Stories from August 2010

The Redhawks' second-leading tackler last year recently had knee surgery

In one year, the number of families using the Jackson Ministerial Alliance Food Pantry has more than doubled, the organization's president said Sunday at a benefit concert in Jackson. To raise money and collect food for the pantry, more than 125 people from various area congregations gathered at New McKendree United Methodist Church's south campus to hear four groups perform contemporary Christian songs...

In most election years, the campaign moments that make U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson sweat occur as she marches in summertime parades at county fairs and hometown celebrations across the 8th Congressional District.

The Southeast Missourian and several local businesses have teamed up to create a new 50 Percent Off Gift Card Store on the newspaper's website. Beginning today people may go to www.semissourian.com/giftcards to purchase gift cards for half the stated value and print them from home...

Tuesday's Republican primary in the 8th Congressional District will test how strong the tea party movement is in Southeast Missouri, Republican leaders from across the district said last week. Interviews with several county party leaders, as well as former congressman and state treasurer Wendell Bailey of Willow Springs, showed that most personally support Rep. ...

A news release issued Friday accepting Commissioner Jay Purcell's resignation from the Republican Party is an attempt to bring closure to the local party and move toward Tuesday's primary, party officials said.

Our kitten Mickey taking a Sunday afternoon nap.

A Hummingbird in flight. You can enjoy watching many hummingbirds at The Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center in Cape Girardeau Mo.

Shelly Marie Holzum and Benjamin Stephen Meier were married April 10, 2010, at Immaculate Conception Church in Jackson. Deacon Walter Biri and the Rev. William Hennecke performed the ceremony. Pianist was Jerry Ganiel of Jackson, and soloist was Roni Putz of Millersville. Music was presented by a trio consisting of Janell Hinkebein, Michelle Spooler and Jane Oehl, all of Jackson...

Mr. and Mrs. Charles B. Jackson of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Lauren Ashley Jackson, to Clay Benton Tummins. He is the son of Mike Tummins of Dickson, Tenn., and Joyce Evans of White Bluff, Tenn. Jackson is a 2004 graduate of Jackson High School. She received a bachelor's degree in health management from Southeast Missouri State University in 2008. She is employed at Health Point Rehab...

BELL CITY, Mo. -- Philip and Donna Stephens of Bell City announce the engagement of their daughter, Brooke Nicole Stephens, to Brett William Roberts. He is the son of Michael and Paula Roberts of Weston, Mo. Stephens is a 2001 graduate of Bell City High School. She received a degree in nursing from Southwest Baptist University-St. John's College of Nursing in 2005. She is a registered nurse at Missouri Southern Healthcare in Dexter, Mo...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Mitch and Gail Nanney of Marble Hill and Rusty and Betty Hendrickson of Delta announce the engagement of their daughter, Amanda Jo Hendrickson, to Tyler Gene Wagner. He is the son of Terry and Teena Wagner of Marquand, Mo. Hendrickson is a 2008 graduate of Meadow Heights High School. She is pursuing a degree in early childhood education at Southeast Missouri State University. She is employed at Texas Roadhouse in Cape Girardeau...

Larry and Carolyn Lusk of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Amber Elizabeth Lusk, to Isaac Guild Venable. He is the son of Eric and Martha Venable of Jackson. Lusk is a 2006 graduate of Central High School. She received a bachelor of arts degree from Truman State University in 2010, with double majors in mathematics and philosophy/religion...

Mr. and Mrs. Tom Leggett of Cape Girardeau are observing their 40th wedding anniversary today. A reception was held July 31 at Maple United Methodist Church. Hosts were their children, Jason Leggett of Columbia, Mo., Cameron (Susie) Leggett of Cape Girardeau; a grandson, Tristan Leggett of Cape Girardeau; and a family friend, Eric Brunson of Columbia...

Dr. Gary and Dr. Simin Cwick of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Tatianna Cwick, to Josh Parham, both of Jackson. He is the son of Dennis and Cherlyn Parham of Jackson. Cwick is a 2006 graduate of Central High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in advertising from Southeast Missouri State University in 2010. She is customer service coordinator with Creative Edge Inc. in Jackson. She is also head coach of Southeast University Sundancers...

Cape Girardeau voters will be asked Tuesday to extend the city's half-percent sales tax for streets. The tax was first approved in 1995 with a five-year sunset provision. Voters have shown strong support for the tax by renewing it in 2000 and 2005. The tax raises about $20 million over each five-year period. This revenue goes into a special account called the Transportation Trust Fund. It can only be used for street projects...

In his 29 years on the medical staff at Southeast Missouri Hospital, Dr. Scot G. Pringle, has established himself as one of the most trusted obstetricians and gynecologists in the region. His fun, compassionate personality and willingness to help others has made him a patient favorite at Southeast, which is why his retirement comes as bittersweet news...

Program aims to help kids deal with parents' deployments

Suzanne Cole didn't give it a second thought when she was preparing to move from Kansas City to New York City. Of course her Irish setter would share her 450-square-foot apartment in Manhattan. What she didn't question, others did, and walking Rudy drew attention. "I got involved in so many conversations where people would ask, `How can you live with a dog that big?"' Cole said...

Is our city council really taking a deliberative look at the casino issue? Absolutely not. We elect the council to lead us. They and city manager Scott Meyer have failed miserably to this point, having purposely chosen not to investigate one other option: not having a casino. Their recent work session allowed possible developers to present their case. No experts were invited to present the case against...

This year marks the 90th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. It's also the 90th anniversary of the League of Women Voters, an organization that is still active here in Cape Girardeau. On Sept. 21, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the League of Women Voters will have a meeting and luncheon at the Cape River Heritage Museum, 538 Independence St. ...

I am appalled that the Shelter of Hope cannot complete its building due to a shortage of funds. Where are all those folks who said they supported a homeless shelter? They criticized those of us who didn't want the one that was proposed for the old federal building, despite our concerns -- not about the shelter, but about the man proposing it. ...

By Neal Powers In 1944 when an uninjured private, Charles H. Kuhl, said he "couldn't take it anymore," Gen. George S. Patton called him a "yellow coward," slapped him, and threw him out of the hospital tent. The U.S. military has always had difficulty discriminating between members disabled by mental health issues like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and malingering...

You gave us August weather for a reason, O God. Could you remind us why? Amen.

Marble Hill, Mo., resident Dalton Toombs has graduated from basic and advanced individual training and is set to join the Missouri National Guard's 1140th Engineer Battalion's Headquarters Company. Toombs underwent intensive basic military training at Fort Knox, Ky. ...

A group in Dexter, Mo., has been helping out in the fight against cancer. The group of friends and neighbors collected valve covers for car tires, painted them bright pink to symbolize the battle against cancert and have sold them at Chrisman Tire in Dexter four for a dollar with the proceeds benefitting the Relay for Life and the 18 Fore Life Dexter Charity. Lynn Hassell started the project and involved the Mouser family, including Emily and Seth Mouser pictured here, among other people...

Former Cape Girardeau resident Samuel A. Gramling has recently entered basic cadet training at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., in preparation for his first academic year at the academy. The six-week, two-phased orientation program must be completed before Gramling can begin his freshman year. He is the son of Timothy and Carol Gramling of Cape Girardeau. Gramling is a 2010 graduate of Cape Girardeau Central High School...

Natalie R. Dubois has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C. During the nine weeks of training, Dubois studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches and field training exercises. ...

Hanover Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau recently named Nate Wollenberg as its new vicar. A vicar assists with worship. Wollenberg recently preached for the first time at Hanover Lutheran Church. Wollenberg was born and raised in Terryville, Conn. The community is invited to attend today's services at 7:45 and 10 a.m. to meet Wollenberg...

The Rev. Mark A. Boettcher of Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jackson has been dedicated to his cause from an early age. Boettcher began participating in Sunday school when he turned 3 years old. He attended Lutheran Day School from grades four to eight and always participated in the children's choir. ...

Meow is a 12-year-old Persian. He has been declawed on the front and altered. For more information, contact the Humane Society at 334-5837. ...

Flipper is a 5-month-old Catahoula leopard Dog mix. He is a handsome dog with a great personality. Flipper is up to date on shots and has been neutured. For more information, contact Safe Harbor at 243-9823. ...

HONOLULU -- Monthlong military drills in the Pacific, which conclude this weekend, were intended only as training exercises to combat terrorism and piracy -- and were not meant to send a message to North Korea, the commander of the drills says...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- As the U.S. military prepares for the first war crimes trial under President Barack Obama, its most high-profile case against the planners of the Sept. 11 attacks is stuck in political and legal limbo. Canadian prisoner Omar Khadr, accused of killing an American soldier during a raid on an al-Qaida compound, is scheduled to go to trial Aug. 9 at the U.S. base in Cuba...

NOWSHERA, Pakistan -- The death toll in the massive flooding in Pakistan surged past 800 as floodwaters receded Saturday in the hard-hit northwest, an official said. The damage to roads, bridges and communications networks hindered rescuers, while the threat of disease loomed as some evacuees arrived in camps with fever, diarrhea and skin problems...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Friday:...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Arrests Assaults Thefts Property damage Miscellaneous...

Cape Girardeau County The Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Arrests...

June Ellen Keller, 70, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, July 29, 2010, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Nov. 24, 1939, in Cape Girardeau to Leslie Hayes and Ruby Faye Leslie Jauch. She and William J. Keller were married Friday, June 22, 1962, at Cape Girardeau. He died Nov. 15, 1992...

The 900-acre Black Forest, a development containing a pair of full-scale 1870 vintage German settlements built by the late construction contractor Burton J. Gerhardt for his private use, has been purchased by Jerry Ford of Cape Girardeau. Longtime Cape Girardeau fire chief Charles Mills retires after more than 36 years with the department; as a result, city manager Gary A. Eide says the organization of the department is being re-evaluated...

Jackson The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Arrests Summonses Thefts Property damage Miscellaneous...

Viola M. Clardy, 87, of Jackson died Friday, July 30, 2010, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to time of service Thursday at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, with burial at McGuire Cemetery in Burfordville...

Amander V. "A.V." Gross, 82, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, July 31, 2010, at Landmark Hospital. Visitation will be 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Chapel. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Entombment will be at Cape County Memorial Park Mausoleum with full military honors by the Missouri Honors Team and VFW Post 3838...

GLENALLEN, Mo. -- Taylor Anthony Brown, 72, passed away Friday, July 30, 2010, at his home near Glenallen. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Hutchings Funeral Chapel in Marble Hill, Mo. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Monday at the funeral home, with burial in Old Trace Creek Cemetery...

ST. LOUIS -- Sam Bradford is doing his best to ignore the big contract numbers. Sighting a handful of Oklahoma jerseys in the crowd watching his first practice with the St. Louis Rams helped keep him grounded. "That's great," Bradford said after a 1 1/2-hour workout. "It obviously made it a lot more comforting, knowing I did have some fans behind me...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Edward M. Hardin, 90, formerly of Cullman, Ala., passed away Friday, July 30, 2010, at Heritage Gardens Nursing Home in Sikeston, Mo. He was born Feb. 14, 1920, in Youngstown, Ohio, to John and Elsie Ferguson Hardin. He and Alta Lee Skanes were married Nov. 17, 1939. She passed away Jan. 30, 2003...

ST. LOUIS -- Jeff Suppan made a strong argument Saturday night to remain in the St. Louis Cardinals' rotation. Suppan pitched five-hit ball into the sixth inning for his first win since September, leading the Cardinals to an 11-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates...

Betsy Buffington and Kevin Hammes were the overall winners at the Jackson Homecomer 5K run. Buffington covered the course in 23 minutes, 50 seconds to finish first among the women. Hammes ran 18:02 to lead the men. Chesea Drum (6:41) and William Zoubhaib (6:14) were the 1-mile run winners...

Lorraine V. Hedger Shumaker, 86, of Villa Ridge, Ill., passed away at 8:38 a.m. Saturday, July 31, 2010, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Mrs. Shumaker was born Feb. 29, 1924, in Bertrand, Mo., daughter of the late Frank and Eunice Skaggs Hedger...

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese, who has been out the last month with ankle and toe injuries, could begin a rehab assignment soon. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said Friday that Freese was close to being ready to play but had yet to run at 100 percent. La Russa was confident the rookie, who is batting .296 with four homers and 36 RBIs in 70 games, would be back in the lineup by mid-August...

ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals retired former manager Whitey Herzog's No. 24 in a ceremony Saturday before St. Louis played the Pittsburgh Pirates. The sold-out crowd at Busch Stadium gave the newly inducted Hall of Famer a prolonged standing ovation after team owner Bill DeWitt made the announcement...

St. Louis sent the outfielder to the Padres in part of a three-way deal that landed pitcher Jake Westbrook

PUXICO, Mo. -- Several members of the Mingo Swamp Friends organization spent Saturday working to improve the outdoor experiences of disabled sportsmen. Despite blistering heat, about a dozen volunteers spent the better part of the day constructing handicapped-accessible hunting blinds, which will be placed along the Schoolhouse access trail, next to Ditch 1, on the refuge's northeast border, the Daily American Republic newspaper reported...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- After 21 years of work U.S. 60 is now a four-lane highway from Sikeston to Willow Springs, the Sikeston Standard Democrat reported. "We are pleased that the Route 60 four-lane project has been completed," said Mark Shelton, Southeast District Engineer for Missouri Department of Transportation. "This will provide safer, efficient travel between Sikeston and Willow Springs."...

Most of the action in Tuesday's primaries in Southeast Missouri will be on the Republican side of the ballot as six candidates seek nomination as Cape Girardeau County presiding commissioner and Perry County voters decide whether to turn out a judge after 23 years in office...

7 p.m. Monday City hall 401 Independence St. Action items Public hearings Consent agenda New ordinances Appointments...

BENTON, Mo. -- A Sikeston man was arrested Friday for allegedly having sexual relations with a 6-year-old girl. Ronald L. Parkhurst, 32, 943 County Highway 518, faces 10 counts of statutory sodomy in the first degree, according Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter...

DEXTER, Mo. -- Dexter authorities are concerned about the safety of a 6-year-old Malden, Mo., girl who, along with her parents, has been missing for more than two weeks. The girl, Madison "Maddie" Ryleigh Rauscher, and her parents, Christopher and Ashli Rauscher, have not been seen or heard from since July 14 when they may have fled the area in a charcoal gray 2010 Hyundai Sonata, owned by Allen Christian Buick Pontiac GMC.

MALDEN, Mo. -- A Campbell, Mo., man lost his life in a fatal accident Friday evening at the Malden Speedway. According to the Dunklin County Sheriff' s Department, the accident occurred when a race car driven by Daniel Waters, of Jonesboro, Ark., would not start. ...

The twenty-first Biennial Convention of the Missouri District Lutheran Women's Missionary League was held June 11-13 at the University Plaza Hotel in Springfield, Mo. The theme was "Beautiful Feet Led by God." Over 725 women from across the state were present, many of those being from the Altenburg and Cape Girardeau Zones...

