Columns

Driving down Broadway the other night (operative word: night) the trees along the road looked wonderful. Full and green. In fact, the whole streetscape popped: soft, clean, welcoming. That's when it dawned on me: the new lights are in and actually making a difference. Kudos to the City of Cape Girardeau for making the change!...

This past Monday was another ordinary Monday. And it wasn't. My Monday schedule is pretty consistent: Coffee with a couple of friends at 6:45 a.m. at Sands Pancake House. If we have any unanswered questions about -- well, anything -- we can always ask the fellows at the long table in the middle of the dining room, who will gladly provide several versions of responses to our inquiries...

In response to Jon K. Rust's column, June 20, "The collateral damage of Mizzou's past failures," which referenced an editorial in the Wall Street Journal, a University of Missouri spokesman requested the following letter be published. The Wall Street Journal's recent editorial "More Misery in Missouri" misses the story about what's really happening at Mizzou and perpetuates a narrative designed to erode higher education...

Illegal immigrants, separating children from parents, and cross border crime are some of the issues raised by our porous southern border. Immigrants from Honduras and other Central American nations are bringing their families through Mexico to attempt entry into the United States. ...

The editorial board of the Wall Street Journal slammed the University of Missouri last week for its "ambiguous" commitment to free speech, declining enrollment and expensive marketing campaign, writing: "Apparently, fewer parents want to send their kids to a school where activism eclipses academics." The editorial points out, "In May 2017, the university signed a $1.3 million contract for three years of outside PR help. ...

I am starting to seriously worry about my friends on the progressive left. It's abundantly clear the Dems have adopted one unified message as their party policy and that message is anti-Trump today and forever. Nothing more, nothing less. With an arrogance that borders on insanity, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi actually mocked record employment figures released last week...

I have always been an old-school kind of a girl. I've been called an old soul even when I was a young 'un. And, lately, I think the evidence is piling up. I miss the days when people spoke in complete sentences, said, "Good morning" and asked, "How are you?" Now, I know it's been years -- if it ever happened -- since people who asked how someone is doing actually waited for a reply. ...

Kids need a mom and dad actively involved in their lives. Years ago that would have been a given. But in today's culture, it's an important reminder. The role each parent plays in child rearing not only affects youngsters in their formative years, but it makes a difference in our culture for generations...

Last September, after being appointed by President Donald J. Trump, I was sworn in as alternate federal co-chair of the Delta Regional Authority, a federal-state partnership focused on economic development throughout the Lower Mississippi Valley. I will always be immensely grateful to the President for this opportunity and to Missouri Sen. ...

As you already know, if you have been reading these scribblings for a while, I don't often comment on current events. Today I will. One reason I don't do much commentating (is that really a word?) is because the "current" in current events is so slippery. ...

As I began to write this column I realized that a word has made a drastic change from what it meant earlier in my life to what it means today. In the 1960s and when I was assigned to Berlin in 1970 "the Wall" referred to the Berlin Wall which cut the city of Berlin in half. The western half of the city contained the U.S., the British, and the French sectors while the eastern half of the city was the Soviet sector. Construction of the wall was begun August 31, 1961 and it stood until 1989...

"Government of the people" is a challenge. There are differences of opinions on many, if not most subjects. This is why we discuss, debate, deliberate, hold public hearings, and the public votes directly on some issues. During my time as mayor, the board of aldermen has made many decisions in which there were different opinions and views. ...

If you have kids or grandkids or are simply young at heart, you don't want to miss the 2018 Summer Arts Festival at the River Campus on Saturday, June 16. Activities are free! If you've been before -- this is the fifth annual event, and it gets bigger every year -- you already know how much fun the day is...

Sports and politics are a large part of American culture; I understand that, but I'm fed up with the marriage of the two. Wasn't there a time when we tuned into athletics to enjoy healthy competition, cheer for our favorite teams, and get away from the seriousness of life we're forced to confront every day? Not that we don't take our sports seriously. We do. But it's a different kind of serious...

Governor Mike Parson is only a week into his new role after the resignation of Eric Greitens. Parson so far has retained Greitens' cabinet members. He has made hires of several staff members, including naming Cape Girardeau County prosecuting attorney Christopher K. Limbaugh as his general counsel...

Like the first burst of yellow daffodils in the spring, the appearance of the first fawn of the season is just one clue that the cycle of life remains unbroken. My wife spotted the fawn and its mother Monday afternoon. The deer usually roam our neighborhood in a group of five (now six). But the mother and her newborn crossed the street together, but without the extra ears and eyes to keep a lookout for any signs of danger...

