Stories from Thursday, January 26, 2017

Beginning next week, Jackson's Rotary Lake will open for rainbow trout harvest. The Missouri Department of Conservation's Winter Fisheries Program partners with communities to stock a local lake during the winter and provide people the experience of catching and bringing home rainbow trout...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department has been testing a few body cameras for a little more than a year in preparation for using them throughout the department. The police chief and officers who use them think the cameras will assist with evidence collection and provide documentation on complaints...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri utility companies on Wednesday asked lawmakers to change state law to help them pay for infrastructure improvements. The proposal drew broad opposition from consumer advocates and companies such as Wal-Mart. Republican Sen. Ed Emery said his bill would allow the utilities to recoup costs for infrastructure improvements more quickly...

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith voiced support Wednesday for Donald Trump's executive actions, contending the new president "has done more to help working-class Americans" in his first several days in office than his predecessor did in eight years. "He has put his heart and soul into it, and I am pretty impressed with that," Smith said...

Today in History Today is Thursday, Jan. 26, the 26th day of 2017. There are 339 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Jan. 26, 1942, the first American Expeditionary Force to head to Europe during World War II arrived in Belfast, Northern Ireland...

O Lord God, we praise you, for you knew us before we were born. Amen.

Masked men and women descended on the Isle Casino Cape Girardeau Event Center last weekend for the SoutheastHEALTH Foundation's Journey Gala titled "A Night in Disguise -- A Venetian Masquerade," that featured comedian and cancer survivor Tom Green as a speaker...

In February 1985, two water systems at Marine Camp Lejeune, which had supplied drinking water to housing, administrative and recreational facilities, as well as the base hospital, were shut down due to concerns about pollution. The water systems had been polluted with volatile organic compounds, trichloroethylene (TCE), a metal degreaser, and perchloroethylene, a dry-cleaning agent (PCE), as well as benzene, and vinyl chloride. ...

The city of Cape Girardeau may as well change the speed limit on Bloomfield Road from 35 mph to 70 mph between the hills of Edgewood Drive to Silver Springs Road. Hardly anyone is doing the speed limit, we pray that none of our children or our pet gets injured or killed by these speeders...

CANNON BALL, N.D. -- Most of the demonstrators who gathered on the North Dakota plains to oppose the Dakota Access oil pipeline declared victory and departed their snowy protest camp last month after the Army announced it would halt the project. Now that President Donald Trump's administration is pushing to complete the pipeline, the few hundred protesters still living on the wind-whipped prairie must decide what to do -- accept likely defeat and leave, or stay and keep fighting...

The Dow Jones industrial average crossed the 20,000 mark for the first time Wednesday, the latest milestone in a record-setting drive for the stock market. Strong earnings from Boeing and other big companies helped push the Dow past the threshold early on. U.S. stocks closed solidly higher, lifting the Standard & Poor's 500 index and Nasdaq composite to record highs of their own for the second day in a row...

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump declared Wednesday he is ordering a "major investigation" into widespread voter fraud, raising the prospect of a federal government probe into a widely debunked claim and sparking alarm among experts and Democrats...

CHICAGO -- A day after President Donald Trump declared he was ready to "send in the Feds" if Chicago can't reduce its homicides, Mayor Rahm Emanuel warned against deploying the National Guard, saying it would hurt efforts to restore trust in the police...

GIULIANOVA, Italy -- First there was a loud roar. Then darkness -- hours and hours of darkness. A couple among the nine survivors of an Italian avalanche that devastated a mountain hotel said they survived nearly 58 hours buried beneath feet of snow by sucking on glass- and mud-filled ice, comforting each other and those nearby and praying...

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump moved aggressively to tighten the nation's immigration controls Wednesday, signing executive actions to jumpstart construction of his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall and cut federal grants for immigrant-protecting "sanctuary cities."...

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump declared Wednesday he believes torture works as his administration readied a review of how America conducts the war on terror. It includes possible resumption of banned interrogation methods and reopening CIA-run "black site" prisons outside the United States...

Regional Eyecare Center Inc. has more than doubled its space, going from about 1,900 square feet to 4,500 square feet; Drs. Beverly Cleair and Robert Felker also are offering expanded hours for the center at 1749 Independence St. Americans with disabilities have more civil rights today than they had last week; the Americans with Disabilities Act becomes a federal law, giving a big boost to an estimated 43 million handicapped Americans; for governments and their facilities, and businesses with more than 24 employees, ADA bans discrimination against people with disabilities.. ...

