[SeMissourian.com] Freezing Fog ~ 30°F  
River stage: 14.16 ft. Rising
Friday, Feb. 17, 2012

Community

Headquarters of not-for-profit Heart for Africa moving to Cape (02/14/12)
It just makes sense to Jimmy Wilferth that Heart for Africa, a Christian not-for-profit organization trying to improve thousands of lives in the African country of Swaziland, will move its national headquarters to Cape Girardeau from Atlanta this spring...
Re-enactor portrays Lincoln conspirator at Cape library (02/13/12)
About 50 people came out to the Cape Girardeau Public Library on Sunday afternoon, the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, to see Dianne Moran in "The Unquiet Death of Mary Surratt." Moran performed the story, about the first woman executed by the federal government for her supposed involvement in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, in costume and spent 45 minutes in character telling about the events surrounding Surratt's trial. ...
FYI 2/12/12 (02/12/12)
The Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center will host "Habitat for Bluebirds" from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Feb. 16. This Discover Nature family event is all about bluebirds and how to construct a nest box. Discover Nature family events are designed to help adults and children explore nature and master outdoor skills together, and this program is for children ages 8 and up with an adult. ...
Club news 2/12/12 (02/12/12)
Lamplighters FCE began the new club year by holding its monthly meeting Jan. 19 at the home of Karen Eaker. Jackie Kurre, president, called the meeting to order and had members say the Pledge of Allegiance and to repeat the membership pledge. The Club Collect was sung. The hostess gave devotional readings titled "His Mysterious Ways" and "Outsmarting." Four charter members and eight other members answered roll call by sharing the earliest recollection of the Lamplighters Club...
Prepare your pet for the new baby (02/12/12)
LOS ANGELES -- Parents have months to get ready for a baby. Experts say the countdown should include prep time for pets too. A baby changes everything for a pet -- from how its home looks, smells and sounds to what the rules are. Low energy, friendly, social dogs are the most adaptable pets, while independent, excitable, high-maintenance, busybody dogs are the least adaptable, said San Francisco veterinarian and animal behaviorist Sophia Yin...
Preparing for the spring migration (02/12/12)
Both Canada geese and mallard ducks are migratory birds. These two bird species eat much the same food, live in the same kinds of habitat and migrate at the same time in autumn and spring. Although they are commonly seen together on the ground or swimming in the water, they do not fly together...
Awards 2/12/12 (02/12/12)
Army National Guard Pvt. Brandon M. Garrard has graduated from basic infantry training at Fort Benning, Columbus, Ga. He is a 2008 graduate of Jackson High School. O'Reilly Auto Parts manager John Gaskins has received the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Patriot Award in recognition of his support of employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserves. ...
Your Generosity 2/12/12 (02/12/12)
Local receives scholarship from Kage FCE Club Kage FCE Club awarded Charlotte Schaffner its annual spring semester scholarship. Schaffner graduated in December from Southeast Missouri State University with a degree in diatetics. She's going for her master's degree in pediatrics at Southeast. Dorthy Strack, left, Kage FCE Club president; Schaffner; and Barbara Marshall, Kage FCE Club scholarship chairwoman.
Jackson THRIVE Teens for Jeans (02/12/12)
THRIVE students from Jackson Middle School, Jackson Junior High, and Jackson High School collected 2,230 pairs of slightly used jeans for Aeropostale and DoSomething.org's national Teens for Jeans campaign. These jeans will be distributed to homeless shelters in the U.S. and Canada. Hannah Rose, left, and Andrew Ward deliver jeans to Aeropostale...
Conducting Southeast Missouri State University's Golden Eagle Marching Band (02/12/12)
Playing a sport and playing an instrument are different, but Dr. Martin Reynolds makes the rare connection between the two when he conducts his band at Southeast Missouri State University sporting events. "I try to bring a lot of energy to what I do," said Reynolds, the director of bands at Southeast. "I love what I do. ... Probably the most visible thing I do is with the athletic bands."...
Hundreds take plunge at Trail of Tears on Saturday for Special Olympics (02/05/12)
More than 300 people took a dip in Trail of Tears State Park's Lake Boutin on Saturday to help raise money for a good cause. The sixth annual Cape Girardeau Polar Plunge was part of a statewide fundraising effort for the Special Olympics. Before Saturday nights' Post Plunge Party, which included dinner and a silent auction, $39,265 had been raised toward the goal of $50,000. ...
Missouri man is son of Civil War vet (02/05/12)
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Only a few people alive in the United States today can say their father was a Civil War soldier. David Demmy Sr., executive director of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, said he is aware of only 13 men still living whose fathers fought for the Union during the Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865. They range in age from 84 to 101...
Awards/Accomplishments 2/5/12 (02/05/12)
Patsy Johnson and Laverne Nothdurft were honored with the Thatcher award and pin signed by the president general and the National Chairman of the Junior American Citizen Committee. The theme was "Preserving America's Past." Fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students were involved. Members who remembered Pearl Harbor shared their stories, which were compiled...
FYI 2/5/12 (02/05/12)
Dr. John Yeats, executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention, will be leading Bethany Baptist Church at the 8:30 a.m. and the 11 a.m. services today. Yeats was elected with 92 percent of the vote by the MBC Executive Board on Oct. 13, and was officially installed during special ceremonies on the convention's Oct. ...
Club news 2/5/12 (02/05/12)
St. Mary Council of Catholic Women held their meeting on Jan. 19 in the Huels Room. Dr. K.S. Andrews and Wanda Leimer presented the program on arthritis. Thank-you notes were read from the Rev. Patrick Nwokoye for the Christmas gift and invitation to the dinner; from Mary Meyer for the quilt; Lucille Zerr for the expressions of sympathy on the death of her sister and for the Christmas gift. ...
SikestonChamber Choir going back in time with madrigal dinner (02/05/12)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- It is a trip back in time to ensure the future of the arts at Sikeston High School. Proceeds from the second annual Ye Olde Madrigal Dinner, scheduled for Feb. 11 at the First Christian Church Fellowship Hall, will benefit the Sikeston Public Schools Foundation and in particular the Collins Foundation, which supports arts programs throughout the school district...
Concocted images in ice formations (02/05/12)
A close look at nature will reveal its ever-changing character. While investigating thin ice on water that had pooled in an old woodland truck track, I noticed this image. With my camera braced securely on a bean bag and the lens about two inches above this nature-made caricature of a dog's head, I snapped the picture...
Your Generosity (02/05/12)
The Franklin County Honor Flight benefit fundraiser was held at the Perryville American Legion on Oct. 22. The event raised $3,135 in donations and ticket sales. The Modern Woodmen of America from Perryville, Mo., donated $2,500 bringing the total amount raised to $5,635. ...
Deer Creek Christian Academy donates to, visits SEMO Food Bank (02/05/12)
During Advent, students at Deer Creek Christian Academy in Cape Girardeau collected nonperishable food items, creating a "wall of giving" in the school hallway. On Jan. 24, the students delivered the food to the SEMO Food Bank. They toured the facility and learned about how the food bank network operates. ...
ABCs of a peaceful school (02/05/12)
Alma Schader Elementary is taking a stand against bullying with its Anti-Bullying Club, formed by five second-graders in fall 2010. "We saw a lot of bullying outside, and we wanted to stop it," said Grace Sanders, an original member who's now in third grade...