Stories from Wednesday, March 7, 2018

The trial and tribulation of high school will be brought to the River Campus stage this week with Southeast Missouri State University's production of "Punk Rock." Freshman Rowan Van Horn of St. Louis portrays William Carlisle. He describes his character as a "pretty troubled guy" with "a lot of pent-up emotions."...

A new aluminum smelter will open in New Madrid County, Missouri, at the site of the former Noranda Aluminum plant, state and federal officials said Tuesday. State Rep. Don Rone, R-Portageville, and U.S. Rep. Jason Smith welcomed the jobs the new Magnitude 7 Metals plant will create...

For anyone who’s ever wondered how pH level affects water’s freezing point or the effects of borax on the stretchability of slime, answers abounded in a sea of cardboard tri-fold stands, photos of petri dishes and lists of tools and methodologies at the 62nd annual Southeast Missouri Regional Science Fair...

State Rep. Kathy Swan wants to revise Missouri’s condemnation law to better protect property owners in the wake of her legal battle with the city of Cape Girardeau. Swan and her husband, Reg, fought the city in court, accusing the local government of taking their land unfairly by offering well below the appraised value for a little more than 3 acres of woods behind their home...

Chris Conroy is the new vice president and general manager of KFVS12 (CBS) and WQWQ-TV (CW/MeTV) in Cape Girardeau, according to a news release from Raycom Media. Conroy moves to KFVS/WQWQ from Raycom sister station KAIT (ABC) in Jonesboro, Arkansas, where he served as vice president and general manager since 2014, the release stated...

Today is Wednesday, March 7, the 66th day of 2018. There are 299 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On March 7, 1965, a march by civil rights demonstrators was violently broken up at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, by state troopers and a sheriff's posse in what came to be known as "Bloody Sunday."...

O Lord Jesus, in all things may we glorify you, our precious Savior. Amen.

I'm greeted with a report first thing in the morning from the Southern Poverty Law Center that says Missouri has 18 active hate groups operating in our state, which actually represents a decline from last year's 24 hate group census. The SPLC report indicates that nationally there is an increase in hate groups from last year's 917 to 954 this year...

Within the past year, our Cape Girardeau community has witnessed very remarkable events that few communities our size have probably ever witnessed. n On April 14, 2017 we had the blessing and unveiling of six new state-of-the-art fire trucks. n On Dec. 1, 2017 we had the dedication of our new state of the art Fire Station No. 4 and also the dedication of the new Annex Building at Fire Station No. 2...

WASHINGTON -- A military investigation into the Niger attack in which four American service members died concludes the team didn't get required senior command approval for their risky mission to capture a high-level Islamic State militant. Initial information suggested the Army Special Forces team set out on its October mission to meet local Nigerien leaders, only to be redirected to assist a second unit hunting for Doundou Chefou, a militant suspected of involvement in the kidnapping of an American aid worker.. ...

The Rev. Kendal Hicks, formerly of House Springs, Missouri, begins his pastorate at Southside Baptist Church; he received a bachelor of science degree at the University of Missouri-Columbia and a master of divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary...

Daughter to John Victor and Sierra Renae Reyna of Jackson, Southeast Hospital, 12:20 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018. Name, Avery Paige. Weight, 8 pounds, 7 ounces. Second daughter. Mrs. Reyna is the former Sierra Windeknecht, daughter of Shelly Phillips of Jackson. Reyna is the son of Linda Reyna and John Reyna of Bandera, Texas. He is on staff at the Department of Public Safety at Southeast Missouri State University...

A trailblazing film director. A snowboarding champion. A pioneering mathematician for NASA. An iconic artist. Barbie is marking International Women's Day by honoring some of the inspiring women of the present and the past. The brand announced Tuesday -- a day before International Women's Day -- that it has chosen 17 modern-day and historic role models to honor with a doll in their likeness...

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Sri Lanka's president declared a state of emergency Tuesday amid fears anti-Muslim attacks in a central hill town could spread. Details of the emergency decree were not immediately announced, and it was unclear how it would affect life on the South Asian island nation, where Buddhist-Muslim tensions have flared in recent years as extremist Buddhist organizations have spread...

BEIRUT -- The first aid delivery in weeks to reach the besieged eastern suburbs of Damascus was cut short after Syrian government forces began shelling the area while aid workers were still inside, a local council said Tuesday, amid a renewed escalation in the government's deadly aerial and ground campaign...

