Stories from Tuesday, January 30, 2018

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A law firm hired by municipal officials said suing a former city manager and information technology company wouldn't be cost-effective. "If the City filed a civil lawsuit against ISI, its manager, Ryan Leestma, and/or Heath Kaplan, the public and the press' desire for justice might be satisfied, but the economic cost of litigation would outweigh its practicality," wrote then-Husch Blackwell partner Jeff Jensen in an August 2017 document...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The City of Poplar Bluff and its former Michigan technology provider remain at an impasse over unpaid invoices and computer equipment the company has not delivered. Information Systems Intelligence has claimed since August 2015 the city owes it an additional $376,000...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers in Southeast Missouri are joining a growing number of law enforcement agencies carrying an antidote for opioid overdoses in their patrol vehicle. Patrol officials received boxes of the nasal spray Narcan on Thursday from representatives of Saint Francis Foundation, Black River Healthcare Foundation and Black River Medical Center...

Ducks swim as rays of sunlight shine through an overcast sky Monday at Cape Girardeau County Park South.

Southeast Missouri State University will no longer offer courses at its Malden, Missouri, campus, the university announced Monday in a news release. Southeast president Carlos Vargas-Aburto cited budgetary needs, declining enrollment and a decrease in demand for face-to-face and interactive television, or ITV, course offerings at the Malden facility for the decision to cease face-to-face and ITV coursework there, effective at the end of the spring 2018 semester...

Most Missouri taxpayers would receive tax cuts under a plan proposed by Gov. Eric Greitens that would cut both personal income tax and corporate tax rates. The governor touted the plan Monday during a visit to Signature Packaging and Paper in a Jackson industrial park. More than 100 people attended the event, held on the factory floor. Many in the crowd were employees of the company...

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 30, the 30th day of 2018. There are 335 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Jan. 30, 1968, the Tet Offensive began during the Vietnam War as Communist forces launched surprise attacks against South Vietnamese towns and cities; although the Communists were beaten back, the offensive was seen as a major setback for the U.S. and its allies...

No woman marries a man because he promises to take care of other families first and then take care of theirs. No company hires an adviser who vows to counsel another business, then tend to theirs. And no homeowner hires a security officer who declares he will monitor the neighbor's house before guarding the home he is tasked with protecting. ...

Missouri's Constitution requires that funding public education is the No. 1 state government priority. Governor Greitens' proposed budget seems to indicate that he considers it to be the lowest priority. Missouri already ranks in the lower half (32nd) of state rankings related to overall quality education. Are we striving to become number 50?...

For those of you who would like to hear "the rest of the story" about Helen Nancy Carter, here are some interesting facts about her life. As the Southeast Missourian printed in an article of Jan. 21, 2018, Helen Carter was the First African American to graduate from Southeast Missouri State College. ...

Two individuals and one small business were bestowed awards Friday night at the annual Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce banquet in the cozy confines of the Conference Center at Drury Plaza. Beginning in 2019, the Chamber will bestow the Drury Family Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award to recognize one or more worthy entrepreneurs with direct ties to this area. ...

BERLIN — Police said two truck trailers loaded with 48.5 tons of chocolate were stolen in southern Germany and there’s no sign of the sticky-fingered perpetrators. Police said Monday the trailers packed with $496,100 worth of chocolate were stolen from an industrial park in Freiburg on Friday night. ...

PARIS -- Floodwaters reached a peak in Paris on Monday and were threatening towns downstream along the rain-engorged Seine River as it winds through Normandy toward the English Channel. Rivers swollen by France's heaviest rains in 50 years have engulfed romantic quays in Paris, swallowed up gardens and roads, halted riverboat cruises -- and raised concerns about climate change...

CANBERRA, Australia -- Australia's government announced a strategy Monday to create high-tech jobs and become one of the top 10 defense-industry-exporting countries within a decade through arms sales to liked-minded nations while also keeping those weapons from rogue regimes...

The Cape Girardeau City Council is considering acquiring 51 acres at the corner of Mount Auburn Road and Kingshighway, commencing a $4 million project to expand the city's parks and recreation facilities; the land would be used as a "general use community park."...

KABUL, Afghanistan — Islamic State militants attacked Afghan soldiers guarding a military academy in the capital Monday, killing at least 11 troops and wounding 16. The attack, which began before dawn and continued well past daybreak, was the latest in a wave of relentless violence in Kabul this month unleashed by the Taliban and the rival Islamic State group, killing scores and leaving hundreds wounded. ...

Jean Wibbenmeyer, 89, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, at Life Care Center of Cape Girardeau. She was born Nov. 23, 1928, in Cape Girardeau to Harold G. and Gertrude Swan Green Sr. She married Clemens "Pete" Wibbenmeyer on June 18, 1949, at Old St. Vincent Catholic Church in Cape Girardeau...

Donna Kay Sweat, 61, of Jackson died Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018, at her home. She was born July 11, 1956, in Perryville, Missouri, daughter of William Russell and Ida Guyott Adams. She and Timothy R. Sweat were married June 30, 2014, in Jackson. Donna was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. Her greatest joy was spending time with her children and grandchildren. She was an avid animal lover and took in any stray that came along...

