Stories from June 2014

Peggy Fassel Cape Girardeau Retired The fresh food trend is expected to grow. Are you more likely to cook fresh food or microwaveable stuff? Fresh food, I guess. I don't do much cooking. I like fresh fruits. A few high schools recently dealt with senior pranks. Were you involved in or remember any pranks in high school?...

By SCOTT ROSCOVIUS Special to the Southeast Missourian The game was tighter, but the result was the same. And for a third consecutive year, the Notre Dame girls soccer season came to a crushing close in the Class 2 state quarterfinals, again at the hands of Rosati-Kain of St. Louis...

Although the Southeast Missouri University Foundation has owned the Miller Reserve in Scott County since 2008, it recently was dedicated as an ecological preserve for teaching, research and an outdoor classroom. The 27-acre site off Highway N about a mile and a half southwest of Commerce, Missouri, is enrolled in the federal Wetland Reserve Program to restore it to bottomland hardwood forest and an open wetland...

A constitutional law professor and lawyer addressed the topic of religious liberty during an event Friday at the Bethany Baptist Church fellowship hall in Cape Girardeau. Joshua Hawley, a former clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and professor of constitutional law at the University of Missouri, is a litigant in the Hobby Lobby v. Sebelius case that has been brought before the Supreme Court...

The time Ben Affleck came to town will be a story told throughout Cape Girardeau for years to come. As he and a host of other Hollywood stars traveled the city's streets filming 20th Century Fox's "Gone Girl," behind-the-scenes crew bought props and construction equipment from local stores, ate at local restaurants and recruited some locals as extras in the movie...

Shae Simmons was called up from the Double-A Mississippi Braves on Friday after compiling a 0.78 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 23 innings this season.

If you're not watching the NBA playoffs by now, you should be. Players in the eastern and western conferences are breaking postseason records nearly every night, and each game is played with a "win-or-go-home" mentality. If that's not enough to convince you, here are five more reasons to add the NBA playoffs to your daily programming:1. ...

Jeff Long of Chateau Girardeau (right) and Hope Botwinski of The Messiah Choir (left) presented three sets of Woodstock chimes to John Shelton (center) in honor of his three years as director of The Messiah Choir on behalf of the 2013 choir members. The Gregorian chimes are tuned to a Medieval scale and musically enhance the natural beauty of The Chateau's nature trail...

Our dog having a relaxing day at the sunporch

Today is Sunday, June 1, the 152nd day of 2014. There are 213 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On June 1, 1914, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels issued General Order 99 banning alcoholic beverages from Navy vessels, yards and stations, effective July 1, 1914...

Lauren Ashley Payton and Aron Clarke Meystedt were married Oct. 12, 2013, at Dalhousie Golf Club in Cape Girardeau. Tim Winborne performed the ceremony. Parents of the couple are James and Linda Payton of Kansas City, Missouri, and Kermit and Sandy Meystedt of Cape Girardeau...

Rob and Connie Hengst of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Rachel J. Hengst, to Tyler J. Pennington. He is the son of Kimberly Pennington of Belleville, Illinois, and Frank Pennington of Alton, Illinois. Rachel is a graduate of Central High School. She attended Southeast Missouri State University and the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She is a compliance coordinator with Health Care Management Systems in St. Louis...

Mark and Beverly Kasten of Pocahontas announce the engagement of their daughter, Jennifer Kasten of Cape Girardeau, to Daniel Hoskins of St. Louis. He is the son of the late Joe and Teressa Hoskins of Van Buren, Missouri. Jennifer is a 2007 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University. She is a field representative for Sen. Roy Blunt...

Larry and Betty Glaus of Chaffee, Missouri, announce the engagement of their daughter, Denae Krin Glaus, to Patrick A. Lingo. He is the son of William and Patricia Lingo of Cape Girardeau. Denae is a graduate of Kelly High School. She expects to receive a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Southeast Missouri State University in December. She is employed at Saint Francis Medical Center...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Jay and Lisa Santi of Marble Hill announce the engagement of their daughter, Jessica Kimberly Santi, to Grant Riley Lehmann. He is the son of Peter and Carol Lehmann of Marble Hill. Jessica is a 2008 graduate of Woodland High School, and a 2012 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University. She is a student at A.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri...

Don and Kathy Hinkebein of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Sarah Anne Hinkebein, to Eric Walter Minor. He is the son of Dwight and Cindy Minor of Elm City, North Carolina. Sarah is a 2006 graduate of Jackson High School, and a 2012 graduate of St. Louis College of Pharmacy. She is a pharmacist with Target...

Named for its familiar call, this trim native North American shorebird seems to be excitedly telling you to kill a deer as it cries, "Kill deer! Kill deer!" This 10-inch bird eats insects. It is a fast runner and a graceful flier. Both male and female look alike and make the same sounds...

The Walkway of Honor in the Capaha Park rose garden will be dedicated at 6 p.m. Wednesday, with a ribbon cutting by Cape Girardeau Mayor Harry Rediger. The public is welcome; the event, which will include refreshments, artwork displays and live music and will be followed by the first concert of the municipal band at 8 p.m. at the band shell. The garden is at the northwest corner of the park with access via Parkview Street. Participants may wish to bring seating...

The C.D. and Anna E. Butler Scholarship has been established through the Southeast Missouri University Foundation. The couple's sons, Philip Butler of Lake Anna, Virginia, and Stephen Butler of Tierra Verde, Florida, made a $10,000 gift to establish the award. It was matched with an additional $10,000 through a foundation program, Honoring Tradition -- Inspiring Success Comprehensive Campaign...

The Arnet Family Scholarship in Communication Studies has been established through the Southeast Missouri University Foundation. Bill and Judy Arnet of Columbia, Mo., made a $50,000 gift to establish the scholarship, which will be matched with an additional $10,000 through a foundation program, Honoring Tradition -- Inspiring Success Comprehensive Campaign...

NEW YORK -- Divorce, it seems, has turned into a party -- special cakes and all. Event planners, bakers, lawyers and academics note the rise of "divorce parties" over the last several years, many with cakes featuring weapon-wielding brides or gloomy black frosting on inverted tiers...

I really enjoy visiting with some of our men customers at the senior center about the enjoyment they find in cooking. Chester from Texas has a Mexican flare to his cooking, while Jack tries just about any recipe and always puts his own personal spin on it, and Ken makes the most amazing pecan candy. I have had so many wonderful conversations with the men about how they cook, why they cook and who they have cooked for. All are great stories and certainly something we have in common...

Beautiful Lacey is 12 weeks old. She is available for adoption at the Humane Society, 334-5837. ...

Annabelle is a 3-year-old cat. Her body is small and her personality is large. She loves attention and would be a wonderful companion. For more information, contact Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary at 243-9823. ...

Do you look forward to your workweek, or groan, "Ugh! It's another Monday morning?" One would hope you'd say, "Great, it's time to go to work again -- to fulfill my purpose in life, to keep living, rather than dying within." Things are changing now, from what they used to be, concerning one's job...

Frequently it seems that newly released studies are almost instantly retracted with opposite information. One day coffee is good for you, another it's not. Today dark chocolate is a healthier choice; maybe one day it won't be. Neither of which will change my position on coffee or dark chocolate. One consistent and timeless health benefit from the scriptures, though, is the importance of growing a joyful heart...

The May meeting of Grace United Methodist Women met with 18 members present. Barb Miller, president, called the meeting to order, which began with Mary Ann Pensel giving devotion and prayer. The Costa Rica Calendar Prayer Collection is a Sunday school outreach program for 155 children. Laos Health Education Ministry is growing produce to sell in healthy environment which is supported by UMW. She referred to May issue of Response on Church and Disabilities...

The bracelet is ubiquitous: Small gemstones or silver beads are woven with thread between two lengths of leather cording, and the finished piece wraps around the wrist three to five times. The mixture of earthy and bling has made it a top seller for Chan Luu, who is credited among many jewelry artists with originating the design. It's also made her handmade bracelets widely copied...

Now that daffodil bloom time has passed, some gardeners might be wondering where their flowers were. If some plants remained all leaves, with few or no flowers, why was that? It might be that overhanging trees have made the location too shady. But the more likely culprit is the plant's age...

MONDAY--Chicken fajitas, Mexican rice, refried beans, pineapple. TUESDAY--Deli turkey & cheese on bun, lima beans, frozen cherry juice bar. WEDNESDAY--Chicken & noodles, peas, hot roll, peaches. THURSDAY--Vegetable soup, grilled cheese sandwich, raisins...

The death penalty issue is a divisive one, obviously. The ultimate punishment has been in the local news a lot recently, as killer and rapist Russell Bucklew faced being executed via injection. As with many death-penalty cases, Bucklew's has gone through several rounds of legal appeals. On the very date he was to be executed, the courts went back and forth several times. On, then off, then on, then off again, the last decision coming two hours before he was to be put to death...

I just read in your paper about the reality show (about) teenage rebels. What 13-year-old doesn't like to have a life of their own? They're still at home with their mothers and fathers. And they've not got a job, because, you know, 13-year-olds aren't supposed to work. ...

Father God, we give thanks to you, for your love endures forever. Amen.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Central's Alex Mailes could not have asked for more in his first experience at the Missouri boys tennis state championships. The Tiger sophomore, the only player not a junior or senior in the field of 16 in the Class 2 singles, won three of his five matches at the Cooper Tennis Complex and returned home with an all-state medal...

Senior Jordan Barber led the way for the Notre Dame track and field team at the Class 3 state meet in Jefferson City, Mo., over the weekend. Barber finished second in the 400 meters in 48.47 seconds behind Cardinal Ritter senior Charles Jones, Jr., to take silver and earn all-state during Saturday's meet on the campus of Lincoln University...

Sierra Maddox probably could not have had a better day than the one she had Saturday. The Jackson senior and defending state champion pole vaulter repeated her state-winning height of 12 feet, 6 inches to retain her title and cap a flawless, undefeated senior season at the Class 4 state meet at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri...

The Cards' highly touted rookie homered in his second major league at-bat and helped St. Louis to a 2-0 victory

Plaza Tire's roster has more questions than usual entering the 2014 season

The Southeast Missouri State track and field team had to wait until the final event at the NCAA West Region Preliminary Championships to qualify an athlete for the national meet. Junior Reggie Miller finished in 11th place in the triple jump at John McDonnel Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Miller recorded a distance of 51 feet, 4 1/2 inches to just make the top 12 and earn a spot in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on June 14...

MENLO PARK, Calif. -- Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, are donating $120 million to public schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. The couple's gift will be spread over the next five years and is the biggest allocation to date of the $1.1 billion in Facebook stock the couple pledged last year to the not-for-profit Silicon Valley Community Foundation...

BOISE, Idaho -- The news Saturday of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's release from captivity spread quickly in his hometown in southern Idaho, and residents immediately began making plans for a welcome-home celebration. An annual event called "Bring Bowe Back" scheduled for June 28 was renamed "Bowe is Back."...

NEW YORK -- Every night at dinner when I was young, my dad fought World War II all over again. He parachuted into Normandy with the 101st Airborne on D-Day, went on to fight in Holland and Belgium, and he loved to tell war stories. But as a kid, I didn't care. I grew up in the 1960s and '70s, when anti-war sentiment about Vietnam was strong. It wasn't cool having a dad whose biggest accomplishment was being a soldier...

PHILADELPHIA -- A medical company sales representative was charged with stealing more than $350,000 worth of human skin over a period of several years. Gary Dudek, 54, of Wallingford, was arrested Monday and charged with theft, receiving stolen property and tampering with records...

NEW YORK -- An arena version of "Jesus Christ Superstar" starring punk legend John "Johnny Rotten" Lydon and Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child abruptly canceled its 54-city tour just days before its launch in New Orleans. Producers pulled the plug on the project Friday without explanation. Fran Curtis, a publicist for the show from press representative Rogers & Cowan, did not return messages seeking a reason for the cancellation...

CHICAGO -- The Chicago-area home where Ferris Bueller's friend Cameron famously "killed" his father's prized Ferrari finally has a new owner. Crain's Chicago Business reports the modernist home in Highland Park sold Thursday for $1.06 million. Craig Hogan is regional director at Coldwell Banker Previews...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Patrick Carney is reconsidering his very non-pop star policy on openness and honesty. The Black Keys drummer feels he's had a tough run in the press recently, and for the first time he's had to call his publicist, asking for help with comments attributed to him...

LUCKNOW, India -- Police arrested a third suspect Saturday in the gang rape and slaying of two teenage cousins found hanging from a tree in northern India, as a top state official said he was recommending a federal investigation into a case that has sparked national outrage...

BEIJING -- When visiting friends in China's capital, environmental activist Wu Lihong must slip away from his rural home before sunrise, before the police officers watching his home awaken. He rides a bus to an adjacent province and jumps aboard a train just minutes before departure to avoid being spotted...

SINGAPORE -- China's aggressive moves to claim jurisdiction over land and sky in the Asia-Pacific risk undermining peace and security in the region and beyond, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Saturday. Beijing scoffed at the "groundless" charges...

KIEV, Ukraine -- Demonstrators on the main downtown avenue of Ukraine's capital set piles of tires ablaze Saturday to protest authorities' call to end the encampment that began six months ago. A few hundred meters away, workers in hard hats cleared debris from torn-down barricades...

ST. LOUIS -- A bill that would allow specially trained teachers to carry concealed weapons in the classroom is coming under fire from some Missouri teachers. Lawmakers in Jefferson City said the legislation would protect students from intruders and reduce the risk of a deadly mass shooting such as the one in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Attorney General Chris Koster says he is disturbed by new statistics showing that Missouri law enforcement officers have continued to pull over black motorists at a significantly greater rate than white drivers. The report released Friday by Koster's office found black drivers were 66 percent more likely than white ones to be stopped based on their proportionate share of the driving-age population last year...

WASHINGTON -- After less than four months at the Veterans Affairs Department, Sloan D. Gibson finds himself in charge of fixing the problems that led to the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki. "Sloan, I think, would be the first to acknowledge that he's going to have a learning curve that he's got to deal with," President Barack Obama said Friday after announcing Gibson would replace Shinseki temporarily...

WASHINGTON -- The report last week confirming that 1,700 veterans were "at risk of being lost or forgotten" at a Phoenix hospital was hardly the first independent review that documented long wait times for some patients seeking health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs and inaccurate records that understated the depth of the problem...

BOSTON -- A friend of the brothers suspected of bombing the Boston Marathon was accused Friday of obstructing the investigation into the deadly attack by deleting information from his computer and lying to investigators. The friend, Khairullozhon Matanov, 23, of Quincy, was arrested at his apartment. He later appeared in federal court, but entered no plea and was being held until a detention hearing Wednesday...

WASHINGTON -- The new pollution rule the Obama administration announces Monday will be a cornerstone of President Barack Obama's environmental legacy and arguably the most significant U.S. environmental regulation in decades. But it's not one the White House wanted...

WASHINGTON -- The only American soldier held prisoner in Afghanistan has been freed by the Taliban in exchange for the release of five Afghan detainees from the U.S. prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Obama administration officials said Saturday...

CLEVELAND -- A police car chase that ended in a schoolyard with two unarmed suspects dying in a hail of 137 bullets is part of a wide-ranging federal investigation into the Cleveland Police Department's use of deadly force and its pursuit policies...

CONCORD, N.H. -- Prompted by the health care overhaul law, several states are updating their rules for insurance networks to better reflect who is covered and how people shop for and use their benefits. Laws governing health insurance vary, but states generally try to ensure health plans give residents reasonable access to a sufficient number of primary care and specialty physicians, said Tyler Brannen, a health policy analyst for the state of New Hampshire. ...

Douglas Allen Burgett, 55, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, May 29, 2014, after a brief illness. He was born Dec. 19, 1958, in Wichita Falls, Texas. Douglas received a certificate of completion May 29, 1978, from State School No. 11 for the severely handicapped in Cape Girardeau. He was employed by VIP Industries from 1978 to 1995. He was a member of Lighthouse Baptist Church since 1974 and assisted his best friend, James Murray, with operating the audio/visual equipment...

