Stories from Friday, May 22, 2015

FERGUSON, Mo. -- A plaque and metallic likeness of a dove have been installed in Michael Brown's memory near the spot where the unarmed, black 18-year-old was shot and killed last summer by a white Ferguson police officer. Crews installed the plaque and dove Thursday hundreds of feet apart on a sidewalk in Ferguson, one day after the mid-street memorial for Brown was cleared. Wednesday would have been Brown's 19th birthday...

SIKESTON -- Sikeston resident Justin Taylor ended the Missouri House of Representatives' annual legislative session on a happy note Friday when he proposed to his longtime girlfriend, State Rep. Shelley Keeney of Marble Hill. Taylor, president of the Sikeston Regional Chamber of Commerce and a financial adviser at Edward Jones, had dated Keeney a little over two years when he decided to ask for her hand in marriage...

The Scott City School Board on Wednesday recognized three students for being state grade-level winners in the Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest. The students, first-grader Houston Griffaw, second-grader Lilyan Landis and third-grader Logan Schiwitz, received medals and framed pictures of their entries...

A new online database is offering access to records of some of the earliest inmates who served time in the Missouri State Penitentiary. Secretary of State Jason Kander announced Thursday the Missouri State Penitentiary Database is available at missouridigitalheritage.com/MSP...

Buster Bollinger organizes his tent for the 100-Mile Yard Sale Thursday in Arbor. The annual yard sale stretches from Jackson to Kennett, Missouri.

Tables were packed Thursday night at the VFW hall in Cape Girardeau as law-enforcement officials were honored at the Evening Optimists' annual Respect for Law dinner and awards ceremony. In his keynote address, senior special agent David Diveley of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said this is the most chaotic time for law enforcement since the 1960s...

The suspect arrested in a Cape Girardeau adult abduction case appeared in court Tuesday in Grundy County, Illinois. Jeffery Lazier, 43, of Coal City, Illinois, was taken into custody May 15 in Yorkville, Illinois. He is accused of kidnapping a woman from Cape County Park South in Cape Girardeau on May 12 and sexually assaulting her...

The Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department spent several hours Thursday morning working with area police on a search for a suspect believed armed and dangerous. The manhunt took place in the area of Parkwood Lake Estates and Route K, near Notre Dame Regional High School...

SEDALIA, Mo. -- Police have surrounded a home looking for the ex-boyfriend of a woman who was found dead Thursday, along with her teenage son, less than a month after the man was charged with holding her captive in a wooden box for months in western Missouri...

Scott City is hosting Summerfest for its 39th year this month. From May 28 to 30, the Scott City Parks and Recreation department has filled the entire weekend with events. Thursday night is kids night. Two bands, Janie Brown and the Chestnut Mountain Gang and Jordan's Tide, perform beginning at 6 p.m...

Jackson residents are advised to use caution while the city conducts a flush of the water system. Fire department crews flush the system once a year, and this year's maintenance will take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily from Monday, June 1, until the program is complete...

Saint Francis Medical Center will move a step closer to completing a multi-year expansion project of its Cape Girardeau medical campus with the July 1 opening of a new five-story patient tower. The tower, on the hospital's south side, will include dedicated areas for orthopedics, neurosciences, rehabilitation and wound, pain, surgical and medical patients with private rooms for each area; a new entrance to the hospital; a new lobby; a cafe for visitors, patients and employees; and outside, between the older hospital facility and newly constructed tower, a garden.. ...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- For the Saxony Lutheran girls soccer team, the third time was the charm.

Kelly spotted Scott City an eight-run first inning, then battled back with single runs in the final three frames before the Rams claimed their third consecutive Class 3 District 2 championship with an 8-3 victory.

TOWN AND COUNTRY, Mo. -- The Notre Dame boys volleyball team knew the majority of Westminster's offense in the Class 3 state championship match Friday would go through Cameron Hibbler. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, knowing it and stopping it are two separate things...

The junior shortstop was 8 for 11 with nine RBIs as the Redhawks eliminated Jacksonville State and Tennessee Tech from the conference tournament.

This is CeCe. She just turned one year old. CeCe was found outside behind our barn 8 months ago. Someone had dumped her out. We took her in and made her a part of our family. She instantly integrated into our household. CeCe is very affectionate and enjoys climbing trees. We love her very much and are glad we gave her a place to call home...

Mr. Darcy: So much more than just a pretty face.

In memoriam of my Stepfather Leonard.

