Stories from Saturday, March 24, 2018

The Jackson Police Department took two juveniles into custody Friday afternoon in connection with the Thursday shooting of a house on the 100 block of Bast Street in Jackson, according to a department news release. The release stated the police department detectives conducted several interviews, which led officers to a residence in Cape Girardeau...

Karl Kunkel has resigned as provost at Southeast Missouri State University effective May 14. He will assume a faculty position Aug. 1 at Southeast, according to a university news release. Kunkel sent a resignation email to Academic Affairs on Friday morning announcing the resignation and his intention to return to the faculty...

The property at 161 West Drive in Cape Girardeau housed a Denny’s Diner until Wednesday, when a “Closed for Business” sign appeared on an exterior door. The property was purchased by Shogun Steakhouse on March 15, according to Cape Girardeau County Recorder of Deeds Drew Blattner, who said the document was recorded March 19...

Harry Rediger never planned on being mayor of Cape Girardeau. But once he decided to run, he embraced the role. After eight years — two terms — as head of the city, Rediger is leaving office next month as a result of term limits. “It was one of the best decisions of my life,” he said of being mayor...

Today is Saturday, March 24, the 83rd day of 2018. There are 282 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On March 24, 1958, Elvis Presley was inducted into the U.S. Army at the draft board in Memphis, Tennessee, before boarding a bus for Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. (Presley underwent basic training at Fort Hood, Texas, before being shipped off to Germany.)...

Wet weather conditions are keeping area farmers out of the fields, according to Terry Birk of the Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service; rain snow and mud have made field work difficult during the first two months of the year. According to new procedural guidelines under consideration by the Cape Girardeau City Council, citizens addressing the council at public meetings would have their comments subject to a time limit; although there are few changes in the guidelines, the committee which drafted them hopes that by bringing the issue to the council's attention, more orderly and efficient meetings will result.. ...

Oak Ridge Junior High School 7th grade: MacKenzie Armbruster, Zoe Berry, Bailey Brewer, Ahren Fodge, Kayla Johnson, Wyatt Johnson, Nolan McClard, Lydia Roth, Allison Seabaugh, Tanner Slinkard, Clay Suhr, Leeman Thompson, Erin Urhahn. 8th grade: Wyatt Berry, Sienna Crowden, Reagan Froemsdorf, Paige Glueck, Jiliyan Hobeck, Mary-Beth Jensen, Ashton Reed, William Richards, Ethan Ruehling, Alex Seyer, Charlotte Sparks...

Oak Ridge High School 9th grade: Jacquilynne Doyle, Erin Grayhek, Bailey Urhahn. 10th grade: Drew Glueck, Bryce Hahs, Blake Hale, David Layton, Zachary LeGrand, Ethan Puchbauer, Samuel Weinhold, Sierra Woodall. 11th grade: Caroline Abner, Connor Bock, Maggie Howe, Madalynn Koerner, Drew Kranawetter, Macie Lemons, Cole Schemel, Kristen Seabaugh, Brent Seyer, Taylor Seyer, Sophie Thompson, Sydney Unterreiner...

Kelly High School A Honor Roll 12th grade: Donald Beck, Abigail Blunt, Hunter Bryant, Brent Burke, Gaven Chapman, Taylor Dorris, Katelyn Draves, Shelby Fisher, Cesar Fraire-Frias, Evan Gilliam, Kaleb Glastetter, Kelsey Hart, Madison Hayden, Logan Hodgkiss, Alayna Johnson, Quinton Lacey, Alejandra Maberry, Dustin Makja, Preston Mapes, Alyssa Moore, Hailey Noon, Madison Poat, Nelson Shadwick, Cassie Still, Lauren Wadlington, Trystan Wohlferd, Alyssa Woodrome, Dawson Yates...

Scott City Middle School High Honor Roll 5th grade: Makenna Gentry, Lilyan Landis. 6th grade: Nickolas Bigham, Brayden Braun, Hunter Graff, Hattie Jones, Emilie Rhyne, Logan Schiwitz, Luke Umfleet, Tyson Underwood. 7th grade: Heather Hilsgen, Heather Phillips...

Nadean Beussink of Marble Hill, Missouri, announces the engagement of her daughter, Brittney Lynn Beussink, to Bryan Thomas Maccarone, both of Walnut Creek, California. He is the son of John and Young Maccarone of Orinda, California. Brittney is also the daughter of the late Stanley Beussink...

