Stories from December 2015

As the Jackson Civic Center nears its grand opening in early 2016, city officials are appealing to residents to help fund some special equipment and additions. The facility was funded in part by a $4.2 million donation from the Southeast Missouri Medical Center Inc., $2.8 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a land donation from the Clark family and a quarter-cent sales tax approved in late 2012...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A judge on Monday temporarily blocked Missouri's health department from revoking the abortion license held by a Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia as its physician loses hospital privileges required under state law. The clinic stopped terminating pregnancies last week, but Planned Parenthood filed a federal lawsuit Monday in hopes of retaining its abortion facility license from the state Department of Health and Senior Services while its physician regains privileges or the clinic finds a new doctor.. ...

Missouri deer hunters had a little better luck this year than last. Missouri Department of Conservation preliminary data show 189,938 deer were harvested during firearms season Nov. 14 through 24, according to mdc.mo.gov. That was up 14 percent, from 166,383 during the November 2014 season...

A condemnation dispute between a state representative and the city of Cape Girardeau over a road project will move forward, thanks to a judge's ruling, A special judge in the case, associate circuit judge Rob Fulton of Madison County, Missouri, has ruled the city can take possession of the land in question for a permanent right of way and drainage easements, as well as temporary construction easements once compensation has been determined...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri lawmakers questioned agency officials Monday on how at least $4.3 million in federal funding funneled through the state is used to help refugees after the deadly Paris attacks. Members of the joint budget committee hearing cited concerns about whether federal vetting could catch potential terrorists trying to enter as refugees and raised questions about whether more money should be spent on security...

ORAN, Mo. -- On its home floor, in the tournament to which it provides its name, the Oran boys basketball team took care of business Tuesday night. The Eagles used big first and third quarters to maintain firm control in a 68-39 opening-round -- and season-opening -- win over Bell City in the 2015 Oran Invitational at Oran High School, ensuring a chalk semifinal round with each of the top four seeds moving on in the winner's bracket...

The Redhawks take an 0-5 record into Wednesday's road game.

Coach Rekha Patterson used the word confident several times to describe the Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team's next opponent. Whether it was confidence in their strategy on the court or their personnel, or the confidence that has come from a hot start to the season, that's what the Missouri Tigers exude to Patterson...

Today in History Today is Tuesday, Dec. 1, the 335th day of 2015. There are 30 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a black seamstress, was arrested after refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus; the incident sparked a year-long boycott of the buses by blacks...

LEASBURG, Mo. -- A state audit has uncovered financial and management concerns in the small eastern Missouri town of Leasburg. State Auditor Nicole Galloway on Monday said an audit found nearly $10,000 was missing from the village, and financial documents were altered to account for the missing funds...

ST. LOUIS -- Four Anheuser-Busch heirs said they worry their brother, Billy Busch, will turn Grant's Farm animal park into a subdivision. Trudy Busch Valentine and Andy Busch said they have seen housing plat maps drafted for the animal park. Andy Busch said, "We just don't believe a startup company that he is dealing with has the legs to support Grant's Farm into future generations."...

Four county courthouses in Southeast Missouri -- Scott, Mississippi, Bollinger and Ripley -- will be closed Monday because of a climatologist's forecast of an increased possibility of a major earthquake occurring along the New Madrid Fault that day...

ALTON, Ill. -- Myrtle "Freda" Alfreda Matthews, 90, passed away Friday, Nov. 27, 2015, at Cedarhurst Assisted Living in Edwardsville, Illinois. She was born March 22, 1925, in Sikeston, Missouri, the daughter of the late Hardy and Daisy (Cummings) Duke...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Kiara Selvy-Carter, 23, 909 Hackberry St., was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated at South Pacific and Hackberry streets. n A 24-year-old man was in custody pending formal charges of resisting or interfering with arrest and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia at 733 N. Sunset Blvd...

GIPSY, Mo. -- Ronald Dale Wallace, 72, of Gipsy passed away Nov. 27, 2015, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau from complications from cancer. Ronald was born July 15, 1943, at Gipsy, the son of Burley Wallace and Eva Hood (Wallace) Jackson...

** Shirley Bell MOUNDS, Ill. -- Shirley Bell, 61, of Mounds died Monday, Nov. 30, 2015, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced later by the Jones Funeral Home in Villa Ridge, Illinois.

YORK, Pa. -- Emergency workers got a surprise when they wheeled a patient out of a home to their ambulance, only to find it wasn't there. Police said Leonard Eugene Smith, 21, took the vehicle for a joyride Friday before ditching it. Jim Arvin, president and CEO of White Rose Ambulance, said an in-vehicle video shows Smith "having a good time" behind the wheel, adding he "seemed excited." The abandoned ambulance later was found, and Smith was arrested...

** Wallace Bobo MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Wallace Bobo, 79, of Mound City died Monday, Nov. 30, 2015, at Union County Hospital in Anna, Illinois. Services are incomplete at Massie Funeral Home in Mounds, Illinois.

Randy Graviett, a train conductor with Burlington Northern Santa Fe, peers out from the window of a caboose Monday. Graviett was eating his lunch in the caboose as the train was waiting on railroad repairs north of Cape Rock Park before making its way to Neelys Landing. The train travels from Chaffee, Missouri, to Neelys Landing each day...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls Sunday: n Medical assists were made at 4:15 p.m. on William Street and 6 p.m. on North Street. n At 4:14 a.m., assist invalid on Centennial Drive. n At 5:59 a.m., a false alarm or false call on North Frederick Street...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Two blocks from the spot where Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in 1955, 17-year-old Tanesha Wilson listens to earbuds as she waits for the No. 8. She takes two buses each afternoon to get to her job at McDonald's after spending her mornings studying math and science, the last two tests she must pass to get her GED and start studying for an accounting degree...

NEW YORK -- Shoppers traded bricks for clicks Monday, flocking online to snap up "Cyber Monday" deals on everything from cashmere sweaters to Star Wars toys. Now that shoppers are online all the time anyway, the 10-year-old shopping holiday has lost some of its luster as online sales on Thanksgiving and Black Friday pick up...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department will restrict parking in certain parts of the city Sunday for the rescheduled 24th annual Parade of Lights. Beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday, parking will be prohibited on both sides of Broadway from North West End Boulevard to Main Street; on Main Street from Park Drive to William Street; and on North West End Boulevard from Broadway to Parkview Drive. ...

A man was arrested Sunday morning after being accused of punching a local police officer in the eye. Derekus Michael Parker, 23, of Cape Girardeau was charged Monday with assault of a law-enforcement officer and resisting arrest, both which are felonies...

WASHINGTON -- A top House leader predicted Monday that Washington will avoid a government shutdown next week over a tea party-backed drive to take away Planned Parenthood's funding. Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy added, however, Congress may need additional time to work through a massive, $1.1 trillion catchall spending bill that tops the agenda as lawmakers return to Capitol Hill for a two- or three-week sprint to finish this year's session...

BALTIMORE -- Jury selection for the first police officer to go to trial in Freddie Gray' s death began Monday with a judge questioning potential jurors about their knowledge of the explosive case, which led to protests and rioting and added fuel to the Black Lives Matter movement...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The man accused in the shooting rampage at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic made his first court appearance Monday and learned he will face first-degree murder charges in the deaths of three people killed in the standoff with police...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Four men were charged Monday in last week's shooting of demonstrators protesting the killing of a black man by Minneapolis police, while the city's mayor asked the protesters to end their weekslong encampment at a police precinct. Protesters have been at the 4th Precinct since Jamar Clark, 24, was shot Nov. ...

LE BOURGET, France -- With vows to save future generations from an overheated planet, the largest gathering of world leaders began two weeks of talks Monday aimed at producing the most far-reaching pact yet to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and avert environmental havoc...

NEW YORK -- Dozens of black pastors pressed Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Monday to address what some called his use of racially charged rhetoric, with several describing a meeting that became tense at times as attendees raised concerns about his blunt language...

CHICAGO -- Federal authorities said an online threat that led the University of Chicago to cancel classes Monday targeted whites and was motivated by the police shooting of a black teenager, video of which was released last week and led to protests...

CHICAGO -- A judge on Monday set bond at $1.5 million for a white Chicago police officer charged with murder after a squad-car video caught him fatally shooting a black teenager 16 times. Officer Jason Van Dyke has been locked up since Nov. 24, when prosecutors charged him with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. ...

It probably was not a happy Thanksgiving for Larry Gene Hottel of Whitewater, who was arrested the Thursday night and charged Sunday with second-degree domestic assault, felony unlawful use of a weapon and felony resisting arrest. At 2:45 p.m. Thursday, Cape Girardeau County sheriff's deputy Robert Jenkins talked with Hottel's daughter, who reported domestic assault, Jenkins wrote in a probable-cause statement. ...

Pop star Pink saw firsthand malnourished children during a recent visit to Haiti as a part of a UNICEF program to provide therapeutic food packets to children in need. The singer, whose given name is Alecia Moore, was named a UNICEF ambassador Monday to help promote a new effort to encourage physical activity in young children in the United States and raise money for nutritional, vitamin-rich peanut paste to be delivered to malnourished children all over the world...

ST. LOUIS -- Free agent catcher Brayan Pena has agreed to a $5 million, two-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he will be the backup for All-Star Yadier Molina. The 33-year-old switch-hitter receives $2.5 million in each of the next two seasons...

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey remains in intensive care in a Miami area hospital, improving from two gunshot wounds to the head last week. Coach Jeff Fisher says the 25-year-old Bailey was put in a medically induced coma the night before undergoing surgery on Wednesday that lasted more than six hours...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri is not interested in accepting a bowl bid after finishing the regular season 5-7. Athletic director Mack Rhoades said Monday that the school would not seek permission to play another game. Rhoades said the focus was on finding a successor to coach Gary Pinkel, who is stepping down while batting non-Hodgkin lymphoma...

All scores were reported to the Southeast Missourian on Monday.

Led by a game-high 41 points from senior Brent Overbey, the fifth-seeded Bulldogs opened their season with an 82-59 win over fourth-seeded Meadow Heights on Monday at Woodland High School.

ESSEX, Mo. -- The Essex Fire Department was busy over the weekend when two homes were destroyed by fire. The John Hunter home south of Frisco, Missouri, and a house owned by Mike King in the Peaceful Acres subdivision south of Essex were engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, and there was little they could do to save the houses...

An early morning fire Tuesday at an apartment building at 124 S. Lorimier St. spread from a kitchenette in a basement apartment to the first and second floor via the dead space between remodeled walls. The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the call at 5:37 a.m. Tuesday...

Casey Lamont Lowery of St. Louis was pulled over Saturday for driving 13 miles over the speed limit, but he ended up being arrested and charged with felony intent to distribute a controlled substance. Scott City police officer Brooks Brockmire conducted the stop on southbound Interstate 55 on the vehicle with Michigan registration, Brockmire wrote in a probable-cause statement...

Thirty-five-year-old Jeron S. Mister will be sentenced for bank robbery in February. Mister of Fairview Heights, Illinois, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Nov. 17 to robbing The Bank of Missouri at 3427 William St. in Cape Girardeau. Mister's plea agreement admits to the Sept. 2 robbery and taking $4,240 by force, violence or intimidation...

Reportedly upset with her ex-boyfriend, a Cape Girardeau woman is accused of showing up at his sister's home on Thanksgiving and pulling a gun on him and his new girlfriend. An arrest warrant was filed Tuesday for Rosie Lee Jackson, 36, who is charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon...

A family dispute led to a Sikeston, Missouri, man allegedly lighting his sister's camper on fire Thanksgiving evening in Benton, Missouri, police reported. Travis DeWayne Nelson, 30, was arrested on the scene Nov. 26 and charged Monday with second-degree domestic assault and property damage, both felonies...

Contralto soloist Leslie Jones performs during Handel's "Messiah" as Peter Durow conducts the Southeast Missouri Symphony, University Choir and Choral Union on Tuesday in the Bedell Performance Hall at the River Campus of Southeast Missouri State University. Other faculty vocalists included Lori Shaffer, Christopher Goeke and Timothy Schmidt. The concert was a technical sellout, with 912 tickets sold...

It's a feat of almost epic proportions, but this year's Feed My Starving Children effort appears to be well in hand as thousands of volunteers prepare to pack meals at Cape Girardeau's Osage Centre. Linda Tenkhoff, one of the event's longtime organizers and a parishioner at LaCroix Church, said the goal this time around is to pack 925,000 nutritious meals for people in impoverished nations...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri police officers would need to complete annual training in recognizing bias, de-escalating situations and dealing with people with mental illness under rules proposed in response to calls for change after a fatal Ferguson shooting last year...

Just shy of three years after Buckner shut its doors, the smell of brewing beer is in the air again at the building at the corner of Main Street and Broadway in Cape Girardeau. The new incarnation of the business, now owned by Dr. Sonjay Fonn, will be known as Buckner's Brewing Co...

Josh Haynes, a fixture in 8th Congressional District Republican politics for more than a decade, has resigned as chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo. Haynes is taking a position as director of government affairs for Wellcare, a Florida-based company that has a contract with the state of Missouri to manage health care for Medicaid patients. ...

ST. LOUIS -- The bacteria that cause Legionnaires' disease were found in rooms of a hotel in a popular Missouri tourist town associated with Mark Twain, and health officials said Tuesday one of three people who contracted the disease after staying there has died...

Today in History Today is Wednesday, Dec. 2, the 336th day of 2015. There are 29 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 2, 1995, NASA launched the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), a joint project of the United States and the European Space Agency, on a $1 billion mission to study the sun and interplanetary space; since then, SOHO has discovered 3,000 comets...

O Lord, give us one pure and holy passion to know and follow hard after you. Amen.

Like many others, I consider Hillary Clinton a textbook example of all that is wrong in our current political circus. Dishonest, arrogant and sadly absent any hint of trust. But, God forbid, if Donald Trump should be the GOP nominee, our choices come next November will be the worst in history...

Friday through Sunday, local volunteers will take part in an annual meal-packing effort for Minnesota-based Feed My Starving Children, an organization that seeks to make food available to youngsters in places devoid of sustenance around the globe. The venue for packing the meals is the Osage Centre in Cape Girardeau, and, as in years past, the chief organizers are the folks at LaCroix Church...

A fine-arts print gallery has opened in downtown Cape Girardeau; Steve-Mark Inc., 16 N. Spanish St., has added the gallery to its store; in addition to prints, the gallery also has some original artwork, including work from local artists Candy Mecham, Tom Kloppenburg and Gary Lucy; the store is co-owned by brothers Steve and Mark Mueller...

Son to Brandon Claude Sims and Delnisha La'Shay Williams of Cape Girardeau, Saint Francis Medical Center, 12:12 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015. Name, Brandon Claude Jr. Weight, 6 pounds, 10 ounces. Third child, first son. Ms. Williams is the daughter of Nina and Jessie Davis of Cape Girardeau and Albert and Ginger Lewis of Champaign, Illinois. Sims is the son of Gordon Sims of Chicago and Verlinda Nelson of Crest Hill, Illinois...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. n Chelsea S.M. Sullivan, 21, 1038 Clark St., was arrested on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. n Zachary D. Humphrey, 26, 5089 Highway 72 West, was arrested on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Emma Rosetta Spane Pettit, 73, of Chaffee passed away Thursday, Nov. 26, 2015. She was born to Irene Elsie Rehkoff and Robert Dunn on Jan. 28, 1942, in Cape Girardeau County. She previously worked for 20 years with Florsheim Shoe Factory and in 1981 became a licensed practical nurse, working 20 years with Saint Francis Medical Center, retiring in 2001...

Dorothy Blackman, 87, of Jackson passed away Monday, Nov. 30, 2015, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born July 30, 1928, in Cape Girardeau to Sloan and Ida Floyd Watkins. She and Kelly Blackman were married Jan. 6, 1948. Dorothy was a graduate of Cape Girardeau Central High School and the former Cape Girardeau Business College. She worked 33 years as deputy city clerk for the city of Jackson, retiring in 1992...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Shirley Marie Bell, 61, of Mounds died Monday, Nov. 30, 2015, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Shirley was born July 25, 1954, in Quincy, Illinois, daughter of Paul Harrett and Pauline Tournear Harrett. Shirley married George M. Bell on Jan. 3, 1976, in Carbondale, Illinois...

Route 34 in Cape Girardeau County from Huber Crest Drive and Old Orchard Road will be reduced to one lane as contractor crews add a turn lane, according to a Missouri Department of Transportation news release. The work will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Dec. 18...

