News for Saturday, September 10, 2011

Sources: No sign of US entry for terror plot

U.S. intelligence agencies have found no evidence that al-Qaida has sneaked any terrorists into the country for a strike coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, senior officials said Saturday.

Police: Suspicious cargo at Dulles not a danger

Police and airport officials say there was nothing harmful about suspicious boxes on a cargo pallet that prompted an hours-long evacuation of several gates at Dulles International Airport.

Berkman leads Cardinals over Braves 4-3

Lance Berkman had a single, RBI double and walk — reaching base seven straight times over two games — and the St. Louis Cardinals inched closer in the NL wild card race with a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night.

Courage of Flight 93 victims lauded at dedication

The 40 passengers and crew who fought back against their hijackers aboard Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001, performed one of the most courageous acts in U.S. history, former President George W. Bush said Saturday at a ceremony dedicating the first phase of a memorial at the nation's newest national park.

Ladies of US pop winning with wacky, weird tactics

Whether it is being encased in an egg or wearing slabs of meat, there never is a question whether Lady Gaga will make a spectacle of herself at an awards show; the only question is just what kind.

Oscar winner Cliff Robertson dies in NY at 88

Cliff Robertson, the handsome movie actor who played John F. Kennedy in "PT-109," won an Oscar for "Charly" and was famously victimized in a 1977 Hollywood forgery scandal, died Saturday. He was 88.

Small fire damages library at University of Mo.

An early morning fire has resulted in moderate smoke and water damage to a library on the University of Missouri campus.

Twin NASA craft launched to study insides of moon

A pair of spacecraft rocketed toward the moon Saturday on the first mission dedicated to measuring lunar gravity and determining what's inside Earth's orbiting companion — all the way down to the core.

String of blazes takes toll on Texas firefighters

The flames of the massive wildfire that had swallowed nearly 1,400 homes in Central Texas had been tamed, but Webster Fire Chief Patrick Shipp and his crew — veterans of a fire season pushing his team to the limit — know the danger doesn't end there.

As Susquehanna recedes from Lee, residents return

Tens of thousands of people forced from their homes in Pennsylvania were allowed to return Saturday as the Susquehanna River receded from some of the highest floodwaters ever seen, swollen by remnants of Tropical Storm Lee.

Too wacky? Moving water from flood to drought

As the soggy East tries to dry out from flooding and Texas prays for rain that doesn't come, you might ask: Isn't there some way to ship all that water from here to there?

NFL season jumpstarts the economy

When the NFL and players struck a deal to end the league's lockout, they didn't just save the football season that begins its first full day of games on Sunday. They saved the most profitable sport in America, the most popular show on TV and billions of dollars that would have disappeared from the economy.

BLM to initiate rulemaking on oil, gas provision

The Bureau of Land Management plans to write new guidelines for using a provision that allows for speedier environmental reviews of oil and gas development on public land following a judge's order to stop using its existing guidance.

Rams’ defense looks to contain Vick

The St. Louis Rams hope a strong defensive line anchored by sack threats Chris Long and James Hall can throw Michael Vick off his game. Even a little.

Your Opinion: Response on derisive comments

A frequent contributor has said that derisive and mean-spirited comments originate from “hate radio” or others on his list of the usual suspects.

Your Opinion: Response to Stark on jobs, economy

I must applaud Susan Stark (Sept. 3) for her admirably laconic response to a letter of mine.

Your Opinion: Response to Smith on 'culture wars'

I feel I must respond to Tony Smith’s rambling and disconnected letter published Sept. 2 as difficult and probably impossible as it will be.

Our Opinion: Address jobs bills on merits

“Jobs are Job No. 1” could be a new slogan for government — both federal and state.

Community, volunteers remember 9/11

Community members, volunteers and military gathered at the Capitol on Friday morning to remember and honor those who have served on and since Sept. 11.

Prosecutor awaits lab results in Osage River fatalities

Interviews are continuing and results of blood tests have not come back as the investigation into last week’s fatal crash of boats on the Osage River continues.

Corn maze theme surprises ‘Grandma Shryock’

It’s not every day a person has their portrait done using corn stalks.

Blackout a reminder of power grid vulnerabilities

A blackout that swept across parts of the Southwest and Mexico apparently began with a single utility worker and a minor repair job.

