Stories from Saturday, August 31, 2019

SIKESTON -- James McMillen has been named the director of Sikeston Department of Public Safety. The announcement came in a release from Sikeston city manager Jonathan Douglass on Friday afternoon. "Director McMillen is an outstanding law enforcement officer and leader," Douglass said. "The City of Sikeston appreciates his dedication to Sikeston and the Department of Public Safety, and we look forward to his success."...

A Southeast Missouri State University student is among a growing number of people to suffer from a severe lung illness associated with vaping. E-cigarettes and vapes have grown in popularity in the last five years, and vaping-related illnesses have spiked recently, garnering national attention...

After a morning of Jeeping along the gravel backroads around Perry and Madison Counties, Mike Buhs and Devin Wingo ended up at a spot they knew from childhood. "We were out exploring, but it just got too hot," Buhs said. "So I figured we'd bring [my kids, Anna and Sam] by this place. It's actually the first time they've been here."...

A Cape Girardeau County jury has handed down a record $17 million verdict against BNSF Railway in a personal-injury case. The plaintiff’s attorney called it the largest monetary award by a circuit court jury in the history of the county. Plaintiff’s attorney Michael Ponder said he hopes the verdict sends a message to BNSF and all companies to “take our safety seriously.”...

The body of a man found in connection with a wrong-way police chase Thursday on Interstate 55 was a passenger in the vehicle of a man apprehended Friday after an overnight manhunt. Myron Lee Tillman, 41, was found and arrested early Friday morning, and charged Friday afternoon with three misdemeanors in relation to the chase Thursday that tied up traffic for hours and initiated a manhunt involving search dogs and a helicopter...

Today is Saturday, Aug. 31, the 243rd day of 2019. There are 122 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On August 31, 1986, 82 people were killed when an Aeromexico jetliner and a small private plane collided over Cerritos, California. The Soviet passenger ship Admiral Nakhimov collided with a merchant vessel in the Black Sea, causing both to sink; up to 448 people reportedly died...

Four former Redhawks football players have captured a community's attention with their infectious attitudes and commitment to mentorship among Cape Girardeau's most at-risk students. Aaron Adeoye, Cantrell Andrews, Kweku Arkorful and Wyky Jean knew they wanted to give back after college. They volunteered at the Christian Boxing Academy founded by Danny Rees. When boxing ended, they'd stay afterward to hang out with the kids. It was clear the kids could benefit from their positive influence...

HANNIBAL, Mo. -- Ten weeks of waiting ended last night for Republican Kenny Hulshof, who became his party's official 9th District congressional candidate; as an assistant attorney general, Hulshof, 36, is known for prosecuting high-profile murder cases...

Audrey Glover and Christopher Roth were married May 25 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. The Rev. Douglas C. Breite performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Shane and Melissa Glover of Cape Girardeau. The groom is the son of Marty and Betty Roth of Cape Girardeau...

Allison Jo Billmeyer and Reed Frisbie Gilmore were married Sept. 22, 2018, on Longs Peak Lawn at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. The Rev. LeRoy McEntire of Montgomery, Alabama, performed the ceremony. The Radio of Denver string quartet performed during the wedding ceremony with the full ensemble performing for the cocktail hour and later at the reception...

Submitted by Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary This sweet guy is Midnight. He is a 14-year-old male in need of a loving home. He is available for adoption at Safe Harbor; call (573) 243-9823.

You are looking at the beautiful three-toed box turtle. This one is a young male about 14 years old. It was a little baby in 2007 when the Missouri State Legislator designated the three-toed box turtle as the state reptile. I took this photo in late August while brush hogging an old field. ...

The Play for Parker Foundation donated $10,900 to the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Foundation for facility improvements and equipment at Shawnee Park Sports Complex and the Cape Girardeau SportsPlex. Field 8 at Shawnee Park Sports Complex was unveiled as the Play for Parker Foundation Field at the 7th Annual Play 4 Parker Memorial Baseball Tournament...

Monday: Closed for Labor Day. Tuesday: Sloppy Joe with oven-fried potatoes or chicken tot bake, green beans, fruited gelatin, whole-grain bun or bread and chilled peaches or cookies. Wednesday: Brunch menuL Sausage patty, scrambled eggs, baked hash browns with onions, biscuit with gravy and fruit salad...

Eleven year old Eli Jenkins, of Butler County, says his favorite activity is "going to town with PaPa" and "picking up a few things." Eli's PaPa is Wayne Jenkins, 87, a partial amputee from Poplar Bluff, who is wheelchair-bound due to an accident decades ago...

SIKESTON -- Peaceful Masonic Lodge 181 (Prince Hall-affiliated) has launched the Paradigm Initiative program, which is specifically designed to invest in its "Sikeston Proud" community. The programs goals are focused on: supporting early at-risk youth intervention programs; giving young adults transformative and personal experiences through international cultural experiences; and empowering young adults to learn public speaking and leadership skills...

