Stories from Monday, March 5, 2018

Cape Girardeau’s annual Gun and Knife Show held this weekend at the Show Me Center was a chance to buy, sell or trade firearms and knives of all varieties within the community — pending the approval of a background check for firearms. If you’re thinking about visiting the next show in your area, first do some research about your state’s requirements, even for out-of-state purchases...

Hundreds of colorful handmade bowls decorated tables at the Salvation Army in Cape Girardeau on Sunday as a reminder of the hunger many face in the community. The bowls were empty, but the room was full of community members ready to make a difference...

One of the arguments the Missouri Attorney General’s Office is now making to defend its conviction of David Robinson is faulty recording practices by the public defense investigator in the case. Robinson was convicted for the 2000 murder of Sheila Box on the testimony of two jailhouse informants who since have recanted. No physical evidence ties Robinson to the crime, and another man, Romanze Mosby confessed to shooting Box to several people...

The bold, dynamic new look of B Magazine is no accident -- it's part of the renaissance underway as rustmedia revamps its special publications. Formerly handled by the Southeast Missourian's newsroom staff, special publications including Business Today and Flourish, to name two, are getting a facelift, in both design and content...

Today is Monday, March 5, the 64th day of 2018. There are 301 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On March 5, 1868, the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson began in the U.S. Senate, with Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase presiding. Johnson, the first U.S. president to be impeached, was accused of "high crimes and misdemeanors" stemming from his attempt to fire Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton; the trial ended on May 26 with Johnson's acquittal...

O Father God, thank you for safety and warmth this winter. Amen.

Music lovers will have a couple of opportunities in the next several days to enjoy some classical music. At 7 p.m. today, members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra will present a free concert at St. Paul Lutheran Church, featuring a string quartet comprised of St. Louis Symphony musicians ...

For some reason, I enjoy reading the stock market report in your newspaper. I have very few stocks but I like to see various stock prices on ones I don’t even own, such as Walmart, P&G, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola. To my dismay, the report was discontinued some time ago. I mentioned it to an employee when I phoned to update my credit card. Recently I was elated to find the report back in your newspaper...

Politicians need to wise up. 18-year-olds can vote this year. 17-year-olds can vote next year. And the current 16-year-olds will vote in the next presidential election. So maybe they shouldn’t be ignored. ...

The Marquette Hotel, scene of an arson fire Wednesday, took another beating last night; a car crashed into a corner of the old hotel at about 10:45 p.m.; police located the car's owner about 15 minutes later; he was on foot about three blocks north of the scene...

David Wesley Woeltje, 64, of Jackson died Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. The family invites friends to a life celebration reception at noon Sunday at the American Legion Hall in Cape Girardeau. Announcement by McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson...

NEW HAMBURG, Mo. — Clara Lorene Steimle, 101, of New Hamburg passed away Friday, March 2, 2018, at Pacific Care Center in Pacific, Missouri. She was born Oct. 5, 1916, in Kelso, Missouri, the daughter of Lawrence and Ella Pobst Weissmueller. She married Charles L. Steimle on Oct. 25, 1941, in Kelso. He preceded her in death Nov. 20, 1992...

Glenn Elmer Saupe, 78, of Shawneetown passed away Friday, March 2, 2018, at his home. He was born March 10, 1939, in Shawneetown to Elmer Ernst “Pete” and Elsie Ruth Winter Saupe. He and Doris Wibbenmeyer were married July 17, 1970, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Shawneetown, also the church of his baptism and confirmation...

Dr. Angela Marie Keele, 46, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, March 3, 2018, at her home. She was born March 25, 1971, in Mexico, Missouri, to Phillip and Pam Hancox Kuda. Angela was a 1989 graduate of Van-Far High School in Vandalia, Missouri. She earned her medical degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia...

Rudolph Charles "R.C." Kasten, 88, of Jackson died Saturday, March 3, 2018, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday in Chapel A of McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson, with an American Legion Service at 7 p.m., and from 9 to 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. — Peggy A. Bollinger, 71, of Marble Hill passed away Friday, March 2, 2018, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 30, 1946, daughter of the late Henry David Whitener Sr. and Dorothy Ellen Osborn. Peggy and Larry were united in marriage May 14, 1966...