Albert Robison, 95, of Oak Ridge, formerly of Columbia, Illinois, died Thursday, May 29, 2014, at Monticello House in Jackson. One of six children, Albert was born Jan. 19, 1919, in Herrin, Illinois, to Thomas M. and Gertie Boyd Robison. Albert and Mildred Chosich were married Jan. 27, 1955, in St. Louis. They had been married 54 years when Mildred passed away Oct. 5, 2009...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Bernice A. Bain, 71, of Marble Hill died Thursday, May 29, 2014, at Life Care Center in Cape Girardeau. Graveside service will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at Williams Cemetery in Perkins, Missouri. Morgan Funeral Home in Advance, Missouri, is in charge of arrangements...

Daily American Republic ~ A Butler County, Missouri, man pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to illegally possessing a firearm. Timothy G. Ossana, 45, will be sentenced Aug. 25 and faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. On Nov. 23, police officers in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, arrested Ossana on a federal arrest warrant...

ST. LOUIS -- A federal appeals court has overturned a Missouri law that makes it a crime to burn or otherwise desecrate the American flag, citing Constitutional free-speech protections. Frank Snider III of Cape Girardeau sued the city after his 2009 arrest for cutting up a U.S. ...

A Jackson teenager faces multiple charges in connection with a series of vehicle burglaries. Nicholas S. Talley, 18, was arrested Thursday after Jackson police received a complaint about someone breaking into vehicles at an apartment complex on Old Toll Road, the Jackson Police Department reported in a news release Friday...

ST. LOUIS -- Missouri should establish its own laboratory to produce chemicals for use in executions rather than rely on an "uneasy cooperation" with medical professionals and pharmaceutical companies, the state's attorney general said Thursday...

Ponca City, Okla. -- Becca Jane Gregory, 71, died May 30, 2014, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be held Monday, June 2, 2014, from 10 a.m. to noon. The funeral will be held at noon at Morgan Funeral Chapel in Advance, Missouri. Interment will take place at Morgan Memorial Park in Advance...

Son to Michael Allen and Amy Christine Wallace of Cape Girardeau, Saint Francis Medical Center, 4:19 p.m. Friday, May 23, 2014. Name, Aiden Michael. Weight, 6 pounds, 4 ounces. Second child, first son. Mrs. Wallace is the former Amy Bergfeld, daughter of Wayne and Lin Bergfeld Jones of Cape Girardeau, Karen Bergfeld and the late Bob Bergfeld of St. ...

It doesn't take long for former Cape Girardeau police chief Ray Johnson and his staff to be indoctrinated as keepers of the peace in Chesterfield, Missouri; about two hours after taking over the responsibility from St. Louis County Police, the Chesterfield department receives its first complaint...

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

Shae Simmons said his call up to the Atlanta Braves on Friday night was unexpected. But that doesn't mean the former Scott City High School and Southeast Missouri State pitcher was unprepared. In fact, his improved preparation is the thing that, more than anything else, has helped transform him from a 22nd-round draft pick to a major league pitcher in less than two years, according to Southeast baseball coach Steve Bieser...

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

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Ann Cory Freiheit, 75, of Marble Hill passed away Saturday, May 31, 2014, at her home. She was born Nov. 24, 1938, in Meriden, Connecticut, the daughter of Frank and Ruth Cory Thorall. On June 15, 1960, she married William Edmund Freiheit in Meriden...

HONOLULU -- Before Apollo astronauts went to the moon, they went to Hawaii to train on the Big Island's lunar volcanic landscapes. Now, decades-old photos are surfacing of astronauts scooping up Hawaii's soil and riding across volcanic fields in a "moon buggy" vehicle...

AMBLER, Pa. -- My mother is the second-youngest of 14 children, and her five eldest siblings served overseas in World War II. They were our version of the famed Sullivan brothers, but with a happy ending: All made it home. Though one brother died in a 1948 car crash, I grew up around the other four, seeing them almost every Sunday after church while my grandmother was still living, and at family picnics that inevitably featured volleyball, Aunty Betty's decadent cakes, and the low roar of two dozen simultaneous conversations.. ...

"There's a church in the valley by the wildwood -- No lovelier place in the dale. No spot is so dear to my childhood As the little brown church in the vale." The color is different, but the feeling is the same as that expressed in the song "Church in the Wildwood" for the generations who attended McLain's Chapel from its mid-19th Century origin until it was closed in 1973...

MOBERLY, Mo. -- Northeast Missouri landowners opposed to a 750-mile network of high-power transmission lines said they are frustrated by being characterized as people who reject new infrastructure projects simply because they don't want the developments in their area...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Springfield officials are taking a closer look at allowing deer hunting inside city limits to help control a deer population that is growing exponentially. A committee of Springfield City Council members met last week to discuss an urban hunting season, with some appearing to endorse a citywide bow-and-arrow hunt while others were more cautious...

ST. LOUIS -- People who come to St. Louis for medical transplants often stay up to half a year for follow-up care. A new apartment will provide a place for their relatives, thanks to a grateful transplant recipient. Larry Bonds of St. Louis County received a new heart in 2008. Since then, he has built organ donor registries and raised awareness about transplants...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Question: What awaits us after we draw our last breath? And: Are there alternatives to burial or cremation? And: When you're offered a brownie at the Death Cafe, should you eat it? All good questions and sure conversation-starters at Death Cafe, which might sound like an artery-clogging greasy spoon but is actually an opportunity to discuss a potentially scary subject, The Kansas City Star reported...

A Scott City man is now in custody after assaulting a law enforcement officer. The incident occurred around midnight Sunday when Mikell Abraham fled from Scott County deputies after the officers attempted to conduct a driving-while-intoxicated checkpoint near the school on Main Street in Scott City, according to the news release...

WASHINGTON -- Details of a refashioned bill to address the problems plaguing the federally run veterans' health care system were released Sunday by its sponsor, the chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont Independent, posted a summary of his bill Sunday and said it would be introduced this week...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- As President Barack Obama prepares to announce tougher new air quality standards, lawmakers in several states already are trying to blunt the effect on aging coal-fired power plants that feed electricity to millions of consumers...

School's out for the summer, and some businesses are feeling the heat after their large customer base, Southeast Missouri State University students, head home for a few months. During the fall 2013 semester, the university had nearly 12,000 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled, which includes those enrolled in courses at the university's regional campuses in Sikeston, Malden, Kennett and Perryville, Missouri...

MIAMI -- The Atlanta Braves made themselves at home all weekend at Marlins Park, including when Evan Gattis put a dent in the home run sculpture Sunday. Gattis broke a ninth-inning tie with a two-run homer, newcomer Shae Simmons made another key contribution and Atlanta completed a three-game sweep by beating Miami 4-2...

What was big news about a decade ago has become another almost-empty building on Broadway in downtown Cape Girardeau. The Marquette Tower at 338 Broadway still sits in its restored glory, but fewer and fewer tenants are calling its offices home. The Spanish-style hotel opened in 1928 and consists of two properties: Marquette Tower, the 59,000-square-foot former hotel along Broadway, and the 25,000-square-foot Marquette Centre at 221 N. Fountain St...

Fireworks will return to the Cape Girardeau waterfront this Fourth of July. After previously being displayed at Arena Park, they will be moving back to their original location, the city of Cape Girardeau announced Sunday morning. Mayor Harry Rediger said the city moved the fireworks display because of its past success downtown...

When most callers dial 911, they expect their location will be immediately identified whether they're at home, on vacation or on the road. But public safety officials say that's not always the case. Of Missouri's 114 counties, 36 are unable to locate a caller who contacts 911 from a mobile device. While the technology is available to determine the exact longitude and latitude of the caller at the time they dial for help, lack of funding leaves many counties stuck in the past...

Dr. Michael Moeder, formerly of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, recently received the Fulton School of Liberal Arts award for excellence in teaching at Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland. Moeder has been a member of the Communication Arts department at Salisbury University since 2001 and teaches courses in mass media analysis and broadcast writing. ...

Got your golf clubs ready? The Retired Senior Volunteer Program/Volunteer Intergenerational Center invite golfers to their 16th Annual Golf Tournament on Friday, July 18, 2014 at the Cape Jaycees Golf Course in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Golfers who participate will win the satisfaction of helping a charitable organization because the proceeds from this tournament will benefit the RSVP/VIC Program and the many services its volunteers provide throughout Cape Girardeau and Scott Counties. ...

Illinois Chapter Trail of Tears Association Meeting The Illinois Chapter Trail of Tears Association will have its Spring general membership meeting and program on Saturday, June 14, 2014, at the Ft. Massac State Park meeting center at Metropolis, Illinois. This meeting begins at 10:00 AM and is open to the public. Those seeking more information on the Trail of Tears and activities of the Illinois Chapter Trail of Tears Association are encouraged to attend...

The management contract for the Jackson License Office was awarded to ABC of Southeast Missouri LLC in Sikeston, Missouri, according to a recent news release from the Missouri Department of Revenue. The contract was awarded by the Office of Administration in conjunction with the Missouri Department of Revenue. All license office contracts in the state are awarded through a competitive bid process, the release said...

Today is Monday, June 2, the 153rd day of 2014. There are 212 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On June 2, 1864 (New Style Calendar; May 21, 1864, Old Style), after decades of scorched-earth warfare, leaders of the Circassians, a Muslim ethnic group in the Caucasus region, surrendered in Sochi to the army of the Russian Empire, which proceeded to expel hundreds of thousands of Circassians...

Health care professionals agree that just as we exercise our bodies to stay fit, we should exercise our brains to keep them sharp. The good news is, exercising the brain is fun! Board games, card games, bingo, trivia, computer games, crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles and drawing are just a few of the ways to give the brain a good workout...

Garden centers, with their vast collections of plant colors, sizes and shapes, can be intimidating to inexperienced buyers. But you can become a discerning purchaser with a little homework and by quizzing the salespeople as you shop...

Let's face it, dogs are a part of the family. We live with them, we work with them, we have fun with them, so why not give them the same opportunities for activity and fun like we give ourselves and our kids? To keep your pet happy, healthy and safe, you need to find activities to keep them active and engaged. One fun activity is the dog park in Cape Girardeau...

Last Sunday's feature story on trumpeter Larry Herron was an enlightening example of how someone can use musical ability as a gift to others. Herron, 66, has played taps at more than 2,300 military funerals. Herron is one of a handful of musicians who play taps in the area, and one of many who take the time out of their days to pay respects to veterans when they are laid to rest...

I heard Howard Dean, the Democrat that ran for president several years ago, saying the Republicans were un-American because they wanted to pass legislation that would require voters to have photo ID, and the only reason they were going to do that was to keep poor people from voting. ...

NEW YORK -- The biggest box-office debut of Angelina Jolie's career propelled Disney's twisted fairy tale "Maleficent" to a scary-good $70 million opening. The PG-rated fantasy beat forecasts to easily top all films over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. ...

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

City hall 401 Independence St. Study session, 5 p.m. today Pertinent address: 401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, Mo...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Dorothy Catherine Rolwing, 92, of Charleston died Saturday, May 31, 2014, at Charleston Manor. She was born April 5, 1922, in Charleston to the late Joseph Louis and Ida Francis Wilhelm Halter. She had lived in Charleston her entire life, where she was a member of St. ...

GIPSY, Mo. -- Delphia "Sis" Jackson, 78, of Gipsy passed away Saturday, May 31, 2014, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 6, 1935, in Arab, Missouri, and is the daughter of Beuford West and Stella Ward. Sis was a member of Brush Creek Baptist Church in Zalma, Missouri. She worked at an International Hat Factory in Marble Hill, Missouri, and owned and operated a general store in Gipsy many years...

Danny Collier, 74, of Scott City died Sunday, June 1, 2014, at Advance Nursing Center in Advance, Missouri. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City.

A two-alarm fire early in the morning destroys a landmark downtown business building; the blaze, of undetermined origin, destroys Uncle Ralph's Furniture and the building it was in at the southwest corner of Spanish and Independence streets; the building was more than 100 years old...

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International has sweetened its offer to buy Botox maker Allergan for the second time this week. The Canadian drugmaker said Friday it will offer $72 and a portion of its stock for each Allergan share. That's up from an offer of $58.30 per share that Valeant extended Wednesday...

FRESNO, Calif. -- A Salvation Army worker in California is being rewarded for his decision to return a bag containing $125,000 that fell from an armored truck. Joe Cornell told The Fresno Bee he found the cash Tuesday after a Brinks truck pulled away from a red light in Fresno and left the sack behind...

LOS ANGELES -- Apple's $3 billion purchase of headphone maker and streaming music company Beats Electronics sheds light on a rarely recognized reality in the music-streaming industry: It's hard to succeed in the business without offering other products and services...

PARIS -- A suspected French jihadist who spent time in Syria is in custody over the shooting deaths of three people at a Belgian Jewish museum, prosecutors said Sunday, crystallizing fears that European radicals will parlay their experiences in Syria into terrorism back home...

LOS ANGELES -- The skies off the Hawaiian island of Kauai will be a stand-in for Mars as NASA prepares to launch a saucer-shaped vehicle in an experimental flight designed to land heavy loads on the red planet. For decades, robotic landers and rovers have hitched a ride to Earth's planetary neighbor using the same parachute design. But NASA needs a bigger and stronger parachute if it wants to send astronauts there...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Some drought-stricken rivers and streams in Northern California's coastal forests are being polluted and sucked dry by water-guzzling medical marijuana farms, wildlife officials say -- an issue that has spurred at least one county to try to outlaw personal grows...

BOISE, Idaho -- The father of an American soldier just released from captivity in Afghanistan said Sunday that he is proud of how far his son, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, was willing to go to help the Afghan people. Bob Bergdahl said he admired his son's patience, perseverance and ability to adapt during nearly five years as a prisoner of the Taliban. Bowe Bergdahl was freed Saturday in exchange for five Guantánamo terrorism detainees...

MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK, Wash. -- It's too dangerous right now to search for the bodies of six climbers who likely plummeted to their deaths while attempting one of the more technical and physically grueling routes to the peak of Mount Rainier in Washington, park officials said Sunday...

Mark Seesing and Frank Trankler joined the staff of McCombs Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau and McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson, respectively. Seesing, of Cape Girardeau, has more than 18 years of funeral service experience as a licensed embalmer and funeral home director. He also is an instructor for the FEMA/SEMA Mass Fatality training course and was a statewide coordinator for the Missouri Funeral Directors and Embalmers Association Disaster Response Team...

The Plaza Tire Capahas christened their season with a split of a doubleheader against the host Charleston Riverdogs on Sunday. Charleston won an error-marred opener 11-10 in eight innings, but the Capahas rebounded for a 13-7 win in the nightcap. Capahas manager Jess Bolen said the teams combined for 12 errors in the opener -- six apiece...

Giants right-hander allowed just three hits in seven innings in an 8-0 win over St. Louis

Emmy-winning actress Ann B. Davis, who became the country's favorite and most famous housekeeper as the devoted Alice Nelson of "The Brady Bunch," died Sunday at a San Antonio hospital. She was 88. Bexar County, Texas, medical examiner's investigator Sara Horne said Davis died Sunday morning at University Hospital. Horne said no cause of death was available and that an autopsy was planned today...

Ask Wilbert Welker about his life and he'll grin and say that, "A lot of the time, I don't know how I got from where I was to where I'm at." Which isn't exactly true. He remembers. He likes to tell stories, too, but with 94 years to pick from, where do you start?...

You might say Ron Whitaker has the hardware store business in his blood. "My grandfather, Reece Whitaker, opened Whitaker's Hardware Store in Rector, Arkansas, in 1905," he says. The store stayed open in Rector until 1934 when the family relocated to Portageville, Missouri...

O Lord Jesus, instead of worrying, may we seek your kingdom and righteousness. Amen.

