Joseph verdict voted top story by Southeast Missourian

Editor's note: This compilation of the top 10 stories of the year is based on voting by the Southeast Missourian newsroom staff. Voting took place before the flooding in late December began.

1. George Joseph found guilty of murders of wife and son.

George Joseph of Cape Girardeau was found guilty July 23 of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of armed criminal action in the May 2013 shooting deaths of his wife, Mary, and son, Matthew Joseph.

He was sentenced Sept. 18 to two life sentences, plus one 50-year sentence without eligibility of parole.

The terms run consecutively.

Joseph was charged in the May 30, 2013, deaths of his wife and son. The two were found shot to death in the family's home. George Joseph also tried to kill himself, shooting himself in the head in the pool house on the property.

Joseph would tell police he had killed them to spare them the embarrassment when they found out about his financial losses and possible connection with an investment scheme.

2. Perry County Coroner Herbert Miller convicted of fraud.

Perry County Coroner Herbert Miller went on trial this fall to face charges of financial exploitation of an elderly or disabled person and theft of $25,000 or more.

Miller was given power of attorney by the victim, an 83-year-old woman, in 2004. She was diagnosed with dementia in 2008 and entered a nursing home.

Between 2011 and 2013, Miller wrote several checks from her account -- 78 to "cash" totaling $51,400 and another seven to his business, Miller Family Funeral Home, totaling $34,000. Miller testified in court the checks made to "cash" were used to buy items for the victim.

During his testimony, Miller admitted to accepting gifts but none more than $200, and he said the victim always approved each payment, including those to the funeral home.

Miller was convicted Oct. 16 and sentenced this month to two seven-year sentences with the Missouri Department of Corrections, to be served concurrently. He was granted a suspended sentence, however, and received five years of supervised probation.

He resigned a few days after his sentencing, as mandated by state law.

One of the conditions of Miller's probation is he must repay $80,600 in restitution for the amount of money he stole. If he violates his probation, he is in danger of going to prison.

3. Transition at Southeast: Kenneth Dobbins retires, and Carlos Vargas-Aburto comes to SEMO.

It was a year of transition for Southeast Missouri State University.

After university president Kenneth Dobbins announced in September 2014 he planned to retire, the search began for the school's 18th president.

In March, the board of regents announced it had selected Carlos Vargas-Aburto from a field of 46 applicants.

Nine applicants were interviewed in St. Louis. Doyle Privett, who served as chairman of the committee, said each applicant was asked about their leadership style, philanthropy, fundraising history, the role of athletics and their personal histories.

Four finalists were invited to visit campus in February to meet with faculty, staff, students, organizations and the public.

Vargas, at the time acting president at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, unanimously was selected and succeeded Dobbins on July 1.

4. Cape Girardeau's gun violence.

While there were several shootings in and around Cape Girardeau this year, only a few proved fatal for the victims.

Two homicides took place in Cape Girardeau city limits this year, both in the fall.

On Oct. 6, a man later identified as Howard Harris Smith Jr., 42, was shot and killed in the 900 block of Ranney Avenue. Smith was "clearly deceased" when police arrived, but no suspect was immediately identified. In the following days, a reward was offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction in the shooting. On Oct. 10, police announced they had a person of interest in custody.

The second homicide in Cape Girardeau took place early Nov. 15. Police responded to a report of a shooting in the 500 block of South Frederick Street and found a man lying in the street. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Other homicides occurred in the area, as well.

In March, Ricky Schweain shot his stepdaughter to death at a home in Gordonville; he pleaded guilty in November and will be sentenced in January.

William A. Pickard, 32, was charged in August with shooting and stabbing a couple in Marble Hill, Missouri. His case is making its way through the court system.

Last week, police found a man mortally wounded after a shooting in front of a liquor store in Sikeston, Missouri. A Sikeston man, Antoine A. Harris-Applewhite, 33, has been charged with murder.

And just Wednesday, Tiarrius Gant, 17, of Sikeston was arrested in the St Louis area after allegedly shooting a teenager to death in Sikeston.

5. Central High School names Carley House, a girl with Down syndrome, as homecoming queen.

Carley House, an 18-year-old girl with Down syndrome, was honored in April as prom queen by her classmates at Cape Girardeau Central High School.

A couple of weeks before prom, seniors used social-media posts to encourage others to nominate Carley for prom-queen court.

At first, family didn't tell Carley because they weren't sure what would happen next. But the Sunday before prom, her mother, Tamilla House, received a call from principal Mike Cowan, letting her know Carley had been nominated.

Carley's younger sister, Calli House, asked Carley how it felt to be named queen; Carley said she was excited and getting the crown made her feel special.

6. Sonjay Fonn criminal indictment dismissed.

A criminal indictment against a Cape Girardeau neurosurgeon and business owner was dropped in December.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Abbie Crites-Leoni approved the government's motion to dismiss the indictment against Dr. Sonjay Fonn; his then-fiancee, Deborah Seeger; her company, DS Medical LLC; and Midwest Neurosurgeons LLC. They had been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States and illegal remunerations.

Fonn was accused of soliciting and receiving illegal compensation in the form of sales of commissions and other things of value from DS Medical in exchange for Fonn's orders of the manufacturer's medical devices, the initial complaint said. The complaint alleged DS Medical would provide Fonn with payment and other benefits to obtain orders from Fonn for spinal implants used in surgeries.

