Fair ~ 82°F   River stage: 21.77 ft. Falling Wednesday, May 23, 2012

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History stories Project to rehab historic St. Louis bridge (05/23/12) ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A project using $25 million in stimulus funds is under way to rehabilitate the historic 138-year-old Eads Bridge in St. Louis. Missouri and Illinois officials were joined by Deputy Federal Transit Administrator Therese McMillan for a ceremony on Tuesday. Plans call for painting, replacement of support steel and repair of MetroLink light rail tracks... Thousands march as Joplin marks anniversary of tornado that killed 161 (05/23/12) JOPLIN, Mo. -- Carrying small American flags and wearing T-shirts bearing the names of friends and loved ones who died when a massive tornado tore through Joplin one year ago, thousands of people made a somber march Tuesday through some of the town's hardest-hit neighborhoods. Some Allenville residents worried about potential railroad abandonment (05/22/12) The Jackson, Gordonville and Delta Railroad is planning to abandon a 13-mile section of unused tracks and some Allenville residents are worried they will be left without an emergency flood escape route once the railbed is removed. The section of railway between Gordonville and Delta has not been used since 1997 and is in a dangerous state of disrepair in some sections, according to company president Robert L. ... Book prize focuses on Western values (05/22/12) Southeast Missouri State University's Department of History has announced a new contest and prize that will honor books examining development of the political, religious and economic heritage of Western civilization. The Crader Family Book Prize in American Values will recognize a first book that best exemplifies the values of the Crader Family Endowment for American Values, including individual liberty, constitutional principles and civic virtue, said Dr. ... Mother who was rejected from MSU watches son graduate (05/21/12) SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A woman who was denied entrance to a southwest Missouri college more than 60 years ago recently watched her 55-year-old son graduate from the same school. Mary Jean Walls was an 18-year-old graduate of the all-black Lincoln High School in Springfield 62 years ago. The Springfield News Leader reported that Walls was the first black student to apply to then-Southwest Missouri State University, which denied her admission... Robin Gibb of Bee Gees dies at 62 (05/21/12) LONDON -- With his carefully tended hair, tight trousers and perfect harmonies, Robin Gibb, along with his brothers Maurice and Barry, defined the disco era. As part of the Bee Gees -- short for the Brothers Gibb -- they created dance floor classics like "Stayin' Alive," "Jive Talkin'," and "Night Fever" that can still get crowds onto a dance floor... Bollinger County Museum of Natural History hosts Civil War exhibit (05/20/12) MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- The contents of a Civil War soldier's rucksack fit on half a table Saturday at the Bollinger County Museum of Natural History. "They traveled a lot lighter than people may think," said Michael Comer of the Department of Natural Resources, who spent Saturday at the museum with displays of items the soldiers carried in the field and fired his musket in hourly demonstrations before presenting a lecture... Labor from endangered Tamms prison helping with courthouse work in Thebes (05/20/12) THEBES, Ill. -- It was unusually hot early in May when eight orange-clad men labored in the late-morning sun on the hillside below the historic Thebes Courthouse. The men, minimum-security inmates from the Tamms Correctional Center, have been cutting down trees, removing the weeds and cutting the grass... Donna Summer, queen of disco, dies at 63 (05/18/12) NEW YORK -- Like the King of Pop or the Queen of Soul, Donna Summer was bestowed a title fitting of musical royalty -- the Queen of Disco. Yet unlike Michael Jackson or Aretha Franklin, it was a designation she wasn't comfortable embracing. G.I. killed in Cambodia clash awarded Medal of Honor (05/17/12) WASHINGTON -- Leslie Sabo's Vietnam War ended in the flash of his own grenade, hurled at an enemy bunker in Cambodia to save surrounded comrades. Forty years later -- and a dozen years after the long-lost paperwork turned up in military archives -- he was honored by President Obama on Wednesday with the nation's highest award for gallantry... Town honors Mark Twain Home dedication anniversary (05/16/12) HANNIBAL, Mo. (AP) -- The northeast Missouri town of Hannibal is celebrating the centennial of the dedication of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home. The famed author and humorist was born in nearby Florida, Mo., but grew up in Hannibal. The Quincy Herald-Whig (http://bit.ly/JsU0KU) reports that his boyhood home was about to be demolished when a wealthy benefactor stepped in to save it, then presented it to the city in a formal dedication on May 12, 1912... Downtown residents open their homes for third annual tour (05/13/12) Six downtown homeowners offered visitors a chance to view diverse and architecturally interesting homes in Cape Girardeau on Saturday afternoon during the third annual Downtown Historic District Home and Garden Tour. The Bertrand House at 306 Independence St. is owned by Dr. Lisa and Charles Bertrand. It was built in 1906. The floors in the living and dining rooms are an unusual wood pattern. The sink in the first-floor bathroom and the light in the family room came from the St. Charles Hotel... Church organized in 1818 moves (05/13/12) POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A local congregation is celebrating another chapter in its nearly 200 years of history by moving to a new building. Black River Baptist Church was scheduled to host an open house last Sunday, followed by a dedication service with testimonies, hymns and prayer... In Egypt turmoil, thieves hunt pharaonic treasures (05/13/12) CAIRO -- Taking advantage of Egypt's political upheaval, thieves have gone on a treasure hunt with a spree of illegal digging, preying on the country's ancient pharaonic heritage. Illegal digs near ancient temples and in isolated desert sites have swelled a hundredfold over the past 16 months since a popular uprising toppled Hosni Mubarak's 29-year regime and security fell apart in many areas as police simply stopped doing their jobs. ... 2 NY sites recall Benedict Arnold's early heroics (05/11/12) ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Benedict Arnold is a hero again, at least temporarily, at two upstate New York historic sites where his pre-treason exploits are being remembered. Arnold's heroic actions in the Revolutionary War's Battles of Saratoga are detailed in a new exhibit opening Thursday at Saratoga National Historical Park, and his capture of British-held Fort Ticonderoga at the side of Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys is being re-staged later this month in a rare nighttime re-enactment.. ... Panel discusses AP reporter's WWII surrender scoop (05/10/12) Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) -- Speakers at a panel on Tuesday disagreed over whether a correspondent for The Associated Press who defied military censors by reporting that the Germans had surrendered unconditionally in World War II had acted properly... Dred Scott honored at Missouri Capitol ceremony (05/10/12) Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Dred Scott, the former slave who sued for his freedom in a St. Louis court and helped galvanize anti-slavery efforts around the nation in the 19th century, was inducted Wednesday into the Hall of Famous Missourians... Historic Route 66 motel to reopen in Carthage (05/10/12) CARTHAGE, Mo. (AP) -- Preservationists in southwest Missouri have been hailing plans to reopen part of an iconic Route 66 motel. Deborah Harvey and Priscilla Bledsaw, new owners of the Boots Motel in Carthage, are scheduled to reopen five rooms at the motel Tuesday to coincide with a rally marking the start of summer tourism, according to The Joplin Globe (http://bit.ly/IC0ktv ). They bought the motel last year after the bank foreclosed on it... ‘Where Wild Things Are' author Maurice Sendak dead at 83 (05/09/12) NEW YORK -- Maurice Sendak, the children's book author and illustrator who saw the sometimes-dark side of childhood in books like "Where the Wild Things Are" and "In the Night Kitchen," died early Tuesday. He was 83. Longtime friend and caretaker Lynn Caponera said she was with Sendak when he died at a hospital in Danbury, Conn. She said he had a stroke Friday... Part of Cape Girardeau County railroad line likely to be removed (05/08/12) More than 13 miles of disused train tracks between Gordonville and Delta that were part of Southeast Missouri's first rail line are likely to be abandoned and removed, pending federal approval. The Jackson, Gordonville and Delta Railroad Co. is planning to file a notice to abandon the portion of tracks with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board on May 14. Approval is expected within 50 days, based on a rule that allows abandonment after a line has been out of service two years... Annual fundraiser held for Oliver House (05/07/12) The Jackson Heritage Association welcomed dozens of visitors during its third annual Wine Tasting and Tours fundraiser at the Oliver House Museum in Jackson on Sunday. The Oliver House is a museum decorated in a late 19th-century style and is listed on the National Register of Historic Homes... Southeast History Department presents 'Meet Me in 1904' (05/06/12) Southeast Missouri State senior Jessica Dickey explains what will happen during the living history performance 'Meet Me in 1904 or A Tale of Victorians Unbound,' Saturday, May 5, at the Glenn House, 325 S. Spanish, in Cape Girardeau. Presented by the Southeast Missouri State History Department students dressed in period costume to give performances examining the role of class, gender, technology, leisure, family in 1904 Victorian era... Historians develop Civil War tour of New Madrid (05/04/12) NEW MADRID, Mo. (AP) -- While the nation commemorates the Civil War battles of Appomattox and Gettysburg, and of Bull Run and Shiloh, one of the key battles in the western theater of the War Between the States was fought at New Madrid. Local historians want the public to know there is a lot to learn about the war and those who fought in it in New Madrid... A year later, Gen. Walsh reflects on 'grave' decision to activate floodway (05/04/12) It was his call. Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh became a familiar figure in the days leading up to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' activation of the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway. The soggy masses awaited word daily from the silver-haired two-star general who held the fate of communities in a half-dozen states in his hands. ... Flood of 2011 anniversary: Flood's scars remain a year later (05/02/12) Randy Sutton had heard that the three-star general with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had officially made the decision. He had seen the Missouri National Guard trucks roll through, ordering everyone from their homes. And now, the Mississippi County farmer was along a dark rainy roadway with everyone else awaiting the blast... Old Franklin school to be torn down in June; new one opens in August (05/01/12) In 1931, Cape Girardeau's school board chairman called the still-new brick two-story school on Louisiana Street the "show house of the city's public school system." The board pinched money to provide it for the community, according to a newspaper article from the time, when Albert M. Spradling addressed the need to expand the school after just a few years since its doors opened in 1927... Flood of 2011 anniversary: Some farmers still counting what flood cost them (04/29/12) Farmers feared the worst as water rushed over fields of winter wheat, filled silos storing their profits and engulfed the houses they called home. A year after the intentional breach of the Birds Point levee by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, fourth generation floodway farmer Eddie Marshall is still repairing the damage and counting what the breach cost him... Old Town Cape to host historic home and garden tour (04/29/12) Old Town Cape will showcase downtown living during its third annual Downtown Historic Home and Garden Tour. The tour, which will feature six homes, will be from noon to 4 p.m. May 12. "It's a service for people to enjoy our downtown and to promote downtown living," event organizer and Old Town Cape volunteer Lisa Bertrand said... Flood of 2011 anniversary: Limbaugh: Corps had law on its side in levee breach (04/27/12) It is still the biggest case that has been heard in the new federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau. The corridors and courtrooms were filled April 28, 2011, with contingents from Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky arguing that steps should be taken to protect their land and livelihoods while, outside, record flooding threatened, inch by inch, to wipe out residents along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers... SEMO Students Create Exhibit on Local History (04/27/12) Under the direction of Dr. Eric Clements, Professor of History at Southeast Missouri State University, graduate and undergraduate students are designing and installing exhibits on Cape Girardeau's history at the Cape River Heritage Museum, 538 Independence. ... Flood of 2011 anniversary: MoDOT engineer acted alone on Highway 60 berm; residents have filed lawsuit (04/26/12) MOREHOUSE, Mo. -- Ed Stinnett kept a close eye on the red marks he and other Morehouse residents spray-painted on buildings in late April last year. During the afternoon and into the late evening of April 27, they checked them every hour. They knew more water was coming, and they might have to get going. They might have to leave their homes and businesses behind, at least for a few days... Scott County Courthouse centennial plans ongoing (04/26/12) BENTON, Mo. -- Arrangements for the Scott County Courthouse's centennial celebration are moving along. Deborah Gunter, corresponding secretary, and Glenda Milam, member, of the Scott County Historical and Genealogy Society met with Scott County Commissioners during their regular meeting Tuesday to discuss ongoing planning for the courthouse celebration set for June 16 at the courthouse... Plaque honoring Revolutionary War dead rededicated at Cape federal courthouse (04/26/12) Federal District Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr. speaks during a ceremony held by The Nancy Hunter Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution at the Rush H. ... Flood of 2011 anniversary: Corps maintains Birds Point levee breach saved billions in damages (04/25/12) Reservoirs were full, the rivers kept swelling and the rain kept coming. The Ohio River set a record of 61.1 feet on the Cairo, Ill., gauge. It was still climbing. Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh, president of the Mississippi River Commission, had a decision to make on May 1, 2011... Tour of local Civil War sites developed in New Madrid (04/24/12) NEW MADRID, Mo. -- While the nation commemorates the Civil War battles of Appomattox and Gettysburg, and of Bull Run and Shiloh, one of the key battles in the western theater of the War Between the States was fought at New Madrid. Local historians want the public to know there is a lot to learn about the war and those who fought in it in New Madrid... 2011 Flood: A year later, April 23 (04/23/12) On this day, April 23 Cape river level: 35.3 feet Cape flood stage: 32 feet Cairo river level: 51 feet Cairo flood stage: 40 feet Rainfall: 3.10 inches Crest predictions along the Mississippi River and other waterways were on the rise. The crest at Cape Girardeau, originally set at just a few feet above flood stage, was revised to just short of 42 feet, nearly 10 feet above flood stage. The Way of the Cross was moved inside due to rainy weather... Flood of 2011 anniversary: Levee breach day last year was preceded by weeks of wet weather (04/22/12) Editor's note: April 22, 2011, was the first day Southeast Missouri fell under a flood warning. What transpired in the following weeks marked one of the biggest flooding events of the past 100 years. This is the first in a series of stories about the flood of 2011.... Rare baseball card sells for $1.2M at auction (04/20/12) ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A New Jersey man paid $1.2 million for a rare 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card in an online auction that brought interest from many potential buyers who had never owned a card before, the sale organizer said. The buyer hasn't decided whether to come forward publicly, and the seller, a Houston businessman, wants to remain anonymous, said Bill Goodwin, the suburban St. ... Mo. congressman proposes Mark Twain coin (04/20/12) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Legislation authorizing commemorative coins honoring Missouri-born writer Mark Twain has cleared the U.S. House. The bill is sponsored by Republican Blaine Luetkemeyer of Missouri's 9th Congressional District, which includes Twain's boyhood hometown of Hannibal. He says the writer is an important part of American history and that the coins would help preserve Twain's legacy... Cape commission releases endangered buildings list (04/19/12) As one Cape Girardeau Historic Preservation commissioner puts it, buildings can't speak for themselves. So the city advisory board hopes a recently released list of endangered buildings will do the talking for them. At a study session Wednesday night, the commission gave a final fine-tuning to the list of 10, which includes four former public schools, two Broadway theaters and a synagogue. Most are on the National Register of Historic Places... Italian masterpiece returns to Jewish man's heirs (04/19/12) TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- U.S. authorities ended a more than 70-year-old art drama Wednesday when they returned a 16th-century masterpiece to the heirs of a Jewish man after they sought for years to reclaim the painting wrested away during World War II... America's New Year's host, Dick Clark, dead at 82 (04/19/12) LOS ANGELES -- Dick Clark, the television host who helped bring rock 'n' roll into the mainstream on "American Bandstand," has died. He was 82. Spokesman Paul Shefrin says Clark died but did not provide further details. Clark had continued performing even after he suffered a stroke in 2004 that affected his ability to speak and walk... Space shuttle Discovery lands at new museum home (04/18/12) CHANTILLY, Va. -- Space shuttle Discovery soared around the Washington Monument and the White House in a salute to the nation's capital Tuesday before landing for the last time near its new museum home. The world's most traveled spaceship took off at daybreak from Cape Canaveral, Fla., bolted to the top of a modified jumbo jet for the trip. Three hours later, the pair took a few spins around Washington at an easy-to-spot 1,500-foot altitude before the retired shuttle was grounded for good... Notre Dame teacher marks 40 years of musicals (04/15/12) Fresh out of college in 1972, Cynthia King watched Notre Dame students perform "Camelot." A young man playing King Arthur caught her eye, and she couldn't help thinking to herself how she could improve his skills. He could go far with her help. Most new teachers think that way, she said... Cape property owners have used $3.4 million in preservation tax credits since 2007 (04/15/12) For Mike Hess' downtown business, historic preservation tax credits made all the difference. When the facade of his downtown bar, Breakaway's Bar & Billiards, started crumbling in 2009, he decided it was time for a major building makeover. After taking the building back to the way it looked when it was built in 1896, Hess was soon approached with an opportunity to transform his business again by opening a new location for the St. Louis-based HotShots franchise... Titanic survivors' descendants to recall disaster (04/15/12) KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- As a little boy, Tom Goldsmith followed his grandfather into his north-central Ohio den and begged him to tell him about the Titanic. His grandfather, Frank Goldsmith, was a 9-year-old traveling in third class when he was plucked from bed and placed on one of the last lifeboats lowered into the frigid Atlantic Ocean as the ship sank... Search for Cape girl who vanished in 1965 continues with help of Florida private investigator (04/13/12) Jim Smith doesn't deny it -- everyone loves a good mystery. But, for the detective with the Cape Girardeau Police Department, finding out what happened to Elizabeth Gill on that Sunday afternoon in 1965 is only marginally about closing the books on a cold case... New theories on Titanic cite mirage, unusual tide (04/12/12) WASHINGTON -- After an entire century that included two high-profile government investigations and countless books and movies, we're still debating what really caused the Titanic to hit an iceberg and sink on that crystal-clear, chilly night. Maybe there's more to blame than human folly and hubris. ... Finalists emerge to redesign National Mall sites (04/10/12) WASHINGTON -- Lakeside gardens, dining rooms hovering over water, grassy new amphitheaters and underground pavilions at the foot of the Washington Monument have emerged as finalists in a design competition to overhaul neglected sites on the National Mall... Holocaust speaker at SEMO has only recently begun talking about experience (04/10/12) Nearly 67 years have passed since Ben Fainer was liberated by American troops from seemingly endless captivity by the German military. But he has only begun to talk about that time in his life during the past four years. Fainer, a Holocaust survivor now in his 80s, will speak Wednesday in Cape Girardeau during a commemorative event of Holocaust Remembrance Day at Southeast Missouri State University... Old trail that starts in Mo. may become national trail (04/08/12) KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Butterfield Overland Trail, a 2,800-mile, 19th-century stage route from Missouri to California, is under consideration to become a national historic trail. The Butterfield, which had an eastern starting point in Tipton, Mo., and ended in San Francisco, marked the beginning of land delivery of U.S. mail to California and played a key role in opening up the West... Before movie, Titanic was news story (04/08/12) NEW YORK -- A listless late shift dragged on that night in the newsroom of The Associated Press and, across town, at The New York Times. Feet up on the AP city desk, an editor named Charles Crane read an H.G. Wells novel to while away the news-free night. "Telegraph instruments clicked desultorily," he said later, "and occasionally one could hear the heartbeat of the clocks."... Mike Wallace, '60 Minutes' star interviewer, dies at 93 (04/08/12) NEW YORK -- CBS newsman Mike Wallace, the reporter and interviewer who took on politicians, celebrities and other public figures in a 60-year career highlighted by the on-air confrontations that helped make "60 Minutes" the most successful prime-time television news program ever, has died. He was 93... After 118 years, Cape Girardeau's reliance on the river for drinking water comes to an end (04/06/12) Industries that dot its famous banks add to the amount of lead in its waters. Agricultural runoff contributes a variety of other harmful pollutants. Shudder at the thought, but even fecal coliform bacteria, found in the intestinal tract of humans and other mammals, can be found in the messy mix that makes up the largest river system in North America... Buckner's business partner speaks out about failed gallery (04/06/12) Karen Eustis never intended to say anything publicly about why her business relationship with John Buckner failed. But when the New Orleans artist heard that someone suggested she left Buckner in the lurch, she felt she couldn't stay quiet. "I was trying not to cause any difficulty," Eustis said Thursday. "But I felt like my name was being wronged and my character is very important to me. To have someone say that was so false, I couldn't hold back anymore."... A decade of beauty: Celebrating the Visual Arts Cooperative (04/06/12) In 2003, Dr. Jean Chapman changed the Cape Girardeau arts community forever by forming the Visual Arts Cooperative and pushing First Fridays with the Arts. "Don't put a basket over your candle," Chapman said to the Southeast Missourian on March 14, 2003. "Most artists have few opportunities to show their art."... Judge: 3,200-year-old mummy mask can stay in Mo. (04/06/12) ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A St. Louis museum can keep hold of a 3,200-year-old mummy's mask, a federal judge has ruled, saying the U.S. government failed to prove that the Egyptian relic was ever stolen. Prosecutors said the funeral mask of Lady Ka-Nefer-Nefer went missing from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo about 40 years ago and that it should be returned to its country of origin. ... Study: Our ancestors used fire a million years ago (04/04/12) \NEW YORK (AP) -- When did our ancestors first use fire? That's been a long-running debate, and now a new study concludes the earliest firm evidence comes from about 1 million years ago in a South African cave. The ash and burnt bone samples found there suggest fires frequently burned in that spot, researchers said Monday... 