Stories from Friday, August 26, 2016

Gravitational pull is a powerful force of nature. Sun and Earth. Earth and moon. The Pit and Nathan Norman. Any draw between the latter two, the home football field of the Jackson Indians and one of its all-time great players in Norman, can no longer be denied...

Alyssa Moore doubled to get the only extra-base hit of the game, as the Kelly softball team notched its second win of the season on Thursday, a 4-0 win over host East Carter County. Alyssa Tidwell went the distance to clinch the win for the Hawks, who improved to 2-0. She recorded two strikeouts and walked two batters...

Thought this was a cute picture of my granddaughter on a recent visit to Cape Girardeau. They live in Nashville, Tennessee, and come to Cape several times a year for visits.

Jackson junior quarterback Cooper Callis threw five touchdown passes as the Indians defeated Lindbergh 49-19 on Friday night at Jackson High School. Two of Callis' TD throws went to fellow junior Terrico Johnson, the first going for 45 yards in the first quarter and staking the Indians to a lead they never relinquished...

Chaffee, Missouri, police arrested three men Monday on charges they stole a car from a service station and drove it around until it broke down. The Scott County prosecuting attorney's office charged Tyler Maus, 20, of House Springs, Missouri, and Terry Hale, 19, and Brandon Beckerle, 20, both of Cedar Hill, Missouri, with first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle. Beckerle also was charged with burglary and property damage. Their bonds were set at $15,000 cash or surety...

A Perry County sheriff's deputy was curious Sunday afternoon when he spotted a car with Iowa plates parked in front of a construction site that recently suffered multiple thefts. He pulled the car over under the auspices of trespassing, but the car smelled of marijuana, police said...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Authorities soon may decide whether to charge a former local businessman in connection with a hit-and-run accident that killed a Poplar Bluff teenager. Ian Page, assistant prosecuting attorney for Pemiscot County, Missouri, was scheduled to meet Thursday with Butler County, Missouri, officials concerning the death of Heavenly Grace Hafford, 13, who authorities said died of blunt-force trauma after being struck by two vehicles Dec. 9 as she was crossing Kanell Boulevard...

Cape Girardeau County taxpayers would pay a slightly higher property tax this year if the county commission approves the calculated rate. Commissioners will hold a public hearing Monday before setting the tax rate. The proposed rate is 5.06 cents per $100 assessed valuation, which would be an increase from last year's 3.49-cent levy, county Auditor Pete Frazier said Thursday...

More than 200 women from across Southeast Missouri gathered Thursday at the Osage Centre for the Flourish Magazine Women’s Summit. Hosted by the Southeast Missourian and rustmedia and touted as a “leadership and empowerment event,” the half-day conference featured discussions led by influential regional women from a variety of industries and a keynote speech from Gigi Butler, founder of Gigi’s Cupcakes...

A proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot in Missouri would boost funding for early-childhood health and education programs by raising cigarette taxes, supporters said during a news conference Thursday at the Cape Girardeau Public Library...

It’s a typical morning inside Scott City Elementary School’s new preschool classroom. Pint-size boys and girls buzz around before nap time, some attempting to stretch tiny fitted sheets over colorful cots that dot the floor. Soon, the lights will be out, and the children gradually will stop fidgeting as they drift off to sleep...

Today in History Today is Friday, Aug. 26, the 239th day of 2016. There are 127 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Aug. 26, 1968, the Democratic National Convention opened in Chicago; the four-day event was marked by a bloody police crackdown on anti-war protesters in the streets and a tumultuous nominating process that resulted in the choice of Hubert H. Humphrey for president...

We may or may not be voting on a constitutional change to permit the use of medical marijuana here in Missouri. I have no idea on the efficacy of marijuana as medicine. Studies, where allowed, are inconclusive and opinions vary so I make no commentary on its usefulness...

It is refreshing to hear common sense from at least one of our presidential candidates. It is baffling to see the opposition -- the opposing team, sure; but its own team members? Some believe Trump is rude. Some, that our country needs God and not simply a good business man. Some, that his ideas are too extreme...

Summer's all but officially over. Schools are back in session. The temperature is -- finally -- starting to drop. In just a few short weeks we'll move into the fall season. But that doesn't mean that the fun that comes with the summer months has to come to an end.

ANKARA, Turkey -- Syrian Kurdish forces have started withdrawing east of the Euphrates River, Turkish officials said Thursday, a move that could fulfill a major demand by Ankara and the United States a day after Turkey sent in tanks across the border to help Syrian rebels take a key Islamic State stronghold...

BAGAN, Myanmar -- It was a time of conquest and conversions. Above all, it was a time of construction on a scale never seen before. Over 250 years, from the 11th century onwards, the rulers of Bagan built more than 10,000 magnificent religious monuments...

PYONGYANG, North Korea -- North Korea marked its "Military First" holiday Thursday with mass dancing, outdoor concerts and boasts of a successful -- and potentially game-changing -- submarine-launched ballistic missile test it hopes will serve as a warning to Washington and Seoul to stop holding joint military exercises Pyongyang sees as a dress rehearsal for invasion...

PESCARA DEL TRONTO, Italy -- Aftershocks in central Italy rattled residents and rescue workers Thursday as crews worked to find more earthquake survivors and the country anguished over its repeated failure to protect ancient towns and modern cities from seismic catastrophes...

ALIQUIPPA, Pa. -- A Pennsylvania couple is offering a $500 reward for the safe return of their missing pig, who also serves as a therapy animal. The Vietnamese potbellied pig named Charlotte last was seen July 11. Charlotte served as a therapy animal at Beaver Elder Care and Rehab Center in Hopewell Township. She helped cheer up residents there. The pig was left in a car for about 10 minutes in July while one of her owners ran into the center to get keys...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Private prison operator Corrections Corporation of America is trying to seal from public view documents in a lawsuit that claim female visitors to a Tennessee prison were forced to undergo strip searches to prove they were menstruating...

