Stories from Thursday, October 3, 2019

The Missouri Highway Commission on Tuesday awarded several contracts for highway-related work in the Southeast Missouri region. Among them was a $225,000 contract to Steve’s Hauling & Excavating of Oak Ridge for tree trimming along Interstate 55 between Fruitland (Exit 105) and Benton, Missouri, (Exit 80) in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Construction is underway on a new “drive-through” facility at the Perry County Recycling Center county officials say will not only be a convenience for the public, but will also help the county reduce the cost of its recycling program...

Brothers, from left, Adriece, 3, and KJ, 6, talk with Cape Girardeau police officer Ryan Droege during a "Cones with Cops" event Wednesday at McDonald's on Broadway in Cape Girardeau.

Relationships are built on trust. This week, my foodie adventure challenged me to throw caution to the wind, trust, and have faith. That is a pretty tall order. It was a stressful week, I was feeling a little blue, and I wondered whether I might be coming down with something. ...

The Cape Girardeau Downtown Tailgate Flea Market comes around only two Sundays a year — in May and October — but organizers said the almost 7-year-old event garners “an insane” number of attendees. Between two parking lots, more than 150 vendors local to Southeast Missouri — and others from Tennessee, Kentucky and Illinois — offer pieces such as repurposed furniture, vintage vinyl records and assorted novelties and hard-to-find items...

Jackson police are investigating a Tuesday night incident in which a post on a social media account indicated a potential firearms threat at Jackson High School. According to Jackson schools public information officer Merideth Pobst, a post appeared Tuesday evening on the social media platform Snapchat. The post, she said, gave the impression an act of “gun violence” was imminent at the school...

Three design-build teams have submitted proposals to transform the Common Pleas Courthouse and Annex into a new Cape Girardeau city hall. The project, budgeted at $12 million, would renovate the two downtown historic structures and construct an addition to link the buildings on the 4.56-acre site...

Highway 25 in Cape Girardeau County, from Jackson Trail to County Road 318, will be reduced to one lane with a 14-foot width restriction as Missouri Department of Transportation crews make pavement repairs. The work will begin at 7:30 a.m. Monday and will end at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to a MoDOT news release...

Today is Thursday, Oct. 3, the 276th day of 2019. There are 89 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Oct. 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November Thanksgiving Day. On this date: In 1226, St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan order, died; he was canonized in 1228...

Cape Girardeau received good news last week when it was announced a new $47.4 million Veterans Affairs (VA) health care center is moving forward after years of delay. The 43,000-square-foot facility will be located on a seven-acre site along Interstate 55 near the SoutheastHEALTH Cancer Center. ...

Are we ever going to change leadership in Cape Girardeau, Missouri? For the past 16 years I have watched groups of people in various positions of leadership promote and guide the direction of our community. I'm witnessing people not going to the voting booth on issues that are having a great impact on the growth and future of our region. Tax extensions, bond issues, public/private partnerships and not-for-profit institutions seem to drive our development...

Trumpians believe that Trump is a "strong leader" because he could not only take all the criticism and personal attacks thrown at him by his opponents for his obviously despicable acts, but also, he defends them by doubling-down. I owe naive Trumpians an explanation as to why he comes across as a "strong leader."...

It’s my favorite time of year. The weather is getting cooler and leaves are changing colors. Plus the pumpkin spice lattes, backyard bonfires and Halloween festivities! I don’t drink coffee, but I appreciate the fact other people enjoy it! The professional pest control industry is very similar. Most of our customers absolutely do not like or enjoy dealing with pest issues, but they appreciate the fact there are some of us who do...

TORONTO -- Eddie Murphy is very fond of his couch. He talks about it a lot. It's where, according to Murphy, he's spent much of his last few years, in a happy retreat from the public eye. He's a natural homebody, content to stick close to his Los Angeles home with his family (he has 10 kids) around him. One of the funniest, most electric comedians ever -- the leather-suited dynamo of "Delirious," the street-wise rebel of "Beverly Hills Cop" -- just lounging...

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — A bettor at Gulfstream Park turned a 20-cent, six-race wager into more than $2.2 million Friday. Someone hit Gulfstream’s Rainbow 6 on Friday, the first time the total jackpot had been claimed for that wager since July 6. To win the entire jackpot, someone must pick winners of six consecutive Rainbow 6 races and hold the only ticket that does so — otherwise, much of the jackpot rolls over to the next day of racing. ...

JERUSALEM -- Prosecutors began a pre-indictment hearing for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, opening a critical stage in a lengthy legal saga threatening to end the career of the long-serving Israeli leader and has paralyzed the country's political system...

KYIV, Ukraine -- Russia and European powers, eager to end a protracted military conflict in war-torn eastern Ukraine, welcomed a new accord between Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists, but many in Ukraine dismissed the election agreement Wednesday as a capitulation to Moscow...

BAGHDAD -- At least seven people were killed and dozens were wounded in clashes spreading across several Iraqi provinces Wednesday as security forces fired live ammunition and tear gas for the second day to disperse anti-government protesters demanding jobs, improved services and an end to corruption...

DALLAS -- A white Dallas police officer was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison for killing her black neighbor in his apartment, which she said she mistook for her own unit one floor below. Amber Guyger didn't appear to show much reaction, at least from the angle of a live camera stream, as the judge read the jury's sentence. It came a day after the jury convicted her of murder in the September 2018 killing of Botham Jean...

WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. -- A World War II-era plane with 13 people aboard crashed and burned at the Hartford airport after encountering mechanical trouble on takeoff Wednesday, killing seven of them. The four-engine, propeller-driven B-17 bomber struggled to get into the air and slammed into a maintenance building at Bradley International Airport as the pilots circled back for a landing, officials and witnesses said...

WASHINGTON -- Bernie Sanders' campaign said Wednesday the Democratic presidential candidate had a heart procedure for a blocked artery and was canceling events and appearances "until further notice." The 78-year-old Sanders was taken to a Las Vegas hospital after he experienced chest discomfort during a campaign event Tuesday and sought medical evaluation. Two stents were "successfully inserted," and Sanders "is conversing and in good spirits," according to the campaign...

A new video showing people casually discussing gene editing and designer babies is making waves because of its source: the government-funded group leading efforts to set standards for the ethically dicey science. The National Academy of Sciences posted the video earlier this week along with a tweet it later removed...

SAN DIEGO -- When President Donald Trump dramatically slashed the number of refugees allowed into the U.S., he also gave state and local governments the authority to refuse to accept them for the first time in history. Last week's move could further undermine a program seeing an 80% drop in the number of refugees allowed in under Trump, who has pushed to limit legal and illegal immigration...

WASHINGTON -- Agitated and angry, President Donald Trump squared off against House Democrats on Wednesday, packing his increasingly aggressive impeachment defense with name-calling and expletives. Quietly but just as resolutely, lawmakers expanded their inquiry, promising a broad new subpoena for documents and witnesses...

Madalen M. Tiffany, 91, of Missouri died Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019, at The Villas of Jackson. She was born May 31, 1928, in Milwaukee to John DeGrand and Laura Madalen Roach Coryell. She and Kenneth W. Tiffany were married Sept. 4, 1948, in Monroe, Wisconsin. He preceded her in death May 29, 1984...

ST. MARY, Mo. -- Gail Ann Moll, 56, of St. Mary died Monday, Sept. 30, 2019, at her home. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today and 6:30 a.m. to noon Friday at Ford and Young Funeral Home in Perryville, Missouri. Funeral will be at noon Friday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Steve Francis officiating. Burial will be at Brushy Creek Church Cemetery in Minnith, Missouri...

Leonard Koenig, 93, of Jackson passed away Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019, at Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Oct. 30, 1925, in New Wells, son of Martin R. and Ella Scholl Koenig. He and Alene Olinda Birk were married April 11, 1948. She passed away April 30, 2002...

ORAN, Mo. -- Andrew Harold Kielhofner, 93, of Oran passed away Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019, at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis. Harold was born Oct. 9, 1925, in Chaffee, Missouri, to the late Andrew and Regina Halter Kielhofner. He married Luella Mary Hamm on April 10, 1948, and she survives in Cape Girardeau...

NEW YORK -- I love eating deviled eggs and egg salad, but I had been avoiding making either because it was so much trouble peeling the eggs. I researched the subject online and tried many of the techniques promising perfectly smooth eggs. I even went so far as to purchase an egg holder for my pressure cooker. None of these "a-ha" techniques were any better than the way I've always boiled eggs...

A simple blondie may seem a little boring, but they can be so delicious when filled with a variety of optional ingredients. The basic blondie recipe is pretty simple but results in a soft and chewy chunk of heaven. Filled with bits of chocolate, nuts, coconut, toffee or whatever you have on hand can change every batch into a wonderful treat...

Daughter to David and Brianna Wills of Jackson, Southeast Hospital, 9:25 a.m. Friday, Sept. 13, 2019. Name, Kobi Ann. Weight, 8 pounds. Second child, first daughter. Mrs. Wills is the daughter of Mike and Andrea Seabaugh of Jackson. She works for American Red Cross. Wills is the son of Desiree Wills of Chaffee, Missouri, and Carroll and Helen Wills of Louisiana. He is employed by Allied HVAC LLC...

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. -- Planned Parenthood has quietly been building a new abortion clinic in Illinois, just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, as women concerned about the uncertain future of Missouri's sole abortion clinic flock across the state line...

Approval of minutes n Minutes for Sept. 30 meetings Communications/reports -- other elected officials n None at this time Public comments n Items listed on the agenda Routine business...

O Lord God, may we not let wisdom and understanding out of our sight. Amen.

Boyd Gaming Corp.'s plans for its Cape Girardeau riverboat gambling casino are in limbo; nothing can move forward until after the November election, when Missouri voters will decide whether to allow slot machines on riverboat casinos. Maggie Schuch, nurse manager of the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit at Southeast Hospital, has received the 1994 Critical Care Nurse of the Year award presented by the Southeast Missouri Chapter of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n John Holland, 42, of Cape Girardeau was arrested on suspicion of theft. n Rachel Bartholomew, 50, of O'Fallon, Illinois, was arrested on suspicion of a traffic violation...

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Master Sgt. Robert Edwin Swink, U.S. Air Force, passed away Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019. Bob lived a long and productive life. He was a devoted son, brother, husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He had a contagious smile and infectious sense of humor. He never met anyone he didn’t like. He was also an accomplished trumpet and tennis player...

Second year collecting monarch eggs. Released 77 total butterflies in 2019 with just six milkweed plants! Plant seeds now for next year - monarchs will only lay their eggs on milkweed... thanks

Student Santas will be accepting letters post marked by December 1. Letters must include an address and a good call back telephone number. Also to be included.....Child’s age and gender, a few items that the child would like, and a bit about his/her circumstances.......