1940 census records include 21 million still alive (04/04/12) NEW YORK (AP) -- When the 1940 census records were released Monday, Verla Morris could consider herself a part of living history. Morris, who is in her 100th year, got to experience the novelty of seeing her own name and details about her life in the records released by the U.S. National Archives online after 72 years of confidentiality expires... Jackson Heritage Association announces art contest winners (04/02/12) The Jackson Heritage Association announced the winners of its seventh art contest at a reception Sunday afternoon at Jackson High School. Each year, the association chooses a different subject for the art contest, one that is deemed to have some historical value for Jackson. This year the subject was the old "A" building at Jackson High School, which currently serves as the school's cafeteria and reception area, and stands on the site of the former Jackson Military Academy... The history lists: Presidents of Southeast Missouri State University (04/02/12) Southeast Missouri State University was founded in 1873 as the Third District Normal School. Here is a list of the men and one woman who have served as presidents of the institution. Lucius H. Cheney, 1873-1876 Alfred Kirk, 1876-1877 Charles Henry Dutcher, 1877-1880... Developer rethinking whether to proceed with Esquire renovation in Cape (04/01/12) With work stalled and a deal to buy the building at a standstill, a $2.7 million plan to rehabilitate Cape Girardeau's Esquire Theater into an independent film house is now being punctuated with a question mark. Developer John Buckner acknowledged Friday that he is taking the weekend to decide whether to move forward on the high-profile project that was announced in October for the 67-year-old building at 824 Broadway... Photo albums related to Nazi art theft unveiled (03/30/12) Associated Press DALLAS (AP) -- Among the items U.S. soldiers seized from Adolf Hitler's Bavarian Alps hideaway in the closing days of World War II were albums meticulously documenting an often forgotten Nazi crime -- the massive pillaging of artwork and other cultural items as German troops marched through Europe... The real da Vinci code: Louvre unlocks last work (03/30/12) PARIS (AP) -- An intense and controversial restoration of the last great work by Leonardo da Vinci went before the public Thursday at the Louvre Museum, revealing "The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne" in the full panoply of hues and detail painted by the Renaissance master 500 years ago... Trail of Tears markers to be unveiled in SW Mo. (03/30/12) SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- People will soon find it easier to retrace the path Cherokee Indians took through southwest Missouri as they traveled the Trail of Tears in the 1840s. The Springfield News-Leader (http://sgfnow.co/GYqJpm ) reported that the ceremony is planned for April 7 to unveil six new Trail of Tears National Historic Trail signs and 21 Greene County historic markers... In its bicentennial celebration, the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia will put dozens of show-stopping treasures on display (03/30/12) PHILADELPHIA -- The Academy of Natural Sciences has never been one to brag. Its 225,000 annual visitors may associate the nation's oldest natural history museum solely with dioramas and dinosaurs, but behind the scenes there is groundbreaking research conducted by world-renowned scientists and an enviable collection of some 18 million specimens representing all manner of animal, vegetable and mineral... Bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs dies at 88 in Tenn. (03/29/12) NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- It is impossible to overstate the importance of Earl Scruggs to American music. A pioneering banjo player who helped create modern country music, his sound is instantly recognizable and as intrinsically wrapped in the tapestry of the genre as Johnny Cash's baritone or Hank Williams' heartbreak... Amazon CEO wants to raise sunken Apollo 11 engines (03/29/12) LOS ANGELES -- For more than four decades, the powerful engines that helped boost the Apollo 11 mission to the moon have rested in the Atlantic. Now Internet billionaire and space enthusiast Jeff Bezos wants to raise at least one of them to the surface... Scott County plans 100th anniversary of courthouse (03/29/12) BENTON, Mo. -- According to one county resident, the Scott County courthouse used to smell like cigars and whiskey. There have been a lot changes over the last 100 years with most of them -- such as clean floors -- being for the better... London exhibit looks at gray matter inside our skulls (03/29/12) LONDON -- Like zombies, human beings can't get enough of brains. A new London exhibition explores that fascination, displaying everything from mummified Egyptian cerebral matter to slices of Albert Einstein's brain in the story of our quest to understand what's inside our skulls... Cape Civil War battle topic of Genealogical Society meeting (03/28/12) Sixteen members of the Cape Girardeau County Genealogical Society and their guests were treated to a special presentation on the history of the Battle of Cape Girardeau by Cape Girardeau County Archive Center director Steve Pledger during their regular quarterly meeting Tuesday night... Rare Honus Wagner card could fetch $1.5 million (03/27/12) ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A suburban St. Louis man who has been in the collectibles business for a quarter of a century, says the 102-year-old baseball card he's putting up for auction starting today is about as good as it gets. Bill Goodwin expects the 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card -- one of the most sought-after sports collectibles in the world -- to fetch at least $1 million, and perhaps as much as $1.5 million, in the online auction... Local pharmacy's founder integral in promotion of Poison Prevention Week (03/27/12) Last week marked the 50th anniversary of National Poison Prevention Week. The goal: educate consumers on steps to prevent accidental poisonings and provide tips for promoting community involvement in poison prevention. The Poison Prevention Council, a partnership of public and private entities, works with poison control centers nationwide to raise awareness about accidental poisonings. ... Cape County to accept resumes for courthouse planning (03/23/12) The Cape Girardeau County Commission approved a motion Thursday to advertise for architectural firms qualified to assist with long-term courthouse planning. "Part of our job as county commissioners is to plan for the future," said Commissioner Paul Koeper, who initiated a discussion Monday about engaging architects to help address problems with existing aging structures and to possibly plan a new courthouse... DAR to rededicate plaque at Cape courthouse (03/23/12) The Nancy Hunter Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution will host a rededication ceremony at the Rush H. Limbaugh Sr. U.S. Courthouse in Cape Girardeau on April 25. The ceremony will take place at 1:30 p.m. in the atrium area. The chapter will rededicate a plaque that contains the names of the first recognized Revolutionary War soldiers in Cape Girardeau County. ... Science, care preserve Washington, D.C.'s original cherry trees (03/23/12) WASHINGTON -- The pink and white cherry blossoms that color the nation's capital and draw a million visitors each spring began with trees that have survived for a century. It was 100 years ago this month when first lady Helen Taft and the Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted two Yoshino cherry trees on the bank of Washington's Tidal Basin. ... Cape County Commission to vote on exploring courthouse upgrade (03/22/12) The Cape Girardeau County Commission is expected to decide during today's meeting whether to contract with architectural firms to review the county's courthouses and other facilities, with a possible eye toward consolidation or construction of a new courthouse. Census documenting Great Depression to be released (03/21/12) Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) -- It was a decade when tens of millions of people in the U.S. experienced mass unemployment and social upheaval as the nation clawed its way out of the Great Depression and rumblings of global war were heard from abroad... Cape school board awards contracts for demolition of old Franklin school (03/20/12) Bids for demolition of the soon-to-be old Franklin Elementary School and site improvements for the new school were approved during the Cape Girardeau School Board meeting Monday. Board members approved awarding a $171,600 contract to Premier Demolition Inc. ... Union Pacific steam engine to make return trip to Southeast Missouri (03/20/12) DEXTER, Mo. -- A Union Pacific steam engine that made stops in Southeast Missouri last year as part of a special tour with return this spring. Union Pacific's steam locomotive No. 844 is traveling from Cheyenne, Wyo., to Marion, Ark., this month, pulling a special 150th anniversary Civil War troop train with nearly 300 Civil War historians from the Midwest on their journey to participate in the 150th anniversary Battle of Shiloh re-enactment... Einstein's entire archive to be online (03/20/12) JERUSALEM -- Albert Einstein's complete archives -- from personal correspondence with half a dozen lovers to notebooks scribbled with his groundbreaking scientific research -- are going online for the first time. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which owns the German Jewish physicist's papers, is pulling never-before seen items from its climate-controlled safe, photographing them in high resolution and posting them on the Internet -- offering the public a nuanced and fuller portrait of the man behind the scientific genius.. ... Sikeston rodeo to mark 60 years (03/19/12) SIKESTON, Mo. -- As the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo marks its 60th year, some special events are in the works. "We really want to key in on this being our 60th anniversary and have several things planned, as well as a retro logo this year," said Zach Fayette, chairman of publicity and advertising for the Jaycees... Titanic museums to mark anniversary of sinking (03/18/12) NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Titanic museums in the Smoky Mountains and Branson, Mo., have told the ship's story to 7 million visitors in the past six years. Now the attractions are marking the Titanic centennial by sponsoring a Coast Guard cutter to take 1.5 million rose petals to the North Atlantic site where the ship sank 100 years ago... Re-enactors find challenge (03/18/12) NEW MADRID, Mo. -- Steve LaBarre has been a Union officer and fought for the Confederacy. He has been a Civil War sutler and a civilian. But the job that had him sweating at the re-enactment of the siege of New Madrid was cook. The Manteno, Ill., native along with his wife, Becky, and mother, Michelle, were in charge of the meals for the 35 soldiers camped in tents next to the Hunter-Dawson State Historic Site last weekend. ... Let the Good Times roll (03/18/12) I love Sundays. There's church, resting, family time, watching baseball and football (or March Madness for all you basketball fans), and, of course, reading the Southeast Missourian. And if you're reading this, you, like me, probably enjoy reading the Good Times section... Girl Scouts' centennial anniversary: The organization that started with just 18 members in Georgia now has 3.4 million worldwide (03/18/12) Girl Scouts of the United States of America started as a group of 18 girls in Savannah, Ga. A century later, it has grown to an organization with about 3.4 million members. On Monday the organization celebrated its 100th birthday. It was on that day in 1912 that founder Juliette Gordon Low gathered the group of girls for the first Girl Scout meeting. Now women in the U.S. and in more than 90 countries through USA Girl Scouts Overseas assemble to continue the tradition... Cape County Commission will not allow metal scavenging (03/16/12) The Cape Girardeau County Commission decided Thursday that metal scavengers would not be allowed to scan the county courthouse grounds for items of historical or monetary value. County Clerk Kara Clark Summers brought a request to the commission on behalf of a local man who said he would turn over any items of historical value to the county... Federal historic grants awarded to 3 Mo. cities (03/14/12) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Three Missouri communities will share more than $62,000 in federal grants for historic preservation projects. The state Department of Natural Resources says the cities are Excelsior Springs, Jefferson City and Poplar Bluff... Love letters reveal Nixon's sensitive side (03/14/12) Associated Press YORBA LINDA, Calif. (AP) -- When Richard Nixon first met his future bride, he was so smitten he pined for her night and day, he schemed of romantic getaways and he put it all down in writing. Decades before he became known to some as "Tricky Dick," Nixon was the one penning nicknames (sweet ones) to his future bride in gushy love notes that reveal a surprisingly soft and starry-eyed side of the man taken down by Watergate. ... Gettysburg gift store pulls Booth bobblehead dolls (03/14/12) GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Bobblehead dolls of the man who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln have been pulled from sale at the Gettysburg National Military Park visitors' center bookstore. The dolls of John Wilkes Booth with a handgun were removed from shelves on Saturday, a day after a reporter for Hanover's The Evening Sun newspaper asked about them, officials said... Branson turns 