Stories from Saturday, April 29, 2023

A Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office inmate being transported to a facility to bond out of jail suffered minor injuries Wednesday, April 26, when she attempted to exit the moving vehicle. According to information provided by the department, a deputy was transporting Taylor Wessell, 21, northbound on Interstate 55 when she unbuckled a four-point restraint, unlocked and opened the door and attempted to jump out. Wessell was in the front passenger seat of the vehicle...

BENTON, Mo. -- On Tuesday, April 25, third graders from Scott County learned about farm life in Southeast Missouri as they received an agricultural lesson during the Scott County Women in Agriculture's 18th Annual Farm Day at the St. Denis Parish Center in Benton...

A musical comedy about cave-people and the discovery of fire will open Thursday, May 4, at the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus in Cape Girardeau. "Firebringer" is a "New Stone Age musical" created by Starkid, a theater company that originated out of the University of Michigan with book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang and Brian Holden and music and lyrics by Meredith Stepien and Mark Swiderski...

Citing a lack of inventory, Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization has canceled its planned Thursday, May 4, "vacant spaces" open house. "While we are disappointed to have to cancel the event, we feel it's the best decision given the current availability of vacant properties in uptown Jackson," said UJRO executive director Janna Clifton...

Cape Girardeau City Council members will decide whether to save or raze the former Broadway Theatre at their meeting Monday, May 1. Council members voted 6-1 -- Robbie Guard was the sole dissenter -- April 17 in favor of holding a public hearing Monday to settle the matter of what to do with the historic downtown building...

Four words few people might have included in a sentence before Nov. 8, 2022 -- marijuana and real estate -- are today quite relevant for those who earn their livelihoods as Realtors. Missouri voters on that date legalized adult use marijuana in the state with 65% approval, although the referendum failed in Cape Girardeau County with 56% disapproval...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Law enforcement took their search for a woman reported missing in Sikeston two years ago to Illinois on Friday, April 28. Sikeston Department of Public Safety investigators along with the assistance of several other agencies spent Friday in Alexander County, Illinois, following up on a tip in connection with the Shyann Morrison case, according to Sgt. ...

Officials with a local charity organization recently updated Cape Girardeau public school officials on student needs met over the last school year. Callie Welker, advisory board president of the Cape Girardeau chapter of Care to Learn, said they were able to provide funding for 287 students to receive backpacks loaded with food and snacks every Friday through the current school year...

Today is Saturday, April 29, the 119th day of 2023. There are 246 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On April 29, 1946, 28 former Japanese officials went on trial in Tokyo as war criminals; seven ended up being sentenced to death. On this date:...

"Rescuing our roots" project meeting will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday, April 30 at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Cape Girardeau. It is for people interested in learning about preserving local history by documenting gravestones. Billion Graves, the world's largest GPS-linked cemetery data resources has partnered with several organizations in this project where volunteers from around the world are documenting headstones in cemeteries by taking photos with their smartphones. ...

Probably 40 to 45 years ago, I read a book by, I believe, Cho. Since it's been decades since I read this, my memory isn't what it used to be, so details might be fuzzy. Cho was starting a visitation ministry in South Korea so he was walking from village to village visiting different people. ...

I like taking photos that show contrasts. In this case, the five rounded petals of one flower contrast well with the numerous thin white petals of the other. There is also a nice effect of the contrasting colors of violet and yellow. One flower has a large round center seed head, while the other seems to have no visible center at all...

The Town and Country FCE club met Thursday, April 20, at the home of Judy Niswonger. Pledges to the US flag, the Missouri flag, National FCE Creed, and Club Collect were recited in unison. The devotional was given by the hostess titled "God said No."...

Art students of Brenda S. Seyer received awards at the Women's Club 86th Paducah Art Show. n Kindergarten through second grade: Tessa Herren won second place, and William Pobst won third place. n Third grade through fifth grade: Maya Cate Roth won first place, and Henry Fredenburg won second and third place...

Monday: Scrambled eggs and sausage patty or chicken tenders, hash browns with onions, biscuit and gravy bananas and orange juice. Tuesday: Loaded macho nachos with tortilla chips or lemon pepper chicken and rice pilaf, black beans and corn and citrus fruit salad or cinnamon roll...

What do we see when we wake up in the morning? Do we leave our slumber and eagerly look toward the day? Do we direct our thoughts toward the good that is coming to us, or do we sluggishly throw the covers back and grumble with a vengeance? Possibly, we switch back and forth, depending on our mood or on what we've recently encountered...

BRASÍLIA, Brazil -- Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Friday granted official recognition of nearly 800 square miles of Indigenous lands, following through on a campaign promise in a move that also protects critical Amazon rainforest from commercial exploitation...

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Abortion bans in deeply conservative Nebraska and South Carolina each fell a single vote short of passing in their legislatures amid heated debates among Republicans, yet another sign that abortion is becoming a difficult issue for the GOP...

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Two U.S. Army helicopters collided in flight Thursday in Alaska while returning from a training mission, killing three soldiers and injuring a fourth, the Army said. Two of the soldiers died at the crash site near Healy, Alaska, and a third died on the way to a hospital in Fairbanks. A fourth soldier was being treated at a hospital for injuries, the Army said in a statement Thursday. Additional information was not immediately available Friday...

