Stories from April 2011

ST. LOUIS -- The family of a 27-year-old model who died last year of what authorities say was a drug overdose at the mansion of August Busch IV is suing the Anheuser-Busch heir, accusing her former boyfriend of carelessness and negligence in the death that produced no criminal charges...

A happy, fun, uplifting and educational experience is how volunteer Robin Fisher describes the sixth annual Mother Earth Wholistic Fair, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at VFW Post 3838 in Cape Girardeau. As a second-year volunteer with the event, Fisher said the fair is an opportunity for people to reach out to others...

ALTENBURG, Mo. -- Improvements to city systems, such as changes to the water system, and increasing residential awareness of the decisions of city officials are some of the main concerns of the two candidates contending for mayor of Altenburg in Tuesday's election...

A $250,000 proposal to put bike lanes along 11 Cape Girardeau streets may have to be patched up after an open house Thursday drew much opposition from residents who said they largely oppose the idea if it means eliminating on-street parking. City officials said after the meeting that the opposition would not kill the project and that the plan can be altered to address resident concerns...

Andy Helle is "addicted to the light bulb," the moment when his students understand, that "aha" moment when they get it. "You can see it almost as a light bulb illuminating above their head," said Helle, a science teacher at Jackson High School, in a video presentation highlighting exemplary Jackson teachers...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Hospital workers would have to wear identification badges clearly showing their names and jobs under legislation approved by the Missouri House. The bill cleared the chamber Thursday on a 120-36 vote and was introduced in the Senate later in the day...

St. Louis would lose one of its two members of Congress and much of northern Missouri would be covered by a single congressional district under a redistricting proposal released Wednesday by a state House committee.

Michelle Bundy is from Scott City, she is a young mom, with 2 kids ages 2 years and 8 months. She has been diagnosed with epitheloid angiosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. Area friends and family are joining together to hold a 5K Run/Walk to raise funds for Michelle and her family. The event is this Saturday at Capaha Park. Race starts at 8:00, registration starts at 7:15. The weather looks great for tomorrow so come out and show your support for this young family! Details below...

The 1957 launching of the Sputnik satellite by the Russians shocked an American public whose citizens assumed that their technological superiority was unassailable. Billions of dollars flowed to education in a policy that was portrayed as an integral part of our national defense. President Obama recently suggested that we needed another "Sputnik moment" to increase the number of college degrees awarded and enhance America's ability to compete in global markets...

A number of significant issues will confront the Scott City School Board in the coming years. Declining state funding. Rising state and federal standards. Improving an Annual Performance Report that ranks among the lower reports of area school districts...

The people who fill vacant seats on the boards of aldermen in Oran and Marble Hill and several positions on the Zalma Fire Protection District may be decided after Tuesday's election instead of by the voters on that day. No one has filed for candidacy for Ward 4 on the Oran board. ...

ATLANTA (AP) -- The price of an expensive drug to prevent premature births has been cut by more than half, following bitter controversy over its high cost. KV Pharmaceutical Co. said Friday that it is dropping the price from $1,500 per dose to $690...

The Cape Girardeau Council of Garden Clubs presented a Serviceberry tree to Charles Clippard Elementary School for Arbor Day 2011. Mrs. Theresa Williams' First Grade Class participated in the celebration for this day. The tree was planted by Mr. Harry Bertrand and his Horticulure Students at the Career and Technology Center. Shown above are members of the Mrs. Williams' First Grade Class, Mrs. Sydney Herbst, Principal and members of the garden clubs...

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. -- Search efforts to find a single-engine plane missing since Sunday have moved north to St. Francois and Iron counties. Civil Air Patrol flight and ground crews are shifting their base of operations today from Malden, Mo., to Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield, Mo...

Golden shovels slid into the dirt Thursday as Cape Girardeau celebrated the construction of a $125 million casino complex.

Artists will join students in showing the importance of visual arts in education today behind the Cape Girardeau Junior High School. The event, called ARTFusion, was started last year by art instructor Dennis Wilson. ARTFusion is a two-part event. The morning session is for the students and an evening session from 5 to 8 p.m. will be open to the public...

The Southeast Missouri Central Labor Council will host a "Solidarity Candlelight Vigil" at 8 p.m. Monday at Capaha Park's Freedom Corner, the northwest corner of the intersection and Broadway and North West End Boulevard. The vigil is intended to honor the accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the anniversary of his death as well as remind people that his dream lives on...

Scott Horsley, who covers the president for National Public Radio, says he's still waiting for a slow news day at The White House. Horsley spoke to supporters of local NPR affiliate KRCU Thursday during a fundraising breakfast at the Wehking Alumni Center at Southeast Missouri State University...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Thousands of people in Missouri who have been unemployed for more than a year soon will lose their jobless benefits. When they do, it will mark a significant new victory for fiscal hawks, who have seized upon government spending for the unemployed to make a symbolic stand against the federal deficit...

For more than two years the Education Solutions Team has investigated the causes and conditions of student failure.

A Delta teenager was arrested Thursday by Cape Girardeau County authorities on suspicion that he molested a 14-year-old girl, according to a news release from the sheriff's department. Police allege Davey Russell Mayfield, 18, had sex with the underage girl March 26. He is charged with felony child molestation...

The Southeast Missouri chapter of the Red Cross recently held its second annual Red Cross Experience breakfast. Local organization leaders highlighted some of the year's successes as well their vision for the chapter going forward. In 2010 the local chapter trained 13,000 people in its first aid, CPR and water safety classes. They also helped 270 military families make emergency contact with soldiers...

In some discussions about the smoke-free ballot issue, I've heard talk about how this ordinance is too restrictive and how we should vote it down and wait for a "compromise." But that's just a diversion created by those opposed to falsely lead people to believe an ordinance that absolutely everyone can agree to is possible...

I was reading a letter to the editor recently where it mentioned governmental intrusion into our personal lives. It suddenly struck me that the attempt to pass the smoking ban is not being pushed by our government. It is being pushed by a very large private organization that has come into our town with a bundle of cash ($83,000 to date) with the intent to push their agenda down our throats. ...

Until recently I have been neutral on the local smoking issue. Several considerations have gelled my position. For one, there will be additional costs for enforcement. Will Smoke-Free Cape provide money for an additional position in the Cape Girardeau Police Department? Or will its major backer, the American Cancer Society?...

IF you know someone who is taking advantage of the welfare system, you can call Social Security and report them anonymously. They are stealing from all of us. IT'S pretty sad that senior citizens have not received a raise in their Social Security checks for two years now and our government sends $21 million over to Japan and all these other foreign countries. It's about time senior citizens get their share...

Some Cape Girardeau voters will cast ballots Tuesday to determine if the city will impose a ban on smoking in public places. They are voting on the wrong issue. The real issue is the health dangers posed by tobacco products. These products kill people. If we wanted to make a real difference, we would be voting to ban the growing of tobacco and the production of cigarettes, cigars and smokeless tobacco products...

O Lord, may we boldly proclaim your name each and every day. Amen.

ATLANTA -- When Wendy Williams started rehearsals for ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," her dance partner, Tony Dovolani, expected the talk-show personality to translate her animated bravado onto the dance floor. But Dovolani didn't get what he envisioned from Williams, known for her infectious catchphrase, "How you doin'?" He was surprised to see the typically bold Williams nervous about her inept dancing ability during practice, feeling insecure about her voluptuous frame while standing nearly 6 feet tall.. ...

Ben Capshaw's life is not the easiest to follow. His resume lists Navy officer, legislative aid, catering waiter, cab driver, lawyer and now author. Capshaw -- a Chaffee, Mo., native who now lives in St. Louis by way of Washington, D.C. -- recently released his first novel, "Red Roger," to the Kindle. The murder-thriller will be published in hardback and appear at Barnes & Noble this week, he said...

While you're strolling around downtown enjoying the First Friday Art Walk, don't forget about the downtown musical offerings. New this week, Steve Hornbeak, Ashley Hatfield and Darrell Hannahs will play an intimate concert at Cup 'N' Cork from 8 to 10 p.m. ...

Arts and entertainment briefs

NEW YORK -- A cornerstone of U.S. politics since the 1970s, public funding of presidential campaigns may soon go the way of other relics of the era like long sideburns and lava lamps. Neither President Barack Obama nor any of the leading 2012 Republican contenders is expected to accept federal matching funds and the limits they impose...

NEW YORK -- A highly venomous Egyptian cobra that went missing at the Bronx Zoo was found Thursday after nearly a week on the lam in the reptile house, zoo officials said. The approximately 24-inch snake was found coiled in a dark corner of the reptile house, about 200 feet from where it had escaped from a holding cage outside the exhibit into a space described by officials as a labyrinth of pipes and equipment...

LONDON -- Prince William is giving up his bachelor status to take a bride, but a palace official said Thursday that he will not be wearing a wedding ring. His fiancee, Kate Middleton, plans to wear a wedding ring made of rare Welsh gold, a long-standing royal family tradition dating back nearly 90 years, after the couple marry April 29 at Westminster Abbey...

DUBLIN -- Ireland's ailing banks need another $34 billion in cash in a move that will leave all of them under state control and facing a complete overhaul, officials announced Thursday in a long-awaited effort to cap a three-year banking crisis...

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. -- Bret D. Raney, 53, of Hot Springs died Wednesday, March 30, 2011, at his home. He was born Jan. 27, 1958, in Pine Bluff, Ark. Raney was employed by Affiliated Engineers. He was of the Baptist belief. He was preceded in death by grandparents, John and Oma Raney and Elizabeth and Myron Kelley...

James G. Blattel, 89, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Scott City, died Wednesday, March 30, 2011, at Life Care Center. He was born Jan. 6, 1922, in Fornfelt (now Scott City), to Fred J. and May E. Collie Blattel. He and Lillian Virginia Jackson were married July 15, 1946, in Fornfelt...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- George A. Eftink, 90, of Chaffee died Thursday, March 31, 2011, at his home. He was born Feb. 7, 1921, in Portageville, Mo., son of John and Elizabeth Elfrink Eftink. He and Teresa Catherine Horrell were married April 8, 1947. She died March 19, 2011...

Norman H. Lowes, 85, of Jackson, formerly of Dexter, Mo., passed away Thursday, March 31, 2011, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 12, 1925, in Jackson, to Emil and Emma Voges Lowes. He was baptized and confirmed at Hanover Lutheran Church. He attended the former Clover Hill School in Jackson, the former Hanover Lutheran School in Cape Girardeau, and was a graduate of Jackson High School...

BENTON, Mo. -- Neva Jean Vetter, 79, of Benton died Thursday, March 31, 2011, at her home. She was born May 23, 1931, in Holcomb, Mo., to Earl and Esther Beshear Benfield. She married Alfred Vetter on Oct. 30, 1954, in Cape Girardeau. Neva was a former operator at Southwestern Bell and a member of St. Denis Catholic Church...

Mark J. Linker, 61, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, March 31, 2011, at Southeast Hospital. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Monday in the mausoleum chapel of Pleasant Grove Memorial Park, Old Route 13 between Carbondale and Murphysboro, Ill. Crain Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau is in charge of arrangements...

Jane E. Thompson, 79, of Jackson, Mich., formerly of Cape Girardeau passed away Wednesday, March 30, 2011, at home, surrounded by her family. Survivors include four sons, Roger (Judy), Ron (Deana), Randy (Casey) and Richard; a daughter, Rhonda (Rick) Woodruff; 11 grandchildren, Brooke, Matt, Tim, Amanda, Cassie, Craig, Christina, Derek, Dan, Cortney and Abbey; five great-grandchildren; a brother, Reese (Louise) Sanders; many special nieces and nephews...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Donald E. "Duck" Merrill, 69, of Perryville died Thursday, March 31, 2011, at his home. He was born June 18, 1941, at Warrenton, Mo., son of Eugene and Kathryn Nagle Merrill. He and Martha M. Kirn were married May 29, 1982, in Perryville...

Harold Kuehle of Cape Girardeau has been appointed by Gov. John Ashcroft chairman of the Governor's Committee on the Employment of the Handicapped; Kuehle, 50, Cape Girardeau County collector, will replace Randy Best, whose term has expired. F.G. "Gene" Rhodes is elected mayor of Cape Girardeau, succeeding longtime mayor Howard C. Tooke; Rhodes outpolls councilman Donald Strohmeyer by 609 votes; other winners in the municipal election are David Limbaugh, Frank Bean and Jim Rust...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- James L. Boyer Sr., 78, died Thursday, March 31, 2011, at Independence Care Center of Perry County in Perryville. He was a veteran of the Korean conflict. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. until time of service Sunday at Young and Sons Funeral Home...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- John E. Miles, 47, of Bridgeton, Mo., formerly of Perryville died Thursday, March 24, 2011, at his home. Visitation will be from 1 p.m. until service time April 9 at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. A memorial Mass will be at 2 p.m. April 9 at the church, with the Rev. Milton Ryan officiating. Burial will be in Mount Hope Cemetery...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A heart attack brought on by an altercation with a Doniphan, Mo., man is the preliminary cause of death for a local man found dead earlier this week behind the former Pear Tree Inn on North Westwood Boulevard. Dr. Russell Deidiker performed an autopsy Wednesday morning on Roger Easley, 68, at Mineral Area Regional Medical Center in Farmington, Mo...

MINER, Mo. -- This weekend, an event that has been absent from the Sikeston scene for almost two decades will return -- and organizers couldn't be more excited. The Sikeston Board of Realtors Home and Garden Show will be from 1 to 9 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday at the Miner Convention Center. It will feature about 40 booths with a variety of products...

MALDEN, Mo. -- Five days after a single engine aircraft bound for Wisconsin disappeared from radar over Ripley County, Mo., searchers have expanded their efforts to include the Farmington, Mo., area. At least three planes were expected to resume the search Thursday morning when fog lifted...

POLICE The Jackson Police Department reported the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrest Assault Miscellaneous FIRE Firefighters responded to the following call Tuesday: Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday: ...

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

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

The River Campus has problems, and people are starting to notice. More than once in the past two weeks, I've been told or heard about these problems. They don't have enough seats available. The student production of "To Kill a Mockingbird" has been sold out for weeks. Organizers transformed the last dress rehearsal Tuesday into a full performance, added a Friday morning show and a Sunday night performance. Once word got out, the tickets quickly disappeared...

ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols cut off contract negotiations at the start of spring training. His bat was equally silent on opening day. The three-time NL MVP Pujols grounded into a career-worst three double plays while going 0 for 5 in the St. Louis Cardinals' 5-3, 11-inning loss to the San Diego Padres on Thursday...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Chaffee pitcher Alex Davie offered a quick assessment of his team's performance against Bernie on Thursday night. "We came out and we actually had some offense," Davie said. "It's the first time we've had double-digit runs, so it's good to see our offense was there tonight."...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo -- Poplar Bluff historically has not fared well against Notre Dame in girls soccer, but the Mules have pulled out wins by the slimmest of margins in the last two meetings. The Mules pulled out another 1-0 win Thursday at Whiteley Park, matching their 1-0 shootout victory last year...

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team jumps back into Ohio Valley Conference play this weekend with its first OVC road series of the season. Southeast visits Eastern Kentucky for a three-game set in Richmond, Ky. There will be a noon doubleheader Saturday and a noon contest Sunday...

One thing has remained constant regarding Southeast Missouri State's annual outdoor track and field meet: top-flight competition. Southeast coach Eric Crumpecker doesn't expect that to change when the 30th annual Joey Haines Invitational takes place today and Saturday at the Abe Stuber Complex...

All the local high school events reported Thursday to the Southeast Missourian.