Deloris Ann Thompson, 84, of Scott City died Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, at her home. She was born April 11, 1932, in Fornfelt to Albert James and Eldora Adams Gendron. She married Lois Wilson Thompson on April 19, 1952. He preceded her in death July 4, 1981...

Mary Helen Ray, 72, of Jackson died Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. The funeral will be at 12:30 p.m. Monday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Jim Matthews officiating. Burial will be at Oakdale Cemetery in Commerce, Missouri...

Daniel Henry Prigge, 69, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, at his home. A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Feb. 4 at Unitarian Universalist Church, 200 Broadway in Cape Girardeau. McCombs Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau is in charge of arrangements...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Wanda L. Jenkins, 89, of Advance died Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017 at Advance Assisted Living. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Morgan Funeral Chapel in Advance. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the chapel. Burial will be at Morgan Memorial Park in Advance...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Charles Lee Harris, 80, of Poplar Bluff was called home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, at his home, surrounded by his family and friends. Mr. Harris, the son of the late C.P. and Louise Harris, was born March 19, 1936, in Illmo...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- June Christine Wiggins Ferrier, 97, of Advance passed away Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Sept. 12, 1919, at Advance, the daughter of John C. and Carrie E. Goodman Wiggins. June retired after being a fifth-grade teacher for 33 years. ...

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls: Monday n Medical assists were made at 2:14 a.m. on Park Place; 9:51 a.m. on South West End Boulevard; 2:04 p.m. on East Rodney Drive; 6:19 p.m. on North Lorimier Street; and 10:43 p.m. on William Street...

Daughter to Cody Dewayne Noble and Lacey Denise Land of Dexter, Missouri, Southeast Hospital, 3:28 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, 2017. Name, Willow Nicole. Weight, 7 pounds, 4 ounces. Second child, first daughter. Land is the daughter of Margaret Rogers and Shannon Rogers of Cordeal, Georgia. Noble is the son of Rosie Noble and Michael Kirkland of Dexter and Scott and Heather Noble of Hot Springs, Arkansas...

Approval of minutes n Minutes of the Jan. 23 meeting Communications/reports -- other elected officials n None at this time Public comments n Items listed on agenda Routine business...

NEW YORK -- Mary Tyler Moore, the star of TV's beloved "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" whose comic realism helped revolutionize the depiction of women on the small screen, died Wednesday, her publicist, Mara Buxbaum, said. She was 80. Moore gained fame in the 1960s as the frazzled wife Laura Petrie on "The Dick Van Dyke Show." In the 1970s, she created one of TV's first career-woman sitcom heroines in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."...

JOPLIN, Mo. -- Bible study groups that were previously halted in Joplin middle schools earlier this month are going to resume as early as next week. The Joplin Globe reported the groups were criticized from the American Humanist Association in December, saying the studies involved both teachers and outside ministry members leading students in prayer and Scripture readings...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A proposal to create education savings accounts for children with disabilities has been expanded to include all Missouri students. In a Senate committee hearing Wednesday, Sen. Ed Emery submitted a new version of a bill that would create a system to distribute money to parents through bank accounts. The money could be used for private or charter school tuition, textbooks, online classes or tutoring...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Lawmakers are anticipating tuition hikes in Missouri after recently announced budget cuts. Gov. Eric Greitens announced nearly $68 million in core funding for public universities and community colleges last week. ...

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- A Kansas City, Missouri, woman is being given a new prosthetic arm to replace one stolen from her minivan in September. Twenty-nine-year-old Gaby Carmona had done without since the theft because the $120,000 replacement cost had been too pricey, The Kansas City Star reported. She's getting the new arm thanks to the generosity of a manufacturer and others...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's Republican-led Senate on Wednesday advanced a right-to-work bill to ban mandatory union fees that would exempt current contracts until they expire. Senators voted 21-12, with three Republicans joining Democratic opponents, to give initial approval to the measure. It needs another vote of approval before it can move to the House, which last week passed an almost-identical bill...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Two weeks after his abrupt retirement as a full-time driver in NASCAR, Carl Edwards on Wednesday would not rule out a potential U.S. Senate campaign in his home state of Missouri next year. Terry Smith, a political-science professor at Columbia College, speculated in a Wednesday piece for KBIA's Talking Politics that Edwards will challenge Sen. ...

ST. ANN, Mo. — Robert A. “Tony” Faust Jr., 93 1/2, formerly of Cape Girardeau, passed away peacefully at his home, surrounded by his loving family, friends and dogs Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017. Adored husband and hero of the late E. Jean Young Faust; dedicated daddy to Julie (Doug) Michel, Stacy Faust (Travis Turnbow) and Jan (Larry) Bender; beloved granddaddy to Julie, Christa, Tabitha, Douglas, Amie, Zachary, Adam and Jason; dearest great-granddaddy to 13; dear uncle, cousin and friend...

