Stories from Friday, August 10, 2018

Sikeston, Missouri-based Ferguson Medical Group will join Saint Francis Healthcare System, adding more than 40 medical providers to the hospital's system. The health care system and the medical group jointly made the announcement in an emailed news release Thursday...

Taking a show to the New York Musical Festival was already a big deal to the cast, crew and faculty behind Southeast Missouri State University's original musical "An American Hero." "This [festival] is an international thing," said Bart Williams, assistant professor of acting and stage combat at Southeast, who was fight director, faculty chaperone and cast member for the show...

Want a free-standing metal detector, a soda machine or a handful of high-mileage used police vehicles? They are all up for auction Saturday at Cape Girardeau's former police station. Police left behind everything from unwanted desks and chairs to lockers, paintings and file cabinets when they moved to the new police station in March...

One of the most common challenges faced by businesses both in Southeast Missouri and across the country is the lack of soft skills. As a community, we are focused on doing something about it. The Work Ready Coalition with the Cape Chamber spearheaded the development of a strategy designed to create common language and improve the overall state of soft skills in Cape Girardeau. ...

Today is Friday, Aug. 10, the 222nd day of 2018. There are 143 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On August 10, 1792, during the French Revolution, mobs in Paris attacked the Tuileries Palace, where King Louis XVI resided. (The king was later arrested, put on trial for treason, and executed.)...

There's not a lot of traffic on the street in front of our house, so when we see a car passing by we tend to take notice. Which is how I came to be watching, the other day, a particular car that stood out for a couple of reasons. First, it was an old car. ...

The fall season of Tunes at Twilight begins this evening at Ivers Square on Lorimier Street in Cape Girardeau. The weekly event is, as we've stated before, a cultural favorite. It's a reflection of our casually cool and creative city, an evening of live music, lawn chairs, blankets and music lovers of all ages...

My two favorite words are visible and measurable; and I just described County Clerk Kara Summers! Kara always goes above and beyond in her desire to serve the citizens of Cape Girardeau County County in a timely, effective and ethical manner. Our recent primary election was an outstanding example of her servant leadership. ...

Is it possible CBS includes clips of late night comedians David Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel's snarky anti-Trump remarks in their newscast to express their partisan viewpoint and at the same time advertise and promote the two without direct involvement of the big-name anchor?...

Notre Dame Regional High School graduate-turned- budding Nashville recording artist Jessie Ritter is enthusiastic about returning to her hometown this weekend for a release party in honor of her first full-length album, "Coffee Every Morning." "It's definitely a totally modern country album, but I feel like it has those more traditional themes," Ritter said in a telephone interview Wednesday...

NEW YORK -- Tom Cruise sped past Winnie-the-Pooh at the box office to lead all films for the second straight week with an estimated $35 million in ticket sales for "Mission: Impossible -- Fallout." The success of Paramount Pictures' sixth, stunt-filled "Mission: Impossible" installment, along with muted enthusiasm for the Walt Disney Co.'s "Christopher Robin," made for a seldom-seen result: A Disney movie debuting in second place...

TAOS, N.M. -- A severely disabled Georgia boy who authorities say was kidnapped by his father and marked for an exorcism was found buried at the ramshackle compound in the New Mexico desert that has been the focus of investigators for the past week, the toddler's grandfather said Thursday...

WASHINGTON -- A federal appeals court ruled Thursday the Trump administration endangered public health by keeping a widely used pesticide on the market despite extensive scientific evidence even tiny levels of exposure can harm babies' brains. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to remove chlorpyrifos from sale in the United States within 60 days...

WASHINGTON -- Pointing to growing threats and competition from Russia and China, the White House on Thursday announced ambitious plans to create the U.S. Space Force as a sixth, separate military warfighting service by 2020. The proposal taps into the American public's long fascination with space but with a military focus, and it faces daunting hurdles. ...

WASHINGTON -- The indictment of Rep. Chris Collins on insider trading charges is drawing new attention to the freedom members of Congress have to serve on corporate boards or to buy and sell stock in industries they're responsible for overseeing. Collins, a New York Republican, has denied any wrongdoing stemming from his involvement with Innate Immunotherapeutics Limited, a biotechnology company based in Sydney, Australia. ...

