Stories from Sunday, February 1, 2015

Feb. 2 is Ground Hog Day. What is your feeling about the remaining winter weather? I hate the winter. I'm ready for the springtime. I'm a spring baby. Spring break 2015, here we come! What is the craziest thing you ever ate for breakfast? Cookies and eating sweets for breakfast. I need to stop that and eat healthy. How would you characterize your general outlook? I am very cheerful, very happy, very outgoing. I love to learn and get ahead. It really bothers me when ... ... when it's super cold outside and I have to walk between classes. I know we have the shuttles, but I wish they could take us closer. Feb. 2 is Ground Hog Day. What is your feeling about the remaining winter weather? I would rather go knock on his door and invite him outside so the winter would just go away. What is the craziest thing you ever ate for breakfast? Oatmeal and eggs. It's all about what you make of it. How would you characterize your general outlook? I am very observant and laid back. I like to relax a lot. It really bothers me when ... ... when you try to give someone advice and wisdom, and they don't listen. Feb. 2 is Ground Hog Day. What is your feeling about the remaining winter weather? It's pretty crazy, not good. I'm not a cold-weather person. What is the craziest thing you ever ate for breakfast? Anything for dinner. I was treated once like that, but I don't like eating dinner for breakfast. How would you characterize your general outlook? "I'm very cheerful. I like talking with people, especially where I work." It really bothers me when .... ... when people tell me I have an accent. I'm a California girl, a city girl. They think I'm from Mexico, but I'm not. Feb. 2 is Ground Hog Day. What is your feeling about the remaining winter weather? I'm ready for the winter to get over. It's summer one day, and winter the next. What is the craziest thing you ever ate for breakfast? Ribs. When I was doing some military business, we had ribs and potatoes for breakfast. But it was good. How would you characterize your general outlook? Cheerful. The day goes by quicker when you're cheerful. It really bothers me when ... ... when you're trying to help someone and to explain why to do this, and they don't have both sides of the story.

Rust Communications, which owns the Southeast Missourian, has teamed up with Southeast Missouri State University and KFVS12 to create a hands-on laboratory for students in the university's media programs. The 12,000-square-foot Center for Excellence in Mass Media at 325 Broadway will house the university's student newspaper, The Arrow, and its television and video production program...

While not for an Oscar or a Golden Globe, Cape Girardeau is in the running for another Hollywood trophy. The Location Managers Guild of America on Thursday named Rick Schuler and Steve Mapel, location managers for "Gone Girl," among five nominees for its outstanding locations in a contemporary film award, which will be announced March 7 in Beverly Hills, California...

Advocates for Missouri Medicaid expansion took to the streets Saturday morning to spread awareness of the situation and offer ways for residents to encourage change among their local lawmakers. "[We are] asking [legislators] to close the coverage gap so the other hundreds of thousands of Missourians can be covered and have access to medical care as well," said Cheryl Garrett, president of the local Cape Girardeau chapter of Empower Missouri. ...

An honor that brought a tear to his eye and a long hug for his son went to local banker and former Cape Girardeau mayor Jay Knudtson on Friday night at the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's annual banquet at the Show Me Center. Knudtson was presented with the Rush H. Limbaugh Award, which is presented annually by the chamber to an individual who has distinguished him or herself through community service for a significant period of time...

A Cape Girardeau counselor has paid $25,000 to settle a 2014 Medicaid fraud suit, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster announced Friday. In February, Koster filed a 15-count lawsuit alleging Jennifer Kirchhoff engaged in improper billing practices that netted her $8,062 more than she was entitled to receive for family and individual therapy sessions...

Lions and tigers and bears? Oh, no! Ferrets and geckos and pigs? Well, why not? Whether in the backyard, the bathtub, basement or our beds, pets considered exotic are living in harmony in homes with their human owners. "When people say 'exotic' pet, they usually think of reptiles," Shane Goodwin, manager at Petco in Cape Girardeau, said...

Believe it or not, there was a time before the Super Bowl became supreme overlord of the sporting universe. Vicki Litzelfelner Abernathy remembers it fondly. Back when the Super Bowl was merely the biggest football game of the year, she performed during the halftime show...

