Stories from May 2014

Corey Brownsberger spent the last four years working for Kim Anderson at Central Missouri.

The Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce First Friday Coffee will feature presentations from the Leadership Cape class of 2014. A continental breakfast will be available at 7 a.m., and the program will begin promptly at 7:30 a.m. Friday at Isle Casino Cape Girardeau's Event Center...

ST. LOUIS -- An Illinois appellate court has reinstated a decade-old $10.1 billion verdict in a class-action lawsuit against Phillip Morris USA that found the nation's biggest cigarette maker misled customers about "light" and "low tar" designations...

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- A St. Joseph bar owner is suing to block a new smoking ban in the city. Stephen Peterman, owner of Peterman's Shamrock, filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Buchanan County Court. His attorney, Jonathan Sternberg, says the smoking ban violates the Missouri Constitution because it excludes the St. Jo Frontier Casino gambling floor. He says the city can legally ban smoking but it did not do it properly under state law...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Missouri woman died in prison Wednesday while serving a life sentence for the 1989 slaying of her teenage daughter in a crime that was chillingly captured on an FBI surveillance tape and apparently prompted by the girl's resistance to the family's Islamic traditions...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri House members have endorsed legislation that deals with a student transfer law. Legislators are trying to revise the law after recent decisions by the state Supreme Court upholding a requirement for unaccredited districts to pay costs of transferring students. Those costs already have put a financial strain on the unaccredited Normandy district in suburban St. Louis and soon could affect the unaccredited Riverview Gardens and Kansas City districts...

U.S. senators on Wednesday blocked legislation that would have raised the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. The Senate fell five votes short of the 60 votes necessary to pass the bill, which was blocked by Republicans. Sponsored by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, the bill would have raised the federal minimum wage of $7.25 in three phases. It would have been increased to $8.20 six months after official approval, $9.15 after one year and $10.10 a year after that...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A renegade Republican teamed up with minority party Democrats on Wednesday to deliver the first affirmative -- albeit symbolic -- vote of the year for a plan to expand Missouri's Medicaid program to hundreds of thousands of lower-income adults...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The amount of time Missouri workers could claim unemployment benefits after losing a job would depend upon how many others also are looking for work, according to a measure given final legislative approval Wednesday. Missouri residents currently can collect unemployment benefits for up to 20 weeks. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri Republicans moved a step closer in their attempt to nullify some federal gun laws Wednesday when the Senate passed legislation that would bar federal workers from some state careers for enforcing such policies. The Senate voted 23-8 to send the bill back to the House, where it passed earlier. The House can either accept the Senate's changes or negotiate a compromise version...

LAURA SIMON ~ lsimon@semissourian.com Noah Hendry portrays Eugene Jerome in Southeast Missouri State University's Department of Theatre and Dance production of Neil Simon's "Brighton Beach Memoirs", Wednesday, April 30, 2014, in the Wendy Kurka Rust Flexible Theatre at the River Campus....

A Cape Girardeau murder suspect is among six prisoners charged with mob action in Jackson County, Ill. Court records show Brandon Banks, 28, and five other men were charged Friday with mob action or force involving two or more persons. Banks is in the Jackson County Jail awaiting trial after being extradited to Illinois on a first-degree murder charge...

A variety of riding mowers -- and riders -- will be racing to raise money for the Relay for Life team Cardinals Crushing Cancer on May 10 at the Patton Saddle Club. Meanwhile, Cardinals Crushing Cancer, co-captained by Tamara Miles and Renee Garner, will participate in the Relay for Life event from noon to midnight Saturday at Twin City Park in Marble Hill, Mo...

Notre Dame Regional High School senior Reagan Kapp's passion for reading and desire to help others led her last summer to form a not-for-profit organization called Livres Pour Le Monde, or Books for the World, which provides books for children in developing nations to improve literacy and give everyone access to literature and education...

With praise for his faith, determination and courage, family, friends, coaches and even those who may not have known him attended a celebration of Nolan Weber's life, held at the Jackson High School Events Center on Wednesday evening. Weber, 18, died Dec. 21 at his home in Jackson after a nearly three-year battle with brain cancer. The Jackson High School graduate was heavily involved in sports, including Paralympic table tennis...

Less than a month before the scheduled execution of a Cape Girardeau man, a botched lethal injection in Oklahoma has raised new concerns about the practice. Russell Bucklew, 45, is slated for execution May 21 for the 1996 murder of Michael Sanders, a Cape Girardeau County man with whom Bucklew's ex-girlfriend had been staying...

Local authors, Catherine Stovall and Samantha Ketteman, will host book signings at three locations throughout Southern Illinois on May 17, 2014. The book tour will begin at 8 a.m. and continue until 5 p.m. Ketteman and Stovall will be appearing at Latta Java in Marion, IL from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m., The Buzz in Benton, IL from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m, and Dogwood Ridge, in West Frankfort, IL from 2:30 p.m. until 5 p.m...

SoutheastHEALTH Auxiliary has pledged $50,000 to help fund a major renovation of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Southeast Hospital, including installation of the NICVIEW webcam system. The 8-bed renovation will consist of single family stations, creating private areas for families to bond with their babies. The newborn nursery and family waiting area also are being renovated as part of this project, which is scheduled to be completed in late June...

The information technology industry is at a very special moment right now with huge numbers of jobs to fill at myriad companies in all kinds of fields, entrepreneur Jim McKelvey said Wednesday in a presentation at Southeast Missouri State University...

On a cool spring day, teenagers can be seen performing skateboard tricks at the only skate park in Cape Girardeau, while dogs kick up dirt at the recently opened Dogtown in Kiwanis Park. As temperatures rise, people will flood to the city's water park, Cape Splash. Children learn and play year-round at the Discovery Playhouse in downtown Cape Girardeau, and locals checking out area events can scan the online activities calender at semoevents.com...

Becky Burger pitched a three-hit, 12-strikeout gem in leading Scott City to a 9-0 victory over Advance in the Class 1 District 5 title game.

Jordan Whitener is a 2014 Phi Beta Kappa initiate at Truman State University. Whitener, a senior math and computer science double major of Jackson, Missouri, was among 32 students recently inducted into the Delta of Missouri Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. Jordan is the daughter of Dewayne and Carolyn Whitener of Jackson, Missouri...

Cape Girardeau, MO --1st Class Travel has achieved Silver status in the exclusive 500 Club Program of The Mark Travel Corporation. Travel agencies within the 500 Club must show expertise in a wide range of travel options, and consistently provide exceptional customer service to their clients. ...

Malarie Barnhart of Jackson, Mo., has joined the 1st Class Travel team as a travel agent. Malarie has a background in marketing and sales, having worked with Withers Broadcasting and Sam's Club. She enjoys being able to combine her love of travel and expertise in customer service to help clients book the trip of their dreams. ...

Join us on Saturday, May 3rd for Cape Girardeau's version of the Kentucky Derby. The 6th Annual Mouse Races for MS will be held at the VFW located at 1049 North Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau. The event hosted by Sandy Hoffman of MedAssets will feature 36 mice, competing in six races with the winner of those six races competing in a final race to see which mouse earns the title of "The Fastest Mouse in the Midwest"! All the proceeds from this event will go directly to the Gateway Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and be used to fund important research, programs and services.. ...

Today is Thursday, May 1, the 121st day of 2014. There are 244 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On May 1, 1898, Commodore George Dewey gave the command, "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley," as an American naval force destroyed a Spanish squadron in Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War...

We have much to pray about. There are global issues like terrorism, economics and poverty. Earlier this week part of the U.S. was ravaged by severe weather and tornadoes. As of Wednesday morning, at least 35 people had died as a result of the storms. Thousands are without power...

Our thanks for the kind person who paid for our food at Steak 'n Shake on April 12. We appreciated it very much. God bless you. No new tax Here we go again, saying our house insurance is cheaper because we have fire departments nearby. I have lived in this money pit of a town for 23 years and never filed a claim on my house. ...

In regard to "Tax could benefit children's fund":When I read this in Monday's paper I was flabbergasted! It all starts in two places: First is the home, second is school, third is the individual. If kids don't get proper upbringing at home they stand a very good chance of turning out bad or screwed up. More taxation and more government is not the cure...

DENVER -- Colorado's marijuana experiment is threatened by the popularity of eating it instead of smoking it, leading the pot industry to join health officials and state regulators to try to curb the problem of consumers ingesting too much weed...

NEW YORK -- Wal-Mart is bringing one-stop shopping to another area: auto insurance. The world's largest retailer has teamed up with autoinsurance.com to let shoppers quickly find and buy insurance policies online in real time to cut down costs...

NEW YORK -- The Dow Jones industrial average closed at an all-time high Wednesday as the good narrowly outweighed the bad for the stock market. After investors took in some solid U.S. company earnings, the latest move from the Federal Reserve and a report of unexpectedly weak economic growth in the first quarter, the stock market managed its third straight day of gains...

VILLA RIDGE, Ill. -- George Maris Helman, 86, of Villa Ridge passed away Wednesday, April 30, 2014, at his home. He was born in 1928 at the family home in Villa Ridge to Earl and Mary Helman. He was married to Flora Bridges Helman in 1946. They celebrated 67 years of marriage. They had two sons, David and Paul Helman...

Raymond C. Brewington, 63, of Millersville died Wednesday, April 23, 2014, at his home, after a courageous battle with liver cancer. He was born Oct. 4, 1950, in Cape Girardeau, to Watis R. and Mary H. Snider Harrell. He and Karen Ann Hauth were married Aug. 6, 2005, in Cape Girardeau...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Dr. Howard W. Dickmann, 94, of Perryville departed this life Tuesday, April 29, 2014, at Laclede Groves Care Center in Webster Groves, Mo. He was born Aug. 6, 1919, in Perry County, to K.R. and Martha Knoll Dickmann. He and Susan M. Bredall were married Oct. 8, 1944, in Perryville...

Alfred Kirn, 77, of Jackson passed away Tuesday, April 29, 2014, at Monticello House in Jackson, where he resided the last three years. He was born March 17, 1937, in Cape Girardeau, to John and Bertha Scherer Kirn. He and Joyce Faye Newell were married Feb. 7, 1959. They had been married 50 years when she passed away Sept. 19, 2009...

COMMERCE, Mo. -- George Woodrow Hopper Jr., 57, of Commerce died Tuesday, April 29, 2014, at Fountainbleau Lodge in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at Amick-Burnett Chapel in Scott City, and from 8:30 a.m. until time of service Friday at Commerce Baptist Church...

ANNA, Ill. — Dustin Riley "DC" Cunningham, 29, of Anna died Tuesday, April 29, 2014, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete at Crain Funeral Home in Anna.

PATTON, Mo. -- Richard O. "Ricky" Taul Jr., 49, of Patton passed away Tuesday, April 29, 2014, at his home. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. until service time Friday at Liley Funeral Home in Patton. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the funeral home, with the Revs. Fred Ritter and Don Estes officiating. Burial will be in Reagan's Chapel Cemetery near Patton...

Son to Brian William and Brandy Michelle McCain of Whitewater, Saint Francis Medical Center, 8:08 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, 2014. Name, Mason Xavier. Weight, 9 pounds, 5 ounces. Mrs. McCain is the former Brandy Perry, daughter of Mark and Karen Odle of Whitwater and Darren and Kimberly Perry of Oak Ridge. She is a surveillance supervisor at Isle Casino Cape Girardeau. McCain is an officer with the Southeast Missouri State University Department of Public Safety...

Southeast Missouri State football has added a quarterback to its roster. Former Central Michigan University quarterback Alex Niznak will transfer to Southeast, according to a news release issued by the school's athletic department Wednesday. Niznak will be eligible for the 2014 season and has two remaining years of eligibility, according to a spokesman from the department...

Leah Duffe went 7 for 7 with six RBIs to lead the Southeast Missouri State softball team to a sweep over NAIA opponent Missouri Baptist in its final nonconference doubleheader of the season Wednesday at the Southeast Softball Complex. The Redhawks (10-32) had 13 hits in a 10-5 six-inning win over MBU in Game 1 and won 13-1 in five innings in Game 2...

The Jackson Fire Department responded to the following call Monday: The Jackson Fire Department responded to the following calls Tuesday:...

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

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY The Department of Public Safety released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI...

The all-district Jackson art show "Art Expressions 2014" is set for Saturday and Sunday at the new R.O. Hawkins Junior High School gym. Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. Sunday. The show will feature artwork by students in grades kindergarten through 12, demonstrations by guest artists and hands-on art centers...

ST. LOUIS -- After failing to hold three-run leads in two straight games, Allen Craig and the St. Louis Cardinals put their series final against Milwaukee out of reach. Craig homered on a four-hit day that included three RBIs, and Matt Adams hit a three-run homer as the Cardinals beat the Brewers 9-3 Wednesday...

Using a few materials from around the house, you can use play dough to light a light bulb. STEP 1: Using the alligator clips, connect the three D batteries. STEP 2: Cover the two ends of alligator clips that are not connected with batteries with play dough...

Administrative Office Building 1 Barton Square, Jackson 9 a.m. today Open session Communications/reports, other elected officials Public comments Routine business Appointments and possible action item Action items Discussion and possible action Discussion and possible action, county advisory boards...

PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. -- People were plucked off rooftops or climbed into their attics to get away from fast-rising waters when nearly 2 feet of rain fell on the Florida Panhandle and Alabama coast in about 24 hours, the latest bout of severe weather that began with tornadoes in the Midwest...

HORLIVKA, Ukraine -- Ukraine's acting president conceded Wednesday that his police and security forces were "helpless" to stifle unrest in the country's east, where pro-Russia gunmen seized more buildings, walking into the police station and mayor's office in this mining hub without resistance...

BAGHDAD -- Iraq voted Wednesday in its first nationwide election since U.S. troops withdrew in 2011, with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki confident of victory and even offering an olive branch to his critics by inviting them to join him in a governing coalition...

Braden Cox threw a complete game, struck out nine and held his opponents to six hits and one unearned run as the Scott City baseball team (7-10) defeated Woodland 6-1 at home. Cox also helped his own cause with a double that drove in a run in the fourth...

LONDON -- Bob Hoskins never lost his Cockney accent, even as he became a global star who charmed and alarmed audiences in a vast range of roles. Short and bald, with a face he once compared to "a squashed cabbage," Hoskins was a versatile performer. As a London gangster in "The Long Good Friday," he moved from bravura bluster to tragic understatement. In "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," he cavorted with a cast of animated characters, making technological trickery seem seamless and natural...

Cape Girardeau County Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep plans to meet with his Bollinger County counterpart this week to begin selecting a finance committee to review methods of funding a proposed lake in the two counties. A measure rezoning land for expansion of an alcohol- and drug-treatment center is given first-round approval by the city council; final approval is far from certain, however; the rezoning request of Southeast Missouri Halfway House Inc. ...

Father God, we marvel at creation and thank you for it. Amen.

Chism had his own version of a perfect game in throwing a no-hitter against Affton last week.

Last year Sen. Wayne Wallingford stood and watched a select number of Missouri veterans walk across a stage and receive recognition for their service. This year, he was standing on that stage. Gov. Jay Nixon on Wednesday presented the local senator and three other veterans who incurred injury or illness as they served their country with the Silver Star banner. ...

Perryville, Mo. -- When the carnival comes to Southeast Missouri next week, it's bringing the circus along with it. The theme of the 29th annual Perryville Mayfest is "Let the Show Begin." "To go with this year's circus theme, there will be magic, stilt walking, jugglers, balloon animals and more," Melissa Hemmann, director of the Perryville Area Chamber of Commerce, said...

Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus will host its first full-day Community Summer Arts Festival on June 21. The festival will feature live music, dance, theatrical performances, magic, visual arts displays, hands-on family-friendly art expression activities and more...

