Stories from Saturday, December 17, 2022

Why does the City of Cape Girardeau continue to operate in the shadow of darkness? My name is Scott Rhodes, and my family and I own The Rhodes Group, a commercial real estate development company. I am responding to Mayor Stacy Kinder's column dated Dec. 10 and published in the Southeast Missourian regarding the sale of The Greater Cape Girardeau Business Park to Touchdown Development Group...

MURPHYSBORO, Ill. -- A Jackson County, Illinois, jury found a Sikeston, Missouri, man guilty of first-degree murder for his role in the 2019 shooting death of a Carbondale, Illinois, man. Olando/Orlando "T.J." Sheron, 27, of Sikeston was found guilty, according to Jackson County State's Attorney Joseph A. Cervantez...

John Mehner is resigning as assistant vice president for Southeast Missouri State University's Office of Economic and Workforce Development, a job the longtime business leader has held since March 1, 2022. The formal announcement of Mehner's departure by SEMO president Carlos Vargas came during the Friday, Dec. 16, meeting of SEMO's Board of Governors...

Cape Girardeau city manager Kenneth Haskin was among four finalists named for the city administrator position in Fargo, North Dakota. Haskin dropped out of consideration for the position Thursday, according to Gregg Schildberger, Fargo's director of communications and governmental affairs...

Today is Saturday, Dec. 17, the 351st day of 2022. There are 14 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright of Dayton, Ohio, conducted the first successful manned powered-airplane flights near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, using their experimental craft, the Wright Flyer...

Paul and Janis Gilbert had their first date attending Showboat at the St. Louis Muny in the summer of 1952. Six months later, on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, 1952, they were married in Illmo. This year they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. After they were married, they lived in St. ...

The Leopold Annual Country Christmas Home Tour will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18. Tour four homes, visit St. John's Catholic Church for organ music and then to the Leopold School for soup and cookies. Tickets can be purchased at any of the homes. ...

Snow swirled in the doorway of Vogelsanger's Hardware Store 120 years ago, Dec. 20, 1902, as patrons entered. "Hot biscuits and free coffee served free all this week at Vogelsanger's," read the ad in the Cape Girardeau Democrat newspaper. It was Christmas shopping time on Main Street, and Vogelsanger's new Majestic ranges were on exhibit, as well as countless other gift ideas...

Believe it or not, I photographed this creature on Dec. 11 near The Whistle Stop train depot in Jackson. It walked upright on two legs like a man, but it didn't do much talking. It seemed to be in a bad mood. We call this time of year the Christmas season. It is a time of both great seriousness and playful fun. What I have photographed here belongs on the side of fun. If you don't know "who" this is, ask a child. I've been told that children know...

Monday: Scrambled eggs and sausage patty or chicken tenders, pancakes with syrup, baked hash browns, bran muffin, hot baked apples and orange juice. Tuesday: Chicken pot pie or country-fried steak with potatoes, Lima beans, whole-grain biscuit and Mandarin oranges or iced orange cake...

The Town and Country FCE Club held its Christmas dinner party Thursday, Dec. 8, at Delmonico's Steakhouse. Linda Thompson and Donna Woolsey were in charge of arrangements. Darlene McCain, president, presided over a brief business meeting. Roll call was answered with your Christmas wish. Thank-you notes were read from the students at Parkview State School for the Halloween Party the club provided. Brenda Pender, treasurer, collected pennies for Rural Women in Action Fund...

The pastor was preaching his annual Christmas sermon about the shepherds watching their flocks by night. A little boy leaned over to his mother in the church pew, whispering, "I know the shepherd's name." He had mom's attention. She whispered to her intuitive son, "How do you know his name?"...

"The world is not driven by greed. It is driven by envy," said 98-year-old billionaire Charlie Munger. He made this statement earlier this year at the annual meeting of the Daily Journal newspaper where he is a director. (Source, Tom Huddleston Jr. on CNBC.com.)...

Many years ago I bought two stainless steel thermos bottles, with each holding about 14 ounces of liquid. If you heat up the thermos before putting coffee in it the coffee will stay fairly hot for 12 hours or so. I make a clever coffee dripper of coffee which is about 14 ounces and then fill my small heavy cup with coffee, and the rest goes in the thermos. ...

