Stories from Friday, March 20, 2020

Action items Power, Light and Water Committee n Consider a bill proposing an ordinance amending Chapter 3 of the Code of Ordinance, relative to electronic meetings. Street, Sewer and Cemetery Committee...

As of Thursday, Saxony Lutheran High School has suspended its face-to-face classes and will begin its online education procedures Friday. Principal Mark Ruark said the school had already supplied its students with 1:1 learning devices, and will use the devices to provide educational services to students for however long is needed...

I pulled a lot of these suggestions from an article on lifehack.com, and added a few of my own. If you're trying to entertain children between their homework assignments, maybe some of these suggestions will come in handy. n Paper airplanes: There's nothing like folding a piece of paper into a dartlike shape and tossing it, watching it arc through the air, and glide to a stop. ...

Wow. This has been an intense week. I probably don't need to tell you that. I think it's pretty safe to say that everyone is feeling some kind of disruption, thanks to COVID-19. As of the time I'm writing this, we do not have a confirmed case in our readership area, but that doesn't mean store shelves aren't empty and workplaces aren't trying to give work-at-home options where they can. I am thankful to my employer that I'm working from home myself, and my cats are pretty happy about it too...

Add churches to the list of entities affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic. With guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), White House and Missouri Governor's Office, many local churches have made the decision to postpone services for the next two or three weeks as we practice social distancing aimed at slowing the spread of the virus...

A new “standing” item has been added to the Cape Girardeau County Commission’s meeting agendas — “COVID-19 Update.” The first update took place at Thursday morning’s commission meeting at which county emergency management director Mark Winkler summarized the status of all coronavirus preparation activities taking place throughout the county...

City of Cape Girardeau workers work inside the 4-H shelters in Arena Park as tarps surround the structure Thursday in Cape Girardeau. Thursday afternoon, Saint Francis Healthcare System officials said they are working to develop a Coronavirus Test Collection Center at the site ...

Amid nationwide efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, many emergency agencies have begun operating with updated protocols to avoid contamination and minimize further spread of the pandemic. ...

With school closures and some workplaces giving employees a work-from-home option, families could be experiencing new and different stress, said school counselors Kati Knaup and Kayleen Shaw. Knaup, school counselor with the Cape Girardeau School District, said it’s important not to minimize your feelings, or children’s feelings, in response to news of COVID-19...

Area nursing homes, long-term care centers and assisted-living facilities are taking precautions to protect residents from COVID-19, which poses a higher risk to older adults and folks with serious underlying medical conditions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

For health precautions and to allow reduced on-site staff to focus on getting out the newspaper, the Southeast Missourian office is open by appointment only. You are welcome to drop off payments, press releases and other communications through the mail slot in this door...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has invoked the Defense Production Act to get needed medical supplies on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak, mobilizing the federal government to marshal the private sector to combat the pandemic. Trump had said earlier in the week he would tap the act as needed. He said Friday he has put that “in gear.”...

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker will order the state's residents to "shelter in place" beginning Saturday, according to multiple media reports from Chicago. The move comes in response to worsening virus incidents across the state. Four state residents have died, and more than 400 have tested positive for the virus...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress worked urgently Thursday to fashion a $1 trillion measure to prop up households and the U.S. economy amid the coronavirus outbreak, starting with a White House proposal to send Americans first-round aid checks — potentially $3,000 for a family of four.

Today is Friday, March 20, the 80th day of 2020. There are 286 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On March 20, 1854, the Republican Party of the United States was founded by slavery opponents at a schoolhouse in Ripon, Wisconsin. On this date:...

In 1994, Alan Hirsch, neurological director at the Chicago-based Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, studied odors and male arousal in 25 medical students using floral and perfume scents. The researchers picked the scent of baked cinnamon buns as a control because they didn’t expect cinnamon buns to elicit a sexual response. “The cinnamon rolls turned out to be the sexiest odor,” said Hirsch. So, while Valentine’s Day may be over, you can still show some affection by baking...

For most of early 2019, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden -- the declared custodian of liberalism who would continue the Obama glory years -- seemed unstoppable. He led all other rivals for months. Biden seemed above the fray. Many Democrats saw the pre-debate and pre-election race for the nomination as more of a Biden coronation than a contest...

