Stories from Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Residents in the Fruitland area may have noticed surveying crews at work, leaving behind survey stakes marked “sewer”. These are signs of progress in getting an area-wide sewage collection and treatment system in place. The voters in the area created the Sewer District in 1997, to address the sewage problems in the Fruitland vicinity. ...

On April 24, the Jackson High School chapter of FBLA took 35 students and three advisers to the University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Springfield, Missouri, for the 2016 State FBLA Leadership Conference. Students arrived on Sunday to compete in performance events, visit campaign booths, and attend the Opening Session, attended by over 4,400 members from across the state. ...

First, a disclaimer. If you are Brianna Mueller, avert your eyes. Because this is the story of the end of this chapter of your life -- the conclusion of four years of basketball at Saxony Lutheran, and sometimes even longer periods of friendship and teammate-ism -- and that's something you'd rather not talk about quite yet...

Sue Phillips will have to make a lengthy detour to drive from her Twin Lakes subdivision home to her downtown Cape Girardeau job at a beauty salon. Cape Girardeau city officials said Hopper Road will be closed to traffic at the Interstate 55 overpass beginning May 9 and likely not ending until fall...

With storms in the forecast, Jackson may get the opportunity to activate its new storm-siren protocol this week. Jackson fire chief Jason Mouser said advances in technology have allowed authorities to better predict areas of danger during storm events, in turn allowing alarms to be used more efficiently...

The Tailgate Flea Market returns Sunday to downtown Cape Girardeau. Parking lots on either side of Main Street will be filled with treasure-seekers as vendors offer a trove of antiques, collectibles, repurposed furniture, plants and other items. The Downtown Merchants Group arranged two Tailgate Flea Market events last year and intend to carry on the biannual tradition this year in light of its growing popularity...

Are cellphones a blessing or a curse in the classroom? It's a question that's been debated hotly at least since the turn of the 21st century, with proponents arguing phones can be educational and opponents calling them a distraction. Thomas Batchelor, a 10th-grader at Cape Girardeau Central High School, said students there aren't allowed to use their cellphones during the day and are required to keep them in their lockers until dismissal...

Today is Wednesday, April 27, the 118th day of 2016. There are 248 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On April 27, 1986, a video pirate calling himself "Captain Midnight" interrupted a movie on HBO with a printed onscreen message protesting home satellite de-scrambling fees. (Captain Midnight turned out to be John R. MacDougall of Florida, who was fined and placed on probation.)...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Strong thunderstorms capable of dropping grapefruit-sized hail and producing a few intense tornadoes popped up across the central U.S. on Tuesday after forecasters warned millions of people faced a significant danger. Businesses set out to protect their goods ahead of storms, while school districts sent children home early, hoping they would make it to safety before twisters, 4-inch hail and 80 mph winds raked the landscape...

WASHINGTON -- Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday he does not think Bernie Sanders has a path to winning the Democratic presidential nomination. Responding to questions at his weekly news conference, Reid declined to suggest Sanders should drop out or cede the ground to Hillary Clinton, who posted a strong showing in primaries Tuesday in Maryland, Pennsylvania and elsewhere...

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- A U.S. Naval Academy instructor implicated in sexual misconduct is being removed from his position, and the academy said if it had known about a former student's sexual-misconduct accusation against him, he would not have been allowed to teach...

CINCINNATI -- A coroner's report released Tuesday showed new details of vicious violence in the shooting deaths of eight members of a rural southern Ohio family, finding most victims were shot three to nine times each, and some of them were bruised...

CONCORD, N.H. -- The growing number of patients who claim marijuana helped them drop their painkiller habit has intrigued lawmakers and emboldened advocates, who are pushing for cannabis as a treatment for the abuse of opioids and illegal narcotics such as heroin, as well as an alternative to painkillers...

LONDON -- It's so long to Big Ben's bongs -- at least temporarily. British officials announced Tuesday the famous bell of Parliament will fall silent for several months during repairs to its crumbling clock tower. The work, due to begin in January and last three years, is the biggest repair job on the tower for decades. Steve Jaggs, Parliament's Keeper of the Great Clock, said it can't wait much longer...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Rhetorical skirmishes continued Tuesday in North Carolina over a law limiting protections for LGBT people as Democrats criticized a Republican's plea to "keep our state straight." The criticism came a day after dueling demonstrations drew thousands of protesters for and against the law, ending with the arrests of 54 people voicing their opposition to the law in the legislative building...

