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Despite snowmelt, river level continues to drop
(Local News ~ 12/31/12)
Weather-watchers who predicted last week that post-Christmas snowmelt would lead to a small rise in the rapidly falling levels of the Mississippi River haven't seen it yet, according to Sunday river readings. Meteorologists on Dec. 27 said any boost from snow runoff would be slight and wouldn't come for four to five days. The news, while welcomed by shippers who do business on the nation's busiest waterway, was tempered by warnings that barge traffic could come to a halt as early as this week...
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Charleston defeats Cape Central 62-42 in championship game of Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament
(High School Sports ~ 12/31/12)
Charleston's second straight Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament title and record 17th overall didn't seem as much like a championship as it did a coronation. Just about everybody expected the top-seeded Bluejays to have little trouble during the 68th annual event...
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Top local stories of 2012
(Local News ~ 12/31/12)
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; 10 with the highest number of votes were selected. 1. Emerson resigns from Congress After being re-elected to a 10th term in Congress in November, Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, announced Dec. 3 her intention to leave office. She will do so soon to begin a job as president and CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, a not-for-profit organization based in Arlington, Va., that represents the interests of rural electric cooperatives and public power districts. ... 1. Emerson resigns from Congress After being re-elected to a 10th term in Congress in November, Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, announced Dec. 3 her intention to leave office. She will do so soon to begin a job as president and CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, a not-for-profit organization based in Arlington, Va., that represents the interests of rural electric cooperatives and public power districts. ...
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New year brings with it health-care questions
(Local News ~ 12/31/12)
It appears health-care reform is here to stay. After the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009 was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court this summer and President Barack Obama, who advocated for the act was re-elected in November, new measures were implemented in the fall. More will take effect in 2013...
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McCaskill seeks action on Mo. levee project
(Local News ~ 12/31/12)
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill is joining two Republican colleagues in calling for federal agencies to move ahead with plans to close a 1,500-foot gap in a southeast Missouri levee, a project long delayed over environmental concerns...
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Kansas City man seeking 8th District nomination
(Local News ~ 12/31/12)
A Kansas City, Mo., businessman, Pedro Sotelo, is the latest Republican to formally announce his intent to seek a committee's nomination to run in a special election for the 8th Congressional District. Sotelo, 41, has spent several years working in business development and management, is a combat veteran and a political newcomer, according to a release sent from a spokesperson to members of the Republican committee Monday. ...
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Cape Girardeau County public officials sworn in
(Local News ~ 12/31/12)
Cape Girardeau County Presiding Commissioner Clint Tracy, center, introduces, from left, Cape Girardeau County District 1 Commissioner Paul Koeper, District 2 Commissioner Charlie Herbst, County Treasurer Roger L. ...
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Minimum wage gap grows wider between states
(National News ~ 12/31/12)
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- With a bump in the minimum wage to $9.19 an hour on Tuesday, high school student Miranda Olson will edge closer to her goal of purchasing that black Volkswagen Beetle she's been researching online. Olson is only able to pick up part-time hours, working after classes and on weekends. But the extra pennies she'll earn in 2013 will add up over the coming weeks and months...
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Hillary Clinton hospitalized
(National News ~ 12/31/12)
WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was admitted to a New York hospital Sunday after the discovery of a blood clot stemming from the concussion she sustained earlier this month. Clinton's doctors discovered the clot Sunday while performing a follow-up exam, her spokesman, Philippe Reines, said...
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‘Auld Lang Syne'
(Editorial ~ 12/31/12)
Tonight we celebrate the beginning of a new year. And the song that many will sing as the clock strikes midnight is "Auld Lang Syne." Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot,...
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Republican governors treading lightly on health law
(National News ~ 12/31/12)
ATLANTA -- Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who made a fortune as a health-care executive, long opposed President Barack Obama's remake of the health insurance market. After the Democratic president won re-election, the Republican governor softened his tone. ...
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First gay Anglican bishop reflects on tenure in N.H.
