Stories from Tuesday, December 23, 2014

It's that time of year again. Just over a week is left in 2014 to figure out what your New Year's resolution will be, and most, like Cape Girardeau resident Dean Atkins', concern health. "I'm going to quit smoking," he said. "This year, for good." He said he's tried a couple of times before, but this time, he's been practicing...

The nation's largest pharmacy benefits manager is throwing its weight into the fight over high-cost hepatitis C drugs with a coverage restriction that might ultimately lower prices and improve patient access to groundbreaking treatments for the liver-destroying virus...

ST. LOUIS -- A man who allegedly ran a red light is blamed for an accident that caused a police SUV to flip over in downtown St. Louis. The accident happened about 2 a.m. Monday at Locust Street and Tucker Boulevard. A 30-year-old man has been arrested...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- An audit says the Missouri board that regulates accountants hasn't been following state law when holding closed meetings. A report from Auditor Tom Schweich says the State Board of Accountancy held 13 closed meetings during the past two years. In 10 cases, it says the board didn't properly document the vote to close the meetings or the reasons for doing so...

JENNINGS, Mo. -- Police in the St. Louis County town of Jennings are investigating a shooting apparently spurred by cold pizza. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that a delivery driver took a pizza to a home early Sunday, but residents complained that the pizza was cold...

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- A trial will begin July 6 for one of four men accused of killing an eastern Missouri couple. The Daily Journal newspaper in Park Hills, Missouri, reported that Maxwell Navarro is charged with two counts of second-degree murder, plus first-degree burglary and stealing a firearm...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- In late 2008 when the housing market collapsed, David and Terry Quick decided to get out of the construction business and into farming. "People don't always need concrete patios, but they always need to eat," David Quick told the Springfield News-Leader...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's low-wage workers are getting a small pay increase in 2015. Starting New Year's Day, the state's minimum wage will increase by 15 cents to $7.65 an hour. The minimum wage for tipped workers in Missouri will rise by 9 cents to $3.83 per hour...

ST. LOUIS -- A St. Louis charity will open a home next year where a small group of women who are trying to escape from a cycle of prostitution and prison can rebuild their lives. Christine McDonald has spent months visiting prisons searching for women who have survived a life of prostitution, just as she did, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. They will be the first residents of the 10,000-square-foot home being opened by Magdalene St. Louis...

A fire at 432 Morgan Oak St. on Sunday night is considered suspicious and is being investigated by the Cape Girardeau Fire Department. Because an investigation is ongoing, more details were not be provided. The fire occurred at 8 p.m. in a free-standing shed that had no power running to it, according to reports from the fire department. No one was in the building at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported...

At 2:15 a.m. Sunday, two people were ejected from a vehicle on Route V and suffered serious injuries. Karlie Russell, 17, of Cape Girardeau, Cody Martin, 19, of Scott City and Preston Phillips, 18, of Oran, Missouri, were about four miles north of Oriole when the 2007 GMA Sierra they were in overturned...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Mid Continent Nail in the Poplar Bluff Industrial Park has announced plans for a nearly $5 million expansion project and the hiring of 91 workers. The firm will install a new line in its original 118,000-square-foot plant in the industrial park on the north side of Revere Plastics. Equipment has been ordered and will be installed as soon as possible...

Three community leaders have been appointed as new members of the United Way of Southeast Missouri Board of Directors. Judy Aslin was chosen as the new board representative for SoutheastHEALTH; Jack Geissinger was chosen as the new Procter & Gamble representative; and Shelly Moore was selected for her influence as a Cape Girardeau City Council member and the connections she holds in the community...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- An initiative petition that sought to qualify an early voting measure for the Missouri ballot included the supposed signatures of dead people among other potentially fraudulent names, according to a report from the state's top election official...

With the beginning of the new year also comes the beginning of Cottonwood Residential Treatment Center's shift to a privatized facility. A spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Mental Health confirmed Monday afternoon that the Community Counseling Center in Cape Girardeau is scheduled to assume operation of the facility Jan. 3...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's largest electric company said Monday it plans to invest $135 million in energy efficiency programs for customers over a three-year period. Ameren Missouri said its costs for the energy efficiency initiative would be recouped through charges on customer bills, but it said consumers ultimately should save money because the reduced energy use would decrease the need to build expensive new power plants...

While a tube of deodorant or a bottle of shampoo might not be an appropriate present for an office Christmas party, for local food pantries, such items are the perfect gift at any time of year. "Definitely soap, shampoo, toothpaste -- those are things that just straight across the board, we always need," said Jennifer Wood, chief development officer for the Sikeston, Missouri-based SEMO Food Bank, which serves 180 member agencies in 16 counties across Southeast Missouri...