WASHINGTON -- Despite fresh pressure from tea party conservatives, House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday that Republicans "can't impose our will" on the White House and Senate Democrats on legislation to cut tens of billions of dollars in federal spending...

MADISON, Wis. -- A Wisconsin judge on Thursday did what thousands of pro-union protesters and boycotting Democratic lawmakers couldn't, forcing Republican Gov. Scott Walker to halt plans to implement a law that would strip most public workers of their collective bargaining rights and cut their pay...

TRIPOLI, Libya -- The biggest danger to Moammar Gadhafi is not the rebel forces struggling to march on his capital. It's more likely to be the crumbling of the remaining, fragile support for his regime. That is what makes the defection of Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa a heavy blow. ...

TOKYO -- Japan is increasingly turning to other countries for help as it struggles to stabilize its tsunami-stricken nuclear plant and stop radiation leaks that are complicating efforts to recover the bodies of some of the thousands swept away by the towering wave...

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- Fighters trying to install Ivory Coast's democratically elected president months after the disputed vote descended Thursday on the country's largest city, aiming to unseat the nation's entrenched ruler as gunfire broke out across Abidjan...

April's First Friday gallery openings

A three-car accident slowed traffic on South Hope Street in Jackson to a crawl Friday afternoon. The accident happened around 3:25 p.m. where South Hope intersects County Road 318. Police said a red Hyundai was traveling north on South Hope when a black Ford traveling south made a left turn in front of it at the intersection with County Road 318. The impact sent the Hyundai spinning and it struck a vehicle waiting at a stop sign on County Road 318...

Central starter Ronnie Scott created a massive jam to start the sixth inning Thursday. Back-to-back singles then a hit batter loaded the bases with no outs for Poplar Bluff. The Tigers, who won 8-3, clung to a three-run lead at the time, and Scott looked rattled...

Photo taken on 3-31-11 Location ~ Cape Girardeau; Missouri.

Kenneth McManaman, chairman of the Cape Girardeau County Democratic Central Committee, says there are no front-runners for the party's nomination for sheriff; but other party leaders indicate that former county Sheriff Herman "Bob" Gribler of Jackson will likely seek and receive the party's nomination...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Aslee Cook, 89, of Marble Hill died Thursday, March 31, 2011, at Woodland Care Facility in Marble Hill. She was born Jan. 2, 1922, at Hurricane, Mo., daughter of David and Barbara Causey Long. She and the Rev. Grover Cleveland Cook were married March 25, 1939. He passed away Feb. 8, 2010...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Ada Marie Carroll, 68, of Chaffee died Thursday, March 31, 2011, at her home. She was born Aug. 7, 1942, in Chaffee, daughter of Henry A. and Stella Marie Sanders Nordin. She and Eugene Carroll were married Nov. 10, 1956. He died Dec. 5, 2003...

Donnie Eugene Foulk, 69, of Scott City died Friday, April 1, 2011, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born April 19, 1941, in Fornfelt (Scott City), to Clifford B. and Laura Bernece Lipe Foulk. He and Shirley Diane Brown were married Dec. 23, 1990, in Chaffee, Mo...

Jackson Art Group Second Saturday featured artist and April's special hours The Jackson Art Group featured artist for April is Karron Kidd of Whitewater, Mo. She is a retired accountant who now works part time at the Post Office. Kidd has been an artist most of her life...

Subject: REMEMBER THIS WHEN IT COMES TIME TO VOTE Your Social Security Just in case some of you young whippersnappers (& some older ones) didn't know this. It's easy to check out, if you don't believe it. Be sure and show it to your kids. They need a little history lesson on what's what .and it doesn't matter whether you are Democrat of Republican. Facts are Facts!!!...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A Missouri House Democrat has proposed an alternative to a congressional redistricting map offered by a Republican leader. The new plan by Ron Casey, of Jefferson County, would consolidate the two St. Louis city districts into one -- as also suggested by Republican John Diehl, head of the House redistricting committee...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is calling on the state Senate to pass legislation allowing hundreds of millions of federal dollars to go to unemployed workers and public schools. Several Republican senators have stalled votes on bills authorizing the use of an estimated $105 million of federal money for extended unemployment benefits, and $189 million of federal stimulus money for schools. ...

A Bollinger County sheriff's deputy has resigned after a domestic violence call ended with the fatal shooting of a pet Chihuahua.

Now in its fourth year, the Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival continues to grow and attract visitors from across the country. Weaving together comedy, music and history, the nationally recognized storytellers at this year's festival, Friday to April 10, will entertain hundreds of people coming from Southeast Missouri and 15 states...

The runners are on their marks. They're ready. They bounce nervously back and forth shifting their weight from one foot to the other as they wait for the shotgun start. Now, they're off. Propelled by determination, they barrel down the track toward the finish line...

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Authorities believe they have found the remains of a single-engine Wisconsin-bound plane that crashed in Southeast Missouri. Lt. Col. David Miller of the Civil Air Patrol said in a news release that the plane discovered Friday night about eight miles southeast of Ironton is the aircraft that authorities have been searching for since it went missing March 27 after leaving Arkansas. He said there were no survivors...

Chris Nicastro is engaged in a battle against mediocrity. Missouri's commissioner of education gives the Show Me State's academic performance a solid C. "Performance in Missouri matches our geography: We're in the middle," Nicastro told more than 100 Cape Girardeau area civic leaders, educators, administrators, businesspeople and members of the religious community Thursday at Drury Lodge. ...

Southeast international students from India cheering for their home team to win the ICC Cricket World Cup Championship!

Southeast international students from Sri Lanka cheer for their home team to win the ICC Cricket World Cup Championship!

A Cape Girardeau woman and her three children were not injured, but their home sustained considerable damage in a fire Saturday. Denise Smith, 33, and her six-month-old daughter were inside sleeping when her sister pulled into the driveway shortly after 4 p.m. and saw flames on the porch of her home at 817 S. Pacific St. Her sons, age 15 and age 7, were not home at the time, Smith said...

Music, testimonies and prayers were the main events at the Teen Challenge International of Mid-America Banquet held Saturday night at the Show Me Center. Executive director James Bolin said the banquet is the main event Teen Challenge hosts. "It is a night that we hear testimony from students and alumni graduates of the success of the Teen Challenge ministry," he said...

If Cape Girardeau County Clerk Kara Clark Summers' prediction bears out, more city voters will take to the polls Tuesday for an April election than since 1999, when they were lured to the ballot box by statewide propositions on carrying concealed weapons and establishing a sales tax on cellphones to fund 911 services...

A pretty scene outside of Gordonville. The fields are filled with purple "flowers" creating a visually beautiful effect. I had to stop and take a photo as I drove past.

On Friday and Saturday March 18 and 19, a Fairy Tale Crop to benefit Melaina's Magical Playland was held at Anna-Camille Scrapbook Boutique in Cape Girardeau. We are happy to announce that the Playland is now $1,450.00 closer to reality! Thanks to all the scrapbookers who supported this event, as well as our Premiere Sponsors: Beginning Concepts, Heartland Gymnastics, Olson Pediatrics, Dr. ...

City and county officials are taking preliminary steps that could culminate in joint ownership of the former federal building that would serve as both a new Cape Girardeau City Hall as well as space to relocate certain county offices currently housed at the Common Pleas Courthouse.

Southeast Missouri State University kicks off its new bachelor of science cybersecurity degree program Tuesday, and one of the foremost international technology security experts will be the featured speaker. James Andrew Lewis, director and senior fellow with the Technology and Public Policy Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., will address attendees of the event, which begins at 2 p.m. ...

Rachel Kahle couldn't have imagined a better place to continue her athletic and academic careers than at the university just down the road from her hometown. "It's been the perfect school for me," the Southeast Missouri State senior from Jackson said...

Stefanie Leighanne Tatum and Barry Dewayne Dennison were married May 29, 2010, at First Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau. The Rev. Eugene Poole performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Roger and Mary Ann Tatum of Scott City. The groom is the son of Teresa Dennison and Terry Dennison of Portageville, Mo...

Doyle and Jane Oehl of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Maria Renee Oehl, to Brock Kenneth Allen of St. Louis. He is the son of Brian and Beth Allen of Linn Creek, Mo. Oehl is a 2004 graduate of Jackson High School. She received a bachelor's degree in elementary education in 2008, and a master's degree in curriculum, instruction and assessment in 2009, both from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She is a teacher with Jackson School District...

Mark and Ann Fowler of St. Louis, formerly of Cape Girardeau, announce the engagement of their daughter, Katherine Elizabeth Fowler, to Alex Thomas Immer. He is the son of William J. and Linda Immer of St. Louis. Fowler is a 2006 graduate of Oakville High School. She received an associate degree in applied science from St. Louis Community College, and is pursuing a degree in nursing. She is employed at Red Lobster...

Andy and Amy Hancock, owners of The Gordonville Grill, donated 10 percent of all profits from a recent "Tuesday Night Community Night" to Boy Scout Troop 210 of Jackson. Troop 210 was able to raise almost $300 for camperships for the scouts and adult leader training...

The pied-billed grebe looks like a duck, but it is not. For starters, it doesn't quack. It has lobed toes rather than a duck's webbed feet, and it is known to spend more time in or on water than most ducks. A pied-billed grebe's diet consists of living things it finds below the surface of water such as small fish, crayfish, frogs and aquatic insects...

The Bank of Advance donated $10,000 to the Southeast Missouri Food Bank. The Bank of Advance's donation will fund the BackPacks for Friday program and provide 10 mobile food pantries to the area. To donate food, time or money to the Southeast Missouri Food Bank call 651-0400...

Several Girl Scout troops, the Otahki Council and Postal Planet of Jackson all recently participated in the Adopt-A-Hero program. Through donations of Girl Scout cookies, they were able to send 13 cartons, about 98 boxes, of cookies to men and women serving in Afghanistan...

DEXTER, Mo. -- For 60 years, an old unpaid debt has been bothering Bob Brown. Now 81, the Dexter man has been haunted over the years knowing he owed $5 to a hospital in Flint, Mich., for the birth of one of his sons. "I'd be debt-free," he's often told his sons, "if I only had that hospital bill paid."...

PARMA, Ohio -- The Girl Scouts were selling their cookies the old-fashioned way, pulling a creaky-wheeled red wagon laden with Thin Mints and Samoas down a suburban street. But the affair took a decidedly 21st-century twist when, with a polite smile, one of the girls pulled out a smartphone and inquired: "Would you like to pay with a credit card?"...

We live in a time of acronyms. Life has become so complex, so busy, that consciously and with deliberation we abbreviate our language by using strewn-together letters to communicate ideas rather than speak individual words. We are the poorer for this development, but there is, I suspect, no turning back...

Tom Tipton, president of Tipton Linen & Uniform Services, donated $10,000 to Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Missouri's southeast office. The funds will support LFCS services in crisis pregnancy counseling, senior counseling, domestic and international adoption, emergency assistance and more. LFCS is a not-for-profit organization that provides social services to the community...

Pet name: Trevor Owners: Joyce and Paul Favorite Activity: Playing in the snow and eating it. ...

For weeks we've been gripped by the coverage of Japan's magnitude-9.0 earthquake. But for 56 Japanese students attending Southeast Missouri State University, the devastation has been even more troubling. Soon after the quake hit, several Japanese students on the Southeast campus approached Lyman Pitman, director of the Missouri Office of the Japan-America Academic Center, seeking ways in which they could help. ...

THOSE who are bothered by Cape Girardeau's downtown music should receive taxpayer subsidized earplugs. FIFTY percent of children diagnosed with autism actually have another developmental disorder. Devices that look at the brain can specifically detect the nature of the brain disorder, and many times that can lead to treatment which will resolve the problem and liberate children, allowing them to lead normal lives instead of being entrapped by a misdiagnosis based solely on behavioral observations.. ...

By Dr. Eric. G. Morton There has been much discussion about whether government-run health care in the U.S. is going to be of benefit to patients. My opinion is that a government-run system will be nothing but a disaster. A few years ago when digital mammography came into vogue, General Electric, the manufacturer of the machines, approached two U.S. ...

College basketball and football coaches not only get paid for their coaching abilities but also their related win/loss records, post season games, and the ability to create an economic money machine. Thus the background for the following excerpt from an article by Chris Bahn in the Arkansas Business Weekly about the firing of Arkansas basketball coach John Pelphrey (and their opening of the door for hiring Missouri Tiger coach Mike Anderson)...

We rejoice, Lord God, in your wondrous love and forgiveness. Amen.

Norman W. Copeland announces his intention to seek the Republican nomination for Cape Girardeau County sheriff when the county Republican Central Committee convenes April 9; Copeland is serving as interim sheriff since the resignation of Dwight Thomas on March 27...

The Young Americans 4-H Club was called to order by Tori Schweer on March 17 at Grace United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau. The pledges were led by Haley Ehlers and Alex Eftink. Roll call was answered by showing your green for St Patrick's Day. March birthdays were recognized and the club sang "Happy Birthday" to Clayton Kirchdoerfer. Kirchdoerfer and Ehlers led the club in singing "I've got the joy in my heart."...

Cape Girardeau's Texas Roadhouse is having a dinner fundraiser to raise money for the Hope for Haiti organization from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Texas Roadhouse. The restaurant will donate 10 percent of all sales to purchase soccer balls for Hope for Haiti...

Cape Girardeau Elementary MONDAY--Chicken bites or ham & cheese on bun, broccoli with cheese sauce, mixed fruit cup, Krispy Kreme wafer cookie. TUESDAY--Crispito with nacho sauce or turkey & cheese on bun, corn, pears. WEDNESDAY--Rotini with chicken alfredo sauce or ham & cheese on bun, green beans, french bread, cinnamon applesauce...

Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Gene August of Scott City celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary by renewing their vows March 11, 2011, at Eisleben Lutheran Church, with Rick Foss performing the ceremony. Mrs. August was escorted by grandsons, Nick and Mitchell August, and the groom was escorted by son Trent August...

Danny Wills of Fruitland and Debbie Cook of Whitewater announce the engagement of their daughter, Sidney Lynn Harris, to Kevin Ray Held, both of Cape Girardeau. He is the son of Jerry L. and Mildred Held of Olive Branch, Ill. Harris is attending the licensed practical nursing program at Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center...

The Rev. Barry L. Pfanstiel has served a Good Shepherd Lutheran Chapel, 1904 W. Cape Rock Drive, for 17 years. Pfanstiel said he was a junior in high school when began thinking seriously about the pastoral ministry. "My mother and godmother both had been praying for that to happen, so I guess I didn't have a chance to say no," he said. Now though, Pfanstiel said he can't imagine doing anything else...

Heroes are men and women who seem to be larger than life, accomplishing greatness and inspiring the same in others. Heroes emerge from a range of backgrounds. Some break from lives of privilege while others rise from poverty. Heroes raise the bar and forge their own paths...

Amy Woodall of Whitewater, a mother of four children, has an addiction. She regularly goes into peoples' homes to talk to them about her addiction and to share her story in hopes that others can learn from her experience. Woodall isn't an alcoholic, nor a substance abuser. Her addiction is coupons, and she's out to get others hooked on couponing, too...

Sarah Jane Guebert, 50, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, April 1, 2011, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Chapel. Funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Good Shepherd Lutheran Chapel in Cape Girardeau, with the Rev. Barry L. Pfanstiel officiating...

Dr. Paula Raye King, 65, of Cape Girardeau died peacefully on Monday, March 28, 2011, at Southeast Hospital. She was born Paula Raye Smith on April 18, 1945, at Neosho, Mo., to David and Marjorie Trefftzs Smith. Throughout her life she had a passion for education and the arts, combined with a love of people and animals...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Alvin J. Mattingly, 80, of Perryville died April 1, 2011, at Independence Care Center in Perryville. He was born Jan. 18, 1931, at Perryville, the son of Matthew Mattingly and Zita Mary Zahner Mattingly. On Feb. 23, 1952, he married Eileen Marie Wood, who survives...

