Stories from Tuesday, August 9, 2016

John Dragoni Sr., World War II Army/Air Force veteran, was awarded his Quilt of Valor and recognition certificate after Sunday Mass at Old St. Vincent Chapel of Ease. Altogether nine veterans were honored by the River Heritage Quilt Guild with handmade quilts to represent sincere gratitude and deep appreciation for their service, sacrifice and valor to the United States of America and to each of us...

Crews with Randy Kinder Excavating work to remove drain piping Monday where the railroad tracks normally run along the floodwall in downtown Cape Girardeau. A 1,000-foot section of railroad track and 600 feet of drain pipe are being moved and replaced along the floodwall. The work began at 6 a.m. Monday and will continue round-the-clock until completion, estimated at 60 hours...

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), a not-for-profit organization that represents the interests of rural electric cooperatives and public power districts, announced a new chief executive officer. Jim Matheson, a former Utah congressman, began his tenure last month...

With only a few days left before school begins, work on the first phase of construction at the junior high is coming to a close in the Cape Girardeau school district. Neil Glass, assistant superintendent for administrative services, said all major goals have been met or are nearly at the finish line...

Molly Evans Auer is afraid pedestrians will bother her ducks and her pond. And she thinks a new project for a walking trail just a few feet from her pond will pose a safety threat, though a fence will be built along one of the pond's sides. Auer is confronting the city over several issues dealing with the city's acquisition of property for use of a walking trail. She has not had a good experience with the city in the past, she said...

Today in History Today is Tuesday, August 9, the 222nd day of 2016. There are 144 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On August 9, 1945, three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, a U.S. B-29 Superfortress code-named Bockscar dropped a nuclear device ("Fat Man") over Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people...

Please remind your sports department that some of us are not from the Cape Girardeau area, so we would appreciate some coverage of all the games. I am particularly interested in the New Orleans Saints, who get little attention as a rule. I would also like to suggest that once a week, probably on Sunday, a listing of daytime TV programming (not in depth; "movie" or "paid programming" would suffice) would give those who are not familiar with Cape TV a better chance of finding something interesting.. ...

An estimated 50 Boy Scouts troops from Cape Girardeau, Kennett, Sikeston and Charleston, Missouri, came together July 21 at the Sikeston Career and Technology Center to learn the specifics of welding and metal work, moving from station to station and earning merit badges...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Genevieve A. "Jenny" Leible, 84, of Perryville died Monday, Aug. 8, 2016, at Independence Care Center of Perry County, Missouri, in Perryville. She was born Jan. 30, 1932 in Perry County, daughter of Henry I. and Rosa T. (Unterreiner) Erzfeld...

NEW HAMBURG, Mo. -- Deborah Ann Holzum Kern, 60, of New Hamburg died Monday, Aug. 8, 2016, at her home, surrounded by family. She was born Dec. 27, 1955, in Advance, Missouri, daughter of Fred J. and Theresa Wubker Holzum of Leopold, Missouri. She and Daniel R. Kern were married June 26, 1976, in Cape Girardeau...

Thomas A. "Tom" Layman, 59, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Aug. 7, 2016, at Wappapello, Missouri. He was camping with his friends and family at the place he loved dearly. He was born February 17, 1957, in Dyersburg, Tennessee, to John Ronald and Betty Jane Reid Layman...

Sandra Lee Kimbrough, 74, of Jackson passed away Sunday, Aug. 7, 2016, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born April 5, 1942, in Chicago, daughter of Julius J. and Audrey J. Davis Spooner. Sandra earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Abilene Christian College in Abilene, Texas. Her first teaching position was in Hobbs, New Mexico, and, among other schools, she taught at Fort Worth Christian College in Fort Worth, Texas...

Mary A. Robertson, 81, went to be home with Jesus on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 3, 1934, at Oran, Missouri, the daughter of Albert Floyd and Letha Irene Livingston. Mary attended Bell City Schools in Bell City, Missouri...

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- A suburban St. Louis homeowner and the man accused of breaking into his home both are dead, and the homeowner's son is injured, after all three men were shot during a scuffle early Monday. Police said the suspect, who was in his 20s, broke into the St. Charles County home of Daniel Patrick Donovan, 53, before 4 a.m. Monday...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon on Monday defended his budget record for the state's public-defender system after the office's director appointed him to a case in protest of recent funding restrictions. Missouri State Public Defender director Michael Barrett in a letter last week slammed Nixon for cutting funding for what Barrett described as an "indigent" defense system...

