Stories from Wednesday, April 22, 2020

The following column was published April 20 by The Wall Street Journal. There is no safe path forward to combat the novel coronavirus without adequate testing. To contain covid-19 and persuade Americans to leave their homes and return to work and school, the United States will need tens of millions of diagnostic tests. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the coronavirus task force, says there are now 1 million tests available weekly; by mid-June, there will be 2 million to 21Āˇ2 million available...

Motorists unfamiliar with the Missouri Department of Transportation's work at Center Junction may find their regular commute through U.S. 61 or I-55 at Exit 99 interrupted. To avoid confusion, the Cape Girardeau Police Department shared the following information...

Northbound Interstate 55 in Cape Girardeau County will be reduced to one lane as Missouri Department of Transportation crews make repairs to the Diversion Channel bridge, between Route AB and Highway 74. According to a MoDOT news release, the work will take place from 8 a.m. to noon Monday and Tuesday...

Positive cases in Cape Girardeau County totaled 38 as of Tuesday, according to the county’s Public Health Center. That number was up from 37 on Monday. Twenty-one patients have recovered from the virus in the county, and one died. Eight patients remain hospitalized. Sixteen of the cases are in Jackson, 14 in Cape Girardeau and eight elsewhere in the county...

Many hands make light work, as Lisa Sanchez puts it. Since March 22, Sanchez and 20 local volunteers have made about 1,000 face masks and 400 face shields for health care workers in local hospitals and long-term care facilities, as well as for first-responders...

An inmate at the Southeast Correctional Center in Charleston, Missouri, has tested positive for COVID-19. According to Missouri Department of Corrections communications director Karen Pojmann, two inmates were tested after showing symptoms of the virus and the department received notification of the test results Tuesday morning — one positive, one negative...

The drive-through Jackson Farmers Market was a success Tuesday as marketgoers lined up for a chance to buy produce, meat, prepared food and homemade goods from vendors. Market co-organizer Kyle Yamnitz took a long enough break from getting a customer’s pre-order to explain the line formed at 11 a.m. and had been steady ever since...

A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Cape Girardeau has made Missouri the first state in the nation to sue China over the COVID-19 pandemic. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri’s Southeastern Division, alleges China suppressed information and denied the “contagious nature of the 2019 novel coronavirus,” which has resulted in “enormous loss of life, human suffering and economic turmoil” in Missouri...

Jackson Mayor Dwain Hahs, in the wake of the COVID-19 shutdown, has extra reason this spring to lament what might have been. “With retail sales sharply down due to the coronavirus,” said Hahs, “a use tax would have been a (revenue) balance for us.” Three times Jackson’s aldermen have asked voters for a use tax — in 2014, 2016 and again last year...

Today is Wednesday, April 22, the 113th day of 2020. There are 253 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On April 22, 1915, the first full-scale use of deadly chemicals in warfare took place as German forces unleashed chlorine gas against Allied troops at the start of the Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium during World War I; thousands of soldiers are believed to have died...

I've found that if you ask a sensible priest or nun these days what might help us keep our sanity in this time of quarantine, they tend to say: The Liturgy of the Hours. It's pretty simple: You wake up and you pray. You stop at midday and you pray. In the evening, you pray, and before you go to sleep, too. When you pray the night prayer, or compline, you really take a look at your day and ask God to forgive you where you need forgiveness. You live your life, guided by prayer...

NEW YORK -- Mary Parker is a nurse from St. Louis so caught up in the beach novels of Elin Hilderbrand she makes an annual trip to Nantucket, the Massachusetts island community where Hilderbrand sets her stories. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Parker isn't sure she'll make it to Nantucket this year or even find herself close to a beach. But she will continue to make the journey in her mind, through books by Hilderbrand and others...

This year's Scripps National Spelling Bee has been canceled after organizers concluded there is "no clear path to safely set a new date in 2020" because of the coronavirus pandemic. The decision, announced by Scripps on Tuesday morning, means kids who are in eighth grade this year will miss their final opportunity to compete in the national finals. ...

MADISON, Wis. -- Health officials in Wisconsin said they have identified at least seven people who appear to have contracted the coronavirus from participating in the April 7 election, the first such cases following in-person voting that was held despite widespread concern about the public health risks...

LONDON -- The CCTV footage from a Dutch business park shows a man in a black cap pouring the contents of a white container at the base of a cellular radio tower. Flames burst out as the man jogs back to his Toyota to flee into the evening. It's a scene that's been repeated dozens of times in recent weeks in Europe, where conspiracy theories linking new 5G mobile networks and the coronavirus pandemic are fueling arson attacks on cell towers...

A malaria drug widely touted by President Donald Trump for treating the new coronavirus showed no benefit in a large analysis of its use in U.S. veterans hospitals. There were more deaths among those given hydroxychloroquine versus standard care, researchers reported...

WASHINGTON -- Returning to a divisive issue at a time of national crisis, President Donald Trump said he will sign an executive order "to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States" because of the coronavirus. "In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!" Trump tweeted late Monday. ...