More than 150 high school athletes from across Southeast Missouri were recognized last summer at the Show Me Center as part of the inaugural Semoball Awards. Now for Round 2.

Today is Sunday, Feb. 1, the 32nd day of 2015. There are 333 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 1, 1865, during the Civil War, Union forces led by Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman began the Carolinas Campaign as they invaded South Carolina. Abolitionist John S. Rock became the first black lawyer admitted to the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court...

Generosity photos

BENTON, Mo. -- Carissa Renee Klipfel and Amos Logan Helms were married Oct. 18, 2014, at St. Denis Catholic Church. The Rev. Michael Casteel performed the ceremony. Organist was Angela Klueppel of Benton. Vocalists were Jim Simmons of Benton and Kari Bickings of Oran, Missouri...

Lindsay Marie Broussard and Robert Joseph Randolph were married June 7, 2014, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Rayne, Louisiana. The Rev. Gary Schexnayder performed the ceremony. Scripture readers were Andrea Pinac and Mallory Miller Gaspard of Crowley, Louisiana. Kip Faulk was organist and trumpeter, and Jace Fogelman was vocalist...

Richard and Lana Green of Benton, Missouri, announce the engagement of their daughter, Brenna Justine Green, to Jordan Christopher Buchheit, both of Maumelle, Arkansas. He is the son of Jon and Marsha Buchheit of Jackson. Brenna received a bachelor of science degree in business administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2010. She is unit manager at Altria, owner of Golden Key Properties...

The Oran Jaycees will host a four-course dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Feb. 14 at Oran Jaycee Hall, 200 Haw St. Reservations are required and mus be made before Feb. 10. They can accommodate a maximum of five couples per hour, with seatings on the hour. The menu includes French onion soup dumpling, mixed green salad, lamb rib chop, sauteed Burssess sprouts, baked potato salad, and lemon custard. More information is available by contacting Travis Bickings at 573-270-2578...

Employees of Rent One donated $4,335 to United Way of Southeast Missouri's 2014 campaign. (Submitted photo)

The Sigma Phi Epsilon Founders Scholarship has been endowed through the Southeast Missouri University Foundation. The Missouri Zeta Chapter's 1999 Founding Fathers at Southeast made contributions totaling more than $5,000, which were matched as part of the Honoring Tradition -- Inspiring Success Comprehensive Campaign. ...

The Tau Kappa Epsilon, Delta Zeta Chapter Alumni Memorial Scholarship has been established through the Southeast Missouri University Foundation. Alumni of the Delta Zeta Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon made gifts totaling more than $5,000, which were matched through a foundation program to establish the scholarship, the Honoring Tradition -- Inspiring Success Comprehensive Campaign. ...

For years now a good friend of mine, Don Sanders at Sanders Insurance, has gotten me an Almanac Calendar. It is kind of like a Farmer's Almanac, only in calendar form. It looks like a normal calendar but if you look a little closer you will find a wealth of information. The interesting part has to deal with when to plant your garden seeds and plants and such...

It's cold outside, and the forecast suggests it will get even colder. But if you are a gardener, you are looking past the immediate forecast and thinking about spring gardening. If you want to keep yourself thinking spring, get with the program by starting cole crop (cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli) seed inside now, so that it will be ready for transplant when the weather breaks...

My husband eats sandwiches most days at his work, so he does not want a sandwich at home. I'm sure there are many people who have this same routine. Once in awhile, the rest of our family enjoys a sandwich, so they have to be different from what is in the lunchbox for work...

This column is about the Super Bowl but it isn't. It's really about our collective embrace of the trivial. We embrace it because we have to talk to each other about something, don't we? The only explanation that makes sense to me to account for why "Deflategate" has endured in the public mind for two solid weeks is that we're bored. And when we're bored, we cleave to the nonessential, to trivia...

A copy of the Nicene Creed hangs on the wall above my bed. I've hung it in whatever room I've lived in away from home ever since I read somewhere during my junior year of college the quote by St. Augustine: "Let the Creed be like a mirror for you. Look at yourself in it to see whether you really believe all that you claim to believe. And rejoice everyday in your faith."...

