Stories from Friday, August 2, 2019

Thousands of Cape Girardeau County marriage records, some dating back to the early 1800s, will be digitized and stored electronically as part of the county's efforts to preserve historic documents. The Cape Girardeau County Commission Thursday approved a request from county Recorder of Deeds Drew Blattner to seek bids for the digitization project that is expected to cost approximately $31,000. ...

Perry County Sheriff Gary Schaaf is suing the county's salary commission on which he serves, claiming he was underpaid for more than two decades in violation of state law. Schaaf first sued the Perry County Commission in December 2018. On Tuesday, the salary commission and its members were added as defendants in the suit...

A Cape Girardeau City Council vacancy has drawn renewed public interest in city government with nine applicants, an unusually large number, seeking to fill the Ward 3 seat. Mayor Bob Fox said Thursday that he is "thrilled" so many people want to serve on the council...

From locally-known Cape Rock to a scaled-down four-person acoustic cover band, Awkward Timing has found its "unique to the area" female-led sound through classic hits made famous by deep, male vocals. The Cape Girardeau-based band is headlined by vocalists Paige Hester and Taylor Brotherton, along with guitarist Tyson Glaser -- affectionately known by the band as "the guy who does everything" -- and Lonnie Chapman on bass guitar...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Missouri task force has recommended schools in the state employ armed officers if they can afford it and if their local governments support the idea. The task force, headed by Republican Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, spent four months working on a school safety plan and released its findings Wednesday...

Today is Friday, Aug. 2, the 214th day of 2019. There are 151 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, seizing control of the oil-rich emirate. (The Iraqis were later driven out in Operation Desert Storm.)...

On the surface, equal pay for equal work sounds like a great and noble idea. First you have to define equal work. Is it the production of some standardized unit? If so, does this take into account how the standardized unit is produced? How much time, energy and company resources are used? Did the employee learn how to do the job better or faster or safer because of the task, or did the employee just do the minimum and in the future will continue to do just the minimum? So much for the definition of equal work!. ...

Local license bureaus are finding that Missouri residents are confused about the Real ID licenses. The new licenses serve as ID for drivers and non-drivers, and will be required by federal law to board planes and some federal buildings beginning in October 2020, unless individuals possess passports...

Regular readers will know I love most things from the 1990s, so I was super excited to finally see the new live-action "The Lion King" this week. Some people told me to not expect much; others said it was great. Both sides wore me down to a neutral setting, so I entered the theatre unbiased. ...

The two-day schedule for Cape Girardeau's inaugural Cape Anime Con on Sept. 21 and 22 at the Arena Building is set. Organizer Ken Murphy said the event will include a maid cafe, anime improv, cosplay and voice acting -- and a costume contest. Murphy said he contacted Blake Turpin and Greyhawke Gamers Guild for an "exclusive plan" of activities...

NEW YORK -- Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden has written a memoir. The book by the man whose leaks of classified documents transformed the debate about government surveillance is coming out Sept. 17. Metropolitan Books, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers, announced Thursday that Snowden's "Permanent Record" will be released simultaneously in more than 20 countries, including the U.S., Germany and Britain...

WASHINGTON -- With health care at the center of presidential politics, Democrats are split over eliminating employer-provided health insurance under "Medicare for All." The risk is history has shown voters are wary of disruptions to job-based insurance, the mainstay of coverage for Americans over three generations...

WASHINGTON -- A hard-won budget and debt deal easily cleared the Senate on Thursday, powered by President Donald Trump's endorsement and a bipartisan drive to cement recent spending increases for the Pentagon and domestic agencies. The legislation passed by a 67-28 vote as Trump and his GOP allies relied on lots of Democratic votes to propel it over the finish line...

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump intensified pressure Thursday on China to reach a trade deal by saying he will impose 10% tariffs Sept. 1 on the remaining $300 billion in Chinese imports he hasn't already taxed. The move immediately sent stock prices sinking...

ADEN, Yemen -- Yemen's main southern city of Aden was shaken by double attacks Thursday, as a missile fired by rebels hit a military parade and suicide bombers blasted a police station. At least 51 people were killed in the deadliest day in nearly two years in the de facto capital of the U.S.- and Saudi-backed side in Yemen's civil war...

BERLIN -- The heat wave smashing high temperature records in five European countries a week ago is now over Greenland, accelerating the melting of the island's ice sheet and causing massive ice loss in the Arctic. Greenland, the world's largest island, is a semi-autonomous Danish territory between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans with 82% of its surface covered in ice...