During its inaugural outing last weekend, the Southeast Missouri Street Crimes Task Force arrested 16 people and issued 25 citations, the Cape Girardeau Police Department reported Thursday. The task force, the brainchild of Cape Girardeau police chief Wes Blair and Sikeston, Missouri, police chief Drew Juden, brings together officers from four Southeast Missouri communities -- Cape Girardeau, Sikeston, Poplar Bluff and Charleston -- to target areas of each town with heavy concentrations of gun violence.. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed an income tax cut Thursday for millions of Missouri residents and business owners, warning that the priority measure of the Republican-led Legislature could devastate funding for public schools and services...

A Missouri Senate-approved amendment to scale back a proposed sales tax to increase transportation funding has the potential to bring needed updates to the region, a few local lawmakers said. When it was approved by the state House of Representatives earlier this month, House Joint Resolution 68 sought to levy a 1-cent sales tax, subject to voter approval in November. But the Senate voted Tuesday to knock that number down and approved a three-fourths-cent tax by a vote of 22-10...

As J.R.R. Tolkien once wrote: "Not all those who wander are lost." Some, however, might be searching for spiritual enlightenment -- especially those wandering the outdoor labyrinth at Abbey Road Christian Church in Cape Girardeau. On Saturday, Abbey Road will host a World Labyrinth Day event...

When the dust settled, there were 30 runs scored, 19 hits, 16 walks, 14 stolen bases, 13 wild pitches and seven errors. The result was a wild and wacky 20-10 Woodland victory over host Oak Ridge.

The Saint Francis Medical Center Auxiliary presented $125,000 to Marilyn Curtis, Vice President -- Professional Services at Saint Francis Medical Center, at the annual Auxiliary and Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon on April 22. The donation is the third installment of an $800,000 pledge over four years...

Randy Barnhouse will present a talk on Mark Twain at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Cape River Heritage Museum. The presentation will shed light on the connection between two Missouri river towns -- Twain's hometown of Hannibal and Cape Girardeau. Twain, author and humorist, traveled up and down the Mississippi River in the heyday of steamboating. Barnhouse, who has spent years searching for historical artifacts under water and on land, recently has focused on sites connected with Twain's life...

With bills passed or pending in the Missouri Legislature on taxes and vouchers, Missouri School Boards Association president Phil Hutchinson said it was not overstating things to say that public education and local school boards are "under attack like never before."...

A couple of years ago, Southeast Missouri State University senior Lindsey Lotz and several peers formed the not-for-profit History Alive! Living History Interpretive Group, and Saturday members will re-create a 1944 USO dance in Cape Girardeau. The program will take place at 6:30 p.m. at VFW Post 3838, 1049 N. Kingshighway...

Today is Friday, May 2, the 122nd day of 2014. There are 243 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On May 2, 1908, the original version of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," with music by Albert Von Tilzer and lyrics by Jack Norworth, was published by Von Tilzer's York Music Co...

Now that I'm on the government dole in my retirement, I try to keep track of who's going to pay for my Social Security benefits, my Medicare expenses and any other payments Uncle Sam wants to send my way. Yes, I paid for most of it during nearly half a century of paycheck withholding, but I figure at some point what I paid in is going to be exceeded by what I'm taking out each month. It's simple math...

For families with an autistic son or daughter, learning about autism and the opportunities to help their child is an ongoing effort. Thankfully, this area has rallied around the issue and therapies and social development opportunities have emerged. The Southeast Missourian ran a story on Wednesday about autism. ...

Son to Gabriel and Tommie Johnson of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Hospital, 3:48 p.m. Sunday, April 13, 2014. Name, Ira Embree. Weight, 8 pounds, 7 ounces. Second son. Mrs. Johnson is the former Tommie Robertson, daughter of Frankie Robertson and Carl Robertson of Cape Girardeau. Johnson is the son of Ken and Sonje Johnson of Round Rock, Texas...

Developer Jim Drury has dropped his opposition to a city of Cape Girardeau annexation plan; the move clears the way for the city to annex a 159-acre tract northeast of the Interstate 55/U.S. 61 intersection; Drury's action is the result of the city's plan to provide sewers to the northeast quadrant...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma prison officials tried for 51 minutes to find a vein in a death row inmate's arms and feet before inserting an IV through the man's groin before a botched execution this week, the state's prisons chief said Thursday in a report urging more oversight of executions...

NEW YORK -- One of the most popular songs of all time, Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone," is going to auction this summer. Sotheby's is offering a working draft of the finished song in Dylan's hand for up to $2 million. The draft is written in pencil on four sheets of hotel letterhead stationery with revisions, additions, notes and doodles: a hat, a bird, an animal with antlers. The stationery is from the Roger Smith hotel in Washington, D.C...

TORONTO -- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford began a leave of absence and headed for a rehab center Thursday, leaving his city in the dark about his political future after a report surfaced of second video of him apparently smoking crack cocaine. Ford announced Wednesday he would take leave for an unspecified time from his mayoral post and his re-election campaign, but he did not abandon his bid for a second term as mayor of Canada's second-largest city. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Senate passed legislation Thursday that could pave the way for the state to ditch new national benchmarks for student achievement known as Common Core. Senators voted 23-9 to send the bill back to the House where it passed earlier this month. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- More than 150,000 Missouri residents signed up for health insurance policies through a federally run website, easily exceeding projections because of a surge of people who waited until a looming deadline to enroll. The figures released Thursday by President Barack Obama's administration were touted by Missouri health care advocates who had been promoting the program through advertisements, community events and social media...

HARDIN, Ill. -- An Illinois high school special-education teacher was jailed without bond Thursday after state and federal prosecutors accused her of threatening to blow up her school through a note that warned, "This school is going down today. KABOOM!"...

WASHINGTON -- Reports by members of the military of sexual assaults jumped by an unprecedented 50 percent last year, in what Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel declared a "clear threat" to both male and female service members' lives and well-being. The latest numbers reflected an aggressive campaign by the Pentagon to persuade victims to come forward, but Hagel and others said Thursday they need to do more to get men to report assaults -- a challenge in a military culture that values strength. ...

The SoutheastHEALTH Auxiliary has pledged $50,000 to help fund the renovation of Southeast Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The auxiliary's mission is to foster goodwill toward the hospital, financially and in other ways. Construction on the project began in late October, said Mark Bliss, publications editor at the hospital...

Police are cracking down on drunken driving, the Cape Girardeau Police Department reported Thursday. The department will have a sobriety checkpoint as part of the statewide youth DWI enforcement campaign, which runs through May 12. According to a department news release, 231 people were killed and 841 suffered serious injuries in alcohol and drug-related crashes on Missouri roads in 2012...

Tickets for the 2014 Cape Girardeau Air Festival are available for advance purchase at capegirardeauairfestival.com/Ticket-Information. The festival will take place May 16 and 17. Advance ticket prices are $12 for adults, $7 for children ages 7 to 11 and free for children 6 and younger. The prices at the gate on the day of the show will be $15 for adults, $10 for children ages 7 to 11 and free for children 6 and younger...

As an incentive to get more people investing in Missouri's college savings plan, the state treasurer's office is awarding one family $5,290 in a MOST 529 account the first week of June. Treasurer Clint Zweifel said $2.3 billion has been invested in MOST since around 1999, and the state has 145,000 accounts...

The Jackson Fire Department responded to the following call Wednesday:...

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

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

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Vivian M. Huber, 89, of Perryville died Tuesday, April 29, 2014, at her home near Sereno, Missouri. She was born March 20, 1925, in Perry County, daughter of Leo and Maggie Weber DuBois. She and LeRoy A. Huber were married Nov. 6, 1947...

John Ervin Frank, 88, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, April 30, 2014, at Southeast Hospital. He was born Sept. 28, 1925, in Cape Girardeau, to Henry Phillip John and Amanda Rosine Springer Frank. He and Louise Vasterling were married April 9, 1950, in Cape Girardeau, by the late Rev. Wittrock. They were married 64 years...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Emanuel Eugene "Gene" Davis, 77, of Houston, formerly of Advance, died Sunday, April 27, 2014, at his home, after a long battle with leukemia. He was born Sept. 12, 1936, beloved son of Ethel and L.B. Davis of Advance. Gene was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Louis...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Lillian Marie Brune, 90, of Perryville died Wednesday, April 30, 2014, at her home. She was born July 12, 1923, in Old Appleton, daughter of Oscar W. and Helen M. Meyer Dambach. She and John H. Brune were married Sept. 6, 1942. He preceded her in death March 13, 2007...

Raymond C. Brewington, 63, of Millersville died Wednesday, April 23, 2014, at his home, after a courageous battle with liver cancer. He was born Oct. 4, 1950, in Cape Girardeau, to Watis R. and Mary H. Snider Harrell. He and Karen Ann Hauth were married Aug. 6, 2005, in Cape Girardeau...

The Redhawks had two athletes recognized on the eve of the conference meet

Three members of the Southeast Missouri State baseball team were named to the Capital One Academic All-District team. Seniors Cole Bieser and Derek Gibson along with junior Jason Blum received the honor, which is chosen by the College Sports Information Directors of America...

U.S. 61 in Cape Girardeau County will be reduced to one lane, between Larch Lane and Drury Lane near the Jackson/Fruitland exit at mile marker 105, as contractor crews construct a main driveway access to D-Mart. Trucks are urged to use alternate access routes to enter, according to a news release by the Missouri Department of Transportation. The work will take place Monday through May 10...

BELFAST, Northern Ireland -- For decades, Helen McKendry has demanded Sinn Fein chief Gerry Adams come clean about the Irish Republican Army's abduction, slaying and secret burial of her mother in 1972, and his alleged role as the outlawed group's Belfast leader who ordered the killing...

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

Theater students at Southeast Missouri State University will present a series of one-act plays as the culmination of their Directing II projects May 12 through 14 in the Rust Flexible Theatre at Southeast's River Campus. The three-evening series at 7:30 p.m. ...

The Southeast Missouri Symphony Board and Symphony Society will hold the sixth annual Gala Pre-Concert Dinner at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the Glenn Convocation Center on the River Campus of Southeast Missouri State University, according to a university news release...

The Southeast Missouri Symphony Orchestra and the University Choir and Choral Union will combine to perform Joseph Haydn's "Harmonie" Mass for orchestra, full choir and vocal soloists Tuesday in the Bedell Performance Hall at the River Campus, according to a university news release...

Graduating theater majors at Southeast Missouri State University are getting ready to hit the big time after years of practice, rehearsals and memorizing scripts and lyrics. To professionally promote the senior talent, the Department of Theatre and Dance will hold its annual Senior Showcase -- essentially a cabaret -- at 7:30 p.m. ...

OAK RIDGE -- For a team that hadn't played a game in more than a week, the Leopold softball team looked ready. As in district-championship ready -- which is what the Wildcats will play for today...

A single mom working two jobs with an unexpected tax bill. A doctor having to say "no" to new Medicaid patients because of lower reimbursement rates. An entrepreneur facing a maze of regulatory red tape before he can hire his first employee. These are the people suffering from Missouri's stagnant economy. These are the people who want bold policy reforms, not more of the same leadership from Gov. Nixon...

O Lord Jesus, we praise you for where your Spirit is we have freedom. Amen.

The realization that the regular season is almost over is slowly washing over members of the Southeast Missouri State baseball team. So is the fact that they have six Ohio Valley Conference games remaining and hold a three-game lead on first place. "We start hearing the words like 'magic number' and things like that and it starts to sink in a bit, but with this group it's always just been one game at a time," senior center fielder Cole Bieser said. ...

The Wildcats defeated the Cardinals 9-5 on Friday at Oak Ridge High School.

Southeast Missouri State sophomore Clayton Evans had been sitting in the dugout for the first 11 1/2 innings of the Redhawks' game against Murray State on Friday night at Capaha Field when he got the opportunity to pinch hit with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 12th...

Top-seeded Notre Dame rallied for a 3-2 victory in eight innings to reach Monday's conference tourney final

The Redhawks defeated Murray State 8-6 on Saturday. A win on Sunday will guarantee them a share of the OVC regular-season championship.

3 baby robins in my rose bush in Scott City

baby robins in my rose bush in Scott City

Pre prom pics.

Pre prom photo shoot

Today is Saturday, May 3, the 123rd day of 2014. There are 242 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On May 3, 1944, U.S. wartime rationing of most grades of meats ended (however, rationing returned by year's end). On this date:...

An agreement between the city of Cape Girardeau and opponents of its annexation efforts clears the way for an election later this year on the city's annexation plan; the city has agreed to withdraw its plans for the annexation of the northbound land of Interstate 55 from the Cape Girardeau County line southward to near Scott City...

George Samuel Clark, 90, of Scott City, formerly of Terre Haute, Indiana, died Friday, May 2, 2014, at his home. He was born Oct. 14, 1923, in Courtland, Kansas, to George Nathan and Hazel Catherine Lynn Clark. He married Ruby May Webster June 21, 1974, in Terre Haute...

1-If you could have one super power, what would it be? 2-What is on your bucket list for the summer? 3-May is National Hamburger Month and National Salad Month. What's your favorite? 4-What actor would play you in a movie of your life story?...

In honor of National Hamburger Month and National Barbecue Month, five hamburgers and/or barbecue sauce virtues:n Restaurant burgers. I've always loved the time-honored combination of hamburger, fries and a Coke, and I always preferred them with ketchup and mustard, spicy mustard preferred. I really like burgers with cheese, pickles, ketchup and mustard -- and mushrooms. I'm kind of a purist as far as adding French fries or onion rings to hamburgers. That just doesn't appeal...

Jetson Dewrock had won first place at the Cape Girardeau Rotary Club and Plaza Tire Service annual Soap Box Derby for the past two years. This year, however, Dewrock used his talent to make another boy as happy as he had been. This year, Dewrock was the driver for Carson Franklin, a 12-year-old special-needs boy who participated in the Super Kids Classic division of the soap box derby...

The United States' 16 newest citizens are a diverse bunch, hailing from 12 countries and three continents. Their ranks include a steelworker, a nurse, a teens minister and a cosmetologist. Some came for love. Some came for education. Some came to fulfill their parents' dreams...

Cape Girardeau police are teaming up with their counterparts in three other Southeast Missouri communities in an effort to reduce gun violence throughout the region. "If [offenders] can work together, so can we," Cape Girardeau police chief Wes Blair said in a recent interview...

ST. LOUIS -- An attorney for a Missouri inmate scheduled to be put to death this month is seeking permission to record video of the execution over concerns that the man could suffer during the process -- a request that follows a botched execution in Oklahoma...

The Advance guard raised his game to new heights during this senior season and helped his time rise in the process.

TNT Fitness is introducing a 28 day weight loss challenge that guarantees you to lose 5-10% of your body weight. The nationally recognized program, available to various cities in the US and Canada, is known as the TakeDown Challenge. The TakeDown Challenge is a nutritional and exercise program developed by Carlyon and Paul Fetter owners of The Training Spot in Huntington Beach, CA. ...

Today is Sunday, May 4, the 124th day of 2014. There are 241 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On May 4, 1979, Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first female prime minister after the Tories ousted the incumbent Labor government in parliamentary elections...

Tina Minor and Sam Naugler were married April 2, 2014, in Lake Forest Park, Washington. Judge Linda Portnoy performed the ceremony. Parents of the couple are Sonny and Barb Minor, and David Naugler of Cape Girardeau. Their witnesses were Anna Samsonova and Marika Cialdella...

Lauren Suzanne Kinsey and Kory Paul Kitchen were married Sept. 14, 2013, at Lynwood Baptist Church. The Rev. Mark Anderson performed the ceremony. Pianist was Barry Stone, violinist was Nancy Monahan, and on bass was Mike Monahan, all of Cape Girardeau...

A Honor Roll 4th grade: Evan Adams, Blake Anderson, Jaadah Barber, Katy Boehme, Allison Buchheit, Sydney Buchheit, Carl Caragine, Alexa DeLuca, Amina Hussein, Anthony Lanzotti, Rylee McClintock, Lydia Melton, Abigail Michael, Ava Nelson, Colton Neumeyer, Kiana Newkirk, Alec Perez, Trey Schreckenberg, Anna Schuchardt, Cooper Stewart, Kathryn Taylor, Isabella Valencia, Mia Wrape, Kaylin Zoellner...

