When President Donald Trump announced a restriction on travel from Europe in a mid-March Oval Office address, European Union officials erupted in outrage. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, issued a joint statement with the president of the European Council thundering, "The coronavirus is a global crisis, not limited to any continent, and it requires cooperation rather than unilateral action."...

To help residents understand the facts around COVID-19 in our area, I'm providing answers to common questions posed to the newspaper. Sources of information today include both local hospitals, as well as the Cape Girardeau County Department of Public Health. I also talked to some officials who shared information, not for attribution, but which I verified. Here are some questions and answers...

On Jan. 22, there was one COVID-19 case in the USA. Come March 1, there were 64 of them. As I write this letter on the morning of Monday, March 30 there are 142,000. I am angry. I am angry because this country had years of warnings that we needed to prepare for a pandemic. By 2016, this country had a set of contingency plans for this type of a situation, but no one bothered to look at them as we drifted into our present problem...

Today Americans are facing one of the most dangerous crises in America's history due to the ravages of coronavirus pandemic. Crisis such as this will certainly test the wisdom and mettle of America's leaders. History teaches us that there are wise leaders and unwise leaders. ...

Jackson resident Christy Brey said it was a video on social media platform TikTok and a desire to engage in ministry outside the "four walls of church" that led her to organize two prayer events this week at local hospitals. Brey, a customer service representative at The Bank of Missouri, told me she saw a video from a Georgia hospital of people in their cars, lights flashing and prayers being lifted up for patients and health care workers...

A current global myth alleges that America under the Trump administration is not leading the world fight against the coronavirus in its accustomed role as the postwar global leader. Yet the U.S. was the first major nation to issue a travel ban on flights from China, with Donald Trump making that announcement on Jan. 31. That was a bold act. It likely saved thousands endangered by Chinese perfidy and soon became a global model. None of the ban's loud critics are today demanding it be rescinded...

A unified proclamation of state of emergency was made by the county health department, county commission, mayor of Jackson, and mayor of Cape Girardeau to follow the emergency guidelines as set forth by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Missouri Department of Health (DHSS). ...

Though some deny it, many harbor a strong hostility toward Christians in our society, especially those who obediently wear their faith on their sleeves. You know what they find worse than an outspoken evangelical Christian? An outspoken evangelical Christian who's also an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump. Talk about a perfect storm of contemptibility!...

Best of luck to new coach Brad Korn. If Parker Long's skills are as good as they were in high school, that's a promising start. I keep reading posts by our local school and district administrations that they believe the distance learning curriculum is "world class" and "innovative." It's a joke! The lessons are copy and pasted garbage. And, while you tell our students they can't be at school, you're running a large scale food distribution operation from school kitchens. This us completely nuts!...

Dealing with the health concerns of the novel coronavirus is challenging on its own, but it's even more complicated when you consider the actions of bad actors who purvey on the fears of unsuspecting individuals. Southeast Missourian reporter Ben Matthews reported recently, according to the FBI, conronavirus-related fraud schemes are increasing...

As positive COVID-19 diagnoses increase in the area, questions are pouring into the Southeast Missourian. Over my next several columns, I will try to answer some of these questions and then update as information and numbers change. If there's something you want to know, please email jrust@semissourian.com. Or ask online beneath this column...

Earlier in March, both President Donald Trump and Gov. Mike Parson declared a state of emergency based on concerns with the COVID-19 virus pandemic. These are unprecedented times in our country. We as citizens need to do everything we can to comply with the guidelines established...

On Jan. 20, the United States confirmed its first case of the coronavirus. The nation's political and media elite obsessed over Mitch McConnell's just-announced resolution governing the impeachment trial of Donald Trump. On Jan. 23, China locked down the city of Wuhan. Cable news in America lit up with praise for the epic, nay historic, performance by House impeachment manager Adam Schiff in the trial's opening arguments...

Parents are sending kids to daycares now that schools are closed. Daycares are no different from schools and nursing homes. Actually, newborn babies and young kids don't have a voice with what symptoms they have with this virus. And kids spread more germs at the day cares!...

CHAMBERSBURG, Pennsylvania It is early Sunday morning along one of the few congested stretches of the Lincoln Highway when an empty parking lot below the familiar cheery yellow sign for the local Waffle House catches the eye. The 24-hour diner chain, born in the Atlanta suburbs 65 years ago and now spreading across 25 states with nearly 2,000 locations, is primarily known for its ability to serve as a touchstone in every community it serves. ...

There have been a few moments in recent weeks when the new reality of the coronavirus epidemic hit me in special ways. One of them was when Amazon put books on the bottom of its priority list. Bookish type that I am, that is what Amazon is for me: books. ...

Amidst the fear and uncertainty caused by the novel coronavirus, there has been positive news of individuals and organizations stepping up to support one another. The Southeast Missourian reported recently on a few people who are making masks and donating them to health care providers. Betty Carroll is one. She has transformed her home into a small mask-making operation to assist Saint Francis Medical Center...

The United States lost a month with the shoddy rollout of coronavirus tests. Chalk it up to government bureaucracy. Now private companies are releasing new, better, faster tests. On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued Emergency Use Authorization to medical device company Abbott Labs for a coronavirus test that delivers positive results in as little as five minutes and negative results in 13 minutes, the company said...

