Stories from Wednesday, January 31, 2018

The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri is the oldest, not-for-profit organization of its kind dating back to 1961, and Friday is Cape Girardeau's first art festival of 2018 featuring the Children's Arts Festival -- with cookies and milk instead of the usual wine and cheese offerings...

An SUV revealed by receding Mississippi River waters in early January is still in the water, according to the Cape Girardeau police department, but it's not for lack of planning. Cape Girardeau information officer Sgt. Rick Schmidt said when reached by phone Wednesday that the department has a plan for removing the SUV, but there are complications...

Southeast Missouri State University was recently named one of the top 25 most affordable online degrees for 2018 by SR Education Group. The list, at onlineu.org, ranks Southeast at number 15, and gives Southeast's undergraduate tuition as $8,752, and graduate tuition at $5,303 per semester...

Workers sought to put the finishing touches on Cape Girardeau's new $11 million police station and municipal court Wednesday as city officials announced that the new station near Arena Park will open on March 5. The construction project should see "substantial completion" by Friday, said Sara Nenninger, the police department's administrative coordinator...

Prior to taking action to disincorporate the village of Dutchtown, the Cape Girardeau County Commission will hold a public hearing at 9 a.m. Thursday at the county administration building, 1 Barton Square in Jackson. All residents and interested parties are encouraged to attend so the county commissioners can hear comments and questions, according to the County Commission Agenda...

Authorities made a gruesome discovery Monday morning on a Butler County farm when they found the bodies of a Mill Spring, Missouri, couple and their toddler daughter, who had been the subjects of an earlier endangered-persons advisory. Although no motive for their deaths has been released, Drew D. Atchison of Williamsville, Missouri, has confessed to the killings...

Missouri lawmakers have set their sights on repealing or reforming the state’s prevailing wage law this year. State Rep. Holly Rehder once again is leading the effort in the House to repeal the measure, which she contends drives up the cost of building schools and other public-works buildings throughout the state...

For Andrew Bard, knowledge of computers and how they function was a major focus until recently, when he shifted gears to start a consulting firm to help clients understand cryptocurrency. Bard said for him, it's about independence. Bard founded Computer 21 LLC in 1999, and worked every day helping people fix their computers or learn more about their machines...

Hours before President Donald Trump trumpeted an improving economy in his State of the Union speech, Missouri’s Democratic U.S. senator expressed concern GOP tax cuts may not help working Americans in the long run. U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill answered questions from reporters on a wide range of issues during a conference call Tuesday...

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 31, the 31st day of 2018. There are 334 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Jan. 31, 1958, the United States entered the Space Age with its first successful launch of a satellite, Explorer 1, from Cape Canaveral...

I did not watch the Grammy Music Awards, just as I did not watch the Golden Globe Awards earlier this month. Odds are very high I will not watch the Academy Awards, whenever the heck they are. These self-congratulatory award shows have become prime time fodder for the progressive left. It gives performers their moment in the spotlight to affirm their liberal beliefs in a safe environment surrounded by their fellow travelers...

BARCELONA, Spain -- Catalan separatist lawmakers who want to re-elect their fugitive ex-president suffered a setback Tuesday when the house speaker postponed a planned regional parliament meeting, saying it wouldn't take place until there were guarantees Spanish authorities "won't interfere."...

ISLAMABAD -- The Islamic State group and the Taliban are competing to take credit for a spike in violence in Afghanistan over the last month, and analysts say both insurgent groups are growing in strength as security forces wither under their relentless attacks and a feuding government struggles to win over citizens...

BOSTON -- Child development experts and advocates are urging Facebook to pull the plug on its new messaging app aimed at kids. A group letter sent Tuesday to CEO Mark Zuckerberg argues younger children -- the app is intended for those under 13 -- aren't ready to have social media accounts, navigate the complexities of online relationships or protect their own privacy...