LOS ANGELES -- Every time a bartender at trendy Los Angeles fusion eatery Luna Park squeezes a shot of lime into a drink these days, owner Peter Kohtz says he winces a little. Luna Park, known for its large selection of craft cocktails, is one of thousands of restaurants from coast to coast that have fallen victim to the Great Green Citrus Crisis of 2014 -- a severe shortage of limes that has meant that the fruit has skyrocketed in price in recent weeks...

The Old Town Cape Dr. Steven J. Hoffman Historic Preservation Scholarship has been established through the Southeast Missouri University Foundation. Old Town Cape made a $6,000 gift from funds donated to its Scholarship Garden to establish the award. The gift was matched with an additional $6,000 through a university matching gift program, Honoring Tradition -- Inspiring Success Comprehensive Campaign...

Letter carriers will be collecting nonperishable food donations on Saturday, according to a news release from food drive coordinator Justin K. Hill. Local donations go directly to the food pantries in Southeast Missouri -- Cape Girardeau, Scott City, Chaffee, Jackson, Caruthersville, Steele and Hayti. Those interested in donating are asked to leave donations in a bag next to their mailbox...

World's smallest dogs can be a big handful By The Associated Press LOS ANGELES -- Living little carries some big risks. The smallest dogs in the world weigh less than 7 pounds, and can easily slip through cracks in a fence, get stepped on or even hugged a little too hard. ...

I walked slowly along the shore of a pond on a recent rainy afternoon, looking for something interesting to photograph. In the clear water I noticed a largemouth bass patrolling the pond edge. I estimated the bass to weigh about 3 pounds. The bass seemed to sense my presence, backing slowly into deeper water, but stopping where I could still see it...

Once in awhile it works out that exactly what I need is just poured onto my lap. I had a conversation about some new recipes for one-dish or family-simple entrée dishes for her family suppers. I thought about it for a few days and had a few ideas about which recipes I would pull out and share with her. ...

Pet Name: Flash Gordon Owner: Ryan and Amanda Heslinga Favorite activity: Grazing in the yard and cuddling on the couch. ...

Marabelle is a 4-year-old terrier mix. She is a sweet small dog available for adoption at the Humane Society, 334-5837. ...

Sox is a 1-year-old fluffy cat. He would make a lovable, gentle companion in a permanent home with a lot of love and attention. For more information, contact Safe Harbor at 243-9823. ...

How often do you feel that everything is hitting you at once -- too much is happening too fast? When this scenario occurs, what do you do? Unless you're grounded in ways to handle overload, you usually feel overwhelmed and try to figure everything out immediately, right? Then your mind starts to swirl, you become nervous, and you can't solve anything. There's too much dust for you to see what's ahead...

No one likes suffering. Unless you're a Cubs fan; then you like suffering. The rest of us, though, usually try to avoid suffering. Every October my north side affiliated friends will tell me with great conviction, "We'll get 'em next year." I never know if they are trying to convince themselves or me. Either way, they are convinced that next year will be their year...

Presbyterian organist met Pope John Paul II and accompanied his Mass when he visited California

Available daily: hot vegetable or cherry tomatoes or baby carrots. MONDAY--Chicken chili crispito with cheese, Mexican black beans, peaches, oat crumb cake. TUESDAY--Corn dog, broccoli & cheese, cinnamon baked apples, gelatin. WEDNESDAY--Oven-roasted turkey & gravy, whipped potatoes & gravy, roll, mixed fruit...

The Southeast District Spring FCE meeting was held April 22 at First United Methodist Church in Poplar Bluff, Mo., hosted by Butler County FCE members. The theme was "Seeds for the Future." District director, JoAnn Hahs, opened the meeting. ...

Bruce and Karen Lorenz of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Clarissa Lorenz, to Matthew Bosky, both of Kansas City, Missouri. He is the son of John and Linda Bosky of Kearney, Missouri. Clarissa is a 2004 graduate of Jackson High School. ...

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon on Thursday vetoed an income-tax cut put forth by the Republican-led Legislature. Nixon said the measure could devastate funding for public schools and services. Education is a political topic that politicians from both sides of the aisle tend to use as leverage when they debate issues. Education is universally supported and valued...

As executive director of the Missouri Grocers Association, I am writing to express my organization's collective support for Missouri Senate Bill 509, which will provide Missouri with its first broad-based income tax reduction in almost 100 years. Senate Bill 509 will reduce the individual income tax by a half percent and the small business income tax rate by 25 percent. ...

O Lord Jesus, we worship you for you are our Mighty Savior. Amen.

Two weeks ago, the Missouri Legislature approved legislation to provide tax relief to hundreds of thousands of citizens and countless small businesses throughout the state. The bill enacts a measured, carefully considered tax cut, but also contains triggers to ensure rates aren't reduced unless certain economic benchmarks are met, including a substantial increase of revenue collections...

A new report by America's Promise Alliance -- an education research and advocacy organization founded by Colin Powell, a former four-star general -- has mixed news regarding our country, and Missouri's high school graduation rates...

Betty Joyce Treece, 79, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, May 2, 2014, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center. She was born May 10, 1934, in Rector, Arkansas, to Marvin and Lois Wiley Ratledge. She and George A. Treece were married Oct. 31, 1953, at Benton, Missouri. He preceded her in death Aug. 9, 2013...

BALLWIN, Mo. -- Jerome C. "Jerry" Donze Jr., 70, of Ballwin was baptized into the hope of Christ's resurrection, Sunday, April 27, 2014, in Ballwin. Beloved husband of the late Mary Kathryn "Kay" Wilkerson Donze; father of Kathy Donze and Jerry C. ...

NEW YORK -- The stock market ended lower on Friday as a surprisingly strong report on job gains failed to impress investors. Stocks rose in the early going after the government reported that U.S. employers hired at the fastest pace in two years last month. The Standard & Poor's 500 index briefly rose above its record closing high...

Harold E. Makins, 88, of Jackson died Friday, May 2, 2014, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born June 6, 1925, son of Elmer and Hazel Geer Makins Sr. He married Dorothy Bolitho on April 26, 1946. Makins served in the U.S. Army during World War II from 1943 to 1946. He served in the South Pacific, receiving a Purple Heart, Bronze Battle Star and a Good Conduct Medal...

George William Fenimore, 78, of Berkeley, Missouri, died Tuesday, April 29, 2014, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

Raymond "Wesley" Gray, 55, of Scott City died Saturday, May 3, 2014, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City.

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Geri Patterson, 78, of Jonesboro died Saturday, May 3, 2014, at home. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Crain Funeral Home in Anna-Jonesboro. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Interment will follow in Casper Cemetery...

ANNA, Ill. -- Dustin Riley "DC" Cunningham, 29, of Anna died Tuesday, April 29, 2014, at home. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Crain Funeral Home in Anna-Jonesboro. Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Interment will follow in St. John's Cemetery...

Daniel Ray Hager, 46, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, May 2, 2014, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

CAIRO, Ill. — Carolyn Schaefer, 80, of Fountain Hills, Arizona, formerly of Cairo, died Friday, May 2, 2014, at Tuscan Manor in Fountain Hills. Arrangements are incomplete at Crain Funeral Home in Cairo.

Son to Charles Jack Green and Starla Dawn Beasley of Cape Girardeau, Saint Francis Medical Center, 3:34 p.m. Thursday, April 24, 2014. Name, Milo Leroy. Weight, 6 pounds, 14 ounces. Second son. Ms. Beasley is the daughter of Cynthia Ussery and Todd Beasley of Cape Girardeau. Green is the son of Stephanie Mier of Chaffee, Missouri, and Charles Jack Green Sr. of Jackson...

OMAHA, Neb. -- Warren Buffett shrugged off concerns about his Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate, which has trailed the overall market, and told shareholders Saturday to remain optimistic about his company, as well as the American economy. More than 30,000 people descended on the annual gathering to listen to Buffett and Berkshire vice chairman Charlie Munger, who faced tough questions about Berkshire's prospects for growth and acquisitions, and how Buffett came to handle a vote on pay packages crafted for Coca-Cola executives, a company in which Berkshire holds a major stake.. ...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said Saturday he supports allowing same-sex couples to wed but will continue defending his state's 2004 ban on gay marriages in court. McDaniel, a Democrat serving his final year as the state's top attorney, became the first statewide official in Arkansas to back same-sex marriage...

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A California jury awarded Apple $119 million -- far less than it demanded -- in a patent battle with Samsung over alleged copying of smartphone features, and the jury made the victory even smaller by finding that Apple illegally used one of Samsung's patents...

The first Southeast Missouri Kidney Walk is coming to Cape Girardeau today. Held at Arena Park, the event is a small-scale version of the walk held each year in St. Louis and other communities across the nation to raise money for the National Kidney Foundation. The walk also helps raise awareness for kidney disease...

ABI BARIK, Afghanistan -- Afghan rescuers and volunteers armed with shovels and little more than bare hands dug through the mud Saturday after a landslide swept through a village the day before, turning it into an earthen tomb holding hundreds of bodies, officials said...

MOSCOW -- European military observers who were held more than a week by insurgents in eastern Ukraine walked free Saturday, with Kiev insisting the release proves Russia is fomenting unrest in Ukraine -- as Moscow touted the insurgents as courageous humanists...

BELFAST, Northern Ireland -- Northern Ireland police are casting a wider net in efforts to prove Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams once commanded the outlawed Irish Republican Army and ordered the 1972 killing of a Belfast mother of 10, according to party colleagues and retired militants...

WASHINGTON -- Steve Paska waited two weeks for Washington's famously fickle cherry blossoms to emerge, then spent two hours searching for the perfect spot beneath the canopy of fluff. He lured his girlfriend there on the pretext of buying a painting of the blooms. Then he surprised her by dropping to one knee and proposing...

ST. LOUIS -- A bear cub that nipped students at Washington University was not rabid and will not be euthanized, officials of the St. Louis school said Friday. The university initially said the cub brought to campus in a petting zoo Sunday would have to be put down so it could be tested for rabies...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri lawmakers are running out of time to consider ethics measures this year and, although legislative leaders are hopeful, familiar opposition has emerged to suggest the issue is at an impasse. During each of the last two sessions, bills to curb lobbying have been derailed in the Senate by Democratic attempts to reinstate campaign contribution limits. ...

Covered in bright splashes of paint, dozens of volunteers spent the day at the Boys and Girls Club of Cape Girardeau on Saturday giving the building a needed makeover. The effort was part of Join Hands Day, a national day of service each year on the first Saturday in May. According to Chris Dzurick, data management analyst for the local Boys and Girls Club, the event also helps bring together the young and old through service...

The Southeast Missouri chapter of the American Red Cross kicked off its inaugural event Friday, inviting people from Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois to nominate "everyday heroes" for 2013. The Red Cross helps people in need daily and not only after natural disasters, said Sara Gerau, executive director of financial development for the Southeast Missouri chapter of the American Red Cross. ...

A strike by operating engineers has interrupted millions of dollars worth of construction in the area; the only visible activity yesterday at the construction site of a $9 million Veterans Home was two picketers sitting on the tailgate of a pickup truck at the entrance; a U.S. 61 widening project at Jackson is also idle...

The Jackson Fire Department responded to the following calls Friday: The Jackson Fire Department responded to the following calls Saturday:...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Thefts Burglaries Assaults Summonses Property damage Miscellaneous The Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office reported the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt...

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

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

The Southeast Missouri State men's and women's track and field teams won the Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Championships on Saturday. The Southeast men scored 207 points to defeat second-place Eastern Illinois, which scored 194 1/2. The Southeast women scored 141 points to win. Austin Peay followed in second with 133 1/2...

The Southeast Missouri State softball team had its conference losing streak extended to 16 games with a pair of one-run losses at home to Murray State on Saturday. The Redhawks sustained a 5-4 loss in the opener of the doubleheader and a 1-0 loss in the nightcap in falling to 2-20 in the Ohio Valley Conference and 10-34 overall...

St.Louis was shut out for the fourth time this season

Health, food, activities and fun were among the many topics discussed by groups at this month's Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce First Friday Coffee. The event was sponsored by Six Flags St. Louis and SoutheastHEALTH. Six Flags brought special guests Bugs Bunny and Sylvester of the Looney Tunes to discuss new attractions, and Jack Hembree, director of HealthPoint Fitness at SoutheastHEALTH, discussed the importance of setting aside just a few minutes for exercise each day...

On the agenda for tonight's Cape Girardeau City Council meeting is a resolution to seek grant funding to rehabilitate substandard homes. The city plans to request $219,990 in affordable housing program funds from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, Iowa. The money would be used to improve 30 homes in the city; the grant also would cover any administration costs, meaning the program would come at no cost to the city...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Plans for a new mental-health facility at the Fulton State Hospital campus are moving forward, though details about paying for it must be worked out as Missouri lawmakers face an approaching deadline. Officials could back the issuance of bonds but must decide how to issue them and how quickly to pay them off. Lawmakers are required to approve a budget by 6 p.m. Friday covering the fiscal year that starts July 1. The deadline for passing non-budget bills is May 16...

ST. LOUIS -- High school agriculture programs sprouting across the nation's Corn Belt are teaching teenagers, many of them in urban environments, that careers in the field often have nothing to do with cows and plows. The curricula, taking hold as school budgets tighten and the numbers of farms in the U.S. ...

A Sikeston, Missouri, man was killed in a one-vehicle accident at 7:20 a.m. Sunday on Highway 102, 8 miles south of East Prairie, Missouri, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report. A 2000 Ford Explorer, driven by Heather D. Steelman, 23, of Sikeston was northbound, the report said. The driver lost control on a curve, traveled off the right side of the road and overturned, ejecting the passenger, 24-year-old Chad A. Harden, the report said...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri legislators plan to vote this week on whether to override a veto by Gov. Jay Nixon and enact a law cutting state income taxes for individuals and many business owners. But their vote won't be the last factor in determining whether the tax cuts actually occur...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Supporters of eliminating teacher tenure and allowing early voting submitted thousands of signatures Sunday to get the separate constitutional amendments on the November ballot, before this weekend's deadline. Teach Great, the group supporting the proposal to eliminate tenure and base teacher employment on student achievement, said it turned in more than 275,000 signatures to the secretary of state's office...

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar shared the joy they have found in Jesus Christ with about 1,000 people Sunday at Lynwood Baptist Church. The Duggars, of the TLC show "19 Kids and Counting," appeared as part of a benefit for Midwest Ministry Care Center and the Ruth House, which provides a residential, Christ-centered program for women coming out of inpatient alcohol/drug-abuse programs...

It's been a little more than a year since the Cape Girardeau City Council approved the rental-licensing ordinance. While it's been a success in many ways, some involved in the city's rental system say there's still plenty of room for improvement. After multiple meetings between city officials and landlords to determine the language and parameters of the ordinance, the city established the rental-licensing program last year. ...

Starting this week, students from elementary to high school, along with parents, faculty, staff and school board members are being invited to take an anonymous online survey about the perceptions and attitudes in the Cape Girardeau School District. Compiled by the Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis at the University of Missouri and obtained through the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the survey is voluntary and will be used to help improve the district, superintendent James Welker said. ...

To Southeast Missouri State baseball coach Steve Bieser, something was noticeably different about his team during the series finale against Murray State on Sunday at Capaha Field. The Redhawks encountered a nine-run deficit in the fourth inning and couldn't come up with a run during key at-bats later in the game in an 11-6 loss in their final home game of the season...

It's National Teacher Appreciation Week, and Perry County School District 32 is highlighting just a few of its outstanding educators. More than 200 teachers and 100 support staff serve the district's 2,350 students. Since 1984, National PTA has designated the first week in May as a special time to honor the men and women who lend their passion and skills to educating our children...

