After their musical was canceled in spring of 2020 due to the pandemic, Notre Dame Regional High School students are putting on a musical once again. The cast will be singing and dancing in "Singin in the Rain," based on the film of the same title. Since the pandemic is ongoing and masks are still required at the school, the cast had to adjust the way they normally put on a show. ...

On a wintry day in the early 1980s, Bob Keathley of Bernie, Mo., attended an estate sale near Lebanon, Tenn. The items being sold had been collected by a retired medical doctor who had traveled widely and accumulated a sizable collection of old and historical books. Robert Keathley, who had for years been interested in antiques, was attracted to a row of old books that were to be put up for sale at an upcoming auction...

Senior centers are open for carryout and delivery only. Monday: Ham slice or poppyseed chicken, sweet potatoes, blackeyed peas, garden lettuce salad, whole-grain hot roll and sugar-free baked pineapple or Oreo cheesecake. Tuesday: Barbecued chicken or bell pepper steak, oven-fried okra, golden hominy, whole-grain hot roll and chilled apricots or dusted lemon bar...

One of the most significant challenges for every generation is having a great cause. Something worthy of personal sacrifice. As Roosevelt challenged his audience, "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena," credit goes to the one who strives for what is greater than them...

The book "Cultivate: The Process of Living From Your Heart" by Cageless Birds opens with this prayer: "On the shores of my soul, I give you permission." These words are written underneath a photograph of feet in the water on the shoreline at a beach, standing in the space in the sand where the edge of the water flows up to. It is a shallow place. Stand there, pray this prayer: On the shores of my soul, I give you permission...

Mississippi Valley Therapeutic Horsemanship is holding a shoe-drive fundraiser through May 21. MVTH will earn funds based on the total weight of the pairs of gently worn, used and new shoes collected. Funds2Orgs will issue a check for the collected shoes. Those dollars will benefit MVTH. Anyone can help by donating gently worn, used and new shoes at the Mudcat Coffee House in Oak Ridge, The House Salon and Spa in Jackson or by contacting Kim Scheffer at (573) 579-7703...

The weather forecast for the night of April 1 was calling for temperatures slightly below freezing with light to calm winds. It had rained a few days earlier and the ground was wet. Conditions were setting up for a light frost on low lying vegetation...

Submitted by Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary This beautiful girl is Ivory. She is an Aussie mix and is 4 months old. Ivory needs a good forever home. If you are ready for a rewarding experience, come see us at Safe Harbor. Call (573) 243-9823.

For the past week or so there has been a little tree frog somewhere on the west side of our house. Every now and then he will make that tree frog sound, and we'll wonder where he is. Both of us have kind of looked for him for the sole reason of just knowing where he is. We don't want to relocate him or hurt him but simply know where he is...

Kentucky-born Thomas Ewing Tribble was 5 years old when the Civil War broke out. At the time he was living with his parents, Nelson and Henrietta, along with his brothers, including John William, and sisters in Simpson County, Kentucky. There are no details on his education, but according to the 1870 census for Simpson County, when he was 13, he was working on the family farm. ...

This month, I’ve decided to put myself to use. After all, that’s what I’m here for, right? So you can learn from and see things from a young person’s viewpoint? So this month, I’ve concocted a list of all the lingo us teens are using. I hope you enjoy seeing into my and my peers’ minds; use at your own risk!...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Celebrity zookeeper and animal TV show host Jack Hanna has been diagnosed with dementia and will retire from public life, his family said. In a news release Wednesday, his family added it's believed he now has Alzheimer's disease that has quickly progressed in the last few months...

NEW YORK -- One of the few copies of the comic book that introduced Superman to the world has sold for a super-sized, record-setting price. The issue of "Action Comics" No. 1 went for $3.25 million in a private sale, ComicConnect.com, an online auction and consignment company, announced Tuesday...

I step into the Sugar Shack, a small, wooden building at the edge of the driveway of Mark and Christal Gihring’s home near Altenburg, Mo. Outside, the temperature is in the forties during early March, and inside, with the wood-burning fire, it is warm. Sap bubbles in the long, rectangular evaporator, brown boiling down to reach 66% sugar, thin. The light coming in from the framed window lets you see the hazy smoke settling in the sugar air. Breathe in. It smells like maple...