(National News ~ 12/31/12)
CONCORD, N.H. -- New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson said he chafed for several years at being branded the first openly gay bishop of the Anglican Church until he realized he was wasting a pulpit from which he could advocate for equality...
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Psychiatric test for NYC subway death suspect
(National News ~ 12/31/12)
NEW YORK -- A 31-year-old woman accused of shoving a man to his death in front of a subway train because she believed he was Muslim laughed and smiled during a court hearing where she was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Erika Menendez, 31, was charged Saturday night with murder as a hate crime after she told police she spontaneously pushed Sunando Sen, according to prosecutors...
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Illinois dragging its feet on huge pension problem
(National News ~ 12/31/12)
CHICAGO -- Illinois, with its reputation for political wheeling and dealing, backroom handshakes and 11th-hour bargains, is dragging its feet on the one deal needed to solve its biggest crisis in a generation. Lawmakers will convene again the first week in January in hopes of fixing the nation's worst case of underfunding state employees' pensions, a problem approaching $100 billion and mounting by $17 million per day. ...
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Maine man, 74, held in teen deaths
(National News ~ 12/31/12)
PORTLAND, Maine -- A 74-year-old Maine man was charged in the shooting deaths of two tenants inside an apartment he rented in his home, possibly over a dispute about where they parked their cars during a snowstorm, state police said Sunday. James Pak was arrested at around 10 p.m. ...
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Finding of barrels of waste raises concerns
(State News ~ 12/31/12)
WILDWOOD, Mo. -- Three barrels recently uncovered in west St. Louis County are drumming up bitter memories and raising new concerns about tainted land. The barrels, filled with paint waste, had been buried for decades in a ravine on the outskirts of Wildwood. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hauled them away in early December, along with about 1,500 cubic yards of soil...
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$2 million tax error in St. Louis County
(State News ~ 12/31/12)
CLAYTON, Mo. -- St. Louis County's Department of Revenue neglected to add a surcharge on tax bills for about 200,000 property owners, leading to a loss of about $2 million that will be recouped. The oversight meant a $2 million loss in 2012 revenue for the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District...
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Arbitration trial over Rams' dome begins January
(State News ~ 12/31/12)
ST. LOUIS -- Arbitration regarding the future of the St. Louis Rams is scheduled to begin in January, pitting the NFL team, which wants a much-improved football stadium, against the agency that runs the Edward Jones Dome, which wants a renewed lease for the stadium...
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Cape Girardeau County commission agenda 12/31/12
(Local News ~ 12/31/12)
9 a.m., county commission chambers Routine business Action items Discussion and possible action items 10 a.m. Swearing in ceremony for county officeholders Pertinent address: 1 Barton Square, Jackson, MO...
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LeRoy Dannenmueller
(Obituary ~ 12/31/12)
LeRoy Dannenmueller, 87, of Kelso, Mo., passed away Saturday Dec. 29, 2012, at the Life Care Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born in Oran, Mo., on June 17, 1925, the son of Albert and Rosalia Welter Dannenmueller. He and Mary Elizabeth "Liz" Heisserer were married May 25, 1948, in Kelso. She preceded him in death on Nov. 9, 2006...
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Maurice Stauffer
(Obituary ~ 12/31/12)
Maurice E. Stauffer, 91, formerly of Bertrand, Mo., passed away Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012, at Chateau Girardeau in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 15, 1921, in Hayti, Mo., to Charles & Claire (Rousselot) Stauffer. He and Beatrice Redman were married Dec. 11, 1942, in Detroit. They recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary with a family dinner at Chateau Girardeau...
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Ruby Phillips
(Obituary ~ 12/31/12)
CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Ruby Phillips, 83, of Chaffee died at the Chaffee Nursing Center. There will be no visitation. There will be a graveside service at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Union Park Cemetery in Chaffee. Arrangements are being handled by Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee...
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Ann Whitfield
(Obituary ~ 12/31/12)
CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Ann Whitfield, 95, of Chaffee, died Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Friends may call after 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee. Funeral Mass will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Chaffee. Burial will be in the church cemetery...