BENTON, Mo. -- A former Stoddard County bail bondsman was sentenced to 12 years in prison Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to trafficking methamphetamine. Stanley Leon Clark Sr. of Dexter, Missouri, pleaded guilty Monday to felony second-degree drug trafficking before Presiding Circuit Judge David Dolan in Scott County, according to a news release from Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Russ Oliver...

Today is Friday, May 22, the 142nd day of 2015. There are 223 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On May 22, 1915, the Lassen Peak volcano in Northern California exploded, devastating nearby areas but causing no deaths. On this date:...

In Margery Williams' classic children's novel, "The Velveteen Rabbit," a stuffed animal longs to become a real bunny. One day, he asks another toy what it would take to do just that. "Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit. "Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."...

The regular session of classes at the university here in our favorite river city has ended. The summer session has begun. How do we know? Because there aren't as many automobiles going to and from the campus. The amount of traffic on city streets is just one measurement of activity. Another way to tell what's going on is to look at parking lots on the campus. They are all but empty. To get a higher education these days, it appears, one must burn gasoline as well as the midnight oil...

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act allows the states in this country to expand Medicaid eligibility for citizens who live on an annual income at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty limit. For a family of four, this is less than $33,000. Expansion would provide health insurance for Missourians who are childless adults, custodial parents, aged, blind or disabled...

BALTIMORE -- All six officers charged in the police-custody death of Freddie Gray were indicted by a grand jury, a prosecutor said Thursday. The indictments were similar to the charges Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced about three weeks ago. The most serious charge for each officer, ranging from second-degree "depraved heart" murder to assault, still stood...

WASHINGTON -- Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton received monthly missives about the growing unrest in Libya from a longtime friend who previously was barred by the White House from working for her as a government employee, according to emails received on her personal account...

After two and a half hours of deliberation, two petitions, 19 citizen appearances and two motions, the Cape Girardeau City Council yesterday voted again to alter the engineering plans for Lexington Street; the amended plan calls for a 44-foot-wide street with an 80-foot right-of-way from Kingshighway east to Perryville Road and from Cape Rock Drive east to Highway 177, with a 36-foot-wide section with 60-foot rights of way between...

This past Saturday my wife and I were among several thousand guests attending Southeast Missouri State University's spring circus (commencement). Past programs were very refined and respectful. Even with periodic "cat calls" as the young graduates crossed the stage of honor, all was still respectful...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. n Gary W. Rainey, 32, of Cape Girardeau was arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana under 35 grams and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia. n Joshua T. Volkerding, 21, 3397 Route Y, was arrested on suspicion of possession of drug paraphernalia...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. n A suspect was in custody pending formal charges of resisting arrest and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia. n Timmy L. Burton, 54, of Mounds, Illinois, was arrested on a Cape Girardeau County warrant for failure to register as a sex offender...

UNIONTOWN, Mo. -- Vera Rosina Amanda Wichern, 100, of Uniontown died Wednesday, May 20, 2015, at Independence Care Center of Perry County, Missouri. She was born March 11, 1915, in Uniontown, daughter of Joseph and Amanda Hemmann Hecht. She and Albert Wichern were married Feb. 20, 1938. He preceded her in death Jan. 18, 2001...

Barb A. Ward, 70, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, May 20, 2015, at Ratliff Care Center. She was born June 28, 1944, in Patterson, Missouri, to John and Mae Lathim Lutes. She and Harold O. Ward were married July 27, 1962, at Piedmont, Missouri. Barb was a member of St. ...

Joe Robert Hoffmeister, 76, of Jackson passed away Wednesday, May 20, 2015, at his home. He was born Sept. 30, 1938, in Cape Girardeau, to Joseph H. and Bertha Cuskaden Hoffmeister. He and Marie Nussbaum were married Aug. 17, 1963, in Gordonville. Joe was a 1957 graduate of Jackson High School...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Edith Marie Ford, 92, of Advance passed away Thursday, May 21, 2015, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 5, 1922, in Pope County, Arkansas, daughter of M.G. and Laurna Beare Gregory. Edith had worked at Inland Shoe Factory in Advance. She was in charge of Advance Senior Citizens Center 20 years. She had also been hostess with Robins Tours 15 years. Edith's home church was Bethel General Baptist Church...

