Local News

This story is updated. Rob Lewis has long been curious about what President William Howard Taft said nearly 112 years ago when the 17-boat flotilla carrying the nation's 27th president and many other political dignitaries stopped at the Cape Girardeau waterfront early in the morning of Oct. 26, 1909...

Cape Girardeau authorities responded to the 1100 block of Giboney Avenue at about 12:30 p.m. Thursday in response to a shooting. A 39-year-old man was shot and died at the scene, according to Sgt. Joey Hann of Cape Girardeau Police Department. Police were searching for three suspects, described as Black males...

The voting process has begun for the Nov. 2 election as absentee votes began to be accepted Tuesday in Cape Girardeau County. Three municipalities are asking residents for a use tax, or a tax on internet sales, made possible by the Missouri Legislature's passage of Wayfair legislation in May...

It's late September, and already the leaves have begun to change, temperatures have dropped to a crisp cool, and pumpkin-spiced products fill store shelves. To ring in the start of the new season, find fall-themed events to fill your weekends here. Jackson's two-day Oktoberfest returns to High Street this year with German-style food, vendors, live music and more...

Saint Francis Foundation is bringing a pop of color to Arena Park for a good cause again this year. The third annual Color Dash 5K and Fun Walk will be held beginning at 10 a.m. Oct. 2 at Arena Park in Cape Girardeau. Registration will be from 9 to 9:45 a.m. the day of the race, with warm-up time beginning at 9:45 a.m...

A new scholarship for international students at Southeast Missouri State University has been endowed by several alumni of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity chapter at Southeast. The Lambda Chi Alpha Alumni Endowed Scholarship for SEMO International Students was established with funding from fraternity alumnus Joshua Fonseca of Naples, Florida, and other Lambda Chi alumni. ...

A Cape Girardeau man was cited for driving while intoxicated and careless and imprudent driving resulting in a crash. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Benito Peralta-Cruz, 20, was taken into custody in Cape Girardeau County at about midnight Sunday night...

A Haywood City, Missouri, man was cited for a number of felony offenses after being arrested in Scott County. A Missouri State Highway Patrol report said Abe Williams, 67, was arrested at about 6 p.m. Tuesday and cited for two counts of felony unlawful possession of a firearm, felony receiving stolen property, possession of a controlled substance (marijuana), unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, second-offense driving while revoked, driving without insurance and failure to register a motor vehicle.. ...

A Jackson man received a 30-year sentence for second-degree murder and armed criminal action. On Thursday, Circuit Court Judge Benjamin Lewis sentenced 27-year-old Victor Grebing to consecutive sentences for offenses related to the June 23, 2020, murder of Hailey Amanda Wipfler Crook...

Chad Hartle of RCH Development has been developing affordable housing projects since 1987 and his latest initiative, South Side Village (SSV), won the endorsement of the Cape Girardeau City Council on Monday. The proposed 42-unit mixed-use development is planned along Walnut Street between South West End Boulevard and Beaudean Lane, entirely within the city's Ward 2...

Gov. Mike Parson has ordered six state-contracted monoclonal antibody infusion centers, including those in Sikeston and Poplar Bluff, to remain open an additional 30 days to help some COVID sufferers avoid hospitalization. The infusions, funded by money Missouri received from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, will continue to be free to those who come to a center who have a physician referral...

To celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, One City will host its first-ever Hispanic Heritage Celebration on Saturday. Hispanic restaurants including Panader'a Oaxaquena will serve their signature eats, live music from local artists will play and attendees may participate in Zumba, Loteria (Mexican bingo) and dancing...

Three COVID-19-related deaths pushed Scott County's pandemic death total into triple digits, county health officials reported Wednesday. According to officials at the county health department, the deaths were in the 40s, 60s and 70s age brackets. One hundred-one county residents have died because of the virus...

A new mural stretches across Cape Girardeau's floodwall downtown Wednesday. ...

For Scott City Mayor Norman Brant, approving a use tax is "a no-brainer." Brant said Wednesday a use tax could generate $200,000 or more annually if passed by voters Nov. 2. Revenue generated from the tax may go toward street improvements and boosting city employees' pay scale...

Cape Girardeau County Commission 9 a.m. Monday 1 Barton Square, Jackson Approval of minutes n Minutes of stated meeting of Sept. 20, 2021 Communications/reports -- other elected officials n COVID-19 Update: In an effort to keep Cape Girardeau County residents safe and aware regarding the status of the virus, Emergency Management Agency (EMA) director Mark Winkler will be issuing an update at County Commission meetings. ...

Cape Girardeau's Billy Swan is taking the stage Veterans Day evening to honor American veterans. The concert will be held at the Arena Building in Cape Girardeau at 7 p.m. Nov. 11, and all proceeds will go to the Cape Girardeau Veterans Home. Swan grew up in Cape Girardeau and graduated from Central High School in 1960. His "big break" came when Clyde McPhatter recorded Swan's song, 'Lover Please,' in 1962 and it soared to No. 7...

