Stories from Wednesday, May 14, 2014

DEXTER, Mo. -- A Southeast Missouri pastor who moved to New England has been charged with enlisting his younger mistress and her husband in an unsuccessful plot to burn down his home and kill his wife. Donald Lafferty, 69, was arrested Monday night by state police in North Andover, Massachusetts. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon allowed a massive overhaul of the state's criminal laws to take effect Tuesday without his signature after supporters agreed to quickly advance legislation to correct some mistakes. Nixon faced a Tuesday deadline to act on the bill that creates new classes of felonies and misdemeanors. ...

ST. LOUIS -- Pinch-hitter Greg Garcia was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and one out in the 12th inning, sending the St. Louis Cardinals over the Chicago Cubs 4-3 on Tuesday night. Jhonny Peralta led off the 12th with a single for his third hit. Justin Grimm (1-2) retired Matt Holliday on a popup, but walks to Allen Craig and Yadier Molina loaded the bases for Garcia...

After Menards home improvement store opened in 2012, Fred Elias, owner of Elias Ace Hardware in Cape Girardeau, said he noticed a lot of people traveling to the other side of town to shop at the big-box store. The $8 million, 162,340-square-foot megastore was the largest retailer to open in Cape Girardeau since 2006, when Kohl's and Sears Grand came to town...

Lana Richmond, who had coached the team for 32 years, said Southeast's administration lacked patience after her team's 11-34 season.

There is something serenely beautiful in the way plants and flowers look after a slow spring rain.

Beautiful Yellow Iris' on Mothers Day morning at my daughter Jennifer's house.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Tommy Bohnert Chapter President Phone: 314-471-4460 Missouri House Honors Kappa Alpha Order from Westminster College JEFFERSON CITY, MO- The Missouri House of Representatives recognized the Alpha Eta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Order from Westminster College with an official resolution on Wednesday for their national accomplishments and impact in the community...

Boys and girls entering fifth through eighth grade can attend the June camp

Today is Wednesday, May 14, the 134th day of 2014. There are 231 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On May 14, 1948, by the current-era calendar, the independent state of Israel was proclaimed in Tel Aviv. On this date:...

For 16 new American citizens, to claim citizenship in this great country is not something to take lightly. Earlier this month a naturalization ceremony was held at the Rush H. Limbaugh Sr. U.S. Courthouse in Cape Girardeau. Sixteen individuals from 12 countries and three continents took the pledge to support the United States...

When the Affordable Care Act was first unleashed on the American people last October, the headlines provided a keen insight into the flaws of a huge federal government overreach. Liberals held their collective breath in anticipation of this grand design while conservatives laughed at the Keystone Kops rollout...

NEW YORK -- The Standard & Poor's 500 index is flirting with a new milestone: 1,900. The index briefly climbed above that level Tuesday before dropping back to close just below it. Still, it set an all-time closing high by a fraction of point. Stocks have gained as most investors remain optimistic that the economy will start to accelerate this year following a cold winter that stymied growth. First-quarter corporate earnings came in better than expected, giving stocks a lift...

WASHINGTON -- U.S. retail sales growth slowed in April, with consumers shopping less online and cutting back on purchases of furniture and electronics. The Commerce Department said Tuesday that seasonally adjusted retail sales rose just 0.1 percent last month, after surging 1.5 percent in March following a harsh winter that had curtailed shopping...

Laura Mae Sanford, 94, of Scott City died Tuesday, May 13, 2014, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 6, 1919, in Morley, Missouri, to Herman Elzie and Ada Marina Burns Humphrey. She and James Leroy Sanford were married Jan. 4, 1936, in Jackson. He preceded her in death May 4, 2006...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Clint Delain VanMatre, 76, of Marble Hill died Wednesday, May 7, 2014, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 12, 1937, at Zalma, Missouri, son of Noah and Lillian Jackson VanMatre. VanMatre retired from Lutesville Motor Co. where he had worked as service manager. He was a member of Cape County Cowboy Church at Oak Ridge...