Franklin Elementary School A Honor Roll Morelia Chanocua, Dekyra Watson, Karsin Pierrce, Kylie Reavis, Camille Wersel, Deshandria Wiseman, Deori Wren, Abigail Coonts, Elias Lawson, Jazzalynne Cole, Hadley Browne, Atticus Harper, Clark Wu, Layla Masterson, LaRaughn McKinney, Cameron Patterson, Anthony Distefano, Laila Finley, Michael Mahurin, Janessa Southall...

North America is home to several kinds of falcons. The American kestrel is the smallest of the falcons. It is about the size of a mourning dove. This little bird likes wide open spaces and is most often seen along a roadside on a high line wire stretched beside a farm field. Most often you will see just one kestrel sitting alone watching the ground for prey such as grasshoppers or mice. My photo here is testament to the kestrel's love of open spaces...

Submitted by Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary Sophia is a 5-year-old sweet Chihuahua looking for a forever home!. She is available for adoption at Safe Harbor; call (573) 243-9823.

Monday: Shepherd's pie or chicken livers with mashed potatoes, seasoned broccoli, oven-fried okra, whole-grain hot roll and sugar-free fruited gelation or lemon bar. Tuesday: Chicken tenders or ham and scalloped potato bake, parmesan peas, seasoned cauliflower, whole-grain bread and mixed fruit or applesauce cake...

Well, it's election time again so the TV and Facebook are inundated with commercials. This one says this and that one says that. All of them are promising to either do better than the other one or do something right where the other one is doing it wrong. Not that many years ago, all the political ads were on the radio or in the newspaper or on fliers and such. Not that many years ago, a good many politicians campaigned door to door. That's kind of unheard of today...

The Salvation Army, 701 Good Hope St. in Cape Girardeau, will serve the following items this week. Monday: BBQ chicken, potato salad, baked beans, fruit/dessert Tuesday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, fruit/dessert Wednesday: Sweet/sour chicken, rice, corn, fruit/dessert...

It is hard to open a newspaper today and not find something negative written about the state of education in the U.S. Fifty years ago our students ranked in the top five in most key educational areas as compared with students of other countries. Today they rank somewhere between numbers 18 and 25...

The title to this column, if the editor who vets my missive was kind enough to use the one I suggested, was also seen at the corner of Broadway and Clark streets in Cape this past week. The message was on a chalkboard at knee-level and despite my increasingly poor eyesight, it was easy to read...

From the cross, the last words that Jesus cries are, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" These are powerful words that Jesus gives to us in Mark 15:34, words that liberate us from the need to pretend before our God. This prayer is one that at once questions, as well as demonstrates profound faith. ...

Recent happenings of the Torchbearer Iota Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi have been a Valentine's Day gathering at the Chateau Girardeau for the crowning of the chapter's Valentine Queen for the year, Mary Schwab, who is a resident at the Chateau. In addition to her crown, she was presented with a yellow rose and the traditional Valentine pin. Schwab has been a member of Beta Sigma Phi for 49 years. This was followed by a Valentine gift exchange and a trip to the China Crown for dinner...

I am not from Texas and don't have any vested interest in Texas, but I am wildly fond of good ole Texas Sheet Cake. Many of you may recall that the original Texas sheet cake became famous many years ago and always contained cinnamon and buttermilk as ingredients and always pecans. As with many recipes, over the years we have changed the recipe by adding or deleting ingredients which often times changes the end result...

The unusual weather we have been experiencing has prompted a lot of vegetable gardeners to ask a lot of questions. They are wondering if there is something that they should be doing differently than before in order to combat the "unusual weather." (In my mind, the "unusual weather" we have been experiencing is just "usual" for the Heartland.)...

"As long as someone is creating a pysanka, the world will never end," Barb Duncan said, sharing a quote from a Babushka. Duncan, 83, from Jackson, visited Ukraine in the early 1990's as part of a mission trip to distribute the four gospels in schools, hospitals and orphanages in the Ukrainian language. ...

O Father God, thank you for generous people who show your love. Amen.

Stormwater is a major concern in Cape Girardeau, and if citizens had not supported city leaders in the past with tax dollars, then significant areas of town would continue to flood during heavy rains. When I was growing up, several feet of floodwater was not abnormal in even the town's busiest areas -- around the Town Plaza; along Broadway; at West End and Independence -- which are no longer inundated during heavy storms. Still, flash flooding persists, and more work is necessary...

