Stories from Thursday, December 17, 2020

The Cape Girardeau School Board voted unanimously this week to purchase 1,540 new Chromebooks at a cost of $400,370.66 for students at Central High School and the district's alternative school, Central Academy. A Chromebook is a laptop or tablet running the Linux-based Chrome OS as its operating system...

I hope with the Christmas season upon us, you will be able to enjoy family during the holiday season. This year is very different, and many traditions will not be happening or may be modified a bit to accommodate family and friends. I started this column looking for alternate entree choices in place of turkey, and as is my normal case, I came across other recipes that called me to share them with you. ...

Area health officials reported four COVID-19-related deaths Tuesday and Wednesday Two of the deaths involved Scott County residents, and one death was reported in each Stoddard County, Missouri, and Cape Girardeau County. The most recent numbers of cases involving the disease associated with coronavirus in area counties were:...

Will you take a COVID-19 inoculation when it becomes available in Southeast Missouri? Some say "yes," others "no," while it seems a smaller group is undecided. A Gallup poll released Dec. 8 found 63% of those surveyed plan to accept a vaccine dose. The poll was conducted Nov. 16 to 29 after the announcement by Pfizer and BioNTech that their joint coronavirus vaccine had proved more than 90% effective in Phase 3 clinical trials...

Five front-line health care workers became the first in Southeast Missouri to receive doses of a vaccine to fight COVID-19. Shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday, three nurses and two doctors, employees of SoutheastHEALTH, took their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. In three to four weeks, they will receive a second booster dose...

"Art in the Time of COVID," an exhibition of work by Southeast Missouri State University students and local artists, will be on display from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday through Jan. 22 at Catapult Creative House. The artwork was created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. ...

Applause has been breaking out around the area as the first COVID-19 vaccine doses are received, opened, prepared and injected. In a modern miracle, the vaccines were developed with historic speed while not cutting any safety corners, say health experts, in part by implementing research trials and production steps in parallel rather than sequentially. ...

One City, a not-for-profit organization in Cape Girardeau, has begun the application process for a scholarship created to fund a minority candidate’s tuition to the Southeast Missouri State University Law Enforcement Academy beginning in January. The scholarship is available to an African American man or woman who wishes to attend the police academy. ...

Chocolate in cookies and steaks I have bitten Bright shining serving plates washed in the kitchen Brown, spiced-up burgers all dolloped with greens These are a few of my favorite things When the gut growls And the void stings When I'm feeling mad I think the Mudcat in Oak is the thing...

It’s been said the holiday season is the “most wonderful time of the year” — but for those experiencing grief, loss or loneliness, it can also be the most difficult time, especially in 2020. Celebrations have been cancelled or postponed. Funerals have been quiet and small. Churches have low attendance. And many families are still trying to decide how to gather for Christmas...

Prevent Shoulder Surgery With These 5 Options The shoulder joint is the most mobile and least stable joint in your body. The more mobile a joint is, the less stable it is; and the more stable a joint, is the less mobile it is. If a joint is functioning properly, it will not degenerate or cause pain...

President Trump will be remembered for his lack of leadership during the pandemic and for trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election. But I think his legacy will be broader. Donald Trump could have been a great president. He's not a politician, but beat all opponents in 2016. He's rich, which insulates him somewhat from temptation. He's fearless when attacked, and he's an excellent communicator. So what went wrong?...

Margie Ann Williamson, age 65, of Jackson died Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at this time. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Barbara K. Weiss, 81, of Cape Girardeau passed away Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, at her home. She was born Jan. 4, 1939, in Marion, Illinois, to William Herple and Lillian Thomas Burton. She and Robert Dale Weiss were married Aug. 26, 1960, in Cape Girardeau...

God called Orville Ray Warner Sr., 86, of Cape Girardeau home Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, at Southeast Hospital. He was born Aug. 25, 1934, in Kennett, Missouri, to the late Henry and Ruth Mae Brown Warner. Orville and H. LaVerne Moore were married Nov. 8, 1952, in Cape Girardeau...

Letha Mae Spencer, 103, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 10, 1917, in Randolph County, Arkansas, to Mont G. and Tina Ellen Grissom Diamond. She married Lee David Spencer on March 22, 1936, and he preceded her in death June 12, 1986...

David John Roth Sr., of Jackson died at home Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. He was born March 7, 1938, to August and Anna Dissen Roth of Illmo. Baptized and confirmed at Eisleben Lutheran Church in Scott City, he also married Carol Bennett there on Aug. 21, 1960. Three children blessed the marriage...

John David Osborn, 60, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, at his residence. He was born June 12, 1960, in Cape Girardeau to Frank and Bernice Treloggen Osborn. He graduated from Cape Girardeau Central High School. He was a salesman for Overhead Door of Southeast Missouri for 34 years. He was an official timekeeper at Central and Southeast Missouri State University football games for 25 years...

Margaret A. Nenninger -- beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother and great-grandmother -- 74, of Cape Girardeau left this life surrounded by her family and husband of 52 years on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born May 15, 1946, in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, to the late James and Mary McHugh Doherty...

OZARK, Mo. -- Jordan Doss Needham Sr., passed away Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. He was born April 8, 192, in Flint, Michigan, the son of John Fred and Mabel Jordan Needham. The family moved to Arkansas, where Jordan graduated from Blytheville High School. He received his undergraduate and master's degrees from Arkansas State at Jonesboro. He served his country in the U.S. National Guard...

