Local News

Sales tax revenue in Cape Girardeau County continues to exceed expectations and the county treasurer thinks canceled summer vacations may be one reason why. "If some families were going to take a $2,000 vacation, they're spending that money right here instead," Roger Hudson said...

The City of Cape Girardeau is looking to implement a "master plan" for Arena Park -- which includes relocating at least five of the park's ballfields to another location. "The end game is to make Arena Park more of a year-round venue," said Scott Meyer, city manager since 2009, by redeveloping the site into more of an indoor-outdoor exposition -- or Expo -- area...

A sixth Cape Girardeau County resident's death has been attributed to COVID-19, and county officials reported more than two dozen new cases Monday. Officials with Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center said the fatality was a person in the 70 to 79 age bracket...

Gordonville Elementary teachers and staff are making videos to welcome students back after being out of the building since March, ready to learn again later this month. Joseph Moore, music teacher at Gordonville Elementary who also teaches at North Elementary and Millersville Elementary, wrote an upbeat, cheerful song for his students...

Authorities are searching for "multiple suspects" who burglarized a Cape Girardeau County firearms business late last week. A news release issued Monday by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office said JSE Surplus on Highway 74, west of Cape Girardeau, was entered at about 5:30 a.m. Friday...

This past Tuesday began for Kara Clark Summers like most Election Days: at 3:30 a.m. Though by her own admission “not a morning person,” the Cape Girardeau county clerk and her team would spend the next 20 hours or so doing, well, just about whatever it took to shepherd another pandemic-year election to an accurate and orderly end...

Felony charges have been filed against an armed man who stood in the middle of Interstate 55 while holding his 11-month-old son hostage. Alonzo Jones Jr., 34, of Cape Girardeau is charged with one Class B felony of first-degree domestic assault, one Class D felony of unlawful possession of a firearm, one Class E felony of unlawful use of a weapon and one Class D felony of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, according to an arrest warrant filed by Cape Girardeau County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Angel Woodruff and signed by Judge Frank E. Miller ...

Four of five suspects in the July 20 homicide of Anthony Miller are now in police custody. Jaden T. Young, 20, of Cape Girardeau was booked into the Cape Girardeau County Jail on Friday on an active warrant for second-degree murder, first-degree burglary, first-degree attempted robbery and two counts of armed criminal action. He is being held on a $1 million cash-only bond...

Former Southeast Missouri State University history department chairman Dr. Wayne H. Bowen, a scholar specializing in the life and times of President Harry Truman, said the 33rd president "agonized" over his decision to drop the atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 75 years ago this week...

Pairing energetic cheerleading performances with modern safety measures, the cast and crew of 'Bring It On! The Musical' brings a spunky story of competitive spirit to audiences at the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus. 'Bring It On! The Musical' wows audiences with high-flying gymnastics, dynamic dance numbers and sassy scenes of fictional high school drama. ...

The City of Cape Girardeau will resume utility disconnects for nonpayment Wednesday. Water, sewer and trash customers with delinquent accounts began receiving disconnection notices about four weeks ago, according to a city social media post, but because of an increase in COVID-19 cases at the time, the city suspended disconnections...

Illinois health officials identified Union County as having reached a warning level with COVID-19. More than a dozen counties in the state meet at least two criteria for the designation. Union County meets three: new virus cases per 100,000 population -- target is 50 or fewer, and Union County's rate is 202; test positivity -- target is 8% or less, and Union County's rate is 15.7%; tests performed -- testing is sufficient when positivity rate is equal to or below 8%, and Union County performed 236 tests during the week.. ...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Rodeo week in Sikeston is a busy one. This year, though, it is a little different. As everyone continues to live in a strange time, the show is still going on, as the 68th Annual Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo kicked off Wednesday night...

More than 150 children will return to Southeast Missouri State University's child care center Monday, nearly six months after it was closed for repairs, renovations and potential mold removal. "We feel very blessed to all be under one roof again," said Byron Henderson, director of the University School for Young Children, 2089 Bessie St. in Cape Girardeau...

The Republican primary race for state Senate District 27 tightened a bit Friday, but only by two votes. Cape Girardeau County elections personnel released official results from Tuesday's primary voting, and the final tally in the race between two state representatives -- Kathy Swan and Holly Rehder -- showed a net gain of two votes for Swan. ...

Newly appointed judge Julia Koester will assume her role on the bench Aug. 17, as Division 4 associate judge for the 32nd Judicial District. Koester addressed the Republican Women's Club at the group's monthly meeting Friday at Delmonico's in Jackson...

Cape Girardeau County Commission 9 a.m. today 1 Barton Square, Jackson Approval of minutes n Minutes from Aug. 6 meetings 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. ...

