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Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010
Four Cape Girardeau County officials not seeking re-election
By Rudi Keller ~ Southeast Missourian
Cape Girardeau County's longest-serving officeholder, Circuit Clerk Charles Hutson, said Friday he won't be seeking a 10th term in office. That doesn't mean voters won't see the name Hutson on the ballot this year, but it...
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February primaries and April 2010 elections
Cape Girardeau primaries: Rediger, Hopkins win spots on April ballot; Davis-Proffer, Moore win in Ward 2 (02/03/10)
In a primary race that drew out 8.45 percent of city voters, mayoral candidate Harry Rediger received more than twice as many votes as opponent Matt Hopkins. Hopkins and Rediger beat out Walter White in Tuesday's runoff for the April 6 election, while Meg Davis-Proffer and Stafford Moore move on to vie for the Ward 2 council seat. Mayor Jay Knudtson and Ward 2 council member Charlie Herbst cannot seek re-election because of term limits.
Up to 4 Cape seats could change hands (01/31/10)
A transformation of the Cape Girardeau City Council begins Tuesday. It will be primary election day, with voters selecting two candidates for mayor and two candidates to run for the Ward 2 council seat. Two months from now, on April 6, the final selections will be made in those two contests. ...
Who votes Tuesday (01/31/10)
On Tuesday, Cape Girardeau will hold a primary election for mayor and Ward 2 representation on the Cape Girardeau City Council. Only people registered to vote within the city limits of Cape Girardeau may cast ballots. No other elections will be held Tuesday. All regular precinct locations in the city will be open. Voters who have moved may file a change of address Monday or Tuesday with the county clerk's office and then cast ballots...
Cape mayoral candidate Rediger outraises Hopkins by 12-to-1 margin (01/28/10)
Retired businessman Harry Rediger has raised nearly 12 times as much money for his campaign for mayor as his nearest rival, according to reports filed this week with the Missouri Ethics Commission. Rediger's contributors gave his primary election campaign $26,923 through last Thursday, compared to $2.250 raised by former Councilman Matt Hopkins. ...
Three to face off in primary for Cape Girardeau's Ward 2 (01/27/10)
The next four years will determine if Cape Girardeau's DREAM becomes a reality. The surveys, focus groups and planning that made up the three-year Downtown Revitalization and Economic Assistance for Missouri, or DREAM, Initiative process is over. The plans, which include beautifying Broadway and creating a Community Improvement District to raise money, have been adopted as policy by the city...
Other election headlines
Alexander County sheriff loses primary (02/03/10)
CAIRO, Ill. -- Cairo police chief Tim Brown unseated Alexander County Sheriff David Barkett in Tuesday's sheriff election. In an election that brought out 21.75 percent of voters in the Southern Illinois county, Brown received 55.5 percent of the vote, according to the Alexander County clerk's office. Barkett received 559 votes, or 39.9 percent of votes cast...
Treasurer says small-business loan program a job tool for Southeast Missouri during Cape visit (01/31/10)
A loan program for farms and small businesses is a responsible way of supporting businesses, state Treasurer Clint Zweifel said Saturday. During a stop in Cape Girardeau, Zweifel discussed the Missouri Linked Deposit Program. Expanded in 2009, the program has lent about $200 million to qualifying farms and small businesses in the state, including $39 million to those in Southeast Missouri. ...
If Quinn loses primary, Ill. gets lame duck governor for a year (01/29/10)
CHICAGO -- If Gov. Pat Quinn loses the Democratic primary on Tuesday, it will be more than just a stinging political defeat for him. Illinois would be stuck with a lame duck governor for a year as the state grapples with its worst budget crisis ever...
New Cape Girardeau County voter ID cards being mailed (01/27/10)
The Cape Girardeau County clerk's office will be sending out new voter ID cards to registered voters within the next few days in conjunction with canvassing the voter rolls.
