Stories from Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Cape Girardeau City Council held its first April meeting virtually via Zoom video call Monday night, and taking public comments by having citizens join the call. Due to technical difficulties, a YouTube broadcast of the meeting failed and a recording of the meeting will be uploaded later this week.

Four additional Republican candidates filed for election March 31, the final day to file in Scott County, forming primary races for five positions — sheriff, coroner, assessor, 1st District commissioner and 2nd District commissioner. Rick Walter filed as a Republican candidate for Scott County sheriff. Walter will face Republican incumbent Sheriff Wes Drury in the August primary...

The Cape Girardeau County Commission voted unanimously Monday to close playgrounds in the county parks “until further notice” to discourage children and parents from gathering at them during the COVID-19 pandemic. The action was taken at the recommendation of county parks superintendent Brian Sander and coincides with the start of a statewide “stay at home” order issued Friday by Gov. Mike Parson, which went into effect Monday...

Realtors Chelsea Dillick and Christina Essner decided they wanted to give back to the community, and in January, started Think SEMO. The group’s Facebook page was intended as a way to get more information to people looking for events or updates on what’s happening in the region...

To help maintain supplies of personal protective equipment, or PPE, many hospitals have begun seeking innovative approaches to engineering their own solutions to the challenges posed by the spreading coronavirus. In an effort to help find solutions, a team of engineers at Southeast Missouri State University used 3D printers to produce and deliver about 100 face shields to SoutheastHEALTH over the weekend, with more to follow to other facilities over the next few weeks...

A special-use permit that would have allowed a Jackson couple to operate a “reptile rescue organization” in their residentially-zone home was denied by the Jackson Board of Aldermen on Monday night. The aldermen, participating from multiple locations on the city’s YouTube channel due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the state’s emergency order prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people during the virus outbreak, voted 6-2 against the request from Dru and Tara Reeves to operate Reeves Reptile Rescue at 2745 Mansfield Place in Jackson’s Savannah Ridge Subdivision. ...

Unless something changes in the next few days, this will be an Easter like no one has ever experienced, just as it was a Palm Sunday like no other. The reason for the season is Jesus, of course, as Easter is a celebration of His resurrection. It's also the emergence of spring, vibrant colors and renewal. The coronavirus cloud now hanging over us, however, puts a damper on the usual ways we celebrate, so it's going to take intentionality not to cave to the chaos and its ensuing emotions...

Your vision is our business and providing information on possible changes to be aware of in their earliest stages can prove to be quite beneficial. With digital device use on the rise, especially in children and young adults, we are experiencing an increase in the prevalence of myopia in the general population. ...

Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center officials reported three new COVID-19 cases Monday, bringing the total number of county residents testing positive for the disease to 19. Four county residents have recovered from the virus. Eleven of the victims, 56%, are male, following the trend of more males than females contracting the virus. More than a fourth of the victims, five, are in the 70-to-79 age range, and another three are 60 to 69...

Safe House for Women in Cape Girardeau is one of nine organizations statewide to receive a COVID-19 response grant from Community Foundation of the Ozarks, according to a recent news release. Jessica Hill, Safe House executive director, said the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund grant was opened quickly, and the Safe House was able to apply for funding right away...

Today is Tuesday, April 7, the 98th day of 2020. There are 268 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On April 7, 1862, Union forces led by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant defeated the Confederates at the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee. On this date:...

It's coming. The end of this awful pandemic is coming because this too shall pass. But we've got an ugly fight ahead of us in our area. I'm a nurse, and I'm proud to say we're up for it. But we need your help. In one week's time the number of cases of COVID-19 in Cape Girardeau and surrounding counties has more than tripled. I work in long-term care, and I can tell you it's here. This is what we need from you:...

FRANKFURT, Germany -- How does a traditional German restaurant comply with the untraditional demands of the coronavirus era? Thomas Metzmacher was faced with the prospect of having to shut down his Frankfurt restaurant specializing in a traditional tart hard cider due to German regulations prohibiting groups of people from gathering amid the coronavirus pandemic. So he came up with a novel solution...

NEW YORK -- The steep rise in coronavirus deaths appeared to be leveling off Monday in hard-hit New York, echoing a trend underway in Italy and Spain, while the crisis escalated alarmingly in Britain, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved to intensive care after his condition deteriorated...

James W. Underwood passed away Sunday, April 5, 2020, at the age of 82. Jim grew up on a farm in Stoddard County, Missouri, near Leora, graduating from Bloomfield High School in 1955. He served in the U.S. Army from 1961 through 1965. Jim received a Bachelor of Science in Education and a Master of Arts in Education from Southeast Missouri State College. ...

MALVERN, Ark. -- Irvin Clark Mosby, 77, of Malvern passed away Saturday, April 4, 2020. Clark was born to the late Claude and Vivian Mosby on Oct. 1, 1942, in McClure, Illinois. He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Henry Lee and Norman Dean Mosby...

