Stories from Monday, May 2, 2022

Employees with City of Jackson's electric department work Thursday on a newly-installed utility pole — one of two the city put up earlier last week in preparation for the upcoming West Mary Street Bridge Replacement Project, which is anticipated to begin in August. ...

Speakeasy Coffee Company, 811 Broadway, former home of Pitter's Lounge, opened Friday with plans for a May 12 formal ribbon-cutting and grand-opening celebration. It's been quite a yearlong journey for Suzanne Hightower, Speakeasy's owner and proprietor, who had hoped to open her shop a year ago but a series of problems pushed back Speakeasy's debut...

Southeast Missouri State University professor Steven Hoffman speaks about available properties on Main Street during the recent Old Town Cape Downtown Commercial Property Open House event ...

After Terri Leist's father, Nick — band director at Jackson High School for 30 years — passed away in 2015 at the age of 75 from an enlarged heart, she made the decision to drop her weight so she did not face the same fate. She has now lost almost 140 pounds...

Cape Girardeau Central Junior High students continue to place well in national esports competitions. Thursday evening, the students participated in a nationally ranked championship by playing video games at school. The tournament was one of more than 50 the school has participated in thus far...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Naomi Judd, whose family harmonies with daughter Wynonna turned them into the Grammy-winning country stars The Judds, has died. She was 76. Her daughters, Wynonna and Ashley, announced her death Saturday in a statement provided to The Associated Press...

When golfer Bubba Watson walked off the last green of the Masters Tournament on April 10 in Augusta, Georgia, just over three weeks ago, in which the Floridian carded a four-day total of 7-over-par 295 to finish in a tie for 39th place — trailing close behind was his new full-time caddie, Jackson High School alum Gabe Sauer...

Today is Monday, May 2, the 122nd day of 2022. There are 243 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On May 2, 1994, Nelson Mandela claimed victory in the wake of South Africa's first democratic elections; President F.W. de Klerk acknowledged defeat...

O Lord Jesus, our Messiah, in you our souls find rest. Amen.

Politics would be a lot simpler if one side could prevent the other from running for office. The left believes Section 3 of the 14th Amendment is a readily available tool to do just that and has been trying to use it to get Republican members of Congress knocked off the ballot...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed legislation that strips Walt Disney World of its independent, special district status after the company objected to the state's new law regarding discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in classrooms. ...

It's no secret that journalism is struggling. News deserts exist where local publications have folded, and in other places corporate ownership has replaced hometown family-owned newspapers. Policy that reaches back to the Nixon administration and beyond played its part...

Despite some of the negative national economic news around inflation and challenges for employers in finding workers, issues that also impact individual consumers and businesses here, there is some good news to report on our local economy. Cape Girardeau County continues to see a positive trend in general sale tax revenue year-over-year in all four funds monitored by the county's treasurer...

Five business licenses have been issued by the City of Cape Girardeau's Community Development Department. n James Anthony Page of Paducah, Kentucky, new owner of Qdoba Mexican Eats, 3019 William St., Suite 101, effective today. n Willa Maxine Welter of Benton, Missouri, for Hair Loft & Spa, 245 S. Broadview St...

Legends Cape Girardeau/Domus Student Living will hold a ribbon-cutting to announce a relaunch at 3 p.m. today at 2070 N. Sprigg St. in Cape Girardeau. n Elevation Chiropractic will hold a ribbon-cutting to celebrate its 10th anniversary at 11 a.m. Tuesday at 1812 Carondalet Drive, Suite 102...

Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center has approved a total of 11 restaurants for operation in the last two months. Amy Morris, county health department's environmental public health specialist, said the following won departmental OK in March:...

Southeast Behavioral Hospital will hold an in-person hiring event from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday at 639 S. Silver Springs Road in Cape Girardeau. Hospital officials said offers may be made on the spot. Those interested should bring a resume and wear business attire...

Deal Bins, an non-traditional discount department store formerly known as Deal Finders and next to Rosati's Restaurant, closed late last month in the Town Plaza Shopping Center in Cape Girardeau. Lorimont Commercial Real Estate is marketing the 7,000-square-foot space for a new tenant...

Market at the Pines, 2146 County Road 330 in Jackson, a specialty grocery store, opened April 23. "We are excited to bring this store to the Jackson area. It's been something I've wanted to do for several years," said Teresa Meier. Market at the Pines owner...

The DreamWorks animated heist movie "The Bad Guys" was the top film in U.S. and Canada theaters for the second straight weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, while the latest Liam Neeson thriller suggested the actor's particular set of skills may be wearing thin with audiences...

WASHINGTON -- The White House press corps' annual gala returned Saturday night along with the roasting of Washington, the journalists who cover it and the man at the helm: President Joe Biden. The White House Correspondents' Association dinner, sidelined by the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, featured Biden as the first president in six years to accept an invitation. Donald Trump shunned the event while in office...