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a new executive order to keep open the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, marking a formal reversal of his predecessor's eight-year effort to shut it down. Trump made it clear during his campaign he wanted Guantanamo to remain open and to "load it up with some bad dudes," but he has not yet sent a new detainee to the facility...

FRANKFURT, Germany -- Automaker Volkswagen has suspended a top executive in response to widespread public criticism over experiments in which monkeys were exposed to diesel exhaust. The company said Tuesday in a statement Thomas Steg, head of government relations and sustainability, was stepping away from his duties at his own request...

JERUSALEM -- A government plan to deport tens of thousands of African migrants has sparked an unexpected backlash from liberal Israelis and their American Jewish allies who say Israel -- established in the wake of the Holocaust -- should never be turning away those in need...

WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration late Monday released a long-awaited list of 114 Russian politicians and 96 "oligarchs" who have flourished under President Vladimir Putin, fulfilling a demand by Congress that the U.S. punish Moscow for interfering in the 2016 U.S. election...

WASHINGTON -- The Education Department's plan to provide only partial relief to some students defrauded by for-profit colleges could reduce overall payments by about 60 percent, according to a preliminary analysis obtained by The Associated Press. The agency announced in December it was discontinuing the Obama administration's practice of fully wiping out the loans of students deceived by the now defunct Corinthian Colleges under the so-called borrower defense rule...

WASHINGTON -- The White House said Tuesday it will conduct a legal and national security review before President Donald Trump decides whether to release a classified memo on the Russia investigation sparking a political fight pitting Republicans against the FBI and the Department of Justice...

WASHINGTON -- A week after a standoff forced a three-day government shutdown, congressional budget talks remain bogged down by Democrats' demands to protect "Dreamer" immigrants and GOP conservatives' concerns about a booming federal deficit. The deadlock is deflating hopes lawmakers will reach a breakthrough before another shutdown deadline next week...

HONOLULU -- Hawaii's emergency management leader has resigned and a state employee who sent an alert falsely warning of an incoming ballistic missile has been fired, officials said Tuesday, weeks after the mistake caused widespread panic. Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Administrator Vern Miyagi stepped down Tuesday, state Adjutant General Maj. ...

Three of corporate America's heaviest hitters -- Amazon, Warren Buffett and JPMorgan Chase -- sent a shudder through the health industry Tuesday when they announced plans to jointly create a company to provide their employees with high-quality, affordable care...

WASHINGTON -- Addressing a deeply divided nation, President Donald Trump summoned the country to a "new American moment" of unity in his first State of the Union address, challenging Congress to make good on long-standing promises to fix a fractured immigration system and warning darkly of evil forces seeking to undermine America's way of life...

Georgia Dean Wessel, 68, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018, at her home. Arrangements are incomplete at this time. McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson is in charge of arrangements.

Kathryn Leola Nations, age 80, of Jackson died Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, at her home. A graveside committal service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Dogwood Cemetery near East Prairie, Missouri. McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson is in charge of the arrangements...

Frederick "Rick" Royce Magnus, 77, of Jackson died Monday, Jan. 22, 2018, at his home. He was born Nov. 8, 1940, in Brooklyn, New York, to Frederick and Ethladel Magnus. He and Carole Holstein were married June 8, 1962, at Succasunna, New Jersey. He earned his master's degree in forestry from Michigan State University and worked for the U.S. Forest Service as a forester and wilderness ranger for 29 years...

Brandon Thomas Klinkhardt, 22, of Jackson passed away Monday, Jan. 29, 2018, at his home. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. Funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Eric Longman officiating...

Mary Heady Hahn, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Jan. 29, 2018, at Southeast Hospital. She was born Oct. 18, 1927, in West Louisville, Kentucky, to Dominic and Ethelreda Riney Heady. She and James W. Hahn were united in marriage June 3, 1950, in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. They resided in Sikeston, Missouri, until 1966 before moving to Cape Girardeau...