WASHINGTON -- After scaling 40-year highs, inflation in the United States has been slowly easing since summer. Yet the Federal Reserve seems decidedly unimpressed -- and unconvinced that its fight against accelerating prices is anywhere near over. On Thursday, stock markets buckled on the growing realization that the Fed may be willing to let the economy slide into recession if it decides that's what's needed to drive inflation back down to its 2% annual target...

KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukraine's capital came under one of the biggest attacks of the war on Friday as Russia's invading forces fired dozens of missiles across the country, triggering widespread emergency power outages, Ukrainian officials said. Gunfire from air defense systems and thudding explosions combined with the wail of air-raid sirens as the barrage targeted critical infrastructure in cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and Zaporhizhzhia. ...

BERLIN -- A huge aquarium in Berlin burst, spilling debris, water and hundreds of tropical fish out of the AquaDom tourist attraction in the heart of the German capital early Friday. Police said parts of the building, which also contains a hotel, cafes and a chocolate store, were damaged as 1 million liters (264,000 gallons) of water poured from the aquarium shortly before 6 a.m. Berlin's fire service said two people were slightly injured...

BATANG KALI, Malaysia -- A thunderous crush of soil and debris killed 21 people at a campground in Malaysia on Friday, and rescuers dug through the mud in the night for another 12 who were feared buried in the landslide. More than 90 people were sleeping on an organic farm when the dirt tumbled from a road about 30 meters (100 feet) above the site and covered about 3 acres. Two of the dead were found locked in an embrace, according to the state fire department chief...

BEIJING -- Outside a funeral home in eastern Beijing, dozens of people were bundled up in parkas and hats against the freezing temperatures Friday evening as workers in full protective suits wheeled out coffins one by one. When an employee with a clipboard shouted the name of the dead, a relative trundled up to the coffin to examine the body. One of the relatives told The Associated Press their loved one had been infected with COVID-19...

CAPE GIRARDEAU Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls. Dec. 14 n Medical assists were made at 1:08 a.m. on William Street; 5:30 a.m. on Capaha Trail; 11:04 a.m. on South Ellis Street; 1:34 p.m. on Linden Street; 4:40 p.m. at North Henderson and Normal avenues; and 4:49 p.m. on William Street...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Clayton Campbell, 66, of Sikeston died Monday, Dec. 12, 2022, at Daybreak Nursing Center in Sikeston. A graveside service will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20, at Lorimier cemetery in Cape Girardeau, with the Rev. Donny Ford officiating...

CAPE GIRARDEAU Cape Girardeau Police Department responded to the following calls. Arrest does not imply guilt. Arrest n A Stoddard County, Missouri, warrant arrest was reported on South Kingshighway. n A warrant arrest was reported on South Minnesota Street...

A Puxico, Missouri, man was killed in a two-vehicle crash Thursday in Scott County. Ryan C. Winingnear, 29, of Puxico was traveling westbound on Highway HH, 2 miles north of Miner, Missouri, when his vehicle struck the rear of the turning westbound Freightliner driven by Charles A. Sandusky, 59, of Bloomfield, Missouri, according to a state Highway Patrol report...

Cape Girardeau County Commission 9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 19 1 Barton Square, Jackson Approval of minutes n Approval of minutes of the Thursday, Dec. 15, meeting Communications/reports --other selected officials/department heads n Updates on new jail and 1908 courthouse project...

Patricia Ann "Patty" Spitzmiller, 73, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Dec. 16, 2022, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Visitation will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. The Rev. Sam Roethemeyer will conduct the funeral at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Russell Heights Cemetery in Jackson...

Luona Jean Reimann, 79, of Jackson passed away Friday, Dec. 16, 2022, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. She was born May 9, 1943, in Port Clinton, Ohio, daughter of Luther Raymond and Onalee Short Fetterman. She and Ivan Reimann were married Aug. 26, 1962, at Fort McPherson in Atlanta...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Jack Moore Sr., 90, died Friday, Dec. 16, 2022, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. Memorial service will be conducted at a later date. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapels is assisting with arrangements.