CHICAGO -- When Dennis Hastert pleaded guilty last year to breaking banking laws, sentencing guidelines suggested the former House speaker probably would serve no more than six months in prison for making illegal withdrawals to conceal a secret from his past...

PHILADELPHIA -- In a front-runner's rout, Republican Donald Trump roared to victory Tuesday in five contests across the Northeast and confidently declared himself the GOP's "presumptive nominee." Hillary Clinton was dominant in four Democratic races, ceding only Rhode Island to rival Bernie Sanders...

NEW YORK -- Kelly Ripa returned to her daytime talk show Tuesday after time off to "gather (her) thoughts" in response to learning her co-host Michael Strahan is leaving, saying the incident had started a conversation about workplace respect. She also told the audience her bosses had apologized to her, and she'd received assurances the "Live with Kelly and Michael" show was important to parent Walt Disney Co...

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea's president said Tuesday that North Korea has almost completed preparations for a fifth nuclear test, and the country reportedly has placed a new midrange missile on standby for an impending launch. North Korea said two days ago it successfully had test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine in a continuation of its weapons tests during ongoing South Korea-U.S. military drills...

NEW YORK -- Francis Ford Coppola will press his hands and feet into the cement outside the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on Friday. But his imprint on Hollywood, movies and American culture long has been set in stone, even if the chameleonic writer-director remains perpetually in flux...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Prince's sister said she believes the superstar musician didn't have a will and asked a Minnesota court Tuesday to appoint a trust company to oversee his multimillion-dollar estate temporarily. Tyka Nelson, Prince's only full sibling, said in the court filing immediate action was necessary to manage Prince's business interests after his death last week at Paisley Park, his famous home and recording-studio complex in suburban Minneapolis...

Ted Elliott, a Sikeston, Missouri, real estate agent, has created a "Rocky Holler" alongside Interstate 55 near Cape Girardeau; it features arts and crafts, wagon rides, fishing and nature hikes. Cape Girardeau area contractors, developers, engineers, architects and real estate agents yesterday urged the city council and administrative staff to use "common sense" when dealing with building inspections and permits; about 45 area building-trades representatives attended a special council meeting to voice concerns about the city's building inspection division.. ...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- W.D. "Dub" Welker Jr., 88, of Chaffee passed away Sunday, April 24, 2016, in Chaffee. Dub was born Nov. 22, 1927, in Cape Girardeau to Willis D. and Katie Kistner Welker. Dub married Lela Lorene Givens on Feb. 6, 1980, in Jackson. He was a 1945 graduate of Cape Girardeau Central High School...

Dora Dale McLain, 87, of Jackson passed away peacefully Monday, April 25, 2016, at the Monticello House, where she had resided since 2008. She was born June 1, 1928, in Cape Girardeau County, the daughter to John H. and Lillie Kraemer Farrow. Dora attended Indian Creek School near Oriole and was a former member of Iona Baptist Church in Oriole...

Geneva Ruth Mayfield, 92, of Jackson died Monday, April 25, 2016, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Dwayne Coleman officiating. Burial will be at Russell Heights Cemetery in Jackson...

DE SOTO, Mo. -- Nelson C. Klaus Sr., 92, of De Soto died Monday, April 25, 2016, at The Villas. He was born Aug. 29, 1923, in Perryville, Missouri, the son of Oscar F. and Ola Jane Seabaugh Klaus. He married Mildred DeClue, and she preceded him in death...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Dreshane ALegreona Ayers, 21, address unknown, was arrested on a Cape Girardeau warrant for failure to appear for stealing. n A suspect was in custody pending formal charges of stealing at 3049 William St...

