Local News

Residents in Cape Girardeau's south-side neighborhood and city and school leaders have the same goal in mind: improving the struggling neighborhood. The debate is on how to do it and what should happen first. City officials suggest progress might take years; residents want more immediate results...

South Cape Girardeau residents want to bring new programs to the city's Shawnee Park Center to transform it into a community center for the neighborhood. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is leading the effort in partnership with the Authentic Voices neighborhood group and others...

Eleventh-grade students at Cape Girardeau's public schools each will receive a chance to take the ACT this academic year, according to school officials. Tony Robinson, deputy superintendent of secondary education, said the district feels the ACT is an important component of their overall plan to bring students to college and career readiness...

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- Officials in Carter County said recovery dollars from the Federal Emergency Management Agency could total only half of what is needed to repair the courthouse, sheriff's department and jail. The matter was discussed Monday by commissioners, county clerk, sheriff and a representative of U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill's office...

A Perryville, Missouri, man has been charged with stabbing and cutting a woman’s throat Wednesday, Perry County Sheriff Gary Schaaf said. Jesse Deere, 27, was apprehended by the Perryville Police Department after the attack first was reported to the sheriff’s office, according to a news release...

Approval of minutes n Minutes of the Sept. 18 meeting Communications/reports -- other elected officials n None at this time Public comments n Items listed on agenda Routine business...

Nearly 100 people crowded into Heritage Hall in Cape Girardeau on Tuesday to hear a succession of speakers talk about the life and times of U.S. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr., a federal judge and Civil War buff, said he was shocked to see the standing-room-only crowd...

Thanks to volunteer and professional efforts, animals at the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri in Cape Girardeau have a new care unit for specialized treatment of illnesses, according to officials. The main Humane Society building at 2536 Boutin Drive in Cape Girardeau still will house the animal population, Humane Society board president Charlotte Craig said, but the care unit has been needed for a long time...

Darryl Strawberry had it all as a Major League Baseball player: Power with 335 home runs, speed with 221 stolen bases, money and fame, winning four World Series titles in New York City — three with the Yankees and one with the Mets. The 1983 National League Rookie of the Year had other well-documented numbers that largely derailed the second half of his 17-year career. He was suspended three times for substance abuse and was diagnosed with colon cancer...

Cape Girardeau County assistant prosecuting attorney Frank Miller received the Lon O. Hocker Trial Advocacy Award from the Missouri Bar Foundation. Miller, who has worked in the county prosecutor’s office for the past 6 1/2 years, is one of only three young lawyers in Missouri to receive the award, Prosecuting Attorney Chris Limbaugh said in a news release...

The background is neutral, done in soft grays with black industrial shelving with a high, open ceiling. Dandelion pictures dot the upper walls, monochrome close-ups focused in on seeds -- on wishes -- ready to fly. Wide windows wash the floors and the clothes with light, and on opening day Monday, shoppers drifted between display racks and tables...

The Cape Girardeau City Council voted unanimously Monday to ban the use of shipping containers as dwellings and limit the use of them for other purposes. The council action brought an end to months of debate and discussion among council members, city staff and the planning and zoning commission...

Chad Smith works on a fuel pump at Kidd's gas station and convenience store Monday at 1325 Broadway in Cape Girardeau. Workers began a long-planned remodeling of the store Monday, which will include a more pump stations and upgraded drive-through.

Cape Girardeau city officials implemented a six-month pilot program Monday to expedite the review of plans for commercial developments. Development Services director Alex McElroy said it currently takes about four weeks to initially review a commercial project plan to determine whether it meets city codes...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Williamsville, Missouri, man was charged Friday with first-degree murder after being accused of suffocating his 85-year-old bedridden father in September 2016 after a heated disagreement. The motive was to receive a substantial inheritance of property his father allegedly had revoked, Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs said...

A McClure, Illinois, man was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child after he left his son and daughter in a pickup truck Saturday while he gambled in Isle Casino Cape Girardeau, police said. Joshua Kyle Matlock, 33, entered the casino at 12:12 p.m. Saturday, according to video surveillance from the casino, Cape Girardeau police officer J. Monteith said in a probable-cause statement...

Planet Fitness, a nationally known fitness center, will open in November or December at Cape Girardeau's Town Plaza, a commercial broker announced. Planet Fitness will move into the space formerly occupied by Hastings, an entertainment retail chain that closed last year after the parent company filed for bankruptcy...