Lorene Burger, 95, of Jackson passed away Wednesday, May 20, 2015, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born May 22, 1919, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Zeddie M. and Mary Augusta Crafton Young. She and Leon Burger were married July 17, 1937, in Fredericktown, Missouri. He passed away Oct. 20, 2000...

Robert J. Baugh, 60, of Jackson passed away Thursday, May 21, 2015, surrounded by his loving family at his home. He was born Aug. 7, 1954, in Cape Girardeau to Robert and June Martin Baugh. He and Carole Ladreiter were married Oct. 15, 1977, at New McKendree United Methodist Church...

NEW YORK -- Comic celebrities turned out for David Letterman's late-night farewell -- and so did his biggest audience in more than 21 years. The Nielsen company said Thursday 13.76 million viewers saw Letterman end his 33-year career as a late-night TV host with a final show Wednesday night. The last time Letterman had so many viewers was in February 1994, when his show aired after CBS' telecast of the Winter Olympics...

Pat Schwent and the Saxy Jazz Quintet will perform a tribute to past and present members of the armed forces at River Ridge Winery in Commerce. Performances will be from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Casey Carlisle submitted this photo of her tattoo on her wrist by artist Erin Thurman. "I lost my best friend in a drunk-driving accident," Carlisle said. "We always talked about getting wrist tattoos. He will always be in my heart, so I have a heart on my wrist in memory of him. I will always carry his love with me." (Photo submitted by Casey Carlisle)...

There are good band names, and then there are perfect band names. Tyrannosaurus Chicken's may fall in the latter category. True, a band's music is what's important, but in describing the Arkansas duo's far-out sound, there's really no metaphor more apt...

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- Police say a belligerent man dressed in scuba gear caused a stir at a northern Michigan fast-food restaurant. The Traverse City Record-Eagle and MLive.com report the man, who had been drinking, showed up Tuesday morning at a downtown McDonald's. ...

NEW YORK -- The president of the Boy Scouts of America, Robert Gates, said Thursday the organization's long-standing ban on participation by openly gay adults is no longer sustainable and called for change to prevent "the end of us as a national movement."...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Ty Householder wasted little time or pitches once he stepped foot on the mound for Kelly.

DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Dean Crippen couldn't be stopped Thursday. The senior first baseman stepped to the plate with one out in the bottom of the second inning and blasted a 1-1 pitch over the center-field fence for a grand slam that gave the Notre Dame baseball team an early six-run lead.

NEW YORK -- Back on a major league mound for the first time in 11 months, Jaime Garcia gave the St. Louis Cardinals good reason to believe he can help.

JACKSON, Tenn. -- There was no easing in to the Ohio Valley Conference baseball tournament for starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi and the regular-season champion Southeast Missouri State Redhawks.

DAMASCUS, Syria -- Fears mounted over the fate of one of the Mideast's most prominent archaeological sites after Islamic State militants overran the historic Syrian desert town of Palmyra, seizing control Thursday of its temples, tombs and colonnades within hours...

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

Southeast Missouri State University's Department of Music will hold its third annual Vocal Arts Boot Camp from June 15 through 20 at the River Campus. The camp, to be held in the new Dobbins River Campus Center, will help students develop and strengthen their singing abilities by working on vocal techniques and performance skills. ...

O Lord Jesus, bless those who selflessly help those in need. Amen.

The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri will host a national juried exhibit -- "Wild Things" -- with an animal theme in June. The exhibit's juror will be Ruth Ann Reese, a nationally known ceramist who owns a gallery in St. Louis. The following interview with Reese was conducted by Joni Hand, arts council board member and assistant professor of art at Southeast Missouri State University...

The Stoddard County Association for Retarded Citizens is sponsoring a scholarship for any Stoddard County High School graduate or GED holder pursuing a career or training in any mentally retarded/developmentally disabled (MR/DD) field. They will be publicizing this scholarship through an article in this newspaper, ARC's newsletter, distributing to all Stoddard County High Schools, and to area Missouri colleges...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- The Scott City baseball team figured an eight-run first inning would be enough to win a district championship. Kelly made sure the Rams earned it. Kelly spotted Scott City that eight-run first inning, then battled back late with single runs in the final three frames before the Rams got the final out and claimed their third straight Class 3 District 2 district championship with an 8-3 victory at Benny Hillhouse Memorial Park...

High levels of fecal coliform or E. coli contaminant in Cape-Perry Public Water Supply District No. 1 that prompted a mandatory boil water order Wednesday were caused by an issue with a chlorine cylinder, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources...