Stories from Friday, June 7, 2019

For the next few days, here are three things that are for sure: I will get to sleep in, I will be in my pool, and it will be Monday before we know it. With daily temperatures reaching nearly 80 degrees, outside music venues are beginning to offer free performances -- and there's plenty this weekend...

Excessive rainfall in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois this spring could have an adverse effect on the region's wine production this fall, according to area vineyard owners and winemakers. And if the region receives too much rainfall during the rest of the growing season leading up to this year's harvest, growers say their wine output will be reduced...

The local humane society will no longer take feral cats trapped by animal control officers in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and surrounding jurisdictions. Humane Society of Southeast Missouri officials said Thursday the new policy will be in its animal-shelter contracts with area governments...

Noted artist and sculptor of 40 years Roy W. Butler has masterminded the creation of the newest outdoor 6-foot bronze monument in Cape Girardeau, set to officially unveil 11 a.m. Saturday at Ivers Square. The ceremony will take place 156 years after the first enslaved African-Americans in Cape Girardeau enlisted in the U.S. Colored Troops on June 18, 1865...

Today is Friday, June 7, the 158th day of 2019. There are 207 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On June 7, 1998, in a crime that shocked the nation, James Byrd Jr., a 49-year-old black man, was hooked by a chain to a pickup truck and dragged to his death in Jasper, Texas. ...

Local treasured landmark Fort D is closer to being added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is good news for those who value culture and history. The Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation has approved the application, meaning the increased likelihood of national registry status...

NEW YORK -- Federal regulators voted Thursday to give phone companies the right to block unwanted calls without getting customers' permission first. The Federal Communications Commission's move could make call-blocking widespread and help consumers dodge annoying robocalls, which have exploded into a problem pestering Americans on the level of billions of calls a month...

Carrie Underwood extended her run as the most decorated act in the history of the CMT Music Awards with her 20th win Wednesday night. Underwood won two prizes at the fan-voted show, including video of the year for "Cry Pretty" and female video of the year for "Love Wins."...

MILAN -- Fiat Chrysler's surprise decision to withdraw a merger offer with French carmaker Renault stunned the industry, collapsing Thursday on fundamental differences over when Renault's longtime alliance partner, Nissan, would be brought in. The merger plan, which had sought to create the world's third-largest automaker, had been viewed positively across the industry since it was announced last week. ...

WASHINGTON -- Ten billion here, ten billion there: President Donald Trump's escalating tariffs on imports to the United States have begun to amount to serious money -- and potentially to imperil one of the most resilient economies in American history...

NEW YORK -- If milk is a few days past its "Sell By" date, is it safe to drink? U.S. regulators are urging food-makers to be more consistent with labeling terms like "Best By" and "Enjoy By" causing confusion. By clarifying the meaning of such dates, they are trying to prevent people from prematurely tossing products and to reduce the mountains of food that goes to waste each year...

WASHINGTON -- U.S. and Mexican officials labored for a second day Thursday to avert import tariffs President Donald Trump is threatening to impose as he tries to strong-arm Mexico into stemming the flow of Central American migrants across America's southern border...

NEW YORK -- When dog owners go through a stressful period, they're not alone in feeling the pressure -- their dogs feel it too, a new study suggests. Dog owners experiencing long bouts of stress can transfer it to their dogs, scientists report in a study published Thursday in Scientific Reports...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Prosecutors face a legal hurdle as they pursue 25 murder charges against an Ohio doctor accused of essentially using his colleagues as weapons by ordering fatal painkiller doses for hospital patients but not directly administering them himself, legal experts say...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A former Florida deputy charged with 11 criminal counts after failing to confront the gunman in the Parkland school massacre was released from jail Thursday after a judge reduced his bail and put him under standard release conditions...

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- A vehicle loaded with West Point cadets on summer training overturned in rough, wooded terrain Thursday, killing one cadet and injuring several others, according to the U.S. Military Academy. The tactical vehicle operated by two soldiers overturned around 6:45 a.m. as it was headed to a land navigation site as part of standard summer cadet training, said West Point's superintendent, Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- James "Junior" Gandy Wade Jr., 84, of Bloomfield passed away Thursday, June 6, 2019, at his home, surrounded by his family. He was born April 15, 1935, in Hayti, Missouri, the son of James and Sarah Hobbs Wade Sr. Junior and Ilene Wheetley were united in marriage Nov. 14, 1953, at Zalma, Missouri, and she survives of the home...

Larry Stahlman, 71, of Jackson died Wednesday, June 5, 2019, at his home. There will be no visitation or funeral service. Per Larry's wishes, his body was donated to Washington University School of Medicine. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements...