The Vietnam War was two generations ago, and the facts about the war are fading from the public memory. There also are facts about the war which were never known by most people, and some of these facts are surprising even to those who served in Vietnam...

I would argue as I have so often in the past that America does not have a gun problem; we have a people problem. Even if you confiscate every single firearm, the evil within some will remain. That is simply the ugly aspect of the human spirit. England on the other hand has virtually no guns but has an increasing and alarming problem with knife stabbing and related fatalities. Just additional evidence of evil regardless of the weapon of choice...

How blistering fast is the modern news cycle? Can you believe: It was only Friday that Gov. Eric Greitens signed his resignation letter and departed Missouri government. How quickly headlines move on. After months of scandal, the state is yearning for a break. ...

NOTE: Several days elapsed between the start of writing this column and its completion. Take a journey with me as my thoughts ebb and flow and questions form. If you're expecting me to defend Roseanne Barr, you're going to be disappointed. I don't like when people play the race card, I don't like when people purposely use other people's words to trap them, and I don't like when people see racism at every turn -- but Roseanne did this to herself...

What character traits do you believe embody the Spirit of America? That's the question this newspaper has sought to answer for the last 15 years when we encourage readers to nominate individuals for the Southeast Missourian Spirit of America award. Patriotism is certainly at the top of the list. ...

The cat at our house, Missy Kitty, is no ordinary cat. But, then, do you know any cat -- any cat at all -- that is ordinary? Missy Kitty was adopted from Safe Harbor about seven years ago. Folks at Safe Harbor didn't have a lot of information about Missy Kitty's background. ...

I normally would write a column in advance for Memorial Day, but I failed to do this for this Memorial Day. We were in St. Louis for the birth of our first grandchild, an 8 lb. 9 oz boy. My son Michael and his wife Amanda honored me by naming the baby, Jack. When I realized I had missed my deadline to submit my column it was too late, but I was distracted and apologize for my oversight...

Some of the finest buildings in Southeast Missouri were built by Penzel Construction. Last week, its president and CEO, mindful of potential conflicts of interest with upcoming opportunities, resigned from the Jackson Board of Aldermen. It was a class act by a class guy, saving the city from the complications of him stepping out of discussions or abstaining on a regular basis. ...

I was taught many lessons growing up that have served me well. One was to always say, “Thank you.” It’s a lesson I’ve used all my life. Memorial Day is no exception. In fact, it is one of the most significant days to reflect and express a thankful heart...

The Jackson Board of Aldermen at its last meeting approved a motion authorizing city staff to issue a Request for Qualifications under the design-build method for the police station building project, as required under Section 67.5060 of the Missouri Revised Statutes. ...

While some consider this weekend as the unofficial kickoff to summer, it's important we not overlook the real meaning of the holiday: Remembering our fallen military heroes. This Saturday morning a group of volunteers will gather at the Broadway entrance to the river flood wall for the start of a 5-mile walk to Cape County Park North. The group, Carry the Load-Cape Girardeau, is part of a larger movement to memorialize fallen veterans...

Sixty-five years ago, I sat on the floor of the living room at my Aunt Norene 's house and watched, amazed, the fuzzy black-and-white images on the television screen. It was early -- very early -- in the morning, and we were watching the live broadcast of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation...

For decades typical new military weaponry usually meant faster, more powerful, and more accurate than the weapons being replaced. Other technology has brought entirely new weapons into the military arsenal. Potential enemies have responded to these changes by developing defensive weapons to counter these upgrades...

A pillar of the medical community for many decades, Dr. Ray Ritter died last week, surrounded by family. He had a distinguished medical career, which included performing the first total hip replacement in Southeast Missouri and the second in the state of Missouri. At different times, he was president of the medical staff at Saint Francis Medical Center and Southeast Hospital. His list of education and professional accomplishments is long...

For years, I have argued that housing is the key challenge for communities. Above education, law enforcement, medical availability and jobs, housing often determines the future of a community, the make-up of its residents and the ability to attract and maintain its population...

It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. You've heard it before, and it still rings true. You're playing games, media. You're toying with people's emotions with your faux outrage over your fake news. All along, you knew good and well President Trump was not speaking about all immigrants when he used the term "animals" to describe MS-13 gang members -- and if you didn't, it's because you're too blinded by hate to see -- or hear -- clearly...

A vibrant, growing economy depends on a healthy, safe and functioning transportation system. Nowhere is that more evident than in the Midwest, where access and connectivity for 60 million Americans are in critical need of renewal. Transportation leaders in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin — united as the Mid-America Association of State Transportation Officials (MAASTO) — recognized this years ago. ...

