Stories from February 2016

If you had told Notre Dame girls basketball coach Renee Peters that her team would start slow, be in a two-point ballgame in the second half and not get a single point from offensive talisman Sam Brennan after halftime, she wouldn't have believed her team would come out on the right side of the result. But the Bulldogs found a way...

Cape has a new cafe and lounge! 5th & 73rd Cafe and Lounge is now open for business. CEO's Briona Adams and David Simmons began working on this project in October of 2015 and with new renovations and an eager staff they are ready to serve the community. Located at 334 N. Frederick St. in Cape Girardeau, the cafe is in the perfect location directly next door to the post office at N. Frederick St. and Bellevue near the SEMO Main Campus...

Americans have been paying less at the pump recently. AAA estimates decreasing gas prices saved Americans more than $115 billion in 2015, which works out to more than $550 per licensed driver. Gas prices now are even lower. In January, crude oil prices dropped to their lowest level since 2003, according to The Associated Press. Earlier this month, AAA reported the national average gas price per gallon dipped below $2 for the first time since 2009...

Perry County School District 32 will have a new superintendent June 30. Andrew Comstock, superintendent of the Meadow Heights R-II district in Patton, Missouri, recently accepted the job. He will replace Scott Ireland, who announced his resignation from District 32 in October. Ireland is filling out the remainder of the time specified in his three-year employment contract...

The Cape Girardeau City Council will take its show on the road tonight, holding its regular meeting at the Red Star Baptist Church Activity Center. It's rare for the council to meet outside city hall. Mayor Harry Rediger said he can't recall such a move in the six years he has served as mayor...

Cape Girardeau officials think racial-bias training is a good idea, but they do not think the juvenile court system in Cape Girardeau County is biased. "You deal with the cases in front of you based on facts and circumstances, and I'm color blind to everything else," Juvenile Court Judge Scott Lipke said...

Four years ago, Rosetta Whitten saw an empty space, and she filled it with art. "I thought it would be fun to do a children's art studio," said Whitten, who owned a children's studio in Sikeston, Missouri, when her children were young. "I saw where across the country, places were doing art activities, birthday parties, paint parties, and I thought that would be a dandy business to get into."...

Today is Monday, Feb. 1, the 32nd day of 2016. There are 334 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 1, 1960, four black college students began a sit-in protest at a Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, where they'd been refused service...

Another holiday season has passed, and with it the marathon cooking and baking sessions. The hours spent using every kitchen appliance and inch of counter space had a potential benefit more lasting than a good meal: When we really use our kitchens, we discover what does and doesn't work in this very important room...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Your heart might be older than you are. A new government report suggests age is just a number -- and perhaps not a very telling one when it comes to your risk of heart attack or stroke. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report takes a new approach to try to spur more Americans to take steps to prevent cardiovascular disease. ...

You may have already received your new credit or debit card equipped with a microchip. If you haven't received your new chip card, you most likely will by the time your card expires. The EMV chip technology is intended to help reduce debit and credit card fraud, and thanks to a collaboration between America's payment networks and card-issuers, you'll see many more merchants using EMV-equipped card readers in the coming months...

In a day and age when mass-production has all but done away with the quality handmade items of the past, one group is determined to preserve the notion that something made by hand will always hold more value than something factory-made. The River Valley Carvers Club of Cape Girardeau was started in 1993 by a group of individuals who wanted to form a community of people with a shared interest in the traditional art of woodcarving...

To celebrate July 4, 2015, the American Legion Post No. 63 held a barbecue, and Catherine Allison was there. She was struck by the realization that some World War II veterans were in attendance, and got to talking to them about their experiences in the war. She thought these stories were important and joined with Dr. Frank Nickell and Shirley Young to begin collecting and preserving these stories for any who are interested...

For many active older adults, going to a casino can be a fun way to meet people or spend time with friends, and provide a recreational outlet. Whether sticking close to home or flying away, there are many options when planning a gambling junket. There are 13 casinos in Missouri, according to the Missouri Gaming Commission, one of which is right here in Cape Girardeau. For a complete listing, visit www.mgc.dps.mo.gov...

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Teach your dog or cat a few tricks, and your golden years will be better for it. The movement to improve care for older pets has been going on for some time. But the idea of training pets to help out aging baby boomers is relatively new...

If you read my book reviews regularly, you know it's rare for me to read nonfiction, but while looking for a good audiobook to listen to for a recent trip, I picked up David McCullough's "The Wright Brothers," read by McCullough himself. It quickly becomes obvious that McCullough sorted through an enormous amount of research to write a very readable account of the lives of two remarkable brothers...

Eleven years ago, Jennifer Icaza-Gast proposed bringing in small toys as an extra credit opportunity for her students at Southeast Missouri State University. After an overwhelming response from them, she decided to found the toy-giving charitable organization called Student Santas...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Sometimes family comes first. That's the priority Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., set before becoming House speaker in the fall; he warned he's going to spend weekends with his wife and three children, not political fundraisers...

Money is one of the things that couples fight about the most. We talked to Cheryl Mothes, financial adviser at Edward Jones in Jackson, and JP Thompson, founding partner of Thompson Financial Advisors in Cape Girardeau, who offered tips on how to live in fiscal harmony...

Personal trainers are in high demand, and not just for those who are rich and famous or in poor shape. These professionals use their expertise to help a wide range of people at a variety of fitness levels reach their goals. Connecting with the right trainer is paramount to success, and Cape Girardeau and Jackson have knowledgeable trainers to help people succeed...

How bad is soda for the body? What about diet soda? This subject has been researched for years. For the answers, people look to dentists, dietitians and personal trainers. Their expertise provides facts that people need to make wise, healthy decisions...

One of the questions that has been popping up recently, especially with my spring and summer brides, is how to "strobe" their faces and whether it's better to do that over contouring. What exactly is strobing? Without going into great detail, it is a technique that has been around much longer than it has been popular. ...

This year is sure to be hopeful and full of promise, just like every new year should be. My theme this year is "Resolve or Dissolve." What in your life deserves or demands a resolution? Or, what in your life needs to be let go of permanently? This can apply to any aspect of your life, including your wardrobe. Fix what you want to fix and enjoy it. Lose what no longer serves you or brings you interest...

Renee Roark-Gordon has owned and operated Flesh Hound Tattoo Studio in Cape Girardeau for the past 14 years. In those years, she has met an eclectic array of customers, many of whom she has since befriended. "I really enjoy the multifaceted people that come from all different walks of life. I have met some of the most interesting people in this shop," she says...

The sign at Mississippi Mutts in downtown Cape Girardeau reads, "All you need is love and a dog." Animal-loving customers of the store can surely relate, but the saying may be especially true for the clients of a local drug and alcohol recovery facility, who visit the store weekly to interact with adoptable animals from the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri...

The ninth annual Southeast Missouri State University Walk for Women will begin at 9 a.m. on April 16 at Houck Field House in Cape Girardeau. The purpose of the event, sponsored by SoutheastHEALTH, is to bring attention to the diverse and successful group of women involved in the university's women's athletic programs...

As we spend time indoors, it's easy to wish your indoor space had some of the open, airy feeling of the outdoors. It is possible to make a room feel larger than it really is: Choosing the right colors and finishes and arranging furniture properly can create the illusion of space...

Most people reach for prepared salad dressings because on busy weeknights they just can't handle the thought of whipping up yet something else. After cooking a main course and some sides and tossing together a salad, who has the time and energy to make a dressing?...

After the heavy rains and terrible flooding in recent weeks, it occurred to me that we had no disaster plan in place for our family pets. While it was fresh in my mind, I decided to design an emergency disaster plan that would allow our pets to be safe and cared for if we ever have to leave our home because of an emergency...

Getting professional pictures taken of newborns has always been popular. Now, more and more moms-to-be are opting to have maternity photos taken as well. Elaine Rohde Pobst, owner of Elaine Rohde Photography in Jackson, has been taking maternity photos for moms-to-be for about five years but notices it's a growing trend...

When you have a new baby, there are many things to worry about -- one of them being which car seat to buy. Should you get a front-facing or rear-facing one? Is there one manufacturer that's better than another? And how do you make sure the seat is installed correctly so it will protect your baby in case of an accident?...

If you have read many of my columns, you know I am given to introspection. I'm always looking for deeper meaning, wondering how to make things better and trying to make sure I am appreciating the little things. I am also a planner, a worrier and a prayer (there's a paradox for you). ...

Exhausting. Frustrating. Overwhelming. These may be just a few words that describe the stress you feel as a parent when your children argue and fight with each other over the smallest, seemingly insignificant things. Sibling rivalry is perhaps one of the biggest frustrations you and other parents feel in your role as a parent. ...

I would like to compliment and thank the Cape Girardeau County Highway Department for the excellent job they do year round, especially during the recent snow storm. Our county road was cleared hours before the state highways. Why doesn't any politician ever mention the fact that interest rates are so low that seniors are having to dip in savings every month to pay their utilities? Interest rate went up 0.25, and my bank offered me 0.04 less than last January to renew my IRA this January. ...

O God, may we be completely humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love. Amen.

Patrons looking for Broussard's Cajun Cuisine at 120 N. Main St. will be surprised when they realize it is not there. They need not be alarmed, however. The 30-year-old Cape Girardeau restaurant has not gone out of business, but it has relocated. Those who have fallen in love with the community staple need only go down the street to 114 N. Main St., and there it will be...

O God, may we be completely humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love. Amen.

I would like to compliment and thank the Cape Girardeau County Highway Department for the excellent job they do year round, especially during the recent snow storm. Our county road was cleared hours before the state highways. Why doesn't any politician ever mention the fact that interest rates are so low that seniors are having to dip in savings every month to pay their utilities? Interest rate went up 0.25, and my bank offered me 0.04 less than last January to renew my IRA this January. ...

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis authorities are investigating the death of a man who apparently fell from the 16th floor at a downtown hotel. St. Louis Fire Department spokesman Gregg Favre told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch the man fell from the 16th floor at the Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel early Sunday...

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to relocate and double the space of its Cape Girardeau operation. The company will expand from the current 84,100-square-foot store at 210 S. Silver Springs Road to a 168,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter in Cape West Business Park, off Route K...

ATLANTA -- Doris Payne exudes a seemingly effortless elegance, her white hair neatly smoothed back and gold hoops dangling from her ears. She speaks calmly and deliberately, inspiring the kind of trust that would ease any jewelry store employee eager to make a high-dollar sale...

PHILADELPHIA -- Bill Cosby's attraction to Andrea Constand began the moment he spied her across a Temple University gym in about 2002. The flirting -- some would say grooming -- began almost immediately. When Constand, a Temple women's basketball staffer, mentioned her back was bothering her, the 66-year-old comedian offered his "layman's" fix in the women's locker room...

LOS ANGELES -- "Kung Fu Panda 3" kicked its way to the top of the North American box office with a respectable $41 million, according to Rentrak estimates Sunday. The DreamWorks Animation film cost a reported $145 million to make and earned a strong "A" CinemaScore from audiences...

BURNS, Ore. -- About a dozen people paid their respects Sunday afternoon at a makeshift memorial that has sprung up where rancher Robert "LaVoy" Finicum was shot and killed by police last week on U.S. 395 north of Burns. The mourners wiped tears, prayed and laid a copy of the U.S. Constitution on a large wooden cross that has been planted at the site...

BURBANK, Calif. -- Rain didn't dampen the spirits or performances of the cast and crew behind Fox's "Grease: Live." The ambitious three-hour production, broadcast live from 14 sets at Warner Bros. Studios, worked the Southern California drizzle into the show Sunday, incorporating umbrellas into outdoor dance numbers and even an ironic line into the script: "Let's just hope it doesn't rain."...

Brenda Sue Martin, 55, of Jackson died Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. She was born March 29, 1960, in Sikeston, Missouri, to Alfred H. and Helen V. Presson Martin. She graduated from Kelly High School. Brenda was a bookkeeper for Tri-State Water Power & Air in Cape Girardeau. She was a loving mother and grandmother...

Cape Girardeau County Commission 1 Barton Square, Jackson 9 a.m. today Approval of minutes n Minutes of the Jan. 28 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 agenda Red Star Baptist Church Activity Center, 1316 N. Main St. Study Session, 5 p.m. today Items for discussion n Neighborhood Development Initiative presentation No action will be taken during the study session Regular session, 7 p.m...

ST. LOUIS -- The departure of the Rams to Southern California killed a plan to build a $1 billion riverfront stadium to keep the team in St. Louis, making city officials more anxious than ever to keep the federal government from moving a spy agency's regional headquarters to nearby Southern Illinois...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California regulators deciding how to permit the future rollout of self-driving cars have been told by consumer advocates their cautious approach was right on and by companies developing the technology the current course will delay deployment of vehicles that promise huge safety benefits...

CONCORD, N.H. -- In the market for a crate of Boston and Harvard hoodies and baby onesies? How about a suitcase full of pork rinds? Seek out your nearest state surplus store, where many airports nationwide send their unclaimed and confiscated items...

NEW YORK -- PepsiCo's quest to make soda edgy has brought it to one of the great restaurant towns of the world, where it will open its own joint with cuisine "inspired by the exploration of the kola nut." The opening of the "Kola House," in New York City's trendy Meat Packing District, scheduled for this spring, comes at a time when Americans are cutting back on soda consumption...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri lawmakers who want a private firm to scrutinize the state's welfare rolls say it could save the state millions of dollars by ending benefits for people who aren't eligible for them. Legislation that cleared House and Senate committees last week would require the Department of Social Services to hire a company by next year to verify recipients' eligibility for Medicaid, food stamps, child-care subsidies and cash welfare payments. ...

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Two Virginia Tech engineering students have been arrested in connection with the death of a 13-year-old girl whose disappearance last week from her Virginia home set off a four-day search. Blacksburg Police said David Eisenhauer, 18, was arrested Saturday and charged with first-degree murder and abduction in the death of Nicole Madison Lovell, who disappeared from her home Wednesday...

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa -- In a final frenzy to inspire supporters to turn out for Monday's Iowa caucuses, presidential contenders scrambled to close the deal with the first voters to have a say in the 2016 race for the White House. Even as the candidates begged backers to caucus, many hopefuls tried to lower expectations and look ahead to New Hampshire's Feb. 9 primary and later contests...

BONITA, Calif. -- Neighbors in a well-to-do section of a San Diego suburb knew him as Frank Szeles, a Cub Scouts leader who frequently gave swimming lessons to young children in his backyard pool. Federal agents who arrested him last week knew him by a different name: "Mr. Wonder," host of a popular children's television show who vanished decades ago amid allegations he sexually abused several children during a camping retreat in central Louisiana...

All told, the city of Jackson saw about $29 million spent on construction for the second year in a row. Single-family home construction dipped slightly, from 60 construction starts in 2014 to 53 in 2015. The bigger change was in the average cost of those homes, however. In 2014, the total declared construction value for all single-family homes was $14.6 million, whereas last year's total was just shy of $10 million, the lowest amount since 2011...

The woman who was killed in a Saturday evening fire near Fruitland has been identified as Sherma McCarty. The 79-year-old was one of two occupants in a trailer home in the 100 block of Silktree Circle near Fruitland when the fire started about 6:30 p.m. The other occupant was able to get out safely...

GENEVA -- A triple bombing killed at least 50 people in a predominantly Shiite suburb south of the Syrian capital of Damascus on Sunday even as a U.N. mediator held his first meeting with members of the main opposition group that seeks progress on humanitarian issues before it will join formal talks on ending the five-year civil war. ...

Dille Traxel Architecture announced the appointment of Annie Criddle to the position of business development coordinator. Criddle, a Southeast Missouri State University graduate, will design and maintain all multimedia marketing materials for Dille Traxel Architecture. ...

PHOENIX -- Members of the Phoenix City Council are seeking a new rule to stop a Satanic group from delivering the opening prayer at an upcoming meeting. City manager Ed Zuercher said Friday the council will weigh a proposal changing how the city schedules groups that give the prayer. The Satanic Temple of Tucson submitted a request to the city clerk's office and was scheduled to participate Feb. 17. Under a new system, the mayor and council members would choose the prayer leader...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls Saturday. n Medical assists were made at 3:08 a.m. on Themis Street; 9:27 a.m. on South Ellis Street; 2:20 p.m. on Whitener Street; 5:21 p.m. on Jean Ann Drive; 5:46 p.m. on Valley Forge Lane; and 8:19 p.m. on Independence Street...

