Stories from Thursday, August 21, 2014

The Highway 53 bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks in Campbell, Missouri, will be closed until further notice as a precautionary measure. A news release from the Missouri Department of Transportation said excess movement was noted in the bridge during a routine inspection...

Missourians should be wary of unfamiliar calls that appear to have a Washington, D.C., area code. Attorney general Chris Koster said consumer complaints indicate scammers have called from numbers with the 202 area code and left threatening voicemail messages to call back or face severe consequences. Those who return the calls are asked to leave their names and numbers, then receive a return call from a different number in the 202 area code...

Kelly, which made the decision to add football in 2010, will play its first varsity season this year.

One of the biggest misconceptions local homeless advocates battle is this: Just because homeless people are not always seen in public doesn't mean they don't exist. The latest figures from the Missouri Housing Development Commission show this past winter, Cape Girardeau County had 159 sheltered homeless people, nine unsheltered and one who was "doubled up" -- meaning a person does not have a home and is staying temporarily with friends or family...

Donations of snack food and personal hygiene items are being collected through Thursday for law enforcement personnel at the Jackson Police/Fire Department, state Rep. Donna Lichtenegger said. Missouri State Highway Patrol and National Guard troops are on the scene in Ferguson, Missouri, to quell protests after the Aug. ...

ST. LOUIS -- Attorney General Eric Holder sought Wednesday to reassure the people of Ferguson about the investigation into Michael Brown's death and said he understands why many black Americans do not trust police, recalling how he was repeatedly stopped by officers who seemed to target him because of his race...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- State utility regulators denied a request Wednesday from a Southeast Missouri manufacturer to cut its electric rates by about 25 percent and pass the difference to other customers of Ameren Missouri. In an order accompanying its 5-0 vote, the Public Service Commission said it was unconvinced by Noranda Aluminum Inc.'s assertion it faced a "liquidity crisis" or that the rate cut was crucial to the future of its large smelting plant in New Madrid, Missouri...

Whether her house becomes a bed-and-breakfast or home to a new family, Sherry Persinger said she hopes the next owner of the building she spent years renovating and restoring truly appreciates its history. Persinger bought the Ponder House, named after railroad executive A.R. ...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Arguments began Wednesday in Alexander County, Illinois, Circuit Court in the murder case against a Cairo man accused of killing his wife last fall. Chauncey Hughes, 30, is charged with five counts of first-degree murder in the Nov. 1 shooting death of his wife, Heather Davis, 22...

This is a Clymene Moth. It is sometimes called the Jesus Moth or the Crucifix Moth. I took the picture on the side of my red truck.

Chaffee transfer Peyton Montgomery will have an experienced group of wide receiver targets.

The Indians, with a reinvigorated up-tempo, spread offense, have made the transformation from a struggling program to a Class 5 quarterfinalist over the past two seasons.

Today is Thursday, August 21, the 233th day of 2014. There are 132 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On August 21, 1944, the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union and China opened talks at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington that helped pave the way for establishment of the United Nations. (The talks concluded on October 7.)...

This weekend Cape Girardeau will welcome Southeast Missouri State University students to campus. The next few days are busy for the university, students and their parents. There's move-in day, shopping and other events that mark the beginning of a new academic year...

Led by an experienced senior class, Chaffee claimed its first SEMO South Conference title in 34 years, but that doesn't discourage coach Charlie Vickery, who believes the Red Devils have enough returning talent to turn last year's success into a trend.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- It's been an eventful summer for Nathan Rowland, who was given his first opportunity to become a head football coach in May. A 2002 graduate of St. Vincent and assistant coach on last year's team, Rowland offers the Indians plenty of value in familiarity...