A local construction company has been cited for 13 serious safety violations, according to an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration after the June 18 death of a 16-year-old worker. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known, according to a news release from OSHA...

For two and a half seasons, Ali Galemmo has been content to let her teammates share the limelight. But with a chance to shine, thejunior forward from Saxony Lutheran High School didn't disappoint.

Today is Tuesday, Dec. 23, the 357th day of 2014. There are eight days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 23, 1954, the first successful human kidney transplant took place at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston as a surgical team led by Dr. ...

MIAMI -- U.S. rum aficionados are abuzz over the possibility of mixing a Cuba Libre with authentic Cuban rum, now that they will be able to bring home liquor distilled in the communist nation. Relaxed limits on what licensed U.S. travelers can bring home mean that Americans will be able to enjoy small quantities of the liquor at home. But, with the embargo still in place, the rum won't be flooding bars or the market...

WASHINGTON -- Alarmed by increasing encounters between small drones and manned aircraft, drone industry officials said Monday they are teaming up with the government and model aircraft hobbyists to launch a safety campaign. The campaign includes a website -- knowbeforeyoufly.com -- which advises both recreational and commercial drone operators of FAA regulations and how to fly their unmanned aircraft safely. ...

ATLANTA -- As the holiday shopping season winds down, FedEx, UPS and online retailers are using the last few days to try to avoid the problems that occurred last year when severe winter weather and a surge in late orders from shoppers caused delivery delays...

The Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor's 500 index closed at record highs Monday as the market delivered its fourth gain in as many trading days. Pharmaceutical and technology stocks were among the big risers, while shares in energy companies fell sharply as the decline in oil prices deepened. Discouraging data on U.S. home sales failed to derail the "Santa" rally, what traders often call a pre-Christmas advance...

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizona officials said Monday they are changing the drugs they use in executions after an inmate in July gasped repeatedly over the course of nearly two hours while being put to death. According to a letter from Department of Corrections director Charles Ryan to Gov. Jan Brewer, the department no longer will use the combination of midazolam, a sedative, and hydromorphone, a pain killer...

NEW YORK -- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called Monday for a pause in protests over police conduct as he faced a widening rift with those in a grieving force who accuse him of creating a climate of mistrust that contributed to the execution of two officers...

WASHINGTON -- North Korea experienced sweeping Internet outages for hours before coming back online late Monday. One computer expert said the country's online access was "totally down." The White House and the State Department declined to say whether the U.S. government was responsible...

Cecil Nunley, 69, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014, at his home. He was born Dec. 23, 1944, in Morley, Missouri, to the late Earnestine Nunley. Cecil was a graduate of Central High School. He was employed 27 years at Procter & Gamble. He was of the Baptist belief...

Verna E. Sale, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Dec. 21, 2014, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born Jan. 30, 1924, in Blodgett, Missouri, to John E. and Tavy A. Seabaugh Godwin. She and James L. McConnell were married in August 1945 in Piggott, Arkansas. He preceded her in death Dec. 22, 1979. She later married Roy A. Sale on Dec. 14, 1985, in Cape Girardeau...

Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep believes the criminal justice system is "out of control" in Cape Girardeau County and is calling on the prosecutor, judges and sheriff to find ways to reduce costs; he contends the criminal justice system is devouring more and more of the county's general revenue budget and warns unless the trend is reversed, the commission may have to restore a general revenue property tax to pay for it...

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- The Navajo Nation had bitter debates when it was deciding whether to allow casinos on the reservation and if alcohol should be sold in them. The arguments focused on the revenue and jobs casinos and liquor could bring to a reservation where half the workforce is unemployed and most arrests and pervasive social ills are linked to alcohol abuse...

ANNA, Ill. -- Helen Brimm, 89, of Anna died Monday, Dec. 8, 2014, in Titusville, Florida. She was born March 15, 1925, daughter of John H. and Tillie Hammock Wood. She and Charles D. Brimm were married Jan. 15, 1946. He preceded her in death Aug. 14, 1996...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI n A suspect was in custody pending formal charges of driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident. Arrests n Nicole C. Darwin, 30, of Fredericktown, Missouri, was arrested on a warrant...

JACKSON The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrest n Renee L. Crim, 27, of Jackson was arrested on suspicion of stealing. Theft n Theft was reported in the 3000 block of East Jackson Boulevard. Miscellaneous...

