The Springfield News-Leader from Springfield, Missouri • Page 1

Basketball Scramble defense lifts Lady Bears over Western Illinois 1C Springfield TT ew Leader I GOOD MORNING Springfield, Missouri 50tf Tuesday December 5, 1995 ki Mmw mm mwmvm (Saiatei til ma Two accused of sex offenses The governor will explain his legislative package today at Kickapoo High School. the state, including a spate of attacks on teachers this year in St. Louis. The first element of Carnahan's plan would make it a felony for adults or juveniles classified as adults to assault teachers, bus drivers and other school employees and students on school grounds or aboard school buses. In most cases those assaults are classified as misdemeanors, punishable by up to a year in county jail.

Springfield Public Schools favors the stricter penalties. "I would wholeheartedly support promoting an assault to a more sen-See SCHOOLS, Page 10A Gov. Carnahan's safe schools plan would increase funding for DARE a drug abuse resistance program taught in Springfield Public Schools. Showing coins to DARE officer Eddie Jacobs are (from left) Campbell kinder-gartners Cody Lavender, Max Ernst and Brook Kellogg. By Martha Carr News-Leader Go v.

Mel Carnahan will be at Kickapoo High School today to promote his plan to make Missouri schools safer for teachers and students. His visit to Springfield is the fourth stop in a two-day trip to push the Safe Schools Initiative, a legislative package designed to build on a juvenile crime bill passed by the General Assembly earlier this year. It calls for stricter penalties for assaults on Bob troops land in Sarajevo Political battle shaping up over veterans cemetery Linder News-Leader Possible veterans cemetery sites Springfield may face competition for a state veterans cemetery. Proposed legislation would establish eight such cemeteries throughout Missouri. ft 1 Gallatin -1 Macon A I Jefferson City 1 v'jso'uttT Springfield rr- Mount Cabool i ii From Our Staff Two Shriners attending a fall convention in Springfield have been accused of sexual misconduct.

One of the men was arrested on suspicion of rape, and another man was questioned on suspicion of soliciting prostitution early Saturday at University Plaza Hotel. Scott Schaefer, potentate for Springfield's Abou Ben Ad-hem Temple, said Monday he was not aware of the allegations. Inside: Details. IB NATO One of the first two Americans to arrive is a soldier from Kansas City. The Associated Press SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina In a near-freezing drizzle that hinted at the winter ahead, the first NATO troops landed in the Balkans Monday to begin setting up a peace mission that will bring 20,000 American soldiers into the Bos- "1 nian conflict.

Three camouflaged British C-130Her-cules transport planes touched down in Sarajevo carrying 28 NATO sol Perry diers: French, British, Belgians and the first two Americans. "We'll be setting up the headquarters for the bigger force to come down," said Sgt. Matthew Chipman, of Beardstown, 111., who arrived with Sgt. Todd Eich-mann of Kansas City, Mo. The multinational "enabling troops" moving into Bosnia and Croatia will set up communications, plan transportation and arrange supplies in the 10 days before the signing of the agreement to end 3 Vi years of war in the former Yugoslavia.

As part of the vanguard, the U.S. is sending 735 soldiers to Bosnia and 730 to Croatia, according to Pentagon figures. Defense Sec- Park complex draws supporters From Our Staff Most citizens who called the City Council's hotline for comments about a proposed 80-acre, $11 million recreational complex for southwest Springfield were supporters of the idea. Their support was guarded, however, and some expressed concern about the use of the public money for the private-enterprise project. Opponents were less equivocal, with opposition based on location, concerns about traffic tie-ups and, of course, taxes.

Inside: Our report. IDA INSIDE Life Times: With lights, garland, music and art, Winterfest offers a magical salute to the holidays. 6B I 7 teachers and more funding for crime-prevention programs. The proposal, one of the governor's top priorities for the legis lative session Carnahan beginning Jan. 3, was prompted by increased incidence of school violence throughout Captured U.S.

soldiers: What would be their status? 3A vance troops would arrive. "Everybody is hoping as soon as possible," the sergeant said. He also said he and Eichmann left their base in Augsburg, Germany, so quickly he didn't have a chance to say goodbye to his Executions by state In 1995 (49) 1. Texas 15 2. Missouri 5 3.

Virginia 4 4. Georgia 3 Illinois 3 Oklahoma 3 7. Alabama 2 Arizona 2 Arkansas 2 N. Carolina 2 Pennsylvania 2 Florida 2 13. Delaware 1 Louisiana 1 Montana 1 S.

Carolina 1 Executions in Missouri 1995 (5) Emmit Foster May 3 Larry Griffin June 21 Tony Murray July 26 Robert Sidebottom Nov. 15 Anthony LaRette Nov. 29 "93 '95 Fund Inc. Cnuck Todd News-Leader WEATHER Not much will change. Evenings will be a tad cooler and next week will feel more brisk.

2A 22 The Associated Press U.S. Army Sgt. Todd Eichmann (left) of Kansas City, is greeted by British Warrant Officer Vic Fer-gusson on arrival at the Sarajevo airport Monday. Eichmann is in Sarajevo to help set up advance communications for more of the NATO force expected to arrive later in the week. By Deborah Barnes News-Leader Greene County veterans thought they had overcome the largest obstacle toward getting a state cemetery last week when City Utilities agreed to donate almost 50 acres at Lake Springfield for the project.