PATTON, Mo. — Wilma Ruth Gruenke, 87, of Patton Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018, at Stockoff Nursing Home in Fredericktown, Missouri. Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Liley Funeral Home in Patton. Funeral will be at 9 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home with Pastor Roger Cary officiating. Burial will take place in Calvary Cemetery near St. Louis.

Edward ("Bob," as he was known) Ford, 84, devoted and loving husband of Jean Sharp Ford for 61 years, passed away on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, at the Life Care Center in Cape Girardeau. Bob was born in Amsterdam, New York, on April 27, 1933, to Edward and Kathleen Ford. He graduated from Wilbur H. Lynch High School in Amsterdam. He then enlisted in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War and flew on a C119 cargo plane as flight engineer for four years, flying all over Europe and parts of Asia...

Arthur W. Caby, 73, passed away Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, at Life Care of Cape Girardeau. He was the son of Milford and Edith St. Clair Caby. Arthur served in the U.S. Marines for five years, beginning at the age of 17. He then went into the Navy for 10 years, making a total of 15 years of proud service to his country...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Donna Rebecca Baldwin, 57, of Poplar Bluff died Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. She was born April 27, 1960, to Albert Franklin and Hazel June Tharpe Baldwin. She worked at Florsheim Shoe...

The annual Men's Day is observed at First Baptist Church, with the businessmen of the congregation leading the worship services and assuming the duties of the church staff; the event begins with a breakfast for the families of the church, cooked and served by the men...

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls: Tuesday n Medical assists were made at 1:55 a.m. on Montgomery Street and 10:26 a.m. on South Kingshighway. n Smoke/odor investigations at 10:22 a.m. on Gordonville Road; 2:57 p.m. on Saint Francis Drive; 5:55 on Edgewood Road...

Cape Girardeal Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrest n Curtis Lailer, 30, of Jackson arrested on Cape Girardeau warrant for improper registration. n Jacob Jungers, 36, of Cape Girardeau arrested on two Cape Girardeau warrants for improper registration and no seat belt...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The task force that recommended closing nearly 30 graduate programs and consolidating others at the University of Missouri's flagship campus used information from a flawed source criticized as unreliable and inadequate, a faculty group said...

ST. LOUIS -- A feasibility study announced Tuesday will look at the value and cost of an ultra-high-speed hyperloop system across Missouri, potentially moving people between St. Louis and Kansas City in a half-hour's time. Kansas City-based Black and Veatch will conduct the study in partnership with the University of Missouri System and Virgin Hyperloop One, a company working to develop the world's first hyperloop system...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Parson is asking for a larger office budget to allow him to hire a personal driver. The request from Parson comes as Gov. Eric Greitens has proposed cuts in funding to colleges and universities and to social service programs. Greitens and Parson are Republicans...

NEW YORK -- In the Year of the Dog, which one will have its day at the Westminster Kennel Club show? About 3,200 dogs are getting ready for America's most prominent canine competition, set for Feb. 10, 12 and 13. As it happens, this year's Best in Show winner will hold the title during the Chinese zodiac's Year of the Dog, which begins a few days later...

O Heavenly Father, thank you that we have hope through your son Jesus. Amen.

Daughter to Ben and Shelly Meier of Jackson, Southeast Hospital, 5:04 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018. Name, Lilly Sophia. Weight, 8 pounds, 13 ounces. Second daughter. Mrs. Meier is the former Shelly Holzum, daughter of Ted and Vicki Holzum of Jackson. She is self-employed at her in-home day care. Meier is the son of Stephen and Teresa Meier of Jackson. He is employed at Standley Batch Systems...

Rep. Jason Smith stopped by the Southeast Missourian offices to meet with the editorial board on Wednesday, Jan. 24. He provided a forceful update of hot topic issues in the Congress, displaying a deep knowledge of the details, while also touting successes in the first year of the Trump administration...

Gavin Venable age 11 of Scott City took this nice 9 point buck from the family farm In November.