Donald "Don" R. McCullough, 76, of Jackson passed away Thursday, March 31, 2011, at the Missouri Veterans Home, where he had lived since April 2007. He was born Aug. 21, 1934, in Greenbrier, Mo., son of "Dudley" Hugh and Ida "Fern" Miller McCullough. He was raised on Castor River in Greenbrier. He and Sharon Bishop were married March 30, 1957, at New Bethel Baptist Church...

Son to Rusty Allen and Janice Michelle Wainscott of Jackson, Saint Francis Medical Center, 11:07 p.m. Monday, March 21, 2011. Name, Brady Allen. Weight, 8 pounds, 5 ounces. Second son. Mrs. Wainscott is the former Janice Rooney, daughter of Jeanne Rooney of Kirkwood, Mo., and the late Tom Rooney. Wainscott is the son of Nancy Wainscott of McKenzie, Tenn., and the late Larry Wainscott. He is employed at Ward Hyundai...

Christopher Chung, the man charged with marketing Missouri to new businesses, spoke about the mission of his organization, the Missouri Partnership, during the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce First Friday Coffee at the Show Me Center. Missouri Partnership, a not-for-profit economic development organization, is contracted by the Missouri Department of Economic Development to be the marketing and job recruitment arm of the state...

PHOENIX -- Flight attendants had just begun to take drink orders when the explosion rocked the cabin. Aboard Southwest Flight 812, Shawna Malvini Redden covered her ears, then felt a brisk wind rush by. Oxygen masks fell, the cabin lost pressure, and Redden, now suddenly lightheaded, fumbled to maneuver the mask in place...

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ST. LOUIS -- Down two stars, the St. Louis Cardinals lost big-time. Clayton Richard had two RBIs to match his career high without getting the ball out of the infield and pitched six solid innings in the San Diego Padres' 11-3 victory Saturday. Albert Pujols homered on the 10th anniversary of his major league debut and Allen Craig, subbing for ailing Matt Holliday, had a two-run single for the Cardinals. ...

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals decided not to put Matt Holliday on the disabled list Saturday, opting to wait a few days to see if the slugger can make a speedy return from an appendectomy. The left fielder had the surgery Friday, but the team believes the condition was caught early and he could be back before the end of a 15-day DL stint...

The team of Alice Temm, Carol Largent, Terri Parmly and Eileen Owens shot a 70 to win the Ladies Opening Coffee scramble Saturday at Dalhousie Golf Club. The team of Harriette Myers, Robin Davis and Phyllis Seabaugh carded a 72 for second, and the team of Ann Dombrowski, Deanna Estes, Bev Metheny and Sarah Cochrane shot a 74 for third place...

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

The Rams dropped their third straight game to fall to 1-3-1

All the scores from Friday that were reported to the Southeast Missourian.

All the weekend news from the world of Southeast Missouri State athletics.

The Notre Dame baseball team defeated Kennett 4-0 on Friday.

All the scores from Saturday that were reported to the Southeast Missourian.

The Southeast Missouri State softball team defeated Austin Peay in both Ohio Valley Conference games Saturday.

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team defeated Eastern Kentucky in both games of a doubleheader Saturday.

No team scores were kept, but the Southeast Missouri State track and field program fared well during Saturday's 30th annual Joey Haines Invitational, the Redhawks' only outdoor home meet. Southeast captured five titles and claimed five more runner-up finishes at the Abe Stuber Complex. Memphis, SIU-Carbondale, Arkansas State, Murray State and Rend Lake (Ill.) Junior College also competed at the meet...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Boy Scouts at a Missouri camp site helped lead searchers to a small plane that had been missing for several days. Madison County, Mo., Coroner Chris Follis on Monday identified the victims. The pilot was 61-year-old Lyle Anthony Fettig of the Milwaukee area. Passengers were 52-year-old Violet Badagliacco of Palos Hills, Ill., and 55-year-old Eun Young Reneau of Eau Claire, Wis...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The speaker of the Missouri House says he doesn't understand state lawmakers' opposition to the newly redrawn Eighth Congressional District. Rep. Steven Tilley, R-Perryville, said Monday he disagreed with criticism suggesting that including part of Jefferson County in the Eighth District in a proposed congressional redistricting map significantly changes the make up of the district. ...

The Southeast Missouri State softball team wanted to bury Austin Peay after sweeping Saturday's doubleheader. Ashley Bolda had other ideas. Bolda, the only Missouri native on the Austin Peay roster, pitched a four-hitter in her home state as the Governors beat the host Redhawks 2-1 on Sunday to salvage a victory in the three-game series...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Several of Missouri's congressional districts may become more competitive among Republicans and Democrats in the 2012 elections, if the first drafts of Missouri's proposed redistricting maps are any indication. Republicans in control of a state House committee on redistricting released a proposed map last week that reconfigures Missouri's nine existing U.S. ...

When Bob Cerchio was 15 the guy who had the locker next to him in junior high asked him if he wanted to work "on the stage." He's been there ever since. Cerchio, assistant director of Southeast Missouri State University's bustling River Campus, is Southeast's Mr. Entertainment -- the guy responsible for bringing to town everyone from blues legend B.B. King to the zany "Spamalot."...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A Sikeston man has made his mark at an Australian business. Floyd Presley Jr., owner of Presley Sales and Service, recently completed the installation of a thermal storage unit at a foam plant in Australia. Presley came up with the concept for the units, which cool the chemicals in foam plants, about 30 years ago...

The Zion United Methodist Church - Gordonville is the recipient of a $4,000 Hamilton Grant from the Missouri United Methodist Foundation. Presentation of the grant will be at Zion United Methodist Church, 3652 State Hwy. Z in Gordonville on April 10, 2011 during the 10:30 a.m. service...

Everyone is invited to New McKendree United Methodist Church's fried catfish and chicken tenders dinner Saturday, April 16, from 4:00-7:00 PM. Meal includes catfish and/or chicken tenders, cole slaw, baked beans, spiral potatoes, dessert, and a drink. Adults eat for $8, ages 5-12 $5.00, and kids under 5 eat free. It will be a great night of food and fellowship. We hope to see you there!...

Worldwide-based accounting firm, RGL Forensics, an international forensic accounting, investigation and consulting firm, today announced that it was named one of the fastest growing firms in the nation by Accounting Today. From 2009 to 2010, as the economic downturn was taking its toll on businesses across the country, RGL achieved more than a 10 percent increase in revenue and was listed as the eleventh fastest growing accounting firm in the U.S. by national publication, Accounting Today...

Kevin Govero- Tree Advisory Board Chairman, Tim Gramling, Public Works Director/Board Member, Brock Davis, Parks Division Manager/Board Member, Daniel J.Grimm-Vice-Chairman. (Board Member Robert Harris was not available for picture.) The Cape Girardeau Tree Board planted a Flowering Dog Wood Tree at 12:30 p.m. ...

Most of Cape Girardeau County's fire departments have responded to a large natural cover fire east of Fruitland. The fire has spread to around 50 acres, according to scanner traffic around 4:15 p.m., in the area of 324 Cissus Lane, east of Highway V...

After a freezing cold game in Archie MO, the week before, the SEMO Copperheads caught a break in the weather this past Saturday April 2nd going up against there next door neighboring team the Jackson Apaches. This was a highly anticipated battle as the Copperheads where coming off of a victory in last weeks game against the West Central Warriors bettering there record to a undefeated 2-0, tensions where high because of the rivalry between the two cities being so close to each other, but on that beautiful Saturday only one team would be able to take home bragging rights until the end of the season when they meet again.. ...

Opie "chillin" after doing his favorite activity, chasing a tennis ball.

For weeks now, homes and businesses have been knocked down one by one to make room for Cape Girardeau's new Isle of Capri $125 million casino complex. "I've got memories there a bulldozer can't touch," said Greg Lincoln, who attended the Evening Light Church at 234 Mill St. It's one of the few buildings still standing on the 23-acre Isle of Capri site, which includes more than 60 individual parcels...

Day one -- Sept. 20, 2009 After a poor night's sleep at the Vicksburg Super 8, one of the worst we have ever stayed in, Marla, Danny, Colleen and I had a good breakfast at Cracker Barrel. I, of course, had my favorite pecan pancakes. ...

In this day and age, health care consumers need to be particularly wise in the choice of their health care services as many options are available. In the realm of medical procedures and treatments this is particularly true. Happily, medicine has benefited greatly from advances in technology over the years. These are the advances that have allowed for a wider range of choice for health care consumers with regard to their care...

I am wondering why so few people in this town want to have this bike trail? So many people will be inconvenienced by no longer being able to park in front of their homes. We park in front of our home three to four times a year for the holidays and will no longer have anywhere for our guests to park. It seems that this bike trail is wanted by a few individuals, with no regard for others' input. Let the people have a say...

Almighty God, this season's beauty is yet another example of your masterful creation. Amen.

For a landlocked state, Missouri has a surprising number of scuba divers. TBY chatted with five local scuba divers about how they dived into the hobby -- and why it's a sport anyone can enjoy.

Tuesday night the Southeast Missouri State University 2010-2011 Speakers Series continues with James Lewis, director and senior fellow of the Technology and Public Policy Programs at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Lewis researches innovation and economic change, Internet policy and cybersecurity, space programs and intelligence reform at CSIS...

Sarah Jane Guebert, 50, of Cape Girardeau, died Friday, April 1, 2011, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born Nov. 17, 1960, in Cape Girardeau to Louis H. and Allyne Crites Bodenstein. She and Perry L. Guebert were married Oct. 18, 1997, at Jackson...

BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. -- Woodrow James Niswonger, 89, formerly of Jackson and Cape Girardeau, died Saturday, April 2, 2011, at his home. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau. Funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home...

Retiring as Cape Girardeau mayor after 17 years, Howard C. Tooke has been appointed by the Cape Girardeau County Commission to seek out federal grants and other funds to enable the county to get its fair share of federal tax money. Liability insurance for the county sheriff's department and jail will cost $18,375 over the next year compared to $6,000 over an annual period that ends Thursday; the County Commission awarded the contract to Ricci Associates of St. Louis...

YUMA, Ariz. -- Inspectors have found small, subsurface cracks in two more Southwest Airlines planes that are similar to the cracks that caused a jetliner to lose pressure and make an emergency landing in Arizona, the airline said in a statement Sunday...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrest Firefighters responded to the following call on Thursday:...

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

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Mildred Lucille Page, 92, of Marble Hill, died April 2, 2011, at Woodland Hills in Marble Hill. She is now playing piano for the Heavenly Choir. She was born on July 6, 1918, in Lutesville, Mo., the daughter of Willard and Minnie Bretz Hastings...

Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday:...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The St. Louis Blues insisted that their lopsided win over Columbus on Sunday was nothing personal. Patrik Berglund scored twice and Jaroslav Halak had 23 saves as the Blues dominated for much of the game and won 6-1 on Sunday. St. Louis sent the Blue Jackets off their home ice to a chorus of boos from the few fans left behind from an announced reported crowd of 13,538...

Eastern Kentucky bounced back from a doubleheader loss with an 11-5 victory

Southeast Missouri State director of athletics John Shafer's formula with his major coaching hires is to keep matters confidential, with no search committee, no public interview forums and no comment on potential candidates. Shafer's current search for a women's basketball coach has followed suit. He recently told me the position has attracted plenty of candidates but he hasn't said much else about the situation...

Jackson senior Blake Smith won the long jump at the Missouri Relays on Saturday in Columbia, Mo., setting a new meet record with a leap of 22 feet, 7 inches. Smith's jump, which tied the school record, led several strong performances by Jackson athletes...

ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals manager Tony La Russa batted the pitcher eighth to boost the St. Louis offense. Quickly shedding awful spring numbers, Jaime Garcia needed very little help. The 24-year-old left-hander looked nothing like the kid saddled with a 6.26 spring ERA, throwing a four-hitter with a career-best nine strikeouts as St. Louis avoided a season-opening sweep at home with a 2-0 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday...

New stores, restaurant relocations and a remodel are all planned this spring inside West Park Mall. rue21, which offers some of the newest emerging fashion trends in apparel and accessories for young women and men with 16 other stores in Missouri, opened Thursday at West Park Mall. ...

ST. LOUIS -- Taxpayers picked up the $35,050 tab for Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder to spend at least 329 nights at hotels in St. Louis and St. Louis County since 2006, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Sunday...

James Cain, who previously operated the restaurant Cain in downtown Cape Girardeau, is now working as executive chef at Dalhousie Golf Club. Cain attended the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Chicago, graduating in 2007 with an associates degree in culinary arts. ...

Route OO in Cape Girardeau County between Route F and Route Z will be closed today while Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace a pipe under the roadway. Weather permitting, the work will be done from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The work zone will be marked with signs. For more information, contact MoDOt's Customer Service Center at 888-275-6636...

Dexter, Mo. -- Highway 25 in Stoddard County from U.S. Business 60 to Stoddard Street will be reduced to one lane with a 16-foot width restriction, while Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform pavement repair. Weather permitting, work will be done today through Wednesday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The work zone will be marked with signs. For more information, contact MoDOT's Customer Service Center at 888-275-6636...

While 34 percent of American adults are battling obesity and its ensuing diseases, many seniors are facing another food-related problem: malnutrition. The American Journal of Nursing reported in 2005 that an estimated 20 to 60 percent of elderly home-care patients are malnourished or will be soon; the estimate rises to 85 percent in nursing homes. ...

Betty Spalding, principal at St. Joseph School in Scott City, likes being in control of her surroundings. But, when an earthquake strikes, like the minor one she experienced in Southeast Missouri in the late 1980s, she knows she has to give that up and it's scary, she said...

The Rev. Deborah Young has met scores of homeless children in her time in ministry to the poor, but the face she just can't seem to shake is of the 6-year-old boy who begged to stay. "This mother had six children, and they were living in a van and this particular child had been in the van for two weeks," said Young, director of New Life Evangelical Ministry Homeless Outreach Center and Thrift Store at 707 Broadway. ...

Delta Junior & Senior High School Third Quarter A Honor Roll 7th grade: Erin Bond, Jamie Hodge, Kelsi Kinder, Katie Nance, Lydia Reitzel, Kaitlyn Shallow, Austin White 8th grade: Caleb Amelunke, Ciara Coomer, Jesse Criddle, Danielle Helderman, Shantel Hendrix, Daniel Hester, Amy Russell...

Oran Elementary School Third Quarter 3rd grade: Paige Bradley, Heather Gosche, Tristin Schlosser, Jada Tyler, Leah Urhahn, Lyndsi Bryant, Kenna Graviett, Kaiden Massey, Caden White, Todd Priggel. 4th grade: Megan Henson, Alexandria Hornback, Lilly Beth Jones, Laney Koch, Claire Ramsey, Calen Read, Layne Robinson, Gavin Roslen, Jacob Shoemaker, Sam Smith, Katelyn Streeter...

St. Mary Cathedral School Third Quarter A Honor Roll 4th grade: Salma Abuhamda, Dawson Compas, Lilly Edwards, Paige Emmenderfer, Rachel Essner, Sierra Greaser, Melanie Hayden, William Parsons, Laura Santana, Sarah Smith, Cassidy Swain, Abby Wilson. 5th grade: Lauren Boswell, Cole Emmenderfer, Caleb Farrow, Allie Givens, Jordan Goodson, McKenzie Goodson, Stephen Gullette, Vincent Landewee, Justin Laurentius, Ashley Pittman, Zoe Pleimann, Cole Renner, Samantha Snyder, Jayna Timpe, Hadeel Wadi, Olivia Williams, Kalli Yarbro.. ...

