Stories from Saturday, October 16, 2021

Michelle Johnson, the American Red Cross account manager for donor recruitment in Southeast Missouri, circles back to a single word when describing the current level of blood donations in the region: bad. "It's been especially bad this year," Johnson told "Cape Chronicle" local public access television program Thursday...

New Madrid, Missouri, native Shayla Day will co-star on season 10 episode 7 of the NBC television show "Chicago Fire." The episode is set to air early November. A former NMCC basketball standout, Day went on to play basketball at Ole Miss and graduated with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism. ...

More than 300 young people attended Fields of Faith, sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), on Wednesday to hear others share their testimony and to worship Jesus through song. Thousands of others across the country were also gathering in fields on the same night to give Christian inspiration to student athletes and young people...

Southeast Missouri State University police have identified a male who students reported of suspicious activity at approximately 12:30 a.m. Friday. According to the university's department of public safety, a male with a red beard wearing a blue shirt, dark pants and a round-brimmed hat approached a group of students near Southeast's Towers housing units. He then pointed an unknown object at them...

County health officials in the region are generally reporting new COVID-19 statistics more infrequently than in past months, and that is resulting in virus-related deaths coming in somewhat larger numbers. Stoddard County, Missouri, officials, for example, updated their data Friday, reporting five new deaths. ...

In the past year, businesses across the county and nation have struggled to fill open positions. The City of Cape Girardeau is no exception. According to Mayor Bob Fox, all city departments are understaffed. If things continue as they are, Fox said, services may have to be cut...

Authorities have arrested three people in connection with an alleged murder in Bollinger County. Sheriff Casey Graham posted on social media late Friday afternoon that the trio had been arrested on various warrants, including first-degree murder, in connection with the death of Brianna Roberts, 21, of Illinois...

Today is Saturday, Oct. 16, the 289th day of 2021. There are 76 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Oct. 16, 1859, radical abolitionist John Brown led a raid on the U.S. arsenal at Harpers Ferry in what was then a part of western Virginia. (Ten of Brown's men were killed and five escaped. Brown and six followers were captured; all were executed.)...

Every spring about the second week in May, Dad would put the plow on the C International and get it ready for work. We all would then start pulling potatoes from the cellar that had been stored there through the winter. All the runners had to be broken off, and the potatoes then had to be cut so that two or three eyes were on every piece. Then Dad would plow and we kids would plant taters...

St. John's Church in Leopold, Missouri, will host the Hotze Mission Breakfast from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. Oct 17 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Leopold. There will also be a raffle and bake sale. A good-will donation is requested for the meal. All procceds go to the Missions. For more information, call (573) 208-6445...

Recently the National Archives has completed digitizing maps prepared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the Civil War. One of these, a military map of Cape Girardeau, appeared years ago, but now accompanying detailed maps of each of the four forts are available. This column and the succeeding three will focus on the forts...

VFW Post 3838 in Cape Girardeau has announced the kick-off of this year's Voice of Democracy Scholarship competition. Local high school students have the opportunity to compete for thousands of dollars in scholarships and a trip to Washington D.C. Students must write and record a three-to-five-minute essay on the selected theme and present their recording, typed essay and completed entry form to their local VFW Post by Oct. ...

Sometimes it has fallen to me during a previous 25-year incarnation as a local church pastor to assign adjectives to the dead at their funerals. Families are vital in coming up with descriptive words at the time of transition, especially in those cases when the officiant is unfamiliar with the deceased...

"He's going to have to figure it out on his own," Lynn said, angrily. She was so distraught at Web's behavior and lack of motivation that she was ready to give up. It seemed that nothing she tried worked with him. He, merely wanted to stay around home and hang out with friends, doing nothing to better himself or prepare for his future. ...

This plump bright green worm is one of the stages in the life of a Polyphemus moth. It's a native North American moth that has a wingspan wider than the Luna moth. I took this photo in the waning days of September. The worm is about 3 inches long and shaped similar to a nice big pecan. ...

Venna is a young male with a great personality. He is friendly, outgoing ahd super sweet. He would make a great pet. If you are ready for a rewarding experience, come see us at Safe Harbor. Call (573) 243-9823.

Nine members from Cape Girardeau County attended the 86th Missouri Association for Famly and Community Education annual conference Sept. 22 and 23 in Columbia, Missouri. Those present were Barbara Barks, Jo Dixon, Betty Dellinger, Verla Mangels, Donna Woolsey, Darlene McCain, Judy Strickland, Mary Klaproth and JoAnn Hahs...

Monday: Scrambled eggs and sausage or chicken tenders, hash browns with onions, biscuit and gravy, sliced tomatoes and citrus fruit dessert with bananas. Tuesday: Sweet and sour pork or cranberry-glazed chicken breast, seasoned rice, Asian veggie blend, green peas, whole-grain bread slice and baked pineapple or right-side-up pineapple cake...

Submitted by Marcus Schaefer Marcus Schaefer, right, presents Dean Houseman a certificate from Knights of Columbus No. 6420 in Scott City for participating in the Council Family Day on Sept. 19 at the Scott City Knights of Columbus Hall. Paul Salmon and Houseman started Cape Copters in 2012 at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport as a dealer, service center and flight school for Robinson Helicopters. Since then they have trained hundreds of students, may of who have gone on to pursue professional flying jobs.

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Esperita Garcia de Perez got her first vaccination against COVID-19 in May. That, along with her Catholic faith, made her feel better protected against the virus, and she had hoped to get her second shot of the Russian-developed Sputnik V vaccine a few weeks later...

