Stories from Thursday, January 19, 2017

St. Vincent De Paul 6th grade boys basketball team finished their season with the last game on January 18th. The team went undefeated 17-0 for the season.

Southeast Missouri State University has no plans to break the cap on tuition increases or lay off employees as a result of cuts in state aid, school president Carlos Vargas-Aburto said Wednesday. Gov. Eric Greitens announced cuts to higher-education funding Monday totaling $82 million, including nearly $56 million in core state aid for four-year universities...

Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday is a bittersweet occasion for civil-rights activist Mary Frances Berry. "I'm somewhat sad," she said during her keynote address Wednesday night at Southeast's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Dinner. "Because I miss Coretta [Scott King]. And I miss Martin."...

A 37-year-old Cape Girardeau man will be released from a federal prison in South Dakota in July after receiving a commutation Tuesday from President Barack Obama. Christopher M. DePree will have served about 12 years of the 15-year, 8-month sentence he received Nov. 14, 2005, from federal Judge Jean C. Hamilton...

In the past seven years, 119 babies died before their first birthdays in six counties in Southeast Missouri -- Scott, Mississippi, New Madrid, Stoddard, Dunklin and Pemiscot, according to statistics from the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services...

Today in History Today is Thursday, Jan. 19, the 19th day of 2017. There are 346 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Jan. 19, 1977, on his last full day in office, President Gerald R. Ford pardoned Iva Toguri D'Aquino, an American convicted of treason for making English-language radio broadcasts from Japan aimed at demoralizing Allied troops in the Pacific Theater during World War II. ...

O Lord God, Heavenly Father, may our words and deeds glorify you. Amen.

Eighteen years ago a baby girl named Maria and her twin brother Nikolai were born to a woman being held in a Russian prison in Siberia. That baby and her brother stayed with their mother until her death two years later. The two children were then sent to an orphanage in Moscow where they would live for two years. The children were adopted by a U.S. couple from Long Island, New York, and were raised as any American child...

Last week, Cape Girardeau resident Jack Mehner was awarded the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award from Phil Dixon, program manager of the FAA Flight Standards District Office in St. Louis, during a ceremony at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. The award "recognize[s] individuals who have exhibited professionalism, skill and aviation expertise for at least 50 years while piloting aircraft as 'Master Pilots,'" according to the FAA website, where Mehner's name will appear on a "Roll of Honor." He'll also receive a certificate and lapel pin.. ...

The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri would like to encourage the residents of Cape Girardeau and the surrounding communities to submit nominations for the Annual Arts Awards. The Otto F. Dingeldein Award was established in 1975 and honors living individuals whose artistic achievements have made a considerable impact on the cultural enrichment of the Cape Girardeau community. ...

For one moment, U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., looked like the conductor of the Missouri State University Chorale in October. He was to address a public gathering on the Springfield, Missouri, campus at an event in which the chorale had just performed, and he was to make a special announcement...

WASHINGTON -- Offering reassurances, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for health secretary said Wednesday the new administration won't "pull the rug out" from those covered by "Obamacare." Democrats were unimpressed, noting a lack of specifics. Rep. ...

WASHINGTON -- Donald Trump's choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday climate change is real, breaking with the president-elect and his own past statements. In response to questions from Democrats during his Senate confirmation hearing, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt said he disagreed with Trump's earlier claims global warming is a hoax created by the Chinese to harm the economic competitiveness of the United States...

WASHINGTON -- Earth sizzled to a third straight record hot year in 2016, government scientists said Wednesday. They mostly blame man-made global warming with help from a natural El Nino, which since has disappeared. Measuring global temperatures in slightly different ways, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced last year passed 2015 as the hottest on record...

WASHINGTON -- Scientists are developing a robotic sleeve that can encase a flabby diseased heart and gently squeeze to keep it pumping. So far it's been tested only in animals, improving blood flow in pigs. But this "soft robotic" device mimics the natural movements of a beating heart, a strategy for next-generation treatments of deadly heart failure...

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Call it contraception equality. Vasectomies, which are not covered under President Barack Obama's health-care law, increasingly are being included in state measures that would require insurers to provide cost-free coverage of birth control...

NEW YORK -- Even as the election outcome intensifies America's abortion debate, a comprehensive new survey finds the annual number of abortions in the U.S has dropped to well under 1 million, the lowest level since 1974. The report, which counted 926,200 abortions in 2014, was released Tuesday by the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights...

