Stories from Thursday, January 21, 2016

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- After most of the Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team's wins this season, members of the team have attributed their success to playing hard and playing tough. Coach Rekha Patterson didn't discount that her team had both on Wednesday night when it squared off with SIU Edwardsville in a matchup between the teams atop the Ohio Valley Conference standings...

The 16 members of the 2015 All-Southeast Missourian Football Team.

It's funny how thin the line between greatness and everything else below it is. It is a sheer cliff -- stand at the top and look down, and everyone else is far below, but a slight breeze and everyone is on level ground. The breeze has not budged Al Young, but the initial climb almost never happened...

January marks National Mentoring Month and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri (BBBSEMO) used this annual campaign as its backdrop for a special celebration. The agency presented a portion of its annual awards at an event Jan. 20, at the St. Louis Club, at which time Ashley Beggs Seiler, Executive Director of the Cape Girardeau office of Big Brothers Big Sisters, was presented with the Big Staff of the Year Award...

The Guardian Angel Varsity Redwings were seeded 2nd in the South at the Notre Dame Regional High School Junior High Tournament in Cape Girardeau over the weekends of January 9 & 10 and 16 & 17. The boys played some tough games and finished with a 4th place overall in the tournament. In addition, Kameron Dohogne was placed on the All Tournament Team. Congratulations on some well-played games!...

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- A judge declared a mistrial last week in a quadruple-murder case because not enough jurors could be found with neutral views of the death penalty. The court was to hear the case of a Doniphan, Missouri, man charged in connection in the 2010 deaths of two elderly couples whose bodies were found in their burned homes...

Rhodes scholar, author and Army combat veteran Wes Moore told a crowd of more than a 1,000 people at the Show Me Center on Wednesday night "we are not products of our environment. We are products of our expectations." Moore, who grew up poor in Baltimore, was the featured speaker at the 11th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration dinner, which centered on the theme of "Living Life Beyond Expectations."...

Scott County sheriff's deputies on Wednesday recovered the body of a Scott City man who disappeared Tuesday afternoon during a duck-hunting excursion. The body of Zack Johnston, 23, was found about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter said Johnston was found underwater in a standing position, wearing waders, near a pavilion off Scott County Road 303. Walter did not speculate on a time or cause of death...

Today in History Today is Thursday, Jan. 21, the 21st day of 2016. There are 345 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Jan. 21, 1976, British Airways and Air France inaugurated scheduled passenger service on the supersonic Concorde jet...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon made another push Wednesday night to tighten Missouri's ethics laws, delivering his final State of the State speech to a Republican-led Legislature under heightened scrutiny after scandals prompted the resignations of two lawmakers...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Federal prosecutors discovered a Springfield woman indicted this week on suspicion of embezzling more than $288,000 from disabled veterans' benefits had died four days earlier. A federal grand jury returned the indictment Tuesday against Beverly Sue Wright. Shortly after the charges were announced, prosecutors were told Wright died Friday...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Two men from Joplin, Missouri, have pleaded guilty to participating in a scheme that sold cooking oil stolen from restaurants in five states. Neal Robbins pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to money laundering. Another man, Virgil Bird, pleaded guilty to the same charge Jan. 14...

Cape Girardeau County Commission 1 Barton Square, Jackson 9 a.m. today Approval of minutes n Minutes of the Jan. 14 meeting Communications/reports -- other elected officials n None at this time Public comments n Items listed on the agenda Routine business...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Thefts n Theft was reported in the 2800 block of South Old Orchard Road. n Theft was reported in the 700 block of North West Lane. Property damage n Property damage was reported in the 1300 block of Highland Drive...

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls Tuesday: n Medical assists were made at 10:06 a.m. on Broadway; 2:37 p.m. on South Pacific Street; 4:06 p.m. on Magnolia Avenue; 6:23 p.m. on Independence Street; and 8:55 p.m. on South West End Boulevard...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Nakema D. Ivy, 20, 540 S. Hanover St., was arrested at 1702 N. Main St. on a Cape Girardeau County warrant for failure to appear for a traffic offense...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Rose Marie Detloff Shumpert, 66, of Marble Hill passed away Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Born on Aug. 26, 1949, in St. Cloud, Minnesota, she was the daughter of John P. and Beata Schmitz Detloff...

Dolores Rasche, 82, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Jan.19, 2016, at Southeast Hospital. There will be a graveside service at 2 p.m. Friday at Zion United Methodist Church Cemetery in Gordonville. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements...

