Stories from Saturday, February 23, 2019

With smiles and curiosity on their faces, soon-to-be big siblings enter the Harrison Room of Southeast Hospital with their parents to participate in a class to expose them to what it's like to be a big brother or sister. Upon entering the room, the kids jump right into being able to paint their footprint on a board, which will later be adorned with their little sibling's footprint when they're born. ...

Buddy’s Rolled Ice Cream is set to debut colorful and artistic rolls of frozen indulgence March 1 in Cape Girardeau. Owner Mark Frazier said his dog, Buddy, sparked the name for the new spot. “He was a rescue from The Human Society,” Frazier said. “We’re doing some different things with The Humane Society; they are basically our partner.”...

State Rep. Kathy Swan opposes legislation allowing for establishment of charter schools in Cape Girardeau and other cities with populations of more than 30,000. The House’s elementary and secondary education committee recently passed the measure by a vote of 8 to 5...

Cape Girardeau’s entertainment scene has come a long way. The city over the last decade-plus has added venues and events to a once very sleepy city. Once ridiculed by residents there was nothing to do, the city now has many more options for entertainment and activity...

The Missouri Department of Transportation is looking at improving an Interstate 55 interchange at the south end of Cape Girardeau. MoDOT had proposed replacing an aging ramp bridge at exit 93, the Dutchtown exit. But Cape Girardeau city officials, business leaders and economic development officials have suggested the agency look at reconfiguring the entire intersection...

Gloria Vaughn is all smiles as she thinks about the time she will spend this spring at her grandchildren's sports activities. "I have always appreciated my life and I try to focus on the future instead of the past," Vaughn said. "I am truly blessed to be here!"...

Today is Saturday, Feb. 23, the 54th day of 2019. There are 311 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 23, 1954, the first mass inoculation of schoolchildren against polio using the Salk vaccine began in Pittsburgh as some 5,000 students were vaccinated...

Because she could not serve a full, four-year term before reaching the mandatory judicial retirement age of 70, Cape Girardeau County Associate Circuit Judge Marybelle Mueller isn't seeking re-election this year; Mueller, a pioneer among women in the legal profession, became the first woman lawyer ever elected to a judicial post in the state of Missouri in 1956...

Meridian Junior and Senior High School High Honor Roll 6th grade: Jared Bunting, Kenyel Gilbert, Karma Hightower, Marcus Powell, Allyssa Reed. 7th grade: Sammy Ahmad, Ali Albanna, Kalynn Crain, Kerra Criddle, Lacie Harp, Macie Harp, Alyssa Harris, Alia Houston, Cole Kaufman, DeMani Lane, Matthew Masters, Alange Matthews, LeAjah Patterson, Landon Robinson, Dranaja Rogers, Logan Wood...

You aren't the only one who can't wait for spring. Woodland animals of all kinds are anxious, too. On a warm sunny February day it is not uncommon to find water turtles basking on a sun-soaked log. This turtle is a native red eared slider. It has an elongated red patch along each side of its head. This, and the fact that they like to come out of the water to bask on logs, makes them one of our easiest turtles to identify...

Submitted by Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary This is the season for baby kittens to be born so come to Safe Harbor and please neuter and spay your pets! They are available for adoption at Safe Harbor; call (573) 243-9823.

Monday: Glazed ham slice or turkey tetrazzini, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, whole-grain hot roll and sugar-free apples with raisins or Oreo cheesecake. Tuesday: Beef stew or ranch chicken, seasoned cauliflower, garden salad, whole-grain crackers and blushing pears or blackberry cobbler...

We've been watching a couple of shows on TV called the "Mountain Men" and "The Last Alaskans." We have enjoyed both even though at times the story almost appears hunky or kind of dumb. But setting this aside we have enjoyed them. As I watched the other evening it came to me how we will put ourselves in some of the most adverse situations if we are enjoying it. Some of those on the programs were definitely enjoying themselves even though it was super cold and they had to be miserable...

I have been shivering a lot this morning. I am tired of cold weather. For some reason (Brrrr) I thought of purple martins. They are a sure harbinger of spring. In front of my office/retail outlet we have a purple martin apartment house and also two sets of plastic gourds that are designed to attract and house purple martins. ...