JACKSON The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrest n Jared M. Zoellner, 30, of Perryville, Missouri, was arrested on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle while operator's license was revoked and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrest n Dalton Wolven, 31, of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting at Wal-Mart, 3439 William St. Miscellaneous...

Dr. Myra Elizabeth Peo, 91, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center in Cape Girardeau. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements...

CROSSTOWN, Mo. -- Glenda Jean Hadler, 74, of Crosstown died Jan. 31, 2016, at her residence. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday and from 6:30 to 8 a.m. Wednesday at Young and Sons Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Zion Lutheran Church in Crosstown, with the Rev. Roger Abernathy officiating...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Jason Franklin Paul, 50, of Perryville died Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, at Perry County Memorial Hospital in Perryville. Services will be private. Miller Family Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Local Travel Agency Participates in Nationwide “Travel Agent Awareness” Campaign 1st Class Travel Joins Day-Long Effort to Dispel Myths of Travel Agents. 1st Class Travel (gofirstclasstravel.com) announces their participation in the quarterly “Travel Agent Awareness” campaign, an effort by the travel agent industry to promote its value to the public. ...

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Hillary Clinton has narrowly won the Democratic caucuses in Iowa, outpacing a surprisingly strong challenge from Bernie Sanders to claim the first victory in the 2016 race for president. The former secretary of state, senator from New York and first lady edged past the Vermont senator in a race the Iowa Democratic Party called the closest in its caucus history...

I adopted my 7-week-old Italian greyhound mix and she instantly became my best friend. She lets me paint her nails and dress her up in cute outfits. Chanel loves to play with her cat sister, Layla, and loves to take naps even more.

The World Health Organization elevated the seriousness of the Zika virus Monday, saying it represents a global emergency, calling it an "extraordinary event." It's a scary virus that affects unborn children and causes birth defects. Local officials and health professionals are beginning to turn their attention to Zika, including local obstetrician Dr. Grant McWilliams...

The mother of a slain man urged the Cape Girardeau City Council on Monday night to take steps to address the violence on the city's south side. Her plea came at a meeting the council held on the city's northeast side at the Red Star Baptist Church Activity Center...

Jackson streets and sidewalks just got a little stricter when it comes to alcohol consumption. The Jackson Board of Aldermen voted to bolster a city ordinance banning the public drinking of alcohol -- which Jackson city attorney Tom Ludwig called "antiquated" -- by expanding the prohibition to forbid pedestrians from being "in an intoxicated condition."...

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a fiery conservative loathed by his own party's leaders, swept to victory in Iowa's Republican caucuses Monday, overcoming billionaire Donald Trump and a stronger-than-expected showing by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio...

Today is Tuesday, Feb. 2, the 33rd day of 2016. There are 333 days left in the year. This is Groundhog Day. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 2, 1914, Charles Chaplin made his movie debut as the comedy short "Making a Living" was released by Keystone Film Co...

LONDON -- Britain's fertility regulator has approved a scientist's request to edit the human genetic code in an effort to fight inherited diseases -- but critics fear the new technique crosses too many ethical boundaries. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority announced Monday it has granted a research application to a team led by scientist Kathy Niakan to try to understand the genes that human embryos need to develop successfully...

There were several special touches to the Cape Chamber's Annual Dinner on Friday night. Dan Drury, president of MidAmerica Hotels, provided substance to an evening of thanks and recognitions by highlighting the predicted economic impact of the city's soon-to-be-under-construction sports complex near Center Junction, where his company provided a plan and donated land, among other things. ...

On July 20, 1955, Elvis Presley performed in front of about 300 people at the Arena Building in Cape Girardeau. On Jan. 9, 2016 (the day after what would have been The King's 81st birthday), Cape Girardeau native Robert Washington took the stage at Isle Casino Cape Girardeau to entertain another generation of Elvis fans...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Norbert Samuel Rolwing, 98, passed away peacefully early Sunday morning, Jan. 31, 2016, at Charleston Manor in Charleston after a long and healthy life enjoying his farming career, his wife and family, tons of friends, traveling and always learning...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Curtis Lonnie Myers, 74, of Marble Hill passed away on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born on June 14, 1941, in Marble Hill, the son of Charles Marvin and Lula Myrtle Brown Myers. Lonnie and Connie Elizabeth Hennecke were united in marriage Nov. 26, 1966, and she passed away March 7, 2013...

GENEVA, Ill. -- Charlie Frank May, 92, formerly of Morley, Missouri, died peacefully in Geneva on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016. He is survived by his loving wife, Frances DePriest May, formerly of Oran, Missouri. A memorial service will be held February 20. See mossfuneral.com for details...

Nelson Leroy "Pops" Elbrecht, 79, of Jackson passed away Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 3, 1936, the son of Norbert and Ruby Dambach Elbrecht. He and Marga Vogentanz Hobeck were married Feb. 29, 1988...

James Clyde McGinnis, 83, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 5, 1932, in Springfield, Missouri, to Clyde and Clara Ann (Wheeler) McGinnis. James retired from the U.S. Air Force as a master sergeant after 21 years of service. Upon retirement from the military, he was employed at Southeast Missouri State University...

Elmer "Shorty" Petzoldt, 86, of Jackson died Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Friday, Dec. 27, 1929, in Altenburg, Missouri, to Theobald and Emilia Franke Petzoldt. As a teenager, he worked in the wheat harvest out west in Oklahoma. Upon returning, he asked out "the future love of his life," Irma Perr. Irma and Shorty were married Aug. 12, 1950...

Safe House for Women Inc., an organization trying to raise funds to build a new safe house for abused women and children, recently was given a $10,000 check by County Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep; the money is part of the county Domestic Violence Authority funds earmarked for programs that serve victims of domestic violence...

A Friedheim man has been accused of acting with criminal negligence when he pulled his truck away too quickly and ran over his girlfriend. Eric Glueck, 32, was arrested Saturday and charged with second-degree assault. Glueck was arguing with the victim, and she tried to exit his pickup truck at Lexington Avenue and Perryville Road in Cape Girardeau about 10:30 p.m. Saturday, according to a probable-cause report from Cape Girardeau police officer Jason Angle...

WARE, Ill. -- Howard R. "Bud" Davie, 93, of Ware died at 1:54 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 22, 1923, west of Ware, the son of Dan and Victoria (Kohrman) Davie. Bud was the great-great-great grandson of Winstead Davie, the founder of Anna. He married Jean V. Brown on Oct. 27, 1946, in the Ware United Methodist Church. Together they shared 69 years of marriage...

A Cape Girardeau man is accused of stabbing an acquaintance in the face with a screwdriver. Hyman Heratio Hightower was arrested Sunday by Cape Girardeau police and charged with first-degree assault. Hightower was the backseat passenger with a man and a woman Sunday, Cape Girardeau police Cpl. Brad Neels wrote in a probable-cause statement...

Allen Wayne Biggs, 24, of Scott City and Ryan Perry Harkey, 27, of Cape Girardeau are accused of fracturing a man's skull, rupturing his eardrum and causing bleeding on the victim's brain during a beating. Biggs and Harkey were charged with felony first-degree assault and resisting a lawful stop...

Thomas Reyes goes airborne on a ramp Monday at the skate park in Cape Girardeau. Reyes has been skateboarding since a friend introduced him to the sport a few years ago. Reyes, his brother and a friend were taking advantage of unseasonably warm weather, which reached a high temperature of 58 degrees Monday. According to Accuweather, today's high temperature is expected to reach 67 degrees, with a possibility of thunderstorms and wind gusts reaching 35 to 45 mph...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Missouri high school's protest over a transgender teen's locker-room use has prompted state legislators to file several bills that would make schools enforce gender-specific bathrooms and locker rooms. The Kansas City Star reported more than 100 Hillsboro High School students walked out of school last fall to protest a transgender teen's use of the girls' locker room to change for gym class...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- As the University of Missouri's Columbia campus tries to rebound from racial unrest, the system's governing board is without minority representation after two black members resigned last week, leaving one-third of the nine seats vacant...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Dan Hanneken sums up the work he does helping people recently released from prison readjust to society with a simple phrase. "When I go home tonight, my hope is my TV is still in my living room," he said Thursday morning at the quarterly meeting of the Boone County Offender Transition Network, or BCOTN...

VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. -- Alabama authorities Monday were hunting for a Missouri couple suspected of robbing and abducting a hotel clerk, attempting to rob a McDonald's manager and briefly kidnapping a woman in the Birmingham suburbs before stealing her SUV...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Missouri lawmaker is touting a bill he said will protect the state's student journalists from censorship, written partly as a response to a confrontation between a University of Missouri assistant professor and a student videographer during protests on campus...

OMAHA, Neb. -- January results from a survey of supply managers in nine states in the Midwest and Plains, including Missouri, suggest some improvement in the regional economy, but the conditions apparently didn't engender much optimism from those surveyed, according to a report released Monday...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A group of Missouri State University students is seeking the dismissal of the school's highest-ranking Hispanic official, alleging he made derogatory comments about black students and created division between different racial groups...

WASHINGTON -- The last thing Amtrak engineer Brian Bostian remembers before May's fatal crash in Philadelphia is pushing the throttle forward to pick up speed, then braking when he felt the train going too fast into a sharp curve, according to a transcript of his interview with federal accident investigators...

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Two Virginia Tech students appeared in court Monday in the death of a 13-year-old girl who apparently climbed out her bedroom window, but the events that led to her killing remained a mystery. David Eisenhauer, 18, has been charged with kidnapping and first-degree murder in the death of 13-year-old Nicole Madison Lovell, who endured a liver transplant and bullying at school and online...

Aetna has joined other major health insurers in sounding a warning about the Affordable Care Act's public insurance exchanges. The nation's third-largest insurer said Monday it has been struggling with customers who sign up for coverage outside the ACA's annual enrollment window, then use a lot of care. This dumps claims on the insurer without providing enough premium revenue to counter the costs...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Underground coal mines will ramp up testing for the dust that causes breathing problems and leads to black lung disease under a new federal rule taking effect Monday. The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration is requiring coal operators to increase the number of air samples taken in underground mines...

Southeast Missouri State University will hold a TEDx event designed to spark discussion on "diverse passions" March 3 at the Aleen Vogel Wehking Alumni Center. TED is a not-for-profit organization devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks of up to 18 minutes...

A homeless Cape Girardeau man is accused of assaulting his girlfriend for six days by holding her in a house on South Hanover Street. Robert Dean Garrity, 39, was charged with felony second-degree assault and misdemeanor false imprisonment. He was arrested Friday by Cape Girardeau police...

Before dawn broke in Cape Girardeau, 250 men gathered at Ray's Plaza Banquet Center for the third annual Men's Prayer Breakfast. The event was arranged not by a business or organization, but by "nine guys from different churches across the community," said Marc Harris of Chap Arnold Insurance in Jackson. ...

ST. LOUIS -- Kevin Shattenkirk spent much of an extended, week-long All-Star break catching some rays on the beach in Mexico. The St. Louis Blues defenseman reported back Monday for a rigorous workout feeling refreshed for the stretch drive. The Blues are fourth overall in the NHL standings and will be looking to strengthen their position starting tonight at the Nashville Predators...

DIXFIELD, Maine -- A town and a group of cat caretakers have sued estate trustees in a dispute over a woman's wishes her life savings go to care for abandoned cats. Barbara Thorpe died in 2002 and left most of her $200,000 estate to give care to the stray cats of Dixfield. Only a few thousand dollars have been given. Lawyers have taken more than $16,000, and the estate's trustees received over $22,000. Dixfield and five women who care for the town's strays sued the trustees last week...

WASHINGTON -- District of Columbia police said an officer fatally shot a man who had a weapon that turned out to be a BB gun. Police chief Cathy Lanier said at a news conference the officer tried to stop the man, who was acting suspiciously, early Monday, but the man fell as he tried to flee, and the gun fell from his clothing. ...

NEW YORK -- Signe Toly Anderson, a vocalist and original member of the Jefferson Airplane who left the band after its first record and was replaced by Grace Slick, has died. Anderson died Thursday at her home in Beaverton, Oregon, according to her daughter, Onateska Ladybug Sherwood. Anderson was 74 and had been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Anderson died on the same day another Airplane member, Paul Kantner, died...

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis police now say a man jumped to his death from the 16th floor of a downtown hotel. The incident happened about 12:20 a.m. Sunday at the Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel. Police said Monday the man was distraught after an argument with his girlfriend in a room on the 16th floor. He broke a window and jumped, crashing into the lobby atrium. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said he has not been positively identified...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- John E. White, 52, of Mounds, formerly of Sikeston, Missouri, died Monday, Jan. 25, 2016, at the Missouri Delta Hospital in Sikeston. Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Massie Funeral Home in Mounds. Masonic last rites will be performed at 6 p.m. Friday at the funeral home...

ShermaDene McCarty, 79, of Jackson died Saturday, Jan, 30, 2016, at her home. Visitation will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday at the McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. A memorial service will be at 3 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls Sunday. n Medical assists were made at 2:14 a.m. on Towers Circle; 2:53 a.m. on South Fountain Street; 1:35 p.m. on South Sprigg Street; 2:40 p.m. on Harmony Lane; 3:35 p.m. on Country Club Drive; 5:33 p.m. on North Street; 9:54 p.m. on Towers Circle; and 10:01 a.m. on Stoddard Street...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Eric Glueck, no age or address given, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault and DWI at Lexington and Perryville avenues...

O Lord Jesus, our great provider, thank you for your many blessings. Amen.

Since becoming Jackson's mayor, I have been impressed by the ongoing training programs that the city conducts in all departments. Even though training can be expensive for any organization or business, the additional productivity from well-trained employees can more than cover the cost of the programs. Safety training pays for cost of the programs by reducing the amount and severity of accidents...

Not many expected Donald Trump, the real estate mogul, to throw his hat in the ring and run for president. After all, he had been promising -- or threatening, depending on your perspective -- to do so for some time. So when he made the announcement that he was, indeed, planning to "Make America Great Again," many said he wouldn't follow through with filing his paperwork. ...

Sportscaster and former NFL guard Mark Schlereth has been announced as the speaker for this year's Semoball Awards.

Saxony can do it all on offense, and Tuesday night's 77-53 home win over the district rival Rams proved the Crusaders are honing in on their postseason form.

The Notre Dame boys basketball team knew what it was facing Tuesday night -- a steaming hot Cape Central side that already had beaten it twice this season. But the Bulldogs also knew what they needed to do, and they did it, hanging on to drop the Tigers 66-64 on Senior Night at Notre Dame Regional High School and ending Central's 11-game winning streak...

The Missouri Association for Family and Community Education announced the winners to the “Six Pillars of Character” writing contest. This year’s theme was “fairness.” Out of the 70 fourth-graders from schools in the area who competed, first place when to Lily Huff of Immaculate Conception School in Jackson; second place went to Macy Bommarito of Immaculate Conception School; and third place went to Anna Davis of Oak Ridge Elementary in Oak Ridge...

Cape Girardeau Area Church Women United recently installed 2016 officers at the Salvation Army. Pictured (from left): Treasurer Brenda Neumeyer; Corresponding Secretary Roberta Brown; Recording Secretary Leslie Washington; Vice President Shirley Patterson; and President Joan Sebaugh. Carolyn Downs, pictured in the background, installed the officers...

The Redhawks led from start to finish in their 96-59 victory over the Racers on Wednesday night

If the lead-up to National Signing Day was filled with nerves for Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz, the day itself brought to excitement and relief as the Redhawks announced a 21-player class of incoming recruits who signed National Letters of Intent on Wednesday...

It says a lot that on a soccer team good enough to win a state championship even without her, Maddie Brune is the cream of the crop. After missing much of her junior season with a medial collateral ligament tear in her knee and ahead of what she expects to be a bounce-back senior campaign, Brune signed on Wednesday at Saxony Lutheran High School to continue her soccer career at Troy (Ala.) University...

It took a string of events that started with Cassidi Tomsu breaking her collarbone that led to her signing to play soccer at Southeast Missouri State on National Signing Day Wednesday. The Jackson standout remembers trying to poke the ball into the back of the net during that district semifinal game her sophomore year. She also remembers a girl landing on her left shoulder and not being able to get herself off the field because it hurt so bad...

Young signed his National Letter of Intent to play for the Redhawks on Wednesday.

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team hosts Ohio Valley Conference rival Murray State in a game set to air on ESPNU tonight. Tipoff between the Redhawks and Racers is set for 8 p.m. from the Show Me Center. The game will be televised locally on My49-WDKA...

