Stories from Saturday, December 3, 2022

A fire involving over 30 vehicles in an auto auction yard has been ruled suspicious and is under investigation in Scott County. According to Scott County Rural Fire Protection District Chief Jeremy Perrien, about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, the department received a call reporting a large fire at Copart located on the East Outer Road in Sikeston...

Using "A Toyland Christmas" as its theme, Jackson's annual Christmas parade is due to step off at 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, according to Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization (UJRO). Spectators are invited to line Main and High streets to watch participants pass by,...

Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Rob Gilligan on Friday, Dec. 2 presented a high-concept look at the Chamber's ongoing strategic planning process in remarks at CGACOC's First Friday Coffee at Century Casino. "What we have today are our findings to set guidelines for (planning) the next three years," said Gilligan, who has led the chamber since his relocation from Kansas in April...

Residents and Cape Girardeau City Council members still have options regarding how Cape Girardeau will handle the legalization of recreational marijuana. Missouri voters Nov. 8 elected to codify legalization into the state constitution, with 53% of voters selecting "yes" on Amendment 3. The state became the 21st in the union to do so. The law will officially go into effect Tuesday, Dec. 8...

ULLIN, Ill. -- The century-old Illinois Central Depot at Ullin, a wooden structure identified during the heyday of passenger railroads, as "344 miles south of Chicago and 568 miles north of New Orleans," was moved "across" the tracks yesterday; the structure, abandoned when passenger service was discontinued in this small community of 500, has been saved from demolition by the Ullin Civic Club and the Village of Ullin; it will serve as a museum and visitor center, and as a reminder of earlier railroad days.. ...

Today is Saturday, Dec. 3, the 337th day of 2022. There are 28 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 3, 1984, thousands of people died after a cloud of methyl isocyanate gas escaped from a pesticide plant operated by a Union Carbide subsidiary in Bhopal, India...

Since opening our doors in 2014, Imagine That has taken pride in delivering quality customer service and unique styles to our customers. As a locally owned boutique, it is our mission to provide high-quality merchandise at affordable prices. We research and test ALL our products before they go into our stores to ensure that our customers get the best quality...

A relic of spiritual and educational times past, the building originally consecrated as Holy Family Catholic Church and School still overlooks the now-barren landscape, the neighborhood once known as Smelterville. John and Alberta Spicer, teen-aged siblings raised in a Black Catholic family of the St. ...

Late November into December can be a difficult time to take nature photos as the autumn season transitions to winter. This is a photo I took a few years ago during October while visiting Duck Creek State Conservation Area near Puxico, Missouri. Pictured is a great white egret holding a frog in its beak...

I came along about the middle of the last century, while there were still some old-timers alive who had been born in the 1800s and early 1900s. All of my grandparents were born in the 1800s, and my parents were in the early 1900s. Sounds weird today to say I knew someone born back then. ...

Jimmie "Jim" and Betty Scheper celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary Nov. 22. Scheper and the former Betty Steiner were married Nov. 22, 1962, at Zion Lutheran Church in Pocahontas. They have two children, Doug (Emily) Scheper of Jackson and Janet (Gary) Weber of Springfield, Missouri. ...

Monday: Meatball sub sandwich or hot chicken salad with whole-grain crackers, steamed carrots, potato salad and sugar-free gelatin with pears or chocolate cake. Tuesday: Beef stroganoff or chicken and gravy, Lima beans, tomatoes and zucchini, whole-grain bread slice and hot apple and raisins or glazed applesauce cake...

Jeff and Mary Morton of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Shelby Paige Morton to Kyle Landon Bollinger, both of Scott City. He is the son of Kevin and Carol Bollinger of Benton, Missouri. Shelby has a master's degree in nursing and works as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner at Bootheel Counseling Services in Sikeston, Missouri...

You need to fight for joy. Wage war against malaise and malcontent by choosing to rejoice in the Lord, who transcends the headlines of the 24-hour news cycle. That is what the prophet Habakkuk learned. The brief pages of Habakkuk, while absent tales of little towns, shepherds and heavenly hosts, tell us of a joy that outlasts the Christmas season. ...

A whole-hot sausage breakfast will be held from 7:30 to 11 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 4 at St. Ambrose Parish Center in Chaffee, Missouri. The menu includes whole-hog sausage, eggs, biscuits and gravy. Sponsored by the St. Ambrose Men's Club. The SoutheastHEALTH Foundation will present "Sounds of the Season," an annual Christmas spectacular featuring outstanding musical and vocal talent at 3 p.m. ...

BRUSSELS -- The European Union reached a deal Friday for a $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian oil, a key step as Western sanctions aim to reorder the global oil market to prevent price spikes and starve President Vladimir Putin of funding for his war in Ukraine...