This is the last day of Women's History Month, and I want to take a moment to show some love to women. What would we do without the mothers, aunties, grandmas, and friends who add value to our lives? Celebrating sisters shouldn't require a disclaimer, but I'll give one anyway because men are often overlooked, the evidence of which is obvious when we compare the vast attention given to Mother's Day to the scant Father's Day focus. ...

A few week ago as I was planning topics for future columns I was going to write. Topics such as the Center Junction Diverging Diamond Interchange Project, the opening of the Consolidated Dispatch Center, the progress on both the new Cape Girardeau County Courthouse and Jackson Police Station and the census. In addition, I have some exciting news about new businesses expanding in Jackson. These will be columns I will write about in the future...

I cannot imagine the savaging Franklin D Roosevelt would have taken from today's liberal media for being optimistic in the face of such seemingly overwhelming odds when he made his famous statement, "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself." I am certain today's liberal media would be loudly shouting in ad infinitum that he should be wheeling up and down the streets of Washington, D.C pulling his hair and shouting, "The sky is falling. The sky is falling. "...

What William McKinley was to the front-porch campaign, Joe Biden is to the basement campaign. Sidelined and confined to his house by the dictates of coronavirus social distancing, the former vice president has been limited to intermittent appearances from a makeshift studio in his basement. They have been awkward and low-energy, but that doesn't really set them apart from most other Joe Biden appearances...

Southeast Missouri State University has a new basketball coach in Brad Korn. Korn, 38, is from Plano, Illinois and played and coached at Southern Illinois University. Along with a stint at Missouri State, Korn was part of the Kansas State basketball program for five seasons with four of those as an assistant coach and one year as director of operations...

Since January, I planned a trip with a friend to Jupiter, Florida, for St. Louis Cardinals spring training. We mapped out the weekend to see the Redbirds play the Astros, Red Sox and Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium. Covid-19 had other plans. The day of my scheduled flight to Palm Beach International, Major League Baseball suspended its season. My first Cardinals spring training will have to wait...

During World War II, our parents and grandparents vanquished a horrific regime that placed no value on human life. A regime that exterminated the "defective", slaughtered millions they considered inferior racially, and wantonly murdered civilians, especially the elderly who got in the way of their ambitions. ...

The Perry County Sheriff's Office has received numerous calls concerning local announcements about the coronavirus and what local government leaders are calling for. Specifically, people are concerned that they are going to be arrested or written a ticket for going to work, going to doctor's office or the grocery store or just stopping to get gas. Rumors and hysteria, folks. Rumors and hysteria...

I keep hearing our leaders and media talk about "essential jobs" and I understand what they are saying, but every job is essential. Why are we allowing a few people tell us what is essential? We have had other pandemic viruses and we got through it without shutting down the whole country. ...

Along with the physical and emotional toll COVID-19 has taken, the virus is making life particularly hard for small business owners and their employees. The Cape Chamber and Jackson Chamber of Commerce have voiced their support for local businesses, asking residents who can to support these establishments. Whether it's ordering pickup or delivery from local restaurants or purchasing a gift card that can be used at a later day, it's important to consider how you can help. And then help...

It's stunning how fast events are moving. Two weeks ago I was deliberating traveling with family to New Orleans, a place with no identified cases of coronavirus at the time. Now, New Orleans is one of the hot zones for the virus. In a matter of days, Missouri went from a couple known cases to more than 250 and climbing fast. Perry County is under order from county authorities to "shelter in place."...

The ancient Greeks believed that true leadership in crisis came down to what they called pronoia -- the Greek word for "strategic foresight." Some statesman, such as Pericles and Themistocles, had it. Most others, such as the often brilliant and charismatic but impulsive Alcibiades, usually did not...

Countries have experienced economic depressions before, but not usually as a matter of choice. The nationwide coronavirus shutdowns over the past two weeks have ground parts of the country to a halt. We have probably never before in our history seen so much economic activity vaporize so quickly -- within days or even hours. The Great Depression and the panics of the 19th century are the only possible analogues...

One thing for sure about David Limbaugh, he's a stand by your man type of fellow. Great. Congress wants to increase Social Security? How will that help the self-employed and newly unemployed who don't qualify for SS? Extended unemployment benefits would be more helpful to people who only need a short-term boost to avoid being homeless!...

Missouri residents have, or will receive soon, invitations to complete the 2020 Census. Your participation is vital when it comes to funding of programs and representation in government. The questionnaire can be completed with the paper copy or online at my2020census.gov. Online is preferred method, according to Melissa Stickel, executive director of Community Partnership in Cape Girardeau. Stickel was appointed by Cape Girardeau Mayor Bob Fox to head efforts for Cape Girardeau County...

ALIQUIPPA, Pa. -- Retired Army Capt. Sean Parnell, a decorated war veteran who served in combat in Afghanistan, found himself doing what he always does when he feels the need to serve. "My community is struggling right now," he said. "It is sort of not in my nature to stand by and do nothing. One of the things I learned in the Army is that when you are a leader, you need to go where the contact is heaviest."...