100 next month (03/13/12) BRANSON, Mo. -- The southwest Missouri tourist mecca of Branson is turning 100. The Springfield News-Leader reported that a tornado that hit the community last month won't slow plans to mark the April 1 milestone. That's because the twister didn't touch any of the venues that will be used during the celebration... Peacocks delight generations at Cape County Memorial Park (03/11/12) Visitors to Cape County Memorial Park Cemetery since the 1970s have been able to see something not usually expected in a graveyard -- peacocks. Office manager Barbara Rushing said the birds have been on the property longer than the 28 years she has been working at the cemetery. ... USS Enterprise making final voyage (03/11/12) NORFOLK, Va. -- When the makers of "Top Gun" were filming on board the USS Enterprise, they donated a set of black fuzzy dice to liven up the ship's otherwise drab interior. A quarter-century later, the dice will still be dangling inside the tower of "the Big E" as the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier sets sail on its final voyage today... History projects from across Southeast Missouri judged in Cape (03/11/12) Southeast Missouri State University students Wayne Dierker and Rebecca Schmitt judge a history project titled "Methodist Reform" Friday morning in Cape Girardeau. Five hundred junior high and high school students from Southeast Missouri competed for awards in exhibit, media, performance, historical paper and websites... Civil War living history event in New Madrid Saturday, Sunday (03/09/12) NEW MADRID, Mo. -- Visitors to Hunter-Dawson State Historic Site in New Madrid on Saturday and Sunday will experience what a town under occupation may have been like during the Civil War. Sponsored by Missouri State Parks, "The Occupation of New Madrid" living history event will be from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to noon Sunday. The event is free and open to the public... Full Titanic wreck site mapped for first time (03/09/12) SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine -- Researchers have pieced together what's believed to be the first comprehensive map of the entire 3-by-5-mile Titanic debris field and hope it will provide new clues about what exactly happened the night 100 years ago when the superliner hit an iceberg, plunged to the bottom of the North Atlantic and became a legend... Historic find in possible Reinhardt art (03/09/12) Randy Hayes gets excited around beautiful works of art. But after his most recent purchase, he might just explode. Hayes has recently found and purchased several sets of what he believes to be authentic and original prints, some signed and numbered, crafted by legendary artist Siegfried Reinhardt. Although Hayes has yet to have them professionally certified, he has no reason to think they are anything less than genuine... Cape Girardeau, owner still disagree what to do about Wiggery building (03/07/12) A downtown building owner and the city of Cape Girardeau are still at odds over the future of a historic Main Street building. At a condemnation hearing in November, John Wyman, owner of the building at 101 N. Main St., was ordered by the city's building supervisor to come back to the city with preliminary repair plans... A look at history (03/06/12) If you attended the event last Sunday at the Red House Interpretive Center in Cape Girardeau, you saw a special piece of history: two ledgers documenting Louis Lorimier's sales at trading post in Vincennes, Ind., and Cape Girardeau. The display and presentation was part of a series of events to be held this year marking the bicentennial anniversary of Lorimier's death. ... Old Hanover Lutheran school and church welcome visitors (03/05/12) The historic Hanover Lutheran school and church was filled once again, this time with former students and their families during the open tours held Sunday. Hanover's kettle beef and fried chicken dinner turned out to be a reunion for classmates who once attended the one-room schoolhouse and sanctuary... Old (and new) Town Cape (03/05/12) There is an intriguing tug-and-pull that is involved in developing a thriving downtown. All of those old brick buildings, and all of the history and community context contained within, capture a certain ambience that new steel and glass (and parking lots, for that matter) can't quite muster... Seabees plaque unveiled at Cape County Park Veterans Memorial (03/04/12) Tom Meyer has met many veterans over the years, but rarely finds a fellow Seabee. That's because the Seabees are a special unit of the Navy scattered throughout the world and, according to Meyer, make up less than 1 percent of the military. The unit specializes in construction and combat and has 18,000 active troops... Cape floodwall mural may need touch-up after vandalism (03/02/12) For seven years, local artist Craig Thomas was among those who lobbied, raised money and then helped plan Cape Girardeau's floodwall murals. Then he was one of those who -- for a year -- helped do the work to bring the colorful concepts to life under the direction of Chicago muralist Thomas Melvin... Local Seabees celebrate 70th anniversary (02/29/12) A plaque commemorating a small military unit known for constructing bases and combating enemies overseas will be unveiled Saturday in Cape County Park. Local veterans who served with the Seabees, a special combat and construction unit of the U.S. Navy, are celebrating the group's 70-year anniversary by placing a bronze plaque on the park's Veterans Memorial. ... The history lists: Cape Girardeau marshals, police chiefs (02/28/12) Law enforcement in Cape Girardeau can be traced to 1905, when two men served the town as marshals. In 1918, the city began hiring police chiefs. John Grieb (city marshal), 1905-05 Willis Martin (city marshal), 1905-1911 W.A. Summers (city marshal), 1911-1913... ‘Between Two Rivers' tells history of Cairo, Ill. (02/27/12) When Lewis and Clark arrived in what would be Cairo, Ill., in 1803, they saw a land full of contradiction. John G. Comegys, who had purchased the land, was already well aware of what could become of the area. "The junction of the two rivers had long been looked upon as a geographic point of very great importance. ... The Red House celebrating Cape founder Louis Lorimier (02/27/12) Although 2012 marks the bicentennial anniversary of Louis Lorimier's death, historians are celebrating the Cape Girardeau founder's life by taking a closer look into his local trade business that supplied early settlers with everything from whiskey to turkeys... Artist drawn to historical buildings (02/26/12) NEW MADRID, Mo. -- Jeanie Eddleman looks at faded pictures from the past and sees artwork for the future. Eddleman's graphite-rendered pencil drawings of many of Southeast Missouri's historic buildings can be found in art collections in 30 states and 13 foreign countries. Currently many of the works, including drawings of the Higgerson School, the New Madrid Historical Museum and the New Madrid County Courthouse, are on display at the Hart-Stepp Art Gallery in New Madrid... Red House kicking off yearlong Lorimier celebration (02/24/12) Cape Girardeau residents will have an opportunity to commemorate and explore the life of the city's founder Sunday. The Red House Interpretive Center will launch its observance of the bicentennial of Cape Girardeau founder Louis Lorimier's death at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Hirsch Room of the Cape Girardeau Public Library. The center, at 128 Aquamsi St., commemorates Lorimier's life and a visit from Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in 1803... Red Letter CEO wins Hutson award at Old Town Cape dinner (02/24/12) Jim Riley, founder and CEO of Red Letter Communications, received the Charles L. Hutson Visionary Award at the Old Town Cape annual dinner Thursday. Riley, a partner in Dream Big LLC, worked to bring the $125 million Isle of Capri casino development to downtown Cape Girardeau... Bald Knob Cross board eyes date for lighting improvements (02/21/12) Alto Pass Ill. -- The Bald Knob Cross of Peace will be lit with state-of-the art LED lights, its board of directors decided during its annual meeting last week. The lights will bring the 48-year-old cross back to its original state, Bald Knob Cross president D.W. Presley said. When erected in 1963, the cross was illuminated with grounded stadium lights at night... Local Civil War engagements discussed at Cape Roundtable (02/20/12) More than 30 people heard accounts of how the Civil War directly touched this area Sunday at a meeting of the Cape Girardeau Civil War Rountable. This month's meeting featured "The Civil War in Our Area -- A Fight For Control of the Rivers," a presentation by Fred Keller, a club member who is a former reporter and photographer at KFVS12 and former news director of KZIM radio... Efforts started to photograph, preserve old barns in Missouri (02/20/12) KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Thousands of precariously leaning, rotting barns with peeling paint and missing boards dot America's rural landscape. The aging relics hold a certain romance for many, and interest is growing in numerous states in saving or at least documenting the rickety barns before they become victims of age and urban sprawl, the cost of maintenance too high when they no longer have a practical purpose... Prodigy Leadership Academy still working to save Cape's old Jefferson School (02/19/12) Leaders of a local Christian academy are still hoping -- and praying -- that they can save the old Jefferson School. But they acknowledged Friday that they have dreams for the south Cape Girardeau property whether or not the building can be salvaged... New book highlights Southeast Alumni Merit Award recipients (02/19/12) The history of Cape Girardeau cannot be told without including Southeast Missouri State University. Last year part of that history was captured in a book published by the university about its 200 Alumni Merit Award recipients. Though largely a collection of individual stories, the project was organized and edited by Jane Stacy, the former director of alumni services at Southeast... Love letters of Barrett, Browning go online (02/16/12) WELLESLEY, Mass. (AP) -- "I love your verses with all my heart, dear Miss Barrett ..." So begins the first love letter to 19th century poet Elizabeth Barrett from her future husband, fellow poet Robert Browning. Their 573 love letters, which capture their courtship, their blossoming love and their forbidden marriage, have long fascinated scholars and poetry fans. ... JFK intern recounts long-ago affair in new book (02/14/12) NEW YORK (AP) -- Mimi Alford was terrified in 1998 when the Monica Lewinsky scandal turned the word "intern" into a dirty joke, exposing an affair with a president. Her decades-old secret about her trysts with John F. Kennedy was still safe then... Effort under way to save Rock Hill church (02/14/12) ROCK HILL, Mo. (AP) -- Supporters of an historic St. Louis-area church hope to raise about $900,000 by April to move and repair the church and a neighboring historic structure. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/wuiIR1) reports the effort is under way to save Rock Hill Church, built in the St. Louis County community in 1845. Otherwise, it could be demolished to make way for a gas station and convenience store... Re-enactor portrays Lincoln conspirator at Cape library (02/13/12) About 50 people came out to the Cape Girardeau Public Library on Sunday afternoon, the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, to see Dianne Moran in "The Unquiet Death of Mary Surratt." Moran performed the story, about the first woman executed by the federal government for her supposed involvement in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, in costume and spent 45 minutes in character telling about the events surrounding Surratt's trial. ... Students work to preserve, document local buildings (02/13/12) Several hours into a blustery, ice-cold February afternoon of tearing shingles and carrying heavy, rotted-out pieces of a decades-old porch, Chris Kinder took a short break and explained a few things he's learned during many weekends since September... Slain Lutesville marshal honored with highway designation (02/12/12) MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- On the night of Oct. 6, 1971, Lutesville marshal Clive S. McGee had handcuffed a young offender to a pole in front of Lutesville Motors, but before he could make the arrest, a car went flying by, so McGee uncuffed the young man, got in his car and chased down the speeding vehicle... Repairing old CVB building would be too costly, Cape mayor says (02/10/12) Mayor Harry Rediger wouldn't mind if a city-owned downtown Cape Girardeau building were flattened, he acknowledged Thursday, especially considering repairs would cost at least 10 times more than bringing in a wrecking ball. The future of the 56-year-old former Convention and Visitors Bureau building at 100 Broadway came into question with the release of the city's capital improvement program last month. ... Kodak to stop making digital cameras, digital picture