WILDWOOD, Mo. -- Christopher Parsons, 22, of Wildwood passed away Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. He was born March 24, 1993, in St. Louis. Christopher was the beloved son of Dr. Michael and Kristi Parsons; loving brother of Ashley (James) Guilford, Taylor and Connor Parsons; dear grandson of Glenda Hayden and the late LeRoy Parsons and Dallas (Judy) DeVries and the late Maylo Zakariasen; and loving nephew, cousin and friend to many...

BENTON, Mo. -- Alford J. Northern, 64, of Benton died Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, at his home. He was born Jan. 15, 1952, in Sikeston, Missouri, to Roy and Nora Moss Northern. He and Elaine Langston Northern were married Aug. 12, 1988, at Sikeston. He was an active volunteer and member of Unity Baptist Church in Benton. He served his country in the U.S. Army. He was a volunteer fireman at Miner, Missouri, and also had been a sheet-metal worker...

KELSO, Mo. -- Catherine "Cathy" Lucille Moran, 57, of Kelso died Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born July 31, 1958, in Cape Girardeau to the late Albert and Edna Job Schabbing. She married David Moran on July 11, 1981. He preceded her in death Oct. 10, 2012...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Beatrice Y. Prevallet Modde, 87, of Perryville died Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016, peacefully at her home surrounded by family. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday and from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Young and Sons Funeral Home...

Paul Lanius "Butch" Ebaugh III, 71, of Cape Girardeau, passed away early Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, at his home. He was born Aug. 2, 1944, in Riverside, California, son of the late Paul and Gayle Ebaugh. Paul married Jeanne Ebaugh on Dec. 4, 1971, in Parma, Missouri...

Kenneth R. Brown, 84, of Jackson passed away Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. One of five children, Kenneth was born Oct. 14, 1931, in Jackson to George R. and Rosebud Shaner Brown. Rosebud passed away a few weeks after Kenneth's birth, and his paternal aunt, Betty Brown, raised him on the family farm northwest of Jackson in the Brookside Community...

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks slumped Wednesday as the price of oil suffered its worst one-day drop since September, and the Standard & Poor's 500 index fell to its lowest level in almost two years. Investors are worried low oil prices mean there's not that much demand for fuel. ...

CHICAGO -- Backed by Gov. Bruce Rauner, top Illinois Republicans called Wednesday for a state takeover of the financially troubled Chicago Public Schools, which faces a nearly $1 billion budget deficit that could lead to thousands of teacher layoffs and a possible strike in a matter of months...

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- A World War II veteran will travel to Australia to reunite with his wartime girlfriend after more than 70 years apart. Norwood Thomas, 93, of Virginia Beach will travel to Adelaide, Australia, next month to reunite with 88-year-old Joyce Morris, The Virginian-Pilot reported...

WASHINGTON -- First lady Michelle Obama and congressional Republicans may be headed toward a truce on meals served to the nation's schoolchildren, but at least one GOP presidential candidate is signaling the political battle isn't over. A bipartisan Senate agreement would revise healthier meal standards put into place over the last few years to give schools more flexibility, easing requirements on whole grains and delaying an upcoming deadline to cut sodium levels on the lunch line...

When it comes to taking mission trips, Parker Lipke is unequivocal: This is what God wants him to do. Lipke, 13, is an eighth-grader at Jackson Junior High School and has traveled twice to Swaziland, a country of a little more than a million people in southern Africa. And if Lipke had his way, he'd be on the next plane back -- yesterday...

DES MOINES, Iowa -- If the Republican Party is on the verge of an implosion, Sarah Palin may have been the one who lit the fuse. Palin's complicated relationship with GOP leaders over the past eight years is a microcosm of the party's broader struggles with its most restive members. What started with an embrace by party leaders evolved into wary tolerance, followed by a potentially irreparable split...

CHARSADDA, Pakistan -- Once again, Islamic militants stormed a school in northeastern Pakistan in a deadly attack that lasted for hours. And again, the blood of students and teachers stained classrooms and hallways, raising questions about whether security forces can protect the country's educational institutions from extremists...

WASHINGTON -- Last year wasn't just the Earth's hottest year on record -- it left a century of high-temperature marks in the dust. The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration and NASA announced Wednesday that 2015 was by far the hottest year in 136 years of recordkeeping...

KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii -- A massive search for 12 Marines who were aboard two helicopters that crashed off Hawaii has been suspended, after the five-day effort failed to locate any sign of them. Officials said at a news conference late Tuesday the search was being suspended and the Marine Corps would transition to "recovery and salvage" efforts...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Republicans' decade-long effort to add an ID requirement for voters won initial approval Wednesday in the Missouri House of Representatives. In a voice vote, lawmakers finalized the language of a bill and a constitutional amendment aimed at requiring a photo ID to vote. ...

Earl G. Lewis Jr., former Vietnam pilot and prisoner of war, applauds the U.S. for fighting in the Persian Gulf the way he believes the Vietnam War should have been fought; Lewis, formerly of Cape Girardeau, was held captive by the North Vietnamese for 5 1/2 years; he retired from the Navy in 1985 and now lives in San Diego...

DETROIT -- Brian Elliott stopped 29 shots in the St. Louis Blues' latest win, though he didn't face many great chances. Elliott came within less than 2 1/2 minutes of handing Detroit its first shutout in 69 games, Dmitri Jaskin scored a key third-period goal, and the Blues beat the Red Wings 2-1 Wednesday night...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Georgia beat Missouri for the second time in two weeks, but it certainly wasn't deja vu on Wednesday night as the Bulldogs struggled to hold off the Tigers 60-57. The Bulldogs handled Missouri 77-59 in Athens, Georgia, on Jan. 6, giving the Tigers their first Southeastern Conference loss of the season...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. — For the first time, voters in Bollinger County will be able to cast their ballots in the March 15 presidential primary election on the county’s new voting equipment.

BALTIMORE -- A judge has rejected prosecutors' request to force a Baltimore police officer to testify against three of his colleagues facing charges in connection with Freddie Gray's death. Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams on Wednesday denied the state's motion. ...

IRBIL, Iraq -- The oldest Christian monastery in Iraq has been reduced to a field of rubble, another victim of the Islamic State group's destruction of ancient cultural sites. For 1,400 years, the compound survived assaults by nature and man, standing as a place of worship recently for U.S. troops...

n 4 cups of snow n 1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk n 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract n Thermometer n 1 Hefty slider gallon storage bag n STEP 1: Place the snow into the Hefty slider gallon storage bag. Using the thermometer, determine the temperature of the snow. Is the snow a solid or a liquid, and why? Describe the snow by using its observable properties...

The third annual Fancy That! Formal Dress Sale will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 30 in the third-floor lobby at the Southeast Missouri State University Center, 1 University Plaza in Cape Girardeau. Every year, gently used formal dresses are donated by members of the community to be resold at a reduced price to give young women in the area affordable options when it comes to going to prom or other formal events. ...

HAYWARD, Calif. -- An emaciated baby northern fur seal is recovering after it was found in bushes at a business park. Police said the dehydrated and malnourished seal was found after someone called about the pup about 6 a.m. Wednesday. Police said the seal got out of the water, crossed Interstate 880 and found its way to the bushes. Police at first thought the caller was mistaken and the furry creature was a "possum or a weird cat."...

WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. -- Shirley Stroder Young of Webster Groves died Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. Graveside rites will be at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Cape County Memorial Park on Saturday Bopp Chapel in Kirkwood, Missouri, is in charge of arrangements...

According to the American Welding Society, there will be a national need for 240,000 additional welders between 2009 and 2019, with an additional 100,000 projected to be needed by 2024. Without skilled labor, society breaks down. Without welders, buildings and infrastructure do not get built. Without commercial drivers, goods cannot be shipped...

In December, the VA issued a press release which was a notification of a serious medical threat to personnel stationed at Camp Lejeune from 1953 to 1987. From 1953 to 1987 water sources at Marine Camp Lejeune were polluted with and exposed Marines and dependents to hazardous chemicals from leaking storage tanks. ...

Father God, comfort those in distress, filling their hearts and minds with peace. Amen.

I thought about opening this with a funny lead-in. You know, a witty remark or two that might lighten the mood. Ease right on into it, some might say. But this is a Band-Aid over the sore situation. You have to grit your teeth and rip it right off. I came across a story that had Sikeston, Missouri, in the headline while browsing through my various social media news feeds Sunday night. ...

All scores were reported to the Southeast Missourian on Wednesday.

Daughter to Mark Alan and Sarah Elizabeth Campbell of Patton, Missouri, Saint Francis Medical Center, 1:35 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016. Name, Macy Addison. Weight, 7 pounds, 3 ounces. First child. Mrs. Campbell is the former, Sarah Cutrell, daughter of John and Lori Cutrell of Patton. Campbell is the son of Norma Jean Sitzes of St. Louis. He is employed by Gilster-Mary Lee of Perryville, Missouri...