Stories from Sunday, January 18, 2015

What do you make of the low gasoline prices? I'm enjoying it more than when it was $3. When I first started driving it was 25 cents a gallon. How do you deal with the extremely cold weather? Stay at home and light the fireplace, and bundle up to go out...

When it comes to raising money for cancer research, Shannon Aldridge isn't afraid to go the extra mile. For the past five years, Aldridge and his wife Amy have coordinated a 5K run called Hoops for Life to raise money for cancer research and to remember their daughter Sahara, who died Nov. 5, 2007, from a malignant brain tumor...

The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri announced the winners of the Otto F. Dingeldein and Friend of the Arts Awards at their annual gala Friday evening. Dingeldein Award recipient Brenda S. Seyer said she was humbled by the recognition. "There are just so many passionate people who care about art who are part of this organization," she said. "I'm just one out of many; that they chose me is really an honor."...

A major startup business competition is launching in Cape Girardeau, led by a newly formed venture capital group and economic development partners. The co-working community and technology incubator Codefi, capital group Traverse Ventures and the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce are collaborating in the competition, called 1ST50K...

The Redhawks got a critical defensive stop in the final seconds to defeat Tennessee Tech 65-61 on Saturday.

Residents of Jackson will have a decision to make when they elect a mayor April 7. Incumbent Mayor Barbara Lohr, who ran unopposed in 2013 for her third term, will face challenger Dwain Hahs in the upcoming election. Hahs cited requests and encouragement from friends and leaders in business and the community leaders for his decision to run for the city's highest office...

Sedgewickville, Missouri, in January is cold, and the scenery doesn't change much. About the only signs of life are the puzzled-looking Angus cattle that pepper the sprawling, brownish fields under the sprawling, grayish sky. John and Carolyn Watkins' home doesn't look too different from other rural houses, but past the auger mailbox post and up the gravel drive, the backyard comes alive...

The Springfield, Missouri, bank foreclosing on the Marquette properties in downtown Cape Girardeau now owns the two buildings after it was the sole bidder in a public auction held Friday at the local Common Pleas courthouse. Great Southern Bank attempted to unload the Marquette Tower and Centre properties in the auction...

The SEMO Chapter Harley Owners Group would like to extend thanks to the community for their continuing support. Last year through community efforts, fund raising efforts, and poker runs, we were able to donate funds to Toys for Tots, Breast Cancer testing, and other charitable events...

Another beautiful sunset

Hunters in Missouri harvested 260,552 deer during the 2014-2015 season, which ended Thursday at the conclusion of archery season, according to a news release from the Missouri Department of Conservation. That number represents an increase of 7,978 deer, compared to the 252,574 checked in the previous year -- a 3 percent increase...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Jeff Farris' voice caught Friday afternoon as he addressed his longtime colleagues in the Alexander County, Illinois, state's attorney's office. "Your staff's got your back," he said. "I'm going to miss you, but I'm going to be right across the hall."...

There's no doubt fans of the St. Louis Cardinals are regarded as some of the best in baseball and will go to whatever lengths to meet their favorite players, no matter if they're old legends or bright, young stars that will frame the franchise for years to come...

Today is Sunday, Jan. 18, the 18th day of 2015. There are 347 days left in the year. Today's Highlights in History: On Jan. 18, 1943, during World War II, Jewish insurgents in the Warsaw Ghetto launched their initial armed resistance against Nazi troops, who eventually succeeded in crushing the rebellion. A U.S. ban on the sale of pre-sliced bread -- aimed at reducing bakeries' demand for metal replacement parts -- went into effect...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Charles and Glenda Hinkebein of Chaffee announce the engagement of their daughter, Katherine Suzanne Hinkebein, to Cody Lee Schrum. He is the son of Ron and Angela Schrum of Cape Girardeau. Katherine is a 2007 graduate of Delta High School. She received CNA training at Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center. She is employed at Cape Girardeau Urology Associates...