NEW YORK -- As state and federal leaders tussle over when and how fast to "reopen" the U.S. economy amid the coronavirus pandemic, some corporations are taking the first steps toward bringing their employees back to work. Which in many cases is easier said than done...

What kind of tree can you carry in your hand? Which letter of the alphabet has the most water? Sarah Schneider's grandmother, Estelle Slon, is full of riddles, and she shares them in emails to sick children forced into isolation as they undergo treatment for cancer, blood disorders and other dire illnesses...

NEW YORK -- The idea formed on a day when all the news headlines were dire. The coronavirus was surging worldwide; Nashville had lost lives in a devastating tornado and children had their lives upended as they separated from beloved classmates to shelter at home...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Nova Knight is 5, and very serious about keeping others safe during the coronavirus outbreak. She said so in a video, the Fairbanks, Alaska, resident made that's been viewed more than 18,000 times and drawn the praise of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau...

WASHINGTON -- A $483 billion coronavirus aid package flew through the Senate on Tuesday after Congress and the White House reached a deal to replenish a small-business payroll fund and provided new money for hospitals and testing. Passage was swift and unanimous, despite opposition from conservative Republicans. President Donald Trump tweeted his support, pledging to sign it into law. It now goes to the House, with votes set for Thursday...

Mary M. Zander, 71, of Scott City died Monday, April 20, 2020, at Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City is in charge of arrangements.

GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. -- Billy "Bob" White, 80, husband of Wylene Jones White, of Gilbertsville died Sunday, April 12, 2020, at Edinburg Regional Medical Center in Edinburg, Texas. Bob was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, Dec. 25, 1939, to the late Joe Bell and Ethyl Irene Kappen White...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Carol A. Sutterer, 84, of Perryville died Monday, April 20, 2020, at Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. Services will be private for the family. Ford and Young Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

David G. Steinnerd, 57, of Gordonville passed away Monday, April 20, 2020, at his home. He was born June 30, 1962, in Cape Girardeau to Melvin J. and Rita M. Kirn Steinnerd. David was a graduate of Leopold (Missouri) High School. He was a self-employed truck driver and operated heavy equipment...

Michael James Revelle, 44, of Marble Hill, Missouri, died Tuesday, April 14, 2020. Memorial services and socially-distant visitation will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at New Salem Baptist Church near Marble Hill. Hutchings Funeral Chapel is assisting the family...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Carrie I. Quick, 99, of Perryville died Thursday, April 16, 2020, at Independence Care Center of Perry County. Services will be private for the family. Ford and Young Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Verna Geneva Dye, 73, of Jackson passed away Sunday, April 19, 2020, at her home. She was born March 17, 1947, in St. Louis, the daughter of Forrest and Dorothy Whitehead Williams. She and Gary Dye were married March 20, 1965. Verna was a giving person. She was proud to care for her two children and any of their friends who came into their home or anyone else who may have been in need. She also had a special love for her poodles...

Kenny Baker, 82, of Jackson passed away Friday, April 17, 2020, at his home. He was born March 16, 1938, in rural Alexander County, near Tamms, Illinois, to Cecil and Mabel Rion Baker. He lived most of his life in the Anna/Jonesboro, Illinois, area. He enjoyed many years of playing fast-pitch softball and winning many games. He also enjoyed golf, bowling, fishing and hunting. He loved his family and friends and was a proud member of Cape County Cowboy Church...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Assaults n Assault was reported in the 3400 block of William Street. n Assault was reported in the 900 block of Good Hope Street. n Assault was reported in the 1100 block of Cousin Street...

Lord Jesus, thank you that in all things we may come before you in prayer. Amen.

Twenty-nine people have now turned in resumes expressing interest in serving on the Cape Girardeau Board of Education; adding their names to the list of hopefuls Thursday and Friday were Robert Blank, Pamela Sheets Spradling, Calvin Chapman, Jacqueline Sessoms, Louis Haynes, Marie Walker, Janet Rueseler, Charles Herbst III, Shaunna McGhie, Morris Osborn, Dr. James Fletcher Jr., Debra Ann Tracy, Sheldon Tyler, John Jenkins and two people who asked the commissioners not to release their names...

Son to Curtis and Taylor Braswell of Patton, Missouri, Southeast Hospital, 4:11 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, 2020. Name, Reid Carter. Weight, 7 pounds, 6 ounces. Second son. Mrs. Braswell is the daughter of Redgie and Tonya Mungle of Patton. She is employed by Heartland Plastic & Hand Surgery. Braswell is the son of Sherry Steffes of Sedgewickville, Missouri, and Rick Braswell of Benton, Missouri. He works for Richardet Floor Covering...

With many businesses closed and individuals observing Missouri Gov. Mike Parson's stay-at-home order, consumers are turning more to online stores for purchases. Local municipalities, which were already facing steep sales tax hits due to the pandemic, will be further challenged to fund basic government operations unless they have a use tax in place. Additionally, local retailers will continue to be put at a disadvantage compared to online competitors...