Stories from Saturday, April 30, 2022

After more than 40 years serving as a pilot and engineer then president and director of Drury Southwest, Dennis Vollink is set to retire. In 1981, Bob Drury was looking for a pilot to fly team members to the states where Drury had construction projects and hotels under development. At the same time, he also needed an engineer. When he found Dennis Vollink, he knew he’d found two men in one...

Cape Girardeau's St. Vincent dePaul Church, 1913 Ritter Drive, will host a RSVP-required dinner at 6 p.m. Sunday for those interested in learning more about the Roman Catholic priesthood. Edward M. Rice, resident bishop since 2016 of Cape Girardeau-Springfield Diocese with its 66 parishes covering 39 counties in southern Missouri, is expected to attend...

This is our annual Progress Edition for B Magazine — a look at what’s working, what construction projects are popping up, profiles on visionary leaders and other business stories of advancement in Southeast Missouri. As I sit here in my hotel room in Orlando, Florida, where I’ve been the last few days for a newspaper conference, the fact is not lost on me that one bit of progress is business travel is beginning to return. ...

Two companies, one of them local, are interested in helping build a projected new Cape Girardeau County emergency management agency center, responding to the county commission's call for a request for qualifications for the proposed project. n Dille Pollard Architecture has offices in Cape Girardeau and Poplar Bluff, Missouri...

It was Christmas 1965 when Tom Harte's wife, Jane, announced that, because she now had a full-time job to support the family while Tom was in graduate school, that year she would not be making Christmas cookies. Deciding it's not Christmas without cookies, Harte found a book of recipes and made them himself...

State Rep. Mark Richardson resigned as House Republican leader yesterday, saying it was "bad judgment" on his part to drink and drive; the 45-year-old Richardson will remain a House member, representing Southeast Missouri's 154th District; his decision followed his weekend arrest for driving drunk on the outskirts of Jefferson City...

Kandy Anders of Marble Hill, Missouri, announces the engagement of her daughter, Stormiee Anders, to Steven Mayberry, both of Patton, Missouri. He is the son of Rick and Amy Mayberry of Patton and Lisa Clark of Kokomo, Indiana. The couple are both graduates of Meadow Heights High School...

I captured this image Saturday morning, April 23. This is a fine color combination that came together nicely at the edge of my driveway. A native butterweed plant (which can grow quickly in spring to nearly 2 feet tall) had been knocked down by the push mower a few days earlier, but was not cut off. Wet weather allowed it to bloom...

Monday: Meatballs or sweet and sour chicken, brown rice, peas and carrots, seasoned cauliflower, whole-grain bread slice and chilled apricots or pudding cup. Tuesday: Pulled pork or beef taco, sweet potato fries, garden salad, whole-grain bun or taco shell and tropical fruit or banana cake...

Submitted by Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary This week's pet is named Mirabel. Mirabel is 8 weeks old and was bottle fed in a home with other cats and dogs. She just received all of her vaccinations, microchip, and spay surgery so she's ready for her own home. If you are ready for a rewarding experience, come see us at Safe Harbor. Call (573) 243-9823...

Art students of Brenda Seyer won awards at the 85th Art Show by the Woman's Club of Paducah held April 23 in Paducah, Kentucky. Winners were: n Kindergarten to second grade: first, Vivian Fredenburg; second, Tessa Herren; third, Easton Mahoney. n Third through fifth grades: first and second, Lyndsey Zhang; third, Henry Mahoney...

It seems many U.S. high schools have -- for lack of a better term -- "Christian clubs." Even in my day, in the early to the mid-1970s, such groups had to meet before the school day actually began due to the understood separation of church and state...

Have you really, I mean really wondered, what you are like inside. If we've never had the desire or the need to know our real self, then we're maybe fortunate, perhaps not. Few have known exactly what life holds for them or what their calling is. Jim, a farmer, had just finished harvesting the last of his crop before fall and winter set in. ...

