Stories from Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Dennis Vinson, president, founder and CEO of Signature Packaging and Paper in Jackson, was appointed Tuesday to the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents by Gov. Mike Parson. Vinson, a resident of Cape Girardeau, replaces Kendra Neeley-Martin of St. Louis, whose term expired Jan. 1, 2017. She has continued to serve on the board until her successor was appointed. Vinson’s term will run through Jan. 1, 2023...

The City of Cape Girardeau has settled a Bloomfield Road condemnation case by agreeing to pay an additional $15,240 to the affected property owner, bringing total compensation to $24,000. Property owner Mary Auer and the city agreed on the compensation, bringing an end to the nearly 3-year-old case. ...

Union County Museum in Cobden, Illinois, is set to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing with a display of more than 20 personal artifacts from then-Kennedy Space Center employee and Navy veteran Galen Weakley. The mission July 20, 1969, took U.S. astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the moon, marking man’s first successful landing...

John Richbourg has spent more than three decades crunching numbers for Cape Girardeau city government, largely operating out of public view in the basement of city hall. For most of that time, he has served as the city’s finance director, crafting everything from the city budget to bond issues...

They come every morning by boat, by oversize trucks and by foot through water almost up to their knees. In the evening they go home the same way. They are residents of East Cape Girardeau, Illinois, doing their best to cope with rising floodwaters that surround their homes as they commute to their jobs in Missouri...

A 171-year-old 30-star American flag has found a new home at Southeast Missouri State University’s Kent Library. Part-time Southeast Missouri resident George Ann Huck donated the rare, 48-inch-by-32-inch American flag Aug. 9 of last year, according to Southeast’s special collections and archives librarian Roxanne Dunn...

This year the fireworks at Arena Park launched with a boom and two explosions of fire, sending a heat wave into the crowd and black mushroom clouds into the night. The crowd, surprised by the hot wind, gasped -- and one of the best fireworks shows in Cape Girardeau's history was underway. ...

Today is Wednesday, July 10, the 191st day of 2019. There are 174 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On July 10, 1991, Boris N. Yeltsin took the oath of office as the first elected president of the Russian republic. President George H.W. Bush lifted economic sanctions against South Africa...

She was 18. A worn Samsonite suitcase purchased from an American GI in hand, Supapon Saysanan (now Su Hill) left Thailand to attend Memphis State (now the University of Memphis) and find her way. Her mother was raised in the household of Thailand's King Rama IV and her father was a self-made man...

Are you looking for new ways to market your business? The Cape Chamber offers tons of opportunities to connect with local business owners, entrepreneurs and thought leaders in your community.

BERLIN -- France on Tuesday sent a top diplomat to Tehran to urge Iran to scale back its recently increased uranium enrichment activities, a mission underscored by a call from Europe for the Islamic Republic to return to complying with the terms of the unraveling nuclear deal "without delay."...

LONDON -- U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out for a second day at Britain's ambassador to the United States on Tuesday, describing him as "wacky" and a "pompous fool," after a leak of emails critical of the American administration. The series of tweets came hours after Prime Minister Theresa May stood by Kim Darroch amid the controversy over the release of the documents published in the Mail on Sunday newspaper. ...

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would be looking "very closely" at Labor Secretary Alex Acosta's handling of a sex trafficking case involving now-jailed billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein. But he also seemed to stand by his Cabinet official, praising Acosta's performance on the job and saying he felt "very badly" for him...

WASHINGTON -- Tom Steyer, the billionaire investor and activist, said Tuesday he's joining the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, reversing course after deciding earlier this year he would forgo a run. Steyer, 62, is one of the most visible and deep-pocketed liberals advocating for President Donald Trump's impeachment. ...

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump is gathering conservative groups at the White House this week for a "summit" on social media prominently snubbing the tech titans who run big platforms on Facebook, Twitter and Google. It's a sharp contrast to earlier days in Trump's tenure when tech executives were occasional celebrity guests at the White House, serving as a fresh indication of the president's escalating battle with Big Tech...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Older Missouri residents soon will be able to get out of jury duty, if they so choose. Legislation signed Tuesday by Gov. Mike Parson will allow anyone age 75 or older to ask a court to be excused from jury duty. The judge will have to grant the request...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Hundreds of Missouri prisoners serving mandatory sentences for largely nonviolent offenses could become eligible for parole under a new law enacted Tuesday that Gov. Mike Parson touted as a criminal justice reform. The bill exempts some nonviolent offenses from a state law requiring people to serve at least 40%, 50% or 80% of their prison terms, depending on their number of previous prison convictions. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri faces a possible earthquake insurance marketplace collapse and devastating economic losses if a powerful trembler hits the New Madrid fault line anytime soon, according to a new report from the state's insurance department...