Beloved Jackson elementary school teacher Ellen L. Lewis, 65, of Jackson unexpectedly passed away Sunday, April 5, 2020, at her home. She was born Oct. 1, 1954, to Leonard N. "Lefty" and Louise A. Morton Swan. She and Howard Lewis were married Oct. 22, 1977, at St. John's Lutheran Church in Pocahontas, where she served as the church organist for more than 50 years...

Ruth Naomi Magdalene Adams Ladd, 88, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, April 5, 2020, at her home. She was born Nov, 22, 1931, in Chaffee, Missouri, to Willard and Cora Bess Adams. She and Elvin Earl Ladd Sr. were married June 15, 1950, at Boonville, Mississippi...

Dimechi Harold Loran Herring, 41, a resident of Cape Girardeau, died Friday, April 3, 2020, at his home, surrounded by family. He was born Jan. 19, 1979, in St. Louis to the late Harold Herring and Lorraine Deal Herring of Cape Girardeau. He accepted Christ at an early age and was a member of Grace Community Church of Smithville, Missouri, until he relocated to Cape Girardeau. ...

KELSO, Mo. -- Ramona Frances Glastetter, 91, of Kelso passed away Sunday, April 5, 2020, at Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 22, 1929, on the Blattel homestead east of Kelso, the daughter of Herman and Blanche Hamm Blattel. Ramona attended St. Augustine Catholic Grade School and graduated from Fornfelt High School in 1946...

Glenda Sue Fornkohl, 79, of Cape Girardeau passed away Saturday, April 4, 2020, at Springhurst Health Campus in Greenfield, Indiana. She was born Sept. 17, 1940, in Egypt Mills to the late Glenn and Lena Baker Brockmire. Sue and Delbert Fornkohl were married Sept. 4, 1956, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Egypt Mills. He preceded her in death Sept. 5, 2018...

The beloved Franklin "Buster" Delano Crites, 81, of Jackson lost his battle with Alzheimer's, but won his greatest victory Sunday, April 5, 2020, at The Villas of Jackson, surrounded by his family. He was born Aug. 7, 1938, in Cape Girardeau and was the youngest son of Oscar and Edith Crites. He married Jeanne Watson on Dec. 26, 1959. They relocated to Carbondale, Illinois, in 1961, where they raised their family...

O'FALLON, Mo. -- As Missouri lawmakers prepare to consider emergency funding in response to the coronavirus crisis, the state's budget director Monday offered more evidence of the pandemic's toll on the economy. Budget Director Dan Haug said net general revenue collections for March dropped 4.2% compared to March 2019. Even though there was no statewide stay-at-home order until Monday, several jurisdictions had already issued their own orders and restrictions were placed on gathering sizes...

Route Z in Cape Girardeau County, between School Lane and Highway 25, will be reduced as Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace a culvert pipe under the roadway. According to a news release, the work will take place from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily today and Wednesday...

I wanted to contribute someway, somehow to essential workers, so I decided to write a poem for them. I hope they fight encouragement, positive affirmation and hope in it as they continue to fight this pandemic, to help flatten the curve, to help save lives. I want to truly thank each and every single essential worker...

Jesus, thank you for coming so that we may have life and have it more abundantly. Amen.

Missouri's 15-year plan for highway construction was scrapped in favor of shorter-duration planning at yesterday's meeting of the Missouri Highway Commission; also given tacit approval was issuing bonds to propel highway construction in the state; a shortfall of federal money to the state combined with planning mistakes by the Missouri Department of Highways and Transportation contributed to the decision to drop the 15-year plan, says Highway Commissioner John Oliver Jr. of Cape Girardeau...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. DWIs n Driving under the influence was reported at William and South Ellis streets. n Driving under the influence was reported in the 400 block of South Minnesota Avenue...

Daughter to Nicholas Michael and Alyssa Gayle Hermann of Jackson, Saint Francis Medical Center, 9:38 a.m. Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Name, Parker Kate. Weight, 8 pounds, 15 ounces. Second child, first daughter. Mrs. Cooper is the daughter of Alan and Karen Wills of Jackson. She is a pre-school teacher with the Jackson School District. Hermann is the son of Michael Hermann of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. He is the athletic director at the Chaffee School District...

Amid the COVID-19 social distancing and anxiety, I have taken walks on County Rd. 228 every couple of days. I often pray while walking. Usually I look down or directly in front of me. Several days ago, while walking, I looked up, and in the tree was a cross, shaped by a partially broken branch (which kind of describes our world right now) and another branch. It really touched me and gave me hope. Thought it would encourage others too!...

The story "When the bells of St. Mary's fell silent" from the archives was quite interesting, but it contained one small error--an extra period! The name of the foundry that made St.Mary's bells was not "H.Y." Stuckstede but "Hy. Stuckstede, "Hy" being the old abbreviation for Henry. It was the largest and longest-lasting of the many bellfoundries that operated in Saint Louis between 1821 and 1961. See www.TowerBells.org for more information about that bellfoundry...