Stories from Tuesday, December 6, 2022

A Marble Hill, Missouri, man has been sentenced to life in prison for an April 2021 murder. A release from Bollinger County (Missouri) Sheriff Casey Graham states Joshua Proffer was convicted of second-degree murder for the death of Joshua Taylor on April 2, 2021, and sentenced Monday, Dec. 5, to life in prison with no possibility of parole...

Free medical services will be offered on Saturday, Dec. 10, at Lighthouse United church. Doctors, dentists and other medical professionals will be on hand from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the church, located at 710 Southern Expressway in Cape Girardeau. Gregory Johnson, a deacon at Lighthouse United, said Footsteps Medical Missions will be bringing medical personnel who will provide services such as diabetic foot care, wound care and vision and hearing exams. ...

Little Dixie Construction of Columbia, Missouri, has lodged a written protest with Cape Girardeau County after Jackson's Penzel Construction was awarded the design-build contract to expand the county jail and renovate the vacant 1908-era county courthouse...

Cape Girardeau City Council members voted unanimously to approve a contractor for the new terminal at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. Councilman Robbie Guard was absent from the meeting. Council members approved KCI Construction Co. to head up the new 20,000-square-foot terminal project following a lengthy, in-depth presentation from Jodi Cooper, program manager for Burns & McDonnell — a consulting firm hired by the city for the process...

Two lawmakers from Southeast Missouri think only girls should be allowed to compete against girls in middle school and high school. To that end, GOP state Rep. Jamie Burger of Benton, Missouri, (District 148) and Republican state Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder of Scott City (District 27) have pre-filed similar legislation in Jefferson City in preparation for the General Assembly's 102nd Session, which convenes Wednesday, Jan. 4...

The Cape Girardeau Central High School Orchestra recently celebrated its 100th year in the Cape Girardeau Public School System. Frieda Rieck was its director from 1921 through 1946. Frieda Rieck was born in St. James, Mo., in 1892. She began studying the violin at the age of six. In 1907, the Rieck family moved to Cape Girardeau. Rieck’s father, Frederick, supervised the construction of the rail system in Southeast Missouri...

When Lisa and Jim Dale’s son came out as gay, they decided they needed to learn more and find ways to be supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. They heard about PFLAG, a national group with chapters across the United States focused on supporting LGBTQ+ individuals, their families and allies. The closest chapter was in St. Louis, so for years, the couple drove there to be part of the group...

At the start of my senior year, I was sitting across from my friend Lydia.We were eating at a Mexican restaurant when she presented a tattered brown shoe box before me. Gifting it to me, she commanded me not to open it until we finished our food. After a while of conversing, I was ready to open the box. I didn’t know it then, but I was holding one of the best gifts I’ve ever received...

“A Christmas Carol” is, apart from the Bible, arguably the most oft-produced piece of literature of all time. Since its 1843 publication, its plot has been the basis of countless radio, stage, television and film performances. The novella has been the inspiration for episodes of nearly 30 television programs, including “The Simpsons,” “The Six Million Dollar Man” and “Duck Tales.” Some of the 135 — yes, that number is correct — film versions adhere closely to the story. ...

We’ve all done it. Perceived a meaningful image in something. A tree bark that looks like a face, a rock that looks like a mouse. Why do we do that? The name for it is “pareidolia.” The definition: The tendency to read into patterns and interpret visual stimuli, even when there is no intentional meaning present...

In Decembers past, we saw a big “Blue Marble” in 1972, Jessica Lange fell in love with Dustin Hoffman and his altar ego “Tootsie” in 1982 and it was the season of “Girl Power” with the Spice Girls in 1997. 50 Years Ago: 1972 One of the most iconic images in history designated by NASA as AS17-148-22727 and more popularly known as the “Blue Marble” was taken on Dec. ...

Frugal. It’s a word some people wear like a badge of honor and one others dread. In fact, when building a retirement strategy, some people are working to avoid a retirement that requires them to be frugal. But here’s a question that means something to a lot of people: Why not be both? Retirement is a reward for a lifetime of hard work, diligent planning and some sacrifice, and you should want to enjoy it. ...

Today in History Today is Tuesday, Dec. 6, the 340th day of 2022. There are 25 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 6, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, abolishing slavery, was ratified as Georgia became the 27th state to endorse it...

Christmas is a time to be thankful and gather with family & friends, celebrating old traditions & making new ones to cherish forever. We hope you’ll make Wish Boutique part of your holiday tradition and let us help fill your holiday needs; so you have more time to relax and enjoy the holiday fun...

