Stories from Monday, December 1, 2014

Several local schools have called off classes Monday because of the icy weather. The following districts and schools are closed or will dismiss early, according to KZIM radio: n Perry County School District 32 n Emmanuel Lutheran, Perryville n Oak Ridge School District...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A 31-year-old Kansas City man has been charged with killing a man whose body was dumped in a rural area south of Kansas City. Jackson county prosecutors said James Rhymer faces charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of David Mendez. Rhymer was arrested early Saturday after a standoff. It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney. Prosecutors are seeking a $250,000 bond...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Some Missouri lawmakers say support is building to put the clamps on state ethics laws that are among the loosest in the nation, but they warn any reform probably won't include campaign contribution limits. The state allows lawmakers to accept unlimited gifts from lobbyists, accept campaign donations of any size, allow their staffers to work as paid political consultants during legislative sessions and lets lawmakers become professional lobbyists the moment they leave office.. ...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The need to replace aging touch-screen and optical-scan election machines is looming in Kansas and Missouri. But the enormous cost has left legislators and budget officers with little appetite for the job, The Kansas City Star reported...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Steve Helms admits he's got a short attention span when it comes to careers. The outgoing Greene County Circuit Clerk is leaving the office after six years. After missing out for a seat on the county commission, Helms is turning his attention to chickens...

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Using a 140-station seismic network, geologists with Indiana University have discovered widespread seismic activity along the Ste. Genevieve Seismic Zone, suggesting a greater possibility of earthquakes in the tri-state area. In addition to being near populated areas, the Ste. ...

FERGUSON, Mo. -- The grand jury responsible for reviewing the fatal shooting of Michael Brown faced "an awesome burden" and "an awful lot of work." So said St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch, addressing jurors when they convened Aug. 20, not long after Brown's death touched off riots, looting and repeated clashes between protesters and heavily armored police. ...

FERGUSON, Mo. -- Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson did not receive a severance package when he resigned over the weekend, the St. Louis suburb's mayor said Sunday. Wilson, 28, won't receive any further pay or benefits, and he and the city have severed their ties, Mayor James Knowles told reporters a day after Wilson tendered his resignation, which was effective immediately...

Efforts to help boost Southeast Missouri State University's position in the academic marketplace are progressing, but officials are not offering details yet. Southeast board of regents president Doyle Privett said an update is on the board's agenda for Dec. 18 and 19. Privett said he hadn't seen very much about the rebranding so far...

One of the busiest shopping places in Southeast Missouri on a weekend leading up to the holidays isn't in any mall. It's down a country road outside Jackson, where the Meier family takes their customers by horse-drawn wagon up a hill to pick a Christmas tree...

Officer Schupo has a full-time position tracking criminals and busting drug dealers, but his partner swears he doesn't work at all. "He's never worked a day in his life," Cpl. Bryan Blanner said. "This is the fun part." Schupo, a 6-year-old German shepherd, is one of two K-9s that work -- or, from their perspective, play -- for the Cape Girardeau Police Department...

From dancing candy canes to Elsa the ice queen to a KISS tribute band, this year's Old Town Cape Christmas Parade of Lights had a little bit of everything. The theme for the 23rd annual parade was "Christmas Carols and Candy Canes," and the floats delivered. Various sizes of candy canes adorned multiple floats, while boxes of the peppermint sticks were distributed by those walking the route...

Members of the Cape Girardeau City Council will vote tonight to bring city ordinances into compliance with new state gun laws. Among other changes, the approval of Senate Bill 656 allows residents with a valid permit to carry guns openly. This forced many cities, including Cape Girardeau, to re-evaluate ordinances prohibiting open carry...

Boy Scout Troop 311 invites all 311 Alumni to join us on the 311 Bus for the Jackson Christmas parade, Sat, Dec 6 at 3:30 pm. Meet at the bus at 3 pm for line up around Jackson High School building A. Call Will Sandin 573-382-2292 or Kevin Teegarden 573-270-7678 with questions...

Sikeston, Mo., soprano Patti McPheeters will be one of the featured singers at the SoutheastHEALTH Foundation's Sounds of the Season benefit concert on Sunday, Dec. 7, at the Cape Bible Chapel. McPheeters, who began her singing career at age 10, is best known for her soprano solos. She has been a featured soloist at many church functions and numerous weddings and funeral services...

