Stories from Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Route PP in Bollinger County closed for drainage work Route PP in Bollinger County, from Route FF to County Road 528, will be closed as Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace a culvert under the roadway. A MoDOT news release said the work will be done from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 11...

An elementary school teacher in Bollinger County has been charged with a felony involving sexual contact with a student. Missouri court records indicate Rachel Baker of Glen Allen, Missouri, listed as an elementary teacher on the Woodland School District's website, was charged with the alleged crime...

The chief executive officer of Perry County Memorial Hospital said the process of hammering out a partnership with the Mercy health care organization could take several more months. Chris Wibbenmeyer recently answered several questions about a potential partnership between the Perryville, Missouri, hospital and the Mercy system after the hospital's appointed board voted to begin negotiations on a non-binding "letter of intent," which would allow the organizations to share sensitive financial information. ...

Inside Katy O'Ferrel's restaurant, Notre Dame Regional High School students, from left, Michael Edwards, Cameron Hinkebein, William Richards and Riley Baird, perform an altered version of "We're Looking For a Princess" from "Once Upon a Mattress" during a flash mob promotional event Tuesday.

Lynwood Christian Academy will host its inaugural Legacy Evening Dinner and Auction early next month. The event, scheduled for 6 p.m. April 8 at Cape First Church in Cape Girardeau, will feature pre-event music, silent and live auctions and a keynote presentation from author, lawyer and longtime syndicated columnist David Limbaugh...

KYIV, Ukraine -- Russia announced Tuesday it will significantly scale back military operations near Ukraine's capital and a northern city, as the outlines of a possible deal to end the grinding war came into view at the latest round of talks. Ukraine's delegation at the conference, held in Istanbul, laid out a framework under which the country would declare itself neutral and its security would be guaranteed by an array of other nations...

Nate Thomas, Ward 3 Cape Girardeau city councilman, has become the third GOP hopeful seeking to fill the vacant District 147 seat in the state House. Thomas, 39, joins real estate brokerage owner Elaine Edgar and former Cape Girardeau city councilman John Voss in seeking the Republican nomination in the Aug. 2 primary...

The first Black member of Cape Girardeau City Council -- representing the municipality's northeast section -- James "J.J." Williamson, died March 23 in St. Peters, Missouri, at the age of 70. Williamson, a Sikeston, Missouri, native, was sworn in as Ward 1 Cape Girardeau councilman in 1994, taking office the same year as former Cape Girardeau Mayor Al Spradling III...

Help is available from the University of Missouri Extension Service for landowners plagued by feral hogs. Jerry Richards, cooperative feral hog outreach educator from Iron County, told the Bollinger County Board of Commissioners Monday that the Extension has teamed with federal and state agencies to help landowners get rid of feral hogs at no cost...

Three candidates have filed to serve on Woodland School Board. Two seats are available. Voters in the April 5 municipal election will choose from Lance VanGennip, Shari Cook-Koenig and Tim Hastings. n Lance VanGennip was elected to Woodland School Board in 2019 after serving the previous year as a fill-in, and he is the current sitting president for the school board...

Today is Wednesday, March 30, the 89th day of 2022. There are 276 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot and seriously injured outside a Washington, D.C., hotel by John W. Hinckley Jr.; also wounded were White House press secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and a District of Columbia police officer, Thomas Delahanty...

O Lord Jesus, may we look for opportunities to tell others about your love. Amen.

An enormous amount of effort and planning went into crafting a single coherent message, and in one instant it was all for naught. I'm not talking about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during Sunday night's Oscars, but President Biden's similarly unscripted call for regime change in Russia...

Cape Girardeau has some funds available from the American Rescue Plan (ARP), and city leaders, following council approval last summer, have decided to put a portion toward fixing a problem with the sewer system. A study from 2015 revealed several defects regarding stormwater filtering into the sewer system via cracks and groundwater seeping into the system. ...

Joe Biden is engaged in the most extensive test of whether an American president can survive elevated levels of inflation since Jimmy Carter, and it's not going well. The latest NBC News poll has Biden at a dismal 40% approval rating that, if it doesn't change, will end the careers of Democrats up and down the ballot in November's midterm elections...

CAPE GIRARDEAU Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls. March 28 n Medical assists were made at 6:19 a.m. on South Lorimier Street; 7:20 a.m. on Kenneth Drive; 7:50 a.m. on Greek Drive; `0:47 a.m. on South Mount Auburn Road; 11:05 a.m. on North Kingshighway; 2:12 p.m. on South Park Drive; 2:20 p.m. on South West End Boulevard...

CAPE GIRARDEAU Cape Girardeau Police Department responded to the following calls. Arrest does not imply guilt. Arrests n A warrant arrest was reported on William Street. n A warrant arrest was reported on Morgan Oak Street. n A warrant arrest was reported on Good Hope Street...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- John Alfred Turner, 69, of Sikeston died Thursday, March 17, 2022, at the Aspire Senior Living in East Prairie, Missouri. Graveside service will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Garden of Memories in Sikeston. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel was in charge of arrangements...

William E. Port Jr., 89, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, March 3, 2020, at Southeast Hospital. Memorial service will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday at First Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Ellen Gurnon officiating. Ford and Sons Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau is in charge of arrangements...

