Stories from Thursday, August 18, 2016

BENTON, Mo. -- The Kelly football team knows what it's getting into; coach Lance Powers understands the impact of graduating 15 seniors. "We're young this year, that's for sure," he said. "You can't hide it." The Hawks enter just their third season of varsity football looking to retool and find a new core, which looks like it may come from a big group of sophomores and a few impact freshman...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Experience is destined to leave its mark as the St. Vincent football team gets its season underway. After back-to-back second-round exits against powerhouse Valle Catholic in the Class 1 District 1 tournament, the Indians return their most seasoned group in recent memory...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- The Red Devils program is looking to continue its climb from the valley of a winless season that immediately followed the mountain peak year of 2013, when Chaffee won its first SEMO South Conference title in 34 years in a 9-2 campaign. After a dramatic drop to an 0-9 season in 2014, the ascent has been steady for the Red Devils, who have adopted the current wave of no-huddle, spread offenses under veteran coach Charlie Vickery, a 1970 graduate of the school...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Coach Mike Wojtczuk is pleased with the upward trajectory of the Perryville football program, but he's not content with falling back in line. The Pirates wrapped up the 2015 regular season with their first winning record in Wojtczuk's tenure before being walloped by Farmington 64-14 in the first round of the Class 4 District 1 tournament, ending their campaign at .500 with a 5-5 mark...

Eighth-year coach Jim May makes no bones about what he's been stressing to his team, which has seen promising starts the last two seasons ultimately fade into a futile quest for the program's first winning season since 2007. "Physical," May said of his team's approach. ...

Jackson football coach Brent Eckley has called his program a brotherhood before, but not until this season has he felt so strongly that it's ingrained in his team's identity. That bond is what has stood out to Eckley, who is set to begin his fifth season leading the Indians, so far...

With a new coach and without the program's most prolific player of all time, the Cape Girardeau Central football team is bound to have plenty of opportunities this year. New coach Arlen Pixley steps in to replace Nathan Norman, who led Central to three straight Class 4 final four trips, including a runner-up finish in 2014...

The Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball team released its complete 2016-17 schedule Thursday, and it includes 14 games at the Show Me Center. "Our young men will get the chance to compete in historic arenas at Illinois and Indiana, and those games give our fan base the freedom to travel and support us," Southeast coach Rick Ray said in a press release...

Southeast Missouri State’s Mike Ford was named Thursday to the 2016 HERO Sports Preseason Football Championship Subdivision All-America Team. Ford, a junior cornerback, was one of six Ohio Valley Conference players named to the team, earning second-team honors...

There's plenty of reason for excitement within the Southeast Missouri State women's soccer program, and this might just be the beginning. A dynamic group of eight freshmen join forces with a core of veteran players for the Redhawks, who begin the 2016 season with high expectations as the team predicted to finish second in the Ohio Valley Conference...

SEDALIA, Mo. – “Making the best better” for generations of Missouri 4-H Club members, Mary Lou Kurtz of Cape Girardeau was inducted into the Missouri 4-H Hall of Fame on Aug. 13 at State Fair Community College in Sedalia. She was among 54 inductees from 40 counties establishing a legacy totaling 1,594 years of service to 4-H. More than 400 family members and friends attended the 10th annual event...

SEDALIA, Mo. – “Making the best better” for generations of Missouri 4-H Club members, Shirley Aufdenberg of Jackson was inducted into the Missouri 4-H Hall of Fame on Aug. 13 at State Fair Community College in Sedalia. She was among 54 inductees from 40 counties establishing a legacy totaling 1,594 years of service to 4-H. More than 400 family members and friends attended the 10th annual event...

Cape Girardeau County 4-Her’s ages 5 to 18 exhibited their non-animal projects on Saturday, June 18, at the Cape Girardeau County Extension Office during the 4-H County Fair. On Friday night, 4-Her’s had the opportunity to talk with a judge about their projects and discuss what they learned. ...

SEDALIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Extension State 4-H Chicken BBQ Contest was held on Aug. 15, 2016 at the Missouri State Fair. Two Cape Girardeau County 4-H members from the Tilsit 4-H club participated – Steven Peters and Dalton Seabaugh...

Hope Children's Home Executive Director Crissy Mayberry received a $500 donation from the Cape Noon Optimist's President Danny Dohogne for their second annual Outdoor Movie Night Carnival Fundraiser. The Hope Children's Home helps kids in crisis become kids with HOPE!...

The Sigma Nu and Sigma Phi Epsilon houses opened last week.

Southeast Missouri State University now offers 35 gender-neutral bathrooms around campus in response to requests from the LGBT community. Last spring, Eric Mahnken, former president of PRIDE and member of the LGBT Advisory Board, brought the university a request to change all gender-conformed single-stall bathrooms at the university to gender-neutral facilities in order to better accommodate the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community at Southeast...

Cape Girardeau police chief Wes Blair was one of 100 representatives from various law-enforcement agencies to attend the 21st Century Policing initiative briefing Tuesday at the White House.