ST. LOUIS -- It has been a fairly quiet tornado season so far this spring but that could change today in five Midwestern states, where the National Weather Service predicts a heightened risk of severe storms that could produce strong twisters. Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Illinois are at greater risk of severe storms with hail, high winds and possibly tornadoes. The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, said the threatened tornadoes could be strong...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The suspect in a home invasion was captured early Saturday morning, walking about a block from the police department as officers concluded a street crimes task force sweep. Jeremy Vance Fineout, 30, was spotted shortly after midnight at Second and Pine streets by patrolman Danny Hicks, who had just left the department...

MOLINE ACRES, Mo. -- Officials at the Missouri Lottery are urging the holder of a $1 million Powerball prize to come forward. Someone who purchased a Powerball ticket at the Shop 'n Save store in the St. Louis suburb of Moline Acres matched all five white-ball numbers drawn Saturday. The winning numbers were 15, 27, 31, 34 and 48. It was the 10th time in the past year that a ticket purchased in Missouri has won a Match 5 prize...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Missouri transportation officials have shelved a project using "sound cannons" to warn distracted motorists to slow down in work zones, but remain interested in how that technology could protect highway workers. Researchers tested the long-range acoustic devices -- or LRADs -- in November on Missouri Department of Transportation vehicles on Interstate 435 in northern Kansas City and on Interstate 70 near Columbia...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A coroner's inquest is convening this week to look into a fatal shooting involving a Southeast Missouri deputy. The Daily American Republic reported testimony is expected to begin Wednesday for a shooting that occurred May 25 in Butler County. Names of the man killed and the deputy have not been released. The man who died was from Harviell, Missouri, and the shooting occurred on his property...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- A Charleston man suspected in a home invasion and robbery is in custody. DeCarlos Clemons, 20, was arrested Sunday after officers from the Charleston Department of Public Safety received information he was at basketball courts in Lincoln Park...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- A Mississippi County man will be arraigned Wednesday for allegedly sexually assaulting a child. Kevin Lee Banks, 35, of Wilson City, Missouri, is scheduled to appear in Division II of Mississippi County Circuit Court on charges of first-degree statutory sodomy and first-degree statutory rape. Both charges involve a victim younger than 14...

Three suspects in a May 20 bank robbery in Morley, Missouri, pleaded not guilty Monday in federal court. Pamela M. Lathon, 44, Tyrice G. Royston, 26, and Alexander T. Trotter, 31, all of St. Louis, were arraigned in Cape Girardeau in connection with the robbery at First Commercial Bank...

BENTON, Mo. -- A rural Sikeston, Missouri, man is in jail on numerous charges, including attempted rape. Charles Wallace Bell, 33, is charged with first-degree attempted rape, first-degree assault, unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia...

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to a call from Southeast Hospital on Monday afternoon after people started smelling smoke on the third floor, said battalion chief Fred Vincel. During a test of the hospital's emergency generators, "exhaust piping became hot and caused some roofing tar to smolder," according to a statement from Brian Gilliland, SoutheastHEALTH director of facilities and construction...

State Rep. Kathy Swan was recognized last week for her work on education issues during the recently concluded legislative session. The Cape Girardeau Republican received the Freshman Legislator of the Year Award from Tim Jones, Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives, who commended Swan for her leadership and quality of work. She served on the House committees for elementary and secondary education, higher education and education appropriations...

The Cape Girardeau City Council made several decisions on budgets and funding at its regular meeting Monday. The council gave unanimous first-round approval to the roughly $71 million budget after no one appeared to speak at the public hearing held on the matter. The amount is nearly identical to last year's budget. Final approval will be given at the council's next meeting June 16...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating after the weekend drowning of a 20-year-old handcuffed man who was suspected of boating while intoxicated at the Lake of the Ozarks. Brandon Ellingson of Clive, Iowa, had been placed in a life vest and was being transported for a sobriety test late Saturday afternoon, said highway patrol Sgt. Paul Reinsch on Monday...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon came out in opposition Monday to a proposed three-quarters cent sales tax increase for transportation, casting it as the latest example of a misguided tax policy by state legislators. Nixon's formal statement against the sales tax proposal came a little over a week after he used his gubernatorial powers to move up the measure's election date from November to August, which gives supporters less time to develop a public-relations campaign...

Fat, shining, high-handle-barred bikes rumbled past the dozen-or-so riders who leaned in the shade beside Lawless Harley-Davidson in Scott City on Saturday. They came for the motorcycles, but were waiting to give blood before rejoining the grand opening festivities...

The Jackson Board of Aldermen reached a consensus during a Monday study session to move forward with a proposal to expand the police department by about 3,000 square feet. The project has been discussed for the past eight months and a committee was formed by Mayor Barbara Lohr to look into obtaining more space, police chief James Humphreys said...

Education bills passed by the Missouri Legislature but not yet signed by Gov. Jay Nixon touch on Common Core, accountability standards for college and career readiness and preschool opportunities. Many districts around the state have fully implemented Common Core standards for language arts and math, with testing set to begin next school year. But if Gov. Jay Nixon signs it, House Bill 1490, sponsored by Rep. Kurt Bahr, R-O'Fallon, could change things...

FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.com A 60-inch section of sewer pipe is installed Monday on Themis Street as part of the Broadway Stormwater Relief project. ...

Sabrina and Bob Hardy didn't plan on closing Trish's Place in Cape Girardeau. But a letter giving them 30 days to move out of their location along Independence Street to make room for a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market told them otherwise. Though they had heard rumors and speculation about what the former Plaza Galleria property would become, they didn't know for sure until they got the letter...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- To meet newly proposed federal standards, Missouri would need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants by more than one-fifth by 2030 -- a less aggressive target than set for many states, but still too burdensome in the view of state Republican officials...

Alto Pass, IL; June 2, 2014 - There will be local peaches in southern Illinois! Despite a long hard winter, Union County, Illinois, peach growers are expecting a nice peach crop this season...

Parents planning summer activities for children are reminded to add breakfast and lunch at Perry County School District 32 to their itineraries. "The district operates a free food service program through grant funding from the Department of Health and Senior Services," said Assistant Superintendent Russell Leek. "One of the benefits of the program is that any school-aged child (ages 5-18) can receive a free breakfast or lunch on days that summer school is in session...

Eighth graders at Perry County Middle School have completed a unit on financial literacy, with help from local experts. "We spent three weeks working on personal finance topics: checkbooks, paying bills, buying a house and cars, etc., said math teacher Karen Krieger. ...

The Educare Program's Child Development Associates Class held its graduation on May 20, 2014, at the Cape Public School Administration Building. The CDA class is a national credential from the Council for Professional Recognition, headquartered in Washington, D.C...

Today is Tuesday, June 3, the 154th day of 2014. There are 211 days left in the year. Today's Highlights in History: On June 3, 1989, Iran's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, died. Chinese army troops began their sweep of Beijing to crush student-led pro-democracy demonstrations...

It has been a few years in the making, but plans are underway to break ground for Scott City School District's new performing arts theater/Federal Emergency Management Agency safe room. The groundbreaking will be at 10:30 a.m. June 16, with the time set for students in summer school to have a firsthand look...

I know I speak for many people when I say thank you, city of Cape, for building the dog park in Kiwanis Park. We know walking the dog is good for both the dog as well the owner. But many people who live in apartments or don't have fenced-in yards benefit from the socialization and play times the dogs enjoy. It's also a great way to meet other dog lovers. We are hopeful that some sort of shade might be provided during the really hot days. But what a blessing the park is. Thanks again...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missourians could get a matching contribution for the money they save for their children's college tuition. The matching grant program is for the MOST 529 college savings plan and is worth up to $500. Applicants must be the account owners with a household adjusted income of less than $75,000...

OZARK, Mo. -- Funeral services will take place today in southwest Missouri for Circuit Judge Mark Orr, who has died at the age of 54. KOLR-TV reported Orr died Sunday at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Missouri. His mother-in-law, funeral home operator Mary Adams, told the station he had been diagnosed with melanoma in November...

Vivian D. Morris, 88, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, June 1, 2014, at Life Care Center. She was born Aug. 25, 1925, in rural Graham County, Kansas, to Clifford and Gladys Glee Cross Acheson. She married Paul M. Morris on Aug. 24, 1952. He preceded her in death April 8, 1986...

Danny Oneal Collier, 74, of Shelbina, Missouri, formerly of Scott City, died Sunday, June 1, 2014, at Advance Nursing Center in Advance, Missouri. He was born July 17, 1939, in Ancell (Scott City), to Floyd Alfred and Goldia B. Brant Collier. Danny was a retired truck driver...

William Christian Dunham, 63, of Lake St. Louis, Missouri, passed away Wednesday, May 28, 2014, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. He was born March 2, 1951, in Cape Girardeau, son of William W. and Mary Reisenbichler. He married the former Diane Arras Harvey...

Anthony W. Dohogne, 86, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, June 2, 2014, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Old St. Vincent's Catholic Church. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at the church, with the Rev. Tom Kiefer officiating. Burial will be in St. Mary Cemetery...

GRASSY, Mo. -- Theresa Marie Anderson Howard, 48, of Grassy died Sunday, June 1, 2014, at her home. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until service time Thursday at Hutchings Funeral Chapel in Marble Hill, Missouri. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Grassy Friendship Cemetery...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Audrey L. Esselman, 78, of Clarksburg, Missouri, formerly of Perryville, died Saturday, May 31, 2014, at her home. Visitation will be from 11:30 a.m. until service time Thursday at Young and Sons Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Thomas Handrick officiating. Burial will be in Home Cemetery...

Daughter to Kelsey Sue Holloway of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Hospital, 12:22 a.m. Tuesday, April 15, 2014. Name, Vivienne Sue. Weight, 7 pounds, 14 ounces. First child. Ms. Holloway is the daughter of Kerry and Kelly Holloway of Cape Girardeau. She is a student...

NEW YORK -- Texas pastor Joel Osteen is getting his own channel on SiriusXM satellite radio, which will air his sermon at Yankee Stadium on Saturday live nationally. Osteen, who preaches to 40,000 people each week at Houston's Lakewood megachurch, already shows his messages on the Trinity television network. The new SiriusXM channel will feature live call-in shows hosted by Osteen and his wife, fellow Lakewood pastor Victoria Osteen, along with rebroadcasts of Osteen's past sermons...

NEW YORK -- Three months after winning an Oscar, Lupita Nyong'o is going to a galaxy far, far away. The Walt Disney Co. announced Monday that Nyong'o is joining the cast of "Star Wars: Episode VII." The 31-year-old actress became a breakthrough star for her award-winning performance in "12 Years a Slave."...

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

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

June is always such a nice month, and it will be even nicer this year. We will be having our usual special musical events during the month. In addition, we will be having two special bicentennial events. Our Jackson Municipal Band always kicks off the season with a patriotic concert at the Memorial Day program hosted by the Jackson American Legion. ...

LONDON -- Almost a third of the world is now fat, and no country has been able to curb obesity rates in the last three decades, according to a new global analysis. Researchers found more than 2 billion people worldwide are now overweight or obese. ...

CHICAGO -- Two years ago, Arrica Wallace was riddled with tumors from widely spread cervical cancer that the strongest chemotherapy and radiation could not beat back. Today, the Kansas mother shows no signs of the disease, and it was her own immune system that made it go away...

MADRID -- King Juan Carlos, who led Spain's transition from dictatorship to democracy but faced damaging scandals amid the nation's financial meltdown, announced Monday he will abdicate in favor of his more popular son so that fresh royal blood can rally the nation...

WASHINGTON -- A reporter who has been ordered to divulge the identity of the source of classified information lost his bid Monday to get the Supreme Court to clarify whether journalists have a right to protect their confidential sources. Without comment, the justices rejected an appeal from New York Times reporter James Risen to revisit the court's 42-year-old ruling that has raised questions about journalists' ability to shield from public view the names of people who tell them government secrets.. ...

Class 2 District 1 First team Abby Shupert, jr., Central (MF) Emily Daly, sr., Central (MF) Rebekah Sutherland, sr., Farmington (G) Emily Mosier, sr., Farmington (D) Montana Krause, jr., Farmington (D) Madison Buelow, sr., Notre Dame (G) Annie Siebert, sr., Notre Dame (D)...

ATLANTA -- The Braves received a needed boost from two players recalled from the minors last week. Now Tommy La Stella and Shae Simmons are set for their home debuts. Atlanta opens a two-game series with Seattle tonight. The starting second baseman is expected to be La Stella, who had back-to-back two-hit games in the Braves' weekend sweep at Miami...

Royals open four-game interleague series with 6-0 win over listless Cards

WASHINGTON -- A Pentagon investigation concluded in 2010 that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl walked away from his unit, and after an initial flurry of searching the military decided not to exert extraordinary efforts to rescue him, according to a former senior defense official who was involved in the matter...

Scott City junior shortstop Lyndsie Robert led the list of local high school players to gain honors in the inaugural spring softball season, being named all-district, all-regional first team and all-state first team. Robert helped lead the Rams to third place in the Class 1 state tournament...

Members of Exchange Clubs from eastern Missouri and southern and central Illinois are given insight into the framing of the Constitution during an address by Cape Girardeau lawyer Rush H. Limbaugh; Limbaugh, 90, speaks to a district convention of Exchange Clubs...

O Lord Jesus, our Messiah and Redeemer, blessed be your name. Amen.

Before I started writing for a living, I waited tables, and my life revolved around customer service. I worked in the service industry for six years, spending one year making sandwiches and another five working at a local restaurant. I began as a greeter and hostess, and I started serving tables and bartending about a year later...

I recently had the opportunity to prepare a few local high school students for future job interviews they no doubt will encounter shortly after graduation. The Southeast Missouri State University College Access program hosted a Step-to-Success conference for Cape Girardeau Central High School students in early April. The conference provided an opportunity for students to sharpen their interview skills with community professionals...

A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted James Nathaniel Watts in connection with an attempted bank robbery last month in Cairo, Illinois, that left two women dead and a third critically injured.

A half-year into the Cape Girardeau school district's initiative to introduce convertible laptop computers into its learning culture, teachers and students are adjusting well, said instructional technology coordinator Ron Farrow. In January, about 1,200 ASUS Transformer laptops were delivered to Central High School students and teachers. IPad pilot programs also were implemented at all five elementary schools, plus third-grade students at Franklin Elementary used ASUS books this year...

ST. LOUIS -- Silence your cellphone. Save the movie commentary for later. And if you know someone who aims a laser pointer at an airplane, give us a call. A new FBI campaign unveiled Tuesday will place public safety messages during movie previews, including in Cape Girardeau, and is offering rewards of $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of anyone who threatens aircraft in a laser attack...

CHADWICK, Mo. -- Bear experts and advocates are working to educate Missouri residents about black bears as the number of the species increases in the state. The Missouri Department of Conservation began an effort seven years ago to count the black bear population after the animals that had been reintroduced in Arkansas slowly moved north into the state. Last week, the effort began focusing on trapping female bears, The Columbia Daily Tribune reported...

Southeast Missouri towns big and small face compliance issues after federal agencies approved stricter water-quality regulations that took effect this year. Concerns about wildlife prompted the Missouri Clean Water Commission to approve new rules that would strengthen protection for rivers, streams and lakes. ...

Even though the Southeast Missouri State football team's first game of the season isn't for nearly three months, and its first official practice isn't until early August, in Southeast first-year coach Tom Matukewicz's eyes the 2014 season began June 1 when players reported for summer workouts...

This is the Old Lorimier Cemetery in Cape Girardeau Mo.

Third grade classes at Perryville Elementary School turned their hallways into different ecosystems. The displays were the grand finale of a research project that explored different ecosystems including tropical forest, desert, savanna, grassland, deciduous and coniferous forests, ocean and freshwater. ...

Department awards were announced on the last day of school for Perryville High School students in grades 9-11. Business education awards went to Daria Thompson in Accounting 1, Mollie Kluender and Emma Nelson in Personal Finance, and Garrett Johnson in Business Basics...

The annual Profiles In Excellence banquet at Perryville High School recognizes the efforts of graduating seniors. School and department awards are announced, as well as scholarships. The PHS Class of 2014's valedictorian was Jaret Kluender and salutatorian was Alexis Weisbrod...

