Stories from Friday, July 27, 2012

LONDON (AP) -- The queen and James Bond gave the London Olympics a royal entrance like no other Friday in an opening ceremony that rolled to the rock of the Beatles, the Stones and The Who. And the creative genius of filmaker Danny Boyle wove it all together...

Six Southeast Missouri businesses, including three in Cape Girardeau County, were raided Wednesday as part of nationwide law enforcement operation to remove synthetic drugs from store shelves. In addition to the businesses in Cape Girardeau County, businesses in New Madrid, Butler and Ripley counties were raided, said Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force director Sgt. Mark McClendon...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Several financially successful men, previously unknown to most Missourians, are competing in a Republican gubernatorial primary for a shot at running the state. Long shots? Perhaps. But by tapping into their wealth to help finance their campaigns, and capitalizing on voter concerns about the economy and incumbents, the Republican candidates remain hopeful that if they can just win the Aug. 7 GOP primary, they might be on their way to ousting Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon...

Drought has already affected area crops and livestock, and conditions are expected to get worse before they get better. Southeast Missouri, including Scott and Stoddard counties, nearly all of Cape Girardeau County, most of Bollinger County and a small part of Perry County, are now in the most pronounced type of drought, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map released Thursday. Those areas are in the "exceptional" drought category...

When Cape Girardeau residents vote in the rapidly approaching primary next month, how they cast their ballot will go a long way toward deciding which candidates in various hotly contested races will make the cut. But whether those voters sign a petition that will likely be put to them at their polling place that day will also help decide whether the fiercely debated urban deer hunting issue will bring them back to the ballot box in the coming months to ultimately decide its fate...

BENTON, MO, July 27, 2012 -- More than 60 children benefited from Beacon Health Center's Back to School Health Fair with screenings, physicals and well-child checks, as well as free school supplies and other giveaways. Beacon was joined at their location in Benton by community organizations, vendors, volunteers and area businesses for the second annual fair, held Thursday, July 26. ...

Carissa Rupp made a special presentation to the management team at Cape West 14 Cine at this month's Sensory Saturday. Sensory Saturday was organized by local concerned citizens and embraced by the theater staff to allow children with special needs the opportunity to see a kid-friendly movie in an atmosphere with more lighting, lower sound volume and the freedom to move about the theater. ...

Southeast Missouri Food Bank runs across Good Samaritans every day, but Morgan Gadberry is probably the youngest that has walked through the front door. Morgan is a third grader at Kelly Elementary School and is determined to help children in need through the BackPacks For Friday Program. ...

Congratulations to the Prestigious Lawn Care team for defeating the Jeffrey P. Dix - Attorney at Law team 12-6 in the AA Girls Softball Playoff Championship game. Prestigious Lawn Care also took the regular season crown with an 11-1 record.

Congratulations to the Wildcats for winning the championship of the Cape Parks & Recreation Boys Freshmen Basketball Tournament. The Wildcats defeated the Jackson Freshmen in the final. The Wildcats also took the regular season crown with a 6-1 record...

great scrub i found...absolutely amazing..

Grandson, Jaymz, playing peek a boo..Parents Nick Clement & Kenzie Dunning

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), an agency of the Department of Defense, has presented the Patriot Award to Brent Reid, Supervisor of the City of Jackson Sanitation Department, in recognition of extraordinary support of its employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve...

This is the storm cloud that moved past Jackson, mo at about 5:20 or so...

You are invited to a night of Restoring Love and History: Glenn Beck will be holding a celebration of service on July 28th to cap off his three day "Restoring Love" event that will see thousands of Americans descend on the Dallas/Ft. Worth area in order to serve their fellow man. The event will gather together people from across the country to recognize their labors of love and to reflect on the values that unite them. Speakers, music and a fireworks display are all in the works!...

