Stories from Monday, August 7, 2017

Local consulting firm Hendrickson Business Advisors celebrated its 10th anniversary last week with a ribbon-cutting. The milestone is an achievement in itself, but as CEO Jennifer Hendrickson pointed out, it may be more impressive considering where the world was a decade ago...

About 50 people attended the second Comics and Collectibles Trade Show held Sunday at Cape Girardeau VFW Post 3838. The free event, sponsored by The Comix Strip, featured six vendors with vintage and modern comics as well as collectible toys and figurines...

The Cape Girardeau City Council will look to slightly lower its general and health-fund tax levies to comply with state law when it meets today. Under state law, local governments cannot increase tax levies more than the rate of inflation, city finance director John Richbourg said...

The Missouri Department of Conservation is holding a series of open houses across the state to celebrate the department's 80th anniversary, and Tuesday's event at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center will be a great opportunity, officials said...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department will adopt body-camera technology for officers after completing an ongoing testing period, a police spokesman said. "We've been testing and evaluating body cams for quite a while," public-information officer Sgt. Rick Schmidt said in a phone interview Friday. "We wanted to make sure and the chief wanted to make sure we bought the ones that provided the best footage and the best features."...

Today in History Today is Monday, Aug. 7, the 219th day of 2017. There are 146 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On August 7, 1942, U.S. and other allied forces landed at Guadalcanal, marking the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War II. (Japanese forces abandoned the island the following February.)...

Editor's note: The following guest column with the same headline originally appeared in the Sikeston Standard Democrat. The Southeast Missourian has published a series of stories on the Sikeston murder case of Sheila Box in 2000. This case is being heard again by a Special Master of the Missouri Supreme Court. ...

At the heart of a capitalist economy is innovation, whether it be in the form of efficiency or new products and services. In theory, the end result is better products, consumer demand, jobs and an improved standard of living. The United States has always served as the model of capitalism, with its economic system bolstered by education and freedom that enhance and promote ingenuity and opportunity...

BRIDGTON, Maine -- Carolyn Nistler is at the forefront of a boom in a resource that plays a key role in the management of American wildlife: bear teeth. Nistler, owner of a Montana lab, and others are sorting through a windfall of teeth taken from American black bears, which use their powerful jaws to crush hazelnuts and chew salmon flesh...

Andrew David Jones, son of Gerald L. and the late Joan C. Jones and Caroline and George Thompson, was born April 30, 1964, in Memphis, Tennessee, and died unexpectedly Aug. 3, 2017, at Orange Beach, Alabama. On November 29, 1996, he married the love of his life, Kerri Mitchell Jones, who preceded him in death just 17 days prior. When he met Kerri for the first time, he said to his sister, "That's the woman for me." It was truly love at first sight...

WASHINGTON -- The betting was that law-and-order Attorney General Jeff Sessions would come out against the legalized marijuana industry with guns blazing. But the task force Sessions assembled to find the best legal strategy is giving him no ammunition, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Andreneik S. Hill, 25, of Sikeston, Missouri, was arrested on a Scott County warrant. n Trae C.L. Huey, 29, 1952 Carolina Lane was arrested at 1952 Carolina Lane on a Cape Giradeau County warrant...

Cape Girardeau County Commission 1 Barton Square, Jackson 9 a.m. today Approval of minutes n Minutes of the July 31 meeting Communications/reports -- other elected officials n None at this time Public comments n Items listed on agenda Routine business...

SueAnn Strom has been appointed vice president of student affairs at Southeast Missouri State University. Strom, who has been assistant vice president of student affairs at Mankato State University in Mankato, Minnesota, since 1989, was chosen from 124 applicants...

Jackson Board of Aldermen City hall 101 Court St. Regular meeting, 6 p.m. today n Approval of minutes n Minutes of regular meeting of 7/17/17 n Financial affairs n Monthly bills Public hearings n Hearing to consider a special-use permit request for a hobby greenhouse, as a home occupation, in an R-2 (single-family residential) district, at 1233 Cherokee St., as submitted by Kenneth Denton and Emily Schmitt...

Cape Girardeau City Council City Hall 401 Independence St. Study session, 5 p.m. today Items for discussion n Beautiful Business Property of the Month presentation n Appearances by citizens interested in being appointed to fill council Ward 6 unexpired term...

NEW YORK -- For the third time in six months, President Donald Trump is on the hunt for a new communications director. But in practice, the job is filled. It's Trump who is the White House's leading expert and the final word on what and how he communicates with the public...

VALENCIA, Venezuela -- Soldiers battled for three hours Sunday morning against a small band of anti-government fighters who sneaked onto a Venezuelan army base, apparently intent on fomenting an uprising, President Nicolas Maduro said. Troops killed two of the intruders, wounded another and captured seven, but 10 others got away, the embattled leader announced in his weekly broadcast on state television...

DENVER -- Taylor Swift and her support team didn't call police after she said she had been groped by a Denver radio host during a photo session before a concert. Instead, they called his boss, and David Mueller lost his job. The disc jockey later sued the singer-songwriter, saying he had been falsely accused and wanted $3 million in damages...

MANILA, Philippines -- A global pressure campaign on North Korea propelled by new U.N. sanctions received a welcome boost Sunday from China, the North's economic lifeline, as Beijing called on its neighbor to halt its missile and nuclear tests. The Trump administration cautiously embraced China's apparent newfound cooperation while putting it on notice the U.S. would be watching closely to ensure it didn't ease up on North Korea if and when the world's attention is diverted elsewhere...