LOS ANGELES -- Sports are on hold, theaters are closed and so are amusement parks, a disaster-movie scenario that has Hollywood reeling. But Americans held captive at home by the coronavirus can turn to Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and other streaming services, outliers in an entertainment industry brought to an unprecedented standstill...

ROME -- The Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged reported no new homegrown cases Thursday, while the death toll in Italy was poised to overtake China's in a stark illustration of how the outbreak has pivoted toward Europe and the U.S. The damage to the world's largest economy kept piling up, with unemployment claims surging in the United States, while the virus appeared to be opening an alarming new front in Africa, where in less than three weeks it has spread to 35 countries...

NEW YORK -- Stocks are closing with solid gains on Wall Street Thursday after shaking off a rocky start. The trading was still bumpy but nothing like the wild swings seen in recent weeks. The Dow Jones industrials gained almost 200 points, or 1%. Investors were cautiously optimistic after seeing more steps by the Federal Reserve and other central banks as well as governments to support credit markets and the economy. ...

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump said Thursday the government should take an equity stake in some companies that need bailouts because of devastating effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the U.S. economy. Trump told a briefing he has executive authority to curb the impact on businesses. "There's a lot of executive power," he said. "If we don't have to use it, that would be a good thing, not a bad thing."...

Fred Charles Springer Jr., 70, of Jackson died Thursday, March 19, 2020, at Life Care Center of Cape Girardeau. Private services will be held at a later date. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mary Kathryn Patrick, 99, died peacefully Wednesday, March 18, 2020, at home with her children by her side. Known to most as "Katy," she was a devout Catholic, wife, mother and grandmother. Her family was the focus of her life. She was always a proud, independent, yet gracious, woman and the matriarch of The Patrick Family...

Jerry Lewis, 82, of Cape Girardeau passed away Tuesday, March 17, 2020, at Southeast Hospital. He was born Dec. 9, 1937, in Cape Girardeau, the son of the late Charles T. and Anita E Sandvoss Lewis. He and Beverly Ann Carr were married June 2, 1957, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. She preceded him in death April 16, 2018...

Robert Louis Herring, 82, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, March 17, 2020. Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. today at Lynwood Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau. The funeral will be at 4 p.m. today at the church, with Dr. Mark Anderson officiating. Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden, Missouri, is in charge of arrangements...

Elinor "Jean" Glenn, 91, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, March 18, 2020, at Ratliff Care Center. A private memorial visitation will be Monday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau. Burial will be at Cape County Memorial Park Cemetery in Cape Girardeau...

With family by her side, gospel music playing in the background, and the 23rd Psalm being read to her, Bonnie Sue Allen, 80, of Jackson passed away peacefully Wednesday, March 18, 2020, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born April 27, 1939, in Canalou, Missouri, to Cleadth "Bud" and Beulah Cullins Newman. She was a 1957 graduate of Sikeston (Missouri) High School...

O Heavenly Father, may we use the gifts you have blessed us with to honor you. Amen.

More than 100 area residents heeded a call to a Christian life last night at the opening of the Heartland for Christ Crusade at the Show Me Center; Evangelist Lowell Lundstrom of Sisseton, South Dakota, gave the call to the 1,500 to 1,800 who heard his message; drawing from world events and the O.J. Simpson murder trial, Lindstrom related how America has fallen into sin...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Thefts n Theft was reported in the 2800 block of South Old Orchard Road. n Theft was reported in the 100 block of Sunset Lane. Miscellaneous n Peace disturbance was reported in the 900 block of Old Cape Road...

he late Bollinger County artist Tom Runnels was known for his welded steel sculptures — some up to six feet in height — as well as his drawings and newspaper columns depicting rural life with biting wit, quirky humor and deep heart. He owed much of the foundation for his art to studying with a Japanese artist while stationed with the Air Force in Japan...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Dean L. Foulk, 73, of Chaffee died Thursday, March 19, 2020, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 6, 1946, in Scott City to Clifford and Bernece Lipe Foulk. He married Mary Slayton on Feb. 15, 1965, in Scott City, and she preceded him in death May 4, 2017...