With due respect to State Rep. Donna Lichtenegger and all the dedication she has shown for us, I stand strongly opposed to HB 1554. I believe the use of marijuana to treat terminally ill patients is a bad idea for several reasons: 1. Marijuana is a societal "gateway" drug, and legitimizing it for medical reasons is the first step toward general use. It's also a step toward euthanasia...

CAPE GIRARDEAU Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls: Wednesday n Medical assists were made at 4:10 a.m. on Perryville Road; 4:58 a.m. on South Pacific Street; 9:48 a.m. on South Spring Street; 1:33 p.m. on William Street; and 2:59 p.m. on William Street...

CAPE GIRARDEAU COUNTY The Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department released the following items. Arrests n Brittany Huey, 25, of Jackson was arrested for driving on a suspended/revoked license. n Karissa Schwein, 25, of Old Appleton was arrested on a Perryville, Missouri, warrant for failure to appear...

Thomas Wilbur Simpson, 88, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, March 22, 2018, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center. He was born Dec. 12, 1929, near Puxico, Missouri, to Edward Anderson and Mary Ann Elizabeth Simpson. He and Nelda Underwood married Aug. 8, 1953, at Bloomfield, Missouri...

DE SOTO, Ill. -- Jackie Lynn Schultz, 52, of De Soto, formerly of Granite City, Illinois, passed away Wednesday, March 21, 2018, at Carbondale Memorial Hospital in Carbondale, Illinois. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to noon Monday at Crain Funeral Home in Dongola, Illinois...

** Kevin Priester QUINCY, Ill. -- Kevin Priester, 59, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Thursday, March 22, 2018, at Blessing Hospital in Quincy. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau.

Mary Jane "MJ" Holman, 62, of Jackson died Thursday, March 22, 2018, at her home. She was born Nov. 29, 1955, in Washington, D.C., to Gary and Mary Ann Travers Squires. She graduated from Barnes-Jewish Hospital School of Nursing in St. Louis. She worked as a registered nurse at Southeast Hospital Emergency Room the last 14 years of her career...

** Kathy Hency-Murphy KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kathy Hency-Murphy, 53, of Kansas City, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Wednesday, March 21, 2018, at her home. Arrangements are pending at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau.

Bobby G. Gerlach, 91, of Jackson died Thursday, March 22, 2018, at Lutheran Home Assisted Living in Cape Girardeau. He was born Dec. 29, 1926, in Cape Girardeau to Paul and Hatti Maevers Gerlach. He and Dora Jean Schreiner were married Jan. 27, 1951, at Jackson...

Carla Marie Eads, 66, of Jackson peacefully left this world Saturday, March 17, 2018, at her home, surrounded by family, close friends and her dogs. She was born March 31, 1951, in Decatur, Illinois, to the late Carl and Doris Crawford Schnebly, the second of four children. She attended Newman High School in Newman, Illinois, graduating in 1969...

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Sylvia May Crites, 92, of Bloomington, formerly of Sedgewickville, Missouri, passed away peacefully Friday, March 23, 2018, surrounded by the love of her family at her daughter's home in Bloomington. She was born June 20, 1925, in Sedgewickville to Louis and May Bollinger Henry. She grew up on the family farm. After high school graduation, she went to Cape Girardeau Business School...

MARYSVILLE, Wash. -- Mary Ellen Berkbigler, retired Marysville school teacher, and former teacher in Cape Girardeau and Jackson, passed away peacefully Monday, March 12, 2018, with family members by her side. Mary Ellen was born Oct. 3, 1921, in St. Louis. The family moved to Cape Girardeau in 1939, where she met her future husband, Paul Berkbigler. They were married during World War II...

GRANITE CITY, Ill. -- Eva M. Barrow, 98, of Granite City passed away Thursday, March 22, 2018, at Gateway Regional Medical Center in Granite City. Eva was born Jan.14, 1920, in Rector, Arkansas, the daughter of the late John Henry and Pearl May Smith...

BAGHDAD -- A Kurdish rebel group withdrew Friday from the town of Sinjar in northern Iraq, it said in a statement, following threats of attack from Turkey's president who has launched a series of airstrikes against suspected Kurdish rebel camps over the past week...