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Births 12/31/12
(Births ~ 12/31/12)
Daughter to Austin Wayne Eugene and Shana Lea Kight of Bell City, Mo., Saint Francis Medical Center, 10:34 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012. Name, Cheyenne Marie. Weight, 5 pounds, 3 ounces. First child. Mrs. Kight is the former Shana Grubbs, daughter of Jane Bennett of Dexter, Mo., and Darrell Grubbs of Sikeston, Mo. Kight is the son of Teresa and David Kight of Bell City...
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Coy Willard
(Obituary ~ 12/31/12)
Coy Lee Willard, 66, died Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, at his home in Cape Girardeau. He was born June 18, 1946, in Campbell, Mo., to Lawrence A. and Mary M. Dover Willard. He and Janet F. Voelker were married July 23, 2004, in Piggott, Ark. Mr. Willard worked various factory jobs before working as a custodian at Cape Girardeau Middle School for 10 years before his retirement in 2010. He was a member of the First Church of God in Cape Girardeau...
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Jewel Goodson
(Obituary ~ 12/31/12)
Jewel Goodson, 91, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012, at the Skyline Hospice Care Unit in Madison, Tenn. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 4 at McCombs Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau. The funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 5 at the funeral home. Interment will be in Cape County Memorial Park Cemetery...
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Ryan Seacrest: ‘Rockin' in another year on ABC
(Entertainment ~ 12/31/12)
NEW YORK -- Yes, Ryan Seacrest has a New Year's resolution for 2013: Improve his skill at dancing. "There's a significant other in my life who's very good at it," he notes. That would be professional dancer Julianne Hough, a two-time champ on "Dancing with the Stars" in whose proximity "I feel the pressure to be as good as she is. It sounds like a joke, but this is a serious thing for me to accomplish next year."...
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International envoy warns of failed state in Syria
(International News ~ 12/31/12)
BEIRUT -- The international envoy seeking to end Syria's civil war warned Sunday that the failure of the government and the rebels to pursue a political solution could lead to the "full collapse of the Syrian state" and threaten the world's security...
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India rape victim's body cremated
(International News ~ 12/31/12)
NEW DELHI -- A young woman who died after being gang-raped and beaten on a bus in India's capital was cremated Sunday amid an outpouring of anger and grief by millions across the country demanding greater protection for women from sexual violence...
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In gun debate, two sides speak very different languages
(Community ~ 12/31/12)
WEXFORD, Pa. -- Inside the Big Buck Sport Shop, filled with rifles, handguns, targets and ammunition, customers have no doubt: More gun laws will not save lives. Fifteen miles south, in Pittsburgh, many confronted by a steady stream of gun violence are just as certain: To reduce the carnage, stricter gun control is needed...
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Obama wants gun violence measures passed in 2013
(National News ~ 12/31/12)
WASHINGTON -- Recalling the shooting rampage that killed 20 first graders as the worst day of his presidency, President Barack Obama on Sunday pledged to put his "full weight" behind legislation aimed at preventing gun violence. Obama voiced skepticism about the National Rifle Association's proposal to put armed guards in schools following the Dec. 14 tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. The president made his comments in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press."...
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Jackson avenges loss to Notre Dame to claim third in Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament
(High School Sports ~ 12/31/12)
Jackson's loss to Notre Dame nearly one month ago had been eating at the Indians ever since. They finally got their revenge. Jackson, after collapsing in the second half during the first meeting with the Bulldogs, used a big second half Sunday to break open a close game...
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High school wrestling Central's Bryant wins title at tournament
(High School Sports ~ 12/31/12)
Central's Chris Bryant won the heavyweight division at the Christian County Invitational on Saturday in Hopkinsville, Ky. The Tigers' James Scheller reached the championship match in the 160-pound division and finished second. Tremaine Grant (138) and Alex Davis-Carter (145) both placed fourth to help Central to a seventh-place finish...