He also was accused of using DS Medical commissions for purchases including real estate, vehicles, planes and more.

Fonn owns Old Town Cape Dining LLC, which includes The Bar, Stevie's Steakburger, Chocolate Works, Buckner's Brewing Co. and Namaskar.

A civil case about allegations of kickbacks is pending. The next court date in that is Jan. 19.

7. Analysis shows Southeast Missouri State's 24 years of Division I men's basketball have been marked mostly by NCAA violations, firings and mediocrity.

A Southeast Missourian analysis of the last 24 years of Division I men's basketball revealed five former coaches, three NCAA investigations, one Ohio Valley Conference Championship and one NCAA tournament appearance are all the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team has to show for its move to Division I.

There has been no sustained success since the team moved to the NCAA's highest level in 1991 following a thriving decade under coach Ron Shumate in Division II.

There were only two years under coach Gary Garner in which Southeast competed for a conference title -- once on the back of Bud Eley, the only OVC Player of the Year Southeast has had, and another with a group many wouldn't consider the most talented as individuals who came together to claim the only OVC championship and NCAA tourney berth in program history.

No coach in the Division I era has left Southeast of their accord or to pursue a career at a major Division I program; two were fired in the midst of NCAA investigations.

Coach Dickey Nutt, fired March 23 after six seasons with little improvement in conference play, was the only head coach of the Division I era that did not leave with a cloud of NCAA actions hanging over his head.

Now coach Rick Ray is tasked with trying to break the cycle and bring the Redhawks into a period where success is more than making the conference tournament.

8. Sports complex/convention center announced in city of Cape Girardeau.

Two major construction plans for Cape Girardeau were in the works in 2015.

In September, the Cape Girardeau City Council took a step forward on a new indoor sports complex. Members authorized the city manager to execute a development agreement with Midamerica Hotels Corp. for the building's design and construction near Center Junction between Cape Girardeau and Jackson. An adjoining 19.12 acres could be acquired by the city by purchase or exchange for property owned by the city.

As part of the agreement, Midamerica will donate 10.27 acres to the city for the facility at the northeast corner of Interstate 55 and U.S. 61 in the area known as Center Junction.

In October, the city announced a partnership with several hotel owners to support construction of a Drury Southwest Inc. conference center and hotel, pending city council approval. The city cited boosts to tourism and an opportunity to bring more money to the local economy as the reasons for the project.

The buildings will be built at a current Drury Lodge, 104 S. Vantage Drive, which will be demolished in early 2016.

9. Dunkin' Donuts coming to Cape Girardeau.

Cape Girardeau's Dunkin' Donuts franchise should be open within weeks.

Carl Ritter Jr., a member of an investment group who acquired a multicounty franchise territory earlier this year, announced the restaurant in June. Dunkin' Donuts will be in the former Houch's Donuts building on North Kingshighway.

The plan had been for the store to open in November. That date was pushed back, however, and the projected opening now is mid-February.

Staffing should take place just after the first of the year.

10. Saint Francis opens new $127 million, five-story patient tower.

The new five-story patient tower at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau opened July 1 as part of an expansion begun in 2011.

The tower is part of the Building on Excellence campaign, which cost $127 million -- $107.5 million for construction, $12 million in capital costs and $7.5 million in financing.

The project brought the number of private licensed beds at the medical center to 340 and includes separate patient and visitor elevators, a pneumatic tube system for sharing medications or prescription information and touchscreen pads on the walls provide nurse alerts for fall-risk patients who are out of their beds and notification for follow-ups on pain medications and includes a rapid response button in case more hands are needed to assist a patient. Each pad is next to a Saint Francis-designed patient board, where information about the patient's nurses, doctor, schedule and more is available for patients and family to view.

The top floor of the patient tower was left unfinished for the time being to give flexibility in determining its future use.

kwebster@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3646

Pertinent address:

211 Saint Francis Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO

104 South Vantage Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701

15 West Sainte Marie, Perryville, MO 63775

1 Barton Square, Jackson, MO

1000 S Silver Springs Rd, Cape Girardeau, MO 63703

1001 N Kingshighway St, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701

One University Plaza, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701

900 block of Ranney Avenue, Cape Girardeau, MO

500 block of South Frederick Street, Cape Girardeau, MO

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Online top 10

The biggest news stories are not always necessarily the most well-read. Here is a list of the top 10 local news stories of 2015 at semissourian.com:

1. Southeast Missouri State men*'s basketball players reflect on departure from team (12/13/15)

2. Church*'s music minister jailed on Peeping Tom conviction (06/10/15)

3. Man shot to death in South Cape homicide (10/07/15)

4. *'Time stood still*': Students elect girl with Down syndrome as prom queen (05/03/15)

5. Final four notebook: Bolivar player gives Notre Dame senior Derek Hulshof a memory for a lifetime with incredible act of sportsmanship (03/20/15)

6. Man accused of taking almost $73K from Velosity Electronics (04/06/15)

7. River level in Cape may hit record Saturday (12/28/15)

8. Couple*'s search for home in Cape will be televised on HGTV (05/20/15)

9. Former Southeast Missouri State player files lawsuit against university (10/06/15)

10. Multiple sources: List of Southeast Missouri State men*'s basketball coaching candidates narrowed (04/08/15)

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