MEXICO CITY -- A Mexican archaeologist said his team has found a tunnel-like passageway that apparently leads to two sealed chambers, the latest chapter in the search for the as-yet-undiscovered tomb of an Aztec ruler. The Aztecs are believed to have cremated the remains of their leaders during their 1325 to 1521 rule, but the final resting place of the cremains never has been found. Outside experts said Tuesday the find at Mexico City's Templo Mayor ruin complex would be significant...

BAGHDAD -- After months of sluggish progress, stalled advances and outright failures, Iraqi troops and militias backed by U.S.-led airstrikes have surrounded the key city of Ramadi and appear poised to launch a new attempt to wrest it from the Islamic State group...

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- A rudder-control system problem that had occurred nearly two dozen times in the previous 12 months, coupled with the pilots' response, led to last year's crash of an AirAsia plane in Indonesia that killed all 162 people on board, investigators said Tuesday. ...

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. military will deploy a new special operations force to Iraq to step up the fight against Islamic State militants unleashing violence in Iraq and Syria and determined to hold territory they have seized across the Middle East, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told Congress on Tuesday...

REYHANLI, Turkey -- Before a crowd of men on a street in the Syrian city of Palmyra, the masked Islamic State group judge read out the sentence against the two men convicted of homosexuality: They would be thrown to their deaths from the roof of the nearby Wael Hotel...

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Human remains found at a Kansas barn are those of a juvenile, but tests to determine whether the remains belong to a missing 7-year-old boy could take weeks, a coroner said Tuesday. Police found the remains after investigating a domestic disturbance, when they were notified the boy -- whom authorities identified as A.J. ...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The newly elected mayor of Alaska's capital city had suffered injuries when he was found dead, but police are awaiting autopsy results to announce a possible cause of death, officials said Tuesday. The adult son of Stephen "Greg" Fisk, 70, found the mayor's body Monday afternoon and alerted police...

PARIS -- President Barack Obama said Tuesday parts of the global-warming deal being negotiated in Paris should be legally binding on the participating countries, setting up a potential fight with Republicans at home. Obama's stand won praise at the U.N. climate conference from those who want a strong agreement to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from the burning of coal, oil and gas...

WELCH, W.Va. -- The seams of coal in some of Eddie Asbury's mines in McDowell County are so thin, workers barely can squeeze down them. They enter on carts nearly flat on their backs, the roof of the mine coursing by just a few inches in front of their faces. They don't stand up all day...

CHICAGO -- Rahm Emanuel sought for months to keep the public from seeing a video that shows a white police officer shooting a black teenager 16 times. Now, a week after the video's release, the Chicago mayor has fired the police superintendent, created a new task force for police accountability and expanded the use of body cameras...

HONOLULU -- A dog bound for its new owner in Mississippi ended up in Honolulu instead. The Pembroke Welsh corgi was headed from Seattle to her new owner in Mississippi on Saturday when she made a wrong connection in Dallas, American Airlines spokeswoman Andrea Huguely said. American Airlines said the company is looking at its procedures to figure out how the corgi ended up on the wrong plane. Bethany left the islands Monday for Dallas...

At some point during Mike Matheny's visit to Cape Girardeau this evening, the St. Louis Cardinals manager almost certainly will shake the hand of Southeast Missouri State University baseball coach Steve Bieser. It won't be the first or last time, as the two baseball head men have built a relationship through the years...

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

ST. LOUIS -- Derek MacKenzie scored twice, and the Florida Panthers beat the St. Louis Blues 3-1 on Tuesday night. Brandon Pirri also scored for Florida, which has won three in a row. Roberto Luongo made 29 saves. David Backes scored for the Blues. Jake Allen made 12 saves in two periods, and Brian Elliott made eight stops in the third...

NEW YORK -- If you've got any rock or rap star photos stored on your iPhone or stashed somewhere in your attic, the Smithsonian wants to hear from you. On Tuesday, Smithsonian Books and Smithsonian Media launched rockandroll.si.edu, which will feature images taken by fans along with words and pictures from such musicians as Graham Nash and the Flaming Lips and from Roberta Bayley and other professional photographers. ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The University of Missouri Faculty Council has voted to recommend rescinding an honorary doctorate given to Bill Cosby. The Columbia Missourian reported the council, which is made up of elected representatives of campus faculty, voted Nov. 5 to take back Cosby's honorary doctorate in humane letters. Ben Trachtenberg, chairman of the Faculty Council, said Tuesday he has sent a letter with the recommendation to interim chancellor Hank Foley and Provost Garnett Stokes...

CLAYTON, Mo. -- Officers in all 57 St. Louis County police departments will be required to meet certain minimum standard requirements following action by the county council that is expected to prompt a court challenge amid concerns from leaders of predominantly black communities who feel targeted by the measure...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A judge ruled Wednesday a Missouri Planned Parenthood clinic can keep its abortion license at least until late December, a move that doesn't allow the facility to resume terminating pregnancies immediately but could smooth its path to restoring the service...

This month's First Friday Coffee will be from 7 to 8:30 a.m. Doors open at 7 a.m. with a continental breakfast, and the program, "Community Champs: A Panel Conversation with Area Visionaries," will begin at 7:40 a.m. December's sponsors are Canedy Sign and Graphics and Element 74...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Butler County Publishing announced Wednesday its purchase of the Dexter Daily Statesman and North Stoddard Countian. The Poplar Bluff-based newspaper and printing operation will assume production of these publications Jan. 1. "We are very excited to have the Dexter Statesman and its other entities join Butler County Publishing's family of products," Don Schrieber, president of Butler County Publishing, said...

Tawny D. Divietro, 38, of VanDuser, Missouri, pleaded guilty Tuesday to burglary Nov. 4 in the 100 block of East Caroline Street in Morley, Missouri. In the guilty plea, Divietro wrote she knowingly and unlawfully entered a building in the 100 block of East Caroline with the intent of stealing therein, and she possessed a screwdriver and flashlight, commonly used in forcible entry...

WASHINGTON -- The House and Senate have reached agreement on a five-year, $281 billion transportation bill that would increase spending to address the nation's aging and congested highways and transit systems -- a legislative feat lawmakers and President Barack Obama have struggled throughout his administration to achieve...

An Oran, Missouri, man is accused of hitting his girlfriend in the head in front of three children Monday in the 100 block of Elm Street in Oran. Freddie C. Banks Sr., 43, was arrested Monday and charged with felony armed criminal action, first-degree felony domestic assault and misdemeanor property damage...

BENTON, Mo. -- In response to high demand, at least 25 vendors have been added to this year's "Winter Wonderland of Treasures" sale. Set for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the St. Denis Parish Center in Benton, the 16th annual sale will include woodworking, toys, quilts, candles, doll clothes, Christmas-themed and other crafts...

A man was shot multiple times in his lower body Wednesday afternoon near the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Middle Street. The victim transported himself to Southeast Hospital after the shooting. Cape Girardeau Police responded to the call at 12:45 p.m...

It takes a lot of electricity to brighten up the holidays. Just ask Bryan Sander, Cape Girardeau County park superintendent. The county spends about $4,000 each Christmas season -- from mid-November to the end of December -- to power up the couple hundred holiday displays set up at Cape County Park North by organizations and individuals...

Downtown Cape is gearing up for another active weekend. Old Town Cape's Downtown Christmas Open House is set for 5 to 9 p.m. Friday. The annual open house, in its 14th year, will bring back many favorite activities of years past. "It's going to be more concentrated on Main Street this year," Christa Zickfield of Old Town Cape said...

As Mike Matheny prepared to walk off the stage at the Bedell Performance Hall on Southeast Missouri State's River Campus in Cape Girardeau, a fan's voice rang out from somewhere in the depths of the auditorium. "Mike Matheny is the Manager of the Year!"...

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- At least two heavily armed attackers opened fire on a holiday banquet at a social services center for the disabled Wednesday, killing 14 people and seriously wounding more than a dozen others in a precision assault that looked "as if they were on a mission," authorities said...

During the past couple of months, Amber Vandeven of Chaffee, Missouri, has been working with her father to produce a CD titled "A Christmas Album." Amber, a senior at Notre Dame Regional High School in Cape Girardeau, said all proceeds from the CD will go toward the Bethani Vandeven Memorial Scholarship in honor of her aunt Bethani, who was killed in a traffic accident in 2002...

A Gordonville man was arrested Monday on suspicion of beating his wife with a fly swatter until she agreed to have sex with him. Keith Gregory Fry, 63, has been charged with second-degree felony domestic assault. Before 9 p.m. Monday in the 100 block of Talon Trail, Fry banged on the door to his wife's bedroom -- separate from his own -- persistently enough she believed he would damage the door if she did not unlock it, according to the probable-cause statement from Cpl. ...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Al Young finally took home that elusive Carr Trophy as the most outstanding football player in the SEMO Conference. A finalist for a second straight year, the Cape Central senior picked up the honor Wednesday night at the 70th annual Poplar Bluff Letter Club Gridiron Banquet...

The City of Delta Will host a community dinner December 13 at 2:00 p.m. --- the city will furnish the meat, drinks, plates,and forks, bring a dish to share, enjoy a nice afternoon visiting, Then Santa Clause will be there at 3:00 p.m. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE...

Today in History Today is Thursday, Dec. 3, the 337th day of 2015. There are 28 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 3, 1965, The Beatles' sixth studio album, "Rubber Soul," was released in the United Kingdom by Parlophone (it was released in the U.S. by Capitol Records three days later)...

O God, today we celebrate the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Amen.

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- Touched off by a prediction of a major quake along the New Madrid fault on Dec. 3, New Madrid is swamped by representatives of the news media; 20 satellite transmission trucks and vans are parked along the New Madrid levee and in other parts of town; the four major television networks -- ABC, NBC, CBS and Cable News Network -- along with television and radio stations from across the United States have staked out their spots in town, waiting to see what shakes out...

CLEVELAND -- A museum dedicated to "A Christmas Story" has acquired the holy grail of movie memorabilia: a Red Ryder BB gun wielded by Ralphie in the beloved holiday film. The Cleveland house where exteriors for the 1983 movie were shot already draws thousands of tourists year round. ...

Materials n Two 18-ounce plastic cups Instructions STEP 1: Put one of the 18-ounce cups inside the other. STEP 2: Hold the cups close to your mouth, blow softly between the rims of the cups and observe. STEP 3: Hold the cups close to your mouth, blow harder between the rims of the cups and observe...

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team announced the signing of power-hitter Tristen Gagen on Wednesday. Gagen, an infielder who will transfer from Northeastern Oklahama A&M, set the program's single-season record for batting average and ranked fifth in the junior college ranks with his .470 average last season...

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team dropped to .500 on the season as it fell on the road to undefeated Missouri, 74-32, on Wednesday night in Columbia, Missouri. The Redhawks (4-4) scored a season-low 15 first-half points and faced a 39-15 deficit to the Tigers (8-0) going into halftime...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Royals have acquired backup catcher Tony Cruz from the St. Louis Cardinals for minor league infielder Jose Martinez while designating catcher Francisco Pena for assignment. The teams announced the trade Wednesday. Cruz hit .204 with two homers and 11 RBIs in 9 games for the Cardinals. The 29-year-old, who can also play third base, could compete with Drew Butera for the backup catcher job behind Sal Perez...

ST. LOUIS -- Case Keenum remains in the concussion protocol for the St. Louis Rams, with Nick Foles getting the majority of snaps at quarterback. Coach Jeff Fisher said Wednesday night that Keenum showed improvement Monday but that he was limited in practice...

All scores were reported to the Southeast Missourian on Wednesday.

Son to David Kraig and Mary Alene Light of Marble Hill, Missouri, Saint Francis Medical Center, 3:20 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015. Name, Lucas Koby. Weight, 7 pounds, 10 ounces. Second son. Mrs. Light is the former Mary Severino, daughter of Frank Severino of Watauga, Texas, and Billy Jean Carver of Zalma, Missouri. Light is the son of Carol and David M. Light Jr. of Marble Hill...

* Medical assists at 8:10 a.m. on Marietta Street; at 8:50 a.m. on Bloomfield Road; at 11:33 a.m. on North Sprigg Street; at 2:38 p.m. on South Pacific Street; and at 9:01 p.m. on North Lorimier Street. n At 5:37 a.m., a call on South Lorimier Street...

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Apart from the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team's season-opening loss to Dayton, the Redhawks have been competitive up until halftime and early after the break. The same held true for Southeast on Wednesday night against rival Southern Illinois at SIU Arena...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. n Vidalia Leigh Mace, 18, of Dexter, Missouri, was arrested on suspicion of theft at J.C. Penney, 3049 William St. n A 16-year-old girl was cited into juvenile court on suspicion of theft at J.C. Penney, 3049 William St...

It's Christmastime, and the area is looking festive. There are plenty of sights and sounds of the season. From Christmas concerts to light displays to live Nativities, many people in the area go all out this time of year. Here are a few things to check out:...

MADRID -- Spain's Constitutional Court on Wednesday rejected a Catalan regional parliament resolution setting a road map for independence from Spain by 2017. The court ruling said the resolution adopted Nov. 9 by the Barcelona-based parliament violated five articles of the country's 1978 constitution and articles of the region's own statute...

MOSCOW -- Sharply raising the stakes in Moscow's spat with Ankara, Russia's top military brass on Wednesday accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family of personally profiting from oil trade with Islamic State militants. The bluntly-worded accusations follow Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane at the Syrian border last week, the first time a NATO member shot down a Russian aircraft in more than half a century. ...

LONDON -- British lawmakers voted by a wide margin Wednesday to join the international campaign of airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Syria, after Prime Minister David Cameron asserted bombing the "medieval monsters" in their heartland would make Britain safer...

BEIRUT -- Drawing on thousands of combatants from Syria's mix of religious and ethnic groups, a U.S.-backed alliance called the Syrian Democratic Forces has emerged as the most effective fighting force against the Islamic State group. But the dominant role of Kurdish fighters in the alliance is a concern for majority Sunni Arab factions and their regional backers, raising questions about the group's future role in a broader political context in Syria...

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Olympic sailor Erik Heil floated a novel idea to protect himself from the sewage-infested waters he and other athletes will compete in during next year's games: He'd wear plastic overalls and peel them off when he was safely past the contaminated waters nearest shore...

NORMAN, Okla. -- A suburban Oklahoma City police officer picked up an unusual subject found wandering along a rural road. Norman police officer Kyle Canaan said it took a little pushing, pulling and some animal feed, but he got the miniature donkey, nicknamed "Squishy," into the back of his patrol car and out of harm's way Tuesday morning. The woman who found Squishy said if an owner doesn't come forward, she plans to keep the donkey...

WASHINGTON -- U.S. health care spending last year grew at the fastest pace since President Barack Obama took office, driven by expanded coverage under his namesake law and by zooming prescription drug costs, the government said Wednesday. After five years of historically low growth, national health expenditures increased by 5.3 percent in 2014, reaching $3 trillion, or $9,523 for every man, woman and child. ...

PHILADELPHIA -- More than 7,800 men and women sit in Philadelphia's overcrowded jails, three-quarters of them languishing while they await trial under a bail system critics call outmoded and cities -- and the White House -- are working to change. Hundreds in the nation's fifth-largest city would be free, including nonviolent and first-time offenders, if there were alternatives to bail, a recent tally of the daily jail population showed. ...

BALTIMORE -- The first of six officers charged in a police-custody death that sparked riots in Baltimore went on trial Wednesday as a prosecutor focused on what the patrolman failed to do: Push a button to call for a medic who might have saved Freddie Gray's life...

CHICAGO -- A police dash-cam video that captures a white Chicago officer fatally shooting a black teenager 16 times has no sound, nor do videos from four other squad cars at the scene. But department protocol indicates all the cruisers should have been recording audio that night...

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- The man accused of killing three people at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic left a decades-long trail of broken marriages, scant social connections and a reputation for religious zealotry that didn't match his yen for gambling and extramarital affairs...

Medical evacuation of the wounded has been a challenge for the military since the Civil War. Horse-drawn ambulances carried the wounded from the battlefield to limited capability medical facilities. World War I saw the introduction of motorized ambulances and better hospitals...

Judy Leigh Walter, 62, formerly of Jackson, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015, at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis, where she had been hospitalized the past three weeks. She was born May 12, 1953, in Cape Girardeau to Calvin and Lorene Lincoln Walter. Judy attended Jackson High School and was a lifelong member of Westside Church of Christ in Jackson. She lived in various residential-care homes throughout Southeast Missouri and worked in several sheltered workshops in the area...