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Rams end season on losing note in Seattle
(Professional Sports ~ 12/31/12)
The playoff-bound Seahawks broke a tie in the final minutes for a 20-13 win
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Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team begins OVC action at Belmont
(College Sports ~ 12/31/12)
The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team didn't play like a last-place squad during its first 12 games of the season. Southeast (5-7) hopes to continue that trend during its Ohio Valley Conference schedule that begins today with a 2 p.m. contest against Belmont (6-7, 1-0) in Nashville, Tenn...
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Game against powerful Racers is lurking
(Sports Column ~ 12/31/12)
Coaches are notorious for never looking ahead and always preaching the "one game at a time" mentality. I don't have to be that way, which is why my eyes already are on Saturday's early Ohio Valley Conference West Division men's basketball showdown at the Show Me Center...
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Andrew Jackson bridal shop under new ownership
(Business ~ 12/31/12)
The Andrew Jackson bridal shop in Jackson is now owned by Justin and Athena Albright of Cape Girardeau. The bridal shop, previously owned by Gina Jansen, was founded in the 1970s and was owned by Jansen since 1992. The business offers wedding gowns, tuxedos, prom and party dresses and more...
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Some Americans losing faith in stocks
(Business ~ 12/31/12)
NEW YORK -- Andrew Neitlich is the last person you'd expect to be rattled by the stock market. He once worked as a financial analyst picking stocks for a mutual fund. He has huddled with dozens of CEOs in his current career as an executive coach. During the dot-com crash 12 years ago, he kept his wits and did not sell...
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Southeast Port Authority names board members
(Business ~ 12/31/12)
The Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority named officers of the board of commissioners for 2013. John M. Thompson of Cape Girardeau County will serve as chairman; Rice "Pete" Burns of Scott County will serve as vice chairman; J. ...
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Cape Girardeau police report 12/31/12
(Police/Fire Report ~ 12/31/12)
The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt...
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Dockworkers' strike averted for now at U.S. ports
(National News ~ 12/31/12)
NEW YORK -- Dockworkers along the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico agreed Friday to extend their contract for more than a month, averting a weekend strike that could have crippled major ports from Boston to Houston and bottled up billions of dollars' worth of cargo...
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Oran avenges loss in fifth-place game of Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament
(High School Sports ~ 12/31/12)
Kody Moore said he had been in a shooting slump. But the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament seems to bring out the best in Oran's senior guard. Moore poured in 27 points, including five 3-pointers, as the eighth-seeded Eagles held off seventh-seeded Advance 67-60 in Sunday's fifth-place game at the Show Me Center...
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Oak Ridge ends drought at Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament
(High School Sports ~ 12/31/12)
Oak Ridge felt the sting of losing in the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament consolation final the last two seasons. The Blue Jays were determined to end this year's event on a positive note. Mission accomplished...
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Speak Out 12/31/12
(Speak Out ~ 12/31/12)
As a teacher, parent of two CHS students and friend of more than a few CHS teachers, I want to comment on the proposed dress code changes. According to my kids and the teachers I know, the problem is not with the dress code. It is with teachers and administrators doing one of two things. ...
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Out of the past 12/31/12
(Out of the Past ~ 12/31/12)
Free rides are again being offered during New Year's Eve celebrations by the Yellow Cab Co. of Cape Girardeau; a number of local nightclubs are also promoting regular, designated driver programs to help ring in the New Year on a happy note. Tax payments are pouring in to the office of Cape Girardeau County Collector Harold Kuehle as the deadline rapidly approaches; county taxpayers have until 4:30 today to pay in person; by mail, payments must be postmarked before midnight...
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Prayer 12/31/12
(Prayer ~ 12/31/12)
O Lord Jesus, may we resolve to grow spiritually in the new year. Amen.
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Readers' choices for top 10 stories
(Local News ~ 12/31/12)
The Southeast Missourian asked readers to go to semissourian.com and rank the top 10 stories of the year. Here are the results, starting with the highest-ranked story: 1. Clay Waller charged with missing wife's murder 2. Isle Casino Cape Girardeau opens...