Have you ever asked yourself why should you go to church? If you ask churchgoers why they go to church, they may give answers that seem self-centered. For example, they may talk about enjoying the music or being encouraged by the message. They may highlight programs for their children. It is true that we benefit from going to church, but Scripture provides deeper reasons for church attendance...

In celebration of spring, Jackson in Bloom will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 30 at Uptown Jackson. It focuses on landscaping, gardening, earth-friendly products and services, pets and outdoor activities. This year's event will include a presentation from Allison Cates about the importance of bees, a demo from the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center on invasive plants and tours of the Taylor Twins Memorial Garden located uptown. ...

The Town and Country FCE Club met on April 20 at the home of Judy Niswonger. The meeting was rescheduled from April 7. The devotion was given by Niswonger and she played a song, "You are there." Donna Woolsey provided a game, Do you know the musical number? Mary Klaproth was the winner of the game. ...

Elon Musk has finally managed to buy Twitter. And the moment he did, the enraged Left flipped out. Abruptly leftists began trashing their favorite electronic communications platform as the domain of the nation's elite, professional classes. Had they just discovered that they had been racists and privileged users all this time?...

The New York Times demonstrates why Gallup polling late last year showed only 36% of Americans saying they trust media a "great deal" or "fair" amount. Times reporters have brought fire to the feet of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, reporting on a recording of private remarks that McCarthy made to other Republicans in the days following the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol...

O Father God, thank you that we may lay our burdens at your feet. Amen.

KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to humiliate the United Nations by raining missiles on Kyiv during a visit to the city by the U.N. chief, a deadly attack that shattered weeks of relative calm in the capital...

BEIJING -- Classes suspended. Buildings and communities sealed off. Mass testing of residents. A rush to stock up on food, just in case. Beijing, China's sprawling capital, is starting to resemble other Chinese cities grappling with the latest wave of the omicron variant of the coronavirus...

WASHINGTON -- An inflation gauge closely tracked by the Federal Reserve surged 6.6% in March compared with a year ago, the highest 12-month jump in four decades and further evidence that spiking prices are pressuring household budgets and the health of the economy...

DES MOINES, Iowa -- A Colorado prison inmate has tested positive for bird flu in the first recent confirmed case of a human infected with the disease that has resulted in the deaths of millions of chickens and turkeys, but federal officials say they still see little threat to the general public...

WASHINGTON -- The worst possible moment for bringing Trevor Reed home turned out to be the best. With U.S.-Russian relations at their lowest point in decades, it seemed an improbable time to hope for the release of Reed, a former Marine detained in Russia for almost three years. ...

CAPE GIRARDEAU Cape Girardeau Police Department responded to the following calls. Arrest does not imply guilt. Arrests n A warrant arrest was reported. n A warrant arrest was reported on Louis Street. n A warrant arrest was reported. n A warrant arrest was reported on South Hanover Street...

CAPE GIRARDEAU Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls. April 27 n Medical assists were made at 12:04 a.m. on Revlon Drive; 2:44 a.m. on North Ellis Street; 7:11 a.m. on North Fountain Street; 8:42 a.m. on South Lorimier Street; 1:31 p.m. on Campster Drive; 5:14 p.m. on Georgia Street; and 9:55 p.m. on Parksite Drive...

Cape Girardeau City Council 5 p.m. Tuesday, City Hall Presetations n National Historic Preservation Month Proclamation -- Members of the Historic Preservation Commission n Local Government Week 2022 Proclamation -- City Manager Dr. Kenneth Haskin Communications/reports...

City of Jackson mayor and Board of Aldermen Regular meeting 6 p.m. Monday Adoption of agenda n Motion adopting the regular meeting agenda Approval of minutes n Motion approving the minutes of the regular meeting of April 18 Public hearing n Hearing regarding a request for a text amendment to Chapter 65 (Zoning) of the Code of ordinances, related to babysitting as a home occupation, as submitted by Brian Powell...

If you missed part 1 of this column in March, let me fill you in. Archives assistant Lyle Johnston likes to regale me with prices and descriptions of items sold at auction through the county's history, as he archives (mends, sorts, cleans) files from the county's probate court. ...