Junior Girl Scout Troop 8544 of Anna, Ill., donated 28 baby and children's blankets to the Pediatrics and Neonatal Intensive Care units at Southeast Hospital on Saturday, May 3. The troop's co-leader is Victoria Stout, who is a coding specialist at SoutheastHEALTH...

It's Teacher Appreciation Week in America, and Perry County School District 32 is highlighting just a few of its over 200 educators who are making a difference in the lives of children each day. This is Hayley Buchheit's first year teaching kindergarten, but she's been in the classroom for 5 years. Before moving to PES, Buchheit taught preschoolers at District 32's early childhood special education center...

Perry County Middle School's eighth grade class has created a paper character quilt highlighting the good character qualities each student strives to achieve. The quilt is on display in the eighth grade hallway at PCMS. Teacher Kelly Hotop explained that each student chose character traits important to them. ...

Beth Heise of Perryville has won the Missouri FFA Veterinary Medicine Entrepreneurship and Placement Combined Proficiency Award at the 86th Missouri FFA Convention. Heise, a senior at Perryville Area Career and Technology Center and Perryville High School, is the daughter of Rick and Jan Heise. She is a member of the Perryville FFA Chapter. Her advisors are Tom Hulshof and William Allison...

While driving home the other night from a family gathering, this cheeky guy was strutting his stuff in the middle of the road. Living in the country, I'm accustomed to seeing deer, rabbits and squirrel running across the road but this is the first time I've had to slow down to avoid running over a peacock!...

Cape Girardeau, MO., May 3, 2014 -- As part of the Mayor's "Clean Up Cape Initiative," Girl Scout Troop 71120 repainted the Success By 6 Born Learning Trail at Capaha Park. Troop members and their mothers met to clean the sidewalk trail around the lagoon at Capaha Park. ...

The Montgomery Bank March of Dimes team met their 2014 fundraising goal of $10,000! The team recently presented the check to Director, Beth Simmons.

Today is Monday, May 5, the 125th day of 2014. There are 240 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On May 5, 1862, Mexican troops defeated French occupying forces in the Battle of Puebla. (The Cinco de Mayo holiday commemorates Mexico's victory.)...

Each year, about 15.5 million Americans provide 17.7 billion hours of unpaid care for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease, according to statistics from the Alzheimer's Association. Sixty percent of Alzheimer's caregivers rate their emotional stress as high, and about a third suffer from depression...

When most people see a potato, they see a food in the vegetable group. When Jo Ann Hahs of Daisy and Linda Freeman of Oak Ridge see a potato, they see more. Not only do they see potential for handmade jewelry, but they see a way to bring a place of worship to people in need...

Teachers Donna Sanders and Karen Gibbar worked together for 14 years, and when they retired at the same time from Blanchard Elementary School, they knew they'd miss their school, co-workers and students. So when the school librarian asked if they'd be willing to deliver free books to students on their birthdays, the new retirees were happy to help with the project. ...

For senior citizens who want to remain independent and active while continuing to live in their own homes -- but still need some daily assistance and enjoy social interaction -- The Hoover Center in Cape Girardeau is a great resource. The adult day program is licensed through the state of Missouri...

Nothing says "Hello, spring!" like a beautiful garden! Garden and plant enthusiasts have an opportunity to see approximately 20 spectacular gardens during the Ste. Genevieve Garden Walk and Plant Sale sponsored by the Ste. Genevieve Master Gardeners...

Lone Star Industries Inc. has added new land to its holdings here; the cement manufacturing facility has purchased a 342-acre farm from the Provincial Administration of the Vincentian Fathers, St. Louis; the farm is adjacent to other Lone Star property...

Son to John T. and Jodi D. Wipfler of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Hospital, 9:17 p.m. Friday, April 25, 2014. Name, Adric D. Weight, 6 pounds, 9 ounces. Mrs. Wipfler is the former Jodi Barks, daughter of Laura Barks of Lowndes, Missouri, and the late Jerry Barks. She is employed by the Leopold School District. Wipfler is the son of Charlie and Susie Wipfler of Scott City. He is employed by Do it Best Corp. in Sikeston, Missouri...

NEW YORK -- Spider-Man can still sling it at the box office. "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" debuted with $92 million in North American theaters over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. It was a solid opening for Sony's Columbia Pictures, which has released five movies about Marvel's web-slinging superhero in the last 14 years...

ST. LOUIS -- From male-only corporate jets to guys' golf outings and hunting trips, Francine Katz says her time in the Anheuser-Busch executive suite was rife with exclusion and discrimination. But it wasn't until the King of Beers' 2008 sale to Belgian brewer InBev she says she realized the boy's club atmosphere was costing her millions...

More than 4,500 pounds of unsold food has been distributed to the needy, thanks to a handful of Southeast Missouri State University students and employees. As reported by Emily Priddy last Sunday, a class project has grown into a campus organization. ...

Dr. Wayne Bowen may be a historian, but his comments concerning Afghanistan are those of a partisan politician. Bowen forgets Bush made a tactical error in starting a virtual all-out war against the Afghan people that led not to the capture of bin Laden but rather to the devastation of Afghanistan, the deaths of soldiers and the tragic killing of thousands of innocent Afghan civilians. ...

I'm listening to Fox News and a debate among several different people, both Democrats and Republicans, and they're talking about Obamacare whether it's good or bad. This is ridiculous at this stage, because if they look back and see how many changes Obama has made already since it passed the Congress, there's no way of predicting how many more changes he's going to make and what it's going to be like when he gets through making those changes. ...

1 Barton Square, Jackson 9 a.m. today Open session Communications/reports, other elected officials Public comments Routine business Appointments and possible action Action items Discussion and possible action Discussion and possible action, county advisory boards...

401 Independence St. Study session, 5 p.m. today...

CHICAGO -- Yadier Molina had a simple goal for his ninth-inning at-bat with the bases loaded and the score tied Sunday. "I was looking not to strike out," he said. After fouling off some tough two-strike pitches, Molina grounded a single up the middle to drive in two runs and the St. Louis Cardinals snapped out of an offensive funk with a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs...

The Redhawks snapped a 16-game OVC losing streak with a 5-3 win against Murray State

Kenny Gibbar, foreman and head operator at the Jackson Wastewater Treatment Facility, received the Wastewater Operator of the Year Award on April 23 at the Southeast Section meeting of the Missouri Water and Wastewater Conference at the Osage Centre in Cape Girardeau...

NEW YORK -- There's a lot to browse on Etsy. Check out the $2.50 earrings made from the feathers of a "quail raised with love" on a Colorado farm. Or take a look at the $30,000 pub-style bar made to order from pine and cherry. Unique products such as these are the reason Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson calls the online marketplace "a personal shopping experience -- really -- in a sea of impersonal retail."...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- Jackie L. Miller, 65, of Olive Branch died Saturday, May 3, 2014, at Cobden Rehab & Nursing Center. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Crain Funeral Home in Tamms, Illinois. The funeral will be at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Interment with military honors will follow at Mound City National Cemetery...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Geri Patterson, 78, of Jonesboro died suddenly Saturday, May 3, 2014, at home. She was born Feb. 13, 1936, in Union County, the daughter of Lindsey and Mamie Elizabeth Gibbs Tibbs. She and Kirby L. Patterson were married March 8, 1953, and he preceded her in death Nov. 16, 2013...

UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. -- Thomas A. "Tommy"/"Boy" Koehler II, 41, of University City passed away Friday, May 2, 2014, at St. Mary's Hospital in St. Louis. He was born March 21, 1973, in Chaffee, Missouri. His parents are Thomas A. and Shirley Schuesler Koehler. He and Robin Neiswonger were married Oct. 13, 2013. ...

Raymond "Wesley" Gray, 55, of Scott City died Saturday, May 3, 2014, at his home. He was born in St. Louis on July 4, 1958, the son of Raymond Junior and Estella Josephine Biggs Gray. He married Bobbie Jean Moore on Sept. 22, 1979. Wesley was a vocalist and drummer for the local band TUFA for about 20 years, starting in the mid 1970s. He worked as crusher helper for Lonestar Industries, now known as Buzzi Unicem...

BELFAST, Northern Ireland -- Sinn Fein party leader Gerry Adams was released without charge Sunday after five days of police questioning over his alleged involvement in a decades-old IRA killing of a Belfast mother of 10, an investigation that has driven a dangerous wedge into Northern Ireland's unity government...

ABUJA, Nigeria -- Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan met with security, school and state officials and ordered that "everything must be done" to free the 276 girls held captive by Islamic extremists, one of his advisers said Sunday amid growing national outrage at the government's response to the abduction...

ODESSA, Ukraine -- Outrage over the deaths of pro-Russian activists in riots in Odessa triggered new violence Sunday in the Black Sea port, where a mob of protesters stormed police headquarters and freed dozens of their jailed allies. The activists had been jailed for their involvement in clashes Friday that killed more than 40 people -- some died from gunshot wounds, but most from a fire that broke out in a trade union building. ...

WASHINGTON -- U.S. teachers are nowhere near as diverse as their students. Almost half the students attending public schools are minorities, yet fewer than 1 in 5 of their teachers is nonwhite. New studies from the Center for American Progress and the National Education Association are calling attention to this "diversity gap" at elementary and secondary schools in the United States. The groups want more to be done to help teachers more accurately mirror the students in their classrooms...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A support frame collapsed during an aerial hair-hanging stunt at a circus performance Sunday, sending eight acrobats plummeting to the ground. Nine performers were seriously injured in the fall, including a dancer below, while an unknown number of others suffered less serious injuries...

ST. LOUIS -- Missouri lawmakers in Washington have formed a bipartisan group to promote the scholastic benefits of chess while further pushing for recognition of St. Louis as the nation's chess capital. Republican Rep. Jason Smith and Democratic Rep. William Lacy Clay lead the Congressional Chess Caucus. Other members include Missouri Republicans Vicky Hartzler, Blaine Luetkemeyer and Ann Wagner, and Democratic Rep. John Conyers of Michigan...

North County Christian scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh to rally for an 8-7 win over Eagle Ridge Christian in the MCSAA state championship baseball game Saturday in Joplin, Mo. Eagle Ridge (10-6-1) scored three runs in the top of sixth to cut North County's lead to 4-3, then moved ahead with four runs in the seventh...

News from the U.S. Department of Agriculture:n The 2012 Census of Agriculture data was released Friday, and some of the findings include: -- 22 percent of all farmers were beginning farmers in 2012, meaning 1 of 5 farmers operated a farm for less than 10 years...

O Father God, may those with heavy hearts find peace through you. Amen.

Listening rooms 1 and 2 are tucked away to the right of the entrance and lined with a variety of speakers -- some standing on the floor, others on shelves -- waiting to be tested for sound quality. Two comfortable armchairs sit in the middle of the dim room, and classic rock can be heard softly in the background...

People in the social service field gathered at the United Way of Southeast Missouri on Tuesday to learn more about something called the invisible nation of poverty. They listened to a presentation by Melissa Stickel, titled "Poverty 101," to gain a deeper understanding of poverty in the community. Stickel is director of community development for the agency...

Missouri motorists have seen some relief the past week, with retail gas prices falling 6 cents to an average of $3.40 per gallon Monday, according to GasBuddy's daily survey of 3,940 Missouri gas outlets. The national average has dropped 1.4 cents per gallon in the past week to $3.64 per gallon, according to GasBuddy.com...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Senate is expected to debate legislation this week that would curb the ability of public employee unions to collect fees from workers' paychecks. Senate Republican leaders have called the measure a top priority this year. The bill passed the House previously and awaits action on the Senate calendar...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's assistant state fire marshal has been chosen to serve as the acting state fire marshal. Gov. Jay Nixon elevated Greg Carrell to replace Randy Cole, who was fire marshal from 2005 until his retirement last week...

JOPLIN, Mo. -- A new radar system helped meteorologists in Oklahoma detect debris from a tornado just as it was hitting Quapaw last month, but a similar radar in Missouri failed to see debris from the same storm when the EF2 twister bore moments later through Baxter Springs, Kansas...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Housing Authority is drawing both praise and anger for its decision to ban smoking in all public housing, beginning July 1. The policy, which will prohibit smoking indoors and in outdoor areas of the complexes, affects more than 1,700 residential units and about 5,000 adults and children, The Kansas City Star reported...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri would hold presidential primary elections in March instead of February under a bill on its way to Gov. Jay Nixon. House members approved the legislation Monday on a vote of 101-47. The Senate passed it 25-7 in April...

A motorist was taken to a hospital Monday with non-life-threatening injuries after the car he was driving crashed into a house on Mason Street. Chris Hendricks told officers he had a seizure, which caused him to accelerate through the intersection of Mason and Middle streets and crash into the house in a black 2010 Ford Taurus, Sgt. Jason Selzer of the Cape Girardeau Police Department said...

New health-communication and health-sciences degrees will be considered at today's Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents meeting. Scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in the Board of Regents Room at Academic Hall, the meeting also includes approving incidental, online and special course fees and reports...

LAURA SIMON ~ lsimon@semissourian.com Clayson Anderson shovels dirt from the perimeter of the neighborhood garden located off Merriwether Street on Monday to clear the way for a fence. ...

A majority of returned Jackson community survey results regarding a water improvements bond issue were in favor of upgrading the city's 2- and 4-inch water distribution pipes and not paying for softened water -- a luxury, not a necessity, many commented...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A Boone County judge has granted what may be the first same-sex divorce in Missouri, which has a constitutional amendment against recognizing same-sex marriages. Boone County Circuit Judge Leslie Schneider granted a divorce last month for Dena and Samantha Latimer, who were married in Massachusetts in 2009 and lived in Columbia, The Columbia Daily Tribune reported. ...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Cornealious "Mike" Anderson spent 13 years free from prison due to a clerical error, then nearly a year behind bars when the mistake was caught. On Monday, he walked out of a Southeast Missouri courtroom a free man again -- this time with no need to look over his shoulder...

A Cape Girardeau County circuit judge sentenced a Dexter, Missouri, man to 25 years in prison Monday for his role in the fatal shooting of 34-year-old Sean Crow of Bernie, Missouri. Under Missouri's truth-in-sentencing law, Glen Scott Evans, 46, will be more than 67 years old before he is eligible for parole...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Republican House leaders were looking confidently toward a showdown Tuesday over whether to enact an income-tax cut, after the GOP-led Senate took the first step by voting to override the veto of Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon...

Commander Premier Aircraft Corp. has finally started moving out of its hangar at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, just in time for this year's air festival. The city of Cape Girardeau evicted the company in October 2011 after Commander failed to make lease payments going back to 2007. The company began business at the airport in 2005 with plans to establish a small plane production company and hire 100 people within three years, but never produced any aircraft...

LEOPOLD, Mo. -- First-year Scott City softball coach Kaitlin Zink didn't have to say too much to her players when they were trailing by two runs in the fifth inning of their Class 1 sectional game against Leopold on Monday. But somebody else in the dugout did, and what followed was a nine-run inning for the Rams that led to a 12-5 victory over the Wildcats...

Toppled headstones of a husband and wife long deceased. Ivy hiding the identities of babies who never reached age 1. Faded flowers left by a daughter who has since died herself. These scenes are becoming more common as the nation and its cemeteries age...

The temporary Ward 3 representative was appointed by the Cape Girardeau City Council at it's Monday night meeting. Four men turned in applications for the position, including two who also announced their intent to run for the elected position. The council ultimately selected Patrick Koetting during the regular session when Charles DiStefano announced during the study session his decision to step down...

The Girl Scout Bronze Award is the highest award a Girl Scout Junior can earn. Completed as a troop, girls learn teamwork and confidence as they have the kind of fun working with other Girl Scouts to make a difference. The Girl Scout Bronze Award demonstrates the leadership and planning skills required to follow through with a project that makes a positive difference in the community. Thirty six girls from Cape Girardeau received the Bronze Award on Monday May 5,2014...

