Stories from Sunday, December 20, 2015

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs, TV shows or movies? "Jingle Bells." I've already watched "Elf" twice on TV. Our family usually watches "A Christmas Story" on Christmas Day. What are some of your favorite holiday treats? We always do some kind of baking and make Christmas cookies...

Visitors to the grand opening of Malcolm McCrae's space in Bilderbach Art Plaza gaze at the airbrushed prints and canvases, taking in the colors and dreamily feathered textures. Beside the easels and artwork, there are stacks of blank hoodies, flatbill caps and T-shirts for custom work...

Police officers often deal with people on the worst day of their lives, Jackson Police Department K-9 officer Cody Polley said. But when the Jackson Police Department gave about $12,000 worth of toys and clothes to needy families within the Jackson School District on Friday, recipients cried tears of joy...

Bollinger County sheriff's officers have arrested Freddie Everett Johnson of Marble Hill, Missouri, on suspicion of making a terrorist threat toward an area school. Officers on Friday picked up Johnson at a Cape Girardeau hospital, where he was receiving treatment...

Thousands packed the Show Me Center to watch Southeast Missouri State University's Fall Commencement ceremony Saturday afternoon. A total of 773 students, including 162 master's and specialist students, received their degrees during the ceremony. University President Carlos Vargas-Aburto said those represented in the graduating class were students from across the nation and scores of foreign countries...

Finding a funding solution to address Missouri's deteriorating roads and bridges will be a major focus of the General Assembly during the 2016 legislative session, area lawmakers say. "I think it is the No. 1 issue," said state Rep. Donna Lichtenegger, R-Jackson. "We have bridges that are going to close down because they are not safe."...

Gracie Metzger's first deer harvest with her dad (Ty Metzger) on December 19th using a Muzzleloader 50 caliber Thompson Center impact. She said it was her best Christmas present ever!!

Mallorie Metzger's first buck harvest with her dad (Ty Metzger) during youth season!! Quality daughter & father time!!

Today in History Today is Sunday, Dec. 20, the 354th day of 2015. There are 11 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 20, 1945, the Office of Price Administration announced the end of tire rationing, effective Jan. 1, 1946. On this date:...

Rebecca Elizabeth Diane Strong and Gregory Paules Gibson were united in marriage on Oct. 3, 2015, in front of the bridge at Cape County Park South in Cape Girardeau. Mike Parry performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of P.H. "Rock" and Dawn Strong of Cape Girardeau. The groom is the son of Gregory and Chris Gibson of Jackson...

Kathleen Rose Landholt and Robert Woodard Fornkahl were united in marriage on June 12, 2015, at St. Raphael The Archangel in St. Louis. The celebrant was the Rev. Thomas Miller. The organist and music director was Mary Zubert of St. Louis. The flutist was Kate Harden of St. ...

William and Maxine Sanford of Scott City celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on Aug. 15, 2015, with a reception hosted by the couple's children. Sanford and the former Maxine Casey were married Aug. 10, 1945, in Cape Girardeau. They have three children, Barb (Larry) Spiers of St. Clair, Missouri; Steve (Brenda) Sanford of Scott City; and Becky (Jim) Dattilo of Cincinnati...

Cortney Marie Ostendorf and Jason Ray Mercer, both of St. Louis, were married Nov. 1, 2014, at Centenary United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau. Brett Cheek performed the ceremony. Soloist was Jim Simmons of Benton, Missouri, and organist was Chatty Fruwald of Cape Girardeau...

Gregory James and Deborah Louise Crawford of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Kara Ann Crawford of Cape Girardeau, to Brandon James Page of Cape Girardeau. He is the son of Brett James and Hilary Ruth Page of St. Charles, Missouri...

Penny M. and Jean Kurre of Jackson celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with a dinner hosted by R. Penny Kurre on Nov. 27 at Delmonico's Restaurant in Jackson. Kurre and the former Jean Evans were married Nov. 27, 1955, at New McKendree Methodist Church in Jackson with C.E. Yoes performing the ceremony. The only living attendant is Susan Evans Estes, sister of the bride, who was junior bridesmaid...