As winter approaches an important date for the gardener to keep in mind is when the first frost will occur. The date is only an approximation so should be close give a week or two. What I do is Google or DuckDuckGo when the first frost will be in my area zip code. Normally ours occurs around mid-October. Back where I grew up in Arthur, Nebraska, the first frost could be as early as the second week in September...

Paula Elders Harrell earned with honor her Doctorate in Nursing Practices from Chamberlain College of Nursing. During her studies, she served and continues to serve as chief nursing officer at Regional One Extended Care Hospital and as a professor at University of Memphis. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Elders of Scott City...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The regional Island 5 SEABEE Chapter will meet at 9 a.m. Sept. 14 at Perryville's Vietnam Wall for its quarterly "Bee's Swarm" in the memorial meeting room. According to a news release, all local and regional Navy SEABEE veterans and active duty Navy SEABEES, as well as their spouses, may attend this special gathering. ...

A few years ago, I encountered an idea from Mary Rose O'Reilley's book "Radical Presence: Teaching as Contemplative Practice" that changed the way I think about completing mundane tasks and being stressed by busyness. A very loose paraphrase of the idea goes like this: when you feel like you don't have enough time, try taking more time to do things; it takes as long as it takes. ...

Conflict is inevitable. If you are going to be in a relationship with another person, you are going to disagree. Only people on sitcoms always get along, and if they do have a problem, it is resolved quickly. Life involves conflict. In Philippians 4:2-3 two women, Euodia and Syntyche, in the church were in the middle of a conflict. ...

February 1865, a month after slavery was abolished in Missouri, the State Legislature approved annual appropriations of $25 for the education of Union soldier's orphans from Cape Girardeau County. Ten of the 22 children were of African descent, including three children of James and Harriet Ivers. ...

In fashion, it has replaced black as the new dress-up color. And it's riding a wave of popularity into home decor, too. What's the buzz about? The color blue. And while all blues, from baby to sky, are popular, it's the deep, inky ones that are exciting home decorators...

O Heavenly Father, our great provider, we place our hope in your word. Amen.

SCOTT CITY The Scott City Fire Department responded to the following calls: Aug. 23 n At 5:38 p.m., a moving vehicle collision call was made on County Road 201. Aug. 24 n Medical assists were made at 4:18 a.m. in the 1100 block of Good Hope Street and 9:10 a.m in the 28000 block of U.S. 61...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Shaneequa Nelson, 29, of Cape Girardeau was arrested on suspicion of harrassment. n Keighshawn Cleaves, 19, of Cape Girardeau was arrested on suspicion of theft at Walmart, 3439 William St...

LONDON -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament for part of the run-up to the Oct. 31 Brexit deadline faces mounting legal and political challenges ahead of a weekend of planned street protests. There are three ongoing court tests to Johnson's plan, which he says is routine but which will shorten the time in which opponents in Parliament could seek to pass legislation blocking a disorderly "no deal" departure from the European Union...

BEIRUT -- Syrian government forces will soon begin a unilateral cease-fire in northwestern Idlib province, Russia's military said Friday, as hundreds of protesters were met with tear gas marching toward a border crossing with Turkey demanding Ankara either open the border for refugees or work on stopping the Syrian army's advance...

COATZACOALCOS, Mexico -- Mexico's drug war appears to be back -- and it may be worse this time around than in the bloody years of the government's 2006-2012 offensive against drug cartels. Back then, the worst of the violence was confined to a few cities. Now it is spread throughout the country. Once it was not uncommon for gangs to kill adults but leave children unharmed. Now, the killing of children alongside their parents has become frequent...

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong and another core member of a pro-democracy group were granted bail Friday after being charged with inciting people to join a protest in June, while authorities denied permission for a major march as they took what appears to be a harder line on this summer's protests...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- A rocket at an Iranian space center that was to conduct a satellite launch criticized by the U.S. apparently exploded on its launch pad Thursday, satellite images show, suggesting the Islamic Republic suffered its third failed launch this year alone...

Suspected nation-state hackers used malware-laden websites to infect iPhones with spyware in what security researchers are calling the worst general security failure yet affecting the Apple devices. Announced late Thursday by Google researchers, the vulnerabilities were quietly fixed by Apple in February but only after thousands of iPhone users were believed exposed over more than two years...

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump's trade war with China, until now mainly an abstraction for American consumers, is about to hit home. Beginning Sunday, the U.S. government will begin collecting 15% tariffs on $112 billion in Chinese imports -- items ranging from smartwatches and TVs to shoes, diapers, sporting goods and meat and dairy products. ...