TNT Fitness is offering a new easy to follow exercise and nutrition program called "The TakeDown Challenge". This is a 28 Day support and supervised program that is made for men and women from the ages of 18-80 who want to lose weight, quickly, safely, and permanently...

Butterfly on a flower.

The Blue Angels perform their aerial burst as part of the airshow at the Spirit of St Louis airport this past weekend in Chesterfield.

The U.S. Navy flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels at the Spirit of St Louis airport in Chesterfield this past weekend as part of the airport's 50th anniversary celebration.

Former Missouri resident, Natasha Laws Mick is set to act in a variety of films and television productions this year. One of which will be the film Abattage Angels filming in St. Louis Missouri, by writer and director James Featherston and writer Ryan Tolleson. ...

ST. LOUIS -- Does periodic fasting offer greater value than counting calories daily? Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis hope to find out. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the research will look at whether limited fasting for a few days a week is easier than limiting food intake on a daily basis. They also want to learn if fasting helps with weight loss and slows aging...

Today is Tuesday, May 6, the 126th day of 2014. There are 239 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On May 6, 1954, medical student Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile during a track meet in Oxford, England, in 3:59.4...

I would like to thank the editorial board for its objective consideration of SB 509 and the veto override. It is clear that you took the time to not only understand the legislation, but acknowledge the reality that talking points motivate both sides of an issue...

Everyone in the United States agrees that the best government is that which governs the least. Today, an increasing number of conservative people believe that there is too much government in our lives. They remind me of juvenile delinquents who complain that their parents are too intrusive and controlling of them. They have no clue that it was their unruly behaviors that forced their parents to take charge...

LAS VEGAS -- A Las Vegas company that owns casinos in Nevada, Missouri, Colorado and Iowa says its system for processing credit and debit card information has been hacked. Affinity Gaming issued a statement last week saying it has no evidence that credit card information is being stolen. Company officials said they've taken steps to secure the system, and the independent cybersecurity firm Mandiant was looking into the breach...

Dorris Kester, 85, of Cape Girardeau passed away Sunday, May 4, 2014, at the Lutheran Home. She was born Dec. 14, 1928, in Chaffee, Missouri, daughter of Frank and Olivia Dumey Graser. She and John Kester were married July 29, 1947. He passed away Oct. 15, 1992...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- Jackie L. Miller, 65, of Olive Branch died Saturday, May 3, 2014, at Cobden Rehab and Nursing Center, surrounded by family and friends. He had resided there since February and the family is so grateful for the loving care he received by the staff in his last months of life...

Victoria S. Strong, 45, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, May 1, 2014, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Luella M. Degenhardt, 87, of Perryville died Monday, May 5, 2014, at Independence Care Center of Perry County. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday and from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. Thursday at Young and Sons Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Immanuel Lutheran Church, with the Rev. Thomas Handrick officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery...

Mary Evelyn Penrod, 92, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, May 4, 2014, at her home. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Stan Hargis officiating. Burial will be in Cape County Memorial Park...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Country music singer Scotty McCreery was the victim of an early morning home invasion near the campus of North Carolina State University, where he is a student. Raleigh Police spokesman Jim Sughrue says officers were called shortly before 2 a.m. Monday to an apartment about a mile from campus. People at the apartment told police that three suspects armed with guns robbed them of wallets, cash and electronic items...

LOS ANGELES -- The mother and sister of "Modern Family" star Ariel Winter have settled a guardianship dispute over who will care for the teenage actress. Winter's mother Chrisoula Workman and sister Shanelle Gray announced the accord on Monday in Los Angeles just before a guardianship trial was set to begin...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Thanks to her friends in country music, Miranda Lambert leads the Country Music Television Award nominations by pairing with her husband Blake Shelton, her girl group Pistol Annies and good friend Keith Urban. She's up for two individual awards for her video "Automatic," two for collaborating with the Annies on Shelton's song "Boys 'Round Here" and two more for her duet with Urban on "We Were Us."...

*** JACKSON Firefighters responded to the following call Sunday. * Emergency medical service on South Shawnee Parkway.

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

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY The Department of Public Safety released the following items. DWIs...

WASHINGTON -- Scientists implanted thin sheets of scaffolding-like material from pigs into a few young men with disabling leg injuries -- and say the experimental treatment coaxed the men's own stem cells to regrow new muscle. The research, funded by the Defense Department, included just five patients, a small first step in the complex quest for regenerative medicine...

Editor's note: This story first appeared in the summer issue of Flourish magazine. To subscribe, call 388-2785. Bones break. But as women grow older, breaks become more common because of osteoporosis: a disease of the skeletal system identified by low-bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue, also called "porous bone." Bones become soft or brittle and break more easily...

LONDON -- For the first time ever, the World Health Organization on Monday declared the spread of polio an international public health emergency that could grow in the next few months and unravel the nearly three-decade effort to eradicate the crippling disease...

LAGOS, Nigeria -- Nigeria's Islamic extremist leader is threatening to sell the nearly 300 teenage schoolgirls abducted from a school in the remote northeast three weeks ago, in a new videotape received Monday. Abubakar Shekau for the first time also claimed responsibility for the April 15 mass abduction, warning that his group plans to attack more schools and abduct more girls...

ODESSA, Ukraine -- Ukraine sent an elite national guard unit to its southern port of Odessa, desperate to halt a spread of the fighting between government troops and a pro-Russia militia in the east that killed combatants on both sides Monday. The government in Kiev intensified its attempts to bring both regions back under its control, but seemed particularly alarmed by the bloodshed in Odessa. ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Investigators suspect that a snapped clip sent eight aerial acrobats plummeting 20 feet or more during a daring act in which performers dangle from their hair. One injured performer told her father she didn't notice anything amiss before her "plunge into darkness."...

WASHINGTON -- As the United States attempts to punish Russia for its actions in Ukraine, the Treasury Department is deploying an economic weapon that could prove more costly than sanctions: the Internal Revenue Service. This summer, the U.S. plans to start using a new law that will make it more expensive for Russian banks to do business in America...

WASHINGTON -- A narrowly divided Supreme Court upheld decidedly Christian prayers at the start of local council meetings on Monday, declaring them in line with long national traditions though the country has grown more religiously diverse. The content of the prayers is not significant as long as they do not denigrate non-Christians or try to win converts, the court said in a 5-4 decision backed by its conservative majority...

St. Louis took advantage of shaky defense in a 4-3 win

Kennett's Bud Hilburn related an early season story after the Indians' 7-5 win over top-seeded Notre Dame in Monday's SEMO Conference tournament championship game at Capaha Field. "At the very beginning of the season there was two or three teams in the conference that were ranked in the state, and everybody was kind of looking at us, and as our coach said, 'We're kind of a like a snake in the grass,'" Hilburn said. "We showed we can play with everybody."...

Host Notre Dame swept the boys and girls divisions at the six-team SEMO Central Conference track and field meet Monday. The Bulldogs won 12 of the 18 events in the boys division. Jordan Barber and Rudy McClellan each picked up a pair of first-place finishes for Notre Dame...

Notre Dame senior Brady Dixon saved his best 18-hole high school round for the Class 3 District 1 tournament Monday at the Crowne Pointe Golf Club in Farmington, Missouri. Dixon fired a 3-under-par 69 to claim the medalist honor and lead the Bulldogs in their successful defense of their district title. Notre Dame totaled 308 and finished 21 shots ahead of runner-up Farmington...

The junior shot 71 to tie Central's Simmons for the medalist honor

The city of Jackson was established in 1814 as a "seat of justice" for the newly formed Cape Girardeau County. That makes our city 200 years old, and we are really celebrating our bicentennial. We started in January with a reading of proclamations from the county commission, state Sen. Wayne Wallingford, state Rep. Donna Lichtenegger and me...

Southeast Missouri State University's board of regents gives its approval for the establishment of a Center for Earthquake Studies in the College of Science and Technology; the center will engage in educational and research activities. About 30 people, including members of Vision 2000 and the Teen Challenge training center, plant 700 rose bushes on the northwest side of Interstate 55/Route K intersection; the roses are planted on a gentle slope in an area about 30 feet wide by 200 feet long...

The 2014 Leadership Cape class presented five proposals during May's First Friday Coffee. The class believes the projects would add value to this area. Leadership Cape, a program offered through the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce, offers participants an opportunity to hone leadership skills and learn more about the area. ...

O Lord Jesus, we praise you for you are the Son of the living God. Amen.

Incidental, general and online course fees were set by the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents during their meeting Tuesday. The board approved an increase to incidental fees -- which are considered tuition -- of $3.35 per credit hour, but waived them because of an expected increase in state allocations. So students will pay the same incidental fees in 2014-2015 they did in the current year -- $228.75 per credit hour...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The Perryville board of aldermen on Tuesday updated its public indecency laws to ensure nursing mothers can feed their infants without fear of prosecution. The new ordinance, which passed unanimously, prohibits public exposure of any "private area," apparent sexual conduct, urination or defecation but includes a clause specifically permitting breast-feeding...

Instead of a lawn mower-esque sound a dune buggy would usually make, the one demonstrated in a parking lot outside the Otto and Della Seabaugh Polytechnic Building at Southeast Missouri State University on Tuesday was virtually silent. That's because it's electric...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's Republican-led Legislature enacted the state's first income tax rate reduction in almost a century Tuesday by overriding the veto of Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon, who has denounced it as a reckless financial experiment...

Jackson soccer coach Justin McMullen has been waiting most of the season for his squad to put together a complete game. If Tuesday's 7-0 whitewash of rival Central wasn't what he's been looking for, it's close...

WASHINGTON -- Global warming is rapidly turning America the beautiful into America the stormy, sneezy and dangerous, according to a new federal scientific report. And those shining seas? Rising and costly, the report says. Climate change's assorted harms "are expected to become increasingly disruptive across the nation throughout this century and beyond," the National Climate Assessment concluded Tuesday. ...

Trenton's first at bat, ever.

Eli Glueck, a 2nd Grader at St Ambrose School in Chaffee, took down his first turkey alongside his dad on his grandpa's farm in Greenville, MO on May 7, 2014. The turkey weighed 21 pounds and had a 10 inch beard with 3/4 inch spurs.

Today is Wednesday, May 7, the 127th day of 2014. There are 238 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On May 7, 1789, America's first inaugural ball was held in New York in honor of President George Washington, who'd taken the oath of office a week earlier. (His wife, Martha, did not attend; she was back in Virginia, attending to family business.)...

Members of law enforcement have a challenging job. They serve to protect our communities and weed out crime. This responsibility comes with risks. The families of 48 law enforcement personnel in Southeast Missouri know too well about this danger. An annual Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. ...

Whether the Democrats like it or not, someone in this administration is going to take the fall for the disaster that claimed four American lives in Benghazi. With last week's announcement that a special select committee was being formed to probe deep into the Benghazi fiasco, the Democrats are clearly scrambling...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- More than 20 people were arrested Tuesday after demonstrators briefly interrupted the debate in the Missouri Senate to protest lawmakers' refusal to accept federal dollars to expand the state's Medicaid program. A few hundred clergy and other protesters with the Missouri Medicaid Coalition filled the public galleries, chanted and sang hymns. The disruption led Senate Republican leaders to halt work for about an hour as Capitol Police cleared the galleries...

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. -- The mayor of one of St. Louis County's most prosperous cities is suggesting that it may be time to consider seceding and joining neighboring St. Charles County. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Chesterfield Mayor Bob Nation is frustrated by the Missouri Legislature's lack of action on a proposed change to the St. Louis County sales tax distribution system. The change would let cities keep more revenue generated within their boundaries...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Renewed concerns about sluggish state revenues led lawmakers to agree Tuesday to use long-term debt to build a new high-security building at the site of the oldest public mental health facility in the western half of the U.S...

The price of oil was nearly unchanged Tuesday as traders waited for the latest data on U.S. supplies. Benchmark U.S. crude for June delivery rose 2 cents to close at $99.50 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, a benchmark for international varieties of oil, fell 66 cents to $107.06 on the ICE Futures exchange in London...

BENTON, Mo. -- Sister Barbara J. Lux, SSCM, 68, of Carterville, Illinois, died Wednesday, April 23, 2014, at Presence St. Mary's Hospital in Kankakee, Illinois. She was born June 27, 1945, in Chicago, daughter of Cletus J. and Rita Halter Lux. Barbara was a 1959 graduate of St. Jane de Chantal Grade School and a 1963 graduate of St. Joseph High School. She earned a bachelor of arts in psychology and theology in 1993 at St. Mary of the Woods College...

Donald E. Werner Sr., 77, of Frankfort, Kentucky, passed away Tuesday, April 29, 2014, in Frankfort. He was born Aug. 14, 1936, in Cape Girardeau. He retired from Kentucky Department of Transportation after 33 years, where he worked as a civil engineer. In 1992 he began work as a building contractor, and owned a surveying and development business more than 50 years. He was a member of Hope Lutheran Church and very active in the community...

Hilary F. Schmittzehe, 84, of Cape Girardeau, chief executive officer of VIP Industries in Cape Girardeau, died Monday, May 5, 2014, at Saint Francis Medical Center, surrounded by family and friends. He was born and raised in Cape Girardeau. He graduated from Notre Dame Regional High School before enrolling in the Montgomery and Taylor School of Horology, from which he earned a degree in watchmaking...

Mary Evelyn Penrod, 92, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, May 4, 2014, at her home. She was born Oct. 20, 1921, in Marquand, Missouri, to Jessie F. and Rhetta Philps Cornman. She and Dennis Lee Penrod were married May 6, 1939, at Perryville, Missouri. He died May 17, 1993...

Helen Runnels, 85, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, May 5, 2014, at Ratliff Care Center. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Son to Kimberly Nicole Tucker Martin of Kelso, Missouri, Saint Francis Medical Center, 10:11 p.m. Tuesday, April 29, 2014. Name, Holden Lee Maxwell. Weight, 6 pounds, 1 ounce. Ms. Martin is the daughter of Jack Tucker and Donna Beeson of Kelso, and Frances and Larry Tucker of Benton, Missouri...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Who wins with Tuesday's vote to give Missouri its first cut in income tax rates in nearly a century? As always, the answer depends on whom you ask. Missouri's Republicans who overrode Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of the tax cut bill say the cut will spur economic growth by making it easier for companies to do business in the state...

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

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

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Appearing in court separately, two men waived arraignment and pleaded not guilty Tuesday to first-degree murder charges in connection with the fatal beating of an Anna, Illinois, man. Jessie Bell, 34, of Anna and Travis D. Turner, 25, of Dongola, Illinois, had been scheduled for preliminary hearings Tuesday in Union County, Illinois, Circuit Court...

The Cape County Republican Women's Club will host Cape Girardeau County recorder of deeds candidates Scott R. Clark and Drew Blattner at noon Friday at Dexter Bar-B-Que, 236 Broadview St. in Cape Girardeau. Clark is the county's current recorder, and Blattner is assistant director for the Cape Girardeau County Archive Center. The Republican men will face off in the primary election Aug. 5...

Rams brass downplayed any interest in QB Manziel

St. Louis dropped to .500 with a 2-1 setback in Atlanta

Farming: The growing season, already two weeks longer than in 1950, will continue to lengthen. But gains will be offset by smaller yields for some crops, including corn. Soybean yields will improve for a while, but gains will eventually be offset by heat stress. Wetter springs could delay planting...

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

Southeast Missouri State sophomore Savannah Carpenter was selected to the all-Ohio Valley Conference first team for softball, while junior Haylee Crack was named to the all-newcomer team. Carpenter, a utility and designated player, established a single-season record for batting average at Southeast, hitting .424. Carpenter led the team with nine doubles and hit six home runs. She finished with 29 RBIs and scored 17 runs...

