Local News

A Mounds, Illinois, man was killed Tuesday afternoon when the vehicle he was driving in the northbound lanes of Interstate 55 crossed the median and collided with two southbound vehicles. The crash happened shortly before 4 p.m. south of the Benton exit in northern Scott County...

Fingerprint Urban Dance Studio owner Micheal Curry is set to mix culture and hip-hop through the inaugural Cape Be You Urban Festival on June 29 in Cape Girardeau. The celebration -- at 707 Broadway -- will incorporate the third installment of Battlez of Originality, urban dance showcases, skate competition, a hip-hop concert, water games and concessions. Admission is free...

Want to read more about the interchange project? Find this story on semissourian.com and follow the links. https://www.semissourian.com/story/2491324.html https://www.semissourian.com/story/2539576.html State highway officials have decided to revise construction staging and rebid the diverging diamond interchange project at Interstate 55's center junction...

Although the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau has dropped more than 2 feet over the past week, seepage on the Illinois side of the river continues to cause significant flooding in Alexander County. Meanwhile, the Missouri Department of Transporation says the Mississippi River Bridge at Chester, Illinois, could reopen as early as this weekend...

More information about the banquet hall shooting can be found at semissourian.com. Find this story and follow the links. https://www.semissourian.com/story/2605126.html https://www.semissourian.com/story/2605834.html Cape Girardeau police are stepping up patrols in response to a series of shootings that have occurred over the past several days...

Scott County Sheriff Wes Drury has fired a deputy who is running against him for sheriff and was the department’s 2018 employee of the year. Carl Rose of Sikeston, Missouri, is running as a Republican candidate for sheriff in the 2020 election. He said Drury fired him Monday without warning...

When many people think of Buddhist monks, they may picture bald, Asian men in long, drab robes who spend their days meditating in monasteries in a far off land, isolated from modern conveniences...

Thousands are expected to attend the 112th annual Homecomers from July 23 to 27 in uptown Jackson. With nearly nine entrances and the event being free to attend, Larry Koehler — chairman of the Homecomers’ committee — said it’s difficult to have an accurate attendance tally, aside from it being a “wild guess” of several thousand...

The Cape Girardeau City Council will fill a vacancy that will occur next month with the departure of Ward 3 Councilman Victor Gunn. Gunn is stepping down, effective July 8, because he and his wife are moving to a new residence outside of Ward 3. Under the city’s charter, the council can appointment someone to fill the unexpired term, city manager Scott Meyer said Tuesday...

BENTON, Mo. -- A warrant has been issued for a Sikeston, Missouri, man's arrest and his bond forfeited after he failed to appear in court Thursday in Scott County. Lamar Tyrone Johnson, 34, failed to appear for his scheduled arraignment June 13, and a warrant for his arrest was issued and bond forfeited, according to court records...

A three-vehicle crash on Interstate 55 in north Scott County on Tuesday afternoon resulted in one fatality and multiple injuries. According to Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers on the scene, the crash happened about 3:50 p.m. when a northbound vehicle crossed the median about a mile south of the Benton, Missouri, exit. The northbound vehicle ran through the safety cables and collided with two southbound vehicles...

Ellen Hahs of Oran, Missouri, watches as a barge passes on the Mississippi River on Tuesday in Cape Girardeau. ...

Cape Girardeau City Council members welcomed a plan Monday to turn the Common Pleas Courthouse and Annex into a new city hall featuring an addition that would connect the two downtown historic structures. Ward 1 Councilman Daniel Presson said, “This project really excites me.” Ward 5 Councilman Ryan Essex said, “Now, we can say we have a plan.”...

A Colorado-based casino company announced Monday it has entered into an agreement to purchase operating assets at Isle Casino Cape Girardeau and has indicated a hotel could be added to the property in the future. In addition, Century Casinos announced it is purchasing the operations of Lady Luck Casino in Caruthersville, Missouri, and Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort in New Cumberland, West Virginia. All three are owned by Eldorado Resorts Inc. of Reno, Nevada...

If any changes are made to the schedule or location of Jackson’s annual Homecomers celebration, it won’t be before 2020. That was the consensus of the Jackson Board of Aldermen on Monday night after listening to Larry Koehler, chairman of American Legion Post 158 and chairman of the Jackson Homecomers committee, explain for all intents and purposes it’s too late to make any changes this year. The 2019 Homecomers event is scheduled for July 23 through 27...

Cape Girardeau City Councilman Victor Gunn plans to resign July 8. The Ward 3 councilman made the announcement at Monday’s council meeting. Gunn was first elected in August 2014 to fill the unexpired term of Trent Summers, who moved out of the ward...

