Stories from Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Cape Girardeau Board of Education members Missy Phlegley, Jared Ritter and Casey Cook have all filed as candidates for reelection to the school board. Additionally, three other Cape Girardeau residents have decided to run against them. The three-year terms of Phlegley, Ritter and Cook are up at the end of the 2022-2023 school year, and Kim G. Swartz, Roy Diamond Jr. and Sommer Shardee McCauley have all filed to run for the open positions...

Charlotte Craig, president of Southeast Missouri Pets Board of Directors, gave a presentation Monday, Dec. 19, during the last Cape Girardeau City Council meeting of the year, sharing progress at the organization and providing the case for its importance as the time to renew its contract with the city moves closer...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — GOP Gov. Mike Parson on Tuesday, Dec. 20, named Vivek Malek state treasurer, making him the first nonwhite statewide official in Missouri history. Malek, a 45-year-old immigration lawyer from the St. Louis suburb of Wildwood, will replace fellow Republican Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick, who is leaving the position to become state auditor in January...

GOP state Rep. Barry Hovis of Whitewater, a former longtime local law enforcement officer, does not support Illinois's move to eliminate cash bail for criminal defendants — a policy set to take effect in the Land of Lincoln on Sunday, Jan. 1. "I think judges exercise good judgment when bail conditions are set. ...

According to the most recent Missouri Gaming Commission statistics, 10 of the state's 13 riverboat gaming casinos — including in Cape Girardeau and Caruthersville — saw their admissions drop in November compared to the same month a year ago. Century Casino Cape Girardeau, situated along the Mississippi riverfront at 777 Main St., saw admissions drop 12.4% from 87,600 to 76,718...

Today in History Today is Wednesday, Dec. 21, the 355th day of 2022. There are 10 days left in the year. Winter begins at 4:48 p.m. EST. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 21, 1864, during the Civil War, Union forces led by Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman concluded their "March to the Sea" as they captured Savannah, Georgia...

I have children in three different schools, and each one has put on some kind of holiday music or theatrical performance. I just want to thank all the teachers involved in teaching our kids good holiday songs. It really helps make the season more special. To all teachers, thank you for your hard work every day. We appreciate you...

O Lord Jesus, we are eternally grateful for your love for us. Amen.

This time of year we get caught up in buying and receiving gifts. But it's worth remembering that while most of us are blessed to have a warm home and good food, there are others around the world who don't. For many years La Croix Church in Cape Girardeau has hosted food-packing events to support Feed My Starving Children, a Christian not-for-profit organization that distributes food to malnourished children in about 70 countries...

CAPE GIRARDEAU Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls. Dec. 19 n Medical assists were made at 9:56 a.m. on Perry Avenue; 11:11 a.m. on Linden Street; and 3:01 p.m. on North Frederick Street. n At 3:39 a.m., hazardous condition on Locust Street...

CAPE GIRARDEAU Cape Girardeau Police Department responded to the following calls. Arrest does not imply guilt. Arrest n A warrant arrest was reported on South Kingshighway. Thefts n Theft was reported on South Lorimier Street. n Shoplifting was reported on William Street...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. — Frances Minnie VanGennip, 96, of Marble Hill passed away Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, at Chateau Girardeau in Cape Girardeau. Frances was born Sept. 16, 1926, in Drum, Missouri, to the late Henry and Mary Laurentius Eftink. As a teenager, Frances worked with the nuns of St. Mary High School and Saint Francis Hospital in Cape Girardeau. During World War II, at age 18, she went to work at U.S. Cartridge Co. and Naval Ordnance Defense Plants...

THEBES, Ill. — Luther "Jay" Smith, 79, of Thebes passed away at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, at his home. He was born Dec. 13, 1943, to Luther and Reba Irene Rudluff Smith in Cape Girardeau. He married Jo Catherine McNelly on June 4, 1976. Jay was a Vietnam veteran who served in the U.S. ...

Robert E. "Bob" Sink, 78, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Memorial arrangements are pending at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson.

BENTON, Mo. — Mike Fodge, son of Helen Helms Fodge of Benton and the late Eugene Fodge, was born Feb. 11, 1950, in Catron, Missouri, and departed his life Monday, Dec. 19, 2022, at his home in Benton at the age of 72 years. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving in the Vietnam War from 1969 to 1971...

Carolyn Fiedler, 82, of Jackson, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022, at The Villas of Jackson Memory Care. Arrangements are incomplete at this time. A full obituary with complete visitation and service arrangements will follow after the first of the new year...

RENTON, Wash. — Doris Mae Brown, 81, of Renton passed away Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022, after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. She was born Feb. 20, 1941, in Old Appleton, the daughter of Virgil and Mamie Lang. She was the sister of Harold Lang, Don Lang, Mary Beth McDaniel, Carolyn Schwartz and Rick Lang...

Irene C. Schuessler Barber, 85, formerly of Brazeau, Missouri, and Jackson, passed away Monday, Dec. 19, 2022, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. One of four children, Irene was born July 3, 1937, in Frohna, Missouri, to Roland and Clara Schuessler Schuessler. Irene was raised in Frohna and attended the former Altenburg (Missouri) High School. She later earned her cosmetology license...