They were wrong. Rep. Chuck Wooten, R-Springfield, said Monday that the land battle may be ending, but a political battle is about to begin. Rep. James Wooten Montgomery, D- Cabool, head of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, recently informed Wooten that he plans to intro-duce legislation to establish eight veterans cemeteries throughout Missouri next year.

Two are in southwest Missouri. But none is in Springfield. Wooten said Montgomery told him last week that he wants to put cemeteries in his hometown of Cabool and in Mount Vernon, siteofa veteranshome. Montgomery said Monday night that today he would file the legislation, for which he has 40 or more cosigners. "We have tried to be fair," he said, choosing eight locations distributed evenly around that state: Cabool, Mount Vernon, Macon, Bloomfield, Higginsville, St.

Louis and Gallatin. The Mount Vernon location was chosen because it's about halfway between Springfield and Joplin and would serve veterans and their families in both cities, he said. stay, O'Neal of Joplin, now 32, is scheduled to die by lethal injection. It is an event that Dowell contemplates with little relish. "His execution is not going O'Neal to change anything," Dowell says.

"Whether he's executed or locked up for the rest of his life is not important tome. "The only thing that an execution changes is on things like this: Reporters start calling you up, asking for comment, and all these memories I- I f. -ff parents. Meanwhile, Perry announced Monday that 3,800 reservists are being mobilized for possible service in and around the Balkans. He said said the reservists would be mobilized for an initial rotation of 270 days.

He said they would serve in such areas as military police, civilian affairs and medicine. retary William Perry said the entire enabling force would be in Bosnia or on its way by the end of the week. After Balkan leaders sign their accord Dec. 14 in Paris, NATO will start dispatching its 60,000 peace-enforcing troops, one-third of which will be Americans. But Chipman said it was undetermined when the rest of the ad- Missouri sr.

U.S. executions There have been 308 executions in the U.S. since 1977. Missouri ranks sixth overall with 16 executions. In 1995, Missouri ranks second with five executions.

Texas ranks first with 15 executions this year. state (Top 1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

N. 10. Dexter Cnuck Todd News-Leader Greene County veterans said that makes little sense. "Why they want to put one in Cabool, I don 't know. There are not very many veterans in that county (Texas)," said Frank Crain, commander of American Legion Post 676.

"There are 20,000 veterans in this county here. That's more than in Cabool or Mount Vernon." Wooten agrees. He said it would be easier for 50 people to drive from Cabool or Mount Vernon than for 20,000 to drive the other way. That's Why he and Rep. Craig Hosmer, D-Springfield, plan to continue with their legislation tobringastate veterans cemetery to Springfield to replace the full National Cemetery.

Wooten thinks they can still succeed. It's just going to take more work. "We feel we are going to be OK and get it, but what was a smooth high-See VETERANS, Page 9A start coming back to you." Should the courts turn down his last-minute appeals, O'Neal will become the 17th inmate killed by the state since 1989, when George "Tiny" Mercer was put to death. "It's like a fire burning in the body politic," says Peter DeSimone, director of the anti-death penalty Missouri Association for Social Welfare. "I don't know when it will burn out." The fire shows no signs of dying do wn.

At least not this year. Missouri is second in the nation in executions this year. After an execution-free 1994, Missouri has put to death five inmates in See EXECUTION, Page 9A Vol. 105. No.

339 1995, News-Leader Vernon 1 Talk of execution resurrects family's memories and pain Executions by since 1977 10) Texas 100 Florida 35 Virginia 29 Louisiana 22 Georgia 20 Missouri 16 Alabama 12 Arkansas 1 1 Carolina 8 Illinois 7 50 By Ron Davis News-Leader Today, like every other day for 16 years, J. Larry Dowell will walk around his rural Strafford home and think about his father-in-law. His name was Ralph Roscoe Shar-ick, and he was shot dead in 1979 in a closet in Dowell's home. His killers were John E. Boggs and Robert E.

O'Neal two teen-agers who stole a saxophone, a guitar and a couple of guns before firing four shots into the closet. They got life in prison. O'Neal later got a death sentence for the stabbing death of a fellow inmate. Tonight, barring a last-minute I I I I I I I I I I I Ufrg U.S. executions since 1 977 (Total of 308) tlt 1 I I i I i I 1 i 1 Tf AN.

I Li Iv-- 1 ft 1 Jm AJU i rl 1, I i I Sr, utiUitMnW i VTT if 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 77 79 '81 '83 '85 1C1 TO "91 Source: NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and Educational Business: The Justice Department is checking into whether Microsoft Corp. wrote Windows 95 to block rival programs that give users access to the Internet. 6A LOTTERY INDEX PICK 3 SHOW-ME 6-10-19-26-30 Across, Ozarks 2B Classified 6C Comics 9B Crossword SB Deaths SB Markets 6A Movies 7B Neighbors 3B Opinion 8A Ozarks IB Sports 1C Weather 2A wx, PteaM RECYCLE. The News-Leader is partially on recycled paper and is 100 A Gannett Newspaper printed recyclable. Precipitation: 10 Lm.

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