Hilda A. Schweiss Reiss, 78, of Perry County, Missouri, died Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Young and Sons Funeral Home in Perryville, Missouri, with a Catholic wake at 7:30 p.m. Visitation will continue from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. Friday, with a rosary at 8:30 a.m. at the funeral home...

Douglas Madderra, 68, of Cape Girardeau died at 10:25 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015, at Jackson Manor. He was born May 6, 1947, in Boston to Robert E. and Jessie L. Cook Koeppel. He married Gwendolyn Barton on Nov. 3, 1993. Doug honorably served his country in the United States Marine Corps and was wounded while serving in Vietnam...

Charles Joseph Grojean, 82, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015, at the Chaffee Nursing Center in Chaffee, Missouri. He was born July 6, 1933, in Chaffee to Anthony J. and Wilma Marie Fredrick Grojean. He and Betty J. McBride were married Dec. 27, 1952, in Chaffee...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Merlin J. Christisen, 76, of Perryville died Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015, at his home in Perry County. He was born July 16, 1939, in Perry County, son of Ludwig and Evelyn Mary Schremp Christisen. He married Anna Mae Braun on July 19, 1958, in Perryville. She survives...

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Wallace Bobo Jr., 79, of Mound City died Monday, Nov. 30, 2015, at Union County Hospital in Anna, Illinois. Visitation will be from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday at Massie Funeral Home in Mounds, Illinois, with Masonic Last Rites. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at First Missionary Baptist Church in Mound City, with the Rev. Luther F. Butler Jr. officiating. Interment will be in Green Lawn Memorial Garden in Villa Ridge, Illinois...

MARYSVILLE, Wash. -- Moving her finger over the laptop trackpad, 6-year-old Lauren Meek dragged and dropped a block of code to build a set of instructions. She clicked the "run" button and watched as the character moved through a maze. She then pumped her fist in excitement...

WASHINGTON -- Michelle Obama's message for high-school seniors fretting about their college prospects is simple. Do your research. Visit college campuses. Sit in on classes. Talk to professors, graduates and students. In the end, picking a college "is a very individual decision."...

1 Barton Square, Jackson 9 a.m. today n Minutes of the Nov. 23 meeting n None at this time n Items listed on the agenda n Purchase orders n Payroll change forms n Professional service agreement between U.S. attorney's office of the Eastern District in relation to the Midwest High Intensity Drug Traffic Area Program...

The Wichita State women's basketball team may have just picked up its first win of the season in five tries Sunday, but Southeast Missouri State women's basketball coach Rekha Patterson definitely is not writing off the Shockers when her team faces them at noon today at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas...

Mark Alnutt penciled Saturday's men's basketball game between Southeast Missouri State and Memphis into his calendar more than a year ago as part of a package deal that included the Southeast football team opening the 2016 season at Memphis. That was before the former Redhawks' athletic director hired Rick Ray to be the new basketball coach and before the position of deputy director of athletics at Memphis, which he now holds, opened up...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A Missouri lawmaker's effort to eliminate earnings taxes in Kansas City is based on faulty legal reasoning and would decimate the city's budget, civic and business leaders said. Missouri Sen. Kurt Schaefer, a Columbia Republican, has pre-filed a bill that would eliminate the earnings taxes in Kansas City and St. Louis by the end of 2017...

ST. LOUIS -- A federal agency has announced it plans to study radiological contamination at a north St. Louis County creek some residents are concerned may be linked to several cases of cancer. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry announced plans last month to gather information on contamination at Coldwater Creek for the next 18 to 24 months. The agency met with residents for the first time Wednesday...

ST. LOUIS -- Missouri's attorney general proposed reforms Thursday to curb what he calls abusive debt collection practices that target low-income and minority residents, a concern raised by the commission that examined racial disparities after the 2014 fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson...

A Tennessee man who led police on a chase Tuesday was arrested, and multiple counterfeit bills were found in his vehicle, according to a probable-cause statement filed in connection with the case. Josepth T. Honshell, 34, of Cordova, Tennessee, has been charged with felony possession of a forging instrument, possession of a controlled substance and resisting a lawful stop...

An arrest warrant was filed Wednesday for Stephan Dwayne Anderson, 33, of Cape Girardeau, who is accused of forcing a woman in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, to drive him into Cape Girardeau and stealing her purse in February. The 33-year-old victim said Anderson approached her vehicle at 7 a.m. Feb. 15 as she was getting ready to leave her home on Sander Street in Poplar Bluff, according to a probable-cause statement filed by Cape Girardeau Police Department Sgt. J. Hann...

Plans for the roundabout to be installed in uptown Jackson are nearing finalization, which will mark a significant step in the preliminary process of construction. Missouri Department of Transportation project manager Eric Krapf said all the necessary right-of-way acquisitions should be completed before the new year...

The jolly, red-suited man can be found in countless malls and at Christmas parades and holiday parties. But it can be hard to tell the good Santas from the bad. Cape Girardeau police said there's no state or federal law requiring criminal background checks for Santa...

Some area police departments have well-equipped and trained special weapons and tactics teams. The specially trained officers practice working in tandem to handle certain situations, including drug busts and even hostage situations. Those tactical teams are best equipped to respond to active-shooter situations such as the one Wednesday in San Bernardino, California, in which 14 people were killed. ...

The third-seeded Pirates came away with a 66-61 overtime win over the the second-seeded Cardinals in a semifinal of the Woodland Invitational Tournament. Perryville will face Scott City for the championship.

When "making it" as a musician no longer meant making music, Jefferson Fox went home. He took a sabbatical from gigging to be with his wife, Sharon, and their daughters, to really listen to music and then create some. "I went through it. I toured and paid the bills with it for a time," Fox said. "But I'd rather be right here."...

While the specific economic effects local craft fairs have on the area is hazy, one thing is clear: The fairs are big business for artists, drawing vendors and visitors from across the Midwest. Two craft fairs were held at three venues the weekend before Thanksgiving. The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri held its annual fair at the Osage Centre and Show Me Center, while Notre Dame Regional High School held its 20th annual Crafts, Gifts and Collectibles show...

Lt. Casey Dodd of the Scott City Police Department delivered $6350 cash to Cape Walmart Super Center store manager Gary Elders to be used for the Shop with a Hero event on Tuesday, December 8th. The funds were raised jointly by SCPD and the Scott City Fire Department with help from the Walmart Foundation and local businesses who wished to sponsor a child to shop with the heroes...

With help from local police and first responders, $4800 was raised in the community to help needy children to shop during the Shop with a Hero event on December 8th. Keith Green of the Cape Girardeau Police Officers Association, Lodge 51 presented the donation to Gary Elders, store manager of the Cape Girardeau Walmart. ...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Zalma may have made a splash with a quarterfinal win Monday night, but top-seeded Scott City wasn't about to be upstaged in Thursday night's Woodland Tournament semifinal at Woodland High School. After a poor first eight minutes, the Rams entered the second quarter trailing the Bulldogs -- the tournament's fifth seed -- by five points, but outscored the Bulldogs 22-4 in the second period to cruise to victory and advance to Friday night's championship. ...

Coach Rekha Patterson and the Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team's 8-plus hour bus ride back to Cape Girardeau from Wichita, Kansas, on Friday night became a little bit easier after the first-year coach and her team snapped a three-game losing streak...

Today in History Today is Friday, Dec. 4, the 338th day of 2015. There are 27 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 4, 1965, the United States launched Gemini 7 with Air Force Lt. Col. Frank Borman and Navy Cmdr. James A. Lovell aboard on a two-week mission. (While Gemini 7 was in orbit, its sister ship, Gemini 6A, was launched on Dec. 15 on a one-day mission; the two spacecraft were able to rendezvous within a foot of each other.)...

O Lord Jesus, give us an extra measure of strength during the trials of life. Amen.

Sixty-five years ago I walked to the mailbox, which was on the blacktop highway a mile, by gravel road, from the farmhouse in Killough Valley in the Ozarks over yonder. Aside from Saturdays, when we went to town to get groceries and other necessities, walking to the mailbox was the only way to get mail...

Several local women were recently recognized for their accomplishments by the Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau. The Women of Achievement Award went to Lynne Karnes; Nancy Hunter Stiegemeyer was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, and Erin Rae Fluegge was given the Celebration Award...

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- "The Day of the Big One" turned into "The Day the Earth Stood Still" yesterday; despite predictions of a massive earthquake along the New Madrid fault by climatologist Iben Browning, the only shaking that occurred was when visiting news media trucks and vans rumbled out of town disappointed...

Congress is poised to roll back George Bush's one-size-fits-all No Child Left Behind as well as the more recent Common Core Standards. Thus, yet once again, when it comes to much needed education reform, we're back to square one. This is a reflection of the ongoing realization that when it comes to education reform, there never has been and never will be anything approaching a consensus among the American people as to what needs to be done, except for a virtual universal belief that anything and everything must be done to maintain a quality sports program.. ...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. n Brock Tyler Reid, 25, 192 Arikara Lane, was arrested on a Cape Girardeau County warrant for failure to appear in court for theft. n A 16-year-old girl was cited into juvenile court on suspicion of theft at J.C. Penney, 3049 William St...

McGraddie "Mac" Robinson, 55, of Jackson died Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015, at his home. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson and from 10 a.m. until service time Monday at Crossroad Church in Jackson...

ANNA, Ill. -- Sandra K. May, 71, of Anna died Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. No services are planned at this time. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

ORAN, Mo. -- Ferdinand "Fred" M. Bisher, 92, of Saxton, Pennsylvania, passed away Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015, at his home. He was born Aug. 21, 1923, in Oran, son of the late Joseph and Anna Baudendistel Bisher. On May 21, 1949, he married D. Virginia Scherer. She preceded him in death March 9, 1974...

A reception will be held for the 2015 Annual Regional Juried Exhibition. It features 29 regional artists. 32 N. Main St., (573) 334-9233 The Visual Arts Cooperative also will debut new works. Co-op window exhibitors are L. Sue Kemp and Lynn Robey. 32 N. Main St., (573) 334-9233...

The Missouri Department of Conservation's Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center on Saturday will offer several sessions of its popular program "Nature Art: Nature's Decor," using nature's resources to create winter wreaths, swags and garlands. Programs are offered at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Participants are requested to call the nature center, (573) 290-5218, to register and are asked to bring a wreath. The center will provide items with which to decorate...

The Dan Martin Band, a bluegrassy-folk band from Tulsa, Oklahoma, will perform from 9 p.m. to midnight today at Pitter's Cafe and Lounge, 811 Broadway in Cape Girardeau. Martin released his debut album, with songs based on his life experiences. "Alive don't mean winning," Martin states on the opening track, "Hoka Hey," the battle cry of the Sioux warrior Crazy Horse, which means, "It is a good day to die." More information is available at danmartinband.com or by calling (573) 837-5473...

Happy #womancrushwednesday to my beautiful (and social media-less) cousin, Casey! This is her #semoselfie! (Submitted by @logansyoung) Going out this weekend? Be sure to tag your selfies on the scene with #semoselfie on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter ­-- you could see yourself in an upcoming SE Live!...

Southeast Missouri State University's Department of Music will present a free jazz big-band performance at noon Wednesday in the University Center, coinciding with holiday festivities presented by the University Center staff. This jazz performance will feature holiday and jazz music and include the Jazz Lab band and Southeast's jazz ensemble, Studio Jazz. ...

Roxanne Wellington said all stories essentially come back around to Polonius' advice to Hamlet -- "To thine own self be true." As the director of Southeast Missouri State University's fall second-stage play, Wellington, Southeast assistant professor of acting and voice, finds the same to be true with "Stop Kiss."...

NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Pennsylvania environmental officials can't explain why residents of one city thought part of their town smelled like cat urine last year. The New Castle News reports a state Department of Environmental Protection report was inconclusive. ...

LONDON -- British Tornado jets struck oil fields in eastern Syria on Thursday that help finance the Islamic State group, and Germany prepared to send reconnaissance aircraft to the Middle East as coalition forces stepped up efforts to fight the militants...

WASHINGTON -- With Republicans openly welcoming a preordained veto, the Senate on Thursday approved legislation aimed at crippling two of their favorite targets: President Barack Obama's health-care law and Planned Parenthood. With a House rubber stamp expected in days, the bill would be the first to reach Obama's desk demolishing his 2010 health-care overhaul, one of his proudest domestic achievements, and halting federal payments to Planned Parenthood. ...

WASHINGTON -- After three years of study and debate, Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered the military Thursday to open all military jobs to women, removing the final barriers that kept women from serving in combat, including the most dangerous and grueling commando posts...

CHICAGO -- The number of U.S. police officers charged with murder or manslaughter for on-duty shootings has tripled this year -- a sharp increase at least one expert said could be the result of more video evidence. In the past, the annual average was fewer than five officers charged. In the final weeks of 2015, that number has climbed to 15, with 10 of the cases involving video...

WASHINGTON -- It's a natural reaction in times of grief: Politicians from both parties offer thoughts and prayers for those killed in the San Bernardino, California, shooting. But within hours of the mass shooting, social media was awash with pushback from gun-control advocates calling out those who offer prayers without pushing for tighter gun laws...

WASHINGTON -- Why did they do it? The California rampage that left 14 dead shows the motives behind mass violence can be complex and difficult to determine. The careful planning, multiple shooters and military-style weapons seem to match up with recent terror attacks. But other circumstances -- killing people known to an attacker, for example -- may be more in line with the deep anger and personal frustration of a workplace assault...

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- San Bernardino gunman Syed Rizwan Farook had been in contact with known Islamic extremists on social media, a U.S. intelligence official said Thursday, and police said he and his wife had enough bullets and bombs to slaughter hundreds when they launched their deadly attack on a holiday party...

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

ORAN, Mo. -- It was the Hornets who looked like they deserved the higher seed Thursday night, as they breezed past second-seeded Malden for an 81-44 victory and a spot in the championship game of the Oran Invitational on Thursday. Advance, the No. 3 seed, had four scorers in double digits, led by Preston Wuebker's 23 points and six assists. Austin Ladd added 20 points, Armani Vermillion had 18 and Dawson Mayo notched 11...

ORAN, Mo. -- Top-seeded Scott County Central didn't have its prettiest performance, but it made plays down the stretch, holding off a game fourth-seeded Oran, 58-49, to advance to the final of the 60th Annual Oran Invitational on Thursday night at Oran High School...

ST. LOUIS -- Case Keenum has not been cleared to play as he recovers from a concussion and the St. Louis Rams will start Nick Foles at quarterback for the second straight week. Rams coach Jeff Fisher said that if Keenum is cleared today, he would be the backup against the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals on Sunday...

The Kingston Trio will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Bedell Performance Hall at Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus. Continuing the 2015-2016 River Campus Touring Series, the Kingston Trio will perform songs such as "Tom Dooley," "M.T.A.," "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and more...

Third-seeded Perryville pulled away in the fourth quarter and never looked back, defeating top-seeded Scott City 64-51 in Friday's championship game at Woodland High School.

Parents Without Partners donated a picture of North County Park to the VFW Post 3838 in appreciatioin of their support and encouragement over the years. Pictured are Barb Reis, Albie Sautter, Carrie Whitsel (Quartermaster), Wanda Elfrink, Pete Rhodes (Canteen Manager), Kathy Lee, Pat Hill, Kaye Lee, Marilyn Wiggs, and Joseph Wolsey (Commander)...

Terry Risco is the new director of the Cape Girardeau Public Library; Risco, who began his duties Monday, was formerly a reference librarian at Utica, Michigan; he succeeds Martha Maxwell as director. Southeast Missouri State University plans to spend $67,000 this fiscal year on attracting and retaining minority students and promoting ethnic diversity on campus; approximately $35,000 of the cost is being funded with state money earmarked especially for recruitment and retention of minority students.. ...

Today in History Today is Saturday, Dec. 5, the 339th day of 2015. There are 26 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 5, 1945, five U.S. Navy torpedo bombers mysteriously disappeared after taking off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on a training mission (designated as Flight 19) with the loss of all 14 crew members; "The Lost Squadron," as it came to be known, later contributed to the legend of the Bermuda Triangle...

Hornets ended the Braves' seven-year reign atop the tournament.

A young team is often an inconsistent team, and the Oran Eagles embodied that Friday night in the third-place game of their own Oran Invitational Tournament. In a sporadic performance, the fourth-seeded Eagles fell 55-41 to second-seeded Malden. The roller-coaster ride for a squad that starts a freshman at point guard as wells as two sophomores, included falling into a 16-point hole less than three minutes into the second quarter, before cutting the deficit to two points by halftime by scoring the final 12 points of the second quarter.. ...