NIZHNY TAGIL, Russia -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday took his campaign to one of Russia's leading industrial companies, vowing to bolster high-tech industries and improve living standards. Putin traveled to the town of Nizhny Tagil in the Urals to visit Uralvagonzavod, a huge factory producing battle tanks for the Russian military and railroad cars. The trip comes as the Russian leader seeks to shore up his support base before the March 18 presidential election...

SEOUL, South Korea -- After years of refusal, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is willing to discuss the fate of his atomic arsenal with the United States and has expressed a readiness to suspend nuclear and missile tests during such talks, a senior South Korean official said Tuesday. "They seem to be acting positively," President Donald Trump said as the world awaited his next move...

SALISBURY, England -- Britain's counterterrorism police took over an investigation Tuesday into the mysterious collapse of a former spy and his daughter, now fighting for their lives. The government pledged a "robust" response if suspicions of Russian state involvement are proven...

NEW YORK -- The Quarter Pounder is getting a fresh makeover. McDonald's said Tuesday it is serving Quarter Pounders with fresh beef rather than frozen patties at about a quarter of its U.S. restaurants, a switch it first announced about a year ago as it works to appeal to customers who want fresher foods. It will roll out fresh beef Quarter Pounders to most of its 14,000 U.S. restaurants by May...

WASHINGTON -- For the first time in Marine Corps history, women are attending a previously male-only combat training course in California. Marine Capt. Joshua Pena said 40 female Marine students checked in Tuesday to the Marine Combat Training Battalion at Camp Pendleton...

JACKSON, Miss. -- Mississippi's Republican governor took himself out of the mix Tuesday for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Thad Cochran, saying he'll find another strong contender to keep the seat firmly in GOP hands for decades, as Cochran did...

WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration on Tuesday sued to block California laws extending protections to people living in the U.S. illegally, the most aggressive move yet in its push to force so-called sanctuary cities and states to cooperate with immigration authorities. California officials remained characteristically defiant, vowing to defend their landmark legislation...

AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas kicked off primary season ahead of the 2018 midterm election, with implications for Democrats and Republicans alike in an election year perhaps altering the direction of Congress and statehouses around the country for the final two years of President Donald Trump's term...

AUSTIN, Texas -- Democrats in deep-red Texas voted in force in the first-in-the-nation 2018 primary elections Tuesday, propelling women candidates toward possible challenges to entrenched male Republicans in Congress and venting their midterm anger at President Donald Trump...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A proposal to arm some teachers and school employees proved particularly contentious Tuesday as Florida representatives debated amendments to a school safety bill. House members spent nearly three hours asking questions about the legislation, which would put some restrictions on rifle sales, provide new mental health programs from schools and improve communication among school districts, law enforcement and state agencies...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia's striking teachers cheered, sang and wept joyfully Tuesday as lawmakers acted to end a nine-day classroom walkout, ceding them 5 percent pay hikes, also extended to all state workers. A huge crowd of teachers packing the Capitol jumped up and down, chanted "We love our kids!" and sang John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads." The settlement came on the ninth day of a crippling strike idling hundreds of thousands of students, forced parents to scramble for child care and cast a spotlight on government dysfunction in one of the poorest states in the nation.. ...

WASHINGTON -- A federal watchdog says White House counselor Kellyanne Conway violated the federal law prohibiting government officials from using their positions to influence political campaigns. The Office of Special Counsel, which is unrelated to Robert Mueller's office, says Conway violated the Hatch Act twice last year when she spoke out in support of Republican Roy Moore and against his Democratic rival, Sen. Doug Jones, in the Alabama Senate race...

WASHINGTON -- Warning of economic fallout, congressional Republicans and industry groups pressed President Donald Trump to narrow his plan for across-the-board tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum. Trump appeared unmoved, declaring: "Trade wars aren't so bad."...

WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration has chosen an odd time to offer special protection to the U.S. steel industry. As President Donald Trump prepares to impose a 25 percent tax on imported steel, America's steelmakers actually are faring pretty well: The U.S. steel industry last year earned more than $2.8 billion, up from $714 million in 2016 and a loss in 2015, according to the Commerce Department. And the industry added more than 8,000 jobs between January 2017 and January 2018...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri House has given initial approval to a bill barring public colleges and universities from requiring students buy meal plans even if they have dietary restrictions. The bill approved Tuesday would allow students with medical documentation of food allergies, food sensitivities or medical dietary issues to forgo on-campus dining plans. Proponents say the goal is to protect students from having to pay for food they can't eat...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri House gave initial approval Tuesday to a bill repealing Missouri's prevailing wage law for public construction projects, a move targeted by GOP legislative leaders as a priority this year. Currently, cities, school districts and other governmental entities must pay more than the state's standard minimum wage for construction and maintenance work, the exact amount determined by a project's location and the type of work being done...