For Nicholas Zuccarini, finding adequate housing is a challenge. When he was younger, he spent time in prison and says he was not well prepared for transitioning out of the prison system, unsure of how to connect with employers and agencies who could help him move his life in the direction he wanted to go. ...

In the scramble to find new, unusual places to eat, sometimes I forget about the survivors, those restaurants that have stepped into the gladiator arena and somehow beaten Father Time to a draw. One such restaurant that stands victorious through the sheer act of surviving for 53 long years is Pagliai's Pizza & Pasta in Cape Girardeau...

Springtime in Southeast Missouri can throw some wild weather curves on occasion. As I am writing this recipe column it is quite chilly, but in just a couple of days it will be in the mid-70s and then temperatures will jump around for a few days before turning unseasonably warm. It sure makes it difficult to plan on what to wear to work, and what to cook...

Oded Brenner is a modern-day Willy Wonka. In the 1990s, he co-created an international chocolate empire, Max Brenner Chocolate, that includes a 7,000-square-foot emporium on Broadway in New York City. Brenner left that venture in 2012, and a few years later began exploring a different side of chocolate. A trip to Jamaica in 2015 ignited a passion for cacao, which is more than just the beans that are turned into chocolate...

Kaylin Maney, a Little Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri, just turned 16 and is hoping to pass her driver’s license test this week. To celebrate the occasion, she is at the mall with Debbie Sabella, her Big Sister mentor, shopping before they go to Olive Garden for lunch...

Working with seniors is normally a wonderful experience. I enjoy the opportunity to help them with their issues and learn from them. History comes alive when you get to hear about it from those who lived it. Hearing about their adventures and family history is amazing...

Do you know what Easter is all about? People celebrate the Easter Bunny and have Easter egg hunts or large gatherings for food, fun and games. I remember as a child our family had a cake in the shape of a cross with yellow and white icing. It was delicious, but I wondered why anyone would want to eat the cross. There is no doubt strange practices get mixed into our holiday traditions. Let us not forget the resurrection of Jesus...

Senior centers are open for carryout and delivery only. Monday: Saucy meatballs or chicken Parmesan, parsley buttered pasta, glazed carrot, buttered corn, garlic bread and Mandarin oranges or fresh-baked cookies. Tuesday: Ham and beans or hot chicken salad, oven-fried potatoes with onions, stewed tomatoes, cornbread and crackers and pears and cottage cheese or lemon pineapple cake...

The Town and Country FCE Club was in charge of the arrangements for the Cape Girardeau County FCE All Clubs Day held on March 25. The club decorated the facility for spring/Easter and was in charge of registration, morning refreshments, lunch and door prizes. ...

Is Easter important in your life? Do you understand the changes Easter brought to everyone on that day when Jesus rose from the dead? It seems it's often difficult to relate the things of the Bible to our lives. Sometimes we learn about the various happenings in the Bible and relate them to a historical study or merely general knowledge. ...

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." -- John Lennon (1940-1980), lyrics to the song, "Beautiful Boy." The epigram above is not found in the Bible, but the words usually find their way into funeral services I'm privileged to officiate or in my teaching at Southeast or in personal conversation...

It's been a lot of years ago I tried to learn how to rope. I had grown up on a ranch in the Sandhills of Nebraska around cattle and horses, so it was something one simply learned how to do. The guys at the rodeos and such would rope this way, but it was totally different than Dad. ...

n Easter Sunrise Service: 6 to 7 a.m. Sunday, Cape County Park North This special outdoor service is a time of fellowship and praise. Start your Easter morning early at our Easter Sunrise Service at Cape County Park North (shelter No. 4) at 6:00am. Coffee and doughnuts will be available...

The Dutchman's Breeches is one of the most unusual spring flowers to be found in Southeast Missouri. Each white flower has an opening at the bottom surrounded by yellow curls. The top of the flower looks like the legs of pantaloons stretching outwardly as if hanging from a clothesline...

Submitted by Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary This very handsome guy is Maxwell Smart. He is 7 years old and needs a loving, forever home. If you are ready for a rewarding experience, come see us at Safe Harbor. Call (573) 243-9823.

If there is anything SEMO foodies can't seem to get enough of it's Mexican food. Whether indulging in a special fine dining fusion of Latin flavors, one of the many popular family restaurants packed with familiar favorites, a fast food fix or a taco truck treat, the Mexican food market is booming with business, and now there is another destination to add to the list -- Panaderia Oaxaquena...