LEIGH-ON-SEA, England -- British police say counterterrorism officers are leading the investigation into the slaying of Conservative lawmaker David Amess. Essex Police Chief Ben-Julian Harrington said it hasn't yet been established whether the stabbing was a terror attack...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Suicide bombers attacked a Shiite mosque packed with worshippers attending Friday prayers in southern Afghanistan, killing at least 47 people and wounding 70, a Taliban official said. It was the deadliest day since the U.S. military withdrawal...

WASHINGTON -- U.S. health advisers endorsed a booster of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine Friday, citing growing worry that Americans who got the single-dose shot aren't as protected as those given two-dose brands. Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration weighed J&J's proposal for a flexible booster schedule. The company said the extra dose adds important protection as early as two months after initial vaccination -- but that it might work better if people wait until six months later...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The gunman who killed 14 students and three staff members at a Parkland, Florida, high school will plead guilty to their murders, his attorneys said Friday, bringing some closure to a South Florida community more than three years after an attack that sparked a nationwide movement for gun control...

WASHINGTON -- A congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection has moved aggressively against close Trump adviser Steve Bannon, swiftly scheduling a vote to recommend criminal contempt charges against the former White House aide after he defied a subpoena...

A Sikeston, Missouri, man was taken into custody Thursday night for alleged driving while intoxicated. A state Highway Patrol report said authorities arrested Samuel Stovall, 31, in Mississippi County, Missouri, shortly after 9:36, citing him for DWI and failure to drive on the right half of the roadway. He was taken to the Charleston (Missouri) Department of public Safety and released...

O Lord God, thank you for redeeming us through the blood of Jesus Christ. Amen.

If there is one universally recognized principle in American political life, it's that the president of the United States should want Christmas to come off without a hitch. Surely, this is one of the reasons Anthony Fauci rapidly backed off his comment in an interview the other day that it's too early to say whether people should gather for the holiday. ...

October is National Long-Term Care Residents' Rights Month, a time to acknowledge the contributions and sacrifices many long-term care (LTC) residents have made to better our community and to call attention to the rights of residents in long-term care facilities. ...

This pandemic has placed immense wealth and power in the hands of a few unelected billionaires, including vaccine manufacturers, who have used their influence and power to dictate directives to the world and national health care agencies. Their directives have translated into policy on a local level...

Cancel culture has reared its ugly head once again, and this time in a new and unprecedented way. A lecture by a physicist was canceled at one of America's premier institutions of science, MIT, for reasons having nothing to do with the subject of the lecture. The lecture was canceled not because of its scientific content but because of the politically incorrect views on diversity of the scientist scheduled to give the lecture...

Cape Girardeau City Council 5 p.m. Monday City Hall 401 Independence St. Study session n No action will be taken during the study session Presentations n Employee health and dental insurance renewal presentation Communications/reports n City Council staff...

City of Jackson mayor and Board of Aldermen Regular meeting 6 p.m. Monday Adoption of agenda Public Hearings n Hearing to consider a Special Use Permit Request for an in-home daycare as a home occupation, in an R-1 (Single-Family Residential) District, at 596 Canyon Trail, as submitted by Brian and Angela Powell...

CAPE GIRARDEAU COUNTY Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department released the following items. Arrest does not imply guilt. Arrests n Heaven L. Marsh, 27, of Cape Girardeau was arrested on a Cape Girardeau County warrant for probation violation for possession of a substance...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls. Oct. 13 n Medical assists were made at 7:45 a.m. on North Sprigg Street; 11:10 a.m. on South Mount Auburn Road; 5:49 p.m. on South West End Boulevard; 6:21 p.m. at Bertling Street and North West End Boulevard; 6:59 p.m. on West Rodney Drive; and 7:22 p.m. on North Kingshighway...

Harold Edward Seabaugh, 78, of Cape Girardeau passed away Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021, at Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 30, 1943, in Cape Girardeau and grew up in Advance, Missouri. Harold was the son of the late Pyrtle and Ruth Masters Seabaugh. He and Linda Wolfe were married July 17, 1970, in Cape Girardeau...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Doris H. Schmidt, 93, of Perryville died Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, at Independence Care Center. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at Ford and Young East Perry Funeral Home, and from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg, Missouri...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Edna Viola Irvin, 86, of Marble Hill died Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, at her daughter's home in Farmington, Missouri. Visitation and funeral services will be held at Hutchings Funeral Chapel in Marble Hill on Monday. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until service time. Funeral will begin at noon, with Kelly Francis officiating. Burial will follow in Old Union Cemetery near Bessville, Missouri...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Mary Lucille "Lucy" Jannin, 99, of Perryville died Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, surrounded by her loving family. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday and 8 to 10:20 a.m. Tuesday at Ford and Young Funeral Home in Perryville. The Rosary will be recited at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home...

Three suspects have been taken into custody as a result of a Bollinger County investigation in which human remains were located. Bollinger County Sheriff's Office received a report Thursday morning about a missing female from Illinois. Deputies with Bollinger County Sheriff's office, along with investigators from the Missouri State Highway Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control, conducted an investigation within Bollinger County. ...

CHESTER, Ill. -- The on-again, off-again project to repaint and renovate the Chester bridge over the Mississippi River is on again; work could start by Dec. 2, a Missouri Department of Transportation spokesman says, but an actual startup date remains uncertain...

This may be the Halloween of "The Great Pumpkin"; pumpkins are everywhere this year; home-grown pumpkins can be found at local farmers' markets, roadside stands, orchards and pick-your-own operations; "There is an adequate supply of them," says David Diebold of Diebold Orchards near Benton, Missouri; the assessment of Ken Doberenz, manager of Pioneer Orchards near Jackson, is the same: "We have a larger supply and better quality of pumpkins this year."...