Stories from Friday, September 25, 2015

WASHINGTON (AP) -- When they got the news that House Speaker John Boehner had resigned, several hundred evangelical voters who expected to spend their Friday hearing from the Republican candidates for president leapt to their feet and cheered. "I'm not here to bash anyone, but the time has come to turn the page," said Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who got the honor of sharing the stunning development with the crowd at the annual Value Voters forum in Washington...

Saxony Lutheran's raucous student section failed to slow down the Pirates, who knocked off the host Crusaders 25-18, 25-19 in straight sets.

In the days leading up to Southeast's game against Division II Shorter University on Saturday, Matukewicz spent his time on the lower field with the defense as it prepared for the visiting Hawks' triple-option offense.

The 109th meeting between the two schools kicks off at 7 p.m. today at The Pit in Jackson, and while the rivalry is infused with new life every year, it's just another SEMO North Conference opponent for each team to measure itself against.

FERGUSON, Mo. -- The city of Ferguson has turned to a Fortune 500 company based in the St. Louis suburb in hopes of reversing its deteriorating financial situation. Ferguson was in financial trouble even before the protests and looting touched off by the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, 18, by now-former police officer Darren Wilson last August...

ST. LOUIS -- A class-action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Missouri owners of diesel Volkswagen vehicles in the latest fallout from the German company's rigging of emissions technology to pass air-quality tests. The suburban St. Louis law firm of Jacobson, Press & Fields filed suit Wednesday on behalf of three St. ...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A group dedicated to upholding the separation of church and state is asking sheriffs in Missouri to remove "In God We Trust" decals from their squad vehicles. The Freedom From Religion Foundation argues the motto is "exclusionary" of atheistic and agnostic citizens...

A man and woman are facing charges following an alleged robbery and kidnapping in Perryville, Missouri. Jeffery S. Franks and Kaitlyn M. Martin, both of Perryville, have been charged with first-degree robbery and kidnapping, both felonies. An officer was patrolling the night of Sept. 15 near Perry County Lake when he heard someone yelling for help, according to a probable-cause statement filed by detective Teresa Cox. The man, Terry Ervin, told the patrolman he had just been robbed...

The "Best Little Fair in the Land" returns this weekend in Perry County. Events will be held today and Saturday in Altenburg, Missouri, as part of the East Perry Community Fair. The events today begin at 8 a.m. with the judging of poultry and small animals, followed by judging of hall exhibits. Weigh-ins for larger animals begin this afternoon...

Members of the public had two opportunities Thursday to weigh in on Southeast Missouri's first regional, long-range transportation plan. Public input sessions were hosted by the Southeast Metropolitan Planning Organization -- also known as SEMPO -- in Jackson and Cape Girardeau...

When Cletus Everett Dale Manning hit the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge at noon Thursday, he said it was a welcome sight. "I've been looking for that bridge for 500 miles, son," he said. The 66-year-old X-ray technologist has spent the bulk of September running from Hartford, Michigan, to Poplar Bluff, Missouri, to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital...

The Addams Family has endured various incarnations -- including the Broadway musical to be performed at Southeast Missouri State University -- because we all want to embrace the weird things that bring us together, according to director Michael McIntosh...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- "If the mud ain't flyin', you ain't tryin'." That's one of the mottos at Brick's Off Road Park, according to its T-shirts. The rural Butler County tourist attraction has become a haven for ATV riders and big-wheel truck enthusiasts over the last decade, but in June, it earned a new sort of notoriety...

Micheal Curry came to Southeast Missouri State University to play football, but a 2013 multiple sclerosis diagnosis nixed his playing hopes, leaving him to pursue his other childhood passion, dance. But instead of just dancing for himself, he's using his talents to raise money for MS research. He and his friend, Dyvi'on Johnson, are organizing the Dance for a Cause: MS Awareness Dance Competition on Oct. 3 at the North Recreation Center on Southeast's campus...

NEW YORK -- Pope Francis plunged into the melting pot of New York on Thursday after reminding the country of its immigrant origins in the first papal speech before Congress. At an evening prayer service in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Francis thanked American nuns for their strength and courage in an acknowledgement of their service following a yearslong Vatican crackdown...

At his family's farm Wednesday in Gordonville, Tyler Lorberg spent his day in a combine, harvesting what remained of about 85 acres of corn. With his two dogs to keep him company, Lorberg made his final trips down the remaining rows that afternoon, keeping an eye on the quality of the corn as it filled the hopper...