H. Glenn Williams, 88, of Jackson died Monday, May 12, 2014, at Monticello House. He was born Feb. 12, 1926, in Jackson, to Lawrence M. and Vida M. Smith Williams. He and Mildred Seabaugh were married Dec. 22, 1945. Glenn was a salesman with Agrico Seed and also Harris Motor Co. He was an agent with Old American Insurance Co. many years. He was a member of First Baptist Church and Excelsior Lodge 441 AF&AM in Jackson...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Joey Patrick Stephens, 33, of Marble Hill passed away Monday, May 12, 2014, at his home. He was born Aug. 13, 1980, in Cape Girardeau, son of John Edward and Linda Sue Warren Stephens. He and Karie Emerson were married Dec. 13, 2003, in Perryville, Missouri...

Evelyn C. Ritchie, 88, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, May 10, 2014, at Monticello House in Jackson. She was born Feb. 28, 1926, in Hubbardston, Massachusetts, to the late Christian and Evelyn Thompson Hanson. Evelyn was a member of Grace United Methodist Church and Cape Rock Chapter of Order of Eastern Star. She worked for the former anesthesia group, Weeks-Alyea-Essemeyer more than 20 years. Evelyn loved animals. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her...

Virginia "Jenny" Moody, 84, of St. Louis, formerly of Jackson, passed away Monday, May 12, 2014, at Garden Villa South in St. Louis. She was born May 29, 1929, in Gordonville, to Gilbert and Marie Miller Headrick. She and Capt. Henry Reynolds were married in 1946. He passed away in 1953. She and Dr. Robert Moody were married in 1958. He passed away in 1994...

Doris Ann Blankinship, 68, of Jackson, formerly of New Madrid, Missouri, passed away Monday, May 12, 2014, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. The past 15 years Doris struggled with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare brain disorder that causes progressive problems with control of gait and balance, along with complex eye movement and thinking problems...

Thelma Stovall Sedovic, 95, of Bonne Terre, Missouri, formerly of Jackson, died Monday, May 12, 2014, at St. Joe Manor in Bonne Terre. Friends may call from 11 a.m. until service time Friday at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be in McGuire Cemetery near Burfordville...

CHAFFEE, Mo. — Gilbert Mabrey, 92, of Chaffee died Tuesday, May 13, 2014, at Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee.

Daughter to Brandon Kyle and Laura Ranae Ruth of Cayuga, Indiana, born at home, 1:07 p.m. Wednesday, April 30, 2014. Name, Madeleine Sophie Elizabeth. Weight, 9 pounds, 11 ounces. First child. Mrs. Ruth is the former Laura Hummel, daughter of Joyce Hummel of St. Clement, Missouri, and the late Herm Hummel. Ruth is the son of Kenneth and Brenda Ruth of Cape Girardeau. He is a teacher at Notre Dame de La Salette Boys Academy in Georgetown, Illinois...

*** JACKSON Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday: * Emergency medical service on North Farmington Road. * Emergency medical service on Old Cape Road.

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Summonses Property damage Thefts Assault Miscellaneous...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Arrests Summonses Thefts Assaults Burglaries Miscellaneous The Department of Public Safety released the following item...

MIAMI -- The first thing Michelle Pool did before picking a plan under President Barack Obama's health insurance law was check whether her longtime primary care doctor was covered. Pool, a 60-year-old diabetic who has had back surgery and a hip replacement, bought the plan only to find that the insurer was mistaken...

HUNTSVILLE, Texas -- A federal appeals court halted a convicted Texas killer's scheduled execution Tuesday so his attorneys can pursue appeals arguing he's mentally impaired and ineligible for the death penalty. Robert James Campbell, 41, would have been the first U.S. ...

TOWSON, Md. -- A man claiming to be God rammed a truck through the front of a Baltimore-area television station Tuesday, leaving a gaping hole as reporters and other staff fled the building. Police took a suspect into custody Tuesday afternoon, about five hours after the incident, officials said at a news conference. The suspect was not injured but was taken for medical treatment, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz said...

