Overcast ~ 25°F   River stage: 23.46 Rising Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010

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Lifestyles Headlines Ceremony to honor Eagle Scouts Saturday (02/09/10) Over 70 boys from Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois earned the coveted Eagle Scout honor in 2009. Those 79 young men will be recognized at the annual Court of Honor ceremony at Southeast Missouri State University on Saturday. State Sen. Rob Mayer (R-Dexter) is this year's class sponsor and will be the keynote speaker. Scout district executive Bill Crowell said these boys show their future employers that they are dedicated, hard-working leaders in society... Air Force's Shades of Blue Jazz Ensemble to perform at Jackson High School (02/09/10) The new performance hall at Jackson High School will host one of the top jazz bands in the United States on Thursday night. The Shades of Blue Jazz Ensemble will take the stage to entertain young and old with a variety of tunes. "We are very excited and honored to have a military band of this caliber performing in Jackson," said David Ludwig, Americanism officer with American Legion Post 158 in Jackson. ... Super Bowl brings friends, family together for football, food and fun (02/08/10) For some area residents Sunday's Super Bowl game wasn't all about who won or lost, but instead about letting loose and finding comfort in the company of their friends, sharing laughs and their favorite snack foods. About 55 high school students in Chaffee, Mo., gathered in the industrial arts shop at the school to watch the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts game projected on a big screen. ... C.W. Rushing Charitable Trust donates to Junior Achievement (02/07/10) The C.W. Rushing Charitable Trust recently made a $1,000 donation to Junior Achievement. The money was raised at the 2009 Captain Woody Rushing Golf Tournament held at Kimbeland Country Club in Jackson. From left are Austin Rushing and Todd Rushing, both with the trust, Merideth Pobst, the Cape Girardeau district manager of Junior Achievement of Mississippi Valley Inc., and Colby Rushing with the trust... Nell Holcomb Beta Club collects items for earthquake victims (02/07/10) The Nell Holcomb Betas worked on a service project to help earthquake victims in Haiti in conjunction with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Convoy of Hope organization. The Beta Club members collected about 2,500 personal hygiene items and $180 and made "Kits 4 Kids" to send to children in Haiti. ... Local Shriners donate more than $19,000 to Shriners Hosptials for Children in St. Louis (02/07/10) Local Shriners recently donated $19,925 to the Shriners Hospitals for Children St. Louis. The Shriners provide free orthopedic and burn care to children 18 and under in hospitals around the country. Today begins the Shriners Hospitals for Children Burn Awareness Week, focusing on preventing burn injuries. Potentate Bill Drake, left, accepts a check from Stanley Grantham, 2010 president of the Cape Shrine Club... Perryville man completes Infantryman One Station Unit Training (02/07/10) Army Pvt. Jeremiah McAtee has graduated from the Infantryman One Station Unit Training at Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga. The training consists of basic infantry training and advanced individual training, which is designed to train infantry soldiers to perform reconnaissance operations; employ, fire and recover anti-personnel and anti-tank mines; locate and neutralize land mines and operate target and sight equipment; operate and maintain communications equipment and radio networks; construct field firing aids for infantry weapons among other things. ... FYI (02/07/10) The Islamic Center of Cape Girardeau has planned a "Hearts for Haiti" evening of Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine to benefit the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. The dinner will feature tabbouleh salad, hummus, biryani rice, chicken tidda, kabobs, chickpea masala and baklava. The meal will be from 3 to 6 p.m. Feb. 21 at the Islamic center on West End Boulevard. Tickets are $10. Carryouts will be available. For more information, e-mail melkarmi@yahoo.com... Innovative Orthodontics in Jackson collects winter clothing for cancer patients (02/07/10) Patients and staff at Innovative Orthodontics in Jackson collected winter clothing to donate to cancer patients at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Tina Fowler, orthodontic assistant at Innovative Orthodontics, gives Dr. Krishnamohan R. Basarakodu, a hematologist/oncologist at the hospital, a box of hats, scarves and gloves for cancer patients. Fowler said this was the first year the office has collected items, "but we're hoping it will catch on because it's for a really great cause," she said... Diving into facts about ring-neck duck (02/07/10) Although this bird is named the ring-neck duck, it is most easily identified by the white ring close to the black tip of its bill. It is a common diving duck and will dive to escape danger. A smart little duck, this one will sometimes even elude hunters by diving, swimming underwater for several yards to another location, surfacing and flying away... First step to Scouting (02/07/10) As the Boy Scouts of America prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary Monday, there are many young boys who have just started their Scouting experience with the Cub Scouts. Cub Scouts is the first step in the Boy Scouts. "It is for boys in first through fifth grades," said Shirley Sullivan, committee chairwoman and charter representative for Cub Scout Pack 15 in Cape Girardeau. "It is getting them ready for the Boy Scouts."... Valentine's gifts for the hip guy (02/07/10) Valentine's Day gift shopping for the man in your life? New, guy-oriented Web sites such as Ploomy, Gent Supply Co. and Ask Men offer some ideas -- as well as advice and information for the modern man on everything from managing money and dressing to impress, to learning about classic films, cleaning a bathroom and choosing a quality libation... How to make the most of Valentine's Day flowers (02/07/10) There may be cheaper ways to declare your love on Valentine's Day than by saying it with flowers, but that doesn't mean having to forgo a bouquet. Just put more thought into the presentation. Sometimes less is more, such as attaching a caring note to a single long-stemmed rose rather than ordering a pricey dozen. Or mix a few stellar roses with a big selection of lower-priced blooms to make a statement... Plungers grin and brrr it for Special Olympics Missouri (02/06/10) One hundred ninety hardy souls costumed as goldfish crackers, ninjas, princesses, polar bears and bananas -- and a multitude of colorful T-shirts and swimming attire -- all braved the 28-degree temperature, a wind chill of 18 degrees and a water temperature of 34 degrees, to run, dive and splash their way into Lake Boutin at Trail of Tears State Park on Saturday afternoon in the fourth annual Polar Plunge to raise money for the state's Special Olympics. Around the bend: Cape to Memphis By Dave Hardesty (02/06/10) Last month, TBY profiled Dave Hardesty and Danny Rees, two men who kayaked the Mississippi River from Cape Girardeau south to mile zero. In upcoming issues of TBY, Dave Hardesty will share a day-by-day account of the trip, which he chronicled in his journal... Mountain music magic: Man and father-in-law connect through making instruments (02/06/10) It's pretty common for a father to teach his son about the family business or even share the same talents and abilities. But it isn't every day you see a father-in-law and a son-in-law bonded by the same talents and interests. Meet Gary Dudley and his father-in-law, Jesse Williams, who are not connected by genes, but are very much connected by their love of creating beautiful things from wood... Smoking for two (or more): New reports link secondhand smoke to heart attacks (02/06/10) It's a well-known fact that smoking is an unhealthy habit. But did you also know that smoking is the most avoidable cause of disease and death? That secondhand smoke alone increases the risk of heart disease by 25 to 30 percent? And that at 24.9 percent, Missouri has the fourth-highest rate of adult smoking in the United States? The national average is just 18.3 percent... Special Olympics Missouri prepares for weekend plunge (02/04/10) More than 200 people will take an icy dip in Lake Boutin on Saturday at the 2010 Polar Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Missouri. Penny Williams, southeast area management team member for Special Olympics Missouri, said the event consists of participants jumping, diving or crawling into the cold waters of Lake Boutin in Trail of Tears State Park. Swimmers are not allowed to wear wetsuits and are encouraged to wear costumes... Jackson woman wins $10,000 in Grammy text contest (02/01/10) For 18-year-old Jackson resident Rebecca Minner, her plans to tune into the 52nd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday turned profitable. Minner won $10,000 by signing up for text updates to the show. A Grammy Awards representative called Minner early Sunday to inform her she was one of five finalists for the $10,000 and to watch the beginning of the show to see if she was a winner... Red-shouldered hawk stays close to home (01/31/10) This hawk looks a lot like a common red-tailed hawk (chicken hawk) but it is not. It is a red-shouldered hawk. The red-shouldered hawk is slightly smaller and tends to stay in or close to bottomland hardwood forests and swamps. While fishing you may hear a red-tailed hawk's loud "Kee -- AAWH" call repeated several times from the same tree with quiet intervals of a few minutes in between...