Stories from Tuesday, November 19, 2013

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - A Missouri House Republican says he intends to seek articles of impeachment against Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon. Nick Marshall, of Parkville, referred to the governor's executive order directing officials to accept joint tax filings from same-sex couples who are legally married, the release of the names of concealed gun permit holders to a federal agent and driver's license procedures...

GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) -- On the Civil War battlefield where President Abraham Lincoln gave a speech that symbolized his presidency and the sacrifices made by Union and Confederate forces, thousands gathered Tuesday, historians and everyday Americans alike, to ponder what the Gettysburg Address has meant to the nation...

Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said the senior will get the start against Mississippi

FORSYTH, Mo. -- Taney County authorities say a skeleton found recently in southwest Missouri was a man missing since 2006. The sheriff's office says dental records confirmed the remains belonged to Matthew Needham of Fredericktown, Mo. Two hunters found the remains Nov. 11 near Forsyth. Needham was last seen in August 2006 walking in that area after his car caught fire...

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- A health-care business in New Madrid is under investigation by the FBI. A search warrant was executed Thursday at SEMO Health Network in New Madrid, officials confirmed Friday. Ted Waters, attorney for SEMO Health Network, said rumors individuals were escorted out of the building in handcuffs Thursday are untrue...

ST. LOUIS -- Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon on Monday denied a clemency request for white supremacist serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin, calling his crime a "cowardly and calculated shooting." Franklin, 63, is scheduled to die at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday for killing 42-year-old Gerald Gordon in a sniper attack outside a suburban St. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri attorney general's office says a tax policy for certain gay couples recently announced by Gov. Jay Nixon appears to comply with Missouri law. Nixon has directed Missouri's Department of Revenue to accept joint tax returns from same-sex couples who were legally married in other states...

A discussion about the Common Core standards in Missouri public schools will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in room 2A at the Osage Centre, 1625 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau. The discussion will be presented by Stacy Shore and the Concerned Women for America of Missouri and will outline the Common Core standards and their effect on families, communities and the state...

The Cape Girardeau Salvation Army will launch its annual Red Kettle campaign Wednesday with a movie, "Silver Bells," at Cape West 14 Cine, 247 Siemers Drive. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with an opportunity to meet and greet the new Salvation Army officers, followed by the Red Kettle campaign kickoff announcement at 5:45 p.m. ...

A Jackson man was sentenced Monday to a total of 15 years in prison in connection with a series of drug charges spanning three years. Thomas Hamilton, 46, pleaded guilty last month to one count each of possession of a controlled substance and possession of anhydrous ammonia in an unapproved container in connection with a June 7 methamphetamine case...

Officers have located the driver they were seeking in connection with a property-damage case, a Cape Girardeau police spokesman said Monday. About 4:40 p.m. Nov. 12, a dump truck struck a car twice at the Bi-State Oil convenience store, 612 S. Sprigg St., police reported...

Because of objections voiced during public hearings, the Jackson Board of Aldermen unanimously tabled ordinances for rezoning of a parcel of land and the issuance of a special-use permit at its meeting Monday. The vote to table the items came after public hearings held during the meeting that addressed rezoning of a section of land at the intersection of East Main Street and North Oak Hill Road and issuing a special-use permit so town-house apartments could be built on the property. ...

ADAM VOGLER ~ avogler@semissourian.com Hayden Fowler, left, and Sylvia Hunter walk around the lagoon at Capaha Park on Monday in Cape Girardeau....

A new ordinance Cape Girardeau city officials hope will discourage unsightly properties looks to be on its way to passage. The city council unanimously voted to pass the first reading of the ordinance at Monday night's meeting. The ordinance would generally require property owners to abate "nuisances," such as unlicensed and inoperable vehicles, open storage of junk and graffiti. ...

MORLEY, Mo. -- Though most of the Cookson Seed building lay in pieces scattered on surrounding property Monday after severe weather hit Scott County on Sunday, the Cooksons will continue business as usual. Brad Cookson was on site Monday afternoon sorting through and cleaning up debris from the building that housed his family's business south of Morley after the recently remodeled office area and seed storage facility were destroyed during severe weather -- possibly a tornado -- that hit the area Sunday afternoon. ...

One concept includes rerouting U.S. 61 through uptown Jackson.

MORLEY, Mo. -- Farmer Dean Miles on Sunday afternoon lay face-down on the ground of his property in Morley, covering his head from flying debris during what he said was a tornado. Miles was outside when he saw the Cookson Seed building across the field explode "like two sticks of dynamite." He got in a truck in an attempt to drive away from the tornado, but the truck wouldn't start. ...

A Cape Girardeau County circuit judge on Monday sentenced Angelia Hanson to seven years in prison for her role in an accident that killed the woman she described as "my love, my strength, my motivation." Hanson, 30, was backing a Dodge Durango out of her driveway July 19 when she struck her longtime girlfriend, Jody Lane, 43, dragging her several feet before realizing she had hit her, according to a probable-cause statement filed in the case...