MEQUON, Wis. -- Megan Schmitz of Jackson was named to the Concordia University fall 2018 dean's list. Southeast Missouri State University recently named the following students as recipients of the competitive President's Scholarship for the 2019-2020 academic year...

KELSO, Mo. -- The Missouri Accreditation of Programs for Children and Youth has awarded the Kelso C-7 Preschool a certificate of accreditation, recognizing that the program offers "developmentally appropriate experiences in an environment conducive to children flourishing intellectually, emotionally, socially, and physically," according to a news release. ...

St. Mary Cathedral School A Honor Roll 4th grade: Hayden Beattie, Evan Carr, Dawson Eftink, Ella Hart, Tristan Killian, Grady Reynolds, Dylan Rubel, Charlie Sample, Maria Sokhn, Jacob Thurston. 5th grade: Ifaz Alam, Owen Blattel, T.J. Bolen, Parissa Faisal, Colton Farrow, Claudia Jones, Lauren Williamsen...

St. Vincent DePaul School A Honor Roll 4th grade: Ellie Bruenderman, Preston Clark, Kate Clippard, Sophie Cook, Olivia Cox, Camille Cunningham, Joseph Dodson, Kase Doyen, Mikelyn Dudek, Samuel Gaeta, Caroline Galati, Edward Godbey, Katherine Godbey, Brynnan Grimes, Colton Hamby, Nathan Kura, Adria Limbert, Isla McClendon, Maddy McDowell, Ayden McGuire, Lucas McGuire, Loralei Martin, Lexi Nguyen, Jonah Patomson, BreAnn Riney, Joseph Schwendemann, Eli Shaffar, Brayden Ward, Erika West...

Notre Dame Regional High School A Honor Roll 9th grade: Ruhl Ault, Jaadah Barber, Narine Berberian, Katherine Boehme, Rachel Breeding, Sarah Brennan, Allison Buchheit, Maura Buchheit, Sydney Buchheit, Jorge Cabrera Ramirez, Paige Campbell, Ashley Carrow, Carolyne Cork, Robert Criddle, Jordan Diebold, Brittany Dirnberger, Nicholas Dirnberger, Jonathan Dohogne, Bryson Ecker, Elise Edwards, Emily Fehr, Caleb Garner, Brooklyn Greaser, Megan Gullette, Gavin Harden, Brendan Hays, Dominick Helman, Brock Hulshof, Amina Hussein, Jeffrey Hux, Gracen James, Abigail Jansen, Alexis Jansen, Kristen Jansen, Leah Jansen, Avery Johnson, Claire Jones, Laura Karshner, Vincent Klueppel, Isabel Knaup, Grant Lange, Delaney Langenstein, Blaire Lawfield, Mollie Lawfield, Audrey LeGrand, Patrick Lutmer, Laurel Mack, Rylee McClintock, Abigail Michael, Evan Missey, Malcolm Patton, Benjamin Pearson, Lily Pennington, Gabriella Pletcher, Marianne Renaud, Alexa Rubel, Ka Saysanan na Ayudhya, Trey Schreckenberg, Anna Schuchardt, Sydney Seabaugh, William Smiley, Isabella Steward, Cooper Stewart, Kathryn Taylor, Mia Timlin, Emily Williamsen, Olivia Wilson, Alec Wissinger, Esperanza Zalite.. ...

Caring for the injured and sick creates a fast-paced life; a life Anita Hill of Poplar Bluff has worked in most of her career. When she's away from work, Hill wants relaxing and creative hobbies. Her work life centers around helping others. "I need something relaxing and creative," Hill said. "I like to see positive and permanent which contrasts working in EMS." In emergency medicine you "see one negative thing after another. You need something that makes you smile."...

Immaculate Conception School Immaculate Conception School A Honor Roll 4th grade: Emma Andrews, Drue Duby, Hailey Hindman, Rhett Huckstep, Emily Huff, Kylii Johnson, Kynna Johnson, Oscar Kester, Nora Koetting, Dale Lentz, Isabella Sostillio. 5th grade: John Paul Alipala, Ava Bartow, Gasya Berberian, Lily Coy, Elias Huff, Gabe Jones, Jackson Jones, Brie Rubel, Noah Zhang, Audrey Zych...

"I don't think we can kick the can down the road and let our grandkids solve that problem." The epigram above is a familiar sentiment. Most of us will understand immediately what "kicking the can" means. To "kick the can" is a colorful and mildly critical way of describing what happens when work is delayed or deferred on a task or an issue...