When the Wake Foundation organizes a Veterans Honor Tour from Southeast Missouri to Washington, D.C., the vets normally must board a flight out of St. Louis. Next month, they'll be flying out of Cape Girardeau Regional Airport in northern Scott County...

A viral TikTok trend called "Devious Licks" has inspired some Cape Girardeau School District students to vandalize school restrooms. Central Middle School administrators said in a letter to parents Tuesday the school has seen "an extreme amount of vandalism" in its restrooms...

The Ground-A-Bout co-founder Bob Schooley planned to open a third location of his coffeehouse by the end of summer, but recently one issue has stood in his way. "I'm ready to build it, but I can't go forward because I can't hire enough staff to fill it," Schooley said...

A number of Cape Girardeau Central students have been disciplined after video surfaced showing them physically attacking another student. School officials would not comment on identities of the students, how many were involved in the incident, the discipline handed down or whether the incident occurred on school property...

With millions of players and an estimated four billion fans, soccer (or football as the rest of the world calls it) is said to be the most popular sport on earth. In Southeast Missouri, one of the most popular soccer venues is the Jackson Soccer Park, a 17-field complex on a 27-acre tract along Route PP near the town's southern city limits...

Four slots on Cape Girardeau City Council will be decided by voters in April but the process starts Monday as the municipality begins making available petitions hopefuls may use to access the ballot. The filing period for the office of mayor -- who is the sole city-wide member of council -- and for council wards 1, 2 and 6 is Oct. 26 through Nov. 23...

"Dirt problems" have caused a minor delay in the diverging diamond interchange (DDI) project at Center Junction between Cape Girardeau and Jackson, pushing the project completion back by more than a week. The project's general contractor, Penzel Construction of Jackson, had hoped to finish the $17.4 million interchange project at the junction of Interstate 55 and U.S. 61 by the end of next week. That would have been a full month ahead of the original completion deadline of Nov. 1...

In accordance with a measure approved by the Missouri General Assembly this spring, Cape Girardeau City Council gave first reading to a bill Monday extending the hours liquor may be sold in the city on Sundays. "This ordinance is just to comply with a recent change in state law," Mayor Bob Fox told the Southeast Missourian, who noted final reading will be Oct. 4...

Apple Creek Presbyterian Church, a congregation that has not met regularly since 1939, held a 200th anniversary celebration Sunday a half-mile east of Pocahontas. Trudy Lee, vice president of university advancement at Southeast Missouri State University, is a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Cape Girardeau...

COVID-19 cases appeared to slow their rate of growth in the past several days, at least in Cape Girardeau County. Officials with the county's public health center reported 75 new cases (54 confirmed and 21 probable) since Friday, a decline from recent case increases. ...

CHARLESTON, Mo. — Mississippi County Prosecuting Attorney Darren Cann died early Thursday at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Missouri. He was 56. A post Thursday on the Charleston Department of Public Safety official Facebook page said Cann died from complications associated with COVID-19...

Jason Yeager's next door neighbors want his business to succeed, just not at his home. And after hearing from the neighbors, the Jackson Board of Aldermen agreed Yeager shouldn't operate Fuzz's Transmissions in an area zoned for single-family residential homes...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Chantelle Becking began her keynote presentation with an impromptu dance party, setting the mood and livening up the crowd for the last segment of the Women Aware conference at Black River Coliseum on Thursday. Women Aware Inc. is an organization dedicated to empowering women. ...

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded Scott City a 35% matching grant for new police vehicles. The grant will allow the city to purchase two new police vehicles, according to city administrator Mike Dudek. "We have some older (Chevy) Tahoes that have been needing repairs," Dudek said. "[With the grant], we would save money in the long run because we wouldn't have to pay for repairs with newer vehicles."...

Cape Girardeau Regional Airport in northern Scott County continues its rebound in passenger traffic from the depths of the COVID pandemic in 2020, according to the latest usage report issued by the office of airport manager Katrina Amos. Enplanements, the industry term to designate passenger boardings, stands at 5,121 year-to-date for the first eight months of 2021, with 806 boardings recorded last month...

Oktoberfest is returning this year to Jackson, bringing a biergarten, German-style food, local vendors and live music back to High Street this Oct. 1 and 2 after taking a hiatus last year because of the pandemic. Funded and operated by the Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization, the first night of festivities will run from 6 to 10 p.m. Oct. 1, and then 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 2. Each day is free to attend...

Southeast Missouri State University students will see an increase in their bank accounts Wednesday, as the university begins distributing $10.4 million in coronavirus relief funds. Southeast received the money in Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEERF) III funds from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to distribute directly to students, according to a university news release...

