Stories from Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Art pieces created by using coffee as paint by Cape Girardeau Central High School students, grades 10 to 12, are on display inside Red Banner Coffee Roasters. Art teacher and art department chairman, Jon Daniels said about the project, "With the revised Missouri state standards for the fine arts, there is a big push for artistic literacy and encouraging students to not only create art, but to think about how and where it will be displayed and what goes into the curation of a show. ...

Kyle McDonald, an incumbent and current board president, owns an insurance and financial services business, Farmers Insurance, Kyle McDonald Agency...

An ambulance was involved in an accident Tuesday morning at the intersection of Independence Street and Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau. According to Sgt. Joey Hann with the Cape Girardeau Police Department, the Cape County Private Ambulance vehicle was struck in the side by another vehicle at the intersection. No one was injured in the accident, and the ambulance was not on an emergency transport at the time. The roadway was blocked temporarily, and the ambulance was towed away from the scene...

Over the past year, the rise of COVID-19 has required people to make changes in aspects of their everyday lives. These changes extended to emergency service providers and their ability to safely and effectively perform their jobs. Locally, the Cape Girardeau Police Department, Cape Girardeau Fire Department and Cape County Private Ambulance have all been affected in some way by the pandemic...

Police Chief Wes Blair told the Cape Girardeau City Council on Monday the number of reported domestic assaults notably fell in 2020. Blair, presenting a "2020 Calls for Service and Violent Crime Overview" report, said there were 185 such cases in 2020, a 26% decline from 2019's total of 250...

Mirroring national trends, the local real estate market had a banner year — and it’s expected to continue into 2021. Lori Fowler and Becky Harding, co-owners of Area Properties Real Estate — River Region, attribute that to various factors, from COVID-related motives to low interest rates. As a result, their 16 agents have had a busy year adapting the way they sell homes, and several local trends have emerged...

Cape Girardeau attorney and longtime high school sports radio announcer Kevin Phillips died Saturday at Saint Francis Medical Center. He was 65 years old. His cause of death was not disclosed. A Cape Girardeau native, Phillips graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 1977 and went on to earn a law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law in 1981. ...

This story is updated. EAST CAPE GIRARDEAU, Ill. -- Joe R. Aden became mayor of East Cape Girardeau in 1977 -- during the first year of Jimmy Carter's presidency. Since he first took on the role, seven mayors have served the much larger Cape Girardeau, Missouri, on the other side of the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge...

Today is Wednesday, March 17, the 76th day of 2021. There are 289 days left in the year. This is St. Patrick's Day. Today's Highlight in History: On March 17, 1762, New York held its first St. Patrick's Day parade. On this date: In 1776, the Revolutionary War Siege of Boston ended as British forces evacuated the city...

On the first ever papal visit to Iraq, Pope Francis said: "We know how easy it is to be infected by the virus of discouragement that at times seems to spread all around us." He was talking to a persecuted people, but he was also talking to every one of us...

The Office of Management and Budget is the largest office in the executive branch of the federal government. First and foremost, the OMB prepares the federal budget proposal that the president sends up to Congress. Given we're talking about the allocation of spending for almost $5 trillion of taxpayer funds, this is no small task...

SAN RAMON, Calif. -- Google's next internet-connected home device will test whether consumers trust the company enough to let it snoop on their sleep. New sleep-sensing technology will be a key feature on Google's latest version of its Nest Hub, a 7-inch smart screen unveiled Tuesday. ...

TORONTO -- Canada once was hailed as a success story in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, faring much better than the United States in deaths and infections because of how it approached lockdowns. But the trade-dependent nation has lagged on vaccinating its population because it lacks the ability to manufacture the vaccine and has had to rely on the global supply chain for the lifesaving shots, like many other countries...

John Abraham's colonoscopy was postponed for several months because of the pandemic. When he finally got it, doctors found a growth too big to be removed safely during the scope exam. He had to wait several weeks for surgery, then several more to learn it had not turned cancerous...

BRUSSELS -- The European Union's drug regulator insisted Tuesday there is "no indication" the AstraZeneca vaccine causes blood clots as governments around the world faced the grimmest of dilemmas: push on with a vaccine known to save lives or suspend its use over reports of clotting in some recipients...