Notre Dame Regional High School Third Quarter A Honor Roll 9th grade: Madison Baumgart, Hailey Bedell, Amy Blattel, Collin Boner, Madison Buelow, Abigail Charlier, Colleen Compas, Derek Dittlinger, Christopher Dixon, Benjamin Dohogne, Michelle Dominguez-Salinas, Mitzi Dominguez-Salinas, Rebecca Earley, Samantha Easley, Conner Elfrink, Taylor Feeney, Gretta Goodin, Brock Hammers, Matthew Hayes, Rachel Hearnes, Caleb Heisserer, Andrew Hobeck, Ross James, Joshua Jansen, Reagan Kapp, Collin Kramer, Sara Long, Halle Lynch, Jacob Meadors, Michael Nelson, Matthew Parker, Emma Pickett, Ethan Pobst, Karsen Powers, Zachary Raines, Abby Ritter, Anthony Rosati, Madeline Rosenquist, Mollie Ross, Claire Schafer, Megan Schmittzehe, Katherine Sellers, Anna Marie Siebert, Christen Siebert, Griffin Siebert, Adele Soutar, Sarah Stroup, Megan Thompson, Dorothy Turner, Anna Unterreiner, Benjamin Wedemeier, Kaitlin Welter, Matthew Westrich, Andrea Younghouse.. ...

In the fall of 1993, Dr. Frank Nickell gathered a small group together at the Center for Regional History with the purpose of organizing the Civil War Roundtable. There are many similar groups throughout the country -- folks who gather together to study the Civil War and generate interest in local war sites and history. ...

Voting was steady Tuesday morning at several Cape Girardeau precincts, as residents turned out in large part to decide the fate of the hotly contested citywide smoking ban. But voters were also weighing in on two propositions that would generate $72 million to replace the city's aging wastewater treatment plant and make other improvements to the sewer system...

Superintendents in the Advance and Meadow Heights school districts say they are cautiously optimistic about voter turnout and how the vote will come out on their ballot issues in today's spring election. Advance is asking voters to authorize a 25-cent increase to the operating tax levy, now at $2.75 per $100 assessed valuation. The higher tax levy would generate about $72,000 annually to help maintain current programming without deep budget cuts, according to superintendent Stan Seiler...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A Missouri House committee has approved new borders for the state's congressional districts. State lawmakers must draw a new U.S. House map with eight districts instead of nine.

A bill to keep mines from locating near schools and other public buildings will be reviewed Tuesday by the Missouri House transportation committee in Jefferson City. House Bill 299 was sponsored by Rep. Donna Lichtenegger, R-Jackson, after two companies applied for mining permits near Saxony Lutheran High School in Fruitland last summer...

The Cape Girardeau County Commission continues to work with Cape Girardeau city officials on the idea of co-ownership and consolidation of some county and city services in the former federal building. City officials Monday approved a $33,000 engineering study of the building, but commissioners said at this point they are still in the evaluation process...

A new class of permit being considered by the Cape Girardeau City Council would put the onus on applicants to keep the volume of outdoor music down. If they don't, the proposal calls for the outdoor music venue permit to be pulled after five violations...

Jackson city staff will interview two engineering firms next week for their automated meter infrastructure project, city administrator Jim Roach told the Jackson Board of Aldermen in a study session Monday. A dozen firms submitted bids for the wireless project that Roach said will allow all of the city's residents' water and electric meter readings to be reported back to a data center at Jackson City Hall. The project will cut down on labor costs, he said after the session...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- St. Louis would lose a congressman and most of northern Missouri would be wrapped into a single U.S. House district under a plan unveiled and approved Monday by a Senate committee. The map, endorsed without dissent by the bipartisan Senate Committee on Redistricting, resembles a plan being considered in the House as state lawmakers try to redraw the boundaries of the state's congressional districts. ...

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- A Southeast Missouri sheriff was charged Monday with distribution of methamphetamine, authorities said.

It has been almost two years since Oran has experienced the tragic losses of two teens, Alexis "Lexi" Cummins and Austin "Tut" Todt. They were involved in an automobile wreck which resulted in the loss of their lives. Family and friends have again joined together to host the 2nd Annual Memorial Run/Walk for Lexi and Tut. ...

Jackson Art Group Second Saturday featured artist and April's special hours The Jackson Art Group featured artist for April is Karron Kidd of Whitewater, Mo. She is a retired accountant who now works part time at the Post Office. Kidd has been an artist most of her life. She said, "I inherited it from my dad, who worked in wood."...

As Southeast Missouri State University continues to deal with the damage of major NCAA violations from more than two-and-a-half years ago, an in-house committee finds the institution is in compliance with most program areas now. A majority of Southeast's 300-plus athletes are graduating on time and many at the head of their class, according to university officials...

Mommy Tess is teaching her baby,Kuma, how to play ball. This reminds me of the old " Dick and Jane" primary readers in school when I was a child. I remember wishing I had a dog like "Spot". I feel like my babies are as close to him as you can get except mine aren't black and white cocker spaniels. My son Brad took this picture and Kuma is his puppy! Yorkshire Terriers are the smartest dogs I have ever owned. We love our babies!...

Payday loans serve a purpose for those in a pinch. They help pay for car repairs, utility bills, even rent. But they come at a price, with an average annual interest rate in Missouri of 444 percent last year, according to the Missouri Division of Finance...

Message received, Cape Girardeau city manager Scott Meyer said Monday. An outpouring of resident complaints about certain sections of proposed bike lanes Thursday has led the city to remove four sections of city streets from the plan to preserve parking...

Nine outstanding students were honored for their service to others, leadership and scholarship at the Cape Girardeau Public Schools March school board meeting. The recipients of the Terrific Tiger Award are pictured above with Board President Paul Nenninger and Superintendent of Schools Dr. ...

My son Jordan Cracraft prepares to release a smallmouth bass he caught while collecting trash on Castor River. Stream Team # 3001, the Southeast Missouri chapter of the Missouri Smallmouth Alliance, collected over 800 pounds of trash near Marquand, MO on March 19th, 2011...

Scott city voters returned incumbents and elected a young newcomer in Tuesday night's school board election. Winners tonight are: Scott Amick, president of the board, with 26.5 percent of the vote; fellow incumbent Sally Porch, with nearly 22 percent of the vote; and Daniel Lance, a 2005 Scott City graduate, who ran for the first time was elected with 18 percent of the vote...

The Cub Scouts of Pack 15 & pack 21 are coming together for the 2nd annual track & field day at Lou Muegge Field on Sunday, April 10th at 2 PM. Cub Scouts will compete within their dens in a 100 & 200 meter dash, long jump, obstacle course, football and softball toss. There will also be a tug of war, Family Fun Run and the first ever Pee Wee Race. Boys are encouraged to bring a water bottle and wear their Class B shirts. For questions please contact Amy at 651-5295...

Sandy Lowrey donated her hair to Locks of Love to help cancer patients who have lost their hair due to treatment. She donated in honor of all the patients that she works with at Cape Girardeau Urology Associates that suffer from cancer.

Today Missouri voters will go to the polls and make decisions on a variety of local issues. The following is a brief outline of some of the issues Southeast Missouri voters will see on their ballot. To learn more about these issues and the candidates running, go to semissourian.com/election. Our right to vote is one of the most basic pillars of our democracy. Make sure you get out today and make your voice heard...

The Southeast Missourian story regarding the completion of the Shawnee Park Center (March 30) highlighted a man whom we are proud to know. Robert Harris is a genuine caring man committed to giving his heart to this community and to its young people. He is a man of strong faith and he shares his faith in the gardens he plants and the good works he does throughout the community...

Living in the area of the Armory at East Rodney Drive and Independence Street is a pleasurable experience. I love the diversity of the neighborhood and especially enjoy the children playing in our common area. The unfortunate part of living in an area with a lot of apartment complexes is the high rate of turnover...

PERHAPS the high school dropouts, gang members and hoodlums who are responsible for the shootings and killings in the St. Louis area should be required to stay in school, go back to school or, if they refuse, join the military. This might give them cause to think about what they are doing to their neighborhoods and families...

O Lord, we take comfort in that your ways are better than our ways. Amen.

ST. LOUIS -- Boy Scouts camping in Missouri's Mark Twain National Forest helped lead searchers to a small plane that crashed in a remote wooded area, authorities said Monday. The single-engine Piper Lance had been missing since it disappeared from the radar March 27. The wreckage was found Friday in the Southeast Missouri forest. Madison County Sheriff David Lewis, who was among the first at the wreckage scene, said the pilot and both passengers were ejected and died upon impact...

A trial date was not set Monday in the case against a Cape Girardeau County teenager charged with statutory sodomy. Benjamin B. Harrison II, 17, will appear before Circuit Court Judge William L. Syler again April 18. Cape Girardeau County assistant prosecuting attorney Jack Koester said there may need to be some depositions taken before Harrison's next hearing...

Two people escaped a Cape Girardeau house fire unharmed Monday afternoon. The fire at 1540 Independence St. was contained to the basement but caused smoke damage throughout the house. Firefighters were able to put out the fire shortly after arriving on scene. Traffic was temporarily blocked along a section of Independence...

Sharrona Leigh Werner, 29, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, April 3, 2011, at her home. Arrangements are incomplete at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson.

An Illinois man was killed early Monday after a head-on crash in Perry County, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The accident occurred at around 8 a.m. on Route H, just east of Perry County Road 936. Michael T. Tomkins, 39, of Herrin, Ill., was pronounced dead the scene, where the highway patrol said his vehicle collided head on with a vehicle driven by a Cape Girardeau man, 44-year-old James E. Buck...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A summary judgment verdict was requested Friday in a dispute the parties believe could have statewide implications for public entities whose budgets depend on property tax assessments, as well as for occupants of low-income housing...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Two Poplar Bluff men were charged Friday afternoon in connection with a suspected shake-and-bake methamphetamine lab that was hurled as an explosive device, catching a trailer on fire and injuring a Butler County deputy. Shawn Del Daggett, 32, of the 2000 block of Hillsdale and Glenn Allen Yandell, 25, of the 500 block of Poplar Street were charged with the Class B felony of manufacturing a controlled substance by Butler County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Paul Oesterreicher.. ...

MARQUAND, Mo. -- Milford M. "Cub" Yount, 87, of Marquand passed away Saturday, April 2, 2011, at Saint Francis Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 20, 1924, in Patton, Mo., son of Herbert M. and Mattie M. Harmon Yount. He and Olga Jean Cureton were married Nov. 5, 1947...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The Rev. Louis Carl Hilpert Theiss, 85, of Perryville died Sunday, April 3, 2011, at Independence Care Center of Perry County in Perryville. He was born April 16, 1925, in Wittenberg, Mo., son of Paul J.E. and Clara M. Hilpert Theiss. He and Marie Anna Klaus were married June 16, 1951...

Clarence "Bud" Slaughter, 84, of Jackson, formerly of Chaffee, Mo., died Sunday, April 3, 2011, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born April 21, 1926, in Chaffee, son of Clarence Oda and Nellie Elizabeth Schmidt Slaughter. He married Dolores Halter...

Ervin "Nub" Moore, 84, of Oak Ridge passed away Saturday, April 2, 2011, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 10, 1926, in Oak Ridge, to Edward and Eula Lape Moore. He attended the former Goshen School near Oak Ridge. He and Juanita Kester were married May 23, 1949, in Gordonville...

Della Ann Reinholz, 78, passed away Monday, March 28, 2011, in Mesa, Ariz. She was born Oct. 28, 1932, in Dongola, Mo., to Ora Edward and Mayme Ruth Snider Davault. She and Stanley Reinholz were married April 19, 1952, in Cape Girardeau. Reinholz graduated from Jackson High School in 1950. She attended Southeast Missouri State University, graduated from Northeast Missouri State University with a degree in education and a master's degree in adult studies...

James Woodrow "Woody" Niswonger, 89, passed away Saturday, April 2, 2011, at his home in Blue Springs, Mo. He was born May 29, 1921, in Kurreville, Mo., son of Givens O. and Rada Niswonger. He and Mary Belle Ford were married April 5, 1942, in Jackson. She preceded him in death Nov. 25, 2001...

Beverly Edith Rhea, 72, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, April 4, 2011, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born July 18, 1938, in St. Louis to George W. and Bernice Hampton Weston. She and James Rhea were married in St. Louis. Beverly lived all her life in St. Louis until recently, when she moved to Cape Girardeau. She was a machine operator for 19 years at an ink pen factory in Fenton, Mo. She was baptized in St. Louis into the Methodist Church...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Fern Norma Noble, 90, of Advance passed away Monday, April 4, 2011, at Chaffee Nursing Center in Chaffee, Mo. She was born June 17, 1920, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Elmer and Adaline Hitt Sullinger. Fern had been a caregiver for the elderly. She was a member of Fairview General Baptist Church near Advance...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Rita F. Brown, 95, of Perryville died Saturday, April 2, 2011, at Perry Oaks Manor. She was born Aug. 31, 1915, in Perryville, daughter of August and Theresa Buchheit Brown. Brown had worked at International Shoe Co. She was a member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church...

The Jon-Boy restaurant in Scott City has been purchased by Frank and Mary Ellen Bean of Cape Girardeau and is being converted into a Dairy Queen. Scott G. Goodson has been promoted from controller to vice president of finance at Lenco Inc. of Jackson...

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

The Southeast Missouri State women's tennis team suffered a 6-1 loss at Jacksonville State on Monday. Southeast fell to 1-10 overall and 0-4 in the Ohio Valley Conference. JSU is 8-10 and 5-1. Freshman Elizabeth Nyenwe continued her solid season as she earned Southeast's only point with her team-leading sixth singles win of the season. She improved to 6-5 by beating Martina Dessbesell at the No. 2 spot...

Five local high school basketball players recently were named to the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association's academic all-state team. Scott City's Corey Rodgers, Saxony Lutheran's Gus Klaus, Jackson's Zach McDowell, Delta's Rachel Bartels and Perryville's Natalie Bauwens all were named to the teams...

HOUSTON -- The only thing that could stop Kemba Walker and Connecticut's amazing run was the final buzzer. On a night when the massive arena felt like a dusty old gym, UConn made Butler look like the underdog it really was, winning the national championship Monday night with an old-fashioned, grinding 53-41 beatdown of the Bulldogs...

The Perryville golf team cruised to victory Monday at Perryville Country Club. Aaron Welker shot a 5-over-par 40 to capture medalist honors for the Pirates. Perryville needed 168 shots, while St. Pius used 207. Josh Fulmer and Wade Lawrence both shot 42s, and Brett Schnurbusch carded a 44 to round out Perryville's scoring...

The Red Wolves have lost their last six games

Source says one prospective women's basketball coach visited Monday, and two more will be on campus this week

The Miami coach will follow Mike Anderson as leader of Missouri's basketball program

ST. LOUIS -- Charlie Morton won his first road game since the end of 2009 in a 47-degree chill and the Pittsburgh Pirates stunned Kyle Lohse with a four-run sixth inning in a 4-3 victory Monday night. In a span of four pitches, Lohse (0-1) issued his first walk all year, then allowed Neil Walker's two-run double and Andrew McCutchen's second homer to put Pittsburgh ahead 4-1...

WASHINGTON -- It could get harder to indulge in a double cheeseburger and fries without feeling guilty. Menu labeling requirements proposed Friday by the Food and Drug Administration will require chain restaurants with 20 or more locations, along with bakeries, grocery stores, convenience stores and coffee chains, to clearly post the calorie count for each item on their menus...