frames (02/10/12) ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Picture it: Save for a few disposable point-and-shoots, Kodak is exiting the camera business. Eastman Kodak Co. said Thursday that it will stop making digital cameras, pocket video cameras and digital picture frames in a move that marks the end of an era for the beleaguered 132-year-old company... British man wanted in '93 heist nabbed in Mo. (02/10/12) OZARK, Mo. -- A British armored car guard suspected of driving off with a fortune worth $1.5 million back in 1993 has been captured in rural Missouri, where he had been working as a cable guy and raising a son who apparently knew nothing of his father's past... U.S. economic embargo on Cuba turns 50 (02/08/12) HAVANA -- When it started, American teenagers were doing "The Twist." The United States had yet to put a man into orbit around the Earth. And a first-class U.S. postage stamp cost 4 cents. The world is much changed since the early days of 1962, but one thing has remained constant: The U.S. economic embargo on communist-run Cuba, a near-total trade ban that turned 50 on Tuesday... South Cape convenience store closes after nearly four decades (02/07/12) Don Caldwell has had a gun waved in his face and watched as the trigger was pulled. He mostly worked midnights, despite the fact that he owned the place. And, until recent years, he had to call the cops on a regular basis -- once even to clear his own store... Despite 1993 ceremony, NY fort's skeletons not buried (02/07/12) Associated Press LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. (AP) -- For decades, tourists visiting this popular Adirondack village could gape at the skeletons of soldiers from nearby French and Indian War sites. Then in 1993, a somber reburial ceremony was held to finally put the remains to rest... Brown University student uncovers lost Malcolm X speech (02/06/12) PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The recording was forgotten, and so, too, was the odd twist of history that brought together Malcolm X and a bespectacled Ivy Leaguer fated to become one of America's top diplomats. The audiotape of Malcolm X's 1961 address in Providence might never have surfaced at all if 22-year-old Brown University student Malcolm Burnley hadn't stumbled across a reference to it in an old student newspaper. ... On 75th anniversary, flood of '37 draws parallels to, questions about last year's high water (02/05/12) "You can drown downtown, when the water is high It's been happening here, since I was a child There ain't nothing you can do to stop it Just hope for the best, and mop up the rest." -- "Get Down, River," by the Bottle Rockets... New Jersey museum finds recording of Otto von Bismarck (02/05/12) For the first time, 21st-century audiences are able to hear the voice of Otto von Bismarck, one of the 19th century's most important figures. The National Park Service announced last week that the German chancellor's voice has been identified among those found on a dozen recorded wax cylinders, each more than 120 years old, that were once stored near Thomas Edison's cot in his West Orange, N.J., lab. ... Missouri man is son of Civil War vet (02/05/12) POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Only a few people alive in the United States today can say their father was a Civil War soldier. David Demmy Sr., executive director of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, said he is aware of only 13 men still living whose fathers fought for the Union during the Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865. They range in age from 84 to 101... Scott City church celebrates 160th anniversary, plans outreach (02/05/12) Southeast Missouri is rich with church heritage. One of the churches with a good deal of history is Eisleben Lutheran Church of Scott City. The church recently celebrated its 160th anniversary and is looking to reach future generations. According to Vicar Marty Hasz, pastor of Eisleben, the church is "rooted in Christ and branching out in love."... Treasure hunter claims $3B discovery (02/03/12) PORTLAND, Maine -- A treasure hunter said Wednesday he has located the wreck of a British merchant ship that was torpedoed by a German U-boat off Cape Cod during World War II while carrying what he claims was a load of platinum bars now worth more than $3 billion... Cape church considering razing former one-room schoolhouse (02/02/12) Watching Viola Medley drive up Perryville Road in her Ford Model A, a few of her students riding shotgun in the rumble seat. The potbelly wood-burning stove. The bell Mrs. Medley would clang to drag them from a makeshift baseball field back to the classroom... Deciphering Super Bowl: XLVI is Greek to children (01/31/12) NEW YORK -- Children LOL and OMG each other all the livelong day, but ask them to decipher the XLVI of this year's Super Bowl and you might as well be talking Greek. They may know what X means, or V and I, but Roman numerals beyond the basics have largely gone the way of cursive and penmanship as a subject taught in the nation's schools... Ryman Auditorium getting new stage after 61 years (01/31/12) NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It's time for a new stage at Ryman Auditorium, a significant moment in the history of a building known for its significant moments. Scuffed by the heels of "The King," "The Queen of Soul" and thousands of singers in cowboy boots, scarred by an uncountable stream of road cases and worn by six decades of music history, the Ryman's oak floorboards have reached the end of a very long, very successful run... Lynn Abrams is getting men to shave with a straight razor (01/30/12) Lynn Abrams is telling men to kick the can, ditch that safety razor and shave like you mean it. For the past 12 years he's moderated an online forum, straightrazorplace.com, for straight razor and wet shaving enthusiasts like himself. Today it has more than 30,000 members. ... After 70 years, right-to-work affect still unclear (01/29/12) INDIANAPOLIS -- The battle over the right-to-work issue may be reaching a conclusion in Indiana as the state prepares to adopt its law, but the argument over exactly what the measure means for a state's economy is likely to rage on, unresolved, as it has for 70 years... JFK library releases last of his secret tapes (01/25/12) BOSTON (AP) -- Final recordings President John F. Kennedy secretly made in the Oval Office include an eerie conversation about what would become the day of his funeral. In talking to staffers while trying to arrange his schedule, Kennedy remarked that Nov. 25 was shaping up to be a "tough day" after his return from Texas and time at Cape Cod... Purported Bonnie and Clyde guns sell for $210K (01/24/12) KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Two guns thought to have been used by bank-robbing fugitives Bonnie and Clyde have snatched $210,000 at a Kansas City auction. The Joplin Globe (http://bit.ly/A9BRHg) reported it took less than 15 minutes of bidding Saturday to sell the pair of rare weapons believed to have been seized from the outlaw couple's Joplin hideout in 1933... Book contains 80 years of Cape area entertainers (01/20/12) Cape Girardeau has produced its share of shining icons, but not every success story out of the area gets recognition. Jerry Ford aims to change that. His new book, "Dreamers: Entertainers from Small Town to Big Time," will hit the shelves in February. This new book showcases those who have taken on the challenge of succeeding in the entertainment industry. Plans for Diamond Jubilee river pageant unveiled (01/19/12) LONDON (AP) -- Palace officials Wednesday announced details of a massive pageant on London's River Thames to mark Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee year. Plans call for roughly 1,000 boats of various sizes to gather June 3 for an unprecedented tribute to the queen, who is marking the 60th year of her reign... Ray doubted jury would believe an MLK conspiracy (01/19/12) Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- James Earl Ray doubted a jury would believe a defense proposal to blame the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on a conspiracy, according to letters he wrote to his lawyer as he tried to win a trial and withdraw his own guilty plea in the 1968 slaying... The history lists: Cape Girardeau fire chiefs (01/18/12) A volunteer fire department began protecting property in Cape Girardeau in the mid 1860s. The city began its own fire department in 1909. Here is a list of the men who has served as fire chief. (Some dates of service are unavailable.) Henry A. Astholz, circa 1883... New signs mark water route of Trail of Tears (01/16/12) NEW MADRID, Mo. -- New signs placed along New Madrid's riverfront now mark the Trail of Tears' water route of the Cherokee Indian tribes. The National Park Service signs were erected by the New Madrid city employees earlier this month. Carol S. ... Missouri woman's quest could mean Medal of Honor for dad (01/11/12) LABADIE, Mo. (AP) -- It was bravery at the highest level: William Shemin defied German machine gun fire to sprint across a World War I battlefield and pull wounded comrades to safety. And he did so no fewer than three times. Then, with the platoon's senior soldiers wounded or killed, the 19-year-old American took over command of his unit and led it to safety, even after a bullet pierced his helmet and lodged behind an ear... Pettis County plays tribute to old courthouse (01/11/12) SEDALIA, Mo. (AP) -- A ceremony is planned for Thursday to dedicate a memorial to a long-destroyed courthouse in mid-Missouri The Sedalia Democrat (http://bit.ly/xCx4cq ) reported that community organizers raised private funds to erect a memorial to the original Pettis County Courthouse... Sterilization victims should get $50K, North Carolina panel says (01/11/12) RALEIGH, N.C. -- As many as 2,000 people forcibly sterilized decades ago in North Carolina should get $50,000 each, a task force said Tuesday, marking the first time a state has moved to compensate victims of eugenics programs that weeded out the "feeble-minded" and others deemed undesirable... Kansas City's Black Archives find a new home, director (01/09/12) KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A rare collection that details the history of the Kansas City region's black community will go on permanent display in June, completing a recovery from financial and legal problems that had threatened its existence. The photographs, papers and artifacts of the Black Archives of Mid-America are stored in their new home, a former Kansas City Parks and Recreation building in the 18th and Vine entertainment district. ... Civil War museums changing as views on the war change (01/09/12) NEW ORLEANS -- Inside Louisiana's Civil War Museum, battle flags line the walls. Uniforms, swords and long-barreled guns fill museum cases beside homespun knapsacks, dented canteens and tiny framed pictures of wives that soldiers carried into battle... 1793 penny fetches $1.38M at Florida auction (01/09/12) ORLANDO, Fla. -- A once-cent copper coin from the earliest days of the U.S. Mint in 1793 has sold for a record $1.38 million at a Florida auction. James Halperin of Texas-based Heritage Auctions said Saturday that the sale was "the most a United States copper coin has ever sold for at auction." The coin was made at the Mint in Philadelphia in 1793, the first year that the U.S. made its own coins... Former Cape County auditor Macke remembered as highly involved in community (01/08/12) H. Weldon Macke spread his knowledge and friendships far and wide when he became Cape Girardeau County's auditor in 1968. That is because he was known as an honest and sincere person, said his sister, Dorothy Ann Ramsey. Years later, in 2007, Macke decided to use his 34 years in that role for a new venture: a run for a place on the county commission... Cape man rejects Bloomfield museum's offer after theft of exhibit (01/08/12) When Brad Phillips lent his 1864 Springfield rifled musket to the Stars and Stripes Museum in Bloomfield, Mo., in 2003, he said he did so to prevent it from getting stolen from his home. The museum guaranteed it would securely house the gun and that he could retrieve it anytime he desired, he said... Home of Mark Twain's girlfriend being restored (01/04/12) HANNIBAL, Mo. -- To some, 210 Fifth St. is just another house standing amongst the many older homes in the neighborhood. It's been there for a century or more, has had a number of residents call it home, and eventually it suffered damage and fell into dire straits... Flooding, Waller case, smoking ban the top stories of 2011 (12/30/11) Too much water. A missing mother of triplets. A downtown on the brink of major change. Too many deer. 2011 has been a year of major natural disaster and major crime. It has also been one of politics and progress. Now, a look back at the stories that make this year one to remember, based on a poll of Southeast Missourian news staff... Marquee man: Esquire Theater developer has plans for more Broadway buildings (12/29/11) John Buckner made a splash in October with his announcement that he was undertaking a $2.7 million project