More than 300 classic cars converged Sunday on downtown Cape Girardeau for the River City Rodders' 40th annual River Tales Classic car show. Thousands of locals attended the free show to view vintage vehicles, which included Cadillac coupes from the 1940s, Chevrolet Impalas from the 1960s and Dodge Dart Demons from the 1970s...

Over her past two months as executive director for the Perryville Chamber of Commerce, Emily Steele has grown accustomed to the schedule -- if it could be called a schedule. "It's kind of crazy," she said of her varying day-to-day activities. "There isn't really a typical day. A lot of my day is spent planning for future events."...

Cape Girardeau City Council City hall 401 Independence St. Study session, 5 p.m. today Items for discussion n Planning and Zoning Commission report n Appearances regarding items not on the agenda n Agenda review Regular session, 7 p.m. Presentations...

Cape Girardeau County Commission 1 Barton Square, Jackson 9 a.m. today Approval of minutes n Minutes of the Sept. 14 meeting Communications/reports -- other elected officials n None at this time Public comments n Items listed on agenda Routine business...

A request to rezone property on East Jackson Boulevard in Jackson could bring a new retailer to the city on East Jackson Boulevard, according to public documents. On Sept. 13, Jackson's planning and zoning commission heard a rezoning request for 2421 and 2505 E. Jackson Blvd. and 2615 Hilltop Drive...

A plan to redevelop two blighted Good Hope Street buildings for retail/office space and apartments and improve a vacant lot could serve as "a catalyst for the entire block," Cape Girardeau development services director Alex McElroy said. "I think it sounds very exciting," he added...

A new program at Southeast Missouri State University will ease the transition for students transferring from two-year institutions, according to a university official. Brooke Lockhart, assistant director for transfer recruitment admissions at Southeast, said university president Carlos Vargas-Aburto and provost Karl Kunkel visited several community colleges beginning last year as a way to introduce themselves and identify ways to enhance the transfer process...

Kevin Coomer, 34, of Burfordville is incarcerated in the Cape Girardeau County Justice Center after being accused of breaking into and setting fire to Jax Bar and Grill in Delta early Saturday. Delta police chief Verlan Graham said reports of the fire came in about 3 a.m. Saturday, and the structure appears to be a total loss...

Seven dads and 10 daughters bonded and braided hair Saturday afternoon in the Penzel Conference Room during the Cape Girardeau Public Library’s Daddy-Daughter Hair Factory. Jamie Clifton, hair stylist and owner of the Kuts Plus salon in Cape Girardeau, led the workshop, which focused on teaching fathers how to help their daughters have healthy hair and how to style their daughter’s hair...

Grace United Methodist Women met Sept. 5 with nine present. Sandy Shandy gave the devotional titled "An Inward Inventory." Just as retail stores take inventory of goods on hand we can apply that to ourselves by checking our spiritual, emotional and behavior sides of life as to whether it is in line with scripture...

The night began with a rousing welcome and closed with a standing ovation. In between, women's tennis legend Venus Williams talked about her successes and failures, finding balance in life and never creating self-imposed limits. On Thursday night at the Show Me Center, a week removed from a semifinal appearance at the U.S. ...

A look at how the SEMO District Fair adds up.

As the fourth anniversary nears for Perryville, Missouri, restaurant Mary Jane Burgers & Brew, the owner has announced a new culinary venture coming to Cape Girardeau next year. Mary Jane Burgers & Brew owner Carisa Stark said Thursday her organization plans to turn Courtesy Cleaners, 1107 Broadway in Cape Girardeau, into Mary Jane bourbon + smokehouse. The proposed restaurant will be something new, she said. ...

A jury found a Cape Girardeau man guilty of second-degree murder and three lesser counts after deliberating for more than six hours Thursday. The jury convicted Malcolm Harris, 26, of fatally shooting Domorlo McCaster, 28, in the back of the head as they and two other men sat in a GMC Envoy in a driveway in a Cape Girardeau neighborhood May 14, 2016...

Apathy is what’s keeping Dutchtown incorporated. Two residents and three non-resident property owners expressed support for disincorporation at the Cape Girardeau County Commission meeting Thursday. Non-resident property owner Voyann Smith said the lack of interest in having a village of Dutchtown was evident in how few residents attended the county commission meeting...

Work continues on the freshman-center addition to Jackson High School, still on track to open for the 2018-2019 school year, according to a school official. Funding for the project was secured by Proposition J, an April ballot measure passed by voters to improve and expand district facilities...