Fred Burgard and his wife, Sharon, know the demands of the ministry and the need for spiritual leaders to get away, be still and rest. They founded Shadow Rest Ministries with the goal of offering that place of rest to those who need it most. In 2004, Fred resigned from pastoring after fulfilling that role in two churches between 1993 and 2004. ...

The American bald eagle has a mostly black beak for the first two years. As a 3-year-old, its beak will turn yellow. Most all feathers on a 1-year-old bald eagle are dark brown. A 2-year-old will show mostly white feathers on its chest and the feathers on its head will begin to show white at the tips. ...

The Nancy Hunter Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution met Jan. 28 at Cape Girardeau Public Library. Charlotte Slinkard, regent, opened the meeting. Carolyn Webb, vice regent, read the January 2015 NSSDAR President General's message and Slinkard read the National Defense Committee report, "Homeless Veterans Need Our Support."...

Betty is a 2-year-old beagle mix. She is available for adoption at the Humane Society, 334-5837.

Submitted by Katie Geis James and Sophie defy all those rumors about cats and dogs.

While strolling, I wondered whatever happened to Rex Smith. Happy birthday this week to Sandy Bollinger, Geoffrey Mirly, Cody Payne, Pam Eichhorn, Steve Benton Todd Chapman, Jim Arteme, Mike Crowden, Norma Evans, Josh Pobst, Jessica Nunnally, Kathy Enderle, Richard Nation, Justin Wilson, Kevin Ancell, Keith Ancell, CB Stidham, Darren McIntosh, Derrick Uhrhan, Tom Leible, Correy Chapman, Danny Walter, Brenda Bryant, Chris Siebert, Wade Cannon, Butch Baker, Rocky Rainey, Jr., and Missy Ikerman...

Vince Lombardi, former Green Bay Packer football coach, was quoted as saying, "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing." Leo Durocher, the old Dodger baseball coach, said, "Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser." Gen. George Patten said, "Americans love a winner and they hate a loser."...

Suicide rates are climbing in Missouri and across the nation. As reported last week in the Southeast Missourian, 17 people intentionally ended their lives in 2014 in Cape Girardeau County, according to numbers provided by the coroner. That is a jump from 12 in 2011...

Lord Jesus, we give you praise and honor for through you we have victory. Amen.

A presidential search committee at Southeast Missouri State University is expected to present a list of finalists to the school's board of regents Tuesday; also at that meeting, the board will consider a proposal that the university enter into a cooperative agreement with the Missouri Division of Youth Services to construct a group home for youths...

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- The search for a missing woman continues as law enforcement officers rule out the most recent lead in the 18-month-old case. A car spotted in the depths of the Mississippi River last fall is not Barbara Stoffer's, said New Madrid Police Chief Joey Higgerson...

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- Former Riverways chief ranger Larry Johnson has been selected to serve as acting superintendent at Ozark National Scenic Riverways after Bill Black retired Jan. 3. Johnson returned to the Riverways on Jan. 16 and will serve as the acting superintendent for up to 120 days while a new permanent superintendent is sought...

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Mitt Romney's exit from the presidential campaign has unleashed a frenzy of fresh fundraising and set off a new race for the backing of donors who had remained loyal to the 2012 Republican nominee. Big dollars were said to flow immediately Friday to former Florida Gov. ...

NEW YORK -- Weeks removed from an open revolt from his police force that had officers turning their backs on him, Mayor Bill de Blasio declares he has moved past the rift, striking a tenuous truce with a strategy to stay above the fray and public opinion that soured on the cops' behavior...

VATICAN CITY -- A new Vatican outreach initiative to listen to women hit a sour note before it got off the ground: The sexy blonde on its Internet promo video came under such ridicule, it was quickly taken down. But the program is going ahead, and an inaugural meeting this week will study women's issues in ways that are new for the Holy See...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- An audacious, nearly 7,000-mile-long trip across the Pacific Ocean came to an end Saturday as two accomplished pilots safely touched down in the water just off the coast of Mexico in their helium-filled balloon after shattering two long-standing records...