WASHINGTON -- Global warming is going to steal away some of those postcard-perfect weather days in the future, according to a first-of-its-kind projection of nice weather. On average, Earth will have 10 fewer days of mild and mostly dry weather by the end of the century, the researchers estimate...

HOUSTON -- Former president George H.W. Bush was admitted Wednesday to the intensive-care unit of a Houston hospital with pneumonia, and his wife, Barbara, was hospitalized as a precaution after suffering fatigue and coughing, a spokesman said. The 92-year-old former president, who had been hospitalized since Saturday, underwent a procedure "to protect and clear his airway that required sedation," family spokesman Jim McGrath said in a statement...

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The widow of the Orlando nightclub gunman pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of aiding and abetting her husband's support of the Islamic State group and hindering the investigation of the attack that killed 49 people and injured 53 others...

WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama stepped behind the White House podium for the last time Wednesday, fielding questions from journalists crammed in for the occasion and offering assurances to Americans watching on TV. But at times, his answers seemed aimed at an audience of one: The man who will replace him at noon Friday...

DENVER -- Denver started work Wednesday on becoming the first city in the U.S. to allow marijuana clubs and public pot use in places such as coffee shops, yoga studios and art galleries. Voters narrowly approved the "social use" measure in November. But the ballot proposal didn't spell out many rules for how the marijuana could be consumed, beyond saying the drug can't be smoked inside and patrons must be older than 21...

RICHMOND, Va. -- The U.S. Department of Justice gave instructions on how to work around its strict rules for spending money seized in investigations to Virginia's top prosecutor, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. Law-enforcement agencies participating in investigations with federal counterparts can share proceeds of seized assets under Equitable Sharing programs run by the Justice and Treasury departments. ...

WASHINGTON -- Sylvia Douglas twice voted for President Barack Obama and last year cast a ballot for Democrat Hillary Clinton. But when it comes to "Obamacare," she sounds like President-elect Donald Trump. This makes her chuckle amid the serious choices she faces every month between groceries, electricity and paying a health-insurance bill that has jumped by nearly $400...

DAKAR, Senegal -- After more than two decades in power, Gambian President Yahya Jammeh faced the prospect of a military intervention by regional forces, as the man who once pledged to rule the West African nation for a billion years clung to power late Wednesday...

SEOUL, South Korea -- A Seoul court denied a request to arrest Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jae-yong, a setback to prosecutors investigating an influence-peddling scandal that toppled South Korea's president. The Seoul Central District Court said today a judge concluded there was not enough justification to detain the 48-year-old Samsung heir at this stage...

Boatmen's Bank of Cape Girardeau has extended its automatic teller machine service to Schnucks grocery store; the new ATM is inside the store near the customer-service area. The Cape Girardeau Community Counseling Center celebrates the opening of its new facility with an open house; the 20,000-square-foot center, 402 S. Silver Springs Road, offers individual-, group- and family counseling, rehabilitation services, crisis intervention and emergency services...

McCLURE, Ill. -- Opal McManus Wilson, 89, of McClure died Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017, at her home. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at First Pentecostal Church in Cape Girardeau. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the church, with Rev. Darrell Faire officiating. Burial will be in Russell Heights Cemetery in Jackson...

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. -- Phillip Louis Underwood, 73, of Portageville died Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from noon to 3 p.m. Friday at First Baptist Church in Portageville. The funeral will be at 3 p.m. Friday at the church. Burial will be in Portageville Cemetery...

McGEE, Mo. -- Vernita Payne, 64, of McGee passed away Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017, after an extended battle with cancer. She was born Jan. 2, 1953, at McGee, the daughter of Raleigh and Versie Williams Payne. Vernita retired from Arvin in Dexter, Missouri. She was a member of McGee New Hope Church...

Leslie William Haman, 86, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017, at Southeast Hospital. He was born July 17, 1930, in Cape Girardeau to Chester and Lucille E. Able Haman. He and Lillian Marie Lueder were married July 28, 1951. She died April 29, 1998...

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. -- Edward Deere, 94, of Portageville died Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017, at his home. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at First United Methodist Church in Portageville. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. at the church. Burial will be in Portageville Cemetery...