People vary in what they expect and how they approach life. Individuals cope with daily events differently. Some give up easily, others maintain hope for tomorrow and many simply hang in there. Regardless of what you experience, there is always an end to it, positive or negative...

The Criddle, Stroder, Davenport and Moore 88th family reunion will begin at 11 a.m. today at the Jackson Knights of Columbus hall in the lower level. A potluck dinner will begin at noon. All families and friends are encouraged to attend. The Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center will hold a course in duck decoy making from 6 to 9 p.m. ...

When my wife and I were completely clueless parents (we've graduated to only somewhat clueless), we bought our children an outdoor play table to sit on our porch. One side of the table had sand in it, the other had water. The children could spend a day at the beach building sand castles without ever leaving the porch. What a great idea...

A favorite childhood story inspired a Christian-based children's book series and the Cape Girardeau mother and daughter who wrote them to begin their own business, Rocksand Publishing Co. Beth Prince, who has a theology degree and experience in sales and marketing, and her mother, Mary Minette Meyer, who used to teach homebound students, first made the decision to publish a book themselves because Prince thought it would be fun to do as a team...

I photographed this largemouth bass in the clear water of a local farm pond on a bright sunny summer day. The largemouth bass is an aggressive feeder, striking at almost anything that flails in the water. For this reason, hundreds of "bass lures" that mimic live bait have been developed over the years. Anything from plastic worms to fake frogs to minnowlike contraptions that wiggle will catch largemouth bass...

Some struggling schools in Southeast Missouri are reversing the trend while a growing number are faltering under increased pressure to hit federal proficiency targets. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released the results of the Missouri Assessment Program last week. ...

Pet name: Tootie Owner: Rick and Sue Harrington Favorite activity: Begging for treats. ...

The Cardinals completed a weekend sweep of the Pirates with a 9-1 victory

With the state cutting funds for transportation, districts across Missouri are faced with the challenge of coping with the decreased budget. In June, Gov. Jay Nixon cut about $70 million in school transportation from the fiscal year 2011 budget, causing districts to reconsider their current transportation situation...

KENNETT, Mo. -- Later this month, visitors of the State Fair at Sedalia, Mo., will have a chance to sample a taste of Kennett, as David Henderson and his family's Southern Sno shaved ice stand opens for business at the more than week-long event...

Catholic Charites of Southern Missouri will soon open a Cape Girardeau office to help connect local people in need with services that can help them. "We want to work with people who are falling through the loopholes," said Kyle Schott, a parishioner at St. Mary Cathedral who also serves on the board of directors for Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri...

After graduating from the Missouri State Highway Patrol academy in 1979, Terry Mills of Cape Girardeau suited up in the same uniform his father did many years before. Mills' first assignments led him to Lake of the Ozarks, but only a year later he joined the highway patrol's narcotics unit and stayed until 2001. ...

With the campaign commercials and political signs that have become prevalent leading up to Tuesday's primary, it is easy to see what a candidate does to prepare for an election, but there is another side to the election in the county clerk's office...

As executive director of the American Red Cross Southeast Missouri Chapter, Cheryl Klueppel makes sure that her organization is there to help. Each year, under Klueppel's direction the Red Cross helps about 725 people who have lost their homes to a fire and 275 families who need to contact loved ones who are serving in the military. Another 16,000 people receive medical or disaster preparedness training...

May was National Older Americans Month. As the official state advocate for the senior population, how did you celebrate this month? As the official state advocate for seniors, I am privileged to honor Missouri seniors during National Older Americans Month. ...

Bonnie Stepenoff is a history professor at Southeast Missouri State University who volunteers at the Cape River Heritage Museum and lives in Cape Girardeau with her husband. She has published four other books, and writes a monthly column for TBY, Dear History Helper...

If you've got an ache in your back or a pain in your neck, don't brush it off as a natural part of aging. At a July 14 seminar at Saint Francis Medical Center, four local experts reviewed proper prevention, care and treatment when it comes to back and neck pain...

Southeast Missouri State University has agreements with community colleges and overseas universities for various programs, and now it has its first agreement for a professional program. Southeast and Logan College of Chiropractic in Chesterfield, Mo., have agreed to a plan that will shorten the time needed to get a doctor of chiropractic degree...

I worry about what we are teaching our children. I have watched as mothers and fathers opened sealed packages and boxes in front of their children in stores to see if it's what they want to buy, then leave the open package on the shelf and purchase one that has not been opened. ...

Help us, O God, to deal with situations that pose questions we can't answer. Amen.

Day two Oct. 19, 2008 The temperature last night was 49 degrees, as predicted, but that was the coldest 49 degrees I've ever tried to sleep in! My feet were so cold I finally put them in an empty dry bag hoping to retain some body heat. It worked pretty well except for a little condensation...

NEW ORLEANS -- The only thing keeping millions more gallons of oil out of the Gulf of Mexico right now is a rush job: an experimental cap that has held for more than two weeks but was never meant to be permanent. As soon as this week, crews will be pumping in some insurance...

WHITING, Maine -- There's something fishy in Whiting, Maine. For the third time, a fish truck has accidentally dumped its load in Esther MacLaughlin's front yard, located on a sharp turn near the intersection of highways 189 and 1. Maine State Police say a truck carrying at least 22,000 pounds of lobster-bait herring overturned on the curve Saturday, spilling its cargo and injuring the driver...

PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- The death toll from massive floods in northwestern Pakistan rose to 1,100 Sunday as rescue workers struggled to save more than 27,000 people still trapped by the raging water. The rescue effort was aided by a slackening of the monsoon rains that have caused the worst flooding in decades in Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa province. ...

Last week's announcement of the Ohio Valley Conference's preseason football poll again had Southeast Missouri State predicted to finish toward the bottom. That is no surprise since Southeast has occupied one of the OVC's lower rungs for the majority of years since it moved up to Division I-AA and joined the league in 1991...

The Southeast Missouri State volleyball team has received an academic award for the third straight season and the seventh time in nine years. Southeast recently won the team academic award given by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. A squad must have a minimum 3.30 grade point average on a 4.0 scale during the full academic year to receive the honor. The Redhawks had a 3.403 GPA this past academic year, which included a 3.7 GPA during the spring semester...

ST. LOUIS -- Steven Jackson knows all about fear now, and it has nothing to do with a linebacker's punishing hit. He watched a shark slide through the water and devour a seal. The St. Louis Rams' Pro Bowl running back spent his offseason rehabbing from back surgery, watching World Cup soccer games in South Africa -- and diving with sharks...

ST. LOUIS -- Jake Westbrook is hoping for another postseason appearance, this time with the St. Louis Cardinals. Westbrook, acquired from Cleveland in a three-team deal Saturday, was added to St. Louis' roster Sunday and will start tonight's game against Houston. Infielder Tyler Greene was placed on the 15-day disabled list to make room on the roster...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday: ...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply. Arrests Summonses Assault Thefts Burglary Miscellaneous...

Tedd Powers has joined Tri-State Water, Power and Air as president and chief operating officer. In his new role, Powers will oversee all operations and report to the company's founder and CEO, Donny Beasley. Powers comes to Tri-State from Corporate Strategy and Finance Associates, a management consulting firm he founded in 2004. ...

Parkside Corp. of St. Louis has bought the Sunny Hill Motor Inn on West End Boulevard and plans to convert the property to a number of uses, including student housing; the property was purchased from L.C. Blattner Jr. Consideration of a resolution approving the issuance of $1.75 million in industrial revenue bonds for the expansion of Thorngate Ltd., 1507 Independence St., and a proposal to seek a $555,720 economic development block grant for sewer and utility improvements in connection with that project are among items on the city council's agenda for next week.. ...

Jackson Firefighters responded to the following calls Thursday: Firefighters responded to the following calls Friday: Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday: Firefighters responded to the following call Sunday: ...

UNIONTOWN, Mo. -- Gertrude C. Balsman, 105, of Uniontown died July 31, 2010, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. She was born in Uniontown on April 24, 1905, daughter of the late John E. and Philomena Josephine Winschel Unterreiner. She and Leo A. Balsman were married Oct. 23, 1922. He preceded her in death Feb. 25, 1972...

Mabel Ellen Miller, 92, formerly of Jackson, died Sunday, Aug. 1, 2010, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 12:30 p.m. to service time Tuesday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home...

Billy Gene Maddox, 79, of Jackson died Saturday, July 31, 2010, at the Monticello House in Jackson. He was born Nov. 24, 1930, in Piggot, Ark., to Noah and Carrie Bell Mikel Maddox. He was married July 24, 1954, to Mary Katheryn Scribner. Survivors include his wife, Katheryn, of Jackson; a son, Mark E. ...

Amander V. "A.V." Gross, 82, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, July 31, 2010, at Landmark Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 12, 1928, in Illmo to Jesse and Mary Poorman Gross. He and Patricia Bertrand were married Dec. 28, 1948, at Fornfelt, Mo...

Unemployment rates rose almost 1 percent in the Cape Girardeau-Jackson Metro area from May to June, according to new figures released this week by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local unemployment was a 7.9 percent in June, compared to 7.0 percent in May...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Just like the state lawmakers who write them, Missouri programs have term limits. And the clock is running low for several of them. A 2003 state law gives new government programs and tax credits a maximum six-year life span with an option for up to another 12 years if legislation is approved to extend the program...

Jackson The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Property damage Miscellaneous...

7:30 p.m. Monday Jackson City Hall, 101 Court St. Agenda items Information items Executive session ...

Patricia M. Paulin of Desarc, Mo., has enlisted in the Missouri Army National Guard. Paulin, 21, leaves soon for basic training at Fort Sill, Okla., where she will study the Army's mission, history, tradition and core values. She will also work on physical fitness and receive instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and receive bayonet training. Basic training is nine weeks...

LOOKING FOR 4-H ALUMNI All 4-H Alumni are invited to come join the Cape Girardeau County 4-H Program for a night of fun, dancing, and a trip down memory road. The Cape County 4-H is sponsoring a Benefit Dance on August 14 at the 4-H Exhibit Building at the Arena Park from 7:00 -- 11:00 p.m. ...

For area kids starting in the 2nd-7th grade this fall, Cape Youth Tackle Football (CYTF) Sign-Ups start this week. Presented by the Cape Girardeau Noon Optimists, The first of three sign-up days are Saturday, August 7 9am-noon at the Osage Community Centre. The other sign-up days are:...

The Plaza Tire Capahas will carry plenty of momentum into their 29th consecutive National Baseball Congress World Series appearance. Manager Jess Bolen's squad opens the 76th annual double-elimination event in Wichita, Kan., today at 5 p.m. against the perennially strong Seattle Studs. The 32-team tournament began Friday and concludes Aug. 13...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Voters had no shortage of options in choosing party nominees in Tuesday's primaries as they focused on successors to Republican senators in Kansas and Missouri and term-limited Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Five Republicans and two Democrats were vying to succeed Granholm in Michigan, a state reeling from the economic downturn. ...

In response to current heat advisories, the Southeast Missouri chapter of the American Red Cross announced the opening of two city government-run cooling centers in Cape Girardeau, according to an organization news release. The National Weather Service has issued a heat warning for large parts of Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois lasting until 7 p.m. Wednesday. The heat index is predicted to reach between 110 and 115 degrees through the next two days.

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- At least two people have died due to recent blistering temperatures across the Midwest, and health officials urged residents Tuesday to keep an eye on those who could be vulnerable as the mercury continues to rise. The National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings for portions of Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma through Wednesday night...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Triple-digit temperatures appeared to be keeping some St. Louis voters from voting in Tuesday's primaries, but heated feelings about the federal health care overhaul seemed to be driving higher-than-expected turnout elsewhere in the state.

Carl Boitnott, a painter from Cape Girardeau, was electrocuted while working in Jackson Tuesday morning, Cape Girardeau County Coroner John Clifton said. Boitnott, 43, was working in the 300 block of W. Main Street...

There was a steady stream of people at a couple of the larger precincts in Cape Girardeau Tuesday afternoon as voters choose nominees for Congress, presiding commissioner and a state legislative seat. Many voters said the most important reason they were at the polls was to vote on Proposition C

Ripley County and Ripley County Memorial Hospital in Doniphan, Mo., are exploring the possibility of entering into an affiliation with Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. "An affiliation with Ripley County Memorial is consistent with our strategy as a regional health system," said Southeast Missouri Hospital president and CEO Debbie Linnes...

The Fruitland Fire Department was called out to assist the East County Fire Protection District at around 8:45 p.m. Tuesday at Nordenia USA Inc. where there's reportedly been a propane leak. A portion of Highway 177 is closed to traffic while crews investigate the scene...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a key provision of President Barack Obama's health care law, sending a clear message of discontent to Washington and Democrats less than 100 days before the midterm elections...

PERRYVILLE, MO. -- Incumbents easily won all three Republican primary races in Perry County on Tuesday. Michael Bullerdieck won the primary race for Associate Circuit Judge with 54 percent of the vote. He received 2,403 votes to defeat Jason Tilley, who received 2,044 votes...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Perry County voters passed a quarter-cent sales tax to fund county law enforcement in Tuesday's election. Known as Proposition A, there were 3,228 votes cast in favor of the measure, with 1,587 votes against it.

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Early this summer supplies and furniture were moved from Charleston's Kindergarten Center to a new home located nearly a mile away at Hearnes Elementary. When the new school year begins on Aug. 19, all of the district's students in prekindergarten through fifth grade will be housed at Hearnes Elementary...

The rules for lobbying and campaign finance must be stronger to control the influence of special interests, Democrat Robin Carnahan said during a stop Monday in Cape Girardeau. Carnahan called for a lifetime ban on lobbying by former members of Congress and a ban on fundraising committees called Leadership PACs that allow politicians to raise money to support their political activities outside campaigns. ...

Southeast Missouri State University plans to start asking some students needing housing to return in the spring because its residence halls are full. The university is expecting a large freshman class and currently has 240 more housing contracts than it had this time last year...

In one of several stops in the area Monday, U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson met with the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority board and representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis district, at the port to discuss funding options for dredging the port...

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department rescued a 54-year-old man from the Mississippi River around 6:45 p.m. Monday after his six-horsepower boat tipped and got sucked underneath a barge. The man told firefighters he was seeking a tow from the barge and as he was reaching for his anchor chains the boat tipped and he fell in the river...

Patients and their families from the practice of Dr. Terry Spence, Innovative Orthodontics, enjoyed a pool party held June 25 at the Jackson City Park. Refreshments were srved which included hot dogs, chips, cookies, sodas and snow cones. Those who chose not to go swimming enjoyed several outdoor games including badminton, lawn darts, hula hoops and frisbees at a nearby pavilion. ...

A friend of Bessie's, Brenda Hargrave, snaped this picture of Bessie at her home in Cape Girardeau while she was picking tomatoes from her seven tomato plants. She lovingly shares her abundant and delicious crop with her friends and relatives each and every year...

Ms. Gracie our 9 week old puppy.