A Sikeston, Missouri, man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of videotaping men in various stages of undress in a YMCA bathroom. Earl A. Madison, 19, is charged with three counts of felony invasion of privacy. Invasion of privacy is classified as a class D felony, carrying a maximum sentence of seven years of imprisonment or up to a year in a county jail...

We are getting old. This is causing a problem across the country in the field of nursing. Specifically, the problem is a national shortage of nurses in the labor market, and the main reason for this is age. The age of nurses, the age of patients and the age of educators...

City officials plan to spend millions of dollars on improvements to the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport over the next several years, including major renovations to the main terminal and fencing in the 630-acre site near Nash Road. The site also could be expanded in the next few years. The city wants to buy 60 acres northwest of the airport site to allow for future growth, including new airplane hangars...

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- Fifty-one mechanics and one machinist were laid off Tuesday at Noranda Aluminum in New Madrid, bringing the total layoffs there to 475 people so far. Dallas Snider, president of United Steel Workers Local 7686, which represented 804 Noranda employees before the recent job cuts began, said the latest round of layoffs focused on the smelter's maintenance department. The other 423 layoffs were in production...

Today is Wednesday, Feb. 3, the 34th day of 2016. There are 332 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 3, 1959, rock-and-roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson died in a small plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa...

We American taxpayers are on the verge of shelling out $400,000 to help the state of Minnesota persuade young Somali refugees not to join ISIS. The money is just a drop in the bucket of the $50 million Obama administration program to fight domestic terrorism...

While the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce promotes and supports local businesses year-round, its annual banquet is an opportunity to give special recognition to a few individuals and businesses that have distinguished themselves. Patrick Furniture and Realty Executives of Cape County were the businesses honored at this year's banquet...

OFMCO of Sikeston, Missouri, one of the nation's largest buyers and sellers of new and used office furniture, and Chrisman Art Gallery have both announced plans to open stores on Main Street in Cape Girardeau; OFMCO will be in the former Montgomery Ward building, while Chrisman will abandon West Park Mall for the former Otasco Drug Store building...

The Jackson Fire Department responded to the following calls Sunday: n Emergency medical service on North Missouri Street. n Emergency medical service on North Missouri Street. n Emergency medical service on Parkview Street.

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Austin E. Bush, 25, of Scott City was arrested on a Cape Girardeau warrant. n Thomas J. Easley, 29, 834 N. Farmington Road, was arrested on a Cape Girardeau warrant and a Scott City warrant...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Gregory Allen Hatchett, 28, 429 N. Frederick St., was arrested on suspicion of assault. n A 16-year-old boy was cited into juvenile court on suspicion of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Bobby Gean Williamson, 77 of Advance died Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, at Belleville Memorial Hospital in Belleville, Illinois. He was born March 22, 1938, in Jackson to Jessie and Midgze Adeline Nance Williamson. He married Charlotte Ann Stamp on Jan. 9, 1960...

Ruth V. Marshall, 85, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, at Ratliff Care Center. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

Robert "Bob" Kelso, 70, of Jackson went to be with Jesus on Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, at his home. He was born Nov. 30, 1945, in Cape Girardeau to the late Cleo Wade and Avis Steakley Kelso. He married Pamela Arnold on July 15, 1971. He was a calendar operator for 20 years at Ludlow/Recticel in Cape Girardeau. ...

Ronald A. Goddard, 78, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

CHANDLER, Ariz. -- Andrew D. "Andy" Andrews, 88, of Chandler, formerly of Perryville, Missouri, died Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, at Brookside North Chandler Nursing Home in Chandler. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and from 6:30 to 8 a.m. Saturday at Young and Sons Funeral Home in Perryville...

PERRY, Ga. -- Police have linked a Missouri couple to crimes in Alabama and Georgia, saying the offenses fit a similar pattern: People are robbed, kidnapped and let go unharmed, usually after a car is stolen. The latest in the crime spree happened when a gunman held up a young clerk at a Murphy Express station along Interstate 75 in south Georgia late Monday, taking money from the safe and cigarettes before forcing the clerk into an SUV where his female accomplice waited, authorities said. ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A leading bond-rating company is downgrading the outlook of the University of Missouri System's credit rating. Standard & Poor's announced Monday the outlook of the four-campus system's AA+ credit rating has dipped from stable to negative. The agency stated in a report maintaining the current rating on the system's facilities revenue bonds will require a "marked improvement in available resources to debt."...

ST. LOUIS -- A St. Louis business is suing to halt the city's payroll tax paid by employers, arguing it's unconstitutional. General Marine Services and Thomas Joseph Neuner, a lawyer and financial adviser, claim in Monday's lawsuit the half-percent tax was never authorized by the Missouri Legislature. They allege the city has no power to impose it...

ST. LOUIS — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved more than $6 million in grants to help nearly 1,000 Missourians whose homes were damaged by the winter flood. FEMA said Tuesday the disaster grants will help pay for home repairs, temporary rental assistance and other needs stemming from the flooding in eastern and southern Missouri that followed three days of heavy rain in December. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri lawmakers have turned their scrutiny of public universities toward mandatory student fees and services. A House panel heard testimony Tuesday on proposals to prohibit universities from requiring students to buy a meal plan or live in campus dormitories. ...

FERGUSON, Mo. -- Many Ferguson residents expressed concern Tuesday a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice could financially ruin the St. Louis suburb where a police officer fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown. About 100 people crammed into the tiny Ferguson City Hall chambers for the first public meeting on a proposal that seeks to avert a civil-rights lawsuit against the city. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri lawmakers are debating whether to ban a common second-trimester abortion method. A House committee heard testimony Tuesday on a bill that would prohibit doctors from using forceps or similar instruments on a live fetus to remove it from the womb in pieces. ...

NEWBURY, N.H. -- Next up: New Hampshire. Presidential contenders on Tuesday turned their airplanes and their hopes to the next arena in the fight for the nominations, a state that will test Ted Cruz's broader appeal and give Hillary Clinton a chance to reinvigorate her battered campaign in the Granite State...

DALLAS -- Health officials in Texas on Tuesday reported the first case of the Zika virus being transmitted within the United States amid the current outbreak in Latin America -- a person who was infected through sex. Dallas County health officials said the unidentified person had not traveled but had sex with a person who had returned from Venezuela and fallen ill with Zika, which has been linked to birth defects in the Americas. ...

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- A 13-year-old girl who vanished from her bedroom was stabbed to death by a Virginia Tech student, and another freshman charged with hiding the body was more deeply involved, authorities said Tuesday. A neighbor said the seventh-grader told friends she would sneak out to meet her "boyfriend" David, an 18-year-old she met online through the Kik messaging app...

WASHINGTON -- The question burned late into the night: Who won the Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses, Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders? There would be no answer until well into the next day. News organizations widely rely on The Associated Press to call the winner in elections and, in presidential caucuses and primaries, to determine the number of delegates won by candidates to the nominating conventions...

The 2016 presidential contest moves on to New Hampshire, where the nation's first primary is just seven days away. To get you started, here are some takeaways from Iowa's leadoff caucuses: Before Monday's contest, the major question about Donald Trump was whether his legion of fans would become an army of voters...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana Republican lawmakers abandoned for the year efforts to add protections for lesbian, gay and bisexual people to anti-discrimination laws, leaving in place a religious-objections law that sparked a national campaign to boycott the state when it was passed last spring...

VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican is disputing a U.S. film studio's claim the pope is making his movie debut, saying no scenes were shot for the venture, and the pope isn't an actor. Los Angeles-based AMBI Pictures headlined its news release: "Film Will Mark First Ever Big Screen Participation Role for the Leader of the Worldwide Catholic Church."...

NEW YORK -- Lady Gaga will pay tribute to the late David Bowie during the Grammy Awards later this month. The Grammys announced Tuesday that Gaga will perform a "multisensory tribute" to Bowie at the Feb. 15 ceremony in Los Angeles. Nile Rodgers, who worked with Bowie on the 1983 album "Let's Dance," will be the musical director for Gaga's tribute...

NEW YORK -- No GoDaddy. Not a bikini in sight. Service messages instead of crotch or flatulence jokes. As the Super Bowl turns 50, will this be the year advertisers stick to -- gasp -- good taste? The Super Bowl remains advertising's biggest stage, especially as the broadcast TV audience fragments further thanks to Netflix and other on-demand TV services...

NORRISTOWN, Pa. -- The former district attorney who declined to arrest Bill Cosby on sex-crime charges a decade ago testified Tuesday he believes his decision shields the comedian from ever being prosecuted in the case. Former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor took the stand in a bid by Cosby's lawyers to get the case against the TV star thrown out long before trial because of what they say is a non-prosecution agreement with Castor...

ASAN, South Korea -- Puppies bark and wag their tails as they follow a gray-haired woman through a hillside compound that shelters more than 200 dogs. "Hey, my babies. Give your mom a kiss," said Jung Myoung Sook, 61. She lowers her face, and one puppy near a snow-covered kennel licks her lips; another gently paws her cheek...

ROME -- Smokers in Italy face fines of up to 500 euros ($600) if they light up in a car with a child or pregnant woman -- or if they toss a cigarette butt on the street -- after new health and environmental laws went into effect Tuesday. The smoking prohibitions extend bans on smoking in offices, restaurants, cinemas and other public places to the more private sphere of a car...

SEOUL, South Korea -- Weeks after its fourth nuclear test, North Korea announced plans Tuesday to launch an Earth observation satellite on a rocket later this month, in what critics see as a covert test of banned technology for a ballistic missile that could strike the U.S. mainland...

A Bonne Terre, Missouri, man was arrested in Perry County on suspicion of trying to receive a pound of methamphetamine through the mail. Jeffrey Alan Bay, 55, was issued an arrest warrant Tuesday on felony charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia...

Bollinger County sheriff’s deputies arrested a Sikeston, Missouri, man after they say they found a container full of methamphetamine, Xanax and marijuana magnetically attached to the underside of his vehicle. Jason Allen Compas, 36, was arrested Jan. 28 and charged with two felony counts to distribute a controlled substance, one felony count of possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia...

WASHINGTON -- The top Army and Marine Corps generals told senators Tuesday it will take up to three years to fully integrate women into all combat jobs, adding women also should have to register for the draft. The military service leaders repeatedly vowed they will not lower standards to bring women into more grueling jobs. But they warned inherent physical differences and different injury rates between men and women will have an effect on how the integration moves ahead...

JACKSON, Ga. -- The U.S. Supreme Court turned down last-minute appeals from lawyers for Georgia's oldest death row inmate Tuesday night, allowing the execution of the 72-year-old man to go forward. Brandon Astor Jones was scheduled to receive an injection of the barbiturate pentobarbital at 6 p.m. at the state prison in Jackson...

Both the Southeast Missouri State and Murray State women's basketball teams know a thing or two about playing in close games. The Racers -- who have had all but one of their conference games decided by 12 points or fewer -- and Redhawks -- who have had seven of eight games decided by 10 or fewer points -- meet tonight at the Show Me Center. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m...

Once the National Letters of Intent start coming through to the Southeast Missouri State football team, it will definitely bring excitement to coach Tom Matukewicz, but also a bit of relief. Matukewicz, who completed his second season at the helm of the Redhawks in November, was admittedly on edge Tuesday as he spoke about today's National Signing Day, which kicks off the football signing period that lasts until April 1...

All scores were reported to the Southeast Missourian on Tuesday.

DEXTER, Mo. -- The Dexter Bearcats varsity girls basketball team jumped out to a 10-0 lead but it wasn't enough to upend the No. 2-ranked Saxony Lutheran Crusaders Tuesday at Bearcat Event Center in Dexter. Saxony Lutheran moved ahead 15-14 by the 3:51 mark of the second period, increased its lead to 29-21 by halftime and hung on for a 50-44 road win against Dexter...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Troy Brouwer scored with 1:05 remaining in the third period and Brian Elliott made 16 saves to give the St. Louis Blues a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night. St. Louis has won all four matchups between the teams this season...

The addition of Ghaali Muhammad-Lankford to Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz's staff was announced Tuesday afternoon. Muhammad-Lankford, a native of St. Joseph, Missouri, will serve as the running backs coach. "We are excited to have Ghaali and his wife, Taryn, join our Redhawk family," Matukewicz said in a press release. "I loved the fact that he was a great player, is from Missouri and coached at Mizzou."...

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration said Tuesday it will propose quadrupling what it spends on its troops and training in Europe as part of the U.S. military's accelerating effort to deter Russia. President Barack Obama, in his final budget request to Congress, will ask for $3.4 billion -- up from $789 million for the current budget year -- for what the Pentagon calls its European Reassurance Initiative, which was announced in 2014 in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea and incursion into eastern Ukraine. ...

FESTUS, Mo. -- Jefferson County authorities said a man held out a bullet in his hand and demanded cash from a clerk at a gas station. Police said Timothy Sweeney walked into a BP gas station about 5:15 a.m. Sunday south of Festus wearing a yellow hooded sweatshirt and cloth skull mask, approached the clerk and held out the bullet in his left hand, claiming he had a weapon in his pocket. Sweeney fled toward a wooded area after being handed the cash, police said...

O Heavenly Father, in you, and you alone, do we place our hope. Amen.

Owner(s): Wayne & Mika Held Owner's hometown: Chaffee 2010 was the return of the Camaro. I ordered mine on the first day that you could in 2008. It was built on my birthday in 2009 and delivered about a week later. I bought a new 2002 Camaro SS since production ended and once I found out that they were coming back I knew that I had to have one...

The Southeast Missouri State football team released its 2016 schedule on Wednesday. The Redhawks' 11-game slate features five games at Houck Stadium. Southeast has eight Ohio Valley Conference contests, including its conference opener at Murray State on Sept. 24, and begins the season Sept. 3 at Football Bowl Subdivision opponent Memphis...

Southeast Missouri State sophomore Jarred Pasley picked up the Ohio Valley Conference's Male Track Athlete of the Week honor, it was announced Wednesday. Pasley won the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.11 seconds in Southeast's home meet against SIU Edwardsville last weekend. That time is the best in the OVC in the event so far this season...

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team's chances at a comeback win over rival Murray State slipped away when junior guard Jamaal Calvin slipped with 10.5 seconds left. Calvin came up with a steal, sped toward the other end of the court and was whistled for a travel as he tried to stop himself to make a play with his team trailing by three...

We have nesting eagles in the field behind our house and have enjoyed them for two years. They have had one brood and are in the process of having more. They are very entertaining.

On Saturday, courageous men and women will brave cool weather and cooler water of Lake Boutin at the 10th annual Cape Girardeau Polar Plunge. This weekend, like years before, people will gather in wild costumes, street clothes or few clothes at all in an effort to raise money for the Special Olympics athletes in Southeast Missouri. The theme of the event is "Be a Below-Zero Superhero," so spectators can expect to see masked men and caped crusaders leaping into the chilly waters...

Cape Girardeau Regional Airport will host a twilight air show Wednesday, May 11, that will feature the Canadian armed forces' famed Snowbirds Jet Team and the Canadian forces' F-18 Demonstration Team, airport manager Bruce Loy announced today. Admission to the Cape Girardeau Air Festival will be free, but VIP tickets will be available for purchase. The VIP tickets will include admission to the show as well as food and drink, Loy said...

Safe Harbor animal shelter near Jackson re-opened Friday after being issued a new license by the Missouri Department of Agriculture. So far, the shelter has taken in 14 cats and four dogs. The new shelter operators say everything in the shelter has been redone since it closed in May. Volunteers worked on interior renovations all summer, and the shelter has a new president, director and assistant...

Today is Thursday, Feb. 4, the 35th day of 2016. There are 331 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 4, 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin began a wartime conference at Yalta...

It's impressive to watch the best of the best. The athletes who stand a little taller, jump a little higher, throw a little harder. It takes talent, along with hours of practice and dedication to their sports. Recently the sports reporters announced the All-Southeast Missourian teams and players of the year for fall sports. These are the athletes, as determined by our sports reporters, as the best of the best in our coverage area...

Thanks to Bob Miller for his eloquent if not entirely convincing argument to eliminate the death penalty. Certainly, the non-case against Joshua Keezer, marred in part by prosecutorial misconduct on a massive scale, is a great illustration of an imperfect judicial system that should give great pause to the imposition of the death penalty. And yet, there seems to me to be certain cases where justice demands it. Still, Miller's piece is worthy of much discussion...

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is offering states and local school districts a lesson plan of sorts to cut the amount of time students spend on those fill-in-the-bubble and other standardized tests. The Education Department released guidance Tuesday to states and local school districts outlining different ways they can use existing federal money to reduce testing in the nation's public schools...