Molly Turner, a 2012 Jackson High School Graduate, was elected President of the Truman State University Student Government for the 2015-2016 school year. Last year she served as Vice President. She is a Philosophy and Religion major who has presented undergraduate work at St. ...

The Southeast Missouri State and SIU Edwardsville soccer teams picked up Ohio Valley Conference action where they left off at the end of last season when the Redhawks clinched a share of the OVC title with a hard fought win over the Cougars in the regular-season finale...

Today is Friday, September 25, the 268th day of 2015. There are 97 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On September 25, 1890, President Benjamin Harrison signed a measure establishing Sequoia National Park. On this date: In 1513, Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and sighted the Pacific Ocean...

O Lord Jesus, bless our pastors who stand strong on the Word of God. Amen.

It's official. Certified. Stamped with approval. Etc. Etc. Etc. The 2015 version of downtown golf is Sunday. This coming Sunday. Day after tomorrow if you're reading this on Friday -- which you should. It's the First-Ever 10th Annual Louis J. Lorimier Memorial World-Famous Downtown Golf Tournament and All-You-Can-Eat Catfish Buffet...

If you're looking for something fun and different to do this weekend, we'd like to call your attention once again to the First-Ever Tenth Annual Louis J. Lorimier Memorial World-Famous Downtown Golf Tournament and All-You-Can-Eat Catfish Buffet in Cape Girardeau...

Donald Trump is a topnotch buffoon, but there is a method to his madness. He correctly realizes that the Republican base is looking for a belligerent outsider who is an extremist conservative radical on most social and cultural issues (immigration), but is not beholden to cutting taxes for the 1 percent, a benchmark of conservative orthodoxy. All of this translates into the conclusion that we are in the middle of the breakup of the Republican Party...

SEATTLE -- A "duck boat" tour vehicle and a charter bus carrying foreign college students collided on a busy Seattle bridge Thursday, killing four people and sending dozens to hospitals. The collision happened on the Aurora Avenue bridge, which carries one of the city's main north-south highways over a lake...

WASHINGTON -- The Senate's top Republican moved swiftly to avoid a government shutdown in six days, pushing legislation that would keep agencies operating without a contentious fight over money for Planned Parenthood. The action of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., followed a decisive Senate vote blocking a bill that would have stripped Planned Parenthood of its taxpayer funding while keeping the government running through Dec. 11...

MINA, Saudi Arabia -- Two giant waves of Muslim pilgrims collided at an intersection Thursday near a holy site in Saudi Arabia, and more than 700 people were crushed and trampled to death in the worst disaster at the hajj in a quarter-century. "People were climbing over one another just to breathe," said Abdullah Lotfy of Egypt. "It was like a wave. You go forward, and suddenly you go back."...

EDNA, Texas -- An SUV crammed with at least 15 people rolled during a police chase in South Texas early Thursday, leaving six people dead and seven more injured, police said. Police are trying to determine who was driving the 2003 Ford Explorer when it crashed. Two people who ran from the scene were caught and detained, police chief Clinton Wooldridge said...

About 14 census workers begin recounting sections of about 25 Southeast Missouri cities where the municipalities have challenged preliminary census figures; one of those cities is Cape Girardeau. The much-debated Lexington arterial project again was the focus of contention last night at a public hearing on the necessity of the street's next phase of construction; while not objecting to the project, attorneys for two property owners along the planned corridor claim their clients will be unfairly billed for the street.. ...

* Medical assist calls were made on East Main Street and South Hope Street. n Alarm sounding on Lee Avenue. n Mutual aid on County Road 222. n First alarm on Lee Avenue...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. n Joyce K. Smith, 65, 324 S. Shawnee Blvd., was arrested on a Pemiscot County warrant. n Carmen E. Smith, 41, of Jackson was issued summonses for a center turn lane violation and operating a motor vehicle with a revoked operator's license...

* Medical assist calls were made on Village Drive at 12:44 a.m.; Cape Centre Drive at 7:56 a.m.; North Frederick Street at 8:18 a.m.; South Silver Springs Road at 10:02 a.m.; South Spring Street at 10:37 a.m.; South West End Boulevard at 10:55 a.m.; Water Street at 1:50 p.m.; and Linden Street at 2:43 p.m...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. n Wendi D. Freeman, 30, 136 S. Lorimier St., was arrested on a Fredericktown, Missouri, warrant for shoplifting. n A suspect was in custody pending formal charges of shoplifting at Wal-Mart, 3439 William St...