Name three things you like about the holiday season. I love Christmas music. I put it on before I went to bed last night. Hanging out with my family and Christmas shopping. How would you rate your housekeeping ability? I keep it tidy, but not clean. If I try on a shirt or something, I don't go hang it back up. I'll just put it on my bed...

A pair of train derailments in 2012 that killed two people in Maryland and triggered a fiery explosion in Ohio exposed a little-known truth about railroads in the U.S. and Canada: No rules govern when rail becomes too worn down to be used for hauling hazardous chemicals, thousands of tons of freight or myriad other products on almost 170,000 miles of track...

Dean Coffin, hunched over and peering through the tiny tunnel, couldn't think why his train kept going in reverse. "It somehow reversed again; I don't know how," Coffin said, puzzling over the knobs on his remote control. "It did this before, but I don't know why."...

WASHINGTON -- The White House says President Barack Obama will address the nation from the Oval Office at 7 p.m. today about the steps the government is taking to keep people safe after the attack last week in California. Obama will provide an update on the San Bernardino, California, attack that killed 14 and wounded 21 and will discuss the broader threat of terrorism...

Hundreds of area residents took part Saturday in the 28th annual Holiday Home Tour in Cape Girardeau and Jackson. Three Cape Girardeau homeowners and three in Jackson pulled out all the stops decorating for the holidays and opened their doors to help raise money for a local charity...

Congressional action to replace the federal No Child Left Behind Act with new legislation to govern American education has drawn praise from local educators who believe it will turn more classroom control to states and local school districts. After years of failed efforts, the House passed the Every Student Succeeds Act last week by a vote of 359-64, U.S. Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.), however, was among those who voted against the measure...

Join us for a Christmas Music Concert on Sunday, January 3rd, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 304 County Rd 515, New Wells, MO 63732. Familiar favorites like "O Holy Night" and "The Hallelujah Chorus" will be included as well as Mendelssohn's "There Shall a Star" and "Bring a Torch, Jeannette Isabella"...

St Louis river front and Arch from the Pere Marquette towboat.

Today in History Today is Sunday, Dec. 6, the 340th day of 2015. There are 25 days left in the year. Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, begins at sunset. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 6, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, abolishing slavery, was ratified as Georgia became the 27th state to endorse it...

Stanley B. and Irene A. Richardson of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on Nov. 29, 2015, with a gathering of immediate family members at Ryan's Restaurant in Cape Girardeau. Richardson and the former Irene A. Ford were married Nov. ...

Conrad and Teresa Caldwell of Benton, Missouri, announce the engagement of their daughter, Jacquelynne Nicole Caldwell of Benton, to Jared Louis Schippers of Cape Girardeau. He is the son of Eugene and LaDonna Schippers of Cape Girardeau. Jacquelynne works at Alan Wire in Sikeston, Missouri...

Frank and Nelda Wilkinson of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Nov. 26, 2015, with a dinner at the West Baden Springs Hotel in French Lick, Indiana. Celebrating with them were the couple's sons, daughters-in-law and some of their grandchildren...

The Historic Hanover Lutheran Church at 2949 Perryville Road in Cape Girardeau is hosting a German Christmas service at 3 p.m. today. Students of Fred Poston, instructor of German, will read the Christmas story from Luke 2:1-7. Hymns will be sung in German and in English. Fellowship and refreshments will follow in the meeting room of Hanover Church, across the road...

Communities of Southeast Missouri packed 14,489 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan's Purse that sends gifts to children living in difficult situations around the world. The boxes are filled with small items such as toys, school supplies and hygiene items. ...

More than 500 people participated in the Cape Girardeau Out of the Darkness Walk at North Cape County Park to raise money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the vision of which is to create a world without suicide. These walks honor loved ones lost to suicide, raise funds, build awareness and help prevent suicide. ...

The belted kingfisher is a small bird, a little bigger than a robin and sporting colors similar to a blue jay. There are other kinds of kingfishers across the world, but the belted kingfisher is the only one native to Missouri. This bird can be found year-round in Southeast Missouri...

The John Guild Chapter of National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution held the Good Citizen Dinner Nov. 18 at Delmonicos Restaurant in Jackson. Julie Robinson presided. Hostesses were Pam Friedrich, Kay Burford and Linda Hutson. Following dinner, Adelaide Parsons, Good Citizen chairman, introduced the Good Citizens from four area schools. ...

Last summer was a challenging summer. It started out well, and then we got a month of rain. Bugs were just unreal, and fungus and other diseases seemed to thrive. Spend some time now for a more successful garden next summer. For the past several weeks, my main goal has been getting my gardens in shape for winter and ready for summer gardening. ...

During the past few days, I have seen a lot of poinsettias placed on shelves at retail outlets. The plant obviously is popular during the Christmas season. With the popularity of the poinsettia during the Christmas holiday season in mind, I Googled "History of the Poinsettia" and clicked on search. I was hoping to find out why this plant was so popular...

While strolling, I wondered whatever happened to Nora Lee Powers. Happy birthday to Jill Hodge, Allen Cox, Brenda Swain, Julie Prindle, Betty Vandeven, Diane Eftink, Christa Beck, Jodi Pfefferkorn, Tony Swain, Kelly Burnett, Shirley Mobley, Billy Simmons, Doug Mirly, Bob Sullivan, Alex Stone, Bradley Uhrhan, Kim Wagoner, Kevin Lape, Leroy Uhrhan, Daniel Rains, Christina Daniels, Jason Ourth, Scott Hendix and August Asmus...

Pope Francis recently warned of the consequences of ignoring the scientific evidence related to global warming. In a speech in Kenya he said, "It would be sad, and dare I say even catastrophic, were special interests to prevail over the common good ..."...

In the late '70s, I had a brief, unsuccessful and completely unremarkable career as an Elvis impersonator. Now that you've recovered from a laughing spell, some elaboration is in order. It was a brief career because I only did it once; it was unsuccessful because there was no payment for the gig; and it was completely unremarkable because there was a clear sense from those present that they were watching what amounted to a train wreck. But I enjoyed myself...

At Mass the other day, Father Jim French spoke about Jesus' second coming in relation to Advent, instead of Jesus' coming as a baby, which is what I usually think I'm waiting for during Advent. He brought our attention to the line "Thy kingdom come" from the Lord's Prayer, and talked about how we can do this in our daily lives...

Great is your name, O Lord Jesus, in all the earth. Amen.

Alzheimer's is a devastating and costly disease. It is the only leading cause of death among the top 10 in the U.S. without a way to prevent, cure or even slow its progression. Now is the time to change the trajectory of this disease. Today, the more than 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer's cost our nation an estimated $226 billion, including $153 billion to Medicare and Medicaid. ...

On Thanksgiving Day, we had the privilege of sharing with you some stories of inspiration, stories of people who were thankful after overcoming adversity. There was the story of Lorelai Clubb, the 12-year-old girl who has bravely battled cancer and captured the hearts of the community. For the first time in several months, she was able to return home and be with her family. She appears to be on solid ground and headed for complete recovery. What a time to celebrate...

The day after the mass shooting in San Bernardino, the U.S. Senate voted in favor of continuing to allow those on the government's terrorist "watch list" to legally purchase guns. And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm not feeling well. So much for the significance of big money in presidential races. Jeb Bush has raised more than all of the other Republican candidates combined and yet shows no significant movement beyond 5 percent in the polls...

Employees of the Scott City Police Department were given polygraph tests last week at a cost of more than $900 to the city after a string of thefts within the department; $90 -- including $30 in city funds, equipment and one employee's badge -- have been taken over a period of two to three years...

Daughter to Chayse Daniel and Heather Lynn Schuette of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Hospital, 2:12 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015. Name, Adalynn Sophia Kay. Weight. 6 pounds, 4 ounces. Second child, first daughter. Mrs. Schuette is the former Heather Matyasovszky, daughter of Tony and Linda Matyasovszky of Cape Girardeau. Schuette is the son of David Schuette of Jackson and Charlotte Schuette. He is a shift manager at Wendy's...

STERLING, Va. -- Donald Trump's Republican campaign for president is built on the same win-at-all-costs, no-second-guessing confidence that made him billions in real estate and a star of reality television. Yet in a recent interview with The Associated Press, the GOP front-runner displayed rare, if fleeting, moments of humility and introspection...

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. government's ability to review and analyze five years' worth of telephone records for the married couple blamed in the deadly shootings in California lapsed four days earlier when the National Security Agency's controversial mass-surveillance program was formally shut down...

CHICAGO -- Police officers who watched a colleague shoot a black Chicago teenager 16 times filed reports depicting a different version of events than what dashcam footage showed, portraying the teen as far more menacing than he appeared in the video...

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- A change came over Tashfeen Malik two or three years ago. She started dressing more conservatively, wearing a scarf that covered nearly all her face and became more devout in her Muslim faith, according to some who knew her in Pakistan...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- High wind again kept space station supplies stuck on Earth. An unmanned rocket loaded with 7,400 pounds of cargo for the International Space Station -- the first U.S. shipment in months -- was grounded by dangerous gusts Saturday. ...

The Scott City Fire Department responded to the following calls: n At 6:06 p.m., emergency medical service in the 400 block of East Maple Street. n At 6:22 p.m., a motor vehicle accident at Main Street and Lincoln Avenue. n At 10:29 p.m., emergency medical service in the 28000 block of Highway 61...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. n John D. Hager, no age given, of Cape Girardeau was issued a summons for driving while intoxicated, failure to maintain a lane, having an unlicensed vehicle and leaving the scene of an accident...

Imogene Whorton, 87, of Delta passed away Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015, at Chaffee Nursing Center in Chaffee, Missouri. She was born July 30, 1928, near Oran, Missouri, to the late John and Ruth Moore Pippin. She married Harold Whorton on Aug. 25, 1948, and he preceded her in death Oct. 20, 1981...

McGraddie "Mac" Robinson, 55, of Jackson passed away Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015, at his home. He was born Dec. 24, 1959, in Cairo, Illinois, son of Ralph C. Robinson and Novella Jones Williams. He and Gabriele Bielmeier were married Sept. 16, 1981. Mac was a member of Crossroads Church in Jackson. ...

Patricia Marie Kjer, 71, of Scott City died Friday, Dec. 4, 2015, in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 8, 1943, in Franklin County, Missouri, the daughter of Mary E. Greenwood Thress. She married James D. Kjer on Oct. 19, 1981, and he preceded her in death Sept. 23, 1992...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Danny Joseph Kiefer, 59, of Perryville died Dec. 5, 2015, at his home. Visitation will be from 3 p.m. until time of service Wednesday at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. Funeral Mass will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the church, with the Rev. Milton Ryan CM officiating...

Stephen T. Harris, 71, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

Steven Nelson Farrow, 61, of Cape Girardeau passed away Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015, at the home of a sister in Jackson. He was born Nov, 15, 1954, to Nelson C. and Emma F. Sparkman Farrow. He and Rose M. Jett were married Nov. 14, 1992, in Cape Girardeau...

Harold W. Brown, 72, of Jackson passed away Friday, Dec. 4, 2015, at his home. He was born Dec. 29, 1942, in Whitewater, the son of Roby and Carrie Young Brown. He and Darla Bullock were married Feb 14, 1986, in Jackson. Harold worked for Florsheim Shoe Co. as a supervisor for more than 40 years. After his career at the Shoe Co., he went to work at The Lutheran Home as a bus driver, where he enjoyed meeting and making new friends...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Two Republican Missouri lawmakers have proposed legislation to allow the concealed carrying of firearms on college campuses, adding to a national debate over how to prevent campus gun violence after a fatal shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon...

What do you get when you bring eight donkeys, a basketball and two teams of enthusiastic players to Jackson High School's old gym on a Saturday night? It's donkey basketball. This event Saturday served as a fundraiser for Jackson High School's Project Graduation's 2016 celebration, including the senior breakfast, senior walk and the senior all-night party, according to event manager Cecile Schover...

Two Perryville, Missouri, police officers were left homeless after a turkey-fryer fire spread from an outside wall to the attic Wednesday in the 2900 block of Route P in Perry County. Officer Alec Friedrich was heating oil in a turkey fryer about 2 p.m. Wednesday while officer Nathan James, who owns the house, slept after a midnight shift, according to Perryville assistant fire and police chief Bill Jones...

Members of the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce were treated to a panel discussion with two "Community Champs" at this month's First Friday Coffee. Jay Knudtson, chairman of the chamber board and a former Cape Girardeau mayor, led the panel that featured political commentator, author and lawyer David Limbaugh and Gary Rust, chairman of the board of Rust Communications, which owns the Southeast Missourian...

On Thursday and Friday, Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force officers accused two men from different states of possessing methamphetamine and carrying weapons. The first encounter about 3 p.m. Thursday was set up by a Perry County, Missouri, informant for an eight-ball of meth to be sold in the Cape Girardeau Wal-Mart parking lot, a task-force officer wrote in a probable-cause statement...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- As he turned to go back into his team's locker room at the FedExForum several minutes after the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team's game against the Memphis Tigers on Saturday night, sophomore guard Marcus Wallace smiled when asked if he had anything else to say about the game...

The Southeast Missouri State University Department of Public Safety will undergo an evaluation of its organizational structure through Jan. 1. Subsequently, a decision on hiring a new director of public safety will not come until after the New Year, Southeast...

All scores were reported to the Southeast Missourian on Friday.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- Scott Weiland, the magnetic former frontman of the Stone Temple Pilots whose three-decade career in music also included solo albums and a spot in the supergroup Velvet Revolver, has died. He was 48. The singer's manager, Tom Vitorino, confirmed the death early Friday morning. Vitorino referred to a statement on Weiland's Facebook page that said the singer died in his sleep while on a tour stop in suburban Minneapolis...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The second time Barry Odom interviewed for the Missouri coaching job was supposed to be a rough ride to see how he'd react. "He wasn't lying when he said they put me through the wringer," Odom said Friday at his introductory news conference. "I was ready. Let's make the decision, let's go to work."...

ST. LOUIS -- In the first meeting between the Cardinals and Rams, Nick Foles threw three touchdown passes, two of them to Tavon Austin, and Todd Gurley rushed for 141 yards. Since then, the Rams' offense has gone south. The Cardinals haven't forgotten that stumble against an NFC West rival. They aim to keep their surge going, and keep the Rams down...

ST. LOUIS -- Nazem Kadri scored twice and Roman Polak had two assists to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs past his former team, the St. Louis Blues, 4-1 on Saturday night. Brad Boyes and P.A. Parenteau also scored for Toronto, which had lost two straight and five of six. Garret Sparks stopped 27 shots for his second career victory...

All scores were reported to the Southeast Missourian on Saturday.

With a grunt and a light haunch-smack, the 1,400-pound half-brothers Tucker and Ray jingled back into downtown traffic. An hour into the Downtown Christmas Open House festivities in Cape Girardeau, carriage driver Steve Stroder of Marble Hill, Missouri, said his draft horses know the drill...

Oscar-nominated actor Robert Loggia, who was known for gravelly voiced gangsters from "Scarface" to "The Sopranos" but who was most endearing as Tom Hanks' kid-at-heart toy-company boss in "Big," has died. He was 85. Loggia's wife Aubrey Loggia said he died Friday at his home in Los Angeles after a five year battle with Alzheimer's...

Brenda Kay Hatch, 68, of Jackson passed away Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015, at her home. She was born Oct. 15, 1947, in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, daughter of Riley Carlton and Juanita May Mondy Litchfield. She and Alvin Gene Hatch were united in marriage April 30, 1966...

A Bollinger County man was accused Friday of stealing about $19,000 in items from a man who was away working on a riverboat. Daniel Wayne Mouser, 29, of Marble Hill, Missouri, is charged with felony theft, felony theft of a firearm and second-degree burglary...

As I mentioned last week, there are so many recipes I want to pass along to you this Christmas season, but I know I will only touch the surface before the season will come and go. So let's just dive right in to what I found for you today. Nothing fancy, just recipes that are good, yet fun, for you to try in the next few weeks...

Busy puppy parents have a new place to take their dogs for day care. Stacy Busch-Heisserer of Busch Pet Products recently opened Deer Creek Doggie Day Camp on Cape Lacroix Road in Cape Girardeau. But you won't find kennels at Deer Creek. The facility has a kitchen, a living-room setup and a large yard out back...

As dusk settled on Cape Girardeau, the holiday lights flicked on, and the 24th annual Parade of Lights began in Cape Girardeau. More than 100 area businesses, churches and organizations lined up in Capaha Park on Sunday afternoon, putting the finishing touches on their floats before the 5 p.m. start time...

