Stories from Friday, March 29, 2019

Advance, Misosuri, Mayor Carl “Pete” Ritter is seeking re-election to another two-year term. He faces a challenge from candidates Ryan Slinkard and Gary McCullough. Voters there also will choose from among candidates James Cato, Timothy Hill and incumbent Jason Smith for a two-year term as Ward 1 alderman...

In Perry County, there are contested races for the county hospital board and the county health department. Hospital board member Beth Guth of Perryville is seeking re-election to a five-year term. She faces a challenge from William “Bill” Bohnert of Longtown, Missouri...

In the village of Whitewater, candidates Bonnie Stroder, Nathan Stroder and Jonathan Stidham are vying for two seats on board of trustees. Bonnie and Nathan Stroder, who have different addresses, want to bring new ideas to the village board. In emailed responses to a mailed candidate questionnaire, Bonnie Stroder wrote “there is not one big challenge facing our community, but more of flaws in how everything is conducted.”...

In Chaffee, Missouri, Ward 3 Councilman Alan Cook faces a re-election challenge from Doyle Wilson. An employee at the Chaffee City Hall provided home addresses but no contact numbers for either candidate. The Southeast Missourian mailed questionnaires to the home addresses, but as of Thursday neither candidate had responded...

Construction will begin soon on a few projects in Cape Girardeau County: an addition to the Missouri Department of Conservation Regional Office, a gravel parking lot near the Justice Center construction site, and a sign added to the satellite offices on Bloomfield Road. Those projects and purchase of an emergency backup generator were discussed Thursday at the County Commission's regular meeting...

In celebration of National Women's History Month, local activist Debra Mitchell-Braxton is hosting two events, "to recognize the outstanding women that made significant contributions to American history." In honor of Mitchell-Braxton's mother, Denza Zenobia Mitchell, a sixth annual Hat Luncheon will be held at noon on Saturday at Mount Auburn Christian Church in Cape Girardeau...

There will be two new members of the Oak Ridge school board after Tuesday's election as no incumbent is seeking re-election. Four candidates are vying for the two, three-year terms. They are Robert "Bob" Eisenhauer of Daisy, Chris Layton and Ronald Tracy, both of Friedheim, and James Urhahn of Oak Ridge...

Casting Crowns lead vocalist Mark Hall's recent struggles with cancer and vocal complications appeared dark at the time, but "God brought us through it." This month, Hall is celebrating being four years cancer-free. His latest personal battle involved recovering from vocal surgery during Christmastime...

Forty years ago this April, Cheryl Ann Scherer disappeared from the Rhodes Pump-Ur-Own Service station where she worked on Main Street in Scott City. A co-worker had seen Scherer, then 19, around 11:30 a.m., but minutes later Scherer was gone. There appeared to have been a robbery, as roughly $480 was missing from the register, but Scherer's purse was found behind the counter at the station and her car was still parked outside. ...

Today is Friday, March 29, the 88th day of 2019. There are 277 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On March 29, 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted in New York of conspiracy to commit espionage for the Soviet Union. (They were executed in June 1953.)...

LONDON -- British Prime Minister Theresa May rolled the dice Thursday on another Brexit vote in Parliament, sending a tweaked and trimmed version of her EU divorce deal back to lawmakers who had rejected it twice before. But the agreement faced substantial opposition, even after May sacrificed her job for her deal, promising to quit if lawmakers approved the deal and let Britain leave the EU on schedule in May...

NEW YORK -- Rappers bragging about crimes from their pasts -- or warning about those they may commit in the future -- are part of the genre's lore. From Jay Z to Snoop Dogg to Future, street cred for rappers has often been solidified by detailing their grimy acts in everything from raps to interviews...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri senators passed legislation Thursday to make it harder to impeach top officials, less than a year after former Gov. Eric Greitens resigned in the face of potential impeachment. The proposal, sent to the House on a 25-8 vote, would limit criteria for impeachment to "corruption and crime in office."...

NEW YORK -- The federal government charged Facebook with high-tech housing discrimination Thursday for allegedly allowing landlords and real estate brokers to systematically exclude groups such as non-Christians, immigrants and minorities from seeing ads for houses and apartments...

The proposed Missouri House Bill 258 (aka "Guns Everywhere") would allow hidden, loaded guns in schools, colleges, daycare centers, bars and even on private property against owners' wishes. I have no problem with responsible gun ownership, and I own a firearm myself; however, allowing guns to be carried in bars and schools is beyond comprehension. ...

This is Charlie Glueck from Jackson Tire Center. I felt it important to share a local retailer's point of view as it relates to the use tax issue. It is common knowledge among local retailers that we have a new fierce competitor: online purchasing. At my business, we have customers who purchase tires and aftermarket wheels online, then bring them to our store for installation. Part of what initiates the online purchase is the savings they receive by not paying out of state sales tax...