Daughter to Chase Ferrell Crowden and Brooke Amber Paulsen, Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs, Iowa, 2:54 a.m. Saturday, April 2, 2016. Name, Avery Cole. Weight, 6 pounds, 6 ounces. Paulsen is the daughter of Bruce Paulsen and Dawn Paulsen of Melvern, Iowa. Crowden is the son of Nate and Christi Crowden of Jackson. He served in the Air Force and is now employed by FedEx...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple sold more than 51 million iPhones in the first three months of this year -- and that's the problem. That's 10 million fewer iPhones than the tech giant sold during the same quarter a year ago. As a result, Apple on Tuesday reported its first drop in quarterly revenue in 13 years -- and the first-ever year-over-year decline in iPhone sales...

NEW YORK -- Twitter gets lots of grief from investors because it hasn't taken over the world the way Facebook did, at least in terms of amassing users. But maybe it's destined to stay small, serving a vital, if limited, role for the public. Maybe Twitter just isn't meant to be an all-encompassing social utility. ...

SEATTLE -- States and cities whose lawmakers proudly passed "living wage" laws are finding it difficult to make sure employers actually pay their workers accordingly. Seattle and San Francisco, and the states of Oregon, California and New York are phasing in wage increases that will grow to $15 an hour or more...

TOKYO -- Mitsubishi Motors Corp., the Japanese automaker that acknowledged last week it had intentionally lied about fuel economy data for some models, said an internal investigation found such tampering dated to 1991. The company also was told by U.S. environmental regulators it must do additional testing to verify gas mileage on the models it sells in the country...

ST. LOUIS — The director of national intelligence said he doesn’t plan to overturn a subordinate’s preliminary decision to build a federal spy agency’s new regional headquarters in St. Louis rather than relocate to Illinois. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported James Clapper said Monday he has “no basis” to reject the recommendation by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s director...

CLAYTON, Mo. — The NAACP chapter in St. Louis County is calling for an independent committee to investigate ballot problems in the county. Ballot shortages affected more than 60 precincts during the April 5 municipal election. The county already is conducting its own investigation, as is the Missouri Secretary of State’s office and a Missouri House committee. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A bill designed to ease limits on the concealed carry of weapons is advancing in the Missouri Legislature after House members voted 112-37 to send the measure to the Senate. The legislation House members approved Tuesday would allow people to carry concealed guns without a permit anywhere they now can carry openly, something that doesn’t require a permit. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri’s Republican-controlled House has voted to increase women’s access to birth control by allowing pharmacists to prescribe oral contraceptives. Tuesday’s 97-50 vote in the House sends the measure to the Senate. Under Republican Rep. Sheila Solon’s bill, those younger than 18 would have to show pharmacists a doctor’s previous prescription ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri lawmakers on Tuesday passed legislation to change how medical expenses are handled in court, sending the measure to Gov. Jay Nixon. House members voted 95-57 in favor of the bill, which would allow only the actual costs and not the value of medical expenses to be considered as evidence in civil lawsuits...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's open-records laws would not cover some farming data under a measure the Missouri Senate passed Tuesday. The legislation, which passed with a bipartisan majority of 25-6, would require state agencies to keep confidential the information farmers submit for voluntary agricultural programs, such as registration data for animal disease-tracking programs. Anyone who improperly releases that information could be sued...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- In a rare move, the Missouri Supreme Court heard a second round of arguments Tuesday as it wrestles with whether to invalidate a state law that cuts jobless benefits because of an alleged flaw in the way it was enacted. More than 2,700 people already have lost unemployment benefits this month under the contested Missouri law that limits aid to 13 weeks, the second-briefest period nationally along with North Carolina. Florida offers 12 weeks of benefits...

ST. LOUIS -- After the final horn and before the ceremonial handshakes, some St. Louis Blues players did a little ice dancing. Deservedly so. This celebration was a long, long time coming. It's early in the playoffs, but there's reason for exuberance after they eliminated the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks in Game 7 of their first-round Western Conference series Monday night. ...

The Southeast Missouri State baseball and softball teams each had a couple of midweek games washed out. The Redhawks baseball team was slated to host regional rival Southern Illinois on Tuesday and NAIA Harris-Stowe tonight, but both were canceled due to weather...

All scores were reported to the Southeast Missourian on Tuesday.