Last week: Scott City 28, Chaffee 14; Malden 38, East Prairie 20 Last year: East Prairie 44, Chaffee 6 Outlook: Chaffee enters on the heels of losing its rivalry game with Scott City for the second straight year. East Prairie was state-ranked after it opened the season with wins over Kelly, Grandview and Scott City but has dropped its last two games to Hayti and Malden...

All scores were reported to the Southeast Missourian on Thursday.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- When the Eagles' Don Henley started looking for guest singers to accompany him on his new country album, he compared it to casting for a film. "It's like reading a screenplay. Who would be the best to play this part?" Henley said. "I was extremely fortunate in that nobody turned me down."...

The East Perry Community Fair will take place today and Saturday at the fairgrounds in Altenburg, Missouri. The parade will start at 1:30 p.m. today, followed by opening ceremonies at 2:30 p.m. Other Friday activities include music by Pearl River Band at 6:30 p.m. ...

Grace Eckert's "Made for Walking" one-of-a-kind-rugs exhibit will open Tuesday. The hangings in the exhibition are hand-tufted, loop-pile textiles that could function either as rugs or wall hangings and are created by Eckert, a fiber-studio instructor at the University of Tennessee at Martin and VTA Gallery coordinator, according to a news release from Southeast Missouri State University. ...

SEMO District Fair Parade #semoselfie with the #saintfrancismc #PinkUp breast cancer survivors float! #pink #parade #missouri #CapeGirardeau #selfie #saturday #smile (Submitted by @emilysikes) Going out this weekend? Be sure to tag your selfies on the scene with #semoselfie on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter -- you could see yourself in an upcoming SE Live!...

Forget football on Sunday afternoons this fall and head to Stooges Restaurant in Jackson, where live music will be on an outdoor stage for the Hubble Creek Blues Series. From 3 to 6 p.m. beginning Sunday and continuing each Sunday for six weeks, musicians from around the country and as far away as Canada will participate in the free concert series...

TUCSON, Ariz. -- A Border Patrol agent charged with second-degree murder in the death of a Mexican teen is one of only three agents to face murder charges in more than 20 years. Lonnie Swartz was indicted Wednesday on one count of second-degree murder by a federal grand jury that reviewed the death of 16-year-old Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez, who was hit about 10 times by cross-border gunfire...

ST. LOUIS -- Jhonny Peralta picked a big time to end his homer drought, and then rookie Stephen Piscotty followed with a timely hit of his own. Together, they combined for seven RBIs and powered the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers Thursday night...

HIBBS, Pa. -- Police are searching for a shotgun-wielding robber who told a Pennsylvania pizza shop clerk he was having a "bad day." State police say the man entered Fox's Pizza in Hibbs last week, carrying the gun and a camouflage bag; demanded cash; and told the clerk she wasn't moving fast enough and had 10 seconds before he grabbed the money and ran away. The clerk wasn't hurt...

Marjorie L. Williams, 98, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center. She was born Oct. 26, 1916, in Monroe, Nebraska, to Henry Robert and Martha Elizabeth Gertch Weber. She and Amos G. Williams were married Aug. 26, 1941, in Salem, Nebraska. He preceded her in death in 1977...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Donna Catherine Gardner, 70, of Marble Hill passed away Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015, at her home. Born on March 3, 1945, in Cape Girardeau, she was the daughter of Paul Edward and Pauline Virginia Counts Wood. She married Edward T. Gardner on July 26, 1966. He preceded her in death Oct. 11, 2012...

St. Louis Cardinals fans will get a first-hand opportunity to quiz manager Mike Matheny about the team thanks to a new event announced today by the Southeast Missourian and rustmedia. "The State of Cardinals Nation with Mike Matheny" presented by First Missouri State Bank and benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri will take place Wednesday, Dec. ...

Patsy Carrol Sims Jenkins, beloved wife, mother and grandmother, returned home to the Lord on Monday, Aug. 3, 2015. She was 82 years old. Patsy was born May 3, 1933, in Advance, Missouri. She was the first of six children born to Nathan McKearly Sims and Dortha Elizabeth Johnson. Patsy was married to Earl Leon Jenkins for 63 years. Theirs is a true love story; they were completely devoted to one another and to their families...