Gov't mulls expanding mortgage refinance program

The federal government is looking at how it could help a greater number of homeowners who owe more than their house is worth refinance at today's historically low rates.

Jays clobber Hazelwood East 49-0

After playing Sunday, Jefferson City head coach Ted LePage was worried about the short week of preparation.

Kroger 2Q net income up 7.3 pct, sales top $20B

Kroger Co. reported Friday that second-quarter profits and sales rose, but the nation's largest grocery store operator says shoppers are feeling bleaker about the economy.

Crusaders win on late field goal

Aaron Vossen and the Helias Crusaders put together a late four-quarter drive Friday night that gave Anthony Woodruff enough room to boot a 21-yard field to lift Helias to a 23-21 win over Quincy (Ill.) Notre Dame.

Blair Oaks loses late to Osage

If this is how the rest of the Tri-County Conference season is going to go, fans of the league are in for a treat.

Helias splits softball splits pair

The Helias Lady Crusaders split a pair of games to open up the Capital City Invitational on Friday.

GM chief says US needs to live within its means

The United States needs to solve its debt problems by making some tough decisions, including changes in entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare, and also needs to take steps to improve a failing public education system, the top executive at General Motors Co. said Friday.

Softball: Vienna trounces Newburg

Kelci Brunnert twirled a perfect game Friday night, helping Vienna to a thumping of Newburg.

Students participate in Chalk Art Fest downtown

Attracting numerous students from multiple area art clubs, the Chalk Art Fest left a block of High Street covered in stars and stripes.

Mid-Missouri lawmakers want to add site permit to session

Several Mid-Missouri lawmakers want Gov. Jay Nixon to add an “early site permit” proposal to his call for the special session that began last Tuesday.

SC gov. calls reporter ‘little girl’ over story

South Carolina’s first woman governor called a woman reporter in Charleston a “little girl” over an article detailing at least $127,000 in taxpayer dollars spent by the governor and other state officials on a European economic development trip.

Ex-Mormon bishop pleads guilty to child sex abuse

A former Mormon bishop and co-founder of a nonprofit group that helps women and children in Third World villages faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced in November for sexually abusing children.

Boys Soccer: Helias blanks Union

The Helias Crusaders advanced to the championship game of the Borgia Tournament on Friday with a win over Union.

Nolte's love of acting gives heart to 'Warrior'

In "Warrior," Nick Nolte plays a man looking for redemption. In real life, he's already found it.

Brad Pitt makes pitch as 'Moneyball' nears opening

Brad Pitt has fond memories of the 1979 football movie "North Dallas Forty." After all, for a kid who shouldn't have even been in the theater, it opened up a whole new world.

Cherokee tribe expels descendants of slaves

One of the nation’s largest American Indian tribes has sent letters to about 2,800 descendants of slaves once owned by its members, revoking their citizenship and cutting their medical care, food stipends, low-income homeowners’ assistance and other services.

Ex-auto chemical CEO sentenced in NY stock scheme

An Ohio lawyer convicted of helping to drive an automotive-chemical company to bankruptcy and loot it of millions of dollars in a stock manipulation scheme was sentenced Friday to seven to 21 years in a New York prison.

Cities aware of terror threat, not afraid

Undaunted by talk of a new terror threat, New Yorkers and Washingtonians wove among police armed with assault rifles and waited with varying degrees of patience at security checkpoints Friday while intelligence officials scrambled to nail down information on a possible al-Qaida strike timed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

Missouri House passes tax, natural disaster bills

The Missouri House moved quickly Friday to approve many of the non-economic development issues on the agenda for the special legislative session that started this week.

Man gets 6-year term for prostituting 16-year-old

A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to six years in prison for involving a 16-year-old girl in prostitution.

Movie Scores: How the critics rated the new movies

From tiny germs to muscular punches, weapons of various sizes were knocking out film critics, as both of the big nationwide releases were scoring positive reviews heading into the weekend.

Stanford Hospital privacy breach puts data online

Stanford Hospital in California is blaming a subcontractor used by an outside vendor for a privacy breach that led to the posting online of medical information for thousands of emergency room patients.

Report: DNA method helpful in seeking Asian carp

Federal officials promised Friday to improve two crucial weapons in the fight to prevent Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes: an electric fish barrier near Chicago and an early-warning system that detects carp DNA in waterways.

10 counties to get federal help with flooding

Ten Missouri counties that have been battling flooding will get some federal help.