A cattle farm on County Road 427 just southeast of Morley, Mo., was ravaged Sunday by the storms that swept across central Scott County. "I don't even know where to start; it's like a bomb went off," owner Vince Draper said as he stood among his former feed lot...

Recently Manac Trailers USA, Incorporated donated some Turkeys to the Chaffee Nutritional Center. Pictured here are Sandra Whitmore (right)from the Chaffee Nutritional Center and Alberta Penrod (left) from Manac Trailers USA, Inc.

Heartened by the success of Southeast Missouri's first ankle replacement surgery of the modern era, a Cape Girardeau orthopedic surgeon plans three more such procedures by year end. Dr. August Ritter was visited Nov. 12 by Silva, Mo., farmer Bill Hollida and his wife Shirley, who reported that results of the Aug. 28 surgery at SoutheastHEALTH were encouraging...

Jake and his first deer! Big thanks to uncle jerry!

This is my three year old dog, Lucy Marie Hagerty. She LOVES to bark at everything! She is the light of my day, and I love her so much.

Today is Tuesday, Nov. 19, the 323rd day of 2013. There are 42 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Nov. 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address as he dedicated a national cemetery at the site of the Civil War battlefield in Pennsylvania...

The Southeast Missourian and Jaycees have launched the annual campaign for Toybox and Christmas for the Elderly. In its 39th year, Toybox collects new toys for children ages 1 to 12 who otherwise receive few on Christmas. A story in Sunday's newspaper included a list of drop-off locations, and advertisements will run in the paper with locations. Donations may be made through Dec. 19...

The "Obama health care lie" that dominated two presidential elections not only betrayed millions of Americans but it was a backhanded slap across the face of the media. The press doesn't like being deceived, and they are finally pushing back. President Bush was pounded mercilessly for his so-called "WMD lie" that preceded the Iraq War, but his entire presidency was under a constant attack by the liberal media...

DETROIT -- For years, the joke in the auto industry was that a mass-produced car that runs on hydrogen was always a decade away. That will change next year when Hyundai starts selling a Tucson SUV powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. It will be the first mass-market vehicle of its type to be sold or leased in the U.S...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's newest robotic explorer, Maven, rocketed toward Mars on Monday on a quest to unravel the ancient mystery of the red planet's radical climate change. The Maven spacecraft is due at Mars next fall following a journey of more than 440 million miles...

APOPKA, Fla. -- George Zimmerman was charged with assault Monday after his girlfriend called deputies to the home where they were living and claimed he pointed a shotgun at her during an argument, authorities said. The girlfriend, Samantha Scheibe, called 911 in the early afternoon to say Zimmerman had smashed a glass table, threatened her with the shotgun and ultimately pushed her out of the house, according to an arrest report. ...

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is pushing to overcome obstacles to closing the Guantanamo Bay prison, setting the White House on a collision course with Congress in its bid to loosen restrictions for moving out detainees. Administration officials say a Senate defense policy bill coming up for debate within days would allow them to move out prisoners who have long been cleared for transfer overseas but are still held, in part because of a complicated Pentagon certification process. ...

Every president has problems dumped on him from previous administrations. It may be that the country's problems cannot be solved. We have reached a point that was coming all along. People get educated and skilled in just one job, and then when they don't find a job they just quit looking. People need to have more than one marketable skill. Maybe it's time to invest in the workers. This would fix unemployment to some degree...

The Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission has decided the proposed College Street corridor is the best route for a cross-town highway to a new Mississippi River bridge; some local leaders had backed an alternate route. Response to the first national Scouting for Food campaign is viewed as monumental by those connected with the drive; one official with the Boy Scouts of America's Shawnee District estimates the city effort netted close to 25,000 pounds of food...

I have written several columns in past months about city beautification. By now most readers and people I know have come to realize this is one of my "hot buttons" and also my major pet peeve. I fail to understand why some residents and business owners allow their property to fall into disrepair, let trash accumulate, weeds grow and, in general, show their disrespect for their neighbors and their community...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrest...

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls Sunday:...

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

Maxine Zickfield, 99, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Nov. 18, 2013, at the Lutheran Home. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Trinity Lutheran Church, with the Rev. Douglas Breite officiating. Burial will be in Lorimier Cemetery in Cape Girardeau...

ORAN, Mo. -- William Dallas Shaffer, 85, of Oran passed away Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Dec. 21, 1927, in Gideon, Mo., to the late Claude Dallas and Tressie Mae Petty Shaffer. William was a corporal in the United States Army from 1953 to 1955. He was a retired laborer for Labor Union 1104. Dallas was a member of the American Legion and VFW...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Kirby L. Patterson, 80, of Jonesboro died at 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 29, 1933, in Cobden, Ill., son of James "Bert" and Alma Williams Patterson. Kirby married Geraldine Tibbs on March 8, 1953...

