Stories from Monday, August 7, 2023

SIKESTON, Mo. — Some area voters will decide tax questions during the Tuesday, Aug. 8, primary election. Voters in the City of Sikeston will decide whether to renew a 1% sales tax. The official ballot language reads: "Shall the City of Sikeston continue a city sales tax of 1% that will expire Sept. 30, 2034? This is a renewal of an existing tax, not a new tax."...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — The John J. Pershing VA Medical Center will hold a grand opening celebration event at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8, for its new Integrated Pain Management Clinic. The event will be at the main facility at 1500 N. Westwood Blvd. A ribbon-cutting with brief remarks is planned, followed by a tour of the clinic, according to a news release from the VA. Additionally, light refreshments will be served...

Marijuana sales continue to rise since cannabis became fully legalized in Missouri on Feb. 3, surpassing $120 million in statewide sales each month from March through June, according to www.health.mo.gov. Missouri voters approved sales of adult use marijuana Nov. 8, and the following represent sales figures for both medical marijuana and adult-use marijuana in the state since late last year:...

When picturing a law enforcement K-9, most of the 60 children and parents in the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center on Friday, Aug. 4, probably pictured a large German shepherd. The dog they met Friday isn't one, but he still does vital work to catch suspects and help people in need...

The editor of the Southeast Missourian was arrested early Saturday morning, Aug. 5, for driving while intoxicated. A state Highway Patrol report says Rickey Fahr Jr., 52, was taken into custody about 2 a.m. in Cape Girardeau after failing to signal a turn. A subsequent breath test indicated his blood alcohol content to be above the legal limit...

Kathy Swan, a former politician and current Missouri Labor and Industrial Relations commissioner, described the specifics of her position at a meeting of the Cape Girardeau County Republican Women’s Club on Friday, Aug. 4. In front of nearly 20 attendees, Swan dove into the history of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and some of the work she’s done as a commissioner...

Saint Francis Healthcare System saw the return of Franciscan Sisters to the organization a year ago, the first in residence since 2019. According to its website, the Saint Francis Health Care System was founded in 1875 when Father Joseph Schmidt, pastor of St. Mary's Parish in Cape Girardeau, invited three Franciscan Sisters to follow the call to serve those in need and start a hospital in Cape Girardeau...

Babe Ruth World Series for 2023, featuring 16- to 18-year-old baseballers, will be held Sunday, Aug. 13, through Saturday, Aug. 20, at Cape Girardeau's Capaha Field. The league's namesake is arguably baseball's most celebrated player, George Herman "Babe" Ruth of New York Yankees fame, who died three years before the league bearing his name was founded in 1951...

This story is updated. What's in a name? Quite a lot, especially if you speak with Charlotte Slinkard and Margaret Ford, curator and director, respectively, of Cape Girardeau Heritage Museum, 538 Independence St., which rebranded this summer from the name the venue had used for 41 years: Cape River Heritage Museum...

Tyson Foods Inc. is closing four chicken processing plants as it looks to lower costs. The company said Monday that the plants being closed are located in North Little Rock, Arkansas; Corydon, Indiana; Dexter, Missouri and Noel, Missouri. Tyson said that it will shift production to other facilities and halt operations at the four plants in the first two quarters of fiscal 2024. The company currently estimates having $300 million to $400 million in total charges, based on a preliminary analysis...

Today in History Today is Monday, Aug. 7, the 219th day of 2023. There are 146 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Aug. 7, 1942, U.S. and other allied forces landed at Guadalcanal, marking the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War II...

Father God, we pray for discernment, that in all things we would glorify you. Amen.

It's been a summer of social media meanness of a certain kind: poking fun at two of our most senior members of government. President Joe Biden stumbled while handing out diplomas during the U.S. Air Force Academy Commencement Ceremony on June 3. It wasn't his first time stumbling...

It's common knowledge among budget experts that the budget process is "broken." Anyone who regularly reads this column knows about debt limits, government shutdowns, out-of-control spending and borrowing — the list goes on. Well, part of the problem is that almost 50 years since the last budget process reform, it needs a serious update. However, when we do that, let's not miss the elephant in the room: Things would work much better if Congress agreed to follow its own rules...

There are many ways to serve your community. Not-for-profits. Church groups. Civic clubs. Even running for public office. Additionally, there's an opportunity some may not have previously considered: Serving on a local government board or commission...

Health care is absolutely personal and it's local. Our goal as we form this new partnership and bring (SoutheastHEALTH) into Mercy is that the needs of this community are understood and that we make sure to build a sustainable path forward. ...

City of Cape Girardeau Community Development department has received multiple business license applications. ...

Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its monthly Business After Hours event at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8, at Media Leaf, 879 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau.

Maria Paniamogan, PA-C, has joined Southeast Rheumatology after relocating to Cape Girardeau from Moline, Illinois, where she had an endocrinology practice. Certified as a physician assistant, Paniamogan holds degrees from Michigan's Ferris State University and from Connecticut's Quinnipiac University...

Phil Penzel of Jackson and Cape Girardeau's The Digital Foundry have won a gold 2023 Telly Award for "History in Motion", capturing the achievements of Jackson's Penzel Construction, the general contracting firm founded in 1910. "One of the reasons I chose to develop this documentary to the level we did was to honor my dad, my grandpa and all my ancestors for leaving a solid foundation for me. ...

