Stories from Thursday, April 30, 2015

Catapult Creative House, Southeast Missouri State University's new business incubator at 612 Broadway, will allow students from various departments and disciplines to work together in a quest to become entrepreneurs. Catapult is set to have its soft opening from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, with live music, a coffee tasting and products and art for sale, said operations manager Leah Powers...

BALTIMORE -- When police spotted Freddie Gray and he took off running through his Baltimore neighborhood, officers made a split-second decision to give chase, setting in motion his death in custody and rioting in the streets. Fleeing from police is not, by itself, illegal in America, and the U.S. Supreme Court has made clear in safe neighborhoods, people not suspected of criminal activity can ignore a police officer who approaches them, even to the point of walking away...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Most Ameren Missouri customers will face higher bills while the electric utility's largest customer will get a lower rate it has long sought under a decision Wednesday by the state's Public Service Commission. Commission chairman Robert Kenney said some of the costs from the lower rate for Noranda Aluminum Inc. ...

STEELE, Mo. -- The widow of a Southeast Missouri businessman killed in a collision with a train in 2012 was awarded $20 million in court this week.

It wasn't until she played her first collegiate game at the University of Evansville under now Southeast Missouri State softball coach Mark Redburn that hitting home runs here and there instead of base hits became a reality.

Cape Girardeau Native Brese Squires, Known to many as R&B Recording Artist ''Breeze" is Back with great News for his Fans and his Hometown. Brese will be Featured as the Muscial Guest Star in the New upcoming Movie ''Somewhere Between Arnold & Festus'' Directed By Non other than Super Movie Director: Dan Steadman..Movie will be out Soon this Spring early Summer. ...

Few people match the defensive play of former St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith. The Hall of Famer wowed fans during his career with diving catches, quickness and iconic back flip. Last week Smith spoke at Southeast Missouri State University as part of the university's speaker series. The talk held at the Show Me Center was built on the Hall of Famer's illustrious career...

** Bullying program; ** Comic Con-grats; ** Con-structive advice; ** First task

As a McDonald's owner operator and local, small business owner, I feel compelled to respond to Bob Miller's opinion [column] from Sunday, April 26, regarding partnerships with schools. I and hundreds of McDonald's owners across the country have a strong belief in supporting our local communities and those issues or projects that are important to them. ...

NEW YORK -- Broadway likes to say it has plenty of soul, but only one man has its sole. Gino Bifulco, who runs the Times Square-area custom shoe company T.O. Dey, makes the footwear for 80 percent of Broadway's musicals. "No one does it the way we do it," he said. "That's not to pat ourselves on the back. It's just a fact. We go to the extreme."...

ST. LOUIS -- A man shot and wounded during an exchange of gunfire with St. Louis police during an investigation into a stolen vehicle has been charged with seven felonies. St. Louis city prosecutors on Tuesday charged Alfred Graves with three counts each of first-degree assault on a law enforcement officer and armed criminal action, as well as unlawful possession of a firearm. Graves, whose background includes convictions for assault and robbery, also is accused of resisting arrest...

LOS ANGELES -- The health of singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell has been the subject of conflicting information, with her website stating she is alert and expected to make a full recovery but a longtime friend saying in a court filing she was unconscious and unable to care for herself...

NEW YORK -- Hulu is giving its viewers nothing to watch, in a big way. The online network has landed exclusive subscription on-demand rights to "Seinfeld." All nine seasons of the hit comedy said to be "about nothing" will be streaming on Hulu starting in June, the network announced Wednesday at a presentation for advertisers...

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The performances of daredevil tightrope walker Nik Wallenda have taken him between Chicago skyscrapers, over Niagara Falls and across a gorge near the Grand Canyon. He can add a spinning Ferris wheel to the list. Wallenda completed a walk across the rim of the 400-foot Orlando Eye observation wheel Wednesday morning in Florida...

WASHINGTON -- Most Americans think the government should protect religious liberties over gay rights when the two come into conflict, a new Associated Press-GfK poll finds, though fewer think most businesses should be allowed to turn away gay couples because of religious beliefs...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Questions again faced Poplar Bluff city manager Heath Kaplan this week about payments to a developer and a phone system bought in July and replaced in October. On Tuesday, Kaplan denied the city has missed payments to Eight Point developers, despite having painted a different picture during an earlier city council meeting...

KATHMANDU, Nepal -- The first supplies of food aid began reaching remote, earthquake-shattered mountain villages in Nepal, while thousands clamored to board buses out of Kathmandu, either to check on rural relatives or for fear of spending yet another night in the damaged capital...

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. -- A parolee admitted in court Wednesday he helped steal assault-style rifles and other firearms from a store during what investigators say was his plot to sell them to protesters in Ferguson, Missouri. Dakota Moss, 19, of Centralia, Illinois, pleaded guilty in East St. ...