With all the nice weather we have been having, it almost makes one think about planting something. But the reality is the cold weather is coming. Normally this time of the year, we have highs in the 40s and lows down in the 20s or so. A year ago, we had snow and temps in the single digits. But spring is coming, and it will be gardening time...

This is a redheaded woodpecker. Its head and neck are completely covered by small red feathers. Broad white patches on the wings, along with white undersides, make this bird easy to identify in flight. Black dominates the redheaded woodpecker's upper back, upper tail and wing tips. It is sometimes confused with the red-bellied woodpecker, which only has red on the top of its head...

The Cape Girardeau Civil War Roundtable will have its annual Christmas party and will elect officers at its meeting at 1 p.m. today at Hanover Lutheran Church, 2949 Perryville Road in Cape Girardeau. The club will elect a new president, vice president, secretary/treasurer and two board members. A raffle will be held to help raise funds for the club. While Civil War-related items are preferred, anything is welcome...

Is there anything that signals the start of the holiday season more than Christmas cookies warm from the oven? Not to me there isn't. Neither the decorations hovering over Broadway and Main streets nor the sound of holiday music wafting through the mall better represents the spirit of the season, as far as I'm concerned. I agree with Rose Levy Beranbaum, who observes in her beautiful cookbook on the subject, "There is a reason the word 'cookie' follows 'Christmas' with such inevitability."...

I spend time on social media, and it seems I'm not alone. The other day, there was a Facebook post offering to tell respondents whether they were optimists or realists. On another day, a post promised to tell what color best suits your personality. "I'm 75 percent optimist, and I'm a green!"...

Sammy is 5 years old. She is declawed and housebroken. Sammy is available for adoption at the Humane Society, (573) 334-5837.

I wish each of you a very merry and meaningful Christmas as you ponder on the extraordinary gift God sent to all humanity on that first Christmas Day. May Christmas fill your heart and stay there all year long. The past few weeks have gone by so quickly, and I find myself wondering where that time went. It is hard for me to believe Christmas is here, and I still have several things I want to do to prepare for this extra-special season...

While strolling I wondered whatever happened to Lawanda Bentley. Happy birthday to Charles Turner, Thomas Hoering, Ginny Hahn, Randy Horrell, Christa Spies, David Pepple, Marilyn Mott, Eastin Harrell, Charles Parker, Richie Seyer, Mike Horman, Doni Jo Dysinger, Mike Mantel, June Asmus, James Rodgers, Darla Chapman, Tracy Whitaker, Sara Atkins, Callie Perry, Steven Reams, Rebecca Crippen, Mike Eby, Cathy Imhoff and David Kirchdoefer...

The Christmas season is here again. How's your Christmas spirit? More to the point, what is it that kindles your Christmas spirit? Music is a major factor in any Christmas season. Whether it is "Here Comes Santa Claus," "White Christmas" or "Rudolph," it begins to dominate your psyche. The music that really closes the deal includes "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," "Away in a Manger," "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and, of course, the classic, "Hallelujah Chorus."...

The Town and Country FCE Club held its Christmas dinner and party on Dec. 10 at the home of Alene Hamilton. Members brought side dishes for the meal. Darlene McCain, president, presided over a brief business meeting. All members were present and there was one guest, Ella Mae Kuntze. Alene Hamilton gave the devotion, "A Recipe for Christmas Joy." Pennies for "Coins for Friendship" were collected...

"In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:1-5, NAB)...

Thank you, O Lord Jesus, for providing for all our needs. Amen.

Few people pay much attention to local government structure and why it matters. People are rather content to pay their bills, and trust their local officials are doing what they are trusted to do. And usually those whom we elect do just that. Typically those who run for local office are upstanding people who want to help their communities run efficiently and thrive...

