Stories from Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Shamina Sadiqullah, left, and Alyssa Boyd skate along Main Street on Monday in downtown Cape Girardeau.

The white stuff on the ground is gone, and with the arrival of warmer weather, the Cape Girardeau Public Works crew is hard at work repairing the inevitable potholes left in the recent snowstorm’s wake. Public Works advises residents to report a pothole by calling the department’s main number directly, (573) 339-6351, and leave a message if it is after hours...

Expansion of retail and commercial business opportunities near a pair of Interstate 55 interchanges was the central discussion point at the Jackson Board of Aldermen's study session Monday night. At their meeting, the aldermen reviewed a proposal from a NaviRetail, a commercial development consulting firm based in Memphis, Tennessee, to conduct a $30,000 multiphase market analysis and retail development program. ...

After tabling the matter two weeks ago, the Jackson Board of Aldermen voted Monday night to modify a residential rezoning request and scheduled a public hearing on the subject for early April. At issue is whether 10.85 acres of undeveloped land east of Ridge Road near Interstate 55, currently zoned as R-2 for single-family homes, can be reclassified to allow multiple-family structures such as duplexes and townhouses...

A total of 50 applicants applied for the job of Cape Girardeau city manager by the Feb. 28 deadline, Mayor Bob Fox announced Monday to the City Council. Current manager Scott Meyer plans to retire in June after 12 years on the job, the longest tenure in the role in municipal history...

Dr. Jack Ruopp beams with pride when he talks about his father, Dr. Dudley Ruopp, who opened a chiropractic practice in Cape Girardeau 75 years ago. As a young man, Dudley took his mother, crippled with rheumatoid arthritis, to her chiropractic appointments in St. Louis. The chiropractor encouraged Dudley to pursue a career in chiropractic care and that a new chiropractic college was starting in St. Louis...

Interstate 55 in Cape Girardeau and Perry counties will be reduced to one lane with a 10-foot width restriction as contractor crews perform bridge repairs, according to a Missouri Department of Transportation news release. Work on northbound I-55 will extend from mile marker 117 to 129, and southbound work will extend from mile marker 123 to 117. Work is expected to begin March 11 and completion is anticipated for May 31. ...

A tornado warning alert sent by the National Weather Service on Tuesday at 10 a.m. was a test alert and not an actual weather emergency.

More than half of Missourians who have received a COVID-19 vaccine dose have completed the regimen, according to the state Department of Health and Senior Services. Data updated Monday showed 849,864 of the state’s residents have received at least one vaccine dose, while 437,812 Missourians have completed the two-shot vaccination process. Those numbers equate to 13.8% of the state’s population having begun the vaccination process, and 7.1% have completed it...

"What any religious tradition ascribes as God's will is no concern of this Congress." New York Democrat Rep. Jerry Nadler, chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives, said this on the House floor during debate over the euphemistically named Equality Act...

Let's be clear: right to work is wrong. The PRO Act will wipe it off the map. Nearly 60 million people say they would join a union today if they could. The problem? Union-busters, Big Business and woefully outdated laws continue undermining the right to collectively bargain...

Carol Ann Eads, 59, of Benton, Missouri, died Monday, Feb. 15, 2021, at her home. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the New Life Gospel Church in Scott City with the Revs. Jack Owens and Larry Taylor officiating. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City is in charge of arrangements...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Cynthia Kaye Pender-Cochran, 49 of Poplar Bluff passed away unexpectedly Feb. 26, 2021, breaking hundreds of hearts. Cindy was born Dec. 13, 1971, in Cape Girardeau to James and Sharon Pender. Cindy was always a character, quick with a one-liner and always having a good time. ...

WASHINGTON -- Democrats' hopes of including a minimum wage increase in their $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill seemed all but dead Monday as the Senate prepared to debate its own version of the House-passed aid package. Four days after the chamber's parliamentarian said Senate rules forbid inclusion of a straight-out minimum wage increase in the relief measure, Democrats seemed to have exhausted their most realistic options for quickly salvaging the pay hike. ...

Lord Jesus, we worship you for you are the way, the truth and the life. Amen.

I can't understand why my student had to wear a mask at Cape Central when the Penguin Party school fundraiser was a maskless event. Why do Jackson students have to wear masks at school with their peers but they play basketball at other schools in front of maskless crowds?...

Life isn't about finding your destiny; instead, it is a journey for peace and balance found in a relationship with Jesus Christ, said Rear Adm. William L. Schachte Jr., a retired judge advocate general for the U.S. Navy; Schachte spoke to about 1,200 people Friday morning at the ninth annual Mayor's Prayer Breakfast, sponsored by the Christian Business Men's Committee of Cape Girardeau and the mayors of Cape Girardeau and Jackson; the hour-long program and breakfast was held at the Show Me Center.. ...

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls. Feb. 28 n At 10:50 a.m., fire alarm on Percy Drive. n At 2:27 p.m., fire alarm on Dearmont Circle.

CAPE GIRARDEAU The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Assaults n Assault was reported in the 500 block of Cape Meadows Circle n Assault was reported in the 400 block of South Mount Auburn Road. n Assault was reported in the 300 block of South Lorimier Street...

Son to Kevin and Gina Cox of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Hospital, 6:53 a.m., Monday, Feb. 1, 2021. Name, Samuel Morihiko. Weight, 7 pounds, 9 ounces. First child. Mrs. Cox is the daughter of Henry and Kay Azuma of Cape Girardeau. Cox is the son of Janie Cox of Chicago and Paul and Evelyn Cox of West Frankfort, Illinois...

That is the question more and more people are asking. Like most things in life, the answer depends on the situation. However, the benefits of the Roth IRA are some of the best the government has donned on the American saver. Let’s first take a look at historical tax rates. ...