to rehabilitate the Esquire Theater into an independent film house. Now, the Cape Girardeau art dealer and developer has his eye on at least three other Broadway buildings, including plans to turn one into an upscale diner that will be open around the clock... Fire destroys former schoolhouse in Dogwood, Mo. (12/29/11) DOGWOOD, Mo. -- A former school building-turned-residence was destroyed in a fire Tuesday night in Mississippi County. East Prairie fire chief Kyle Hutcheson said the volunteer department received a call at 9:43 p.m. Tuesday of a fire at the residence at 1011 Route B in the Dogwood community between Bertrand, Mo., and East Prairie, Mo... Forrest Gump, Hannibal Lecter, Bambi join national film registry (12/29/11) WASHINGTON -- Bambi, Forrest Gump and Hannibal Lecter have at least one thing in common: Their cinematic adventures were chosen by the Library of Congress to be preserved in the world's largest archive of film, TV and sound recordings. "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991), a psychological thriller about the cannibalistic serial killer Lecter, and "Forrest Gump" (1994), starring Tom Hanks as the guileless hero who thinks "life is like a box of chocolates," were critical and commercial successes that won the Academy Award for Best Picture. ... Arts group plans to renovate Maryville theater (12/28/11) Maryville Daily Forum MARYVILLE, Mo. (AP) -- Plans are afoot to restore the historic Third Street building in downtown Maryville that houses the Rose Theater. The Nodaway Community Theater Company currently owns the downstairs performance space and now plans to purchase the upper story as well... Army: Some Arlington markers may need replacement (12/23/11) ARLINGTON, Va. -- Thousands of grave markers at Arlington National Cemetery may need to be replaced or added to accurately account for the dead, following a meticulous Army review of each of the nearly 260,000 headstones and niche covers on the grounds... National Park Service considering Ste. Genevieve (12/20/11) STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- The National Park Service has been studying whether to get involved in the town of Ste. Genevieve, south of St. Louis, which has a large collection of 200-year-old homes, as well as the largest concentration of colonial French architecture in North America... Demolition continues on Broadway building (12/16/11) Saber Excavating continues demolition of the 105-year-old building at 501 Broadway Thursday morning, Dec.15, 2011, in Cape Girardeau. 500 block of Broadway in Cape Girardeau closed today (12/15/11) The Cape Girardeau city government said in a post on its WordPress blog the 500 block of Broadway will be closed starting at 6 a.m. Thursday. Saber Excavating plans to close the road for building demolition per city permit. The structure is a 105-year-old building at 501 Broadway, purchased earlier this year by Trinity Lutheran Church. It's best known by its mural with a biblical message... Building on Broadway already drawing interest from renters (12/14/11) The rehabilitation of one of Cape Girardeau's oldest buildings has caught the attention of three future tenants, who the building's owner said have already forked over deposits to occupy the structure once construction is completed by June. Two commercial interests and one residential renter have already committed to lease sections of the 143-year-old Julius Vasterling Building at the corner of Broadway and North Sprigg Street, developer Kenny Pincksten said Tuesday... Friday marks 200th anniversary of New Madrid earthquake (12/14/11) In the early morning hours of a cold December day, New Madrid, Mo., resident Eliza Bryan was visited by violence. In an 1816 letter to her friend Lorenzo Dow, she recounted a night five years earlier when she experienced the first of three major earthquakes that would literally rock the central region of the United States and shake it to its core... Improving Broadway (12/13/11) Broadway is the "gateway" to our Cape Girardeau downtown area and the mighty Mississippi River. There are many successful businesses along the Broadway stretch from Pacific Street to Water Street. However, over a period of time, there are also several businesses and storefronts that have suffered, failed and fallen into disrepair for one reason or another. This fact has made this important corridor less than inviting to our residents and our visitors... Historic buildings (12/11/11) Changes are coming for two buildings in Cape Girardeau listed -- by district or individually -- on the National Register of Historic Places. This week the demolition of a building at 501 Broadway, purchased this year by Trinity Lutheran Church, began. The 105-year-old building was the former home for an auto-parts store, a mercantile company, SEMO Video and other businesses... Erasing history: When it comes to old buildings, preservation commission has limited power (12/09/11) The Cape Girardeau Historic Preservation Commission was created in 1990 with a special purpose -- to monitor, encourage and protect buildings of special historic, aesthetic or architectural significance. U.S. marks 70th anniversary of attack on Pearl Harbor (12/08/11) PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii -- In wheelchairs and on walkers, the old veterans came Wednesday to remember the day 70 years ago when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. But FDR's "date which will live in infamy" is becoming a more distant memory. Fewer and fewer veterans who experienced the attack Dec. ... Pearl Harbor Day (12/07/11) Many presidents have given speeches that have etched a memory in our hearts and minds forever. The fall of the Berlin Wall is often remembered with President Ronald Reagan's famous line, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" Days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, President George W. ... A date in infamy (12/07/11) Seventy years ago, our nation was attacked at Pearl Harbor. In Southern Missouri, many citizens remain among us who lived through that day and the war that followed. They are a present part of our history. They served and sacrificed so that our nation might survive the aftermath of the Japanese massacre that Hawaii morning, Dec. 7, 1941... Survivors of Pearl Harbor attack return to ships after death (12/07/11) HONOLULU -- Lee Soucy decided six years ago that when he died he wanted to join his shipmates killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Soucy lived to be 90, passing away just last year. On Tuesday, seven decades after dozens of fellow sailors were killed when the USS Utah sank on Dec. 7, 1941, a Navy diver will take an urn containing his ashes and place it in a porthole of the ship... One historic Cape building saved; another to come down this week (12/06/11) Two century-old Cape Girardeau buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places appear headed for opposite fates -- one has been given a shot at renewed life while the other is slated for demolition this week. The old Jefferson School, the city's last segregated black schoolhouse, is now owned by Prodigy Leadership Academy, whose director said Monday they hope to rehabilitate the 107-year-old building into a location for their growing school... Pearl Harbor survivors share stories of attack (12/06/11) HONOLULU -- Clarence Pfundheller was standing in front of his locker on the USS Maryland when a fellow sailor told him they were being bombed by Japanese planes. "We never did call him a liar, but he could stretch the truth pretty good," Pfundheller said. "But once you seen him, you knew he wasn't lying."... Town of liquor foe Carry Nation OKs Sunday sales (12/05/11) KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Turn-of-the-century teetotaler Carry A. Nation began her campaign against drinking by busting up saloons in Kansas, which to this day has some of the strictest liquor laws in the country. But even in the town where her legacy is enshrined, the influence of the hatchet-wielding crusader is waning... Building owner spars with Cape Girardeau city government over downtown condemnation (11/29/11) The owner of a condemned building on North Main Street says a faulty storm sewer is causing his historic building to settle. During a condemnation hearing Monday, John Wyman, owner of the former Wiggery building at 101 N. Main St., says the leaky storm sewer has allowed water to penetrate the building's foundation, causing it to shift over the past couple years... Anti-slavery hub to reopen in Boston after restoration (11/28/11) BOSTON -- Step into the sanctuary of the African Meeting House and you will walk on the same ancient floorboards where Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison and other prominent abolitionists railed against slavery in the 19th century, and where free black men gathered to shape the famed 54th Massachusetts Civil War regiment... New Mass translation launches in American parishes (11/28/11) CLAYTON, N.C. -- English-speaking Roman Catholics who have regularly attended Mass for years found themselves in an unfamiliar position Sunday, needing printed cards or sheets of paper to follow along with a ritual many have known since childhood... Ice age comes to the Bollinger County Museum (11/27/11) MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Fans of the "Ice Age" movies will recognize some of the displays now at the Bollinger County Museum of Natural History. A mammoth skull that was on display last year has returned, along with the replica of a mummified baby wooly mammoth. ... Not-for-profit aims to save Civil War's ‘Kitty Hawk' (11/27/11) MECHANICSVILLE, Va. -- It was the Civil War's "Kitty Hawk moment," and it happened here when balloons manned by Confederate and Union aeronauts floated above a field of battle -- the first time warring armies sent their air ships aloft simultaneously over U.S. soil... Police honor man who led them to Lee Harvey Oswald (11/23/11) DALLAS -- Dallas police honored a man on Tuesday whose "keen observation skills and strong sense of civic duty" led them to Lee Harvey Oswald, who had crept into the back of a darkened movie theater to hide on Nov. 22, 1963, shortly after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy... Missouri Department of Conservation celebrates 75 years (11/20/11) Southeast Missouri is known for its abundance of plant and wildlife, thanks in great part to efforts to rescue and protect it by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Generations reaped profits from Missouri's wealth of natural resources without considering the consequences, devastating lands whose beauty awed explorer William Clark in 1804, according to the historical information on the department's website. ... Detectives taking new look at Natalie Wood's death (11/20/11) LOS ANGELES -- Natalie Wood's drowning death nearly 30 years ago came after a night of dinner, drinking and arguments but the question remains -- was it anything more than a tragic accident? Conflicting versions of what happened on the yacht shared by Wood, her actor-husband Robert Wagner and their friend, actor Christopher Walken, have contributed to the mystery of how Wood died Thanksgiving weekend in 1981... Census: Number of people 90 or over has tripled in 3 decades (11/18/11) WASHINGTON -- Americans are more likely than ever to reach age 90, redefining in a way what it means to be old. People who are 90 or older have nearly tripled in number since 1980, to 1.9 million, according to Thursday's first-ever census numbers on the age group. The trend is posing new health challenges and adding to rising government costs for the strained Medicare and Social Security programs... Recorded History (11/18/11) In further efforts to highlight and preserve area heritage, a local organization has published a small collection of poems, essays and short stories by Southeast Missourians. The Cape River Heritage Museum has put together "Heartland Heritage Anthology 2: A Collection of Writings by Citizens of Southeast Missouri" and will celebrate the book's release with a launch party from 5 to 7 p.m. today at the museum on Independence Street... Sign replaced at Shivelbine's in downtown Cape (11/17/11) A crane lifts the newly redone Shivelbines Music sign into place on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011, in Cape Girardeau. The skeleton of the old sign, which dates back to 1969, was reused for the new sign, created by Coast to Coast Signs of Scott City. Rusted bolts and damage from heavy winds forced the old sign to be taken down in July. Scott Shivelbine said the absence of the sign drew concern and curiosity from many people in the community. "It's almost like a landmark," he said... City to hold hearing on condemned buildings in downtown Cape Girardeau (11/16/11) The fate of two downtown Cape Girardeau buildings will be determined at a condemnation hearing Nov. 28. The former Wiggery building at 101 N. Main St. was initially condemned in August due to structural issues, and the Dino's Pizza building at 1034 Broadway was condemned in September following a fire... Church to raze historic downtown Cape building (11/15/11) A Cape