The Perryville High School Concert Choir performed in the Missouri State Music Contest on March 20th at the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus in Cape Girardeau, MO. The choir's first song selection was "The Water is Wide" by Porter. Their second selection was "Hosanna" by Poorman. ...

The Perryville High School Chamber Choir performed in the Missouri State Music Contest on March 20 at the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus in Cape Girardeau, under the direction of Mr. Terry Edwards. The choir's first song selection was "Salmo 150" by Ernani Aguiar. ...

Perryville High School Choral Students recently participated in the Southeast Missouri Music Festival in Cape Girardeau, under the direction of Mr. Terry Edwards. They participated in the piano or vocal solos or sang in small ensembles, and earned a 2, or Excellent, rating. ...

The above Perryville High School Vocal Music Students recently participated in the Southeast Missouri Music Festival at Cape Girardeau, under the direction of Mr. Terry Edwards. They sang solos or participated in small vocal ensembles. Each of these students received a 1, or Superior, rating and were allowed once again in the Missouri State Music Festival early in May where they also received superior and excellent scores. ...

PHS vocal music students recently competed at the Southeast Missouri Music Festival in Cape Girardeau, where each student or group of students is evaluated by one judge and rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being the highest rating possible. The women's ensemble, which includes (from left) Ruby Stangl, Jocelyn Erwin, Angelica Long, Emilie Tarrillion and Alicia Smith, earned a 2 rating at the District contest. ...

Avery Zeigler won the The Wee Little Miss Summerfest in Scott City. She is the 3-year-old daughter of Michael and Ashley Zeigler.

Our daughter Karla gave me a ceramic pot of flowers for Mother's Day, and one of them is a lobelia plant. It has a tiny, tiny flower on it. I saw this tiny little bee getting nectar from it and leaned down and took its picture. I actually watched it as it crawled into the flower to get the nectar. It was amazing to watch the handywork of God.

Today is Wednesday, June 4, the 155th day of 2014. There are 210 days left in the year. Today's Highlights in History: On June 4, 1944, during World War II, U-505, a German submarine, was captured by a U.S. Navy task group in the south Atlantic; it was the first such capture of an enemy vessel at sea by the U.S. Navy since the War of 1812. The U.S. Fifth Army began liberating Rome...

Time remains to send in your nominations for the Southeast Missourian Spirit of America Award. Each year this newspaper recognizes one individual at a local Fourth of July celebration. Previous recipients include: John "Doc" Yallaly, Dr. Dan Cotner, Melvin Gateley, Neal Edwards, James Harnes Sr., Jane Randol Jackson, Harry Rediger, Rob Callahan, David Hitt, Kent Zickfield and Ken Bender...

Look around the Cape Girardeau area this week. There's a large, wild tree with huge, heart-shaped leaves, and it's in full bloom, white blooms from the top to the bottom of the tree. They're beautiful trees given to us by God. And we call them catalpa...

NEW YORK -- The stock market fell slightly Tuesday, pulling back from record highs the day before. Hillshire Brands jumped as a bidding war for the company heated up, while Krispy Kreme Doughnuts plunged after issuing a disappointing forecast. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 21.29 points, or 0.1 percent, to 16,722.34. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 0.73 points, or 0.04 percent, to 1,924.24 and the Nasdaq composite fell 3.12 points, or 0.1 percent, to 4,234.08...

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine's president-elect will likely have little trouble wooing Western leaders, including President Barack Obama, when he travels to Poland and France this week -- many have already hailed the rise of the pragmatic, Western-leaning leader...

Daughter to Danielle Michelle Owen of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Hospital, 8:06 p.m. Friday, May 23, 2014. Name, Cambry Eloise. Weight, 6 pounds, 13 ounces. She is employed by AT&T. Daughter to Andrew Isaac Dooley and Janell Lindsey Campbell of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Hospital, 10:22 a.m. ...

The first homecoming reunion of Oak Ridge United Methodist Church is held at the church; along with Sunday school and the morning worship service, a basket dinner and music program are held; pastor of the church is the Rev. Lloyd Bollinger. Nationally syndicated radio talk show host Rush H. "Rusty" Limbaugh III delivered the commencement address to some 320 Cape Girardeau Central High School graduates during commencement ceremonies Friday evening at Houck Stadium...

BEIJING -- Beijing put additional police on the streets and detained government critics Tuesday as part of a security crackdown on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the crushing of pro-democracy protests centered on the capital's Tiananmen Square...

WARSAW, Poland -- President Barack Obama pledged Tuesday to boost U.S. military deployments and exercises in Europe, an effort costing as much as $1 billion to demonstrate American solidarity with a continent rattled by Russia's intervention in Ukraine...

Amnesty will be the final straw that fundamentally transforms the future of this once-great country. Through years of ever-growing federal assistance, we have created a permanent non-working class of citizens unwilling to perform the entry-level, lower paying jobs...

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

*** CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following item. Summons * Marie R. McKnight, no age given, of Cape Girardeau was issued a summons for following too close and no insurance.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Derrell Robert Womack, 87, of Perryville died Monday, June 2, 2014, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday and from 6:30 a.m. until service time Saturday at Young and Sons Funeral Home...

MORLEY, Mo. -- Shirley Jo Smith, 77, of Cedar Hill, Texas, formerly of Morley, passed away Saturday, May 31, 2014, at Charleston Methodist Hospital in Dallas after a 30-year battle with cancer. She was born Dec. 25, 1936, in rural Benton, Missouri, to Jake B. and Pansy Lane Smith...

ORAN, Mo. -- Jeryl Wilson Slinkard, 71, of Oran passed away Monday, June 2, 2014, at the family home in Oran, after fighting a courageous battle with lung cancer. He was born July 15, 1942, in Randles, to Hubert Wilson and Eva Evelyn Mobley Slinkard. He and Beverly Dawn Roberts of Oran were married Aug. 4, 1961...

Anthony W. "Tony" Dohogne, 86, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, June 2, 2014, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center. He was born June 12, 1927, in Cape Girardeau, to Leo and Louise Diebold Dohogne. He and Doris Crosier were married Sept. 12, 1959, in Cape Girardeau. She preceded him in death in April 2007...

Dr. Jennie C. Cooper, 82, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, June 2, 2014, peacefully at her home, with her two children present. She was born Sept. 4, 1931, in Brinkley, Arkansas, to Allen B. and May Lawrence Cooper. She and William H. "Bill" Frye were married in 1952 at Charleston, Missouri...

MOUND CITY, Ill. — Scott Barnes, 41, of Mound City died Tuesday, June 3, 2014, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete at Jones Funeral Home in Villa Ridge, Illinois.

SAN FRANCISCO -- A search of a social media expert's apartment in San Francisco turned up ball bearings, screws and components needed to make a homemade bomb designed to kill or maim, the FBI said in an affidavit unsealed Tuesday. Investigators said they found the materials inside a bag at the apartment of Ryan Kelly Chamberlain during a search over the weekend. The discovery prompted a manhunt for the 42-year-old Chamberlain that ended with his arrest Monday in San Francisco...

SEATTLE -- A $15 minimum wage like the one adopted in Seattle doesn't buy many luxuries in most American cities. Lattes, theater tickets and cable television will still be out of reach for most minimum-wage workers. But about $31,000 a year should be enough to pay the average rent for a shared one-bedroom apartment, plus utilities, health insurance, groceries and an inexpensive cellphone plan...

MILWAUKEE -- Wisconsin's tough laws requiring children be charged as adults in homicide cases could mean a 12-year-old girl accused of stabbing a friend won't get help she needs, her attorney said Tuesday. Waukesha County prosecutors have charged two 12-year-old girls in adult court with stabbing a friend the same age nearly to death in the woods. ...

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Problems with delayed care and unauthorized wait lists found at Department of Veterans Affairs facilities in Arizona also existed in seven facilities serving the Midwest, but in much smaller numbers, VA officials said in letters to two U.S. senators...

BRIDGETON, Mo. -- The recent detection of a cancer-causing chemical at the smoldering Bridgeton Landfill has prompted Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster to seek a preliminary injunction ordering the landfill's owner to boost its oversight while also paying the state more money to monitor the site...

HANNIBAL, Mo. -- A series of safety-related deer hunts at Hannibal Regional Airport wound up reducing the roaming herd by just eight animals. The Hannibal Courier-Post reported the Missouri Department of Conservation had placed a 40-deer limit for three special hunts conducted by members of a U.S. Department of Agriculture animal management unit...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A report of a stolen checkbook in Bernie, Missouri, has resulted in the arrest of a local man. Travis Dean Burnett, 28, has been charged with tampering with a motor vehicle, forgery and theft under $500. A probable-cause statement filed by Bernie Police Chief Justin Allen last week says a woman in the 200 block of East Fordyce Street in Bernie reported her checkbook had been stolen from her vehicle. ...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A ruling Tuesday morning set bond for Donald Lafferty at $750,000 cash only, with a list of special conditions he must meet. Lafferty, 69, is accused of having paid a Stoddard County, Missouri, couple to burn down his home while his wife slept on the couch in January 2013...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Nearly 25 arrests were made Friday as members of the multiagency Street Crimes Task Force converged on Poplar Bluff during the group's first visit to town. When the operation ended, officers had taken down a suspected methamphetamine lab, seized a sawed-off shotgun and a substantial amount of suspected heroin and gathered intelligence information...

LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan's Senate approved on Tuesday spending $195 million to help prevent steeper cuts in Detroit retiree pensions as part of a deal designed to shield valuable city-owned art from being sold and resolve the largest public bankruptcy in U.S. history...

The board of directors of the Downtown Cape Girardeau Community Improvement District will gather for its first meeting at 5:30 p.m. today at the First Presbyterian Church, 235 Broadway. The meeting is open to the public. The board plans to discuss a number of issues, including the appointment of officers, adoption of bylaws and calling the election for the property and sales tax that would be imposed within the district's boundaries...

Devin Stephenson, president of Three Rivers College, has been chosen as chairman of the Missouri Community College Association's Presidents/Chancellors Council for 2014-2015. The chairman leads the council and supports MCCA's mission of community college advocacy, a news release said...

Kansas City rallied for an 8-7 victory as St. Louis closed its home stand with a 2-7 record

WASHINGTON -- The nation's top military officer said Tuesday the Army still could throw the book at Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the young soldier who walked away from his unit in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan and into five years of captivity by the Taliban...

DAMASCUS, Syria -- Against a backdrop of civil war, tens of thousands of Syrians voted in government-controlled cities and towns Tuesday to give President Bashar Assad a new seven-year mandate, with some marking the ballots with their own blood...

BRUSSELS -- President Barack Obama's move to limit U.S. carbon emissions may prompt an important shift by China in its climate policies, where officials are worried about the costs of pollution anyway, according to a Chinese expert and activists following the international negotiations...

BANGKOK -- The three-finger salute from the Hollywood movie "The Hunger Games" is being used as a real symbol of resistance in Thailand. Protesters against the military coup are flashing the gesture as a silent act of rebellion, and they're being threatened with arrest if they ignore warnings to stop...

The Scott County Junior Legion baseball team dropped a pair of high-scoring games Tuesday in Scott City. St. Vincent scored 12 runs in the sixth inning in an 18-17 win over Scott County in the opener. Kyle Fitzgerald and Jordan Griggs both had three hits for Scott County, which had scored 11 runs in the second inning. Fitzgerald had three RBIs, while Griggs had four stolen bases. Trent Pobst added two hits and five RBIs...

BERLIN -- A German museum has put on display a copy of Vincent van Gogh's ear grown using genetic material provided by one of the 19th-century Dutch artist's living relatives. The Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe said artist Diemut Strebe made the replica using living cells from Lieuwe van Gogh, great-great-grandson of Vincent's brother Theo...

Father God, may the joy of our salvation through Jesus fill our hearts and minds. Amen.

If U.S. Rep. Jason Smith and a number of agriculture groups have their way, farming will be a state right protected on the same level as speech and religion. The Republican congressman said during a visit to Cape Girardeau this afternoon that Constitutional Amendment 1, the "Keep Missouri Farming" Amendment, is an issue he's felt passionately about since his time in the statehouse...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A central Missouri man says rescuers were shocked that he survived being pinned to his bed by a tree and a power pole that fell onto his home during a powerful storm. Cheston Fox told KOMU-TV he was trapped from the waist down but remained conscious after the pole and the tree crashed into his mobile home around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Jay Nixon has named the former head of a not-for-profit conservation group to the Missouri Conservation Commission. Nixon announced the appointment of Dave Murphy on Wednesday. Murphy, a Democrat, retired last year as executive director of the Conservation Federation of Missouri. He owns a 376-acre farm in northeast Missouri's Clark County...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The next Missouri death row inmate scheduled to die by injection wants a judge to halt his June 18 execution over concerns that the state's refusal to disclose its drug supplier violates a law protecting the public's right to know...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City is trying to put its best foot forward Wednesday and today as officials try to persuade a Republican committee that the city should host the GOP's presidential nominating committee in 2016. The Republican party site selection committee was scheduled to get a tour of the city to judge its ability to host the convention, which would attract an estimated 45,000 people and thousands of media...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Poplar Bluff Municipal Library District has agreed to repay the city $489,833.98. "The library agrees to pay back monies provided by the city that supplemented library operations for the tax years 2008-2012," library director Sue Crites Szostak said during a city council meeting earlier this week...

For the second time in less than a year, a registered sex offender is in custody, accused of inappropriate behavior involving a child. John D. Hooker, 59, is being held on $2,500 cash only bond on a charge of third-degree assault in connection with a situation involving a group of teenage girls at the Jackson City Park, police reported...

Coming of age in the late 1960s and early '70s in Detroit, Morris Jenkins, now dean of the College of Health and Human Services at Southeast Missouri State University, saw a lot of social upheaval with the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- An independent auditor will act as a "baby sitter," performing random price checks at Walgreen Co. stores around Missouri for the next three years under an agreement the company reached with the state, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster said Wednesday...

Warmer weather means more people are buying and selling houses, and March, April and May proved to be busy months in the housing market. The number of homes sold in Missouri increased nearly 14 percent from March to April, according to data from the Missouri Realtors Association. The average selling price also increased from March to April, climbing more than 4 percent from $149,149 to $155,465...

The man believed responsible for an early morning Olive Street shooting in Cape Girardeau was taken into custody in Illinois on Wednesday afternoon, police reported. Tommy Joe Davis III, 29, of Cape Girardeau has been charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action for the shooting. Judge William Syler set the cash-only bond at $250,000...

ST. LOUIS -- Veterans Affairs leaders need to be held accountable after reports that VA health care centers in four Midwestern states maintained secret, unauthorized waiting lists of veterans, some of whom waited for care for more than 90 days, Missouri's U.S. senators said Wednesday...

As the aroma of rose petals hung in the thick summer air, dozens of local aficionados gathered in the northwest corner of Capaha Park on Wednesday evening for the updated Rose Display Garden's ribbon-cutting ceremony. Cape Girardeau Mayor Harry Rediger was on hand to christen the garden and praised all who helped make it possible...

After three robberies in less than eight months -- two at the same location -- First Commercial Bank executives had seen enough. In the wake of the May 20 robbery at the bank's Morley, Missouri, location, bank executives reassessed the company's security equipment and procedures, "reviewing and reviewing and reviewing and noting areas that we could tighten down on," said Mary Lawrence, the bank's chief operating officer...

The board of directors of the proposed Downtown Cape Girardeau Community Improvement District gathered for its first meeting tonight to discuss appointment of officers, adoption of bylaws and calling the elections for the property and sales tax that would be imposed within the district's boundaries...

Cape Ford and Sons Post 63 defeated Jackson 12-4 in a rain-shortened game at Capaha Field on Wednesday.

Today is Thursday, June 5, the 156th day of 2014. There are 209 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On June 5, 2004, Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, died in Los Angeles at age 93 after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease...

Editor's note: The following letter to the editor was submitted in response to the letter "Utility rates are unreasonable" in the May 19 edition. I'm not sure what Mr. Smith of Cape Girardeau is referring to as HIGH Ameren Missouri electric rates. ...