Wayne Wallingford has won the Republican primary for 158th district state representative. All votes in Cape Girardeau County were finally tallied just before 11 p.m., and Wallingford beat Debra Tracy 2,584 to 2,519.

These Painted Lady butterflies were everywhere at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center.

Cape Girardeau's newest private school started its second school year Monday in a new location and with a few more students. Russell Grammer and his wife, Amy, both former public school teachers, started the Prodigy Leadership Academy last year. More than 20 field trips later and with a new location downtown at First Presbyterian Church, the school is opening for its second year. The school previously operated out of True Vine Ministries on Bloomfield Street...

We had a wonderful afternoon with a visit to the Bollinger Mill Historic Site Grain Mill and Covered Bridge - dating back to 1858 Burfordville Missouri

Central Jr. High Cheerleaders recently attended summer camp at Southeast Missouri State University. After four days of working and learning the squad left the camp with two red excellent and four blue superior ribbons for their performance of their cheers and chants, awarded spirit stick all nights of camp, herkie team spirit certificate (voted on by other squads at camp), herkie team award plaque (voted on by NCA only one awarded), seven cheerleaders nominated for All-American (Sierra Jones, Amanda Evans, Bella Sander, Ayanna Askew, Courterra Stevenson, Hanna Borders, and Morgan Murphy), S.P.O.T. ...

The Jackson Board of Aldermen's satellite fire station committee outlined a potential location and cost for a new fire station at the board's meeting Monday night. The proposal calls for a quarter-cent sales tax to pay for fire operations at the station.

The interest in recycling appears to be growing in Cape Girardeau. When the new single-stream recycling program for residential customers began in May, the participation was much higher than the previous voluntary system that required various recyclables to be separated...

A caller asked for God to bless America after decrying the fact that a product is being sold in a 15-ounce container instead of 16 ounces. I hardly think that signals the ruin of a country, nor is it all that big of a deal. Companies are going to change things. It's your job as a consumer to pay attention to the price per ounce, which at most grocery stores is clearly displayed...

Fill us with spiritual food, O God, and deliver us from all evil. Amen.

People who suffer from Alzheimer's disease sometimes never seek treatment because of a fear of the stigma attached to the disease, which is considered the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Alzheimer's tears down a patient's brain, leaving them without the ability to remember significant events or faces, or the ability to perform day-to-day tasks. ...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The latest form of identity theft doesn't depend on stealing your Social Security number. Now thieves are targeting your child's number long before the little one even has a bank account. Hundreds of online businesses are using computers to find dormant Social Security numbers -- usually those assigned to children who don't use them -- then selling those numbers under another name to help people establish phony credit and run up huge debts they will never pay off.. ...

BOULDER, Colo. -- North America's heaviest hailstone ever might also be its most-traveled. A 1-pound, 15-ounce hailstone that fell in Vivian, S.D., on July 23 has been taken to the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., about 370 miles away...

Monday City hall 401 Independence St. Action items Public hearings Consent agenda New ordinances Appointment...

Viola M. "Vi" Green Clardy, 87, of Jackson passed away peacefully, Friday, July 30, 2010, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Vi, the eldest of two daughters, was born Oct. 25, 1922, in St. Louis, to Fred and Amy Leadbetter Green. She was a proud 1940 graduate of Roosevelt High School in St. Louis. She loved music and playing the guitar, but picking the banjo was her lifelong passion. She was a hard-working and very dedicated mother. Vi moved to Jackson in 1990 from Farmington, Mo...

Marilyn L. Franklin, 82, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Aug. 1, 2010, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born June 8, 1928, in Moberly, Mo., to Emmett and Lula Lynch Porter. She and Raymon L. Franklin were married Jan. 26, 1948, at Moberly. Franklin was a member of Lynwood Baptist Church and was truly a wonderful Christian woman who was loved dearly by her family...

Gloradean Kuehle, 81, of Wappapello, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Sunday, Aug. 1, 2010, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Mrs. Kuehle was born June 10, 1929, in Highland Park, Mich. She and Glenn A. Kuehle were married March 4, 1949, in Piggott, Ark...

Mabel Ellen Miller, 92, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Sunday, Aug. 1, 2010, at the Lutheran Home. She was born March 7, 1918, in Scopus, Mo., daughter of George Henry and Elmine Welker Moore. Mabel and Willard Leo Miller were married April 4, 1944, in Jonesboro, Ark...

Retired U.S. Navy Yeoman Chief Harlin M. Meyr, 74, of Jackson died Wednesday, July 28, 2010. The funeral was held Saturday at Cracraft-Miller Funeral Home, with the Rev. Stan Hargis officiating. Burial was in Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery in Pocahontas, with military honors provided...

Son to Zach and Sheila Miller of Naperville, Ill., Edwards Hospital, 12:36 p.m. Tuesday, July 6, 2010. Name, Nathan Mitchel. Weight, 8 pounds, 2 ounces. Second son. Mrs. Miller is the daughter of Tom and Margaret Madden of Evergreen Park, Ill. Miller is the son of Mitch and Diane Miller of Cape Girardeau...

Once again, the sound of the carillon, housed in Academic Hall, is heard on the campus; the musical instrument, a gift of the late Fred Naeter in 1962, had been silenced for about six months by repairs. Lt. William G. "Dub" Wilson retired from the Cape Girardeau Police Department yesterday, ending a 28-year career in law enforcement; Wilson was employed by the department in 1957 after serving a year as a reserve police officer...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Miscellaneous FIRE Firefighters responded to the following call Sunday:...

ASPEN, Colo. -- Actor Charlie Sheen was due in court Monday and was expected to plead guilty to a charge stemming from a Christmas Day dispute with his wife. Yale Galanter, one of Sheen's attorneys, has said that Sheen agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor assault in exchange for prosecutors dropping more serious charges...

NEW YORK -- Two men were convicted Monday of plotting to blow up jet fuel tanks at John F. Kennedy International Airport, a plan that authorities said was meant to outdo the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and avenge perceived U.S. oppression of Muslims around the world...

CHICAGO -- Local shops nationwide are pulling in thousands of new customers with group coupons online, but the deals can sometimes work too well, turning marketing into a game of retail roulette. Some of the nail salons, restaurants and other small shops that have sold the coupons have risked both new and existing business as they struggled to handle the surge in clients...

NEW YORK -- Over the long term, a low-carb diet works just as well as a low-fat diet at taking off the pounds -- and it might be better for your heart, new research suggests. Both diets improved cholesterol in a two-year study that included intensive group counseling. But those on the low-carbohydrate diet got a bigger boost in their so-called good cholesterol, nearly twice as much as those on low-fat...

NEW YORK -- Mitch Miller, the goateed orchestra leader who asked Americans to "Sing Along With Mitch" on television and records and produced hits for Tony Bennett, Patti Page and other performers, has died at age 99. His daughter, Margaret Miller Reuther, said Monday that Miller died Saturday in Lenox Hill Hospital after a short illness...

MOSCOW -- The death toll from wildfires raging across central and western Russia rose to 40 on Monday, as millions of Muscovites coughed through a haze of smoke from burning peat bogs and firefighters scrambled to put out hundreds of new blazes...

PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- Pakistan dispatched medical teams Monday to the deluged northwest amid fears that cholera could spread after the worst floods in the country's history that have already killed up to 1,200 people, an official said. The disaster has forced 2 million to flee their homes. ...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- With U.S. troop strength approaching 100,000, the Afghan war is entering its decisive phase. Without measurable progress in the coming months, political support for the conflict may collapse. Back-to-back months of record U.S. ...

WASHINGTON -- You have the right to remain silent, but only if you tell the police that you're remaining silent. You have a right to a lawyer -- before, during and after questioning, even though the police don't have to tell you exactly when the lawyer can be with you. If you can't afford a lawyer, one will be provided to you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you, which, by the way, are only good for the next two weeks?...

NEW YORK -- The stock market began August with a huge rally after economic reports from around the world revived investors' faith in the global recovery. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 208 points Monday. All the major stock indexes rose about 2 percent...

WASHINGTON -- It's a bright spot in an otherwise troubled economy: The nation's manufacturing sector has now grown for a solid year, and more of its companies say they're ready to hire. Chip maker Texas Instruments says its business has recovered to prerecession levels. Intel, which makes semiconductors, posted its best quarterly profit in a decade. And chemical giant DuPont says its sales volume is up and recently raised its prices...

People who want to install a new fence, build a retaining wall or put up a high-tech sign for their business in Cape Girardeau will soon have new rules to follow. The Cape Girardeau City Council held a public hearing Monday night on five proposed sections of a new development code dealing with signs, billboards, landscaping and buffer yards, retaining walls and fences. ...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI...

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The following information was released Monday by the federal prosecutor's office for defendants appearing before U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel. PLEADED GUILTY Name: Christell Lean Myers Age: 38 Residence: Chaffee, Mo. Charge: One felony count of conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Charges have been filed against two Chester, Ill., men who Perry County deputies say had more than 9 grams of pseudoephedrine, a component commonly used to manufacture methamphetamine. Kenneth J. Chambers, 43, and Robert L. Clark, 45, have been charged with felony possesion of a chemical with the intent to manufacture a controlled substance and acquiring more pseudoephedrine than allowed by law within a certain time...

The rookie offensive tackle has impressed Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo

ST. LOUIS -- The Houston Astros who still remain after a housecleaning are playing as if they're contenders. Jeff Keppinger had two hits and matched his season-best with four RBIs, including a key hit during a go-ahead three-run eighth inning, and the Astros won their sixth straight to spoil Jake Westbrook's St. Louis debut with a 9-4 victory over the Cardinals on Monday night...

Route N in Cape Girardeau County will be reduced to one lane while drainage repairs are peformed from Highway 25 to County Road 244. Work will be performed from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. today.

Southbound Interstate 55 in Pemiscot County will be reduced to one lane with an 11-foot width restriction for overlay work from Route T to one mile north of Route U. The work will begin at 6 a.m. Saturday and is expected to be completed by 7 p.m. Sept. 30...

Route FF in Cape Girardeau County will be closed while a pipe under the roadway is being replaced.Various sections of the road from Larch Lane to County Road 439 will close during the proces. Work will be from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. today through Thursday...

With an increasing client base, the Southeast Missouri Network Against Sexual Violence needs help with day-to-day office tasks from local people wanting to give back to their community. NASV executive staff say they're seeking volunteers who are compassionate and who enjoy being around children...

At Monday's Cape Girardeau County Commission meeting, commissioners approved a request from the Juvenile Division of the Judicial Court to retire two vehicles and bid on a new one. The division will retire a 1996 Ford Aerostar with 105,258 miles and a 2000 Dodge van with 99,601 miles. The division will now entertain bids for a new or slightly used 12-passenger van. The division has set aside $30,500 from its budget for the purchase...

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Brad Penny is optimistic he'll pitch again this season. He's just not sure when. Penny, sidelined since late May with an upper back injury, said Monday he's played catch every day for about a week, but the team has yet to schedule a bullpen session...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese strained his lower right leg in the first game of a rehab stint and will return to St. Louis to be evaluated. Freese, a rookie batting .296 with four homers and 36 RBIs, was hurt in Monday's game with Class AA Springfield. He started the game as the designated hitter and was hurt running the bases in the fifth inning...

ATLANTA -- Nearing a milestone in the Iraq war, President Barack Obama on Monday hailed this month's planned withdrawal of all U.S. combat troops -- "as promised and on schedule" -- as a success despite doubts about the Iraqis' ability to police and govern their country...

In response to the current heat advisories, the Southeast Missouri chapter of the American Red Cross has opened a cooling center in Cape Girardeau. The National Weather Service has issued a heat warning for Cape Girardeau County and surrounding areas lasting until 7 p.m. ...

Southeast Missouri State Catholic Campus minister the Rev. Patrick Nwokoye will be featured on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) Channel from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday. The program will be titled "Life on the Rock."...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Missouri Supreme Court has rejected the Kansas City school district's challenge to the way charter schools are funded in the state. The Kansas City School District sued over a 2005 law that provides for direct state funding of charter schools...

The Plaza Tire Capahas got off to a fast start but could not sustain it during their opening game at the 76th annual National Baseball Congress World Series. Facing the perennially strong Seattle Studs on a sizzling Tuesday in Wichita, Kan., the Capahas grabbed an early lead on Josh Eftink's two-run homer in the fourth inning...

Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder will appear on "On the Record with Greta van Susteren" at 9 p.m. today on Fox News. He is slated to speak about Missouri's passage of Proposition C. On Tuesday, state voters cast 71 percent of their ballots in favor of the measure to bar the government from requiring people to carry health insurance and penalizing those who don't...

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson cruised to an easy primary victory over challenger Bob Parker in the 8th District Republican primary, setting up a fall contest against Democratic nominee Tommy Sowers and Libertarian Rick Vandeven.

Hope is a 15month old blonde pure bred golden retriever, she is the biggest snuggler you could ever want in a dog,she loves all dogs and people..

Finishing with a record of 11-3, the Redhawks Kids Camp-sponsored AAA Girls Softball Team in Cape Girardeau won their division title with a 6-4 victory over Pepsi Mid-America last week.

Carl Boitnott, a painter from Cape Girardeau, was electrocuted Tuesday morning while working in Jackson, Cape Girardeau County Coroner John Clifton said. Boitnott, 43, was working in the 300 block of West Main Street when he cut a high-voltage wire, Clifton said. ...

Ripley County Presiding Commissioner Bill Kennon announced Tuesday that Ripley County and Ripley County Memorial Hospital in Doniphan are exploring the possibility of entering into an affiliation with Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. The announcement was made at a press conference held in Doniphan...

Republican Clint Tracy and Democrat Pat Wissman won their parties' presiding commissioner primary elections Tuesday night. The two will compete to replace retiring Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones. Tracy won the race with 4,888 votes. Stephen Daume received 2,475 votes, Jay Purcell received 2,389 votes, Christopher L. Hutson received 1576, Charles Brawley received 1457 votes and Doyle Parmer received 246 votes...

Cape Girardeau voters renewed the city's road tax for another five year run Tuesday, passing a half-cent Transportation Trust Fund proposition with 55 percent of the vote. The margin was not as large as five years ago, when the tax won approval of 80 percent of those voting. But Mayor Harry Rediger and city manager Scott Meyer said they were satisfied and promised that residents would see the funds at work as soon as possible...

Signatures are filling banners around town to welcome more than 700 athletes to Cape Girardeau for the Special Olympics State Outdoor Championships from Aug. 13 to 15. These banners, at some of the businesses sponsoring the event, will be combined to make a backdrop for opening ceremonies and medals presentations...

Scott City 8 & Under Boys Baseball take 2nd place in Show Me State Games held in Columbia, MO Front row from Left to right-Dalton LeDure,Logan Speakman, Kaden Mouser,Kobe Hann, Joel McClain Middle row from left to right-Tony Seabaugh, Brayden Wilfawn, Josh Schmitt, Brayden Forck, Gregory Schwaush, Daniel Biggs...