JACKSON The Jackson Fire Department responded to the following calls: Thursday: n Medical assists on South Bellevue Street and East Adams Street. Friday: n A medical assist on Brandon Street. n A motor vehicle accident with injuries on South Hope Street...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls on Thursday. n Medical assists at 3:20 a.m. on North Kingshighway; 8:51 a.m. on Aspen Drive; 9:13 a.m. on Emily Court; 11:56 a.m. on North Sprigg Street; 12:49 p.m. on William Street; 6:58 p.m. on Whitener Street; 8:50 p.m. on East Rodney Drive; and 10:32 p.m. on North Sprigg Street...

Eighteen members of an Army Reserve medical detachment in Cape Girardeau are among 400 reservists from four Missouri medical units who have been called to active duty in support of Operation Desert Shield; the 18 members are from Detachment 2 of the 21st General Hospital, based at the Army Reserve Center here...

VERSAILLES, Mo. -- A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper was charged Friday with involuntary manslaughter in the drowning death of an Iowa man who fell from a patrol boat while he was handcuffed at the Lake of the Ozarks. Special prosecutor William Camm announced the charge Friday against trooper Anthony Piercy in the May 31, 2014, death of Brandon Ellingson, 20, of suburban Des Moines. Piercy, 44, was placed on leave without pay, the patrol said in a statement Friday...

GALENA, Kan. -- The FBI will pay for damage to a southeast Kansas home where authorities unsuccessfully sought a fugitive, according to the Cherokee County sheriff. Sheriff David Groves told The Joplin Globe the home was damaged when agents with the FBI and local agencies served a search warrant in the evening of Dec. 14 looking for a man being sought on a warrant from Missouri. Groves said authorities believed the suspect was in the home...

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis aldermen Friday agreed to spend $150 million to help finance a new riverfront football stadium as part of the effort to keep the Rams from moving. Aldermen voted 17-10 to approve the measure. "Won by a touchdown," said Alderman Jack Coatar, a sponsor of the bill...

CAMPBELL, Mo. -- Two people died in a highway crash on Highway 53 five miles north of Campbell at 1:30 a.m. Saturday. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported the accident happened when a vehicle driven by Cory Thompson, 26, of Campbell crossed the center line and hit a pickup driven by Jimmy Harrison, 52, of Lake Wappapello, Missouri. ...

Southbound Interstate 55 in Scott County will be reduced to one lane as Missouri Department of Transportation crews make repairs to the Interstate 57 overpass bridge at Exit 66, according to a MoDOT news release. The work will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily Monday and Tuesday...

WASHINGTON -- It can be hard to see where Donald Trump the business ends and Donald Trump the presidential candidate begins. When Trump is confronted by political rivals, the Republican front-runner's company attorney threatens lawsuits on corporate letterhead...

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- The girlfriend of one of the 14 people killed in the Dec. 2 shooting in San Bernardino said President Barack Obama immediately asked her for a hug when he came to talk with her. Obama and his wife, Michelle, met Friday night with members of each of the 14 families in the library of Indian Springs High School before heading to Hawaii for their annual holiday getaway. ...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- In Alabama, a Presbyterian church wanted to hire its own police for protection. Mosque leaders around the country are meeting with law-enforcement officials as an anti-Muslim furor fuels arson attacks and vandalism. And the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been holding specialized training for congregations for "all hazards, including active shooter incidents."...

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The allegations read like a movie plot: a lottery industry insider installs an undetectable software program in the computers that pick winning numbers so he can know them in advance. He enlists accomplices to play those numbers and collect the jackpots. And they enrich themselves for years until a misstep unravels their high-tech scheme...

ABOARD THE USS KEARSARGE -- The American airstrike that may have killed up to 10 Iraqi soldiers Friday seems to be "a mistake that involved both sides," U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Saturday. Iraq pledged to punish those responsible. Speaking during a visit to the USS Kearsarge in the Persian Gulf, Carter said the incident near the western Iraqi city of Fallujah was "regrettable." He called Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to express condolences...