I was wondering if the city of Cape had any kind of regulations on burning, what can be burned, and was it OK to burn stuff unattended that creates big clouds of black smoke. Just wondering if there were any regulations as to what a person can do to remedy that situation...

People with asthma, emphysema, COPD and other breathing problems often suffer when the farmers burn the fields, and the smoke from past fires has blocked visibility and caused traffic accidents, some involving injuries and death. Tens of thousands of acres are burned each year: mainly the wheat fields in the spring and corn and rice fields in the fall. The fall burning can be especially bothersome because the air is often stagnant and the smoke accumulates near the ground...

This area is blessed with many top-notch outdoor facilities. There are opportunities for bike rides, running and walking, fishing, Frisbee golf, baseball and many other attractions. During the warm weather months these are the places many enjoy. A story in the May 23 edition of the Southeast Missourian highlighted several ongoing efforts to help renovate parks and outdoor facilities...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Kansas man has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for a $1.3 million fraud involving a Missouri fund for cleaning up leaking petroleum tanks. Robert Fine II was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty last November to one count each of mail fraud and money laundering for bills submitted to the Missouri Petroleum Storage Tank Insurance Fund...

Utah Von Price, 91, of Cape Girardeau and former longtime resident of Gosnell, Arkansas, passed from this life Tuesday, June 3, 2014, at the Lutheran Home. He was born in Mountain View, Arkansas, to James W. and Leo Jenkins Price. Von was a retired technical sergeant with the United States Marine Corps and Marine recruiter in Cape Girardeau. ...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Ercle Kinder, 89, of Marble Hill went to be with his heavenly Father on Wednesday, June 4, 2014. He was born Sept. 25, 1924, in Marble Hill, to John William and Mae Filer Kinder. He and Margie Hawn were married June 27, 1948, at the home of John Long in Patton, Missouri...

PAINTON, Mo. -- Barbara Head, 73, of Painton passed away Saturday, May 31, 2014, at Woodland Hills in Marble Hill, Missouri. She was born June 22, 1940, daughter of Luther Cox and Irene King. She and Denver Head were married Sept. 11, 1958, in Advance, Missouri. He preceded her in death in November 2004...

Vernetta Lois Chappell, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, June 4, 2014, at Ratliff Care Center. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until service time Friday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. The funeral will be at noon Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be in the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery at Bloomfield...

McCLURE, Ill. — Ronald D. Williams, 75, of McClure died Wednesday, June 4, 2014, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Crain Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau.

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Walter Scott Barnes, 41, of Mound City died Tuesday, June 3, 2014, at his home. Friends may call from 9 a.m. until service time today at Jones Funeral Home in Villa Ridge, Illinois. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. today at the funeral home, with the Rev. Bobby White officiating. Burial will be in Green Lawn Memorial Gardens at Villa Ridge...

THEBES, Ill. — Roswitha Storm, 82, of Thebes died Wednesday, June 4, 2014, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Jones Funeral Home in Tamms, Illinois.

PATTON, Mo. -- Brandy Hays Ratcliff, 27, of Patton died Tuesday, June 3, 2014, at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Hutchings Funeral Home in Marble Hill, Missouri. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Saturday the funeral home, with interment in Patton Cemetery...

OVC Player of the Year Matt Tellor has the best chance to be taken by a team.

SAN ANTONIO -- LeBron James and Dwyane Wade can point to statistics showing just how close the 2013 NBA Finals were. Tim Duncan doesn't need them. He can't forget the way his San Antonio Spurs lost, especially since every replay brings another painful reminder. The Spurs were on the verge of celebrating a fifth title in Game 6, and just two nights later were congratulating the Miami Heat on their second straight crown...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Matt Carpenter had a career-high five hits, including the go-ahead double in the 11th inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 on Wednesday night to snap a three-game losing streak. After the Royals rallied with two runs in the ninth, Peter Bourjos worked a one-out walk off Royals reliever Kelvin Herrera (1-2) in the 11th. Carpenter rapped his double to center field, drawing a roar from a crowd comprised mostly of Cardinals fans...

NEW YOR -- Josh Trank will direct one of the stand-alone "Star Wars" films. Lucasfilm announced Wednesday the 30-year-old filmmaker will helm one of the two announced "Star Wars" spinoffs being made outside of the third trilogy. An earlier announced spinoff will be led by "Godzilla" director Gareth Edwards...

*** CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following item. Assault * Assault and unlawful use of a weapon were reported.

NEW YORK -- When "The Fault in Our Stars" landed on bookshelves more than two years ago, John Green's enthusiasm was nonexistent for a screen version of his story featuring teens with cancer. "I had had some Hollywood experiences before that weren't great and I felt like Hollywood would struggle to make a movie where the female romantic lead has nasal cannula tubes in her nose for the entire movie," he said...

WASHINGTON -- A huge new paperwork headache for the government could also be jeopardizing coverage for some of the millions of people who just got health insurance under President Barack Obama's law. A government document provided to The Associated Press indicates at least 2 million people enrolled for taxpayer-subsidized private health insurance have data discrepancies in their applications that, if unresolved, could affect what they pay for coverage, or even their legal right to benefits...

DOVER, Del. -- A contractor dumped a mountain of dirt about two stories high and 100 yards long next to an interstate bridge over several years, so much that it may have moved the ground and caused the bridge to tilt, state officials said Wednesday...

BRUSSELS -- He's been disinvited and the meeting location abruptly switched out of his country. But Russian President Vladimir Putin will be the topic of conversation anyway when President Barack Obama and the rest of the G-7 leaders get together over dinner here Wednesday...

CARSON CITY, Nev. -- Don Quilici has snookered a few Carson City newcomers with bets that it would snow the week of his birthday in early May. Unsuspecting gamblers often don't know that a sliver of the western Nevada city's boundaries extend to Lake Tahoe and encompass Snow Valley Peak at a towering 9,214 feet...

MILWAUKEE -- When two 12-year-old Wisconsin girls were charged this week with stabbing a friend nearly to death, authorities had no choice but to send them to adult court. In more than half of the nation, children as young as 10 are often charged as adults automatically using laws intended to crack down on gangs and guns. But the practice has been widely questioned by juvenile-crime experts, who say that research shows many young offenders pose no long-term threats to society...

WASHINGTON -- The family of a pregnant American woman who went missing in Afghanistan in late 2012 with her Canadian husband received two videos last year in which the couple asked the U.S. government to help free them and their child from Taliban captors, The Associated Press has learned...

HAILEY, Idaho -- Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's hometown abruptly canceled plans Wednesday for a welcome-home celebration, citing security concerns over the prospect of big crowds -- both for and against the soldier. The town of 8,000 has been swamped with hate mail and angry calls over Bergdahl, whose release after five years of Taliban captivity in Afghanistan has touched off a debate over whether the 28-year-old should be given a hero's welcome or punished as a deserter...

U.S. 60 in Stoddard County reduced for bridge repairs Missouri Department of Transportation crews are doing routine bridge maintenance in Stoddard County that affects traffic on U.S. 60. Eastbound U.S. 60, between Highway 114 and U.S. 61, will been reduced to one lane from 7:30 a.m. ...

Jan. 12, 2004 -- Three men wearing ski masks and brandishing handguns escaped with $10,300 in a morning robbery of the Bank of America branch at 800 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau. FBI and police later identified four suspects in the heist: Toria Wyneikia Lawrence of Cape Girardeau, Dareme Prince "Sammy" Tipler and Corey Demond "Blue" or "Komo" Lyons, both of Charleston, Missouri, and Derek Eugene "Rio" Riggs of Bloomington, Illinois. All four pleaded guilty in federal court...

Administrative Office Building 1 Barton Square, Jackson 9 a.m. today Open session Approval of minutes of June 2 meeting Communications/reports, other elected officials Public comments Items listed on the agenda Routine business Payroll change forms...

Light up a bulb without plugging it in. Incandescent light bulb Microwave Water Microwave-safe container CAUTION. THIS EXPERIMENT SHOULD ONLY BE PERFORMED BY AN ADULT. STEP 1: Fill the microwave-safe container one-fourth of the way with water...

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- The language he once was punished for speaking in school became Chester Nez's primary weapon in World War II. Before hundreds of men from the Navajo Nation became Code Talkers, Nez and 28 others were recruited to develop a code based on the then-unwritten Navajo language. Locked in a room for 13 weeks, they came up with an initial glossary of more than 200 terms using Navajo words for red soil, war chief, braided hair and hummingbird, for example, and an alphabet...

BEIJING -- Yin Min held the ashes of her son and wept, she said, as she marked 25 years since he was killed in the crackdown by Chinese tanks and troops on protests at Tiananmen Square. Outside, guards kept a close eye on her home while police blanketed central Beijing to block any public commemoration of one of the darkest chapters in recent Chinese history...

Maddox closed out a perfect senior season by successfully defending her pole vault title at the Missouri Class 4 track and field championships in Jefferson City.

Birthday: Dec. 11, 1995 Birthplace: Columbia, Missouri Future plans: I plan to attend SEMO where I will major in biomedical sciences. After graduating with a bachelor's degree, I will then attend medical school where I will study to become a dermatologist...

Jackson High School Birthday: Dec. 10, 1995 Birthplace: Cape Girardeau Parents: David and Susan Lowes Future plans: To attend Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, to major in medicine. He hopes to go into medicine, but is not sure which area yet...

Cape Girardeau Jaclyn L. Bisgard Aldredge, Samantha D. Alexander, Deborah L. Allen, Marie K. Ansberry, Daniel S. Atwood, Taylor C. Babich, Rachel E. Bagot, Kaemen A. Bailey, Robert R. ...

Pollack Hide & Fur Co. and Pollack Steel Supply Inc. have become Sides Steel Supply and Metal Recycling; Sydney Pollack has sold the businesses to William J. Sides, who has been associated with the operation since 1976. The planned sale of Lenco Inc. of Jackson to Todt Industries of Cape Girardeau has fallen through...

O Father God, blessed be your name, the name above all names. Amen.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York City officials urged the state's top court on Wednesday to reinstate the city's ban on big sodas, arguing that the local Board of Health has authority to restrict products that make people obese and contribute to disease...

The commanders at the Royal Air Force base in Andover, in the south of England, gathered for a briefing on the evening of June 5, 1944. They heard the plan: At first light the next day, troops would land on the beaches at Normandy.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Michael Wacha figured he was walking a tightrope through the first five innings. The Royals finally got to him in the sixth. Kansas City scored three runs against the Cardinals' young starter, and St. Louis was unable to answer the rally over the final three innings...

Rehearsals are in full swing for the musical comedy "Nunsense," which will be performed as part of the inaugural Summer Arts Festival at the River Campus of Southeast Missouri State University. The play -- the second-longest-running off-Broadway play -- will be performed on June 19 through 22 and 26 through 29 in the Rust Flexible Theatre...

When school's out, students across the region and nationwide may not have access to regular meals, so school and community-based programs often fill a much needed void, said Kevin Concannon, undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services in the U.S. Department of Agriculture...

After joining the U.S. Navy in 1943, Tom Elfrink was a radio man on the ship LST 281 when he found himself in the thick of the historic D-Day invasion. His ship towed landing craft to Utah Beach, one of the offensive's major landing places on June 6, 1944...

A Cape Girardeau County man was undergoing surgery late Thursday night after two unidentified suspects fired gunshots into his home in the 1300 block of Village Lane, Sheriff John Jordan said. "[It] looks to be like some type of home invasion," Jordan said at the scene...

A Benton, Missouri, woman faces four felony charges in connection with an altercation in which she is accused of striking two adults and attempting to strike a child with her vehicle. Maci Jo Upchurch, 21, was charged Thursday in Scott County Circuit Court with one count of armed criminal action, two counts of domestic assault and one count of endangering the welfare of a child...

Nathan Aufdenberg, Cape Girardeau, Shantaria Bigham, Sikeston, Aaron Birk, Charleston, Jordan Collins, Benton, and Anna Roth, Perryville recently returned from Columbia where they were elected as a Southeast Regional Representatives to the Missouri State 4-H Council...

Youth from every corner of the state gathered on the University of Missouri campus May 28-30 for the 69th annual State 4-H Congress. In all, 294 teens ages 14-18 participated in a variety of hands-on workshops that fit their interests. Choices ranged widely, from leadership development to acting, writing, and meteorology...

Groundbreaking for new building that will be located at 1516 State Highway W in Oran, Missouri

By The Associated Press Today is Friday, June 6, the 157th day of 2014. There are 208 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On June 6, 1944, Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, on "D-Day," beginning the liberation of German-occupied western Europe during World War II...

There are two things on my mind today: sobriety and deer. These are probably not the same two things that are on your mind. If they are, then that's quite a coincidence, isn't it? Not to mention the odds of something like that happening. But now that I've told you what's on my mind -- sobriety and deer -- you probably will be thinking about both topics all day. I wish I knew a catchy tune about sobriety and deer, because then it could drive us all crazy for days...

Today is the 70th anniversary of D-Day in World War II. It was this day in 1944 when Allied forces invaded northern France, and was a turning point toward an Allied victory. D-day is the event that sent 160,000 Allied troops to a French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy. It remains one of the deadliest war conflicts in our nation's history...

In a world where we read of shootings and robbery every day, we need to know there is good and kindness and volunteerism still going on in our very own community. Project Charlie is a drug- and alcohol-prevention program that is taught in second and fourth grades in all Cape Girardeau public schools. It is a volunteer program, generated by a board of directors and funded by the Cape Evening Optimist Club...

In a Tuesday Southeast Missourian story by Ruth Campbell discussing Common Core, it was reported that many districts around the state have fully implemented Common Core standards for language arts and math. However, as reported, if Gov. Jay Nixon signs HB 1490, it could change things. The bill calls for Common Core to progress while two work groups are created to develop new standards -- one for grades kindergarten through fifth grade and one for sixth- through 12th-grades...

COBDEN, Ill. -- Lanora Blumer Walker of Cobden passed away Tuesday, June 3, 2014, in Carbondale, Illinois. Survivors include her husband, Willard Walker of Cobden; three sons, Doug (Nancy Irish) of San Francisco, Steve (Donna) of Clearwater, Florida, and Randy (Angela) of Greenville, South Carolina; two sisters, Virginia Clifton of Crosstown, Missouri, and Vickie Lange of Scott City; two brothers, Marion of Cape Girardeau and Bill of Modesto, California; and two grandchildren, Emily and Sam of Greenville.. ...

Vernetta Lois Chappell, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, June 4, 2014, at Ratliff Care Center. She was born Dec. 18, 1923, in Sikeston, Missouri, to Schuyler and Rita P. Lewis Bradley. She and Raymond W. Chappell were married Jan. 30, 1959, in San Jose, California. He preceded her in death in 2011...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- The Rev. Watis R. Harrell, 95, of Chaffee passed away Wednesday, June 4, 2014, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 21, 1919, in Brownwood, Missouri, to Jesse Campbell and Mary Crismore Harrell. He and Jean Moore were married July 17, 1952...

McCLURE, Ill. -- Ronald D. Williams, 75, of McClure died Wednesday, June 4, 2014, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 7, 1938, in Mount Vernon, Illinois, to John and Betty Winemiller Williams. He married Wilma Farthing in 1959. She passed away in 2007. In 1991 he married Billie Jean Brown. She preceded him in death April 18, 2011...

Joe Dan Schoolfield, 67, of Burfordville passed away Thursday, June 5, 2014, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 19, 1947, in Cape Girardeau, son of Claude and Algeron Jackson Schoolfield. He and Harriett Ann Weeks were married Aug. 4, 1981, at Bell City, Missouri...

Lou Hannaford, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, June 5, 2014. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home.

KENNETT, Mo. -- The Dunklin County Sheriff's Office is looking for three people after a Kennett woman and her children were tied up and robbed at gunpoint. At 11:48 p.m. Wednesday, Dunklin County Communications received a call about a burglary at 511 Wheeler Drive, said Sheriff Bob Holder. When deputies arrived, they met the caller, who told them his neighbor and her two children were inside his home...