NEW YORK -- More than 2 million Toyota, Chrysler and Honda vehicles are being recalled for a second fix for faulty air bags that may inadvertently inflate while the car is running. The recall includes some Acura MDX, Dodge Viper, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Honda Odyssey, Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Corolla and Toyota Avalon models made from 2002 to 2004. ...

ATLANTA -- The daughter of late singer and entertainer Whitney Houston was found unresponsive in a bathtub Saturday and taken to a hospital in the north Atlanta suburbs, police said. Bobbi Kristina Brown was found by her husband, Nick Gordon, and a friend. Her husband and the friend called 911 and performed CPR on Brown because they did not believe she was breathing nor had a pulse, said officer Lisa Holland, a spokeswoman for the Roswell Police Department...

PHILADELPHIA -- Professional wrestler Mick Foley was ejected from the Wing Bowl eating contest Friday after stuffing uneaten chicken wings into a fanny pack. Chicago's Patrick Bertoletti won with a Wing Bowl record 444 wings in 26 minutes. He edged 2014 champion Molly Schuyler, of Bellevue, Nebraska, who eclipsed her record 363-wing mark with 440 wings. Fan-favorite Foley, known in the ring as Mankind, said after his ouster he didn't want to overstuff himself and get sick...

TOKYO -- Japan condemned with outrage and horror today an online video that purported to show an Islamic State group militant beheading Japanese journalist Kenji Goto. The video posted on militant websites late Saturday ended days of negotiations to save the man and heightened fears for the life of a Jordanian fighter pilot also held hostage...

The Scott City Fire Department responded to the following calls. January 17 n At 10:45 p.m., structure fire on James Street. January 18 n At 4:06 a.m., move up, South Mount Auburn Road, Cape Girardeau. n At 3:53 p.m., emergency medical service on East Main Street...

The Fruitland Fire Department responded to the following calls. January 25 n Vehicle fire on U.S. 61. January 26 n Medical assist on U.S. 61. n Medical assist on County Road 442. January 27 n Mutual aid on County Road 467. n Medical assist on U.S. 61...

* At 12:19 a.m., a call on North Fountain Street. n At 1:33 a.m., a call on North Henderson Avenue. n At 1:41 a.m., a call on Broadway. n At 6:05 a.m., a call on Albert Street. n At 6:18 a.m., a call on Haddock Street. n At 7:33 a.m., a service call on Linden Street...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. n Anthony L. Stallings, 30, of Cape Girardeau was arrested on a Jackson warrant for failure to appear on a charge of failure to register a motor vehicle. n Jeanette C. Beck, 53, of Chaffee, Missouri, was issued a summons for failure to register a motor vehicle...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. n Dante Lamar Criddle, 23, of Cape Girardeau was arrested on Cape Girardeau warrants for failure to appear for property damage, walking in the road when sidewalk available, resisting arrest and possession of controlled substance...

Son to Christopher Michael and Ashley Elizabeth Cole of Thebes, Illinois, Southeast Hospital, 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015. Name, Christopher Michael Jr. Weight, 8 pounds, 12 ounces. Second child, first son. Mrs. Cole is the former Ashley Mangels, daughter of Michael and Kim Mangels of Millersville. Cole is the son of Michael and Grace Cole of Thebes...

LOS ANGELES -- As Marion "Suge" Knight sat jailed on suspicion of murder, dueling narratives cast him as attacker and victim in the hip-hop music mogul's latest and most serious run-in with the law. Sheriff's deputies said he hit and killed a man with his pickup truck, injured another and fled. His lawyer said he was a victim who accidentally ran over his friend and the other man as he tried to escape an attack...

NEW HAMBURG, Mo. -- Joseph F. Westrich, 77, of New Hamburg passed away Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, at Landmark Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 7, 1937, in Chaffee, Missouri, to the late William "Bill" and Blandine Clara Blattel Westrich. He and Theresa Bucher were married May 25, 1957...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Lillard B. "X" Warden, 82, of Mounds, formerly of Mound City, Illinois, passed away suddenly Friday, Jan. 30, 2015, at his home. He was born Dec. 12, 1932, in Cairo, Illinois, son of Lillard B. Warden Sr. X served in the National Guard...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Elsie Marie Van Meter, 86, of Cairo died Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, at Life Care Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Nov. 16, 1928, in Cairo, daughter of Arthur and Grace Bracken Denton. She was married to Walter Van Meter, who preceded her in death...

