Stories from Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Jordan Kluesner threw a complete-game no-hitter to lead top-seeded Scott City past tournament host Charleston in an MSHSAA Class 3 District 2 semifinal. Kluesner gave up an unearned run in the top of the first inning, finishing with 11 strikeouts and one walk...

Jack Litzelfelner opened his high school golf career by winning the Class 3 state championship as a freshman. The Notre Dame senior is now looking to close his prep career in the same fashion after shooting a 2-under-par 70 on Monday in the first round of the Class 3 state tournament at Rivercut Golf Course in Springfield, Missouri...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Everything seemed to fall into place for Cape Girardeau Central baseball. A sophomore pitcher beat one of the more experienced lineups in the area, the defense behind him held up its end and the offense scored runs when it needed to...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- The Kelly baseball team gouged out a victory in the top of the first inning and cruised the rest of the way. The third-seeded Hawks scored nine runs in the opening frame on their way to a mild upset, a 15-7 win over second-seeded Saxony Lutheran in a semifinal of the Class 3 District 2 tournament Monday at Benny Hillhouse Memorial Park...

In a steady wind, a constant rain and on a wet artificial surface at Cape Girardeau Central High School -- where the game was moved because of the weather -- the St. Vincent girls soccer team was discombobulated. For much of 80 minutes, it controlled the run of play but was unpolished and imprecise. But on a day when it was less than its best, St. Vincent had one moment of perfect Indian soccer...

Despite recent downpours, construction continues on the Cape Girardeau Sportsplex, and progress remains on schedule. "February 17 is the deadline," Julia Thompson, director of the Cape Girardeau parks and recreation department said. "That could all change, though, depending on the weather."...

Republican lawmakers from the area voiced dismay Monday the Missouri Legislature failed to address the state's highway funding woes in the just-completed session. State Reps. Kathy Swan, Donna Lichtenegger and Holly Rehder and state Sen. Wayne Wallingford said lawmakers will have to take up the transportation funding issue again next year...

Cape Girardeau businessman Patrick Buck, 45, pleaded guilty Monday to four counts of food-stamp fraud in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau. As a part of the plea agreement, the government agreed to drop a fifth count of food-stamp fraud against Buck...

Today is Tuesday, May 17, the 138th day of 2016. There are 228 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On May 17, 1954, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court handed down its Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision which held that racially segregated public schools were inherently unequal, and therefore unconstitutional...

In his column which appeared in the May 13 Southeast Missourian, David Limbaugh expressed a sentiment about Donald Trump which can only be described as bewildered arrogance. Seeming to ignore the fact that Trump beat his 16 conservative rivals, Mr. Limbaugh states, "... team Trump better reconsider its apparent decision to continue to snub and insult the conservative base."...

Roundabouts have been a source of intense discussion, with some favoring them and others with reservations. That discussion has been ongoing in Jackson, where construction of an uptown roundabout began May 10. Adjusting to changes in traffic patterns is a challenge. ...

We praise you, O Heavenly Father, for you are our Creator. Amen.

** Joan Vicory ANNA, Ill. -- Joan Ann Vicory, 74, of Anna died Sunday, May 15, 2016, at her son's home in Jackson. Arrangements are incomplete at Crain Funeral Home in Anna.

Marion Bell Miles Edwards, 98, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, May 15, 2016, at The Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 9 to 10 a.m. Friday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. A memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the funeral home, with the Rev. David Conley officiating...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Cecil Ray Nanney, 87, of Advance, formerly of Marble Hill, Missouri, passed away May 15, 2016, at his home. He was born Nov. 17, 1928, in Marble Hill, son of William and Alice Nations Nanney. He and Violet R. McCormick were married Feb. 21, 1953, at Marble Hill...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Michael J. Behrle, 64, of Festus, Missouri, formerly of Perryville, died May 10, 2016, at Mercy Hospital Jefferson in Festus. Visitation will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Young and Sons Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, with the Rev. Milton Ryan CM officiating...

TAMMS, Ill. -- Mary "Ruth" Lessar, 86, of Tamms died at 9:44 a.m. Monday, May 16, 2016, at Saint Francis Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 22, 1930, in Tamms, the daughter of William Edward and Carrie (Illman) Newell. She married Edward E. Lessar on March 4, 1948, in Elco, Illinos. He preceded her in death Feb. 19, 2007...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Andrea N. Smith, 709 North St., was arrested on suspicion of stealing clothing at Wal-Mart, 3439 William St. n Tiffiny D. Jackson of Chaffee, Missouri, was arrested on suspicion of stealing miscellaneous merchandise at Wal-Mart, 3439 William St...

Bill Dayton Smith, 93, of Whitewater passed away Sunday, May 15, 2016, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Dec. 20, 1922, in Jackson, son of Jesse "Gad" and Tishie E. Seabaugh Smith. He and Mildred Green were married June 10, 1944, in Pickett, Arkansas...