Betty A. Meier, 86, of Jackson died Monday, Nov. 18, 2013, at Southeast Hospital. Arrangements are incomplete at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson.

VILLA RIDGE, Ill. -- Iva Mae Lee Malone, 80, of Villa Ridge passed away at 8:25 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Iva was born Feb. 13, 1933, in Cairo, Ill., daughter of the late John J. Lee and Emma Etta Everett Lee...

Patricia Ann Lange, 77, of Jackson died Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013, at the Monticello House. She was born Monday, Feb. 10, 1936, in Diehlstadt, Mo., to the late Bryan and Elsia Mae Collier Layne. She and Wilson Lange Jr. were married Thursday, Sept. 9, 1954. He preceded her in death in 1971...

Dr. Eugene J. "Gene" Haenni, 74, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Nov. 18, 2013, at Southeast Hospital. Private services will be at a later date. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Paul Eugene Elliott, 85, departed this life Friday, Nov. 15, 2013, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. Elliott was born April 23, 1928, in Quanah, Texas, son of the late Benjamin Elliott and Viola Mae Harsh. He married Julie Jeanne Wommack on Oct. 25, 1953. She preceded him in death along with a son, Paul Elliott Jr., two brothers and three sisters...

Kaylee Dawn Cox was stillborn Friday, Nov. 15, 2013, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Survivors include her parents, Brian Lee Cox and Sheila Kay Reynolds, both of Delta; paternal grandparents, Jim Cox and Sandie Hewitt, both of Stockton, Mo; maternal grandparents, Kelvin Bevell of Dewitt, Ark., Claudette Radford of Delta and Danny and Linda Hale of Cape Girardeau; and three sisters, Emalee Shy, Natalie Reynolds and Brynlee Bevell...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Robert L. "Bull" Clements, 63, of Perryville died Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Visitation will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. Thursday at Miller Family Funeral Home. Parish prayers will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday...

MUNCIE, Ind. -- Southeast Missouri State opened Monday night's matchup against Ball State well. Senior Tyler Stone scored nine consecutive points as the Redhawks jumped out to an 11-2 lead. That intensity quickly shifted to Ball State, particularly after Stone checked out of the game, and the Cardinals handed the Redhawks their second loss of the season 87-83...

The Southeast Missouri Pachyderm Club will celebrate military veterans at its meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at Dexter Bar-B-Que, 236 S. Broadview St. in Cape Girardeau. All area veterans are invited to attend and have dinner provided by the club starting at 6 p.m., according to a news release from the Pachyderms. ...

TOKYO -- The director of the Keanu Reeves 3-D film "47 Ronin" says he hopes his adaptation of a true Japanese story becomes a Hollywood blockbuster. Film director Carl Rinsch, Reeves and co-stars appeared together in front of a Tokyo audience Monday...

WASHINGTON -- Boys are slightly more likely to be born premature than girls, and they tend to fare worse, too, says a new report on the health of the world's newborns. "This is a double whammy for boys," said Dr. Joy Lawn of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, who led the team of researchers. "It's a pattern that happens all over the world."...

Northbound Interstate 55 in Cape Girardeau County will be reduced to one lane with a 14-foot width restriction as Missouri Department of Transportation crews make repairs to the bridge over Highway 74 at Dutchtown, exit 93. The work will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday...

TACLOBAN, Philippines -- When a newspaper for Filipino workers in New Zealand told readers how to donate to the typhoon relief effort in their homeland, it mentioned agencies such as the Red Cross but not a list of government bank accounts that the Philippine Embassy had sent over...

TORONTO -- Beset by scandal, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford faced another likely setback Monday as the city council took up a motion to snatch away many of his remaining powers in a heated council meeting where he knocked over a woman councilor. Ford called the effort a "coup d'etat" and challenged the council to call snap elections...

KAZAN, Russia -- The grainy airport video is dark, short and chilling. Within five seconds, a dot of light that Russian authorities say is a Boeing 737 appears in the sky over the tarmac and plunges to the ground in a near-vertical crash. The result is a blinding fireball...

The holiday season is here, and that means many children will be given toys as gifts. While new toys are a holiday tradition, parents should be aware of potential lead hazards associated with toys, including toy jewelry. Review these important facts to keep children safe this holiday season...

O Father God, may those affected by the storms experience your peace. Amen.

It was the biggest assignment of Joseph Ignatius Gilbert's journalistic career -- and he was in serious danger of blowing it. On Nov. 19, 1863, the 21-year-old Associated Press freelancer was standing before a "rude platform" overlooking the still-ravaged battlefield at Gettysburg, Pa. Towering above him was an almost mythic figure: Abraham Lincoln...