A fire heavily damaged a Scott City home Sunday. The Scott City Fire Department responded to a call at 1:28 p.m. in the 200 block of West Cherry Street. Interim fire chief Billy Crump said Monday the fire appeared to have originated in a second-floor bedroom of the house...

The chief of the suicide prevention branch of the federal government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will be one of the featured speakers at the sixth annual Suicide Prevention and Awareness Conference on July 25 in Cape Girardeau...

A man living in the country illegally was sentenced Monday to 18 months in federal prison after he unlawfully re-entered the United States and was arrested in Cape Girardeau County. Gabriel Santos-Caporal, 29, of Mexico was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Ross...

Highway 77 in Scott County, between County Road 525 and County Road 352, will be closed as contractor crews replace the bridge over the North Cut Ditch, just north of Diehlstadt, Missouri. A Missouri Department of Transportation news release states the work will be done from July 1 through Sept. 30. A signed detour will direct motorists to take Route D to Route N to Route NN back to Highway 77/U.S. 62...

The two-story Victorian-era Glenn House has stood tall overlooking the Mississippi River for 136 years. But as of late, its future as a museum is uncertain because of excessive water damage, overwhelming moisture levels, chipping paint, wood rot and crumbling bricks — all requiring repair that outweighs current funding...

EAST CAPE GIRARDEAU, Ill. — Residents of the trailer park on the northeast side of East Cape Girardeau have had to find new places to lay their heads at night after last week’s evacuation of the area. For Gregory Gabelman and his son, Caleb, that has meant living out of a cousin’s recreational vehicle near Babe’s Fish Wagon close to the flooded area...

Parked cars lined the streets near the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus and shuttles were working overtime during this year’s annual Summer Arts Festival on Saturday. Nearly all designated parking lots were full or rapidly reaching capacity by 11 a.m., triggered by the 1,000 attendees that had already made their way onto the campus, according to Rhonda Weller-Stilson, dean of Southeast’s College of Arts and Media...

Study session n No action to be taken during study session Communications/reports n City council n Staff Items for discussion n Planning and Zoning Commission report n Common Pleas/Annex presentation...

Approval of minutes n Minutes of regular meeting of 6/3/19 Financial affairs n City collector's report n City clerk's and treasurer's reports Action items Power, Light and Water Committee...

Approval of minutes n Minutes for June 13 meeting Communications/reports -- other elected officials n None at this time Public comments n Items listed on the agenda Routine business...

Virtually every sports bar in Cape Girardeau was packed Wednesday night as hockey fans watched and cheered the St. Louis Blues as they captured the Stanley Cup for the first time in the team’s 52-year history. Meanwhile, local stores selling Blues apparel say they can’t keep up with demand for Blues merchandise and even tattoo shops say they’ve seen an uptick in customers wanting tattoos of the Blues logo and the Stanley Cup...

Missouri could become the first state in the nation to legalize outdoor cremations fit for Vikings, some Native American tribes and even Jedi knights. State lawmakers passed a bill in the just-completed session to allow outdoor cremations at licensed crematoriums or on private sites. Such cremations would require state permits and be under the direction of licensed funeral directors...

The Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents approved a total operating budget of nearly $174 million for the university’s upcoming fiscal year during its two-day annual retreat Thursday and Friday in St. Louis. The budget for fiscal year 2020, which begins July 1, is 0.8% more than the university’s budget for the current fiscal year ending June 30 and includes a merit salary increase for faculty and staff amounting to 1% or $700, whichever is greater, over their current salary. ...

The State of Missouri will begin accepting medical-marijuana applications from patients and caregivers starting June 28, six days ahead of the July 4 deadline. Patients and caregivers must visit medicalmarijuana.mo.gov to enter information into the online application system, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) said in a news release Friday...

The following students were named to the Southeast Missouri State University Spring 2019 dean's list. Altenburg, Missouri: Noah Franke, Linzie Weaver. Anna, Illinois: Mackenzie Boget, Jada Hudson, Madison Jacobs, Katrina Karsen, Noah Prater, Tanner Stadelbacher...

Former Cape Girardeau Mayor Jay Knudtson is calling for a "huge turnout" today for a ceremony at the Avenue of Flags at Cape Girardeau County Park North to celebrate Flag Day and remember his brother-in-law and retired Navy captain, David Cantrell, who recently had his leg amputated...

A closed Cape Girardeau nightspot that became a local landmark after serving as a set location for a major motion picture will reopen later this month. The Bar, on the corner of Spanish and Themis streets in downtown Cape Girardeau, has been closed since last fall. However, it will reopen June 27, according to representatives of Taste of Cape, the management company that owns it and several other downtown properties...