The Cape Girardeau City Council will vote today on a special-use permit that would clear the way for construction of a new Drury Southwest Conference Center and hotel at 3351 Percy Drive. The project needs a special-use permit because the facility would exceed the five-story limit for buildings in a C-2 commercial district...

More than 400 volunteers packed into the Osage Centre in Cape Girardeau during a Sunday afternoon shift to help prepare food to send to starving nations. La Croix United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau has been hosting the Feed My Starving Children volunteer event since 2009, and organizer Linda Watts said each year, it gets larger...

WASHINGTON -- In a rare Oval Office address, President Barack Obama vowed Sunday night the U.S. will overcome a new phase of the terror threat that seeks to "poison the minds" of people here and around the world, as he sought to reassure Americans shaken by recent attacks in Paris and California...

The Indians were voted the No. 1 seed in the 16-team field despite losing their season opener a day earlier.

Today in History Today is Monday, Dec. 7, the 341st day of 2015. There are 24 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese navy launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as part of a plan to pre-empt any American military response to Japan's planned conquest of Southeast Asian territories; the raid, which claimed some 2,400 American lives, prompted the United States to declare war against Japan the next day...

While Americans tend to associate the holidays with togetherness, joyful occasions and feelings of warmth and happiness, the season can also worsen feelings of loneliness and isolation for some people -- especially older adults. Loneliness is not only bad for one's mental health -- it can affect physical well-being, too...

This year marks the seventh season for the Messiah Choir, a choral group comprised of local singers of all ages from various churches, religious organizations and the community. Since 2008, the choir has performed pieces from George Frideric Handel's "Messiah," which was originally composed in 1741. Since its inception, the composition has become a favorite for many during the holiday season...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Taking on a cat is one thing. Catifying your home to rise to true Cat Person status is another. Choosing just the right gear and tweaking your home can keep felines safe, sane and stimulated, said Kate Benjamin, a "cat style expert" who has appeared on Animal Planet's "My Cat From Hell."...

The holiday season is often dubbed "the most wonderful time of the year," but for many Americans, it can be an incredibly stressful time financially. The National Retail Federation predicts a 4.1 percent increase in sales this year, with the average American set to spend an estimated $786 in the following categories:...

If you're looking for gift suggestions for your favorite child or teen, try one of these great books: PRESCHOOLERS "How to Draw a Dragon" by Douglas Florian Everyone can be an artist with this book as inspiration. "If You Plant a Seed" by Kadir Nelson...

During cold and flu season, germs are lurking everywhere and are simply unavoidable. And where there are germs, there can often be sickness. That dreaded first cough, sneeze and sniffle surely brings about anything but joy in the home. Dr. Nina Shapiro, a leading pediatric doctor and mom of two, shares these tips for keeping families healthy during cough, cold and flu season...

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. -- A 61-year-old St. Louis County woman is dead after firing shots at police officers who entered her home after she shot a neighbor three times. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Sheilah Huck had been acting irrationally outside her home Saturday before shooting the other woman who was loading her two children into a car...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A Springfield utility is investing in wind power and renewable energy amid growing regulation on coal-fired power generation and the increasing affordability of renewable energy. Officials with City Utilities announced Thursday they have struck a deal to purchase power from a new 200-megawatt wind farm Duke Energy Renewables is building north of Oklahoma City...

ST. LOUIS -- If you want to take the tram ride to the top of the Gateway Arch, get there within the next month. Millions of dollars of renovations are underway at the Arch and its grounds. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the trams and the underground visitors center will close for at least two months starting Jan. 4 as part of the renovation project...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls. Thursday n Medical-assist calls were made at midnight on Broadway; 2:45 a.m. on Hackberry Street; 7:38 a.m. on North Street; 12:46 p.m. on South West End Boulevard; 1:27 p.m. on Broadway; 2:20 p.m. on Bloomfield Road; 4:30 p.m. on Marlin Avenue; 4:51 p.m. on North Silver Springs Road; 10:26 p.m. on Good Hope Street; and 11:20 p.m. on William Street...

Daughter to Joel David and Christa Marie Wiersma of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Hospital, 5:27 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015. Name, Olivia Rose. Weight, 9 pounds, 4 ounces. Second daughter. Mrs. Wiersma is the former Christa Jones, daughter of John and Judy Jones of Jackson. She is a homemaker. Wiersma is the son of Dave and Betty Wiersma of Randolph, Wisconsin. He is a retail manager at Menards...

Stephen T. Harris, 71, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 15, 1944, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Ernest and Joyce Ross Harris. He and Susan E. Harris were married March 3, 1989, at Sikeston, Missouri...

ATLANTA -- Jimmy Carter said Sunday his most recent brain scan showed no signs of cancer, more than three months after he began treatment for four melanoma tumors. "My most recent MRI brain scan did not reveal any signs of the original cancer spots, nor any new ones," Carter, 91, said in a statement...

Here's a look at how area members of Congress voted over the last week. Along with roll call votes, the House also passed the Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act (H.R. 3490), to authorize the National Computer Forensics Institute; and passed the Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems Assistance Act (S. 611), to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to reauthorize technical assistance to small public water systems...

Presiding Circuit Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. has empaneled a grand jury in Cape Girardeau County to investigate drug cases. Outgoing Southeast Missouri Hospital administrator O.D. Niswonger gained a bit of immortality yesterday. Niswonger, an administrator at Southeast for about 30 years, was honored at a retirement ceremony in the afternoon; at the same time, James W. Wente, his replacement, announced the hospital would establish an employee recognition award in honor of Niswonger...

Cape Girardeau County Commission 1 Barton Square, Jackson 9 a.m. today Approval of minutes n Minutes of the Dec. 3 meeting Communications/reports -- other elected officials n None at this time Public comments n Items listed on the agenda Routine business...

Cape Girardeau City Council City Hall 401 Independence St. Study Session, 5 p.m. today n No action will be taken during study session. Discussion items n Planning and Zoning Commission report n Magnet recruitment presentation n Downtown Sidewalk Replacement Project...

CHICAGO -- The U.S. Justice Department is expected to launch a wide-ranging investigation this week into the patterns and practices of the Chicago Police Department after recent protests over a video showing a white Chicago police officer shooting a black teenager 16 times, according to a person familiar with the matter...

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. -- Democratic Attorney General Chris Koster sought to distinguish himself from the four Republican candidates for Missouri governor during a Sunday question-and-answer session, but on some agriculture issues, he shared similar views with the GOP hopefuls...

ST. LOUIS -- As part of Michelle Obama's healthy-eating initiative, a group of major food retailers promised in 2011 to open or expand 1,500 grocery or convenience stores in and around neighborhoods with no supermarkets by 2016. By their own count, they're far short...

SEDALIA, Mo. -- A proposal by the Missouri Beef Industry Council to establish a state beef checkoff fee is the subject of what could be a heated public hearing this week in Sedalia. The beef council has petitioned for a referendum on whether to establish a $1 per head state beef checkoff fee for cattle producers, in addition to an existing $1 per head fee for a federal beef checkoff program...

Dan Presson wakes up every day passionate about making student connections on Southeast Missouri State University's campus. After all, he once was in the same boat himself. Presson graduated from Southeast in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in mass communication with an emphasis in advertising. He went on to Lindenwood University and completed a master's degree in communication with an emphasis in promotions and marketing in 2012...

The Southeast Missourian has added several employees to its newsroom staff. Josh Mlot is the Missourian's new sports editor. Mlot graduated Miami (Ohio) University in Oxford, Ohio, with a journalism degree in 2004. He has been covering sports for eight years, most recently as sports editor with a trio of newspapers in Hattiesburg, Mississippi -- The Hattiesburg Post, The Lamar Times and The Petal News. ...

MALDEN, Mo. -- Two people died in a traffic accident Saturday on Highway 25 south of Malden. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported the accident happened at 5:20 p.m. when a vehicle driven by John Abbott, 68, of Clarkton, Missouri, ran off the road and struck a tree...

The Missouri Football Coaches Association released its 2015 All-State Football teams this weekend, with a local contingent peppering the rosters. Cape Central dominated the area scene with six players honored with a spot on one of the three Class 4 rosters, while Jackson had one player in the Class 5 mix...

The Cardinals dominated St. Louis on its home field, winning 27-3.

ST. LOUIS -- Imagine packing up the kids and heading for that dream vacation to a Disney theme park ... in St. Louis. It almost happened a half-century ago, when Disney drew up plans for an indoor theme park in downtown St. Louis before giving up in a dispute over money and turning attention to Florida...

PHOENIX -- Authorities say a man was shot accidentally at a gun show but is expected to recover. Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman Raul Garcia said the shooting happened about 11 a.m. Saturday at the Arizona State Fairgrounds. According to Garcia, the man's friend was looking at a semi-automatic handgun he had bought when it discharged. The bullet went through the man's upper torso. He suffered injuries that weren't life-threatening but was taken to a hospital...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Kenneth J. Erzfeld, 62, of Perryville died Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, at his home. All services are private. Miller Family Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

JACKSON The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n William J. McAtee, 43, of Greenville, Missouri, was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Formal charges of unlawful use of drug paraphernalia were pending against a suspect at Jefferson Avenue and South Sprigg streets...

Friends of Cape Girardeau firefighter Tyler Grovenor have come together in an incredible display of support. After responding to emergency calls daily, rescuing people and property, who would imagine that Grovenor would find himself in the position of responding to a call that led him to his own house? That blaze not only destroyed his home, but took the life of his grandfather, 73-year-old Zeno Blattel, as well...

Longer school year Would a 10 or 11 month school year ever be feasible? This would make use of school facilities instead of sitting empty of students; but still time for yearly maintenance. This would still give families vacation time and lessen the child care issue for working parents. Probably wouldn't be acceptable to the educators, but who else gets this lengthy of a vacation from their employment?...

O God, protect those in harm's way and thank you for those who have fought for freedom. Amen.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. -- Donald Trump called Monday for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States," an idea condemned by his rival GOP candidates for president and other Republicans. The proposed ban would apply to immigrants and visitors alike, a sweeping prohibition affecting all adherents of Islam who want to come to the U.S...

The Cape Girardeau City Council zeroed in on economic development Monday night, approving a special-use permit to pave the way for construction of a new hotel and conference center and inking a new contract with the Cape Girardeau Area Industrial Recruitment Association, also known as Magnet...

Convicted murderer Clay Waller was transferred Sunday by Cape Girardeau County sheriff's deputies from a federal prison in Marianna, Florida, and is in the custody of the Missouri Department of Corrections to serve the remainder of a 20-year sentence...

Jackson officials considered two taxes that may go before voters in April during the Board of Aldermen's study session Monday night -- including an expansion of its use tax. The first and more likely ballot measure is a continuation of the current use tax, which applies to out-of-state purchases of vehicles, boats, outboard motors, etc...

Seventh-seeded Kennett upended the Indians, 66-61.

Carson Retter was presented a certificate of achievement for earning the Rank of Eagle Scout on Sunday, November 22nd at the VFW Post 3838 in Cape Girardeau, MO. Presenting the certificate was Commandant Jim Maevers of the Marine Corp League at the Legacy Wall of the VFW Post 3838. Carson's Eagle Scout Project was improvements to the Legacy Wall. Carson is in Boy Scout Troop 5 and a student at Cape Central High School. He is the son of Dr. Ken and Karen Retter of Cape Girardeau, MO...

On December 4th, Academy Sports + Outdoors donated bikes and helmets to 25 deserving students from Clippard Elementary as part of Academy's annual bike donation program. The program occurs throughout December across Academy's 15-state footprint and will benefit over 4,000 boys and girls at 120 separate donation events, similar to this one.

Area veterans from American Legion Post 63 and members of its color guard gathered Monday morning at the chilly Cape Girardeau riverfront to mark the 74th anniversary of the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. A wreath was cast into the swiftly moving Mississippi River to mark the solemn occasion and pay tribute to those who lost their lives that day...

Today in History Today is Tuesday, Dec. 8, the 342nd day of 2015. There are 23 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 8, 1941, the United States entered World War II as Congress declared war against Imperial Japan, a day after the attack on Pearl Harbor...

Southeast Missouri State University has announced the hire of a new provost, Karl Kunkel, who brings to the position a plethora of experience in academia. Such a rich resume should serve the needs of our students well. Making the final cut in a 110-candidate field is no small feat. ...

DE SOTO, Mo. -- A 12-year-old girl is dead after the ATV she was driving crashed. KMOV-TV reported the accident happened early Sunday near De Soto. The girl's name has not been released. Authorities said the girl and her brother were riding an all-terrain vehicle when she lost control, causing both of them to be thrown from it. The girl was flown to a hospital, where she died...

ST. LOUIS -- A man has been ordered to spend a year and a half in federal prison for a cyberattack that disabled a St. Louis-area police union's website during unrest related to the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown. Justin Payne, 33, was sentenced Monday in St. Louis. That's where he pleaded guilty in September to a felony count of possessing an unregistered firearm and a misdemeanor count of damaging a protected computer...

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating after an eastern Missouri police officer shot and wounded a suspect who allegedly tried to run over another officer. The shooting happened Friday night in Ste. Genevieve. Officers responded to a domestic call and found a 24-year-old man ramming a truck into his girlfriend's car...

NEOSHO, Mo. -- A student at Crowder College in Neosho is being held in jail after allegedly making threats that prompted the school to close Monday. Neosho police officers went to the campus Sunday morning to investigate "concerning comments." The Joplin Globe reported a 17-year-old male who takes online courses made comments about shooting other people and suggested he had explosive devices. ...

Imogene Whorton, 87, of Delta passed away Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015, at Chaffee Nursing Center in Chaffee, Missouri. She was born July 30, 1928, near Oran, Missouri, to the late John and Ruth Moore Pippin. She married Harold Whorton on Aug. 25, 1948, and he preceded her in death Oct. 20, 1981...

Susan Marie Reed, 60, of Dutchtown died Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 14, 1955, in Cape Girardeau to the late Earl Leon and Virginia Marie Estes Obermann Sr. She was assistant manager at Dutchtown Used Furniture. She served in the U.S. Navy...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Bernice Irene Smith, 75, of Advance passed away Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Feb. 5, 1940, at Marble Hill, Missouri. She was the daughter of Theodore Gaines and Mabel Henderschott and Dick Dinkins...

BATH, Maine -- The largest destroyer ever built for the U.S. Navy headed out to sea for the first time Monday, departing from shipbuilder Bath Iron Works and carefully navigating the winding Kennebec River before reaching the open ocean, where the ship will undergo sea trials...

Raymond Newell, 79, of Jackson, formerly of Anna, Illinois, died Monday, Dec. 7, 2015, at Monticello House in Jackson. He was born August 24, 1936, in Elco, Illinois, the son of Glenn and Mildred (Sheffer) Newell. He married Joan King on May 25, 1976, and she preceded him in death Feb. 1, 2001...

OLATHE, Kan. -- Lois Joan Hahs, 83, of Olathe, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015, at Olathe Medical Center. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Tom Sullenger officiating...

NEW YORK -- Chipotle said Monday it temporarily closed a restaurant in Boston after several students at Boston College, including members of the men's basketball team, reported "gastrointestinal symptoms" after eating at the chain. The school said it was working with local health officials to determine whether the illnesses were tied to an outbreak of E. ...

Jeannie Dailey has been hired as the Cape Girardeau Police Department's Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) officer. She will work with sixth-grade pupils in both the city's public and private schools. Plans for the new Shop 'N' Save grocery store here have undergone a redesign, causing construction to be delayed. The 58,300-square-foot structure, being built on Silver Springs Road between Showbiz Pizza and West Park Bowling Lanes, is expected to open in mid-1991...

NEW YORK -- The Federal Trade Commission said Monday it is seeking to block the proposed combination of Staples and Office Depot because the deal would reduce competition in the office supplies market. The companies said they plan to fight to preserve the deal. Shares of the two retailers fell sharply...

WASHINGTON -- U.S. consumers borrowed more heavily for auto and student loans in October, taking out debt that helps them find jobs and commute to work. The Federal Reserve said Monday consumer borrowing rose $16 billion in October to $3.5 trillion. But the pace of borrowing decelerated from the $28.5 billion increase in September...

NEW YORK -- The battle over the world's coffee drinkers is getting hotter. Keurig, the maker of single-cup coffee machines that sit on millions of kitchen counters, agreed to sell itself Monday for almost $14 billion. The buyer, JAB Holding Co., is a private company with a growing java business...