ALTENBURG, Mo. -- Dr. Ralph Bohlmann, president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, is the featured speaker at the 150th anniversary outdoor rally of Trinity Lutheran Church; the afternoon event is held at the log college/seminary park across from the church...

Lord Jesus, may we show your love to the world and proclaim your goodness. Amen.

Bones break. But as women grow older, breaks become more common because of osteoporosis: a disease of the skeletal system identified by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue, also called "porous bone." Bones become soft or brittle and break more easily...

The human body's organs are not only under our skin and behind bones their counter-parts also take up residency on the bottoms of our feet, according to the theory behind reflexology, an ancient form of massage therapy...

Most women arrive at Mending Hearts Recovery with nothing but the clothes on their back and a small box of paperwork. They've hit rock bottom, completed stints in the Missouri Department of Corrections or a substance abuse treatment program, and come to the Cape Girardeau housing facility to focus on living clean and sober while easing back into everyday society...

Just before Thanksgiving last fall, students in Jill Young's business statistics class at Southeast Missouri State University voted on questions about social issues, smartphones and health care, using touch-screen machines. On Thursday, members of her class presented the results via webcast to Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Democratic lawmaker from suburban St. Louis has been removed from several Missouri House committees after he sided with Republicans to enact an income-tax cut. Rep. Keith English was removed from four House committees Wednesday by House Minority Leader Jake Hummel...

ST. LOUIS -- The city of St. Louis wants Missouri lawmakers to block a local ballot measure designed to prevent Peabody Energy and companies that do business with the coal producer from earning state tax incentives. Mayor Francis Slay's office pushed for language in two bills before the Legislature that would keep city voters from considering a ballot measure barring companies that engage in "unsustainable" energy production from receiving St. ...

ST. LOUIS -- The 3-month-old bear cub that created a brief rabies scare after nipping St. Louis college students has a new home at the St. Louis Zoo. Meanwhile, conservation officials are investigating how the bear was allowed contact with humans in the first place, in apparent violation of state law...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Cole County judge has rejected a Kirksville man's challenge of a 1999 murder conviction that targeted the scientific work of a respected former medical examiner. Circuit Judge Daniel Green on Tuesday rejected Jessie McKim's request for a new trial in Wendy Wagnon's 1997 drug-related death. McKim and his uncle, James Peavler, were each found guilty in Adair County of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Peavler has since died...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The University of Missouri has rented a former design showroom to house up to 600,000 moldy books as they are cleaned and restored. The university began leasing a former Rust & Martin design showroom Thursday, at a cost of $16,965 a month. The books will be stored there but cleaned by Belfor, a global disaster recovery and restoration company, at a location in Texas, The Columbia Daily Tribune reported...

Several years ago, methamphetamine manufacturers were so keen to obtain anhydrous ammonia that some would steal it out of tanks within sight of the farmers who owned it. "Years ago, they would go out and steal it in the farmer's field while he was on the tractor," said Capt. Jerry Bledsoe of the Scott County Sheriff's Department, recalling such an instance in New Hamburg, Missouri...

When it comes to praise, teachers sometimes get overlooked, but with Teacher Appreciation Week, which runs through Friday, instructors throughout the Cape Girardeau School District are getting a lift from the community. Blake Tiemann, executive pastor at Cape First, said a teacher from the Alternative Education Center mentioned to the pastoral staff that the school typically gets overlooked. But not this year...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri lawmakers sent voters a proposed amendment to the state constitution on Wednesday intended to strengthen the right to bear arms. The Republican-led Senate voted 23-8 to add the bill to the statewide November general election ballot. The proposal passed the House a day earlier with a 122-31 vote...

Public schools statewide should be getting more state money this year than they have in recent memory, something local school districts are pleased with. But the effect of Senate Bill 509, tax-cut legislation passed by the Missouri General Assembly, leaves officials uncertain...

The Woodland senior averaged 26.2 points per game, 11.2 rebounds and 9.4 steals against defenses determined to take the ball out of her hands.

Editor's note: This story is the second in a series about local farms and farmers. Fuzzy buds the size of thumbnails cling to the limbs of peach trees lined in rows at the Beggs' Pioneer Orchard off Silver Springs Road in Cape Girardeau. Starting next week, many of those buds will be picked in a process called thinning, leaving an average of 6 inches between each bud and allowing better size and flavor in the growing fruit, Bill and Diana Beggs said...

Described as everything from leaders and inspirations to enthusiastic and caring, five teachers were honored at Wednesday evening's Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce 2014 Educator Appreciation Banquet. Held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Jackson, the event was attended by about 150 people...

Hilary Schmittzehe's friends and family are saying goodbye to him this week, but his legacy lives on in the company he helped start and the employees whose lives he touched. The longtime CEO of VIP Industries died Monday at age 84. "He spent a big part of his life toward making life better for the handicapped," said Richard Aufdenberg, chairman of VIP's board of directors...

Former Meadow Heights standout Erin Bollmann has wanted to play Division I basketball since she was in high school. She chose to attend and play basketball at Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, out of high school with the hopes that she'd still fulfill that dream...

The Rams defeated West County 5-3 on Thursday to advance to the inaugural spring softball final four in Missouri.

Evelyn Zeglis and her aunt Sharon Roempagel decorated a vase and filled it with flowers for Mother's Day. They were participating in Success By 6 Born Learning at the Cape Girardeau Public Library.

A group of hip hop and rap artists from Kentucky and Southeast Missouri will be performing at Port Cape's Yacht Club Saturday, May 24th. $5 cover for 21 and older with an ID, dress code. Food and drink specials. Presented by Lynn & Associates, LLC...

Members of the Cape Central Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Chapter recently attended the 2014 Missouri FBLA Leadership Conference held on April 13th, 14th, and 15th in Columbia, Missouri. FBLA is a career and technical student organization for all high school students participating in business programs. ...

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. It's an opportunity to recognize those educators who have made a difference in your life or the lives of your children. On Wednesday night the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce recognized its Educators of the Year. Recipients include the following: Beth St. John, Jackson High School; Heather Miller, high school special education teacher; Jason Bruns, Jackson Middle School; Lisa Goodwin, Orchard Elementary School; and Tammy Mueller, St. Paul Lutheran School...

The article about "Praying with the Enemy" really spoke to my heart about the compassion of Christ shown through the Rev. Gerecke to the Nazi war criminals. Throughout his life he showed the same compassion Jesus did. Thank you for the insightful story, and thanks to former police chief Gerecke for sharing with us. Jesus truly does forgive the worst sinners; we only have to truly repent...

Hello, my name is Mia Schwettman and I am 15 years old. I have a genetic disorder called Neurofibromatosis. My family found out when I was 9 months old. It is a disorder that does not discriminate in whom it affects. It is an unpredictable and incurable disorder. I have many marks on my body called cafe au lait spots that look like birthmarks...

Thank you so much for your inspiring and informative autism article! I cannot overstate how important it is for families like the Shrimplins to have options. The Son-Rise Program that this dedicated family is doing with their precious son Alex was originally developed to help me!...

NEW YORK -- Soothing words from Federal Reserve chairwoman Janet Yellen helped pull the stock market out of a morning slump Wednesday. But Internet companies and Whole Foods Market plunged, taking the Nasdaq down. Traders dropped NetApp, salesforce.com and other tech companies for a second day running, sending their stocks down 2 percent or more. Whole Foods sank 19 percent after cutting its profit forecast...

Dorothy Ann Buchheit, 82, of Jackson passed away Wednesday, May 7, 2014, at Monticello House. She was born May 31, 1931, in Jackson, daughter of William H. and Ara Kinder Schroeder. She and Edgar O. Buchheit were married Sept. 12, 1953. He passed away Feb. 18, 2010...

Dorothy May Hickam, 72, of Jackson died Thursday, April 24, 2014, at Monticello House. She was born Feb. 6, 1942, in St. Louis, to Milford Lester and Elsa May Dow Hickam. Dorothy is a graduate of Central High School, and received a bachelor of science degree in education from Southeast Missouri State University. She taught English and social studies at Schultz School in Cape Girardeau, and also taught in the Kansas City and Leopold, Missouri, school systems...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- John Robert Todt, 62, of Astatula, Florida, passed away Monday, May 5, 2014, at Cornerstone Hospital. He was born Jan. 31, 1952, in Chaffee, to the late Harold and Rita Margrabe Todt. John moved to the Orlando area in 1971 and has worked in the building products industry more than 30 years...

MORLEY, Mo. — Charlotte Coplin, 48, of Morley died Wednesday, May 7, 2014, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee, Missouri, is in charge of arrangements.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Ceola M. Firebaugh, 104, of Perryville died Friday, May 2, 2014, at Holiday Residential Care Center in Perryville. Graveside service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at East Lawn Cemetery in Bloomington, Illinois. Miller Family Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements...

Daughter to Garrett B. and Chelsey M. Mills of Scott City, Southeast Hospital, 9:55 p.m. Monday, April 28, 2014. Name, Estella Marie. Weight, 8 pounds, 4 ounces. Second daughter. Mrs. Mills is the former Chelsey Menz, daughter of Donna Menz and Charlie Menz of New Hamburg, Missouri. She is employed by Kids & Kompany. Mills is the son of Dennis Mills and Sandi Mills of Scott City. He is employed by Rose Concrete Products...

A Southeast Missouri man is a state record-holder thanks to a fish he caught. The Department of Conservation announced this week that Tyler Goodale of Poplar Bluff took the record-breaking spotted sucker April 3 at the Duck Creek Conservation Area. Goodale's fish was 18.2 inches long and weighed 3.65 pounds. The Conservation Department says the previous record-holder weighed slightly more than 2 pounds and was caught in 1992 at Wappapello Lake...

ATLANTA -- Adam Wainwright was dominant on the mound. He wasn't too shabby at the plate, either. Wainwright pitched eight strong innings and helped himself offensively, outscoring Atlanta all by himself to lead the St. Louis Cardinals past the Braves 7-1 on Wednesday night...

WASHINGTON -- Over the next month, two of President Barack Obama's closest first-term advisers will spill insider details on the administration's handling of the early days of the recession, the White House's cautious response to the Syrian civil war and the genesis of clandestine talks with Iran...

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

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

NEW YORK -- Danah Boyd has made a name for herself at the research division of Microsoft for painstaking work examining social media, Big Data and the tension between public and private lives, but it's her teens'-eye view of the digital world that sets her apart...

HAVANA -- Four Cuban exiles from Miami are being held for planning "terrorist actions" against military targets on the island, Havana authorities said Wednesday in announcing the first such arrests in years. The Interior Ministry said the men were detained April 26, but released few specific details. It was not clear why it took so long to make the arrests public...

LAGOS, Nigeria -- Islamic militants who have triggered international outrage over the kidnapping of more than 270 Nigerian schoolgirls opened fire on a busy marketplace, killing hundreds of people in a new spasm of violence in the country's northeast...

DONETSK, Ukraine -- Russian President Vladimir Putin softened his tone in the confrontation with the West on Wednesday, declaring that Russia has pulled its troops away from the Ukrainian border and calling for a delay of Sunday's referendum on autonomy in Ukraine's restive east...

VILONIA, Ark. -- Surveying the remnants of nature's destructive power in the country's midsection, President Barack Obama pledged Wednesday to residents of tornado-ravaged Arkansas communities that their government will stand with them until they finish rebuilding...

WASHINGTON -- Top health insurance companies told members of Congress on Wednesday that more than 80 percent of people who've signed up under the president's new health-care law have gone on to pay their premiums -- a necessary step for the enrollment figures touted by the Obama administration to hold up...

NEW YORK -- Nancy Strumwasser, a high school teacher from Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, always thought she'd have two children. But the layoffs that swept over the U.S. economy around the time her son was born six years ago helped change her mind. Though she and her husband, a market researcher, managed to keep their jobs, she fears they won't be so fortunate next time...

A large object such as a bowling ball will sink in water, right? Not so fast. With a few materials from around the house, you can put that to the test. 8-pound bowling ball Can of regular soda Large transparent container STEP 1: Fill the large transparent container three-fourths of the way with water...

The Missouri Department of Transportation's work to re-stripe various state routes throughout Southeast Missouri began in mid-March, with a focus on interstates and major routes. Crews are now shifting to striping state routes in Southeast Missouri's cities and towns, including Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff, Sikeston, Dexter, Kennett and Malden, according to a MoDOT news release. ...

BEIRUT -- Carrying their rifles and small bags of belongings, hundreds of exhausted Syrian rebels withdrew Wednesday from their last remaining strongholds in the heart of Homs, surrendering to President Bashar Assad a bloodstained city that was once the center of the revolt against him...

Landon Mills hit a two-run home run to help lead the Jackson baseball team to a 5-3 vengeful victory over its conference nemesis Poplar Bluff on Wednesday. Tyler Slinkard picked up the win on the mound. He went the distance and gave up three earned runs on seven hits, struck out seven and walked one...

The Tigers will have a rematch with Farmington next week.

The following local students have been awarded scholarships to attend Southeast Missouri State University for the 2014-2015 academic year: Cape Girardeau Griffin Patterson was awarded the Residence Life Leadership Award. Patterson is the son of Shawn and Kate Patterson of Cape Girardeau and will be a 2014 graduate of Notre Dame Regional High School. ...

According to statistics compiled by Southeast Missouri State University's Department of Public Safety, vandalism was the most frequently occurring crime reported on the campus in 1988, followed in descending order by liquor violations, harassments, narcotics violations and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs...

O Lord Jesus, we believe you are the Son of God and worship you. Amen.

Burger pitched nine shutout innings and collected two wins in leading Scott City to the Class 1 District 5 softball championship last week.

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- For the Marble Hill Board of Aldermen, water is everywhere -- backing up in people's basements, flooding businesses and other property, and running through shut-off water meters. Some water falls freely. Some is considered too costly. And it remains to be seen whether any of it will flow into the municipal swimming pool this year...

A crash Thursday afternoon damaged a traffic signal at Mount Auburn Road and William Street in Cape Girardeau. A dump truck hit a light pole at the intersection about 3:30 p.m. Thursday, a police spokesman said. Darin Hickey, public information officer for the Cape Girardeau Police Department, said the lights at the intersection had been switched to four-way flashing, and the Missouri Department of Transportation had been notified of the problem...

Anticipating a 4 percent increase in state funding -- equating to about $1.7 million for fiscal year 2015 -- Southeast Missouri State University is looking to add a few positions and expand supplemental instruction and its information technology help desk...

More than a dozen buildings are featured on this year's Endangered Buildings List, released by the Cape Girardeau Historic Preservation Commission. This is up from last year's list, when 11 structures were considered endangered. The commission accepts nominations for the list and evaluates each suggestion based on historical or architectural significance, whether the structure is neglected or abandoned and whether anything can be done to save the building...

You learn a lot from living a long life in a small city, and former Cape Girardeau Central High School teacher Jo Ann Bock's book, "Around the Town of Cape Girardeau in 80 Years," is proof. Published last year by the Center for Regional History at Southeast Missouri State University, the 203-page work melds Bock's recollections with details about life in Cape Girardeau back to the Great Depression...

May is a good month for people in the jewelry business. Shiny, sparkly adornments are often given for springtime graduations, engagements, weddings, anniversaries, Easter and Mother's Day. Shoppers also seem more enthusiastic this spring, said Kendra Harris, manager of Jayson Jewelers in Cape Girardeau...

This is Max. Hes an 11 month old Pitbull/Lab mix.

This Stearman Bi-Plane stopped at Cape's Airport earlier this week for fuel and a rest for it's pilot before continuing on it's journey. A favorite among airshow performers, the WWII Boeing Trainer was decked out with some cool logos and nose art...along with mounts for what appeared to be some 8-9 Go-Pro Cameras...

"We went toe-to-toe with a heavyweight offense, and we came out ahead," said Southeast coach Steve Bieser following his team's 12-8 win over Tennesse Tech on Friday.

Today is Friday, May 9, the 129th day of 2014. There are 236 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson, acting on a joint congressional resolution, signed a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day...