The Town and Country FCE Club met on Feb. 14 at the home of Mary Klaproth. Klaproth gave the devotion. Roll call was answered by naming a pest in the garden. The treasurer, Brenda Pender, collected pennies for "Coins for Friendship." Klaproth lead a game naming songs with states, cities or countries. Sue Jones was the winner...

Some of the most beautiful verses in Scripture, in my opinion, are found in Genesis 4:1-16, which tell the story of Cain killing his younger brother Abel. When I discovered these verses as an adult, they took me by surprise: I remembered the murder part, but I didn't remember ever before hearing of God's tenderness in these verses, or of God's deep love and care for Cain, even after he has killed his brother. ...

Have you sometimes felt like what you did made no difference? Perhaps you are feeling your world is falling apart? You have no control. When you're on a roller-coaster ride or another carnival experience, it's fun. However, when we're that out of control of our lives it's another story...

The efforts in New York, Virginia, Illinois and other states to expand abortion is downright sickening. How did we become a country that not only allows but celebrates abortion up to the point of birth? And now, allowing a child born after a failed abortion to die without receiving life-preserving care. Heart-breaking...

Lord Jesus, precious Savior, we seek your righteousness that we may honor you. Amen.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Zoo officials said an adult male giraffe died after suffering a spinal cord injury in a zoo barn. The zoo said on Wednesday the 9-year-old male, named Hamisi, caught his head in an area of the barn that allows keepers to reach the animals. The officials believe Hamisi panicked and damaged his spine...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Former Gov. Eric Greitens has been subpoenaed in an open records lawsuit filed by a Democratic candidate for Missouri attorney general seeking records concerning possible violations of campaign donation rules. The Cole County Circuit Court issued the subpoena Thursday as part of a lawsuit filed last year by St. Louis lawyer Elad Gross against Gov. Mike Parson's administration. Gross sued after the office charged him $3,600 to process an open records request...

CHICAGO -- Tears streamed down R. Kelly's cheeks as a court official read a jury's not guilty verdict to all 14 counts of child pornography at his 2008 trial in Chicago. The R&B superstar had successfully dodged up to 15 years in prison and likely financial ruin...

CHICAGO -- Actor Jussie Smollett's character on "Empire" will be removed from the final two episodes of this season in the wake of his arrest on charges he staged a racist, anti-gay attack on himself last month in downtown Chicago, producers of the Fox TV show announced Friday...

DETROIT -- As their company was swirling around the financial drain in the early 2000s, General Motors executives came up with an idea to counter its gas-guzzling image and point the way to transportation of the future: An electric car with a gas-engine backup that could travel anywhere...

WASHINGTON -- U.S. and Chinese negotiators agreed Friday to extend high-level trade talks through the weekend, and President Donald Trump said he hoped to meet next month at his Florida resort with President Xi Jinping to try to finalize an agreement...

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- A California couple who shackled some of their 13 children to beds and starved them in what was a dubbed a "house of horrors" pleaded guilty Friday to torture and other abuse. David and Louise Turpin entered the pleas in Riverside County Superior Court to 14 counts including cruelty toward their 12 oldest children and imprisoning them in a house appearing to be neatly kept from the outside, but was festered inside with filth and reeked of human waste...

PITTSBURGH -- Kraft Heinz disclosed an investigation by federal regulators and said it will slash the value of its Oscar Mayer and Kraft brands by $15.4 billion, major setbacks for a company trying to revitalize its stable of household-name brands. A wave of bad news, which also included a dividend cut and a weak outlook for the year, sent shares plunging 26 percent at the opening bell Friday, their largest decline in a single day. ...

Now there is one more place where cameras could start watching you -- from 30,000 feet. Newer seat-back entertainment systems on some airplanes operated by American Airlines and Singapore Airlines have cameras, and it's likely they are also on planes used by other carriers...

CUCUTA, Colombia -- Defying orders banning him from leaving the country, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido made a surprise appearance at a star-studded aid concert in neighboring Colombia, joining thousands of other Venezuelans in pressuring President Nicolas Maduro into allowing the delivery of emergency food and medicine...

