Top 10 stories of 2014: "Gone Girl" premiere, gun violence and a deer's demise made headlines this year

Editor's note: This compilation of the top 10 stories of the year is based on voting by the Southeast Missourian newsroom staff. Reporters and editors suggested 20 stories; the 10 with the highest number of votes were selected.

1. "Gone Girl"

Moviegoers packed Cape West 14 Cine in early October in hopes of catching a glimpse of friends, family and familiar places on the silver screen.

When "Gone Girl" made its Cape Girardeau premiere Oct. 2, 20th Century Fox released figures indicating the production -- much of which was filmed in and around the city -- poured about $7.8 million into the local economy, with the studio spending money on everything from sets to security.

Speaking just before the premiere, Juan Camacho, executive director of government affairs for Fox Entertainment Group, said the city's welcoming attitude and Missouri's film tax-credit program were key factors in the studio's decision to spend two months filming in and around Cape Girardeau in 2013.

The business benefits continued into this year, as downtown merchants hosted a "Gone Girl"-themed scavenger hunt; stores stocked movie-themed items ranging from candles to Christmas ornaments; and a long-dormant space at the corner of Themis and Spanish streets reopened as The Bar, reprising the role it played in the film.

2. Gun violence

Lynn Ware, Safe Communities coordinator for the Cape Girardeau Police Department, spoke during a June 28 vigil mourning the death of Anthony Hempstead, who was shot to death early that morning. Hempstead's mother, Evelyn, is comforted in the background. (LINDSAY JONES)

Violence broke out in Cape Girardeau this summer, with multiple shootings -- four of them fatal -- within a mile of each other.

The deaths of Joshua Edward Dibert, 34; Anthony Hempstead, 26; Detavian L. Richardson, 20; and Zatrun R. Twiggs, 28, prompted an effort by residents, community leaders and law enforcement officers to increase cooperation and reduce crime in the area.

Dibert was shot to death June 20 in a vehicle near the intersection of Henderson Avenue and Good Hope Street.

Eight days later, Hempstead was gunned down in an alley in the 800 block of Jefferson Avenue. His death came just hours after a nonfatal shooting about four blocks away.

On Aug. 3, Richardson and Twiggs were shot to death in a car in the 200 block of South Middle Street.

And on June 16, four days before Dibert was killed, gunfire wounded a 14-year-old in an alley in the 1000 block of Bloomfield Street.

3. Albino buck

Jerry Kinnaman holds up a 10-point, 7-year-old albino buck he shot with a bow and arrow just outside Cape Girardeau's city limits, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014. (Laura Simon)

Hunter Jerry Kinnaman found himself under fire this fall after he killed a 10-point albino buck on his land north of Cape Girardeau.

Kinnaman received criticism and even death threats after he used a bow and arrow to kill the 7-year-old deer, whose striking appearance had made it a local celebrity.

Facebook posts about the deer went viral, and national news outlets, including The Associated Press and The Washington Post, picked up the story.

Kinnaman has said the deer was underweight, in poor health and likely would not have survived the winter.

4. Teen killed

Kaden Robert

Kaden Robert's jersey number, 14, sprawls across the center of Lambert Field as Kelly captains Dalton Huffman, left, Carlos Escobar, Ethan Faires and Maurice Davis meet Crystal City's captains at the beginning of the Hawks home opener, Friday, Aug. 29, 2014, in Benton, Missouri. (Laura Simon)

The accidental shooting of a popular Kelly High School football player drew an outpouring of support this summer.

Kaden Robert, 15, and three friends were leaving after a pickup basketball game at the school June 23 when one of the boys passed a handgun to Robert, accidentally discharging it and striking him in the head.

The gun was one of two in the truck, which belonged to the grandfather of one of the boys.

Robert died June 24 at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. His organs were donated to five people.

5. SoutheastHEALTH shake-ups

SoutheastHEALTH said goodbye to five members of its senior management team this year.

Chief financial officer Hugh King and vice president and chief medical officer Dr. Dennis Means started the exodus in April, when they announced their departures on the same day.

CEO Wayne Smith retired in October, followed by chief operating officer Sly Moore in November.

Also in November, Southeast- HEALTH confirmed Jim Limbaugh, vice president of planning and business development, had left but would not comment on the circumstances surrounding his departure.

In a news release, Southeast- HEALTH called Moore's retirement "part of an ongoing organizational realignment."

The organization's bond rating was downgraded this year as a result of unexpected operating losses in 2013.

6. Cottonwood privatized

The Cottonwood Residential Treatment Center is seen Wednesday, June 25, 2014 in Cape Girardeau. (Fred Lynch)

The future of Cottonwood Residential Treatment Center seemed uncertain this summer after Gov. Jay Nixon withheld nearly $500,000 in state funding from the 32-bed facility, which treats children ages 6 to 17 with severe mental and emotional disorders.

In September, Nixon released about $241,000 of those funds, allowing the center to remain open, albeit in a reduced capacity.

Beginning Jan. 3, Cottonwood will operate under the auspices of the private, not-for-profit Community Counseling Center in Cape Girardeau.

The new Cottonwood treatment system will include a 16-bed inpatient residential treatment center -- half the facility's original capacity -- and six homes providing intensive therapeutic interventions for one to three children at a time.

7. Execution stayed

Russell Bucklew

Russell Bucklew, 46, was scheduled to die by lethal injection May 21 for the 1996 shooting death of Michael Sanders, a Cape Girardeau County man with whom Bucklew's ex-girlfriend had been staying.

Six hours before Bucklew's death warrant was set to expire, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed his execution to allow the federal 8th Circuit Court of Appeals more time to review his case.

Bucklew suffers from a rare medical condition that experts have said could lead to a prolonged, painful and possibly bloody execution, which would violate the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

The federal appellate court heard Bucklew's case in September but has not yet ruled on it.

Bucklew's execution has been delayed several times, partly by appeals and partly by issues surrounding the drugs used for lethal injections.

8. Central goes to state

Central's Andre Statam hoists the second place trophy above his head after the Class 4 state championship against Webb City Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. (Glenn Landberg)

The Cape Girardeau Central Tigers closed out their best football season in school history last month with a trip to the state championship, ultimately bringing home a second-place trophy.

The Tigers fell to Webb City 48-21 in the championship game, but they scored more points on the southwestern Missouri powerhouse than any opponent this season.

The team ended its season with 12 wins -- the most in school history -- and its first appearance in a state championship game.

The Tigers took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter against the Webb City Cardinals, who were ranked No. 11 in USA Today's national high school football poll.

9. Dobbins retiring

After 15 years as president of Southeast Missouri State University, Kenneth Dobbins in September announced his intent to retire at the end of this school year.

Dobbins, 65, became the university's 17th president July 1, 1999. He previously had served as vice president of finance and administration from 1991 to 1993 and as executive vice president from 1993 to 1999.

Doyle Privett, president of Southeast's board of regents, has said the board will select a new president this spring.

The university's presidential search and screening committee is set to begin interviewing candidates in early February, with a goal of offering the position to someone no later than the first week of March.

10. New coach

Tom Matukewicz took over as Southeast's new football coach in December 2013. A year later, he described the job as "better than I could've dreamed."

The Redhawks' 5-7 overall record was an improvement from the three wins the team posted in each of the previous seasons.

Plagued by several injuries over the course of the season, the Redhawks experienced two lopsided losses, falling to Eastern Illinois 52-13 and to Southern Illinois 50-23.

But the Redhawks also defeated two teams ranked in the top 25 -- then-No. 3 Southeastern Louisiana and No. 20 Tennessee State -- for the first time in school history.

epriddy@semissourian.com

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