WASHINGTON -- Architects and engineers are still in. Accountants, doctors and lawyers remain out -- mostly. New rules floated by the Trump administration lay out what kinds of businesses can take a 20 percent deduction against income taxes under the new tax law...

Scott Shivelbine, 65, of Cape Girardeau passed away Monday, Aug. 6, 2018. He was born April 4, 1953, in Cape Girardeau to the late L.J. "Freck" and Dorothy Janet Powles Shivelbine. Scott was a lifelong resident of Cape Girardeau. He was a 1971 graduate of Cape Girardeau Central High School and attended Southeast Missouri State University...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Betty Jo Mitchell, 91, passed away Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018, at Sikeston Convalescent Center. Betty was born Feb. 23, 1927, in Sikeston, daughter of the late William R. and Linnie Ritch Heath. Following graduation in 1945 from Sikeston High School, she married Robert LaValle Mitchell in Gulfport, Mississippi, on June 23, 1945. He preceded her in death Jan. 28, 2005...

PATTON, Mo. -- Ronald G. Brooks, 54, of Patton passed away Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018. He was born March 31, 1964, in Kansas City, Missouri, son of Charles and Margaret Mabury Brooks. Ronald enjoyed fishing, teaching and spending time with his children. He loved Scripture and lived his life sharing Jesus with everyone. Ronald was a loving father to his children and a friend to so many...

Looking ahead, all I can see are events and mostly sunshine. Today at Ivers Square Courtyard is your chance to grab some brews with your buds and chill out to some tunes. If you've never attended the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo in Sikeston, Missouri, there's still time for that, too. ...

O Lord Jesus, blessed be your name, the name above all names. Amen.

I am absolutely disgusted by the fact that all students in our district will receive free breakfast and lunch for the next four years. We all know who is footing the bill for that, and I'm tired of hard-working people's tax dollars being used as handouts for those who choose to have children they cannot afford and who choose not to take care of the children they give birth to. ...

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Investigators say a Missouri woman accused of barricading four children in tiny rooms with no access to water or toilets had child-sized inmate uniforms made for them. Thirty-eight-year-olds Daryl Justen Head and Laura Elizabeth Cheatham face child endangerment and kidnapping charges. ...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrest n Remington Miller, 34, of Cape Girardeau was arrested on a Cape Girardeau County warrant. Thefts n Theft was reported at Enterprise Leasing, 2008 N. Kingshighway...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls: Tuesday n Medical assists were made at 3:39 a.m. South Hanover Street, 8:54 a.m. on North Sprigg Street, 10:57 a.m. on Wayne Street and 9:19 p.m. on South Plaza Way...

Daughter to Gary Ray Wilfong and Brittany Nicole Stewart of Jackson, Saint Francis Medical Center, 2:22 p.m. Wednesday, July 11, 2018. Name, Makenslee Raylynn Nicole. Weight, 7 pounds, 5 ounces. Fifth child, third daughter. Stewart is the daughter of Vicki Stewart of Cape Girardeau and Danny Borgfield of Neely's Landing. She is self-employed. Wilfong is the son of Susan Haffner of Jackson and David Wilfong of Wayne County, Missouri. He works for Botkin Lumber...

Stephen M. Mantz, 64, of Jackson died Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018, at Jackson Manor. There will be a memorial service at a later date. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

The Women's Impact Network, or WIN, is an effort launched earlier this year by the Jackson Chamber of Commerce to reach out to women in the region who want to strengthen their professional networks and have some fun while they're at it. Jen Berti, membership director for the Chamber, is one of three women who worked together to build WIN, after the Chamber picked up some interest in the community...

The Scott County R-IV School District welcomes the new staff members for the 2018-2019 school year.

Scott County Tax liens and lien discharges recorded at the office of Tara L. Mason, recorder of deeds, during July are filed by the Missouri Department of Revenue, except as indicated by IRS designation. For more information, contact the recorder's office at (573) 545-3551...