We have not arrived at summer yet, but plans for this area's big fall attraction, the SEMO District Fair, are underway. The 159th SEMO District Fair will be held Sept. 6 to 13. There are a few new attractions this year along with the favorites. Here's a list of a few:...

Before my mother died a few years ago, I would ask her about growing up during the Great Depression in the Ozark hills over yonder. It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized, while my wife and I raised our own family, how difficult it must have been in the 1930s...

"Brighton Beach Memoirs" at the River Campus was truly the best play I have ever seen. Wow! I saw it earlier tonight, and I can't stop thinking about it. Congrats to everyone involved. Reusable diapers I read the article about poor people not receiving enough throwaway diapers from the government for their kids. ...

Patients who use medical marijuana for pain and other chronic symptoms can take an unwanted hit: Insurers don't cover the treatment, which costs as much as $1,000 a month. Once the drug of choice for hippies and rebellious teens, marijuana in recent years has gained more mainstream acceptance for its ability to boost appetite, dull pain and reduce seizures in everyone from epilepsy to cancer patients...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals agreed Thursday to a six-month stay of execution for a death row inmate while an investigation is conducted into last week's botched lethal injection. The court reset the execution date of inmate Charles Warner to Nov. 13. Warner's attorneys requested the 180-day delay, and state attorney general Scott Pruitt said Thursday in a court filing he wouldn't object to the stay...

AMSTERDAM -- Anne Frank's tragic story is returning to the stage in Amsterdam, hoping to engage a whole new generation with the Jewish teenager whose diary is the most famous chronicle of life under Nazi occupation. The opening Thursday was the first time a theatrical production has been forged directly from Frank's writings since an award-winning 1950s play that escalated her tale -- then little-known -- to the world's attention...

LOS ANGELES -- PBS said Thursday its fall season will open with a binge-viewing opportunity: a seven-part Ken Burns documentary on the Roosevelt political dynasty. "The Roosevelts: An Intimate History," will air as two-hour episodes over seven nights, beginning Sept. 14. Each episode will be repeated nightly, and the show will be widely available for post-air online viewing, said Beth Hoppe, PBS chief programming executive...

DONETSK, Ukraine -- The photocopy machines churning out the ballots for eastern Ukraine's sovereignty referendum have been clattering around the clock for days. Even the powerful Vladimir Putin can't stop them. Despite the Kremlin leader's plea to postpone Sunday's vote, the pro-Russia rebels in Ukraine who call themselves the Donetsk People's Republic said they'll go ahead with the referendum...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Nearly all the weekend nurses working for University of Missouri Health Care have agreed to sharp reductions in incentive pay. The hospital had announced in late March that it would reduce incentive pay for weekend nurses to 24 percent. Some nurses had been receiving up to 54 percent above their regular wage as incentive pay, with others getting 30 percent. The agreement also reduces the number of weekends the nurses can take off...

ST. LOUIS -- The Environmental Protection Agency will conduct radiation testing at a baseball complex near a suburban St. Louis landfill where nuclear waste is buried, after private testing raised concerns. Testing at the Bridgeton Municipal Athletic Complex will begin the week of May 19, the EPA said Wednesday. It is not known when results will be available...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Hundreds of thousands of lower-income adults could regain Medicaid benefits cut a decade ago under a Missouri budget plan passed Friday that also boosts spending for public education. The $26.4 billion budget includes numerous spending increases under the assumption that Missouri tax revenue will continue rebounding from the recession, although they have been falling below expectations in recent month...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Two federal inmates with a history of prison violence and suicide attempts are awaiting word on whether they will be sentenced to death for killing a fellow inmate at a Missouri medical center. A Springfield, Missouri, jury on Wednesday took only an hour to find Wesley Paul Coonce Jr., 34, and Charles Michael Hall, 43, guilty of murder in the Jan. 26, 2010, slaying of Victor Castro-Rodriguez in his cell at the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield...

After graduating from Southeast Missouri State University in 1985, Craig Thomas knew his career as an artist was in Cape Girardeau. His work ranges from murals to fine art to street painting. Thomas was a part of the group that painted the Mississippi River Tales mural along the floodwall downtown...

MoZaic Art Studio and Gallery of Inspiration on Saturday are hosting Paint Cape Girardeau, a daylong regional plein-air painting competition. Registration is at 7 a.m. at Bilderbach Art Plaza, 5 N. Main St. in Cape Girardeau. Competitors will paint landscapes within Cape Girardeau city limits, and first through fifth places will be awarded...

Son to Angelique Smith of Cape Girardeau, Saint Francis Medical Center, 6:10 a.m. Tuesday, April 29, 2014. Name, Deon Donavin. Weight, 7 pounds, 5 ounces. First child. Ms. Smith is the daughter of Stephanie Smith of Cape Girardeau. Son to Andrew Dillon and Amanda Noelle Lawson of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Hospital, 10:14 a.m. ...

Cape Girardeau veterinarian Dr. Gwen Freitag, of the Cape Small Animal Clinic, is warning that 1989 is expected to be the peak of a three-year rabies cycle; she urges pet owners to have their dogs and cats vaccinated. C-4 Corp., with headquarters in Chesterfield, Missouri, has closed its office at 1707 Mount Auburn Road; Ivan Irvin, local representative of the firm, which is developing the Cape Centre shopping area here, has resigned as vice president of the company...

ADAM VOGLER ~ avogler@semissourian.com Central High School seniors Sydney Messerli, left, and Catherine Crites hang artwork in the lobby of the Kinder Performance Hall as they prepare for the Senior Art Exhibition at the high school. The opening reception will be from 5 to 9 p.m. today and from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday....

FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.com Wind apparently caused a tree to fall onto Fifth Street near Spanish St. Thursday night, May 8, 2014 in Cape Girardeau...

ADAM VOGLER ~ avogler@semissourian.com Capt. Ruth Ann DikersonCQ of the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office, Special Agent Dave DiveleyCQ of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Cpl. ...

Southeastern Missouri is a vast agriculture region with fertile soils, a nearly inexhaustible shallow aquifer system to support sustainable irrigation, highly knowledgeable producers, available investment capital, a supportive agribusiness infrastructure and a transportation system that links directly to domestic and international markets...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Summonses...

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

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Clint Delain VanMatre, 76, of Marble Hill died Wednesday, May 7, 2014, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Hutchings Funeral Chapel in Marble Hill. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Monday at the chapel. Burial will be at 3 p.m. in the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery at Bloomfield...

Kirk Ryan Stevens, 26, of Williamsville, Missouri, passed away Monday, May 5, 2014, at his home. He was born Dec. 6, 1987, in Cape Girardeau, son of Steve Stevens and LaDonna Devenport Glenn. He and Shelby Jean Scott were married April 11, 2014, in Butler County...

Helen Runnels, 85, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, May 5, 2014, at Ratliff Care Center. A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Second Missionary Baptist Church, 835 Beaudean Lane, Cape Girardeau. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Mildred M. Hoernig, 94, of Perryville died Wednesday, May 7, 2014, at Independence Care Center. She was born May 7, 1920, in Perryville, to Bernard and Caroline Dondlinger Unterreiner. She and Francis Hoernig were married Jan. 19, 1952, in Biehle, Missouri...

Roy W. Darter, 98, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, May 8, 2014, at his home. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

MORLEY, Mo. -- Charlotte Sue Lutes Coplin, 48, of Morley died Wednesday, May 7, 2014, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Friends may call from 10 a.m. until time of service Monday at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Oran, Missouri. The funeral will be at noon Monday at the chapel, with the Rev. Rick McNeely officiating. Burial will be in Garden of Memories in Sikeston, Missouri...

Lawanda Burden, 85, of Cape Girardeau passed away Thursday, May 8, 2014, at the family home. She was born July 10, 1928, in Harrisburg, Arkansas, to Milton and Bessie Kilgo Aaron. She and Robert Donald Burden were married June 4, 1949, in Hernando, Mississippi. He preceded her in death Dec. 24, 1991...

Pauline L. Bullinger, 90, of Cape Girardeau passed away Wednesday, May 7, 2014, at the Lutheran Home. She was born May 23, 1923, at Arbor, Missouri, daughter of Lloyd and Myrtle Cox. She and the Rev. Andrew Bullinger were married Sept. 14, 1940, in Cape Girardeau. He preceded her in death Dec. 22, 1995...

The Cape squad prevailed 5-0 to remain unbeaten

St. Louis chose OT Robinson with the second overall pick and Pittsburgh DT Donald at No. 13

Just one year ago, the Tennessee Tech baseball team traveled to Cape Girardeau as the top team in the Ohio Valley Conference. Now the first-place Southeast Missouri State baseball team gets the chance to clinch the OVC regular-season championship against the defending champs and second-place Golden Eagles...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Poplar Bluff man was placed on probation Tuesday morning after pleading guilty to endangering the welfare of a 5-year-old boy by biting and spanking him. William E. Storey, 47, pleaded guilty before Circuit Judge Michael Pritchett to a misdemeanor charge of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child...

* Broadway Theater, 805 Broadway...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Butler County volunteer firefighter was arrested this week after he allegedly set fire to his home with his son inside. The Poplar Bluff Fire Department responded at 6:38 a.m. Tuesday to a structure fire at the 2018 Hillsdale home occupied by Dallas Lee Tanner...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. -- A Charleston, Missouri, couple was killed in a two-vehicle accident Wednesday in Mississippi County. The accident occurred at 3:57 p.m. on Highway 105, one mile north of East Prairie, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Traveling north, Charles M. Ross, 17, swerved to avoid a vehicle that was attempting to make a left turn and pulled into the path of Nina M. Marshall, 84, of Charleston...

HOMS, Syria -- With a gigantic explosion, Syrian rebels Thursday leveled a historic hotel being used as an army base in the northern city of Aleppo by detonating bomb-packed tunnels beneath it, activists and militants said. The blast near Aleppo's medieval citadel, a city landmark once swarming with tourists, killed an unknown number of soldiers. It turned the Carlton Hotel, known for its architecture and proximity to the citadel, into a pile of rubble...

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

Southern Raised Bluegrass Band will play a free concert at 7 p.m. Sunday at Zion United Methodist Church west of Gordonville. From the Branson, Missouri, area, the up-and-coming gospel bluegrass band is made up of siblings Lindsay, Emily Grace, Matthew and Sarah Reith. An offering will be collected to support the Zion Youth Mission Trip. The church is at 3652 Route Z. More information and the band's music may be found at southernraisedbluegrass.com....

The spring series of Old Town Cape's Tunes at Twilight starts at 7 p.m. May 16 with Bat Bennett and continues on Friday nights through mid-September except July and early August, according to an Old Town Cape news release. Bennett is a singer-songwriter who has been playing guitar since age 9 and has toured all over the Southwest with various bands. Today, he performs at American Legion posts throughout the country as well as Elks Clubs, hotels and nightclubs...

Brandon Health has been added as the opener for the Chris Tomlin concert July 18 at the Show Me Center. A Christian music artist and songwriter, Heath is a two-time Gospel Music Association male vocalist and five-time Grammy nominee, according to a Show Me Center news release. He won the 2009 GMA Dove Award song of the year with "Give Me Your Eyes," and his "Your Love" topped the charts for eight weeks. Heath gained a national audience with his debut album in 2006...

Lord Jesus, Blessed Redeemer, we lift our hands in praise to you our King. Amen.

The Former Missouri lineman became the first openly gay player drafted in the NFL

This is a picture of 4 of our 9 grandsons. Mother is Holly Black Phillips formerly of Jackson.

Candice Hamlin, Jackson High School, and Taylor Shivelbine, Cape Central High School attended Sophomore Pilgrimage in Jefferson City MO sponsored by GFWC Scope Club. Madison Brune of Saxony High School and Abby Matthews from Oak Ridge High School also Attended...

The Indians swept the boys and girls titles at the JV and varsity levels.

Today is Saturday, May 10, the 130th day of 2014. There are 235 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On May 10, 1994, Nelson Mandela took the oath of office in Pretoria to become South Africa's first black president. On this date:...

Responding to remarks of a coach, a parent's complaints and concerns expressed by a board member, the Cape Girardeau Board of Education yesterday authorized a task force to study the district's athletic programs; the task force will evaluate the district's sports programs and make recommendations for improvements on the high school and junior high level...

1, When it's time for a snack, what do you reach for? 2. Who is a person you miss seeing, and what is it that you miss? 3. I would drop all my plans this weekend if I had a chance to ... 4. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?...

Saint Francis Medical Center president and CEO Steve Bjelich recently was named one of 25 health-care leaders to receive a 2014 Leadership Award from Becker's Hospital Review. Other recipients of the national award include Dr. Toby Cosgrove, president and CEO of the Cleveland Clinic; Dr. John Noseworthy, president and CEO of the Mayo Clinic; and Richard Bracken, chairman of the Hospital Corporation of America...

ST. LOUIS -- Attorneys for a Missouri man facing execution later this month are asking a federal court to spare his life, saying lethal injection of Russell Bucklew could result in a "torturous" death due to the secrecy surrounding Missouri's drug and the inmate's rare medical condition...

Hazel Jackson has been surrounded by children for a good portion of her life -- whether they were brothers and sisters, or her own. Jackson grew up in a family of 21 in Dexter, Missouri, and had 20 of her own, eight of whom are still living. "I wanted two girls and two boys, but I wound up with 20," the 83-year-old Cape Girardeau resident said...

Advancing to the Class 2 sectional track meet in three events last year wasn't enough for Kelly's Dalton Huffman, so the Kelly High School junior decided early this season to add to his repertoire.

In every family, there are some things Mom does best, and no one else's efforts come close. Here are some things my mom does amazingly well, and I hope to do someday, too:1 Packing. Mom has a special gift for loading the dishwasher, the car, moving boxes, even the Christmas tree. If I'm loading the dishwasher and conclude that I can't possibly fit another item inside, Mom will do some finagling and find space for not one, but two or three more things. I don't know how she does it...

The truth of Madison Bonham's award-winning poem about police work came to life Friday morning. "If someone breaks the law,/The police always answer the call," the 9-year-old wrote. As she read the poem aloud during Seniors and Lawmen Together's annual law enforcement memorial, officers and their families smiled and nodded...

Shots were reportedly fired on a city street near a residence hall of Southeast Missouri State University early Saturday morning. The incident occurred about 1:30 a.m., according to a news release issued Saturday afternoon by the university, in the area of Vandiver Hall at Broadway and North Henderson Avenue...

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- It took waiting out a two-hour rain delay and 12 innings, but the Southeast Missouri State baseball backed up its Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title with another win over second-place and defending champion Tennessee Tech on Saturday...

Today is Sunday, May 11, the 131st day of 2014. There are 234 days left in the year. This is Mother's Day. Today's Highlight in History: On May 11, 1944, during World War II, Allied forces launched a major offensive against Axis lines in Italy...

Sara Ann Walker and Jerry Richard Stovall were married Nov. 16, 2013, at St. Mary Cathedral. The Rev. Tom Kiefer performed the ceremony. Organist was Claire Landewee and vocalist was Lisa Simmons, both of Cape Girardeau. Parents of the couple are Riche and Donna Walker of Advance, Missouri, and Mike and Debbie Brown of Whitewater...

Chris and Christa Liley of Marble Hill, Missouri, and Larry and Phyllis Ragsdale of Campbell, Texas, announce the engagement of their daughter, Danielle Liley, to Matt Torbet, both of Cape Girardeau. He is the son of Steve and Brenda Torbet of Sikeston, Missouri...

Mr. and Mrs. Bill J. Adams of Jackson celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary May 9, 2014. Adams and the former Shirley Martin were married May 9, 1954, in Hernando, Mississippi, by the Rev. J.H. Davis. Their attendants were Barbara Allison and Bill Schoen...

