Stories from Monday, February 7, 2011

The ferry that shuttles traffic from Dorena, Mo., to Hickman, Ky., will be closed all day today, according to a news release from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Heavy snow in that area has caused limited visibility on the Mississippi River, leading to the closure. The ferry should reopen at the normal time Tuesday morning, according to the news release...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Missouri lawmakers and their staffs are being targeted by Internet hackers. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that since the legislative session began Jan. 5, three Republican state representatives, one Democratic lawmaker and one Republican staffer have reported their Facebook accounts being hacked...

Wes Kinsey knows a thing or two about cake, whether it's a layered wedding cake or a dense, rich cheesecake. After 35 years in the baking business and thousands of cakes, he's retiring and has sold his interest in well-known Cape Girardeau bakery and restaurant My Daddy's Cheesecake to his partners, Kevin and Susan Stanfield...

Cape Girardeau County Farm Bureau president Dale Steffens is no longer an active farmer, but the retired dairy farmer still thinks farming is the best way of life. "You plant the seed. You watch it come up and grow and sprout little leaves," he said. "It matures and grows and you harvest it in the fall. It all started with that little seed."...

Handguns, sporting rifles, hunting accessories, and knives were among the most sought after items this weekend at a three-day gun show at the Arena Building in Cape Girardeau, exhibitors said Sunday. About 100 vendors were set up at the SEMO Gun Show, an event held locally for more than 35 years and in the Arena Building for about 20, according to Brad Moore, co-organizer of the event...

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Forget Lombardi on Broadway. Green Bay has the newest Super Bowl hit: Aaron Rodgers. Capping one of the greatest postseasons for any quarterback, Rodgers led the Packers to their first NFL championship in 14 years Sunday, 31-25 over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Packers reclaimed the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named for their legendary coach who won the first two Super Bowls and is making his own star turn in New York these days in the play named after him...

Old pump at Lake Girardeau waiting for spring fishermen (and women)

Lake Girardeau frozen in time Jan 2011

My 3 yr old Sharpei, Chuy, dancing in the snow

Teekah guarding her ball from my Sharpei Chuy Teekah was 90 when she passed last Tuesday and had brought joy to many in her long life She spent much time with the residents at both Heartland Care and Rehab and at Auburn Creek Assisted Living Her last yrs were spent being the diva of our apt complex, Parking herself at the bottom of the outside stairs so as not to miss a single neighbor My 80 y/o father summed it up upon hearing the sad news He said " She really wasn't just your dog,She was Everyones dog" She was a very wise and dignified lady who could feel others pain and lonliness She made me a better person I learned to see ppl thru her eyes She is sadly missed. ...

I covered Barry Goldwater's 1964 campaign rally in Cairo for The Jackson Pioneer. http://www.capecentralhigh.com/cape-photos/barry-goldwater-campaigns-in-cairo/ Go here to see 50+ photos, including half a dozen or more of Central High School's Class of 1965...

Layla possibly stealing someone's firewood....

All are welcome to New McKendree United Methodist Church's South Campus on Saturday, February 19 for our fried catfish and chicken tenders dinner. The meal also includes cole slaw, baked beans, spiral potatoes, dessert, and a drink. Adults eat for $8,00, kids ages 5-12 $5.00, and kids under 5 eat for free. It will be a great night of food and fellowship. We hope to see everyone there!...

Paint was already peeling off the clapboard siding of most of the homes at the Isle of Capri casino site. Their front porches were already sagging. Their tin roofs already rusty. Sticking out like a sore thumb in this neighborhood is the Charles Youngerman family's dream home, built for them just a year ago on Pearl Street by local Habitat for Humanity volunteers...

Duke the dog came as an added blessing when we bought our new farmhouse. He has become part of our family and loves to get out and play with the kids! He is also very protective, he is watching over the sledding activities in this photo.

Morning surprise

About a dozen of Patricia Wischmann's neighbors showed at a public hearing last month in opposition to the Jackson Board of Aldermen granting her a special-use permit that would allow her to operate an in-home massage business. At the hearing, neighbors voiced concerns that a business on Priest Street would lead to additional traffic, creating problems...

Two Cardinals waiting to eat during heavy snow Monday

5 week old Raylee Paige Mansker is sporting her mommy's pick for the 2011 Super Bowl. Raylee is the daughter of Alexis Mansker and the granddaughter of Sandi Coomer and Vade & Cindy Mansker, all of Jackson.

They might not be household names, but these seniors pack a powerful punch among Missouri lawmakers. Serving as a voice for older Missourians, the Silver Haired Legislature has influenced legislation addressing everything from elder abuse to pharmaceuticals to funding for home-delivered meals...

It's the sort of scenario a TV scriptwriter couldn't come up with. A "girl from Morley, Mo.," as Sue Vogelsanger calls herself, has a connection to Hollywood legend Carol Burnett. Vogelsanger writes a weekly column for The Banner Press called "Just Talkin." In the 1960s when she and her husband Elbert "Sonny" Vogelsanger were living in Cocoa Beach, Fla., Sue wrote a song she called "Just Talkin."...

Dave Hardesty continues a day-by-day account of his Mississippi River kayaking trip, an adventure shared with his friend Danny Rees.

The Cape Girardeau Public Library's adult services coordinator Paula Fetherston recommends you read "Together Alone: A Memoir of Marriage and Place" by Susan Wittig Albert. Susan Albert may be better known for her herbal mysteries featuring China Bayles as the lawyer turned herb shop owner and amateur sleuth, the latest of which is Holly Blues. ...

Light. It's a symbol of hope. Of something greater than ourselves. And two Marble Hill, Mo., ladies have made it their mission to spread this hope to others they believe are in darkness. Carolyn Knight and Sun Stevens lead a ministry called Light in Darkness. And the two ladies do more than talk a good talk. They share a Christian message to women working at nude clubs...

I believe Mr. Journet has turned his belief of man- made global warming into a religion. With religion you don't have to have facts, you deal in faith. His statement that there is a consensus of scientists behind his theory is untrue. There are several scientists on both sides of the issue, and many have formed no concrete opinion...

IF you go out to eat, you should get good service. I waited 45 minutes at a restaurant and never got my food. When I decided to leave, they still made me pay for my soda, and I barely drank any of it. If I am spending my hard-earned money, I should get good service. If you do go out to eat and get good service, you should tip accordingly...

O God, thanks be to you for giving us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

WASHINGTON -- The unrest engulfing Arab streets and threatening authoritarian governments in the Mideast is complicating U.S. counterterrorism efforts, scrambling the volatile battleground against al-Qaida in Yemen and raising concerns about the durability of Egypt's stance against militants...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Just days before the current school year began, President Barack Obama signed a law providing $10 billion to help pay the salaries of staff at the nation's financially strapped public schools. At that same time in Missouri, about four-fifths of the school districts were reducing their staff...

WASHINGTON -- A wealthy Russian lawmaker has fled with his family to the United States, where he said he fears assassination over accusations that some of Russia's richest and most influential people swindled him in a real estate deal. Back home, he's been charged with financial crimes...

401 Independence St. Study session, 5 p.m. today Meeting, 7 p.m. today Study session Meeting Public hearings New ordinances...

SCOPUS, Mo. -- Shirley Louise Bennett, 88, of Scopus, died Saturday, Feb. 5, 2011, at her home. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at Hutchings Funeral Chapel in Marble Hill, Mo. Funeral services will begin at 1 p.m. Tuesday with burial to follow in Stilners' Our Serenity Cemetery near Scopus...

CHAFFEE, Mo. — Elgin "Bud" Walton, 74, of Chaffee, died Saturday, Feb. 5, 2011, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Arrangements are incomplete at the Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee.

Horace Henson, 51, of Cape Girardeau, died Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011, at home. Arrangements are incomplete at Crain Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau.

ANNA, Ill. — August Benson, 83, of Anna died Saturday, Feb. 5, 2011, at Union County Hospital in Anna. Arrangements are incomplete at Crain Funeral Home in Anna-Jonesboro.

The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, at the request of a out-of-town private developer, is considering the possibility of pushing for development of a 500-unit maximum security state prison here that would employ about 600 people. Former longtime Southeast Missourian employee Judith Ann Crow is presented the Golden Deeds Award at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce dinner; the award is given annually by the Evening Exchange Club to an individual who has made a lengthy significant contribution to the community.. ...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests...

Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday:...

POLICE

Jackson City Hall 101 Court St 7:30 p.m. today

The Southeast Missourian has promoted Matt Sanders and Chris Harris to managing editor positions as part of a restructuring plan aimed at improving the quality of the newspaper. Harris, formerly the features editor, is the managing editor of newsroom operations and features, overseeing most "front-end" news activities such as making story assignments and directing non-breaking news coverage. ...

TUNIS, Tunisia -- Tunisia's interior minister Sunday suspended all activities of the country's former ruling party amid the most serious protests since the country's autocratic president fled into exile less than a month ago. Fahrat Rajhi suspended all meetings of the Democratic Constitutional Rally, known as the RCD, and ordered all party offices or meeting places it owns closed -- ahead of a demand to dissolve the party, a ministry statement said...