WASHINGTON -- The nation's employers kept hiring briskly in November despite high inflation and a slow-growing economy -- a sign of resilience in the face of the Federal Reserve's aggressive interest rate hikes. The economy added 263,000 jobs, while the unemployment rate stayed 3.7%, still near a 53-year low, the Labor Department said Friday. November's job growth dipped only slightly from October's 284,000 gain...

WASHINGTON -- America's newest nuclear stealth bomber is making its public debut after years of secret development and as part of the Pentagon's answer to rising concerns over a future conflict with China. The B-21 Raider is the first new American bomber aircraft in more than 30 years. ...

I drove through Cape County's light display at the park. I used to take the kids every year on Thanksgiving night as a tradition, but I am appalled at what I saw or should I say what I didn't see: light displays! Someone said the they started charging $100 to setup in the park. ...

Someone recently asked in the comments section of one of my columns, "Do you ever write about something other than yourself?" It was a snarky comment, for sure, because if you Google my name you'll see that I've written about everything from silver nanoparticles to how a bust of Cuban Hero Jose Marti ended up in a Kentucky park...

Republicans are rightly wondering what to expect from the upcoming House of Representatives controlled by their party. Conservatives are chomping at the bit to move a hard-core conservative agenda. My own beliefs and convictions are known. We need dramatic change to pull the nation out of its fiscal, cultural and moral chaos...

O Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your son, Jesus, to save us. Amen.

Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc., a multi-station radio and TV broadcast company headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire radio and television stations of Max Media Properties, L.L.C., which includes KBSI-TV, a Fox affiliate at Cape Girardeau, and WDKA-TV in Paducah, Kentucky; the acquisition of nine television stations and eight radio stations is subject to Federal Communications Commission and Justice Department approvals and is expected to be completed during the second quarter of 1998.. ...

CAPE GIRARDEAU Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls. Nov. 30 n Medical assists were made at 1 a.m. on Lynwood Hills Drive; 8:38 a.m. on Melrose Avenue; 11:41 a.m. on Shirley Drive; 1:35 p.m. on Franks Lane; 3:48 p.m. on South Mount Auburn Road; 5:09 p.m. on North Kingshighway; 8:44 p.m. on William Street; and 10:39 p.m. on Sheridan Drive...

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

Cape Girardeau County Commission 9 a.m. today 1 Barton Square, Jackson Approval of minutes n Approval of minutes of the Nov. 17 meeting Communications/reports --other selected officials/department heads n Updates on new jail and 1908 courthouse project...

Cape Girardeau city council 5 p.m. Monday, City Hall Presentations n Presentation to the city of Cape Girardeau by Phil Penzel Communication/reports n City Council Items for discussion n Appearances by Advisory Board Applicants n Consent Agenda Review...

Agenda City of Jackson mayor and Board of Aldermen Regular meeting 6 p.m. Monday Adoption of agenda n Motion adopting the Regular Meeting Agenda. Approval of minutes n Motion approving the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of Monday, Nov. 21. Financial affairs...

Stephen Brian Webb, 69, of Cape Girardeau, died Friday, Dec. 2, 2022, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 24, 1953, in Cape Girardeau, to Agnes Schaefer and Leonard Webb. He and Nancy Kenner Webb were married on Aug. 25, 1984, in Cape Girardeau...

Richard L. "Rick" Webb, 65, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022 in Tampa, Florida, while on a business trip. He was born Nov. 13, 1957, in Waco, Texas. Rick was a graduate of Cape Girardeau Central High School in 1976 and the University of Missouri, Rolla in 1981, with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering...

Father Harry George Schlitt of San Francisco passed away peacefully at his home on Thanksgiving, Nov. 24, 2022. Harry was born in Cape Girardeau on June 3, 1939, the youngest child of the late William and Theckla Dirnberger Schlitt. He left school after the eighth grade and at the age of just 13 entered Cardinal Glennon College, a Catholic St. ...

Karen Jo McCullough, 78, of Jackson, passed away Friday, Dec. 2, 2022, at Monticello House in Jackson. She was born Nov. 8, 1944, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Elmer and Odene Kaufman Schaper. She and Shannon McCullough were married Feb. 19, 1966, in Jackson...

** Patricia Lynch Patricia Ann Lynch, 53, of Cape Girardeau, died Friday, Dec. 2, 2022, at her home. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Arrangements are by McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Eleanor Mae Boyd, 91, of Sikeston, passed away Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, at Delta South Nursing Facility in Sikeston. She was born in Herrin, Illinois, on Feb. 20, 1931, daughter of Andrew and Edna Fairbanks Jackson. She and Donald Short were married, and he preceded her in death in 1972. Eleanor later married Dewey Boyd in 1995...