Girardeau building that has been on Broadway for 105 years isn't likely to see its 106th. Trinity Lutheran Church has asked for -- and been issued -- a demolition permit by city officials that gives it until late December to tear down the building at 501 Broadway, a structure now best known for the large mural on its west wall... Historic Cape Girardeau house may become modern classroom (11/14/11) The building that Cape Girardeau's miller called home in the mid-1800s may soon be a lab for students interested in preserving historic landmarks. James Reynolds operated a steam-powered flour mill that extended over the Mississippi River just north of Broadway and had built what is now known as the Reynolds House at 623 N. Main St. in 1857... Park hosts speaker on Cherokee, Trail of Tears (11/13/11) More than 40 people gathered Saturday morning to hear a leading authority on the Cherokee discuss their movement along the Trail of Tears and through Southeast Missouri. Dr. Duane King, executive director of the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Okla., described the Trail of Tears as the forced removal of the Cherokee from their native lands in lower Appalachia to Indian Territory, what is now Oklahoma, in 1838 and 1839... Counting down to Christmas: the history of the advent calendar (11/13/11) Many children gleefully count down the days until Christmas, looking forward to finding their gifts from Santa under the tree. Kids, and their parents, have been doing it for centuries, and the practice eventually gave rise to advent calendars. Advent, which means arrival in Latin, begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas... Missouri rededicates memorial to World War I veterans (11/13/11) COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- The University of Missouri has unveiled a restored memorial to World War I veterans during a campus Veterans Day ceremony. The American War Mothers' Memorial honors the 117 MU students killed during World War I. It was originally dedicated in 1930 but removed in 1987 for a Rollins Street widening project... Star and Stripes newspaper turns 150 (11/11/11) BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- With tattered edges, slightly faded newsprint, unidentifiable smudges and folds still marked with yellow where Scotch tape once bound the edges, the first printing of the Stars and Stripes shows its 150 years as Wednesday marked the birthday of a military newspaper now more than 50,000 editions strong... Poplar Bluff concert Saturday to benefit historic theater (11/11/11) POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Country rock band Confederate Railroad, with two Top 10 albums, will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Rodgers Theatre, with proceeds benefiting restoration efforts at the historic theater. Confederate Railroad was formed in the late 1980s by frontman Danny Shirley and originally performed as a backup band for David Allan Coe and Johnny Paycheck. ... Historian to give Trail of Tears presentations (11/10/11) A leading historian on the Trail of Tears will speak Friday and Saturday in Cape Girardeau. According to a news release from Southeast Missouri State University, Dr. Duane King will first present "The John Benge Detachment: A Unique Route of the Cherokee Trail of Tears Through Southeast Missouri." It focuses on movement of a detachment of the Cherokee from their crossing of the Mississippi at Columbus, Ky., north along the river to the Cape Girardeau area and then into Arkansas, and eventually Oklahoma. ... New marketing director to help Show Me Center celebrate 25 years (11/08/11) In 1987, the Show Me Center's executive director, David Ross, wrote a letter about the future of the venue and included it in a time capsule. Staff will open the capsule next summer as they celebrate the Show Me Center's 25th anniversary. "I was thinking it would be cute, so I am interested to see what it says. I predicted what would be the fate of the building over time. We'll see if I am a good prognosticator," Ross said, adding that he's forgotten a few of his prophecies... Jackson Fire Department celebrates a century with open house (11/07/11) The Jackson Fire Department celebrated 100 years of battling blazes Sunday by christening a new ladder truck and commemorating its former firefighters. Roughly 100 people attended the department's open house, which displayed old hoses, air tanks, firetrucks and other equipment from the department's first century... Dr. William Mapes celebrates the 100th anniversary of naval aviation (11/07/11) Dr. William Mapes spent six years in the Air Force and 28 years in the Navy Reserves. When the Cape Girardeau dentist retired and sold his practice in 2004, he bought a condo near Pensacola, Fla., known as "the cradle of naval aviation." It wasn't long before Mapes took a special interest in naval aviation history, and especially its 100th anniversary this year... Chevrolet celebrates its 100th anniversary (11/07/11) DETROIT -- We saw the USA in them. We drove them to the levee. For a century, Chevrolets won America's love with their safety, convenience, style and speed -- even if sometimes they were clunky, or had problems with rust or their rear suspensions... Only 41 sterilization victims found so far in North Carolina (11/07/11) CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- North Carolina officials have tracked down less than four dozen of the thousands of residents forced to undergo sterilizations between 1929 and 1974. The Charlotte Observer reported Sunday that state officials believe at least 1,500 of the 7,600 people sterilized under a state program are still alive. But only 41 files have been matched to living survivors or relatives of the dead... Former ‘60 Minutes' commentator Rooney dies (11/06/11) NEW YORK -- Andy Rooney, the curmudgeonly commentator who spent more than 30 years wryly talking about the oddities of life for "60 Minutes," died Friday night, CBS said. He was 92. Just a month ago, Rooney delivered his last regular essay on the CBS newsmagazine... Paul McCartney to help restore Motown piano (11/04/11) DETROIT -- During a summer visit to a Motown recording studio, former Beatle Paul McCartney wanted to run his fingers along an 1877 Steinway grand piano played by some Detroit music greats he considers idols. "He was disappointed when we told him it didn't play," Motown Historical Museum chief executive Audley Smith Jr., told The Detroit News for a story Oct. 29... Japanese-American soldiers honored (11/03/11) WASHINGTON -- Thousands of Japanese-Americans who fought in the fiercest battles of World War II and became some of the most decorated soldiers in the nation's history were given an overdue thank-you from their country Wednesday when Congress awarded them its highest civilian honor... County purchase of federal building could affect several Cape government buildings (11/02/11) The Cape Girardeau County Commission isn't the only government agency anxious to see what the future holds for the former federal building -- some city officials are keeping a close eye out, too. A county purchase of the building on Broadway would free up the Common Pleas Courthouse after county offices are relocated from one building to the other. Cape Girardeau officials have held early talks about the future of the courthouse and nearby annex building... Officials mark 10th anniversary of prison at Charleston (11/01/11) CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Missouri Department of Corrections officials and employees were joined by locals in celebrating the Southeast Correctional Center's 10 year anniversary -- and the people who helped make it possible. While there were others who worked toward getting Charleston selected as the site for a new prison, the SECC would not be where it is today without former state representative Betty Hearnes, according to George A. ... Pair combine history, science in anniversary presentation on New Madrid quakes (10/31/11) NEW MADRID, Mo. -- Marian McDonald says she was raised on the stories of "the big shake." Now she wants to share those stories and more as Southeast Missouri prepares to mark the 200th anniversary of the earthquakes that shook much of the United States... Botched 1870 execution was 'Missouri's Hanging Horror' (10/30/11) Among Civil War stories that took place in Stoddard County, one in particular stands out. In its day, the story is said to have appeared in newspapers from coast to coast. At a recent meeting of the Stoddard County Historical Society, Lyle Randolph of Clarkton was the guest speaker and related the story of a Confederate general who had been shot in Clarkton, Mo., shortly after the Civil War... Scott City's Ramsey Creek Corridor may miss original construction deadline (10/27/11) The construction phase of a Scott City road project first proposed decades ago is halfway completed. But those in Scott City anticipating the alternate route to Interstate 55 that the Ramsey Creek Corridor project will provide may have to wait a bit longer than the July completion date once estimated, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation... Cape Girardeau city officials order old Jefferson School demolished or repaired (10/25/11) Cape Girardeau officials rejected a proposal on Monday to bring the city's last segregated black schoolhouse partially up to code and instead ordered that the 107-year-old building be demolished or fully repaired. Torch cameras to give masses views from Lady Liberty (10/24/11) NEW YORK -- Give me your tired, your poor -- your Internet-connected masses yearning to see. Lady Liberty is getting high-tech gifts for her 125th birthday: webcams on her torch that will let viewers gaze out at New York Harbor and read the tablet in her hands or see visitors on the grounds of the island below in real time... Party to honor Southeast media professor, launch memorial endowment (10/20/11) Few have had as lasting an effect on Southeast Missouri as Herb Taylor, a longtime media teacher at Southeast Missouri State University. Red Letter Communications will host a Birthday Bash Concert to commemorate what would have been Taylor's 82nd birthday. Cape Civil War monument still has faint traces of graffiti (10/18/11) After workers used a high-powered solvent to remove graffiti on a Civil War monument on the grounds of the Common Pleas Courthouse, remnants of the vandalism still remain, and officials have decided to leave it that way. Liley Monuments used a solvent from Minnesota on Friday to try to clean the monument, which was vandalized Oct. ... Illinois sheriff launches new effort to ID victims of John Wayne Gacy (10/17/11) CHICAGO -- More than 30 years after a collection of skeletal remains was found beneath John Wayne Gacy's house, detectives have secretly exhumed bones of eight young men who were never identified in hopes of answering a final question: Who were they?... Morse code club preserves old style of talking (10/17/11) FERGUSON, Mo. -- Staccato clicks tapped from an old brass gadget. Derek Cohn, his ear fixed upon the mysterious rhythm, jotted letters onto paper. From Bloomington, Ill., came the weather report: "Light breeze and perfect." It was a speedy response to a routine question, compliments of a 167-year-old form of electronic communication. There are many easier ways to be informed but none as satisfying to the small band who gather to practice the dots and dashes of Samuel B. Morse's code... Cape Girardeau County Archives to scan family Bibles (10/16/11) Are you the keeper of an old family Bible? The John Guild Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution and the Cape Girardeau County Archives are teaming up to help preserve local history by digitizing old family Bible records. Bibles published before 1910 are being sought for the project... Stronger solvent needed to clean Cape Girardeau's Civil War monument; man protests vandalism (10/14/11) Workers will try a new solvent to clean spray paint off a Civil War monument on the grounds of the Common Pleas Courthouse in Cape Girardeau that was vandalized Tuesday and has been wrapped in a tarp since. Liberty Memorial in Kansas City to get repairs (10/13/11) KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City's Liberty Memorial will undergo a $3.6 million renovation beginning next month. The city's park board Tuesday approved a contract for the work. The improvements will include reconstructing and water-sealing the Generals' Wall in front of the memorial. The wall includes bronze images of five World War I Allied military commanders who met in Kansas City... 