Congratulations to the Dr. Anne Heisserer team for defeating the Howard's Athletic Goods 9-8 team in the AAA Playoff Championship. Dr. Anne Heisserer also took the regular season title with an 11-1 record.

Beacon Health Center's Wendy Wilson poses with Copper, a therapy horse, at Beacon's annual Back to School Health Fair in Benton, Mo. Some 60 people attended the event, where Beacon provided school physicals, screenings and well-child checks and gave away school supplies and other goodies thanks to community support. Local vendors, community organizations and businesses were also represented at the Health Fair...

Congratulations to the Jungle for winning the championship of the Cape Parks & Rec Boys Basketball League Varsity Tournament on July 24th. They defeated Have Some in the final 67-52. The Leopold Wildcats took the regular season title with a 7-0 record...

A rural Scott City man is accused of sexually related offenses. Chad E. Dixon, 35, is charged with 15 counts of second-degree statutory rape, five counts of second-degree statutory sodomy and five counts of incest. According to Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter, the investigation is underway and additional charges may be filed...

Two unidentified people were transported to the hospital for injuries they suffered in a traffic accident early Thursday evening. About 6:30 p.m., the two were northbound in a blue Buick on West End Boulevard near Good Hope Street when the car went off the road and struck a tree. The male driver exited the car on his own but the female passenger had to be extricated from the twisted vehicle. The extent of their injuries was unknown Thursday...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Following pleas from Missouri farmers for help amid historic heat and parched land, Gov. Jay Nixon bolstered funding Thursday for an emergency water assistance program and redirected money from winter heating aid to cooling for low-income residents...

A contract to begin rebuilding the lower crevasse in the Birds Point-New Madrid levee system should be awarded next week, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The corps released an update July 20 that said overall rebuilding efforts in the confluence area of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers are proceeding on time or are ahead of schedule, due in part to the weather...

Authorities have identified people of interest in a series of burglaries that plagued Cape Girardeau earlier this summer but have not made arrests. "Are we ready to charge one person or a group people? Not yet," Cape Girardeau Sgt. Rick Schmidt said. "Right now we've had an increased number of residential burglaries."...

A tornado warning for parts of Bollinger, Cape Girardeau and Scott counties was allowed to expire at 5:30 p.m., with apparently no tornado having formed. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning after radar indicated a storm capable of producing a tornado over Bollinger and Cape Girardeau counties...

I always enjoy the Olympics. But this year, before they began, I thought I'd hardly want to watch them. I'm a big sports fan, but tuning in to some of the Olympic trials bored the heck out of me. However, after catching a preview of the opening ceremonies, I am now officially intrigued...

ST. LOUIS -- The mass shooting at a Colorado movie theater rattled the nerves of some other moviegoers with opening weekend tickets for the new Batman film and led some cinema chains to add more guards. Experts say it's unlikely, though, that venues will implement even stricter security measures because it would significantly alter the experience of going to a film, concert or game...

Cape Girardeau Roller Girls Culver's Night will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Cape Girardeau Culver's restaurant. The Cape Girardeau Roller Girls will receive a portion of the night's proceeds. Nature center to share butterfly knowledge As a way of helping people attract butterflies to their gardens, the Conservation Nature Center in Cape Girardeau will host a garden tour, "Blooms for Butterflies," from 9:30 to 11 a.m. ...

Summer is traditionally packed with fairs and festivals. But next month, Sedalia, Mo., will play host to one of the biggest in the Show Me State. August brings with it the 110th year for the Missouri State Fair. According to director Mark Wolfe, the fair will reflect upon the its rich history and role in the Missouri's agriculture and entertainment industries through the years with the theme "Celebrate Then and Wow."...

Local music fans may have heard songs such as "The Rain" and "Faithful to the Bottle" by Big Casino on Real Rock 99.3, but now they will have the opportunity to hear them performed live. The Fort Worth, Texas, band will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at Hotshots Sports Bar and Grill. Hotshots will also hold a charity motorcycle wash from 2 to 4 p.m. to benefit Melaina's Magical Playland...

