Local News

WASHINGTON (AP) — The threat of a federal government shutdown ended late Saturday, hours before a midnight deadline, as Congress approved a temporary funding bill to keep agencies open and sent the measure to President Joe Biden to sign. The rushed package drops aid to Ukraine, a White House priority opposed by a growing number of GOP lawmakers, but increases federal disaster assistance by $16 billion, meeting Biden’s full request. The bill funds government until Nov. 17...

Cape Girardeau City Council members will consider a comprehensive Redevelopment Agreement for West Park Mall at their meeting, Monday, Oct 2. The proposed Redevelopment Agreement from River City Centre LLC, a group of local investors who bought the mall more than two years ago, envisions redeveloping West Park Mall to accommodate new retail spaces. ...

Morning rush hour traffic in Jackson Monday, Oct. 2, is expected to be out of the ordinary, thanks to the 6 a.m. launch of Route 61 improvements overseen by Missouri Department of Transportation and authorized by the state Highways and Transportation Commission...

Cape Girardeau Public Schools Board of Education will host a community discussion Thursday, Oct. 5, at Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center. According to a CGPS news release, the board and other district leaders will be on hand to meet community members and share information regarding current and future opportunities for CGPS students...

Voters in Perry County, Missouri, pay about $350,000 in property taxes annually to go toward Perry County Memorial Hospital. The $350,000 is a fraction of the overall budget, but taxpayers have always had representation for this taxation, per Missouri law...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- On the final countdown before Perry Memorial Health System was to be absorbed by the Mercy system, a meeting in the basement of Perry County Memorial Hospital demonstrated a divided community over the direction of the local institution...

Community Partnership of Southeast Missouri will host the 14th annual Project Hope event Friday, Oct. 6, in Cape Girardeau. Free services such as medical and dental assessments, haircuts and eye exams will be provided for low-income or homeless families...

This year's SEMO District Fair boasted the highest attendance in three years. Darrell Aufdenberg, president of the Board of Directors for the fair, said he didn't have exact numbers yet, but was confident in his estimation that attendance was up by 10%. Fair admissions totaled 82,887 in 2022 and 80,637 in 2021...

City of Jackson mayor and Board of Aldermen Regular meeting 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 18 Adoption of agenda n Motion adopting the regular meeting agenda. Approval of minutes n Motion approving the minutes of the regular meeting of Monday, Sept. 18. Financial affairs...

Route C in Scott County closed for bridge work Route C in Scott County -- from County Road 402 to Route H near Morley -- will be closed as Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform bridge maintenance. According to a MoDOT news release, the work will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2...

Cape Girardeau County Commission 9 a.m. Monday, Oct, 2 1 Barton Square, Jackson Approval of minutes n Approval of minutes of the Monday, Sept. 25, meeting Communications/reports -- other selected officials/department heads n Updates on new jail and 1908 courthouse project...

Cape Girardeau City Council 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2 City Hall Presentations n Recognition of Randy Lueder for retirement from the Parks & Recreation Department Communications report n City Council Items for discussion n Appearances by Advisory Board Applicants...

The Cape Girardeau County FCE Council met Thursday, Sept. 7, at the University of Missouri Extension Center in Jackson. President Judy Strickland presided. The pledges to the American Flag and the Missouri Flag were recited. The devotion, "My Younger Days" was presented by JoAnn Hahs of Lamplighters Club...

Wielding a gigantic pair of scissors, Ken Bateman and Lauren Thomas cut through a pair of ribbons Thursday, Sept. 28, symbolizing the completion of SoutheastHEALTH's renovated 1708 Lacey St. building in Cape Girardeau. Bateman, SoutheastHEALTH's president and CEO, and Thomas, its executive director of laboratory and outreach services, spoke before a crowd of several dozen in front of the building before the ribbon-cutting...

Bus ridership in Cape Girardeau has increased by almost 100% since last year, Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority officials reported. "In July of 2022, our total monthly ridership was 819. It slowly increased every month and, by May, it was up to 1,595. It seemed to level off around there for now," said Susan Redford, operations manager at CGCTA...

The annual Jackson Band Festival, featuring high school bands from throughout the region, will be held Tuesday, Oct. 3. This is the 79th year the festival has been held. The day's event will start with the Parade of Bands through Jackson at 4 p.m. The parade will go through the uptown Jackson area along High, Main and Russell streets. According to the City of Jackson, much of South High and West Main streets will be closed as the parade heads north and west to and from the high school campus...