CAIRO -- Egypt's vice president met with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and other opposition groups for the first time Sunday and offered sweeping concessions, including granting press freedom and rolling back police powers in the government's latest attempt to try to end nearly two weeks of upheaval...

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- A former New Madrid County official was sentenced on three felony counts of stealing from those under her care. Nancy G. Pardon, who served as the New Madrid County public administrator until August 2008, was sentenced Friday to seven years each in the Department of Corrections on a charge of theft/stealing of property valued at more than $25,000 and a separate charge of theft/stealing of property valued at $500 or more but less than $25,000. ...

College recruiting is an inexact science at best, especially outside the major-college level. That especially holds true for recruiting by Football Championship Subdivision programs like Southeast Missouri State. That's why it's hard to get a handle on just what to make of the 25 players Southeast landed last week as the NCAA signing period began...

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Two men angry over a dispute at an Ohio fraternity house party left the gathering and returned early Sunday, spraying bullets into a crowd and killing a Youngstown State University student who was trying to separate two groups, authorities said. Eleven other people were injured, including a 17-year-old with a critical head wound...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. Missouri officials are seeking applications from young adults to work in state parks this summer. The state plans to hire 600 to 700 people 17 through 21 years old to temporary jobs to help with maintenance, restoration, interpretation and social media at Missouri parks...

Last week's game was postponed due to bad weather

Jackson High School graduate Rachel Kahle continued her strong indoor season as the Southeast Missouri State track and field teams competed at the Husker Invitational over the weekend. Kahle, a senior, was third in the 60 meters (7.66 seconds) and had the fifth-fastest time in the 200 preliminaries (24.98) during the meet hosted by the University of Nebraska...

Heather Ross has joined the team at BOLD Marketing as account manager. She will be responsible for managing current accounts, business development, customer relations, marketing planning and research, and vendor and media relations. Ross has more than 10 years' experience working at marketing firms in Kansas City and Michigan. ...

St. Joseph School A Honor Roll 5th Grade: Anthony Madalon. 7th Grade: Marisa Hall, Olivia Jordan. 8th Grade: Morgan Campbell. B Honor Roll 5th Grade: Elijah Venable. 6th Grade: Daylon Reed, Ryne Enderle. 7th Grade: Valerie Bahr, Madison Swift. 8th Grade: Brennen Job...

Chaffee Junior & Senior High School 7th grade: Carleigh Burnett, Kiana Cannon, Tanner Chaney, Skylar Chiles, Katie Clover, Brett Estes, Brandon Ivester, Ryan Jobe, Bethany Koch, Noah Orr, Morgan Rutherford, Julia Sutterfield, Jordan Wilburn. 8th grade: Kodi Ballard, Ryan Burton, Megan Chisum, Jessie Evans, Kaitlin McFerron, Dylan Montgomery, Trevor Morehead, Nicholas Palmer, Brody Swinford, Susan Weber, Chelsie Whitlow...

Blanchard Elementary School A Honor Roll 4th grade: Christian Bollinger, Roman Ketcherside, Clayton Seabaugh, Jaelyn Simmons. B Honor Roll 4th grade: David Brown, Dashandreiona Egson, Beta Epps, Victoria Dodd, Alivia Dyke, Na'Coby Edwards, Olivia Lambert, Triston Lineberry, Jordan Long, Zemiah Mackins, Claryssa Martin, Aurora May, Makeda Miles, J'myn Nabors, Trinity Pavon-Roman, Kamdyn Rhodes, Emma Spiller, Hannah Taylor, Payton Walley, Nick Woolly, Alexis Yerkey...

John's Pharmacy is the first independent pharmacy in Cape Girardeau to install an automatic pill dispenser, freeing the pharmacy team to focus on high-quality patient care and service. "It's an investment in the future of our pharmacy, and reflects our commitment to the highest standards of patient health and safety," said pharmacist John McMullin, president/owner...

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. -- Former first lady Nancy Reagan praised her late husband Sunday, laying a wreath on his grave and singing "Happy Birthday" with the Beach Boys as actors, musicians, former advisers and friends paid tribute to Ronald Reagan on the 100th anniversary of his birth...

Mary Klaproth diligently walks five days a week. She's a regular at her aerobics class. And now, for the second year in a row, the 70-year-old Jackson woman is participating in the University of Missouri Extension's Stay Strong, Stay Healthy strength training program...