1Up Food Truck & Catering is co-owned by two men who met while working for Cape Girardeau's Dalhousie Golf Club, found they had complementary abilities and later launched a business together that grew out of friendship. Nick Carreras, a 2006 graduate of Perryville's St. Vincent dePaul High School, and Jackson's Pedro Minakata launched their mobile unit together in February 2021 and got their startup seed money in a novel way...

The building housing the former Sunny Hill Gardens & Florist, 206 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau, was razed in late July. ...

The waterfront mansion of late radio host Rush Limbaugh III is being razed in West Palm Beach, Florida, to make way for a development by billionaire William Lauder of Estee Lauder cosmetics fame, according to a story in Palm Beach (Florida) Post...

National Association of Realtors reports the number of existing homes purchased by foreign buyers from April 2022 to March 2023 decreased to the lowest level since 2009. International buyers purchased $53.3 billion worth of U.S. residential properties -- 84,600 homes -- during the 12-month period, down 9.6% from the previous year...

Missouri ranks No. 34 out of the nation's 50 states when it comes to average annual salary and hourly wages, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data compiled July 17 by Forbes Advisor. Show Me State's average salary for 2023, BLS data show, is $54,520 and average wage is $26.21...

The weekslong rise in Missouri motor fuel prices pushed the average statewide cost of a gallon of regular Saturday, Aug. 5, to $3.63, just a dime cheaper than at this time in 2022. Show Me State prices have risen 18 cents in the last week and are up 38 cents since 30 days ago...

Credit rating agency Fitch downgraded the nation's credit rating Aug. 1, marking only the second drop in U.S. history, but Cape Girardeau bankers interviewed by the Southeast Missourian do not appear overly concerned. New York City-based Fitch is one of the so-called "Big Three" credit agencies; the others are Moody's and Standard & Poor's...

DETROIT -- The U.S. government's most ambitious plan ever to slash planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles faces skepticism both about how realistic it is and whether it goes far enough. The Environmental Protection Agency in April announced new strict emissions limits that the agency says are vital to slowing climate change as people around the globe endure record-high temperatures, raging wildfires and intense storms...

KYIV, Ukraine -- The towering Mother Ukraine statue in Kyiv -- one of the nation's most recognizable landmarks -- lost its hammer-and-sickle symbol on Sunday as officials replaced the Soviet-era emblem with the country's trident coat of arms. The move is part of a wider shift to reclaim Ukraine's cultural identity from the Communist past amid Russia's ongoing invasion...

DICKINSON, N.D. -- Maksym Bunchukov remembers hearing rockets explode in Zaporizhzhia as the war in Ukraine began. "It was terrible," he said. He and his wife sent their adult daughter west to Lviv for safety and joined her later with their pets. Now, about 18 months after the war broke out, Bunchukov is in North Dakota, like thousands of Ukrainians who came over a century ago...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Get ready to say goodbye to the once ubiquitous incandescent light bulb, pioneered by Thomas Edison more than a century ago. You can thank -- or blame -- new federal energy efficiency regulations that went into full effect early last week. Quite possibly without you even noticing...

KYIV, Ukraine -- Russia unleashed a missile and drone barrage Sunday across parts of Ukraine that killed six people, Kyiv officials said, as Moscow followed through on its promise to retaliate for an attack on a Russian tanker. Separately, Moscow's second-largest airport briefly suspended flights early Sunday following a foiled drone attack near the Russian capital...

HARTFORD, Conn. -- As state lawmakers rush to get a handle on fast-evolving artificial intelligence technology, they're often focusing first on their own state governments before imposing restrictions on the private sector. Legislators are seeking ways to protect constituents from discrimination and other harms while not hindering cutting-edge advancements in medicine, science, business, education and more...

WASHINGTON -- Federal health officials have approved the first pill specifically intended to treat severe depression after childbirth, a condition affecting thousands of new mothers in the U.S. each year. The Food and Drug Administration on Friday granted approval of the drug, Zurzuvae, for adults experiencing severe depression related to childbirth or pregnancy. The pill is taken once a day for 14 days...

WASHINGTON -- Donald Trump's defense attorney says the former president never asked Mike Pence to overturn the will of the voters in the 2020 election, but only wanted the former vice president to "pause" the certification of votes to allow states to investigate his claims of election fraud. Those baseless claims had already been rejected by numerous courts...

Greta Gerwig should be feeling closer to fine these days. In just three weeks in theaters, "Barbie" is set to sail past $1 billion in global ticket sales, breaking a record for female directors that was previously held by Patty Jenkins, who helmed "Wonder Woman."...

Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon never proposed to the Legislature that he would hire outside lawyers to litigate the state's lawsuit against the tobacco industry, three Southeast Missouri lawmakers say; state Sen. Peter Kinder and Reps. Mary Kasten and Joe Heckemeyer also say they don't remember Nixon putting forth any plan on how the lawsuit would be handled; all three lawmakers said Nixon's plan to pay contingency fees to outside lawyers was never brought before their committees; Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Cole County Circuit Court challenging the constitutionality of Nixon's contract with outside lawyers. ...

On July 26, 2023, the Cape Girardeau Rag, a traditional ragtime music piece written by Robert T. Krone, Jr., was performed by Keaton Lacey at the Cape Girardeau Municipal Band concert on the 30th anniversary of its publication, in remembrance of Mr. Krone...