W W W. S E M I S S O U R I A N . CO M
ESTABLISHED 1904, CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO. $1.00
THURSDAY
REGION / 4B
Mandate extended Health board maintains mask order in Cape County
AUGUST 27, 2020
SPORTS
READY TO GO Second annual Gridiron magazine out today HUMANE SOCIETY CELEBRATES GROUNDBREAKING
RNC defends police as racial tension rises anew BY ZEKE MILLER, JILL COLVIN AND KEVIN FREKING
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BALTIMORE – Republicans aggressively defended law enforcement on the third night of their convention, as the nation faced renewed tensions following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man in Wisconsin, that sparked protests in a state that could decide the fall election. Vice President Mike Pence, the evening’s featured speaker, seized on the national reckoning over racial injustice to argue Democratic leaders are allowing
SARAH YENESEL ~ sarahy@semissourian.com
Former Cape Girardeau Mayor Jay B. Knudtson, left, reveals a T-shirt resembling his dog, Bella, while board president Charlotte Craig records the moment with her cellphone during the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri groundbreaking of its new 12,000-square-foot facility — right next to its current building — Wednesday in Cape Girardeau. During his speech, Knudtson praised the society for its work and said it is not done yet. About $2 million of the estimated $3.7 million needed for the project has been raised. “The community has to continue to support this,” Knudtson said.
lawlessness to prevail in cities from coast to coast. He and others described cities wracked by violence, though protests in most locations have been largely peaceful. “The American people know we don’t have to choose between supporting law enforcement and standing with African American neighbors to improve the quality of life in our cities and towns,” he said. He also assailed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for saying there is an “implicit bias” against minorities and “systemic racism” in the U.S. See RNC, Page 7A
Center Junction traffic moving to new pavement beginning next week BY JAY WOLZ
SOUTHEAST MISSOURIAN Motorists traveling between Cape Girardeau and Jackson along U.S. 61 through the Center Junction construction zone will be directed onto new pavement running parallel to
the highway’s existing lanes starting next week. According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, the shift to the new lanes is scheduled to happen between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. “That may slide back a day or so depending on the
weather,” said project manager Howard Hemmann of Penzel Construction Co., the project’s general contractor. Hemmann said he’s keeping an eye on Hurricane Laura, which is currently impacting parts of Texas and Louisiana along the Gulf Coast. By this week-
end, remnants of the storm are expected to bring heavy rainfall to the Cape Girardeau area and could delay striping and other final preparations along the new stretch of four-lane pavement.
ANDREW HARNIK ~ Associated Press
Vice President Mike Pence speaks on the third day of the Republican National Convention on Wednesday at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in Baltimore.
See TRAFFIC, Page 4A
New COVID-19 cases, additional death reported Wednesday COVID-19 coverage
Local, state and nationals coronavirus coverage at semissourian.com/coronavirus.
WEB:
BY RICK FAHR
SOUTHEAST MISSOURIAN County health officials reported about three dozen new COVID-19 cases and one additional death because of the virus in the region Wednesday. Stoddard County Public Health Center reported the fatality, its 10th related to the disease associated with coronavirus. The county’s total number of cases increased by three Wednesday to 299, with 237 patients having recovered from the virus.
In Cape Girardeau County, officials with the county’s Public Health Center reported 17 new cases and 25 additional recoveries. The county’s total number of cases is 927, with 755 recoveries and eight deaths attributed to the virus. Of the new cases, 10 were in the City of Cape Girardeau, while three were in Jackson and four were elsewhere in the county. Southeast Missouri State University accounted for two new cases Wednesday, pushing its total to 18 (13 students and five employees).
Cape Girardeau Public Health Center released a report Wednesday showing the county’s virus testing positivity rate has decreased throughout the month of August. In mid-July, when county officials implemented a countywide masking order, the positivity rate was just below 6%. Through the end of July, the rate hovered just above 6%. Through Aug. 20, the rate had declined to about 5.5%. Positivity rates in area Missouri counties were: Cape Girardeau, 5.6%; Scott,
WEATHER
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Through the Woods Photographer Aaron Horrell takes you on a trek Through the Woods every week in Good Times. See photos and read about his past expeditions at semissourian.com/features.
Inside
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INDEX Church Directory ...................5B Classified...................................6B Comics .......................................3B
Crossword .....................10A, 3B Dear Abby .............................11A Food & Dining ........................ 9A
Obituaries........................ 6A, 7A Opinion .................................... 8A Sports.........................................1B
TGI‘F’.......................................... 3A TV listings ...................10A, 11A
Volume 116 • Issue 272
Copyright © 2020 Rust Communications
4.5%; Stoddard, 2.5%; Perry, 1.5%; and Bollinger, 1.1%. Scott County authorities reported four new cases and 23 additional recoveries (589 total cases, 465 recoveries, 13 deaths) No new update was available from Perry or Bollinger counties. Southern Seven Health Department in Illinois reported 10 new cases in Union County (397 total cases, 321 recoveries, 20 deaths) but no new cases in Alexander County (40 total cases, 37 recoveries, zero deaths) on Wednesday.