Stories from Tuesday, January 16, 2018

For many young Americans, the birthday of slain civil-rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. "is just a day out of school," lamented pastor Elida Phifer-Hunter. But Phifer-Hunter said it is far more than that. It's a day to celebrate the legacy of a great humanitarian, she told the crowd Monday at the 17th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Luncheon Benefit at the Salvation Army in Cape Girardeau...

When Steve Skelton started Benchmark Graphics & Printing at 2701 E. Jackson Blvd. in Jackson, back in 1995, the company operated out of the building's basement. Now, the basement is the realm of machinery, from a collator purchased 20 years ago to a folder to a letterpress even older than that but useful for numbered jobs, Skelton said...

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 16, the 16th day of 2018. There are 349 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Jan. 16, 1978, NASA named 35 candidates to fly on the space shuttle, including Sally K. Ride, who became America's first woman in space, and Guion S. Bluford Jr., who became America's first black astronaut in space...

President Donald Trump found himself in unfamiliar territory last week as some on both sides of the aisle showered him with praise for the bipartisan immigration meeting he allowed the world to see. Media personalities used the term "unprecedented" and "remarkable." One even said he showed "command of the issues." Not everyone agrees with everything Trump has started saying about immigration, and some are downright angry at his "bill of love" comment; it reminds them of Jeb Bush's calling illegal immigration an "act of love" -- a comment Trump criticized. ...

Two simple economics concepts explain why Pres. Trump's proposed wall makes no sense. The first one is opportunity cost -- the value of the next best alternative when a decision is made. The wall will cost at least $18 billion (Pres. Trumps' budget request for the wall). ...

Earlier this month, a local dog rescue organization came to learn of a woman who was hoarding dogs near Malden, Missouri. Hoarders often start with good intention of raising or saving animals, but they don't know when to stop. This particular hoarder was found with 70 dogs in her possession, most of them Yorkies, and they were not in great shape. Seventy dogs are too much for one person to handle...

As we move into 2018 I believe it is appropriate to review my key goals as mayor for the coming year for the City of Jackson. This month I will cover the first two goals that have special emphasis at the beginning of the year. The first goal is Keeping Jackson Safe. ...

I write Senator Blunt often to tell him how much I disapprove of the stands he takes, so it is only fair that I tell people when he has done something right. I appreciate the Senator's words condemning Trump's comments about the "s---hole countries."...

Lloyd D. Hawkins, 77, of Jackson died Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018, at his residence. Internment will take place in the family plot in the Portageville, Missouri, cemetery at a later date. Arrangements are under the care of McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson...

SHATI REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip -- Mahmoud al-Qouqa can't imagine life without the three sacks of flour, cooking oil and other staples he receives from the United Nations every three months. Living with 25 relatives in a crowded home in this teeming Gaza Strip slum, the meager rations provided by UNRWA, the U.N. ...

BAGHDAD -- Twin suicide bombings rocked Baghdad on Monday, killing 38 people in the deadliest attack since Iraq declared victory over the Islamic State group last month and raising fears ahead of national elections planned for May. The bombers targeted the bustling Tayran Square, in the heart of the capital, setting off their explosive vests among laborers and street vendors during the morning rush hour. ...

HONOLULU -- Residents and tourists alike remained rattled after the mistaken alert was blasted out to cellphones across the islands with a warning to seek immediate shelter and the ominous statement: "This is not a drill." "Clearly there is a massive gap between letting people know something's coming and having something for them to do," Scheuer said Sunday. "Nobody knew what to do."...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- President Donald Trump turned his Twitter torment Monday on the Democrat in the room where immigration talks with lawmakers took a famously coarse turn, saying Sen. Dick Durbin misrepresented what he had said about African nations and Haiti and, in the process, undermined the trust needed to make a deal...

ATLANTA -- Martin Luther King Jr.'s children and the pastor of an Atlanta church where he preached decried disparaging remarks President Donald Trump is said to have made about African countries, while protests between Haitian immigrants and Trump supporters broke out near the president's Florida resort Monday, the official federal holiday honoring King...

ST. LOUIS -- Goodwill, a job training agency best known for its thrift stores, is entering the field of education in Missouri. St. Louis Public Radio reports that MERS Goodwill, the branch that covers Missouri and southern Illinois, has won a contract with Missouri education officials to open four adult high schools. Each will be known as an Excel Center...

ST. ROBERT, Mo. -- With a population just shy of 5,000, the town of St. Robert lies just south of the heart of Missouri. It's one of the many rural towns in the state that finds alternatives to health-care access through the internet. Since the early 1990s, the telehealth network has helped connect patients to health-care providers from their own homes. Increasing technology has made the service more efficient, with live audio and video sessions enhancing virtual health care...

ST. LOUIS -- A federal lawsuit alleging the Missouri Department of Social Services has failed foster children by prescribing psychotropic drugs and not providing proper oversight of the medications will be allowed to proceed, a federal judge ruled. Attorneys for Children's Rights, the National Center for Youth Law and Saint Louis University School of Law Legal Clinics filed the lawsuit in June on behalf of several Missouri children currently or formerly in foster care. ...

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- A Kansas biker group is helping victims of child abuse as they face their alleged attackers in court in Kansas and Missouri. The Kaw River Chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse formed in 2016, The Kansas City Star reported. The worldwide Bikers Against Child Abuse movement began two decades ago. The group provides free emotional support and acts as a safety buffer for children alleging abuse...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — H. Wayne Pitman, 78, of Perryville died Friday, Dec. 21, 2017, at his home. He was born May 9, 1939, in Kansas City, Missouri. He was the son of Mitchel and Iva Mae Hand Pitman. He and Judy Hendrix were married June 18, 1960. She survives in Perryville...