Name: Anna Belle Owner: Jamie Suedekum Favorite Activities: going on walks and chewing on stuff

The second time was a charm Tuesday for two area Republican candidates for the Missouri House of Representatives. Wayne Wallingford, 64, and Donna Lichtenegger, 59, edged their opponents in tight races for the 158th and 157th House districts respectively. Both previously campaigned for GOP nominations for the House...

Congratulations to the grand prize winners at the Cape Girardeau Public Library, with bicycles donated by VFW Post 3838, VFW Ladies' Auxiliary, and United Commercial Travelers Council 534. Left to right: Jeff Heise, Commander VFW Post 3838; Thomas Batchelor; Helen Heise, Ladies' Auxiliary President; Emily Harris; Haley Scott; Sheila Holloway, Jr. Counselor, United Commercial Travelers; and Reyt Middleton...

Jasper is 2 year old altered male. Jasper loves to be held and loved. Jasper is available for adoption at HSSEMO (573) 334-5837. Please see more of our pets at semopets.org.

Now that Tuesday's primary election is over, the number of candidates seeking office in November's general election has been reduced, which means fewer campaign workers will put up political signs around the area. Both Cape Girardeau and Jackson have ordinances regarding political signs requiring them to be on private property, not on public-owned property or on public right of way...

Missourians need to speak up to protect a place they love. Each year, nearly 2 million people visit the Ozark National Scenic Riverways to swim, tube, boat or fish in the Jacks Fork and Current rivers and hike and camp in the surrounding woods. Unfortunately, the gorgeous Ozark Riverways Park has fallen into disrepair, with trash accumulating along the riverbanks and trails beaten up by misuse...

Is it true that Cape Girardeau is once again not participating in the back-to-school sales tax holiday? LEXINGTON Avenue in Cape Girardeau should be a top priority for street improvements. A ton of money was wasted when it was milled. It is still caving in everywhere and is probably the roughest road in the city. It needs to be done right...

Send, O God, your special healing to those in need, and comfort them. Amen.

When all else fails, there's always the race card. With ethics probes under way on Charles Rangel and Maxine Waters, some members of the Congressional Black Caucus floated the notion over the weekend that the investigations were race-based. Unfortunately for the anonymous members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the facts simply don't support the charge. But since playing the race card is the bastard child of hypocrisy and arrogance, facts matter little...

Here is a synopsis of an article I read in the Press Trust of India. All I can say is, "Where is your rage, America?" "When will the U.S. government as well as citizens realize that we can never win the war in Afghanistan? We will certainly lose thousands more of our young men and women in this ghastly war so long as Pakistan covertly supplies intelligence, ammunition and moral support to Taliban and al-Qaida. ...

Last week at the senior center my friend Joan Weeks shared her interest in salad dressings with me. She and her son, Rob, have several salad dressing recipes they enjoy making and offered to share them with us. Today I have included those recipes and a Thousand Island dressing recipe from the Thousand Island Hotel in New York, where the dressing was presumably served for the first time. I hope you enjoy all of today's selections...

Backyard gardens have increased in popularity in recent years. One staple plant growing in those patches always brings up a question: What to do with all those tomatoes? There's the standby sliced tomato with a bit of salt sprinkled on top or a tomato-basil-mozzarella salad, but there are also dozens of other options. ...

BENTON, Mo. -- A 28-year-old Scott City man was arrested Sunday on suspicion that he sexually assaulted a teenager over the weekend.

NEW YORK -- A city panel Tuesday cleared the way for the construction near ground zero of a mosque that has caused a political uproar over religious freedom and Sept. 11 even as opponents vowed to press their case in court. The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to deny landmark status to a building two blocks from the World Trade Center site that developers want to tear down and convert into an Islamic community center and mosque. ...

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq -- Everything from helicopters to printer cartridges is being wrapped and stamped and shipped out of Iraq. U.S. military bases that once resembled small towns have transformed into a cross between giant post offices and Office Depots...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI...

Kenny Wayne Nalley, 65, of Scott City, formerly of Clinton, Ky., passed away Monday, Aug. 2, 2010, at his home. He was born July 18, 1945, in Glenallen, Mo., son of Alfred and Lucy Medlin Nalley. Kenny was a lifelong business man, owning a restaurant and a pool hall. He loved his family very much and held his grandchildren nearest to his heart. He was a good friend and kept his sense of humor until the very end...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Gerald W. Sleyster, 19, of Perryville died Monday, Aug. 2, 2010, at his home. Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. today and from 6:30 a.m. until time of service Thursday at Young and Sons Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Milton Ryan officiating. Burial will be in Mount Hope Cemetery...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Chaffee Assembly of God Church honors the Rev. William Marshall's 30 years of pastoring the church with a "pitch-in" at noon and a community singing following the event. Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau observes its Mission Festival; guest speaker is the Rev. Rudolph Blank, a Lutheran missionary to Venezuela for more than 25 years...

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The Southeast Missouri State soccer team has been picked to finish seventh in the Ohio Valley Conference this season. Defending OVC tournament champion Murray State is the preseason favorite in voting by the league's coaches and sports information directors that was announced Tuesday...

LOS ANGELES -- Lawyers neared an end to jury selection Tuesday in the Anna Nicole Smith drug conspiracy trial in Los Angeles. Superior Court Judge Robert Perry called a new panel of about 70 prospects early in the day, hoping to have a jury seated for opening statements on Wednesday...

ST. LOUIS -- Bud Norris probably would like to face the St. Louis Cardinals every time out. He's already beaten them three times this season. Norris won only his fourth game overall and the Houston Astros got career highs of six RBIs and four hits from rookie Angel Sanchez, stretching their winning streak to seven with an 18-4 rout on Tuesday night...

ST. LOUIS -- As the St. Louis Rams struggled to a 1-15 finish last year on their way to the No. 1 pick in the draft, one bright spot was the improved play of defensive end Chris Long. In his second season, the former No. 1 pick struggled along with his team in the first half of the season. But after not recording a sack in the first seven games, Long had five of them in the last nine games and was noticeably more active from his defensive end spot...

Jackson The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Miscellaneous Firefighters responded to the following call Monday:...

MANCHESTER, Conn. -- A warehouse driver who a union official said was caught on video stealing beer from the distributorship where he worked went on a shooting rampage there Tuesday, killing eight people and wounding two before committing suicide...

ST. LOUIS -- At least two people have died due to recent blistering temperatures across the Midwest, and health officials urged residents Tuesday to keep an eye on those who could be vulnerable as the mercury continues to rise. The National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings for portions of Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma through Wednesday night...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Jerry L. Hudson, 64, of Perryville died Sunday, Aug. 1, 2010, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. Friends may call from 8 a.m. until time of service Saturday at Young and Sons Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Gene Holland officiating. Burial will be in Cedar Fork Cemetery...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Marble Hill voters gave solid approval to a half-cent sales tax that will take effect Jan. 1. At the same time, city property taxes will be rolled back.

Voters in Scott City overwhelmingly approved a 10-year extension of the city's quarter-cent sales tax with 69 percent of the vote Tuesday. The measure was approved with 386 votes in favor of the extension and 173 votes against it. The sales tax generates between $70,000 and $80,000 per year and is used to fund capital improvements in Scott City...

Twenty-nine percent of registered voters in Cape Girardeau County cast ballots in Tuesday's primary election. Of 51,360 registered voters in Cape Girardeau County, 14,959 went to the polls Tuesday. A total of 657 absentee ballots were turned in. Tuesday's turnout is higher than in the last nonpresidential primary, in 2006, when voter turnout was a little more than 20 percent...

Voters in Kelso overwhelmingly approved the renewal of a property tax levy for fire protection. The measure, which was approved by 91.8 percent of voters who cast ballots Tuesday, extends the tax of 13 cents per $100 assessed valuation for four years...

Firefighters responded to the following calls Monday:...

Scott County residents who went to the polls Tuesday chose to re-elect Paul Boyd as Scott County prosecuting attorney. Boyd beat out his predecessor, Cristy Baker-Neel, by 560 votes. Unofficial election results indicate votes for Boyd, first elected to the position in 2002, total 1,697, while Baker-Neel received 1,137 votes...

Southeast Missouri overwhelmingly supported Proposition C, the referendum on a state law that was widely viewed as a statement on whether voters support federal health care legislation. The measure won almost 80 percent of the vote in Cape Girardeau, Perry, Scott and Bollinger counties. ...

Only three businesses still have gift cards available at The Southeast Missourian's online Half Price Gift Card Store. Tiger Ridge Restaurant and Tiger Ridge Tours, both at Crown Ridge in Ste. Genevieve, Mo., as well as Vines 2 Wines Excursions winery tours still have half-price gift cards available...

The following information was released Tuesday by the federal prosecutor's office for defendants appearing before U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel. PLEADED GUILTY Name: Raymond Polk Age: 60 Residence: Scott County, Mo. Charge: One felony count of possession of methampetamine with the intent to distribute more than five grams; one count of money laundering...

The following information was released Tuesday by the federal prosecutor's office for defendants appearing before U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. SENTENCED Name: Richard Leible Age: Unknown Residence: Scott City...

WAPPAPELLO LAKE, Mo. -- An Arnold, Mo., man was treated at an area hospital after he became entangled in a rope and pulled under water as his boat sank Saturday on Wappapello Lake. The Daily American Republic newspaper reported that at about 8:40 p.m. Saturday, Jonahtan Nickless was operating a johnboat with a jet motor near the Allison Point boat ramp at Lake Wappapello State Park, according to Missouri State Water Patrolman David Nelson...

Route B in Perry County will be reduced to one lane while a pipe beneath the roadway is replaced. The closed section of road is from Route K to Interstate 55. Road work will take place from 7 a.m. to noon today.

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- In Bollinger County's only contested county primary elections, Travis Elfrink defeated two Republican contenders for the nomination to run in November for presiding commissioner, and Jeaneal Vandeven swept through three Republican opponents to run for circuit clerk...

The third baseman will have surgery after being injured in a rehab assignment

Scott R. Clark defeated Shelly Lane Tuesday night in the Cape Girardeau County recorder of deeds Republican primary. Clark, a 25-year-old retail supervisor at J.C. Penney, won the primary with 5,910 votes. Lane received 5,632 votes.

CAMPBELL, Mo. -- A first-year nursing student at Three Rivers Community College saved the life of a victim of heart failure by giving him CPR on her family's peach farm in Campbell, Mo. Robert McCoy, an 82-year-old active farmer of Marston, Mo., went into cardiac arrest after making a purchase at Bader Farms two weeks ago...

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- Students and faculty at the University of Missouri can now rent hybrid vehicles and other cars from a campus parking lot in Columbia. The WeCar rental program was created to help freshmen who are required to live on campus get around town more easily. An annual membership costs $35, with rental fees of $8 to $9 per hour...

PATTON, Mo. -- Voters of the Meadow Heights School District came out overwhelmingly against a ballot issue to raise the tax rate and ease budget concerns. After a tough budget year that included state cuts in formula funding and transportation, among other areas, the district posed voters with a 50 cent tax increase per $100 of assessed valuation in the operating levy. It is currently at $2.75, the minimum required by the state...

GRAY SUMMIT, Mo. (AP) -- Two buses carrying high school band students to an amusement park Thursday slammed into a freeway wreck that happened right in front of them, crushing a pickup truck and killing its driver and one of the students. Dozens of other students were treated for injuries.

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. -- The Portageville Fire Department responded to a call of a vehicle on fire on Interstate 55 only to find a double semi-trailer truck that crashed while heading southbound. The crash was located at mile marker 34, in the median of the Portageville exit...

With the issue on the ballot for the third time in less than five years, Perry County residents voted Tuesday in favor of a quarter-cent sales tax for county law enforcement that'll go in effect Jan. 1.

All four candidates in the 8th Congressional District will debate Oct. 11 at the River Campus in Cape Girardeau, but Democratic contender Tommy Sowers wants a looser schedule and more debates than proposed by incumbent U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson.

Extra space will be converted, resident advisers will share their rooms and a few students will have to wait. Southeast Missouri State University students will return to campus later this month in larger numbers than expected. The sudden trend spurred an announcement by the university earlier this week to defer admissions for students living outside a 50-mile radius of Cape Girardeau starting Monday. ...

Big River Telephone Co. will receive $24.3 million in federal stimulus funds to provide a high-speed wireless Internet network able to serve 90 percent of the homes in a seven-county area of Southeast Missouri. Gov. Jay Nixon will join management at 2:15 p.m. Thursday at Big River's Cape Girardeau office to discuss the project that will serve Washington, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Madison, Perry, Bollinger and Cape Girardeau counties...

BENTON, Mo. -- A Cape Girardeau woman working as a caretaker for an elderly couple in Scott County was arrested recently on accusations that she stole more than $70,000 from the couple's bank account. Linda L. Davis, 49, has been charged with felony stealing and forgery and financial exploitation of the elderly...

Taken from the Hobby Lobby parking lot after a storm last week.

Element 74, a Cape Girardeau web design company, was recently presented with a district-level Silver ADDY® Award. Element 74's design of www.HeartforAfrica.org was recognized from more than 600 entries from four states. The ADDY® Awards are presented annually by the American Advertising Federation (AAF), a not-for-profit industry association...

Starr is a 6 yr old shepherd huskey mix and she doesn't know she is a little dog. she is a total Diva and she loves her daddy!

Open our eyes and ears, O God, to see and hear the wisdom of your ways. Amen.

Shoppers stocking up on school supplies will find extra savings this weekend during Missouri's annual back-to-school sales tax holiday. From 12:01 a.m. Friday through midnight Sunday, the state's 4.225 percent sales tax won't be assessed on clothing, school supplies and computer items...

Daniel's daughter, Ella, with her best friend, our pitbull Macy, on our recent trip. These two are inseparable! It's so sweet just watching them with each other.

Jo Ann Emerson announced this morning that she has accepted the offer of Missouri Science and Technology to host a debate this October in the race for the Eighth Congressional District seat...

I hung these berries to attract the birds. Fruitless attempt on my part. (:

Louise Gann celebrated her Birthday at the Hoover Center Senior Alive Program on July 22, 2010. Pictured and joining in the celebration are: Sharon Shaw (friend), Barbara Blanchard (friend), Whitney Blockton (Semo Student), Nora Johnson (Semo Student), Helen McCarty (Hoover Participant), Norma Dawes (Hoover Participant), Birthday Girl with the flowers - Louise Gann, Bernice Hartman (Hoover Participant), Anita Hahs (Admin. ...

Press release: Sowers Campaign Looks Forward to Debates: Proposes additional debates in Kennett, St. Francois County & West Plains Contact: Jonathan Feifs Email: jonathan.feifs@sowersforcongress.com Phone: 573.578.6520 Jonathan Feifs, Sowers for Congress Campaign Manager, released the following statement:...

WHERE is OUR HOUSE? Those were the first words I spoke after the Dongola Cyclone on Decoration Day, 1917. I was six years old and had spent most the day playing With my three brothers, Cletis, Henry and Len. Mother and Sara Newell were in the house doing...