It seems with each successive generation, the older laments the arts and humanities are not treasured among the younger as much as they should be. While this may hold some truth, the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest is proof all hope is not lost...

ST. LOUIS -- An advocacy group is pushing the Missouri Legislature to reconsider how it awards scholarships for a 30-year-old program designed to keep the brightest college students in the state. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the Active Advocacy Coalition, a statewide group of students working to improve access to education, said the state should direct money used for the Bright Flight scholarship to low-income students rather than to select, well-off students who usually receive the award.. ...

ST. LOUIS -- The U.S. Senate has passed a bill that could transfer oversight of a St. Louis County landfill containing nuclear waste to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and away from the jurisdiction of the Environmental Protection Agency. The measure passed Tuesday still needs approval from the House, where two members from the St. Louis area, Republican Ann Wagner and Democrat William Lacy Clay, have introduced companion legislation...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Republican lawmaker wants to make it easier for Missouri women to get birth control. Rep. Sheila Solon told a House committee Wednesday decades of use have shown oral contraception is safe and critical for many people and pharmacists should be able to prescribe the drugs after undergoing some training...

BELLE GLADE, Fla. -- Dozens of farmworkers looked up at the little yellow plane buzzing over the Florida radish field, a mist of pesticide falling from its wings. Farmworkers are supposed to be protected by government rules regulating exposure to toxic farm chemicals. But in this case, the breeze pushed the pesticide over the crew in a neighboring field, where it fell mostly on women, including at least one who was pregnant...

SAN FRANCISCO -- NFL security leaders and top law-enforcement officials say there is "no credible threat" to Super Bowl 50. Jeffrey Miller, NFL senior vice president of security, walked the perimeter of Levi's Stadium again Wednesday, and he estimates it's approximately three to four miles around the facility in Santa Clara where Sunday's Super Bowl will be played between Carolina and Denver...

Vacationers and business travelers nationwide appear to be avoiding trips abroad in light of the war in the Persian Gulf and an impending economic recession; three Cape Girardeau travel agencies say most travelers seem to be waiting for the situation in the Middle East to stabilize before booking international flights...

JACKSON, Miss. -- A trail of damage was left at an Army post, schools and businesses were closed for a second day, and a damaged women's prison was running partly on backup power Wednesday after two days of storms unleashed tornadoes and flooding in the South and dumped heavy snow in the Midwest...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Assault n Assault was reported in the 1400 block of West Jackson Boulevard. Property damage n Property damage was reported in the area of North Union Avenue and Parkview Street. n Property damage was reported in the 500 block of South Shawnee Boulevard...

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls Monday: n Medical assists were made at 10:13 a.m. on South Pacific Street; 12:24 p.m. on Albert Street; 1:15 p.m. on Ranney Avenue; 1:34 p.m. on Steven Drive; 1:41 p.m. on Pioneer Drive; and 8:15 p.m. on South Benton Street...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Desmond Lamario Woods, 35, 1209 S. Sprigg St., was arrested at 2640 Hopper Road on suspicion of making a false declaration. n A 14-year-old boy was cited into juvenile court on suspicion of being beyond parental control...

FROHNA, Mo. -- Ted Wilson, 81, of Frohna, Missouri, died Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, at Independence Care Center of Perry County in Perryville, Missouri. The funeral will be private for the family. Young and Sons Funeral Home in Perryville is in charge of arrangements...

Ruth V. Marshall, 85, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016 at Ratliff Care Center. She was born Sept. 18, 1930, in Salem, Missouri, to Arley and Opal Mounce Roberts. She and John E. Marshall were married March 25, 1951, at Potosi, Missouri. Ruth was the manager of Sprigg Street Manor for 28 years from 1984 to 2012...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Cletus J. Manche, 82, of Perryville died Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Young and Sons Funeral Home in Perryville is in charge of arrangements.

Vincent L. LaJoie of Cape Girardeau passed away Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Aug. 1, 1955, in Cape Girardeau, the son of John L. and Lillian McGee LaJoie. Vincent married Cathie Y. Seabaugh on June 14, 1979...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Viola L. Kinder, 90, of Delta died Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, at the Chaffee Nursing Center in Chaffee. Friends may call after 4 p.m. Friday at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Burial will be at Union Park Cemetery in Chaffee...

Ronald A. Goddard, 78, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, at Saint Francis Medical Center. He was born Sept. 1, 1937, in St. Louis to Norval and Elna Gills Goddard. He served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps and the Coast Guard. He was a railroad engineer and had a passion for model trains. Ronald was an avid Harley-Davidson rider, loved fast cars, rose gardening and was a gun collector...

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Nicole Madison Lovell was, by all accounts, at an awkward stage of growing up all kids go through: clinging to childhood ways while beginning to venture into adulthood. The 13-year-old still played in the snow with younger children, a neighbor said. ...

WASHINGTON -- Marco Rubio's strong third-place finish in Iowa could sound like a starting gun to the Republican Party's top donors. For months, many of these benefactors have been sitting on their wallets or spreading their money around to multiple candidates as they waited to see whether one of four experienced politicians could rise up to take on political newcomer Donald Trump and conservative insurgent Ted Cruz...

When members of the Explorers Club gathered for a lavish annual dinner in New York City in 1951, one account said they feasted on meat from a prehistoric wooly mammoth preserved in a glacier. The banquet menu said the long-extinct mystery meat actually was giant sloth...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Donald "Donnie" Childers, 69, of Cairo died Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at Crain Funeral Home in Cairo. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Church of the Redeemer in Cairo. Interment will be at Mound City National Cemetery at Mound City, Illinois. Military honors will be accorded by local veterans...

NORRISTOWN, Pa. -- A judge refused to throw out the sexual assault case against Bill Cosby on Wednesday, sweeping aside claims a previous district attorney had granted the comedian immunity from prosecution a decade ago. Common Pleas Judge Steven O'Neill issued the ruling after a hard-fought two-day hearing...

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- An explosion that blew a hole in a jetliner shortly after takeoff and left one man missing was believed to have been caused by a bomb, the pilot said Wednesday. The pilot described how the crew calmed frightened passengers as smoke enveloped the cabin before he brought the plane back to Mogadishu's airport for an emergency landing...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A federal jury awarded $23.1 million Wednesday to a 22-year-old black man who was unarmed when he was shot and paralyzed by a sheriff's deputy, but Florida lawmakers will have to approve any award above $200,000. The six-woman, two-man jury ruled after 3 1/2 hours of deliberation Palm Beach County Sheriff's Sgt. Adams Lin violated Dontrell Stephens' civil rights when he shot him in September 2013...

GOFFSTOWN, N.H. -- Once a bromance, now a brawl. Donald Trump and Ted Cruz cast aside any veneer of kindness Wednesday to trade insults and accusations in a show of hardball politics that demonstrated the stakes for both men in the New Hampshire primary six days away...

Approval of minutes n Minutes of the Feb. 1 meeting Communications/reports -- other elected officials n None at this time Public comments n Items listed on the agenda Routine business...

CATONSVILLE, Md. -- President Barack Obama sought Wednesday to correct what he called a "hugely distorted impression" of Muslim-Americans as he made his first visit to a U.S. mosque. He said those who demonize all Muslims for the acts of a few are playing into extremists' hands...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- An Alabama hotel clerk abducted at gunpoint said his captors shared glimpses of their life on the run, telling him they hope to make it to Florida to get married and start a new life. Police say they have linked a Missouri couple to three crimes that cross state lines and fit a pattern: People are robbed, kidnapped and let go unharmed, usually after a car is stolen. ...

ST. LOUIS — A 7-year-old St. Louis boy is recovering after suffering a graze wound when a neighbor’s gun accidentally discharged, the bullet going through a ceiling and striking the child in the buttocks. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the incident happened about 9:30 p.m. ...

ST. LOUIS — The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District said partial treatment at the wastewater treatment plant in Fenton could resume as early as March. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported sewer district operations director Jonathon Sprague told district board members Tuesday morning full treatment at the plant could resume in April. ...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — A Poplar Bluff man faces a felony animal-abuse charge after allegedly stealing his neighbor’s cat and handcuffing it to a chair because it “wouldn’t stay around.” Butler County sheriff’s deputies arrested Tad A. Horton, 30, on the morning of Jan. 28 at his temporary residence in the 30 block of Madison Lane on suspicion of class D felony animal abuse...

A 56-year-old man from Mississippi is accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl in Oak Ridge after they met through a 1-800 number she had seen on television, according to police reports. Michael W. Lambert of McLain, Mississippi, is charged with three counts of felony statutory rape and two counts of felony second-degree statutory sodomy...

A father and son were arrested Tuesday in Sikeston, Missouri, on suspicion of kicking and beating a man with a large flashlight. James William Applewhite Sr., 66, and James William Applewhite Jr., 30, both of Sikeston, were charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action, both felonies...

The Southeast Missouri State women's soccer team celebrated signing day with a class of seven recruits. The group, which includes local Jackson standout Cassidi Tomsu, is headlined by midfielder Esmerelda Gonzales, who owns the Texas state record for career goals and needs just 33 more goals to set the national girls soccer record. Her current goal total is 253...

Al Young scored a game-high 34 points, powering the Cape Central boys basketball team to a 72-64 win over West County on Wednesday at Cape Central High School. The Tigers carried a 30-25 lead into halftime before extending their lead to 15 points heading into the final period. Cape Central improved to 15-5 on the season...

Northbound Interstate 55 in Scott County will be reduced to one lane as Missouri Department of Transportation crews make repairs to the bridge at Exit 66. Work will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, according to a MoDOT news release...

GENEVA -- The peace talks in the Syrian civil war are taking a break. The fighting is not. U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura announced Wednesday there would be a "temporary pause" in the indirect peace talks between the government and opposition, saying the process will resume Feb. ...

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Police said pranksters pretending to be a fire-suppression company convinced employees at a fast-food restaurant to smash windows. The employees received a call about 1 a.m. Tuesday saying the gas levels were high and the building needed to be evacuated. The prankster convinced employees to smash every window of the building to prevent it from exploding. Police say the call was illegal because it resulted in criminal damage. Tucson police are investigating...

PORTLAND, Maine -- Bob Elliott, half of the enduring television and radio comedy team Bob and Ray, has died, He was 92. Elliott, father of actor-comedian Chris Elliott, died Tuesday at his home in Cundy's Harbor, Maine, part of the town of Harpswell, Rick Gagne, director of the Brackett Funeral Home, said Wednesday...

Michael W. Sprengel of Cape Girardeau received his Ph.D. in engineering from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, after completion of the Fall 2015 semester. He is employed by an engineering firm in Fort Collins, Colorado. Sprengel is a 2005 graduate of Central High School and son of Archie and Ann Sprengel of Cape Girardeau...

n Different kinds of Valentine's Day chocolate candy n Water n Transparent container n STEP 1: Fill the transparent container halfway with water. Is the water a solid or a liquid, and why? Describe the water by using its observable properties. n STEP 2: Is the Valentine's Day chocolate candy a solid or a liquid, and why? Describe the candy by using its observable properties...

On Feb. 3, 1943, the battle of Guadalcanal ended after a more than six-month fight with the Japanese. The Battle of Guadalcanal can be divided into ground, air and naval forces with U.S. Marines, Army and Army Air Force and Navy ships and air forces. This combined forces action demanded constant communication and coordination. It marked the change for the U.S. from defensive to offensive actions with coordinated, ground, air and naval attacks...

O Father God, you are our strength and our defense. Amen.

Brianna Mueller finished with a game-high 25 points, and the Crusaders went on a 15-2 run to close the first half in a 59-37 win Thursday at home over Notre Dame.

All scores were reported to the Southeast Missourian on Thursday.

BELL CITY, Mo. -- There weren't many surprises during the first 24 minutes of Friday night's boys basketball game between Oran and Bell City. The Eagles had already defeated the Cubs twice earlier in the season, and all signs were pointing to another victory when the third quarter ended with Oran leading 47-35...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri's Democratic governor pledged Thursday to circumvent the Republican-led Legislature if needed to fill vacancies on the board that oversees the state's flagship university, further escalating the tensions of legislators already frustrated about the handling of racial issues that culminated in the resignations of the system president and campus chancellor...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Senate voted unanimously Thursday to bar cities, counties and law-enforcement agencies from setting traffic-ticket quotas, responding to criticism some communities have been too reliant on raising money from issuing these and other types of citations...

Charges and an arrest warrant have been filed against the man who was set to receive a pound of methamphetamine through the mail Jan. 22 in Perryville, Missouri. Richard Frank Militzer, 48, of Perryville has been charged with felony intent to distribute a controlled substance, three counts of felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of marijuana...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A woman was arrested after authorities say she bit the tip off another woman's little finger at a Sikeston bar. Sikeston Department of Public Safety officers were notified by the emergency-room personnel at Missouri Delta Medical Center of a possible second-degree assault Friday night...

A Perryville, Missouri, woman signed her children over to the Perry County, Missouri, juvenile officer and the Missouri Department of Family Services on Wednesday. When she tried to get them back a short time later, she ended up being charged with assaulting a law-enforcement officer...

SIKESTON, Mo. — As the Sikeston Department of Public Safety continues its investigation into allegations of invasion of privacy in the bathroom at the YMCA of Southeast Missouri, authorities are seeking other possible victims. Some of those victims may be in another state, police said...

More than 600 athletes and coaches will gather in Cape Girardeau next weekend for the Feb. 14 Special Olympics Southeast Regional Basketball Tournament. More than 70 teams from the Southeast Missouri and metro St. Louis area will compete to qualify for the state event in March, said Susan Shaffer, competition director for Special Olympics Missouri...

There was a point when Robert Newton’s instincts contradicted his training. Cape Girardeau officers had chased two suspects for several miles north on Perryville Road, with the alleged burglars driving ever faster and more erratically along the narrowing road...

South Old Orchard Road in Jackson is back open again after months of construction on two separate projects on either end of the roadway. At the southern end of the road, near where it intersects with East Jackson Boulevard, South Old Orchard Road has been extended to tie into Old Cape Road East. North of the intersection, a bridge update opened in mid-January...

Andrew Litzelfelner loves playing an assassin. Dressed in medieval attire, he shoots padded arrows at the “warrior” and the “barbarian” on a sunny Saturday in Cape Girardeau’s Arena Park. But Litzelfelner and his fellow role players in the local chapter of Amtgard — a live-action, recreation society centered on medieval times — recently discovered such “combat” put them in violation of a city law banning the discharge of any “projectile weapon.”...

Today in History Today is Friday, Feb. 5, the 36th day of 2016. There are 330 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 5, 1811, George, the Prince of Wales, was named Prince Regent due to the mental illness of his father, Britain's King George III...

It is early morning and the world is dark and cold. I sit here thinking about the events of the last year, and I am reflecting on the effect the death of my son has had on myself and my family. A tear develops in my eye, and I start to write this letter...

First Friday with the Arts is a great event that encourages people to come to downtown Cape Girardeau and experience the local art scene. This month, the Cookie Spree is back. For the second year, this stamp card event will feature a special offer from Chocolate Works. A variety of cookies will be available at galleries and businesses throughout downtown...

On Saturday, many schools around the region will wrap up a special week. Catholic Schools Week, which begins the last Sunday of January, was established in 1974 to celebrate the strengths and values of a Catholic education. The overall theme for this year's event is "Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service." Daily themes help schools focus on different aspects of their education. ...

I thought when I got new eyes at the end of last year that I might be able to make more sense out of what I was reading. I had cataract surgery, as many of you have had, and I'm enjoying the freedom of not wearing glasses after more than 65 years. Before I had the eye surgery, my eyesight was getting progressively worse, I have to admit. How bad? Well, I would read something and it would make sense. Then I would read it later and discover something entirely different...

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has granted Scott City $203,500 to help fund construction of sewer lines to serve the city's industrial park; the almost 16,000 feet of sewer lines will provide services for Havco Wood Products Inc., Industrial Fuels and Resources Inc., Rhodes Oil Co. and about 15 other commercial and service industries in the industrial park...

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls Wednesday: n Medical assists were made at 1 a.m. on Landgraf Drive; 3:19 a.m. on Patricia Street; 4:29 a.m. on Marvin Street; 7:43 a.m. on Boxwood Drive; and 3:40 p.m. on South West End Boulevard...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n A suspect was in custody pending formal charges of assault. n A 13-year-old boy was cited into juvenile court on suspicion of domestic assault...