This tulip tree was full of beautiful blossums! You have to love the signs of spring!

This is the rock garden at the Jackson City park. It is one of my favorite places to photograph flowers throughout the year.

WASHINGTON -- Yielding to political opposition, the Obama administration gave up Monday on trying avowed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four alleged henchmen in civilian federal court in New York and will prosecute them instead before military commissions...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Highway 25 from County Road 632 to Highway 114 in Stoddard County will be reduced to one lane today through Thursday while Missouri Department of Transportation crews make pavement repairs. Weather permitting, work will be done from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The work zone will be marked with signs. Motorists are urged to use caution while traveling near the area. For more information, contact MoDOT's Customer Service Center at 888-275-6636...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Highway 25 in Stoddard and Dunklin counties will be reduced to one lane with a 10-foot width restriction while contractor crews perform pavement repairs and asphalt resurfacing. The section of road is from Route U at Bernie, Mo., to Highway 53 at Holcomb, Mo. ...

Route OO between Route F and Route Z in Cape Girardeau County will be closed today while Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace a pipe under the roadway. Weather permitting, the work will be done from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The work zone will be marked with signs. Motorists are urged to use caution while traveling near the area. For more information, contact MoDOT's Customer Service Center at 888-275-6636...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Work to replace the Route BB bridge over Little River Ditch No. 11 in Stoddard County is expected to begin next week weather permitting. The road will be closed Monday from Route C in Bollinger County to Route K in Stoddard County as construction is underway. ...

Editor's note: Today starts a weekly column by Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City mayors. Since this is the first column I have written for the Southeast Missourian, you might want to know a little more about who I am. I am a retired schoolteacher, having taught 28 years at the Cape Girardeau Vocational School (now the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center). ...

Immaculate Conception School Third Quarter A Honor Roll 4th grade: Ian Bartholomew, Laura Bertrand, Payton Beussink, Mindy Diebold, Megan Engelen, Seth Essner, Ashley Hanners, Benton Keran, Steven Peters, Colten Seyer, Braden Vaugier, Livia Wunderlich...

A portion of North Main Street will be closed Thursday as construction begins at the Isle of Capri casino site in Cape Girardeau. Beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday, North Main Street will be closed from Olive Street to south of Mill Street, according an announcement from the Isle Casino Cape Girardeau planning and construction team...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder says he will use campaign funds to reimburse the state $35,050 for hotel costs incurred while traveling around the state. Kinder said Tuesday that he decided to repay the money because he didn't want even "the slightest taint or suspicion" attached to his name or public service...

O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) -- Three more Missouri towns are going smoke-free, but one isn't. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that three towns gave approval to smoking bans in Tuesday's election. A ban in Cape Girardeau was defeated by a narrow margin. O'Fallon voters approved the measure by a 3-to-1 margin. Springfield adopted a ban, and Webb City voters endorsed a measure in a nonbinding referendum, though the Joplin Globe reports that the mayor expects the city council to enact the ban...

The Cape Girardeau city government posted a message saying there were power outages along Route 177 due to construction work in the area on its Facebook page. The message was posted around 11:30 a.m. A call to the city's public information staff wasn't immediately returned...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- The sales tax rate in Chaffee will increase by a quarter-cent starting July 1, voters decided Tuesday, lending their support for the tax for fire department operations but not for storm-water and park improvements.

The Scott City Council will welcome two newcomers at its meeting next month after residents voted Tuesday to elect Ron Cummins to represent Ward 3 and Randy Morse for Ward 4. Morse, 53, receiving 60 percent of the vote, beat out incumbent Jordan Heisserer by 28 votes. Heisserer received 54 total votes...

Scott City voters returned incumbents and elected a young newcomer in Tuesday night's school board election, an election defined at least in part by a controversial dress code policy. Board president Scott Amick won a third term on the board with 26.5 percent of the vote. Fellow incumbent Sally Porch, who has served 12 years on the board, received 22 percent of the vote...

Meadow Heights School District voters approved a no-tax-increase bond issue at the polls. The measure, a $600,000 borrowing plan, unofficially has received 275 yes votes to 76 no in Bollinger County, the brunt of the district.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Having tried it for a year, Sikeston will remain a city that requires a prescription for pseudoephedrine products.

There is nothing quite so pretty as a redbud tree in full bloom.

I love when these blue bells bloom along the banks of the Crooked Creek.

such a warm sunny day out and all the beautiful colored tree's

OJ is 3 years old. He is already neutered. OJ is available for adoption at The Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, 573-334-5837. See more pets available at www.semopets.org

Seated front and center is Bernice Hartman with a bouquet of Daffodils who celebrated her 95th Birthday April 5th at the Hoover Senior Alive Center. Celebrating with Bernice is (Standing left to right): Sandy Whitledge, Cherie Herbst (Hoover Center Coordinator), Barbara Warren, Helen McCarty, Norma Dawes, Ida Mitchell, Estel Bowers, and Violet Crain...

Two Perryville High School sophomores have been selected to attend the Missouri Scholars Academy, a three-week academic program for 330 of Missouri's gifted students who are ready to begin their junior year in high school. This year's Academy will be held from June 12 through July 2 at the University of Missouri-Columbia...

Cape Girardeau, MO -- On Thursday, April 7 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. the McDonald's by Walmart will be donating 25% of all sales to the American Red Cross. The American Red Cross Southeast Missouri Chapter has been serving the community for over 90 years. ...

Cape Girardeau voters narrowly defeated a hotly contested smoking ban Tuesday. The outcome was an apparent rejection of a well-heeled group of supporters who spent more than $83,000 to get out its message of the hazards of secondhand smoke. The controversial issue, which has been debated since November when Citizens for a Smoke-Free Cape began gathering signatures to put it on the ballot, failed by just 325 votes, with 3,997 against and 3,672 voting in favor, with all precincts reporting.

Two reading incentive programs at Perryville Elementary School, the AR Reading Program and the Heart Reader Program, have expanded school-wide and have motivated the students to read tens of thousands of books so far this year. Since the beginning of the school year, two classrooms have reached an outstanding accomplishment. ...

You will be seeing these teeth at various dental offices around town to raise awareness of the importance of quality dental care. The Oral Health Coalition of Southeast Missouri is raising funds for financially disadvantaged chidren who need urgent dental care...

The Cape Central High School Envirothon Team placed first overall in the Southeast Regional Envirothon competition last month at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center, qualifying the team for the state competition in Jefferson City. The team also placed first in four of the six scoring categories: Forestry, Soils, Current Events, and Oral Presentation. ...

Eight Perry County Middle School 7th and 8th grade students competed in the MCTM (Missouri Council Teachers of Math) Math Contest at St. Vincent de Paul School in Cape Girardeau on Saturday, April 2, 2011. Taking 2nd place on the 7th grade test was Mollie Kluender, which now qualifies her to compete in the state contest. ...

SoutheastHEALTH officials and staff, representatives of the American Heart Association, Cape Girardeau city officials, Cape Central Middle School students and others celebrated the opening of the first official Start! Walking path in the region with a lunchtime ribbon-cutting ceremony and an inaugural walk on Wednesday, April 6. ...

The Missouri Council of Teachers of Mathematics grades 7-8 regional contests were held at 15 sites across the state of Missouri recently. The first, second, and third place winners in each of the individual contests and winners in the team competition will compete in the State Finals in Springfield on April 30, 2011. ...

Motivating students to read at Perryville Elementary School is fairly easy to accomplish these days, especially since the students have an incentive that is definitely not "boar-ing!" Two reading incentive programs, the AR Reading Program and the Heart Reader Program, have expanded school-wide and have motivated the students to read tens of thousands of books so far this year. ...

About 80 percent of Cape Girardeau voters -- more than 6,000 -- said yes Tuesday to two propositions that constitute the city's plan to generate $72 million to pay for a new wastewater treatment plant and a multitude of sewer line improvements...

Twenty-seven students from Cape Central Junior High School (CJHS) participated in the regional National History Day contest at Southeast Missouri State University. Participants completed a research project that fit into the theme "Diplomacy and Debate: Successes, Failures and Consequences" and competed against students from all over the Southeast Missouri region in the Performance, Exhibit, Website and Documentary categories. ...

Voters showed strong support for renovation plans at Mineral Area College, overwhelmingly approving an $8 million no-tax-increase bond issue Tuesday. Voters in St. Francois County, Madison, Ste. Genevieve and Perry counties combined approved the measure with 76 percent of ballots cast in favor of it...

Voter turnout was light in Tuesday's Bollinger County municipal and school board elections with only 9 percent of eligible voters casting ballots. In the city of Marble Hill, Tim McCain won as alderman for Ward 1; he was unopposed. James Sear was re-elected in Ward 2 by write-in votes. Also receiving write-in vote were Ken Trentham, Fred Ritter, Mitch Miller, Bill Wilcox, Beverly Johnson and Mike Morris...

Tom Kimbel, a Jackson police officer for 17 years who is now retired, will fill the open seat on the Jackson Board of Aldermen, voters decided Tuesday. Kimbel beat out businessman Ron Clark with 60 percent of the vote. Kimbel received 113 votes, while Clark received 74 votes.

The wrongheaded skeptical nature of the recent Associated Presss article in the Southeast Missourian regarding 10 recently discovered paintings by George Caleb Bingham, which emanated from the Kansas City Star and now disseminates like a contagion, casts a funereal pall over Bingham's Bicentennial...

I and many in my family will miss the air show. I'm sure Cape Girardeau will miss the $80,000 it brought in last year. If whoever previously organized the event wasn't able to do so, why didn't they get someone else to manage it? I guess Cape Girardeau will just have to raise taxes again...

O Lord, may we be still and know that You are God. Amen.

Obama's first term provides an open-door opportunity for others

Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich said recently that several state agencies have done a less than adequate job in tracking federal stimulus funds. Schweich's comments on the tracking came after the first significant audit of Missouri's share of the federal stimulus funds. While the auditor found no obvious cases of misuse, he did note several examples of where the funds were not tracked or documented well...

Play ball! The St. Louis Cardinals are back in season, and it is a welcome sound on the radio. I have longed for baseball season to start for weeks now, so I am glad it is here. I loved watching all of the opening day festivities and enjoyed seeing and hearing the sounds of baseball again. ...

The prepared ham has become so ubiquitous -- honey baked and spiral cut, anyone? -- at Easter, many cooks assume they can just heat and eat, leaving all their culinary creativity for the rest of the meal. To be sure, cured and smoked pork legs are tasty as is, but there's little reason not to give it an exotic treatment, as with this apricot-peach and gingersnap crusted baked ham...

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- Ivory Coast's strongman leader Laurent Gbagbo holed up in a bunker inside the presidential residence Tuesday, maintaining he won the election four months ago even as troops backing the internationally recognized winner encircled the home...

WASHINGTON -- Prodded by an insistent President Barack Obama, Congress' top two lawmakers sought to reinvigorate compromise talks Tuesday aimed at cutting tens of billions in federal spending and averting a partial government shutdown Friday at midnight...

WASHINGTON -- House Republicans set up a politically defining clash over the size and priorities of government Tuesday, unveiling a budget plan that calls for both unprecedented spending cuts and a fundamental restructuring of taxpayer-financed health care for the elderly and the poor...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- William Thomas "Billy Taylor" Hancock Jr., 55, of Advance died Wednesday, March 30, 2011, at his home. He was born June 1, 1955. Hancock attended First Baptist Church in Advance. He was disabled. Survivors include five sisters, Ida Grooms of Advance, Laurel Dunlap of Louisberg, Mo., Niki Davis of Wappapello, Mo., Robin Taylor of Lafayette, La., and Brenda Yeager of Washington state...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A suspected arsonist was arrested after he allegedly attacked police at a Monday morning fire in Sikeston. Around 7 a.m. Monday, the Sikeston Department of Public Safety responded to a call regarding a structure fire at 223 Petroleum St. As the police and fire divisions arrived on the scene, they found a home fully involved with fire...

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Cabrini A. Bierbaum, 64, of Mound City died Monday, April 4, 2011, surrounded by family and friends. She was born Feb. 28, 1947, in Cairo, Ill., daughter of the late Walter W. and Roslyn Scheuing Waite. Cabrini loved people and found great joy working the front desk at Daystar Care Center in Cairo...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Mildred Lucille Page, 92, of Marble Hill died Saturday, April 2, 2011, at Woodland Hills in Marble Hill. She is now playing piano for the heavenly choir. She was born July 6, 1918, in Lutesville, Mo., daughter of Willard and Minnie Bretz Hastings...

Clarence Melvin Baugher (aka Mighty Fine or Percy), 73, of Mammoth, Ariz., passed away Thursday, March 31, 2011, at his home, with his family by his side. Although battling prostate cancer, his cause of death was congestive heart failure. Clarence was born June 2, 1937, in McClure, Ill., to Clarence and Lena Hunsaker Baugher...

Jean Blades, 81, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, April 5, 2011, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home.

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Alzina Burkley, 86, of Mound City died Saturday, April 2, 2011, at her home. Visitation will be from noon to service time Thursday at Massie Funeral Home in Mounds, Ill. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Johnny Nelson officiating. Burial will be in Spencer Heights Memorial Park in Mounds...

Daughter to Jerry Leland and Jessica Leigh Pickett of Jackson, Southeast Hospital, 3:50 p.m. Friday, March 25, 2011. Name, Kearsten Reece. Weight, 7 pounds, 13 ounces. Third child, first daughter. Mrs. Pickett is the former Jessica Spooler, daughter of Kenny and Michelle Spooler and Mike and Vickie Webb of Jackson. She is manager at Pizza Inn. Pickett is the son of Patsy Pickett of Jackson. He is manager at Jimmy John's...

Thanks to thousands of termites, a project undertaken to simply fix a leaky roof at the Broadway United Methodist Church at Scott City is nearing completion with a total cost of around $86,000; termites had damaged the church tower, sanctuary and basement walls and floor joists...

Should the City of Cape Girardeau be allowed to borrow $72 million to build a new wastewater treatment plant to bring the city in line with DNR regulations?

Should the City of Cape Girardeau extend a quarter-cent sales tax to fund wastewater treatment operations and retire bonds to pay for a new wastewater plant? The tax would sunset in 2037.

SALT LAKE CITY -- A joint venture between three of the nation's four largest cellphone carriers will soon offer the United States' first commercially available mobile fare payment program to a public transportation system. Isis, a mobile commerce joint venture between AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless, announced Tuesday it will roll out the pilot program in Salt Lake City in 2012, offering an alternative to credit and debit cards for Utah Transit Authority fare payments...

ST. LOUIS -- Residents in St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo., overwhelmingly agreed Tuesday to retain their 1 percent earnings taxes, passing on a significant tax cut but keeping a revenue source that provides a huge chunk of the budget in both of Missouri's big cities...

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

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

Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday:...

Results from the April 5, 2011 election in Scott County.

Harold France: xx Michael Hughey: xx Should Mineral Area College be authorized to issue $8 million in bonds to renovate and improve facilities and upgrade technology? The bonds would not increase the debt service levy. Yes: xx No: xx Elect three Numbers are partial. District has voters in other counties. Get overall race total at www.semissourian.com/election...

Some things bear repeating: Plant vegetables. The tastes of fresh-picked beans, lettuce and tomatoes, grown from seeds of varieties bred for flavor rather than commercial appeal, will knock your socks off. Not to mention the satisfaction of doing "work" that puts food directly into your belly...

Vote totals from the April 5, 2011 election in Bollinger County.

Totals listed are for contested races and ballot issues only. Should the Advance School District raise its tax levy from the state minimum of $2.75 to $3 per $100 assessed valuation? Yes: xx No: xx Elect three Numbers are partial. District has voters in other counties. Get overall race total at www.semissourian.com/election...