The Catholic Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau is getting a new bishop. Pope Francis announced Tuesday that Edward Rice, auxiliary bishop of St. Louis, will take over as head of the diocese that covers southern Missouri. Rice has spent the last 29 years in St. Louis...

Ameren Missouri reported widespread power outages in Scott County after a series of storms rolled through the region Tuesday afternoon. Ameren reported almost 2,800 customers were without power as of 6 p.m. Tuesday. That is more than 30 percent of the customers Ameren serves in the county...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — An 8-month-old girl was found at home alone Monday morning, and local authorities were searching for her mother and older sister. “We’re concerned about the (older) child’s safety at this time,” Poplar Bluff deputy police chief Donnie Trout said. “Everything indicates she (19-year-old Jasmine Baldazo) had made arrangements with her parents in Arkansas to watch the child, but no one knows who they are or where they live...

In anticipation of the Jackson In Bloom event, Jackson’s annual Park Day will take place Saturday. Residents are invited to volunteer time to help beautify the city’s parks. Cleanup will begin at 8 a.m. at shelter 1 on Parkview Street in the main City Park...

Perry County sheriff’s deputies arrested a man Tuesday on a Ste. Genevieve County warrant for several burglaries after he was found beating on a pickup truck with a large stick near the Perry and Bollinger county border. Christian Tucker, 23, of Perry County was arrested about 3 p.m. ...

Gov. Jay Nixon on Tuesday renominated Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO John Mehner to serve on the Missouri Development Finance Board. The nomination is subject to confirmation by the Missouri Senate. The finance board administers a range of financing programs for Missouri businesses, local governments and state agencies; issues taxable or tax-exempt industrial revenue bonds; and provides market rate or low-interest loans and grants to political subdivisions to fund public infrastructure improvements. ...

Several Southern Illinois school superintendents still expect Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the largely Democratic state legislature to pass a state budget before the start of the 2016-2017 school year. “My belief is that the state of Illinois does not want students to not have a place to go,” said Andrea Evers, superintendent of the Cairo Unified School District in Cairo, Illinois, said...

PHOENIX -- Carlos Martinez gave up three hits in eight scoreless innings, Brandon Moss and Stephen Piscotty homered and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-2 on Tuesday night. Martinez (4-0) won for the fourth time in four starts. The 24-year-old right-hander held the Diamondbacks without a hit until David Peralta's one-out single in the fourth...

LOS ANGELES -- A judge has rejected a bid to dismiss an infliction of emotional distress claim filed against Bill Cosby by a woman who said the comedian sexually abused her when she was underage. The ruling Tuesday by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Craig Karlan allows most of Judy Huth's lawsuit against Cosby to proceed. ...

KIEV, Ukraine -- As Ukraine and Belarus on Tuesday marked the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident with solemn words and an angry protest, some of the men who were sent to the site in the first chaotic and frightening days were gripped by painful memories...

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- A 12-year-old girl wound up running 10 extra miles after she entered the wrong road race. LeeAdianez Rodriguez had registered for a 5K race that was part of last Sunday's Rochester Regional Health Flower City Challenge. She thought she was late at the starting line, so she began running with the rest of the runners. It turned out she was running with half-marathoners on the 13.1-mile course, not in the 5K, or 3.1 miles. She finished it in 2:43:31...

The odd twists and turns of the Republican presidential primary are almost enough to make Hillary Clinton look like a viable candidate. As a lifelong conservative -- which translates into a lifelong Republican -- I find myself frustrated and disgusted with the '16 primary season on the GOP side...

In an effort to curb the growth of methamphetamine labs, many Missouri cities and counties have enacted laws to make one of meth's ingredients less accessible. Since December 2010, pseudoephedrine has been available by prescription only in Cape Girardeau. ...

Thank you, O Lord Jesus, that nothing can separate us from your love. Amen.

St. John's United Church of Christ near Fruitland celebrated its agricultural heritage with "Drive Your Tractor to Church" Sunday. After morning worship, members enjoyed a basket dinner, pie baking contest, hat contest and other fun games. The working (and toy) tractors were displayed on the front lawn and a tractor memorabilia display was setup in the fellowship hall...