ShermaDene McCarty, 79, of Jackson passed away Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, at her home. She was born July 22, 1936, in St. Louis, the daughter of Everett and Mary Wilson Wilkinson. Sherma was the wife of Master Sgt. Darrel McCarty, who was the U.S. Air Force chapel manager for 22 years. She, too, was very active in the chapel services, earning many commendations from the Air Force...

Viola L. Kinder, 90, of Delta passed away at 5:38 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, at Chaffee Nursing Center in Chaffee, Missouri. She was born April 10, 1925, at Scopus, Missouri, to the late Jesse Albert and Emma Lou Limbaugh Angle. Viola married Franklin W. Kinder on Dec. 27, 1941, and he preceded her in death Sept. 24, 1999...

Frieda Mae Kelley, 84, of Gordonville died Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, at the Life Care Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 15, 1931, in Bonne Terre, Missouri, to William and Zora Leftridge Clark. She married Kelsey Claude Kelley on Jan. 1, 1952, in Piggott, Arkansas. He preceded her in death May 5, 2015...

Laura Ann Henry, 62, passed away peacefully Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, at her home near Millersville. She was born July 24, 1953, in Oakland, California, to John and Hanna Holman O'Neill. She and Steve Henry were married Dec. 1, 1979, in Bloomfield, Missouri...

Son to Jacob Keith and Leslie Catherine Bell of Perryville, Missouri, Saint Francis Medical Center, 8:29 a.m. Monday, Jan. 25, 2016. Name, Greyson Keith. Weight, 7 pounds, 13 ounces. First child. Mrs. Bell is the former Leslie Garris, daughter of Rodney and Debbie Garris of Perryville. Bell is the son of Joe and Jenny Bell of Sedgewickville, Missouri. He is employed by TG Missouri...

Colorful cookies, historic recipes and family favorites will be available at today's First Friday in downtown Cape Girardeau. The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri will distribute handouts listing each location's cookie flavors. Many favorite galleries and businesses will be open for the event, plus a few new faces to First Friday. This will be a special stamp-card event featuring an offer from Chocolate Works -- receive seven stamps to be eligible for five free truffles from Chocolate Works...

Trumpeter Bob Lark will join Southeast Missouri State University's Jazz Ensembles at 7:30 p.m. today on stage at the River Campus as part of the Clark Terry/Phi Mu Alpha Jazz Festival. Lark has recorded with top jazz artists and is a professor of jazz studies at DePaul University. ...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- The head of the airline whose jetliner was damaged in an explosion shortly after takeoff from Somalia said Thursday investigators have found what appears to be residue from explosives, though he cautioned the findings were inconclusive...

CAIRO -- The body of an Italian graduate student who disappeared last month has been found with multiple stab wounds, cigarette burns and other signs of torture and a "slow death" on a roadside on the outskirts of Cairo, an Egyptian prosecutor said Thursday...

LONDON -- World leaders pledged more than $10 billion Thursday to help fund schools, shelter and jobs for refugees from Syria's civil war, money British Prime Minister David Cameron said "will save lives, will give hope, will give people the chance of a future."...

MIAMI -- Florida's warm climate, year-'round mosquitoes and revolving door of international travelers make it vulnerable to the Zika virus, but local governments here have a history of fighting off outbreaks before they become widespread. A crucial component has been urging people to dump or cover anything on their property that holds water so they don't end up raising mosquitoes that spread the virus through bites. ...

RIO DE JANEIRO -- With no hope for a vaccine to prevent Zika in the near future, authorities are focusing on the most effective way to combat the virus: killing the mosquito that carries it. Fumigation is one method; another is seeking out and draining standing water where the insect lays its eggs...

WASHINGTON -- Former Secretary of State Colin Powell and the immediate staff of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also received classified national security information on their personal email accounts, according to a memo by the State Department watchdog that was released Thursday...

CHICAGO -- Chicago police on Thursday found the bodies of four men, one woman and a child inside a home on the city's South Side in what they said could be a murder-suicide, even as they added extra patrols in the neighborhood. Interim police Superintendent John Escalante said police checked the house Thursday afternoon after receiving a call from a co-worker worried about someone who lived there. ...

HOUSTON -- A pro-life activist's plan to reject a plea deal offering probation for charges related to making undercover Planned Parenthood videos likely means his goal is to use a trial as a public platform to criticize the not-for-profit, legal experts said...

BALLYMENA, Northern Ireland -- Northern Ireland is selling its Cold War-era nuclear bunker, an underground installation with room for 235 beds sellers imagine could be transformed into a tourist attraction or blast-proof storage facility. For $850,000, the successful buyer could acquire a 46,363-square-foot, grass-topped building discretely situated on 3.74 acres of rolling fields northwest of Belfast. Northern Ireland's leaders have decided they can survive without the bunker...

WASHINGTON -- Federal prosecutors said they won't pursue charges against a Metro Transit Police officer who fatally shot a man in a tunnel last year. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announced Thursday officials concluded there wasn't enough evidence the officer used excessive force or had criminal intent in the shooting death of 35-year-old Bobby Gross...

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Two Virginia Tech students carefully planned the kidnapping and killing of a 13-year-old girl, arranging a pre-dawn rendezvous online after buying cleaning supplies and a shovel at separate Wal-Mart stores, a prosecutor alleged Thursday...

EXETER, N.H. -- Stung by his second-place finish in Iowa, Donald Trump is facing new pressure to prove he can translate his massive crowds and poll leads into election wins. And his team appeared intent to demonstrate Thursday they'd learned from any past mistakes...

WASHINGTON -- The ability to train and advise Afghan security forces will be constrained if the U.S. troop level is cut to 5,500 as President Barack Obama has proposed, the senior American commander in Afghanistan said Thursday. Army Gen. John F. Campbell told the Senate Armed Services Committee "very little" training will be done with fewer American forces...

WASHINGTON -- Infuriating members of Congress, a smirking Martin Shkreli took the Fifth at a Capitol Hill hearing Thursday when asked about his jacking up of drug prices, then went on Twitter and insulted his questioners as "imbeciles." The brash, 32-year-old entrepreneur who has been vilified as the new face of pharmaceutical industry greed was summoned by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which is investigating soaring prices for critical medicines...

NEW ORLEANS -- An ex-New Orleans police officer who burned the body of a man shot to death by a fellow officer in the chaos after Hurricane Katrina had his 17-year-sentenced reduced by more than five years Thursday by a federal judge. But Gregory McRae lost his bid for an even greater sentence cut...

LANSING, Mich. -- High-ranking officials in Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's administration were aware of a surge in Legionnaires' disease potentially linked to Flint's water long before the governor reported the increase to the public last month, internal emails show...

DURHAM, N.H. -- Fireworks flying in their first one-on-one debate, Hillary Clinton accused Bernie Sanders on Thursday night of subjecting her to an "artful smear," while Sanders suggested the former secretary of state was a captive of America's political establishment...

Cape Chamber gals #semoselfie

The Cross Rivers Roots & Blues Festival makes its return Saturday at Port Cape Girardeau for its fifth annual performance. Event coordinator Ivas John of The Ivas John Band originates from Chicago and now lives in Cape Girardeau. He got his start professionally in Carbondale, Illinois, more than 10 years ago...

The Rock & Worship Roadshow will make a stop Feb. 13 at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau. This smorgasbord of talent will feature Christian music artists Jeremy Camp, Newsboys, Mandisa, Phil Wickham, Family Force 5, Audio Adrenaline, Danny Gokey and Citizen Way, along with Shaun Groves as a speaker...

"Family Days: Civil War Times" will be from 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Crisp Museum on Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus. The event will explore local historic events and demonstrate Civil War-period clothing, food, music and firearms. For information about the event's presentations and activities, call (573) 651-2256...

O Lord Jesus, we sing to you, for you are highly exalted. Amen.

Today in History Today is Saturday, Feb. 6, the 37th day of 2016. There are 329 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 6, 1911, Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, was born in Tampico, Ill. On this date:...

Three people, including an 8-year-old girl, were injured yesterday when a Jackson R-2 school bus and a car collided head-on on Route OO five miles west of Gordonville; 12 students, ranging from elementary to high-school age, were aboard the bus when the accident occurred at 4:05 p.m...

The Kennett Indians spent the first three quarters of Friday night''s game earning the respect of host Cape Central for their ability to shoot a basketball from long range. The Tigers spent the final quarter responding. "They were knocking them down, and we had to respect it," said Central junior guard Jawone Newell about a Kennett squad that shot 50 percent from behind the 3-point arc over the first three quarters, connecting on 8 of 16 attempts...

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

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- The Eastern Illinois women's basketball team had gone more than three months without winning a game. The Panthers, who had lost their last 21 games after defeating IUPUI in their home opener on Nov. 13, clawed their way back from a double-figure halftime deficit on Saturday afternoon to defeat Southeast Missouri State 64-59 at Lantz Arena...

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- As the final second ticked off the shot clock, Southeast Missouri State forward Trey Kellum received a pass on the block, turned and laid it in to give the Redhawks their largest lead of the game at seven with 3 minutes, 35 seconds left in the first half...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A new Missouri law overhauling the state's municipal courts and police departments violates the separation of powers, defies the state constitution's limits on unfunded mandates and unfairly singles out the St. Louis area, an attorney representing 12 St. Louis County municipalities told a courtroom Friday...

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- As the St. Louis Rams organization packs up its headquarters in preparation for moving the National Football League team to Los Angeles, about 50 employees are preparing to be left behind. Since the NFL voted to allow the Rams to relocate to Los Angeles on Jan. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Danika Donatti first met her biological father when he was in hospice dying from complications of a disease she might also carry. Donatti, 18, was adopted shortly after birth. She has known the names of her biological parents since childhood, but she didn't try to form a relationship with them until she learned her biological father was fighting cancer and spinocerebellar ataxia type 6, a rare genetic disorder that degrades muscle control and that she had a 50 percent chance of inheriting.. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- While there's consensus in some other Republican-dominated states to ramp-up laws to keep firearms out of the hands of domestic abusers, a Missouri proposal to do that appears to have little chance in the GOP Legislature. Democratic St. Louis Rep. Stacey Newman said her bill to ban those convicted of domestic violence from having firearms would give police tools to prevent gun deaths...

The Missouri House will take up legislation designed to help high-school graduates with career and technical education enter the workforce. The bill's sponsor, state Rep. Kathy Swan, R-Cape Girardeau, is optimistic the bill will become law. A House committee unanimously approved the measure late last week, sending it to the full House...

Should women have to register with the Selective Service when they turn 18? And should those who choose to serve in the military be required to meet the same physical standards as men? Much chatter has been devoted to these topics in recent days, but unless or until Congress amends the Military Selective Service Act, the answers depend on whom you ask...

East Missouri Action Agency has been awarded $100,000 in funding from the Missouri Housing Development Commission to assist those affected by recent flooding. The funds will be used to provide temporary or permanent housing and/or home repair to families or individuals whose homes were destroyed or damaged...

Beginning March 1, Convenient Care, the walk-in facility within the emergency department at Saint Francis Medical Center, will consolidate with and become part of Immediate Convenient Care (ICC), an urgent-care facility with locations in Cape Girardeau and Jackson...

A man and woman from Joplin, Missouri, suspected in robberies and abductions across the southeast may have made a pit stop in Oak Ridge before heading to Alabama. Authorities had linked Blake Fitzgerald and Brittany Nicole Harper, both 30, to a series of crimes in Alabama and Georgia, saying the offenses fit a similar pattern: People are robbed, kidnapped and let go unharmed, usually after a vehicle is stolen. ...

It could be said the 175 participants that turned out for the 10th annual Polar Plunge lucked out Saturday. The sun was bright, the air was 52 degrees and the water in Lake Boutin at Trail of Tears State Park only 7 degrees lower than that. “There is a God, because I have been praying for weather like this for months now,” said announcer Faune Riggin of KZIM-KSIM radio...

Two men brought pistols Friday to the Cape Girardeau Gun Show at the Arena Building, but not in any capacity as a dealer. They walked up and down the aisles with the gun boxes under their arms, eventually meeting in the middle to try to make a trade...

Today in History Today is Sunday, Feb. 7, the 38th day of 2016. There are 328 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 7, 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized a flag for the office of the vice president. On this date:...

Neal Franke has been in the business of buying and selling animals since he was 7 years old. Franke, who will turn 53 on Thursday, says he bought his first sheep and calf with birthday money when he was 7. Once he graduated into his teenage years, he began going to the local 5-H Ranch to watch and help out with the animal sales. Initially drawn to the bison for its ties to American history and early plains life, he decided to buy his first at age 20...

The bird I have photographed here is a northern harrier. It is a medium-size hawk native to North America. Its summer range extends into Northern Canada and Alaska, but its winter range brings it as far south as the very northern tip of South America...

A town hall meeting is planned from 7 to 8:30 Thursday, Feb. 11, at the Cape Girardeau Public Library, 711 N. Clark St. in Cape Girardeau. The event will be presented by the League of Women Voters of Southeast Missouri, the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce and the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce. ...

Almost everybody loves fresh, warm doughnuts. But almost everybody doesn't love the hassle of making those fresh, warm doughnuts. It's a messy process that involves making a dough that can be temperamental. Who has time for that on Valentine's Day? So we've created a method of making doughnuts that takes the temperamental out of the equation. ...

About a month or so ago, Marge bought a spiral sliced ham that we really enjoyed. The ham had a fair-sized bone in it that just shouted out that it was meant for a big pot of beans. So just over a week ago, Marge got her bigger Crock-Pot out and we began to put together some ham and beans. ...

Valentine's Day is approaching quickly, and I am seeing many pretty and tasty-looking chocolate dessert recipes on magazine covers, on Facebook and in the grocery store. I decided to scroll through Facebook for a few minutes and found a couple of recipes I saved to fix for my family either on or near Valentine's Day. A little special treat does not have to be fancy at our house; taste is the most important thing for and my husband and our children...

This June, my wife and I will celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary. We dated for three years before our wedding. It amazes me to think we have known each other for nearly a quarter of a century. I am truly blessed in many ways. Proverbs 18:22 says, "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord." These words of wisdom are directed toward men to encourage them toward marriage by highlighting the blessings of marriage. ...

Sometimes you have to accept life as it is. "You can be anything you want to be," "Nothing is impossible," and the Bible scripture, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," Philippians 4:13, are popular quotes now. I am more than a positive thinker. I live by that label, so I am in agreement with them. But I've learned there is a certain of amount of fallacy in the statements. Unforeseen circumstances and situations you can't understand lurk in the background...

While strolling, I wondered whatever happened to Andrew Zupka. Happy birthday to Brenda Bryant, Chris Siebert, Wade Cannon, Butch Baker, Rocky Rainey Jr., Missy Ikerman, Belindia Breedlove, Mary Stovall, JD Tollison, Trevor Duncan, Ruth Ann Hailey, Joy Kinder, Sharon Maben, Becky Glastetter, Mike Dragoni, Eddie Wagoner, Susie Pobst, Robert Penrose, Woodrow Proctor, Jerry Woolsey Jr., Linda Glastetter, Joanne Brucker, Kenneth Plunk, Estella Sharp, Jimmy Dooley, Cindy Teegarden and Gary Sadler...

One must wonder what our country's governing system looks like to an outsider observing our political process at work for the first time. I am reminded of Andy Griffith and his classic comedy routine called, "What it was, was football." At the end of his presentation, he concluded that football was a bunch of fellows fighting over a pumpkin while being supervised by several convicts. In truth, had he applied his simple logic to our election process he might have been pretty close to right...

Steve and Jeanette Snider of Chaffee, Missouri, announce the engagement of their daughter, Candice Hope Snider, to Alexander Cain Chasteen, both of Overland Park, Kansas. He is the son of Larry and Cindy Chasteen of Oran, Missouri. Candice is working toward her master's degree in biomedical science and will begin medical school for her DPM degree in the fall of 2016...

Anthony "Butch" Bueter of Leopold, Missouri, announces the engagement of his daughter, Allison Ann Bueter of Leopold, to Larry David Nussbaum II of Leopold. He is the son Larry and Connie Nussbaum of Leopold. Allison is also the daughter of the late Deborah Bueter...

John and Kathy Jordan of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Hillary Jordan of Jackson, to Ryan Matthews of Jackson. His parents are Jim and Debbie Matthews of Jackson. Hillary is a 2007 graduate of Jackson High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice from Southeast Missouri State University in 2011. She is a probation and parole officer...

