Local News

Next year's Southeast- HEALTH Foundation Journey Gala will feature Olympic gold medalist figure skater Scott Hamilton, live music, gourmet dinner and more. The third annual gala, a cocktail attire, black tie optional event, will be held 6 p.m. Jan. 19 at the Drury Plaza Conference Center in Cape Girardeau, according to a news release...

The 2018 Crader Lecture will feature Jonathan Den Hartog, speaking on "Political Conflict and Religious Struggle in the New Nation: The Federalists and The View from 2018," Southeast Missouri State University recently announced. The lecture, to be held at 7:30 p.m. ...

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill blasted pharmaceutical companies for the high price of prescription drugs Wednesday and accused them of "unbridled greed." McCaskill, D-Mo., focused on health care during a campaign stop in Cape Girardeau. Speaking to an enthusiastic crowd of about 50 people at the Laborers' Local 1104 office, McCaskill said the Republican-led Congress has failed to bring down the cost of health care for consumers, including the cost of medicine...

Major repairs will be made next year to the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge, which will require limiting or closing access to Fountain Street near the span, city and Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) officials said. City engineer Casey Brunke termed it "emergency repairs" in an agenda report to the Cape Girardeau City Council...

Broken and Redeemed Dance Studio is hosting a free, community-wide dance party with local talent and True Que Barbecue from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at One City in Cape Girardeau. Jimmie Miller, owner of Broken and Redeemed Dance Studio, described the dance party as the studio's "final hoorah for now."...

Exhibition basketball team and Guinness World Record holders The Harlem Globetrotters are set to bring their razzle dazzle basketball skills to the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau at 7 p.m. Jan. 16, according to a news release Wednesday. Cape Girardeau is one of the team's 250 stops in North America and will feature elite dunkers and exceptional ball handlers, the statement said...

Operation Christmas Child -- a charity sponsored by Samaritan's Purse -- will begin gathering toys, school supplies and hygiene items Nov. 12 to be donated to children overseas during the Christmas season, according to a news release from Samaritan's Purse...

Ameren Missouri is set to begin construction on a one-megawatt solar panel facility that will provide customers the option to support a more sustainable power model, an official with the company said. Matt Forck, assistant vice president of community, economic development and energy solutions at Ameren Missouri, said residential and small-business customers might not individually be able to participate in solar power, either because of homeowners’ associations restrictions or a high upfront investment, but still want to support solar power. ...

Gov. Mike Parson urged area civic and local government leaders Tuesday to push for passage of Proposition D, the fuel-tax-increase measure on the November ballot. He told the audience at the Drury Plaza Hotel Conference Center in Cape Girardeau improving the state’s roads and bridges and workforce development are vital to moving Missouri forward. He said they are the two major focuses of his administration...

The City of Cape Girardeau is accepting proposals for the development of a city-owned property at the northwest corner of Broadway and Main Street downtown. In seeking to develop the 1.04-acre property, a parking lot, the city hopes the space will be put to more constructive use, advancing the city’s 2017 Downtown Strategic Plan. ...

Jackson High School theater students are set to perform a female-focused “The Odd Couple” — nearly two months in the making — next week. Taylor Hamlett, director of theater at Jackson High School, is leading this year’s fall production, following in former director Bob Clubb’s footsteps...

Salvador Mondragon, a fisheries management biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, holds a black crappie after measuring it for data and sampling purposes Tuesday at Lake Girardeau in Whitewater.

Medicare open enrollment begins this week, which means it’s a good time for older adults to look into the APPLE project, which helps adults age 60 and older fill out paperwork. The project serves those who live in Cape Girardeau, Perry and Scott counties...

The Southeast Missouri counties of Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Iron, Madison, Perry and Ste. Genevieve are eligible for federal disaster aid to address damage caused by storms in spring 2017, a regional planning official said. Barry Horst, executive director of the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission, said the Federal Emergency Management Agency funding would be for damage from storms that occurred April 28 through May 11...

Cape Girardeau city officials have scrapped the idea of putting a use-tax measure on the April ballot, preferring instead to see what the state Legislature might do to tax online sales. At Monday’s study session, council members agreed with city staff it makes sense to see whether lawmakers will establish a process allowing the state and local governments to levy sales taxes on online purchases...

Discussion on abandonment of East Jefferson Street between Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and School, setting of public hearings and contract extensions were among items on the agenda for Monday's Jackson Board of Aldermen meeting. A contract between the city and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau to abandon East Jefferson Street between South Hope and South Ohio streets was tabled until the Nov. 5 meeting, pending discussion of concerns by board members...