The largest single financial transaction in the lives of most Americans is the sale or purchase of a residence. There are requirements baked into state law, known as Revised Statutes of Missouri, which govern the sharing, or disclosure, of information when a property goes up for sale...

Cape Girardeau Public Schools will host free developmental screenings for children, ages 6 months to 34 months, who reside in the district. According to a CGPS news release, screenings will be held Friday, Sept. 29, Oct. 27, Dec. 1, Feb. 9 and March 15...

Five people were arrested in Cape Girardeau on Wednesday, Sept. 27, after an alleged vehicle theft. According to a social media post from Missouri Fraternal Order of Police-Lodge 51 -- an organization comprised of Cape Girardeau police officers -- officers took a report of a stolen vehicle and later found the vehicle at a residence in the city. ...

A Kennett, Missouri, woman has been sentenced to 10 years in prison on drug and firearm charges. A release from U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri Sayler Fleming said U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. in Cape Girardeau sentenced Paula Laboone, 64, to the prison term for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon...

A man from Advance, Missouri, was seriously injured and a Ste. Genevieve County man was also hurt in a two-vehicle mishap Tuesday, Sept. 26 in Cape Girardeau County. State Highway Patrol said Cody G. Gaither, 34, was driving a 2012 Subaru Impreza, which went off Highway 25 southbound in Delta at 12:20 p.m., veered back onto the roadway and struck a northbound 2018 Ford F550 pickup...

Homeless people camping near Cape Girardeau's walking trail is an infrequent but steady issue being addressed by the city. For example, the Cape Girardeau Police Department on Tuesday, Sept. 26, found an individual camping near the trail, and simply told him he could not camp there and he left the area...

A car and truck collided at approximately 8 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, between Southeast Hospital and Capaha Park at the intersection of Lacey Street and Broadway..

A multivehicle crash at about 8:45 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, brought westbound traffic to a halt on William Street at its intersection with South Kingshighway...

Josh Lukefahr's vision of rehabilitating basketball courts he grew up playing on as a child in Jackson's City Park is coming to fruition. A GoFundMe account the 1997 Jackson High School graduate started in the spring of 2022 has netted more than Lukefahr's $10,000 goal, and the city's use of federal funds is helping pay the rest of the needed renovation of a venue that over the years had become somewhat rundown...

Band names often tell a story, even if the true origin might be a little fuzzy. Local band Community Sadness has a story behind its name — a true one. Lead singer Dyami Cluney said the band didn't begin as Community Sadness but rather a version of Dyami Cluney and the Secondhand Spirit. ...

A new business in Cape Girardeau aims to be the first of its kind in the region. Selfie Street, located at 1606 Independence St., will open Sunday, Oct. 1. The business is a self-guided selfie experience where customers can pose for photographs with a variety of props and backgrounds...

Missouri State Treasurer Vivek Malek is in Cape Girardeau to host the department's annual unclaimed property auction. The auction began Wednesday, Sept. 27, and continues Thursday, Sept 28, at Drury Plaza Hotel Cape Girardeau Convention Center, located at 3351 Percy Drive...

Missouri was a border state during the American Civil War, and Missourians fought on both sides of the war. Battles raged across every corner of the state. In Southeast Missouri, close to the vital Mississippi River, the war was unavoidable. Several battles and skirmishes were fought in the area, some close to home...

SEMO Alliance for Disability Independence Inc. will celebrate its 30th anniversary Friday, Sept. 29. SADI is a not-for-profit organization offering programs to help individuals with disabilities, including independent living and personal care services...

Veterans who meet certain conditions have an opportunity for a special enrollment for Veterans Affairs health care. Until 11:59 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, veterans who deployed to a combat zone, never enrolled in VA health care and left active duty between Sept. 11, 2001, and Oct. 1, 2013, are eligible to enroll directly in VA health care without first applying for VA benefits...

Southeast Missouri State University students perform during a rehearsal for the musical "Head Over Heels". ...

A Cape Girardeau man was arrested Sunday, Sept. 24, when he allegedly tried to flee from a Cape Girardeau Police Department officer and allegedly was discovered to possess drug paraphernalia. Authorities said the officer made contact with Dakota Tofi, 36, around 12:30 a.m. in the 900 block of William Street. Tofi had an active municipal arrest warrant. When the officer learned this and attempted to take him into custody, Tofi allegedly fled...

Forty-two months ago, COVID-19 was perhaps the best known acronym in America. Not so much these days. News of the perilous and sometimes lethal coronavirus disease, which burst onto the American scene in March 2020, plunged the United States into lockdowns, remote work and distance learning...