WASHINGTON -- The battle against bigness is building. Whether it's beer, banks or book publishing, lawmakers are targeting major industries they say have become so concentrated they're hurting competition, consumers and the economy. The economic dislocation of the pandemic has laid bare the struggles of small businesses unable to compete with corporate giants that have been able to capitalize on the new order. Experts and lawmakers are throwing out stats:...

WASHINGTON -- A surge of migrants on the Southwest border has the Biden administration on the defensive, with the head of Homeland Security acknowledging the depth of the problem Tuesday but insisting it's under control and he won't revive a Trump-era practice of immediately expelling teens and children...

BOSTON -- New evidence it may be safe for schools to seat students 3 feet apart -- half of the previous recommended distance -- could offer a way to return more of the nation's children to classrooms with limited space. Even as more teachers receive vaccinations against COVID-19, social distancing guidelines have remained a major hurdle for districts across the U.S. ...

Michelle Stephens, 42, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, March 15, 2021, at her home. A celebration of life service will be from 10 to 11 a.m. March 26 at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Charles A. Mitchell, 28, of Perryville died Sunday, March 14, 2021, at Missouri Baptist Hospital in St. Louis. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Ford and Young Funeral Home in Perryville.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Black woman has become the face of Missouri's tourism campaign, nearly four years after the NAACP warned travelers their civil rights may not be respected if they visit the state. The Missouri Division of Tourism kicked off the campaign Monday, describing the woman the agency dubbed Mo as "a character and tour guide of sorts," the St. ...

COLUMBIA, Mo.-- Plans for a full Missouri State Fair are back on after the event was canceled last year because of the coronavirus, a spokeswoman for the state's agriculture director confirmed Tuesday. Officials canceled the event last year over concerns about safety during the pandemic. The Sedalia fairground was instead used for a smaller youth livestock show in 2020...

O Lord Jesus, thank you that we have victory through you, our precious Savior. Amen.

The U.S.-based branch of the Jesuits has unveiled ambitious plans for a "truth and reconciliation" initiative in partnership with descendants of people once enslaved by the Roman Catholic order. The Jesuits pledge to raise $100 million within five years with a broader goal of reaching $1 billion from an array of donors in pursuit of racial justice and racial healing...

CHESTER, Pa. -- President Joe Biden turned up at a minority-owned flooring business in suburban Philadelphia on Tuesday to highlight how his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package can help small businesses and to put a face on those who have struggled throughout the pandemic...

The Rev. Philip N. Curran is the new pastor at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and holds his first service there in the morning; the congregation is temporarily meeting at Lutheran Chapel of Hope, 903 College Hill, while the pastor's temporary office is at 1017 Independence St.; a new church is being built at 2411 Abbey Road...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls. March 15 n Medical assists were made at 3:43 a.m. on South Kingshighway; 11:48 a.m. on South Kingshighway; 3:39 p.m. at North Sunset Boulevard and Caruthers Avenue. n At 1:16 p.m., smoke investigation on North Fountain Street...

CAPE GIRARDEAU Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Assault n Assault was reported in the 500 block of Bellevue Street. Thefts n Theft was reported in the 2800 block of Themis Street. n Theft was reported in the 1300 block of Brenda Kay Court...

The format of this year's Jackson Chamber of Commerce banquet was a bit different from previous years, but the celebration was just as important. Instead of a banquet-style awards program, the chamber recognized business leaders, volunteers and organizations at the Rock 'N' Roll Drive-In where attendees could be socially distanced and enjoyed a pre-produced video presentation on the big screen. Honorees included:...

BENTON, Ky. -- Julie Ann Wulfers LeNeave, 59, of Benton, passed away Friday, March 12, 2021, at the Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, Kentucky. Julie worked for 18 years as a general manager of retail bookstores. Most of her experience was with Waldenbooks and later with Davis-Kidd and Joseph Beth Booksellers. ...

Robert Lee Keller, 77, of Scott City died Monday, March 15, 2021, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City. Funeral service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the chapel, with Revs. Jack Owens, Larry Taylor and Cletus Glueck officiating. Burial will be in Lightner Cemetery in Scott City...

Ms Ann Whistler, our very enthusiastic math teacher, held her annual Pi recitation contest on Thursday, March 11, since March 14, the official day of Pi (3.14), fell on a Sunday. Five of her math students studied the sequence of numbers of Pi and then recited the numbers from memory in front of the entire student body and staff in the Guardian Angel School gym, with Ms. ...