ANNA, Ill. -- Homer Eugene Seals, 87, of Anna died Monday, July 8, 2019, at Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion, Illinois. Visitation will be from 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday at Crain Funeral Home in Ullin, Illinois. Funeral will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home, with Brent Miller officiating. Interment will follow at Butter Ridge Cemetery in Ullin...

Mark Wesley Scirocco, 65, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, June 25, 2019, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Mark was born Sept. 26, 1953, in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, the son of Nicholas John and Sarah Latreece Smith Scirocco. He was a 1971 graduate of Poplar Bluff High School and a 1989 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering. ...

Dr. Gordon Nunnelly died Saturday, July 6, 2019, at his home. He practiced family and emergency medicine in Cape Girardeau for 52 years, ending as an emergency room physician in Dexter, Missouri. He conceived of and designed Doctors Park in 1969 as a one-stop medical center. He and his wife, Marjorie, founded and operated the Cloister Vineyard from 1985 to 1990...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Ellinor B. Miederhoff, 91, of Perryville, died Monday, July 8, 2019, at Independence Care Center. She was born Oct. 16, 1927, in Perry County to Leo A. and Christine Baer Winschel. Ellinor married Cletus W. Balsman on Nov. 18, 1944. He preceded her in death Feb. 8, 1971. On Oct. 20, 1973, Ellinor married Leo J. Miederhoff. He preceded her in death May 5, 2016...

Dr. Charles Thomas Herbert Jr., 84, of Cape Girardeau passed away Monday, July 8, 2019, at his home. He was born Feb. 17, 1935, in St. Louis to Dr. Charles T. and Martha Nelms Herbert Sr. Charles practiced dentistry for many years, retiring in 1997. He had a passion for horses. He enjoyed horseback riding as well as breeding and training. He loved spending time outdoors...

Patty J. Brooks, 88, of Jackson died Tuesday, July 9, 2019, at The Villas. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. Memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Jimmie Corbin officiating. Interment will follow in Russell Heights Cemetery...

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Amen.

The need for an I-224 corridor is highlighted by Southern Illinois flooding. Commerce between Southern Illinois and the Cape regional area has been effectively reduced to a standstill by Highway 3 and 146 flooding. The Chester Bridge is quite prone to flooding. ...

The summer peach-picking and canning season is getting off to a slow start this year, because a hard freeze in March destroyed almost all of the early variety peaches in many area orchards; later variety of peaches, however, weren't affected by the low temperatures...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls: Monday n Medical assists were made at 4:08 a.m. on North Lorimier Street, 10:12 a.m. on Independence Street, 2:13 p.m. on Broadway, 2:58 p.m. on Independence Street, 4:01 p.m. on Bellevue Street and 6:56 p.m. on Ranney Avenue...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Assault n Assault was reported in the 1300 block of Bertling Street. Theft n Theft was reported in the 3600 block of Engram Street. Jackson The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt...

Amazon and Microsoft are battling it out over a $10 billion opportunity to build the U.S. military its first "war cloud" computing system. But Amazon's early hopes of a shock-and-awe victory may be slipping away. Formally called the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure plan, or JEDI, the military's computing project would store and process vast amounts of classified data, allowing the Pentagon to use artificial intelligence to speed up its war planning and fighting capabilities. ...

WASHINGTON -- One-third of the attackers who terrorized schools, houses of worship or businesses nationwide last year had a history of serious domestic violence, two-thirds had mental health issues and nearly all had made threatening or concerning communications worrying others before they struck, according to a U.S. Secret Service report on mass attacks...

DALLAS -- H. Ross Perot, the colorful, self-made Texas billionaire who rose from a childhood of Depression-era poverty and twice mounted outsider campaigns for president, has died. He was 89. The cause of death was leukemia, a family spokesman said Tuesday...

Daughter to Brandon Louis and Kinsey Kay Martin of Jackson, Saint Francis Medical Center, 7:58 p.m. Saturday, June 15, 2019. Name, Clara James. Weight, 3 pounds, 9 ounces. First child. Mrs. Martin is the former Kinsey Friederich, daughter of Dan and Kim Dickinson of Hillsboro, Missouri, and James and Sue Friederich of St. ...

The summer production for River City Players will open Thursday, July 11 and run through Sunday, July 14. The show is "Changing Rooms" and it is being directed by Melissa Wade. This is a comedy about a bride to be, her know it all Mother-in-Law to be, and 3 total strangers! Throw in a sassy store clerk that thinks she knows what looks best on everyone and you have a smash hit of a show. ...