Region digest 03/01/06

Concrete repair on I-55 northbound starts today

Missouri Department of Transportation maintenance crews will make concrete repairs in the northbound lanes of Interstate 55 in Cape Girardeau County today through Friday. Repairs will be made from mile marker 108 near Fruitland to mile marker 117 near the Old Appleton exit. Traffic will be reduced from to one lane from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, highway officials said.

SEMO center celebrating children's week April 1

Southeast Missouri State University will play host to "Messy Morning" on April 1 in celebration of the Week of the Young Child. The activity, organized by the university's Child Enrichment Center, will celebrate the enthusiasm, creativity and energy of children. It will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Osage Community Centre at 1625 N. Kingshighway. The event is open to families with young children. For more information, contact the Child Enrichment Center at 290-5135.

Talent's office holding outreach in Jackson

U.S. Sen. Jim Talent's district director, Jeff Glenn, will visit Jackson today to meet with constituents as part of the senator's "Missouri Matters" community outreach effort. Glenn will be at the county administrative office building, 1 Barton Square, starting at 9 a.m.

Tamms man gets prison for Cape bank robbery

An Illinois man was sentenced to 51 months in prison for robbing a Cape Girardeau bank. U.S. District Judge Jean C. Hamilton handed down the sentence Monday for James E. Cusick, 31, of Tamms, Ill., on one count of bank robbery. Cusick admitted to showing a handgun and robbing Bank of America, 800 N. Kingshighway, of $1,514 on Oct. 14, 2004.

Cape man sentenced for gun, drug charges

Christopher Jackson, 21, of Cape Girardeau was sentenced to 30 months in prison for gun- and drug-related charges. Jackson received the sentence Monday from U.S. District Judge Jean C. Hamilton for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and possession of a firearm by a felon. On Nov. 4, 2004, members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives executed a search warrant at Jackson's home, according to a news release from federal prosecutor Catherine L. Hanaway. Police found a .375-caliber Magnum revolver in the apartment and four rocks of crack on the defendant.

Three plead guilty in separate gun cases

Three Southeast Missouri men pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, according to a news from federal prosecutor Catherine L. Hanaway. Rudolph Bramlett, 28, of Perryville, Mo., Frankie G. Hicks, 44, of Cape Girardeau, and Ricky Payne, 43, of Kennett, Mo., entered their pleas in separate cases before U.S. District Judge Jean C. Hamilton. Bramlett admitted to a Perryville police officer on July 27 that he had been in possession of a Marlin .22-caliber rifle near his home. On July 23, 2004, Hicks was being arrested for another incident when officers found six firearms and ammunition in the defendant's home. Payne admitted that he burglarized the Modern Day Veterans Post in Kennett on July 20 and stole a .38-caliber pistol. Bramlett and Hicks face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and Payne could receive life imprisonment and a $250,000 fine when sentenced May 22.

Alleged drug leader gets 27 years for cocaine

U.S. District Judge Jean C. Hamilton sentenced a 29-year-old man to 324 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. Barry Boyce, of Charleston, Mo., received the sentence Monday, according to a news release from federal prosecutor Catherine L. Hanaway. A search of Boyce's home turned up 13 grams of cocaine and a .45-caliber pistol. Boyce led or organized a large-scale drug operation in Charleston between late 2002 and early 2004, the release stated.

-- From staff reports