LEOPOLD, Mo. -- Desiree Nicole Arnzen and Levi Jacob Felter were married Sept. 27, 2014, at St. John's Catholic Church in Leopold. The Rev. John Harth performed the ceremony. Organist was Allison Bueter of Leopold, and vocalist was Krissi Cox of Cape Girardeau...

Courtney Renee Crites and John Kelly Peterson were married Nov. 1, 2014, at New McKendree United Methodist Church in Jackson. J. David Israel performed the ceremony. Parents of the couple are Alan and Dixie Crites of Jackson, and John and Carol Peterson of Omaha, Nebraska...

David and Joanne Jordan of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Monica Jeane Jordan, to Timothy Osterhout. He is the son of Ralph and Eileen Caya of Pensacola, Florida. Monica received a bachelor's degree in biology from Hillsdale College and a bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Missouri. She is a lieutenant in the Navy Nurse Corps at Balboa Hospital in San Diego, California...

NEW HAMBURG, Mo. -- Ted and Theresa Glastetter of New Hamburg announce the engagement of their daughter, Megan Francis Glastetter, to Jesse Michael Farris of Kelso, Missouri. He is the son of Danny Ray and Connie Sue Brown of Cape Girardeau. Megan is a 2010 graduate of Notre Dame Regional High School. She received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Southeast Missouri State University in 2014. She is an analytical lab technician at QC Corp...

The Martha Ellen and George Alois Sudholt Scholarship has been established through the Southeast Missouri University Foundation. The scholarship was established in the Sudholts' memory with a $10,000 gift from Martha "Marty" Sudholt of Melbourne Beach, Florida, daughter of the late couple. ...

The family of Josh Downing has established the Josh Downing Memorial Scholarship and Endowment for Hospitality Management through the Southeast Missouri University Foundation. Nate and Mendy Downing of Anna, Illinois, and Harry and Sally Downing of Des Moines, Iowa, made a $10,000 gift to establish the scholarship. ...

The Daughters of St. Ambrose will host euchre tournaments at 1 p.m. Jan. 25 and Feb. 8 at the church in Chaffee, Missouri. Cost of each tournament is $10. Doors will open at 11:30, and food will be available for purchase. Hobbs Chapel United Methodist Church will host Mountain Faith String Band at 7 p.m. Jan. 24. An offering will be taken. The chapel is at 3024 State Highway 177 in Cape Girardeau...

The Judith Briner and Cynthia Fleck Endowed Scholarship has been established through the Southeast Missouri University Foundation. Judith Briner and Cynthia Fleck, both of St. Louis, made a $10,000 gift to establish the scholarship. The recipient of the scholarship will be a student enrolled at Southeast with a minimum 3.0 grade-point average who is majoring in nursing and in need of financial assistance. ...

What had been water running and falling loudly from a pond drain pipe during the day became a quiet surreal scene during the night. I found this picturesque ice sculpture made by Mother Nature the next morning. No water was exiting the cold steel pipe. ...

As I write this, it is 25 degrees outside. By the time you read this, if the folks at the National Weather Service are right, it will still be below freezing. Alas, it looks like it will be another winter during which we will be doing much shivering, not to mention shoveling. Sure enough, a source some trust more than the weather service, the Farmers' Almanac, predicts below-normal winter temperatures this year...

It's the middle of January so spring is but a couple months away. No matter where you live, whether it be Florida or Montana, you live in a U.S. Department of Agriculture growing zone. For those of us who live around Cape Girardeau or Scott City, we live in growing zone 6a. If you live below...

Many talk about pushing themselves to the absolute limit in the throes of competition. Few actually do it. Pastor Danny Wilson, youth pastor at Bethel Assembly of God in Cape Girardeau, did -- and it nearly cost him his life. Ever the competitor, Wilson had participated in four smaller mudder events -- competitions involving running, swimming, obstacles and other physically taxing challenges. ...

What people never tell you is that 22 is hard. Maybe the closest anyone got was telling you it's happy, free, confusing and lonely -- at the same time. And that there is some amount of dancing involved, if you have any hope of getting through it. But not many people ever come right out and say it, so I'm going to: Being 22 is hard...