This time of year is full of graduation ceremonies. Southeast Missouri State University held its two commencement ceremonies last weekend and area high schools have conferred diplomas to their graduates. Most commencement speeches include some version of the same message: Congratulations on the accomplishment. ...

Some of you, if you keep reading this column, are going to be mad at me. And some of you will want to give me a medal. This involves birds, so if you are wishy-washy about birds, you can skip right to the latest news about volcanic eruptions, and I'm not talking about the heated fissures of rhetoric in our nation's capital...

It has often been said that when you join the military you sign a blank check payable to the government for your life. The U.S. government never cashes that check that all soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines have signed. Traditionally and thankfully, most military personnel do not come close to completing that transaction...

Anyone with young kids today has probably heard the phrase, "Stop. The ground is hot lava!" I have no idea where the game originated, but each of my girls has bellowed it out at some point, followed by careful walking on ground free of the pretend, hot magma. Sometimes, when traversing, say, a checkered green-and-white floor, the lava might only be the green squares, leaving a relatively safe way to cross a room...

As a member of the Missouri State Senate and Chairman of Missouri Vets4Energy, there is little that I can do to influence one of the most serious and immediate issues facing our state and nation, namely the Trump Administration's decision regarding the termination of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). However, like you, I can make my opinion known and that is the purpose of this opinion piece...

It's far from a tidal wave but Democrats are reluctantly arriving at the conclusion that Trump bashing is not working. Perhaps Democrats are poll testing their anti-Trump messaging and recognizing that the constant barrage of criticism is wearing thin with the American public...

Coal is in the news again, thanks to the Trump Administration. But this time there's a new wrinkle. The administration is aiming for a high-tech approach that could appeal to climate change activists looking to secure realistic reductions in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. And for a state like Missouri, which relied on coal for roughly 80 percent of its electricity last year, this could be significant...

When was the last time something reminded you how fragile life is? For me, it was a little more than a week ago. A 44-year-old friend left his home for a walk and never returned. Just like that, he was gone. Originally, the report was that a distracted, texting driver hit and killed Steve Flesher of Illinois. ...

A touching story made the rounds this week involving Oakland Athletics' baseball player Stephen Piscotty. On Sunday evening ESPN released a short film documenting how the former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder learned of his mother's diagnosis with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease...

My grandmother, who grew up at the foot of Mudlick Mountain -- now part of Sam A. Baker State Park, was wise in the ways of edible and medicinal plants that grow wild in the Ozarks over yonder. My grandmother, grandfather, mother and her five siblings lived up in the woods and made the most of those resources...

Editor's note: The following comment was submitted on semissourian.com in response to Adrienne Ross' column in Tuesday's Southeast Missourian. I have been an active member of the Boy Scouts of America for nearly 40 years, and I volunteer as Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 2 at Grace United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau...

According to Wikipedia: "The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medevac and cargo transport aircraft. ...

There is an inspirational story developing in Cape Girardeau, and it revolves around the resurrection of a beloved, academically elevated school whose future just weeks earlier was in doubt. For more than 42 years, Cape Christian School has transformed boys and girls with a mission to "educate students in a Christ-centered community where the Word of God is preeminent in all curricular and co-curricular instruction."...

I've never been a big fan of polling, specifically political polling. Today, polling has become big business. Experts offer all sorts of mathematical logic and reasoning to justify their polling techniques. And when their poll results are woefully off-base, they offer equally compelling logic to explain the outcome...

Some things guys need other guys for -- without girls. It's why a father occasionally plans a guys' day with his son. They need that time--just the boys. Can't they have that? Apparently, not in the Boy Scouts. In fact, some Boy Scouts can't even just be Boy Scouts anymore. A name change is forthcoming to demonstrate that "let boys be boys" is now passe...

Today we will learn the name of Cape Girardeau's new minor league baseball team. The wood-bat Prospect League team is preparing for its inaugural season in summer 2019. The team is expected to play a 60-game schedule, and the home location will be Capaha Field. Team owner Andy Patel deserves credit for his investment along with management group Jim Limbaugh and Mark Hogan. This is a labor of love, and I'm looking forward to the experience of watching minor league baseball in my hometown...

Thanks to a smörgåsbord of health issues, our household has, once again, been a guest of a local emergency room, where, it turns out, we find ourselves on a first-name basis with the doctors and nurses and technicians. That's good. And it's not so good...