Stories from Tuesday, July 24, 2018

After several meetings between state and city officials and landowners, an amended plan to redesign the entire Interstate 55 interchange over U.S. 61 between Jackson and Cape Girardeau soon will move forward. The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) plans to replace aging bridge structures at exit 99 on I-55, and at the same time, install a diverging diamond interchange...

More than 30 union members and supporters rallied Monday at Capaha Park against Proposition A, claiming the right-to-work (RTW) measure on the August ballot in Missouri would lead to lower wages and cost jobs. Proponents argue RTW will boost wages, grow jobs and promote union accountability. The Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce has endorsed the measure...

Today is Tuesday, July 24, the 205th day of 2018. There are 160 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On July 24, 1959, during a visit to Moscow, Vice President Richard Nixon engaged in his famous "Kitchen Debate" with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev...

The last time Right to Work was on the ballot I voted no. Considering all that has happened, I now regret that vote. Why? Labor unions used union dues to support the National and State Democratic Party (NSDP) (billions and billions of dollars) who supported the abortion industry and selling baby body parts, etc. and now some of them openly want socialism...

In the aftermath of the horrible tragedy at Table Rock Lake, media outlets quoted a number of people saying the storm came out of nowhere, the weather changed from not a cloud in the sky to gale-force winds in mere minutes. While it's true the storm moved through the area rapidly, it's not true to say there was no warning...

Blowing up, cussing folks out and kicking guests out of the building are definitely not the way to show you're not suffering from some type of "derangement." It is, however, the way to prove you are. I'm talking about Whoopi Goldberg, co-host of "The View." The diagnosis is acute chronic derangement of the Donald Trump type -- in layman's terms, Trump Derangement Syndrome...

NEW YORK — A New York City art dealer who bought the contents of a New Jersey storage locker filled with paintings for $15,000 says he got more than he bargained for. He found half a dozen paintings he believes were done by artist Willem de Kooning, whose works have sold for millions of dollars at auction. ...

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump's Twitter threat to Iran's leader comes as his administration is ratcheting up a pressure campaign on the Islamic republic many suspect is aimed at regime change. No one is predicting imminent war. But Trump's bellicose, all-caps challenge addressed to President Hassan Rouhani followed a speech by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in which he accused Iran's leadership of massive corruption and widespread rights abuses and urged Iranians to rise up in protest...

ST. LOUIS -- Ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft have cut ties with a driver who recorded hundreds of St. Louis-area passengers without their permission and livestreamed the video. Jason Gargac, 32, of Florissant, Missouri, has given about 700 rides since March and most have been streamed to his channel on the live video website Twitch, where he goes by the username "JustSmurf," the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported...

The investigation into the sinking of a sightseeing boat that claimed 17 lives will look at whether operators violated Coast Guard rules by venturing onto a Missouri lake as thunderstorms rolled in, a Coast Guard official said Monday. More than three days after the deadly accident, a crane attached to a barge pulled the amphibious duck boat from Table Rock Lake near Branson, where it was submerged in 80 feet of water...

After shooting a layup, TJ West, 13, left, watches the ball as it falls through the net while playing basketball with Lawrence Epkins, 13, on Monday at Capaha Park in Cape Girardeau.

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump is considering revoking the security clearances of six former top national security officials who have been critical of his administration, a move opponents and experts say would be an unprecedented politicization of the clearance process...

WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Monday confirmed Pentagon official Robert Wilkie to be secretary of Veterans Affairs, charged with delivering on President Donald Trump's campaign promises to fire bad VA employees and steer more patients to the private sector...

SALT LAKE CITY -- Harsh drought conditions in parts of the American West are pushing wild horses to the brink and spurring extreme measures to protect them. For what they say is the first time, volunteer groups in Arizona and Colorado are hauling thousands of gallons of water and truckloads of food to remote grazing grounds where springs have run dry and vegetation has disappeared...

The Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau reached a crest Friday and is receding slightly, but the worst isn't over; after a crest Friday of 46.6 feet, the National Weather Service is predicting another crest of 47 feet on Aug. 3. More than 30 balloonists from 14 states are in Cape Girardeau for Balloon Fest '93; they are competing for more than $10,000 in prize money; conducting the races here for a second straight year are Rob and Jetta Schantz, who own and operate Skysigns Unlimited Inc., a business of hot-air balloon sales, service, instruction and show promotions.. ...

That hot lunch delivered to your door? Your health insurer might pick up the tab. The cleaning crew who fixed up your apartment while you recovered from a stroke? The hospital staff helped set up the project. Health care is shifting in a fundamental way for millions of Americans. ...

GRANITE CITY, Ill. -- President Donald Trump will be visiting an Illinois steel mill that is boosting production as he faces opposition to his imposition of tariffs in international trade disputes. The White House said Trump will talk about trade during an event Thursday afternoon at the U.S. Steel Corp. plant in Granite City, near St. Louis, for his first trip to Illinois since becoming president...

Let's review the Democrats platform: Economy/tax cuts -- oppose whatever Trump proposes; Immigration -- oppose whatever Trump proposes; North Korea -- oppose whatever Trump proposes; Iran -- oppose whatever Trump proposes; Supreme Court -- oppose whomever Trump nominates. Very simple, but not very effective and certainly not good for our country...