Today is Monday, Dec. 1, the 335th day of 2014. There are 30 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 1, 1974, TWA Flight 514, a Washington-bound Boeing 727, crashed in Virginia after being diverted from National Airport to Dulles International Airport; all 92 people on board were killed. ...

WASHINGTON -- Like a student who waited until the night before a deadline, lawmakers resuming work today will try to cram two years of leftover business into two weeks, while also seeking to avoid a government shutdown. Their to-do list includes keeping the government running into the new year, renewing expired tax breaks for individuals and businesses and approving a defense policy measure that has passed for more than 50 years in a row...

HONG KONG -- Pro-democracy protesters clashed with police early today as they tried to surround Hong Kong government headquarters, stepping up their movement for genuine democratic reforms after camping out on the city's streets for more than two months...

NEW YORK -- For Kathy Murphy, the difference between being gay or straight is $583 a month. Retirement should have been a "slam dunk," the 62-year-old Texas widow says. She saved, bought a house with her spouse and has a pension through her employer...

RENO, Texas -- A Texas hamlet shaken by its first recorded earthquake last year and hundreds since then is among communities now taking steps to challenge the oil and gas industry's traditional supremacy over the right to frack. Reno Mayor Lyndamyrth Stokes said spooked residents started calling last November: "I heard a boom, then crack! The whole house shook. ...

ISTANBUL -- Pope Francis and the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians demanded an end to the persecution of religious minorities in Syria and Iraq on Sunday and called for a "constructive dialogue" with Muslims, capping the pontiff's three-day visit to Turkey with a strong show of Christian unity in the face of suffering and violence...

Lord God, today we celebrate with expectation and hope and know Jesus will return one day. Amen.

The 1989 Southeast Missouri District Fair ended more than $43,000 in the red; fair president Don Strohmeyer blames the rainy, cold weather during fair week for the deficit. Lawyer Kenneth W. Shrum of Marble Hill, Missouri, is among several men nominated to fill a vacant judgeship on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District; the new judge will replace Judge John C. Holstein, who was sworn in Friday as the newest member of the Missouri Supreme Court...

I wish that police officer in St. Louis had not shot Michael Brown. I wish he'd just rolled up his window and called for more police backup, but the deed's done. What we have to remember is, we need our young people not to be criminals, instead to spend time in church and have a sense of family in love and God...

SCOTT CITY The Scott City Fire Department responded to the following calls. November 22 n At 11:52 a.m., emergency medical service on Main Street. November 23 n At 8:59 a.m., emergency medical service on Mary Street. November 24 n At 4:50 a.m., call on South Mount Auburn Road...

JACKSON The Jackson Fire Department responded to the following call Saturday: n Emergency medical service on Garrett Lane. The Jackson Fire Department responded to the following calls Sunday: n Emergency medical service on South Shawnee Boulevard. n Emergency medical service on Pecan Drive...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. n Randy A. Noce, 28, of Marble Hill, Missouri, was arrested on suspicion of intentionally inhaling insolvents, assault on a law enforcement officer and stealing...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls Friday. n At 1:53 a.m., a medical assist on Green Acres Drive. n At 7:29 a.m., a medical assist on Lorraine Drive. n At 7:43 a.m., a medical assist on South Farrar Drive...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Cecile E. Thompson, 22 of De Soto, Missouri, was arrested on a Cape Girardeau warrant for failure to appear, a Cape Girardeau County warrant for failure to appear and a Scott City warrant for failure to appear...

Randy Wayne Schemel, 62, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014, at the home of his son in Jackson. He was born June 11, 1952, in Guthrie, Oklahoma, to Lloyd E. and Anna M. Hafley Schemel. He and Vonda D. Dunivan were married Jan. 15, 1982, in Cape Girardeau...

Ronnie "Bud" Ervin Owens, 69, of Scott City died Sunday, Nov. 30, 2014, at his home. He was born Feb. 16, 1945, in Randles, to Charley Alvin and Mattie Cook Owens. He married Sue Nix on Aug. 21, 1965. He worked at Florsheim and later at Major Custom Cable in Fruitland...

GLENALLEN, Mo. -- Beverly Ann Morris, 40, of Glenallen passed away Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014, at her home. Born on Dec. 3, 1973, in Cape Girardeau, she was the daughter of Delbert Ray and Anna Marie Van Gennip Morris. A graduate of Woodland High School, she also graduated from Metro Business College Massage Therapy School. She worked as a massage therapist at BellaDona Salon in Cape Girardeau...