Glendola Shell, 92, of Scott City died Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, at Adams Street Place in Jefferson City, Missouri. She was born April 4, 1925, in Qulin, Missouri, to Luther and Anna Johnson Arnold. She worked at Florsheim Shoe and the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church and was a longtime volunteer at the Nutrition Center in Scott City...

ULLIN, Ill. -- Conrad LeRoy Miller, 89, of Ullin passed away Monday, Jan. 29, 2018, at his residence. Born March 1, 1928, in McClure, Illinois, he was the son of the late Charles Raymond Miller and Bertha Rhymer Miller. He was co-owner and operator of Ullin Body Shop from 1952 until 1993. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Ullin, where he was a Deacon and Sunday school teacher, and he was an Army veteran...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Thomas J. "Papa Tractor" Keliher, 69, of Perryville, died Jan. 28, 2018, after an extended illness at his residence. He was born Dec. 20, 1948, in Kankakee, Illinois, son of Joseph Daniel and Verna Delores Hudson Keliher. He and Peggy A. Lix were married June 11, 2011. She survives in Perryville...

BELLEVILLE, Ill. -- Edward "Gene" Kasten, 87, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Monday, Jan. 22, 2018, in Belleville. Services have been held at Valhalla Gaerdner Holten Funeral Home in Belleville.

The marks by which we define a meaningful life may vary. Hard work yields success, integrity and philanthropy give future generations a positive example, and devotion to family builds the heartfelt foundation upon which stands one legacy. Alice Hopper died peacefully Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center...

Edward "Bob" Ford, 84 of Cape Girardeau, died Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, at the Life Care Center in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

CAIRO, Ill. -- Michael Annestedt, 56, of Paducah, Kentucky, formerly of Southern Illinois, died Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018, at Aperion Care in Cairo, Illinois. Arrangements are incomplete at Crain Funeral Home in Anna. To view the obituary or to leave an online condolence for the family visit www.crainsonline.com...

KILIS, Turkey -- Intense clashes erupted Monday on a strategic hilltop in northwestern Syria as Kurdish forces tried to enter the area a day after it was captured by Turkish troops. Turkish military officials canceled a government-organized press tour to Bursayah Hill, separating the Kurdish-held enclave of Afrin from the Turkey-controlled town of Azaz, due to what they described as "security concerns."...

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- The community college student with a page-boy haircut was quiet, never drew attention to himself and earned A's semester after semester. Despite ample opportunities, he apparently never divulged the sickening truth -- his home was a veritable torture chamber...

PLANT CITY, Fla. -- A Florida teen who doctors say is dying from a rare form of cancer has been granted one of his final wishes, to be married to his high school sweetheart. The Tampa Bay Times reported 19-year-old Dustin Snyder and 21-year-old Sierra Siverio were wed Sunday in Plant City, near Tampa...

A man suspected of gunning down four people at a Pennsylvania car wash was driven by jealousy, according to family members of the shooting victims. State police said Timothy Smith, 28, was armed with a semi-automatic rifle, a .308-caliber rifle and a handgun and was wearing a body armor carrier without the ballistic panels inserted when he opened fire early Sunday morning at Ed's Car Wash in Saltlick Township, a rural town about 55 miles southeast of Pittsburgh...

NEW YORK -- Keurig is buying Dr Pepper Snapple Group, bringing together the make-at-home coffee brand with the company behind Dr Pepper soda, Mott's apple juice and Snapple iced teas. The combination lets the company offer "hot and cold beverages to satisfy every consumer throughout the day," said Larry Young, chief executive of Dr Pepper Snapple...

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians announced Monday they are dropping the Chief Wahoo logo from their uniforms next year, bowing to decades of complaints the grinning, red-faced caricature used since 1947 is racist. The move came after protracted discussions between team owner Paul Dolan and baseball commissioner Rob Manfred...

NEW YORK -- After they lost their home in Puerto Rico to flooding during Hurricane Maria, Enghie Melendez fled with her family to the U.S. mainland with three suitcases and the hope it wouldn't take long to rebuild their lives. It hasn't worked out yet...

WASHINGTON -- Brushing aside opposition from the Justice Department, Republicans on the House intelligence committee voted Monday to release a classified memo that purports to show improper use of surveillance by the FBI and the Justice Department in the Russia investigation...

WASHINGTON -- FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe, a target of frequent and aggressive criticism by President Donald Trump, abruptly stepped down from his position Monday ahead of his planned retirement this spring. A 22-year veteran of the FBI, McCabe has been publicly and repeatedly lambasted over the past year by Trump, who has accused him of bias because of his wife's political connections and an FBI investigation that produced no criminal charges against Hillary Clinton...

WASHINGTON -- Seeking to move past the shadow of the Russia investigation, President Donald Trump intends to use his first State of the Union address to cite economic progress under his watch while pushing for bipartisanship with Democrats on issues such as rebuilding roads and bridges...

