Stories from Friday, April 13, 2018

A new law will provide added incentives for investment in high-poverty areas, including parts of Cape Girardeau, according to federal, state and local officials. Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens and U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt have announced the locations of 161 "Opportunity Zones" in the state...

Several pieces of public artwork, including one by Cape Girardeau native Ben Pierce, were unveiled Thursday evening at the Vasterling Suites Courtyard as part of the annual Cape Girardeau Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit. Artists are chosen each year based on their background, skill level and concept or proposal, with applicants from all over the United States...

Actress Tyla Abercrumbie -- star of Showtime's television series "The Chi" and NBC's "Shrink" -- has journeyed to Cape Girardeau to direct Southeast Missouri State University's performance of "Raisin in the Sun" April 18 through 22. Abercrumbie is well versed in the world of show business and aims to share her experience with students at the River Campus for the next few weeks...

Sikeston city officials have taken away a Sikeston Public Safety Department (DPS) detective's badge and gun and reassigned him to the city's fire division after a judge found the detective was "lacking in candor or competence, or both" in his investigation of a murder...

Today is Friday, April 13, the 103rd day of 2018. There are 262 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On April 13, 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. on the 200th anniversary of the third American president's birth...

There have been quite a few winters come and go during my lifetime. I don't ever remember one quite so miserable as the one just passing. Sure, I know it is officially spring now. But tell that to the weather imps that keep sending wintry blasts our way...

We were amused by a recent KFVS story, which cited a Business Insider list saying Cape Girardeau was the most boring city in Missouri. It's all about perspective. Business Insider only looked at Metropolitan Statistical Areas recognized by the federal government. ...

On behalf of the Yes April 3rd Committee, I want to thank the voters of Cape Girardeau for their overwhelming support of the Parks, Recreation and Storm Water initiative in last week's municipal election. The projects that will be funded by this tax extension will benefit a wide cross-section of the community, from children to young adults to active seniors. I am proud to live in a community that promotes quality of life and supports economic growth...

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump said Thursday an attack on Syria could take place "very soon or not so soon at all," arguing he had never signaled the timing of retaliation for a suspected chemical weapons attack he had suggested was imminent a day earlier...

NEW YORK -- Eight months before the owner of the National Enquirer paid $150,000 to a former Playboy Playmate who claimed she'd had an affair with Donald Trump, the tabloid's parent made a $30,000 payment to a less famous individual: a former doorman at one of the real estate mogul's New York City buildings...

WASHINGTON -- Former FBI Director James Comey blasts President Donald Trump as unethical and "untethered to truth" in a sharply critical new book describing Trump as fixated in the early days of his administration on having the FBI debunk salacious rumors he insisted were untrue but could distress his wife...

NORRISTOWN, Pa. -- A former model told a jury Bill Cosby raped her in 1982 after giving her a pill he claimed would ease her menstrual cramps but instead left her immobilized and unable to stop an assault she called "gross." Janice Dickinson, the fourth of five accusers to take the witness stand at Cosby's sex assault retrial, told jurors she was "rendered motionless" by the pill as Cosby got on top of her in his Lake Tahoe, Nevada, hotel room. She said he smelled of cigars and espresso...

WASHINGTON -- Some say it's a fight between West and South. Or who might win an endorsement from President Donald Trump. Or a test of who can woo conservatives. But one thing was clear Thursday: Any maneuvering in the brewing showdown between California Rep. Kevin McCarthy and Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise for House speaker was occurring below the radar, and the leading players were choosing their words carefully...

WASHINGTON -- Aiming to quell concerns before what is likely to be a narrow confirmation vote, Secretary of State-designate Mike Pompeo vowed Thursday to ramp up efforts against Russia in "each place we confront them." But he ducked and dodged when asked whether he supports President Donald Trump's pounding criticism of the federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election...

WASHINGTON -- In a striking reversal, President Donald Trump has asked trade officials to explore the possibility of the United States rejoining the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, a free trade deal he pulled out of during his first days in office as part of his "America first" agenda...

SAN DIEGO -- California Gov. Jerry Brown is crystal clear his National Guard will help President Trump go after drugs and thugs on the Mexican border, but not immigrants. Drawing such a line may be hazy. Brown's pledge of 400 troops allows the president to boast governors in all four border states back his mission to send the Guard on its third large-scale deployment since 2006. ...

WASHINGTON -- The acting head of the IRS says the current tax-filing season has gone well, while acknowledging the tough challenge the cash-strapped agency faces of administering the new tax law affecting 2019 returns. Acting IRS commissioner David Kautter told Congress some 79 million refunds totaling about $226 billion have been issued as of April 6, averaging $2,900, up $13 from last year. ...