BEIJING -- China announced a $3 billion list of U.S. goods for possible retaliation in a tariff dispute with President Donald Trump and girded Friday for a bigger battle over technology policy as financial markets sank on fears of global disruption...

TREBES, France -- A gun-wielding extremist went on a rampage Friday in a quiet corner of southern France, killing three people as he hijacked a car, opened fire on police and took hostages in a supermarket, where panicked shoppers hid in a meat locker or ran through the aisles...

MIAMI -- College dropout Wayne Huizenga started with a trash hauling company, struck gold during America's brief love affair with VHS tapes and eventually owned three professional sports teams. Huizenga owned Blockbuster Entertainment, AutoNation and the world's largest trash hauler and was founding owner of baseball's Florida Marlins and the NHL Florida Panthers. He bought the NFL Miami Dolphins for $138 million in 1994...

NEW YORK -- The number of foreign children adopted by U.S. parents dropped more than 12 percent last year, accelerating a decline ongoing for 13 years, according to new State Department figures. Sharp drops in adoptions from China and Congo more than offset notable increases from many countries, including India, Colombia and Nigeria...

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump's pick of John Bolton for his next national security adviser stirred up the same burning question Friday in Washington as in anxious foreign capitals: Just how much will his hawkish, confrontational approach rub off on Trump?...

WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration announced criminal charges and sanctions Friday against Iranians accused in a government-sponsored hacking scheme to pilfer sensitive information from hundreds of universities, private companies and American government agencies...

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump is tired of being told "no." Six weeks of staff churn and pronouncement shocks reflect a president who has grown increasingly confident on the job and more trusting of his instincts. After 14 months in the Oval Office, Trump is more comfortable bucking the advice of White House staffers and congressional Republicans and is increasingly putting even his allies on edge...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A Florida nursing home where 12 elderly patients died of overheating after Hurricane Irma knocked out its air conditioning made matters worse by using portable units not properly ventilated and increased temperatures in most of the facility, an engineer testified in a deposition...

A teenage girl who was shot when a classmate opened fire inside their Maryland high school has died, authorities said Friday. The St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office said Jaelynn Willey died at 11:34 p.m. Thursday. Earlier that night, her family had said she would be taken off life support at the University of Maryland Prince George's Hospital Center. Melissa Willey told news reporters Thursday night her daughter was brain dead and had "no life left in her."...

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas -- The mother of a man who lived with the suspected Austin bomber says her son was handcuffed, taken into custody by SWAT officers and held overnight before police found the suspect who blew himself up. Jennifer Withers told The Associated Press late Thursday her 26-year-old son, Collin Thomas, who is black, was walking from work Tuesday in Pflugerville, just north of Austin, to the house he and another man shared with serial bombing suspect Mark Conditt when a group of officers "flew at him.". ...

WASHINGTON -- Washington is preparing for a massive rally in support of gun control, one organizers hope will prove the country has reached an emotional tipping point on gun violence, with teenagers seizing the initiative and leading the demand for change...

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump grudgingly signed a $1.3 trillion federal spending measure Friday and averted a midnight government shutdown -- but only after undercutting his own negotiators and setting off a mini-panic with a last-minute veto threat...

Son to Lamar Anthony Oehlert and Andrea Elaina Heredia-Pruett of Cape Girardeau, Saint Francis Medical Center, 6:07 p.m. Tuesday, March 13, 2018. Name, Anthony Shantell. Weight, 6 pounds, 6 ounces. Third child, first son. Heredia-Pruett is the daughter of Ruth and Charles Pruett of Poplar Bluff, Missouri. She is a chef. Oehlert is the son of Kathryn Oehlert of Kennett, Missouri, and Lewis Curry of Poplar Bluff...

Happy birthday to Glenda Blue, Sharon Ayers, Alfred Horman, Patty Tanksley, Kenny Chapman, Megan Devenport, Travis Lee, Charlie Clark, AJ Glastetter, Evelyn Kluesner, Paul Nation, Richard Vandeven, Hailey Peters, Jaimie Emerson, Joshua King, Jimmy Smith, Joseph Stagoski, Lucille Schmitt, Jill Hornback, Abby Seyer, Paula Glueck, Randy Buchheit, Mary Jo Barlow, Danny Terhune, John Menz Jr., Hillary Eichhorn, Emily Whitfield, Samantha Montgomery, Jonathan Hendrix, Megan Ruiz and Laddie Bridwell...