Stories from Tuesday, May 2, 2023

WASHINGTON — Two hospitals that refused to provide an emergency abortion to a pregnant woman who was experiencing premature labor put her life in jeopardy and violated federal law, a first-of-its-kind investigation by the federal government has found...

COLUMBIA, Mo. — A Missouri judge Monday temporarily blocked a unique rule that would require adults and children to undergo more than a year of therapy and fulfill several other requirements before they could receive gender-affirming treatments such as puberty blockers, hormones and surgery...

Mississippi River levels at Cape Girardeau are expected to crest Monday, May 8, at 26.5 feet, well shy of the flood stage at 32 feet. ...

Riverside Regional Library's branch in Oran, Missouri, will be holding a "Star Wars" event Thursday, May 4. The event will last all day. May 4 has been deemed an informal "Star Wars" celebration day because of the date sounding similar to the famous phrase "May the Force be with you" from the series. The day is used as a time for fans of the franchise to rewatch, dress as and enjoy all things "Star Wars"...

VisitCape has announced 13 stops in the 2023 riverboat schedule for Cape Girardeau between Monday, June 19, and Wednesday, Sept. 27. The kickoff of the season is approximately two months later than in 2022, but VisitCape's Josh Thompson said no explanation was given for the later start by either American Queen Steamboat Co. or American Cruise Lines — owners and operators of the vessels...

Several events in Cape Girardeau will mark National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 4. A "Carry the Cross" walk will begin at 10 a.m. at Capaha Park in Cape Girardeau. The walk will follow Broadway east, ending at City Hall, 44 N. Lorimier St. At noon that day, a prayer for the nation will be held at City Hall...

It was standing-room only Monday, May 1, in the Cape Girardeau City Council chambers as council members heard from the public before making a decision about what to do with the dilapidated, but historic, former Broadway Theatre. Council members voted 4-3 in favor of the first reading of an ordinance authorizing the City of Cape Girardeau to enter into a development agreement with Brennon Todt to save and redevelop the building...

Kent Bratton, who served nearly 20 years as the City of Cape Girardeau's city planner, is being remembered by those who knew him well following his death Thursday, April 27, at 81. "(Kent) was the repository of all things planning and of historical and archival knowledge of the city," said Charlie Herbst, associate Cape Girardeau County commissioner, who served on Cape Girardeau City Council from 2002 to 2010...

Today is Tuesday, May 2, the 122nd day of 2023. There are 243 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On May 2, 1994, Nelson Mandela claimed victory in the wake of South Africa's first democratic elections; President F.W. de Klerk acknowledged defeat...

O Lord Jesus, our Messiah, in you our souls find rest. Amen.

Residents in nursing homes have rights mandated by federal and state law. The ombudsman program was established by the Older American's Act to be a 'voice' for residents in long-term care facilities, assuring that resident rights are upheld. The ombudsman program seeks to advocate for individual residents as well as inform the public regarding nursing home issues...

Fox News is reeling, both financially and with respect to its talent, after being drawn into a long lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems. The network just settled for an astounding $787.5 million and soon after released Tucker Carlson, the network's highest-rated host...

JERUSALEM -- The U.S. House speaker addressed Israel's parliament on Monday, a rare honor awarded to the highest-ranking Republican in U.S. politics at a time of fraught relations between Israel's government and Democratic President Joe Biden. Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu portrayed the speech as a nod to bipartisan U.S. ...

HENRYETTA, Okla. -- Authorities discovered the bodies of seven people Monday while searching a rural Oklahoma property for two missing teenagers, state investigators confirmed. The bodies were found near the town of Henryetta, a town of about 6,000 located about 90 miles east of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokesman Gerald Davidson said...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma on Monday became the latest state to ban gender-affirming medical care for minors as Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill that makes it a felony for health care workers to provide children with treatments that can include puberty-blocking drugs and hormones...

SAN DIEGO -- President Joe Biden scrapped expedited asylum screenings during his first month in office as part of a gutting of Trump administration border polices that included building a wall with Mexico. Now he is preparing his own version. Donald Trump's fast-track reviews drew sharp criticism from internal government watchdog agencies as the percentage of people who passed those "credible fear interviews" plummeted. ...