WASHINGTON -- Acting in the aftermath of the San Bernardino mass shooting, the Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from gun owners who challenged a Chicago suburb's ban on assault weapons. Two conservative justices said they would have heard the case and struck down the ban. The Illinois State Rifle Association, one of the plaintiffs, indicated it would keep challenging local gun restrictions...

WASHINGTON -- Minutes after President Barack Obama spelled out plans to protect Americans from terrorism, Marco Rubio declared he "may have made things worse." Jeb Bush called the president "weak" and his approach "business as usual." Donald Trump declared on Twitter, "We need a new President --FAST!"...

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- The San Bernardino killers had been radicalized "for quite some time" and had taken target practice at area gun ranges -- in one instance days before the attack that left 14 people dead, the FBI said Monday. In a twist, authorities also disclosed a year before the rampage, Syed Farook's co-workers at the county health department underwent "active shooter" training in the same conference room where he and his wife opened fire on them last week...

NEW YORK -- Kendrick Lamar is the king of the Grammys: The rapper is the leading nominee for the 2016 awards with 11, including album of the year for "To Pimp a Butterfly" and song of the year for "Alright." Lamar, who won two Grammys earlier this year, is followed by Taylor Swift and the Weeknd, who each earned seven nominations, including album of the year. ...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Two Kansas City firefighters who were killed in October when a building collapsed had been positioned in a dangerous place where debris could fall, a newspaper analysis shows. The alley where 39-year-old John Mesh and 43-year-old Larry Leggio died Oct. ...

ST. LOUIS -- A new $7.3 million permanent exhibit meant to teach how food is produced is coming next summer to the St. Louis Science Center, featuring a flock of chickens and a do-it-yourself farming area. The one-acre exhibit called "GROW" will be open year-round and include more than 40 displays encompassing chemistry, economics, life sciences, culture and technology, following the seasons and stages of food production...

BEIRUT -- Syria on Monday accused the U.S.-led coalition of bombing an army camp in the eastern part of the country, killing three Syrian soldiers and wounding 13. But a senior U.S. military official said the Pentagon is "certain" the strike was from a Russian warplane...

CHICAGO -- Responding to deepening mistrust of one of the nation's largest police forces, the federal government opened an investigation Monday into the Chicago Police Department, and authorities announced they would not charge an officer in the death of a 25-year-old black man who was shot in the back last year...

Missouri will be getting an infusion of funds to help pay for damage caused by flooding in 2013 and 2015. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced Friday $410 million in emergency relief nationwide for repairing roads and bridges damaged by storms, floods and other events, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration...

A 26-year-old Puxico, Missouri, caregiver is in jail, charged with financial exploitation of the elderly. Jerri Greenlee is accused of stealing checks from a 91-year-old woman who reportedly discovered several charges on her bank account, along with missing checks...

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher says wide receiver Stedman Bailey was improving from two gunshot wounds to the head, but wasn't sure if the 2013 third-round pick would be able to return to the NFL. Fisher said Monday that the injuries are career-threatening. But the coach wasn't ruling out a return based on Bailey's progress thus far from the shooting in Miami Gardens, Florida, near his home, on Nov. 24...

St. Louis has scored just 54 points in its five-game losing streak.

The Lipscomb women's basketball team gave first-year Southeast Missouri State coach Rekha Patterson her first real look at many of the teams in the conference she'll be coaching against this season. Lipscomb, which the Redhawks play at 6:30 p.m. tonight in Nashville, has already played four members of the Ohio Valley Conference...

The Bowling Green men's basketball team doesn't boast a superstar, and so far that's led to success. The Falcons bring a 6-2 record and five-game winning streak to the Show Me Center tonight when they face the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks at 7 p.m...

The Bulldogs hit their free throws down the stretch to defeat Dexter, 54-50.

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii -- A few dozen men who survived the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor 74 years ago gathered Monday at the site to remember fellow servicemen who didn't make it. The U.S. Navy and National Park Service hosted a ceremony in remembrance of those killed on Dec. 7, 1941. About 3,000 people were expected to join the survivors...

LATROBE, Pa. -- Police said a suspect had his first name stenciled on a shirt he wore while breaking into a taxi company where he used to work. That's why Joshua Jording, 26, of Latrobe faces a preliminary hearing on burglary, theft and related charges Dec. 14. Security video showed the suspect wearing a shirt with the name "Josh" on it. They searched Jording's home and found that shirt, as well as two guns and two smartphones taken during the burglary Wednesday at the Veterans Cab Co...

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration will announce changes to the terror alert system "in the coming days," Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Monday. Johnson described the change as a new alert system, which he said would inform the public better about threats to the United States, but he did not provide details. ...

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

MOUNT PLEASANT, Ill. -- Jerry "J.D." Carter, 80, of Mount Pleasant passed away Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, at his home. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Crain Funeral Home in Anna, Illinois. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Interment will follow at McGinnis Cemetery...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls Sunday: n At 12:31 a.m., a smoke scare or odor of smoke on Broadway. n At 5:33 a.m., a smoke-detector activation on William Street. n Medical assists were made at 6:31 a.m. on Independence Street; 7:47 a.m. on North Henderson Avenue; 10:31 a.m. on Ricardo Drive; 5 p.m. on Broadway; and 7:56 p.m. on North Frederick Street...

JACKSON The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Miscellaneous n Assistance was requested in the 1800 block of East Jackson Boulevard. n Check the welfare was requested in the 100 block of Tracy Street...

Dr. John Link sounds like a class act leader for the Jackson schools. He seems to have an abundance of common sense in reading his quotes in regards to a replacement for the NCLB and Common Core and won't be so easily led by new programs. I love the way he knows that "students learn at different paces, instructional levels, but yet has high expectations for all students."...

O Lord Jesus, we sing your praises and lift your name on high. Amen.

WASHINGTON -- Donald Trump's plan to ban Muslims from entering the United States is shoving the Republican Party to the edge of chaos, pitting GOP leaders against their own presidential front-runner and jeopardizing the party's drive to attract minorities...

Nearly 800 students will receive degrees at Southeast Missouri State University's winter commencement. The ceremony is set for 2 p.m. Dec. 19 at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, according to a news release from the university. An honors convocation is planned for 10:30 a.m. for 185 undergraduates...

Voters in Cape Girardeau could be asked to approve a use tax in April that would help fund public safety needs, city officials said Tuesday. City manager Scott Meyer and several city council members said the issue could come up for discussion at the next council meeting, scheduled for Dec. 21...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A former campaign aide to Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder was paid at least $60,000 more than originally reported, according to updated finance records filed by Kinder's gubernatorial campaign. The additional payments to former campaign manager Logan Thompson are among hundreds of changes Kinder's campaign made to reports dating to 2012. ...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Attorneys for inmate Russell Bucklew, on death row for the 1996 killing of a man during a crime spree in Southeast Missouri, have suggested using a firing squad as one alternate mean of his execution in addition to the gas chamber...

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team concluded its six-game road trip the same way it started -- with a win. The Redhawks improved to 6-4 in coach Rekha Patterson's first season at the helm with an 84-69 defeat of Lipscomb University in Nashville on Tuesday night...

The Redhawks dropped to 0-8 with their 79-52 loss to the Falcons on Tuesday night.

Guardian Angel School varsity boys basketball team had finished their season with the Christian Youth League on Sunday, December 6. The tournament, which was held at St. Augustine, Kelso, took place on December 2, 4, & 6. The varsity boys took 2nd place in the tournament and the league. Their record was 7 wins and 1 loss for the league. We are proud of you Redwings!!...

Guardian Angel School cheerleaders had finished their season with the Christian Youth League on Sunday, December 6. The tournament, which was held at St. Augustine, Kelso, took place on December 2, 4, & 6. The cheerleaders took 1st place in the tournament and 3rd place in the league. We are proud of you Redwings!!...

Sam Herndon of Cape County Private Ambulance Service provides a check in the amount of $1000 to Valerie Wondrick, event coordinator of the local Shop with a Hero at the Cape Walmart Supercenter. "CCPA has always been one of the greatest supporter of our event both in monies and participation during the shopping to help needy children get toys they might not get otherwise. It's great to know we can always count on them to help in our fund raising effort," Wondrick says...

Depending upon which bench you were sitting on, the numbers were either beautiful or horrifying. Seventy-nine points on 55.2 percent shooting, including 10 of 18 from behind the 3-point line. That was Bowling Green's offensive night on Tuesday at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau. A great performance if you're a Falcon, but for the other bird of prey in the building -- the Redhawks -- there was plenty wrong with it...

Today in History Today is Wednesday, Dec. 9, the 343rd day of 2015. There are 22 days left in the year. Today's Highlights in History: On Dec. 9, 1965, Nikolai V. Podgorny replaced Anastas I. Mikoyan as chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, a job he would hold for almost 12 years. ...

What happens if ISIS wins? I know that seems absurd on countless levels. But we learned Sunday night that our military policy to address this growing threat apparently will not change. So, taken to the extreme, what if this cancer continues to grow and we continue to use kid gloves when a iron fist is what's required?...

Animal lovers will be glad to know that more of our furry friends will have an improved place to call home while they await their permanent homes. The Humane Society of Southeast Missouri will build another shelter to house cats and dogs. Memorial gifts and donations, along with an anonymous pledge to match each gift up to $50,000, are helping to make this long-awaited dream a reality...

NEW YORK -- Somebody has been burning down new homes in a New York City neighborhood populated by Bukharian Jews, and police aren't sure whether the victims are being targeted for their religion, their architectural taste or no reason at all. Over the past six weeks, an arsonist has torched six buildings in the same tight-knit section of eastern Queens, police say. Four of the fires hit new homes that still were under construction, including one house that was burned twice...

NEW YORK -- As the Girl Scouts' membership continues a decline, its leaders are betting on technology to reverse the trend, including a major expansion of its year-old program enabling Girl Scout cookies to be sold via mobile apps and the girls' personalized websites...

Longtime Cape Girardeau lawyer, civic leader and aviation pioneer Rush H. Limbaugh Jr., died here yesterday after a lengthy illness; he was 72. Members of the outgoing and incoming board of directors of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce met Friday and Saturday for an annual retreat to review the past year and look ahead to the new one; elected to serve as chairman of the board for 1991 was Harry Rust, succeeding Larry Payne...

ROGERSVILLE, Mo. -- A southwest Missouri man has died from injuries he suffered in mid-November when he said he was attacked by a pack of dogs. The Springfield News- Leader reported 85-year-old Werner Vogt of Rogersville died Friday at a hospital. Vogt told officers he was attacked while bike riding Nov. 12 in a heavily wooded area southeast of Rogersville in Christian County. A grandson found him barely conscious on the road...

FLORISSANT, Mo. -- Testing by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has found possible radiological contamination at seven more properties near Coldwater Creek in north St. Louis County, further adding to concerns remnants of the nation's early nuclear-weapons program are causing health problems for some who lived near the waterway...

ST. LOUIS -- A select group of sergeants will be the first St. Louis police officers to try body cameras. St. Louis police Chief Sam Dotson said he expects 90 of the department's roughly 200 sergeants to try out the body cameras in a pilot program starting Monday...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A Muslim student at the University of Missouri has filed a lawsuit alleging a biology professor directed a slew of sexually suggestive and religiously offensive remarks at her. Fatma El-Walid claims in the lawsuit filed Nov. 30 professor Michael Garcia asked El-Walid whether her parents had waterboarded her "as a child in preparation for the future." The lawsuit also claims he wanted to know whether her faith made her hate gay people and Jews. ...

BOSTON -- Boston College said the number of students reporting gastrointestinal symptoms after eating at a Chipotle this weekend has climbed to 80. On Monday, the school had said 30 students, including members of its men's basketball team, had been sickened...

WASHINGTON -- Castle Danger Brewery in Two Harbors, Minnesota, has been brewing what it calls "dangerously good ales" on the north shore of Lake Superior since 2011. The company outgrew its original home in tiny Castle Danger and now distributes beer to bars and restaurants throughout northern and central Minnesota...

WASHINGTON -- Hair loss is one of the most despised side effects of chemotherapy, and now breast cancer patients are getting a new way to try to save their locks. The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday it would allow marketing of the DigniCap, a cooling system that chills patients' scalps to reduce the hair loss that is so common during breast cancer treatment...

WASHINGTON -- The government on Tuesday announced plans to update its safety rating system for new cars and trucks to include whether the vehicle has technology to avoid crashes, in addition to how well it protects occupants in accidents. The five-star rating system now uses crash tests to assess how well people inside are shielded from injury or death in front, side and rollover crashes...

NEW ORLEANS -- A judicial panel Tuesday decided to consolidate hundreds of lawsuits against Volkswagen over its emissions cheating scandal in California, a focal point of the carmaker's troubles. The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation gave U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer in San Francisco oversight of more than 450 suits filed against the carmaker across the nation...

BALTIMORE -- The prosecution rested its case Tuesday after calling 16 witnesses in the manslaughter trial of a Baltimore police officer charged in the death of Freddie Gray. Gray was a 25-year-old black man who died April 19, a week after his neck was broken during a 45-minute ride in handcuffs and leg shackles in the back of a police van...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court is treading gingerly on a question of importance to the nation's growing Latino population: whether states must count all residents, or only eligible voters, in drawing electoral districts. The justices Tuesday displayed little of the aggressiveness that often marks Supreme Court arguments as they heard a case about the meaning of the principle of "one person, one vote."...

WASHINGTON -- A long-awaited rewrite of federal education law appears headed for final congressional approval. The Senate voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to end debate on the makeover of the widely criticized No Child Left Behind Act, setting up a final vote today. The legislation would give the states greater control over the nation's public schools but maintain annual testing to gauge student progress...

WASHINGTON -- With his call for blocking Muslims from entering the United States, Donald Trump may be tapping into concern among Republican voters about allowing Middle Eastern immigrants into the country, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll...

DALLAS -- Syrian families have been settled in Texas and in Indiana, the groups helping them said Tuesday, defying efforts by the states' governors to stop their arrival. A family of six went to live Monday near relatives already living in the Dallas area, said Lucy Carrigan, a spokeswoman for the International Rescue Committee...

MADISON, Wis. -- Donald Trump's call to block all Muslims from entering the United States not only is unconstitutional but impossible to carry out, legal experts said Tuesday. Trump's proposed ban, announced to cheers at a rally in South Carolina Monday, would apply to immigrants and visitors alike, a sweeping prohibition affecting all adherents of a religion practiced by more than 1 billion people worldwide...

DOVER, Del. -- A white police officer who kicked a black suspect in the head and broke his jaw was acquitted of assault Tuesday by a Delaware jury. Jurors deliberated for about 16 hours over three days before acquitting Dover police Cpl. Thomas Webster IV of felony assault...

LE BOURGET, France -- If international climate talks stall, don't be surprised if there might be an ever-so-slight intervention by Pope Francis. Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace who helped draft the pope's June encyclical on global warming, said the pontiff has "deep trust" negotiators in Paris will get the job done...

NEW YORK -- ABC is stepping out with a new production of "Dirty Dancing." The network said Tuesday it will film a three-hour adaptation of the 1987 film that starred Jennifer Grey. This time, actress-singer Abigail Breslin will play the lead role of Baby...

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Electoral authorities in Venezuela said the opposition coalition won a key two-thirds majority in the National Assembly in legislative voting. The National Electoral Council has published on its website the final tally of results from Sunday's elections showing two previously undecided races had broken in favor of the opposition, giving them 112 of 167 seats in the incoming National Assembly...

WASHINGTON -- Driven by the Paris terror attacks, the House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to tighten controls on travel to the U.S. and require visas for anyone who's been in Iraq or Syria in the previous five years. The legislation takes aim at the "visa waiver" program that allows citizens of 38 countries to travel to the U.S. ...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. n Allen L. Slatton, 44, 341 Daisy St., was arrested on suspicion of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident and operating a motor vehicle with a revoked license...

Missouri Department of Corrections spokesman David Owen said Tuesday convicted murderer Clay Waller now is at the state prison in Fulton. The Southeast Missourian reported Monday he had been transferred from a federal prison in Florida, but local officials did not disclose the Missouri location...