Primary voters in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties mostly mirrored their counterparts across the state in Tuesday’s balloting, though both counties’ voters rejected Medicaid expansion. Voters across the state approved Amendment 2, which will expand access to Medicaid, with 53% support. In Cape Girardeau County, 68% of voters opposed the measure (5,517 for and 11,756 against). Support for the measure was the same in Scott County, with 68% of voters rejecting it (6,074 against and 2,834 for). ...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Kenny Buchheit and his family have assembled an assortment of 60 farm tractors in the new American Tractor Museum, which will have its grand opening Saturday. Walking the showrooms of the nascent museum, situated at the back of a Buchheit-owned building also housing the Perry County Catalyst-Center for Business, names both familiar and unfamiliar are see...

Adults who need a high school diploma can study up for free as part of a program offered in Cape Girardeau and the surrounding region, thanks to newly expanded services at Cape Girardeau Adult Education and Literacy Program. Adults age 17 or older who are no longer in high school can take free classes customized to the student’s educational needs, program coordinator Pamela Riehn said...

Forty new COVID-19 cases were reported in the region Thursday, and another death was attributed to the disease associated with coronavirus. The virus death was the first in Bollinger County, Missouri, which reported three new COVID-19 cases, bringing its total to 67. Fifty-five county residents have recovered from the disease...

The Cape Girardeau County Commission on Thursday appointed Andy Meyer of Jackson to the Riverside Regional Library Board of Trustees. Meyer replaces Steve Burk, who had resigned from the board. Meyer’s term will run through June 30.

Republican voters in state Senate District 27 apparently won’t need to wait for a possible recount to know who their general election candidate is. Kathy Swan of Cape Girardeau, who represents District 147 in the state House, said in a social media post Wednesday her primary race with District 148 state Rep. Holly Rehder of Sikeston, Missouri, had ended. ...

Michelle Prichard's son Charley is 10 and a student at Jackson public schools. Diagnosed with autism at age 2, he's been in special education classes all along, and, Prichard said, she saw potential to help. "Given the circumstances of what we're going through today with COVID-19, I knew that the special education teachers would have a more difficult time keeping their students busy and in their own space," she said. ...

Smith's Auction Company will hold a classic-car auction from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Show Me Center, 1333 N. Sprigg St. in Cape Girardeau. Doors open at 8 a.m. More info: smithauctionsllc.com Head on down to Chaffee, Missouri, for the annual Backyard Bash on Saturday. ...

Wavis Jordan, the coroner-elect of Cape Girardeau County, said he is “surprised” and “thankful” to be elected to a four-year term Tuesday. Jordan was at work at Rhodes convenience store on East Jackson Boulevard in Jackson when he got word he had won the primary. “I was jumping up and down and was as happy as a lark,” said Jordan ...

Thousands of Southeast Missouri residents currently without high-speed internet service could benefit from a recent government ruling clearing the way for broadband infrastructure improvements throughout the region. The ruling by the Federal Communications Commission came after the Missouri Attorney General’s Office sided with the a pair of internet providers who had applied for Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) grants but were being blocked from doing so by a third provider, which said it was already providing high-speed internet service in Southeast Missouri. ...

Cape Girardeau Public Health Center officials released data Wednesday showing the county’s population is faring better against COVID-19 in some respects than the state’s population as a whole. The county’s positivity rate, for example, is 5.7% compared to 9.9% for the state. Antibody tests, which track whether someone has had the virus, have showed a 1.1% positivity rate in the county, while 3.7% of such tests across the state have been positive...

A third suspect has been arrested in connection to the murder of 21-year-old Anthony Miller, according to a Wednesday news release from the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Derrick D. Stafford, 20, of Mounds, Illinois, was peacefully taken into custody Tuesday on an active warrant for second-degree murder, first-degree burglary, first-degree attempted robbery and two counts of armed criminal action. He is being held in the Cape Girardeau County Jail on a $1 million cash-only bond...

Approval of minutes n Minutes from Aug. 3 meetings 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. ...

Note: This story has been updated from a previous version. Cape Girardeau's future City Hall project is moving along, said Phil Penzel, CEO of Penzel Construction in Jackson. The Common Pleas Courthouse and former public library downtown will be remodeled and joined by a connecting building, with a parking garage added, to create City Hall...

The State of Missouri is closing the ECHO Day Treatment Center in Cape Girardeau and the Bend Youth Center in New Madrid, Missouri. The closures are among eight state-run facilities serving at-risk youth being discontinued statewide. In a letter to employees, the leader of the state’s Division of Youth Services said Gov. Mike Parson’s Fiscal 2021 budget no longer has the money for the facilities and the shutdowns are expected this week...

CAIRO, Ill. — After nearly a decade of planning, the Alexander-Cairo Port District took a major step forward Tuesday when Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the state will provide $40 million toward construction of a new inland port here. Pritzker made the announcement on the lawn of Cairo’s historic Magnolia Manor, flanked by local and state officials and representatives of the port district...