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

Anyone who watches NBC's "Today Show" may recall seeing a recent clip about a movie titled "Palo Alto," based on a book of short stories written by James Franco and directed by Gia Coppola, granddaughter of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. The movie has seen a limited release and boasts a cast of well-known actors -- including Franco and Emma Roberts. What wasn't mentioned on the clip is two of the behind-the-scenes personnel are from Bollinger County, Missouri...

Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus recently announced its lineup for visual and performing arts during the 2014-2015 season -- its eighth -- which will offer a breadth of performances by professional touring companies as well as the departments of Music, and Theatre and Dance at the university...

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt said Thursday he hopes to receive more detailed information about Missouri veterans whose treatments have been delayed at least 90 days at several Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics statewide. The goal of the VA is to lower wait times to 14 days for each patient. As failure to meet that goal continues, Blunt said offering veterans more health-care options may be the answer...

ST. LOUIS -- Typically, a Sam Bradford rehab update in early June is not a major media event. Blame it on the other Sam on the St. Louis Rams roster. Attention was super-sized Thursday because of rookie defensive end Michael Sam. "I figured that's where you guys would be," Bradford joked after a workout...

Southeast Food Bank this summer is running the mobile ABC School Pantry to get food to students who receive free and reduced-price meals. This month and July, eight mobile food distributions will take place across Southeast Missouri. They will be in Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff, Hayti and Senath, said Missy Rice, agency relations and programs director...

A Learjet bound for Louisville, Kentucky, made an unscheduled stop Thursday afternoon at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport after a warning light indicated one of its engines was on fire, an airport official said. The Angel MedFlight plane was transporting a patient from Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Louisville shortly before noon Thursday when an indicator light showed it had a fire in its right engine, airport manager Bruce Loy said...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Lawmakers in many states have been trying to boost post-recession economies by cutting income taxes, curbing aid to the long-term jobless or holding down the minimum wage. Some have pursued all these steps. Whether such policies will spur businesses to expand as hoped isn't clear. But collectively, the actions could ease the financial burden for the states' most-affluent residents while reducing the safety net for those at the bottom...

Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A $100 million settlement involving NuvaRing, a birth-control device linked to sometimes-fatal side effects, will stand now that the vast majority of claimants have chosen to opt into the agreement, those involved in the lawsuits said Thursday...

BEAR LAKE TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- A man who was pinned under a large tree branch in Michigan's northwestern Lower Peninsula credits his 4-year-old son's quick efforts for helping to get him free. Grant Groenwald told WPBN-WTOM he was cutting wood Friday near his home in Manistee County's Bear Lake Township when a branch rolled on him. His son Quillan said he was able to drag a chain saw to his dad...

LOS ANGELES -- PBS says "Antiques Roadshow" is dropping appraisals of ivory tusks. The tusks won't be shown in new episodes or in segments from previously aired shows, PBS said. The popular public TV series features items brought in for professional assessment, including of their market value...

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria -- When men wearing military fatigues and carrying weapons showed up in pickup trucks, villagers thought Nigerian soldiers had come to protect them from Boko Haram. But it was a disguise. The gunmen rounded up everyone in the village center and started shooting...

MONCTON, New Brunswick -- Royal Canadian Mounted Police combed the streets and woods of this normally tranquil city Thursday in search of a man suspected of killing three officers in the deadliest attack on their ranks in nearly a decade. The suspect, armed with high-powered long firearms, was spotted three times while eluding the manhunt that emptied roads and kept families hunkered in their homes in Moncton, an eastern coast city where gun violence is rare...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Tanning beds will be off-limits to Missouri adolescents unless their parents first give permission under legislation Gov. Jay Nixon signed into law Thursday. The measure calls for a parent or guardian to visit the tanning facility annually to sign a consent form before those younger than age 17 are allowed to use sunlamps, tanning booths or tanning beds. ...

WASHINGTON -- The key last-ditch safety device that failed to prevent the 2010 BP oil spill remains a potentially catastrophic problem today for some offshore drilling, according to a federal safety board investigation. The report issued Thursday by the U.S. ...

I-55 in Pemiscot County reduced for pavement repairs North- and southbound Interstate 55 in Pemiscot County will be reduced as Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform pavement repairs. The northbound section of the highway is between the mile marker 9.6 and the 10 mile marker; the southbound is section is between the 0.4 mile marker and the 1.0 mile marker, according to a MoDOT news release. This work will take place from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Monday through Wednesday...

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. -- A cat and a gerbil are recovering after fire broke out in a business next to the veterinary clinic where the animals were being held. The fire was reported around 2:30 a.m. at St. Louis Cigar in Chesterfield, Missouri. Firefighters encountered heavy smoke before putting out the fire...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A man is in custody in St. Louis amid reports from motorists that he was walking in traffic and dancing on Interstate 44 -- and he was naked. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says police received reports about 6:15 a.m. Thursday. The man was reportedly walking in rush hour traffic on eastbound I-44 near Jamieson Avenue and Arsenal Street...

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration told senators it didn't notify Congress about the pending swap of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five Taliban officials because of intelligence the Taliban might kill him if the deal was made public. That fear -- not just the stated concerns Bergdahl's health might be failing -- drove the administration to quickly make the deal to rescue him, bypassing the law that lawmakers be notified when detainees are released from the U.S. ...

SEATTLE -- A lone gunman armed with a shotgun opened fire Thursday in a building at a small Seattle university, killing one person before a student subdued him with pepper spray as he tried to reload, Seattle police said. Police say a student building monitor at Seattle Pacific University disarmed the gunman and several other students jumped on top of him and pinned him down until police arrived at the Otto Miller building...

WARREN, Mich. -- General Motors said Thursday it has forced out 15 employees for their role in the deadly ignition-switch scandal and will set up a compensation fund for crash victims, as an internal investigation blamed the debacle on engineering ignorance and bureaucratic dithering, not a deliberate cover-up...

COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France -- Ceremonies to commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day are drawing thousands of visitors to the cemeteries, beaches and stone-walled villages of Normandy this week, including some of the few remaining survivors of the largest seaborne invasion ever mounted...

Artists of all ages will create an "Avenue of Art" on June 21 at Southeast Missouri State University's first full-day Community Summer Arts Festival on the patio on the east side of Southeast's River Campus overlooking the Mississippi River. Participants will use soft pastel chalk to create artwork in a 6-by-6-foot concrete spaces. ...

Saturday is National Trails Day, and the Bollinger Mill State Historic Site, 113 Bollinger Mill Road in Burfordville, is offering a guided hike to the Bollinger family cemetery at 2 p.m. Get to know Bollinger family members and learn about 19th-century burial traditions. The event is appropriate for ages 12 and older, and participants are advised to wear comfortable shoes and clothing and insect repellent. Preregistration is required. More information is available by calling 243-4591...

Cape Girardeau County assistant prosecuting Attorney Kenny Hulshof has accepted a new job as an assistant attorney general for the state of Missouri; he will serve as one of two attorneys in a special prosecution unit that will handle high-profile cases...

I live on Hawthorne Street out by Arena Park. First we had to put up with the fair for a week. Now we're going to have to put up with a skateboard park every day. When is this nonsense going to stop? Mosquitoes, bugs I'm just glad to see that the college in Cape Girardeau is going to do some studies on how bugs, mosquitoes and other bugs considered hazardous in wet lands is going to survive out there by Commerce. You know increased mosquitoes have increased diseases too...

Jesus, thank you for the men and women who serve in the military. Amen.

Leopold-based Senior Babe Ruth team outlasts Charleston 9-8 in eight innings

Travis Hayes pitched six shut-out innings in the team's 7-1 victory over Valmeyer.

Kennett baseball standout and Southeast Missouri State signee Kevonte Mitchell said Saturday he no longer plans to play in a Redhawks uniform. The third baseman was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 13th round of the 2014 MLB draft earlier in the afternoon and said he plans to sign with the organization rather than attend Southeast and play baseball for the reigning Ohio Valley Conference regular-season champion Redhawks...

Southeast first baseman and Ohio Valley Conference player of the year Matt Tellor became the program's highest draft pick since 1974.

Small Squirrel his summer day in Capaha Park, Cape #1

Squirrel on a summer day at Capaha Park, Cape #2

An ant took shelter in a flower in my garden and was enjoying a drink of rainwater.

One of the gerber daisies in my garden after the rain Saturday.

Christian Comedian Bob Smiley (www.BobSmiley.com) will be coming to CrossRoads Fellowship Church in Jackson, MO. Bob is one of the two most highly sought out comedians in world of Christian or Clean Comedy. Currently on tour with Tim Hawkins (www.youtube.com/TimHawkins), he has also toured with bands such as Third Day, Mercy ME, The News Boys and countless others. ...

Today is Saturday, June 7, the 158th day of 2014. There are 207 days left in the year. Today's Highlights in History: On June 7, 1939, King George VI and his wife, Queen Elizabeth, arrived at Niagara Falls, New York, from Canada on the first visit to the United States by a reigning British monarch...

If all goes according to schedule, Scott City will increase its size by nearly two square miles later this week; that's when Scott County Circuit Judge Tony Heckemeyer is expected to sign a paper certifying the results of Tuesday's election, which passed overwhelmingly; new area of Scott City will extend from the northern edge of the old city limits to the east side of Interstate 55 and the south side of Nash Road...

Robyn Scherr Alexandria, Virginia Retired If you were adrift on the ocean, what two people would you like to have with you? Who would I like to have with me when I was adrift on an ocean? I'd need someone who knows what they're doing on the ocean. Jamie Weeden -- he's sailed around the world, and you [Sherr's friend, Dan]...

A quick look through minutes of the Bollinger County Commission shows the body discusses roads, and little else. After they meet with road-crew supervisors, commissioners meet with disgruntled residents over complaints such as backed-up ditches, roads not built correctly, roads not maintained, bridges in disrepair, roads that need gravel, roads that had chat (rock fragments) but the road graders graded them off -- the list of complaints seems endless...

A Cape Girardeau County jury took less than 15 minutes Friday to find Cape Girardeau city employee Travis Friga not guilty of receiving stolen property. Friga, 32, was one of four members of the city's traffic operations crew accused in January of taking scrap metal and batteries from the public works department, selling them to recycling businesses and splitting the proceeds...

The man believed responsible for a shooting on Olive Street earlier this week is scheduled to appear in court Monday. Tommy Joe Davis III, 29, of Cape Girardeau will appear before Judge Gary Kamp for initial arraignment in Jackson at 11 a.m. Davis was taken into custody in Illinois Wednesday afternoon. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Cole County judge has rejected a Missouri death row inmate's request to force the state to disclose the identity of its drug supplier for lethal injections before his upcoming execution. Condemned inmate John Winfield sought a preliminary injunction for the information...

June is National Candy Month, so here are five reasons to take advantage: 1 Chocolate: Who doesn't like chocolate and what doesn't chocolate -- in all its varieties -- make better? 2 Having a month for candy is like having permission to eat all the candy you try to stay away from during the other 11 months of the year...

Brimming with cheeky swagger, Izaac Pursley sits atop the little red scooter trike he's dubbed Porcupine. "Race you to Mom," he dares in his husky little-boy voice and zips toward his mother, big sister Evee-Kay jogging gamely beside him. "I win!" he declares, scooting past his parents, Sheree and Dr. Greg Pursley of Jackson. Sheree shakes her head as Izaac sticks out his tongue, cranks out a textbook three-point turn, and motors off toward the jungle gym, shouting, "It's easy for me!"...

Mau loves his ice cream.

Mau covering his eyes because the light was in his eyes.

Mau posing pretty for the camera.

Mau enjoying the sunny weather outside.

Mau snoozing on the arm of the couch.

Spencer taking a nap.

Cloudy day in Cape Girardeau.

Women from Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Perryville and Marble Hill offered a free unique adventure. The Beef Check off, in conjunction with the American National CattleWomen, the Missouri CattleWomen and Besher Farms in Patton are offering a unique opportunity for a limited number of women in the area on Wednesday, June 18. ...

Today is Sunday, June 8, the 159th day of 2014. There are 206 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On June 8, 1864, Abraham Lincoln was nominated for another term as president during the National Union (Republican) Party's convention in Baltimore...

ORAN, Mo. -- Amy Sue Stanley and Kelly Nathaniel Phillips were married May 24, 2014, at Morley Baptist Church in Morley, Missouri. Patton David Thompson performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Jackie and Billie Gladwell of Sikeston, Missouri, and the late Gary Lorin Senciboy Sr. The groom is the son of Rick and Tammy Phillips of Benton, Missouri, and Bennie and Carla Ray of Oran...

Donald and Pam Howell of Scott City announce the engagement of their daughter, Donielle Howell, to Daniel Schuenemeyer. He is the son of Brian and Jeannine Schuenemeyer of Cape Girardeau. Donielle is a 2008 graduate of Scott City High School. She graduated with honors from Southeast Missouri State University with bachelor of science and master of arts degrees in communication disorders. She will begin employment this fall with Fulton School District...

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Froemsdorf of Knoxville, Tennessee, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary by hosting a family dinner May 29 at Riverside Restaurant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Donald and Joy Kasten were married May 29, 1954, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau, by the Rev. Wilbert Koenig...

Hansel and Gretel never heard of them and, in their case, they wouldn't have made much difference anyway. But modern cooks who want the crispiest coatings, the lightest stuffings, and the crunchiest toppings for their dishes would be just as lost as the famous duo of the Grimm fairy tale without their panko breadcrumbs...

I have been in the mood to try some new recipe the past few days. When that mood hits me, I usually go looking at cooking magazines I have stored away, in cookbooks, in my recipe files and on the Internet. But once in awhile I come across recipes on social media that also jump out at me, mostly because of the beautiful photography of the food featured. So, again this week, I will pass along to you some of the interesting recipes I found with my friends on social media last week...

The Ohio spiderwort is a native perennial wildflower that grows in well drained areas of the eastern half of the United States. It blooms from mid-May through July, and you may be able to encourage a secondary blooming. Cutting back this plant after blooms have gone to seed can result in new plant growth and subsequent flowering in autumn. The Ohio spiderwort can grow well over 2 feet tall in rich, well-drained soil...

Jackson Ministerial Alliance Food Pantry will accept donations at three locations Saturday. Trucks will be at Country Mart, Save-A-Lot and Wal-Mart from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Each month the pantry serves 160 to 180 families in Jackson and Cape Girardeau. Situated in the basement of the First Baptist Church in Jackson, the pantry is open from 9 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. Mondays and 1 to 3 p.m. Thursdays...

The Dr. Bernard J. DuBray Scholarship has been established through the Southeast Missouri University Foundation. Dr. and Mrs. Bernard DuBray of St. Peters, Mo., made a $5,000 gift to establish the award. Their gift will be matched with an additional $5,000 through a university program, Honoring Tradition -- Inspiring Success Comprehensive Campaign. ...

The Melvin J. Van de Ven, CPA, CVA Endowed Scholarship has been established through the Southeast Missouri University Foundation. Melvin Van de Ven of Cape Girardeau and Mike Van de Ven of Plano, Texas, have given $10,000 to establish the scholarship. Their gifts will be matched with an additional $10,000 through a university program, Honoring Tradition -- Inspiring Success Comprehensive Campaign...

At its recent 40th anniversary celebration, the Community Counseling Center presented Lifetime Achievement Awards to Dale Rauh, the center's board president, Mary Jane Otto and Dr. John Hinni for service to the center and the community. Judy Johnson received recognition for professional counseling and administrative duties at the center. From left are Rauh, Johnson, Otto and Hinni...

State Reps. Kathy Swan and Donna Lichtenegger presented the Community Counseling Center with State of Missouri House and Senate resolutions at the center's recent 40th anniversary celebration. From left are Gene Speight, governing board president; Swan; Dale Rauh, foundation board president; Lichtenegger; and John Hudak, the center's chief executive officer...