'We' vs. 'he': Nixon, Kinder strike opposite tones in speeches (01/25/10)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- For Gov. Jay Nixon, the State of the State address was about "we." For Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, it was about "he." Missourians who watched or listened to Nixon's second-ever State of the State speech last week heard a lot references about "working together" -- often referring to the relationship between the Democratic governor and Republican-led legislature...
Candidate withdraws in Perryville city election (01/22/10)
PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Donald R. LaRose withdrew Thursday as a candidate for the Ward 3 board of aldermen seat in Perryville, Mo., city clerk Tracy Prost reported. LaRose filed for office on Tuesday, the last day that filing was allowed for the April 6 municipal election. The withdrawal leaves a Ward 3 contest between incumbent Aldermen Paul R. "Butch" Flentge and challenger Prince E. Hudson. Prost did not give a reason for LaRose's withdrawal in the announcement...
Hopkins: Cape needs growth to remain vital (01/21/10)
Editor's note: This is the third of three stories about Cape Girardeau mayoral candidates. Matt Hopkins has watched Cape Girardeau grow. The 46-year-old former councilman and candidate for mayor remembers when William Street ended at Kingshighway. He remembers cattle grazing on the land where West Park Mall stands today...
Hospital trustee seat most popular among area candidate filings (01/21/10)
The most sought-after job in the April 6 elections in Southeast Missouri appears to be an open seat on the Perry County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees. Five candidates filed for a seat on the board now held by William Wingerter Sr. Wingerter did not seek re-election. The five candidates are Jennifer L. Janet, Duane Blessing, Susan Phillips, Michael W. Ochs and Keith J. Moeckel, all of Perryville, Mo. The winner will serve a five year term...
Filing closes for April school board elections (01/20/10)
There will be new faces on many area school boards following the April 6 elections. Filing for board seats closed at 5 p.m. Tuesday, and in eight of 16 districts covering portions of Cape Girardeau, Perry, Scott and Bollinger County, one or more incumbents eligible to run for re-election did not. In the Cape Girardeau School District...
DOCUMENT: Cape Girardeau polling locations
Click on the headline to download a Microsoft Word file that lists Cape Girardeau's polling locations.
DOCUMENT: Cape Girardeau precinct map
Click on the headline to download a PDF version of the Cape Girardeau voting precinct map.
FILE: Cape Girardeau ward map
Click on the headline to download a map showing Cape Giradeau's city council wards.
letters to the editor
Letters about candidates
For years, the Southeast Missourian has had guidelines for letters that encouraged readers to submit their opinions on topics of general interest. Those guidelines discouraged letters about candidates for public office. A new policy, effective immediately, gives letter writers an option for expressing their opinions about candidates...
Guidelines for letters to the editor and letters about political candidates
1. Letters on topics of general public interest are welcomed. 2. All letters to be considered for publication must include the name and address of the the writer and a daytime telephone number where the writer may be reached during normal business hours...
questionnaires: candidates for Cape Girardeau mayor
Cape Girardeau mayor's race questionnaire: Matt Hopkins (01/29/10)
Age: 46 Spouse: Barbara Children: Justin, Melissa Occupation: Account representative Employer: Technology and Networking /ASC Previous offices: Cape Girardeau City Council 2000-2008. Question 1: Over the past decade, Cape Girardeau used incentives to spur job creation, including using sales tax revenue to support the Sears and Kohl's development and renovation of Town Plaza. ...
Cape Girardeau mayor's race questionnaire: Harry Rediger (01/29/10)
Age: 72 Spouse: Fran Children: Cindy Propst, Kathy Sedlacek, Michelle Burris, Dr. Doug Rediger Occupation: Retired Employer: 38-year career with J.C. Penney Previous offices: Cape Girardeau School Board, 1995-1997...
Local news headlines
Over 3,000 pounds of marijuana seized in Bootheel traffic stop (02/09/10)
The Missouri State Highway Patrol helped bring over 3,000 pounds of marijuana off the streets and a Texas drug trafficker behind bars this week. A commercial vehicle inspector signaled a tractor-trailer to stop at a weigh station in Pemiscot County on Interstate 55 Sunday evening. ...