There were plenty of growing pains last season for the Scott City Rams football team. With young players littered throughout the starting lineup, the Rams claimed one regular-season victory but were able to defeat Charleston 20-14 in the first game of the Class 2 District 1 playoffs...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Colorado man has pleaded guilty to illegally trafficking caviar from paddlefish that were caught in western Missouri. The U.S. attorney's office says 49-year-old Felix Baravik of Aurora, Colorado, entered the guilty plea Tuesday...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- On the way to the pond in back of his house, Greg Dorris had to stop at an inflatable kids' pool for a demonstration of the lure he designed. "See, when I stop that lure and let it drop to the bottom?" he said, referring to the lure that he embellished with "whiskers," clumps of skirt material usually seen on spinnerbaits or bass jigs. "Those whiskers flare out and it looks just like a crawdad's pincers...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri education department's process for seeking bids from consultants to study a possible overhaul of the Kansas City School District was biased and included potential conflicts of interest, according to an auditor's report...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Two Missouri utilities are looking to Kansas companies to help meet carbon dioxide emission targets proposed by a federal agency. In June, the Environmental Protection Agency released a proposal offering specific emission targets for each state, the first of which would kick in by 2020. The rule is expected to be finalized next year, but lawsuits challenging the regulation could change its final form...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- It's been almost 10 years since the Perryville Pirates football team won a district title, and even that wasn't enough to finish with a winning record. The Pirates finished that season with a losing record, and although the task of having a winning season appears monstrous, Perryville coach Mike Wojtczuk has his sights set elsewhere...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Although Donna Medlin announced her resignation at a previous board of aldermen meeting, it will not be official until Monday. Medlin, who wasn't quite through her first term, said she felt she had a decision to make and needed to get her priorities in line...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Monday was Heath Kaplan's 41st birthday and a day of many firsts. It was his first official day as Poplar Bluff's new city manager, his first Poplar Bluff City Council meeting and his first time to attend a quarterly luncheon meeting of the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce...

NEW YORK -- The stock market rose for a third straight day Wednesday despite a report from the Federal Reserve that showed a growing chorus of central bank officials willing to raise interest rates sooner rather than later. In the bond market, prices fell and yields rose as investors prepared themselves for higher interest rates...

NEW YORK -- Women are a growing force in the business world, but if they own a company, they may still struggle to get a loan from a bank. Carrie Charlick and Marcia Cubitt have $4 million in sales but have been rejected for $500,000 credit lines since 2012. ...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple's stock touched a new high Wednesday, reflecting investors' renewed faith in CEO Tim Cook's ability to outwit the competition and expand the technological hit factory built by the late Steve Jobs. The milestone represents a dramatic turnaround in sentiment since Apple's shares reached its previous split-adjusted peak of $100.72 in September 2012. ...

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration detailed on Wednesday the toll that the escalating cost of fighting forest fires has had on other projects as it pushes Congress to overhaul how it pays for the most severe blazes. In a new report, the Agriculture Department said staffing for fighting fires has more than doubled since 1998. Meanwhile, the number of workers who manage National Forest System lands has dropped by about a third...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- The stately home that sits at the corner of Gladys Street and Kingshighway is revealing some of its rowdy past -- a past that could be linked to the community's founder, Joseph Sikes, some are theorizing...

Twin daughter and son to Jahmarlon Jermaine Patterson Sr. and Catrina Denise Johnson of Hayti, Missouri, Saint Francis Medical Center, Sunday, June 29, 2014. Jah'Nyla Asante was born at 2:08 p.m. and weighed 3 pounds, 4 ounces. Jah'Kyran Avant was born at 2:14 p.m. ...

Delta School District students have their first "holiday" of the infant school year, only the second day of classes; someone broke into the school bus garage over the weekend and stole the bus keys. City Clerk Evelyn LeGrand is leaving city government to take a management position with a company owned by city Councilman David Barklage; she will become vice president of Hoche-Barklage, a company that owns one convenience store in Cape Girardeau and is constructing another...

RICHMOND, Va. -- Same-sex couples will have to forget their plans to marry in Virginia -- at least for now -- after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to delay an appeals court ruling striking down the state's gay marriage ban. The nation's highest court granted a request from a county clerk in northern Virginia to delay a decision by the 4th U.S. ...

LOS ANGELES -- Billy Crystal will pay tribute to Robin Williams, his longtime friend and fellow comedian, at next week's Emmy Awards. Crystal will honor Williams as part of the traditional "in memoriam" segment for industry members who died during the past year, Emmy executive producer Don Mischer said in a statement Wednesday...

