Stories from Tuesday, December 15, 2015

LOS ANGELES -- Stormtroopers marched and droids rolled down "The Force Awakens" red carpet Monday, heralding the return of "Star Wars" after a decade-long absence from the big screen. A giant opaque tent shrouded the red carpet that was lined with Stormtrooper mannequins and neon lights that resembled giant lightsabers...

WASHINGTON -- Republican demands to end the ban on exporting crude oil emerged as a final negotiating point Monday as White House and congressional negotiators moved toward completing a year-end spending bill and a tax-cutting package. In a Monday evening conference call among House Republicans, Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said bargainers were close to agreements on the spending and tax measures he expected to publicly release today, which would set up votes later in the week. ...

The Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents will consider single tuition rates for online degree students at its meeting Tuesday. In addition, as part of the measure, the per-credit-hour program fee for the online RN to BSN nursing program would be reduced from $100 to $20, university officials said...

The Ronald McDonald House Charities recently donated $3,500 to the Student Santa's Program to help provide Christmas for underprivileged children.

Bob Englehart Farmers Insurance is the Bollinger County Chamber Veteran Business of the third quarter. Bob Englehart Insurance Agency is located at 401 First Street in Marble Hill. Their hours of operation are Monday - Friday 9:00a.m.-5:00p.m. Saturday hours are available by appointment. ...

The Bollinger County Chamber Rising Star Business of the third quarter is Highway 51 Express. Ronald Reagan and Vickie Welker are the owners of this small locally owned convenience store that offers a friendly family atmosphere where fun and enjoyable conversation abound. ...

The third annual Run-Ride for Ragan held in late September raised $20,000 for the SoutheastHEALTH Foundation's Cancer Care Fund. Proceeds will be utilized to provide breast cancer services, such as mammograms, for underserved women in Cape Girardeau and the surrounding area. Additionally, funds are used to assist the more than 1,000 patients treated at the Southeast Cancer Center each year with urgent needs such as transportation, nutritional supplements and housing...

PRESS RELEASE Semo Rainmakers Basketball Foundation Presents the debut of new youth league (K-2) in the area December 15, 2015- (Cape Girardeau, MO) - Semo Rainmakers Basketball Foundation (SRBF) was founded by Thomas D. White in 2013. The foundation was originally established to provide adolescent boys an opportunity to receive foundational and fundamental teaching for the game of basketball. ...

Mr. Darcy refuses to not-believe in Santa Paws!

We often forget that December 25 is Jesus' birthday and that we should give him presents. Guardian Angel School in Oran celebrated on Tuesday, December 15 by having a birthday party for Jesus in the school gym. Money had been donated to buy items for a family in need. ...

The Mississippi River in Cape Girardeau is predicted to reach flood stage by Saturday and well above that next week after heavy rains fell across much of the Midwest. The river will rise nearly 10 feet in the coming days and reach the flood stage of 32 feet Saturday morning, according to hydrograph reports by the National Weather Service...

Herbert Miller will remain the coroner in Perry County until he resigns or he can be removed by the Missouri Attorney General. Because he does not intend to resign, Miller likely will remain coroner for at least the next month. Miller said Monday he will not resign and is filing to appeal his conviction. ...

Today in History Today is Tuesday, Dec. 15, the 349th day of 2015. There are 16 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 15, 1965, two U.S. manned spacecraft, Gemini 6A and Gemini 7, maneuvered to within 10 feet of each other while in orbit...

We have highlighted many charitable events and organizations during this Christmas season -- the Jaycee Toybox, Feed My Starving Children and Christmas for the Elderly, for instance. The 28th annual Holiday Home Tour, organized by Lutheran Family and Children's Services, is also worthy of recognition. ...

Hattie Elizabeth Bennett, 82, of Scott City passed away Friday, Dec. 11, 2015, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born May 17, 1933, in Rector, Arkansas, to the late Leslie and Effie Jackson Noland. She married Verlin Hayes, and he preceded her in death. She later married Paul Bennett, and he also preceded her in death...

Fred Keller, 66, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015, at Chateau Girardeau. He was born April 5, 1949, in Anna, Illinois, to Cecil and Belva Hoffmann Keller. He married Chris Matlock on March 28, 1986. He graduated from Dongola High School, then attended Southern Illinois University, graduating in 1971. He spent 25 years in broadcasting at local television and radio stations. He then worked at Schnucks until his retirement in 2014...

SOUTH JORDAN, Utah -- A man in one Utah community said his neighbors have begun placing decoy packages on front porches in an effort to thwart holiday delivery thieves. Rocks, old clothes and junk televisions are among items resident Kroger Menzer said residents in the Daybreak neighborhood of South Jordan have been putting in shipping boxes...