Should the city institute the "Cape Girardeau Smoke-Free Air Act," prohibiting smoking in places of public accommodation?

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- The Carter County Commission unanimously approved the resignation of Sheriff Tommy Adams Tuesday morning after the sheriff was jailed on a drug distribution charge. After calling the meeting to order, Presiding Commissioner John Bailiff said he had a resignation letter from Adams...

Shattenkirk burns his former team with a goal and two assists

ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols found a way to be productive while still shaking out early season kinks. Pujols had the tying and go-ahead RBIs, and Kyle McClellan rebounded from a shaky beginning to pitch well in his first career start, helping the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 on Tuesday night...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Frank Haith has heard the criticism that Missouri settled for a safe choice rather than a home-run hire for its new coach. After seven years leading a Miami basketball program at a football-first school with little fan interest and plenty of other south Florida distractions, Haith welcomes both the added scrutiny and heightened interest in his fortunes...

The Southeast Missouri State women's tennis team lost its fifth straight match Tuesday, but freshman Elizabeth Nyenwe continued her strong play. Nyenwe notched her fourth consecutive victory and remained undefeated in the Ohio Valley Conference. She accounted for Southeast's lone win in visiting Tennessee-Martin's 6-1 triumph...

The Chaffee baseball team defeated Scott County Central 12-6 on Tuesday.

All the scores from Tuesday that were reported to the Southeast Missourian.

The Southeast Missouri State baseball defeated host Arkansas State 8-5 on Tuesday.

Senior right-hander Logan Bartels did a little of everything in the Jackson baseball team's victory over rival Central. Bartels earned the win on the mound and smacked a home run in the Indians' 13-6 win March 29. Bartels struck out eight over 5 2/3 innings against the Tigers...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- Mary Browning, 82, of Olive Branch died Monday, April 4, 2011, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Crain Funeral Home in Tamms, Ill., is in charge of arrangements.

PHOENIX -- Boeing engineers figured the joints holding the skin in place on their older 737 jetliners would begin to wear, but only as the planes neared retirement. They never expected it to happen in middle age. Caught off guard when a piece of the fuselage on a Southwest Airlines jet peeled away as it flew over Arizona last week, they are rushing to create inspection and repair instructions for hundreds of similar planes in service worldwide...

TOKYO -- Fishermen who lost their homes and boats in Japan's tsunami now fear radioactive water gushing into the Pacific Ocean from a crippled nuclear plant could cost them their livelihoods. The contaminated water raised concerns about the safety of seafood in the country that gave the world sushi, prompting the government to set limits for the first time on the amount of radiation permitted in fish...

BREGA, Libya -- Libyan government forces bombarded a key oil town Tuesday as an Obama administration envoy met with the opposition leadership in its de facto capital, a possible step toward diplomatic recognition. NATO said nearly a third of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's heavy weapons have been destroyed. ...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Route K in Perry County will be reduced to one lane with a 16-foot width restriction today and Thursday, while Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform routine bridge maintenance. This section of road is between Route B and County Road 600. Weather permitting, the work will be done from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Signs will mark the work zone. For more information, contact the MoDOT's Customer Service Center at 888-275-6636...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Route N County Road 418 to County Road 438 in Bollinger County will be closed today and Thursday while Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace a pipe beneath the roadway. Weather permitting, work will be done from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Route B in Perry County will be reduced to one lane with a 16-foot width restriction today and Thursday while Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform routine bridge maintenance. This section of road is between County Road 512 and County Road 614. Weather permitting, the work will be done from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily...

Erin Abell left a job in finance to volunteer for John McCain's presidential campaign in early 2008. She had hoped to return to the industry after the election, but by then Wall Street was on life support, and Abell had to live off credit cards until joining a friend's startup...

Guardian Angel School Super Students 1st grade: Jordan Diebold, Brittany Dirnberger, Traci Hency, Hayden Kimball, Lauren Kimball, Camryn Lynch, Aubrie Rash, Logan Rose, Lydia Tankersley, Emily Williamsen. 2nd grade: Kennedi McVay, Cooper Priggel, Chloe Prindle, Langdon Scheeter, Myles Trankler, Katie Webb...

St. Denis School 3rd grade: Haley Burger, Krista Dirnberger, Britt Gage, Addie Gage, Mallory Glastetter, Haleigh Halter, Devin Heuring, Macy Landeros, Andrea Richman. 4th grade: Landon Cureton, Sydney Dittlinger, Peyton Eftink, Andrew Halter, Ragan Schlosser, Allison Seiler, Grace Urhahn...

Scott City Elementary School A Honor Roll 3rd grade: Daniel Biggs, Jacey Brant, Noah Braun, Carlie Estes, Alexys Littlepage, Kassie Northington, Tony Seabaugh, Spencer Stratman. 4th grade: Chloe Clayton. B Honor Roll 3rd grade: Andrew Auer, Jasmine Barajas, Joseph Brown, Emma Bryant, Claudia Cassout, Gavin Crider, Ramsey Evans, Josh Frey, Kobe Hann, Ellie Huckstep, Madison Klingeman, Mason Koeberl, Zoe Lee, Aaron Littleton, Anthony Long, Chloe McAlister, Mina McKee, Cody Nichols, Jazmine Nickens, Sam Niswonger, Landon O'Brien, Anthony Smith, Hayley Spies, Jordanne Talley, Aidan Thompson, Shelby Walton, Porcelain Wells, Ashley Wilthong.. ...

St. Augustine School A Honor Roll 5th grade: Collin Dumey, Clare Fennewald, Megan Heisserer, Nate Hulshof, Ben Jansen, Kassidy Leimbach, Adam Moeser, John Scherer. 5th grade: Grant Beussink, Abagail Estes, Madison Heisserer, Claudia Kern, Danielle Kluesner, Grant Wilson, Addie Ziegler...

St. Vincent de Paul Parish School Third Quarter A Honor Roll 4th Grade: Bailey Beussink, Hayden Carrington, Hannah Dodson, Alex Dow, Zach Fehr, Alex Harold, Cole Knight, Nash Lochmann, Tanner Logel, D.J. Lynch, Sydney McClintock, Braden Noel, Eli Oberle, Lily Parker, Carly Pujol, Ethan Spinner, Andrew West...

Kelly Elementary School 3rd grade: Matthew Agin, Hayden Bollinger, Bri'anna Buchanon, Victoria Collom, Haley Dodd, Allison Ferrell, Ashley Garrett, Colton Glastetter, Molly Hanners, Riley Holdiness, Kelly Ivy, Trent Kelsey, Carolina Lara, Mason Laymon, Mason Martini, Alexandria Miller, Addie Nichols, Jacob Ott, Sabrina Williams, Rylee Crumley, Mariah Draves, Zach Hatley, Timothy Hooper, Adison Musgrave, Madison Myers, Morgan Pulliam, Payton Ramsey, Macey Senciboy, Madison Stanley, Jacob Bird, Dylan Childers, Samantha Coffee, Abigail Gates, Dallas Gunter, Erika Holloway, Noah Hupp, Elizabeth Martin, Jimmy May, Bennett Sutton, Taylor Vinyard.. ...

Chaffee Elementary School 3rd grade: Casey Clover, Reece Felty, Brandon Foulk, Nicole Graf, Raven Hollis, Jake Medlin, Seth Menz, Allie Miller, Ashtyn Rains, Bailee Rister, Emma Sigman, Braden Spies, Grace Arnzen, Tyler Essner, Natalie McMullin, Wyatt Parker, Braelyn Pobst, Samantha Welter...

St. Joseph School A Honor Roll 5th grade: Anthony Madalon. 6th grade: Daylon Reed. 7th grade: Marisa Hall, Olivia Jordan. 8th grade: Morgan Campbell. B Honor Roll 5th grade: Elijah Venable. 6th grade: Ryne Enderle. 7th grade: Valerie Bahr, Madison Swift...

Chaffee Junior & Senior High 7th grade: Carleigh Burnett, Brandon Ivester, Ryan Jobe, Noah Orr, Morgan Rutherford, Julia Sutterfield, Jordan Wilburn. 8th grade: Kodi Ballard, Victoria Blue, Ryan Burton, Megan Chisum, Jessie Evans, Lane Henson, Sarah Holman, Lyndsey Livingston, Kaitlin McFerron, Dylan Montgomery, John Montgomery, Trevor Morehead, Bailey Owens, Molly Parker, Jacob Perkins, Lyndsey Statler, Brody Swinford, Susan Weber, Chelsie Whitlow...

The Jackson girls soccer team defeated Perryville 1-0 in overtime Tuesday.

Southeast Missouri State University's annual Beckwith Memorial Archaeology Lecture originally scheduled for tonight has been postponed. The lecture is rescheduled for 6:30 p.m., April 28, in the Crisp Museum at the River Campus. Jim Phillips, curator of collections at the museum, will present the keynote lecture, "Looking Back at the Beckwith Collection."...

A proposal to limit the location of mines near schools garnered opposition from industry lobbyists Tuesday during a hearing before the House Transportation Committee in Jefferson City.

Emergency personnel responding to a motor vehicle accident that injures or kills a Missouri motorist could have an easier time reaching the victim's next of kin as soon as 2012. That's the purpose of a bill that surfaced in the Missouri House on Monday, when a St. Ann Democrat discussed with other lawmakers the idea of developing a database of emergency contact information for all of the state's licensed drivers...

Registration for the fall semester at Three Rivers College is in full swing this week, and if the numbers are anything like they have been in recent years, the community college can expect record enrollment. Three Rivers has posted record enrollment figures each of the last four semesters, according to Wes Payne, the community college's vice president for learning. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Republican-led Missouri House passed its plan for redrawing the state's congressional districts Wednesday, merging two seats held by Democrats in the city of St. Louis and extending Southeast Missouri's district into the St. Louis area.

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Three Rivers College official says the institution has made "considerable progress" in addressing gender equity concerns after an audit nearly a year ago found Title IX compliance lacking. Jason Hoseney, Three Rivers' vice president for Student Success, said the athletic department has evened the score in coaching positions for men's and women's programs, improved facilities, and is addressing athlete participation deficits...

I love to see the Pear trees in full bloom in the springtime.

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration warned Wednesday that a federal shutdown would undermine the economic recovery, delay pay to U.S. troops fighting in three wars, slow the processing of tax returns and limit small-business loans and government-backed mortgages during peak home-buying season...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Several Missouri state senators who have been blocking a vote on extending federally-funded jobless benefits said Wednesday that they will only relent if Gov. Jay Nixon agrees to the elimination of $300 million in federal stimulus spending...

Cape Girardeau County 4-Hers attend 2011 Teen Conference April 2-3, 2011 in Columbia, MO. L-R: Andrew Aufdenberg, Nathan Aufdenberg, Kelly Hahs, Chelsea Seyer, and Dustin Oehl (Regional Representative).

Right now, we need another ice storm to come through Washington, D.C. It appears that the cold reality of winter actually helped lawmakers finally focus on the cold reality of our staggering deficit and need for real budget reform. When an ice storm socked the nation's capital earlier this year, more than 40 senators showed up for what was billed as a "policy-heavy" briefing on deficit reduction. ...

Before New Jersey's larger-than-life Gov. Chris Christie came onto the scene and long before protestors crowded in the halls of Wisconsin's capitol to oppose Gov. Scott Walker's cuts to the state budget, there was Missouri's Gov. Matt Blunt. Looking back, Gov. ...

This weekend will be Wayne Carter's third time to pack up his stuff and pile his friends into the car for a trip from Pontotoc, Miss., to the Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival. "The stories, naturally, are a big draw," Carter said from his home. "But I'm really impressed with y'all's city. I tell people I want to retire here, but if I've got to move, it would be OK if I moved to Cape Girardeau."...

In honor of Oral Cancer Awareness Month, Saint Francis Medical Center will be offering free oral cancer screenings on Saturday, April 30, from 8 am to noon in the Health and Wellness Center Conference Rooms, 150 S. Mount Auburn Road. Oral cancer is not a rare disease. ...

Mark Schultz, the headlining part of the Renaissance tour, performing at New Mckendree Church in Jackson

Jason Gray performing at New Mckendree church, in Jackson. part of the Renaissance tour5

Fiddle player David Klinkenberg performing at New Mckendree Church, part of the Renaissance tour

Finally, the drummers get their due. The Jackson High School Percussion Ensemble was the star of the show this week, performing center stage at the seventh annual "A Night of Percussion." Nearly 50 percussionists in seventh through 12th grades performed a mix of melodies and rhythms, from Caribbean beats to Japan's thunderous Taiko drumming. ...

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- The former chief deputy of Carter County has been charged with possessing a gun allegedly taken from the department's evidence room by Sheriff Tommy Adams and burglarizing an Ellsinore, Mo., home, allegedly at the request of Adams...

Oran defeated Scott City 13-8 on Wednesday.

What's happening this weekend

Tomorrow morning the fourth annual Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival kicks off. This year's festival will host several nationally recognized storytellers, and hundreds of eager listeners are expected to attend from Southeast Missouri and 15 other states...

Sunday, April 3, Gary Rust, in his column, reprinted part of a column written two years ago by the Wall Street Journal's senior economic writer Stephen Moore. Here, Moore praises novelist Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged." Ever since its 1957 publication, "Atlas" has been hailed by conservatives and Libertarians for its scathing critique of Big Government. ...

I had the pleasure of working with and knowing Sam McVay since early 1993 as my administrator at the Missouri Veterans Home and then as the executive director of the Missouri Veterans Commission. Sam taught me to manage people the way I would want to be managed. ...

THESE bike trails are an intrusive, overreaching attempt to serve the few at the inconvenience of many. That this is even being considered is an insult to all who live on the streets affected. This is being pushed by a small group of people who believe they come first...

April 7, 2011 Dear Patty, One of the beauties of men is that we can be satisfied quite simply. A ballgame, a beer and some wings can make many of us very happy. This simplicity extends to food, to the extent that simpler seems better to the male palate. If it's salty and creamy and chewy and spicy, we're in love...

Jesus, thank you for coming so that we may have life and have it more abundantly. Amen.

Did you know a leaf blower is not just for blowing leaves? It's also used to rapidly unroll a roll of toilet paper. STEP 2: Hold the dowel rod horizontally so the roll will unroll away from you. STEP 3: Turn on the leaf blower and aim the stream of air just over the top surface of the roll...

WASHINGTON -- Downing five or more alcoholic drinks nearly every day isn't seen as a big problem for many of the nation's teens, says a new report. When asked if they see "great risk" in drinking that much, almost half the teens questioned -- 45 percent -- didn't see it as a big deal...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Senate has advanced a bill requiring public employee unions to get annual written consent to deduct union dues from a member's paycheck. The legislation given first-round approval Wednesday also would require the unions to get separate permission to use the dues for political purposes...

Voters in the Kelly School District returned two incumbents and elected a new member to the Kelly School Board in Tuesday's election. Incumbent Tammy Wadlington was the top vote-getter, with 196 votes. Fellow incumbent Greg Birk finished just behind, with 192 votes. And Amy Tackett earned the final seat, with 99 votes...

BENTON, Mo. -- A 19-year-old Scott City man was arrested Monday after authorities were notified he allegedly had inappropriate sexual contact with a person under the age of 14, according to the Scott County Sheriff's Department. Dillon Dougan has been charged with 13 counts of first-degree statutory sodomy. Additional charges are pending, according to Sheriff Rick Walter...

