Editorials

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...

Without looking at the calendar, you'd think spring had come early. Temperatures in the 60s on Christmas Day are certainly not the norm. But as the old saying goes: If you don't like the weather in Southeast Missouri, just wait a day and it will change...

Christmas is a time of traditions, and for many, sporting events come along with candlelight services and gifts under the tree. High school basketball players often find themselves in a tournament over the Christmas break, and for 75 years, boys teams from this area have gathered at the Show Me Center for the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament...

Merry Christmas, everyone. As is tradition, the Southeast Missourian publishes the biblical Christmas story in its Christmas Eve edition. It is a simple story, but the birth in a stable some 2,000 years ago changed the world. We share the story from the Gospel according to St. Luke, Chapter 2):...

Thirteen years ago, Scott Kruse received devastating news: Medical personnel were "99% sure" his daughter, 3-year-old Andie, had Leukemia. The family canceled its Christmas plans and instead went to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. A few days later, they got a Christmas miracle -- no cancer -- and a much more common one -- call it the St. Jude miracle -- no bill for services provided by the hospital...

Not always does a milestone come with a tangible reward, but that's exactly what is happening for Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. When this year's 10,000th passenger boarded a jet in November, the airport became eligible for an additional $850,000 in federal funding and will be eligible for that additional funding each year boardings stay above the 10,000 threshold...

Athletics can be a vehicle through which young people learn valuable lessons about teamwork, sacrifice and overcoming adversity, and for the thousands of high school athletes who compete in sports ranging from track and field to football and golf, a championship is a potential prize at the end of the season's journey...

You might be in for an unexpected Christmas surprise soon as representatives from the Missouri State Treasurer’s Office make stops in Cape Girardeau today and Tuesday to help citizens determine whether they have unclaimed property. According to a story by Southeast Missourian reporter Marybeth Niederkorn, about $12 million in unclaimed property exists in Cape Girardeau County and the surrounding area. ...

Southeast Missouri State University will graduate 702 students in two commencement ceremonies to be held at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday at the Show Me Center. The graduates include 581 undergraduates along with 113 and eight master's and specialist degree candidates, respectively...

Dennis Vinson, president and chief executive officer of Signature Packaging & Paper, died Dec. 1. He was 63. He leaves behind a legacy not only as a successful businessman but as a visionary leader whose focus on others served as an example for all...

Clad in hairnets and plastic gloves, volunteers of all ages came out over the weekend to pack meals for destitute children in foreign lands. It was the annual Feed My Starving Children meal-packing event sponsored by LaCroix Church, which includes not only members of the church but from other churches and organizations, too...

This community has no shortage of opportunities to do good while also having a good time. Last month, the American Cancer Society held its annual gala, which raised more than $90,000 to assist patients and fund research. Held at Rusted Route Farms, 275 folks donned their best formal attire for a night of philanthropy and fun. ...

The lights shine brightly in Southeast Missouri -- Christmas lights, that is. Following last weekend's parade in downtown Cape Girardeau, a 30-foot tree lighting on Broadway, and flip-the-switch events at the county park and Jackson, there's more Christmas cheer on the way...

The Southeast Missouri State University football, volleyball and soccer teams had seasons for the books with each program winning the Ohio Valley Conference title. The football team, led by sixth-year head coach Tom Matukewicz, lost a first-round playoff game to Illinois State at Houck Stadium. ...

If you love Christmas lights and other festive events, you’ll want to visit the Cape Girardeau County History Center before Christmas. The center, at 102 S. High St. in Jackson, is hosting a holiday-themed exhibit from the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky. ...

Though you likely have plenty of Thanksgiving leftovers, the Christmas season is upon us and there will be several festivities that kick off this weekend. n The Jackson City Park "flip the switch" party will take place at 4:30 this afternoon with a ceremony to begin at 5 p.m. The Jackson Ministerial Alliance Food Pantry and Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary will be collecting non-perishable food for humans and pets...

Who’s ready for some turkey and mashed potatoes? As many this week prepare Thanksgiving feasts or travel to see family and friends, it’s a good time to remember why we celebrate the fourth Thursday of November. What is commonly considered the first Thanksgiving took place in 1621 following Pilgrims’ successful corn harvest. ...

Southeast Missouri State University's football team is one win away from securing at least a share of the Ohio Valley Conference championship title and the Redhawks second consecutive appearance in the Football Championship Series playoffs. The No. 13-ranked Redhawks play conference rival Murray State on Saturday at Houck Stadium. ...

In 2020, voters in Cape Girardeau will be asked to continue the Transportation Trust Fund sales tax for another five years. Council members had briefly discussed extending the tax to seven years in an effort to include more projects under one vote, but the decision was made at Monday night's meeting to continue the five-year increment -- which has been supported by voters since 1995...