VATICAN CITY -- Mother Teresa, the tiny, stooped nun who cared for the poorest of the poor in the slums of India and beyond, will be declared a saint next year after Pope Francis approved a miracle attributed to her intercession. The Vatican on Friday set no date for the canonization, but it is widely believed it will take place in the first week of September to coincide with the 19th anniversary of Mother Teresa's death and during Francis' Holy Year of Mercy...

LOS ANGELES -- The San Bernardino attack that left 14 people dead represented a type of extremist plot law enforcement authorities consider difficult to detect: a conspiracy between close family members. While investigators are trying to piece together the details of the plot, husband and wife Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik appear to have dropped few clues to what they were planning...

WASHINGTON -- Congress ended its year on a surprising note of bipartisan unity and productivity Friday, approving a massive 2016 tax-and-spending package and sending it to President Barack Obama, who promptly signed it. Obama welcomed the legislation, a rare compromise of a divided government. It includes something for nearly everyone, from parents and teachers to Big Oil and small business, from 9/11 first responders to cybersecurity hawks and more...

MADISON, Wis. -- Gunfire erupted Saturday inside a large Wisconsin shopping mall on one of the busiest shopping days before Christmas, leaving a man wounded in the leg, police said. The East Towne Mall in Madison was shut down after the shooting broke out just before 3 p.m. Saturday...

VERONA, Va. -- With the nation on edge after the attacks in California, a teacher's lesson on Islam in Virginia's Bible Belt sparked an angry meeting of parents that mushroomed into a national denunciation of the educator in the form of thousands of angry emails and social media postings...

MONTPELIER, Vt. -- For now, the El Nino-driven mild weather is a boon to some wildlife, which are able to forage for more food and are using less energy surviving, experts say. But for some species -- such as snowshoe hares, whose white fur makes them conspicuous to predators --the lack of snow isn't good news...

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Bernie Sanders apologized to Hillary Clinton and his supporters Saturday night for a breach of her campaign's valuable voter data, seeking to put the controversy to rest in a debate that quickly moved to national security concerns and Americans' heightened fear of terrorism...

BENTON, Mo. -- Dorothy Dean Welker-Walker, 84, of Benton passed away Friday, Dec. 18, 2015, at her home. She was born Aug. 15, 1931, in Patton, Missouri, to Marvin J. and Lillie Pulliam Kirkpatrick. She first married Darrell Welker. They had one daughter. She later married Charles Walker...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Ray Robert Steger, 65, of Marble Hill passed away Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Dec. 10, 1950, near Glenallen, Missouri, son of Ezra B. and Edith Pauline Parker Steger. He and Marsha Houston were united in marriage May 26, 1974...

Melody Lynn Morton, 55, of Jackson passed away Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, after a courageous battle with cancer. She was born Feb. 25, 1960, in Indianapolis, the daughter of Nathan L. and Doradeane Smith Jackson. She and Gregory A. Morton were married May 19, 1979...

Fern Janet Lewis, 88, of Jackson died Friday, Dec. 18, 2015, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born July 5, 1927, in Lidgerwood, North Dakota, to Emil and Hertha Wall Schuschke. She and Taylor Warpole were married March 2, 1963, in Las Vegas; he passed away March 13, 2006. On March 3, 2007, she married Ed Lewis at Cape Girardeau...

BEIJING -- The United States said its two B-52 bombers had no intention of flying over a Chinese-controlled man-made island in the South China Sea, after Beijing accused Washington of "a serious military provocation" in the strategic waters with overlapping claims...

Robert Louis Johnson, 75, of Jackson died Friday, Dec. 18, 2015, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Ford and Sons Funeral Home-Jackson. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home, with the Revs. Lucas Clabough and Jack Leslie officiating. Burial will be at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Vivian Evelyn Henderson, 97, of Cairo died Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015, at Daystar Nursing and Rehab. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to noon Wednesday at Crain Funeral Home in Cairo. The funeral will be at noon Wednesday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Larry Potts officiating. Interment will be at Green Lawn Memorial Gardens...

BENTON, Mo. -- Ricky Lee Harper, 53, of Benton died Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015, at his home, after losing his battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He was born April 25, 1962, in Wyatt, Missouri, to Leland Fletcher and Willadean Hester Templeton Harper. He married Sheila Rose Essner on Aug. 8, 1992...