BANGKOK -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday the Trump administration remains ready to resume talks with North Korea now, although he regretted a meeting between the two sides is unlikely at an Asian security conference this week in Thailand...

LONDON -- After a first week in office saw him booed in Scotland and berated in Belfast, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was facing his first electoral test Thursday -- a special election potentially seeing his Conservative government's working majority in Parliament cut to just one vote...

KINSHASA, Congo -- The 1-year-old daughter and the wife of the man who died of Ebola in Congo's city of Goma this week have tested positive for the disease, health officials confirmed Thursday, while Rwanda briefly closed its border with Congo over the virus outbreak now entering its second year...

NEW YORK -- Many religious leaders have strongly condemned President Donald Trump's disparaging remarks about minority members of Congress. Prominent figures on the religious right have not joined in, instead maintaining public silence or insisting Trump's tactics reflect hard-nosed politics rather than racism...

WASHINGTON -- Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee upended the rules Thursday for immigration legislation extending family detentions as chairman Lindsey Graham muscled the measure forward over the objections of Democrats. It's one last battle, led by a top ally of President Donald Trump, before senators break for a long August recess and the start of 2020 campaigning with immigration at the forefront of the debate...

WASHINGTON -- House Republicans are suffering an early exodus ahead of next year's elections. That's hampering the party's effort to capture the House majority in next year's elections. Republicans say lawmakers are weary of life in the minority, today's razor-edged partisanship and the tweets and tantrums of President Donald Trump...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Charlotte Neal, 91, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Tuesday, July 30, 2019, at Westwood Hills Healthcare in Poplar Bluff. She was cremated, per her wishes and taken to Hot Springs, Arkansas, for burial. Fowler-Sullivan Funeral Home in Poplar Bluff was in charge of arrangements...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Louis "Lou" W. Meyer, 84, of Perryville died Wednesday, July 31, 2019, at Independence Care Center. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday and from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. Monday at Ford and Young Funeral Home in Perryville. Funeral will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Immanuel Lutheran Church, with the Rev. Joseph Schlie officiating. Entombment will be at Mary Queen of Heaven Mausoleum at Mount Hope Cemetery, with military honors provided by American Legion and Delta Team...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Michael Wayne Dumey, son of the late Elmer and Bertha Vetter Dumey, was born Oct. 12, 1944, in Cape Girardeau and departed this life Wednesday, July 31, 2019, at his home in Bloomfield at the age of 74 years. Michael was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, serving on the USS Edisto Ice Breaker and USS Valley Forge LPH-8...

O Lord Jesus, how excellent is they name in all the earth. Amen.

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Torre Wade, 55, of Cape Girardeau was arrested on suspicion of a drug violation. n Alexander Davis-Carter, 24, of Cape Girardeau was arrested on a warrant...

The Jackson area youth football program has been a real mess for several years. They can barely field enough teams to play each other. The Cape youth tackle league is in even worse shape. Eventually, they need to look at a new direction and some new leadership...

ATLANTA -- Atlanta will soon add some vivid lessons about the South's racist history on markers placed next to four historic monuments amid the ongoing national debate over Confederate statues. The first of the panels could be installed as early as today, officials said...

STRATHAM, N.H. -- A New Hampshire police officer said the kitten he was trying to pick up in a parking lot turned out to be a bobcat, which then jumped onto the roof of a Burger King. Stratham Officer Matt Callahan was on patrol Saturday and saw the "kitten" run under a car. ...

Jackson city administrator Carl Talley will step down this fall from the job he's held for 24 years; in a letter to Mayor Paul Sander and the board of aldermen, Talley said his resignation is effective Oct. 31; he's stepping down "for personal and family reasons."...

The Cape Area Community Foundation invites the public to attend an Open House to honor Maurice “Moe” Sandfort for his service to the Cape board and to the community. The Open House will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 14, at Celebrations Downtown, 19 N. Spanish St., in Cape Girardeau. No RSVP is necessary...

With excited looks, youthful play and water bottles in tow, 75 youth participated in the annual Shawnee District Cub Scout Day Camp. Held at Cape Girardeau County Park North last week, the Day Camp is a week-long opportunity for youth ages 6-10 to learn outdoor & life skills, science and art. Activities are tailored to each age group...