WHARTON, W.Va. -- Two miners who were killed on the job Monday night worked in a coalfield that had so many safety problems federal officials deemed it a "pattern violator," a rare designation reserved for the industry's worst offenders. Brody Mine No. 1 was one of only three mines last year to earn the label that regulators have put greater emphasis on since the 2010 Upper Big Branch explosion killed 29 miners about 10 miles away...

Here's an unsettling fact about cars equipped with air bags: They don't always deploy when drivers -- or regulators -- expect them. Thirteen people have died in crashes involving older GM cars with defective ignition switches. In each of those crashes, and in others in which occupants were injured, the air bags failed to deploy after striking trees, guard rails or other objects...

NEW YORK -- Actor Alec Baldwin was arrested and issued two summonses after allegedly acting belligerently toward two officers who had stopped him for riding his bicycle the wrong way down a New York City street, police said Tuesday. The "30 Rock" star was riding his bike the wrong way at 16th Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan when he was stopped about 10:15 a.m. and asked to show identification, they said...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- "American Idol" singer Clay Aiken won what had been a hotly contested Democratic primary for a North Carolina congressional seat according to a final, unofficial vote count that was posted Tuesday, a day after the accidental death of his closest rival...

MONTREAL -- Three railway employees arrested in the runaway oil train explosion that killed 47 people were arraigned and released on bail Tuesday. They face criminal negligence charges in the small Quebec town that was devastated by the inferno, which led to calls for making oil trains safer across North America...

AMSTERDAM -- Google and other search engines were thrust into an unwanted new role Tuesday -- caretaker of people's reputations -- when Europe's highest court ruled that individuals should have some say over what information pops up when their names are Googled...

ABUJA, Nigeria -- U.S. reconnaissance aircraft were flying Tuesday over Nigeria in the search for nearly 300 kidnapped schoolgirls, a day after the Boko Haram militant group released the first evidence that at least some of them are alive and demanded that jailed fighters be swapped for their freedom...

KIEV, Ukraine -- Germany's foreign minister tried to broker a quick launch of talks between Ukraine's central government and pro-Russia separatists, yet Ukraine was skeptical Tuesday and fighting claimed six more lives in the restive east. Six Ukrainian servicemen were ambushed and killed and eight others wounded Tuesday afternoon outside the town of Kramatorsk, the defense ministry said. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri senators approved legislation Tuesday that would require women to wait three days after seeing a doctor before having an abortion, instead of one day. The state's informed consent law currently requires a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion, and that would be extended to 72 hours under the measure. ...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A southwest Missouri man is facing criminal charges after surveillance video shows him running over a goose in a parking lot, then backing up and doing it again. The Springfield News-Leader reported that 35-year-old Kristopher Sonntag of Nixa was charged Monday with two misdemeanor counts of illegally killing wildlife...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Several hundred thousand Missouri taxpayers are still waiting for refund checks nearly a month after the tax deadline. State budget director Linda Luebbering says the Department of Revenue has 366,000 individual income tax refunds remaining to be sent. People are owed a total of about $167 million...

ST. LOUIS -- Vice President Joe Biden made a rain-shortened appearance beneath the Gateway Arch Tuesday to tout the economic benefits of a massive renovation project at the iconic tourist attraction. The Democratic vice president was introduced by St. ...

WASHINGTON -- A bill to renew more than 50 expired tax breaks for businesses and individuals cleared a key hurdle in the Senate on Tuesday, giving hope to millions of taxpayers who would otherwise be hit with unwelcome tax increases next spring...

WASHINGTON -- It could have been over for Kyle J. White just 30 seconds into the Taliban ambush, when a rocket-propelled grenade knocked him unconscious. But he came to and by the time the four-hour firefight in Afghanistan was over, White, reeling from concussions and shrapnel in his face, had saved one comrade's life and helped secure the evacuation of other wounded Americans...

The Southeast Missouri Pachyderms will host the two candidates for the Cape Girardeau County recorder of deeds in a public forum Thursday at Dexter Bar-B-Que, 236 S. Broadview St. Scott R. Clark is the current recorder and Drew Blattner is assistant director of the Cape Girardeau County Archive Center. The Republicans will face off in the primary election Aug. 5...