Leon and Bernice Jansen of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary on Jan. 13, 2016, with immediate family at Chateau Girardeau. Jansen and the former Bernice Dirnberger were married Jan. 13, 1943, at St. Denis School in Benton, Missouri. Their attendants were Herman Jansen and Lavern Wilhelm...

Lorilee Petrich Short has been nominated to stand for election as Missouri State society treasurer. The election will be held at the state conference April 14 through 17 at the Embassy Suites, St. Charles Convention Center, St. Charles, Missouri. Lorilee is currently serving the State Society as corresponding secretary and John Guild Chapter as treasurer...

Monday: Lasagna or vegetable beef soup, lima beans, garden salad, whole-grain garlic bread, mixed fruit or ice cream and cookie. Tuesday: Cheeseburger or chili cheese dog, baked potato wedges, baked beans, gelatin salad, whole-grain bun, fresh apple slices or Black Forest cake...

The Southeast Missouri State gymnastics team finished third in its tri-meet vs. Missouri and Lindenwood on Friday night. The Redhawks posted a score of 192.300. The host Tigers won the meet with a score of 196.625 -- its highest team total since 2010 -- and Lindenwood was second with 194.000...

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Riley Norris made three 3-pointers and scored 18 points to help Alabama beat Missouri 80-71 on Saturday. Arthur Edwards and Justin Coleman made back-to-back 3-pointers to give Alabama its largest lead of the game at 67-43 with 9:28 remaining...

DEXTER, Mo. -- The state-ranked Advance boys basketball team entered Friday's contest against Dexter desperately in need of a win. The Hornets, who had dropped three of four games for the first time this season, endured a tense ending but came away with the victory...

All scores were reported to the Southeast Missourian on Saturday.

ST. LOUIS -- Jori Lehtera had a goal and an assist, and Brian Elliott made 38 saves as the St. Louis Blues beat the Minnesota Wild 4-1 on Saturday night. Vladimir Tarasenko, Paul Stastny and Troy Brouwer also scored for the Blues, who got their first regulation win in four tries against the Wild and improved to 8-3-1 in their last 12 at home...

May we bless our children, O Lord Jesus, teaching them to love you. Amen.

Southeast Missouri State University has several events planned to celebrate Black History Month in February. The headliner of the event will be the hip-hop artist Common, who has won multiple Grammy Awards and won a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award for best original song "Glory" for the film "Selma." He co-starred in that movie. He also launched an organization dedicated to the empowerment and development of America's urban youth...

Perryville, Missouri, Alderman Robert V. Pirrie, 52, was killed late yesterday afternoon, when the single-engine plane he was flying crashed into a plowed, muddy field west of Dutchtown. The Cape Girardeau City Council has tabled action on a proposal to repeal parking restrictions on Kage Hills Drive, after 10 residents of the street attended yesterday's council meeting to oppose the parking ban; residents said they would settle for no-parking along the crest of a hill on the street, provided parking is allowed on at least one side of the remainder of the street.. ...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Robert A. Bailey, 29, of Scott City was arrested on a Jackson warrant for failure to appear in court on a show-cause order. n Marc D. Whiteside, 27, 1225 Brandom St., was arrested on suspicion of assault and peace disturbance...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Miehsa L. Henderson, 24, of Charleston, Missouri, was arrested on a Cape Girardeau County warrant for a probation violation. n Ashley J. Taylor, 32, 16 Starview Court, was arrested on suspicion of child neglect...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The Rev. Cy H. Smith Jr., 88, of Columbia, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Friday, Feb. 5, 2016, at Boone Hospital Center in Columbia. He was born Sept. 21, 1927, in Belle, Missouri, to Cyles Harold and Della Frances Williams Smith Sr. He and Georgiann Nolting were married April 2, 1949, at Bland, Missouri...

CARTERVILLE, Ill. -- Jerry Siebert, 62, of Carterville passed away Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016, at his home surrounded by his loving family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, nephew and uncle whom will be greatly missed...

Pastor Johnny L. Seabaugh, 82, of Jackson died Friday, Feb. 5, 2016, at his home. Visitation will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday at the chapel of McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. The funeral will be 11 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home, with the Revs. Mark Carbaugh and James Dillard officiating. Interment will be in Memorial Park Cemetery in Cape Girardeau with an honor guard graveside service...

PADUCAH, Ky. -- Mary Amilda Schmitt, 91, of Paducah passed away at 9:05 a.m. Friday, Feb. 5, 2016, at Parkview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Amilda was born March 13, 1924, in McCracken County, Kentucky, to Louis and Hallie Kaufman. A woman of strong faith, she was a member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church. She will be remembered as a very loving, caring, giving person who took great joy in helping others...

William "Bill" J. Noce, 80, of Burfordville passed away Friday, Feb. 5, 2016, at his home. He was born July 3, 1935, in Red River township, Arkansas, son of Tony W. and Ruby L. Gray Noce. He married Susan Provençal on Dec. 16, 1972, in Clinton, Massachusetts...

Avis L. Muench, 100, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, at her home surrounded by family. She was born Sept. 15, 1915, in Bethany, Missouri, the daughter of Orley W. and Eva M. Bartlett. In 1936, she married Carl Julius Muench Sr. in Higginsville, Missouri...

Ora Freemon Masters, 88, of Gordonville passed away peacefully Friday, Feb. 5, 2016, at his home after being diagnosed eight months prior with esophageal cancer. Up until his diagnosis, Ora was fortunate to have lived an extremely healthy and active lifestyle. In fact, one of his favorite sayings was, "If I felt any better, I couldn't stand it!"...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Patsy E. Lukefahr, 84, of Perryville died Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016, at Holiday Residential Care Center in Perryville. She was born April 18, 1931, in Friedheim, daughter of Fred William and Mabel Thoroughman Oehl. She and Leroy W. Lukefahr were married June 25, 1950. He preceded her in death June 19, 2005...

Ferneita Adelle Hahn, 100, a resident of Chateau Girardeau in Cape Girardeau, passed away Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was the oldest daughter of Samuel M. and Bertha Shrum Dulaney. She grew up primarily in the Lutesville, Missouri, area and was married to Willard Rosvell Hahn on Sept. 3, 1938, in Jackson. He passed away April 7, 2004...

The Rev. W. Lee Cook, 82, of Jackson died Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, at his home. He was born Nov. 24, 1933, in Corning, Arkansas, to Marion Amzie and Goldie Wampler Cook. Lee and Dorothy J. Gunn were married June 19, 1954, at Dexter, Missouri. The Rev. Cook started in the ministry when he was 17 years old. He served in Ottumwa, Iowa; Kansas City; Poplar Bluff; Kirksville; and Advance, Missouri, retiring in 2010. He also worked for Old American Insurance for more than 45 years...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Stella L. Bailey, 83, of Perryville died Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016, at Perry County Memorial Hospital in Perryville. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday and from 6:30 to 10 a.m. Tuesday at Young and Sons Funeral Home in Perryville...

Daughter to Jack Weston and Erin Elizabeth Pind of Cape Girardeau, Saint Francis Medical Center, 5:01 p.m. Monday, Jan. 25, 2016. Name, Adelyn Marie. Weight, 8 pounds, 7 ounces. First child. Mrs. Pind is the former Erin Schwent, daughter of Gary and Linda Schwent of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. She is employed by Springleaf Financial. Pind is the son of Marilyn and Jeff Pind of Cape Girardeau. He is employed by the Geek Squad...

BEIRUT -- Turkey came under mounting pressure to open its border Saturday as tens of thousands of Syrians fleeing a government onslaught sought entry and the European Union called on Ankara to grant them refuge. As many as 35,000 Syrians have massed along the closed border, according to Suleyman Tapsiz, governor of the Turkish border province of Kilis. He said Turkey would provide aid to the displaced within Syria, but would open the gates only in the event of an "extraordinary crisis."...

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea and Japan vowed to shoot down any debris that falls on their territories from a long-range rocket North Korea plans to fire this month, with Seoul saying Thursday it has detected launch preparations by Pyongyang. North Korea has informed international organizations it will launch an observation satellite aboard a rocket between Monday and Feb. ...

RIO DE JANEIRO -- In a sign of mounting global concern over the Zika virus, health officials on Friday warned pregnant women to think twice about the lips they kiss and called on men to use condoms with pregnant partners if they have visited countries where the virus is present...

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- A suicide bomber is suspected to have set off the explosive that blew a hole in a jetliner, sucked the man out of the plane and forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing Tuesday in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, Somali officials said Saturday...

NEW YORK -- Officials are working to determine why a huge construction crane that was being lowered during strong winds came crashing down onto a street, killing a pedestrian and crushing a row of parked cars. Three other people were hurt by debris, two of them seriously...

TAINAN, Taiwan -- Rescuers were searching late Saturday for more than 100 people still missing after a powerful, shallow earthquake struck southern Taiwan before dawn, causing a high-rise residential building to collapse and killing at least 14 people and injuring hundreds...

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Fans of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders are wearing their support for him on their sleeves – and on their rib cages, calves, necks and backs. Several dozen people have flocked to Aartistic Tattoo in Montpelier, Vermont, to get a free tattoo of the senator, complete with his unkempt hair and thick-rimmed glasses...

What are your plans for Valentine's Day? I'm currently single, so I have no major plans for Valentine's Day. What's your favorite color? Why? Red, because I grew up watching the Chicago Bulls and one of their main colors is red. Feb. 12 is Abraham Lincoln's birthday. Who is your favorite president and why?...

Things couldn't have gone much better for the Notre Dame girls basketball team through the first 10 minutes of Monday night's game. On Homecoming in front of a good crowd the Bulldogs found themselves up 13-6 in the second quarter on Class 4 state-ranked Dexter, holding the visitors without a field goal in that opening stretch. But the Bearcats put a damper on the feel-good vibe...

What a great Catholic Schools Week was held at Guardian Angel School in Oran, Missouri! The week ran from Sunday, Jan. 31, to Friday, Feb. 5. The entire school celebrated Mass together on Sunday, with the students having special parts of the Mass and the children's choir leading everyone in singing beautifully. ...

The 2nd through 5th grade basketball teams of Guardian Angel School participated in the Oak Ridge Tournament Feb. 4 through Feb. 7. The 2nd and 3rd grade teams took second place, the 3rd and 4th grade teams took 5th place, and the 4th & 5th grade teams took 3rd place. Congratulations Redwings!...

St. Louis – West County Advanced Practice Dermatology Nurse, Southeast Missouri State University alumna and business owner, Cynthia Ann Fleck wins the Mrs. Chesterfield, United States and Mrs. St. Louis, America titles and prepares for the Mrs. Missouri USA Pageant in St. Joseph, Missouri, April 30 – May 1, and the Mrs. Missouri, America Pageant in Chillicothe, Missouri, June 17-19...

Lynwood Baptist Church to host regional event for parents in Cape Girardeau on April 8. An interactive children’s experience will be hosted at the same time and place, giving parents a unique opportunity for personal growth while providing a high-quality experience for their children...

On Feb. 4, Nathan Aufdenberg was elected as the Area 15 treasurer for the 2016/17 term. Aufdenberg is a junior at Saxony Lutheran High School in Jackson, Missouri. He is the son of Mark and Wanda Aufdenberg of Gordonville, Missouri. He has served the last two years as Saxony Lutheran FFA's Secretary. His twin brother Andrew is currently the Area 15 chaplain and Saxony Lutheran FFA president. Aufdenberg's supervised agriculture experience consists of raising crops and beef cattle...

Renee Clements is bringing an individualized bridal shopping experience to Southeast Missouri. Brides in the region frequently travel to St. Louis or Memphis, Tennessee, to shop for wedding dresses, Clements said. "They deserve to come to Cape." Magnolias Bridal Boutique opened Jan. ...

Southeast Missouri State University's marching band, known at the time as the Golden Eagles, played the halftime show at Super Bowl V in January 1971. As a tenor saxophonist in the band, Beverly Kasten played the Super Bowl halftime show, too. Sort of...

Plans to address a failing retaining wall in a Jackson subdivision is sparking controversy between residents and city officials. The concrete wall in the Annwood Estates subdivision runs along Brittany Drive and is cracked and buckling in several places. While city officials and residents agree the wall needs fixing, the involved parties haven't come to an agreement on how to do it...

Although its implementation in Missouri is still many months away, the federal Every Student Succeeds Act is top of mind for at least one area legislator. State Rep. Kathy Swan of Cape Girardeau, chairwoman of the body's Elementary and Secondary Education Committee, is looking forward to what the law will do on the local level...

Today is Monday, Feb. 8, the 39th day of 2016. There are 327 days left in the year. This is the Chinese New Year of the Monkey. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 8, 1966, during the Vietnam War, President Lyndon B. Johnson and South Vietnamese Premier Nguyen Cao Ky concluded their meetings in Hawaii by issuing the "Declaration of Honolulu," which asserted the resolve of their countries to defeat the Communists...

Daughter to Anthony O. and Summer C. Dunker of Sikeston, Missouri, Southeast Hospital, 12:35 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016. Name, Anabelle Rose. Weight, 6 pounds, 14 ounces. Third child, second daughter. Mrs. Dunker is the former Summer Holdiness, daughter of Brenda and Jimmy Holdiness of East Prairie, Missouri. She is a supervisor with New Wave Communication. Dunker is the son of Toni Dunker of Perryville, Missouri. He is employed in the warehouse of Orgill Inc...

Pastor Johnny L. Seabaugh, 82, of Jackson passed away Friday, Feb. 5, 2016, at his home. He was born Dec. 16, 1933, in Perryville, Missouri, son of Elmer H. and Opal A. Reynolds Seabaugh. He and Jean Gibbons were married May 16, 1954. Pastor Johnny was a 1951 graduate of Jackson High School. ...

Construction of a nature center and regional headquarters for the Missouri Department of Conservation is moving along and is on schedule for a June 30 completion; general contractor for the project is Sides Construction Co. Flag waving is a bit difficult these days; with the rise of patriotism in connection with the country's involvement in Operation Desert Storm, flag sales have increased; small flags -- 4-by-6-inch -- which are popular for parades, are impossible to get...

Cape Girardeau County Commission 1 Barton Square, Jackson 9 a.m. today Approval of minutes n Minutes of the Feb. 4 meeting Communications/reports -- other elected officials n None at this time Public comments n Items listed on the agenda Routine business...

NEW YORK -- From a strange creature called "Puppymonkeybaby" to a tear-inducing Audi ad, Super Bowl ads ran the gamut this year from offbeat humor to heartfelt messages. On advertising's biggest night, Chrysler celebrated Jeep with an ad filled featuring black-and-white portraits of veterans, children and pop icons. ...

NEW YORK -- The Coen brothers' "Hail, Caesar!" and the Jane Austen-monster mashup "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" followed behind "Kung Fu Panda 3," which remained on top of the box office over Super Bowl weekend. DreamWorks Animation's "Kung Fu Panda" sequel earned an estimated $21 million in its second weekend of release, according to studio estimates Sunday. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri state Rep. Genise Montecillo said nothing publicly for more than six months about the June day she tried to kill herself. Montecillo wanted to keep that a secret, like the emotional abuse and neglect she said she suffered as a child and the depression she deals with as a result...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza, said Sunday it has killed one of its own commanders over unnamed "moral and behavioral violations." Hamas said in a short Twitter statement Mahmoud Eshtewi, a local member of the group's military wing, was killed after he confessed...

SEOUL, South Korea -- The U.N. Security Council condemned North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket world leaders called a banned test of ballistic missile technology and another "intolerable provocation." The U.N.'s most powerful body pledged to adopt a new resolution with "significant" new sanctions...

CHICAGO -- A white Chicago police officer who fatally shot a black 19-year-old college student and accidentally killed a neighbor has filed a lawsuit against the teenager's estate, arguing the shooting left him traumatized. The unusual suit was filed Friday in the middle of the city's effort to grapple with serious questions about the future of its police force...

TAINAN, Taiwan -- The death toll from an earthquake that toppled a high-rise apartment building in Taiwan rose to at least 34, according to government figures today, with rescuers digging through rubble for survivors more than 48 hours after the quake struck...

ST. LOUIS -- The new leader of the Missouri State NAACP says he plans to build a younger, more inclusive organization that will work for various causes around the state. Nimrod "Rod" Chapel Jr., 45, elected last month as the 14th President of the Missouri State NAACP, said he looks forward to moving the organization forward, giving it a bigger voice statewide and opening to other progressive groups and younger people...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Hunter makes daily rounds at Children's Mercy Hospital. Sort of like a doctor -- until he jumps into a child's bed and gets his tummy rubbed. Another difference: When Hunter, a 2-year-old golden retriever, walks into a patient's hospital room, that child usually breaks into a smile...