Peggy Jo Reed, 64, of Scott City died Wednesday, June 5, 2019, at her home. She was born Nov. 3, 1954, in Cape Girardeau to Gene and Maxine Hinton Reed. She was a member of Illmo United Methodist Church in Scott City. Peggy loved to travel and had visited almost all 50 states...

Wanda Lee Morris, 92, of Cape Girardeau passed away Thursday, June 6, 2019, at Lutheran Home. Wanda was born to Leroy and Myrtie Smith on July 15, 1926, the fourth of 12 children. She and Clarence "Cotton" Wesley Morris Jr. were married Sept. 21, 1943, in Benton, Missouri. Together they had two sons, Wesley (Nancy) Morris of Gordonville and Randol (Marlene) Morris of Cape Girardeau...

The citizens of Cape should send their bills for realignment and balancing of tires to the city of Cape, due to the deplorable conditions that our streets are in. Going North on Mt. Auburn near El Acapulco is a large hole that has been there for months. This could easily cause a wreck...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrest does not imply guilt. Arrest n James Bates, 57, of Cape Girardeau was arrested on suspicion of making a false declaration. Thefts n Burglary was reported at 55 North Pind Wood Lane. Suspects in custody pending formal charges...

Cape girardeau The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls: n Medical assists were made at 10:11 a.m. on Albert Street, 1:13 p.m. on Shawnee Parkway and 6:09 p.m. on Bellevue Street. n At 9:42 a.m., EMS call was made on Oak Lei Drive...

O God, comfort us and protect us. Give us hope and spiritually nourish us. Amen.

BERLIN -- When Chancellor Angela Merkel thanked the Allies for the D-Day invasion and the "liberation" of Germany in World War II, she might have raised some eyebrows internationally. To those at home, the statement was unremarkable. There's no denying the machine guns and howitzers firing at the Allied forces landing in Normandy 75 years ago were manned by German soldiers. But over the decades, Germans' attitudes toward the war have evolved from a sense of defeat to something far more complex...

COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France -- President Donald Trump, who has at times questioned the value of NATO and other institutions emerging from World War II, paid tribute on the 75th anniversary of D-Day to the "cherished alliance" forged in battle by the U.S. and partner nations. To aging warriors gathered on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach, he said, "Our debt to you is everlasting...

BERLIN -- Police in western Germany say divine intervention saved a speeding driver from getting a ticket, after a pigeon photobombed a traffic enforcement camera at just the right moment. Perhaps inspired by this week's Ascension Day national Christian holiday, Viersen police said "the Holy Ghost must have had a plan" to help the driver. ...

As of July 1, shoppers won't be able to smoke in the public areas at 13 St. Louis area shipping centers; so far, West Park Mall hasn't joined the no-smoking bandwagon, but it's conceivable it could. Cape Girardeau voters turn down a 37-cent tax increase earmarked for building improvements at the city's schools; the ballot issue loses by 176 votes; the school district asked voters to waive the property-tax rollback provided by Proposition C, the state sales tax for education; the waiver would have added 37 cents for each $100 of assessed valuation.. ...

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- The St. Joseph school district has agreed to a nearly $130,000 settlement with a family who alleged in a lawsuit an autistic student was bullied at an elementary school. The family said the student was the target of name-calling and other harassment at Eugene Field Elementary School during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 academic years...

KEVIL, Ky. -- The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude 2.4 earthquake has occurred in Kentucky along the New Madrid fault line. News outlets said the quake was reported northeast of Kevil shortly after 6:30 p.m. Thursday. There were no reports of damage...

The Arnsberg Cemetery Association held its 20th annual business meeting May 18 on the cemetery grounds. In addition to routine business matters, Association members expressed appreciation for two recent additions to the grounds – a lighted flag pole with US flag, and a sign commemorating the Native Americans who lived in the northern Cape Girardeau County area...

Students of the Southeast Missouri Music Academy Suzuki Fiddlers recently performed with the Bob Dolle Band at the 2019 Western Swing Convention on Saturday, May 18th at the Cape Girardeau VFW. The Western Swing Society of the Southwest are generous benefactors of the Suzuki String Program, directed by Laura Ryan...

Excelsior Chapter, Order of DeMolay attended the Missouri DeMolay Conclave in Jefferson City, Missouri over Memorial Day Weekend. Excelsior was named Chapter of the Year for the third year in a row. Twenty-Eight young men attended the conclave and competed in ceremonial and athletic competitions. ...