Stories from Saturday, January 20, 2018

A judge sentenced a Scott City man Friday to life in prison without parole for strangling his mother with a braided dog leash. Neil Howland Jr., 29, also was sentenced by Judge Fred Copeland to four years each on five other charges, bringing his total sentence to 120 years...

When he was just 7 years old, Joshua Taylor's parents told him if he could go without television and spend that time writing instead, then they'd consider publishing his work. At 18, Taylor now has four self-published books with no plans to stop anytime soon...

Saint Francis Healthcare System announced the promotion of David Prather, CPA, to chief financial officer and vice president of finance, in a Friday news release. Prather joined Saint Francis in 1995, having previously worked for firms Eck & Braeckel and Baird, Kurtz & Dobson, according to the release...

When the curtains opened at Bedell Hall for the River Campus' first production of the spring semester, the audience was greeted with a familiar scene: Cinderella earnestly scrubbing the floors. The performance that followed, though, was charmingly removed from Disney's version of the timeless fairy tale...

A new, summer-league baseball team will call Cape Girardeau home, starting in June 2019, city and team officials announced Friday. The team, which has yet to be named, will be part of the wood-bat Prospect League and play a 60-game schedule, Mayor Harry Rediger said during a news conference at the Cape Girardeau SportsPlex...

Crews with Mid-South Steel, Penzel Construction and Fronabarger Concreters work at the construction site for Kidd's gas station and convenience store at 1325 Broadway as a fuel tank is installed Friday in Cape Girardeau.

Today is Saturday, Jan. 20, the 20th day of 2018. There are 345 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Jan. 20, 2017, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, pledging emphatically to empower America's "forgotten men and women." Protesters registered their rage against the new president in a chaotic confrontation with police just blocks from the inaugural parade...

Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz spoke last night before an audience of about 300 at a meeting of the Cape Girardeau Executive Club at the Drury Lodge; Butz told the crowd that within a generation, the world will have to increase its food-producing capacity by two-thirds to feed the 3..5 billion more people expected to be alive by 2020...

The red-breasted nuthatch is a North American native that summers in the forests across Canada. It raises its babies there. During the winter the red-breasted nuthatch migrates south and can be seen in Southeast Missouri. This chatty little bird loves eating nut meat and seeds while on vacation in our area. ...

Dutchess is a one-and-a-half-year-old female. She is sweet and needs a loving, forever home. She is available for adoption at Safe Harbor; call (573) 243-9823.

Monday: Chicken Parmesan or popcorn shrimp, pasta and marinara, Italian-blend veggies, buttered sweet corn, whole-grain garlic bread and mandarin oranges or ice cream. Tuesday: Chicken and dressing or Swiss steak, glazed carrots, pickled beets, whole-grain hot roll and mixed fruit salad or peach cobbler...

The Oak Ridge Homemakers FCE met Dec. 19 at the home of Jackie Brandtner in Cape Girardeau. The short meeting was followed by Christmas dinner. Roll call was answered by a response of the member's favorite Christmas carol. The meeting was called to order by Jean Rehak, president...

Meals with Friends will be served from noon to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Salvation Army, 701 Good Hope St. in Cape Girardeau. Menus are as follows: Monday: BBQ chicken, whole potatoes with onions, corn, fruit and dessert Tuesday: Turkey vegetable soup, grilled cheese, peas, fruit and dessert...

Megan Peters of Cape Girardeau has been named to the Fall 2017 Dean's List at Roger Williams University, in Bristol, Rhode Island. Colten Winter of Oran, Missouri, has been named to the Fall 2017 Dean's List at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina...

NEW YORK -- Stop making excuses. Start making plans. That's the message behind the second annual National Plan for Vacation Day. It's an effort by the travel industry to persuade Americans to use Jan. 30 as a day to schedule their vacations for the year and take advantage of any paid time off they are entitled to from their jobs...

BISMARCK, N.D. -- Even North Dakota's tourism director admits it isn't easy promoting a state where the first day of the new year brought temperatures down to a brutal 45 below zero. But having Hollywood actor and Minot native Josh Duhamel make the pitch helps, said Sara Otte Coleman, who heads the state's tourism agency...

Happy birthday to Dorothy Wolfe, Jessie Burnett, Alan Penrose, Brenda Hester, Dale Platt, Mildred White, Cindy Wibbenmeyer, Jon Nordin, Aria Kirn, Joy Moyers, Clifford Van Dover, Richard Graviett, Zachary McDaniel, Maggie Lancaster, Teasha Totty, Caitlin Randolph, Jason Mott, Dewayne McAlister, Michael Lee, Gaylord Spane, Gina King, Michelle Neal and Seth Barnhart...

For the past three weeks or so it has seemed like it has been rather chilly around here. We got a week of cold weather, then it warmed up into the 60s, then went back down to around zero. This past cold spell also has brought us some sleet and freezing rain, then snow. There hasn't been any real problems for us with the cold, but it hasn't been totally enjoyable...