Phyllis J. Yonge, 90, of Cape Girardeau entered Heaven Thursday, April 21, 2022, at Southeast Hospital. She was born Jan. 25, 1932, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Philip and Marjorie Tompkins Stoll. She married Donald Yonge on Sept. 2, 1954. They lived in Michigan until his retirement and then lived in Florida until his passing in 2005...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Neoma V. Schuessler, 94, of Perryville died Thursday, April 28, 2022, at Independence Care Center in Perryville. Visitation will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville. Funeral will follow at 11 a.m. Monday at the church, with the Rev. Matthew Marks officiating. Burial will be at the church cemetery...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Michael A. Riehn, 60, of Perryville died Thursday, April 28, 2022, at his home. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday and 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at Ford and Young Funeral Home in Perryville. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Christ the Savior Catholic Church in Brewer, Missouri, with the Rev. Ben Melaku officiating. Burial will be at Mount Hope Cemetery in Perryville...

Charles M. Richardson, 73, of Cape Girardeau passed away Tuesday, April 26, 2022, at his home, surrounded by his family. He was born Aug. 31, 1948, in Cape Girardeau to Oscar and Ruth Jaques Richardson. He and Elizabeth Rose Shuffit were married Oct. 28, 1978, in Scott City...

Shadow Meran Gray, 42, of Cape Girardeau passed away Monday, April 25, 2022. She was born Aug. 6, 1979, in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, to John Keith Gray and Carolyn Phillips. Shadow was a certified nurse's assistant with Caring Hands In Home Care. Survivors include her mother and stepfather, Carolyn and Robert Nelson of Waynesburg; sisters, Jen (Frank) Roupe and Ashley Paith of Washington, Pennsylvania; several nieces and nephews; fiance, Kevin Noble-Sinclair of Cape Girardeau; and dog, Cocoa...

BETHESDA, Md. -- Helen Coerver Fox Glazer died Friday, April 22, 2022. She was born in Cape Girardeau Feb. 27, 1925. Her maternal grandfather, William H. Coerver, was the mayor of Cape Girardeau from 1895 to 1901 and 1905 to 1907. Her father, Burwell Fox Jr., taught math and physics at Southeast Missouri State University for 41 years. Her mother, Helen Coerver Fox, was the first librarian of Cape Girardeau Public Library and served as library director from 1914 to 1918...

Thomas Vincent Wencewicz, 79, of Cape Girardeau passed away Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Thomas was born to Casimir Paul and Helen Catherine Bialczak Wencewicz in St. Louis on Sept. 21, 1942. He and Dorothy "Dotty" Clara Bergfeld were united in marriage Aug. 27, 1966, at St. Anthony's Church in St. Louis. They resided in Cape Girardeau...

Editor's note: The MGT study can be viewed with this guest column online at semissourian.com. This guest column is about SEMO and Mineral Area College's dispute regarding additional course offerings at Cape College Center. MGT Education's 2021 Feasibility Study for the Committee for Affordable Technical Education recommended expanding postsecondary education opportunities in the Cape Girardeau area to bolster a proficient workforce. ...

Southeast Missouri State University believes in access to education. As our community has discussions about Mineral Area College (MAC) operating as a full community college in Cape Girardeau, we hope our commitment to that access is not called into question. A community college in our community, at face value, is not something any of us would be against. But, as with all things, the situation is more complex, and we must consider the facts along with the benefits and consequences...

A survey by state Rep. David Schwab has added a spark of life to a controversial Bollinger-Cape Girardeau County lake that was declared dead in the state Senate earlier this month; Schwab conducts a yearly survey of his constituents, and for the first time he included a question about the proposed, much-debated 7,700-acre lake; the question asks if the people would "support legislation authorizing a local vote to create a lake authority"; Schwab said 50% of the 1,100 people responding said they would support the legislation, 7% had no opinion and 43% said they would not support the legislation.. ...