Margaret June Jaco, 89, of Jackson passed away Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, at Monticello House in Jackson. She was born June 1, 1933, in Galena, Kansas, to Ralph E. and Leola Holding. June's parents died when she was small, and she was raised by her brother and sister-in-law, Oscar and Veda Holding, in Antioch, California...

Nancy Lynn Henson, 63, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022. A memorial service will be at noon Wednesday, Dec. 21, at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home.

Linda Goodson, 83, of Jackson passed away Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeu. Linda was born July 23, 1939, in Farmington, Missouri. She was raised by her grandparents, Ernest and Florence Hartle. She and Dean Goodson were married Nov. 8, 1963. He preceded her in death March 29, 2002...

Mark Andrew Claunch, 61, of Jackson passed away Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, at Saint Francis Medical Center. He was born Jan. 11, 1961, in Hurst, Illinois, to Virgil Eugene and Anita Hester Claunch. Mark proudly served in the U.S. Navy. After the military, he was employed as a maintenance technician through Dana Corp. ...

Lyman "Jake" Ashcraft, 86, died Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 19, at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Benton, Missouri. Graveside service will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20, at Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield...

So far, Donald Trump is having the worst campaign launch since Beto O'Rourke. Like almost everything else he's done lately, his early announcement of his next presidential campaign has proved a flagrant political misjudgment. A move that was supposed to demonstrate his strength is showing his weakness; a move that was meant to keep other candidates out of the race is an invitation to other candidates to get in; a move that was supposed to serve notice of his continued dominance of the party is pointing toward its potential end.. ...

O Father God, may all be comforted with your love and peace. Amen.

The Salvation Army is currently in the middle of our annual Red Kettle Drive and hopes you will be willing to help us. We are no longer hiring temporary employees to ring the bells. We decided their cost was too expensive compared to the results, so we have switched to an all-volunteer supply of bell ringers. Unfortunately, the response has not been what we hoped for...

Once again Republicans have proven that Americans are fed up with MAGA lies and Donald Trump. They thought people would vote for any candidate Trump endorsed but with the likes of Don Bolduc, Dr. Oz, Doug Mastriano, Tudor Dixon, Kari Lake and Herschel Walker it turns out voters wanted people who were in touch with reality and sanity. ...

It's time to play the Big Game again in Washington. It's time again for members of Congress to perform one of their most important duties. But instead of passing a federal budget for the coming year, the senators and House members will take a knee and pass what's called a "Continuing Resolution."...

Grind Hustle Motivation (brothers Cameryn and Jordan) went around Cape Girardeau, Mo giving back to a couple strangers in a day during the season of giving! The video was made to spread positivity not only in the Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois area, but to the world on YouTube and tiktok. There’s so much bad in the world, it never hurts to give back whatever and whenever you can. Put a smile on a strangers face, you never know what they’re going through...

State Sen. Peter Kinder may run for state auditor next year; the Cape Girardeau Republican says he has been considering running for auditor since incumbent Margaret Kelly announced in mid-September she won't seek re-election; Kelly has served as state auditor since being appointed by then-Gov. Christopher "Kit" Bond to the post in 1984; she won elections in 1986, 1990 and 1994...

For the first time the Cape Girardeau area is participating in the nationwide program Toys For Tots, thanks to the local Marine Corps recruiting office and Real Rock 99.3 radio station; the local Toys For Tots effort is joining forces with Toybox in Cape Girardeau; most of the toys collected will be distributed through the Toybox campaign; some will be donated to the local American Red Cross...

City of Jackson mayor and Board of Aldermen Regular meeting 6 p.m. Monday Adoption of agenda n Motion adopting the Regular Meeting Agenda. Public hearing n Hearing to consider the rezoning of the property addressed as 2033 West Jackson Boulevard from I-1 (Light Industrial) District to C-2 (General Commercial) District, as submitted by Gerald R. Sewing, Tommy H. Sewing, Brenda J. Hester, Daphne R. Sewing, and Andy R. Sewing, as heirs of Walter M. & Norma Sewing...

Cape Girardeau city council 5 p.m. Monday, City Hall Presentations n Southeast Missouri Pets Presentation Communication/reports n City Council Items for discussion n Planning and Zoning Commission Report n Appearances by Advisory Board Applicants n Consent Agenda Review...