Commissioners approved an addition to the Cape Girardeau County Justice Center project at Monday’s regular meeting, meaning the $18 million project will now include dedicated space for county and state information technology staff. At the meeting’s outset, commissioners observed a moment of silence in honor of Judge Marybelle Mueller, who died Wednesday at age 91...

Cape Girardeau resident Stephen McGee views the Mississippi River on Monday as it covers a portion of the parking lot at the Red Star Access in Cape Girardeau.

A chilly morning parade featuring fire trucks and Redhawk pride launched Southeast Missouri State University Homecoming activities Saturday. Southeast alumnus Sherry Jennings owns Mississippi Mutts on Broadway in Cape Girardeau — located along the parade route — and was observing from inside her business...

Southeast Missouri native and musician Jessie Ritter was crowned champion Thursday during the fourth annual Nash Next competition at Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville, Tennessee. “I am officially a recording artist for Big Machine Label Group,” Ritter said in a telephone interview Friday. “I signed the contract last night.”...

argeted culling is a hyper-focused effort to manage chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Missouri’s white-tailed deer population, said Matt Bowyer, wildlife regional supervisor with the Missouri Department of Conservation. It’s also a voluntary program aimed directly at confirmed CWD cases and the immediate area, Bowyer said...

Study session Presentations n Citizen Academy graduate recognition n Recognition of police officer Jack Wimp's retirement n Beautiful Business Property of the Month Communications/reports...

Approval of minutes n Minutes of regular meeting of 9/24/18 Financial affairs n Monthly bills Proclamation n Proclamation recognizing October to be Operation Christmas Child Month in Jackson...

Approval of minutes n Minutes of Oct. 11 meeting Communications/reports -- other elected officials n Purchase order for UMB Bank Series 2011 Bonds -- treasurer Roger Hudson Public comments...

Former Cape Girardeau County judge Marybelle Mueller, the first female lawyer to serve on the bench in Missouri, was remembered Friday as a judicial pioneer. Mueller of Jackson died Wednesday at Chateau Girardeau Health Center in Cape Girardeau. She was 91...

Republican state Rep. Kathy Swan and Democratic challenger Renita Green disagree on everything from how to draw legislative districts to medical marijuana. Swan of Cape Girardeau, who was first elected to the District 147 House seat in 2012, is seeking her fourth, two-year term in the Nov. 6 election...

In her 11 years at The Dexter Statesman, managing editor Noreen Hyslop has written her fair share of news stories and features, ranging from personality features to city council meetings to cancer survivor victories to complicated court cases. Whatever the news of the day, Noreen was on it...

The Southeast District Fall FCE Meeting was held Oct. 4 at Temple Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, hosted by Butler County. Butler County was in charge of registration and morning refreshments. Shirley Kirkley, Southeast District Director from Poplar Bluff, presided. ...

Cape Girardeau County parks soon will have a foundation in place to assist with fundraising and money dispersal, according to parks superintendent Bryan Sander, who spoke at Thursday's regular County Commission meeting in Jackson. Sander said the county park board met with Judy Cantoni, east region manager with Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO). The organization specializes in helping organizations manage donated funds, Cantoni said by phone Thursday...

Clipz Playcare in Jackson opened for business Monday in the former Just Kids daycare building at 608 Rosamund St., a new space with familiar faces. Owner Cherie Harris said it's been a long process, building a daycare for dogs, but a real labor of love for all involved...

Southeast Missouri's Safe House for Women is hosting its ninth annual VintageNOW Fashion Show fundraiser Oct. 20 at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau for the first time. Last year's show was held at the Osage Centre in Cape Girardeau, but Safe House executive director Jessica Hill said it has been relocated this year due to last year's crowd size and this year's expected 1,500 to 2,000 attendees. Since it began, the fashion show has raised over $350,000, she said...

Police have identified the victim in Sunday's fatal shooting as Dalvin R. Taylor, 26, of Cairo, Illinois. Illinois State Police, who are leading the investigation, released a statement Thursday morning describing the shooting that took place on the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge...

The City of Jackson could be a partner in development of an indoor aquatic center, particularly if the facility is located near the SportsPlex bordering Interstate 55, a councilman said Wednesday. Jackson Councilman Paul Sander, a former mayor of the city, delivered that message to a meeting of the Aquatics Facility Committee and consultants the City of Cape Girardeau has hired to help plan for the project...

A Cape Girardeau developer's plan to build duplexes on an 18.5-acre site bordering Old Hopper Road won the backing Wednesday of the city's planning and zoning commission despite neighborhood concerns. The commission voted 7 to 0 with two abstentions to recommend the City Council rezone the property from R-1, single family residential district, to R-3, high density, single-family residential district...