The Rev. Larry Rice, director of the St. Louis New Life Evangelistic Center, opened a homeless shelter last week at 713 Morgan Oak St. in Cape Girardeau. The shelter already has put up two transients, an indication of the city's "overwhelming" need for homeless services, according to Rice...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Billie Highfill Dempsey, 73, of Jefferson City died Sunday, Aug. 7, 2016, at his home. He was born April 6, 1943, in Hornersville, Missouri, to Highfill and Margaret Kinsall Dempsey. He first married Alice Schmid on Oct. 5, 1967. He later married Willie Mae Phillips on July 8, 1983. Willie preceded him in death Aug. 12, 2008...

NEW YORK -- Wal-Mart is buying fast-growing online retailer Jet.com for $3 billion in cash plus $300 million in stock, scooping up a newcomer that launched a year ago with the intention of challenging online leader Amazon. The hefty price underscores how Wal-Mart is trying to compete more effectively for younger and more affluent customers as it has seen its online business growth slow, even with big investments in distribution centers and expanding services...

NEW YORK -- You meet in a nondescript reception room in a midtown Manhattan skyscraper. You're handed a form on a clipboard. Then the receptionist slips away, the doors lock -- and all hell breaks loose. Within an hour, you and your group will have searched for clues in drawers and bookcases to get free, crawled through a ventilation shaft and encountered a woman dangling from a meat hook...

DALLAS -- The family of a Muslim boy who was arrested after bringing a homemade clock to school filed a federal lawsuit Monday against Texas school officials and others, saying the incident violated the 14-year-old boy's civil rights, prompted death threats and forced them to leave the United States...

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- After two seasons of teasing viewers about whether it would happen, Mariah Carey has set a date to guest star on Fox's "Empire." Carey will appear on the Oct. 5 episode, the network confirmed Monday at a TV critics biannual press tour...

PHOENIX -- The sheriff of metropolitan Phoenix has raised close to $10 million in his bid for a seventh term, a stunning collection of campaign riches for a local police race, and much of it was contributed by a devoted base of backers who live outside Arizona...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A Kansas waterslide billed as the world's tallest remained off-limits Monday as authorities pressed to figure out how a state lawmaker's 10-year-old son died of a neck injury while riding it. Details remained murky about what happened Sunday to Caleb Thomas Schwab on the 168-foot-tall "Verruckt" -- German for "insane" -- that since its debut two years ago has been the top draw at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- A hearing on judicial misconduct charges against Alabama's suspended chief justice began before a packed house Monday after Roy Moore entered to the applause of supporters in the courtroom where he usually presides over state Supreme Court hearings...

GALENA, Mo. -- The family of a Michigan couple killed in southwestern Missouri by two teenagers who escaped from a juvenile rehabilitation camp has filed a lawsuit, contending the camp and its employees didn't adequately supervise the boys before they escaped...

DALLAS -- At least half of all Delta Air Lines flights Monday were delayed or canceled after a power outage knocked out the airline's computer systems worldwide. About 17 hours after the outage at one of its facilities, Delta was struggling to resume normal operations and clear a backlog of stranded passengers. It sought to appease frustrated customers by offering refunds and $200 travel vouchers...

DETROIT -- Promising to "jump-start America" to a new era of prosperity, Donald Trump announced a revamped economic plan Monday aimed at revitalizing a stagnant U.S. economy by cutting taxes for workers and businesses. He assailed Hillary Clinton as a candidate who would merely extend a Democratic period of old ideas and weakness...

WASHINGTON -- Desperate conservatives have circulated a petition calling for the Republican National Committee to host a special meeting where Donald Trump could be replaced as the party's presidential nominee. Organizers -- some of the same Republicans who tried to prevent Trump from winning the GOP nomination -- acknowledge the effort is a long shot at best. But fearing an Election Day disaster, they have appealed to RNC members across the nation in recent days to intervene...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A group backing medical marijuana in Missouri said it doesn't have enough valid signatures but will go to court to get a proposed constitutional amendment on November's ballot...

QUETTA, Pakistan -- Pakistani militants struck at the heart of the country's legal profession Monday, killing a prominent attorney, then bombing the hospital where dozens of other lawyers had gathered to mourn. The twin attacks killed at least 70 people, mostly lawyers, authorities said...

A group of young people cool off with a walk Monday in the Mississippi River in downtown Cape Girardeau. The high temperature Monday was 88 degrees under mostly sunny skies.

Southeast Missouri State University took a top honor at a recent statewide conference on Main Street development. The Missouri Main Street Connection named the university a Premier Partner during its Evening of Excellence Awards last week. The award celebrated the university's and Old Town Cape's involvement in spurring growth and tourism in downtown Cape Girardeau...

Cape Girardeau firefighters extinguished a fire about 9 p.m. Monday at the Taco Bell restaurant at 3039 William St. The fire was contained to one exterior column about three feet from the ground just outside the eastern entrance to the restaurant, according to Taco Bell general manager Melissa Gardner. Firefighters were at the scene for about 30 minutes, Gardner said...