Billy Gene Miller, 61, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, at his home. He was born April 26, 1959, in Scott City to Rollia and Virginia Browning Miller. He married Gail Ann Dormeyer on July 16, 2002. She preceded him in death July 11, 2016...

Frances Irene Lineberry, 80, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020, at her home. Arrangements are incomplete at this time at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home.

Daryl Hale, 70, of Jackson died Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020, at Southeast Hospital. He was born July 7, 1950, to LeLand F. "Jake" and Catherine Y. Cain Hale in Anna. Illinois. He and Mina M. Querubin were married in 1973 at Subic Bay Naval Base in Zamibales, Philippines...

Brinda Faye Frymire, 73, of Glen Allen, Missouri, died Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, at her home. A memorial service will be planned for a future date. Hutchings Funeral Chapel is assisting the family.

Mary Lanell Eskew, 74, of Sedgewickville, Missouri, died Dec. 14, 2020, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation and funeral will be Saturday at Hutchings Funeral Chapel in Marble Hill. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. until service time...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Shirley S. Duncan, 92, of Perryville died Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, at her residence. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Ford and Young Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

CAIRO, Ill. -- Vincent Moran "Red" Doss, 96, of Cairo died at 9:19 a.m. Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, at Veterans Affairs Medical Center Long Term Care in Marion, Illinois. He was born Feb. 29, 1924, at Mitchellsburg, Kentucky, the son of Arthur and Mollie Lamb Doss. He was married to LaVelle Morris, and she preceded him in death May 28, 1980...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Margaret A. Adams, 85, of Perryville passed away Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020, at Independence Care Center of Perry County. She was born Feb. 18, 1935, on Kaskaskia Island, Illinois, to Russell and Rose Grabe Brown. She and Robert E. Adams were married June 30, 1951. He preceded her in death Dec. 19, 2017...

I used to take vanilla for granted. Then, I was making chocolate chip cookies one day and ran out of vanilla extract. So I left it out. It was like leaving salt out of the recipe. The cookies lacked the round, full flavors they usually had. I realized vanilla was the foundation of all my favorite baked goods...

LOS ANGELES -- Common Sense Networks will launch a new streaming platform dedicated to kids with age-appropriate content. The media company announced Tuesday that the free streaming platform called Sensical is expected to launch next year. The platform will offer thousands of vetted short-form videos for children ages 2 to 12...

NEW YORK -- When the coronavirus pandemic closed high schools, Broadway and TV star Laura Benanti knew it also meant most spring high school musicals would be scrapped. So Benanti asked crestfallen young people across the country to record themselves performing their songs, post them on social media and tag her. Stages might be silent, but she wanted to hear them...

WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration has relaxed a regulation restricting water flow from showerheads, a pet peeve of President Donald Trump, who complained he wanted more water to make his hair "perfect." Since 1992, federal law has dictated showerheads shouldn't spew more than 2.5 gallons of water a minute. ...

BEIJING -- A Chinese lunar capsule returned to Earth today with the first fresh samples of rock and debris from the moon in more than 40 years. The capsule of the Chang'e 5 probe landed in the Siziwang district of the Inner Mongolia region, state media reported shortly after 2 a.m. local time. The capsule earlier separated from its orbiter module and performed a bounce off Earth's atmosphere to reduce its speed before passing through and floating to the ground on parachutes...

NEW YORK -- A major snowstorm rolled into the Northeast on Wednesday at a key moment in the coronavirus pandemic, days after the start of the U.S. vaccination campaign and in the thick of a virus surge that has throngs of people seeking tests per day...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Astronauts blasted into orbit from the U.S. for the first time in nearly a decade, three countries sent spacecraft hurtling toward Mars, and robotic explorers grabbed rocks from the moon and gravel from an asteroid for return to Earth...

WILMINGTON, Del. -- President-elect Joe Biden introduced his one-time Democratic primary rival Pete Buttigieg as his nominee for transportation secretary Wednesday, saying the 38-year-old can be "a new voice" in the fight against economic inequality, institutional racism and climate change...

WASHINGTON -- Congressional negotiators closed in Wednesday on a $900 billion COVID-19 economic relief package that would deliver additional help to businesses, $300 per week jobless checks and $600 stimulus payments to most Americans. But there was no deal quite yet...

I am done with MLB. This weekend the Cleveland Indians gave in to the politically correct crowd by saying it would change the team name. What is next? Will the Yankees change their name because it offends southerners? How about the White Sox and Red Sox, should teams be color neutral? What about the Giants, they really are not, and the name disparages small people. ...

O'FALLON, Mo. -- Gov. Mike Parson on Wednesday lauded the rollout of Pfizer's COVID vaccine, but it appears the second-week supply will be thousands of doses smaller than anticipated. Missouri received about 51,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week, and vaccinations of frontline health care workers began Monday. ...

Thank you, O Heavenly Father, that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Amen.

A living nativity pageant is presented by the Hanover Lutheran Youth Group and Men's Club; it is held on the church parking lot at 2949 Perryville Road and includes a donkey for Mary and camels for the Wise Men; the program also features music, carols and a narration of the Christmas story; refreshments are served in the parish hall...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri law enforcement recruits will be required to undergo training in the history of policing in minority communities. The commission that sets the training rules and approves the curriculum for law enforcement officers across the state voted Tuesday to add the requirement...