* Medical assists at 12:10 a.m. on Country Club Drive; 1:06 a.m. on Dunklin Street; 8:44 a.m. on Independence Street; 11:13 a.m. on South Hanover Street; 11:51 a.m. on Whitener Street; 1:48 p.m. on Steven Drive; 6:23 p.m. on Lakeshore Drive; 7:07 p.m. on Aspen Drive; 7:39 p.m. on Bellevue Street; and 11:12 p.m. on North West End Boulevard...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department responded to the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. n Chancellor A. Elfrink, 20, of Jackson was arrested on suspicion of theft and trespassing at Wal-Mart, 3439 William St. n A 15-year-old juvenile was taken into custody on suspicion of stealing clothing and cosmetics at Wal-Mart, 3439 William St...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- An East Prairie, Missouri, man is accused of sexually abusing several children. Arlen "Russ" Lee Jones, 76, of East Prairie is charged with three felony counts each of first-degree statutory sodomy and first-degree child molestation...

A celebration of the life of Richard Beard Lamkin will be at 6 p.m. Dec. 19 at the Cape Girardeau Country Club. All Southeast Missouri friends and acquaintances are invited to share stories and drinks at the club founded in part by his grandfather. Dick, as he was known, was the son of John and Kathrine Lamkin and last of the family line of true merchants. ...

Marcella Mary Kapfer, 89, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Dec. 7, 2015, at Life Care Center of Cape Girardeau. She was born Monday, July 5, 1926, in New Hamburg, Missouri, to Edward "Shorty" and Coletta Glaus Glastetter. She and Arnold J Kapfer were married Monday, June 3, 1946, at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in New Hamburg...

Debbie Lynn Haynes, 57, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Dec. 7, 2015, at her home. She was born Nov. 25, 1958, in Anna, Illinois, to Ira Lyndel and Joann Joplin Johnson. She and Mike R. Haynes were married Feb. 14, 2000, in Kentucky. He passed away Feb. 17, 2010...

Cape Girardeau's Public Works Department has picked up more than 460 tons of leaves in residential neighborhoods since October -- about 200 more tons than at the same time a year ago. Mike Tripp, the city's solid-waste superintendent, said, "This year, it seemed like the leaves fell a lot sooner."...

WASHINGTON PARK, Ill. -- A Sikeston, Missouri, man who says he was shocked with a stun-gun while handcuffed in jail has settled a federal civil-rights lawsuit against a small southwestern Illinois police force. Yancy Carden sued Washington Park over his April arrest after a dispute about a $200 bar tab at a St. Clair County strip club...

The Tigers were dealt a 70-62 setback in the quarterfinals.

Notre Dame faded in the second half against top-seeded Sikeston.

St. Louis ended its goal drought and a three-game winless streak.

Despite many complaints from residents about service issues, Poplar Bluff, Missouri, officials said Monday they have little choice but to settle a contract dispute with owners of NewWave Communications for almost $1.8 million. The city could face a far more costly court battle if a dispute over the accurate number of potential customers is not resolved, said city manager Mark Massingham. ...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Police said an Albuquerque man wanted his mother's traditional New Mexican stew so much, he broke into her home and stole it. Jonathan Ray, 23, was arrested recently after he ignored his mother's orders to stay away from her posole and ran off with the holiday dish. According to a criminal complaint, Ray sent his mom a text message saying he wanted some. She told him no but later found her gate and garage broken and a pot of the posole missing...

Second-seeded Jackson rebounded from its first-round loss on Tuesday with a 60-38 win over No. 9 Dexter in consolation play at the SEMO Conference Tournament on Tuesday in Sikeston, Missouri. Jacob Smith led the Indians (1-2) with 20 points while Garrett Walker added 11...

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

St. Louis obtained Jedd Gyorko in exchange for the center fielder.

Your love, O Lord, is a priceless gift we are eternally grateful for. Amen.

OLATHE, Kan. -- Lois Joan Hahs, 83, of Olathe, formerly of Cape Girardeau, went to heaven to be with her Savior Jesus Christ on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015. She was born Aug. 11, 1932, the third of five daughters to Louis and Elda Kaufmann. She married Dayton Hahs on Aug. 6, 1949, who preceded her in death...

On a recent Thursday afternoon, Christy Shinn could be found prompting her classroom of choir students with a shout of, "Drink ale!" in a hearty English accent. They eagerly jumped to respond with a resounding, "Wassail!" In the midst of practicing for Jackson Senior High School's annual Madrigal Feaste, Shinn and her students seemingly had been transported through time to the medieval period...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The man accused of killing three people at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic stunned a courtroom Wednesday when he declared himself a "warrior for the babies" and said he was guilty and won't go to trial. Robert Lewis Dear, 57, made the outburst before he formally was charged with 179 counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and other crimes...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- There's nothing quite like the warmth generated by a cozy old wood stove during winter. But Environmental Protection Agency regulations issued in January to snuff the crackling fire in the potbelly -- in the name of air quality and better breathing -- now are the law of the land and causing some headaches for self-sufficient families and stove dealers in the Show-Me State. A local congressman is taking aim against those regulations...

The Cape Girardeau City Council will be asked to establish a tax increment financing district in an effort to breathe new life into some of downtown's vacant or deteriorating buildings. The council is scheduled to consider first reading of an ordinance to approve the redevelopment plan at its Dec. 21 meeting...

Federal court upholds college's drug tests for students A technical college in central Missouri can require all students to take drug tests, a federal appeals court panel ruled. The St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued its 2-1 ruling Monday. At issue was a lawsuit the American Civil Liberties Union filed after the State Technical College of Missouri in Linn began drug testing all first-year students and some returning students in 2011...

Top-seeded Chaffee won 64-48 over the fifth-seeded Cardinals on Wednesday night in a semifinal of the Lady Devil Invitational at Chaffee High School.

Robotics team #6377, The Other Guys, found success at the Florissant Valley FTC Qualifier in St. Louis. They were part of the winning alliance and qualified for the State Championship in Rolla. For the seniors on the team, this makes three times in four years they have advanced to the competition in Rolla...

Florence Harold, left, and Pam Pfanstiel of Ford and Sons Funeral Homes present a check for $1000 to Keith Green of the Cape Girardeau Police Officers Association Lodge 51 for the Shop with a Hero event held at Cape Walmart Supercenter on Dec. 8th. The amount is matched by another $1000 provided by the Funeral Directors Life Insurance Fund making the total of $2000 available to needy children who shop for their toys...

The US Bancorp's Foundation Giving Program granted the Boys and Girls Club of Cape Girardeau, Inc. a check in the amount of $1,000.00. These proceeds will be used in the operations of providing a safe after school environment and programs for kids to learn, grow and have fun. Pictured: Shannon Daniels, Senior Financial Advisor of US Bank, Jeff Jernigan, Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club, and Jim Ham, Vice President -- Commercial Relationship Mgr. of US Bank...

Tom Matukewicz is all about the process. The Southeast Missouri State football coach made that clear from the get-go. But he also made it clear that by his third season he wanted to be competing for an Ohio Valley Conference title. After his second season with the Redhawks wrapped up a few weeks ago at 4-7 and 3-4 in the conference, Matukewicz believes his program is still on the trajectory to meet the expectations he's set as part of that process...

Today in History Today is Thursday, Dec. 10, the 344th day of 2015. There are 21 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 10, 1905, the O. Henry short story "The Gift of the Magi" was published in the New York Sunday World Magazine under the title "Gifts of the Magi."...

It's impressive to watch students challenge themselves, particularly outside the normal scope of the classroom. Science fairs are great ways, knowledge bowls another. And still others like the Missouri Department of Transportation Bridge Building competition held on Nov. 19 in Cape Girardeau can challenge and inspire...

Cape Girardeau Central High School will present its fourth annual Central Jazz concert at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the school's commons area. The concert, presented by the concert and women's choirs, will include a number of holiday classics, such as "Silent Night," "O Holy Night" and "The First Noel," as well as a mix of more modern tunes, such as "Java Jive," a jazz version of "Carol of the Bells" and "Fruitcake," a light, comical song about the traditional holiday cake's ingredients...

Materials n Polystyrene beads n Clear plastic craft ornament Instructions STEP 1: Remove the cap and hook from the ornament. Fill the ornament one-fourth of the way with polystyrene beads. Place the cap and hook back onto the ornament. STEP 2: Rapidly shake the ornament and observe...

Camille Wersel, 6, decorates handmade Christmas cards Wednedsay night at the Osage Centre for her godmothers and Miss Avis, her 100-year-old friend from church. It was part of the Merry Christmas to All event, which provides handmade cards for residents of area nursing homes and senior centers...

NEW YORK -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been named Time's Person of the Year, praised Wednesday by the magazine for her leadership on everything from Syrian refugees to the Greek debt crisis. Time also cited Merkel's strong response to "Vladimir Putin's creeping theft of Ukraine" and on its cover called her "Chancellor of the Free World."...

LOS ANGELES -- A team of veterinarians, scientists and lab workers gathered around a surrogate hound and watched her give birth to seven half-pound puppies, the first dogs ever conceived in a test tube. "We each took a puppy and rubbed it with a little towel and when it started to squiggle and cry, we knew we had success," said Dr. Alexander Travis, who runs the lab at the Baker Institute for Animal Health at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court appears torn over the use of race in college admissions and may not be ready to make a decision without more information. During arguments Wednesday, several justices asked about the value of ordering more hearings in a case from Texas that was before them for the second time...

SULLIVAN, Mo. -- Three Texas residents are facing charges after allegedly being found in eastern Missouri with marijuana valued at more than $150,000. KMOV-TV reported all three were arrested Saturday in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart store in Sullivan. Police say a search of two vehicles found 20 pounds of marijuana packed for individual sale, along with $2,400 in cash...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A lawyer for a Missouri mother who says a pawn shop should be held accountable for selling her mentally ill daughter the gun she used to kill her own father challenged a claim that state and federal law protects the seller from liability...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- A Charleston man trapped in Kuwait since the Iraqi army's invasion is on his way home; Randal Warren, 49, of Charleston, has been hiding out in Kuwait since Aug. 2; his family hopes to learn today when his plane will fly into the Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport...

Son to Billy Joe and Lindsay Renae Gilliland of Scott City, Saint Francis Medical Center, 6:37 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015. Name, Beau Matthew. Weight, 7 pounds, 4 ounces. Second child, first son. Mrs. Gilliland is the former Lindsay Frias, daughter of Roland and Becky Frias of Sikeston, Missouri. She works at Marion Eye Center. Gilliland is the son of Bill and Michele Gilliland of Chaffee, Missouri, and Terry Paxton of Sikeston, Missouri. He is employed by New Wave Communications...

CHICAGO -- Mayor Rahm Emanuel, known for keeping vise-like control over Chicago and his political image, finds himself in the weakest position of his long public career as he struggles to respond to a police scandal, claims of cover-ups at City Hall and calls for his resignation...

FERGUSON, Mo. -- Gherica Lewis expected the worst when five squad cars -- sirens blaring -- stopped suddenly as she walked with her 10-month-old daughter and the girl's father along the street in Ferguson, Missouri, where riot police clashed with protesters for months after Michael Brown's shooting death, making widespread arrests and deploying tear gas to control sometimes violent crowds...

WASHINGTON -- Those federally mandated math and reading tests will continue, but a rewrite of the nation's education law now will give states -- not the U.S. government -- authority on how to use results in evaluating teachers and schools. The Senate on Wednesday voted 85-12 to approve legislation rewriting the landmark No Child Left Behind education law of 2002. President Barack Obama will sign it into law today...

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Even campaigning half as much as his rivals, Donald Trump is drowning them out in an echo chamber of insults and charged pronouncements that have taken over the presidential campaign. Frustrated GOP candidates traveling across Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina are struggling to be heard...

WASHINGTON -- The two San Bernardino shooters were radicalized at least two years ago -- before one of them came to the U.S. on a fiancee visa -- and discussed jihad and martyrdom as early as 2013, FBI director James Comey said Wednesday. Investigators also are looking at whether the husband accused in the shootings was planning an attack in 2012 but abandoned those plans, according to two people familiar with the investigation who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.. ...

BALTIMORE -- Officer William Porter was poised and calm as he testified in his defense Wednesday, telling jurors he didn't call an ambulance for Freddie Gray because Gray was alert, appeared uninjured and didn't complain of pain or wounds in the back of a police van...

NEW YORK -- To no one's surprise, Adele's "25" is the best-selling album on iTunes for 2015. Apple announced Wednesday Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars' "Uptown Funk" was the year's biggest single, and Adele's "Hello" is sixth on the songs list. Ed Sheeran's "Thinking out Loud," Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth's "See You Again," Maroon 5's "Sugar" and "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon ranked second through fifth, respectively...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Puerto Rico's governor said Wednesday it's probable the U.S. territory will be unable to make more upcoming debt payments because it has no more money amid a worsening economic crisis. Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla spoke during a trip to Washington to meet with Republican legislators and others before a vote by Congress that might include a provision giving Puerto Rico public agencies access to Chapter 9 bankruptcy provisions...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Outside the Saudi capital, in one of the country's most conservative provinces, Jowhara al-Wably is making history. She's running in this weekend's elections. Saturday's vote for local council seats marks two milestones for Saudi women like al-Wably: Not only can they run in a government election for the first time, but it is the first time they are permitted to vote at all...

LE BOURGET, France -- With two days left to reach a deal, negotiators at the world climate talks released a new draft Wednesday that drops the most radical ideas -- including an international tribunal to punish polluters -- but leaves major issues unresolved, such as who should pay to help the most vulnerable nations cope with global warming...

1 Barton Square, Jackson 9 a.m. today n Minutes of the Dec. 7 meeting n None at this time n Items listed on the agenda n Purchase orders n Payroll change forms n Public Service Commission orders n 2016 CDBG application workshops n Doug Mueller, representing WE Walker-Lakenan Insurance, will present insurance proposal for property, inland marine, commercial crime, terrorism and earthquake...

HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- An Illinois man is charged with abandonment of a corpse for allegedly dumping the body of a cousin who died of a heroin overdose near a St. Louis County creek. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported 40-year-old William Van Zandt of West Frankfort, Illinois, is accused of disposing of the body of 45-year-old Arthur Van Zandt Jr. The body was found in September in a field near a creek in Hazelwood. Police say vegetation and logs were used to conceal the body...

SEDALIA, Mo. -- Missouri authorities have caught a suspect who is accused of fleeing when a bailiff attempted to take him into custody. The Sedalia Democrat reported 35-year-old Jeremiah Jones of Sedalia was captured Tuesday. Jones had been in court for a resisting/interfering with arrest charge from Sept. ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A Missouri coroner says a man charged with killing his wife has dementia. The Columbia Daily Tribune reported Randolph County Coroner Gerald Luntsford said he talked to people who knew 81-year-old Vernon Head. One friend told Luntsford that Head didn't even know his own name...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Police say three people suspected of shoplifting at a south Springfield Wal-Mart also are suspects in a shooting in central California. Two people, Billy Littlefield and Peyton Garncia, both of Los Banos, California, are jailed in Greene County after their arrests Tuesday night. A third suspect, Carl Littlefield -- Billy's brother -- has eluded capture...

ST. LOUIS -- The family of a St. Louis jail inmate who died in custody is disputing the police version of what happened. Police said 27-year-old Nicholas Gilbert died Tuesday evening after a struggle with officers who tried to prevent him from killing himself in a holdover cell...

Bessie R. Bozarth, 93, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015, at The Lutheran Home. Visitation will be from 1 to 2 p.m. Friday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Entombment will be at the Cape County Memorial Park Mausoleum...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. n Brandie R. England, 31, of Cape Girardeau was arrested on a Jackson warrant for failure to appear on a show-cause order. n Meagan D. Sellers, 22, 318 Greensferry Road, was arrested on suspicion of theft...

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Rams have lost two defensive stalwarts for the rest of the season, with end Robert Quinn to undergo back surgery and hard-hitting safety T.J. McDonald headed for a shoulder procedure. Coach Jeff Fisher said Wednesday both players will be placed on injured reserve...

All scores were reported to the Southeast Missourian on Wednesday.

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Kevin Puryear scored 18 points and hauled in eight rebounds as Missouri held off Omaha for an 85-78 victory Wednesday night. The Tigers' leading scorer was particularly efficient, shooting 5 for 8 from the field and 7 for 8 from the free-throw line in 25 minutes of play...

As the countdown to 2016 begins, the folks at Discovery Playhouse in downtown Cape Girardeau are closer to tackling more work on the building's second floor. Long-awaited exhibit walls could begin construction in the next couple of weeks if a building contractor is chosen by Friday...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Marble Hill's board of aldermen will serve as the city's planning and zoning board until such a board can be re-established. The planning and zoning board no longer exists because some members have moved or are in ill health. The aldermen met in special session Friday afternoon to make the decision because the city recently needed the planning and zoning board's services...