A Blodgett, Missouri, man was arrested by Scott County sheriff's deputies, and he confessed to soliciting and having sex with a juvenile, according to a release from the department. Scott County Prosecuting Attorney charged Christopher A. Hull, 26, with second-degree statutory rape. Hull's bond was set at $25,000, cash only...

Jackson developers Double Diamond Construction LLC are trying again to secure a tax credit from the Missouri Housing Development Commission that would help them build a senior housing complex in Jackson. City officials supported the idea when he submitted a similar plan last year and indicated they would do so again this year. Jackson's board of aldermen are expected to pass a formal resolution of support for the project during its meeting next week...

The city of Greenville, Missouri, may owe more than $100,000 in unpaid state and federal taxes and penalties, city council members revealed during a meeting Friday. The amount is four times greater than officials originally believed in May, when a new administration began reviewing city finances...

Yet another chain restaurant with Southeast Missouri locations has filed for bankruptcy protection. Logan's Roadhouse Inc. has filed petitions with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the District of Delaware seeking reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code...

Police found 317 grams of marijuana in Mason jars in the kitchen at a Scott City residence, along with a marijuana-growing system in two bedrooms, according to deputies.

ST. LOUIS -- Never has a 94 mile-per-hour fastball to the ribs felt so good for Yadier Molina as it did Monday night. Molina started and ended a five-run rally in the ninth inning as the St. Louis Cardinals stunned the Cincinnati Reds 5-4. He was hit by a pitch from Ross Ohlendorf with the bases loaded to drive home the winning run. Instead of wincing, Molina pumped his fist and slid into first base...

Shelly Bohn of Kelso recorded her second career hole-in-one recently at Kimbeland Country Club. Bohn used a pitching wedge to ace No. 12, a par 3 playing 87 yards. Cathy Kight and Gail Morris witnessed the shot. -- From staff report

BROWNINGTON, Vt. -- A hilltop village near the Canadian border grew to more than double its usual population of about 900 on Monday as people lined up to see dozens of oxen move an old schoolhouse to its original location. The goal of the re-enactment was to move the Orleans County Grammar School, which in recent decades has served as a Grange hall, about a third of a mile to the center of the small hilltop campus where early 19th-century scholar and legislator Alexander Twilight opened it in 1823 and was its schoolmaster. ...

BERLIN -- A Chinese tourist who lost his wallet in Germany signed the wrong paperwork and ended up at a refugee home. Christoph Schluetermann, an official with the German Red Cross, said Monday the man's trouble began when he lost his wallet. Instead of going to police to file a stolen-goods report, he ended up at an authority that presented him with an asylum application. From there, he was sent to a refugee home, where he had to wait 12 days while officials put his story together...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls Sunday. n Medical assists were made at 12:34 a.m. on North Kingshighway; 2:37 a.m. on Winterfield Road; 7:11 a.m. on North Frederick Street; 10:17 a.m. on Woodlawn Drive; 12:52 p.m. on Interstate 55; 2:49 p.m. on South Broadview Street; 3:27 p.m. on South Middle Street; 4:48 p.m. on Dunklin Street; and 7:48 p.m. on Grant Street...

JACKSON The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Theft n Theft was reported in the 1800 block of East Jackson Boulevard. Miscellaneous n Harassment was reported in the 2000 block of Old Toll Road. n Keep the peace was requested in the 3000 block of East Jackson Boulevard...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Landers Whitcomb, 49, no address given, was arrested at Gordonville and South Silver Springs roads on suspicion of driving while revoked...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Virginia R. Broeker, 90, of Perryville died Sunday, Aug. 7, 2016, at Delmar Gardens West in Chesterfield, Missouri. Visitation will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday at Young and Sons Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Milton Ryan officiating...

Son to Ethan Michael and Amber Nicole Grant of Jackson, Southeast Hospital, 1 a.m. Friday, June 17, 2016. Name, David Ellis. Weight, 4 pounds, 4 ounces. First child. Mrs. Grant is the former Amber Way, daughter of Dennis and Debbie Way of Jackson. She is a registered nurse with SoutheastHEALTH. Grant is the son of Michael and Anita Grant of Jackson. He is a clerk with the U.S. Postal Service...

O Lord Jesus, our Savior, thank you for your enduring love. Amen.

What a week in politics. Following the Democratic National Convention, Hillary Clinton got the bump in poll numbers expected after a party's convention. But her numbers cause concern because her challenger, Donald Trump, had a week in which he made some missteps. ...

For the second year in a row the Southeast Missouri State soccer team was predicted to finish second in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll. Murray State, which won the regular-season and tournament titles last season, was picked to repeat as champion...