Karen Sue Altenthal, 64, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, at her home after a two-year battle with ALS. She was born June 20, 1958, in Cape Girardeau to John J. and Dorothy S. Ladd East. She and Brad Altenthal were married June 4, 1977, at Cape Girardeau...

KYIV, Ukraine -- On the streets of Kyiv, Fyodor Dostoevsky is on the way out. Andy Warhol is on the way in. Ukraine is accelerating efforts to erase the vestiges of Soviet and Russian influence from its public spaces by pulling down monuments and renaming hundreds of streets to honor its own artists, poets, soldiers, independence leaders and others -- including heroes of this year's war...

WASHINGTON -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is preparing to visit Washington on Wednesday, according to three AP sources, in his first known trip outside the country since Russia's invasion began in February. Two congressional sources and one person familiar with the matter confirmed plans for the visit. ...

EL PASO, Texas -- Tensions remained high at the U.S-Mexico border Tuesday amid uncertainty over the future of restrictions on asylum-seekers, with the Biden administration asking the Supreme Court not to lift the limits before Christmas. The U.S. government made its plea in a filing a day after Chief Justice John Roberts issued a temporary order to keep the pandemic-era limits on migrants in place. Before Roberts issued that order, the restrictions had been slated to expire Wednesday...

JERUSALEM -- Majd Ramlawi was serving coffee in Jerusalem's Old City when a chilling text message appeared on his phone. "You have been spotted as having participated in acts of violence in the Al-Aqsa Mosque," it read in Arabic. "We will hold you accountable."...

WASHINGTON -- A report issued Tuesday by the Democratic-controlled House Ways and Means Committee found that required IRS audits of Donald Trump were delayed, and committee members voted along party lines to also release tax filings of the former president who broke political norms by refusing to release the information on his own...

OMAHA, Neb. -- Shippers are praising proposed changes that federal regulators have approved to the system used to dispute rates railroads charge, aiming to update a system that is so costly and cumbersome it is little used. The new procedures the U.S. ...

DENVER -- When Kevin Erickson fires up his 1972 Plymouth Satellite, a faint hum replaces what is normally the sound of pistons pumping, gas coursing through the carburetor and the low thrum of the exhaust. Even though it's nearly silent, the classic American muscle car isn't broken. It's electric...

WASHINGTON -- Millions of people who enrolled in Medicaid during the COVID-19 pandemic could start to lose their coverage on April 1 if Congress passes the $1.7 trillion spending package leaders unveiled Tuesday. The legislation will sunset a requirement of the COVID-19 public health emergency that prohibited states from booting people off Medicaid. ...

LIMA, Peru -- Peru's Congress is set Tuesday to consider holding early elections, beset by protesters who have blocked highways and clashed with security forces amid deadly nationwide unrest ever since the lawmakers ousted President Pedro Castillo. It's the second time in days that the lawmakers -- easily the most reviled of a widely discredited political elite -- are taking up the proposal to push forward to next year the elections for president and Congress originally planned for 2026...

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea threatened Tuesday to take a "resolute and decisive military step" against Japan while it slammed Tokyo's adoption of a national security strategy as an attempt to turn the country into "an offensive military giant."...

KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Tuesday with troops in the eastern city of Bakhmut, the scene of some of the most intense combat since Russia invaded the country, praising their "courage, resilience and strength" as artillery boomed in the background...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghanistan's Taliban rulers on Tuesday banned female students from attending universities effective immediately in the latest edict cracking down on women's rights and freedoms. Despite initially promising a more moderate rule respecting rights for women's and minorities, the Taliban have widely implemented their strict interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A large swath of the U.S. braced for a dangerous mix of sub-zero temperatures, howling winds and blizzard conditions expected to disrupt plans for millions of holiday travelers. The blast of frigid weather began hammering the Pacific Northwest Tuesday morning, and is expected to move to the northern Rockies, then grip the Plains in a deep-freeze and blanket the Midwest with heavy snowfall, forecasters say. ...

RIO DELL, Calif. -- A powerful earthquake rocked the Northern California coast early Tuesday, jolting residents awake as it shattered glass, shook homes off foundations, damaged roads and left nearly 60,000 homes and businesses in the rural area without power and many without water. At least 12 people were injured...

WASHINGTON -- Congressional leaders unveiled a government-wide $1.7 trillion spending package early Tuesday that includes another large round of aid to Ukraine, a nearly 10% boost in defense spending and roughly $40 billion in emergency spending, mostly to assist communities across the country recovering from drought, hurricanes and other natural disasters...

Members of Second Baptist Church, 428 S. Frederick St., want to remain where they are, a part of the community for 130 years; but the church is structurally unsound; the congregation plans to tear down its former parsonage and current building to construct a new building on the same site; construction should begin in early spring...

Not only does Kristin Ham of the Optimist Club of Cape Girardeau present a check for $500 to the Shop with a Hero event held on December 6th at the Cape Girardeau Walmart Supercenter, at 5 a.m. that morning she becomes a volunteer. "I'll do whatever is needed to see the smiles on these children's faces," she says. ...

Three cadet members of the local Civil Air Patrol Squadron, Trail of Tears Composite Squadron, completed the requirements for promotion during November 2022. Cadet Senior Master Sergeant L. Ragain completed the requirement for Achievement 7 and earned the rank of Cadet Chief Master Sergeant. ...