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls: Friday n Medical assists were made at 12:59 a.m. on William Street; 7:30 a.m. on Bellevue Street; 7:56 a.m. on Harmony Street; 11:49 a.m. on North Kingshighway; 12:57 p.m. on South Kingshighway; 1:33 p.m. on Broadway; 1:38 p.m. on Good Hope Street; 5:31 p.m. on Pioneer Drive; and 8:33 p.m. on South Silver Springs Road...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI n Mariena D. Carter, 22, of Cape Girardeau was issued a summons at Broadway and Lorimier Street for driving while intoxicated. Arrests n Braiden Harris Orme, 20, of Foristell, Missouri, was arrested on a Foristell warrant...

TIVERTON, R.I. — A Rhode Island school district is asking local taxpayers to dig deeper into their pockets to fund next year’s school budget. But don’t expect outrage in Tiverton. The school committee wants a total of $1. The committee is proposing increasing the next fiscal year’s school budget by $800,000 over last year, but noted that it is getting an expected $340,000 in state aid and will withdraw almost $460,000 from its reserve fund. ...

CHERRY HILL, N.J. -- Resistance to the Republican tax overhaul comes with an ideological twist for some Democratic state officials: They've styled themselves as champions of the working class but are pushing hard for measures that would reduce taxes mostly for the wealthy...

BEIRUT -- There have been many goodbyes in eastern Ghouta -- more than 600 in the past two weeks. That is the estimated number of civilians killed in the Syrian military's offensive to recapture the region adjacent to the capital Damascus, under opposition control for nearly six years...

WASHINGTON -- Russia will "never" extradite any of the 13 Russians indicted by the United States for election-meddling, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, even as he insisted they didn't act on behalf of his government. Putin's comments in an NBC News interview airing Sunday illustrated the long odds the Russian operatives will ever appear in U.S. ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Gun store owners called it the "Trump slump." Sales of firearms slowed dramatically after the election of Donald Trump as president in 2016 allayed fears of a Democratic crackdown on gun owners. That trend has continued in recent weeks even with talk of gun control in Congress and among business leaders following the Feb. 14 massacre of 17 people at a Florida high school...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Fifteen students in one Florida school district are facing felony charges and prison time for allegedly making threats since the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre. Meanwhile, an autistic Minnesota high-school student whose alleged threat led to a six-hour lockdown is in juvenile court and has received an outpouring of sympathy...

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump's administration appears unbowed by broad domestic and international criticism of his planned import tariffs on steel and aluminum, saying Sunday the president is not planning on exempting any countries from the stiff duties...

PHILADELPHIA -- Prosecutors in Bill Cosby's retrial want to call as many as 19 other women to the witness stand to show he had a five-decade pattern of drugging and harming women. Cosby is due in court for a pretrial hearing today, less than two weeks after his daughter's death, as his lawyers clash with prosecutors over how many of his accusers are allowed to testify at his April 2 sexual assault trial...

LOS ANGELES -- The 90th Academy Awards crowned Guillermo del Toro's monster fable "The Shape of Water" best picture at an Oscars that confronted the post-Harvey Weinstein era and sought to pivot to a vision of a more inclusive movie business. A sense of change was palpable at the ceremony Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, where winners made impassioned arguments for gender equality and diversity...

NEWARK, N.J. -- As the push to legalize sports gambling in the U.S. nears a crucial Supreme Court decision, states hoping to reap a financial windfall could face another hurdle: Attracting younger players used to online fantasy sports. The explosion in popularity of daily fantasy sports has created a generation of sports fans more attuned to gauging individual player statistics than how two teams may fare against each other, the challenge at the heart of traditional sports wagering...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Airbnb is dispatching inspectors to rate thousands of the properties listed on its home-rental service in an effort to reassure travelers they're booking nice places to stay. The Plus program, unveiled late last month, is aimed at winning over travelers who aren't sure they can trust the current rating system drawn from the opinions posted by past guests. ...

NEW YORK -- When the world shifted from personal computers to smartphones, websites had to slim down to work on smaller screens and slower wireless connections. A similar shift to voice-centric services is again forcing businesses to rethink how they present information to consumers -- and spurring new efforts to help them do so...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri House is considering requiring a political hopeful's legal last name when they declare their candidacy for office. House members this past week gave the proposal initial approval in a voice vote. It could come up for a final House vote in the next week...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri senators have approved changes to the governor's role in picking State Board of Education members after a fight with Gov. Eric Greitens. Senators this past week voted 22-10 to send a bill to the House to require at least five members of the eight-member board to have Senate confirmation before the board could act...