Today in History Today is Thursday, Aug. 18, the 231st day of 2016. There are 135 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Aug. 18, 1846, during the Mexican-American War, U.S. forces led by Gen. Stephen W. Kearny occupied Santa Fe in present-day New Mexico...

This column is dedicated to Mark Dragoni, Lissa Isenberg, Steve Ray, Frank Nickell and all those who keep our history alive and pass it on to our youth. Many believe that technology has lessened the importance of an education in history, but watching and listening to our politicians has shown what can happen when decisions are made without understanding the history of other nations as well as our own...

"CAPE GIRARDEAU CARES ABOUT EVERYONE." That's what was printed on the backs of shirts worn by participants at a Stop the Violence basketball game held recently at Indian Park. Isiah "Hoopie" Jones, who recently wrapped up a two-year career as a member of the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team, organized the event, which was focused on uniting the general public with law enforcement and first responders through a game of pickup basketball...

WASHINGTON -- No more staying up late during the week. Farewell to sleeping in. And hello, homework! The lazy days of summer are ending for millions of children as they grab their backpacks, pencils and notebooks and return to the classroom for a new school year...

Losing a pet is never easy, but it's especially difficult when that beloved companion dies before her time. That's what happened when 4-year-old golden retriever Bailey Dean succumbed to bone cancer in early January. Since then, Bailey's two favorite humans have worked hard to raise money for research into canine osteosarcoma, the disease that caused her to fade rapidly once it was diagnosed...

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- A wildfire with a ferocity never seen before by veteran California firefighters raced up and down canyons, instantly engulfing homes and forcing thousands of people to flee, some running for their lives just ahead of the flames...

WASHINGTON -- Donald Trump's campaign chairman helped a pro-Russian governing party in Ukraine secretly route at least $2.2 million in payments to two prominent Washington lobbying firms in 2012 and did so in a way that obscured the foreign political party's efforts to influence U.S. policy...

NEW YORK -- Frustrated with his troubled candidacy, Donald Trump is hinging his presidential hopes on a risky bet: the fiery populism and freewheeling style that won him the Republican nomination give him a better shot at the White House than uniting his party and rallying moderate voters...

DENHAM SPRINGS, La. -- With an estimated 40,000 homes damaged by deadly flooding, Louisiana could be looking at its biggest housing crunch since the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina a decade ago. People whose homes were swamped by some of the heaviest rains Louisiana has seen are staying in shelters, bunking with friends or relatives or sleeping in trailers on their front lawns...

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- A Maryland woman has collected and delivered more than 20,000 new and gently used bras and 50,000 feminine hygiene products to shelters around the country. Dana Marlowe, a mother of two who works from her Silver Spring home, said she was motivated to donate her bras after losing 35 pounds...

BEIRUT -- In a move that could reverberate across the Middle East, Iran confirmed Wednesday that Russia is using its territory to launch airstrikes in Syria even as a second wave of Moscow's bombers flew out of the Islamic Republic to hit targets in the war-ravaged country...

Members of the congregation of the Cape Bible Chapel and its building committee break ground for an 8,200-square-foot expansion, which will house Sunday-school rooms and a youth-assembly room; the addition should be completed in December. Virgil Elfrink of Cape Girardeau has been elected president and Jackson Mayor Carlton Meyer vice president of the board of directors of the Regional Commerce and Growth Association...

Jesse E. Obermiller, 87, of Jackson passed away Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016, from natural causes at Citizens Memorial Hospital in Bolivar, Missouri. He was born Sept. 12, 1928, in Jackson to Frederick and Martha Jorden Obermiller. He and Marvalyn Holschen were married July 27, 1950, in Blytheville, Arkansas...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Joan M. Chatron Behrle, 83, of Perryville died Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016, at Independence Care Center with her children by her side. Joan was born Aug. 11, 1933, in St. Mary, Missouri, to Howard and Louise Herzog Chatron. She and Glennon L. Behrle were married May 5, 1956, at St. Boniface Catholic Church. He preceded her in death Jan. 17, 2013...

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls Tuesday: n Medical assists were made at 9:32 a.m. on South West End Boulevard; 9:59 a.m. on Bloomfield Road; 1:26 p.m. on Landis Drive; 1:53 p.m. on Themis Street; 2:44 p.m. on North Spanish Street; 6:52 p.m. on Terry Lane; 8:31 p.m. on North West End Boulevard; and 9:21 p.m. on North Frederick Street...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Sierra D. Chance, 18, of Perryville, Missouri, was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting at Wal-Mart, 3439 William St. n Jessica R. Price, 18, of Perryville, Missouri, was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting at Wal-Mart, 3439 William St...

Daughter to Matthew R. Schellingerhout and Sarah E. Michel of Fruitland, Southeast Hospital, 8:20 p.m. Thursday, July 21, 2016. Name, Ronnie Kate. Weight, 6 pounds, 12 ounces. First child. Michel is the daughter of Ronald and Caryn Michel of Cape Girardeau. Schellingerhout is the son of John and Carolyn Rayner of St. Peters, Missouri...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Cisco Systems is laying off 5,500 employees as the internet gear maker scrambles to adapt to a technology upheaval that has triggered similar cutbacks to other storied tech companies. The shake-up announced Wednesday means about 7 percent of Cisco's 74,000 workers will lose their jobs beginning this summer...