BAGHDAD -- Islamic State fighters facing defeat in Syria are slipping across the border into Iraq, where they are destabilizing the country's fragile security, U.S. and Iraqi officials say. Hundreds -- likely more than 1,000 -- IS fighters have crossed the open, desert border in the past six months, defying a massive operation by U.S., Kurdish, and allied forces to stamp out the remnants of the jihadi group in eastern Syria, according to three Iraqi intelligence officials and a U.S. ...

SEOUL, South Korea -- As President Donald Trump seeks a nuclear deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next week in Vietnam, some in Seoul are wondering whether the fate of Washington's decades-long military alliance with South Korea could be at stake...

WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential contenders are splitting into two camps: those who want to quickly overhaul economic systems existing for decades and those who favor more gradual change. It's not just a battle over liberal or moderate policies. In many cases, the White House hopefuls largely agree on the end game but differ on how to get there, and how quickly...

WASHINGTON -- Special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the Russia investigation is not expected to be delivered to the Justice Department next week, a senior department official told The Associated Press on Friday. The official could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. ...

RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia House Republicans announced plans Friday to hold a public hearing where Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and the two women who have recently accused him of sexual assault can testify, a move likely to inflame a partisan battle over the General Assembly's role in investigating the allegations...

WASHINGTON -- Democrats controlling the House have teed up a vote next week to block President Donald Trump from using a national emergency declaration to fund a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, accelerating a showdown in Congress potentially dividing Republicans and leading to Trump's first veto...

Armed with a petition bearing the signatures of more than 100 Cape Girardeau residents, opponents of a go-cart track on North Kingshighway assailed the City Council on Wednesday and thwarted final approval of the proposal; opponents who live in the vicinity of the track site, at the corner of Kingshighway and Lexington Avenue, argued the noise of the track would be a nuisance and that the facility would be an eyesore...

WASHINGTON -- William Barr has been attorney general for just one week but is on the cusp of staring down what will almost certainly be the most consequential decision of his long career: how much of the special counsel's findings to make public. The position catapults him from Justice Department outsider free to theorize and speculate on special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation to the man at the center of the legal and political firestorm accompanying its looming conclusion...

WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration Friday set up new obstacles for women seeking abortions, barring taxpayer-funded family planning clinics from making abortion referrals. The new policy is certain to be challenged in court. The final rule released Friday by the Health and Human Services Department also would prohibit federally funded family planning clinics from being housed in the same locations as abortion providers, and require stricter financial separation...

SCOTT CITY The Scott City Fire Department responded to the following calls: Feb. 15 n Medical assists were made at 5:23 p.m. in the 2100 block of Main Street and 6:30 p.m. in the 200 block of South Messmer Street. n At 9:18 p.m., citizen assist was made in the 400 block of West Cherry Street...

KELSO, Mo. -- Zeta Bertha Ella "Toots" Welter, 86, of Kelso died Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, at Fountainbleau Lodge in Cape Girardeau. She was born May 20, 1932, in Benton, Missouri, to Andrew John and Mary Katherine LeDure Welter. She worked at Florsheim Shoe in Chaffee, Missouri, and Superior Electric and Saint Francis Medical Center...

Patricia Ann Rankin, 89, left this earth to join her Heavenly Father on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, at noon, while living at her daughter's home in Chandler, Arizona. She was born Dec. 1, 1929, to Ira and Hazel Hyslop in Bloomfield, Missouri. She married Marshall Rankin on April 20, 1947. He preceded her in death July 6, 2012...

** Bonnie Masterson Bonnie L. Masterson, 88, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, at Lutheran Home. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

** Robert Cruse Robert E. "Bob" Cruse, 77, formerly of Scott City, died Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019, at Missouri Baptist Hospital in St. Louis. Final arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City.

Terry Lee Ank, 87, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019, at his home. He was born Feb. 16, 1932, in Blair, Nebraska, to George Terry and Wilma Elizabeth Edgecombe Ank. He and Dorothy Mae Koessel were married Nov. 6, 1966, at Cape Girardeau...

CAPE GIRARDEAU COUNTY The Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Dakota Owens, 17, of Cape Girardeau was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia...

Henry H. Tucker had an audacious plan: build a canal between Cape Girardeau and Poplar Bluff, Missouri. By connecting the Mississippi River with the Black River, barge traffic would be able to travel from Cape Girardeau to Poplar Bluff and then on to Little Rock, Arkansas...