LEOPOLD, Mo. -- Saturday will bring an event everyone looks forward to -- the annual Leopold Picnic sponsored by St. John Church. Long a Leopold tradition, the picnic brings back people who have moved from the area, and Leopold families get together on the picnic grounds to catch up with out-of-town relatives...

NEW YORK -- Facebook's first earnings report as a public company had solid numbers, but in the end it landed with a thud -- much like its rocky initial public offering two months ago. Facebook reported stronger-than-expected revenue and a gain in user numbers Thursday. ...

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- For months, the identity of the boy who was sexually assaulted in the locker room showers by Jerry Sandusky was one of the biggest mysteries of the Penn State scandal. Now, for the first time, a man has come forward to claim he was that boy, and is threatening to sue the university...

ATLANTA -- All of a sudden, biting into a fried chicken sandwich has become a political statement. Chick-fil-A, the fast-food chain known for putting faith ahead of profits by closing on Sundays, is standing firm in its opposition to gay marriage after touching off a furor earlier this month...

NEW YORK -- Coke and Pepsi are chasing after the sweet spot: a soda with no calories, no artificial sweeteners and no funny aftertaste. The world's top soft drink companies hope that's the elusive trifecta that will silence health concerns about soda and reverse the decline in consumption of carbonated drinks. But such a formula could be years away...

BOSTON -- Andrew Curtin said it happened at least twice at his Boston-area high school in the last year. Angry about a breakup, a boy ended up at the school nurse's office with a broken hand after punching a locker or a wall. "You don't think about when you see two people walking down the hall, ‘Are they in a bad relationship or is it good?'" the 17-year-old Waltham High School senior said Thursday...

KHAR, Pakistan -- A truck packed with explosives blew up in a crowded market in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, killing 11 people, as security concerns led officials to temporarily close a supply route to NATO troops in Afghanistan. The blast in Salarzai town in the Bajur tribal area near the Afghan border also wounded nearly two dozen people, some of them critically, and damaged several vehicles and shops, said Jehangir Azam, a local government administrator...

BEIRUT -- Like other communities sucked into Syria's widening civil war, the Yarmouk neighborhood in Damascus has seen death and destruction. Soldiers and snipers have gunned down demonstrators. Some protesters have taken up arms to fight back...

HAVANA -- Cuban President Raul Castro said Thursday that his government is willing to mend fences with bitter Cold War foe the United States and sit down to discuss anything, as long as it is a conversation between equals. At the end of a Revolution Day ceremony marking the 59th anniversary of a failed uprising against a military barracks, Castro grabbed the microphone for apparently impromptu remarks. ...

BELGRADE, Serbia -- Slobodan Milosevic's wartime spokesman was set to become Serbia's new prime minister Thursday, triggering unease in the Balkan country despite proclaimed pro-European Union policies from the Socialist Party leader. Ivica Dacic -- who earned the nickname "Little Sloba" in the past for his admiration of the former Yugoslav president -- has pledged not to revive the nationalist policies of the Milosevic era, planning instead to press on with Serbia's integration into the EU, but there are still fears that the election would undermine reconciliation in the Balkans and turn the country toward Russia.. ...

WASHINGTON -- Stepping up their game against health care fraud, the Obama administration and major insurers announced Thursday they will share raw data and investigative know-how on a scale not previously seen to try to shut off billions of dollars in questionable payments...

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama will not push for stricter gun laws this election year, the White House said Thursday, one day after his impassioned remarks about the need to keep assault weapons off the streets suggested he may plunge into that political fight and challenge Congress to act...

WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department's inspector general said Thursday that eight high-ranking employees in the department's management division improperly promoted the hiring of relatives for summer or full-time work or assisted others in doing so...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- John W. Schlichting, 70, of Perryville died Wednesday, July 25, 2012, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. He was born Feb. 6, 1942, in Perry County, to John C. and Ruth Barber Schlichting. He and Dolores A. Hennemann were married Sept. 3, 1982, in Perryville...