Happy Mother's Day to all women who might read this column, especially my own mother and mother-in-law; who both are amazing women! Women have helped mold and shape children and families, and many perhaps not by having their own children but by helping raise and grow the children of family members or friends, or for other reasons. Regardless, all women are to be celebrated on this very special Mother's Day...

A male Carolina wren has joined a mourning dove on an open limb for springtime choir practice. The dove in this photo seemed to be captivated by the wren's persistent song. It stared at the wren and did not sing a note. The Carolina wren has one of the loudest calls of any North American bird of similar size. ...

Ford Groves Ford-Lincoln will host an auto show from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at 1501 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau. In lieu of an entry fee, donations will be accepted to support the work of Backstoppers, the St. Louis-based organization the mission of which is to assist the families of police, fire and EMS officers killed in the line of duty and officers suffering catastrophic injuries. It covers 19 counties in Missouri and Illinois...

The Cape Girardeau Area Medical Society Alliance presented a check for $5,745 to Be the Match Registry, a national registry of potential bone marrow donors on April 28. The money will help fund future drives. Since 2011, alliance registry drives have added 362 potential bone marrow donors to the registry. From left are Dr. Andrew Dickey; Dr. Andrew Moore; Denise Mosley, Be the Match St. Louis region account executive; Beth Daugherty of the alliance; and Dr. James C. Mosley III...

The Saint Francis Medical Center Auxiliary presented a check for $125,000 to the medical center at the annual Auxiliary and Volunteer Appreciation luncheon on April 22. The donation is the third installment of an $800,000 pledge over four years. From left are Ann Beggs, auxiliary president; Tony Balsano, vice president, finance; Marilyn Curtis, vice president, professional services; Debbie Gibson, manager, volunteer services and pastoral care; and Norman Glaus, Saint Francis Foundation board president.. ...

Pet Name: Cody Owner: Maria Moore Favorite activity: Enjoy a day in the sunshine ...

Miley is 2 years old, spayed and housebroken. She is a loving cat that would love a new home. She is available for adoption at the Humane Society 334-5837. ...

Spice is an extremely nice kitty who has a gentle nature. She likes attention and would make a wonderful companion. For more information, contact Safe Harbor at 243-9823. ...

WEDGE SALAD may be too pedestrian for gourmands, and health nuts may find it beside the point, but done right it can be a spectacularly satisfying dish. Originally a mechanical device designed to split objects, it can also be a shoe, a political issue or a kind of golf club, and, if you're of a certain age, the salad your mom most likely fixed when you were having company...

What would you say if a person told you he -- or she -- heard the actual voice of God? I use a long-abandoned literary convention, "Dear Reader," to respond. Dear Reader, you might be a bit suspicious of such an utterance. Those who claim that God speaks to them are suspected, at the least, with having a touch of eccentricity. ...

One of my favorite happenings in the Gospels is when Jesus, after he's risen from the dead, appears to Mary Magdalene. I love that Mary mistakes Jesus for the gardener. There is something so profound about a weeping, confused woman coming face-to-face with all she wants and not recognizing it, not realizing that the Jesus she is crying for, the Jesus she aches to see, is standing right in front of her, speaking to her, looking like a common laborer. ...

'It opens up a whole new realm of freedom when you realize that you are forgiven and you don't have to pay the penalty.' By BOB CAMPBELL Southeast Missourian Mark Gerler of Perryville, Missouri, had long witnessed people's suffering with illness when he began pondering it in the light of God's will as expressed in the Bible...

Hot vegetable, cherry tomatoes and baby carrots available daily. MONDAY--Chicken nuggets, broccoli & cheese, breadstick, pears. TUESDAY--Baked cheesy lasagna, green beans, garlic toast, cinnamon applesauce. WEDNESDAY--Barbecued chicken pieces, blackeye peas, roll, mixed fruit...

When the Zac Brown Band hits the road, they take their instruments, amps and 54-foot custom food truck called "Cookie." "We're Southern guys," says Rusty Hamlin, traveling chef for the Grammy-winning band, whose 2008 hit "Chicken Fried" catapulted them to fame. Before each show, Hamlin feeds up to 200 fans a gourmet Southern meal as they hang out with the band. "Nothing makes us happier than getting to know people around a plate of food."...

Lasagna isn't typically associated with Mother's Day, but it is the dish that inspired us this year as we searched for a fresh way to offer Mom a delicious brunch. We took some of our favorite lasagna ingredients -- ricotta cheese, spinach, thyme and Asiago cheese -- but instead of layering them with noodles, we mixed them together in a rich, but still light tart filling. ...

This Mother's Day, sommeliers will be on hand to help you select just the right wine to go with that special meal out. And some of those somms will be moms. Though it's still very much a man's world, more women are moving up the wine ranks, says Dorothy Cann Hamilton, founder and CEO of the International Culinary Center which has branches in New York and California. For the 2012 and 2013 school years, 60 percent of the 251 graduates in the schools' sommelier programs were women...

The John Guild Chapter held its regular meeting April 16 at Dexter Barbecue in Jackson. Guest speaker Lemira Parks, honorary state regent, vice president general NSDAR, presented a program on the Boone's Lick Trail markers. Parks portrayed Mrs. Mark (Mary) Salisbury, Missouri State regent 1914 to 1916. ...

Greg and Sharon Nagel of Burfordville announce the engagement of their daughter, Jillian Alyssa Nagel, to Ethan Vaughn O'Connell, both of Gordonville. He is the son of Josh and Carla Southard of Jackson and Chris O'Connell of Cape Girardeau. Jillian is a 2007 graduate of Jackson High School. She received a master's degree in speech/language pathology in May 2013. She is a speech therapist with Benchmark Healthcare...

Editor's note: The following is the editorial board's annual Mother's Day editorial. Every year, we dutifully and thankfully acknowledge our mothers. We buy gifts. We select greeting cards that say the nicest things. We become part of the crowd at our favorite restaurant...

As a board member of the Cape Girardeau Farm Bureau, I supported the efforts of Missouri Farm Bureau in 2013 to oppose a repeal of the prohibition of foreign ownership of Missouri farmland. But unfortunately, an amendment was slipped into the bill during the last few days of the 2013 legislative session to allow up to 1 percent foreign ownership of Missouri farmland...

Ever wonder why downtown Cape was such an attractive, fun place to shop? Could it have been the pride of ownership, the tender loving care of the display windows, the street in front of the stores was spotless? Respect for private property was strong. ...

O Lord Jesus, thank you for mothers and the blessing they are to many. Amen.

EUGENE, Ore. -- An Oregon state trooper has arrested a man accused of deserting the U.S. Army while facing a court martial in Missouri for child rape and child indecency charges. Oregon State Police say 46-year-old Elmer Frederick Hoffman III was arrested following a traffic stop Friday on Interstate 5 south of Eugene. After giving a name and birthday that did not match records, police say he acknowledged he was a deserter wanted by the Army and was using a stolen Colorado license plate...

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

Emory S. Gloth, 94, of Whitewater, passed away Saturday, May 10, 2014, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Emory was born June 28, 1919, at Whitewater, the son of William Louis and Edith Irene Snider Gloth. Emory worked different jobs in St. Louis. He previously worked as a gardener in Cape Girardeau...

John Albert Peters Jr., 75, of Bertrand, Missouri, passed away Tuesday, April 29, 2014, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau following a long, hard-fought battle against pancreatic cancer. The wife and family he loved so fiercely were by his side as he went to be with his heavenly father...

Jack Allen Evans, 74, of Scott City died Friday, May 9, 2014, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 10, 1939, in Allenville, Missouri, to J.R. and Isabell Slinkard Evans. He married Mary Lynn Gibbs on Dec. 4, 1967. He was a tech at Southwestern Bell and a member of the Elks Club in Cape Girardeau and Kimbeland Golf Club. He served in the U.S. Air Force...

Aileen Mae Redpath Tuschoff, 88, of Arnold, Missouri, formerly of Scott City, died Friday, May 9, 2014, at Marymount Nursing Home in Eureka, Missouri. She was born March 9, 1926, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to Merle E. and Gladys N. Walls Redpath. She married Hilbert O. Tuschoff on July 3, 1965. He preceded her in death April 4, 2004...

Fred Glenwood Cheek, 93, of Cape Girardeau passed away Friday, May 9, 2014, at Saint Francis Hospital. He was born on Feb. 13, 1921, in Parma, Missouri, to Rebecca Viola Pryor and Robert Cheek. Fred grew up in Chaffee, Missouri, graduating from Chaffee High School in May 1939. ...

Roy William Darter, 98, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, May 8, 2014, at his home. He was born Feb. 5, 1916, in Sikeston, Missouri, to Nicholas Washington and Mary Wood Darter. He and Carrie A. McNeely were married March 1, 1946, at Cape Girardeau. Roy was a veteran of World War II, serving in the Army for four and a half years. He spent three and a half years in the South Pacific...

Tyrone Carol Thompson, 76, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Friday, May 9, 2014, at his home in Fredericktown, Missouri. He was born Dec. 11, 1937 in Cape Girardeau to Julius Thompson and Zelma Thorton Thompson Clark. He and Diana Jo Francis were married Feb. 15, 1963, at Cape Girardeau...

Son to Shawn Patrick and Brittney Alexis Powderly of Cape Girardeau, Saint Francis Medical Center, 3:12 a.m. Sunday, May 4, 2014. Name, Bennett Patrick. Weight, 6 pounds, 8 ounces. First child. Mrs. Powderly is the former Brittney Bennett, daughter of William and Stephanie Bennett of Chaffee, Missouri. She is a registered nurse at Saint Francis. Powderly is the son of Joe and Debbie Dennis of Chaffee, and the late Patrick Powderly. He is a teacher at Chaffee High School...

Eutha Craft Walker, 95, formerly of Jackson, passed away Thursday, May 8, 2014, at Bertrand Retirement Home in Bertrand, Missouri. She was born Feb. 5, 1919, near Pocahontas, to Thomas Lee and Coleen "Collie" Phillips Craft. She and William H. "Bill" Walker were married Jan. 1, 1984. He passed away Nov. 11, 2006...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Janice L. Niederstadt, 73, of Perryville died Thursday, May 8, 2014, at her home. She was born Dec. 30, 1940, in Wittenberg, Missouri, daughter of Willard R. and Dora M. Boehme Kieninger. Janice had been an office administrator for Drs. ...

Dorothy M. Sadler, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, May 8, 2014, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born Sept. 2, 1923, in Bollinger County, to Elmer and Lucy Rowe Eaker. She and Donald C. Sadler were married June 8, 1942, in Cape Girardeau. He preceded her in death July 10, 2009...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Bill G. Cheek, 72, of Marble Hill passed away Friday, May 9, 2014, at his home. He was born Sept. 11, 1941, in Glenallen, Missouri, son of Norman and Ora Mary Haynes Cheek. He and Donna West were married April 5, 2014. Bill was owner of Hidden Valley Camp Ground and B&B Construction Co. He was a member of Millers Chapel...

NEW HAMBURG, Mo. -- Arabella Stella Kluesner, 92, of New Hamburg died Friday, May 9, 2014, at her home, two weeks after her husband, Norbert. She was born Sept. 1, 1921, to Leo and Emeline Josephine Uhrhan Menz. She married Norbert Peter Kluesner on Nov. 27, 1945, in New Hamburg. He preceded her in death April 24, 2014...

Alma L. Unterreiner, 94, of Jackson, formerly of Perryville, Missouri, died Thursday, May 8, 2014, at Jackson Manor. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday and from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. Monday at Miller Family Funeral Home in Perryville. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Apple Creek, Missouri. Burial will be in St. Michael's Cemetery at Apple Creek...

Thunderstorms moved through Southeast Missouri on Friday, dropping hail on parts of Bollinger and Cape Girardeau counties, blowing the roof off a building in Perry County and leaving hundreds of homes without power. The National Weather Service received reports of downed trees on U.S. 61 and the roof blown off at least one house Friday afternoon in Perry County, while in Bollinger County, an emergency manager was reporting quarter-sized hail in Zalma, Missouri...

Abbie Crites-Leoni was on vacation when the realization struck. "I was standing in the water, looking out over the ocean and just contemplating my experience in this field to date, and I guess in that moment, I just realized that I wanted to pursue any opportunity that might come to became a judge," the federal magistrate judge said after her investiture ceremony Friday afternoon at the Rush H. Limbaugh Sr. federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau...

The City of Cape Girardeau/Midamerica Hotels Corporation Feasibility Study joint committee met with consultants Friday to discuss the pros and cons of three of four proposed facilities that could be funded by hotel/motel and restaurant taxes. Planning Design Studio, JACOBS and Ballard*King & Associates will provide studies and analyses for an indoor sports complex, indoor aquatics facility and an agricultural expo center. ...

NEW YORK -- The unidentified remains of those killed Sept. 11, 2001, returned to the World Trade Center site in a solemn procession on a foggy Saturday morning. The remains left the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Manhattan's East Side shortly before 7 a.m. in three city vehicles. They were accompanied by police and fire department vehicles with lights flashing but no sirens...

DOSWELL, Va. -- A University of Richmond women's basketball team staff member was one of three occupants on a hot air balloon that drifted into a power line, burst into flames and crashed in Virginia, her family said Saturday. The body of Natalie Lewis has not been found, family spokeswoman Julie Snyder said. The remains of the pilot and the other passenger, whom authorities haven't identified, were found just under a mile apart in densely wooded areas...

EUREKA SPRINGS, Ark. -- Gay marriage arrived in the Bible Belt on Saturday, beginning with two women who had traveled overnight to ensure they'd be first in line. "Thank God," Jennifer Rambo said after Carroll County deputy clerk Jane Osborn issued a marriage license to her and Kristin Seaton, a former volleyball player at the University of Arkansas. The Fort Smith, Arkansas, couple wed moments later on a sidewalk near the courthouse; the officiant wore a rainbow-colored dress...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A proposed transportation sales tax that had appeared headed for the ballot is in jeopardy of failing in the Missouri House, a potential casualty of a successful Republican push to cut income taxes. House Democratic leaders said many of their members are backing from their initial support of the sales tax increase after one of their own teamed with Republicans this week to override Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of a separate income tax cut measure...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Republicans in Midwestern states are pushing to curb the power of organized labor, but have been careful to avoid upsetting key political constituencies -- police and firefighters. Missouri's Republican-controlled Legislature wants to join other states in restricting the unions' ability to collect and spend worker fees. But there is a clear effort to avoid angering emergency workers...

ST. LOUIS -- Several St. Louis-area ZIP codes rank among the nation's worst for "underwater" mortgages, according to a new study, and the problem is especially bad in north St. Louis County. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported half or more of homeowners with mortgages who owe more than their homes are worth are in 11 ZIP codes in St. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon's office told a group of state lawmakers Friday the governor would not veto a massive overhaul of the state's criminal laws, despite expressing misgivings about the legislation's scope. Sen. Jolie Justus, the bill's sponsor, said she met with Nixon's chief of staff and legal counsel, who indicated Nixon won't stop the measure from becoming law. ...

The Oran track and field team fared the best among local schools as the Eagles placed fifth and seventh overall in the boys and girls divisions, respectively, at the Class 1 District 1 meet at Lutheran High School in St. Peters, Missouri. Oran's Addie Kielhofner was the lone local runner to place first in any event at Saturday's 15-team district meet. ...

John Fennewald nailed nine kills as the Notre Dame boys volleyball team wrapped up their inaugural season with a 25-15, 25-19 sweep of St. Francis Borgia. Tyler Allen added seven kills for Notre Dame (10-6). Rhett Simmons and Ben Dohogne tallied six kills apiece. Simmons also dished out 10 assists while Collin Kramer added 15 assists for the Bulldogs...

The Southeast Missouri State football team signed defensive lineman Josiah Smith, it was announced Friday by the Southeast athletics department. Smith, a junior college transfer from Eastern Arizona College, recorded 35 tackles, 16 solo, and recovered two fumbles as a sophomore last year...