MALDEN, Mo. -- A gray cloud of smoke hovered over Riddle Hill between County Roads 118 and 110 on Sunday afternoon as a large fire, burning approximately 200 acres, made its way north along Crowley's Ridge. According to Malden Fire Chief Winford German, the fire stayed contained within the perimeters of county roads 110, 118 and 111 and originated just off County Road 118 near Oak Tree Lane. The cause of the fire remains under investigation...

WASHINGTON -- Even without a Democratic challenger, President Barack Obama is planning an aggressive role in early primary states. His operatives are already moving in, organizing volunteers and raising money to answer Republican attacks and do what they can to weaken the GOP's strongest challengers...

Son to Timothy Bruce and Candyce Kay Vick of McClure, Ill., Saint Francis Medical Center, 5:24 p.m. Wednesday, March 30, 2011. Name, Hayden Garrett. Weight, 9 pounds, 7 ounces. Second child, first son. Mrs. Vick is the former Candyce Quistorf, daughter of Song and Charles Machon of Cape Girardeau and William Quistorf of Everett, Wash. She is employed by Blue Cross Blue Shield. Vick is the son of Bruce and Sherry Vick of Tamms, Ill. He is employed by the Illinois Department of Corrections...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Paulette "June" Vickers, 86, of Perryville died Tuesday, April 5, 2011, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to service time today at Miller Family Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 2:30 p.m. today at the funeral home. Burial will be in Whitewater Christian Cemetery in Perry County...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Rosalie M. Brewer Long, 71, of Perryville died Wednesday, April 6, 2011, at Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Crystal City, Mo. The funeral will be private. Young and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

ADVANCE, Mo. -- William Thomas "Billy Taylor" Hancock Jr., 55, of Advance died Wednesday, March 30, 2011, at his home. The funeral was held April 2 at First Baptist Church in Advance, with Eric Shrum officiating. Burial was in a cemetery near Advance...

Cape Girardeau city clerk Al Stoverink administers the oath of office to three new city councilmen who were elected last Tuesday: James Rust, David Limbaugh and Frank Bean; Cape Girardeau's new mayor, F.E. "Gene" Rhodes, takes the oath at a separate ceremony...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- Mary Browning, 82, of Olive Branch died Monday, April 4, 2011, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 20, 1928, in Olive Branch, daughter of Arlie and Eva Gettings Browning. Browning was a telephone operator 35 years, starting in 1951 in a one-room telephone office in Olive Branch, then working in Cairo, Ill., Cape Girardeau and Ferguson, Mo., where she retired in 1986. She was a member of Olive Branch Methodist Church...

Nina Jean Blades, 81, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, April 5, 2011, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born Feb. 21, 1930, in Sikeston, Mo., to Guy E. and Jessie Abshire Reed. She and Hurel E. Blades were married Aug. 22, 1948, in Osceola, Ark. He died in 1994...

Sharrona Leigh Werner, 29, of Cape Girardeau passed away Sunday, April 3, 2011, at her home. She was born Feb. 3, 1982, in Cape Girardeau, to Sharon Friese Werner. Sharrona was baptized at Oak Ridge United Methodist Church. She was a 2000 graduate of Jackson High School. ...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Cora Crader Gosche, 91, of Chaffee, formerly of Oran, Mo., died Tuesday, April 5, 2011, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 23, 1919, in Painton, Mo., daughter of Joseph and Philomena Glastetter Brucker. She married Paul J. Crader on Jan. 29, 1938. He died Feb. 18, 1978. She then married Leon A. Gosche on Feb. 12, 1983. He died Jan. 3, 1993...

Firefighters responded to the following calls Tuesday:...

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

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Firefighters responded to the following calls Tuesday:...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's tax on business assets would be repealed over five years under legislation given final approval by state lawmakers Wednesday. The legislation gradually reduces Missouri's franchise tax rate over the next several years before repealing it for the 2016 tax year. It also freezes what businesses are required to pay under the tax so that firms would not pay more than what they paid last year...

CHICAGO -- Jonathan Toews scored on a low shot from the left circle at 3:19 of overtime to give Chicago a 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night and move the Blackhawks within two points of clinching a playoff spot in the Western Conference...

ST. LOUIS -- Tired of fielding questions about a punchless lineup, Tony La Russa went on the attack. The St. Louis manager cut short his televised postgame news conference and stalked off the podium after Cardinals hitters failed once again Wednesday in a 3-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates...

The Southeast Missouri State softball team ended its seven-game homestand with a sweep of Indiana State.

Frank Cuervo, the associate athletic director for external affairs at Southeast Missouri State, no longer is at the university.

All the scores from Wednesday that were reported to the Southeast Missourian.

Public Works Department crews will begin removing and replacing deteriorated concrete along the 1500 and 1600 blocks of Lexington Avenue on Monday. Detours will be set up during the construction via Sherwood, Greenbrier and Cambridge drives. Weather permitting, the work will be complete by April 15. Motorists should exercise caution in the work zone and consider alternate routes. For more information, contact street supervisor John Haimes at 339-6781...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission awarded a contract Wednesday for improvements on Highway 25 in Stoddard County. The $2,137,298 contract went to Magruder Paving LLC of Troy, Mo. The project includes resurfacing about 18 miles of Highway 25 in Stoddard County. ...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Lappe Cement Finishing Inc. of Perryville, Mo., has been awarded a $134,944 contract by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission for the conversion of the northbound Marston, Mo., rest area to truck parking only. Weather permitting, work could begin this summer, with a 30-day completion. ...

Route D in Cape Girardeau County will be reduced to one lane Tuesday and Wednesday while Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform routine bridge maintenance. The bridge, over Interstate 55, is between County Road 433 and the north outer road. Weather permitting, the work will be done from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The work zone will be marked with signs...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Butler County judge ordered a local man to stand trial Monday afternoon for causing the death of a 4-year-old girl left in his care in February. After hearing from three witnesses, including the mother of Zoey Slager, Associate Circuit Judge John Bloodworth found probable cause to bind Jeremy McIntosh, 28, of the 200 block of Midland over to stand trial on the felony of child abuse...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Route A from County Road 224 to County Road 219 in Scott County will be closed next week, while Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace a pipe under the road. Weather permitting, work will be performed from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The work zone will be marked with signs. ...

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission Wednesday awarded a contract for improvements on Highway 25 in Cape Girardeau County. The $1,312,000 contract went to Pace Construction Co. LLC of St. Louis. The project includes resurfacing about 16 miles of Highway 25, extending from the Diversion Channel bridge to Route O in Advance, Mo. ...

Meridian High School High Honor Roll 12th grade: SheNequia Bailey, Jamarah Durham, Brent Kennedy, Naomi Nelson. Honor Roll 12th grade: Laquisha Anderson, Brandy Eaves, Candice House, Jazmine Meeks, Jacob Simelton, Kristin Smith, Vernon Trenton, Mollie Wood...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senators would have to push their own elevator buttons. House members would go without their free gym. Food on Capitol Hill would be sparse. And the lawmakers' restrooms? Perhaps not as fresh. Congress would feel the pinch of a government shutdown, but nowhere near the pain that would be inflicted on the massive federal work force it is supposed to govern...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Perilously close to a government shutdown, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders forged an agreement late Friday night on a deal to cut more than $37 billion in federal spending and avert the first closure in 15 years. Obama hailed the deal as "the biggest annual spending cut in history," and House Speaker John Boehner said that over the next decade it would cut government spending by $500 billion...

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- The Carter County Commission appointed an interim sheriff Tuesday morning to serve until a special election can be held in July. The commission's unanimous choice was Richard J. Stephens Jr., the Van Buren police officer recently appointed to serve as the chief deputy for the sheriff's department...

One thing is certain: Storytellers talk a lot and oftentimes, they talk to themselves. They recite stories in the car, in front of imaginary friends or inside their heads before finally getting on stage at storytelling festivals around the country and telling it to audiences. ...

WASHINGTON -- Fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week, a sign that layoffs are dropping and employers may be hiring more workers. The Labor Department said Thursday the number of people seeking benefits dropped 10,000 to 382,000 in the week ending April 2. That's the third drop in four weeks...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Perryville sophomore Natalie Gremaud noticed a trend from St. Vincent goalie Katie Mattingly during Thursday's soccer game. So when Gremaud found herself in the box late in a tied game, she used that information to her advantage...

For the past 14 years, students at Trinity Lutheran School have taken an annual trip to the nation's capital to visit historical treasures like the Smithsonian museums, the presidential memorials and the hallowed halls of Congress. But when the Cape Girardeau school sends its group of eighth-graders back to Washington, D.C., next week, a looming federal government shutdown may force them to scratch a few sites from the schedule...

Three of our German Shepherd dogs strike a pose on a large fallen red oak tree. They enjoy scrambling up onto the large trunk.

Calling small businesses "a mighty force for job creation," Gov. Jay Nixon announced $27 million in new loan programs to help businesses grow during a roundtable discussion in Jackson Thursday. Nixon talked with six Southeast Missouri small business owners at Main Street Flooring about the challenges they're facing and ways the state can help...

Cape Girardeau, MO -- Japanese students at Southeast Missouri State University raised money for the disaster victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami. Over a two week period at the end of March the students raised $4,026.80 which they gave to the American Red Cross Southeast Missouri Chapter for the Japan relief effort...

Cape Girardeau, MO -- Members of the business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi at Southeast Missouri State University raised money to help the victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami. The Zeta Omicron Chapter donated $145.72 to the American Red Cross Southeast Missouri Chapter for the Japan relief effort...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Mississippi River Commission (MRC) will conduct the Memphis District portion of its annual high-water inspection trip on the Mississippi River Monday and Tuesday. Two public meetings have been scheduled aboard the Motor Vessel Mississippi in selected towns along the river so commission members have the opportunity to meet with local residents and hear their concerns, ideas and issues. The meeting places, dates and times are as follows:...

Sorry, Jetsons. Lauren Hoxworth and her fellow fourth-graders at Jefferson Elementary School don't see flying cars as part of their future in the next decade. Frankly, they've never heard of "The Jetsons," the futuristic cartoon that envisioned robot maids, skybound apartments and fast interstellar travel...

WASHINGTON -- Time growing short, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders failed to reach agreement Thursday night on a compromise to cut spending and head off a government shutdown at midnight today that no one claimed to want. Obama, House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid all said the differences had been narrowed in a pair of White House meetings during the day. They directed their aides to work through the night in pursuit of a deal...

A group of area children helped to plant flowers in Cape Girardeau during last year's Friends of the Parks Day. This year's event is April 16.

Local residents of all ages help beautify Capaha Park during last year's Friends of the Parks Day. This year's event is April 16.

Volunteers help add mulch to the rose bush beds in the Rose Garden at Capaha Park during last year's Friends of the Parks Day. This year's event is April 16.

NEW MADRID, Mo. (AP) -- Noranda Aluminum Inc., one of the state's largest power users and an economic engine in southeast Missouri, says its electric rates are unfairly high. The company claims the rate increases are threatening its viability. However, a study from the Missouri Office of Public Counsel showed that Noranda pays less than its fair share and that its rates are too low...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- School districts would have to inform the state within 24 hours when a teacher is accused of sexual misconduct involving a student and the state would oversee investigations of such claims under a measure the state Senate unanimously approved Thursday.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A Missouri House committee has rejected a proposal to downsize its own chamber. The proposed constitutional amendment would have reduced the state House from 163 members to 103 members starting in 2015. A House committee voted Thursday to reject the plan...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Thousands of Missouri residents cut off of federally funded jobless benefits soon could regain eligibility under a plan embraced Thursday by the state Senate -- but their gain could come at the expense of people laid off in the future.

The Cape Girardeau County Commission said the county's 2011 sales taxes are on an unstable ride so far this year. According to the sales tax comparison chart provided by the Cape Girardeau County treasurer's office, the January sales tax receipts were down 16.56 percent from January 2010. In February, receipts rose 21.83 percent over last year, and in March it dropped 19.65 percent compared to March 2010. April is up 20.86 percent from last year so far...

Arts and entertainment briefs

On Saturday, the high-definition broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera will be Gioacchino Rossini's "Le Comte Ory." The performance will begin at noon at the AMC Town Plaza 5 in Cape Girardeau. The spectacular tenor Juan Diego Florez will sing the title role. Soprano Diana Damrau will be the Countess and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato sings the role of Isolier, Ory's young male page...

The visual and the performing arts have creatively coexisted for four years at their thriving River Campus home, but Southeast Missouri State University's artistic entities have never truly collaborated on a grand scale. That all changes next week when music, dance and visual arts converge for "Spring into Dance 2011" at the Bedell Performance Hall...

Three Jackson Middle School students recently made a lifelong memory when they headed to Chicago as part of the national honor choir. The students were among the 300 selected out of a field of 800 applicants to sing in the choir and study at the American Choral Directors Association national conference...

I would like to comment on the story in the Southeast Missourian of Feb. 10 on the future of oil shale productions in our western states. I lived at the foot of the oil shale outcroppings at Palisade, Colo., for many years, a beautiful fruit-growing community...

Congratulations are due to those who voted no to the proposition to ban smoking in public places. Now that the majority of Cape Girardeau voters have recognized the rights of smokers to ruin their health and shorten their own lives at the expense of exchequer, I have a request to smokers on behalf of those who lost the smoking ban initiative: Keep your butts in your own cars. ...

DON'T know when I heard such foul language in a high school play. The students even used the F-word. Thank you, Cape Girardeau Central High School, for influencing our students in such a positive way. WHY waste all the money on this bike trail when there are so many other things to use the money on that would have a real purpose? Do you really want your child riding on a bike trail on Lexington or Cape Rock? I don't think so...

The Jackson Art Group will have April Second Saturday reception featuring Karron Kidd with acrylics, jewelry, scarves and hand-painted Easter eggs. Kidd will also show her bleeding heart series. The Jackson Art Group began hosting openings with local artists in November. ...

Lord Jesus, we're thankful that you are the resurrection and the light. Amen.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri House members have rejected legislation addressing the care of developmentally disabled people living in state facilities. The bill called for the state Department of Mental Health to develop a plan by 2013 to change how residents in those facilities are cared for. The measure was defeated 87-67 on Thursday...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Senate has passed legislation expanding the state's no-call list to wireless phones. About 2.7 million residential land-line telephone numbers already are on the attorney general's list, which prohibits most calls from telemarketers...

NEW YORK -- The economic recovery keeps defying expectations and getting stronger. Robust consumer spending in March is the latest sign that the rebound is entering a self-reinforcing cycle of improvement. Shoppers shrugged off worries about higher gas prices and treated themselves at the mall last month. Retailers from Costco to Victoria's Secret reported surprisingly good sales Thursday, and analysts said people would have spent even more but for the late Easter...

NEW YORK -- The name of New York City's most elusive snake is Mia for "missing in action." The moniker won out over four other finalists Thursday in a contest to name the slippery Bronx Zoo cobra. More than 33,000 nominations were submitted to the Bronx Zoo and New York Daily News for the contest...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- As the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle launch draws near, the focus is not so much on the past but the future: Where will the shuttles wind up once the program winds down? Twenty-one museums and science and visitor centers around the country are vying for one of NASA's three retiring spaceships. They'll find out Tuesday on the 30th anniversary of Columbia's maiden voyage...

ATLANTA -- A pharmaceutical company in India that supplied a key lethal injection drug to at least one U.S. state and reached out to a half-dozen others announced Thursday it was no longer selling the drug to American prison officials, drying up yet another source of the drug amid a severe shortage...

SAN FRANCISCO -- How many gay men and lesbians are there in the United States? Gary Gates has an idea but acknowledges pinpointing a solid figure remains an elusive task. Gates is demographer-in-residence at the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, a think tank based at the University of California, Los Angeles. ...