Michael Theodore Capone, 71, of Ellington, Mo., departed this life Tuesday, July 24, 2012, at Kindred Hospital in St. Louis. He was born March 10, 1941, in St. Louis, son of the late Michael and Edna Bumb Capone. He and Kelly Johnson were married June 20, 1996...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Lee "Jake" Pattengill, 85, died Thursday, July 26, 2012, at his home in rural Sikeston. He was born Oct. 23, 1926, in Cape Girardeau, to William Channing and Nellie Pray Pattengill. Pattengill lived and farmed in Southeast Missouri his entire life. With the help of his wife and four sons he established Northcut Farms Inc. He was a member of Unity Baptist Church, where he was a former Sunday school teacher and served as deacon...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Elmer M. Renaud, 82, of Perryville was received by the Lord Wednesday, July 25, 2012, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. He was born Oct. 5, 1929, in St. Louis, son of Martin and Catherine Scharenborg Renaud. He and Mary Glen Rose Wengert were married May 9, 1953...

ANNA, Ill. -- Mary R. Longino, 81, of Anna, formerly of Chicago, died Thursday, July 26, 2012, at Chateau Girardeau in Cape Girardeau. Friends may call from noon to service time Saturday at Rendleman and Hileman Funeral Home in Anna. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home, with chaplain Greg Bittle officiating...

Son to Daniel David and Christina Louise Puckett of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Hospital, 1:34 a.m. Wednesday, July 18, 2012. Name, Wesley Lane. Weight, 8 pounds, 12 ounces. First child. Mrs. Puckett is the former Christina Bridges, daughter of Gary Bridges of Cape Girardeau and Glenda Bridges of Jackson. She is employed by Coldwell Banker Professional Associates. Puckett is the son of Kathryn Puckett of Poplar Bluff, Mo. He is self-employed with Daniel Puckett Farrier Service...

ANNA, Ill. -- JoAnn Lisch, 74, of Anna died Wednesday, July 25, 2012, at Union County Hospital. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. until time of service Sunday at Rendleman and Hileman Funeral Home in Jonesboro, Ill. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home, with Dee Armes officiating. Burial will be in St. John's Cemetery...

The management staff of the Show Me Center has been completed with the hiring of Jim Doyle as events coordinator; Doyle, a graduate of the University of South Florida, comes here from the Manatee Civic Center in Palmetto, Fla., where he served as promotions coordinator...

The Missouri Department of Transportation will hold an open-house community briefing from 4-6 p.m., Aug. 7 to discuss construction of an interchange south of Scott City, according to a MoDOT news release. The briefing will be held at the city hall at 215 Chester Ave. ...

Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday:...

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

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Summonses Burglaries Thefts Property damage Miscellaneous...

As far back as 2007 AK-47 assault weapons have been flowing across the border to the Mexican drug cartels. When Operation Fast And Furious went sour, the NRA saw it as an excellent opportunity to blame all the past sales to Mexican cartels on the attorney general and convince their friends in Congress to find him in contempt...

Cape Girardeau received national exposure recently when it was ranked as one of the best small places for business and careers by Forbes.com. In the list from across the country, Cape Girardeau was ranked No. 74 overall. Factors considered in this ranking include history, health care, murals and a university. Crime rates and recreational opportunities were also considered, among other things...

This is in response to the person who sent the message in that they went to a food pantry and they got a $20 voucher and they were complaining because they can't feed a family of five on a $20 voucher. All you can buy is bologna and hot dogs. Be glad you got a $20 voucher, and if you can't feed your family of five, then don't have a family of five. Be like the rest of us, support our own families without money. You should appreciate that you got a $20 voucher...

