Stories from Friday, April 4, 2014

The United Way of Southeast Missouri on Thursday announced the results of its latest campaign, which raised more than $971,000 in donations; volunteers gave more than 13,000 hours.

The civil rights movement was populated by more than just legendary figures such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It included children of the era who became symbols that inspired others to get involved, Dr. Wilma King said during Thursday night's Dugger Lecture...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Claims by a Sikeston R-6 teacher who says she was intimidated by administrators for her anti-Common Core beliefs are under investigation by the school district. At a March 26 hearing of the Senate Education Committee, Susan Kimball, who teaches kindergarten in the Sikeston R-6 district, told lawmakers she was denied the use of a personal day to testify before the committee...

Storm season blew into Southeast Missouri with funnel clouds, hail and heavy rains Thursday evening. A thunderstorm crashed over Cape Girardeau County, causing flash flooding and creating traffic hazards in several areas. Just before 10 p.m., police dispatchers reported a downed tree completely blocking Highway 177, with water crossing the road...

Authorities are investigating a possible arson at the River City Health Clinic. Cape Girardeau police responded to an alarm about 8:15 a.m. Thursday at the clinic at 224 N. Frederick St., where an officer could see and smell smoke on arrival, said Darin Hickey, public information officer for the Cape Girardeau Police Department...

Judging from the smiles on the faces of the Notre Dame boys volleyball team, you couldn't tell they had just suffered a defeat at the hands of Duchesne on Thursday evening. The fact they were playing a home volleyball game in the first place trumped any outcome...

Tensions ran high on the floor of the Missouri House of Representatives on Monday, during a debate over a bill that would require public employee unions to seek permission annually from employees to have union fees automatically deducted from their paychecks...

Daffodil blooming time

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- A Bollinger County circuit judge granted Lonnie Liley's request Thursday for a change of judge in the murder case against him. Liley, 42, faces charges of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with the Jan. 23 shooting death of his brother, 50-year-old Jessie Liley...

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY April 27, 2014 Each year since the year 2000, the Catholic Church has marked the Second Sunday of Easter as "Divine Mercy Sunday". The origin and spread of the Divine Mercy message and devotion throughout the world is a fascinating story--it includes astonishing visions and revelations, miraculous answers to prayer and strong support from Pope John Paul II, who is known by many, as the "Mercy Pope"...

Daffodil blooming time #2

Today is Friday, April 4, the 94th day of 2014. There are 271 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On April 4, 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., 39, was shot and killed while standing on a balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. (James Earl Ray later pleaded guilty to assassinating King, then spent the rest of his life claiming he'd been the victim of a setup.)...

Concerning the current school district's 1:1 initiative. Parents need to realize that the district offices are not replacing certified staff even in the core subjects and should realize that classes will be much larger next year because, hey, the students will have computers and teachers will not be needed to teach in the way they have previously...

It would be in bad taste to make jokes about the lives lost in the mysterious disappearance of that Malaysian jetliner. So take what follows as one man's musing about the irony that often results from such tragedies. Let's start with the fact that a huge airplane loaded with sophisticated communications equipment can vanish literally into thin air. ...

Recently, the Southeast Missourian updated its Facebook feed with negative stories and an editorial about the Affordable Care Act. I'm not sure if our local newspaper is obligated to be "fair and balanced," but as someone who writes for its special publications and teaches health communication, I thought I should provide the rest of the story...

Cape Girardeau's Broadway gained seven sculptures this week, part of continuing efforts to revitalize downtown Cape Girardeau. The public art comes from seven individuals: Ben Pierce, of Cape Girardeau; Chris Wubbena, of Jackson; Andy Arvanetes, of Chicago; Mike Baur, of West Chicago, Ill.; Beth Nybeck, of Kansas City, Mo.; Dan Perry, of Waterloo, Iowa; and Stephanie Sailer, of Swisher, Iowa...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri House passed legislation Thursday that would limit how unions representing some public employees could collect fees and spend money on political activities. The bill, known to supporters as "paycheck protection," would require those employees to give annual written consent for money to be automatically deducted from their paycheck. Those same workers would also need to give yearly authorization for a union to spend their fees on politics...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Officials don't know whether any same-sex couples have filed joint Missouri tax returns since Gov. Jay Nixon directed the Revenue Department last fall to permit it for those legally married in another state, a state attorney said Thursday in court...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's House voted Thursday to pass a scaled-back version of gun rights legislation that wouldn't send federal agents to jail for enforcing some federal gun laws, a change that garnered praise from Senate leaders. Under the bill, which passed with enough support to override a possible veto, Missouri would refuse to enforce past, present and future federal gun control laws that are deemed to be infringements on gun rights, and residents would have the right to sue law enforcement for enforcing such laws.. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Missouri senator has resigned to take a new position on the state's utility regulatory commission. Republican Sen. Scott Rupp of Wentzville resigned shortly before the Senate went into session Thursday. Senators then confirmed Rupp's appointment by Gov. Jay Nixon to the Missouri Public Service Commission. Rupp was to begin work at the commission later Thursday...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A discussion Thursday on state funding for bicycle paths temporarily halted debate in the Missouri House on a proposed constitutional amendment that would levy a one-cent sales tax increase for transportation projects. Lawmakers set aside the measure after an amendment was proposed that would have prevented any of the new revenue from being spent on bike baths...