ST. LOUIS -- Ferguson, Missouri, is making progress toward racial reforms but risks falling behind if additional staff isn't hired to implement new policies, the court-appointed monitor overseeing the city's agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice told a federal judge Tuesday...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A veterans' charity founded by Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens says it will support an attorney general's inquiry into "the misuse of our resources by the Greitens campaign," following reports the Republican governor used the charity's donor list and email account as he launched his political career...

A big healthcare development is brewing in Cape Girardeau, which could lead to the two major hospitals working together in a new line of business sorely needed in the area. When interviewed about the potential project by new area business publication B Magazine, the CEOs for Saint Francis and SoutheastHealth shared details but asked for the magazine to hold off on reporting specifics until further hurdles were cleared. ...

Clinton Wren Jr., 92, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018, at his home. He was born March 10, 1925, in Scobey, Mississippi, to Clinton and Ruby Avant Wren. He and Eloise Wren were married in 1945 at Charleston, Mississippi. He grew up working on the farm as a young boy. Later on, with his brother Earvin's help, he became a concrete man. He continued masonry work until his work's end...

Betty Ann Wills, 83, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, March 6, 2018, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center. Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at Ford and Sons Funeral Home in Jackson. Funeral will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Entombment will be at Cape County Memorial Park Mausoleum...

WICHITA, Kan. -- Caroline Ritter Reitz, 83, born in Cape Girardeau, died Monday, March 5, 2018, in Wichita. As a teenager, she attended Interlochen Center for the Arts and studied piano and vocal music. Caroline received her bachelor of science degree in business from Vanderbilt University...

BUCHANAN, Tenn. -- Sharon Lynn Reed, 72, of Buchanan, formally of Cape Girardeau, died Saturday, March 3, 2018, at Anna Mae Owens Hospice House in Murray, Kentucky. She was born April 30, 1945, in Cape Girardeau to Arlo Massa and Alberta Marie Tilley. She was raised by Henry R. and Alberta Marie Tilley Cole...

Gary Estes, 87, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, March 4, 2018, at SSM Health St. Clare Hospital in Fenton, Missouri. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau. Funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Hobbs Chapel United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau, with the Rev. Stan Hargis officiating. Entombment will be at the Cape County Memorial Park Mausoleum...

George Collins, 84, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, March 4, 2018, at St. Anthony Medical Center. He was born Sept. 12, 1933, in Tiptonville, Tennessee, to William Lloyd and Genevieve Godwin Collins. He and Doris J. Springs were married May 7, 1954, at Bloomfield, Missouri...

BOISE, Idaho — A woman was taken into custody following an attempt to open an aircraft door during a flight from San Francisco to Boise, authorities said. Boise police detained the woman after SkyWest flight 5449 landed safely Monday morning at the Boise Airport, the Idaho Statesman reported. Flight operators had reported an "unruly passenger" to Boise Airport...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Mayor Megan Barry, a one-time rising star in the Democratic Party with big plans to remake Nashville, resigned Tuesday after pleading guilty to cheating the city out of thousands of dollars as she carried on an affair with her bodyguard...

CAPE GIRARDEAU Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls: Monday n Medical assists were made at 8:10 a.m. on Brenda Kay Court; 10:39 a.m. on North Frederick Street; 12:44 p.m. on Stoddard Street; 1:46 p.m. on Linden Street; 1:50 p.m. on North Sprigg Street; 4:13 p.m. on Bloomfield Road; and 10:37 p.m. on Marroseann Drive...

WASHINGTON -- Top economic adviser Gary Cohn is leaving the White House after breaking with President Donald Trump on trade policy, the latest in a string of high-level departures from the West Wing. Cohn, the director of the National Economic Council, has been the leading internal opponent to Trump's planned tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum, working to orchestrate an eleventh-hour effort in recent days to get Trump to reverse course. ...

James N. Lichtenegger, 68, of Jackson died Monday, March 5, 2018 at his home. Arrangements are incomplete at this time. McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson is in charge of arrangements.

Cape Central High School is gearing up to present Bye Bye Birdie this coming April. This is a classic musical, and any Elvis lovers are encouraged to come. The students have been working tirelessly on choreography, lines, costumes (making some from scratch), building set, painting,props, lighting and sound...

Bollinger County Cape Girardeau County Perry County Scott County...

Cape Girardeau County Tax liens and lien discharges recorded at the office of Drew Blattner, recorder of deeds, during February are filed by the Missouri Department of Revenue, except as indicated by IRS designation. For more information, contact the recorder's office at (573) 243-8123...