H&R Block Inc. on Thursday said it will record a 5-cent-per-share charge in its fiscal fourth quarter, due to losses on its Emerald Advance line of credit. The nation's largest tax preparer blamed the charge on losing some former clients who got Emerald Advance loans during the holidays. The high unemployment rate also likely played a role, the company said...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri House approved a series of economic incentives Thursday aimed at attracting sporting events, science-related jobs and data centers to the state. The bills easily won bipartisan approval, and supporters say the various incentives will help to boost economic development in Missouri...

AJDABIYA, Libya -- An apparent NATO airstrike slammed into a rebel combat convoy Thursday, killing at least five fighters and sharply boosting anger among anti-government forces after the second bungled mission in a week blamed on the military alliance...

JERUSALEM -- An anti-tank missile fired from the Gaza Strip struck a school bus in southern Israel on Thursday, wounding two people, one of them critically, and prompting fierce Israeli retaliation that killed five Palestinians. Israel unleashed airstrikes and tank fire against Hamas targets across the border. ...

CAIRO -- A top aide of ousted President Hosni Mubarak's was arrested Thursday in a corruption investigation, the highest ranking ex-official to be jailed since Egypt's longtime ruler stepped down in February under pressure from a popular uprising...

RIO DE JANEIRO -- A gunman opened fire at a public elementary school in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, killing at least 11 students before taking his own life. At least 18 other people, mostly students, were hurt and brought to local hospitals, said Rio state Health Secretary Sergio Cortes. At least four were in grave condition...

WASHINGTON -- Those yearly statements that Social Security mails out -- here's what you'd get if you retired at 62, at 66, at 70 -- will soon stop arriving in workers' mailboxes. It's an effort to save money and steer more people to the agency's website...

WASHINGTON -- Terror alerts from the government will soon have just two levels of warnings -- elevated and imminent -- and those will be relayed to the public only under certain circumstances. Color codes are out; Facebook and Twitter will sometimes be in, according to a Homeland Security draft obtained by The Associated Press...

ELKHART, Ind. -- John Putman, 69, of Elkhart passed away Wednesday, March 30, 2011, at Hospice House of Elkhart. He was born Aug. 31, 1941, in New Madrid County, Mo., to Marlow and Margaret Putman. He and Sherrie Merritt were married Dec. 27, 1996, in Las Vegas...

FROHNA, Mo. -- Elton W. "Fletch" Haertling, 77, of Frohna passed away Wednesday, April 6, 2011, at his home. He was born Aug. 10, 1933, in New Wells, to Theo and Olga Koch Haertling. He and Grace Fiedler were married Oct. 21, 1961, in Altenburg, Mo...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Imoludene "Deanie" Baker, 82, of Deltona, Fla., formerly of Mounds, passed away Thursday, April 7, 2011, at Florida Hospital in DeLand, Fla. Deanie was born July 4, 1928, in Pulaski, Ill., daughter of Warren and Cora Anglin. She and William R. Baker were married Nov. 14, 1946...

Sandra S. Fluegge, 67, of Cape Girardeau passed away Wednesday, April 6, 2011, at her home. She was born Sept. 11, 1943, in Cape Girardeau, to William and Mildred Huey Floyd. She and Larry Fluegge were married June 23, 1962, by the Rev. Ralph C. Fessler at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau...

Harold Webb, 81, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, April 7, 2011, at his home. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Kevin Sawyer, who lost his race for Jackson Ward 2 alderman to incumbent Don Cook by one vote in last week's election, has filed for a recount of the votes in circuit court. Four-year school board veteran Catherine Otto is elected president of the Cape Girardeau public schools governing body during an organizational meeting; oaths of office are administered to Otto and James F. Hirsch, winners in last week's election...

CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. -- A Caruthersville man faces charges after attempting to swallow a bag of crack cocaine to keep it from the hands of police. Caruthersville police officers were called to the 400 block of East 14th Street on Tuesday evening following a report of shots fired. According to Caruthersville City Marshal Chris Riggs, as officers arrived on the scene they saw a car leaving the area by driving through a yard...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- A Chaffee woman was seriously injured in a Wednesday afternoon automobile accident.

Three people were arrested Wednesday night and charged with the attempt to manufacture a controlled substance after neighbors reported an alleged methamphetamine lab to police. Cape Girardeau police responded to a call at 9:35 p.m. at 3007 Themis St., Apt. C, after receiving a call about odors related to methamphetamine production coming from the apartment...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- An 82-year-old man is in police custody following an incident at his home Wednesday in which he allegedly brandished weapons and threatened to harm police. The Sikeston Department of Public Safety received a call at 9:13 a.m. regarding a well-being check from the man's family. ...

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- An Ellsinore, Mo., man has been charged with burning multiple Ellsinore homes in 2010 and 2011, including the modular home of former Carter County Sheriff Tommy Adams. Gary W. Bender, 45, was charged Monday with four felony counts of second-degree arson by Carter County Prosecuting Attorney Rocky Kingree...

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

Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday:...

The Jackson Police Department reported the following incidents. Arrests do no imply guilt. Arrests...

All the local high school events reported Thursday to the Southeast Missourian.

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team returns to Ohio Valley Conference action this weekend with a three-game series at the league's defending regular-season champion. Southeast and Tennessee Tech will play a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday and a 1 p.m. contest Sunday in Cookeville, Tenn...

The Southeast Missouri State women's tennis team notched its first Ohio Valley Conference win of the season Thursday, beating visiting Tennessee State 7-0. Southeast, which snapped a five-match losing streak, improved to 2-11 overall and 1-5 in OVC play. TSU is 0-12 and 0-6...

It shall be the responsibility of the Tree Board to study, investigate, counsel and develop and/or update annually, and administer a written plan for the care, preservation, pruning, planting, replanting, removal or disposition of public trees in parks, along streets and in other public areas. ...

We're all friends here, right? Because I need to get something off my chest. Make a confession, you know? Up until Tuesday, I had never bought an original piece of art. I have posters with images by famous painters. I have my own photographs framed and hanging on my walls. I have a few reproductions of work by a South American painter I bought while studying in Ecuador...

SENDAI, Japan -- A big aftershock rocked quake-weary Japan late Thursday, rattling nerves as it knocked out power to the northern part of the country and prompted tsunami warnings that were later canceled. The quake was initially measured at magnitude-7.4, though the U.S. ...

Route N in Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties will be closed next week while Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace a pipe under the roadway. The section of road is between County Road 418 and County Road 254. Weather permitting, the work will be done from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Signs will mark the work zone, and motorists are urged to use caution while traveling near the area. For more information, contact MoDOT's Customer Service Center at 888-275-6636...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Route A in New Madrid and Stoddard counties will be closed Tuesday while Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace a pipe under the roadway. This section of road is from County Road 6294 to County Road 797. Weather permitting, work will be done from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The work zone will be marked with signs. Motorists are urged to use caution while traveling near the area. For more information, contact MoDOT's Customer Service Center at 888-275-6636...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Route B from Highway 72 to Route M in Bollinger County will be reduced to one lane next week while Missouri Department of Transportation crews make pavement repairs. Weather permitting, the work will be done from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The work zone will be marked with signs. Motorist are urged to use caution while traveling in the area. For more information, call MoDOT's Customer Service Center at 888-275-6636...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Work to replace the Route W bridge over the District 3 Main Ditch in Scott County is scheduled to begin April 25, weather permitting. As construction is underway, the road will remain closed from Route CC to Highway 77. A mid-June completion is anticipated. ...

St. Louis downplayed its sluggish offense that resulted in a 2-4 homestand

Live music can be a risky investment. If you're out on a Friday or Saturday night and decide to hear a new band, you can pay the $5 cover and hear something original, well-practiced and balanced, or you might hear a messy, poorly written attempt at entertainment...

Cape Girardeau city officials are considering taking legal action against the out-of-town owner of a vacant lot, located just west of Lorimier Street and south of William, to force the owner to clean up the illegal dump site; in addition, the city has requested the assistance of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources...

Viola Helen Westrich, 91, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, April 8, 2011 at The Lutheran Home. She was born Sept. 10, 1919, in Illmo, to Charles and Helen Ann Leible Burger. She and Leon P. Westrich were married Aug. 3, 1940, at Oran, Mo. He died Dec. 22, 1982...

Ronald "Keith" Sturm, 48, of Scott City died Friday, April 8, 2011, at his home. He was born May 10, 1962, in Cape Girardeau, to Morris Junior and Laura Glen Biggs Sturm. He and Cynthia Darlene Pace were married Feb. 10, 1993, in Las Vegas. She preceded him in death March 15, 2002...

ANNA, Ill. -- Clara B. Dallas, 91, of Anna died Friday, April 8, 2011, at Anna Rehab and Care Center. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Rendleman and Hileman Funeral Home in Anna. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Alto Pass Cemetery...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- David "Dave" Kuiper, 66, of Perryville died Thursday, April 7, 2011, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. Visitation will be from 1 p.m. to service time Sunday at Young and Sons Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home, with Don Estes officiating. Burial will be in Home Cemetery...

ORAN, Mo. -- Leroy J. Mier, 88, of Oran died Friday, April 8, 2011, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 18, 1923, in Oran, son of Ben Joseph and Ludwina Catherine Westrich Mier. Leroy was a retired farmer. He was a member of Guardian Angel Catholic Church in Oran, Knights of Columbus 4311, Chaffee VFW Post 3127, American Legion Post 389 and a volunteer at Southeast Hospital and Cherokee Ridge Girl Scout Camp...

Louise Pender Dunn, 95, formerly of Jackson, passed away Thursday, April 7, 2011, in Spartanburg, S.C. She was born Sept. 25, 1915, on the family farm in the Fruitland-Leemon community, to Clarence E. and Maggie Davis Pender. She and Lyman H. Dunn were married Feb. 3, 1943. They had just celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary when he passed away Feb. 7, 1999...

With its annual fundraising campaign coming to a close, the United Way of Southeast Missouri is $84,500 short of its $1.01 million campaign goal. The 2010-11 campaign raised $935,216 to date, with a few company campaigns still out. Last year's campaign brought in $1,142,858, but was also short of its $1.2 million goal...

BENTON, Mo. -- The Scott County Sheriff's Department is cleaning out its gun safe -- and making a little money in the process. During Thursday's county commission meeting, bids were open for the sale of 234 firearms. "These have come from all different directions -- some are seized firearms, some are those that people have turned over and didn't want in their house, some are found, and some are stolen and never claimed," said Bledsoe, noting they date back around 30 years. ...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- With federal funds for meth lab cleanups drying up, law enforcement agencies in many states may scale back their hunts for the labs -- but not Missouri. The Drug Enforcement Administration announced last month that congressional funding for its Community Oriented Policing Services Methamphetamine Program is exhausted with renewed funding unlikely in the next few years...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A counterclaim filed by the city of Poplar Bluff in Butler County Circuit Court Wednesday is seeking $120,000 in unpaid bills from Poplar Bluff Internet. In seeking damages for breach of contract, the city alleges Poplar Bluff Internet, doing business as SEMO.net, "has not fully paid" the new rates for Internet services which became effective Sept. ...

Without her mother, Stacy Sullivan-Jones wouldn't have ever overcome a 17-year addiction to methamphetamine. Without her mother, Sullivan-Jones wouldn't have ever gotten high. Her mother, Karen Daugherty, a drug user for as long as she'd known her, gave her a hit of meth when she was 16...

State Sen. Jason Crowell hopes the two Missouri commissions responsible for redrawing the legislative districts -- one which includes Cape Girardeau City Council member Kathy Swan -- complete their tasks and leave the courts out of it. But he's not optimistic...

In her raspy Texas twang, Elizabeth Ellis talked about hissy fits, a humiliating trip to New York City and what it means to be pig-biting mad. "Usually that only happens when you have a teenager in the home," she said, drawing chuckles from the crowd. "Or if you're dealing with elderly relatives. In many ways, they're much the same."...

On the 175th anniversary of the creation of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Cape Girardea, the Rev. David Hulshof said it is a time for all parishioners to celebrate and give thanks to God. "It's a time to look back to one's ancestry so one can look forward to one's posterity," he said...

The Southeast Missouri State football team faces plenty of question marks after losing 20 key seniors, 15 of them starters, from last year's history-making squad. Among the biggest is who will be the primary running backs after Southeast lost its top three at that position, led by record-setting Henry Harris...

An Illinois man involved in an altercation in a Cape Girardeau apartment Saturday was taken to an area hospital with two head injuries that may have been the result of a shooting, police said. The original call came in at 5:46 p.m. as a shooting, said patrol Sgt. Rick Schmidt, though it was unclear whether the wounds were the result of a shooting or the altercation. Police were still looking Saturday night for a man in his late teens or early 20s, Schmidt said...

 For additional information, contact: Renita Gordon renita@equestrianinfluence.com 615-830-1001 Couple's Horseback Journey Across America to Stop in Cape on Monday For Immediate Release: What in the world would compel someone to ride horseback from California to Washington DC, stopping in Cape Girardeau, in route?...

Cape Girardeau and surrounding area locals have warmly embraced and supported the Hearts Up Ranch coast to coast riders. They have rallied with helping hands to assist the riders as they plan to ride through Cape Girardeau and over the Mississippi on Monday April 11th...

Richard and Jeannette McGrath, riding their horses across America to benefit Hearts Up Ranch, an emotional healing charity, make a stop in Cape Girardeau and share their mission and adventure at the Cowboy Church Thursday, April 7th.

Richard and Jeannette McGrath are riding their horses across America to benefit Hearts Up Ranch, a non-profit organization that promotes emotional healing. They are riding through Cape Girardeau on Monday April 11th to attend a ceremony at 11am by Mayor Harry Rediger at River Campus, then they will be escorted over the Mississippi by the local police department...

Castor River Shut-Ins

A few foundation stones are all that remain of an old brick building I photographed from the bell tower of the old Trinity Lutheran Church in 1978. For more photos, see http://www.capecentralhigh.com/cape-photos/building-at-themis-and-frederick/

Alumni, faculty and students and friends of Southeast Missouri State University's Historic Preservation Program celebrated 30 years of the program Saturday evening at the Cape Girardeau Country Club. Dr. Arthur H. Mattingly, one of the educators instrumental in starting the program, said the university administration wasn't keen on the idea at first...

Students in the historic preservation program at Southeast Missouri State University learn about history in the form of buildings, monuments or museum artifacts. But many graduates think some of the other training in the program has been just as valuable in their careers...

David and Shelley Ungerank of DeSoto, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Randi Lee Ungerank of Cape Girardeau, to Christopher Mark Dirnberger. He is the son of Mark and Sharon Dirnberger of Cape Girardeau. Ungerank is a graduate of DeSoto High School. She received a degree in child development and minored in psychology at Southeast Missouri State University. She is employed at TouchPoint Autism Services...

Staci Bowling and Mark Wittenborn were married May 1, 2010, at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Cape Girardeau. The Rev. Saviour Nundwe performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Timothy and Kimila Bowling of Bloomfield, Mo. The groom is the son of Robert and Susan Wittenborn of Cape Girardeau...

PATTON, Mo. -- Jack and Julie Mull of Fredericktown, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Blair Cassie Tonjum, to Trenton James Reagan, both of Patton. He is the son of Mike and Cathy Reagan of Patton. Tonjum is a graduate of Fredericktown High School, and is attending Mineral Area College at Park Hills, Mo. She is employed by Fredericktown Health Department...

Linda Williams and George Pentecost of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Becky Williams, to Jeremy King. He is the son of Carla Arellano and Gene King of Jackson. Williams is service trainer at Steak-N-Shake. King is a 1999 graduate of Jackson High School. He is employed in the service department at Morlan Chrysler...