As a way of giving back -- and saying thank you -- to the community for its support of Southeast Missouri State University, a little more than 200 students are fanning out across Cape Girardeau this week as part of Southeast Serves. Campus Life director Michele Irby said this is the first year Southeast Serves has been conducted, but there have been different versions of it through the years. ...

The Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center will be all about fly fishing from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Learn the basics of fly-fishing or pick up a few new technical skills. Covered will be equipment selection and use, reading the water, matching the hatch, fly casting, fishing techniques and essential knots. The event is for those ages 16 and older, and participants must be in possession of a valid fishing permit. Fly-fishing equipment will be available for loan...

Son to Anthony E. and Cassandra N. Dowell of Advance, Mo., Southeast Hospital, 9:20 a.m. Monday, March 24, 2014. Name, Joel Oscar. Weight, 5 pounds, 7 ounces. First child. Mrs. Dowell is the former Cassandra Walk, daughter of Mike and Sheila Walk of McGee, Mo. Dowell is the son of Mike Dowell of Silva, Mo., and June Dowell of Williamsville, Mo. He is an operations supervisor...

Whitewater fire chief Wes Blumenberg says he is convinced a small tornado touched down yesterday evening at the home of his mother, Maria Blumenberg, on Route A approximately 2 miles east of Whitewater; he was in his pickup making a severe-weather report to the Cape County Emergency Operations Center in Jackson when the storm nearly turned his truck over...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrest...

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls Wednesday...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests...

Marjorie M. Wills, 84, of Steel, Mo., formerly of Jackson, died Thursday, April 3, 2014, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born April 2, 1930, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Fred and Alma Steinhoff Starzinger. She and Harold L. Wills were married July 5, 1949, in Piggott, Ark. He passed away Nov. 15, 1993...

John Edward Mosier, 71, of Paducah, Ky., formerly of Scott City, died Tuesday, April 1, 2014, at Nexus Specialty Hospital in Shenandoah, Texas. He was born July 31, 1942, in East Prairie, Mo., to John Edgar and Thelma Lois Dean Mosier. He and Donna Faye Busby were married July 28, 1966. She preceded him in death Dec. 17, 2001. He later married Freida LaVonne Busby Watson on May 12, 2007...

Mary K. Morgan, 83, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, April 3, 2014, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born July 30, 1930, in Winfield, Kan., to William M. and Kathreen E. Howard Grove. She and Kenneth M. Morgan were married June 29, 1952, in El Dorado, Kan...

DALLAS -- Texas prison officials have offered scant evidence to support their claim that pharmacies that supply the state with execution drugs would be in danger of violence if their identities were made public. If those officials are investigating the threats, including a suggestion a truck bomb could blow up a such a pharmacy, as a serious risk to the safety of the pharmacies or their employees, they refuse to acknowledge doing so...

The Cape County Republican Women's Club will host Circuit Judge William L. Syler at noon Friday at Dexter Bar-B-Que, 236 Broadview St. in Cape Girardeau. Syler is the presiding judge for the 32nd Circuit Court in Missouri. He was first elected in 1992 and has since won re-election every six years...

ADAM VOGLER ~ avogler@semissourian.com Daffodils bloom in a field at the intersection of Highway 177 and County Road 643 as storm clouds pass north of Cape Girardeau Thursday, April 3....

ADAM VOGLER ~ avogler@semissourian.com The Alma Schrader Elementary School Choir sings during a ceremony marking the donation of a Pink Dogwood to the Cape Girardeau school made by the Cape Giradreau Council of Garden Clubs Thursday, April 3, at Alma Schrader Elementary School. ...