Scott City School Board members approved placing a $1.75 million no-tax increase bond issue on the Nov. 4 ballot during their meeting Wednesday evening. If voters approve, bond proceeds would go toward constructing and renovating the entrances of the existing school buildings to enhance security, renovate the cafeteria area and complete a few roof repairs, superintendent Diann Ulmer said in an email...

MONROVIA, Liberia -- Riot police and soldiers acting on their president's orders used scrap wood and barbed wire to seal off 50,000 people inside their Liberian slum Wednesday, trying to contain an Ebola outbreak that has killed 1,350 people and counting across West Africa...

WASHINGTON -- At least 34 sailors are being kicked out of the Navy for their roles in a cheating ring that operated undetected for at least seven years at a nuclear power training site, and 10 others are under criminal investigation, the admiral in charge of the Navy's nuclear reactors program said...

The Southeast Missouri State cross country teams were both picked to finish in the top third in the Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Poll, which is voted on by coaches in the league and was announced Wednesday. The men and women's teams each received 94 points in the voting, which was good for third on the men's side and fourth on the women's...

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Reviews have been mixed around the league for the NFL's experiment with longer kicks on extra points. Regardless, it appears there's a future for them. Eight kicks from the longer distance -- usually 33 yards -- were missed during the first two weeks of the preseason. The 94.3 percent success rate (133 of 141) was below the regular-season rate (99.6 percent) from 2013 when the ball was snapped from the 2-yard line instead of the 15...

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Dallan Cave and Brennan Holligan hit two-run homers, lefty reliever Austin Kryszczuk got out of two big jams, and Las Vegas beat Philadelphia and star pitcher Mo'ne Davis 8-1 in the Little League World Series on Wednesday night...

ST. LOUIS -- Courtland Griffin has attempted to keep the lives of his McCluer North football players as normal as possible despite the upheaval in their community: Ferguson, Missouri. North is one of three high schools in the Ferguson-Florissant School District that has yet to begin classes because of the nearly nightly protests since 18-year-old Michael Brown was killed by a police officer Aug. ...

SEATTLE -- Forget about the NFC Worst. Last year proved the NFC West is the deepest division in the NFL. Whether it was San Francisco and Seattle, the league's best rivalry, meeting in the NFC championship game, or the Seahawks posting the most lopsided Super Bowl victory in two decades by routing Denver, the profile of the NFC West is drastically different from a few years ago...

ST. LOUIS -- Facing Johnny Cueto definitely brought out the best in the Cardinals' Lance Lynn. "It didn't hurt my feelings one bit beating him," the right-hander said after working seven scoreless innings against the 15-game winner in St. Louis' 7-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday night...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Thefts...

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

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Bobby G. Vernon, 80, of Perryville died Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014, at his home. Service will be private. Young and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

NEW HAMBURG, Mo. -- Jeffrey Layton Steger, 71, of New Hamburg died Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014, at Landmark Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 7, 1942, in San Diego to Leo A. "Bud" and Vera Louise Rodgers Steger. He and Connie Sue Enderle were married Feb. 8, 1964...

Gladys Irene Rasche, 91, of Cape Girardeau passed away Monday, Aug. 18, 2014, at Southeast Hospital. She was born Sept. 27, 1922, at Gordonville, daughter of Alfred H. and Emma Deneke Rasche. Gladys was a graduate of Jackson High School and Southeast Missouri State University. ...

CAIRO, Ill. -- George Edward Porter, 56, of Cairo died Monday, Aug. 18, 2014, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Friends may call from noon until service time Saturday at Jesus is Lord Church in Cairo. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the church, with the Rev. Hubert Pirtle, pastor, officiating. Interment will be Monday in Mound City National Cemetery in Mound City, Illinois...

Shirley M. Gray, 77, of Jackson died Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014, at her home. Friends may call from 1 p.m. until service time Sunday at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. The service will be at 2 p.m. with the Rev. Dave Hulshof officiating...

Shirley Ann Cook, 62, of Millersville died Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014, at her home. A graveside service will be at 11 a.m. today at Pulliam Cemetery near Scopus, Missouri. Burial will follow.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The Rev. John A. Cantore, 80, of Perryville died Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014, at St. Mary's of the Barrens in Perryville. He was born April 25, 1934, in Melrose Place, Illinois, son of Anthony Joseph and Marie Ann Steger Cantore. Fr. ...