Paul Hildreth peered at a display of dozens of images from security cameras surveying his Atlanta school district and settled on one showing a woman in a bright yellow shirt walking a hallway. A mouse click instructed the artificial intelligence-equipped system to find other images of the woman, and it immediately stitched them into a video narrative of where she was currently, where she had been and where she was going...

WASHINGTON -- Motorized electric bicycles may soon be humming along serene trails in national parks and other public lands nationwide. It's part of a new Trump administration order -- hotly opposed by many outdoors groups -- to allow e-bikes on every federal trail where a regular bike can go...

HARTFORD, Conn. -- An offer from OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family to settle some 2,000 lawsuits over their contribution to the national opioid crisis is receiving growing pushback from state and local officials who say the proposed deal doesn't include enough money or accountability...

WASHINGTON -- Move over, Nancy Pelosi. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the "squad" of freshmen women of color are emerging as new stars of Republican attacks against Democrats running for Congress. The tone is being set from the top as President Donald Trump bashes the four squad members with a strategy Republicans are quick to mimic, modeled on his own rise to the White House. ...

WASHINGTON -- When shots rang out last year at a high school in Parkland, Florida, leaving 17 people dead, President Donald Trump quickly turned his thoughts to creating more mental institutions. When back-to-back mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, jolted the nation earlier this month, Trump again spoke of "building new facilities" for the mentally ill as a way to reduce mass shootings...

MIAMI -- Hurricane Dorian powered toward Florida with increasing fury Friday, menacing its eastern coast with a potentially devastating direct hit while also giving indications it might just skirt up the U.S. coastline. Forecasters warned no one is out of danger and Dorian could still wallop the state with "extremely dangerous" 140 mph winds and torrential rains late Monday or early Tuesday, with millions of people in the crosshairs along with Walt Disney World and President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.. ...

WASHINGTON -- When shots rang out last year at a high school in Parkland, Florida, leaving 17 people dead, President Donald Trump quickly turned his thoughts to creating more mental institutions. When back-to-back mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, jolted the nation earlier this month, Trump again spoke of "building new facilities" for the mentally ill as a way to reduce mass shootings...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Mike Parson should not use the First Amendment to justify refusing to release certain public records, the state attorney general's office said in a letter to the governor's office. Parson's office has cited the First Amendment when denying Sunshine Law requests for information on private citizens who contacted the governor's office. ...

Doyle E. Leine, 75, of Daisy died Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019, at Monticello House in Jackson. A memorial visitation will be from 10 a.m. to service time Sept. 13 at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. The Rev. Mark Martin will officiate a memorial service at noon at the church, immediately followed by military rites. Private burial will be at Russell Heights Cemetery in Jackson...

Shirley Mae Hunter, 91, died Friday, Aug. 30, 2019, at Capetown Assisted Living Facility in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. A graveside service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. John's United Church of Christ Cemetery in St. Charles, Missouri...

Wanette Daniels was born March 10, 1941, in Stoddard County, Missouri, and departed this life Friday, Aug. 30, 2019, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau at the age of 78 years. Daughter of the late Edgar Abner and Ruby Woods Abner, Daniels was of the Pentecostal faith, former employee of the Hat Factory in Oran, Missouri, and a resident of Oran...

Beverly Mae "Pevey" Austin, 72, of Jackson died Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019, at her home. Visitation will be from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Tuesday at Ford and Sons Funeral Home in Jackson. Funeral will follow at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Troy Richards officiating. Burial will be at Union Park Cemetery in Chaffee, Missouri...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Sylvester William Asmus, 78, of Chaffee peacefully passed away Friday, Aug. 30, 2019, at his home. He was born Jan. 31, 1941, in Oran, Missouri, son of Adam and Frances Wiedefeld Asmus. He and Pauline Griffin were married May 12, 1962. They had been married for 57 years. She survives of the home...

If you’re a Major League Baseball fan, this is the time of year things get really interesting. Fans, along with players and coaches, are watching the scoreboard every night to see if their team gained ground in the standings. The St. Louis Cardinals’ comeback should make for a fun September of meaningful games. ...

Cape Girardeau Area United Way volunteers were told at a kick-off luncheon yesterday their dedication and enthusiasm are the most important factors for a successful fund-raising drive; that message was delivered by William Shores, regional manager of Union Electric Co.; this year's campaign goal is $520,000...

Fred and Trish Schneider of Kelso, Missouri, announce the engagement of their daughter, Courtney Leigh Schneider, to Walter Niklas Orr, both of Kansas City, Missouri. He is the son of Ron and Becky Orr of Kansas City. Courtney is a 2011 graduate of Notre Dame Regional High School. She received a degree in dietetics from Missouri State University and completed a Dietetic internship at Bradley University. She is a registered dietitian at Sarah Cannon Cancer Center...