GRANITE CITY, Ill. -- Walker Charles William Ervin, 77, of Granite City passed away Friday, Dec. 16, 2016, at his second home in Daytona Beach, Florida. Walker was born March 4, 1939, in Cape Girardeau, a son of the late William Lewis and Gurneth Mammon Ervin...

Sewer repairs are needed along Cape Girardeau’s Main Street before work can begin on the sidewalk replacement and lighting project, city officials said Wednesday. Project contractor Fronabarger Concreters and the city will begin fixing the sanitary sewer line beginning today, officials said...

The United Way of Southeast Missouri began Wednesday its “Give From the Heart” donation campaign that will run through the end of February. Participating businesses will sell hearts for a $1 minimum donation, and several restaurants will commit to share profits with the United Way...

WASHINGTON -- They aren't well-known. Their names are odd. And what they do -- well, it's complicated. Yet student-loan servicers -- with names such as AES-PHEAA and Nelnet -- play a key role in the lives of the 44 million Americans who, combined, have amassed a $1.4 trillion mountain of student debt...

Several local students were awarded scholarships to attend Southeast Missouri State University. Jordan Huff of Cape Girardeau has received the Governor's Scholarship and Governor's Housing Scholarship. Huff is the daughter of Rob and Rose Huff of Cape Girardeau and will be a 2017 graduate of Notre Dame Regional High School...

n Balloon n Orange n Flexible measuring tape n STEP 1: Inflate the balloon. Describe the balloon, using its observable properties. Using the flexible measuring tape, measure the distance around the fattest part of the balloon. Using this data, identify the balloon based on its properties...

Southeast Missouri State University will hold a series of events to celebrate Black History Month in February, highlighted by the 21st annual Michael Davis Lecture. The lecture will be at 6 p.m. Feb. 15 at Dempster Hall’s Glenn Auditorium. Zerlina Maxwell, a lawyer, writer, political analyst and activist against rape culture and sexual assault, will be the featured speaker...

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Notes that Mark Twain jotted down from a fairy tale he told his daughters more than a century ago have inspired a new children's book, "The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine." At the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, there is excitement the story could help introduce the writer to wider audiences -- and provide a financial lift for the not-for-profit organization that curates the three-story Gothic Revival mansion where Twain raised his family...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A relic from America's first space tragedy finally is going on display this week, 50 years after a fire on the launch pad killed three astronauts at the start of the Apollo moon program. The scorched Apollo 1 capsule remains locked in storage. But NASA is offering visitors at Kennedy Space Center a look at the most symbolic part: the hatch that trapped Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee in their burning spacecraft Jan. 27, 1967...

NEW YORK -- Roses are red, violets are blue; how about having a roach named for you? The Bronx Zoo is offering people the chance to name one of its Madagascar hissing cockroaches in honor of someone for Valentine's Day. For $10, recipients get an emailed certificate telling them one of the insects from the world's largest roach species has been named for them. This year, the zoo will send chocolates or a Madagascar cockroach plush toy for higher donations...

For one local high-school student, poetry is about surface meaning and deeper truths. Kate Zibluk, a junior at Notre Dame Regional High School in Cape Girardeau, won the regional Poetry Out Loud! competition on Jan. 14 at the Cape Girardeau Public Library, where she recited three poems from memory: "Experience" by Ralph Waldo Emerson, "There Are Birds Here" by Jamaal May and "300 Goats" by Naomi Shihab Nye...

Benjamin Wyatt Burford went home to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017. Born July 22, 1930, at Lutesville, Missouri, to Pearl Wagner and Benjamin W. Burford, he graduated from Lutesville High School in 1948. After service in Japan during the Korean War, Ben returned to his hometown. He married G. Jo Conrad on Oct. 2, 1959. To Jo and Ben were born K. Denise (Jack S. Bland) of Bentonville, Arkansas, and C. Scott (Jenni L. Ford), also of Bentonville...

O’FALLON, Mo. — Betty M. Hindman, 90, of O’Fallon passed away Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, at Missouri Baptist Hospital in St. Louis. Betty was born Sept. 22, 1926, in Matthews, Missouri, the daughter of Jess O. and Johnnie Garner Cox. Betty was a homemaker and a member of First Baptist Church at Lake St. Louis, Missouri...