Stories from Monday, March 21, 2022

In the last couple months, foundations for both SoutheastHEALTH and Saint Francis Healthcare have hosted major fundraising galas in Cape Girardeau. Both events provided an opportunity for supporters to dress in style and featured fun entertainment. But even more important, the events centered around a goal of raising money for good causes...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — State Attorney General Eric Schmitt has dismissed most of the more than 40 lawsuits he filed against Missouri school districts over mask mandates during the coronavirus pandemic. Schmitt's office announced Friday it has also dismissed a lawsuit over mask mandates filed against the City of St. Louis...

All Cape Girardeau Fire Department units were dispatched to a fire Sunday afternoon, according to an incident report by Battalion Commander Shawn Morris. When firefighters arrived about 2 p.m., they found a vacant story-and-a-half house at 1114 Bloomfield St. with smoke emanating from the first floor, Morris said, with the fire extending to the second floor...

For the first time in four years, the U.S. Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday raised interest rates in a graduated attempt to curtail rising inflation. Fed Chair Jerome H. Powell signaled more hikes are planned in the months ahead to slow the inflationary spiral that has seen consumer prices accelerate at a 40-year high...

Charges will not be filed in an officer-involved shooting that occurred in December. Butler County Prosecuting Attorney Casey Proctor made the announcement Friday, upon completion of the review of evidence in the case. "After reviewing all of the evidence, it is apparent in this case the officer was justified in the use of lethal force and charges will not be filed," Proctor told the Daily American Republic on Friday afternoon...

Crews from across the Midwest conducted a controlled burn at Peck Ranch Conservation Area near Fremont, Missouri, on Thursday, blackening 4,032 acres on Stegall Mountain, Thorny Mountain and Denning Hollow. The fires were part of a decadeslong effort to restore the Ozark's unique glade habitats, a goal that is paying off in increased native diversity, restored habitat and successfully reintroduced species...

After announcing plans to expand its Caruthersville, Missouri, location, Century Casino has even more developments in the works.

Cape-Girardeau-based Southeast Metropolitan Planning Organization (SEMPO) shared with its member organizations last week a four-page document spelling out how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law "will deliver" for Missouri. President Joe Biden signed the more than $1 trillion bill into law Nov. ...

WASHINGTON — Justice Clarence Thomas has been hospitalized because of an infection, the Supreme Court said Sunday. Thomas, 73, has been at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., since Friday after experiencing “flu-like symptoms,” the court said in a statement...

Roto Rooter has leased office and warehouse space at 822 Enterprise St. in Cape Girardeau. The full-service plumbing repair and maintenance company, using the slogan "If water touches it, we can fix it," moved into the 3,688-square-foot facility in February...

Today is Monday, March 21, the 80th day of 2022. There are 285 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On March 21, 1965, civil rights demonstrators led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. began their third, successful march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama...

O Heavenly Father, may we seek your holy and perfect will in all things. Amen.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had another moment that lit up the right, this time pushing back against Disney's critique of the so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill. In his statement, DeSantis was absolutely stalwart, saying the chances are "zero" he's going to back away from his support for the law. ...

It's hard to pick up a foreign policy journal or even turn on the TV without encountering someone predicting, recommending or lamenting a "new Cold War" with Russia, China or both. This is entirely understandable and even justifiable, if you mean a new period of strategic competition, pressure and geopolitical tension that falls short of all-out war. Such a lowercase "cold war" is already on display...

We've all heard stories about university administrators cracking down on free speech. But free expression is suffering even without these enablers, and that should worry us. In a recent New York Times Op-Ed, University of Virginia senior Emma Camp powerfully defended freedom of expression as she described her own practice of self-censoring while on campus. ...

n Brittney Nicole Dirnberger of Cape Girardeau for Unwound Styling Studio, a salon offering color services, haircuts and extensions, at 1028 N. Kingshighway, Suite 2, in Cape Girardeau. n Greg McCoy of Dubuque, Iowa, for McCoy Construction and Forestry, 1421 S. West End Blvd., Cape Girardeau, a full-service John Deere dealer. Business was purchased from Erb Equipment Co...

n Candidate Meet and Greet, sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce, the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce and the Scott City Area Chamber of Commerce, will be held at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Drury Plaza Conference Center, 3351 Percy Drive, Cape Girardeau. The municipal election is April 5...

n A La Carte Catering, 1 p.m. Tuesday at 1815 E. Jackson Blvd. in Jackson. n The Baker's Bar, 2:30 p.m. Friday at 2931 E. Jackson Blvd. in Jackson. n Rural King, 3:30 p.m. Friday at 210 S. Silver Springs Road in Cape Girardeau.

Mike Marshall, president and CEO of Sikeston Regional Chamber of Commerce and Area Economic Development Corp., will retire in June after five years in the role. Marshall, a Sikeston, Missouri, native and career banking executive, has more than 40 years of public service to his hometown and to Southeast Missouri, including a current stint on the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport Advisory Board and 14 years on the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority Board of Directors...

