The Daily Oklahoman from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma • 1

Tuesday THE Oklahoman NEWS0K.COM 250 500 OCTOBER 12, 2004 WORLD Oklahoma farmers welcome record rain ASSOCIATED PRESS Loyal farmer Tom Glazier said the IV2 inches of rain he received over two days will help his newly planted wheat. "A nice easy rain like this is just perfect," Glazier said. Glazier said that when farmers receive a heavy rain like that received in other parts of the state last week, it can pack down dirt, making it difficult for the wheat to come up. See RAIN, Page 3A By Dawn Marks, Enid Bureau Recent rainfall should help farmers who are behind in sowing wheat and others who just planted. Although several inches fell Sunday and Monday in parts of the state, moisture came slower and over a longer period than last week's rain.

The National Weather Service in Norman had no reports of flash flooding or rivers coming out of their banks. A true superhero Actor Christopher Reeve accepts the 1996 National Courage Award given to him by the Courage Center, in this October 1996 file photo. Reeve, the star of the "Superman" movies, died Sunday at 52. Story, Page 11A. Transplant survivor answers call of duty Outbreaks of staph cause alarm in 3 towns Bone marrow transplant patient Tom Crotty, left, a major in the Oklahoma Army National Guard, is pictured with his physician, Dr.

George Selby, at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. Weapons turned in Shiite fighters began turning in weapons as part of a weapons-for-cash disarmament program in Baghdad. Page 11A BUSINESS New tax bill to benefit state A $136 billion corporate tax package passed Monday by the U.S. Senate contains several measures that should benefit Oklahoma companies. BACKGROUND: The legislation was two years in the making and required a rare weekend session in the Senate to complete.

NEXT: It goes to President Bush for his signature. Page IB SPORTS Times changing for Cowboys Oklahoma State University's -jrj-Saturday game against Texas is almost sold out, with only a few donor-level tickets remaining. It's a reflection of the buzz encompassing OSU's program, and fans are responding. page 1C SCIENCE Astronaut's friends speak Some of Gordon Cooper's childhood friends and classmates, who roamed the streets of Shawnee with "Gordo" long before the nation celebrated his feats, share their memories of the late pioneer astronaut. Page ID By Carrie Coppernoll Staff Writer CARNEGIE Roughly 40 cases of staph infection have hit residents in three cities, leading to public concern and the cancellation of a football game in Carnegie.

Staphylococcus aureus, commonly called staph, causes small skin lesions and is preventable and treatable. Health officials have confirmed about 30 cases at Carnegie Hospital since May, Administrator Shane Dunning said Monday. Nearly all cases have been a resistant staph that usually cannot be resolved with regular antibiotics, he said. The patients are of different ages, come from different regions and include both men and women, Dunning said. But public concern has turned to fear, the Carnegie school superintendent said.

"Everybody is scared of this because they really don't understand it," Superintendent Donny Darrow said. "They don't know it. They don't know how to prevent it. They don't know how to catch it." Carnegie students hosted the annual homecoming dance even though the opposing football team scheduled to play Friday canceled be- See STAPH, Page 3A BY ROGER KLOCK, THE OKLAHOMAN Major refused to let leukemia keep him from Afghan mission Crotty, who as a civilian is a probation and parole officer, had his patriotic wish fulfilled by a successful medical procedure and clearance for overseas duty from the U.S. surgeon general and the Pentagon.

Crotty recently returned from a year of active duty in Afghanistan, where he trained members of the Afghan army. "Tom's pretty remarkable," said Dr. George Selby, director of the bone marrow transplant unit at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Rarely does any transplant patient approach the tricky cancer treatment so nonchalantly, so fearlessly, Selby said of Crotty. "At first, we had to convince Tom that he was really sick.

