Stories from Monday, September 21, 2020

Books are incredible things, wouldn't you agree? Some have the ability to take us to exciting new worlds full of magic and wonder. Others teach us new ideas, perspectives and skills. Books can compress decades worth of knowledge and experience into a relatively small number of pages...

Public hearing n Hearing to consider the proposed 2020 general revenue, parks and recreation, cemetery and Band tax rates n Hearing to consider a request for the rezoning of all of the property addressed as 2705 Hilltop Drive within the city limits, except the 0.2 acres already zoned C-2 (General Commercial) District, from R-2 (single-family residential) District to C-2 (general commercial) District, as submitted by Wicks Properties LLC.. ...

Cape Girardeau firefighters responded to fire about 11:40 p.m. Saturday on South Sprigg Street. Units arrived on scene in about 3 minutes and found a two-story structure with fire on all floors, according to an incident report by battalion chief Norman Baker. Defensive operations were established, Baker stated, and the fire was controlled in about 30 minutes...

Members of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department extricated a person from a vehicle at the scene of a two-vehicle collision Sunday morning in the intersection of North Kingshighway and Broadway in Cape Girardeau. The crash occurred as a vehicle southbound on Kingshighway failed to stop at a red light and proceeded to turn east onto Broadway. ...

In what is apparently a budget-cutting move, the Missouri Department of Revenue seems to have stopped sending notices to retailers, restaurants and other businesses to let them know about changes in sales-tax rates. Cape Girardeau County Treasurer Roger Hudson discussed the matter last week during a County Commission meeting...

Kendra Eads, executive director of SEMO Network Against Sexual Violence (NASV), is clear about the impact the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had on her life. Ginsburg died Friday at age 87 from pancreatic cancer after more than 27 years on the nation’s highest court...

Southeast Missouri State University has again been recognized among the top 100 "best regional universities in the Midwest," according to the latest rankings by U.S. News & World Report's "Best Colleges" rankings for 2021. Southeast, which was ranked 78th among the Midwest's best regional universities in 2020, improved to No. ...

It's often said when one door closes, another opens. In the case of Ron and Kristi Brzycki, the open door led to Sedona Bistro, their new restaurant in Cape Girardeau. The bistro, at 1812 Carondalet Drive in the former location of Beef 'O' Brady's, offers a lunch and dinner fare of soups, salads and sandwiches. It also features beer and wine service in a casual dining atmosphere, with indoor and outdoor seating...

O Lord Jesus, we praise you and are comforted that nothing is impossible through you. Amen.

The fascist left regularly typifies the very qualities it professes to abhor. The only thing more pronounced than its totalitarianism is its stunning lack of self-awareness. It’s ironic that leftists think of themselves as liberals, as the term “liberal” is historically and etymologically connected to the concept of liberty. ...

Industrial policy that uses tariffs and subsidies to pick economic winners is once again in vogue among intellectuals. The rationale is to prevent China from “dominating” the global market with its subsidies while boosting American jobs and manufacturing. While I believe it’s unwise to mimic China’s policies to tamp down the danger of its authoritarianism, I’m amazed at cynics who support such policies but make no effort to adopt a serious strategic plan to achieve this goal...

It’s hard to believe there are actually people out there who believed the article in The Atlantic about President Trump supposedly calling deceased military veterans “losers” and “suckers.” Seriously? If this had a shred of truth to it we would have heard about it two years ago. Completely anonymous “sources” for this slanderous article just demonstrates how much these liberals hate President Trump. ...

The National Merit Scholarship Program is one of the top academic recognitions nationally for high school students. Recently, four local students were named semifinalists. Emma McDougal of Cape Girardeau Central High School, Claire Southard of Notre Dame Regional High School, Noah Sparks of Jackson High School and Megan Benkendorf of Saxony Lutheran High School were all recognized by the organization as semifinalists. ...

LOS ANGELES -- "Schitt's Creek," the little Canadian show about a fish-out-of-water family, made history at Sunday's Emmy Awards with a comedy awards sweep, something even TV greats including "Frasier" and "Modern Family" failed to achieve. Zendaya, 24, became the youngest lead drama actress winner for her role as a troubled teenager in "Euphoria."...

HOUSTON -- Tropical Storm Beta trudged toward the coasts of Texas and Louisiana on Sunday, threatening to bring more rain, wind and stress to a part of the country that has already been drenched and battered during this year's unusually busy hurricane season...

PHILADELPHIA -- Joe Biden on Sunday slammed President Donald Trump and leading Senate Republicans for trying to jam through a replacement for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and urged more senators to stand with a pair of GOP colleagues who oppose the election-season rush...

Edward N. Yarbrough, 95, formerly of Florissant, Missouri, died Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Tuesday at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home, with the Revs. Robert and Judy Bentley and Darrell Faire officiating. Military honors will immediately follow the ceremony. Interment will be private at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis...

Paul Joseph Lloyd, 79, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Sept. 18, 2020, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Visitation is tentatively set for 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. The funeral is tentatively set for 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will take place at Cape County Memorial Park Cemetery...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Donald L. Horn, 77, of Perryville died Friday, Sept. 18, 2020, at his home. Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday at Ford & Young Chapel in Perryville. The funeral will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Mike Friesz officiating...

ST. LOUIS -- The number of homicides in St. Louis has already topped last year's 194 killings, putting the city on track to have a notably high homicide rate. St. Louis has seen a huge spike in homicides since June, despite numerous efforts to curb the violence. During June, July and August, 114 homicides were reported in the city, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported...

Cape Girardeau's Historic Preservation Commission is lending its support to residents of an historic downtown neighborhood fighting a government proposal to locate a new federal building in the area; meeting last night at City Hall, the nine-member commission unanimously agreed to send a letter opposing the idea to the regional representative of the General Services Administration...

Melba Wilson Casey, 99, of Cape Girardeau, and formerly of Paducah, Kentucky, passed away Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, at the Chateau Girardeau Health Center. Melba was born July 2, 1921, near Holland, Missouri, to Garvin and Flossie Pounds Wilson. She was an active member of Broadway Church of Christ of Paducah...