NEW YORK -- Actress Doris Roberts, who played the meddling mother on CBS' "Everybody Loves Raymond," was remembered Monday as a tireless actress, a loyal friend and someone who could make even a monster on TV be adored. "Here's how good she was: She played the most intrusive, overbearing, noisy woman -- always starting fights and whatnot and meddling in our business -- and yet when I asked the fans who their favorite character was, all the time, it was her," said Ray Romano, who played her TV son. ...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Charles Wayne Brannon, 54, of Marble Hill passed away at his home Sunday, May 15, 2016. Born in Sikeston, Missouri, on April 16, 1962, he was the son of Charles Albert and Carmella Carmelia Grubbs Brannon. On Jan. 17, 1981, he married Beverly Delores Hutson in Rockford, Illinois. She survives...

THEBES, Ill. -- Brenda Palmer, 71, of Thebes died Monday, May 16, 2016, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 4, 1944, in Thebes to Claude and Blanche (Tackett) Prater. She married Henry Everett Palmer on Oct. 12, 1962. He preceded her in death June 21, 1997...

** Loretta Kuntze Loretta V. Kuntze, 72, of Jackson died Monday, May 16, 2016, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson.

Fido and Spot may not have to cower under the bed this summer when fireworks and thunderstorms hit, thanks to the first prescription veterinary medicine for treating anxiety over loud noises -- a widespread problem that causes property destruction, terrified dogs running away and even life-threatening injuries or euthanasia for some...

James E. Clippard, 89, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Springfield, Virginia, died at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 14, 2016, at his home. He was born Aug. 17, 1926, in Greenbrier, Missouri, to John and Ruby (Reeves) Clippard. He married Joyce Bennett on Dec. 17, 1949. She preceded him in death Aug. 9, 2013...

OWENSBORO, Ky. -- Margaret "Peggy" Ridlehoover Morris, 86, of Owensboro, formerly of Cape Girardeau, passed away May 14, 2016, under the care of Hospice of Western Kentucky. Peggy was born in Cadiz, Kentucky, on May 7, 1930, to the late Samuel Franklin Ridlehoover and Anne Dunnington Beauchamp Ridlehoover Swem...

OMAHA, Neb. -- Investors might question Warren Buffett's long-standing aversion to tech stocks after his Berkshire Hathaway bought 9.8 million shares of Apple. Buffett has always avoided technology companies because he said it was too hard to pick which ones would prevail long-term, although he made an exception to that rule to buy a major IBM stake in 2011...

Conservative city budgets the last few years should allow the city to tolerate an economic downturn caused by stagnant sales tax revenues, maintains assistant city manager Al Stoverink. He says the proposed $27 million, 1991-92 budget contains few cuts in city services, despite sagging sales-tax revenues this year...

HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. -- The notion of a 2-for-1 Clinton presidency is back. Recalling sunnier days of growth, low unemployment and budget surpluses under her husband, Hillary Clinton is telling Americans that Bill Clinton will take the lead on the economy if she wins the White House...

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama called on the nation Monday to support and listen to its law-enforcement officers as he bestowed the Medal of Valor on 13 officers who risked their lives to save others. In a ceremony in the East Room, Obama draped the purple-and-gold ribbons around the necks of officers who intervened in shooting rampages, hostage situations and an armed robbery...

JOPLIN, Mo. -- A fund established after the deadly Joplin tornado is distributing the last of its money. Donations poured into the Joplin Recovery Fund from around the world after the 2011 storm. This month, the fund will have distributed slightly more than $6 million from about 700 contributions to benefit residents and the community. ...

ST. LOUIS -- A suspect in a police officer's shooting who was shot and killed in Southern Illinois after a search of more than a week evaded capture by hiding in a sparsely populated national forest where he once had lived, a county sheriff said Monday...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A former St. Louis police officer was ordered held without bond Monday after being charged with first-degree murder in a 2011 shooting of a 24-year-old man after a chase. St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce said Jason Stockley was on duty when he first fired at Anthony Lamar Smith after police said Stockley witnessed a drug deal...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The flow of nitrates from farm fertilizer and treated wastewater into the Illinois River that contributes to a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico has fallen, a new study said. Researchers believe one likely factor, the use of newer, more robust varieties of corn, could make the drop a long-lasting one...

BOSTON -- A 64-year-old cancer patient has received the first penis transplant in the U.S. and is recovering well from the delicate surgery, doctors said Monday. Thomas Manning of Halifax, Massachusetts, underwent the 15-hour procedure last week at Massachusetts General Hospital. The organ was taken from a dead donor...

ATLANTA -- Donald Trump said he plans to win the White House largely on the strength of his personality, not by leaning heavily on complex voter-data operations that have become a behind-the-scenes staple in modern presidential campaigns. Shortly after Trump explained his approach during an interview -- data is "overrated," he said -- one of the presumptive Republican nominee's top advisers tried to clarify the remarks...