Then, he treated it like he was getting his teeth worked on. He wasn't overwhelmed," Selby said. A suitable match for the transplant was not found among Crotty's siblings, so they used the National Marrow Donor See SOLDIER, Page 3A By Jim Killackey, Staff Writer NORMAN As leukemia patient Tom Crotty lay in an Oklahoma City hospital bed after a bone marrow transplant in late-August 2001, the possibility of a medical discharge from the Army National Guard was easily within his reach. But as he watched the unfolding horror of the terrorist attacks on 911, a bald, still-weak but angry Crotty had entirely different plans. "I wanted to grab my uniform, grab my sniper rifle and go," said Crotty, 46, a major in the 45th Infantry Brigade.

For president Election2004 Bush ahead in state If the election for U.S. president were held today, which candidate would you vote for: Republican George W. Bush or Democrat John Kerry? ffl ffl ffl 49.6 Last week: Kerry flfl IT II 38-( Undecided 12.4 WEATHER Cool, '-f- cloudy High: 65 Low: 51 Page 6B QUICK INDEX Advice 5D Movies 3D IE Opinion 10A Comics 6D Puzzles 7E Deaths 8A Sports 1C FULL INDEX, PAGE 2A TODAY'S PRAYER Protect us from immorality, dear Lord. Set our feet on higher paths. Amen.

Five sections Volume 113, No. 241 Copyright 2004 The Oklahoma Publishing Oklahoma City, OK All rights reserved Race for Senate seat still close, poll finds By Michael Baker, Staff Writer Despite heated debates and another week of accusatory advertising campaigns, the Oklahoma election race for a U.S. Senate seat remained about even, according to a KWTV NEWS 9 poll. Monday's poll had U.S. Rep.

Brad Carson, D-Claremore, maintaining the slim 2-percentage-point advantage he held last week over Tom Coburn. The weekly poll, conducted by Wilson Research Strategies, has a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points While Coburn, a Muskogee Republican, has not lost ground, his inability to win over undecided voters and Carson supporters may be hurting other conservative causes, said Chris Wilson, president of the Virginia-based polling company. "Tom Coburn might actually be impacting (President) Bush's numbers," Wilson said. "That's clearly what happened this week; that's what drove Oohn) Kerry's numbers up this week." See POLL, Page 2A totalcoverage NEWS9 The Oklahoman NewsOKxom Watch NEWS9 See the latest poll numbers each week 10 p.m. Mondays Online at NewsOK.com See previous polls Inside The Oklahoman More election coverage Pages 6-7A Tribes put their money on gambling question By Tony Thornton, Staff Writer The main group supporting the racetrack-casino issue has raised almost $2.3 million so far, with three Indian tribes giving $500,000 each, according to a contributions report filed Monday.

Almost all the funding $2 million was raised in September. The Chickasaw and Cherokee tribes contributed $500,000 each in September, while the Choctaw Nation gave $250,000 in September and $250,000 in July. Remington Park also gave $250,000. The money was collected by Oklahomans for Education and Jobs, the main backer of State Question 712, which will be on the ballot Nov. 2.

All donors were connected to the tribal casino and horse-racing industries, according to the report filed with the state Ethics Commission. Oklahomans for Good Government, the main group fighting SQ 712, has raised $302,865. The proposal would allow three Oklahoma horse tracks to operate electronic casino machines. It also would authorize tribal casinos that compact with the state to offer a faster type of machine, plus video poker and card games in which players compete against each other, not the house. The state would collect money from both industries.

State Finance Director Scott Mea-cham estimates that share at $71 million a year, all earmarked for education. Other cash contribution amounts to Oklahomans for Education and Jobs include: Thoroughbred Racing Association See GAMING, Page 2A For Senate Carson maintains lead If the election for U.S. Senate were held today, which candidate would you vote for: Republican Tom Coburn, Democrat Brad Carson or independent Sheila Bilyeu? Carson "T(TBTB TB 40 Coburn TJIBBTBi TBI 37.8 Last week: Bilyeu 1 7.2 11 1 1 I' II Carson 42.6 Coburn 41.2 Bilyeu 2.4 6llll57942llllllllll2 1 Research Strategies poll.