio Valley Conference member as Samford rolled to a 70-58 victory in Birmingham, Ala. It was the only meeting between the squads in 2003-2004...

HAGERSTOWN, Md. Former state prison inmate Richard Murray returned recently to the Maryland Correctional Training Center with a message sanctioned by Gov. Robert Ehrlich's administration: Have faith. The 26-year-old reformed thief and recovering heroin addict is now an evangelical Christian minister. On a visit to the institution's modest chapel, he preached the benefits of a Christian life-skills program called Right of Passage that he said helped him land a job after his release in 2003...

LOS ANGELES -- A man charged with murder for allegedly triggering the collision of two commuter trains during an aborted suicide attempt appeared in court Friday, but the hearing was delayed so he could undergo further medical evaluation. Juan Manuel Alvarez, 25, who also apparently tried to slash his wrists and stab himself after the wreck, was brought to court in what appeared to be a hospital smock and had bandages on his wrists...

Rowdy the Redhawk, Southeast Missouri State University's new mascot, debuted last weekend in an entrance befitting a championship boxing match. In a darkened Show Me Center, Rowdy was introduced for the first time enveloped in a dry-ice mist and a spotlight...

Cape Girardeau County Commission minutes from Monday: * Addendum No. 2 received from Smith & Co. Engineers on Upper Blue Shawnee Creek Bridge. * Court Orders No. 1 and No. 2 in the matter of adjusting the Road and Bridge and County Revenue 2004 budgets...

25 years ago: Jan. 29, 1980 Sheriff James J. Below, whose office will be the subject of discussion tonight by the two circuit judges and the county court, offers an idea of his own for improving the operation -- creation of a board of visitors to inspect the county jail...

H. Vernon Davault, 77, of Jackson passed away Thursday, Jan. 27, 2005, at the family home. He was born May 22, 1927, in Bollinger County, Mo., son of Ora and Ruth Snider Davault. He and Genevieve "Genny" Schreiner were married Aug. 9, 1947, in Jackson...

Teddy W. Behr, 64, of East Alton, Ill., died Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2005, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. He was born July 1, 1940, in Gale, Ill., son of Grover and Frieda Adams Behr. He and Janet Callis were married May 14, 1967, in Wood River, Ill...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Ruby Kirkpatrick, 94, of Marble Hill died Friday, Jan. 28, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Liley Funeral Home at Marble Hill is in charge of arrangements.

Sarah Inez Starzinger, 88, of Jackson died Thursday, Jan. 27, 2005, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Sept. 2, 1916, in Jackson, daughter of Sylvanis Odney and Iva Caroline Craig Hutson. She and Glenn Starzinger were married Sept. 5, 1942. He died Oct. 25, 1998...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Freida Lee Fox, 84, of Jonesboro died Friday, Jan. 28, 2005, at Jonesboro Health Care Center. She was born Sept. 12, 1920, at Thebes, Ill., daughter of George and Minnie Mae Blythe Fox. Survivors include a brother, Ralph Fox of Ullin, Ill...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Charles Ewing "Junior" Dinkens Jr., 78, of Marble Hill died Thursday, Jan. 27, 2005, at Elder Care of Marble Hill. He was born Aug. 8, 1926, at Hahn, Mo., son of Charles Ewing and Sarah Mae Sturgeon Dinkens Sr. He and Opal M. Poucher Sneed were married in 1971 at Marble Hill. She died Aug. 9, 2001...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Connie Barringer, 53, of Marble Hill died Friday, Jan. 14, 2005, at St. John's Medical Center in Tulsa, Okla. She was born July 30, 1951, in Fort Ord, Calif., daughter of Wayne and Dorothy Zook. Barringer lived in the St. Louis area most of her life. She was an international travel consultant many years with Maritz-Carlson Travel Co...

ANNA, Ill. -- Edwin Allen Osborne, 67, of Anna died Thursday, Jan. 27, 2005, at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Marion, Ill. He was born July 6, 1937, in Boston, Mass., son of Edwin Edmond and Marion Ellison Osborne. Osborne served in the U.S. Air Force more than 30 years, retiring as chief master sergeant. He was a member of Disabled American Veterans, Vietnam Veterans Association, and was a life member of VFW Post 3455...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. -- Robert H. Hunter, 85, of East Prairie died Sunday, Jan. 23, 2005, at Naples Community Hospital in Naples, Fla. He was born Jan. 17, 1920, in the Henderson Mounds community near East Prairie, son of Robert William and Susie Mae Woodward Hunter. He and Roberta Lea Conn were married Sept. 15, 1946. She died Oct. 5, 1997...