"Some of the happiest people in the world go to bed at night stinking to high heaven." -- Bruce Almighty, 2003 What you've just read were lines from a popular motion picture. The character reading them was played by Morgan Freeman, whose role in the film was that of God. There's nothing from Scripture in that quote, but it's not a stretch to imagine the Bible might carry that exact language...

Of all the humanly written words I have read in my life, the ones that get it the most right, that speak to me most completely of God and love are the words of Sonnet XVII, by Pablo Neruda. This poem speaks straight to the deepest places inside me, speaks of love in the truest sense, feels like breathing, leaves me saying "yes." It gives the truest picture of what love purely is, allows me to feel my longing for love that brings me face-to-face with the fact that I am a created human, that my incompleteness is beauty because it is space that allows me to relate to my Creator God, who is also known as Love. ...

When chef Josh Feathers was growing up in Tennessee, his grandmother always had a jar of sorghum syrup in the cupboard. But he never gave much thought to it, or its significance to Southern culture. That didn't happen until he'd grown up, moved away, then returned home to work at Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee. ...

MONDAY--Corn dog, mac & cheese, lima beans, pears. TUESDAY--Barbecued chicken on bun, baked beans, fruit salad. WEDNESDAY--Salisbury steak & gravy, whipped potatoes, green beans, biscuit, dried fruit. THURSDAY--Pizza, corn, applesauce...

St. Mary Council of Catholic Women met May 15 in the Huels Room. The meeting opened with May devotions and crowning of the statue of Mary by Ashley Eftink, a second grade first communicant, and then praying of the rosary. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved...

These Australian Shepherd mix puppies are 10 weeks old. They are available for adoption at the Humane Society, 334-5837.

Pet Name: Lola, the diva Owner: Ceaira Handley Favorite activity: Always in the mirror. I finally was able to grab my phone and take a picture.

Marion is a 2-year-old dilute calico. She may be a bit shy, but one-on-one she loves petting and thinks humans are pretty cool. For more information, contact Safe Harbor at 243-9823.

The City of Cape Girardeau announced plans last week to return the Fourth of July fireworks display to the downtown riverfront. In 2009, the city decided a fireworks display was too costly, so it discontinued the event. The fireworks displays were then picked up and organized by a local veterans group, which for several years also organized other Independence Day events. Those events were held at Arena Park...

Thank you to everyone who assisted and attended our successful Memorial Day service in Jackson. On behalf of the American Legion Post 158 and the Ladies Auxiliary, we appreciate the community efforts and participation in this event. The Memorial Day service is a very special event in our community to honor veterans who gave their lives for our great country...

People around here might pooh-pooh it, but Perryville Public School's decision to lengthen the school day is one of the most progressive and positive changes made in a long time, one that couldn't be made without an enthusiastic buy-in by the staff. Congratulations!...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Ron Mix has been named publisher of the North Scott County News newspaper and has also acquired an interest in North Scott Publishing, Inc.. GALE, Ill. -- Removal of more than one million gallons of contaminated oil and water at the old Ilada energy reclamation site near here is expected to begin next month; a plan has been formulated to remove and dispose of the tainted oil and water, which is stored in several World War II-era tanks...

O Lord Jesus, our hope is built on you for in you we have life. Amen.

WASHINGTON -- The faulty General Motors ignition switches blamed for dozens of crashes, some fatal, aren't the only reason a moving car can suddenly stall. It happened to Bill Van Tassel a couple of weeks ago as he was steering his Mazda Miata around a turn on an interstate onramp...

DETROIT -- Inside General Motors, they called it "the switch from hell." The ignition switch on the steering column of the Chevrolet Cobalt and other small cars was so poorly designed, it easily slipped out of the run position, causing engines to stall. Engineers knew it; as early as 2004, a Cobalt stalled on a GM test track when the driver's knee grazed the key fob. By GM's admission, the defective switches caused over 50 crashes and at least 13 deaths...

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- On a recent afternoon, Scott McKenzie watched torrential rains and a murky tide swallow the street outside his dog-grooming salon. Within minutes, much of this stretch of chic South Beach was flooded ankle-deep in a fetid mix of rain and sea...

PHOENIX -- Arizona officials say they are rushing federal supplies to a makeshift holding center in the southern part of the state that's housing hundreds of migrant children and is running low on the basics. Gov. Jan Brewer's spokesman, Andrew Wilder, said Friday that conditions at the holding center are so dire, federal officials have asked the state to ship medical supplies to the center in Nogales...

MILWAUKEE -- Dozens of gay couples married Saturday at courthouses in Milwaukee and Madison, taking advantage of what most believed would be a small window to get hitched before a judge's decision overturning the state's same-sex marriage ban was put on hold...

NEW YORK -- Telecommunications company Vodafone's report on government surveillance of its customers in 29 countries reveals more than meets the eye -- and is raising questions from Dublin to Delhi about how much spying on email and telephone chats happens in secret...

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine's new president on Saturday called for pro-Russian rebels in the country's east to lay down their arms and welcomed dialogue with the insurgents but said he wouldn't negotiate with those he called "gangsters and killers" and struck a defiant tone on the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula...

MONCTON, New Brunswick -- A chilling portrait of a man obsessed with guns and anti-government rhetoric began to emerge as people in this eastern Canadian city struggled to reconcile the knowledge the person charged with murdering three Mounties was the same one who seemingly had lived quietly among them...

BAGHDAD -- A series of car bombs exploded across Iraq's capital Saturday night, killing at least 52 people in a day of violence that saw militants storm a university in the country's restive Anbar province and take dozens hostage, authorities said...

KINSHASA, Congo -- Armed fighters attacked a town in eastern Congo late at night, massacring at least 34 people, including women and children who were at a local church, officials said Saturday. Provincial interior minister Jean Julien Miruho said the violence in Mutarule late Friday also left at least 27 others wounded...

WASHINGTON -- That feel-good moment in the Rose Garden seems like a long time ago. Just a week after the president announced Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl had been freed in Afghanistan, details emerging about the soldier, the deal and how the rescue came together are adding to the list of questions...

Roswitha Marie (Knott) Storm, age 82, of Thebes, Illinois, passed away at 10:05 a.m. Wednesday, June 4, 2014, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Mrs. Storm was born Feb. 18, 1932 in Straubing, Germany, daughter of the late Wilhelm and Justina (Retzer) Knott...

Verla M. Wooldridge, 94, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Benton, Missouri, died June 6, 2014, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 27, 1919, in Benton to John E. and Iva Lincoln Mayfield. She married Harold S. Wooldridge on Sept. 4, 1937, in Cape Girardeau. He preceded her in death on April 6, 2014...

Cape Girardeau County Commission Administrative Office Building 1 Barton Square, Jackson 9 a.m. Monday Communications/reports, other elected officials...

James W. "Jay" Green, 91, of Cape Girardeau, died Friday, June 6, 2014, at the Lutheran Home Assisted Living West in Cape Girardeau. He was born Friday, Nov. 17, 1922, in Cape Girardeau to the late James L. and Gertrude Pearl (Borneman) Green. James and Mabel M. Maevers were married Oct. 10, 1941, in Egypt Mills, Missouri...

CHAFFEE, Mo. — Gwendolyn Sue Walker, 72, of Chaffee, Missouri, died June 7, 2014, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapels of Chaffee.

Veronica Doris Mouser, 64, of Cape Girardeau, died Friday, June 6, 2014, at Woodland Hills Nursing Home in Marble Hill, Missouri. Memorial services will be at a later date. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Keith E. Haynes, 83, of Jackson, died Saturday, June 7, 2014, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. Visitation is from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at the chapel of McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. There will be an American Legion service at 7 p.m...

Daughter to Michael J. Armitage and April R. Whitworth of Chaffee, Missouri, 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, May 20, 2014. Name, Mylah Hope. Weight, 8 pounds, 2 ounces. Ms. Whitworth is the daughter of Rick and Charlotte Whitworth of Chaffee. She is a clinical assistant at HealthPoint Rehab...

Lou Nathaniel Hannaford, 90, of Cape Girardeau, died Thursday, June 5, 2014, in Cape Girardeau. He was born April 4, 1924, in Roodhouse, Illinois, to Oscar Minor and Blanche Mae Rudd Hannaford. He and Kathryn Ann Fisher were married on May 30, 1957, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Slater, Missouri...

Betty Joann Clough, 86, of Jackson, died June 6, 2014, of pancreatic cancer at the Life Care Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born on May 19, 1928, in Flint Township, Illinois, a daughter of the late Milton Garland and Lucille Gertrude Roberts Blevins...

Florence M. Bowen, 93, of Marston, Missouri, passed away Saturday, June 7, 2014, at Heartland Care and Rehab in Cape Girardeau. She was born March 15, 1921, in Ellsinore, Missouri, to James Z. and Emma Louisa "Lula" Hamm Boyer. She and Alvin Gooch were married in 1936. He passed away May 31, 1982. She and Thomas Bowen were married in 2006...

ALTENBURG, Mo. -- Emil E. Lohmann, 82, of Altenburg died Thursday, June 5, 2014, at Independence Care Center in Perryville, Missouri. He was born June 17, 1931, at Farrar, Missouri, son of Edwin and Lydia Hadler Lohmann. He and Caroline A. Lichtenegger were married July 26, 1953. She preceded him in death Dec. 28, 2002...

Aloysuis J. "Buddy" Renner, 79, of Perryville died June 6, 2014, at Perry County Memorial Hospital in Perryville, Missouri. He was born May 17, 1935, in Biehle, Missouri, son of August and Mary Caroline (Bohnert) Renner. He and Mildred B. Fellows were married July 12, 1958. She survives in Perryville...

Martha Wilson Cairns, 97, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, June 5, 2014, at Southeast Hospital. She was born July 15, 1916, in Sparta, Illinois, to John T. and Amy Morrow Wilson. She and Austin R. Cairns were married Sept. 8, 1936, in Sparta. He preceded her in death May 12, 1998...

Fred Joe Weaver, 79, of Senoia, Georgia, formerly of Scott City, passed away Tuesday, June 3, 2014, at Brightmoor Hospice. He was born Aug. 31, 1934, to Fred P. and Marguerite Haman Weaver. Fred served in the United States Army. His favorite pastimes included baseball and discovering buried treasure with his metal detector. ...

Elma Ruth Pope, 93, of Jackson passed away Wednesday, May 14, 2014, at Four Seasons Care Center in Plano, Texas. She was born July 7, 1920, in Mine La Motte, Missouri, a daughter of Felix Wesley and Alma Virqua Denison Shelton. In 1943, Ruth was united in marriage to Don Wilkinson. He died March 27, 1945, while serving his country during World War II. In 1947, she married George Pope in Piggott, Arkansas. He preceded her in death Nov. 11, 1965...

NEW YORK -- California Chrome failed in his bid to win the first Triple Crown in 36 years on Saturday, losing the Belmont Stakes to 9-1 long shot Tonalist. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner finished in a dead-heat for fourth with Wicked Strong. California Chrome's loss extended the longest drought without a Triple Crown champion...

Maria Sharapova defeated Simona Halep for her second title at Roland Garros

LOS ANGELES -- Captain Dustin Brown redirected Willie Mitchell's shot 10:26 into the second overtime, and the Los Angeles Kings outlasted the New York Rangers 5-4 Saturday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup finals. Marian Gaborik tied it with 12:24 left in regulation for the Kings, who rallied from another two-goal deficit in their latest exhibition of clutch comeback hockey...

St. Louis turned a triple play for the first times sine 2005 but lost 3-1 on Friday

St. Louis defeated Toronto 5-0 behind Shelby Miller’s three-hit gem

The victim of a shooting Thursday night in the 1300 block of Village Lane in Cape Girardeau remained in stable condition Saturday, according to Capt. David James of the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department. Witnesses at the scene Thursday reported hearing several gunshots...

A couple accused of accepting money from Donald Lafferty in exchange for attempting to burn his home and kill his wife, Mildred, appeared in court Thursday. It was the second court appearance for Christopher and Brandi Hicks, who knew Lafferty through a rural Bloomfield, Missouri, church where he was pastor at the time of the January 2013 fire...

State Rep. Kathy Swan offered highlights from the recently concluded legislative session during the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee event. Between the Missouri House and Senate, nearly 2,000 bills were filed and 190 were passed, said the Cape Girardeau Republican. Many of those bills focused on taxes, health and education...

Joe Dan Schoolfield, 66, of Burfordville passed away Thursday, June 5, 2014, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 19, 1947, in Cape Girardeau, son of Claude and Algeron Jackson Schoolfield. He and Harriett Ann Weeks were married Aug. 4, 1981, at Bell City, Missouri...

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan was critically injured Saturday after a tractor-trailer rammed into his chauffeured limousine bus, setting off a chain-reaction crash that left a fellow comedian dead and two others seriously hurt, authorities said...

NEW YORK -- It's been a year on Broadway so unpredictable, the only thing for certain at the Tony Awards tonight is Hugh Jackman will be the host. There have been no clear juggernauts -- although some wonderful performances -- and critics largely have bemoaned the lack of strong new musicals and plays. In fact, the best revival categories this year easily overshadow anything new...

LONG POND, Pa. -- Matt Kenseth furrowed his brow at the mere suggestion Jimmie Johnson had spiraled toward a slump. Only a chump would count out the champ after an 0 for 11 start. "I don't think anybody else was really being like, 'Oh man, Jimmie's finally not winning. This is our shot, he's done,"' Kenseth said. "It doesn't surprise me at all that he won those two races and it wouldn't surprise me at all if he wins this weekend."...

COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France -- It was a day of pride, remembrance and honors for those who waded through blood-tinged waves, climbed razor-sharp cliffs or fell from the skies, staring down death or dying in an invasion that portended the fall of the Third Reich and the end of World War II...

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Maya Angelou liked to say that people will forget what you said or did in your life, but they will never forget how you made them feel. Former President Bill Clinton, first lady Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey said Saturday they were among the millions touched by Angelou's wisdom when they needed help to rise...

LOS ANGELES -- For years, Fred Goldman was adamant he would never rest until he had held O.J. Simpson accountable for the killings of his son and Simpson's ex-wife 20 years ago -- even if a jury had acquitted the former football star. After the trial, Goldman joined with the family of Simpson's ex-wife in winning a $33.5 million wrongful death judgment in civil court. ...

The O.J. Simpson murder trial exposed many painful truths. None hit harder than the idea that white and black people often look at the same facts and see different realities. Today, 20 years after the case divided the nation, few opinions have changed. Despite two decades' worth of increasing racial acceptance, the saga still reflects deep-rooted obstacles to a truly united America...

St. Andrew Lutheran Church was founded in 1957 "to be open to the promises of God and trust those promises," says outgoing pastor Paul Short, who will preach his farewell sermons and be honored at a 12:30 p.m. reception next Sunday...

JOPLIN, Mo. -- More than 600 pages of reports from an FBI investigation into Joplin-area gambling reveal a wide-ranging vice operation that involved numerous influential people in southwest Missouri and southeast Kansas. The documents provided to The Joplin Globe redact names but show widespread vice in Jasper and Newton counties in Missouri and Cherokee County in Kansas, along with the efforts of federal agents to unravel it...

LENEXA, Kan. -- Most people just have cars, bikes and lawn mowers in their garage. George Westwater has a droid. As in R2-D2. As in Star Wars. As in ... "Whoa! Where'd you get that thing?" With "Star Wars: Episode VII" now shooting, every tidbit of news about the iconic franchise flies across social media and the Internet at light speed...

Butler County officials are intensifying their efforts to nab people who illegally dump trash along county roads and are seeking the help of area residents. Commissioners Ed Strenfel, Jeff Darnell and Butch Anderson inspected a dump site along Grand Avenue north of the Poplar Bluff, Missouri, city limits last week...

A fatal shooting occurred early Sunday morning in Cairo, Illinois, according to Cape Girardeau Coroner John Clifton.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Election Day is approaching, and you've made up your mind. There's no need to wait. In many states, you now can vote early. Yet what's convenient to you is increasingly an opportunity for political gamesmanship to the candidates on the ballot...