DETROIT -- With all the attention paid to Tesla Motors' Autopilot system, you'd think the company was the only one making cars that can almost drive themselves. But many automakers have rolled out cars that do what Teslas do. The difference: Tesla debuted Autopilot, a suite of semi-autonomous driving features, with a swagger, while others tread more carefully...

WASHINGTON -- Many commuter and freight railroads have made little progress installing safety technology designed to prevent deadly collisions and derailments, despite a mandate from Congress, according to a government report released Wednesday. The technology, called positive train control or PTC, uses digital radio communications, GPS and signals alongside tracks to monitor train positions. ...

ST. LOUIS -- A St. Louis-area man is in an induced coma after falling into hot tar. The accident happened earlier this month, leaving 66-year-old Danny Madden with third-degree burns over 65 percent of his body. KSDK-TV reported Madden and his son are roofers with decades of experience. Aaron Madden said they were on a job in early August in University City. Danny Madden was on the roof and lost his balance, falling into a kettle of hot roofer tar...

WEST PLAINS, Mo. -- A man charged with fatally stabbing a woman said he dismembered her body and hid some of her remains in woods and a pond in southern Missouri, according to court records. Walter Stewart, 63, is jailed without bond in Howell County on charges of first-degree murder, abandonment of a corpse, first-degree domestic assault and two counts of armed criminal action. ...

ST. LOUIS -- Ameren Missouri is seeking approval from the Missouri Public Service Commission to build six public charging stations for electric vehicles between St. Louis and central Missouri, the St. Louis-based utility said earlier this week. Project leader Mark Nealon said five of the stations will be along the 140-mile stretch between St. ...

REPUBLIC, Mo. -- This spring, the city of Republic decided to consider changing its city flag. The reasoning was pretty simple. The city's flag supply was running low, and more would need to be ordered soon. The thinking was a new design could incorporate the city logo adopted in 2009 -- a large "R," with a leafy green shoot weaving through it...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Emergency crews in Southeast Missouri were monitoring a levee at Poplar Bluff on Wednesday after torrential rains caused significant flooding in farmland along the Black River. Butler County emergency management director Robbie Myers said one levee breached Tuesday in a rural area near Poplar Bluff, swamping hundreds of acres of farmland but causing only limited damage to structures. Three people were rescued from their homes. No injuries were reported...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Twenty-two Missouri clergy members have been convicted of trespassing in connection with a peaceful 2014 protest at the state Capitol but acquitted of charges of disrupting government operations. Jurors returned the verdict Wednesday night after a two-day trial. ...

Ste. Genevieve County’s prosecuting attorney charged a French Village, Missouri, man who led law-enforcement agencies on a chase Monday through Ste. Genevieve, Perry and Cape Girardeau counties with felony resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance and two counts of tampering with physical evidence...

A 6-year-old girl from Wappapello, Missouri, is in stable but serious condition at a children’s hospital in St. Louis after an accident Saturday three miles west of Cape Girardeau, according to state troopers. The girl and her two siblings, ages 13 and 10, were in a 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer driven by John J. Sisk, 34, of Wappapello ...

BERLIN -- Four wheels bad; two wheels good. That's what German police must have thought when their car got stuck on a narrow path while pursuing a moped-riding suspect. Rather than give up, one of the officers jumped on a child's bike and successfully chased down and arrested the 27-year-old suspect, who police said was found to be carrying drugs and driving under the influence. Police spokeswoman Silke Gahn said after the arrest, the officer gratefully returned the 22-inch bike...

n Two tennis balls n Tennis racket n STEP 1: Using the tennis racket, hit one of the tennis balls without making a noise. n STEP 2: Make observations of the tennis ball to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict the future motion of the ball...

The recipients of the 2016 Scott County Women in Agriculture scholarships are Blake Schlitt and Christina Scherer. The value of each scholarship is $750. Schlitt, a 2016 Oran High School graduate, is the son of Don and Debbie Schlitt of Oran, Missouri. He plans to attend Mississippi State and major in agronomy...

O Lord God, may we be your hands and feet, ministering to others around us. Amen.

Some people really love their pickleball. One man, “Dinghy” Dave Pike, is navigating 6,000 miles between his Michigan home and Florida, stopping along the way to play the badminton-like sport with as many people as possible. He stopped in Cape Girardeau on Tuesday night to anchor his boat and camp, and by 8:30 a.m. Wednesday was working up a sweat with the local pickleball club at the Osage Centre...

Three baseball players from Southeast Missouri were named to the USSSA All-American 11U Baseball team and competed this month at the All-American Games at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL. Henley Parker (son of Geoff and Christy Parker of Jackson), Baden Hackworth (son of J.W. and Kim Hackworth of Sikeston), and Cole Lemons (son of Ivan and Mindy Lemons of Cape Girardeau) were chosen from thousands of participants to represent the Central United States...