First, you would surrender our prior energy independence. Reduce new gas and oil leases on federal lands to the lowest levels of any president in history. Cut back production at precisely the time the world is emerging from a two-year lockdown with pent-up consumer demand...

On Thanksgiving Day, a Catholic priest from Nigeria was praising God for the opportunity to be in the United States. At a Catholic Church in lower Manhattan, hidden in between courthouses and the New York Police Department headquarters, the Nigerian priest told us about his seminary classmate of his who is missing and assumed dead and about a village of Christians recently wiped out by Islamic terrorists in his home country. ...

On Saturday, Dec. 3, former President Donald Trump called for the termination of the Constitution to overturn the 2020 election and reinstate him to power. Not a single Trumpublican lawmaker who had pledged to defend and protect the Constitution against all foreign and domestic enemies dared to condemn Trump. This is proof that they have accepted Trump as their dictator. That also means they want him to be the dictator of the United States...

I did not vote for Trump in the last election and certainly wouldn't vote for him if he runs again. That said, however, if he is prosecuted for "inciting" a riot when he knew the Capitol protesters were armed and dangerous, we must also prosecute Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats who repeatedly made incendiary comments encouraging BLM rioters and defund the police rioters in major cities across the country including Ferguson, Missouri. ...

O Father God, we pray that your hand of protection would cover those traveling. Amen.

CAPE GIRARDEAU Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls. Dec. 4 n Medical assists were made at 9:10 a.m. on Pioneer Drive; 9:55 a.m. on Pioneer Drive; 12:15 p.m. on Siemers Drive; 12:29 p.m. on Red Bud Circle; 3:03 p.m. on Grandview Drive; and 8:30 p.m. on South Louisiana Avenue...

CAPE GIRARDEAU Cape Girardeau Police Department responded to the following calls. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n A warrant arrest was reported. n A warrant arrest was reported. n A warrant arrest was reported. n A warrant arrest was reported on Bloomfield Street...

William E. Walker III, 65, of Cape Girardeau passed away Friday, Dec. 2, 2022. He was born March 18, 1957, to the late William E. Jr. and Evelyn M. Green Walker. William was a 1976 graduate of Cape Central High School and a 1981 graduate of Missouri University of Science and Technology at Rolla with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering. In high school, he was a member of and excelled on the golf team. He most recently worked at Buzzi Unicem in Cape Girardeau...

Lucky Newton Vander, 84, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. Visitation will be from 10:30 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7, at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. Funeral will follow at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7, at the funeral home, with Minister Paul Miller officiating. Burial will be at Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield...

Eloise Finley Swoboda, 78, of Cape Girardeau passed away Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, at her home. She was born Jan. 26, 1944, to Zeno and Juanita Chancellor Finley in Cape Girardeau. Eloise was a homemaker. She had great love for her family. Eloise especially enjoyed playing cards, bingo and talking on the phone...

Robert Joseph Snider, 77, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Dec. 2, 2022. Visitation will be from 9 to 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 12, at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. Funeral will follow at 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 12, at the funeral home, with the Rev. Allan Saunders officiating. Burial will follow at a later date...

Donnie R. Shuck of Cape Girardeau passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, at the age of 87. Donnie was born in Cape Girardeau on Aug. 19, 1935, to father J. Roy Shuck and mother Mary M. Shuck. Donnie graduated from St. Mary's High School and attended Southeast Missouri State University, studying mechanical engineering prior to becoming proprietor of The Barn Drive Inn on South Kingshighway from 1958 to 1967. ...

Keith A. Sebastian, 64, of Cape Girardeau, died Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022, at Southeast Hospital. The Rev. Mark Boettcher will conduct a memorial service at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tilsit. Cremation was accorded by McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson...

On Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, Harlan Ray Duncan, aka "Uncle Dunk", departed this world at his home. He was 81 years old. He was born June 5, 1941, in Sikeston, Missouri, to Estel and Glenna Duncan. On June 15, 1963, he married the love of his life, Beverly Sue Conyers. They had two children, Derrick Ray Duncan and Michelle Dawn Duncan Stoverink...

PERRYVILLE, Mo.  — Delmar L. Besand, 75, of Perryville died Friday, Dec. 2, 2022, at SSM St. Mary's Hospital in Richmond Heights, Missouri. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, and from 8 to 9:30 a.m., with rosary at 8:30 a.m., Friday, Dec. 9, at Ford and Young Funeral Home in Perryville...