Charles "Rocky" Bierschwal, 73, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Jan. 12, 2018, at his residence. He was born Aug. 20, 1944, in Cape Girardeau to Cecil and Margie Webb Bierschwal. He and Janet Jones were married Nov. 30, 1978, at Jefferson City, Missouri...

Rosa "Rosalie" Francis, 88, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Jan. 15, 2018, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are pending at C.Z. Boyer and Son Funeral Home in Bonne Terre, Missouri.

CHAFFEE, Mo. — Bradley Arthur Dunn, 58, died Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018, at his home. There will be no services. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

LEXINGTON, N.C. — Donnie Ray Findley, 72, of Lexington died Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018. Friends may call from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. today at Liley Funeral Home in Patton, Missouri. A funeral service will be at 11 a.m. today at the funeral home, with Brother Randy Shrum officiating. Interment will take place in Old Bethel Cemetery in Patton...

Lourisa D. Haas, 43, of Jackson died Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018, in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are private at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson.

Ruby "Marie" Haupt, 101, of Jackson passed away Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018, at Ratliff Care Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 8, 1916, in Tilsit, daughter of Charles H. and Ida Valle Daume Sr. She and Joe Edward Haupt were married Oct. 24, 1941. He passed away Oct. 18, 2004...

Robert "Bob" Scheper Sr., 87, of Jackson passed away Sunday, Jan. 15, 2018, at the Monticello House in Jackson, Missouri. He was born Aug. 23, 1930, in Jackson, son of Clarence and Nellie Lee Gallent Scheper. He and Glenda K. Durham were married June 6, 1995, in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania...

Lloyd D. Hawkins, 77, of Jackson died Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018, at his residence. Internment will take place in the family plot in the Portageville, Missouri, cemetery at a later date. Arrangements are under the care of McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Virgil Lee Kinder, 69, of Marble Hill died at his home on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018. A memorial service will be held at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery at Bloomfield, Missouri, on Friday at 11 a.m. Hutchings Funeral Chapel is assisting the family...

Larry Clinton Huter, 68, of Jackson passed away Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018, at Jackson Manor Nursing Home. He was born May 28, 1949, in Cape Girardeau to Walter and Cora Bodenstein Huter. He was baptized and confirmed at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tilsit. He and Carolyn Mirly were married Aug. 11, 1968. They had been married 47 years when Carolyn passed away April 3, 2016...

O Father God, may we be filled with the fruit of the Spirit. Amen.

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Bryan L. Thornton Jr., 18, of Portageville, Missouri, was arrested on a Cape Girardeau County warrant. n Trevon J. Nicholson, 20, of Mounds, Illinois, was arrested at 401 Independence St. on a Scott County warrant...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls: Thursday * Medical assists were made at 12:31 a.m. on Linden Street; 8:16 a.m. on South Kingshighway; 9:15 a.m. on North Kingshighway; 11:44 a.m. on William Street; 12:30 p.m. on East Rodney Drive; 12:56 p.m. on North Frederick Street; 5:54 p.m. on East Riverside Drive; and 10:26 p.m. on Meadow Lane...

JACKSON The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Citation * Kimberly Keller, 50, of Jackson was issued a citation for operating a motor vehicle in an careless and imprudent manner and failure to drive on the right half of roadway...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A missing Bloomfield man was found dead Sunday. The Bloomfield Department of Public Safety reported its officers and the Stoddard County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a deceased male in a creek bed northwest of Bloomfield. ...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- The Ritz Carlton in Saudi Arabia's capital may be reopening its doors in time for Valentine's Day, after serving for several months as a prison for the country's elite caught up in what the government has described as a crackdown on corruption. The hotel's website showed bookings available beginning Feb. 14. An employee for the hotel said: "Bookings are available from the 14th of February, but the hotel is not liable if the booking is cancelled...

LAS VEGAS -- Today's vision of a smart home has more to do with what's technologically possible than what people really need. Thus the endless parade of internet-connected wine openers, water bottles, meat thermometers and refrigerators, and a dearth of automation that would clean and fold our laundry, pick up things around the house or assist aging people as their physical strength wanes...

A group of Cape Girardeau business people has hired the St. Louis public relations firm of Tretter-Gorman, Inc., to help promote the school district's April ballot measure; Boatmen's Bank president Jim Limbaugh is spearheading the group. Two Cape Girardeau men were honored for their work promoting justice, freedom and social betterment through non-violence at Friday's community-wide Martin Luther King Jr., celebration; Ferd Sturm and Michael Sterling received the Martin Luther King Jr. ...

A winter storm dumped as much as 2.5 inches of snow across Southeast Missouri on Monday ahead of arctic temperatures that were forecast to put the region in a deep freeze through Tuesday, the National Weather Service said. Several bands of snow moved across the area Monday, with the first occurring around morning rush hour, making for a messy commute...

Cape Girardeau commercial real-estate broker Tom Kelsey received the Realtor "Award of Excellence" for 2017. Kelsey, commercial broker for Lorimont Place Ltd. in Cape Girardeau, qualified for the highest volume "Pinnacle Zenith Level" award. He was the top producer for 2017 from all members of the Southeast Missouri Realtor board for commercial sales and leases, according to a news release...

St. Vincent De Paul 7th Grade Basketball team won the consolation round in the Notre Dame Parochial League Jr. High Invitational Tournament held January 6-7 and 14-15, 2018.