WAPPAPELLO, Mo. -- The Environmental Protection Agency is backpedaling its approval of a herbicide containing the same chemicals that allegedly sickened three people in the spring of 2015 near Wappapello, reported the Daily American Republic. The EPA announced in a court filing Nov. ...

JOPLIN, Mo. -- A Missouri State University graduate student's research findings may rewrite the history of the Civil War in Jasper County in Missouri. The Joplin Globe reported Christopher Dukes outlined two findings based on his research to the Jasper County Commission on Tuesday...

AUSTIN, Texas -- A federal judge Wednesday knocked Texas for offering "largely speculative hearsay" about extremists possibly infiltrating Syrian refugees seeking to resettle in the state, rejecting another attempt by Republican leaders to keep out families fleeing the war-torn country. ...

INDIALANTIC, Fla. -- Hundreds of sealed coffee cans and vacuum-packed coffee bricks washed ashore along Florida's Space Coast, and officials believe they may be from containers that fell off a barge last weekend. The yellow-and-red packages of Cafe Bustelo dotted the beach Tuesday in Indialantic, where beach combers were scooping them up and stuffing them into bags. As many as 25 containers fell overboard, including one that contained batteries...

Kacie Hampton of Marble Hill, Missouri, was named a presidential ambassador to Southeast Missouri State University President Carlos Vargas. Hampton is a sophomore at the university and is majoring in exceptional child education. She is a 2014 graduate of Leopold High School and the daughter of Chris and Aimee Hampton of Marble Hill...

If you have been able to stomach listening to the politicians running for nominations, you have surely heard all kinds of proposals for fighting ISIS/ISIL. This column includes information to weigh with those proposals. In any war, there will be a loss of some equipment, vehicles and munitions. ...

O God, may we live a life of service, being willing to help others in need. Amen.

Freshman Leah Cauble scored a game-high 25 points to lead the second-seeded Eagles to a 70-37 win over third-seeded Kelly in a semifinal of the Lady Devil Invitational on Thursday at Chaffee High School.

WASHINGTON -- White House and congressional negotiators searched for compromise Thursday on huge tax and spending bills with a combined price tag of well over $1 trillion, with leaders hoping to clinch agreements and let Congress adjourn next week for the year...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Fire Department said it will begin its investigation early next year into the building collapse that killed two firefighters. Chief Paul Berardi said there will be a review of other safety issues in the wake of the Oct. 12 deaths of 39-year-old John Mesh and 43-year-old Larry Leggio, the Kansas City Star reported...

ST. LOUIS -- The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday ordered surface-fire prevention measures at a St. Louis-area landfill where nuclear waste was dumped illegally four decades ago. The order by EPA Region 7 administrator Mark Hague requires companies associated with West Lake Landfill in Bridgeton, Missouri, to come up with a plan within three weeks to remove trees and brush, place non-combustible material on the surface and take other steps to prevent future fires...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A man who said he was sexually abused for years by his scoutmaster should be allowed to sue the Boy Scouts of America even though he missed a deadline to do so by years, the man's attorney argued Thursday before the Missouri Supreme Court...

The Cape Girardeau and Jackson police departments have notified the FBI more than 50 prepaid cellphones were purchased at Cape Girardeau and Jackson Wal-Mart stores on the same day last week. FBI spokeswoman Rebecca Wu of the agency's St. Louis division confirmed Thursday the federal law-enforcement agency has been notified of cellphone purchases but offered no details...

Two people were taken to Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau following a head-on collision Thursday along Nash Road near Biokyowa Inc. About 11 a.m., Sheila G. Holloway, 59, of Gordonville, was driving a Honda CRV north on Nash Road, but near a curve, she veered into the oncoming lane and collided with a Ford F-250 truck driven by Robert A. Gramlisch, 25, of Chaffee, Missouri...

On Cue Performing Arts Studio will present its debut production, "The Nightmare Before Christmas," next weekend at Cape Girardeau Central Junior High School. Based on Tim Burton's film, "Nightmare" brings to the stage a musical that will showcase the talents of adults and children. Director Jennifer Priddy promises a performance that will captivate and entertain...

ST. LOUIS -- The effort to keep the NFL in St. Louis cleared a major hurdle Thursday, when a committee of city aldermen approved a financing plan for a new $1 billion stadium. The Ways and Means Committee backed the plan by a 7-2 vote. The full Board of Aldermen is expected to take up the issue today, but a final vote isn't expected until next week -- ahead of a Dec. 30 deadline imposed by the NFL for the three cities whose teams want to move to Los Angeles...

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, has been chosen to serve on a powerful leadership committee in the House, the first Missourian appointed since U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., was a House representative years ago. Republican colleagues Thursday elected the 8th District congressman to serve on the Republican Steering Committee, a group of House leaders tasked with choosing committee chairmen and who will serve on the various legislative committees...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Authorities continue to search for a black Ford pickup truck believed to be the second vehicle involved in an alleged hit-and-run accident Wednesday night that killed a Poplar Bluff teenager. Heavenly Grace Hafford, 13, died of blunt-force trauma after being struck by a vehicle, according to Butler County Coroner Jim Akers. ...

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner rejected posthumous clemency for an Illinois man imprisoned for the stabbing of an elderly woman, even though a serial killer confessed to the crime more than a decade after the inmate died. Grover Thompson died in 1996 while serving a 40-year sentence for the 1981 attempted murder of 72-year-old Ida White in Mount Vernon, Illinois...

The building at 605 Broadway used to make Laurie Everett sad. "I would stand up in our apartment across the street and look over here and just cry every time I would see it rain, because there are shingles missing on the roof for, like, years, and years of damage was happening to this plaster," Everett said...

My big fur baby Kyla riding with me in the car.

Chili is a lazy Rosy Boa that sleeps all day. She likes to cruise around the table during card games and knock down all the game pieces.

Irving the tabby's favorite holiday season is Christmas. There is wrapping paper to roll around on while his human Mom is trying to wrap presents, as well as string to carry all over the apartment and get tangled around his tail. However, more than anything, Irving loves the Christmas tree. It's perfect for climbing and knocking over at his convenience...

Broly is half beagle, half pitbull, and all awesome. He's incredibly playful, and super affectionate. I've never met a more charismatic animal in my life.

The fourth-seeded Tigers held a 10-7 lead at the conclusion of a sluggish first quarter and relied on their defense to secure a 51-43 victory over the second-seeded Indians at the Sikeston Field House.

Our grandson Evan showing off his light saber. He was at Cracker Barrel when he was showing us his moves. The Star Wars movie is being released this week, he won't be going but will be playing with the toys.

Binx playing with the flounder ornament.

Today in History Today is Friday, Dec. 11, the 345th day of 2015. There are 20 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 11, 1844, the first experimental use of an inhaled anesthetic in dentistry took place as Dr. Horace Wells of Hartford, Connecticut, under the influence of nitrous oxide, had a colleague extract one of his teeth...

In 2008, candidate Barack Obama privately mocked religion and gun owners. He said, in part, "They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them." Those words define his ideology. Despite the fact that Islamic terrorism has spread worldwide and the FBI is overwhelmed with terror investigations in all 50 states, this president sees the 2nd Amendment as the problem...

"Donald J. Trump statement on preventing Muslim immigration "(New York, NY) December 7th, 2015 -- Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on. ...

As many Jackson residents anticipate the grand opening of their city's new civic center, a fundraising committee is asking for help in making it a great place to be. The committee's goal is to raise $205,000 for things such as pickleball nets, paddles, balls, first aid supplies and kitchen equipment. ...

GENEVA -- Working on a tip from the CIA, Geneva police were hunting for at least four suspects allegedly linked to the radical Islamic State group and believed to be plotting a "specific" attack in the city, Swiss officials said Thursday. As city police raised their security alert level, Swiss state prosecutors opened investigations into a suspected criminal plot and suspected violations of a ban on groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaida...

LE BOURGET, France -- French foreign minister Laurent Fabius on Thursday presented a new draft of a global climate accord that showed headway on some key issues and stalemate on others as the talks outside Paris headed into the final stretch. The 27-page draft -- two pages shorter than a previous version -- included a long-term goal of keeping global warming "well below" 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit...

Although the Golden Globes spread the nominations around, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association swooned hardest for Todd Haynes' 1950s romance "Carol," which landed a leading five nominations, including best film drama. In a widespread field of nominations announced Thursday in Beverly Hills, California, "Carol" solidified its growing Oscar hopes with nods for its two stars, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, and for Haynes' direction...

NEW YORK -- ABC Family is getting a new name. The network announced Thursday it soon will be known as Freeform. The rechristening happens Jan. 12, the same day the network welcomes back "Pretty Little Liars" for its season premiere, along with the series debut of "Shadowhunters."...

"A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols" will be presented at 7 p.m. Wednesday at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 223 W. Adams St. in Jackson, and at 7 p.m. Dec. 18 at Old Saint Vincent's Church, 131 S. Main St. in Cape Girardeau. The festival includes hymns, anthems and readings that chronicle events leading to the birth of Jesus. ...

Southeast Missouri State University students will feature their dance pieces in the Theatre and Dance Second Stage Series event, "Last Chance to Dance -- Fall," at 7:30 p.m. Sunday and Monday in the Bedell Performance Hall at the River Campus. The free event allows students to present work without audition. ...

Packing with friends at the Osage Centre. #fmsccape #thefriendsofsfmc #semoselfie #sfmcselfie (Photo submited by @danielletorbet) Going out this weekend? Be sure to tag your selfies on the scene with #semoselfie on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter ­-- you could see yourself in an upcoming SE Live!...

The Southeast Missouri Arts Council has announced nomination forms for the 2015 Otto F. Dingeldein and Friend of the Arts Awards are available. Deadline for nomination submissions is Dec. 29. Award recipients will be named at the Dingeldein Gala, which will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Jan. 8 at a location to be announced...

Southeast Missouri State University students will exhibit their talent in the annual Class Voice III Recital at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Shuck Music Recital Hall at Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus. Judith Farris, artist in residence and vocal director in the Department of Theatre and Dance, said the free recital will be given by 12 of her most advanced singers...

Southeast Missouri State University's Department of Music will present the Percussion Ensemble's Family Holiday Concert at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday in the Bedell Performance Hall at Southeast's River Campus. The event will feature performances by Southeast's Chamber Choir, Steel Drum Band and Dance Ensemble, as well as the Jackson High School Percussion Ensemble and members of the Southeast Missouri Symphony Orchestra...

Winter is just around the corner, but Southeast Missouri State track & field is staying busy by heading inside, with the 2015-16 indoor season opening today with the Eastern Illinois Early Bird Invitational in Charleston, Illinois. The Redhawks will be facing off against familiar Ohio Valley Conference foes SIU-Edwardsville and host Eastern Illinois, as well as Illinois State, Western Illinois and Butler. Illinois will send just its women's team...

All scores were reported to the Southeast Missourian on Thursday.

Southeast Missouri State men's basketball coach Rick Ray understands from personal experience the rarity of a Southeastern Conference team traveling to play a road game against an Ohio Valley Conference foe. But that's exactly what's happening when the Ole Miss Rebels come to the Show Me Center on Saturday afternoon to face the Redhawks, who are in search of both their first win this season and first under Ray. ...

ST. LOUIS -- Claude Giroux capped the Flyers' three-goal second period with his 11th of the season and Philadelphia beat the St. Louis Blues 4-2 on Thursday night. Michael Raffl and Matt Read also scored in the second and Ryan White added an empty-net goal to help the Flyers snap a two-game skid. Michael Neuvirth made 35 saves...

* Medical assists at 9:19 a.m. on Bloomfield Road; 9:38 a.m. on South Silver Springs Road; 10:59 a.m. on Leroy Street; 11:22 a.m. on South Ellis Street; 1:38 p.m. on Koch Avenue; 3:47 p.m. on Doctors' Park Drive; 6:18 p.m. on North Kingshighway; 6:58 p.m. on North Kingshighway; 8:04 p.m. on South Sprigg Street; and 10:37 p.m. on Linden Street...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. n Kaelyn M. Stinnet, 17, 731 S. Sprigg St., was arrested on suspicion of a being a minor in possession of alcohol. n A suspect was in custody pending formal charges of domestic assault...

PANAMA CITY, Fla. -- Gerald Wayne "Bud" Masterson, 79, of Panama City died Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015. Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at St. Andrew Baptist Church at Panama City. Wilson Funeral Home of Panama City is in charge of arrangements...

Clodina Mann, 89, of Cape Girardeau passed away Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015, at The Lutheran Home. She was born Sept. 19, 1926, in Aquilla, Missouri, to Johnie W. and Mary E. Osborne Pruett. She and the Rev. Charles H. Mann were married May 15, 1943, in Benton, Missouri. They had been married 48 years when he passed away Dec. 27, 1991...

Joshua Kendell Pardue, 30, of Cape Girardeau passed away Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015, due to injuries sustained in an automobile accident. He was born Nov. 29, 1985, in Nashville, Tennessee, to Lawrence Kendell and Charlotte Pardue. He worked for Duby Plastering in Chaffee, Missouri. He was a member of Bethel Church of Nazarene in Nashville...

Louise Martha Frank, 95, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015, at her home. She was born July 31, 1920, in Gordonville to Martin William and Amanda Olga Sander Vasterling. She and John Frank were married April 9, 1950, at Cape Girardeau. She was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church...

Bessie R. Bozarth, 93, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015, at The Lutheran Home. She was born Oct. 14, 1922, in Cape Girardeau County to Maple and Rose Nabe Foeste. She and Mahlon H. "Lefty" Bozarth were married in 1946 at Reno, Nevada. They were married 37 years until his passing in 1983...

Kathleen Maxine Barringer Fisher Adams, 96 years, 11 months and 20 days old, passed from this earth to be with her Lord and Savior on Friday, Nov. 20, 2015. She was born Nov. 29, 1918, in Centralia, Illinois, to Earnest and Mary Barringer and moved to Cape Girardeau when she was 4 years old...

MOSCOW -- As part of their campaign to bring Wi-Fi to crowded public spots in the Russian capital, Moscow authorities are connecting an unlikely new location: cemeteries. The Moscow City Hall said in a statement Thursday free Wi-Fi will be available at the city's three main cemeteries starting next year. Some 120,000 people are buried in Moscow every year, with a further, smaller number cremated...

JERUSALEM -- GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump canceled plans Thursday to visit Israel, a trip for which even Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- widely seen as an ally of the Republican Party -- had shown little enthusiasm. Trump announced his decision on Twitter, saying he would reschedule "at a later date after I become President of the U.S." Appearing on Fox News, he said there were many reasons for the move, among them that he didn't want to put Netanyahu in a bind...

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- The gunman who massacred his co-workers in the San Bernardino rampage and the friend who bought the assault rifles used in the shooting were related through marriage and may have plotted an attack together three years ago. New revelations from officials and public records show a much deeper connection between Syed Rizwan Farook and Enrique Marquez than previously was disclosed...

NEW YORK -- A severed pig's head was left outside a mosque in Philadelphia. An Islamic center in Florida was defaced. A Sikh temple in California was vandalized by someone who mistook it for a mosque and left graffiti that included a profane reference to the Islamic State group...

A nature-themed collection of photographs is on display this month at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center. The display, titled "Oh, What Beautiful Things You'll See," is by Bridget Jackson, a Missouri Department of Conservation education consultant...

You, O Lord Jesus, are the resurrection and the life and we praise your name. Amen.

Lone Star Industries, which has one of its largest cement manufacturing plants here, has filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 bankruptcy. For the first time in the 16-year history of the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority, the board of commissioners will be chaired by a Scott County member; yesterday, the board elected Morty Potashnick of Sikeston, Missouri, as its new chairman...

The departure of at least one Southeast Missouri State men's basketball player from the program was not by choice, according to the player's family. Marcus Wallace, one of three sophomores whose exit from the program were announced late Friday night, was alerted in the days following Tuesday's 79-52 loss to Bowling Green that he would no longer be part of the team, according to his father, Marcus Wallace Sr., who said the departure was not due to any misconduct or violations...

Today in History Today is Saturday, Dec. 12, the 346th day of 2015. There are 19 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 12, 1915, singer-actor Frank Sinatra was born Francis Albert Sinatra in Hoboken, New Jersey. On this date: In 1787, Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the U.S. Constitution...

The final two phases of cleanup at the Kem-Pest Superfund site near Cape Girardeau may begin next summer and, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, will cost nearly $770,000; the EPA has recommended decontamination and off-site incineration of a building that was used to produce pesticides...