Cape Girardeau's PORCH Initiative has begun to rehab four houses the not-for-profit purchased in south Cape Girardeau to make them available for first-time homebuyers. PORCH, an acronym standing for People Organized to Revitalized Community Healing, announced Friday, Sept 22, family-owned-and-operated Perez Home Construction has begun renovation on the first of the quartet of homes, located at 1143 S. Pacific St., utilizing funds received from private donations...

The Cape Girardeau Public Schools Board of Education authorized superintendent Howard Benyon to negotiate a contract with Brockmiller Construction for the completion of the final phase of the indoor athletic facility at the Cape Central High School campus...

This year's Riverfront Fall Festival will be Saturday Oct. 21. It is the second year Visit Cape will be holding this festival, which will start at 11 a.m. and go until 6 p.m., with activities taking place in the Kellerman Foundation parking lot, Water Street, Themis Street and Riverfront Park along the floodwall...

A video of the Neelyville Board or Education meeting Thursday, Sept. 21, when four board members resigned was provided Monday, Sept. 25, to the Daily American Republic newspaper. The video revealed comments from each person on why they were resigning...

On July 7, 2023, at Dexter's East Park, hot balloons glowed like giant birthday candles as they hovered over the land. In a sense, that is what they were, since Dexter is celebrating its 150th birthday this year. Dexter officially became a city on July 4, 1873, and has grown considerably since. Executive director of the Dexter

With a federal government shutdown looming Saturday, Sept. 30, Southeast Missouri congressman Jason Smith — appearing on CNBC's "Squawk Box" program Monday, Sept. 25 — expressed confidence House Speaker Kevin McCarthy can push through a stopgap continuing resolution to keep Washington functioning...

National Public Radio political correspondent Don Gonyea will speak at a fundraising breakfast for KRCU Public Radio on Wednesday, Oct. 4, on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University. Gonyea is visiting Cape Girardeau to help kick off the KRCU Fall Membership Drive...

Former Major League Baseball player Kerry Robinson was sworn in as a member of the Southeast Missouri State University board of governors Friday, Sept. 22. Robinson was appointed by Gov. Mike Parson on July 3, with a term expiring Jan. 1, 2030. He was sworn in by Senior District Judge Steven Limbaugh Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri...

Cape Girardeau County was asked Monday, Sept. 25, to make a $2,500 quarterly commitment to not-for-profit Stars & Stripes Historic Region Foundation -- after authorizing legislation this spring approving creation of the 26-county area, plus the city of St. Louis, passed the Missouri General Assembly...

Crystal Quade, Democratic Party candidate for governor and Missouri House minority leader, poses for a photo Saturday, Sept. 23, in Cape Girardeau. ...

The sixth annual Scott Wright Memorial Cornhole Classic will take place Saturday, Oct. 7, with all proceeds benefiting training and competition of 1,100 Special Olympics Missouri athletes. The event is hosted by Knights of Columbus at 318 S. Spanish St. in Cape Girardeau. Check-in is at 9:30 a.m., with competition starting at 10:30 a.m...

When three teenagers died of fentanyl overdoses last year in Larimer County, Colorado, it shocked the community and "flipped families upside down," said Tom Gonzales, the county's public health director. Several schools began stocking naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses. Community organizations trained teens to use it. But county and school officials wanted to do more...

Biden administration to ban medical debt From Americans' credit scores The Biden administration announced a major initiative to protect Americans from medical debt on Thursday, outlining plans to develop federal rules barring unpaid medical bills from affecting patients' credit scores...

A mountain lion was spotted by trail cameras in Southern Missouri last week after killing an elk in Shannon County. It was the 117th confirmed mountain lion sighting in Missouri since 1994. Missouri Department of Conservation received reports of a mountain lion Sept. 12, prompting members of the department’s large carnivore response team to respond to the area...

CHARLESTON, Mo. — A new, furry buddy at Warren E. Hearnes Elementary is helping to make students' days brighter. The first therapy dog in the history of the Charleston school is 100% certified. According to Hearnes Elementary administrator Amy Smotherman, who introduced Georgia to students Sept. 14, the youngsters at the lower elementary school already adore Georgia...

NEELYVILLE, Mo. — Four Neelyville Board of Education members resigned Thursday night, Sept. 21, after reading statements to those attending the regular meeting. Resigning were president Vernon Barker, vice president Dean Fisher and members Robert Burgett and Wayne Willcut. Remaining board members are Paul Petty, Jim Hover and Jill McGruder...