ST. LOUIS — Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley is defending his office after a federal judge’s sanction for failure to timely produce documents in a police-brutality case. U.S. District Judge Audrey Fleissig fined the attorney general’s office $500 last week in connection with a lawsuit filed by Scott O’Rourke, who accused St. Louis police of injuring him ...

ST. LOUIS — Panera Bread Co. is voluntarily recalling some cream cheese sold in its U.S. stores because of possible bacterial contamination. The St. Louis-based company released a statement Sunday saying the recall was initiated after testing from a single production day indicated the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in one variety of its 2 oz. cream cheese. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri officials say the state is not planning to sell four new state parks. Former Gov. Jay Nixon’s administration bought the four parks, but they haven’t been opened. The possibility of selling the parks was mentioned in the Legislature and the park division, as Missouri tries to solve a $200 million maintenance backlog at its other parks. ...

Assault n Assault reported in the 200 block of N. West Lane. Theft n Theft was reported in the 300 block of S. Ohio Street. Miscellaneous n Domestic disturbance reported in the 2000 block of Old Toll Road. n Peace disturbances were reported in the 700 block of W. Independence Street, 600 block of Sara Street, 900 block of Aspen Drive. 600 block of Sara Street, area of Tracy Street and 500 block of N. Neal Street...

n Medical assists were made at 3:10 a.m. on N. Middle Street; 4:26 a.m. on South Broadview Street; 7:54 a.m. on Whitener Street; 8:06 on Linden Street; 11:08 on Jim Drury Way; 11:36 a.m. on Frederick Street; 1:44 p.m. on S. West End Boulevard; 4:18 p.m. on Randol Avenue; 4:22 p.m. on Green Acres Drive; and 6:40 p.m. on E. Rodney Drive...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Stephanie Tackett, 40, was arreted on a Dexter Police Department warrant. Assault n Assault was reported in the 800 block of William Street...

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Bourbon distilleries in Kentucky are reporting a record number of visitors. A statement from the Kentucky Distillers' Association says nearly 1.2 million people visited distilleries along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour last year. That comes on the heels of a milestone in 2016, when visitors made more than 1 million stops at distilleries...

O Father God, we ask for discernment that we may honor you. Amen.

Son to Orrin D. and Haley E. Hawkins of Jackson, Southeast Hospital, 8:22 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018. Name, Orrin Beckham. Weight, 6 pounds, 7 ounces. First child. Mrs. Hawkins is the former Haley Morris, daughter of Mike and Cindi Morris. Hawkins is the son of Linda Ferris and John Hawkins...

DEXTER, Mo. -- Carma Reiker, 90, of Dexter died Monday, Jan. 29, 2018, at Cypress Point Nursing Center in Dexter. She was born Aug.1, 1927, in Advance, Missouri, to Haggai C. and Vanira Crockett Adkins. She and Bill Reiker were married Oct. 4, 1946, in Cape Girardeau...

...technically (I think), the Blue Moon isn't official until tomorrow...but it might be cloudy tomorrow! And it sure looks like a full moon to my wife Susan and I, who love traveling from Carbondale to Cape Rock Park for events such as these.

Congratulations to the wining alliance robotics team of the First Tech Challenge Southeast Missouri State University Qualifier on January 27th at the Show-Me Center. The alliance included team captain, the Middle Earth Mechanics from Cape Girardeau, MO, 1st team selected, Richard’s Fine Men from Manchester, MO, and the 2nd team selected, the Leopold Gearheads from Leopold, MO. Congratulations and we wish you all the best of luck at your future competitions!...

The Jackson Chapter of Future Business Leaders of America hosted its annual 6th grade career fair at the Jackson Middle School on Friday January 19, 2018. The chairpersons for the event were Bailey Huff, and Emily Scott. Thirty-eight other FBLA members worked that day to help make the event a success. ...

Congratulations to the Leopold Robotics Team, the Leopold GearHeads, for qualifying for the First Tech Challenge Missouri State Championship robotics competition. Next month, the GearHeads will head to Rolla, Missouri for the February 24th competition at Missouri S&T University. ...

United Way of Southeast Missouri is proud to partner with Ameren Missouri to strengthen our community. Ameren is committed to United Way's focus on education, health, and financial stability. Their corporate investment helps cover internal expenses for the local United Way office so that individual donor contributions can be most effective. ...

Employees with First State Community Bank in Jackson raised $1,813 for United Way's annual campaign. Continued donations like these support organizations such as the Jackson Ministerial Alliance, Jackson R-2 Schools, the Jackson Senior Center, and more...

Employees at Alliance Bank had the opportunity to donate to United Way of Southeast Missouri's annual campaign through payroll deduction, jeans days, and other fundraising events. Together they were able to raise $4,000 for over 24 local programs that help individuals and families in Southeast Missouri...

What does it mean to #LIVEUNITED? It means you don't have to decide whether to help the family who just lost everything in a fire or the working parents trying to put food on the table. United Way of Southeast Missouri touches every person in every community we serve...