CHICAGO -- Ron Gidwitz, Dan Webb and William Kunkler are veteran Republicans -- and friends -- from Chicago's political-money circuit. They raised buckets of cash for Mitt Romney four years ago. This time, however, their party's nominee has sent them spinning off in three directions...

DES MOINES, Iowa --There's no "glass ceiling" keeping a woman from the presidential nomination anymore, but most Americans still think Hillary Clinton's gender will influence the November election. They're just divided on whether it's more of a curse than a blessing...

WASHINGTON -- Donald Trump defeated 16 rivals in the Republican primaries by being the most anti-immigrant of them all, promising to build a giant wall on the border and deport millions. He labeled opponents such as Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio as weak and amnesty-loving, and his extreme rhetoric pushed the entire debate over immigration to the right...

Saint Francis Medical Center begins offering a two-tier treatment system with the creation of a new "minor" emergency service called Convenient Care. It guarantees treatment for qualifying emergency-room patients within one hour or the doctor and room fee of $35 are free...

Patricia Ann "Patty" Spangler of Steelville, Illinois, died Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau, after a short struggle with cancer. She was 58. She was born July 30, 1958, in Pinckneyville, Illinois, to Bobby Gene "Sputt" and Wanda Lee Jones Spangler...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Chester Eugene Shockney, 61, of Advance passed away Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Sept. 25, 1954, in Kokomo, Indiana, the son of David and Winfred Featherstone Shockney. Chester was a retired truck driver. He loved being outdoors, hunting and fishing with his family and friends...

FARRAR, Mo. -- Leroy Melvin Roth, 81, of Farrar died Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, at his home. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday and from 6:30 to 8 a.m. Monday at Young and Sons Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Salem Lutheran Church in Farrar. Burial will be in the church cemetery...

Janice Lessley Hartle Nunnelee, 96, passed away Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016, at her home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Monday, Feb. 23, 1920, at Gravel Hill, the daughter of A.E. "Earl" and Hema O. Lessley Hartle. Janice and Joe Robert Nunnelee were married Aug. 30, 1942, in Jackson. To this union, two sons were born, Joe Mark Nunnelee and Gregory Hartle Nunnelee, both of whom preceded her in death...

Marjorie Pauline Lohman, 92, of Jackson passed away Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 11, 1924, in Pocahontas, daughter of Eberhart and Edna Schoen Ruehling. She and Virgil H. Lohman were married Jan. 24, 1946. He preceded her in death Dec. 8, 2005...

Cynthia Ann Kraft, 56, of Scott City died Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born in Cleveland on April 20, 1960, to William Earl and Maud Christina Wells Hunt. She worked as a customer-service representative at Rhodes Truck Stop in Scott City...

Virgil D. Chirnside, 87, of St. Louis, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016, at his home. Visitation will be from noon to 2 p.m. Monday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. Entombment will be at Cape County Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Cape Girardeau...

MOREHOUSE, Mo. -- Bonnie Louise Lynn Brown, 70, of Morehouse passed away Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, at her home surrounded by her family and friends. She was born Oct. 16, 1945, in New Madrid, Missouri, to the late Audrey James and Iva Jewell Whorton Lynn...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Robert L Banks, 87, of Houston, formerly of Cairo, died Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, at his home. Crain Funeral Home in Cairo is in charge of arrangements.

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Francis J. Ivanovich, 53, 1930 Delwin St., was arrested at 216 N. Missouri St. on a Cape Girardeau warrant for improper registration...

NEW YORK -- Recent Olympic gold medalists Michael Phelps and the Final Five are heading to the MTV Video Music Awards. MTV said Thursday that Phelps, Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez and Madison Kocian will present awards at Sunday's show in New York City...

NEW YORK -- The fall television season has been an annual rite since viewers were splitting their time among the trio of networks on their black-and-white TVs. Nowadays, watching TV isn't even limited to TV screens, while dozens of channels are spewing out new series for the modern pampered audience...

Kelly Nigro is a big "Game of Thrones" fan. She's also a longtime admirer of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" books. But that's only part of the reason she decided to write and illustrate an anthology of children's books that feature dragons and shamans and other fantastic creatures...

ST. LOUIS -- Slugger Yoenis Cespedes turned out to be a nifty slider, too. Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright lost his glove trying to tag out Cespedes in a bizarre play, and the New York Mets broke away soon after that to beat St. Louis 10-6 Thursday night...

Grateful Dead Experience: The Schwag, a band of musicians dedicated to carrying on the vibe and music of the legendary Grateful Dead, is set to perform at 9 p.m. today at The Venue, 80 S. Plaza Way in Cape Girardeau. The event is open to all ages, and tickets will cost $10 at the door. For more information, visit facebook.com/events/636911423124625 or call (573) 837-3855...

Mylan is bulking up programs that help patients pay for its EpiPen emergency allergy treatment after weathering heated criticism about an average cost that has soared over the past decade. But the drugmaker didn't budge on its price hikes Thursday, which have drawn ire both in Congress and from families that have had to shell out increasingly large sums for the potentially life-saving treatment...

As far as I can tell, Jim Thompson is a smart and wonderful fellow. How do I know this? Because he took the time to comment on last week's column. That was the column where I described what happens when you move a cat's milk, dry food and water bowls...

O Lord Jesus, we praise you, for you are our redeemer and healer. Amen.

A concert featuring Brian Free and Assurance will be at 4 p.m. Saturday at Christ Lutheran Church, 248 Albert Lane in Gordonville. There is no required admission fee for the concert, but a free-will offering will be taken. A meal will follow the concert. For more information, call (573) 243-8302...