HONG KONG -- Like most people in Hong Kong, taxi driver Leung Tat-chong says it feels like the city is recovering after years of protests, crackdowns and pandemic restrictions, while it also has changed forever. He's earning almost as much as he did before the pandemic. But, Leung said, the city has been divided since the 2019 protests, in which hundreds of thousands of people marched, and many battled police, in opposition to a government they saw as a proxy for Beijing...

DENVER -- Colorado's governor signed four gun control bills Friday, following the lead of other states struggling to confront a nationwide surge in violent crime and mass shootings, despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that expanded Second Amendment rights...

Highway 72 in Cape County impacted by light installation Highway 72 in Cape Girardeau County, from County Road 465 and County Road 438 near Jackson, will have a 12-foot width restriction as contractor crews work on the shoulder to install roadside lighting. According to a Missouri Department of Transportation news release, the work will take place from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily Friday, May 12 through Friday, May 26...

Cape Girardeau County Commission 9 a.m. Monday, May 1, 1 Barton Square, Jackson Approval of minutes n Approval of minutes of the Thursday, April 27, meeting Communications/reports -- other selected officials/department heads n Updates on new jail and 1908 courthouse project...

Cape Girardeau City Council 5 p.m. Monday, May 1 City Hall Presentations n Mental Health Awareness Month Proclamation n Local Government Week 2023 Proclamation Items for discussion n Appearances by Advisory Board Applicants n Consent Agenda Review Communications report...

City of Jackson mayor and Board of Aldermen Regular meeting 6 p.m. Monday, May 1 Adoption of agenda n Motion adopting the regular meeting agenda. Approval of minutes n Motion approving the minutes of the regular meeting of April 17. Financial affairs...

Georgia L. Smith, 99, of Jackson passed away Thursday, April 27, 2023, at Cedar Hurst Nursing Home in Columbia, Missouri. Georgia was born July 13, 1923, in Tilsit, daughter of the late Joseph and Lucy Mae Allen Birk. She and James Smith were married May 25, 1946, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson. He preceded her in death Sept. 20, 2003...

CENTRALIA, Ill. -- Judith Rae Simpson, 76, of Centralia passed away Sunday, April 23, 2023, at White Oaks Rehabilitation Center in Mount Vernon, Illinois. She was born Oct. 28, 1946, in Thebes, Illinois, the daughter of Walter Thomas and Lena Hewitt Simpson...

George Houston Pyrtle, 93, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, April 27, 2023, at his home. He was born Dec. 28, 1929, in Centerville, Missouri, to James and Vivian Sisco Pyrtle. He and Mary Larkin were married July 18, 1951, at Piggott, Arkansas. George served in the Army in the Korean War...

Gerald L. Jones was born Sept. 1, 1942, to Bernie and Christine Jones of Caruthersville, Missouri. He died peacefully in his sleep at home in Cape Girardeau Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Gerald was married to the love of his life, Joan Chapman Jones, on July 15, 1978. She preceded him in death in 2017...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- William Riley Caldwell passed away Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His wife, Mary Lou Thomas Caldwell, passed away Monday, Dec. 23, 2019, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. William was born May 4, 1922, in Sikeston, Missouri, the son of Elmer Ry and Thelma Camille Brooks Caldwell. His siblings were Ellen Camille Caldwell Sitzes and Laura Vada Caldwell...

Joe Biden's video announcing his reelection bid makes much of his supposed defense of democracy. If it weren't for that, it strongly implies, he'd be happy to decamp to Rehoboth Beach to a content retirement rather than stay on the job until age 86, guarding against threats to the republic...

If you read news coverage about the brewing battle over raising the debt ceiling, you might think it's a fight between demons and angels. On one side, you have Republicans who are willing to risk a default on the government's debt unless they get spending cuts that will starve people. On the other side, you have Democrats who, guarding the interests of ordinary Americans, want a "clean" increase in the debt ceiling with no cuts in spending...

O Lord Jesus, we worship you, for you are our righteousness. Amen.

Our new dog, a baby beagle/pointer mix with the hint of a pit bull face, came toddling into our living room the other night with her bowl grasped tightly in her teeth. A message, it seems clear, was being delivered to her owners. What came to mind, as Daisy dropped the bowl at my feet and licked my face, was an old quote attributed to a Sri Lankan pastor, the late D.T. Niles...

These local history columns focus on detailed aspects of Cape Girardeau. Those needing more on Southeast Missouri history can access published histories. While no comprehensive history exists after 1912, four provide details through the early 20th century. There are also several books that focus on Cape Girardeau, including books of photographs. However, I include only histories of the entire region in chronological order. ...

A proposal for a new student center in the heart of campus was tabled yesterday by the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents; the plan, put together by student leaders and the university administration, calls for a $12.5 million renovation and expansion of Parker Hall to provide a modern student center; about $10.6 million would come through the sale of bonds; but Regent Don Dickerson, who chairs the board, suggested it could be more economical to build a bigger addition to the Student Recreation Center to house a student center.. ...