BEIJING -- U.S. officials have a name for their frustration with Beijing's technology ambitions: "Made in China 2025." Issued in 2015, it calls for China to develop its own global competitors in fields from information technology to electric cars to pharmaceuticals. The U.S. Trade Representative's Office cited "Made in China 2025" in announcing last week a $50 billion list of Chinese goods targeted for President Donald Trump's tariff hike...

LONDON -- The international chemical weapons watchdog Thursday confirmed Britain's finding a former Russian spy and his daughter were poisoned with a nerve agent, as Russia continued to deny suggestions it was behind the attack. Investigators from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning group, said the nerve agent was "of high purity." Britain says only a state with a sophisticated laboratory could have manufactured it...

BEIJING -- China on Thursday said it will hold live-fire military exercises in the Taiwan Strait amid heightened tensions over increased American support for Taiwan's government. The announcement by the maritime safety authority in the coastal province of Fujian coincided with remarks by President Xi Jinping on the importance of naval power while attending a massive fleet review in the South China Sea off the coast of Hainan province...

DAMASCUS, Syria -- A team of inspectors from the international chemical weapons watchdog was on its way Thursday to Syria to begin an investigation into a suspected chemical weapons attack near the capital bringing the war-torn country to the brink of a wider conflict, amid Western threats of retaliation and Russian warnings of the potential for "a dangerous escalation."...

Cape Girardeau County elected officials voted to increase their salaries by 10 percent when their new terms start during Monday's meeting of the County Pay Commission; county officials haven't had pay raises since 1987. A new multi-purpose recreation facility at the corner of Kingshighway and Mount Auburn Road might include a facility for the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce; the city's Parks and Recreation Advisory Board has approved a motion to study the feasibility of including a 10,000-square-foot Chamber office with the 32-square-foot multi-purpose facility.. ...

NEW YORK -- Nostalgia hasn't translated into dollars in a long-shot effort to crowdfund a future for Toys R Us. Neither did efforts to recruit other toy makers. A campaign led by a billionaire toy executive who pledged $200 million with other investors in hopes of saving part of the bankrupt chain has foundered, with only $59,000 more raised in three weeks. The total inclues includes three pledges of $1,000 each, about two dozen of $101 to $500, and the rest for smaller amounts...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Lola D'Orsay Winchester passed away Tuesday, April 10, 2018, at the age of 87. She was born March 4, 1931. She was a graduate of Advance High School and attended Southeast Missouri State University. She was a retiree of Southwestern Bell, now known as AT&T...

James "Art" Stoner, 93 of Cape Girardeau, passed away Wednesday, April 11, 2018, at Lutheran Home. He was born Dec. 20, 1924, in Waldo, Ohio, to the late John and Daisy Hoffman Stoner. He was a graduate of Waldo High School and served in the U.S. Army during WWII and was in the Battle of the Bulge in Germany...

Mark K. Carleton Jr., 32, of Cape Girardeau passed away Wednesday, April 11, 2018, at his home. He was born Sept. 12, 1985, in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. He was an avid gamer and loved to read. Mark is survived by his mother, Martha Howard Cox; a brother, Jason Roach; two sisters, Lauren Hobart and Kimberly Holtgrave; his maternal grandfather, Raymond Stith; and nieces, nephews and other relatives...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Senate approved an amendment to the state constitution to ban lobbyist gifts to lawmakers. The measure, passed Wednesday in a 20-12 vote, also would change legislative term limits to allow lawmakers to serve more time in one chamber. If the amendment is approved by the House, it will go to voters...

Organizers are encouraging gun rights supporters to bring unloaded rifles to rallies at state capitols across the U.S. this weekend, pushing back against a wave of student-led gun violence protests that some see as a threat to the Second Amendment. A group called the National Constitutional Coalition of Patriotic Americans spread word of the gatherings on social media. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- One of Missouri's smallest state universities could face accreditation trouble stemming from low tuition and a decline in state support. Missouri Southern State University's finances must be addressed before its 10-year re-accreditation site visit in 2019, said university president Alan Marble...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Facing mounting calls to resign following sexual misconduct allegations, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens appears to be taking a cue from President Donald Trump as he fights for his political survival amid a #MeToo movement that has felled dozens of other prominent politicians and public figures...

April is National Volunteer Month, and the United Way of Southeast Missouri held a special "thank you" luncheon at the Jackson Civic Center on Thursday to celebrate the efforts of local individuals and businesses that donate their time and resources...