At its essence, a shipyard is a place where vessels and people of the world collide. Shipyard Music Festival is no different. Shipyard set sail Friday at Century Casino Cape Girardeau, drawing a crowd mixed with area residents and travelers. Kayla Gisseman of St. Roberts, Missouri, drove to Cape Girardeau to attend Shipyard. Friday night was her first time in Cape. She came to see one of her favorite bands, Motherfolk, with her three young children...

Retired banker Danny Essner, long active in community organizations such as Old Town Cape, is taking on a new short-term challenge. Essner will gather this week with other like-minded businesspeople to game out a marketing strategy aimed at persuading Cape Girardeau voters to approve a 2.75% user tax -- a tax on internet sales -- on the Nov. 2 ballot...

No COVID-19-related deaths were reported in nearby Missouri counties Friday, but active virus case counts remained elevated. Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center officials reported 53 new confirmed virus cases, along with 36 new probable cases, for a total of 12,093 cases for the pandemic. As of Friday, there were 416 active cases in the county. Officials reported no new virus-related deaths. To date, 149 county residents have died because of the virus...

Signal improvements slated for Scott City interchange The Missouri Department of Transportation plans to install flashing yellow arrows at the Interstate 55/Route AB interchange (Exit 91) in Scott City. According to a MoDOT news release, the improvements will include updating the signals at the northbound and southbound ramps, as well as at the I-55 outer road. ...

During a meeting Wednesday described by Board of Education president Gary Miller as "vocal," the Scott City School District board voted to extend the current mask mandate at the "Orange" level until the board meets again Oct. 20. Michael Umfleet, in his third year as superintendent, told the Scott City Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday the mandate was originally put in place after Labor Day when 115 students in the 762-pupil district were in COVID-19 quarantine...

Congressman Jason Smith kicked off the livestock auction at the SEMO District Fair by praising sellers and thanking buyers. "When I found out this was happening today, I said, 'I have to stop,'" he told the group assembled in the livestock arena. The livestock auction culminates the process for the young people who show their livestock at the fair. Buyers -- usually area business leaders -- purchase the animals at premium prices, providing a return on the youths' investment...

The East Perry Community Fair, known as the "Best Little Fair in the Land," returns Sept. 24 and 25, to Altenburg, Missouri, following last year's absence. The fair was founded in 1937 and it has been held in the same location every year since, except for last year and the years 1942 through 1945 during World War II in compliance with government requests to conserve resources...

A crew sets up The Shipyard Music Festival main stage Thursday before it begins this evening at Century Casino in Cape Girardeau. There will be 11 nationally-touring bands and seven local musicians performing on two stages throughout the festival today and Saturday.

For Sarah Kellogg, the annual Walk to End Alzheimer's is a personal experience as much as it is an advocative one. She has attended each walk since 2017 in support of her two aunts who have Alzheimer's and in memory of her grandmother who died because of the disease...

The Humane Society of Southeast Missouri is bringing back the largest mobile pet adoption event in the area later this month. The third annual Humane Society of Southeast Missouri Pet Expo and Fall Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 25, at Arena Park in Cape Girardeau...

A Jackson man sustained serious injuries in a one-vehicle crash Monday. A Missouri State Highway Patrol report said Waylon Lindner, 39, was westbound on Cape Girardeau County Road 525 northeast of Pocahontas when the 1996 Nissan pickup he was driving ran off the roadway and struck an embankment. The report said Lindner was not wearing a safety device...

A Cape Girardeau man was arrested Monday in connection with a vehicle crash. A Missouri State Highway Patrol report said Jakob Payne, 25, was arrested for alleged felony driving while intoxicated and felony leaving the scene of a crash. He was taken to Cape Girardeau County Jail and held for 24 hours...

A Cape Girardeau woman was arrested Tuesday night for alleged felony drug possession. According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, authorities arrested Lillian Belcher, 18, for allegedly possessing methamphetamine in Stoddard County, Missouri. She was taken to the county jail and released...

An East Prairie, Missouri, man was arrested Thursday afternoon on three counts of alleged felony possession of child pornography. A Missouri State Highway Patrol report said Avery Yancy, 20, was taken into custody at about 1 p.m. He was taken to Mississippi County Jail, where he was to be held for 24 hours...

A Charleston, Missouri, man was arrested Tuesday for alleged felony property damage. A Missouri State Highway Patrol report said Chante Lyons, 36, was arrested at about 1 p.m. in Scott County for alleged felony property damage and on a New Madrid County (Missouri) warrant...

It's "aboat" time for downtown Cape Girardeau's third Shipyard Music Festival. The event will be held Friday and Saturday at Century Casino Cape Girardeau and feature two stages, one sponsored by Southeast Missouri State University and one by the casino...