BIG BEAR CITY, Calif. -- A single-engine plane crashed near a California mountain airport on Monday, killing all three people aboard, authorities said. The Beechcraft A36 went down about 2 p.m. near Big Bear City Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration...

CAIRO -- Sudan's warring generals have agreed to send representatives for negotiations, potentially in Saudi Arabia, the top U.N. official in the country said Monday, even as the two sides clashed in the capital of Khartoum despite another three-day extension of a fragile cease-fire...

MEXICO CITY -- With Sinaloa cartel boss Joaqu'n "El Chapo" Guzmán serving a life sentence, his sons steered the family business into fentanyl, establishing a network of labs churning out massive quantities of the cheap, deadly drug that they smuggled into the U.S., prosecutors revealed in a recent indictment...

TORONTO -- Gordon Lightfoot, Canada's legendary folk singer-songwriter whose hits including "Early Morning Rain" and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" told a tale of Canadian identity that was exported worldwide, died Monday. He was 84. Representative Victoria Lord said the musician died at a Toronto hospital. His cause of death was not immediately available...

WASHINGTON -- Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen notified Congress on Monday that the U.S. could default on its debt as early as June 1, if legislators do not raise or suspend the nation's borrowing authority before then and avert what could potentially become a global financial crisis...

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Days after Disney sued Florida's governor in federal court for what it described as retaliation for opposing the state's so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill, Disney World's governing board -- made up of Gov. Ron DeSantis appointees -- filed a lawsuit Monday against the entertainment giant...

NEW YORK -- U.S. businesses might be able to secure bank deposit insurance for accounts holding more than $250,000 if Congress agrees with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s new proposal to ease the industry turmoil that has sparked three bank failures in the past two months...

KYIV, Ukraine -- Russia launched its second large salvo of missiles at Ukraine in recent days early Monday, damaging buildings, killing two people and wounding 40 in the eastern city of Pavlohrad but failing to hit Kyiv, officials said. Air raid sirens began blaring across the capital at about 3:45 a.m., followed by explosions as Ukrainian defense systems intercepted missiles...

NEW YORK -- A magazine columnist who says Donald Trump raped her in a department store's dressing room two decades before he became president acknowledged Monday that she never followed her own advice to readers that they report sexual attacks to police...

WASHINGTON -- President Joe Biden reiterated U.S. commitment to the Philippines' security and noted the "deep friendship" of the two nations as he hosted Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for White House talks Monday as concerns grow about the Chinese navy's harassment of Philippine vessels in the South China Sea...

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- A rare and powerful tornado sent residents of a coastal city in Virginia fleeing for cover over the weekend as it peeled roofs from buildings and pushed homes from their foundations. It was the most powerful tornado ever to hit Virginia Beach, officials confirmed Monday. No one was reported injured, despite few residents being prepared for tornadoes. Several people described taking cover under stairwells; most lack basements because the water table is so high...

DIVERNON, Ill. -- A windstorm in central Illinois kicked up dangerous clouds of blinding dust off farm fields Monday, causing numerous crashes that killed at least six people on Interstate 55, police said. The late morning crashes involved 40 to 60 cars and multiple tractor-trailers, two of which caught fire, Illinois State Police Maj. Ryan Starrick said...

HELENA, Mont. -- Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr asked a court Monday to allow for her return to the House floor after she was silenced and barred for chiding her Republican colleagues over legislation to restrict gender-affirming health care and for encouraging protesters...

CLEVELAND, Texas -- Authorities on Monday still had not captured a gunman in Texas who killed five neighbors from Honduras, and as the search dragged through a third day with false alarms and few apparent leads, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott faced backlash over drawing attention to the victims' immigration status...

ST. LOUIS -- The departure of two more prosecutors from the already understaffed St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office is "deeply concerning" to judges, a spokesperson for the court system said Monday. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, citing emails it obtained, reported that assistant prosecutors Alex Polta and Chris Desilets have resigned. Both had been with the circuit attorney's office since 2017. The newspaper said that about 23 prosecutors are left to handle thousands of cases...