MILAN -- Sergio Marchionne's achievements as one of the automotive world's most charismatic chief executives include the bold trans-Atlantic merger of Italian carmaker Fiat and U.S. No. 3 Chrysler after he restored both to health. But Marchionne told analysts during a big presentation last month his true legacy at Fiat Chrysler Automotive would be the culture of a corporation where "mediocrity is never, ever worth the trip."...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Charles H. Voelker, 58, of Perryville died Sunday, July 22, 2018, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 27, 1960, in Perryville, the son of Chalmer H. and Evelyn A. Doll Voelker. He and Nancy M. Davis were married July 30, 1983. She survives in Perryville...

Charles Edwin "Charlie" Vickrey, 86, of Jackson passed away Monday, July 23, 2018, at his home. He was born July 16, 1932, in Hannibal, Missouri, son of John and Helen Merrill Vickrey. He and Phyllis Litzelfelner were married April 12, 1951, at First Baptist Church in Jackson. She passed away April 3, 2015...

Bernadine C. Stratman, 88, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, July 21, 2018, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau. Funeral will be at noon Thursday at the funeral home. Entombment will be at Cape County Memorial Park Mausoleum in Cape Girardeau...

John W. Piper, 78, of Whitewater passed away Saturday, July 21, 2018, at his home. He was born May 5, 1940, in Tilsit to Herbert M. and Hazel Estes Piper. He and Judith L. Albert were married June 11, 1961, at Cape Girardeau. John worked for Campbell Mattress factory for 50 years, retiring in 2014. He then worked for the Missouri Conservation Department at Cape County Park for two years...

BENTON, Mo. -- Marcella Christine Mack, 66, of Benton died Sunday, July 22, 2018, at her home, surrounded by family, after a long, courageous battle with ovarian cancer. She was born July 24, 1951, in Cape Girardeau to Herman and Rita Klipfel Jansen...

Paul "Chub" Heuring, 83, of Cape Girardeau, died Sunday, July 22, 2018, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at McCombs Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau. Funeral will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Russell Heights Cemetery in Jackson, with graveside military honors...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Kinzleigh Rose Herschbach died Saturday, July 21, 2018, at Perry County Memorial Hospital in Perryville. There will be a private service. Young and Sons Funeral Home Inc. in Perryville provided the arrangements...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Shirley M. Cooper, 83, of Marble Hill passed away Saturday, July 21, 2018, at Life Care Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Sept. 23, 1934, in Cape Girardeau County to Henry A. and Nina M. Wicecarver Illers. She and Gary N. Cooper were married June 16, 1957. They had been married 18 years, when Gary passed away July 23, 1975...

THE VILLAGES, Fla. -- Larry Havelock Jackson, 91, passed away Wednesday, July 18, 2018, at his home. Larry resided in Cape Girardeau with his late wife, Jane Randol Jackson, from 1989 until they moved full-time to Florida in 2009. He spent his final days doing what he loved best: traveling. Larry completed an 11-day river boat cruise on the Great Lakes between Chicago and Toronto shortly before he died...

O Lord Jesus, we are forever grateful for your grace and forgiveness. Amen.

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items: Assault n Domestic assault was reported in the 900 block of William Street. n Domestic assault was reported at 414 Albert St. Thefts n Theft was reported at Victoria's Secret, 3049 William St...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls: Sunday n Medical assists were made at 3:34 a.m. on Terry Lane, 7:28 a.m. on Haddock Street, 9:02 a.m. on Melrose Avenue and 9:59 p.m. on Centennial Drive. n At 1:17 a.m., call was made on Bertling Street, no incident was found on arrival...

Oregon woman reunites girl with toy lion lost on remote hike Associated Press BEND, Ore. -- A little girl who lost her beloved stuffed lion on a hike in the Oregon backcountry was reunited with her favorite toy over the weekend after a community effort to identify her...

Son to Keith and Kelsey Brown of Scott City, Southeast Hospital, 4:08 p.m. Friday, July 20, 2018. Name, Kayne Alexander. Weight, 7 pounds, 13 ounces. Second son. Mrs. Brown is the daughter of Lisa Ellis of Sikeston, Missouri. She works for Major Custom Cable. Brown is the son of Marty Brown and Brian Brown of Scott City. He is employed by Buckley Powder...

Betty Husk, 84, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, July 22, 2018, at Southeast Hospital. There will be a private graveside service at a later date. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

SEMO Iris Society Sale and Auction August 5, 2018 The SEMO Iris Society will sponsor an iris sale and auction, open to the public, on Sunday, August 5, beginning at noon at the University of Missouri Extension Center, 684 Jackson Trail, Jackson MO. Gardeners will find iris in all colors of the rainbow available for $1.00 each! Club members will provide a variety of iris rhizomes for sale on the ‘dollar table’. ...

A Dad's love is so special... so my husband, Mike Seabaugh, whom I met in one of these Mustangs, 45 years ago, made sure each of his three children had a mustang to carry on the tradition. What a dad... what a gift to his children!!! And for me... a gift that his children are so special to him. I cannot describe how this makes me feel as his wife, mother of his children. Just wanted to share because there are still good people to be found in the world... and Mike is one of them.!!! Thank you...

Patience produces photos. I have been photographing the storm fallen tree at the corner of Dunklin and Caruthers in Cape for the last four weeks. Parts of the tree have have become more visible. The brown curly leaves are getting smaller. The small green tree that the...