ULLIN, Ill. -- Martha C. Ledbetter, 82, of Ullin passed away Monday, March 28, 2022, with her family by her side at her home. Martha was born April 13, 1939, in Mounds, Illinois, daughter to the late Wayne K. and Bea Griffith Oakes. She was a member of the Church of Christ in Wetaug, Illinois, and a retired secretary for the Pulaski County Tax Assessor's Office in Mound City, Illinois...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Kim Catherine Kaucher, 67, of Perryville died Thursday, March 24, 2022, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. A celebration of Kim's life will be at 3:30 p.m. April 24 at the Knights of Columbus Club Room. Arrangements were made under the care of Liley Funeral Homes in Marble Hill, Missouri...

MURRAY, Ky. -- Jimmy Damron, 69, of Murray passed away Thursday, March 24, 2022, at his home. He was born Sept. 21, 1952, in Senath, Missouri, to Jimmy Dale and Willie Williams Damron. He proudly served his country in the U.S. Army for 21 years, 3 months and 10 days. He served in Vietnam and Korea. His post-military career was with Air Evac Lifeteam for 23 years...

In the minutes and hours after Will Smith accosted and slapped Chris Rock before a live audience of millions, social media platforms lit up with a breathless and emphatic hot take: Surely, multitudes insisted, the whole thing was staged. They talked of the specifics of the altercation ("Rock barely moved"). ...

When "CODA" won the Oscar for best picture in Los Angeles, movie stars from Samuel L. Jackson to Nicole Kidman waved their hands instead of clapping -- recognition of a culture and community that proudly calls itself Deaf. At home in suburban New York, Laurie Ann Barish cried, overcome by what she said was a long overdue feeling of acceptance...

SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. -- David Frodsham was a top civilian commander at a U.S. air base in Afghanistan when Army commanders ordered him home after investigating multiple complaints of sexual harassment. "I would not recommend placing him back into a position of authority but rather pursuing disciplinary actions at his home station," wrote one commanding officer when recommending the Army order Frodsham to leave his post at Bagram Airfield and return to Fort Huachuca, a major Army installation in Arizona, according to a U.S. ...

WASHINGTON -- The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol has identified an almost 8-hour gap in official White House records of then-President Donald Trump's phone calls as the violence unfolded and his supporters stormed the building, according to two people familiar with the probe...

BERLIN -- The world must take "radical action" by investing $5.7 trillion in private and public money each year through 2030 to shift away from fossil fuels and ensure the planetary warming they cause doesn't pass dangerous thresholds, the International Renewable Energy Agency says...

Americans 50 and older can get a second COVID-19 booster if it's been at least four months since their last vaccination, a chance at extra protection for the most vulnerable in case the coronavirus rebounds. The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for that age group and for certain younger people with severely weakened immune systems...

Many Americans have taken significant steps back from once-routine coronavirus precautions, with less than half now saying they regularly wear face masks, avoid crowds and skip nonessential travel. Americans are letting down their guard even as experts warn a new wave of COVID-19 cases is coming. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows fewer people taking protective measures than at any point in AP-NORC polls conducted since early 2021...

ST. LOUIS — Democratic U.S. Rep. Cori Bush is now facing a challenge from a state senator from St. Louis in her bid for reelection in Missouri's 1st Congressional District. State Sen. Steve Roberts announced Monday he will oppose Bush in the August primary. The district includes all of St. Louis and much of north St. Louis County...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The GOP-led Missouri House on Tuesday advanced a bill to defund Planned Parenthood, ban fetal tissue donations and put additional restrictions on abortion. The House gave the measure initial approval in a voice vote Tuesday. It needs another House vote to move to the Republican-led Senate...

Anheuser-Busch beer heiress Trudy Busch Valentine on Tuesday announced her candidacy for U.S. Senate, shaking up what has been a low-profile Democratic primary in a solidly red state. Busch Valentine's announcement comes amid widespread calls from Republicans for Eric Greitens to drop out of the race after the Republican former governor's ex-wife accused him of physically abusing her and one of their kids...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri's candidacy filing period for Congress closed Tuesday without new voting districts in place, as the state's Republican-led Legislature remained bogged down by disagreements. Missouri is the only state where a congressional redistricting plan has not been either enacted or at least passed by lawmakers based on the 2020 census, though uncertainty remains in several other states because of gubernatorial vetoes and court challenges...

Easter Sunday. Area churches celebrate Easter with sunrise services, cantatas, pageants, breakfasts and egg hunts for children; sunrise services are held at Hobbs Chapel United Methodist Church, Evangelical United Church of Christ, St. Mark Lutheran Church, Second Missionary Baptist Church and Hanover Lutheran Church...

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces bombarded areas around Kyiv and another city just hours after pledging to scale back operations in those zones to promote trust between the two sides, Ukrainian authorities said Wednesday. The shelling — and intensified Russian attacks on other parts of the country — tempered optimism about any progress in the talks aimed at ending the punishing war...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Maine Sen. Susan Collins said Wednesday she will vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, giving Democrats at least one Republican vote and all but assuring that Jackson will become the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. Collins met with Jackson a second time this week after four days of hearings last week and said Wednesday that "she possesses the experience, qualifications and integrity to serve as an associate justice on the Supreme Court."...

Nation’s Premier Collegiate Honor Society Inducts William Matlock Into Membership William Matlock of Scott City, MO has accepted an invitation of lifetime membership in The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS), the nation’s leading certified honor society for high-achieving...

ALG Vacations has honored 1st Class Travel as an Emerald Distinguished Travel Company. This celebrated award is based on 1st Class Travel’s achievement of exceptional sales in 2021 with ALG Vacations, whose respected brands include Apple Vacations, Funjet Vacations, Travel Impressions, Southwest Vacations, Blue Sky Tours, and United Vacations. 1st Class Travel is proud to be part of this prominent ALGV group which includes less than 10% of travel agencies nationwide...