Honda recalls 310,773 Pilots in the US

Honda Motor Co. says it is recalling 310,773 Pilot vehicles in the U.S. to inspect and potentially replace the front seat belts due to problems with the belts' stitching.

House GOP pledges speedy review of job proposals

House Republicans unexpectedly pledged an immediate review of President Barack Obama’s jobs proposals on Friday as he launched a public campaign for urgent passage of his day-old $447 billion program of tax cuts and new spending.

Original code talker writes of his experiences

"Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir by One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII" (Berkley), by Chester Nez with Judith Schiess Avila

You don't need to be a fan of World War II literature to appreciate this memoir by Chester Nez and his co-author Judith Schiess Avila, a code talker scholar.

Boy acquitted of murdering 6-year-old brother

A 12-year-old Indiana boy didn’t mean to kill his 6-year-old brother when he pointed what he thought was an unloaded gun at him and pulled the trigger, but he knew better than to take the chance, a judge ruled Friday.

Mel Gibson plans to produce film on Jewish hero

Mel Gibson, who reportedly made anti-Semitic remarks during a drunken driving arrest five years ago, is now producing a film about the life of Jewish hero Judah Maccabee.

Homeless man dies in Bonne Terre yard

Investigators say a heart attack is the apparent cause of death for a 52-year-old homeless man who collapsed in the yard of an eastern Missouri home.

Failed crops may free more Kansas acres for wheat

Kansas farmers have begun preparing their fields to plant winter wheat, amid concern that the long drought has left the ground too dry to get the 2012 crop off to a good start this fall.

Korean War vet finally gets his medal

Just over 50 years ago, John Brown was wounded in action while fighting in the Korean War. Now, finally, he is getting his Purple Heart.

Libyans find mass grave, bodies of slain detainees

In a grove of pine trees near this mountain village, residents have dug up the remains of 35 bound and blindfolded men who they say were shot at close range by Moammar Gadhafi’s military.

G7 officials brush off calls for more unity

The financial leaders of the world's most developed economies ignored calls for a stronger unified response to Europe's debt crisis, insisting Friday that each country should tread its own path back to growth amid concerns of a global slowdown.

Austrian incest suspect freed; testimony changes

An 80-year-old Austrian man held for around two weeks on suspicion that he regularly raped his daughters for 41 years was freed Friday after the two women changed their story, prosecutors said.

Hong Kong director focuses on financial crisis

Acclaimed Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To has abandoned his trademark action thrillers — at least for now — to tackle a story inspired by the global financial crisis.

Iowans ask state for Missouri River flooding help

Iowans whose farms, homes and businesses were damaged by this summer's flooding along the Missouri River gathered with top state officials on Friday to vent their frustration with the state's response and to ask for more help in recovering.

ASU makes statement with 37-30 OT win over Tigers

Brock Osweiler hit Jamal Miles on an 11-yard touchdown pass in overtime and Arizona State made a big early season statement with a wild 37-30 victory over No. 21 Missouri on Friday night.

Ichiro powers Mariners past Royals

If there are more nights like Friday, Safeco Field will start to lose its reputation as a pitcher’s park. Ichiro Suzuki had four hits, including a homer, to help the Seattle Mariners amass 15 hits during a 7-3 win over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.

Cardinals beat Braves in extra innings

Nick Punto hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the 10th inning after Albert Pujols’ two-run single tied it an inning earlier and the St. Louis Cardinals kept its faint postseason hopes alive with a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.

700 Georgia-Pacific workers to lose jobs in layoff

Georgia-Pacific officials say the company is indefinitely suspending its plywood and stud manufacturing operation in Crossett, Ark., affecting 700 employees.

Actor sentenced to life in prison for gang rape

A bit actor who appeared in the first "Austin Powers" movie was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the violent 1990 gang rape of a Southern California woman.

Illinois man not guilty in SE Mo. killing

An Illinois man has been found not guilty in a southeast Missouri killing.

FDA says judge shouldn't stop cigarette warnings

New cigarette warning labels that show the sewn-up corpse of a smoker or a picture of diseased lungs shouldn't be prevented from appearing on packs next year while a federal judge determines whether they violate tobacco companies' free speech rights, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday.

News for Saturday, September 10, 2011

Obits

Stories

"Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir by One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII" (Berkley), by Chester Nez with Judith Schiess Avila