Editorials

Local creatives were recognized Wednesday night during the American Advertising Federation of Cape Girardeau's 27th annual Addy Awards. Best of Show winners included rustmedia for design of flourish magazine, Red Letter Communications in both interactive and multimedia division categories, and Southeast Missouri State University student Racheal Davis for her consumer campaign. Awards were given at the bronze, silver and gold levels, with gold level winners advancing to the district level...

A popular event drawing an expected 500 visitors will return to Cape Girardeau's downtown this summer. The Hemmings Motor News Great Race, which last came to town in 2013, is a 2,300-mile trek from San Antonio to Greenville, South Carolina featuring 120 antique cars. The group will make 16 stops along the route, with Cape Girardeau being one June 23...

Jackson resident J.T. Payne knows a thing or two about bricklaying -- and he's apparently pretty efficient at the craft. The 27-year-old bricklayer competed in the 18th annual Bricklayer 500 Championship earlier this month held in Las Vegas. Payne and his brother, Jake, who tendered bricks, finished in the top 10...

The road to the 2020 Semoball Awards began recently as the fall sports finalists for several high school sports categories were announced. Volleyball finalists: Mekenzie Yount, Dexter; Roz Schrader, Advance; Alyssa Miles, Advance; Melena Green, Kennett; Kiley Bess, Poplar Bluff; Tyler Conkright, Ellington; Alivia Cobb, Sikeston; Hannah Shinn, Jackson; Ella Vogel, Cape Central; Madelyn Bourner, Jackson...

Today's the day we celebrate love, marriage and commitment. Many will purchase candy, flowers and other gifts for their significant other, and it's a good day for our local restaurants. But don't forget the story behind the holiday. St. Valentine was a priest who served during the rule of Roman Emperor Claudius, the third century ruler who prohibited marriage of young couples. ...

President Donald Trump recognized conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh with the Presidential Medal of Freedom last Tuesday at the State of the Union address. According to our research, Limbaugh is the first Southeast Missourian to receive the medal, which is described as the highest civilian award of the United States...

A Cape Girardeau church is embarking on a bold and noble endeavor for Christian education. Lynwood Baptist Church recently voted to launch a pre-K through eighth grade beginning June 1. Called Lynwood Christian Academy, the school will absorb Cape Christian Community School, which has a 45-year history but faced an uncertain future in recent years without a long-term facility...

There's nothing like a good contest to spur action. Just look at the students from Clippard Elementary in Cape Girardeau. The school is participating in the Imagine Learning Literacy Bowl, a play on the National Football League's Super Bowl. Using a web-based software, students can log in from school or home and complete educational lessons delivered much like a video game. Points are earned for reading and lesson completion, but the real win is in the learning that takes place...

Nestled in the heart of downtown Cape Girardeau is the Discovery Playhouse Children's Museum. This year, the museum celebrates 10 years in operation at 502 Broadway. The space is for children to have fun, but it's also designed for learning and parent-child interaction. There's a "grocery store," "bank window" and "nursery," reported Southeast Missourian photojournalist Tyler Graef. On the second floor there's a LEGO room, airplane mounted to the ceiling and arts and crafts...

We take some things for granted. Reading, for example. Anyone reading this has obviously learned to read, but there are adults who haven’t. Statistics from the National Literacy Directory say about 36 million people in the U.S. can’t read a job application or basic instructions...

After a 50-year drought, the Kansas City Chiefs return to the Super Bowl on Sunday afternoon to play the San Francisco 49ers. Kansas City lost to Green Bay in what is now considered the first Super Bowl in 1966. In 1969, the Chiefs beat the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 in Super Bowl IV. They haven't returned to the big game ever since. This is the seventh Super Bowl for the 49ers, with their most recent appearance in 2012 being their only loss...

Journalist and author Joan Lunden gave a tremendous speech earlier this month at the Southeast--HEALTH Foundation Journey Gala, the fourth annual event that raises money for patients receiving treatment at the SoutheastHEALTH Cancer Center. Lunden's father was an oncologist, but she never imagined that one day she would be a cancer patient...

Two unrelated crime stories recently reported in the Southeast Missourian are a reminder of just how blessed we are to have good law enforcement officials in our community. On Jan. 20, Cape Girardeau police officers took into custody a 23-year-old man involved in a carjacking that occurred in Mississippi and Scott counties on Jan. ...

Three area deaths this month appeared to be related to recreational narcotics usage and prompted local law enforcement agencies to issue a warning. A man from Perryville and a woman from Jackson -- both in their 20s, according to a Jackson Police Department report -- died from an overdose. Meanwhile, a Sikeston woman died from an overdose in Mississippi County and another individual with her was recovering from an overdose, according to a recent story in the Sikeston Standard Democrat...

Cape Girardeau and Jackson Public Schools foundations and Notre Dame Regional High School will host fundraising events in the coming weeks, giving attendees a fun night out while raising money to support local schools. Jackson's Red & Black Affair is set Feb. ...

Several celebratory events honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be held Monday, the 25th anniversary of the federal holiday designated as a day of service, with other events to follow in the days ahead. A breakfast is scheduled for 8 a.m. Monday at the Shawnee Park Center with keynote speaker Lamonte Calvin, pastor of New Direction Outreach Ministries. ...

Numbers from the National Center for Health Statistics note the U.S. fertility rate is 59.1 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44. It's a record low for the country, according to the organization's November report. Couple's dealing with infertility issues know the struggle of trying to conceive only to have their hopes dashed...

A Scott City church that has been through the devastation of seeing its facility burn beyond repair has some good news to share. Pastor Bob Lenz of Restoration Community Church, previously known as Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, told the Southeast Missourian recently plans are in place to build a new facility on a vacant field between Park Estates subdivision and Thebes Bridge near Illmo...

Poverty is not simply a monetary issue. It's about a lack of resources, tools and proactive intervention. That was the message shared to the Southeast Missourian recently by Laura Findlay, director of Safe Families for Children's Southeast Missouri chapter. The organization is a faith-based entity that works with local churches to help those in need...

After years of providing gardening tips to Southeast Missourian readers, Paul Schnare, also known as Dr. Grow, has decided to end his regular newspaper column. While his column dates back to the mid-1990s, Schnare wrote that his connection with the newspaper goes back 60 years...

If you want to support a cause and have a good time doing so, there are plenty of opportunities locally. And on New Year's Eve, more than 400 people turned out for the 10th annual St. Jude New Year's Eve Benefit held at Drury Plaza Hotel Cape Girardeau Conference Center...

More than 18,000 fans packed the Show Me Center over four days for the 75th annual Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament. The championship featured Charleston and Notre Dame Regional High School, with the Bluejays (9-1) defeating the Bulldogs (9-3) by a score of 64-41. ...

Tonight we celebrate the beginning of a new year. And the song that many will sing as the clock strikes midnight is "Auld Lang Syne." Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?...

The Cape Girardeau revitalization organization known as PORCH (People Organized to Revitalize Community Healing) recently announced the hiring of its first executive director. Julian Watkins, 33, has a law degree and practiced corporate and criminal law before making a career switch to the not-for-profit sector. Most recently, the Cairo, Illinois, native served as a motivational speaker and life coach...