Scholarships n Danielle Robbins of Cape Girardeau received the President's Scholarship to attend St. Louis College of Pharmacy. She also received a Missouri Bright Flight Scholarship. The following students received a scholarship from the Saint Francis Foundation and the Saint Francis Medical Center Auxiliary. Each student received a scholarship toward a degree in a health care-related profession...

"Sing, America, Sing," in its fifth year, will run the gamut of American musical heritage in just over two hours. The production will showcase Mike Dumey's Starz on the Rise with forays into vaudeville, big band, Motown, Broadway and contemporary and classic country musical styles. ...

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com Lars Monia, 17, watches swimmers while working as a lifeguard at Capaha Pool in Cape Girardeau on Tuesday, August 3, 2010. Monia is a student at Cape Central High School and has been a lifeguard for three years....

What's happening this weekend

SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge overturned California's gay-marriage ban Wednesday with a ruling that could eventually force the U.S. Supreme Court to confront the question of whether same-sex couples have a constitutional right to wed. The ruling by Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker touched off a celebration outside the courthouse. Gay couples waved rainbow and American flags and erupted with cheers...

WASHINGTON -- With a report that some researchers call more spin than science, the government said Wednesday that the mess made by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is mostly gone already. On the same day they trumpeted success in plugging up the leaking well with drilling mud, federal officials announced that nearly 70 percent of the oil spilled dissolved naturally, or was burned, skimmed, dispersed or captured, with almost nothing left to see -- at least on top of the water...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests...

Firefighters responded to the following calls Tuesday:...

Lona Gertrude Fingerhut, 90, of Carbondale, Ill., formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2010, at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale. She was born Aug. 30, 1919, at Whitewater, to Robert H. and Edith Brown Davis. She and Lawrence Fingerhut were married Sept. 10, 1938, in Farmington, Mo...

Melissa Ann Deevers, 40, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Aug. 2, 2010, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. She was born Dec. 4, 1969, in Cape Girardeau, to George and Pat Wilson Bockhorst. She and James Deevers were married March 24, 1990, at Red Star Baptist Church...

Cynthia Renee Bowles, 53, of Danville, Ill., passed away Saturday, July 31, 2010, at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Ill. She was born Sept. 16, 1956, in Dunklin County, Mo., to Ava Glen and Evelyn McBroom Hopwood. She and Philip "Mike" Bowles were married Oct. 11, 2001, in Salem, Ill...

Carl Anthony Boitnott, 43, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2010, at Saint Francis Medical Center, as a result of an accident. He was born Dec. 17, 1966, in Port Smith, Va., to Robert Eugene and Cecilia Puebla Gomez Boitnott Sr. He and Julie Ellen Bray were married July 27, 1985, in Cape Girardeau...

Barbara Knote Head, 58, of Denver died Friday, July 30, 2010, in Denver. A memorial service is planned Aug. 21 at First Presbyterian Church. Announcement courtesy of Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

MARQUAND, Mo. -- Herbert Lloyd Sparkman, 71, of Marquand died Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010, at his home. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army. Friends may call from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday and from 6:30 a.m. until time of service Friday at Young and Sons Funeral Home in Perryville, Mo...

Son to Antwan Dorelle Bradley and Shanel LeeAnn Wilkerson of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 10:28 a.m. Monday, July 26, 2010. Name, Aveon Deshawn. Weight, 7 pounds, 7 ounces. Third child, second son. Ms. Wilkerson is the daughter of Anntonette Wilkerson of Fruitland. She is employed at Logan's Roadhouse. Bradley is the son of Mary Sloan and Ronald Sloan of Cape Girardeau. He is employed at McAlister's Deli...

An early morning downpour fills creeks and annoys numerous homeowners who awaken to find water in their basements, but does little damage overall. PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The Perryville Board of Aldermen this week will consider an ordinance that provides for the friendly annexation of 26 acres of industrial land as part of Toyota Gosei Inc.'s proposal to build a steering wheel manufacturing plant here...

Cape Girardeau County authorities arrested a county resident Monday for allegedly having in appropriate contact with a girl younger than 17.

Southeast Missouri Food Bank in Cape Girardeau will receive a portion of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to feed local low-income children and families. The Missouri Association of Food Banks, a network of six Missouri food banks, will share the $12 million in stimulus funding, said Kit Brewer, operations director at Southeast Missouri Food Bank...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Poplar Bluff man was charged Monday afternoon with seriously injuring another man by slicing a reported 16-inch gash in his stomach with a utility knife. The Daily American Republic newspaper reported Robert Wesley Routt, 52, of the 2100 block of North Westwood Boulevard was charged with the Class A felony of first-degree assault and the unclassified felony of armed criminal action by Butler County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Bill Gresham...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Nearly half the seats in the Missouri Legislature up for election this year already have essentially been decided through the primary election. Voters cast ballots for all 163 members in the state House and half of the 34-member state Senate on Tuesday. In many of those races, the only competition was between members of the same political party. Others will face only a Libertarian or Constitution party challenger in the fall election...

The Arena Building was a hub of activity Wednesday as the Cartoon Network and Move It Movement Tour rolled into town to promote healthier lifestyles for children 6 to 14. Attempting to reduce America's childhood obesity rate, the tour motivates youngsters to "get out from in front of the television, be active and make healthier nutrition choices," said Neal Gilb, spokesman for local sponsor Charter Communications...

A water rescue unit with the Cape Girardeau Fire Department retrieved an overturned boat from the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau on Wednesday with the help of a tugboat from Missouri Dry Docks.

With only a little more than three months until the start of the holiday season, local organizations are raising money to replace the Jackson Nativity scene that has become an uptown fixture for more than a quarter-century. Jackson Chamber of Commerce executive director Brian Gerau said the 2009 holiday season was the first time in 30 years the Nativity scene has not been displayed. He said age and exposure to winter weather have taken their toll on the pieces...

TOKYO -- Toyota reported a quarterly profit of $2.2 billion, reversing from red ink a year earlier as the world's top automaker benefited from a global sales recovery that offset lingering doubts about the safety of its cars. The company, which makes the Camry sedan and Prius hybrid, raised its full-year earnings forecast Wednesday, and said it now expects to sell 7.38 million vehicles worldwide for the year through March 2011, up from 7.24 million the previous year. ...

GULF SHORES, Ala. -- A Dexter family is safe and consider themselves "very lucky" after being struck by lightning on a Gulf Shores beach late Tuesday morning, the Daily Statesman newspaper reported. The family of Tom and Debbie Thrower were on the beach at about 11 a.m. Tuesday when a bolt of lightning struck a beach chair that their daughter, Brooke, 20, had occupied only seconds before...

CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. -- A Caruthersville man got more than he bargained for when he stole a police car. He also got a helicopter ride to the hospital after crashing the vehicle. The Sikeston Standard Democrat reported the Caruthersville Police Department was called to domestic assault Tuesday afternoon at the East Haven Federal Housing Complex...

The Plaza Tire Capahas bounced back Wednesday to stave off elimination at the 76th annual National Baseball Congress World Series in sweltering Wichita, Kan. Brad LaBruyere pitched all nine innings and Daryl Graham went 5 for 5 as the Capahas beat the Columbia (Texas) Angels 7-3 in a losers bracket game of the 32-team event...

ST. LOUIS -- Five days later, the St. Louis Rams had no regrets about the deal they gave No. 1 draft pick Sam Bradford that guarantees the quarterback $50 million. They had several months to assess not only Bradford's surgically repaired shoulder but also his character before making the six-year deal worth at least $78 million...

ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals put relief pitcher Jason Motte on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to Tuesday with a shoulder injury. Motte, 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA and two saves, is suffering from a Grade I separation of the AC joint in his right shoulder...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department about a year ago launched a local database, called the "Take Me Home" program so that officers would be able to identify individuals with disabilities. The database includes descriptive information, such as how to communicate with them and to help safeguard against misinterpreting the actions of those with disabilities. The database also contains information about those who are dependent on insulin. People ranging from ages 3 to 92 are included...

GAMBLING, like alcohol, is a choice. Both are legal and have people who are for them and against them. The bottom line is, it is a choice for people 21 or over who are considered to be adults, just like bingo. Those who are against can choose not to gamble or drink just as those who are for it should be able to choose to gamble or drink. ...

Aug. 5, 2010 Dear DC, After I moved to Northern California at the end of the 1970s, one of the first stories I covered was a protest by a man and woman standing outside the Humboldt County Courthouse with signs criticizing the practice of circumcision. He wore a yellow mask, she a red one. They talked to me but refused to reveal their identities. So the newsroom, of course, nicknamed them mustard and ketchup...

POLICE Thefts FIRE...

What happens when there is a hole in the bottle holding your favorite drink? It all depends on if the lid is on the bottle. STEP 2: Place your finger over the hole, completely fill the bottle with water, and then quickly screw the lid onto the bottle...

With the countywide turnout average at 29.25 percent for Tuesday's primary, three precincts had close to 40 percent of their voters cast ballots. According to the Cape Girardeau County clerk's office, the New Wells Precinct in the north of the county had the highest showing in the county with 39.85 percent. ...

Route N in Cape Girardeau County will be reduced to one lane for drainage repairs. The section of road is from Highway 25 to County Road 257. Roadwork will be performed from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. today.

MOUNDS, Ill. -- William J. "Bill" Wood, 57, of Mounds died Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010, at Heartland Regional Hospital in Marion, Ill. Jones Funeral Home in Villa Ridge, Ill., is in charge of arrangements.

ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols wasted little time in helping the St. Louis Cardinals erase a painful memory. Pujols hit a three-run homer and Chris Carpenter slowed the Houston bats in the St. Louis Cardinals' 8-4 victory over the Astros on Wednesday night...

Jackson's Conner Thrower defeated Dustin Yamnitz in a playoff to win the boys 14 to 18 division of the Perry County Junior Golf Championship. Both golfers shot a 78. Cape Girardeau's Jesse Schott was third with an 80. Results 14 to 18 (18 holes) -- Conner Thrower, Jackson, 78; Dustin Yamnitz, Perryville, 78; Jesse Schott, Cape Girardeau, 80; Brett Wengert, Perryville, 82; Adam Way, Jackson, 82; Brett Schnurbusch, Perryville, 92; Chris Sheeran, Festus, 92; Alex Miget, Perryville, 101; John Meinhardt, Perryville, 109; Kelly Welker, Perryville, 109. ...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Saint Louis University will get more than $2.1 million in federal grant money over the next five years to help educate elderly people about falling and other common problems. University officials say the money comes from the federal Health Resources & Services Administration...

The U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday that 49 districts, schools, and nonprofits beat out more than 1,600 other applicants in a competition for $650 million in grants from the Investing in Innovation, or i3, fund. Four groups--the KIPP Foundation, Ohio State University, the Success for All Foundation, and Teach For America--won what are known as "scale up" awards worth up to $50 million each...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A retired professor and his wife have pledged a $1 million gift from their estate to the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Education. UMKC officials say the commitment is the largest by an individual in the education school's history...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- The new president of Missouri State University takes over the state's second largest public university at a time of financing challenges. James Cofer is the 10th president of Missouri State University, and begins in the new job Sunday...

WASHINGTON -- Missouri voters' overwhelming opposition to requiring nearly all Americans to buy health insurance puts one of the least popular parts of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law back in the political crosshairs. Even if the vote sets no legally binding precedent, it will help mobilize foes of Obama's agenda in the fall midterm elections, and that could make a difference in some states with close congressional races that could decide the balance of power in Washington.. ...

ST. LOUIS -- James Laurinaitis was productive and durable as a rookie, leading the St. Louis Rams in tackles and starting all 16 games. This year, he expects to be even better now that he knows what to expect. The Ohio State linebacker was a second-round pick before last season, projecting confidence from the start and emerging as a young leader. Turns out there was some bluster, too...

GRAY SUMMIT, Mo. (AP) -- National Transportation Safety Board investigators examining the Missouri crash that killed a 15-year-old school bus passenger and the teen driver of a pickup truck are hopeful they'll learn something that can make school buses and road work zones safer, an NTSB official said Friday...

Most agencies funded by the United Way of Southeast Missouri will get a boost this year in their annual allocation. The United Way will distribute $101,573 more this year than last, with a total of $794,968 going out to groups that serve the community in the United Way's impact areas of education, income and health...

A day after U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson challenged 8th District candidates to a series of debates, Democratic challenger Tommy Sowers doubled the request.

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A judge retained jurisdiction over the young daughters of murder suspect Allen McCoy Tuesday morning and placed them with a family member, the Daily American Republic reported. The girls, ages 7 and 5, have been in the custody of the Missouri Children's Division since June 30 when they were placed in foster care following the arrest of their father and stepmother, Allen and Angela McCoy...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Immigration authorities arrested at least five individuals employed at a Poplar Bluff restaurant Wednesday morning as part of an ongoing criminal work-site enforcement operation. Just after 10 a.m., agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could be seen entering and exiting the China Buffet Mongolian Grill in the Mansion Mall Marketplace, as well as a residence at 2808 Virginia Ave., the Daily American Republican newspaper reported...

Members of the Cape West Rotary Club asked executives with Isle of Capri how their plans for a Cape Girardeau casino would affect existing community organizations and businesses.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- Three public hearings are scheduled later this month to discuss whether to introduce elk to Missouri. The Missouri Department of Conservation will hold meetings Aug. 23 in Van Buren, Aug. 24 in Eminence and Aug. 26 in Ellington. The department also is taking written comments through Oct. 1...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Nearly 90 members of the Missouri National Guard's 1137th Military Police Company have been to Haiti this summer as part of Operation New Horizons, a mission meant to help rebuild the Caribbean country devastated by an earthquake in January...

The 58th Annual Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo boasts an entertainment lineup of multiplatinum selling chart toppers and Rock and Roll Hall of Famers for the four nights of the rodeo.

We found this Rattler while fishing the flatbanks at Mingo

Area artists have added life, light and color to the building at 5 N. Main St. One by one, the rooms have been transformed from dark, empty spaces with drab walls and sometimes hideous flooring into colorful, vibrant grottos full of works by local artists...

More voters turned out for Tuesday's primary election (29 percent) than the previous nonpresidential primary in 2006 (a little over 20 percent). The increase was attributed to a keen interest in the race for presiding commissioner and Proposition C, a statewide referendum on national health care legislation. Across Missouri, election officials said Proposition C appeared to be pulling more voters to the polls...

What a great idea Marble Hill has in having a sales tax increase and doing away with property taxes. This way everyone will pay their fair share instead of the tax burden falling on the homeowners, especially senior citizens living on Social Security. ...

We all hear and read about Wall Street causing our financial problems. Washington politicians are good at this tactic. Who makes the laws and writes regulations that control how businesses function? Who writes bills and regulations that cover thousands of pages so they can contain all of the loopholes needed for businesses to operate the way they do? Who signs these so they become law?...

Thank you to the voters of Cape Girardeau for recognizing the value of the half-cent sales tax for the transportation needs of our city. This is a user tax, so the cost of building and maintaining our streets is shared with all who use them. The Transportation Trust Fund has been a successful program over the past 15 years. ...