Daughter to Louie Randall "Randy" and Megan Nicole Speith of Jackson, Southeast Hospital, 12:29 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, 2014. Name, Tinley Faye. Weight, 8 pounds, 4 ounces. Mrs. Speith is the former Megan Wibbenmeyer, daughter of Brian Wibbenmeyer and Patti Wibbenmeyer of Jackson. She is employed by Southeast. Speith is the son of Jim Speith and Iris Speith of Makanda, Illinois. He is employed by Procter & Gamble...

UNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. Security Council took up the issue of North Korea's bleak human-rights situation for the first time Monday, a groundbreaking step toward possibly holding the nuclear-armed but desperately poor country and leader Kim Jong Un accountable for alleged crimes against humanity. North Korea quickly denounced the move...

MADRID -- Spain's Princess Cristina was indicted on tax fraud charges Monday -- a severe setback to efforts by her brother King Felipe VI to rid the royalty of image problems after his scandal-plagued father abdicated six months ago. Cristina is the first royal family member in the country ordered to stand trial since the monarchy was restored in 1975...

VATICAN CITY -- To the Catholic Church's "seven deadly sins," Pope Francis has added the "15 ailments of the Curia." Francis issued a blistering indictment of the Vatican bureaucracy Monday, accusing the cardinals, bishops and priests who serve him of using their Vatican careers to grab power and wealth, of living "hypocritical" double lives and forgetting that they're supposed to be joyful men of God...

PARIS -- French authorities urged calm after a series of attacks across the country left dozens of people injured, and said there was no evidence the violent acts were connected by any terrorist motive. In the latest incident, 11 people were injured after a driver crashed his van into a crowded Christmas market in western France on Monday evening. The driver then stabbed himself several times and is among five people hospitalized in serious condition, authorities said...

It is with great dismay and sadness that I read that the Greystone and Shivelbine houses may be demolished by the University. These are two very pretty, historical houses, and once torn down, gone forever, like so many other past beautiful, historical buildings/houses of Cape that were destroyed to make way for "progress."...

A local group is planning a Christmas meal that could feed up to 400 people. The Student Santas group will serve a meal from noon to 4 p.m. Christmas Day at the Central Junior High School cafeteria. Isle Casino Cape Girardeau is donating meat for the event; Ryan's steakhouse is contributing vegetables, rolls and desserts; and more than 50 volunteers are scheduled to serve the meal, according to a recent story, written by reporter Emily Priddy, in the Southeast Missourian...

LONDON -- British singer Joe Cocker is dead at age 70. His London-based agent, Barrie Marshall, said Cocker died early Monday of lung cancer in Colorado, where he has lived for the past two decades. Cocker was known for a memorable Woodstock performance and cover of the Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends."...

BEIJING -- Chinese prosecutors on Monday indicted the son of Hong Kong action film star Jackie Chan on the charge of sheltering others to use drugs, more than four months after he was detained. If convicted, singer-actor Jaycee Chan could be jailed for up to three years...

NEW YORK -- Health officials are celebrating some important victories in 2014, and Time magazine even named Ebola fighters the persons of the year. Nevertheless, this was a black-eye year for public health. Some vital vaccines did not work well. Federal laboratories were careless with dangerous pathogens. And international health officials failed to stop a West Africa outbreak from exploding into the worst Ebola epidemic ever...

If you are calling and you really want to talk to us, take "private caller," "unknown caller," "Cape Girardeau," or the name of any city or state off the screen. If you can't tell us who you are, we do not answer our phone. We have been fooled into doing it, and it's some bunch of bull from people we don't want to talk to about things we don't want or answer questions that is none of their concern. ...

ST. LOUIS -- Rams coach Jeff Fisher said Monday that he doesn't expect any of his players to be fined for their participation in a brawl in the first half of a loss to the Giants. Fisher said accusations of dirty play by New York defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and others are overblown...

The Ole Miss men's basketball team practically delivered a knockout punch to Southeast Missouri State in the first five minutes of their meeting Monday night.

NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. -- Who took the leg lamp belonging to Ralphie's "Old Man" from a store's annual tribute to "A Christmas Story"? The owner of the Yankee Spirits liquor store in North Tonawanda says his window display has memorabilia from the 1983 film, including several versions of the iconic leg lamp. ...

All the high school events reported Monday to the Southeast Missourian.

Hazel Juanita Sexton, 92, of Scott City died Monday, Dec. 22, 2014, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City.

Martin Dubs, 91, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Dec. 21, 2014, at Missouri Baptist Hospital in St. Louis. Arrangements are incomplete at Crain Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau.

O Father God, may all experience your love and peace this Christmas and always. Amen.