God, I know you're listening. There are a few things I want to tell you, and I don't want you to get the idea I know more about being ... well, God ... than you do. You've got a lock on that, partner. So, if we understand each other, let's get down to brass tacks...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate has debated, sniped and voted on the politically fraught issue of tax cuts, and next week the House is likely to do it all over again. Still, Americans won't know until after the November elections how much more of their paychecks will go to the government next year...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The state attorney general's office is warning Missourians about a scam that involves telling people that in order to claim huge prizes they first have to pay fees to government agencies. Attorney General Chris Koster says in a release Wednesday that the scam letters are being sent on letterhead that appear to be from government agencies including the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and the Missouri attorney general's office...

O Lord, you have blessed us beyond compare. You are God alone. Amen.

Jackson Homecomers is in its final few days, and soon the rides will shut down and crowds will go home, full of cotton candy. But Saturday evening, the event's main music act will take the stage, hoping to tell you a few stories. The Old Santa Fe Band is known for mixing traditional bluegrass songs with new tunes written by the members themselves. ...

CHICAGO -- Life's a picnic this year for the small, sneaky mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus and pose a deadly risk to humans. Hot, dry weather in the Midwest has created the perfect conditions in still-damp ditches and underground stormwater basins where the Culex mosquito breeds...

ST. LOUIS -- Hanley Ramirez hasn't helped the Los Angeles Dodgers gain any wins thus far. St. Louis had a season-high 18 hits Thursday, including three apiece from David Freese and Matt Carpenter, and beat the Dodgers for the second straight game since the Ramirez trade...

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The few hitches the St. Louis Rams faced during the first two days of their rookie camp didn't seem to bother first-year coach Jeff Fisher. "We're off to a good start," he said after about a 90-minute practice Thursday. Trumaine Johnson provided the final piece of the rookie class when he arrived a bit later than scheduled. ...

Rain was the big winner Thursday at the Zone 4 Senior American Legion baseball tournament at Capaha Field. Three games were scheduled, but only three innings of the 3 p.m. opening contest were completed before rain began to fall. It never let up, and no more baseball was played Thursday...

WAPPAPELLO LAKE, Mo. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Wappapello Lake has issued a burn ban until further notice due to dry conditions in the region to protect visitors and resources, the Daily Statesman reported. The ban prohibits the use of charcoal or wood fires. ...

LONDON -- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney caused a stir in Britain on Thursday by questioning whether the country is prepared to pull off the Olympic Games without a hitch and scheduling a fundraiser with the former leader of a troubled bank...

Cape Girardeau County has two new funding sources that will help replenish its indigent burial fund, which ran into the red last week. Associate Commissioner Paul Koeper announced Thursday that the Senior Citizens Service Fund Board agreed to contribute $3,000 to the county to help bury individuals age 60 and older who die without assets or family members who will agree to foot their burial bill...

Investigators on Thursday afternoon were trying to determine why a 73-year-old woman drove off North Kingshighway and plowed through a streetlight, two barbecue grills, a fence and a car before her car came to rest in a wooded area about 500 feet from where it left the road...

LONDON -- Twitter blamed systems failures -- not a crush of traffic around the Olympic Games -- for an outage Thursday that saw people around the world experience problems accessing the microblogging site for more than an hour. The San Francisco-based company said the outage was caused by a "noteworthy" double failure in its data centers. ...

News from around the world of Southeast Missouri State athletics.

Today is Friday, July 27, the 209th day of 2012. There are 157 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On July 27, 1942, during World War II, the First Battle of El Alamein in Egypt ended in a draw as Allied forces stalled the progress of Axis invaders. (The Allies went on to win a clear victory over the Axis in the Second Battle of El Alamein later that year.)...

Storms rolling through the area Thursday caused damage in Cape Girardeau and Chaffee. According to National Weather Service reports, wind damage was reported at a concrete business in south Cape Girardeau just before 4 p.m., and uprooted trees and downed power lines were reported in Chaffee at 4 p.m.