"Some men see things as they are, and say, 'Why?' I dream things that never were, and say, 'Why not?'" The epigram above may be one of the best-known quotes attributed to Robert F. Kennedy. No one knows the job the assassinated RFK might have done as president. ...

While strolling, I wondered whatever happened to Jack Taylor. Happy birthday this week to Sarah Gaines, John Gaines, Tony Whitaker, Cindy Harris, Collin Dannenmueller, Ervin Eichhorn, Rebecca Reischman, Erica Dannenmueller, Judy Abernathy, Kimberly Hendrix, Jonathan Teegarden, Leroy Bollinger, Patrick Moore, Kathy Shetter, Dorothy Wolfe, Jessie Burnett, Alan Penrose, Brenda Hester, Mildred Wilhite, Clifford Van Dover, Aria Kirn, Joy Moyers, Jon Nordin, Richard Graviett, Zachary McDaniel and Maggie Lancaster.. ...

Danny Ray and Connie Sue Brown of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Lacey Danielle Brown, to Brandon Wai Chiu. He is the son of Dr. Wai Edward and Pamela Sue Chiu of Cape Girardeau. Lacey received a bachelor of science degree in biomedical science from Southeast Missouri State University. She is employed at SoutheastHEALTH...

The Town and Country FCE Club met Jan. 8 at the home of Darlene McCain for the annual birthday party. Karen Murphy assisted the hostess and gave each member a cupcake as a take home favor. Members attending received cards from their secret pals. All members were present for the meeting...

Lily is 1 year old and is spayed and declawed. She is available for adoption at the Humane Society. Her adoption fee is just $25. Call 335-5837.

It's not all that often that a local government pulls off a large capital project without needing to increase taxes or fees. But that is just what the city of Cape Girardeau is doing with its transfer station. An upgraded transfer station has for many years been on the city's improvement list. Along with the police station, the transfer station is a high priority...

BENTON, Mo. -- It's often said small things make a difference in a ball game. That might be true, but a small person also can determine an outcome. For proof, look no further than Charleston's Sierra Frazier, a slender 5-foot senior who is routinely dwarfed on the basketball court...

Firefighters from three departments responded to a house fire this morning at the intersection of county roads 553 and 525 near Fruitland. Crews from the Fruitland, East County and Gordonville fire districts began arriving at the scene around 11 a.m., said Billy Breckenridge and Michael Rahlfs of the Fruitland Area Fire Department. No one was home when the fire started, and the cause of the blaze has not yet been determined. The house was a total loss...

Son to Justin Lee Lillard and Rachael Elizabeth Hagan of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Hospital, 1:40 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015. Name, Karson Lee. Weight, 7 pounds, 10 ounces. Ms. Hagan is the daughter of Kim and Mark Jackson of Union City, Tennessee, and Tina and Larry Hagan of Cape Girardeau. Lillard is the son of Sally and Hiram Jones of Advance, Missouri, and Chris Lillard of Excelsior Springs, Missouri...

The Nell Holcomb School Board has decided to end the employment of Dr. Wallace Barrows, who has been superintendent of the district for 13 years. A group of citizens opposed to the construction of a recreational lake in Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties got organized last night by adopting a new name, kicking off fundraising efforts and electing officers; the name "Citizens Against the Lake" was adopted...

The Fruitland Area Fire Department responded to the following calls: January 10 n Natural cover fire on Route FF. January 11 n Citizen assist on Oak Lane. n Medical assist on U.S. 61. January 13 n Structure fire on Route Y. January 14 n Vehicle fire on County Road 601...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. n James O. Baker, 31, of Sikeston, Missouri, was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest. n Harold G. Brauninger Jr., 45, of Sedgewickville, Missouri, was issued summonses for failure to register a motor vehicle and displaying plates of another vehicle...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. n Donna A. Spillman, 54, of Cape Girardeau was issued a summons for driving while intoxicated and failure to stop at a stop sign. n Travis S. Scales, 33, of Cape Girardeau was arrested on a Cape Girardeau warrant for probation violation...