Amber L. Newcomb of Cape Girardeau and Todd W. Wessel of Gordonville were married Dec. 2, 2017, at LaCroix United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau. Brett Cheek performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Gary and Debbie Newcomb of Cape Girardeau. The groom is the son of Jack and Sue Wessel of Gordonville...

Shannon and Stephanie Jackson of Whitewater announce the engagement of their daughter, Emily Jo Jackson, to Lane Michael Henson of Tamms, Illinois. He is the son of Shannon and Jennifer Henson of Chaffee, Missouri. Emily is a 2016 graduate of Eagle Ridge Christian School. ...

Jessica Elaine Vandeven and William Davis O'Guin Jr. were married July 8 at St. John's Catholic Church in Leopold, Missouri. The Rev. Michael Casteel performed the ceremony. Alissa Vandeven of Leopold, friend of the family, was organist. Whitney Vandeven of Leopold, cousin of the bride, and Bob Clubb of Leopold, friend of the family, were vocalists...

Rachel Anne Roggow and Jefferey James Prost were married Nov. 4 at Piper Palm House in St. Louis. Patrick Koetting performed the ceremony. Music was provided by Bob and Diane Prost of Chesterfield, Missouri. The bride is the daughter of Rodney and Karen Roggow of Jackson. The groom is the son of Rick and Becky Prost of Cape Girardeau...

In August 2014, LifeWay Research surveyed 1,137 Americans about the frequency and content of their prayer, and the results revealed, among other things, about half of Americans say they pray at least every day. Sometimes, though, while we may feel a desire to pray, and even tell someone our "thoughts and prayers" are with them, we are not quite certain really what that means or what to do. ...

If you had only spoken your feelings, much discord could have been avoided. Why don't people tell it like it is and take a chance? Most arguments, hard-feelings, hurt emotions and anger are because of a breakdown in communication. The best of friends and relatives fall prey to disputes uncalled for. ...

If you grow up in a Baptist church, you often will hear about a group of selected congregants called "deacons." To me, they often were a mysterious group of men, holding occasional meetings and in charge of taking the offering plates. As a kid, I could not tell you what their responsibilities were; I just knew it was a big deal to be a deacon in a Baptist church...

Our son Ross lives in St. Peters, Missouri, and he's finding it a challenge to cook for one person and to find recipes he's comfortable making. I went looking today for recipes I already had in my files from days gone by, and I found a couple of new ones that are very easy to prepare and warm up easily as leftovers. Most will freeze well, too, so he can put in smaller containers and freeze for later...

When it comes to making beef stews, the French are clear winners. French beef stews -- from wine country's Boeuf Bourguignon to southern France's Daube a la Provencale -- get their unmistakable flavor from onions, red wine, chunks of beef, herbs and often bacon or fatty pork that simmer together for hours, creating heady, delicious aromas. ...

O Lord Jesus, we worship you our Glorious Savior and King of kings. Amen.

I have read that some Democrats are boycotting the State of the Union Address. That's fine as I hope people finally see these politicians are not in office to represent them, but to fulfill their own agendas. They think this make a "name" for them. Well it does, "STUPID & IGNORANT" should be posted on each of their foreheads. ...

The city of Cape Girardeau is holding its third workshop next week to get your input on how to shape the city going forward. Labeled Cape Vision 2040, the planning concept, a sequel to Vision 2020, is to seek community input so the city's planners and leaders can have a sort of navigational chart as they steer the city for the next couple of decades...

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea on Friday abruptly canceled plans to send a delegation led by the head of a hugely popular girl band to South Korea over the weekend to check preparations for a trip by a North Korean art troupe she also leads during next month's Pyeongchang Winter Olympics...

SRINAGAR, India -- Tensions have soared along the volatile frontier between India and Pakistan in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, as rival troops shelled villages and border posts for a third day Friday. Three civilians and two soldiers were killed on both sides in the latest clash, officials in the two countries said, as each blamed the other for initiating the violence...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Christa McAuliffe's lost lessons are finally getting taught in space. Thirty-two years after the Challenger disaster, a pair of teachers turned astronauts will pay tribute to McAuliffe by carrying out her science classes on the International Space Station...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide the legality of the latest version of President Donald Trump's ban on travel to the United States by residents of six majority-Muslim countries. The issue pits an administration contending the restrictions are necessary for Americans' security against challengers who claim it is illegally aimed at Muslims and stems from Trump's campaign call for a "complete shutdown of Muslims" entering the U.S...

SAN DIEGO -- Recent assaults by tactical teams on prototypes of President Donald Trump's proposed wall with Mexico indicate their imposing heights should stop border crossers, a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the rigorous assessment told The Associated Press...

WASHINGTON -- Countering China's rapidly expanding military and an increasingly aggressive Russia are now the U.S. military's top national security priorities, outpacing the threat of terrorism, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday. He said competition with those adversaries has threatened America's military advantage around the world...