ST. LOUIS -- Construction began Wednesday on an upgraded museum and visitor center at St. Louis' iconic Gateway Arch as part of an ambitious $380 million bid to renovate the grounds of the towering landmark on the cusp of turning a half-century old...

FERGUSON, Mo. -- Looting, fires and gunfire broke out in Ferguson overnight during protests in response to the death of a black man in police custody in Baltimore. Ferguson Police Department spokesman Jeff Small says three people were shot during protests that began about 8 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Canfield Drive and West Florissant Avenue...

BALTIMORE -- Thousands of people hit the streets in Baltimore and several other cities from Boston and New York to Indianapolis and Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to protest the death of a black man who died of spinal injuries after his arrest by Baltimore police and to demand reforms to police procedures...

CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- Officers who rushed to the scene of the Colorado theater shooting entered a world of bloody victims, noxious smells and blaring sounds -- a darkness pierced by bright flashes from a fire alarm, police testified Wednesday. "It was dim, the movie was still playing, the alarm was going off," Aurora police officer Annette Brook told jurors in the trial of gunman James Holmes. "I began to notice the bodies, the live victims, the blood."...

BOSTON -- As a child, Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was quiet, hardworking and "always wanted to do the right thing," his third-grade teacher testified Wednesday to jurors who will decide whether he spends the rest of his life in prison or is sentenced to death...

NEW YORK -- Bud Light should have kept the word "no" handy in this case. St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch is apologizing for ad copy that appeared on bottles saying Bud Light removes the word "no" from drinkers' vocabulary. Photos of the bottles went viral on social media Tuesday with complaints about the slogan, particularly at a time of national debate about college rape...

ST. LOUIS -- After three years of extra picks from the Robert Griffin III deal with Washington, the St. Louis Rams have a smaller-than-usual amount. The Rams have the 10th overall pick and six selections overall, five fewer than last season when the haul included five starters...

ST. LOUIS -- Peter Bourjos hit a game-tying RBI triple, then scored the go-ahead run by beating the throw home on an infield tapper to fuel a four-run fifth inning in the St. Louis Cardinals' 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night...

The Southeast Missouri State softball team split a doubleheader with Arkansas on Wednesday night. The Razorbacks (16-34) won Game 1 13-8 in five innings, but the Redhawks (16-25) bounced back to win Game 2 4-3 in eight innings. Southeast jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first in Game 1, but Arkansas scored five times in the bottom of the inning and never trailed. It added a run in the third, five in the fourth and two more in the fifth for the run-rule victory...

Daniel "Joe" Coomer, 67, of Whitewater died Tuesday, April 28, 2015, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Donny Ford officiating. Burial will be in Williams Cemetery at Perkins, Missouri...

Dr. Lanny Barnes, 73, of Tumwater, Washington, formerly of Cape Girardeau passed away Thursday, April 9, 2015, at his home, with his wife of 52 years and two sons by his side. A celebration of his life will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Cape Girardeau Middle School (the former Central Junior High School Building)...

Wanda Lois Curtis, 71, of Jackson died Wednesday, April 29, 2015, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born March 21, 1944, in Orosi, California, to Joshua James and Vera Ellen Meridith Say. She and Robert Alvin Curtis were married Sept. 14, 1962, in Lathrop, California. He preceded her in death March 14, 2002...

Cape Girardeau County Commission 1 Barton Square, Jackson 9 a.m. today Approval of minutes n Minutes of the April 27 meeting n Approve amended minutes of the April 27 meeting Communications/reports -- other elected officials n None at this time Public comments...

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. economy nearly stopped growing in the January-March quarter, squeezed by a combination of factors that either will fade (a harsh winter) or persist (a stronger dollar). Growth was a barely discernible 0.2 percent annual rate in the first quarter, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. That's the poorest showing in a year and a sharp deceleration from a 3.6 percent rate in the second half of last year...

PARKLAND, Fla. -- A half-century after dropping 70 pounds and keeping them off, Weight Watchers founder Jean Nidetch made some allowances: Cokes in her fridge, Klondikes in her freezer, the occasional potato or extra piece of bread on her plate. But she never again touched the chocolate marshmallow cookies she called her ultimate weakness, the treat she'd stash in the hamper and eat by the boxful in the middle of the night, all the while praying she'd choke on her next bite...

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Reserve downgraded its assessment of the U.S. economy Wednesday after a winter in which growth nearly stopped. It offered no sign a rate increase might be coming soon. On a day when the government said the economy barely grew in the January-March quarter, the Fed appeared no closer to raising its benchmark rate from a record low. The Fed noted in a statement growth has slowed, business investment has softened, and exports have declined...