'Star of Broadway:' $2.4 million project to transform Cape's Esquire into indie theater (10/13/11) The Esquire Theater on Broadway will show movies once again. City leaders and developers gathered at the theater to make the announcement at 10 a.m. Wednesday. The theater, which closed in 1986, will be renovated and reopened... Development deal for Esquire Theater to be announced today (10/12/11) An announcement about the future of the Esquire Theater on Broadway in Cape Girardeau is expected to come today during a 10 a.m. news conference, a source close to the deal confirmed to the Southeast Missourian on Tuesday. While city and downtown organization officials remained mum about the project, Old Town Cape released a vague media advisory about a "development deal" that would be announced at the Esquire's address, 824 Broadway... Civil War Confederate shrine at Cape Girardeau courthouse vandalized (10/12/11) A Civil War monument on the grounds of the Common Pleas Courthouse in Cape Girardeau was struck by vandals who spray-painted both sides of the shrine with apparent pro-Union sentiments, nearly 150 years after the last shot was fired. Black paint was being scrubbed off Tuesday morning by a two-man crew from Marble Hill, Mo.-based Liley Monuments, and they hoped it would be graffiti-free by Tuesday afternoon... Figures from Benton's history appearing at cemetery (10/10/11) BENTON, Mo. -- The Scott County Genealogy and Historical Society is bringing six of Benton's most prominent citizens back to life. Set for 6 p.m. Saturday at the Benton Cemetery, "Spirits of Benton" will feature historical interpretations of the town's founder, William Myers, and other influential citizens of Benton and Scott County... Arts Council of Southeast Missouri celebrates 50 years (10/07/11) People can walk through an artistic timeline at this month's First Friday opening at the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri. Razing historic Broadway building for parking one option for new owner (10/06/11) The recent sale of a 105-year-old building that sits in a downtown historic district on Broadway has put its future in doubt, though its new owners insist they have yet to decide the structure's fate. Trinity Lutheran Church bought the building at 501 Broadway -- perhaps best known for the large mural on its west wall -- about six weeks ago from Bob Cotner, whose family had owned it since 1919... Murder convictions still possible in cases where no body has been found (10/04/11) No one has seen or heard from Jacque Waller in more than four months. She has not touched her bank account or used her cellphone. Her vehicle was found abandoned on the side of Interstate 55 near Fruitland. Legions of volunteers and police officers have combed the Cape Girardeau area for any trace of Jacque. Cadaver dogs have sniffed through miles of wooded areas, looking for her beneath the ground. The searches have yielded no results, and searchers are still investigating leads... Book marking Central High School centennial to be released Friday (10/04/11) Throughout the 2011-2012 school year, current and former students and staff of Cape Girardeau Central High School will celebrate the school's centennial anniversary. There will be many ceremonies, recognitions and reunions. New memories will be made... Martial artists compete at Arena Building (10/02/11) Nearly 200 Moo Sul Kwan students competed for trophies Saturday at the Arena Building in Cape Girardeau during the Lee H. Park Ways of Honor Martial Arts Championship Tournament. Among the dignitaries at the tournament were Park's wife, Yung Park of Lancaster, Pa., and son, Richard Park of Louisville, Ky. Broadway building's owner hopes rehab work done in 10 months (09/30/11) After nearly a year of delays, work has finally begun in earnest to rehabilitate a 143-year-old Cape Girardeau building that city officials call an eyesore and its owner describes as "the ugliest building on Broadway." After sitting largely untouched for months, crews will be on-site daily, weather permitting, at the three-story building at the corner of Broadway and Sprigg Street, developer Kenny Pincksten said... Prohibition documentary provides close examination (09/30/11) What were we thinking? In 1918 and early 1919, with giddy thoughts of reforming society, voters in 36 states overwhelmingly approved the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, banning the sale and manufacture of intoxicating beverages. Eventually, 46 of the then-48 states (minus only Rhode Island and Connecticut) would say no to banning booze... Restoration of Bald Knob Cross almost complete (09/26/11) ALTO PASS, Ill. -- Bald Knob Cross Road in Alto Pass winds through the hills of Southern Illinois, cutting through thick forest and vast farmland. The road has sharp turns and steep inclines, and the cracked pavement is filled with potholes and bumps. After rounding the road's final corner and continuing up a hill, drivers finally lay eyes on the newly restored, solid white Bald Knob Cross of Peace... Demolition of old Jefferson School to take longer than anticipated (09/21/11) Tearing down Cape Girardeau's last segregated black schoolhouse won't happen as quickly as expected, a process slowed by an environmental assessment requirement to make sure the 107-year-old building is free of asbestos. A representative of the building's owners previously said old Jefferson School, which served as a black school for two years before desegregation, was to be razed last week... Mo. town calls on University of Kansas to drop Jayhawks mascot (09/19/11) OSCEOLA, Mo. -- City officials in Osceola, a southwest Missouri town of about 950 people, are asking the University of Kansas to drop its "Jayhawk" mascot because the name refers to a group of domestic terrorists that nearly destroyed the city 150 years ago... SEMO's Kent Library surveying Civil War items in 24 area counties (09/18/11) A project to digitally document Civil War history in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois is in the beginning stages. Southeast Missouri State University's Kent Library is conducting a survey of original materials from the Civil War held by museums, historical societies, libraries, genealogical societies, archives, state historic sites, individuals and other organizations in 19 counties in Southeast Missouri and five counties in Southern Illinois... SEMO sells historic Cape home; home up for sale again (09/15/11) A Cape Girardeau historical landmark is on the market. The Huhn-Harrison house at 340 S. Lorimier St. in Cape Girardeau was sold by the Southeast Missouri State University Foundation and has now been put up for sale to the public, real estate agent Thomas M. Meyer said... Sept. 11 memorial opens in New York (09/13/11) NEW YORK -- Ten years ago, ground zero was a smoking, fire-spitting tomb, a ghastly pile of rubble and human remains. On Monday it was a place of serenity -- an expanse of trees and water in the middle of a bustling city -- as the 9/11 memorial opened to the public... Project to document Mo., Ill. Civil War artifacts (09/12/11) CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP) -- A library at Southeast Missouri State University wants to document the whereabouts of letters, journals, diaries, photographs and other original documents dating back to the Civil War. The Special Collections and Archives in Kent Library is conducting a survey of materials housed in places such as libraries, museums and historical societies. It also wants to know what documents people may have stashed in their homes... Cliff Robertson dead at 88 (09/12/11) NEW YORK -- President John F. Kennedy had just one critique when he saw photos of the actor set to play him in a World War II drama. The year was 1963 and actor Cliff Robertson looked convincing in his costume for "PT-109," the first film to portray a sitting president. Kennedy had favored Robertson for the role, but one detail was off... Ceremony at the Pentagon honors those who died there on 9/11 (09/12/11) WASHINGTON -- Memories of horror and heroism echoed Sunday across the west side of the Pentagon where, a decade ago, a hijacked airplane carrying 59 doomed passengers and crew and 36,200 pounds of jet fuel smashed into the fortress-like military headquarters, killing all aboard and 125 inside... Book: JFK scorned idea of Johnson as president (09/12/11) NEW YORK -- President John F. Kennedy openly scorned the notion of Vice President Lyndon Baines Johnson succeeding him in office, according to a book of newly released interviews with his widow, former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. She said her husband and his brother then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, a longtime LBJ antagonist, even discussed ways to prevent Johnson from winning the Democratic nomination in a future contest... Looking back and ahead, America remembers Sept. 11 (09/12/11) NEW YORK -- Determined never to forget but perhaps ready to move on, the nation handed Sept. 11 over to history Sunday and etched its memory on a new generation. A stark memorial took its place where twin towers once stood, and the names of the lost resounded from children too young to remember terror from a decade ago... West Park Mall (09/12/11) Thirty years ago this year West Park Mall opened its doors in Cape Girardeau, and today the facility is still a viable shopping destination and a popular social outlet. The mall -- which started out as a vision of Charles L. Drury's -- has been a major staple for the west side of Cape Girardeau. ... Ceremonies in Cape, Jackson held to remember 9/11 (09/12/11) On a day that commemorated the 10-year anniversary of a tragedy that filled the nation with uncertainty and fear, Cape Girardeau County brimmed with patriotism, admiration and honor. In Jackson, dozens of people clad in red, white and blue gathered in Brookside Memorial Park to remember those who lost their lives during the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in a hijacked airplane in Shanksville, Pa., on Sept. 11, 2001. They joined in singing the national anthem... New York City memorial honors Sept. 11 deaths (09/12/11) NEW YORK -- In the days after the 9/11 attacks, all of New York seemed to become a shrine to the dead. People left heaps of flowers in front of fire stations. They lit candles. They hung photographs of the missing. Now, at last, there is a permanent memorial to the victims... Southeast Missouri responds to Sept. 11 attacks (09/11/11) Overwhelming. It's the one word that best describes the community response local Red Cross staff and volunteers saw following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. More than 1,000 people poured into the Osage Centre on Sept. 11 to donate blood -- one of few things they could think to do to help the victims in New York and Washington, D.C... Local man's brother runs away from twin towers (09/11/11) As Kevin Greaser watched the events of Sept. 11, 2001, unfold on his television set, his little brother was running away from the fiery remnants of what was the World Trade Center. Greaser's brother Eric Greaser, a Wall Street analyst working for Moody's, had been living in New York for about three years. His office was in a building adjacent to the World Trade Center's twin towers... A marred vacation: City attorney spends Sept. 11 near New York (09/11/11) Through the prism of history, the image that for years has adorned Eric Cunningham's computer screen at work is quite eerie. It's a video capture of his wife, Janet, and one of their two daughters, their hair billowing in the wind as they gaze across New York Harbor toward the city from the southern tip of Manhattan Island... 9/11 remains an unclear memory for many high school students (09/11/11) For most high school seniors in Southeast Missouri, their memories of Sept. 11, 2001, are not vivid. Some remember watching the attacks on the World Trade Center on television with their families after school, or briefly in their second grade classes. Others weren't aware until several years later what happened. Like others who do remember, they mostly don't understand why... Sept. 11 also had lasting impact on area Muslims (09/11/11) A handful of Muslims are facing Mecca. Shoulder to shoulder, they are standing behind an imam, or prayer leader. The group -- all men and one wearing a prayer cap -- are shoeless and still. As those of their faith do five times daily, they are about to talk to God... Lessons of 2001 need to be taught, educators say (09/11/11) In the fall following Sept. 11, 2001, the husband of a woman who died in the attacks on the World Trade Center spoke to more than 500 students during an assembly at Notre Dame Regional High School. "The last thing she said to him was, 'Honey, don't worry, I'm going to go back to work. I love you.' Everyone was going back in. As she said that, the second plane hit, and the phone went dead," said the high school's principal, Brother David Anthony Migliorino... Changed lives: Sept. 11 still factors large in American mind (09/11/11) WASHINGTON -- A decade later, what happened on Sept. 11 still resonates for much of the country. Even more Americans now say the horror of that day changed their lives. A new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in Chicago finds that more Americans today say Sept. 11 had an impact on their lives than said so five years ago -- 57 percent compared with 50 percent in 2006... We remember (09/11/11) What started out as a beautiful September morning 10 years ago today will forever be remembered around the world as the day terrorism hit America's homeland. Today we remember several statements, most issued just days after the attacks, that have shaped the perspectives of many over the past 10 years...