BISMARCK, N.D. -- A federal judge said Wednesday he won't keep the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from launching a full environmental study of the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline's disputed crossing under a Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota...

Ruby N. Decker, 97, of Jackson died Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home. A committal service will be at approximately 1:15 p.m. Saturday at Saint John's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery in Chester, Illinois...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Property damage n Property damage was reported in the 1200 block of Brandom Street. Miscellaneous n Harassment was reported in the area of West Main and Morgan streets. n Peace disturbance was reported in the 200 block of North Ohio Street...

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls Tuesday: n Medical assists were made at 8:38 a.m. on Franklin Street; 8:39 a.m. on Linden Street; 9:45 a.m. on North Main Street; and 7:01 p.m. on South Ellis Street...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Ted B. Walton, 31, 1823 Bloomfield Road, rear unit, was arrested on Cape Girardeau warrants for failure to appear for assault and failure to appear for resisting or interfering with arrest...

ST. LOUIS -- A new course at Washington University in St. Louis is focused on the world of Kanye West. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported 75 students are registered for "Politics of Kanye West: Black Genius and Sonic Aesthetics," which began this week. There's a waiting list to get in...

LIBERTY, Mo. -- The former campus president of a Kansas City trade school said he was fired for letting a homeless student sleep overnight in the school's library during a cold snap. Snow was on the ground and temperatures dipped below zero Jan. 6 when Brian Carroll allowed the student to stay inside the Vatterott College building. The Kansas City Star reported Carroll said the situation was "life-threatening," and the student left the next morning as agreed...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Eric Greitens has chosen the commissioner of Indiana's Department of Environmental Management to lead Missouri's Department of Natural Resources. Carol Comer will be the newest addition to Greitens' Cabinet. She worked under Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who will be sworn in as vice president Friday...

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis police believe a 15-year-old girl who was shot to death outside her home was the intended target of the attack and wasn't killed at random. Two masked gunmen with assault rifles fired at Toni Stevenson as she sat alone in a car Tuesday night. She was a sophomore at Northwest Academy of Law High School, a city magnet school that focuses on preparing students for careers in law and law enforcement...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Newly bolstered Republican majorities are moving quickly in several states to diminish the power of organized labor with new laws prohibiting mandatory union fees in workplaces. So-called right-to-work laws could get votes today in the Missouri House and the New Hampshire Senate, an early step toward eventual passage in two states where new Republican governors have pledged to sign the measures into law. The Missouri proposal won initial House approval Wednesday...

Approval of minutes n Minutes of the Jan. 12 meeting Communications/ reports -- other elected officials n None at this time Public comments n Items listed on agenda Routine business...

Jackson Civic Center will host an ongoing free book exchange, said Shane Anderson, director of the Jackson Parks System. Riverside Regional Library in Jackson will provide a mobile display with free books. People are encouraged to bring a book and exchange it for another on the shelf, but bringing a book is not required...

WASHINGTON -- Donald Trump said his inauguration will have "an unbelievable, perhaps record-setting turnout." Organizers of a protest the next day call it the biggest demonstration in history to welcome a new president. Exactly how many people show up for both events likely never will be known...

TARENTUM, Pa. -- A mall that was foreclosed on after its owners failed to repay $143 million has been auctioned off for $100. Wells Fargo Bank was owed the money from a 2006 loan and submitted the winning bid for the 1.1 million-square-foot Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills on Wednesday. The bank was acting as trustee for MSCI 2007 HQ11, the trust that bought the mall, which once was worth $190 million but recently was appraised at $11 million and is slightly more than half occupied...

n Straw with paper wrapper n Water n STEP 1: Using your fingers, completely scrunch the wrapper to the end of the straw. n STEP 2: Remove the scrunched-up wrapper and place it on a flat surface. Describe the wrapper by its observable properties. Using a ruler, measure the length of the wrapper. Record the length of the wrapper on a piece of paper...

Several local students have been awarded scholarships to attend Southeast Missouri State University. Rebekah Garner of Cape Girardeau, India Phillips of Advance, Missouri, and Travis Smith of Sikeston, Missouri, have received the Residence Life Leadership Award. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The standards for a higher-education incentives program based on school performance were so lacking, three Missouri universities were able to get more money by changing the benchmarks against which they were measured, according to a recent audit released by the Missouri auditor...