WASHINGTON -- Rex Tillerson's mission was delicate but not unfamiliar as he phoned President Donald Trump last week: Persuade the boss to curb his own impulses on yet another potentially explosive national security issue. Trump had stormed into the new year threatening on Twitter to cut off aid to the Palestinians after little Mideast peace progress. ...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- When truck driver Chris Gromek wants to know what's really going on in Washington, he scans the internet and satellite radio. He no longer flips TV channels because networks such as Fox News and MSNBC deliver conflicting accounts tainted by politics, he says...

LAS VEGAS -- The Las Vegas gunman meticulously planned how to carry out the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, researching SWAT tactics, renting other hotel rooms overlooking outdoor concerts and investigating potential targets in at least four cities, authorities said Friday...

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- They are safe for now and, according to authorities, they are relieved. But the 13 children, aged 2 to 29, rescued from what was described as nothing less than a torture chamber will have years of therapy ahead, experts say, as they learn to live in a world that, until a week ago, they never really knew...

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump often brags he's done more in his first year in office than any other president. While he's fallen short on many measures and has a strikingly thin legislative record, Trump has followed through on dozens of his campaign promises, overhauling the country's tax system, changing the U.S. posture abroad and upending the lives of hundreds of thousands of immigrants...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Missouri lawmaker is pushing for tougher penalties after a death in Kansas that resulted from a prank call to police. State Rep. Bill Kidd, R-Independence, filed legislation to hold pranksters civilly and criminally liable if they make a call resulting in an emergency response, KRCG-TV reported ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The state of Missouri offered Amazon nearly $2.5 billion in incentives spread over 10 years in its failed bid to lure the company's second headquarters to the state, according to figures released Friday by the state Department of Economic Development...

GIPSY, Mo. -- Earl Leo Younger, 69, of Gipsy passed away Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018, at his home. He was born Dec. 24, 1948, in Bollinger County, Missouri, the son of Elmer and Beulah Fish Younger. Earl was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving in the Vietnam War...

Tom Young, 78, of Oak Ridge passed away Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018, at his home, surrounded by family. He was born July 27, 1939, in Cape Girardeau to the late Truman Nace and Bessie Irene Thomas Young. Tom and Glenda Shackles were married Oct. 13, 1957, in Cape Girardeau...

Jean Wibbenmeyer, 89, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, at Life Care Center. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home, with parish prayers at 7 p.m. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Mary's Cathedral in Cape Girardeau, with the Rev. Allan Saunders officiating. Burial will be at Resurrection Cemetery in St. Louis...

Robert E. Seabaugh, 88, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018, at Southeast Hospital. He was born Sept. 1, 1929, in Cape Girardeau to Wally T. and Melinda Rada Niswonger Seabaugh. He and Nora Lee Spalding were married Dec. 25, 1947, at Cape Girardeau...

Christopher P. Nussbaum, 54, of Cape Girardeau passed away Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018, surrounded by family. He was born April 26, 1963, in Cape Girardeau to the late Ralph and Patricia Berkbigler Nussbaum. Christopher owned and operated his own dump-truck business. He was an avid Harley-Davidson rider, and was a loving father, grandfather and brother...

David Kennedy, 73, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018, at his home. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Leigh J. Hamilton, 68, of Cape Girardeau passed away Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018, at Saint Francis Medical Center. He was born Oct. 7, 1949, in New Brunswick, Canada, to the late Percy Lea and Lola Poirier Hamilton. Leigh worked at Southeast Missouri State University as a groundskeeper...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Leona E. Graham, 88, of Perryville died Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, at Estates of Perryville. All services are private for the family. Young and Sons Funeral Home in Perryville provided the arrangements.

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls: Thursday n Medical assists were made at 2:16 a.m. on South West End Boulevard; 7:17 a.m. on Linden Street; 7:24 a.m. on Sheridan Drive; 9:09 a.m. on West Weissinger Street; 10:04 a.m. on South West End Boulevard; 10:40 a.m. on William Street; and 12:53 p.m. on Academic...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI n Adrian E. Jordan, 18, of Town and Country, Missouri, was issued a summons for driving while intoxicated and failure to maintain a single lane at North Henderson and Normal avenues...

Daughter to Michael Allen Schaffer and Ashley Brooke Borgfield of Sikeston, Missouri, Saint Francis Medical Center, 12:24 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. Name, Zoey Grace. Weight, 6 pounds, 7 ounces. Second child, first daughter. Borgfield is the daughter of Carol and Steve Borgfield of Jackson. Schaffer is the son of Tammy and Lynn McMackin of Sikeston...

WASHINGTON -- The government careened toward shutdown Friday night in a chaotic close to Donald Trump's first year as president. An 11th-hour effort to stave off the shutdown for four weeks appeared to fall well short in the Senate, and lawmakers preemptively traded blame as the midnight deadline neared...