Mary Drucille Ayers, 87, of Cape Girardeau passed away Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014, at her home, surrounded by family. She was born Nov. 11, 1926, in Advance, Missouri, to Melvin and Gertrude Williams Pixley. Mary and Glenn Ayers were married Nov. 7, 1946, in Sikeston, Missouri. He preceded her in death July 15, 2000...

Submitted photo from Perry County Middle School Teacher Amy Figge helps student Katelyn Roberts as she makes a series of cuts in a piece of paper. ...

Have you ever tried to blow up a balloon inside a bottle? It's easy if you use science. STEP 1: Insert a balloon into one of the empty water bottles and pull the neck of the balloon over the outside of the bottle. STEP 2: Place your mouth over the opening of the bottle and attempt to inflate the balloon...

Contest Car crashes continue to cause more teen deaths than cancer, homicide and suicide combined. U.S. and Canadian high school administrators must register their school online. The general public can then vote for their favorite school once a day every day from Oct. 15 to 24...

The Cape Girardeau School District's proposed total tax rate for 2014-2015 will remain at $4.1567 per $100 of assessed valuation, board members heard during a tax rate hearing Wednesday. Residents may speak at the hearing, but no one from the public attended. Tax rates are set to produce revenue from property taxes, required for the 2014-2015 budget...

Despite what some may think, marching band can be difficult at times -- learning how to march in time, how many steps to take and hauling some of the larger instruments around, to name a few. But for most kids, it's an experience that offers everything from the exhilaration of competition to a family atmosphere...

Police have recovered an elderly Cape Girardeau woman's car after it was stolen during a robbery Sunday afternoon. Darin Hickey, public information officer for the Cape Girardeau Police Department, said the 1997 brown Ford Taurus was found unoccupied and abandoned on Hazel Street late Tuesday afternoon. ...

NEW MADRID COUNTY, Mo. -- A Bernie, Missouri, man was jailed Monday afternoon following a wreck that left two Stoddard County residents injured, the Daily Statesman reported. Travis D. Stone, 36, was charged by the Missouri State Highway Patrol with two counts of second-degree felony assault and failure to yield. ...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A man suspected in an earlier theft from a local business was taken into custody Monday following a brief pursuit, the Standard Democrat reported. About 7 p.m., the Sikeston Department of Public Safety was notified by employees at Wal-Mart of a man suspected in the theft of two computers Aug. ...

WASHINGTON -- The United States launched a new barrage of airstrikes against Islamic State extremists Wednesday and weighed sending more troops to Iraq as President Barack Obama vowed to be relentless in pursuit of the terrorist group that beheaded an American journalist and is holding other U.S. citizens hostage...

HARVEY, Ill. -- About two dozen heavily armed law enforcement officers stormed a home in Chicago's southern suburbs Wednesday to free four remaining hostages and capture two suspects, ending a standoff that lasted more than 20 hours. The two adults and two children still being held at the home in the small city of Harvey were freed midmorning without a shot fired, said Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Hamas' military chief escaped an apparent Israeli assassination attempt that killed his wife and infant son, the militant group said Wednesday as Israel's prime minister warned the bombardment of Gaza will continue until rocket fire from the Palestinian territory stops...

DONETSK, Ukraine -- After days of street battles and weeks of shelling, Ukrainian troops made a significant push Wednesday into rebel-held territory, claiming control over a large part of the separatist stronghold of Luhansk and nearly surrounding Donetsk, the largest rebel-held city...

Boys swimming Central Tigers Coach: Dayna Powell Assistant Coach: Chad Sierman Returning athletes: Christian Retter, sr.; Alex Gentle, sr.; Zack Rhodes, sr.; Raleigh Davis, sr.; John Young, jr.; Lawson Berry, jr.; Reid Dickson, jr.; Ben Ferreri, jr.; Davis Deimund, jr.; Tim Huey, jr...

O Lord Jesus, may we help those in need, showing your love. Amen.

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is considering key changes in the nation's immigration system requested by tech, industry and powerful interest groups, in a move that could blunt Republicans' election-year criticism of the president's go-it-alone approach to immigration...