Stories from Wednesday, December 14, 2022

The upcoming holidays will affect trash and recycling pickup and will close some city offices in Cape Girardeau. The city will observe Christmas Eve on Friday, Dec. 23; Christmas Day on Monday, Dec. 26; and New Year's Day on Monday, Jan. 2. During the week before Christmas, the usual Thursday trash and recycling route will be run a day early on Wednesday, Dec. 21, and the route normally run Friday will be run on Thursday, Dec. 22...

Gov. Mike Parson has named an employee with the Cape Girardeau Fire Department to the state board on earthquake preparedness. James Watkins, longtime Region E Disaster Preparedness coordinator with the department, has been appointed to the Missouri Seismic Safety Commission. Watkins is also a member of the Region E Homeland Security Oversight Committee. The region encompasses 13 counties in Southeast Missouri...

Since 2006, Darryl Ramsey has put up a Christmas decoration in his yard that some found amusing and others ... not so much. The decoration was a 6-foot-high and 24-foot-long wooden frame, covered in strings of Christmas lights spelling out the words, "Bah! Humbug!"...

In a news release dated Tuesday, Dec. 13, Cape Girardeau County commissioners announced they will locate a new approximately 7,000-square-foot emergency operations center (EOC) not in county-owned Klaus Park — to which some residents objected in a series of meetings held last month — but on a 6-acre site to be purchased from Touchdown Development LLC at the southeast corner of Interstate 55 and Lasalle Avenue...

BENTON, Mo. — Hours after Scott County Sheriff Wes Drury announced early Tuesday, Dec. 13, he would not be retiring the county’s K-9, Rex, the county’s three commissioners ordered for the K-9 to return home with its previous handler, former Scott County sheriff’s deputy Hunter Juden...

A man has pleaded guilty to hate crime and arson charges for setting a fire that damaged the Islamic Center of Cape Girardeau two years ago, the U.S. Justice Department announced Tuesday, Dec. 13. Nicholas John Proffitt, 44, entered the plea in the case of the torching of the center on April 24, 2020, which was the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the department said. It was the second time he had attacked the building...

Southeast Missouri's U.S. Rep. Jason Smith is one of three men vying to become chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee in the 118th Congress, which is set to begin Jan. 3. A spokesperson in Smith's Washington office told the Southeast Missourian a decision on the chairmanship by the House Republican Steering Committee could be pushed to early January — at least until after the speakership election...

BENTON, Mo. — A day after the Scott County Commission ordered the county’s K-9 to be reunited with its former handler, the sheriff said early Wednesday he will seek the lawful return of K-9 Rex. In a news release issued Wednesday, Scott County Sheriff Wes Drury said K-9 Rex was purchased with money donated to the Scott County Sheriff’s Office...

Today is Wednesday, Dec. 14, the 348th day of 2022. There are 17 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 14, 2020, the Electoral College decisively confirmed Joe Biden as the nation's next president, ratifying his November victory in a state-by-state repudiation of President Donald Trump's refusal to concede he had lost; electors gave Biden 306 votes to Trump's 232. ...

Lord Jesus, our hearts are filled with joy, the joy that comes from knowing you. Amen.

There's no such thing as blue money or red money. Only the green stuff will pay bills. Friday, North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell became the latest of many officials from nearly half the states across the U.S. — including Florida, Texas, Kentucky, Missouri, Arizona and West Virginia — to protest Wall Street's blue investment strategy, also called ESG...

Elon Musk, who has never called himself a conservative, is now the nation's foremost culture warrior. That he's achieved this status without espousing anything remotely like social conservatism illustrates how important a set of hothouse progressive pieties have become to the nation's political debate...

There are many festive events to attend this time of year, ranging from parades and community tree lighting events to personal Christmas parties. And many churches are also hosting gatherings to celebrate the reason for the season. This weekend, there are a couple events that are among our favorites. First Midwest Bank and Saint Francis Healthcare System will each host their own Live Nativity events, connecting attendees with the miracle of Christmas in a very real and inspiring way...

CAPE GIRARDEAU Cape Girardeau Police Department responded to the following calls. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n A warrant arrest was reported on Clark Avenue. Thefts n Second-degree burglary and theft were reported on William Street. n Stealing was reported on Kingsway Drive...

Hermina Alvina Frank Westrich, 89, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022, at her home. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. — parish prayers will be at 7 p.m., with Knights of Columbus rosary immediately following — Friday, Dec. 16, at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home...

PATTON, Mo. — Ryder Thomas Thele, 16, of Patton passed away Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, surrounded by his loving family. Ryder was born Oct. 18, 2006, to Thomas "Tommy" and Chasity Thele. He was baptized Dec. 17, 2006, at St. Maurus Catholic Church in Biehle, Missouri. His godparents are Erica and Josh Mayfield...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Judy A. Pitman, 81, of Perryville died Monday, Dec. 12, 2022, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, at Ford and Young Funeral Home in Perryville. Funeral will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, at the funeral home, with Dr. Brian Anderson officiating. Burial will be at Home Cemetery...

CHAFFEE, Mo. — William Miller, son of the late Donald C. and Nellie McCulley Miller, was born Nov. 29, 1942, in Dutchtown and departed his life Monday, Dec. 12, 2022, at his home in Chaffee, at the age of 80 years. He was a union laborer for many years, but his passion was training thoroughbred race horses. William was a member of First Christian Church in Chaffee...

Louis F. Crites, 80, formerly of Whitewater, passed away Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, at Ratliff Care Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 2, 1942, in Cape Girardeau to Arnold F. and Loretta Rhodes Crites. Louis was a 1959 graduate of Delta High School. He worked in retail sales in the men's department of JC Penney and Zale's Jewelry stores, both in St. Louis. In his spare time, he enjoyed reading...