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. military acted properly on the night of the deadly 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, according to leaked testimony from a retired, three-star Army general who served as chief lawyer for Republicans on the House committee investigating the attacks...

WASHINGTON -- A short-handed Supreme Court dodged but kept alive a legal challenge Monday from faith-based groups over the Obama administration's rules for cost-free access to birth control. It was the latest sign of justices struggling to find a majority for cases taken up before Justice Antonin Scalia's death...

ARGYLE, Texas -- A 1,000-pound "domesticated" bison that was allowed to roam in her owner's Dallas-area home has moved on to new pastures. Bullet the bison was transported Saturday from Karen Schoeve's home in Argyle to her new home, which she will share with two cows, 15 miles away in Flower Mound, Texas. Schoeve described Bullet as house-trained, although she sometimes tracks mud inside...

SAN DIEGO -- A well-financed campaign backed by billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer, medical groups and organized labor said Monday it collected more than 1 million signatures for a ballot measure to raise California's cigarette tax by $2 a pack...

CHICAGO -- Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O'Connor was found safe, suburban Chicago police said Monday. Wilmette, Illinois, police spokesman Eric Peterson said O'Connor was located, though he wouldn't say where she was found or release details of her condition. But he said the singer "is safe and no longer considered a missing or endangered person."...

The Jackson boy who claimed to have been nearly abducted Saturday has recanted his story. According to a statement released Monday afternoon from Capt. Rodney Barnes of the Jackson Police Department, officers conducted a detailed follow-up investigation after their initial probe turned up neither witnesses nor evidence to corroborate the 9-year-old's claims...

The SEMO Drug Task Force executed a search warrant Friday at a Cape Girardeau apartment and found large amounts of seven controlled substances. Brandon K. Donner, 27, of Cape Girardeau was arrested and has been charged with five counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond was set at $50,000 cash or surety...

Two teenage girls said they were picked up by a Perryville, Missouri, man in Illinois on May 11 and were sexually assaulted by him later that night. Jesse R. Deere, 26, was arrested Friday and charged with two counts of second-degree statutory rape...

Jackson defendants soon will be paying a few dollars more in court fees after the Jackson Board of Aldermen approved a measure to bring the city into accordance with a state regulation. City attorney Tom Ludwig explained Monday night during the aldermen's meeting the state regulation, which compels Missouri cities to collect $3 in court fees for the funding of a statewide sheriffs' retirement fund, recently was upheld by the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District...

Construction of Cape Girardeau's newest roundabout will be delayed because of a bureaucratic oversight that will require Gov. Jay Nixon to approve the project before work can begin. The city council Monday night voted to award a contract to Fronabarger Concreters Inc. of Oak Ridge to build a roundabout at Independence Street and Gordonville Road at a cost of more than $741,000...

ST. LOUIS -- The San Jose Sharks got just three power plays in their Game 1 loss to open the Western Conference finals, and no call when Joe Thornton's bushy beard got tugged on by St. Louis Blues captain David Backes in the first period. Sharks coach Peter DeBoer didn't make a big deal about it Monday. Still, he believes his team deserved a lot more chances with the man advantage, and is hopeful referees will have a firmer grip in Game 2 tonight...

Southeast Missouri State men's basketball coach Rick Ray signed his sixth guard for next season. Jonathan Dalton, a 5-foot-10, 160-pound guard from Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson, Missisippi, signed his National Letter of Intent to play for the Redhawks, it was announced Monday...

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team won its third consecutive Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title outright without any games being played on Monday. It was announced Monday afternoon that the Austin Peay baseball team, the only team that would've been able to still catch the Redhawks in the standings heading into their final conference series, would vacate four conference victories from this season due to the use of an ineligible student-athlete...

"The lesser of two evils" is an expression even the casual politically engaged person has heard. That's usually what it comes down to on Election Day. As there has never been a perfect candidate, voters have to make a choice between one flawed candidate and another. My question is whether it's ever acceptable to reject that approach and, instead, refrain from participating in "evil" of any kind...

ST. LOUIS -- The San Jose Sharks got their power play revved up. Martin Jones took care of everything on the other end, cementing the victory that evened the Western Conference finals at a game apiece. "Guys came out with a good sense of urgency and got after it," said San Jose captain Joe Pavelski, who had an assist in a 4-0 shutout that silenced another big home turnout Tuesday night. "It's good to see the power play strike a little bit."...

ST. LOUIS -- Chad Bettis took a shutout into the seventh inning and drove in a run to lead the Colorado Rockies to a 3-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night. Nolan Arrenado and Dustin Garneau had RBI singles, and Bettis added a run-scoring grounder as the Rockies got their season-high fifth straight win and won for only the fifth time in 22 games at Busch Stadium since 2010...