Mary Stone, 85, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015, at her home. Arrangements are incomplete at McCombs Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau.

Robert W. "Bob" Peel, 73, of Jackson passed away Friday, Jan. 16, 2015, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Bob had been valiantly fighting cancer since 2008. The family rejoices that he's now fully restored with Jesus, his savior. He was born Jan. 8, 1942, in Cape Girardeau to Charles H. and Cecil Blake Peel. He and Sara Elizabeth "Lisa" Sharpe were married April 8, 1965, in Clayton, Missouri...

B. Ray Owen of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Jan. 16, 2015, at Landmark Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home.

Rudolf Benjamin Leimbach, 90, of Pocahontas passed away Friday, Jan. 16, 2015, at the Monticello House in Jackson. He was born July 27, 1924, in Pocahontas to Otto H. and Julia Hemman Leimbach. He and Melva I. Perr were married April 7, 1951. Rudolf was a veteran of Word War II having been inducted into the U.S. ...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Patricia Rae Haws, 83, of Advance passed away Friday, Jan. 16, 2015, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Patricia was born March 28, 1931, at Jeffersonville, Indiana, the daughter of Pearly Lee and Josie Willie Smith O'Bryan. Patricia had been a member of the First Church of God in Dexter, Missouri. She had worked at Vintage Villa Nursing Home, the Dexter Hat Factory and volunteered at the Dexter Hospital...

Betty F. "Goff" Gregory, 77, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Jan. 16, 2015, at Auburn Creek Assisted Living in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 20, 1937, in Sherman, Missouri, to the late Herbert F. and Elizabeth Sheeley Goff. Betty and Howard E. Gregory were married June 7, 1955, in Cape Girardeau. He preceded her in death Oct. 21, 2014...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Sharon Sue Gibbons, 72, of Chaffee passed away Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2015, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born March 16, 1942, in Delta to the late Lonnie and Wanda Lou Harford Hodges. She married Donald Lee Gibbons on Aug. 14, 1969. He preceded her in death March 28, 2010...

Lawrence E. Friedrich, 80, of Cape Girardeau passed away Friday, Jan. 16, 2015, at Heartland Care and Rehab Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born April 4, 1934, in Bell City, Missouri, the son of Fritz and Marzena Johnson Friedrich. Larry had been a small engine mechanic. He loved to tinker with motors...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Alma Lorene Coffey, 80, of Sikeston passed away Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015, at Saint Louis University Hospital. She was born Feb. 15, 1934, in Tallapoosa, Missouri, daughter of Otto and Alice Bean. She was a graduate of Gideon High School, where she was a varsity cheerleader four years...

U.S. 61 in Scott County, from Route Y to Route HH, will be reduced to one lane as Missouri Department of Transportation crews make drainage repairs. The work will be performed from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily Wednesday through Friday, according to a MoDOT news release...

Nearly 500 guests attended this year's Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce annual banquet Friday night at the Bavarian Halle. Brian Gerau, the chamber's director, announced this year's winners. The R.A. Fulenwider Meritorious Community Service Award went to Terri Tomlin, Jackson School Board president...

On behalf of our 2014 Tiger football team and of our greater learning community at Cape Central High School, I want to thank the greater community of Cape Girardeau for the immeasurable support we were offered during the historic success of our 2014 Tiger football team as it played in our first Missouri State Championship Game at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis...

All scores were reported to the Southeast Missourian on Saturday.

All scores were reported to the Southeast Missourian on Friday.

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama will call for increasing taxes on the wealthiest Americans by raising the capital gains rate and eliminating a tax break on inheritances, then using the revenue to fund new tax credits and other cost-saving measures for the middle class...