BEDFORD, N.H. -- Marco Rubio's uneven debate performance days before Tuesday's New Hampshire primary has emboldened a trio of governors seeking to stem his rise in the Republican race for president. But if Rubio's rivals can slow him in New Hampshire, they are likely to leave the GOP with a muddled mix of establishment contenders and no clear favorite to challenge Donald Trump and Ted Cruz...

Jerry Respondek, left, pastor of Victory Outreach, works with Don Penrod, right, and Joshua Faulkner to install new flooring inside the church on Saturday in Cape Girardeau. Renovations are continuing since the building in the Red Star District was flooded by the Mississippi River in January...

BOSTON -- Casinos worried millennials aren't getting into traditional gambling like their parents and grandparents are bringing in tattoo studios, mixed martial-arts competitions and other offbeat attractions to attract a younger clientele. In New England, where a regional casino war is afoot, Connecticut's Foxwoods is remaking one of its gambling floors -- now christened "The Fox" -- as a hip, fun scene in the sprawling, 30-year-old casino complex...

WASHINGTON -- Three of the biggest freight railroads operating in the U.S. have told the government they won't meet a 2018 deadline to start using safety technology intended to prevent accidents such as the deadly derailment of an Amtrak train in Philadelphia in May...

WASHINGTON -- Consider looking past January's so-so job growth. At first glance, Friday's government report on U.S. hiring was a downer -- 151,000 added jobs, well below the pace of the previous few months. Once you take a fuller view, a brighter picture of the job market emerges: A sub-5 percent unemployment rate. Healthy pay raises. A stream of people who grew confident enough in the job market to start looking for work...

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- A reborn Orange Crush might have sent Peyton Manning into retirement with a Super ending to his career. Von Miller and the impenetrable Denver defense harassed Panthers quarterback Cam Newton all game Sunday, and the Broncos made enough big plays for a 24-10 victory, Manning's 200th and perhaps his last before retirement...

Cindy Knebel recently joined Element 74 as a project manager. In this role, she will build custom websites and implement digital marketing and search-engine optimization to help businesses improve their online presences. Knebel previously interned with River Radio and Schlafly beer in promotions management before finding interest in the digital-marketing world. ...

ST. LOUIS -- A second-floor porch in St. Louis collapsed, injuring five people, two seriously. Fire Department Capt. Gregg Favre said the accident occurred Saturday evening during a Mardi Gras celebration at a building in the Soulard neighborhood. Favre said witnesses told firefighters the porch suddenly pulled away from the building wall and fell. ...

LOUISIANA, Mo. -- In 1816, a young pioneer from Kentucky, James Hart Stark, homesteaded on the shore of the Mississippi River at the site of what is now Louisiana, Missouri. Stark had brought along a bundle of apple tree scions he planted in the rich soils found in the area...

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- A gun-rights bill introduced at the Washington state Capitol includes quotes falsely attributed to America's Founding Fathers. Republican Rep. Matt Shea introduced the measure Friday. The bill devotes a page to quotes on gun ownership purportedly from the men who created the U.S. Constitution. Researchers say at least three of the quotes used in the bill and attributed to Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Alexander Hamilton were not said or written by them...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls Friday. n Medical assists were made at 3:23 a.m. on William Street, 5:26 a.m. on North Water Street; 7:14 a.m. on Westridge Drive; 9:37 a.m. on Fremont Street; 1:14 p.m. on Perryville Road; 1:44 p.m. on Normal Avenue; 2:37 p.m. on North Fountain Street; 2:49 p.m. on South Mount Auburn Road; 7:55 p.m. on Terry Lane; 8:52 p.m. on Stoddard Street; and 10:40 p.m. on Marrose Ann Drive...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n A suspect was in custody pending formal charges of possession of marijuana; possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute; unlawful use of drug parphernalia; and failure to illuminate a license plate at William Street and Silver Springs Road...

JACKSON The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Mark E. Arnzen, 51, 319 N. West Lane, was arrested on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. n Robert M. Englehart, 49, 824 Old Cape Road, was arrested on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated...

SCOTT CITY The Scott City Fire Department responded to the following calls. Tuesday n At 7:43 a.m., a motor vehicle collision at the intersection of Route M and Melrose Street. n At 10:32 a.m., emergency medical service in the 100 block of West Hickory Street...

Hazel N. Wadlington, 98, of Scott City died Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016, at the Fountainbleau Lodge in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Home in Scott City.

"A merry heart does good, like medicine," the Bible says. Mississippi Valley Therapeutic Horsemanship volunteers are finding they have a role in bringing that joy to people facing health challenges. Through their willingness to assist and horses that carry their share of the weight -- literally -- "children and adults with disabilities Â… achieve greater physical strength and flexibility," the caption in a recent Southeast Missourian photo gallery said. ...

In a matter of minutes on Jan. 1, the small town of McClure, Illinois, went from "the levee will hold 48 feet, it has before" to "the river is going to 50 feet and it very well may top the levee". It was amazing that a large part of town completely moved out in less than 48 hours. ...

Black History As we begin Black History Month, I encourage all local community governments, area schools and other organizations to get involved not only in celebrating the historical achievements of African-Americans but also to discuss and suggest ways of building on the past so as to improve the future. I invite you to consider joining BlackFutureMonth on Facebook and on Twitter with the hashtag, #BlackFutureMonth...

O God, may we confront evil, pursue justice and love mercy. Amen.

The Delta High School Student Council participates in various volunteer activities during the school year including the Polar Bear Plunge to benefit Special Olympics. This year 28 students and their sponsor raised the minimum of $75 to rise to the challenge of raising money for Missouri Special Olympics....

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- At halftime it had all the makings of another thrilling game, mirroring a recent meeting in the Stoddard County Activities Association Tournament. But the Advance boys basketball had revenge on its mind and no interest in another barnburner...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- As opioid overdoses increasingly draw attention in Congress and statehouses across the U.S., Missouri lawmakers are again considering a proposal for a prescription monitoring program that would bring the state in line with all others...

More than a year after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a Cape Girardeau city noise ordinance, the case remains pending in federal court. Attorneys for both sides say the issue could be decided within the next few weeks. Both sides have asked U.S. District Judge Carol Jackson to issue a summary judgment...

The Missouri Department of Transportation will spend much of the next year upgrading all existing sidewalks along East and West Jackson Boulevard. Public Works director Rodney Bollinger said roughly six miles of sidewalk will be upgraded. The narrow, uneven asphalt path that's used as a sidewalk isn't a sidewalk at all, according to MoDOT...

Noranda Aluminum Holding Corp. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the company announced Monday via news release. In the same release, Noranda announced an expected curtailing of production at the New Madrid, Missouri, aluminum smelter beginning in March...

Today is Shrove (preceding Ash Wednesday) Tuesday, Feb. 9, the 40th day of 2016. There are 326 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 9, 1943, the World War II battle of Guadalcanal in the southwest Pacific ended with an Allied victory over Japanese forces...

Ray Green, associate pastor at Victory Outreach in Cape Girardeau, saws a piece of wood for the altar as Paul McClain, a member of the church, watches, Monday, Feb. 15, 2016.

TOKYO -- Here's a bit of Super Bowl trivia: North Korea's newest satellite passed almost right over the stadium just an hour after it ended. Whatever motives Pyongyang may have about using its rocket launches to develop nuclear-tipped long-range missiles, it has two satellites circling the Earth, according to NORAD, the North American Aerospace Command, which monitors all satellites in orbit...

Jackson shows its support for local men and women serving in the military in Operation Desert Storm with a parade. The event is sponsored by the Jackson American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. BENTON, Mo. -- Scott County commissioners have ruled out building a new jail and sheriff's office at this time, arguing it's unlikely voters would approve a new tax to fund it; county commissioners, however, are studying a plan which calls for purchasing the county health center building in Benton for use as the sheriff's office.. ...

CHICAGO -- For more than a year after an officer shot and killed a black teen named Laquan McDonald, the Chicago Police Department had video footage that raised serious doubts about whether other officers at the scene tried in their reports to cover up what prosecutors now contend was murder...

WASHINGTON -- Attorney General Loretta Lynch plans to visit six cities in the coming months to highlight police departments she sees as role models for law enforcement. The locations were chosen because they embody a particular trait of successful policing, such as effective use of data, strong community relationships or a commitment to officer safety, Lynch said Monday...

DETROIT -- Electronic gear shifters on some newer Fiat Chrysler SUVs and cars are so confusing that drivers have exited the vehicles with the engines running and while they are still in gear, causing crashes and some serious injuries, U.S. safety investigators have determined...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Verona L. Wilder, 77, of Marble Hill passed away Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Feb. 22, 1938, in Marble Hill, the daughter of Marvin Roscoe and Ruby Leadbetter Shanks. She and Leonard T. "Corky" Wilder were united in marriage July 10, 1971, and he passed away Jan. 20, 1997...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Catherine Mary Ellis, 92, of Perryville died Monday, Feb. 8, 2016, at Independence Care Center of Perry County in Perryville. She was born Feb. 1, 1924, in St. Louis, the daughter of Joseph and Marie (Hogard) Erlacker. She and Harold Ellis were married Feb. 7, 1942. He preceded her in death May 26, 1997...

Lester "Buddy" Gene Wright, 80, of Jackson passed away Monday, Feb. 8, 2016, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Aug. 8, 1935, in Cape Girardeau, the son of Oscar and Minnie Hoffmeister Wright. He and Nancy Miner were married Jan. 30, 1982, at Maple United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau...

Hazel Nadine Wadlington, 98, of Scott City went to be with the Heavenly Father on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016. She was born Aug. 17, 1917, in Bell City, Missouri, daughter of Everett and Lula Patterson Bollinger. She married Robert Winfred Wadlington on July 1, 1938, in Fornfelt, Missouri. He preceded her in death July 2, 1999...

FERGUSON, Mo. -- Ferguson's cost of implementing reforms spelled out in a consent agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice could approach $4 million in the first year alone, according to new estimates that raise questions of whether the community can afford it...

ST. LOUIS -- A man convicted of a 1994 homicide in St. Louis plans to appeal his case after finding video evidence of an interview with his trial's only eyewitness. Leron Hornaday, who was sentenced to life in prison in the death of 16-year-old Travis Smith, received evidence through his 2013 request to St. Louis police for materials from the investigation...

ST. LOUIS -- A St. Louis utility company is pushing back on the federal government's plan to cut carbon-dioxide emissions. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported although Ameren Missouri hasn't filed a court challenge, the utility asked the Environmental Protection Agency to prevent implementation of the regulations and propose new ones...

DALLAS -- A lock of hair snipped from the head of John Lennon as the Beatle prepared for a film role is expected to sell for $10,000 at an auction this month. Heritage Auctions said in a news release Monday the 4-inch lock was collected by a German hairdresser who trimmed Lennon's hair before he started shooting "How I Won the War."...

DETROIT -- One lawsuit seeks to replace lead-leaching water lines at no cost to customers. Another seeks money for thousands of Flint residents who unwittingly drank toxic water. A third complaint has been filed on behalf of people with Legionnaires' disease...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Saudi Arabia's offer to send troops to fight Islamic State in Syria is as much about the kingdom's growing determination to flex its military might as it is about answering U.S. calls for more help from its allies in the Middle East...

BEIRUT -- Syrian army troops recaptured a new village north of Aleppo Monday, bringing troops and allied militiamen to within a few miles of the Turkish border as part of a major Russian-backed offensive in the area, the Syrian government and opposition activists said...

WASHINGTON -- The wife of a senior Islamic State leader who was killed in a U.S. raid last year has been charged in federal court with holding American Kayla Mueller hostage and with contributing to the aid worker's death, the Justice Department said Monday...

SALEM, N.H. -- Eyeing their first wins in a capricious campaign, Republican Donald Trump lashed out at his opponents Monday, while Democrat Bernie Sanders sought to play it safe on the eve of the nation's initial primary. GOP contenders vying for second and third saw fresh hopes for survival after New Hampshire as both parties settled in for a drawn-out slog to the nomination...

SAN FRANCISCO -- On top of his game and now the world, Von Miller's docket is quickly filling up. A parade. Lots of parties. A princely payday. "I was just talking to Coach Kubiak, I was asking if you could make the plane do backflips on the way home," Miller said Monday after accepting the Super Bowl MVP trophy from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell...

SEATTLE -- When Marshawn Lynch was brought to Seattle early in the 2010 season, he was acquired because the Seahawks desperately needed a running back. What he ended up providing was an attitude and style that became the foundation for bringing the first Super Bowl title to the Pacific Northwest...

A New Madrid, Missouri, man was arrested Friday on suspicion of molesting a 12-year-old girl in Sikeston, Missouri. Demetrio Hernandez-Garcia, 33, is charged with felony statutory sodomy and child molestation. The girl told a school counselor about the incident and also told officers at the Beacon Health Center that Hernandez-Garcia kissed her, placed his hand on her genitals and made her touch his genitals, according to a probable-cause report. ...

A Chaffee, Missouri, man reportedly admitted to stealing prescription drugs and jewelry from his aunt and uncle's house in Oran, Missouri. Joshua L. Dennis, 31, was arrested by Oran police and charged with felony counts of second-degree burglary and theft...

Gene Tyrone Wren, 36, of Cape Girardeau pleaded guilty to one count of felony possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine and was sentenced to eight years in the Missouri Department of Corrections by Judge Benjamin Lewis. Wren originally was charged with two counts of intent to distribute a controlled substance and felony possession of a controlled substance stemming from an arrest May 20 in Cape Girardeau...

A federal disaster recovery center has opened in Cape Girardeau to aid people and businesses affected by the recent, winter flood. Housed at the Salvation Army, 701 Good Hope St., the center officially opens today. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The center will be closed Sunday, FEMA officials said...

What began Monday as a plea deal reducing a felony charge to a misdemeanor may end up with the defendant receiving another felony charge on top of the charges he faces. Larry Gene Hottel, 44, of Whitewater originally was charged with felony second-degree domestic assault, felony unlawful use of a weapon and felony resisting arrest from incidents Thanksgiving afternoon and evening...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Poplar Bluff native appeared in a Michelob Ultra's Super Bowl 2016 spot after kickoff Sunday. Chelsea Edmundson played one of the characters in the workout-themed, 30-second spot promoting the beer, titled "Breathe" during Sunday's game. Edmundson also appeared in the movie "Camera Phone" and recently a Burger King commercial...

Up 34-30 heading into the final eight minutes of the game, the Cape Central girls basketball could not hold on as it dropped a close 45-40 conference road contest to Kennett, 45-40, on Monday night in Kennett, Missouri. Abbie Reece sank 13 points as the Tigers fell in the high-fouling loss to the Indians...

Timothy Lamar Randle, 34, of Cape Girardeau and Toria Lawrence, no age given, were identified as the occupants of the U-Haul pickup truck that crashed and burned after a Jan. 27 chase on County Road 638 by Cape Girardeau police officers. Randle was arrested and charged with second-degree burglary, resisting arrest, possession of burglar tools and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, all felonies. As of Monday afternoon, there were no charges filed against Lawrence...

Motorist David Clary is at the center of a legal battle brought by the American Civil Liberties Union over the constitutionality of Cape Girardeau's noise ordinance. The following is part of Clary's deposition, which was taken Jan. 26, 2015. The deposition is among the legal documents filed in connection with the case in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau...

The theme of this year's Polar Plunge may have been "Be a a Below-Zero Superhero," but participants were treated to a little milder weather than normal. The event, which took place Saturday afternoon, is the biggest fundraiser for Special Olympics athletes in Southeast Missouri. ...

This year will mark 45 years since the Golden Eagles marching band performed at the half-time show in Super Bowl V. I want to bring attention to the significance this program has had on its past and present students. It’s an honor to say I was part of such an exemplary program...

O Lord Jesus, may we be intentional about sharing you with others. Amen.

Whoever first said "politics is a blood sport" hit the nail on the head. This 2016 presidential election cycle is Exhibit A, at least on the Republican side. Democrats might actually belie that assertion, as Sen. Bernie Sanders is clearly unwilling to hit Hillary Clinton where it hurts, choosing, instead, to give her a pass on the one thing that is probably her greatest vulnerability: her "damn emails." How sweet...

JACKSON The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Summonses n Merideth A. Pobst, 35, of Jackson was issued a summons for a stop-sign violation. n Samuel R. Farris, 17, of Jackson was issued a summons for failure to register a motor vehicle...