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

n Public hearing to consider amendments to Chapter 65 of the code of ordinances to add regulations regarding shipping containers as specified allowable uses in certain zoning districts...

Items for discussion n Police Department report n Appearances regarding items not on the agenda n Agenda review Regular session, 7 p.m. Presentations n Proclamation -- Soles4Souls...

Codefi in Cape Girardeau announced Stacy Dohogne Lane will join its team as community director. Lane will lead the new youth technology education program being developed and supported by the Marquette Tech District Foundation, according to a recent Facebook post...

BENTON, Mo. -- Henry Martin Schiwitz, 93, of Benton passed away Saturday, March 3, 2018, at his home. He was born Jan. 16, 1925, in Commerce, Missouri, the son of Arthur Albert and Mary Pearl Fullerton Schiwitz. He married Ella Dean Freeman on Sept. 20, 1952; she preceded him in death March 19, 2015. Henry was a chief engineer for Cargo Carriers Towboat. He served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and the Korean conflict. He was a member of the Morley Church of Christ...

How would you like to lower your blood pressure, improve cognition, get more exercise and lower your health care costs? It may be as simple as adopting a pet. Studies from the National Institute of Health, as well as researchers at the University of Missouri, have found a link between these health benefits and pet ownership. Local seniors have found not only health benefits, but also wonderful companionship from their pets...

It’s 6:45 on a rainy Tuesday morning at County Seat Café in Benton, Missouri. Six men sit at a rectangular table in the middle of the restaurant, reading the newspaper, swapping stories, eating scrambled eggs and bacon. Most importantly, they are drinking coffee...

The egg is a symbol of new life and rebirth in folklore. Because of this, the egg is the chosen medium for the ancient art of Pysanka (PIH-sahn-kah; plural form Pysanky, pronounced pih-sahn-KIH). Pysanka is the Ukrainian art of egg decorating that uses hot beeswax and several colors of dye to create a work of art...

Those who read my column know that I don’t read many nonfiction books. I know many of you readers do, however, so I’m always on the lookout for a good one to share. One of my staff members recommended “The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild,” by Lawrence Anthony. Since the elephant is my second favorite animal, I decided to give it a try...

Linda Null’s goal is to run a half marathon in every state. She’s over halfway there. In the past 15 years, Null, a retired teacher originally from Dudley, Missouri, has run a total of 59 half marathons, two 23Ks, two 25Ks and two 50Ks. She has run half-marathons in 29 states, and she’s training for a full marathon in June...

March is a big birthday month around our house. My father-in-law, one of my nephews, my mom, my son, an aunt, uncles, friends … we could have cake just about all 31 days. Today I am thinking about cookies and my friend Gina, who happens to share a birthday with my mom on the Ides of March, March 15. ...

It happens to the best of us — we’re driving in the car, shopping in the grocery store or cooking dinner in the kitchen and a song comes on that stops us in our tracks, viscerally taking us back to a moment or person from our past. For the duration of the song, we relive that moment again, experiencing those feelings, associations and memories from the time in our life when that song was important...

Every era has its cool stuff. Today kids have smartphones that do things we didn’t even dream of in 1963. That’s when I wanted a cool little device called a transistor radio. Miniature enough to fit into a jacket pocket, this ’50s innovation let you take pop music or St. ...

It will be five years this spring since I found my first Native American artifact, and I enjoy looking for and finding them any chance I get. It's equally exciting to find one when I'm not technically looking. Last spring a buddy of mine was having issues with groundhogs eating his bean sprouts in a Cape Girardeau County field, and I volunteered to do my best to remove the offending varmints...

When I was a child, my mother read every book in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House on the Prairie” series to me. The story is based on a young pioneer girl growing up in a time when having butter for your bread and heat for your house meant serious work. Laura and her family didn’t get catalogs in the mail for patio furniture or food scales. They didn’t watch HGTV or pay for DISH satellite and a Sam’s Club membership...

Lions Club members in Cape Girardeau have been flipping flapjacks since 1939. Here is the scene at 817 Broadway as published in the Southeast Missourian, April 3, 1947: Waiting for pancakes was a pastime indulged in by many Girardeans Wednesday who stood in line in order to sample the products turned out by the Lions Club during their ninth annual Pancake Day. ...