PIEDMONT, Mo. -- Bonnie J. Grah, 68, of Piedmont died Friday, Dec. 18, 2015, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. She was born Dec. 10, 1947, in Chicago to Allen and Cleo Nance Held. She and Steve Grah were married Sept. 24, 1966, in Chicago. He preceded her in death Sept. 8, 2011...

Lisa Anne Dazey, 56, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Dec. 18, 2015, at her home. Memorial services will be private. Crain Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Kathleen Davis, 92, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Jonesboro, Illinois, died at 2:15 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015, at The Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 20, 1923, in Anna, Illinois, the daughter of Thomas Sr. and Anna Hale Aldridge. She married Earl C. Hoss; he preceded her in death Feb. 6, 1958. Later she married Quentin L. Davis on Aug. 8, 1959, in Anna. He preceded her in death Oct. 17, 2009...

ST. LOUIS -- Bonnie Sue Rowe Corbin, 79, daughter of the late Frank and Leafy Rowe, passed away suddenly Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015, in St. Louis. She was born April 16, 1936, in Arab, Missouri. She and the late Donald Dean Corbin were married for 58 amazing years...

Ella Mae Cook, 91, of Burfordville passed away Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015, at The Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. One of nine children, Ella Mae was born May 10, 1924, in Burfordville to Sylvanis "Odney" and Iva C. Craig Hutson. She and Raymond H. Cook were married March 14, 1946, at County Line Baptist Church. They had been married 61 years when Raymond passed away April 16, 2007...

Evelyn Marie Barker, 89, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Dec. 18, 2015, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born July 17, 1926, in Cape Girardeau to Clarence L. and Neomi Bess Hinkle. She and Dwight H. Barker were married Aug. 1, 1959, at Cape Girardeau...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- John Mark Baker, 62, of Marble Hill, formerly of Jackson, died Friday, Dec. 18, 2015, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. A memorial service will be announced at a later date. The family appreciates memorial contributions to help with final expenses. Please make checks payable to McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center...

BARNAUL, Russia -- Tired of dog-eat-dog politics, residents of Barnaul say they want a cat to be their next mayor. The city of 650,000 people is to get a new mayor this week when a commission of the city council and a regional governor choose from among six candidates. But an informal online poll asking residents to express their preferences among the six and a Siamese cat named Barsik showed the feline nabbing more than 90 percent of the vote...

Perryville, Missouri, officers reportedly were arresting a man Thursday when the suspect ended up with a felony charge after punching one of the officers. Jason Eauing Gifford, 31, of Perryville was arrested about 12:20 a.m. Thursday at Shelby and Chloe streets in Perryville on suspicion of domestic assault...

Christopher Chance Brooks reportedly confessed to police about stealing several electronic items Dec. 15 from his girlfriend's house. Brooks, 20, of Cape Girardeau said he was given a key to the house by his girlfriend. He entered a back bedroom at a house in the 1800 block of Westwood Drive and took a Samsung tablet and an Xbox 360, Cape Girardeau police officer Cody Farrow wrote in a probable-cause statement...

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. -- Troymaine Pope ran for 181 yards and two touchdowns to punch Jacksonville State's ticket to the FCS Championship game, leading the top-ranked Gamecocks in a 62-10 drubbing of Sam Houston State on Saturday afternoon in front of a record 23,692 fans at Burgess-Snow Field...

Daughter to Tyler Charles and Sarah Nicole Blackwell of Jackson, Southeast Hospital, 1:49 a.m. Friday, Nov. 13, 2015. Name, Adalyn Grace. Weight, 8 pounds, 6 ounces. First child. Mrs. Blackwell is the former Sarah Lange, daughter of David and Lanell Lange of Randles. She is a teacher's aide at Clippard Elementary School. Blackwell is the son of John and Cathy Blackwell of Cape Girardeau. He is a foreman with J.R. Welch Waterproofing and Concrete...