Finally, President Obama is doing something I agree with: removing our troops from Iraq, a place we should never have been. More than 4,600 American servicemen have been killed. Thousands more have been wounded or disabled for life. The cost is $1.3 trillion and counting, and for what? What was gained? I believe it was blatantly obvious, to those who would see, that this war was in the planning stage before George Bush was inaugurated...

I am writing this comment on election day before any results are known, but I wanted to thank the Southeast Missourian for the excellent job it has done covering the political candidates at all levels. It is easy to take for granted the methodical and fair reporting that you do. ...

We give thanks for your divine healing, O God, and for your many blessings. Amen.

I am no math whiz, and trying to make sense of numbers can leave my head spinning. So what I'm about to attempt may induce a daze -- for you, too. That's my last warning. In my lifetime, I have seen so many things get bigger. When I was born, for example, I was expected to be taller than my parents and their parents and their parents. And I was. So was most everyone in my generation...

First Presbyterian Church in Cape Girardeau will participate in today's First Friday events with an art exhibit in honor of the church's 175th anniversary. More than 25 artists from the congregation will display their works alongside permanent art pieces already hanging on the church's walls in a show titled "Treasures of the First Presbyterian Church."...

Thorlock and The Disappeared will play at 9 p.m. Saturday at Breakaways Bar and Grill, 15 N. Main St. Thorlock is a three-piece heavy-stoney-rock band from Cape Girardeau. Its music is rhythmic, sludgy, riff-heavy, droning and will appease "earflings," what the band calls its fans. ...

Gallery openings this month

The former major league player returns to Southeast Missouri State

HARTFORD, Conn. -- The man who went on a shooting rampage at a beer distributor calmly told a 911 operator that it was "a racist place" and that he "handled the problem" but wished he had shot more people. Omar Thornton, 34, called 911 after shooting 10 co-workers -- eight fatally -- on Tuesday morning at Hartford Distributors Inc. He introduced himself as "the shooter over in Manchester" and said he was hiding in the building, but would not say where...

LOCKPORT, N.Y. -- Authorities trying to solve a shooting in New York have zeroed in on identical twin brothers -- but now they have to figure out which one to charge. A prosecutor on Wednesday won the right to photograph 31-year-old Niagara Falls residents Edward and Raymond Nickens with their shirts on and off to see which one might match a description in the May shooting...

SAN FRANCISCO -- The judge who overturned California's gay marriage ban was unrelenting in his repudiation of the measure, saying such laws are mean-spirited and unconstitutional to the core. It was a harsh yet carefully worded ruling that some experts said would be tough to overturn as the landmark legal debate goes to the appeals court and then possibly to the U.S. ...

NEW YORK -- The Internal Revenue Service said Thursday it will end its policy of releasing information about back taxes and other debts taxpayers owe in the coming tax season. The information, called debt indicators, has been included on acknowledgments the IRS sends tax preparers when it receives returns filed electronically...

PHILADELPHIA -- Consumers are feeling more confident about spending on small luxuries such as premium cable services and pay-per-view, propelling the earnings of cable and satellite TV providers upward in the second quarter. Advertisers, particularly automakers, also spent more in the quarter...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A suicide car bomber struck a convoy of NATO troops and Afghan police Thursday in northern Afghanistan, killing seven police officers and wounding at least 11 people. A Canadian helicopter, meanwhile, went down in southern Afghanistan. No one was injured and the Taliban claimed it shot the aircraft down...

ABOARD THE USS GEORGE WASHINGTON -- Nothing projects U.S. global air and sea power more vividly than supercarriers. Bristling with fighter jets that can reach deep into even landlocked trouble zones, America's virtually invincible carrier fleet has long enforced its dominance of the high seas...

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Singer Wyclef Jean submitted the paperwork Thursday to run for president of Haiti, formally thrusting himself into what is expected to be a highly competitive race and ending years of speculation about his political ambitions...

ABOARD THE ROK DOKDO -- South Korean troops fired artillery and dropped sonar buoys into the Yellow Sea as naval drills kicked off near the spot where a warship sank four months ago. Some 4,500 South Korean troops aboard more than 20 ships and submarines as well as about 50 aircraft were mobilized Thursday to take part in the five days of naval exercises off the west coast, including spots near the two Koreas' maritime border, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said...

WASHINGTON -- The Senate confirmed Elena Kagan Thursday as the Supreme Court's 112th justice and the fourth woman in its history, granting a lifetime term to a lawyer and academic with a reputation for brilliance, a dry sense of humor and a liberal bent...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests...

Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday:...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- William J. "Bill" Wood, 57, of Mounds passed away Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010, at Heartland Regional Hospital in Marion, Ill. He was born July 24, 1953, in Rockford, Ill., son of the late Dupree and Pauline "Polly" Adams Wood. Bill was a member of First Baptist Church in Mounds, member and serving as commander of Pulaski County Memorial VFW Post 8891 of Mounds, member of Area Veterans Burial Ritual Team, Kim Shrine Club in Cairo, Ill., Ainad Shrine Temple in East St. ...

Norma Jean Barringer Barenkamp, 73, of Belleville, Ill., died Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010, at Memorial Hospital in Belleville. She was born Nov. 19, 1936, in Cape Girardeau. Norma was a member of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Belleville. She was an avid card player and achieved the Life Master Bridge status in 2002...

John D. Poston, 89, of St. Louis died Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010, at St. Anthony De Graaff Hospice Center in St. Louis. He was born May 19, 1921, in Whitewater, to John L. and Lena Sprengel Poston. John grew up in Whitewater before working at Leming Lumber Co. ...

Suzanne Graham, 63, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010, at her home. She was born June 21, 1947, in Leesville, La., to Howard and Frances Flood Ford. Graham was a respiratory therapist 18 years at Saint Francis Medical Center. She graduated from Cape Area Technical School and was an avid member of the Republican Party...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- James Ray Houston, 80, of Marble Hill died Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to service time today at Liley Funeral Home in Marble Hill. The funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. today at the funeral home, with the Rev. Fred Ritter officiating. Burial will follow in Bollinger County Memorial Park Cemetery near Marble Hill...

JONESBORO, Ill. — Robert O. Clark, 86, of Jonesboro died Thursday, Aug. 5, 2010, at his home. Rendleman and Hileman Funeral Home in Jonesboro is in charge of arrangements.

Cape Girardeau City Council members last night heard a request from the Chamber of Commerce to develop a plan to help alleviate flooding problems along Cape LaCroix Creek; with an estimated cost of as much as $50,000 to $100,000, city leaders question whether businessmen and property owners affected by the flooding would be willing to help pay for the cure...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Thefts Firefighters responded to the following call Wednesday:...

GRAY SUMMIT, Mo. -- Two buses carrying high school band students to an amusement park Thursday slammed into a freeway wreck that happened right in front of them, crushing a pickup truck and killing its driver, as well as one of the students. The wreck occurred near Gray Summit, about 40 miles west of St. Louis...

BENTON, Mo. -- A Miner, Mo., teen charged with second-degree murder remains in jail under a $150,000 bond. The Sikeston Standard Democrat reported bond reduction was denied during a hearing held Wednesday before Scott County Associate Court Judge Scott T. Horman for Brianna Branson, 17. Her charges stem from a July 24 incident during which she is accused of hitting 18-year-old Kendra Gray with a vehicle on the 900 block of Westview. Gray was pronounced dead at the scene...

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. -- Want to know the future of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem? Look first to its muddy, polluted past. The recent ecological history of the Gulf gives scientists reason for hope. In an extensive survey of Gulf of Mexico researchers by The Associated Press, at least 10 of them separately volunteered the same word to describe the body of water: "resilient."...

Route FF in Cape Girardeau County will continue to be closed for pipe replacement under the roadway. The first section of roadway is between Hartford Drive and Outer Road. This section will be done from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. The second section of roadway is between County Road 436 and Interstate 55. That section will be done from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday...

WASHINGTON -- Medicare is in better shape because of President Barack Obama's sweeping health care overhaul and the hospital fund for elderly Americans will stay afloat a dozen years longer than earlier forecast, the government said Thursday. But that depends on the program achieving big cost-cutting savings that even a top Medicare expert calls highly doubtful...

KALAM, Pakistan -- U.S. Army choppers flew their first relief missions in Pakistan's flood-ravaged northwest Thursday, airlifting hundreds of stranded people to safety from a devastated tourist town and distributing emergency aid. In the country's south, authorities began evacuating half a million people as the worst monsoon rains in decades threatened new destruction...

At Thursday's Cape Girardeau County Commission meeting commissioners approved a contract with Jokerst Inc., of Ste. Genevieve, Mo., for grading improvements on County Roads 365 and 343. The contract is worth $134,082. Commissioners Paul Koeper and Jay Purcell both voted to approve the contract. Presiding commissioner Gerald Jones was not present at Thursday's meeting...

WASHINGTON -- Congress is moving rapidly just weeks before the start of the school year to speed billions of dollars in emergency education aid to states in hopes of reversing the layoffs of tens of thousands of teachers. Some $10 billion in aid to school districts is set to flow after a 61-39 Senate vote Thursday -- to be followed quickly by a House vote next week -- in hopes that it will come in time for many school districts to reconsider teacher layoffs...

THURSDAY--Crispito with nacho cheese sauce or ham & cheese on bun, corn, pears. FRIDAY--Cheese or pepperoni pizza slice or turkey & cheese on bun, green beans, pink applesauce. MONDAY--Grilled cheese, tomato soup, pickle, fruit. TUESDAY--Fish sandwich, tater tots, fruit...

Pauly Shore has been tooling around middle America on his latest comedy tour and will soon make a stop in Southeast Missouri. Shore will perform Sunday at The Venue. Debbie Atchison, director of events at The Venue, said she's working with an agent who represents several comedians to plan a monthly or bimonthly comedy night. She said they were running down a list of people when the agent mentioned Shore...

My 6 year old daughter has a best friend also. Yancy Darranger, Ashlyn said, Mommy if i put make up on him maybe people wont know he is a PittBull, and take him from us. there are alot of good storys out there that need to be heard. (OR) these Dog do not have a chance. It is how you raise them...

The peaches are ripe

Renovations at two elementary schools -- Alma Schrader and Jefferson -- are set to begin shortly after classes start next month; the project will add two new rooms at each school, replacing open courtyard space; at Jefferson, the new rooms will house a library and one classroom; at Schrader, both rooms will be classrooms...

A fire at a Cape Girardeau apartment building Saturday morning is still under investigation.

CLEVELAND -- To spur blood donations, an Ohio Red Cross chapter is offering people who give a pint of blood the chance to win a car or a horse-drawn buggy. Spokeswoman Christy Chapman in Cleveland said the Red Cross didn't want to leave its many Amish donors out of the giveaway. The organization's Northern Ohio blood services region includes three counties with one of the nation's largest Amish populations...

When the U.S. Census Bureau released 2009 population estimates last month, the numbers indicated Cape Girardeau County has continued to grow since the 2000 census.

Fifteen not-for-profit organizations in Cape Girardeau had a combined income of $30.8 million, according to a recent survey of local not-for-profit organizations presented at the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee at the Show Me Center.

Shoppers could relax without worrying about paying tax this weekend during Missouri's seventh annual back-to-school sales tax holiday. Beginning Friday, the state's 4.225 percent sales tax was not assessed items like clothing, school supplies and computers. The tax holiday continues through midnight today...

Grandma must teach Cali some manners before long.

Trevi fountain in Rome, taken at night

Early morning photo along the headwaters of the Current River in Montauk State Park

This was taken just outside our front room window. The squirrel had just finished eating sunflower seeds and crawled up into the redbud tree and plopped down. Stay there a long time.

My daughter's dog Maddie loves to ride along with the windows down.

close-up of dragonfly

10-month-old Ross Alexander Davie gets a lift from his dad, Ryan. Ross was busy watching big sister, Regan, during her swim lesson at the Jackson pool.

Regan Davie enjoys swim lessons at the Jackson city pool.

MY DONKEY ( WHOM I HAVE ONLY HAD A COUPLE MONTHS ),HAS COME ALONG WAY, FROM RUNNING FROM US, BEING AFRAID OF PEOPLE, TO LOVING MY GRANDSON. LAYTON LOVES CHARLIE, AND I AM SUCH AN ADVOCATE TO RAISE KIDS AROUND ANIMALS, IT GIVES THEM A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY, LOVING MORE AND MY FAVORITE THING, THERE IS NOTHING MORE REWARDING THAN SEEING A CHILD'S EYES LIGHT UP WHEN THEY SEE AN ANIMAL THAT THEY TRULY LOVE. LAYTON DOES NOT SAY TOO MANY WORDS YET, BUT HE CAN SAY-- CHARLIE...

By making jokes about his past career and poking fun at small-town life in Cape Girardeau, comedian Pauly Shore kept the crowd of 300 people laughing Sunday night at The Venue. "I was born and raised in Los Angeles, but I'm thinking of moving to a small town like Cape Girardeau," Shore said after taking the stage wearing a red plaid flannel shirt and blue jeans. "If I move here, I'm going to run for mayor. If Arnold Schwarzenegger can be governor of California, I can be mayor of Cape Girardeau."...

Southeast Missouri's newest water park is more than just child's play. The Cape Splash Family Aquatic center hosted a seniors-only event Friday morning to give the area's older residents a chance to soak up the sun.

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. --Opera singer Neal E. Boyd of Sikeston, Mo., made a guest appearance Thursday, presenting an area teenager with a diploma during the second annual graduation ceremony for the Missouri Division of Youth Services Southeast Region...

By Marty Mishow Southeast Missourian Matt Scheible hasn't taken a snap during his junior season yet he already is among the Ohio Valley Conference's most experienced quarterbacks. Scheible hopes that experience helps Southeast Missouri State's offense improve dramatically and in turn help the Redhawks to a breakthrough season...

Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of profiles of local athletes who will participate in the Special Olympics State Outdoor Championships to be held Friday through Aug. 15 in Cape Girardeau. Name: Lucas Blattel...

Brett Erin Jones and James Michael Main were united in marriage June 12, 2010, at Campster School in Cape Girardeau. Don Greenwood performed the ceremony. Don and Debbie Jones of Oak Ridge are parents of the bride. The groom is the son of Camilla Arnds of Roseville, Calif...

Henry and Pam Dirnberger of Benton, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Ashley Elizabeth Dirnberger, to Dr. Bruce Alanson Jones, both of Cape Girardeau. He is the son of Dr. and Mrs. A.L. Jones of Broken Bow, Neb. Dirnberger is a physical therapist at HealthPoint Rehab...

John and Ina Essner of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Susan Michelle Essner, to Dr. Timothy Ray McMann of Farmington, Mo. He is the son of Ray and Cindy McMann of Wichita, Kan. Essner is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University. She is health care systems manager at the Lutheran Home...