Baker Daughter to Caleb Eli Baker and Lacee Nikoal Toombs of Marble Hill, Missouri, Saint Francis Medical Center, 9:43 a.m. Tuesday, March 10, 2015. Name, Blaike Calee. Weight, 3 pounds, 8 ounces. Ms. Toombs is the daughter of Nioka Dambach of Glenallen, Missouri, and Bobby Toombs of Marble Hill. She is a customer service rep at Buchheit's. Baker is the son of Wendy Baker and Brad Baker of Marble Hill. He is employed at B&B Lumber...

Olympic star Jackie Joyner-Kersee met a capacity crowd at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes Banquet in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, Tuesday, saying it was a great feeling to be back in town. "It really is a great feeling, to see family, and I have so many great memories here. There is just a lot of love here," she said...

Reed Dickson poses for Samartha Shrestha at the mugshot station while on a tour Wednesday of the Cape Girardeau Police Department during the Youth in Government Day. Area high school students learned more about the functions of city government and took a city facilities tour...

The Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's May First Friday Coffee event will feature presentations of projects developed by the chamber's 2015 Leadership Cape class. Leadership Cape is a chamber-led program which graduates a class of area professionals after a series of leadership-building activities and group meetings that result in ideas for community projects...

After years of struggling with sinkholes on South Sprigg Street, Cape Girardeau city officials say the city is in a good place to continue efforts to reopen the roadway. The city received federal funding last year to perform an investigative study, design and construction to mitigate the sinkhole issue and determine whether the street could be reopened...

SULLIVAN, Mo. -- A man is OK after being bitten by a copperhead snake, then taking the snake to the hospital to show what bit him. The man tried to pick up the snake Saturday. It bit him, but he captured it, put it in a box and sought treatment at a hospital in Sullivan. A nurse there called the Missouri Department of Conservation. An agent arrived and confirmed it was a copperhead. The man was treated and released. The snake was released back into the wild...

WASHINGTON -- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered condolences Wednesday for Americans killed in World War II in the first address by a Japanese leader to a joint meeting of Congress, but stopped short of apologizing for wartime atrocities. Abe came to Capitol Hill after a morning visit to a Washington memorial to more than 400,000 American service members who died in the conflict. His remarks to a packed chamber a day after meeting President Barack Obama were received warmly by lawmakers...

Today is Thursday, April 30, the 120th day of 2015. There are 245 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On April 30, 1945, as Soviet troops approached his Berlin bunker, Adolf Hitler committed suicide along with his wife of one day, Eva Braun...

All scores were reported to the Southeast Missourian on Wednesday.

Notre Dame's Logan Heisserer finished 2 for 3 with a double to lead the Bulldogs to a 2-1 win over defending Class 2 state champion Valle Catholic on Friday in the opener of the Notre Dame Bulldog Classic. The senior is batting .356 on the year and leads the team with 72 plate appearances. The victory over Valle notched Notre Dame's 11th consecutive win...

WASHINGTON -- Time for another history lesson. Only about a quarter of eighth-graders showed solid performance or better in U.S. history, civics and geography on tests known as the Nation's Report Card. The 2014 results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress released Wednesday were similar to those four years ago when the assessments were last administered...

Military.com posted an article from The Associated Press that reported a group of college students from a University of Florida chapter of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity spit at a veterans group at a Panama City, Florida, resort. University president Kent Fuchs called the behavior unacceptable and promised an investigation and appropriate action in an email to Linda Cope, the founder of the Warrior Beach Retreat at Laketown Wharf Resort...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls. Monday n Medical assist calls were made to: South Farrar Drive at 8:41 a.m.; Themis Street at 1:48 p.m.; Leroy Drive at 6:07 p.m.; Sapphire Lane at 7:55 p.m.; and Steven Drive at 10:03 p.m...

JACKSON The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n David L. Gilman, 27, of Jackson was arrested on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle while his operator's license was revoked. n Kevin R. Campbell, 32, of Cape Girardeau was arrested on suspicion of stealing and public intoxication...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI n James O. Stewart Jr., 53, of Jackson was issued summonses for driving while intoxicated and failure to maintain a single lane. Arrests...

We rejoice in you, O Lord Jesus, the God of our salvation. Amen.

As Kimberly Ritter began a lecture at Southeast Missouri State University on Wednesday evening, she acknowledged human sex trafficking is an uncomfortable topic to discuss. "It's a topic some don't believe," she said. "But tonight, open your hearts, open your eyes. Change the way you see it, change the way you think. There are going to be hard things to look at, but there's a way to fix that. And you are that way."...

Ingredients n Long Balloons n Straws n String n Tape Instructions STEP 1: Place two chairs several feet from each other. Run a string between the two chairs. STEP 2: Tie one end of the string to the back of one chair, thread the string through a straw, and then tie the free end of the string to the other chair...