Add Ripley County Memorial Hospital to the growing list of more than 100 rural hospitals across the nation ceasing to exist since 2010. During a special meeting Friday, the five-member hospital board unanimously agreed to notify state authorities the public hospital in Doniphan, closed since Oct. 15, will be dissolved as expiration of the hospital certificate of need approaches on June 28...

VAN BUREN -- A fourth generation logging family in Carter County, the Burkes decided a decade ago to add groceries to the mix. The family is now in the process of expanding their Main Street Market to a new location on Highway 60, hoping to open by late June...

Cape Girardeau police first denied but later acknowledged on Facebook that a woman had reported seeing two suspicious men, who appeared to be coming after her, outside the Target store last Friday. The issue sparked controversy on Facebook, with some people commenting they thought the woman was making up the story after the initial comment from police...

Jefferson County Democrat Kathy Ellis will try again to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Jason Smith for the 8th District congressional seat in 2020. Ellis, who resides in Festus, Missouri, ran against Smith in 2018. Smith, of Salem, Missouri, won nearly 74% of the vote compared to 24% for Ellis and 1.5% for Libertarian Jonathan Shell, according to unofficial returns...

BENTON, Mo. -- The mother of a 2-year-old girl who died Saturday, allegedly at the hands of the mother's live-in boyfriend, has been arrested and charged in connection with the child's death and injuries sustained by another of her children. Amanda K. ...

Medical-marijuana dispensaries would be allowed within 500 feet of schools, day cares and churches if Cape Girardeau's planning and zoning commission has its way. The commission, which last month recommended the council adopt a 1,000-foot buffer zone as originally proposed by city staff, changed its mind Wednesday...

This week I was in a foodie funk. Seriously. Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was the busy work schedule. Maybe it was a case of summer fever. Maybe it was my re-commitment to health and financial goals. Whatever the reason, I just could not get up the motivation to go on a foodie adventure. ...

Veterans of Foreign Wars and Auxiliary of Post 3838 and Community Partnership of Southeast Missouri are reaching "the houseless" during their first walk -- The Forgotten -- dedicated to homelessness awareness Saturday. The walk begins at 10 a.m. at Capaha Park's shelter No. 4...

Southeast Missouri State University's Board of Regents will consider an operating budget for the coming fiscal year when it meets today in St. Louis. The proposed budget for fiscal year 2020, which begins July 1, totals nearly $174 million, which is a 0.8% increase over the school's current fiscal year budget and incorporates the increased tuition approved by the regents in May...

Luke Bergard, 12, attaches a frog-shaped lure to his line before fishing in a flood-swollen Juden Creek on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, at near a closed portion of Hwy. 177 in Cape Girardeau. Bergard said he was fishing for gar, which he had seen in the creek since the floodwaters had come up. He employed a short-pulling reel technique he said he learned on YouTube to make the lure appear more lifelike. "They're not dangerous," he said of the gar. "They just have teeth."...

Route BB in Scott County, between Highway 114 and Wakefield Street, will be closed as Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace a culvert pipe beneath the roadway. A MoDOT news release says the work will take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday...

Red Cross officials reported Wednesday six shelters have been opened across Missouri and adjoining Illinois counties in response to flooding and storm damage. The newest shelter to open is at Zion United Methodist Church, 3652 State Highway Z, Cape Girardeau. It replaces a shelter opened in McClure to help residents of the East Cape Girardeau, Illinois, area displaced by rising floodwaters...

Cape Girardeau County Commission 9 a.m. today 1 Barton Square, Jackson Approval of minutes n Minutes for June 6 meeting Communications/reports -- other elected officials n Treasurer Roger Hudson will present purchase order for approval -- Penzel Construction Application No. 9...

With paint and an iPad at his side, entrepreneur and Milwaukee-born painter Malcolm McCrae is on the brink of creating in-depth, augmented reality projects using history as the backdrop atop his Spanish Street studio in Cape Girardeau. When he moved from Milwaukee roughly 10 years ago, McCrae said he "couldn't really find any history here, specifically, African-American history."...

BENTON, Mo. -- Authorities were told multiple stories about how a 2-year-old girl died in Benton, Missouri, on Saturday. According to a probable-cause affidavit obtained by the Southeast Missourian, the man charged in connection to the girl's death, Raymond Bradley Dejournett, told police he left two children in the bath "for about three minutes."...

Barring an eleventh hour change in plans, Metro Business College will close by the end of the year. Metro Business College has campuses in Cape Girardeau, Jefferson City and Rolla, all three of which will close according to MBC founder and president George Holske. He said declining enrollment and the cost of keeping classrooms open have forced him to make closure plans...