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is asking Congress for more than $1.8 billion in emergency funding to fight the Zika virus and the mosquitoes that spread it here and abroad but said "there shouldn't be a panic on this." The virus is spreading rapidly through Latin America. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster said he reached a deal to restore $50 million in tobacco-settlement money in exchange for legislators tightening laws on small tobacco companies.

Son to Anthony Joseph Grojean II and Ashley Dawn Acup of Chaffee, Missouri, Saint Francis Medical Center, 6:27 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. Name, Bretly Anthony Joseph. Weight, 5 pounds, 14 ounces. First child. Acup is the daughter of Stan and Deborah Acup of Marble Hill, Missouri. She is a substitute teacher. Grojean is the son of Tammy McLemore of Marble Hill and Andy Grojean of Whitewater. He is a welder with Armor Lite Trailers...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Ryan Irions, 21, was arrested at 1006 N. Frederick St., Apt. B, on suspicion of resisting a lawful detention. n A suspect was in custody pending formal charges of domestic assault, assault and trespassing...

Christina Von Linden, 54, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. There will be no local services. Crain Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau is in charge of arrangements.

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. -- Melva D. (Kreyling) Duvall, 89, of Fairview Heights and formerly of Altenburg, Missouri, died Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016, at Caseyville Nursing and Rehab in Caseyville, Illinois. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altenburg...

Mary Ella Jackson, 86, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016, at Ratliff Care Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Gent Funeral Home, 2409 State St., Alton, Illinois. Funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Milton L. Renaud, 91, of Perryville died Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, at Perryville. Visitation will be from 8 to 11 a.m. Monday at Our Lady of Victory Church in Sereno, Missouri. Funeral Mass will be at 11 a.m. Monday at the church. Entombment will be at Mary Queen of Heavens Mausoleum, with military honors courtesy of the American Legion and the Delta Team...

IRWIN, Pa. -- Authorities say a man stole several police badges while he was being held for questioning in a domestic dispute. Police said Robert Dingeldein, 26, stole the badges Oct. 30 while being questioned by police. Police said they didn't realize Dingeldein had taken anything from the office until someone else returned one of the badges last month. Police said Dingeldein has apologized and returned three other badges. He faces a preliminary hearing May 18 on theft-related charges...

At practice a couple of days ago, Southeast Missouri State women's basketball coach posed a question to her team. "Why did we not play the way we are capable of playing on Saturday?" Patterson asked, referring to the Redhawks' 64-59 loss that snapped a 21-game losing streak for Eastern Illinois...

Cape Central's Jawone Newell found himself in a bit of trouble as he corralled a pass near the half-court line with his team clinging to a two-point lead over archrival Jackson late in the fourth quarter. With one foot in the air and two Jackson players closing in to trap, Newell lobbed a pass to the right baseline, and teammate Austin Parker was there to grab it...

This is a shot of Old Appleton, Missouri.

This is a sunrise over the Mississippi River in Cape Girardeau.

This is a shot from the 2016 Polar Plunge.

Oscar the cat is su-purr excited for spring training and for a new season of St. Louis Cardinals baseball to begin!

Nathan Norman has built quite the resume in five seasons as head coach of the Cape Central football team. A 41-23 record, three straight trips to the state semifinals and the school's first state championship appearance are just a few of the accomplishments in his first stint as a head coach...

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders swept to victory in Tuesday's New Hampshire primaries, adding crucial credibility to their upstart candidacies and underscoring voters' insistence on shaking up American politics...

Missouri’s high-school students would have to pass a civics exam, similar to the U.S. naturalization test, to graduate from high school under a bill proposed by state Rep. Kathy Swan, R-Cape Girardeau. If enacted into law, all students entering ninth grade after July 1, 2017, would have to pass such a test...

Cape Girardeau attorney John Schneider submitted two motions Friday, on behalf of client Patrick Buck, that would suppress a substantial amount of evidence if they are granted by federal Judge Shirley Manseh. Patrick Buck was indicted Dec. 17 on five counts of illegally using, transferring, acquiring and possessing $100 or more of U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, better known as food stamps...

Cape Girardeau Central football coach Nathan Norman will leave his position and head north to St. Louis after an unprecedented five-year run at the school that included three consecutive Class 4 semifinals appearances and the lone state-title game appearance for the Tigers in 2014...

Today is Ash Wednesday, Feb. 10, the 41st day of 2016. There are 325 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 10, 1996, world chess champion Garry Kasparov lost the first game of a match in Philadelphia against an IBM computer dubbed "Deep Blue." (Kasparov ended up winning the match, 4 games to 2; he was defeated by Deep Blue in a rematch the following year.)...

If you're involved with area schools, you may have noticed your calendar is full this time of year. Adding to this mix are two local districts foundations' largest annual fundraisers. Jackson's Red and Black Affair was held Jan. 30, and the Cape Girardeau School District's Penguin Party was held Saturday...

With the presidential campaign clock ticking at break-neck speed, I find myself, like many others, still undecided. Actually, "undecided" is inaccurate. I am clearly decided against either of the two Democratic wannabes because of the obvious -- one is a liar and one a Socialist. Given a quick review of their policies, their views are interchangeable...

NEW YORK -- Jake Johnson admits to being worried when he found out his Fox comedy "New Girl" would continue filming episodes while the show's star, Zooey Deschanel, was on maternity leave. "I thought it was really weird," he said. "At first I thought it was really jarring that Zooey wasn't going to be in some episodes. ...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Alligators have been used as shoes, briefcases, university mascots, lunch and now, authorities said, a deadly weapon. Joshua James, 24, was arrested Monday and charged with assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill after Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation officials said he threw a 3 1/2-foot alligator through a Palm Beach County Wendy's drive-through window in October...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The video posted on Facebook showed a 12-year-old on the ground while another boy tried to stomp him, with classmates standing by, circling the two and recording the fight on their phones. Neither boy was hurt seriously, but Republican Rep. Terri Bryant of Murphysboro in Southern Illinois was so disturbed by the spectators' behavior, she's proposed a bill making it a crime to record fights to share online...

WASHINGTON -- North Korea has expanded a uranium enrichment facility and restarted a plutonium reactor that could begin recovering material for nuclear weapons in weeks or months, the U.S. intelligence chief said Tuesday in delivering the annual assessment by intelligence agencies of the top dangers facing the country...

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama on Tuesday unveiled a record $4.1 trillion, election-year budget that finances Democratic priorities such as education, health care and climate change with new taxes on crude oil, the wealthy and big banks. The wish list, which comes as the nation's long-term fiscal outlook is deteriorating, underscores the initiatives pushed by Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, who hope to succeed Obama. ...

BAGHDAD -- Iraq's Mosul Dam long has been branded the world's most dangerous dam, at risk of collapsing and sending water crashing over millions of people. That prospect is even greater than previously believed after the Islamic State group captured the dam briefly in 2014, according to a new report by U.S. Army engineers...

BAD AIBLING, Germany -- Crews using helicopters and boats rescued dozens of people from the wreckage of two German commuter trains that crashed head-on Tuesday in an isolated part of Bavaria, killing at least 10 and leaving authorities trying to determine why safety measures failed...

NEW DELHI -- Scientists are analyzing a small blue object that plummeted from the sky and killed a man in southern India, after authorities said it was a meteorite. The object slammed into the ground at an engineering college over the weekend, shattering a water cooler and sending splinters and shards flying. Police said a bus driver standing nearby was hit by the debris and died while being taken to a hospital...

WASHINGTON -- A divided Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to halt enforcement of President Barack Obama's sweeping plan to address climate change until after legal challenges are resolved. The move is a blow to the administration and a victory for the coalition of 27 mostly Republican-led states and industry opponents that call the regulations "an unprecedented power grab."...

FERGUSON, Mo. -- The Ferguson City Council agreed Tuesday to most proposals in a settlement with the Justice Department that would reform the city's courts and policing systems but also asked for several changes, including some limiting the city's cost...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A former top executive of the truck stop chain owned by Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam advised sales staff to "Say one thing, do another," when it came to dealing with customers, according to an indictment...

LOS ANGELES -- ESPN, the sports network that drives Disney's profit engine, has hit a soft patch. Subscribers have fallen by about 7.2 million over the last three years, according to Nielsen, and it's coming off a round of layoffs. As more people cut the cord to watch programming online, its perch on top of the pay TV empire is looking unsteady at best...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The career of Missouri’s longest-serving sheriff has come to an abrupt end after he pleaded guilty to stealing reimbursement checks for his own use. Wallace Newman George Jr. served as Saline County sheriff for 36 years before being required to step down Monday under terms of a plea agreement announced Tuesday. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A drug that treats heroin overdoses could become easier to acquire in Missouri under legislation in the House. The House gave initial approval Tuesday to a bill that allows pharmacists to sell naloxone, a drug that temporarily counteracts the effects of opiates. ...

ST. LOUIS — A $19 million project to revitalize Kiener Plaza in downtown St. Louis is underway. Construction work began Monday on the park that sits near the Old Courthouse. The not-for-profit group CityArchRiver redesigned Kiener Plaza, with plans to add a fountain and garden, remove much of the concrete and add a large central lawn, among other changes. The project is expected to be completed by spring 2017...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A recent amendment to the state constitution doesn't mean some felons now can carry guns, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, affirming the status of current law. The 5-2 ruling brings clarity to a constitutional change that's led to confusion over whether nonviolent felons now should be allowed to carry guns...

Monsanto will pay an $80 million penalty and several executives will pay smaller amounts to settle federal allegations the agribusiness giant misstated its earnings by not properly disclosing the costs of a rebate program for its Roundup weed-killer...

A plan to identify freshmen most likely to fail has erupted into a scandal, faculty firings and a demotion at Mount St. Mary's University after the Catholic school's president reportedly likened the students to baby rabbits that should be killed. President Simon Newman is a former financial-industry executive hired in 2014 to lead the college in Emmitsburg, Maryland. ...

Southeast Missouri Hospital unveils its new building addition and the hospital's recently completed MRImaging Center at an open house; the afternoon event features tours of the new north addition to the Harrison Annex and the magnetic resonance imaging center; in addition, the hospital's new chapel is dedicated...

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls: Sunday n Medical assists were made at 2:02 a.m. on Cobblestone Court; 9:10 a.m. on North Sprigg Street; 11:02 a.m. on South Silver Springs Road; 11:10 a.m. on Sheridan Drive; 11:17 a.m. on Independence Street; 10:46 p.m. on Grandview Drive; and 11:31 p.m. on Mimosa Street...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Darnell Lateef Marwan, 24, 735 William St., No. 6, was arrested on suspicion of stealing at Wal-Mart, 3439 William St. n Ashley N. Leigh, 31, 1515 Wayne St., was arrested on suspicion of stealing cosmetics at Wal-Mart, 3439 William St...

Dustin Ray Wren, 34, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, in Cape Girardeau County. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Ford and Sons Sprigg Street Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be at Fairmount Cemetery in Cape Girardeau...

Avis L. Muench, 100, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, at her home. A celebration of her life will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Christ Episcopal Church in Cape Girardeau. Burial will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at IOOF Cemetery in Charleston, Missouri...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Demarco T. Garvin Sr., 39, of Cairo died Friday, Feb. 5, 2016. The family will conduct a memorial service at noon Saturday at Cairo High School. Crain Funeral Home in Cairo is in charge of arrangements.

Pauline Flynn, 84, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Feb. 8, 2016, at her home. Friends may call from 2 p.m. until time of service Saturday at the chapel of McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. The memorial service will be at 3 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Jerry W. Evans, 67, of Chaffee died Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Friends may call after 4 p.m. Monday at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee. A graveside service will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield, with the Rev. Josh Boley officiating. Burial will be with full military honors by the Missouri Honor Guard...

Virginia Craft, daughter of the late Rolla Whittenberg and Hynthia Jackson Whittenberg, was born on June 26, 1941, in Como, Missouri, and went home to heaven Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau at the age of 74. She had devoted her life to the Lord since she was 8 years old. ...

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- David Scott Clanahan, 45, of Mound City passed away at 5:01 a.m. Monday, Feb. 8, 2016, at the Saint Louis University Hospital in St. Louis. David was born Feb. 12, 1970, in Cape Girardeau, the son of Harvey L. Clanahan and Elaine Hurley Clanahan...

Daughter to Joshua Lee Degenhardt and Megan Vi Yount of Perryville, Missouri, Saint Francis Medical Center, 1:15 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, 2016. Name, Mya Renee. Weight, 5 pounds, 12 ounces. First child. Yount is the daughter of Craig Yount and Pam Yount of Perryville...

KENNETT, Mo. — Nine-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow returned to her hometown of Kennett to surprise the teachers at her alma mater, Kennett High School, with a $21,600 donation for classroom supplies. During an all-school assembly featured on the “Today” show’s “Show Heart Today” series Monday, Crow announced she was “adopting” all the school’s teachers through AdoptAClassroom.org with a $600 donation each. ...

The window signs are blackened with spray paint, and the marquee formerly advertising deals on chicken buckets now says “closed.” The KFC on William Street in Cape Girardeau halted operations Monday and soon will be demolished. The lot behind the building is empty. Brent McHugh, the restaurant’s general manager, said there were three or four houses in that area, and they were torn down last week. The space soon will be home to a newly constructed KFC...

SoutheastHEALTH has announced the closing of Southeast Health Center of Reynolds County and its related clinics in Ellington, Missouri, and Van Buren, Missouri. Operations will cease effective March 11. According to a news release, SoutheastHEALTH recently was informed by state Medicaid officials of a $6 million liability owed by Advanced Healthcare, the hospital’s previous owners. As the current owners of the facility, the law states SoutheastHEALTH is responsible for the liability...

A Gipsy, Missouri, man told police sex with a woman was traded for methamphetamine — a deal unknown to the woman. He said he was high and did not remember whether the victim told him “no.” Collin M. James, 27, was arrested by Bollinger County sheriff’s deputies Monday and charged with felony rape or attempted rape and first-degree sexual abuse. ...

Landon Tenkhoff posted a double-double with a game-high 26 points and 17 rebounds and three steals as the Chaffee boys basketball team outlasted Zalma 58-54 in overtime to get the conference victory on the road. Jordan Wilburn finished with 11 points, six rebounds and four steals for Chaffee (6-15, 4-1 Mississippi Valley Conference), which trailed by five points entering the fourth quarter, where it outscored the Bulldogs 14-9 to force overtime. ...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A federal judge ruled Kentucky clerk Kim Davis has obeyed his orders in the months since she spent five nights in jail for refusing to license same-sex marriages. U.S. District Judge David Bunning wrote Tuesday that Davis has allowed her deputies to issue marriage licenses and dismissed a request from the American Civil Liberties Union to consider ordering her to reissue licenses she altered to remove her name. ...

VOORHEES, N.J. -- Twin sisters gave birth to girls minutes apart at the same hospital. Stephanie Edginton and Nicole Montgomery delivered their daughters six minutes apart Monday at Virtua Hospital in Voorhees. Edington said she and her sister were due to deliver Friday, but Edginton was told to go to the hospital for labor while she was at a doctor's appointment. Edington said as she was on her way to the hospital, she got a call saying Montgomery was on her way there, too...

SAN DIEGO -- Erika Colligan spent three decades searching for her father's artwork -- paintings the South Vietnam pilot made for the U.S. Air Force aviators who trained him during the Vietnam War. The 50-year-old San Diego software consultant was only 1 when her father died in a plane crash in his native country in 1966...

O Father God, may we be a light to world, boldly proclaiming your name. Amen.

Snow falls around a doe as she licks her back Wednesday off Old Sprigg Street Road in Cape Girardeau.

Rick Ray is big on numbers. One of the first things the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball coach, who holds a degree in applied mathematics and secondary education, usually does following a game is point to a handful of stats that led to his team's success of lack thereof...

MARTIN, Tenn. -- There were three keys to the Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team's game plan for defending Ohio Valley Conference champion and current leader UT Martin on Wednesday night. The Redhawks were supposed to defend the 3, dominate the boards and limit turnovers...

Employees of Ameren Missouri donated $30,976.70 to United Way of Southeast Missouri's 2015 campaign.

Employees of the City of Cape Girardeau donated $13,749.19 to United Way of Southeast Missouri's 2015 campaign.

Employees of Drury Southwest donated $6,332.50 to United Way of Southeast Missouri's 2015 campaign.

Employees of First Missouri State Bank donated $7,006.16 to United Way of Southeast Missouri's 2015 campaign.