TORONTO -- Jaime Garcia gave the St. Louis Cardinals their first winning streak in two weeks, and helped extend a streak of shutouts, too. Garcia and two relievers combined on a three-hitter, Matt Carpenter and Jhonny Peralta homered, and the Cardinals beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-0 on Sunday...

More than a decade ago, the Marquette Tower sat at the corner of Broadway and Fountain Street in downtown Cape Girardeau, crumbling and empty -- an eyesore on the verge of being demolished. The historic hotel was essentially saved by an executive order from then-Missouri Gov. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- During a private tour not long after the Missouri State Penitentiary closed its doors a decade ago, the original keys to the prison's gas chamber mysteriously disappeared. Prison historians hope that by taking their search for the keys public -- along with details about why they are important -- someone will come forward with them...

BISMARCK, Mo. -- Don King of the Southeast Missouri town of Bismarck is the last survivor of a family of war heroes. King's father, Thomas King, served in World War I in Europe as a muleskinner in the quartermaster corps. He and his wife, Rosa, settled in Minimum, Missouri, and raised seven sons...

ST. LOUIS -- Thompson submachine guns are as much a legend as the bad -- and good -- guys who fired them. With as many colorful nicknames as the gangsters whose rat-a-tat-tats roared through the 1920s, the weapon remains an icon of American criminal, military and pop culture history...

In the wake of allegations of long wait times and secret waiting lists at Veterans Affairs hospitals, national legislation has been proposed that could help service members in the Cape Girardeau area. If passed, the bill would authorize the VA to lease 26 new walk-in health facilities in 18 states and spend $500 million to hire more doctors and nurses. One of those proposed facilities could be in Cape Girardeau...

For over a year now, the children of Maple United Methodist Church have been learning to put their faith in action. Currently, they are "going global" by joining with Methodists everywhere to collect money to buy treated nets for children's beds in Africa. ...

BlueJay at Capaha Park, Cape

54 lbs, 52-inch long east coast Striper

LAS VEGAS -- A man and a woman ambushed two police officers eating lunch at a Las Vegas restaurant, fatally shooting them at point-blank range before fleeing to a nearby Wal-Mart where they killed a third person and then themselves in an apparent suicide pact, authorities said Sunday...

Today is Monday, June 9, the 160th day of 2014. There are 205 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On June 9, 1954, during the Senate-Army Hearings, Army special counsel Joseph N. Welch berated Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, R-Wis., for verbally attacking a member of Welch's law firm, Fred Fisher, asking McCarthy: "Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?"...

You've read about it. Heard about it on the radio. Maybe you or your son or daughter was named a finalist for an award. Now we are less than two weeks from the Semoball Awards. This inaugural event at the Show Me Center will be first-class and fun. On June 21, Semoball.com, its sponsors and promotional partner SEMO ESPN Radio will recognize more than 160 athletes and coaches for excellence on the field and court and their work in the classroom...

Thank you, city of Cape, for installing a beautiful new sidewalk near my house. The neighborhood needed it, schoolchildren needed it, and it makes walking safer. The workers were polite and friendly. The work was done quickly. Instead of dog parks and other things we don't need, I think the city should be considering some updates on the older children's parks and especially the restrooms. They are rundown, falling apart and just nasty...

Preparations are underway for Riverfest ‘89, a two-day festival in downtown Cape Girardeau that will begin this evening; helping to start things off will be a parachute jump into the Mississippi River by Ian Sutherland, an assistant Cape Girardeau County prosecuting attorney, and Dwight Gates, owner of Dwight's Amoco Station...

Son to Jonathan Marc and Maegan Elizabeth Jensen of Oak Ridge, Southeast Hospital, 2:59 p.m. Wednesday, May 28, 2014. Name, Miller Robert. Weight, 7 pounds, 5 ounces. Sixth child, second son. Mrs. Jensen is the former Maegan Miller, daughter of Brian and Mary Miller of Cape Girardeau. Jensen is the son of Arnold and Linda Jensen of Florissant, Missouri. He is employed by the city of Jackson...

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

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

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

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Sue Walker, 72, of Chaffee passed away Saturday, June 7, 2014, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 28, 1942, in St. Louis, to the late Clyde Harold and Gladys Evalyn Boles Edmonds. Sue married John E. Walker Sr. on April 26, 1965, and he survives. She is a member of the House of Prayer Church in Chaffee. She retired as a sewing machine operator at Columbia Sportswear in Chaffee...

Keith E. Haynes, 83, of Jackson passed away Saturday, June 7, 2014, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Sept. 22, 1930, in Lowndes, Missouri, to Ulysis and Maude Shetley Haynes. The family moved to East Alton, Illinois, where Keith attended school, and later they moved to Marble Hill, Missouri, where he owned and operated a service station...

COMMERCE, Mo. — Patricia Foster, 67, of Commerce died Sunday, June 8, 2014, at her home. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City.

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. economy finally has regained the jobs lost to the recession. But go easy on the hallelujahs. The comeback is far from complete. Friday's report from the government revealed an economy healing, yet marked by deep and lasting scars. The downturn that began 6 1/2 years ago accelerated wrenching changes that have left many Americans feeling worse off than they did the last time the economy had about the same number of jobs it does now...

TOKYO -- A cooing, gesturing humanoid on wheels that can decipher emotions has been unveiled in Japan by billionaire Masayoshi Son who says robots should be tender and make people smile. Son's mobile phone company Softbank said Thursday that the robot it has dubbed Pepper will go on sale in Japan in February for $1,900. Overseas sales plans are being considered...

NEW YORK -- It's cheap. It's easy to do. And it can take less than 20 minutes to set up. Yet more than half of all small businesses still don't have a website. "It's just ridiculous," said Jim Blasingame, a small business author and radio show host. "Every small business needs a website. Period. Non-negotiable."...

Lance Hoffman, a truck technician at Wiethop, a Navistar International truck dealer in Cape Girardeau, graduated from Linn State Technical College with an Associate of Applied Science degree in medium/heavy truck technology. He was sponsored by Wiethop Truck Sales...

TRENTON, N.J. -- Tracy Morgan was recovering Sunday, but was expected to remain hospitalized for several weeks after having surgery on a broken leg suffered in a deadly chain-reaction crash on the New Jersey Turnpike that left two others critically injured and another man dead...

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis plunged head first into Mideast peacemaking Sunday, welcoming the Israeli and Palestinian presidents to the Vatican for a remarkable evening of peace prayers just weeks after the last round of U.S.-sponsored negotiations collapsed...

PARIS -- U.S. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has told people treating him at an American military medical facility in Germany that he was tortured, beaten and held in a cage by his Taliban captors in Afghanistan after he tried to escape, a senior U.S. official said Sunday...

NEW YORK -- Once a unifying cause for generations of American Jews, Israel is now dividing Jewish communities. Jewish organizations are withdrawing invitations to Jewish speakers or performers considered too critical of Israel, in what opponents have denounced as an ideological litmus test meant to squelch debate. ...

NEW YORK -- The murderous romp "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" has gotten a lot of love at the Tony Awards -- it nabbed the best new musical trophy on a night that saw Audra McDonald, Bryan Cranston and Neil Patrick Harris all take home big awards...

Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons Post 63 Senior Legion pitchers threw a pair of shutouts against the Chaffee Senior Babe Ruth Strokers on Sunday, including a no-hitter by Matt Chism. Chism struck, walked two and hit one batter in the seven-inning opener at Capaha Field...

Glennon Harter of Cape Girardeau made his first career hole-in-one Saturday at Kimbeland Country Club. Harter used a sand wedge to ace No. 12, a par 3 playing 95 yards. Witnesses were Craig Arneson, Fred Ducharme and Gerald Brown. -- From staff report...

Lord Jesus, may those being persecuted for their faith in you have their strength renewed. Amen.

Eight commercial properties for lease or purchase in Cape Girardeau's downtown will be highlighted by Old Town Cape during its annual downtown Commercial Open House from 4 to 7 p.m. June 26. Each property will be open for tours, and participants may begin at any of the properties. A representative will be at each property to answer questions and provide more information...

If you love ice cream, you're in the right place. In the summertime, when school and the sun are out, you can go almost any direction around Southeast Missouri and find a trove of it to fit your personal taste. And the hotter the weather gets, the more it's in demand...

Southbound Interstate 55 in Scott County will be reduced to one lane today and Wednesday, as Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform bridge repairs. The span is located is between Route PP and Route E. The work will be done from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily...

TROUTDALE, Ore. (AP) -- A gunman killed a student at a high school east of Portland Tuesday and the shooter is also dead, police said. "The student has died. I'm very, very sorry for the family," said Troutdale police chief Scott Anderson. The Multnomah County sheriff's office said there were reports of shots fired about 8 a.m. at Reynolds High School in Troutdale...

A man arrested while working as a Holcomb, Missouri, police officer will have a preliminary hearing in July, a judge told him Friday. Judge John Spielman set the preliminary hearing for Alvin Roberts for 1 p.m. July 11. Roberts was arrested last month by the Missouri State Highway Patrol Drug and Crime Control Unit after he allegedly warned a female informant she was being sought by police for burglary...

ST. LOUIS -- Three new wildlife exhibits are now open at the St. Louis Zoo. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that five African wild dogs are new to the zoo, and their exhibit opened Friday. Nestle Purina Petcare Co. donated $1.2 million for construction of the dogs' preserve...

ST. LOUIS -- A Missouri inmate scheduled to be put to death next week is asking the Missouri Supreme Court to halt the execution. John Winfield faces execution June 18 for killing two women in St. Louis County in 1996. In a court filing Monday, attorneys for Winfield say it is unconstitutional for the state to execute him with "an unregulated compounded drug, from an undisclosed supplier, made of unknown ingredients, and through unknown processes."...

HARRISONVILLE, Mo. -- Two Missouri teenagers have been charged in the death of a 25-year-old man whose body was found last week near a western Missouri cemetery, Cass County authorities said Monday. Mathew E. Volland, 18, of Raymore and Tyler J. Smallwood, 18, of Peculiar were charged Monday with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the shooting death of Forrest Fuller, Cass County Prosecutor Teresa Hensley said...

WICHITA, Kan. -- Several Wichita-area black ministers have announced plans to encourage a get-out-the-vote campaign to fight voter ID laws. The ministers are members of the Midwest Conference Fifth Episcopal District, which represents 120 churches in Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri. They met last week for their annual Midwest conference in Wichita, The Wichita Eagle reported...

KENNETT, Mo. -- Officials in Kennett say they've encountered only a few problems enforcing a new smoking ban. The Daily Dunklin Democrat reported voters in Kennett showed overwhelming support for the ban during April's elections. The Kennett City Council then approved the restrictions in a new ordinance...

ST. LOUIS -- Recent rains have pushed rivers above flood stage at some locations in Missouri, while flash floods are possible in other areas. Minor flooding was occurring Monday along portions of the Mississippi River north of St. Louis, but no major damage was reported...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Prosecutors have ruled that a southwest Missouri man was justified when he stabbed his brother to death during an argument. Greene County prosecutors say 31-year-old Ryan Storey of St. James will not face charges in the April 2013 death of 29-year-old Curtis Storey of Springfield...

ST. LOUIS -- An Islamic cabdriver in St. Louis is challenging the regional taxi commission's wardrobe rules in court after receiving dozens of tickets for wearing traditional religious clothing. Raja Naeem, 50, is a native of Pakistan who immigrated to the United States two decades ago and now lives in the St. ...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A new project in central Kansas City will provide homes and social services for up to 58 veterans, as the first step in a much larger vision to help veterans. The St. Michael's Veterans Center will eventually be a $34 million complex with three buildings offering 180 affordable rental units on a 24-acre site, along with large and small gathering areas, outpatient medical care, and rooms for physical fitness, computer and job training. ...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Springfield summer school students working to make up academic ground are being encouraged to see themselves as "big news." It's an approach the Springfield School District is piloting this year to boost the literacy skills -- and self-esteem -- of students whose reading and writing skills are one or more years below grade level...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A motion has been filed not to seek the death penalty against Allen McCoy, who is accused of the June 2010 murder of Aubrey Finch at his Bernie, Missouri, home. An autopsy conducted in Farmington, Missouri, ruled Finch, 67, died as a result of "multiple stab wounds to the head and neck."...

KENNETT, Mo. -- A Kennett man has been charged in a fatal shooting that happened around 8:30 p.m. Saturday in the 500 block of South Hopper Street. Jeremy J. Corcoran, 37, is charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. He is accused of shooting Andres Tijerina Jr., 23, of Kennett a number of times with a 9 mm pistol. Police said Tijerina was pronounced dead at the scene by Dunklin County Corner James Powell...

Former Scott County deputy Ivan Norman Brant Jr. waived formal arraignment Monday in connection with charges of possessing a controlled substance. Judge Gary Kamp set Brant's preliminary hearing for July 1. In May, Brant, 37, of Scott City was charged with possession of a controlled substance for his role in allegedly helping former Scott City police officer Samuel J. Lincoln, 26, of Whitewater sell the hormone testosterone to a Jackson police officer...

CAIRO, Ill. -- The victim of a Cairo homicide that occurred at 3:45 p.m. Sunday has been identified as Vernon K. Haynes, 27, of Charleston, Missouri, according to the Illinois State Police. Cairo police requested assistance from troopers and the Crime Scene Services Command to the Cavalier Club in Cairo...

On July 14, Kenneth Ray Flanagan of Hornersville, Missouri, will appear in court on charges of first-degree attempted statutory sodomy and attempted deviant sexual intercourse with another person younger than 14. Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Stephen Sokoloff said an investigation by the Division of Child Protective Services found that Flanagan allegedly had sexual contact with his 4-year-old daughter between Jan. 1, 2013, and Nov. 18...

Tommy Joe Davis III appeared via videoconference at the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse on Monday for his initial arraignment. Davis, 29, of Cape Girardeau has been charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action for allegedly shooting a man at 523 Olive St. in Cape Girardeau on Wednesday morning. At the arraignment, Davis asked Judge Gary Kamp to reduce his $250,000 cash-only bond...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- With the expansion of its middle class, China is a vast untapped market for American agriculture, said John LaRose, publisher and editor of MidAmerica Farm Publications Inc. LaRose, of Perryville, recently returned from a U.S. ...

A nationwide audit of veterans' hospitals has flagged two facilities that serve patients in Cape Girardeau, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Cited for further investigation are the Marion VA Medical Center in Marion, Illinois, and a community-based outreach clinic in West Plains, Missouri. Other regional facilities in Kansas -- the VA Medical Center in Leavenworth and the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center in Wichita -- also are under scrutiny...

The definition of captive deer and how they are managed in Missouri could be decided before the state Department of Conservation opens the topic for public comment. The department's Conservation Commission late last week approved proposed amendments to regulations of hunting preserves and wildlife breeding facilities that hold members of the cervid, or deer, family, including white-tailed deer...

The Southeast junior follows father's advice, reaches national outdoor meet in the triple jump

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Preservationists have won a one-month reprieve for moving an 80-year-old rock-walled temple in Springfield that is slated for demolition. The preservationists are working to raise money to move the Timmons Temple building in Springfield because of its historical significance for the city's black community. ...

For the past six weeks, Philanthropy Fashion owner Bridgett Kielhofner has worried that people entering her Cape Girardeau store would get pelted with fallen stucco the minute they stepped inside. The A.C. Vasterling building, home to Philanthropy, is being restored to its original facade to qualify for a historic tax credit...

I noticed two bucks and a doe in my backyard grazing and shared a photo on Facebook. Fifteen minutes later I returned to the window to see if our visitors were still there and this is what i saw. Yes, I did have to re-post on Facebook.

What are you doing to Keep The Republic? Do you feel like we're losing the Republic? Our schools (yes, Jackson AND Cape) are teaching our children that we are a Constitutional Democracy. Are we a Constitutional Democracy? I challenge you to find the word democracy in the Constitution. What are you going to do about that?...

A picture of the sun setting after a storm.

I had fun watching this little guy hunt for his dinner at Hubble Creek in Jackson Park.

This was taken on County 471 close to Maintz Conservation Area.

Taking a beauty break in my backyard.