BUFFALO, Iowa -- Dale O'Donnell bought his small brick home only 100 yards or so from the Mississippi River because he enjoys watching the river and wanted a good view from his front porch. He got his money's worth Monday as the Mississippi crested at a near-record high just feet from his home, which was surrounded by sandbags and with a sump pump hose snaking from his basement...

CAPE GIRARDEAU Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls. April 30 n Medical assists were made at 7:43 a.m. at North Pind wood Lane and North Silver Springs Road; 9:11 a.m. on Boutin Drive; 5:57 p.m. on North Kingshighway; and 6:18 p.m. on North Sprigg Street...

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

James M. "Jim" Young, 78, of Jackson passed away Friday, April 28, 2023, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born April 25, 1945, in Pittsburgh to Marion R. and June A. Fleishner Young. He and Wanda Fluegge were married in 1990 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson, also the church of their current membership...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Jeffrey Alan Sparkman, 58, of Perryville died Sunday, April 30, 2023, at his home. Visitation will be from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 6, at Ford and Young Funeral Home in Perryville. Funeral service will be at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 6, at the funeral home, with Brother Don Estes officiating...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Michael "Mike" Aimsley Secoy, 54, of Perryville died Thursday, April 27, 2023. Visitation will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Thursday, May 4, at Ford and Young Funeral Home in Perryville. Funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 4, at the funeral home, with Pastor Ben Chapman officiating. Military honors will be provided by American Legion Post No. 133...

Vivian Juanita Miller, 83, died Sunday, April 30, 2023, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Memorial visitation will be from 10 a.m. until service time Saturday, May 6, at New Bethel Baptist Church located east of Pocahontas. Memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 6, at the church, with the Rev. Zachary Rohman officiating. Inurnment will follow in the church cemetery...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Joyce R. Leible-Hudson, 92, of Perryville died Monday, May 1, 2023, at Independence Care Center of Perry County. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 4, and from 8 to 10 a.m. Friday, May 5, at Ford and Young Funeral Home in Perryville...

Wayne "Gus" Felty, 65, of Scott City passed away Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau.. He was born March 10, 1958, in Cape Girardeau to Kermit Daniel Sr. and Helen H. Kuehn Felty. Gus enjoyed fishing and roofing. He loved his family, friends and his dogs — Apollo and Cheyenne...

Quinlon Rickie Evans, 66, of Scott City died Friday, April 28, 2023, at his home. He was born Dec. 17, 1956, to Ellis Jr. and Nola Jean Cofield Evans. He served in the U.S. Army. During his lifetime, he worked as an industrial roofer and loved fishing, hunting, gardening and barbecuing. Quinlon was passionate about helping people...

Kent M. Bratton, 81, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, April 27, 2023, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 20, at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. Funeral will be at noon Saturday, May 20, at the funeral home, with Deacon Al Stoverink officiating...

Daughter to Damon Bartels and Lacey Blattel of Delta, Southeast Hospital, 7:35 a.m. Saturday, April 29, 2023. Name, Andi Layne. Weight, 7 pounds. First child. Blattel is the daughter of Andy Blattel and Jody Blattel of Delta. Bartels is the son of Tammy Bartels and Mike Bartels of Delta. He works at Procter & Gamble...

Tax liens and lien discharges recorded at the office of Drew Blattner, Cape Girardeau County recorder of deeds, during April are filed by the Missouri Department of Revenue, except as indicated by IRS designation. For more information, contact the recorder's office at (573) 243-8123...

Cape Girardeau residents would pay more for water and trash service in the coming fiscal year under a budget plan submitted to the City Council; city officials discussed the proposed increases in water and trash collection fees yesterday at the council's annual, day-long retreat at Black Forest Villages; the city administration has proposed raising water fees by 2% and trash collection fees by 2.1%...

In 2022, Missourians went to the polls and amended Missouri's Constitution to allow adults to possess and consume marijuana for recreational purposes. Amendment 3 passed with 53% of Missouri voters in favor, but enthusiasm for the change was hardly statewide. The recreational marijuana proposal passed in just 13 of Missouri's 114 counties, plus the city of St. Louis. Urban and suburban residents voted to legalize pot, but rural Missourians mostly did not...