Amy Diane Mezo of Jonesboro, Ill., and Clifford Dean Parrish of Jackson announce their engagement. She is the daughter of Bonnie and Avery Mouser of McClure, Ill., and Ken Hill of Johnston City, Ill. Parrish is the son of Nancy Hutchings of Jackson and Clifford I. Parrish of Marion, Ky...

Peter and Mary Yaremko of Cape Girardeau are observing their 40th wedding anniversary today. Yaremko and Mary Goletz were married Aug. 8, 1970, at St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Allentown, Pa. The couple has two children, Alexandra (Steve) Laurence of Springfield, Mo., and Mike Yaremko of St. Louis. They have a granddaughter, Eva Marie Laurence...

Mr. and Mrs. Ed Hart of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a dinner and dance June 19, 2010, at Cape Girardeau Country Club. Hosts were their children and grandchildren. Hart and Mary Jane Bruenderman were married June 18, 1960, at St. Henry's Catholic Church in Charleston, Mo...

Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Williams Sr. of Jackson celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with a reception July 10, 2010, at Maple United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall in Cape Girardeau. Hosts were their children. Williams and Minnie Deimund were married July 7, 1950, in Piggott, Ark., by Judge French...

When Mary McCoy gave birth six years ago this week to her daughter, Ashley Ann, she and Ashley's father, James Gahard, expected a healthy daughter, much like Ashley's big sister, Amanda, who is now eight. Doctors did not foresee any problems with the baby throughout Mary's pregnancy. So, the couple was unprepared when little Ashley entered the world on Aug. 3, 2004 with a diagnosis of a rare disorder called Trisomy E or Edwards Syndrome...

Ivan Bidwell flew out of his house and landed in a patch of plum sprouts.

About 400 people attended a two-day "Global Leadership Summit" live satellite conference at LaCroix Church in Cape Girardeau on Thursday and Friday. Susan Leming, the event manager for the summit and staff member at the church, said the attendance exceeded the church's goal of 250. ...

Recently Crown Hospice in Cape Girardeau held its 2010 volunteer reception for key members within the organization. This year's theme was "You are the Key Ingredient to our Sweet Success." The volunteers who were honored had collectively visited patients for nearly 400 hours and drove more that 5,300 miles to aid people in need. ...

With school starting this Thursday, it is important to remind families about the importance of sending their children to school every day. Whether a child is in kindergarten or 12th grade, the stakes are high. Missing too much school affects present and future success. There is a direct correlation between attendance and success in school. If students are not present, they do not learn...

I want to say a big thank you to all the companies that have been letting their workers off early because of the high heat index. It is appreciated that you are so compassionate to your employees. WHY do we not hear any rumbles about how the U.S. government is not giving senior citizens a cost-of-living increase in their Social Security checks? Not only that, there is talk of reducing Social Security benefits. ...

By Jane Ryan I would like to know why we are not considered "good" American patriots by so many conservatives. I have a traditional marriage of 38 years. My husband and I have raised four children. Two have college degrees, and two more are close to achieving their degrees. My children are good people with fantastic work ethics. We work. Is this not part of the American dream?...

Members of the Stoddard County Retired Employees group recently met at Hickory Log, where they pooled donations of school supplies for students in all county elementary schools. The organization donated nearly $600 worth of supplies that will be distributed throughout the county through efforts of the Stoddard County Gospel Mission. ...

You, O God, are steadfast and true, and you provide an anchor in life's storms. Amen.

The Rev. Vern Gunnels of Jackson Free Will Baptist Church in Jackson wasn't raised in a church. In fact his only exposure to Christianity was when his aunt and uncle used to take him church twice a year, usually on Easter and Christmas. But Gunnels said those times were cherished moments. ...

Sherri Gerecke is leaving her job of 20 years, selling her house and moving somewhere warmer, but she isn't retiring. Gerecke is planning a move in October to Swaziland, a South African country that has the highest incidence of HIV per capita in the world and where around 75 percent of people live off subsistence farming for less than $1.25 per day...

At its annual Officer and Board Member Installation Banquet, the Rotary Club of Cape Girardeau awarded Bill Prost the 2010 Rush H. Limbaugh Sr. Rotarian of the Year Award for outstanding service to the Rotary Club of Cape Girardeau. Prost is president of Five for Water Foundation Inc. and serves the Cape Girardeau Rotary Club as a board member and chairman of the Club Service Committee. Prost joined Rotary 25 years after serving as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar...

Jasper is 2-year-old altered male. Jasper loves to be held and loved. For more information, contact the Humane Society at 334-5837. ...

Mime is a 3-month-old kitten who has a sweet disposition. He likes to be held and petted. Mime is up-to-date on shots. For more information, contact Safe Harbor at 243-9823. ...

The other day a family member sent me an electronic mail message about Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Rogers -- those two deceased and legendary TV performers whose work appealed to children. This message was a "forward," which is Internet parlance for sending a message you received on to others. The person in question in my family liked the forward and sent it on without regard for its accuracy...

The Missouri Bootheel Regional Consortium Inc. Fatherhood First Program's annual fishing clinic and take-a-child-day will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Combs Lake in Kennett, Mo. The event will have free prizes, T-shirts, food and music. A free fishing pole and tackle box will be given out while quantities last. Transportation will be provided if needed with pickup at 8 a.m. at the Sikeston Cream Castle. For more information or to RSVP, call 573-379-2020 or 888-317-4949...

Have you ever just blown it? You had a vision of what life could be, only to find out through painful experiences that it would not be. What was supposed to be so great was really just empty. Now every day not only do you have to deal with the persistent "what if" and "if only" but actually have to face people who you've wronged to get what you thought was going to be the best. ...

The Oran School District will have student registration and an open house in preparation for the first day of school Aug. 19. Registration for all new students and high school students will be from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. There will also be a schoolwide open house on from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 17...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Engineers shut down Gaza City's sole power plant Saturday because of a lack of fuel, switching off electricity to some half a million people in the midst of a heat wave. The fuel for the plant is supplied by the rival Palestinian government in the West Bank, which says it has reduced shipments because the Gaza's Hamas government is behind on payments...

MOSCOW -- A suffocating smog from wildfires hung over the Russian capital Saturday, raising the concentration of dangerous pollutants to a new high as exasperated residents donned masks and dozens of flights were delayed or diverted at the city's airports...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- They hiked for more than 10 hours over rugged mountains -- unarmed and without security -- to bring medical care to isolated Afghan villagers until their humanitarian mission took a tragic turn. Ten members of the Christian medical team -- six Americans, two Afghans, one German and a Briton -- were gunned down in a slaughter that the Taliban said they carried out, alleging the volunteers were spying and trying to convert Muslims to Christianity. ...

A fire at a Cape Girardeau apartment building Saturday morning is still under investigation. At 12:58 a.m., Cape Girardeau police responded to a report of a fire in an apartment at 807 N. Sprigg St. and found heavy smoke coming out of Apt. 3 in the three-story building, according to battalion chief Steve Niswonger...

WARSAW, Poland -- Flooding caused by heavy rains has killed at least eight people in Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic, officials said Saturday. Lenka Moravcova, a spokeswoman for a rescue service in the northern Czech Republic, said three men drowned in a region on the border with Poland and Germany Saturday. A fourth victim was found drowned late Saturday. Details were not given...

HAVANA -- A lively and healthy-looking Fidel Castro appealed to President Barack Obama to stave off global nuclear war in an emphatic address to parliament Saturday that marked his first official government appearance since emergency surgery four years ago...

Cape Girardeau Cape Girardeau firefighters responded to the following calls Thursday: Cape Girardeau firefighters responded to the following calls Friday:...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Summonses Assault Thefts Miscellaneous Cape Girardeau County The Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt....

Delores T. Burnell, 66, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Aug. 7, 2010, at her home. She was born Nov. 29, 1943, at Egypt Mills, to Wilson and Lorene Sides Windeknecht. Delores was a waitress at Ponderosa Steak House in Cape Girardeau. She is survived by three sons, Douglas Dewayne (Amy) Foulk of Millersville, Daryl Eugene Tollison of Cape Girardeau and Robbie Darnell (Tonya) Tollison of Jackson; two brothers, Bob Windeknecht of Scott City and Bill Windeknecht of Perkins; a sister, Betty Walton of Chaffee, Mo. ...

Vernon L. Robert, 81, of Cape Girardeau passed away Thursday, Aug. 5, 2010. He was born Oct. 1, 1928, at New Hamburg, Mo., to Theon and Emma Ledure Robert. He and Flora F. Balsmann were married Oct. 3, 1953, at Apple Creek, Mo. Vernon was a veteran of the Korean War, serving in the Army...

Augustus Stephen Davis, 70, of Jackson passed away Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010, at his home. He was born June 19, 1940, at Greenville, Miss., to Calvin and Rebecca Sharp Davis. He and Katherine Ann Jacobsen were married Nov. 21, 1983. Davis entered the U.S. Air Force in January 1959. He served in Vietnam and became a career military man, retiring in January 1979 as a fire protection supervisor with the rank of tech sergeant...

Julie Cecile Harter, 66, of Cape Girardeau passed away Friday, Aug. 6, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Julie was born Jan. 25, 1944, at Murphysboro, Ill., daughter of Austin G. and Esther J. Harter. She graduated high school in 1962 from St. ...

Henry "Leonard" Perry, 94, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Aug. 6, 2010, at the Missouri Veteran's Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Oct. 8, 1915, at Oriole, to Henry Joseph and Minnie Farrow Perry. He and Orene Jo Wagner Perry were married Oct. 8, 1948, at Piggott, Ark...

Daughter to Jeremy Carter and Sarah Elizabeth Kuntze of Jackson, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 1:59 p.m. Thursday, July 29, 2010. Name, Camryn Grace. Weight, 8 pounds, 13 ounces. Second child, first daughter. Mrs. Kuntze is the former Sarah Fuemmeler, daughter of Steve and Emily Fuemmeler of Cape Girardeau. She is employed by Jackson School District. Kuntze is the son of Darrell and Karen Kuntze of Jackson...

Urged on by the Chamber of Commerce, the Cape Girardeau City Council has instructed the city staff to obtain estimates from engineering firms for the development of a flood protection plan for the Cape LaCroix Creek area. Resolutions approving issuance of Cape Girardeau County Industrial Development Authority bonds to help finance an industrial plant expansion and an apartment project are passed by the County Commission; benefitting from the bonds will be Thorngate Ltd. ...

Jackson Jackson firefighters responded to the following calls Thursday: Jackson firefighters responded to the following call Friday: Jackson firefighters responded to the following call Saturday:...

Jackson The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Summonses Assaults Thefts Burglary Property damage Miscellaneous...

MIAMI -- A suspected al-Qaida operative who lived for more than 15 years in the U.S. has become chief of the terror network's global operations, the FBI says, marking the first time a leader so intimately familiar with American society has been placed in charge of planning attacks...

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Twenty states and the nation's most influential small business lobby said Friday a federal court in Florida must hear their challenge to President Barack Obama's health care overhaul because they face imminent harm from its mandates...

SALINA, Pa. -- A twin-engine plane slammed into a house in western Pennsylvania minutes after takeoff Saturday, killing two people, narrowly missing a man sleeping on his couch with his dog and setting the residence on fire. Westmoreland County spokesman Dan Stevens said the plane went through the house and landed in the garage, passing just to the right of the man when it came down in a rural area about 90 miles northeast of Pittsburgh...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A pair of space station astronauts had to hammer loose a stuck connector during an urgent spacewalk to restore a crucial cooling system Saturday, then an ammonia leak erupted and hampered the repair effort. Despite making one of the longest spacewalks ever, Douglas Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson had to give up trying to remove a broken ammonia pump...

BRANSON, Mo. -- A promoter says the much-delayed concert by rapper Nelly has a venue in Branson. Concert promoter Paul Dunn said Nelly will perform indoor at the Mansion Theater on Aug. 21. In July, Branson officials refused to grant Dunn a special permit to host an open-air Nelly concert behind the Grand Palace Theater, citing noise and parking issues...

The Jackson School Board will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, at the board of education building, 614 E. Adams St. in Jackson. Board members will consider the approval of bus routes for the 20010-2011 school year, consider the adoption of a professional development plan and consider setting a tax rate hearing for Aug. ...

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. -- Missouri crews are finishing work on the nation's first construction project to be funded by the federal stimulus package. Missouri transportation officials plan to open the new highway bridge over the Osage River in Tuscumbia on Aug. 16, The Lake Sun Leader reported. The bridge carries traffic on Missouri 17 over the tributary of the Missouri River about 30 miles southwest of Jefferson City...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Three public hearings are scheduled later this month to discuss whether to introduce elk to Missouri. The Missouri Department of Conservation will hold meetings Aug. 23 in Van Buren, Aug. 24 in Eminence and Aug. 26 in Ellington. The department also is taking written comments through Oct. 1...

WASHINGTON -- Elena Kagan was sworn in Saturday as the 112th justice and fourth woman ever to serve on the Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath to Kagan in a brief private ceremony at the court. Kagan, joined by family and friends, pledged to faithfully and impartially uphold the law...

BENTON, Mo. -- A Scott City couple accused of making methamphetamine had four children ages 1 to 6 in their home when it was raided, Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter said Friday in a news release.

This bird gets its name from a reference to it in literature dating back to the late 1700s in Sweden. The barn swallow is true to its name, preferring to nest inside barns. It also will nest under bridges, highway overpasses and similar man-made structures...

ANNA, Ill. -- Jeffery D. Nolan, 49, of Mill Creek, Ill., died Friday, Aug. 6, 2010, at Union County Hospital in Anna. According to his wishes, he will be cremated with no funeral services. Rendleman and Hileman Funeral Home of Anna is in charge of arrangements...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A coalition has been established with a mission of passing a city ordinance in Poplar Bluff to make bars and restaurants as well as non-hospitality workplaces smoke-free, the Daily American Republic newspaper reported. "People are allowed to smoke, but [non-smokers] also have the right to breathe smoke-free air, and that's not something we should have to give up when we eat, drink or earn a living," said Lucas Tieman, grassroots coordinator for Tobacco-Free Missouri, a not-for-profit organization based in St. ...

O'FALLON, Ill. -- Beth Chavarria normally would have bought school stuff for her kindergarten-bound twins a week ago, but instead she waited until Friday's start of Illinois' first-ever waiving of the sales tax on such supplies. The 36-year-old mother plunked down $90 at her local Walmart on everything from 30 glue sticks to scissors and notebooks, embracing the state's inaugural 10-day "holiday" on sales taxes on certain back-to-school items...

Improvements to Route D in Jackson will continue this week as contractors will be performing dirt work next to the road, installing guardrail and striping the new section of roadway. The improvements are from Black Oak Trail (Cane Creek) to U.S. 61 in Jackson. ...

Members of the Lamplighters FCE club met in the home of Teresa Hinkebein for their July meeting with 12 members present. The hostess gave a devotional entitled "Prayer: Help, wisdom, and mercy". During the business session, these items received attention:...