ANNA, Ill. -- Clara Ruth Graham, 84, of Anna died Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2005, at her home. She was born June 24, 1920, in Union County, Ill., daughter of Marcellus and Shallottie Adams Jackson. She and William J. Graham were married Nov. 22, 1958. He died May 7, 1976...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- J.C. Phillips, 81, of Sikeston died Thursday, Jan. 27, 2005, at his home. He was born June 24,1923, in White Oak, Mo., son of Henry and Ivy Morris Phillips. He and Estelle Watson were married Oct. 25, 1941, at New Madrid, Mo. Phillips was a farmer and a member of Shady Acres Church of Christ...

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Martha E. Showmaker, 82, of Mound City died Friday, Jan. 28, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 28, 1922, in Greene County, Ark., daughter of Harry and Waldeen Bateman McGraw. She married Ray Showmaker, who preceded her in death...

City needs a cleaning; Old fires burn hot; Follow the rules; Customer rarely right; Protect the wealthy

To the editor: I find myself once again having to defend my reputation and the reputation of the Missouri League of the South. This time it is from the Rev. Bob Towner, who does not like our position supporting secession. There is a concerted effort underway by liberals like Towner who want to wipe clean every piece of American history that is deemed politically incorrect...

Dexter limited Advance to three points in the second period Friday night and rolled to a 69-39 victory in the championship game of the Stoddard County Tournament at Bloomfield. Dexter outscored Advance 16-3 in the second to take a 33-16 halftime lead...

Southeast Missouri State University's women have won their past three contests by crushing the teams picked one-two-three in the Ohio Valley Conference's preseason poll. The Redhawks' challenge today as they wrap up their four-game homestand is to not overlook the squad predicted to finish 10th in the 11-team OVC...

Baseball...

To the editor: In the dispute between creation and evolution theory, there is one thing they both have in common. People vehemently hold firm TO what they believe in. The astronomical odds of a primordial soup coming together to form life requires great faith. It also takes faith for a creationist to believe that God created everything in six days. So we have two extreme opposites that both require faith to maintain belief...

To the editor: I was one of the many children who attended the old Jefferson School during World War II. I remember the great cafeteria in the basement, the pea gravel covering the playground, the discipline the teachers dealt with the whack of a hickory ruler across the back of the hand. ...

Power to nerds; Parents as teachers; Thanks to VNA; Don't need tourists; Easy grades; Teachers make more; Freedom over tyranny; Shout 'Amen!'; Overhaul idea; White with litter; Bad motivation; Violent games

ST. LOUIS -- From groomers who are dyeing dogs in a rainbow of colors to bakeries whipping up special Mardi Gras cakes for four-legged friends, it's a good weekend to be a pet in this city. Nearly 80,000 people and 6,000 pets are expected Sunday at the largest pet parade in the nation, organizers said...

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- It's probably a case for both heredity and environment. Brothers Ben and Christopher "Flynn" Falcone, who grew up in Carbondale, are knee-deep in the arts in California these days and receiving good reviews for their work. Both are actors and Flynn, 34, has just published his second book, "Wake-Up Call."...

WASHINGTON -- America's first black woman secretary of state took the ceremonial oath of office Friday surrounded by family and friends, some who had traveled from her native Alabama, as well as the president, first lady and a Supreme Court justice...

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia -- One in eight children in Indonesia's Aceh province are malnourished, disease still stalks refugee camps and relief deliveries are erratic more than a month after a tsunami devastated the region, U.N. officials said Friday. Securing aid deliveries -- as well as how to cement a brittle cease-fire in their three-decade conflict -- were the focus of talks Friday in Finland between the Indonesian government and Aceh rebel leaders that were spurred by the tsunami. ...

RAFAH, Gaza Strip -- Israel's army chief ordered his troops Friday to halt raids in the Gaza Strip and move against West Bank militants only with his approval, a major policy reversal after more than four years of fighting and a key step toward a truce with the Palestinians...

DAVOS, Switzerland -- The threat of military action to stop Iran's nuclear ambitions became a central theme Friday at the World Economic Forum, with Germany's leader warning that the Middle East cannot abide another war, a clear message to the United States that is being increasingly echoed throughout Europe...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Authorities in Iraq have arrested three close associates of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, officials said Friday, claiming to be close to capturing the al-Qaida-linked terror mastermind himself two days ahead of historic elections that extremists have vowed to subvert...

The Lord sat enthroned at the flood. (Psalm 29:10) When I was a child, Grandpa and Grandma had a plaque in their dining room that read, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." (Proverbs 9:10) Fear God? That's right -- respect! God had whole chorus lines belting it out in heaven long before Aretha Franklin, except she sang, "Just a little bit," and God wants a whole lot...