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. -- Vice President Mike Pence has pushed back against a news report suggesting he is laying groundwork for a possible presidential bid in 2020 if President Donald Trump does not run. In a statement released by the White House, Pence said Sunday's story in The New York Times "is disgraceful and offensive to me, my family, and our entire team."...

MANILA, Philippines -- Russia's top diplomat said Sunday his country was ready for more engagement with the United States on North Korea, Syria, Ukraine and other pressing matters, even as Moscow braced for new sanctions from the Trump administration...

JONESTOWN, Miss. -- Otibehia Allen is a single mother who lives in a rented mobile home in the same isolated, poor community where she grew up among the cotton and soybean fields of the Mississippi Delta. During a summer that feels like a sauna, the trailer's air conditioner has conked out...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple's iPhone may be ready for its next big act -- as a springboard into "augmented reality," a technology that projects lifelike images into real-world settings viewed through a screen. If you've heard about AR, it's likely because you've encountered "Pokemon Go," in which players wander around neighborhoods trying to capture monsters only they can see on their phones...

NEW YORK -- For Michael Rizzo, answering the phone is too often a waste of time. His Sports City Pizza Pub in Buffalo, New York, depends on customers calling to order wings, pizza and potato skins. But much of the time, it's an automated message pushing a scam...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- FedEx will skip special charges for most packages shipped during the holiday season this year as it seeks to undercut rival UPS in a fight for a larger share of the millions of items now bought online. FedEx Corp. said Thursday it won't charge extra for peak-season residential deliveries unless the package requires extra handling, such as for very large items...

CAMBRIDGE, Vt. -- What was once a smattering of farms offering expensive dinners within view of the fields where the food was raised has sprouted into popular summer and fall events that run the gamut from multicourse dinners to weekly burger nights at farms across the country...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The day after Gov. Eric Greitens advocated increasing education and job training programs for inmates, he signed a budget that cut $1.4 million from Missouri Department of Corrections rehabilitation programs, with most of the reduction coming in education programs...

BALLWIN, Mo. -- City leaders here are discussing new rules on hives that have some beekeepers buzzing. Citing a recent complaint, the rules are in a proposed ordinance that "recognizes the importance of bees as pollinators for the preservation of the ecosystem, but seeks to regulate the safekeeping of bees for the comfort and safety of all citizens."...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A suspicious package that smelled like ammonia sickened several people at an IRS building in downtown Kansas City on Friday, federal authorities said. Local officials said about 10 people reported being ill, including vomiting and nausea, after the package arrived at the sprawling building's mailroom Friday morning...

Saint Francis Healthcare System has hired Jim Lawrence as director of mission, a newly created position. Bishop Edward M. Rice of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau supported this appointment, according to a news release. In his new role, Lawrence will support Saint Francis in fulfilling its mission to provide a ministry of healing and wellness inspired by its Catholic philosophy and values...

DURANGO, Colo. -- A bear broke into a sport-utility vehicle, trashed its interior and caused it to roll out of a driveway and smash into a mailbox. Neighbors heard the crash early Friday and called law-enforcement officers in Durango. The bear's actions may have released the parking brake or put the transmission into neutral, causing the SUV to roll out of a driveway. The SUV's back window was broken. The bear was gone when authorities arrived...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls Saturday. n Medical assists were made at 1:17 a.m. on South Hanover Street; 2:57 a.m. on Whitener Street; 1:18 p.m. on South Benton Street; 3:03 p.m. on Linden Street; 3:51 p.m. on Whitener Street; 4:12 p.m. on North West End Boulevard; and 8:58 p.m. on North West End Boulevard...

CAPE GIRARDEAU COUNTY The Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Amanda D. Todd, 20, of Cape Girardeau was arrested on North Spanish Street on suspicion of unlawful use of a weapon, two Cape Giradeau warrants for improper registration and two Cape Girardeau warrants for vehicle financial responsibility...

TAMMS, Ill. -- Douglas A. Honey, 80, of Tamms died Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete at Crain Funeral Home in Tamms.

Father God, we pray for discernment, that in all things we would glorify you. Amen.

Join us at the Bollinger County Museum of Natural History on Saturday, August 12, for a World War I Roundtable. At 2:00pm Lisa Wells Santi will share the experiences of her family members during World War I at a roundtable discussion. Do you have any World War I stories, letters, heirlooms, or other items of interest you would be willing to share in a roundtable forum? If so please bring your special memories to share or come and listen to stories and memories shared by Lisa and others...

Judy Lang doesn't meet many strangers. Gregarious and straight-forward, she's quick with a smile, interjects laughter in her speech and never seems at a loss for words. She used those attributes in the business world, operating Judith Anne's gift shop, helping co-found Old Town Cape, working as a bridal consultant for Famous Barr and assisting her husband in the running of Lang Jewelers...

Howard Perr and his truck both have undergone some changing of color since he obtained the title in 1965. Perr's hair has transitioned from light brown to white, while the 1954 Chevrolet Deluxe 5 Window half-ton pickup he's owned for 52 years has gone from forest green to royal blue...

Sometimes shy, curious loners become writers. Local author-historian Robert H. Forister believes those characteristics apply to him. Forister was a gifted child. With the help of his first teacher, his older sister, Forister was reading by age 5. As a child, he often preferred eating his lunch alone, and would become quite fascinated observing the bugs. ...

Gardening conjures up peaceful images of green stretching into late-summer sunshine, laden with flowers or vegetables -- or visions of row after row of dead or dying plants, tangled with weeds in cracked, dusty soil. One program aims to teach people to tackle their own gardening projects, no matter how small or ambitious...