NEW YORK -- The U.S. government charged Samuel Bankman-Fried, the founder and former CEO of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, with a host of financial crimes on Tuesday, alleging he intentionally deceived customers and investors to enrich himself and others, while playing a central role in the company's multibillion-dollar collapse...

What you're seeing in your feed on Twitter is changing. But how? The social media platform's new owner, Elon Musk, has been trying to prove through giving selected journalists access to some of the company's internal communications dubbed "The Twitter Files" that officials from the previous leadership team allegedly suppressed right-wing voices...

LAS VEGAS -- Living with less water in the U.S. Southwest is the focus this week for state and federal water administrators, tribal officials, farmers, academics and business representatives meeting about the drought-stricken and overpromised Colorado River...

President Vladimir Putin has ditched his annual marathon news conference following a series of battlefield setbacks in Ukraine -- a tacit acknowledgment that the Russian leader's war has gone badly wrong. Putin typically uses the year-end ritual to polish his image, answering a wide range of questions on domestic and foreign policy to demonstrate his grip on details and give the semblance of openness even though the event is tightly stage-managed...

The major advance in fusion research announced in Washington on Tuesday was decades in coming, with scientists for the first time able to engineer a reaction that produced more power than was used to ignite it. Using powerful lasers to focus enormous energy on a miniature capsule half the size of a BB, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California started a reaction that produced about 1.5 times more energy than was contained in the light used to produce it...

WASHINGTON -- Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is considering running for president, on Tuesday called a third Donald Trump White House bid the "worst scenario" for Republicans and said his call for terminating parts of the Constitution hurts the country...

NEWTOWN, Conn. -- They would have been 16 or 17 this year. High school juniors. The children killed at the Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012 should have spent this year thinking about college, taking their SATs and getting their driver's licenses. Maybe attending their first prom...

WASHINGTON -- A celebratory crowd of thousands bundled up on a chilly Tuesday afternoon to watch President Joe Biden sign gay marriage legislation into law, a joyful ceremony that was tempered by the backdrop of an ongoing conservative backlash over gender issues...

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. is poised to approve sending a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, finally agreeing to an urgent request from Ukrainian leaders desperate for more robust weapons to shoot down incoming Russian missiles, U.S. officials said Tuesday...

WASHINGTON -- Scientists announced Tuesday that they have for the first time produced more energy in a fusion reaction than was used to ignite it -- a major breakthrough in the decades-long quest to harness the process that powers the sun. Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California achieved the result last week, the Energy Department said. ...

DALLAS -- A massive storm blowing across the country Tuesday spawned several tornadoes that wrecked buildings and injured a handful of people in Oklahoma and Texas, left two people missing in Louisiana and saw much of the central United States bracing for blizzard-like conditions...

WASHINGTON -- Inflation in the United States slowed again last month in the latest sign that price increases are cooling despite the pressures they continue to inflict on American households. Consumer prices rose 7.1% in November from a year ago, the government said Tuesday. That was down sharply from 7.7% in October and a recent peak of 9.1% in June. It was the fifth straight decline...

BEIJING -- Some Chinese universities say they will allow students to finish the semester from home in hopes of reducing the potential for a bigger COVID-19 outbreak during the January Lunar New Year travel rush. It wasn't clear how many schools were participating, but universities in Shanghai and nearby cities said students would be given the option of returning home early or staying on campus and undergoing testing every 48 hours. ...

WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was caught on a hot mic Tuesday using a vulgarity against a rival politician in a rare misstep for a leader known for her skill at debating and calm, measured responses. After five years as prime minister, Ardern faces a tough election campaign in 2023. Her liberal Labour Party won reelection two years ago in a landslide of historic proportions, but recent polls have put her party behind its conservative rivals...

PARIS -- Dozens of countries and international organizations threw their weight and more than 1 billion euros (dollars) in aid pledges behind an urgent new push Tuesday to keep Ukrainians powered, fed, warmed and moving as winter approaches. An international donor conference in Paris quickly racked up substantial promises of financial and in-kind support, a defiant response to sustained Russian aerial bombardment of critical infrastructure that has plunged millions of Ukrainian civilians into deepening cold and dark.. ...

LIMA, Peru -- Amid violent nationwide protests over Peru's political crisis, ousted President Pedro Castillo told Peruvians Tuesday that he is being "unjustly and arbitrarily detained" and thanked his supporters for their "effort and fight" since he was taken into custody last week...

NEW YORK -- USA Today's weekly chart of top-selling books is on indefinite hiatus after the newspaper's parent company, Gannett, laid off the editor in charge of compiling the list that's closely followed in the publishing industry. "USA Today's Books list will be on hiatus for the remainder of the year," a spokesperson told The Associated Press on Monday. "We will share further updates in 2023."...

NEW YORK -- It may come as no surprise to fans of Mike Rowe that when he recently visited the Florida Panhandle, he didn't lay out on the beach or take a cruise. He donned a 100-pound diving helmet, waded into a smelly, muddy creek and joined a work crew putting concrete jackets around wooden bridge pylons. Emerging from the muck after several hours, he told the crew: "Glad you do it. Don't know how you do it."...

It is impossible to talk about "Avatar: The Way of Water" without sounding hyperbolic. But James Cameron's sequel is a truly dazzling cinematic experience that will have you floating on a blockbuster high. No matter if you've spent a second of your life in the past 13 years thinking about what's happening on Pandora or how Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) are getting on, assuming you remember their characters' names. ...

Continuing a six-year tradition, Hanover Lutheran Church mixes German and English languages for a holiday celebration in the evening; the edifice is decorated with its traditional cedar Christmas tree and period ornaments; the one-room school museum of Lutheran heritage is also open...