SAN FRANCISCO -- The ouster of Hewlett-Packard Co.'s CEO leaves a hole in the world's largest technology company. Mark Hurd engineered a turnaround of the Silicon Valley stalwart. Under Hurd, HP has spent more than $20 billion on acquisitions to transform itself from a computer and printer maker dependent on ink sales for profits to a well-rounded seller of hardware and lucrative business services. HP's market value nearly doubled during his five years...

Southeast Missouri State's 2010 football roster features just two players from the Southeast Missourian coverage area, Jackson's Blake Peiffer and Perryville's Kris Cottner. Both hope to play key roles, with Peiffer virtually certain to. Peiffer, a sophomore linebacker, entered fall camp No. 1 on the depth chart at middle linebacker after seeing considerable action off the bench both at linebacker and on special teams as a true freshman last year...

MIAMI -- Hanley Ramirez has been struggling at the plate. He decided to change his batting stance before Saturday's game and it paid off. Ramirez hit a game-winning double in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Florida Marlins a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night...

Scott Johnston and Joey Hann, both of Cape Girardeau, teamed to place second in the adventure race competition at the Kansas State Games in Topeka, Kan. The team finished second out of 33 teams with a time of 2 hours, 38 minutes. The event was comprised of 6 miles of running on unmarked trails, 3 miles of kayaking with open water navigation and 10 miles of technical mountain bike riding...

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- Rookie quarterback Sam Bradford is making a fine first impression with the St. Louis Rams. In a controlled scrimmage Saturday night at Lindenwood University, before approximately 8,000 fans, the No. 1 overall pick directed the second team offense and unofficially went 7 for 9 for 94 yards and a touchdown in the live portion of the scrimmage. His two incompletions were drops...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Authorities located nearly 2,400 suspected marijuana plants during a three-day eradication operation funded by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Daily American Republic newspaper reported. The joint operation started July 31 with a briefing for the nearly 25 officers from the DEA, Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop E at Poplar Bluff and Troop G at Willow Springs, SEMO Drug Task Force, Butler County Sheriff's Department, Ripley County Sheriff's Department and U.S. ...

Uncharacteristically shaky defense contributed to the Plaza Tire Capahas' exit from the 76th annual National Baseball Congress World Series on Friday. The Capahas, after not committing an error during their first two World Series games, made four errors in their third contest...

Baseball Football Submit items by mail, fax or e-mail to be included in the calendar as space permits....

Pet name: Ozzie Owner: Jonathan and Jamie Market Favorite activity: Going on long walks. ...

A car parked near the Common Pleas Courthouse in Cape Girardeau caught fire shortly after 3 p.m. Sunday. When firefighters arrived, the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames.

Carrol G. "Smokey" King, 62, formerly of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Aug. 2, 2010, at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, Tenn. He was born March 6, 1948, in Geff, Ill., to Darrol and Betty King. He and Sandy Pettit were married July 2, 2002.

Eleanor M. Martin, 87, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Cairo, Ill., died Friday, Aug. 6, 2010, at her home. She was born July 4, 1923, in Cairo, daughter of Benjamin F. and Zelma East Friziellie. She married Louis F. Martin, who preceded her in death in 1996.

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Susan E. Alexander, 87, of Marble Hill died Thursday, Aug. 5, 2010, at Woodland Hills Nursing Home in Marble Hill. Visitation will be from 3:30 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Liley Funeral Home in Patton, Mo. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Monday at the funeral home, with the Revs. Charles Newell and Eddie Spain officiating. Burial will be in Old Union Cemetery near Bessville, Mo...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Robert Ozell Clark, 86, of rural Jonesboro and formerly of Painton, Mo., died Thursday, Aug. 5, 2010, at his home, surrounded by family. He was born Oct. 1, 1923, in Sikeston, Mo., son of Benjamin Franklin and Nellie Mae Altom Clark. He married Freda Maxine Patterson on Jan. 2, 1946. She preceded him in death Sept. 26, 2006.

J.J. Sanchez considered it an honor when he was voted to the preseason all-Ohio Valley Conference football team late last month. Sanchez said he was even more honored just a few days earlier when he found out he had been named an OVC Medal of Honor winner for the 2009-2010 academic year for achieving the highest grade-point average in a conference-sponsored sport...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and his wife are heading on a float trip. The governor and Georganne Nixon planned to start their trip Monday on the Current River in southern Missouri. State conservation and parks leaders were expected to join the Nixons on the seven-mile float...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Heat indexes were back in the triple digits Monday in northeast Kansas and Missouri, where heat was blamed for four deaths last week. The National Weather Service issued heat warnings Monday for much of the area with temperatures expected to be in the upper 90s to about 100 through Friday. Nighttime lows, which would likely hover around 80 degrees, were unlikely to provide much relief...

Last month the Cape Girardeau County Archive Center completed work for two more cemeteries in its ongoing cemetery cleaning and documenting program. The program, which started in April 2009, was originally going to take a year or two to complete, however the center keeps discovering additional cemeteries...

Karen Freeman of Gordonville turned a recipe she created into a new career and growing business with Avery's Amazing Marinade. Freeman now sells and demonstrates the product at several local stores and hopes to soon take the product, named after her dog, to stores nationwide...

An unoccupied car caught fire at the Common Pleas Courthouse on Lorimier Street in downtown Cape Girardeau on Sunday, creating a thick column of black smoke.

In his 10th year with the Jackson Police Department, Sgt. Jim Barker, a native of Marble Hill, Mo., said his greatest accomplishments are not even career related. Barker said being a husband and a father of 12 is what he's most proud of. His career as a police officer dates to 1974, when he joined the U.S. ...

LAKE OF THE OZARKS STATE PARK, Mo. -- Archery, arts and crafts, boating and a trip to the water park. These activities suggest an ordinary summer camp that thousands of American children flock to every summer. But Camp Guardian -- where Missouri National Guard Soldiers volunteered for a week this summer -- is much more than that; it's a place where special-needs children and adults can get that sense of normalcy for five days a year that most take for granted...

albino hummingbird at feeder

Sunday, September 12, there will be a free concert to benefit the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk at New McKendree United Methodist Church South Campus in Jackson. The night will feature Justin & Merideth Pobst, Brad Davis, and Kara Whitledge. Also performing will be Christy Shinn & Beth St. ...

When Chalhukya Reddy got off his Cape Air flight to Cape Girardeau on Friday, he was happy to see his luggage. A native of India, Reddy is here to attend Southeast Missouri State University for two years. He finished two years at a Florida school in the spring and said he knows firsthand the frustration of lost bags...

More than 700 Special Olympics athletes will arrive in Cape Girardeau on Friday bringing with them an estimated $400,000 economic boost according to the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau. "It's just a very neat event, and it's a pleasure to have them in the community," Chuck Martin, executive director of the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, said of the Special Olympics State Outdoor Championships...

Watch over us, O God, and hold us in your arms whenever we stumble. Amen.

BEIJING -- Floods and landslides across Asia left millions in peril Sunday as rubble-strewn waters killed at least 127 in northwestern China and 4 million Pakistanis faced food shortages amid their country's worst-ever flooding. In Indian-controlled Kashmir, rescuers raced to find 500 people still missing in flash floods that have already killed 132, while North Korea's state media said high waters had destroyed thousands of homes and damaged crops...

ST. LOUIS -- Members of a predominantly Polish parish in St. Louis have voted against approving a settlement with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that a majority of St. Stanislaus Kostka parishioners voted Sunday that they did "not agree with the direction the Board is pursuing toward settling a lawsuit."...

Grace Lee Craft, 93, of Jackson, formerly of Leemon, passed away Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010, at Jackson Manor Nursing Home. She was born July 30, 1917, near Oriole, daughter of Robert and Lela Singleton Abernathy. She and Wilson "Woody" Craft were married Dec. 9, 1939, at Jackson. He preceded her in death Oct. 31, 2008...

Maurice E. Eagan, 82, of Roanoke, Ill., passed away at 8:50 p.m. Friday, Aug. 6, 2010, at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Ill. He was born April 12, 1928, at Arkansas City, Kan., a son of Ray Chapel and Treva Berdeen Holdredge Eagan. He married Patricia R. Stanley on July 3, 1959, at St. Maries, Idaho. She survives...

Although normally competitive, Cape Girardeau's two hospitals will soon cooperate in the shared use of an MRI unit. Southeast Missouri Hospital and Saint Francis Medical Center submitted a joint application to the Missouri Health Facilities and Review Committee for the unit...

Will money spent be the final determinant of who represents us in the 8th District? Tuesday's primary showed how vulnerable 14-year incumbent Jo Ann Emerson could be in the general election. According to the Federal Election Commission, through June 30 she had spent $724,785 on her campaign. Opponent Bob Parker spent $29,688 and lots of personal energy. Among constituents of her own party, Jo Ann could only get 65.6 percent of the votes, while Bob Parker got 34.4 percent...

Cross Trails Medical Center will open a new $1.8 million medical and dental clinic this fall in Advance, Mo., to replace its small medical clinic at 106 N. Oak St. Services offered at the new 7,500-square-foot facility on Gabriel Avenue include primary medical care, general dental services, chronic disease management, behavioral health and case management...

Editor's note: This is the second in a series of profiles of local athletes who will participate along with about 700 others in the Special Olympics State Outdoor Championships to be held Friday through Sunday in Cape Girardeau. Name: Dary McIntyre...

WARSAW, Poland -- The death toll in flooding in central Europe rose to 11 as Poland's interior minister said Sunday that two more people had died in the southwestern region of the country. The flooding has struck an area near the borders of Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic...

*** Doctor completes surgical reconstruction training course Dr. Zenon Duda recently attended a Foot and Ankle Reconstruction Skills Surgical Course in Miami at the DaVinci Anatomical Surgery Laboratory. The course featured new hardware and instrumentation developed by Deputy Surgical supplies. It allowed an opportunity to work with anatomical specimens and the biomedical engineer who was project manager for the development of adaptable metallic hardware for the fixation of complex fractures and surgical procedures, Duda said.

Southeast Missouri State athletic director John Shafer had good news and bad news for Redhawks football fans tired of and embarrassed by the tiny, junior-high caliber scoreboard at Houck Stadium. Shafer told me Friday that the university has purchased an impressive new scoreboard for this season. That's the good news...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Summonses Assault Thefts Burglary Property damage Miscellaneous...

William Zoughaib covered the course in 28 minutes, 6 seconds to win the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department's youth triathlon. Madeleine McDonald was the top girls finisher, crossing the line in 30:20. Results Triathlon Boys 11 to 13 -- William Zoughaib, Ste Genevieve, Mo., 28:06; Reagan Ragsdale, Doe Run, Mo., 39:09...

St. Louis begins a pivotal three-game series today with the division-leading Reds

MIAMI -- Paul Skidmore's office is shuttered, his job gone, his 18-month job search fruitless and his unemployment benefits exhausted. So at 63, he plans to file this week for Social Security benefits, three years earlier than planned. "All I want to do is work," said Skidmore of Finksburg, Md., who was an insurance claims adjuster for 37 years before his company downsized and closed his office last year. "And nobody will hire me."...

The ex-boyfriend of a woman whose Cape Girardeau apartment caught fire just before 1 a.m. Saturday has been charged with felony arson, burglary and stealing in connection to the crime. Clayton Anderson, 21, of Cape Girardeau was arrested Saturday after a man in a neighboring apartment called 911 and provided police with a description of a man he saw kicking in the apartment's window.

A 31-year-old man who earlier this year downloaded a video of an underage girl posing nude was sentenced Monday by Circuit Court Judge Benjamin F. Lewis to five years of supervised probation. Shane R. Steck, charged with possession of child pornography Feb. 5, pleaded guilty to the felony in July...

A Cape Girardeau woman once employed by the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri was sentenced to four years in prison Monday by Circuit Judge Benjamin F. Lewis, who suspended the execution of the sentence and ordered the woman to complete probation for stealing thousands of dollars from the not-for-profit organization.

Rome, Italy; Bridge over the Tiber River with the dome of St Peter's in the background; taken in the early evening.

Cape Girardeau County commissioners unanimously agreed to sign a renewal for a loan and line of credit for the Cape County Transit Authority at Monday's meeting. The loan and line of credit are with the Bank of Missouri and were established in September 2007. To date 27 percent of the $582,673 beginning balance has been repaid by the transit authority...

Ten members of the Girardot Chapter of International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) attended the annual Education Forum and Annual Meeting in July, in Boston, MA. Members in attendance included: Sherri Jenkins CPS/CAP, Donna Wills CPS, Debbie McKee CPS, Carol Kitchen CPS/CAP, Patty Eck CPS, Frances Wissmiller CPS, Lynn Moore CPS/CAP, Wanda Lang CPS, Sharon Hale CPS and Barb Ostrenga CPS/CAP...

The New Life Evangelistic Center and the Department of Health and Human Services are back in court over the Cape Girardeau federal building, a battle that will likely leave the property in limbo until sometime next year, New Life's attorney said Monday.

After successfully petitioning to force a vote on gambling, Quality of Life in Cape Girardeau will reinvent itself this week as a campaign committee to persuade voters to reject a casino, spokesman Doug Austin said Monday. The core leaders of the group will meet today to discuss how to structure the campaign and what resources are needed, Austin said. ...

When the No Child Left Behind mandate was first delivered by the federal government, it was seen as an attempt to impose accountability and require high-quality instruction to students in public schools across the nation. As it turned out, NCLB became one thing in Missouri and something else in virtually every other state. Missouri set high standards -- which may never be met. This is a situation that deserves a much closer look...

I agree with Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's "Hardball." The three scariest words that could possibly result from the 2012 general election would be "President Sarah Palin." HERE'S a clue for the clueless: The violence and beheadings will come to a halt when drugs are legalized. The folly of prohibition, it seems, must be learned over and over again as long as special-interest groups are allowed to influence our laws...

Hear us, O God, when we pray, and listen to our pleas and our praise. Amen.

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Arrests Summonses Assaults Thefts Property damage Burglary Miscellaneous...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday: Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday:...

Dorothy Rita Miller, 88, of Scott City died Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010, at Chaffee Nursing Center in Chaffee, Mo. She was born June 13, 1922, in Cape Girardeau, to William F. and Elizabeth Mary Seyer Blattel. She married Vincent Paul Miller Feb. 17, 1942, in Kelso, Mo. He died June 27, 2006...

Eleanor M. Martin, 87, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Cairo, Ill., died Friday, Aug. 6, 2010, at her home. She was born July 4, 1923, in Cairo, daughter of Benjamin F. and Zelma East Friziellie. She married Louis F. Martin, who preceded her in death in 1996...

Russell Edward Null, 68, of Scott City died Monday, Aug. 9, 2010, at his home. He was born June 10, 1942, in Nitro, W.Va., to Walter Marion and Margaret Elizabeth Harrison Null. He and Mary Francis Russell were married Nov. 9, 1985, in Cahokia, Ill...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Wilbert A. Ernst, 80, of Perryville died Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 4, 1929, in Perry County, Mo., son of Anton D and Magdalina M. Kutz Ernst. He and Pauline Nobus were married Feb. 19, 1966. She preceded him in death Dec. 11, 1994...