Linda Kirby Little, 62, of Jackson died Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born July 12, 1952, in Gideon, Missouri, to Ray and Hazel Kirby. She and Ben Little were married Aug. 19, 1995, at Marble Hill, Missouri...

LONDON -- Lewis Carroll's original handwritten, illustrated manuscript for "Alice in Wonderland" will travel to the U.S. to mark its 150th anniversary. The British Library said last week it will loan the book -- presented by the author to Alice Liddell, who inspired it -- to New York's Morgan Library and Museum and the Rosenbach Museum of the Free Library of Philadelphia next year...

A renewed plunge in oil prices is a sign of weakness in the global economy that could shake governments dependent on oil revenues. Yet it is a bonus for consumers as prices fall at the pump, giving individuals more spending money and lowering costs for many businesses...

Steven C. Bjelich, CEO and president of the Saint Francis Healthcare System, was chosen for the list of "CEOs to Know" for 2014 by Becker's Hospital Review, a magazine for hospital business news and analysis. Bjelich and others on the list were "selected based on their experience, professional achievement and involvement in their communities," according to a news release from Saint Francis...

A fall survey by a banking group shows Missourians' collective opinion on the economy is improving. The Arvest Consumer Sentiment Survey, which is conducted by the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Arkansas twice annually, reported Missouri's consumer sentiment index jumped from 68.6 in June to 77.4 through the end of October...

Cape Girardeau City Council City Hall 401 Independence St. Study session, 5 p.m. today n No action will be taken during the study session. Items for discussion n Planning and Zoning Commission report n Appearances regarding items not on the agenda n Agenda review...

CHERRY HILL, N.J. -- Scientists have discovered a new frog species in southern New Jersey that makes some un-froglike sounds. The Atlantic Coast leopard frog groans and makes coughing noises rather than croaking sounds. The unfamiliar call attracted the notice of wildlife experts several years ago in Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Morris County...

The chaotic SEC season comes down to Alabama vs. Missouri with no guarantees beyond that. The powerhouse league is assured of a playoff spot only if the top-ranked Crimson Tide wins Saturday's Southeastern Conference championship game in the Georgia Dome. It's a precarious position for a conference that had its seven-year reign atop college football ended by Florida State in January...

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team used a career-high 19 points from senior point guard Yelena Rosado and 19 points from senior guard Jasmine Robinson to break a four-game losing streak with a 70-65 win over Bradley on Sunday in Peoria, Illinois...

ST. LOUIS -- Tre Mason told St. Louis Rams teammates he'd be busting some long gainers. "That's not the first time he's said that," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. Mason was true to his word this time, breaking free again and again.

The participation in recycling in Cape Girardeau continues to increase. As reported by journalist Samantha Rinehart in a recent Southeast Missourian story, more than 4,300 households now use the recycling system, jumping from 2,800 before a new system was implemented in 2009. A city official roughly estimated 80 percent of households participate in the recycling program monthly...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Exhibits include dog paintings, dog sculptures and displays about famous dogs. But what really makes this St. Louis museum unique is the visitors: Dogs are welcome, and curators aren't worried about the canines knocking things over or making a mess...

Under the graying November sky, Pink Root Hollow stands still and quiet. A single shot cracks across the winter wheat, punching the target a bit low and right of center. Seth Koehler, 25, takes a breath and sends another shot downrange, but it does the same as the first -- leaning just right of the mark...

When it comes to the flu, older adults have a disadvantage compared to younger folks: More than half of individuals hospitalized with the flu are elderly, and up to 90 percent of flu-related deaths are people older than 65, says Kim Keser, a family nurse practitioner at Cape Primary Care...

When it comes to owning and driving a vehicle, there are variable costs. Yes, you can control the purchase price, governed by what you can afford or what amount you can finance to acquire the car or truck you want or need. Another cost is taxes, paid when you buy or sell a vehicle and dependent upon its value...

On a Monday morning in November, a crew of ladies work busily in a spare room at Saxony Village Retirement Community in Cape Girardeau. Clothes lines stretch the length of the room and hold dresses in varying sizes and colors, and many more are folded and stacked on nearby tables...

The 2014 Southeast Missouri All-Region football teams selected by a panel of sportswriters from eight publications. OFFENSE First team QB -- Dante Vandeven, Jackson, Sr. 6-2, 190 lbs. RB -- Braion Owens, Cape Central, Sr. 5-11, 190 lbs. RB -- Earnest Fobbs, Sikeston, Jr. 6-1, 170 lbs...