Missouri Department of Conservation agents are fighting wildfires in the western United States. Wildlife regional supervisor Matt Bowyer and 16 other MDC employees are part of a larger crew who are headed to Custer, South Dakota, after fighting the Pine Tree Fire in northwest Colorado, MDC media specialist Candice Davis said Thursday...

Civil War general and 18th U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant will be the focus of a symposium Tuesday featuring local and visiting historians. The Kellerman Foundation for Historic Preservation is hosting the fourth annual exhibition, which begins Friday at Heritage Hall at 102 N. Main St. and culminates with a symposium Tuesday...

Four Cape Girardeau men drank alcohol, took pills, smoked marijuana and snorted cocaine in the hours before one of the men, Malcolm Harris, shot another man dead, two survivors said Wednesday. The survivors — Rodney Smith and Terrell Hunt — testified for the prosecution during the second day of Harris’ first-degree murder trial in Cape Girardeau County Circuit Court in Jackson...

Wayne Helderman knows tractors. His International Harvester 650 is one of about 100 tractors at the SEMO District Fair this year, presented by the Egypt Mills Antique Tractor Club. Helderman said it was made in 1957, the same year he graduated from high school at Jackson. He bought the tractor at a sale in Illinois several years back...

Southeast Missouri State University looks to increase suicide-prevention awareness on campus with targeted events through Sept. 24, including a build-your-own de-stress kit, depression screenings and a memorial balloon release. Torie Grogan, director of counseling and disability services, said suicide-prevention awareness events help to break the stigma associated with talking about suicide and educate people on risk factors and warning signs. ...

Approval of minutes n Minutes of the Sept. 11 meeting Communications/reports -- other elected officials n None at this time Public comments n Items listed on agenda Routine business...

Postal carrier Jeannette Webb of Cobden, Illinois, had what she calls a "God moment" that stretched all the way to flood-stricken Texas, with a stop in Bollinger County, Missouri. Webb, who carries mail in Cape Girardeau, was off work Friday when she got a message: "You need to do something for Texas."...

Missouri experienced 908 opioid overdose deaths in 2016, a 35 percent increase from the previous year. That statistic was one of many presented Tuesday at an Opioid Summit at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau. More than 400 people, including first responders, health-care personnel, government employees and others attended the summit...

On a cool, overcast Tuesday afternoon, cattle and handlers lined up in the youth show barn on the SEMO District Fairgrounds. Lights aren't on overhead, and natural light doesn't do much to illuminate four black angus cattle tied up in their straw-covered stalls...

Jackson School District assistant superintendent Matt Lacy recommended to the board of education Tuesday to pay to allow each enrolled junior at Jackson High School the opportunity to take the ACT once. At the regular school board meeting Tuesday, Lacy requested $18,000 to cover the cost of assessment, which he said would be $45 per student...

CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. — A Pemiscot County judge granted part of a defense motion Monday morning by acquitting a former Poplar Bluff, Missouri, businessman of a leaving-the-scene charge in connection with a hit-and-run accident that killed a local teenager...

The murder trial of Malcolm U. Harris could hinge on the testimony of two prosecution witnesses whose credibility is being called into question by the defense. The trial, scheduled for three days, began Tuesday in Cape Girardeau County Circuit Court in Jackson before Judge Benjamin Lewis...

Michael G. Miller, Cape Girardeau’s city manager from 1995 to 2003, died Sunday. He was 80 years old. Miller, who is not originally from Cape Girardeau, remained in the city after his tenure as the city’s administrative leader. He was a member of Cape West Rotary and St. Mark Lutheran Church...

It's a lot like having children, admitted restaurateur Teresa Blankenship. She said opening a restaurant pairs a sense of boundless potential with acute anxiety. There's even the same lack of sleep. "I have three children," she said, plus she and her husband Steve started the popular uptown restaurant Tractors in Jackson two decades ago...

Tremors are common in Arriaga, Mexico. Ron Mouser lives there with his wife Ivonne and their five young children. It's in Chiapas, the southernmost -- and poorest -- Mexican state, near the Guatemalan border and about a half-hour from the ocean. Mouser is a missionary, not a seismologist, but had become comfortable with the tremors over his two decades in Mexico...

Broadway will be closed to northbound and southbound traffic at Sprigg Street from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday to allow Cotner Electric to replace a traffic-signal pole.

Southbound I-55 in Scott County reduced for bridge maintenance Southbound Interstate 55 in Scott County will be reduced to one lane as Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform maintenance to the bridge at mile marker 89. A MoDOT news release says the work will be Sept. 25 from 7:30 a.m. to noon...