Cape Girardeau Central High School theatre students have raised the barn on their latest production -- "Charlotte's Web" -- set to premiere 7 p.m. today at Kinder Hall. Based on the book by E.B. White and adapted by Joseph Robinette, "Charlotte's Web" briefly follows the life of Wilbur, a barnyard pig who desperately tries all he can to avoid death by welcoming the company and assistance of a nearby spider and his soon-to-be best friend, Charlotte...

Jackson resident and aviation enthusiast Lowell Peterson has died following a plane crash. He was 74. Peterson and longtime friend Jack Mehner were hospitalized Tuesday after a plane they were flying flipped at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. Cape Girardeau Police Department public-information officer Rick Schmidt had confirmed Peterson and Lowell were the only "two souls on board" the plane at the time of the crash...

Hundreds of high school students kneel for a prayer led by Southeast Missouri State running back Marquis Terry, lower center, during a Fields of Faith event sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes on Wednesday at Houck Stadium.

Cape Girardeau County Commission 1 Barton Square, Jackson 9 a.m. today Approval of minutes n Minutes of Oct. 4 meeting Communications/reports -- other elected officials n None at this time Public comments n Items listed on the agenda Routine business...

The Missouri Department of Conservation is considering changes to state regulations to help curb the spread of chronic wasting disease, or CWD, an incurable and always-fatal disease that affects deer, moose and elk — members of the cervid family. During a public meeting Tuesday night at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center, Barbara Keller, cervid program supervisor with MDC, gave a presentation to about 60 people on CWD and measures the department is taking to mitigate the disease’s spread, including potential regulation changes. ...

Jack Mehner and Lowell Peterson were hospitalized Tuesday when a plane they were flying flipped at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. The private aircraft carrying the two men flipped at 11 a.m., according to a statement issued by Cape Girardeau public-information manager Nicolette Brennan. The airport is a city property...

The two candidates for the Missouri state representative District 146 seat have contrasting views on the “Clean Missouri” and medical marijuana measures on the November ballot. But Republican candidate Barry Hovis and Democratic candidate Gayla Dace support Proposition D, the gas-tax-increase measure on the ballot...

Parking in certain areas of Cape Girardeau will be restricted ahead of the Southeast Missouri State University Homecoming Parade, set for 9:30 a.m. Saturday, according to a news release from the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Beginning at 2 a.m. Saturday, parking will be prohibited on both sides of Broadway from North West End Boulevard to Main Street; on Main Street from Park Drive to William Street; on North West End Boulevard from Broadway to Parkview Drive; on the east side of Perry Avenue from Broadway to Parkview; on Houck Place, and Bellevue Street to North Pacific Street (in front of Houck Stadium); and on the east side of Perry Avenue to Parkview. ...

A competitive race for U.S. Senate and various ballot measures have spurred increased voter registration, Cape Girardeau County Clerk Kara Clark Summers said Tuesday. Today marks the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 6 election. Voters have until 5 p.m. to register, Summers said...

Illinois State Police are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred early Sunday morning at the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge, which connects Cape Girardeau to East Cape Girardeau, Illinois, but authorities have not named the victim or described the circumstances surrounding the shooting...

A cyclist rides past Shivelbines Music store at 535 Broadway, where window art pieces are seen Tuesday in celebration of the upcoming Homecoming weekend in Cape Girardeau.

A retired Catholic priest is accused of sexually abusing a child while he was a “transitional deacon” at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Cape Girardeau in the early 1970s, a church official said Monday. The allegation against the Rev. Fred Lutz was reported to the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau in 2006 but not disclosed publicly until this week, said Leslie Anne Eidson, communications director for the diocese...

Stoddard and Butler county officials say the numbers of noncompliant sex offenders in their counties were skewed in a recently released state audit. The information released by state Auditor Nicole Galloway states 1,259 sex offenders are unaccounted for in Missouri. The audit ranked Stoddard County as having the highest rate, 25.2 percent, with Butler County as the third-worst at 20 percent...

Scott County Presiding Commissioner Jamie Burger views unfunded state and federal mandates as the county’s biggest challenge. Challenger Jim Glueck wants to make county government “more accessible” to the public. But while they don’t run the Scott County Sheriff’s Department, the two candidates are being drawn into a legal battle involving Sheriff Wes Drury. ...

After writing 33 books on subjects as varied as William Faulkner, coach Ron Shumate at Southeast Missouri State University, and baseball, Bob Hamblin has authored a novel, “Leaving Here,” about a depressed lawyer drawn into the fight for gay rights in small-town Missouri in the early 1990s...

Postal workers demonstrate Monday in front of the Rush Hudson Limbaugh Sr. U.S. Courthouse to protest talks of privatizing the U.S. Postal Service. ...