WASHINGTON -- Do students take too many tests? Given the complaints about a high-stakes testing culture in classrooms, some states are reviewing the quality and quantity of the tests their students take. Congress is getting into the act, too. On Wednesday, the Senate's education committee is set to take up the issue of whether federally mandated annual testing should remain a requirement under the No Child Left Behind law. ...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court is getting back in the marriage business. The justices agreed Friday to decide a major civil rights question: whether same-sex couples have a right to marry everywhere in the United States under the Constitution. The court will take up gay-rights cases that ask it to overturn bans in four states and declare for the nation that people can marry the partners of their choice, regardless of gender. ...

WASHINGTON -- For the third time in a decade, the globe sizzled to the hottest year on record, federal scientists announced Friday. Both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA calculated in 2014 the world had its hottest year in 135 years of record-keeping. Earlier, the Japanese weather agency and a University of California-Berkeley independent group also measured 2014 as the hottest on record...

WOODLAND, Calif. -- A man searching for his wallet in a trash bin was scooped up by a garbage truck and taken on a long ride. Yolo County Sheriff's Lt. Martin Torres said the man got struck in the trash truck when it made a pickup Tuesday. Torres said the man told police he was stuck in the truck for about an hour as it headed to a landfill. Authorities said the man told police he used lumber in the truck to reach the top of the garbage pile and avoid the compactor...

PHOENIX -- A woman died hours after giving birth to quadruplets at a Phoenix hospital, a friend of the family said Saturday. Erica Morales, 36, never got to hold her newborns before she died early Friday after a C-section surgery at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center, Nicole Todman said...

Tax propoals n Eliminate a tax break on inheritances. n Increase the total top capital gains rate on couples with incomes above $500,000 to 28 percent, what it was under President Ronald Reagan. n Impose a fee on big financial firms, those with assets of more than $50 billion...

MELBOURNE, Fla. -- A Florida man had "several pockets full of ammunition" when he targeted his wife in a shooting Saturday morning that killed two people at a mall food court where the woman worked, police said. Authorities said the shooting happened about a half-hour before the mall was to open to customers...

CAIRO -- The famed French weekly Charlie Hebdo has continued to draw a somewhat contradictory reaction across the Muslim world. Many Muslims have expressed disgust at the deadly assault on the magazine's Paris office by Islamic extremists who killed 12 people...

BRUSSELS -- With Europe on edge, soldiers fanned out to guard possible terror targets in Belgium on Saturday while police in Greece detained at least two suspects as part of a widening counterterrorism dragnet across the continent. In France, one of the terrorists behind last week's attacks in Paris was given a secret burial as authorities sought to head off glorification of terrorism and civil unrest amid a groundswell of popular antagonism across Europe against radical Islam, and protests against caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad across the Muslim world that have underscored vast cultural differences.. ...

LOS ANGELES -- Responding for the first time to the firestorm of criticism over the lack of diversity in this year's Oscar nominations, film academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs said the all-white acting slate inspires her to accelerate the academy's push to be more inclusive...

NEW YORK -- A best-selling account of a 6-year-old boy's journey to heaven and back has been pulled after the boy retracted his story. Spokesman Todd Starowitz of Tyndale House, a leading Christian publisher, confirmed Friday that Alex Malarkey's "The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven: A Remarkable Account of Miracles, Angels, and Life Beyond This World" was being withdrawn. ...

I have been looking through some magazines that I put aside during the busy Christmas season. Most of the magazines that friends share with me are cooking and recipe magazines. As I looked through them, I started finding a few recipes that I want to try. I thought some of them were worth sharing and passing along to you...

RENO, Nev. -- Researchers are trying to crack the mystery surrounding the discovery of a weathered, rusted Winchester rifle in the mountains of remote eastern Nevada. The gun, manufactured in 1882, was found leaning against a juniper tree on a rocky outcrop in Great Basin National Park during an archaeological survey in November...

Presidential executive orders are under heavy attack now that President Obama has used such orders from the White House to delay deportation of some illegal aliens and to normalize relations with Cuba. Some of his strongest critics have said he has turned the Constitution on its ear, violated its provisions, and, perhaps, has committed an impeachable offense...

O Lord Jesus, we fix our eyes on you, our Redeemer. Amen.