LOS ANGELES -- Being homeless in Los Angeles and struggling with addiction is hard enough, but Rachel Niebur couldn't imagine enduring it without her dog Petey. Niebur credits her constant companion, an energetic black and white chihuahua mix, with helping her keep off drugs and giving her a reason to get up in the morning...

Harrison Jozefowicz quit his job as a Chicago police officer and headed overseas soon after Russia invaded Ukraine. An Army veteran, he said he couldn't help but join American volunteers seeking to help Ukrainians in their fight. Jozefowicz now heads a group called Task Force Yankee, which he said has placed more than 190 volunteers in combat slots and other roles while delivering nearly 15,000 first aid kits, helping relocate more than 80 families and helping deliver dozens of pallets of food and medical supplies to the southern and eastern fronts of the war.. ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Tesla CEO Elon Musk has laid out some bold, if still vague, plans for transforming Twitter into a place of "maximum fun" once he buys the social media platform for $44 billion and takes it private. But enacting what at the moment are little more than a mix of vague principles and technical details could be considerably more complicated than he suggests...

Hundreds of urban areas in the U.S. are becoming rural, but it's not because people are leaving. It's just that the U.S. Census Bureau is changing the definition of an urban area. Under the new criteria, more than 1,300 small cities, towns and villages designated urban a decade ago would be considered rural...

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine -- A long-awaited evacuation of civilians from a besieged steel plant in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol was underway Sunday, as U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi revealed she visited Ukraine's president to show unflinching American support for the country's defense against Russia's invasion...

Ronald L. Underwood, 74, passed away peacefully Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at home, following a courageous battle with cancer. He was born Sept. 1, 1947, in Cape Girardeau to Albert and Lila Underwood. He and his great love, Dana Denny, were married Feb. 4, 1995...

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. — Randolph "Randy" O. Northcutt, 97, of Ste. Genevieve died Friday, April 29, 2022, at Riverview at the Park Care Center. Graveside service with military honors will be scheduled for a later date. Ford and Young Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Ray Charles and The Judds joined the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday in a ceremony filled with tears, music and laughter, just a day after Naomi Judd died unexpectedly. The loss of Naomi Judd altered the normally celebratory ceremony, but the music played on, as the genre's singers and musicians mourned the country legend while also celebrating the four inductees: The Judds, Ray Charles, Eddie Bayers and Pete Drake. ...

WICHITA, Kan. -- The tornado that damaged more than more than 1,000 buildings in south-central Kansas generated winds up to 165 mph and carved a path of destruction nearly 13 miles long. The National Weather Service said the tornado that caused extensive damage Friday mostly in the Wichita suburb of Andover and injured several people rated an EF-3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale it uses to assess tornadoes...

Tonya Wells will head the newly-merged Southeast Missouri State University's marketing and communications department, according to a new release late last month. "Our new team will be able to much more efficiently and effectively tell the SEMO story," SEMO president Carlos Vargas said...

Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce will hold First Friday Coffee at 7:40 a.m. Friday at Century Casino Cape Girardeau Event Center, 777 Main St. A continental breakfast will be available. Doors open at 7 a.m. with the event being carried on Facebook Live for those who cannot attend in-person...

Cape Girardeau School Superintendent Dan Tallent was given a surprise award last night at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce Educators of the Year Awards ceremony; the chamber presented Tallent with a resolution honoring him for his efforts in getting a $14 million bond passed in the April 1 election; other educators also honored were Dr. ...

Sunday, May 1 was a very important date for seven 2nd grade Oran children.  This was the day that they made their First Holy Communion at Guardian Angel Church.  There was a combination of three students from Guardian Angel School, taught by Mrs. Michelle Priggel; three from PSR classes, taught by Mrs. Pat Moore; and one whom was home schooled by his mother.  All were prepared and ready to take the next step in their sacramental journey...

Cape Noon Optimist Club is an organization whose sole purpose is to support the youth of our community. To develop optimism as a philosophy of life utilizing the tenets of the Optimist Creed; to promote an active interest in good government and civic affairs; to inspire respect for the law; to promote patriotism and work for international accord and friendship among all people; to aid and encourage the development of youth, in the belief that the giving of one’s self in service to others will advance the well-being of humankind, community life and the world. ...

For release immediately, with photo May 2, 2022 DARBY RECEIVES LIFE LEADER AWARD Kelly Darby of Jackson, a financial representative with Modern Woodmen of America, was Life Leader in the Missouri East Region for the month of April. Darby joined Modern Woodmen in November 2010. Modern Woodmen of America is a fraternal life insurance society headquartered in Rock Island, IL. Modern Woodmen provides life insurance, annuity, and security products to over 744,000 members nationwide...

For release immediately, with photo MAY 2, 2022 DARBY FINANCIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE MONTH Kelly Darby of Jackson, a financial reprenstative with Modern Woodmen of America, was financial representative of the month in the Missouri East Region for the month of April...