Tucker, VanDerpool will compete in the all-around competition Saturday in Arkansas

CINCINNATI -- The defending National League champions opened the season with a lot of waiting. And a couple of wins, too. The St. Louis Cardinals overcame another long delay and Todd Frazier's two homers on Thursday, holding on to beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-6 and take two of three in their season-opening series...

ST. LOUIS -- Brian Elliott was oh so close to another shutout. He settled for another win. Elliott stopped 24 shots, and the St. Louis Blues beat the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 for their franchise-record 52nd victory. "Two points is a lot more valuable than the 'SO' on the scoresheet," Elliott said...

Nearly every time Southeast Missouri State baseball coach Steve Bieser has been asked what he expects heading into a game this season he's had the same answer. That answer is that he and his players expect to win no matter who their opponent may be...

SEATTLE -- A decade before a landslide buried a Washington community, county officials considered buying up people's homes there to protect them from such a disaster. A 2004 Snohomish County flood-management plan said the cost of purchasing properties in Oso "would be significant, but would remove the risk to human life and structures."...

NEW YORK -- ABC's "Good Morning America" is saying goodbye to Josh Elliott, minus Josh Elliott. The top-rated morning show paid a brief tribute to its departed news anchor on Thursday's show. Elliott left last weekend for a job at NBC Sports, turning down an offer to stay at ABC. With Elliott in the employ of another network, he didn't appear on ABC's set Thursday...

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration on Thursday defended its creation of a Twitter-like Cuban communications network to undermine the communist government, declaring the secret program was "invested and debated" by Congress and wasn't a covert operation that required White House approval...

The gallery will feature new porcelain jewelry by Linda Bohnsack that incorporates various textures and colors. Reception from 5 to 9 p.m. 821A Broadway, 334-8530 The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri The 12th annual Visual Arts Cooperative's three-gallery show will feature pieces from more than 50 local artists in the Jean Chapman, Lorimier Gallery and Gallery 100 at the Arts Council. Light refreshments will be provided...

U.S. 61, or Kingshighway, in Cape Girardeau County will be reduced to one lane as Missouri Department of Transportation crews make drainage repairs. This section of road is between Victoria Street and Thomas Drive, according to a news release by MoDOT. The work will take place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday...

Over the next two days, Cape Girardeau will be the warm little center of the sock-knitting universe. Erlbacher Gearhart Knitting Machine Co. makes hand-crank sock knitting machines and is hosting its fourth annual Crank-In at Ray's Plaza Banquet Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Saturday...

ST. LOUIS -- A band of severe weather stretched across a swath of the Midwest and South on Thursday, with hailstorms in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas following a small tornado in suburban St. Louis. Storms slammed the North Texas college city of Denton with hail as large as baseballs, leading to reports of broken windows and other damage. The National Weather Service in Tulsa noted reports of hail up to the size of Ping-Pong balls and strong wind gusts...

FORT HOOD, Texas -- The soldier who killed three people at Fort Hood may have argued with another service member before the attack, and investigators believe his unstable mental health contributed to the rampage, authorities said Thursday. The base's senior officer, Lt. ...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Central Tigers averted a gloomy prediction for rain Thursday, but they could not avoid the bats of the Poplar Bluff Mules. Poplar Bluff banged out 12 hits in a 9-1 victory over the Tigers in a SEMO Conference game at Strenfel Memorial Field to remain unbeaten...

The 2014 Southeast Missouri all-region basketball teams as selected and nominated by a committee of sports writers from eight publications:Boys Class 5 First team Karson King, 6-6, sr., Jackson Blake Reynolds, 6-7, jr., Jackson Stacy Gipson, 6-7, sr., Poplar Bluff...

NEW YORK -- David Letterman is retiring next year as host of "Late Show." During a taping of Thursday's show, Letterman said he has informed CBS that he will step down in 2015, when his contract expires. He specified no end date, telling his audience he expects his exit will be in "at least a year or so, but sometime in the not too distant future -- 2015, for the love of God -- [band leader] Paul [Shaffer] and I will be wrapping things up."...

When is a quilt more than a quilt? When it represents history and it's displayed as if it were a piece in an art gallery. The Lutheran Heritage Center and Museum in Altenburg, Mo., puts those two elements together in a new exhibit, "A Celebration of Red and White," a display of 29 quilts from the collection of Ann M. ...

O Lord Jesus, may we be leaders who seek to honor you, our Savior. Amen.

Spring into Dance, this semester's dance concert at Southeast Missouri State University, includes four student-choreographed pieces, three faculty-choreographed pieces and two pieces choreographed by guest artists that showcase dancing techniques and styles, according to one of the student choreographers, Laura Goeing...