If you're a regular reader of the Southeast Missourian you have probably noticed by now the number of stories about our election coming on April 2. While the tax issues capture most of the attention, there are several races scattered across the area for various small-town boards, school boards, hospital boards and the like. It has kept our government reporter Mark Bliss busy for weeks...

A bomb threat early yesterday morning forced the evacuation of the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse and the county administrative building in Jackson; officers from the Cape County Sheriff's Department and the Jackson Police Department and Jackson firefighters searched both buildings for 1 1/2 hours, finding nothing...

CMA and ACM Award-winning country musician Luke Combs is extending his sold-out "Beer Never Broke My Heart" tour, with a stop at 7 p.m. Oct. 3 at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, according to a news release Thursday. Special guests will include Morgan Wallen and Jameson Rodgers...

SIKESTON -- The "American Pickers" team will return to Missouri in late May. "We are looking for different, unusual and unique items too -- something we've never seen before and with an interesting story," said Kourtny Myers with "American Pickers," which airs on the History Channel...

Glenn E. Zeller, 85, of Jackson passed away Wednesday, March 27, 2019, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson and from 10 to 11 a.m. Monday at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tilsit...

Verna M. Tidwell, 80, of Cape Girardeau passed away Wednesday, March 27, 2019, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born Jan. 15, 1939, in Cape Girardeau County to the late John and Annie Engelmann Ates. Verna married Joe Tidwell on Jan. 17, 1959, in Cape Girardeau. They had one daughter, Linda Tidwell. He preceded her in death Oct. 18, 2003...

Wanda Sewing, 82, of Friedheim passed away Tuesday, March 26, 2019, in the family homestead, between Friedheim and Old Appleton, where she was born. The youngest of five children, she was born Oct. 11, 1936, to Robert Herman and Lydia Clara Grossheider Sewing...

Elvira Sebastian, 82, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Tilsit, passed away Thursday, March 28, 2019, at Lutheran Home Assisted Living in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tilsit. Funeral will be at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the church, with the Rev. Mark Boettcher officiating. Committal service will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield...

BUHL, Ala. -- Curtis Easterwood, 57, of Buhl passed away Tuesday, March 26, 2019, in Cape Girardeau, after a valiant battle with cancer. He was born June 23, 1961, in Anniston, Alabama, the son of the late Paul and Willette Andrews Easterwood. He married Bonnie Hix...

William Dale Klobe, 87, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, March 24, 2019, at Lutheran Home. He was born Aug. 29, 1931, in Seventy-Six, Missouri, to George and Harriet Hatch Klobe. He and Jane Luttrell were married May 13, 1961, at Oak Ridge, Tennessee...

It's quite the mixture of fun things this time around, so hang on! Tonight, you and the fam need to check out Kelly High School's production of "Help Us, Mr. Holmes!" The students have put a lot of after-school effort into the family-friendly show. All proceeds will benefit the school's drama department...

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump announced Thursday he was backing off his budget request to eliminate funding for the Special Olympics, reversing course on a proposal that was unlikely to be approved by Congress after days of bipartisan criticism...

O Heavenly Father, may we meditate on your Word, seeking your will for our lives. Amen.

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls: Monday n Medical assists were made at 12:33 a.m. on Bertling Street, 3:52 a.m. on South West End Boulevard, 9:24 a.m. on Terrie Hill Road, 1:38 p.m. on Linden Street, 2:34 p.m. on North Silver Springs Road, 3:20 p.m. on South Louisiana Avenue, 4:43 p.m. on Linden Street, 5:07 p.m. on William Street and 5:34 p.m. on Stonebridge Drive...

I-57 in Scott, Mississippi counties reduced for pavement work Northbound Interstate 57 in Scott and Mississippi counties will be reduced as contractor crews perform pavement repairs. This section of roadway is between the Interstate 55/Interstate 57 interchange and the Highway 105 interchange, according to a Missouri Department of Transportation news release. The work is scheduled for Tuesday through April 5 from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily...

Daughter to Jamal Martez Cox and Rachel Lei Bagby of Cape Girardeau, Saint Francis Medical Center, 3:08 a.m. Tuesday, March 12, 2019. Name, Karter Loraine. Weight, 3 pounds, 14 ounces. Second daughter. Bagby is the daughter of Barbara Shannon Hammond of Cape Girardeau. She works at White Castle. Cox is the son of Laura Renee Cox of Cape Girardeau and Wesley Orlando Shockley of St. Louis. He is employed by Wings Etc...

KINGWOOD, W.Va. -- A Missouri man who police say had a gun and was speeding to the White House has appeared in court after being accused of threatening President Donald Trump during a traffic stop in West Virginia...

Cape Championship Wrestling or better know as CCW is one of Cape Girardeaus biggest Pro-Wrestling company around Southeast Missouri CCW biggest show happens soon this April with world wide know Socal Uncencered or SCU our show is called Supershow 3 and run along side Cape Comic Con and is April 27th and Doors open at 5pm and starts at 6pm...