KELSO, Mo. -- William Owen "Bill" Rogers, 91, of Kelso died Friday, Jan. 30, 2015, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City.

Denza Zenobia Mitchell, 84, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015, at the home of a daughter in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Monday at St. James AME Church in Cape Girardeau...

Emily Madge Limbaugh, 94, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Jan. 30, 2015, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born Dec. 13, 1920, in Bernie, Missouri, to Hillary Q. and Emily Ethel Hopkins Limbaugh. Madge was co-owner of Plaza Beauty Salon in Cape Girardeau for several years. She retired from Janet's Beauty Shop...

ORLANDO, Fla. -- An aggravated-assault case against George Zimmerman that was opened when his ex-girlfriend said he threw a wine bottle at her has been dropped because she recanted her story and stopped cooperating with investigators, according to a prosecutor...

Burdetta Aline Frazier, 94, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center. She was born Jan. 20, 1921, in Cape Girardeau, to Archie Leo and Opal Marie Shafer Garner. She and Everett V. Frazier were married Feb. 2, 1938, in Cape Girardeau. He passed away Aug. 19, 2001...

Sharon Kay Dreyer, 70, of Jackson, died Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, at Jackson Manor Nursing Home in Jackson. She was born Aug. 16, 1944, in Cape Girardeau to Charles William and Catheryn Lucille Macke Sander. Sharon and Leonard Gene Dreyer were married Nov. 1, 1964, in Jackson at the First Presbyterian Church...

All scores were reported to the Southeast Missourian on Saturday.

The Bollinger County, Missouri, Sheriff's Department is seeking the public's help to find a stolen tractor. The owner of the 1956 International 200 tractor reported it stolen Wednesday from a barn on his property on Route ZZ near Glenallen, Missouri, according to a bulletin posted Friday on the department's Facebook page...

The Southeast Missouri State track and field team competed at the Indiana Relays on Friday and Saturday. Blake Smith placed third in the 60-meter final with a time of 6.77, while Chris Navarro finished third in the 60-meter hurdles in 8.20. Smith also took second in the long jump...

PHOENIX -- Domestic violence. Questionable discipline. Player safety. Confusing officiating. Deflated footballs. The disturbing headlines that began last February never slowed down for the NFL this season. The problems -- most of them made worse by the ineffectual handling -- mushroomed into an imperfect storm that hurt the league's credibility and turned the lead-up to today's Super Bowl into a time for damage control, not celebration...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- At times overcome by rare displays of emotion, Missouri athletic director Mike Alden said Friday he has reached "the perfect time" to step down after 17 years. Speaking to students, staff and fans on campus, the 56-year-old Alden said he's thought about resigning for years and made the decision after consulting his family and faith. He issued an open letter through the school Thursday initially announcing his plans, which take effect Aug. 31...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Shootouts have become Shattenkirk time for the St. Louis Blues. Kevin Shattenkirk scored the winner in the tiebreaker for the second straight night, and the Blues beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 on Friday night for their fourth straight win...

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Serena Williams won her 19th Grand Slam title and continued her unbeaten run in six Australian Open finals by extending her decade-long domination of Maria Sharapova. She struggled with a hacking cough, she was sick, and she twice celebrated too early, but she held her composure in a 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory on Saturday...

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Martin Laird watched the ball disappear into the cup on the par-3 16th hole and put some elbow grease into his fist pump. It certainly wasn't the most exciting moment on golf's most raucous hole. That belonged to Francesco Molinari, who made the first hole-in-one at the 16th on Saturday at the Phoenix Open since Tiger Woods in 1997...

An emergency horse trailer is brought from the scene of an accident Friday near Maysville, Kentucky. A small snowstorm made hazardous driving conditions, causing an accident involving a horse trailer. Emergency personnel freed the horse from the trailer and moved a truck from a ditch. The horse was not injured...