Editorials

On Aug. 10, 2021, Missouri will turn 200 years old. Recently, the Postal Service unveiled several new stamp designs for 2021, and among them is a stamp marking Missouri becoming the nation’s 24th state. The stamp’s art is a photograph of the Bollinger Mill State Historic Site at Burfordville in Cape Girardeau County, capturing the four-story mill along the Whitewater River with the Burfordville Covered Bridge nearby...

The unofficial start to Christmas shopping begins this weekend. In recent years the Black Friday kickoff has consistently started earlier and earlier. Some would camp out overnight to be the first ones in a shopping center. Then instead of opening in the wee hours of the morning, stores started opening on Thanksgiving...

Thanksgiving — a time to give thanks, and a time to reflect on what we are grateful for over the past year. Thanksgiving is also typically the start of the celebratory holiday season. For many, 2020 has been a year of shutdowns, of mask-wearing, of isolation and quarantine, of COVID. But there’s always something to be thankful for. ...

A Cape Girardeau school counselor has advanced as one of five national finalists for School Counselor of the Year, named by the American School Counselor Association. Olivia Carter works at Jefferson Elementary School in Cape Girardeau. In October, she was recognized as the Missouri State Counselor of the Year, and in 2019 she was the Southeast Missouri School Counselor Association's Elementary Counselor of the Year...

Several area law enforcement officials were recognized last month at the Cape Girardeau Evening Optimist Club's Respect for Law banquet. This year's honorees included: Special Agent Beth Dallas, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Lt. Jason Ladner and Lt. ...

The Newman Center, home of Catholic Campus Ministry at Southeast Missouri State University, exceeded fundraising goals with the help of more than 400 community supporters to construct a new facility after outgrowing the previous building. Construction is ahead of schedule with a goal of having the roof on the structure before Christmas to allow interior construction to continue through the winter, according to Deacon Tom Schumer...

Southeast Missouri State University will host the first of several upcoming commencement ceremonies this weekend to recognize the university's new graduates. The spring and summer 2020 commencement was postponed earlier this year due to COVID-19. And with the university's in-person portion of the semester coming to a close at the Thanksgiving break, Southeast is using Saturday to recognize spring and summer graduates and Nov. ...

Americans honored the men and women in uniform, both past and present, on Wednesday as the nation celebrated Veterans Day. The holiday was originally called Armistice Day, marking the end of World War I on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. But the day obviously goes beyond the first World War, encompassing veterans who served in all military conflicts and during times of peace...

Four Southeast Missouri State University alumni and a faculty member received Merit Awards presented by the Southeast Alumni Association on Oct. 29 at the virtual Copper Dome Celebration event...

Like so many other events this year postponed or altered because of the pandemic, the Zonta Women of Achievement event switched from an in-person luncheon to a virtual recognition of strong women. Each one is making a difference in her community. This year the organization is recognizing 18 women. They are featured in a Southeast Missourian special section, online at semissourian.com and through individual videos published on the organization's Facebook page throughout the month of November...

Today's issue contains a special section honoring our nation's military veterans, in advance of next week's Veterans Day. The section highlights a number of veterans who continued their service to our nation beyond their roles in the military. This is not unusual, even though their personal investments in their communities is extraordinary. To see pictures of veterans who served in war and peacetime at home and abroad is to glimpse fidelity to freedom and justice...

Young people face many challenges in today's society. COVID-19, the resulting lockdowns and current social restrictions have brought on even more issues. Considering this, it's good to see events like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Fields of Faith continue...

Even if we can’t agree on whom to vote for, surely we can agree to go vote. This year more than ever, we’ve seen a large push by both parties to register voters; even celebrities are touting the importance of registering and exercising the right to vote...

The coronavirus pandemic has made in-person events nearly impossible this year. This has been especially hard on organizations that use gatherings as a way to raise money for important philanthropic causes. Old Town Cape took the proverbial lemons they were dealt, however, and made lemonade...

Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour Saturday night. At 2 a.m. Sunday, daylight saving time ends and we revert back to standard time until the spring. The U.S. has observed daylight saving since March 1918. It has historically been about allowing for more sunlight later into the evening, a way to save on energy costs. Whether that still holds true is up for some debate. But it's certainly nice to have the additional hour of daylight at the end of the day...

A Jackson resident who worked in the Missouri Department of Conversation office in Cape Girardeau for 25 years recently started a new role in the state capital. Christopher Kennedy was named assistant to the director for inclusion and diversity for the Department of Conservation. It's a new position, one that will look at how the conservation department can better reach underserved communities...

Along with casting your vote for president and statewide officials during the general election Nov. 3, you will also come across two statewide ballot measures, Amendment 1 and Amendment 3. Amendment 1, the State Executive Term Limits Amendment, would limit the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor and attorney general to two terms of office in a lifetime. ...

Those in law enforcement have some of the most challenging jobs. But in today's environment where anti-police rhetoric dominates much of the national news coverage, the day-to-day pressures of the job are a challenge not only for the officers but also their families...

Murals covering the outside of the Mississippi flood wall shine brighter than ever. After years of work toward securing a lighting solution, Old Town Cape, led by longtime volunteer and board member Danny Essner, recently flipped the switch on the lights that now illuminate the murals in downtown Cape Girardeau. Additionally, the murals were cleaned to remove some of the grime that has accumulated...

Hopefully you had a chance to read the special survivor-story section of the Southeast Missourian last Tuesday, featuring members of our community bravely telling their stories of endurance and persistence. You can hear these inspirational stories at Survivor Stories, an in-person event taking place Thursday evening at One City in Cape Girardeau...

A traveling Smithsonian exhibit focused on water will open to the public on Monday in Cape Girardeau. Referred to as the Water/Ways Exhibit, it will be on display through Jan. 13 at the Kellerman Foundation's Heritage Hall. The exhibit looks at the essential nature of water to life, the environment, culture and history...

Kathy Mangels, a high-ranking administrator who has made significant contributions to the success of Southeast Missouri State University, will retire at the end of the month. Mangels was named vice president for finance and administration in 2006 and before that served in several positions at SEMO dating back to the late '90s, including university controller, university foundation treasurer, assistant treasurer and budget analyst...

The one-to-one youth mentoring program Big Brothers Big Sisters recently marked its 20th anniversary in Cape Girardeau. The Cape Girardeau chapter has been a resounding success, connecting more than 2,000 youth with mentors and affecting more than 6,000 people through its efforts...

After 29 years working in communications at Southeast Missouri State University, Ann Hayes has retired. Hayes was hired as director of the SEMO News Bureau in March 1991, a position she held for most of her tenure at Southeast. In December 2017, she was promoted to director of university communications and served as a member of the university president's executive team...

You can expect to see the Salvation Army’s red kettles earlier this year. The annual drive is normally a Thanksgiving to Christmas initiative, but Cape Girardeau Salvation Army officer Lt. Matt DeGonia tells the Southeast Missourian because of the great need, particularly related of COVID-19, the drive will begin Nov. 16. This year’s campaign goal is $295,000. The kettle portion of that goal is $100,000...