KHERSON, Ukraine -- Hours after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, health staff at a children's hospital in the south started secretly planning how to save the babies. Russians were suspected of seizing orphan children and sending them to Russia, so staff at the children's regional hospital in Kherson city began fabricating orphans' medical records to make it appear like they were too ill to move...

LONDON -- Asked to sum up 2022 in a word, the public has chosen a phrase. Oxford Dictionaries said Monday that "goblin mode" has been selected by online vote as its word of the year. It defines the term as "a type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations."...

PHOENIX -- Arizona's top officials certified the midterm election results Monday, formalizing victories for Democrats over Republicans who falsely claimed the 2020 election was rigged. The certification opens a five-day window for formal election challenges. Republican Kari Lake, who lost the race for governor, is expected to file a lawsuit in the coming days after she's spent weeks of criticizing the administration of the election...

OMAHA, Neb. -- Major freight railroads are facing pressure to add sick days for their workers from a new front: An influential investment group says some of its members are now pushing the measure that Congress declined to as part of the contracts they imposed last week to avert a potentially devastating nationwide rail strike...

KYIV, Ukraine -- Russia on Monday unleashed what Ukrainian authorities called the latest "massive missile attack" across their country, striking homes and buildings, killing civilians, and disrupting electrical power and water supplies in areas -- notably in the Black Sea port city of Odesa. Ukraine's air force claimed it shot down more than 60 of the 70 missiles fired...

KHARTOUM, Sudan -- Sudan's coup leaders and the main pro-democracy group signed a deal Monday to establish a civilian-led transitional government following the military takeover last year. But key players refused to participate, and no deadline was set for the transition to begin...

WASHINGTON -- As a businessman and president, Donald Trump faced a litany of lawsuits and criminal investigations yet emerged from the legal scrutiny time and again with his public and political standing largely intact. But he's perhaps never confronted a probe as perilous as the Mar-a-Lago investigation, an inquiry focused on the potential mishandling of top-secret documents. ...

SAN FRANCISCO -- The unabashedly liberal city of San Francisco became the unlikely proponent of weaponized police robots last week after supervisors approved limited use of the remote-controlled devices, addressing head-on an evolving technology that has become more widely available even if it is rarely deployed to confront suspects...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court 's conservative majority sounded sympathetic Monday to a Christian graphic artist who objects to designing wedding websites for gay couples, a dispute that's the latest clash of religion and gay rights to land at the highest court...

WASHINGTON -- Former President Donald Trump faced rebuke Sunday from officials in both parties after calling for the "termination" of parts of the Constitution over his lie that the 2020 election was stolen. Trump, who announced last month that he is running again for president, made the claim over the weekend on his Truth Social media platform...

ATLANTA -- Raphael Warnock is the first Black U.S. senator from Georgia, having broken the color barrier for one of the original 13 states with a special election victory in January 2021, almost 245 years after the nation's founding. Now he hopes to add another distinction by winning a full six-year term in a Tuesday runoff. Standing in the way is another Black man, Republican challenger Herschel Walker...

CARTHAGE, N.C. -- Two power substations in a North Carolina county were damaged by gunfire in what is being investigated as a criminal act, causing damage that could take days to repair and leaving tens of thousands of people without electricity, authorities said...

LOS ANGELES -- Kirstie Alley, a two-time Emmy winner whose roles on the TV megahit "Cheers" and in the "Look Who's Talking" films made her one of the biggest stars in American comedy in the late 1980s and early 1990s, died Monday. She was 71. Alley died of cancer that was only recently discovered, her children True and Lillie Parker said in a post on Twitter. Alley's manager Donovan Daughtry confirmed the death in an email to The Associated Press...

NEW YORK -- The Mendelson family would love to find the envelope where their father, Lee, scribbled some lyrics to jazz musician Vince Guaraldi's composition "Christmas Time is Here" for an animated TV special featuring the "Peanuts" gang in 1965. The producer always said it had taken less than half an hour to write, and he likely tossed the scrap of paper away. He was in a rush. Everything was rushed. No one even knew, once the special aired, whether it would ever be seen again...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Former Missouri governor Warren E. Hearnes, 73, is recuperating at home from heart-bypass surgery performed Nov. 27 at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau; Hearnes, 73, was admitted to the hospital Nov. 24 after complaining of chest pains; wife Betty Hearnes says her husband is doing well...