Former state representative pens angry letter to Crowell over refusal to sponsor appointment (02/09/10)
A former Perry County Commissioner and state representative said he's "madder than hell" that state Sen. Jason Crowell has refused to sponsor his renomination to a state board that oversees health care for thousands of public employees. Patrick Naeger, a Perryville Republican, wrote Crowell, a Cape Girardeau Republican, an "open letter" in which he said he tried repeatedly to contact Crowell about the nomination but received no response. ...
Three more SEMO football players charged in alleged assault (02/09/10)
Four Southeast Missouri State University students were charged today in connection with an alleged break-in and assault at an off-campus house, including three university football players. Antonio Garritano, 19, of Jackson was charged with first-degree burglary, a class B felony, and third-degree assault, a class A misdemeanor, according to Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle. ...
Former manager pleads guilty to cooking meth in restaurant (02/09/10)
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A manager formerly employed at Sonic restaurant, 2126 Broadway, pleaded guilty Tuesday before Butler County Circuit Court Judge Robert L. Smith to attempting to manufacture methamphetamine in the restaurant in December. Dennie L. Bratcher, 27, also pleaded guilty a charge of second-degree burglary...
Highway 51 bridge rehab project to start Monday (02/09/10)
Traffic on the Chester Bridge on Highway 51 in Perry County will be restricted starting Monday. Work to rehabilitate the Mississippi River bridge east of Chester, Ill. will begin at 7 a.m. Monday and will continue through June 25. The Missouri Department of Transportation contracted the work to PCI Roads. There will be an 11-foot width restriction in the work zone. Traffic will also be controlled by temporary signals during the road work, resulting in delays...
State news
  • Judge: No deposition in televangelist in lawsuit
    WATERLOO, Ill. (AP) -- A judge says televangelist Joyce Meyer doesn't have to submit to a deposition in a wrongful-death lawsuit involving a woman slain with her two children....
  • Roeder uses YouTube to talk about abortion killing
    WICHITA, Kan. (AP) -- The man convicted of murdering a Kansas abortion provider shows little sympathy for the doctor's family in a YouTube tape that marks his first public comments since his trial....
  • Mo. lawmakers consider ban on synthetic pot
    JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A widely available and legal drug that mimics the effects of marijuana could became illegal in Missouri through a bill considered Tuesday in the Legislature....
  • Mo. lawmakers debate early voting, photo ID rules
    JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A Missouri House committee considered a proposal Tuesday that could require people to show a photo ID before casting a ballot but allow them to vote before Election Day....
  • Man admits cooking meth at restaurant
    POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (AP) -- The former manager of a Sonic restaurant in Cape Girardeau has pleaded guilty to attempting to manufacture methamphetamine at the restaurant....
National news
  • Snow shuts down federal government, life goes on
    WASHINGTON (AP) -- If snow keeps 230,000 government employees home for the better part of a week, will anyone notice?
  • Workers spent 80-plus hours a week at Conn. plant
    NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) -- Some workers building a Connecticut power plant shattered by a gas explosion had been spending more than 80 hours a week there before the blast killed five Sunday, The Associated Press has learned. One employee said workers smelled gas less than an hour beforehand and were told to open doors wider for air.
  • Kerrigan family disputes autopsy report on father
    BOSTON (AP) -- The family of Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan insisted Tuesday that they do "not blame anyone" for her father's death and criticized a medical examiner's finding that Daniel Kerrigan died of a heart rhythm problem after a fight with his son.
  • NY governor says rumors that haunted him are dying
    ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- New York Gov. David Paterson says he believes an anticipated story by The New York Times about his personal conduct won't include much-rumored talk of wild behavior.
  • Murtha's death sets stage for marquee House race
    JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- Democrats have long dominated the late Rep. John Murtha's district in western Pennsylvania, but Republicans have made inroads in recent years that could help them win back the seat -- and some longtime Murtha supporters say they're open to voting for a GOP candidate.
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