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Welcome to West Bank Bistro
(Business ~ 12/31/12)
The Huhn-Harrison House, a historic house built in 1905 at 340 S. Lorimier St., has received new life as West Bank Bistro to serve students, staff and visitors of the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus. "We think the former owners would appreciate people enjoying the house. We kept the original architecture," owner Kevin Priester said, referring to himself and partners...
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Nell Holcomb starts Thursday, not Wednesday
(Local News ~ 12/31/12)
A school menu printed in Sunday's Southeast Missourian and posted on semissourian.com had incorrect information about the Nell Holcomb district. The menu said school is out Monday and Tuesday, but school is also out Wednesday. Students return Thursday. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error...
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Winter weather advisory remains in effect
(Local News ~ 12/31/12)
A winter weather advisory issued for today, tonight and early Tuesday morning remains in effect. The advisory went into effect at noon and lasts until 6 a.m. Tuesday. A mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain is possible this afternoon and overnight in parts of northern Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois...
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Ann Whitfield
(Obituary ~ 12/31/12)
Ann L. Whitfield, 95, died Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, at Southeast Hospital. She was born Oct. 7, 1917, in Vanduser, Mo., daughter of the late Henry Sylvester and Emma Louise Bollinger Whitfield. They moved to Chaffee on Oct. 7, 1924. She attended St. Ambrose Grade School, and after graduating from Chaffee High School she worked for 18 years as a bookkeeper at the Chaffee Bldg. ...
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Carolyn Mize
(Obituary ~ 12/31/12)
VILLA RIDGE, Ill. -- Carolyn Sue (Mize) Pfaff, 72 of Villa Ridge, passed away very suddenly Monday, Dec. 31, 2012 at her residence. She was born Dec. 30, 1940 at Wetaug, Ill., daughter of Albert Mize and Blanche (Gulley) Mize. Sue was a member of the Mounds Church of Christ and a retired teacher's aide with the Meridian Community School District # 101 of Mounds, Ill...
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Kathryn Hagans
(Obituary ~ 12/31/12)
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Kathryn Cobble Hagans, 91, of Springfield, formerly of Jackson, died Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Springfield. She was the daughter of Guy M. and Annie Howard Cobble, born Aug. 30, 1921. She lived most of her life in Jackson, graduating from Jackson High School in 1939...
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Samuel Barnhart
(Obituary ~ 12/31/12)
Samuel C. Barnhart Sr., 79, of Cape Girardeau died at 8:25 a.m. Monday, Dec. 31, 2012 at The Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born on Aug. 31, 1933, in Marmaduke, Ark., to Jess and Mable Sheridan Barnhart. He married Yvonne Ventres on May 1, 1953. She preceded him in death in April 1995...
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Ruby Phillips
(Obituary ~ 12/31/12)
CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Ruby Phillips, 83, died Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, at Chaffee Nursing Center in Chaffee. She was born in Tyronza, Ark., on Dec. 3, 1929, daughter of the late Oscar and Nina Robertson Sr. She married Willard "Shorty" Phillips on May 25, 1948 and he survives...
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Democratic officials: Deal reached on fiscal cliff
(National News ~ 12/31/12)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Democratic aide says the White House and congressional Republicans have reached an agreement to avert the so-called fiscal cliff. The measure would extend Bush-era tax cuts for family incomes below $450,000 and briefly avert across-the-board spending cuts set to strike the Pentagon and domestic agencies this week...
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Snow, sleet, freezing rain in forecast for Monday
(Local News ~ 12/31/12)
A chilling mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain could hit the region, including Cape Girardeau, as early as noon today, according to a winter weather advisory issued Sunday by the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky. The advisory, in effect from noon today until 6 a.m. Tuesday, calls for 1 to 2 inches of snow and light accumulations of freezing precipitation and sleet, which are possible across the advisory area that generally runs from Van Buren, Mo., to Vienna, Ill., to Owensboro, Ky., the service said....
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Today in History
(National News ~ 12/31/12)
Today is Monday, Dec. 31, the 366th and final day of 2012. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 31, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed an enabling act paving the way for Virginia' western counties to become the state of West Virginia, which took place in June 1863...
Stories from Monday, December 31, 2012
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