Joseph Deimund, a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, has been promoted to director of financial management and comptroller of 15th Air Force headquarters at Shaw Air Force Base, near Sumter, South Carolina. Deimund has nearly 20 years of Department of Defense financial management experience...

Sarah M. Garner is the new chief advancement officer, responsible for fundraising and marketing, for Southeast Missouri Food Bank in Sikeston, Missouri. A Southeast Missouri State University graduate, Garner is a former employee of Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston...

Kristen Martin and Jacob Heeb have joined Rooted Web, a Cape Girardeau-based website design and digital marketing agency, with offices at 2530 Marsha Kay Drive. Martin, a Desloge, Missouri, native is a UI/UX web designer; Heeb, a Chaffee, Missouri, native, is a junior web designer...

Alan Bruns has been named principal of St. Mary Cathedral School in Cape Girardeau effective with the 2022-2023 academic year. Bruns, an educator for 27 years, was most recently assistant principal of Terry W. Kitchen Central Junior High — a role he served for 16 years...

Mark and Melody Harpur are the new owners of Comfort Keepers -- At Home Help, with offices at 1918 N. Kingshighway, Suite 109, in Cape Girardeau. Mark is employed by Genesis Transportation while Melody recently left her position as director of marketing and community development for the Lutheran Home...

Rhodes 101 will hold hiring events from 9 a.m. to noon and from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday and from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at 1620 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau. The company advises those interested to visit Rhodes 101 Stops's Facebook page to apply online before coming to the in-person hiring events...

GasBuddy.com, in a spot check Saturday afternoon of gas prices at the pump, showed gasoline in the City of Cape Girardeau with these prices: $3.74, $3.78, $3.85, $3.89 and $3.99. n Jackson: $3.65, $3.76, $3.79, $3.83 and $3.89 were noted. n Scott City: $3.89...

Saint Francis Foundation raised more than $260,000 through the sixth Friends Gala held March 5 at Drury Plaza Conference Center in Cape Girardeau. It was the first in-person gala since before the pandemic. During the fifth Friends Gala in 2020, more than $315,000 was raised to benefit the hospital system's CancerCare and CardiacCare funds...

"The Batman" is still going strong three weeks into its theatrical run, with a tight grip on the top spot at the box office. Robert Pattinson's debut as the Dark Knight earned an additional $36.8 million over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. It also slid past the $300 million mark ahead of projections...

NEW YORK -- They're pouring out vodka, boycotting Russian restaurants and even leaving threatening voicemail messages at Russian businesses. Angered by the deadly violence and the humanitarian crisis resulting from Russia's war on Ukraine, some Americans are taking it out on Russian businesses and brands in the U.S. -- or anything that sounds Russian...

JUNEAU, Alaska -- Simmering public anger in Alaska over the legislature's failure to settle the state's most radioactive issue -- how big a check residents should receive from the state's oil wealth fund -- is colliding with a once-a-decade opportunity for political activists: The chance for voters to call a convention to amend the state's constitution...

WASHINGTON -- Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman nominated to the Supreme Court, is going before the Senate Judiciary Committee with the path to her historic confirmation seemingly clear. Committee hearings begin today for the 51-year-old Jackson, a federal judge for the past nine years. She is expected to present an opening statement late in the day, then answer questions from the committee's 11 Democrats and 11 Republicans over the next two days...

LVIV, Ukraine -- As it continued its barrage of the besieged city of Mariupol, Russia demanded Ukrainians put down their arms and raise white flags today in exchange for safe passage out of town. Ukraine angrily rejected the offer, which came hours after officials said Russian forces had bombed an art school that was sheltering some 400 people...

Jennifer McClanahand, who received her undergraduate degree from Southeast Missouri State University, has been named senior director of sales and marketing for Methodist Senior Services in Tupelo, Mississippi. McClanahand, who lives with her husband and two children in Madison County, Missouri, is a member of both the county fair board and Fredericktown Azalea Festival,...

Sisters win awards at Jackson Wrestling Banquet 2022: This is Mallorie Metzger ( left) & Gracie Metzger award banquet for Jackson Wrestling. They received several awards from the Jackson Wrestling Banquet. Mallorie- most outstanding, most inspirational, Irongirl, and Captain. Also, Best Record 29-8, most take downs 38, most team points 1405, most pins 18, most wins 29, Academic All state 3.96...

Dr. Dan B. Cotner of Cape Girardeau has received the Service Above Self Award presented by Rotary International; the award is the highest honor given a Rotarian by the international service organization; Cotner, a dentist and a 30-year member of the Cape Girardeau Rotary Club, is one of 144 Rotarians worldwide to receive the award...

Pictured L to R: Alex Goodman, Toptracer Regional Sales Director, Tyra and Bryan Johnson, owners of The Teehouse Complex, Chip Brewer, President/CEO, Callaway Golf The Teehouse Complex (located in Cape Girardeau, MO) was recently awarded the ACE Award from Toptracer. The ACE stands for Amazing Creative Executive. This award goes to the driving range that said "NO!" to mundane marketing and set a new creative standard for promotions using Toptracer...