O Lord Jesus, we sing praise to you, Hosanna in the highest. Amen.

JENNINGS, Mo. -- A St. Louis man has been charged in the death of a 2-year-old boy after an autopsy showed the toddler had been kicked, squeezed and hit. Twenty-four-year-old Corey Miller was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder and abuse or neglect of a child resulting in the death of Cayden Carson. St. Louis County police said in a news release officers from the city of Jennings found the boy unresponsive Sunday night while responding to a call. Cayden was pronounced dead at a hospital...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls: Wednesday n Medical assists were made at 4:44 a.m. on Linden Street; 5:07 a.m. on Themis Street; 6:21 a.m. on Good Hope Street; 11:07 a.m. on Water Street; 2:55 p.m. on South Silver Springs Road; and 6:22 p.m. on South Kingshighway...

I've still got some counting to do, but I think Adrienne Ross' most recent rant set a record for the number of times an opinion columnist has used the word I. Someone said that the new stormwater drainage ditch voters passed this month may not solve all the problems but that "it sure has to help." Really? We have Cape officials overseeing this, so judging by how they handle our roads and the drainage ditches already in place, not only does what they do not "have" to help, there's a great chance it will do more harm than good and cost more money than what is currently in place. ...

"Isle of Dogs" In this stop-motion-animated film from writer/director Wes Anderson, an outbreak of canine flu in Japan leads all dogs to be quarantined on an island. A boy (voice of Koyu Rankin) journeys there to rescue his dog, Spots (Liev Schreiber), and gets help from a pack of misfit canines who have also been exiled. ...

We have country music legend Willie Nelson at the Show Me Center, and the arrival of spring continues to be celebrated through outdoor activities and musical performances in the area all weekend. So get outside and enjoy the outdoors -- along with the arts, as always -- by following my self-explanatory guide to what's happening...

When I was sixteen, my summer camp student advisor gave me a yellow-green crayon and said it described me — always new, always forgiving. Like spring. I was disappointed. Yellow-green? I would much rather have been given the black crayon, classy and sophisticated like Rukhaiya, or the orange crayon, vibrant and outgoing, like Rachel. Or purple, beautiful and poised, like Beth...

It’s been said that every person has a story to tell, and it turns out that the same may be true for every quilt. Full of color, comfort and love, handmade quilts — and the women who make them — seem to have found a way to preserve a part of past tradition, while leaving a legacy for the future...

When it comes to beauty, I’ve always maintained the notion that one can make style their own, which is why fashion remains one of my passions. However, I have to admit that I’m somewhat of an amateur when it comes to curating the most euphoric color combinations...

Everyone else hunches shoulders, huddles in jacket hoods, hides under umbrellas protecting skin made to touch. The wet is unpleasant. Stay inside, they say, or, get where you’re going, get there as fast as possible. We have been taught to run. But, you...

Calypso, peppercorn, geranium — names of all the beautiful colors you remember using on your art project that your mom proudly hung on the refrigerator for days, until slipping it into the trash can when you weren’t looking, right? Yeah, probably not...

Here’s a confession: I don’t recycle. I did during graduate school, when there was a recycling bin right outside my door, and a truck came and picked it up once a week. Now, though, I live in a rural area with no bins and no recycling routes. For some reason, sorting my trash and taking it a few miles out of my way seems like too much effort...

Hannah March Sanders is a Cape Girardeau artist who focuses on environmental issues in her work. Also a professor of art at Southeast Missouri State University and area head of printmaking, as well as the letterpress area coordinator of Catapult Press at Catapult Creative House, Sanders uses upcycled and repurposed fabrics in her work. ...

I think it’s beneficial to color because kids have dreams to be good at art and I do, too. It helps kids get better at coloring in the lines, and it helps kids in school. Kids use math for art, and it also helps some kids focus in school. You can show your true colors in art...

You know it: some things are all show, pretty on the outside, but not so much when you dig a little deeper. Then there are those that are both beautiful and substantial. That’s lavender. It’s a versatile, tried-and-true plant: Egyptians used it for embalming in ancient times, the Arabs used it for medicinal purposes in the 10th century and the British used it for perfume and furniture polish during the Victorian Era. ...

There’s nothing that says “freedom” quite like a road trip. When viewing the countryside with good friends, music and nothing ahead except the open road and a destination still faraway, everything becomes possible; even everyday tasks fill with wonder...

Grass greens, teals, reds. Royal blues, purples, yellows. The walls of one room in Michelle Outman’s Cape Girardeau home look like Kenya, lined with colorful jewelry in all shades, made from recycled glass and paper beads, bones and ostrich egg shells...