WASHINGTON -- It's crunch time to sign up for coverage under President Barack Obama's health care law. The website works much better now, but rising premiums and shaken faith among insurers have cast new shadows. Today is the deadline for millions of uninsured procrastinators to sign up in time for coverage to begin Jan. ...

The American Lung Association of Eastern Missouri has a new office in the Medical Arts Building on Broadway. The office was donated by four Cape Girardeau physicians: Drs. Harold Ridings, Edward D. Campbell, James Kinder and Michael Shoss. Three members of the Scott County Sheriff's Department -- deputy Brenda Schiwitz, deputy Roy Butler and dispatcher Christine Jolley -- have completed the 120-hour course at the Southeast Missouri State University Law Enforcement Academy...

SAMUT SAKHON, Thailand -- Poor migrant workers and children are being sold to factories in Thailand and forced to peel shrimp that ends up in global supply chains, including those of Wal-Mart and Red Lobster, the world's largest retailer and the world's largest seafood restaurant chain, an investigation found...

LYNWOOD, Calif. -- When deputies confronted a man carrying a handgun in a Los Angeles suburb, the fatal shooting that unfolded was different from other recent flashpoints in the debate over police use of force: The suspect was armed and in an area crowded with people...

WASHINGTON -- After terrorist attacks at home and abroad, more Americans than ever -- but still less than half -- support sending U.S. ground troops to fight the Islamic State, according to a new Associated Press-GfK Poll. A large majority also want a clearer explanation from President Barack Obama about his strategy to defeat the group...

WASHINGTON -- Donald Trump will be standing at center stage, but Ted Cruz will be in the spotlight at tonight's Republican presidential debate. The Texas senator is challenging Trump's lead in the kickoff Iowa caucuses, and he has the money, campaign infrastructure and conservative appeal to compete deep into the GOP primary season. Those assets make him a target for his rivals, most notably Trump and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio...

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama on Monday said the U.S.-led coalition is making progress against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, as he delivered an update on the campaign aimed at reassuring Americans worried about the spread of extremism-fuel terrorism...

BOSTON -- Bill Cosby fired back Monday at seven women suing him for defamation, accusing them of making false accusations of sexual misconduct for financial gain. In a countersuit filed in federal court, Cosby alleged the women made "malicious, opportunistic, and false and defamatory accusations" against him. Cosby is seeking monetary damages "to the maximum extent permitted by law."...

BALTIMORE -- Jurors wrestled over what "evil motive" means Monday as they deliberated the fate of the first of six officers to be tried in the death of Freddie Gray, a black man whose neck was broken in a police van, fueling the "Black Lives Matter" movement...

CHICAGO -- A county judge on Monday acquitted a Chicago police commander accused of shoving his gun down a suspect's throat, outlining what she said were flaws in the state's case and stressing it shouldn't be conflated with other recent incidents of alleged police misconduct in the city and elsewhere...

NEW YORK -- Pop star Josh Groban will be making his Broadway debut next year in a musical inspired by an unlikely writer -- novelist Leo Tolstoy. Groban will play Pierre in "Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812," a musical by Dave Malloy that dramatizes a 70-page melodrama at the center of "War and Peace."...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The state underpaid Missouri judges for two years based on a policy change that tied their salaries to their federal counterparts' pay, attorneys for some judges argued Monday to the state Supreme Court. Lawyers for the judges argued they should receive back pay and an increase in retirement benefits as a result...

CAIRO -- Egypt said Monday it has not found any sign of terrorism in the deadly Oct. 31 crash of a Russian passenger jet in the Sinai desert, a preliminary finding that conflicts with Russian, U.S. and British statements they believed a bomb on the aircraft probably was to blame...

Cape Girardeau will close one city street for private sewer repairs, and another road will be opened to traffic this week after completion of construction work. Cecilia Street between Penny and Perry avenues will be closed to traffic beginning Wednesday, city officials said...

A 14-year-old Perry County Middle School student already was in trouble when he was called into principal Mark Phillips' office Wednesday, and he made his situation much worse, Perry County authorities reported. After the teenager arrived at the office, the student became belligerent and began punching and kicking Phillips, forcing the principal to restrain the teen until the school-resource deputy arrived, said Perry County Sheriff Gary Schaaf...

