THEBES, Ill.—Former Cape Girardeau, Mo., high school basketball standout Darla Pannier, 19, died Tuesday of injuries received in a Monday automobile accident, authorities said.

Pannier apparently lost control of her car when it struck a large pool of standing water at the base of a hill on Illinois Highway 3 about 5 p.m. Monday, said Lt. Rodney Lacy of the Alexander County Sheriff’s Department. The car then spun into the opposite lane and was struck in the rear by an oncoming pickup truck, Lacy said.

Pannier died about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, hospital officials said.

The occupants of the pickup truck were treated and released for minor injuries.

Pannier was a four-year starter at Cape Central High School, and was named a high-school All-American in 1988, her senior year. She holds school records for scoring and rebounding.

BK:”Bookmark 1″>Parents face insurance loss

PEORIA—Ron and Roz Helms are facing life without medical insurance coverage for their quintuplets after running up $2.75 million in medical bills in 30 months since the children were born.

Soviet coal strikes dwindle

MOSCOW—The strikes that hit Soviet coal fields dwindled Tuesday but shipyard workers in Estonia walked out in protest over recent laws, heralding a new round of ethnic and labor troubles for the Kremlin.

Bush’s budget request cut

WASHINGTON—The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives on Tuesday cut President Bush’s request for Star Wars spending in next year’s defense budget by nearly $2 billion.

Burned mother bears child

AKRON, Ohio—A 17-year-old girl gave birth to a healthy child Tuesday, hours after her father set her on fire during an argument. The new mother was in critical condition with burns on over 85 percent of her body.

Kimberly Richmond, who was eight months pregnant, gave birth at 3:45 a.m. at Children’s Medical Hospital in Akron, according to Akron Police Captain Jerry Foys.

Foys said police arrested her father, Joseph Richmond, 41, without incident at the hospital and charged him with felonious assault. He was being held in the Summit County Jail.

ospital officials said the girl delivered a healthy, 4-pound girl.

“Apparently, the father and daughter had an argument over something; we’re not sure about what,” Foys said. “It happened at their home. He went and got some flammable liquid—we think it was brake fluid—and poured it onto the girl and set her afire.”

Income tax evasion charges

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—James and David Taggart, former aides to PTL founder Jim Bakker, are found guilty on charges they evaded more than $525,000 in income taxes.

Irregular heart beats cease

WASHINGTON—Up to 3,000 patients might have died prematurely in a nationwide study of two drugs designed to prevent irregular heart beats, experts say.

Model urges ad censorship

WASHINGTON—A model who for six years was Winston’s answer to the macho “Marlboro man” urged Congress today to take the glamour out of tobacco advertisements, saying teenagers are the target of the ads.

“I have had children tell me that they smoked Winston’s so that they could be just like me,” David Goerlitz told a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee. “For that I shall always feel guilty.”

Goerlitz described himself as a 25-year, three-pack-a-day smoker who kicked the habit in November. He has worked for private groups that fight smoking-related illnesses and his testimony was intended to bolster legislation sponsored by Rep. Thomas Luken, D-Ohio.

Luken on a self-described crusade “to reduce cigarette smoking to zero,” wants to ban all tobacco ads that might be seen by youths.

The Freedom to Advertise Coalition, representing six advertising trade organizations, released results of a study predicting Luken’s legislation would put 62,992 people out of work if it became law. It said jobs would be lost in retail trade, outdoor advertising, direct mail advertising, newspapers, magazines and printing.

Time ruling sets precedent

NEW YORK—Legal experts say the Delaware ruling upholding Time Inc.‘s plans to acquire Warner Communications Inc. has bolstered management’s arsenal against hostile bidders.