A plan to drain, dredge and upgrade the lagoon at Capaha Park this summer has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. “This is an MDC (Missouri Department of Conservation) grant project and all grant projects have been postponed for at least a year due to COVID-19,” Cape Girardeau parks manager Brock Davis said Tuesday...

Three deaths related to COVID-19 were reported in the region Tuesday. Cape Girardeau County health officials announced two county residents died because of the disease associated with coronavirus. The deaths marked the fourth and fifth deaths of county residents because of the virus...

The River City Rodders car club announced Tuesday the annual car show, Manifolds on Main Street, will not take place in September as originally planned. The show was originally set for Sept. 19 and 20, and included a cruise-in at Capaha Park and a spectator event in downtown Cape Girardeau...

SIKESTON, Mo. — Despite COVID-19 concerns, the 68th annual Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel will kick off tonight with some changes to help guard against the virus. In June, the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Board of Directors issued a release, stating they “acknowledge that additional safety and sanitation measures will be necessary in order to facilitate public participation, and in good faith intend to work with county and state entities to make sure we are following a best practices protocol.”

The 10th annual Art for Animals silent auction to benefit the Animal Welfare Alliance netted $6,800 after a two-week bidding period, online only due to COVID-19. The auction of original artwork had been set for April but was postponed until July. It was also held entirely online for the first time...

Four-tenths of 1% separated two state representatives seeking a state Senate seat. Complete but unofficial results showed Holly Rehder of Sikeston, Missouri, eked out the win against Kathy Swan of Cape Girardeau by 141 votes — 16,834 to 16,693 — in the Republican primary to replace state Sen. Wayne Wallingford in the District 27 seat...

Tuesday was a historic day for Cape Girardeau County politics. Sheriff Ruth Ann Dickerson became the first woman elected to a full term as she easily defeated Drew Juden to win the Republican primary. There is no opposition in the November election...

BENTON, Mo. — Wes Drury was reelected as the sheriff of Scott County during Tuesday’s primary election. In a vote of 4,870 to 3,278, Drury defeated his challenger, former Sheriff Rick Walter, who both ran on the Republican ballot. Because there were no candidates on the Democratic ballot, there will not be a sheriff’s race in November, and Drury will continue on as sheriff with a new four-year term starting Jan. 1...

Primary election winners in Bollinger County’s four contested races include Casey Graham for sheriff with 1,580 votes; Calvin Troxell for coroner with 1,542 votes; Tim Shelby for associate commissioner (First District) with 399 votes; and Chad Hulvey for associate commissioner (Second District) with 883 votes...

Perry County Sheriff Gary Schaaf resoundingly won the Republican primary Tuesday. He defeated Teresa Worthington with 70% of the vote, 2,877 to 1,207. Schaaf, 63, has held the post for nearly 30 years. He faces no opposition in November, and this term will be his eighth...

For the most part, Stoddard County Republican primary voters had clear choices Tuesday. Incumbent Sheriff Carl Hefner easily won reelection, earning 4,852 votes to challenger Tim McCoy’s 1,650. Brent Stidham won the coroner’s race against Don Seymore by capturing 3,510 votes to Seymore’s 2,708...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Election night was hampered in Butler County by “system” problems that delayed the release of results. Normally available by 9 p.m. on election night, the results were still pending as of 11 p.m. It is rare for Butler County to see lengthy delays in the tabulation of election results...

This weekend, school supplies will cost a little bit less, during the Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday, held annually at the state level. The state and Cape Girardeau County will waive sales tax on qualifying purchases, as will the City of Jackson. Cape Girardeau city taxes will apply...

Two members of Cape Girardeau’s Planning and Zoning Commission sent a formal apology for words spoken off-mic at a P&Z meeting last month that seemed to criticize the Black Lives Matter movement. P&Z members Tom Welch and Kevin Greaser submitted a two-sentence statement addressed to the commission and to the City Council...

Nearly $900,000 of federally funded COVID-19 assistance was allocated Monday by the Cape Girardeau County Commission to reimburse several entities for their coronavirus-related expenses. The largest reimbursement approved by the commissioners was to Southeast Missouri State University in the amount of $380,292.64...

For the first time in as long as anyone could remember, members of the Jackson Board of Aldermen faced an empty agenda when they arrived for their regular business meeting Monday night. “This is the first time since I’ve been mayor, and probably the first time for a lot of us here, we have no agenda action items for our formal session tonight,” said Mayor Dwain Hahs shortly after he opened — and closed — the board’s regular meeting...

After a relatively quiet few days, area health officials reported nearly 60 new COVID-19 cases Monday. Union County, Illinois, had the largest increase in cases, with Southern Seven Health Department reporting 22 new cases. The county has seen a total of 288 virus cases, with 90 of those still active, 179 recoveries and 19 deaths from the disease associated with coronavirus. Union County has accounted for all COVID-19 deaths in the Southern Seven region...