Briefly

Roads reduced for MoDOT work today

Missouri Department of Transportation crews are working while the weather holds. Work zones will be marked with signs. MoDOT urges drivers to use caution while traveling near the following areas:

• U.S. 61 in Cape Girardeau County will continue to be reduced to one 12-foot lane while MoDOT crews perform drainage work in the northbound and southbound lanes. The section of road being improved runs a half mile north and south of Route Y. Weather permitting, the work will continue from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. today.
• Route H in Perry County will be reduced to one 12-foot lane from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Thursday. Pavement repairs will be made from U.S. 61 to Route M.
• Route C in Stoddard and Bollinger counties will be reduced to one lane beginning at 7:30 a.m. today to allow MoDOT crews to patch the roadway. Repairs will be underway starting at the intersection of Route BB in Stoddard County to Route V in Bollinger County. The patching is expected to be complete by 4 p.m. Wednesday.

For additional information, contact MoDOT at 1-888-275-6636.

Jackson church to hold chili supper Saturday

The Jackson Church of the Nazarene at 2245 Old Toll Road in Jackson will hold a chili supper from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday.

Carole King to visit Cape to support Obama

Grammy winner Carole King will visit Cape Girardeau today as part of a two-day visit to Missouri to support the presidential campaign of Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama. King, known for hit songs such as "It's Too Late" and "I Feel the Earth Move," will not be performing. Instead, she will speak with volunteers and voters about her support for the Illinois senator and take part in a telephone bank calling potential voters. King will be at the Obama campaign office, 821 Broadway, beginning at 6 p.m. The stop is the last on her two-day tour, which included stops in Louisiana, Mo., Hannibal, Mo., Columbia, Mo., and Kirksville, Mo. Stops on her schedule today include Camdenton, Mo., Cuba, Mo., and Farmington, Mo., before the Cape Girardeau visit.

Cape Girardeau dentist named to Mo. board

Dr. John Freeze, a Cape Girardeau dentist, was appointed Tuesday to a seat on the Missouri Dental Board by Gov. Matt Blunt. Freeze, 56, has practiced dentistry for more than 25 years and holds an undergraduate degree from Southeast Missouri State University and a doctor of dental surgery degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The Missouri Dental Board is a seven-member board that oversees licensing of dentists, including examinations to receive a license and investigation of complaints. Freeze's nomination won immediate support from state Sen. Jason Crowell, R-Cape Girardeau, who said in a prepared statement "I know he will represent our area well as he works to better the practice of dentistry throughout the state." Freeze must be confirmed by the state Senate. He was appointed to a term that will end Dec. 16, 2013.

-- From staff reports