"Finding Our Spark" is the theme of the 25th annual Community Caring Conference, set for 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 4 at CrossRoads Church, 4400 E. Jackson Blvd. in Jackson. Kay Azuma, community coordinator for the Community Caring Council, which is putting on the event, said about 200 people are expected to attend. ...

With just three parent educators, Jackson's Parents as Teachers program served 266 families in 2012-13, and through screenings, helped identify children with developmental delays. Heidi Crowden, Cathlin Hayes and Keely Martin presented information on the program to the Jackson school board Tuesday night. Serving children from birth through 5 years old, Parents as Teachers is a home-school community partnership that supports and promotes parents as their child's first teacher...

No one was injured after a fire caused damage to a convenience store on Bloomfield Street on Monday. The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to a call at 10:46 p.m. Monday at 1021 Bloomfield St., according to a release from the department. The blaze was brought under control in about 10 minutes, according to the release...

Missouri's unemployment rate dropped from 6.7 percent to 6.6 percent in April, according to a report by the Missouri Department of Economic Development. This decrease created 8,200 more nonfarming-related jobs in April according to the DED's seasonal data report. This report said during April the largest gains were in administrative, support and waste management services jobs...

ST. LOUIS -- The overflow crowd at Rams Park did not intimidate Michael Sam. He seemed almost anxious for the attention and scrutiny. The first openly gay player drafted by an NFL team was confident and engaged Tuesday as he was formally introduced by the St. Louis Rams, handling questions and scrutiny with aplomb well beyond that of a typical seventh-round pick...

All-SEMO Conference P -- Michael Houchin, jr., Jackson P -- Tyson Campbell, sr., Kennett P -- Wesley Pyles, sr., Poplar Bluff P -- Chase Hagerty, jr., Cape Central P -- Jacob Clark, jr., Sikeston P -- Graham Ruopp, jr., Notre Dame...

Southeast fell in an early hole and never emerged against the SEC squad

The Community Caring Council's Family Transition Team will host its eighth annual "Good Deals for a Good Cause" on May 22 and 23 at First Presbyterian Church Activity Center, 232 Broadway. Hours are from noon to 6 p.m. Thursday, May 22, and 8 a.m. to noon May 23. Proceeds will go toward helping families referred to the Community Caring Council who have needs other agencies may not be able to meet...

MILLSTADT, Ill. -- Authorities have identified a Missouri man who was shot and killed by a rural southwestern Illinois homeowner during a botched burglary. The Belleville News-Democrat reported 62-year-old Lloyd Turner of Sikeston, Missouri, died during the break-in attempt Thursday near Millstadt...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Butler County Health Department is urging area residents to be vaccinated against a respiratory disorder that has shown up in the area for the first time in four years. Five confirmed cases of pertussis have been reported in Butler County in the past six weeks in children ages 10 to 13, said Sherri Dodson, health department nurse and clinic manager. Another case was confirmed in Dunklin County...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A division among Missouri Republicans is threatening to derail the state's attempt to nullify federal laws that are deemed to be infringements on gun rights. House and Senate negotiators were at odds Tuesday over how to punish federal agents who enforce those laws. The House passed a bill Tuesday that would allow Missourians to sue federal workers for enforcing such laws, but the Senate sponsor said it's unlikely the chamber will consider that version...

The Festival of Pentecost is observed at Trinity Lutheran Church; Vicar Daniel Czaplewski preaches on the theme "The Lord Came Down," making application to Pentecost from the Old Testament account of the building of the Tower of Babel. A dedication service is held at First Free Will Baptist Church at Scott City; among the special services taking place during the day is a singing by the Durbin Family of Fredericktown, Mo., in the morning; guest speaker for the event is the Rev. ...

Lord Jesus, may we think on things that are holy and pleasing to you. Amen.

One person was taken to the hospital for evaluation after a fire occurred on North Frederick Street Tuesday, a fire department official said. The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to a fire at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Frederick Street Manor, a retirement home on North Frederick Street, said Mark Hasheider, assistant fire chief for the Cape Girardeau Fire Department...