Our region has said goodbye to three key figures recently: Sheriff John Jordan, Cape Girardeau library director Betty Martin and Cape Girardeau public works director Steve Cook. All three served the public well and move off to greener pastures. Martin and Cook are retiring, and Jordan moves to a bigger position with the U.S. Marshals Service. ...

In the Aug. 7 election, Missourians, by a two-thirds majority, voted down Prop A. Since then, I have heard rumor that some state legislators are considering enacting such legislation anyway. Such action would be in direct opposition to the vote of the people...

There are many things that divide us in this country. I believe the top three are abortion, guns, and immigration. Abortion is probably the most emotional of our differences. I’ve never met anyone who is comfortable with abortions, but how do we deal with unwanted pregnancies? In an ideal world there would be no unwanted pregnancies, but in our world they will continue to occur, and we will continue to be divided on what to do about them...

Gallup reports that 57 percent of Democrats polled by Gallup have a favorable view of socialism, while just 47 percent of Democrats in the poll have...