The trash and recycling schedules in Cape Girardeau and Jackson will be altered the next two weeks as the cities observe the holidays. Christmas Day and New Year's Day each fall on Fridays this year. In Cape Girardeau, when the holiday falls on a Friday, Thursday's trash and recycling routes will be run Wednesday, in this case Dec. 23 and 30, respectively. The routes regularly scheduled for Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 will be run Dec. 24 and Dec. 31. All other routes will remain the same...

St. Louis found some confidence in snapping its five-game losing streak.

DEXTER, Mo. -- Despite alarming stories from media outlets, the CRE supergerm called "phantom menace" is not an imminent threat -- at least not to anyone outside of a medical facility. Amy Hector, public health program director for the Stoddard County Health Center, said CRE infections almost always are limited to health-care facilities. ...

LESTERVILLE, Mo. -- A decade after the collapse of the Taum Sauk reservoir in Southeast Missouri, the director of Missouri State Parks said the landscape is healing. A wall of water poured down Proffit Mountain on Dec. 14, 2005, when a 700-foot section of the Taum Sauk dam gave way...

WASHINGTON -- Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, held by the Taliban for five years and freed in exchange for five detainees in Guantanamo Bay, will face charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy in a general court-martial, instead of a misdemeanor-level forum, the Army announced Monday. ...

BOSTON -- A woman is fashioning furs out of roadkill and hopes to change an industry in the process. Pamela Paquin owns Petite Mort Fur, a company that makes neck muffs, leg warmers, hats, purses and more from road kill. She calls it "accidental fur." Paquin hopes to offer the fur industry an alternative to trapping and large-scale fur farms. But the industry's trade group said North American furs already are ethically and environmentally responsible...

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

Winston "J.R." Oliver Williford Jr., 18, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015, at his home. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home, with Pastors Ray Sewell and Nate Ammon officiating...

Michael Maurice Herwig, 63, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015, at his home. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the chapel of McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. The funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home, with the Revs. Shannon Skinner and Joseph Kelly co-officiating...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- August "Bud" Allers, 87, of Perryville died Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. A memorial service will be at 3 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home...

William Alton McCann, 90, of Jackson died Saturday, Dec . 12, 2015, at his home. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at McCombs Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau. A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, followed by full military honors...

Jon Mark Abernathy, 61, of Jackson died Saturday, Dec.12, 2015, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to noon Friday at Emanuel United Church of Christ in Jackson. A memorial service will be at noon Friday at the church...

DeMarcus Rontez "DMarc" Huddleston, 25, formerly of Jackson, died Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015, near his home in Murphysboro, Illinois. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the chapel of McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the funeral home, with his grandfather, the Rev. Howard McGee Jr., officiating...

Marcella L. Steinbecker Freeze, 86, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015, at Auburn Creek Assisted Living. 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 p.m. Visitation will continue from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Ralph G. Warnecke, 91, of Perryville died Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015, at the Independence Care Center in Perryville. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Miller Family Funeral Home in Perryville. Parish prayers with the Knights of Columbus will be at 6:30 p.m. Visitation will continue from 6:30 to 9:20 a.m. Saturday. The Rosary will be recited at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- David Wayne Dippold, 61, of Perryville died Friday, Dec. 11, 2015, in Benton, Illinois. Visitation will be from 3 to 6 p.m. today at Young and Sons Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 6 p.m. today at the funeral home...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls Sunday. n Medical assists were made at 12:31 a.m. on South Spanish Street; 2:39 a.m. on Washington Avenue; 4:30 a.m. on North Kingshighway; 6:53 a.m. on North Mount Auburn Road; 8:58 a.m. on South Mount Auburn Road; 10:24 a.m. on North Sprigg Street; 1:02 p.m. on North Fountain Street; 4:36 p.m. on Mechaw Drive; 7:17 p.m. on Jefferson Avenue; and 10:10 p.m. on Ford Drive...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Taylor M. Terry, 19, of Florissant, Missouri, was arrested on suspicion of stealing alcohol from Wal-Mart, 3439 William St. n Kenneth C. Jamieson, 39, of McClure, Illinois, was arrested on suspicion of stealing shoes from Nearly Perfect Shoes, 209 S. Kingshighway...

Erin Unerstall's eye- opening story on the departure of three SEMO basketball team members would have been blasphemy in the old days. A reading between the lines of the story reveals an apparent gotcha effort by Unerstall designed to generate sympathy for the players at the expense of Coach Ray for apparently not being as cooperative with the press as Unerstall would have liked. ...

O Lord Jesus, may we conduct ourselves with integrity and sincerity. Amen.

Highway 51 in Bollinger County, between the Perry County liune and Highway 72, will be reduced today as Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform drainage repairs, according to a MoDOT news release. The work will done from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m...