Editorials

There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer and make a difference. We regularly write about many in this space, commending worthy organizations doing important work. One we note from time to time and is especially touching can certainly use your help right now...

A popular bluegrass festival returns to Fruitland this week, and this year's event will be extra meaningful to organizers. Tammy and Bull Harman have been regular promoters and organizers of the Bootheel Bluegrass Festival, which will celebrate its 15th annual gathering beginning Thursday and continuing through Saturday. But in December, Tammy's parents, in their 80s, lost their Reynolds County home to an EF2 tornado. Thankfully, the couple survived...

Now with a new name to go with its new shelter, Southeast Missouri Pets, formerly known as Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, is poised to do even more good for our region in caring for stray animals and connecting these furry friends with their forever homes...

On Monday, we will pause to honor the life and legacy of minister and civil rights advocate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There will be events around the country, including locally, celebrating King's leadership and influence that played a key role in helping African Americans receive equal rights...

Gov. Mike Parson recently announced a lawmaker from Cape Girardeau would be joining his administration. Wayne Wallingford, who had been serving as state representative for the 147th district, will take his experience from the Legislature, business and the military to serve as the state's next director of the Department of Revenue...

Two upcoming galas in Cape Girardeau will combine good causes with style. SoutheastHEALTH will host its fifth annual Journey Gala to benefit patients — and their families — receiving treatment at Southeast Cancer Center. This year's event has an African Safari theme and will be held at Drury Plaza Hotel and Conference Center. Along with live entertainment, dancing, great food and live and silent auctions, the gala will feature speed painter D. Westry and comedian Buzz Sutherland...

The Charleston High School boys basketball team ended the 77th annual Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament in a familiar position, teammates coming together at center court to raise a championship trophy. The Blue Jays defeated a competitive Jackson team 51-46 at the Show Me Center. It was the 20th time for powerhouse Charleston to win the tournament...

Many students preparing to take college entrance tests such as the SAT enroll in courses to help them prepare, the thinking being the additional tutoring will raise their score and help them achieve their goals. A similar program right here in Cape Girardeau is helping college-hopeful athletes prepare for the next step of their journey...

One of the consistent components to success in life is education. More specifically, graduating from high school. It's something Cape Girardeau Central High School has been working on for several years. Recently, district officials announced 91.48% of Central's seniors graduated in 2021. It topped the state average of 89.62%...

Editor's note: The following is our traditional New Year's Eve editorial. Few of us may actually know the meaning of the words that are often the first notes heard by many at the stroke of midnight, whether in Times Square in New York or in your own New Year's celebration. According to www.scotland.org, here is how the first verse and chorus translate into modern English:...

Newspaper people are creatures of habit, and so it is that about this time every year, they start looking back to recall the most important and/or interesting stories. In Monday’s e-edition and Tuesday’s print edition, we highlighted 10 business “stories” from 2021. Some of the stories involved single events — Macy’s closing or Plaza Tire merging — while others involved trends and ongoing issues. Among the things we highlighted: n Supply chain issues plagued many businesses by preventing them from acquiring necessary materials. These bottlenecks delayed some projects — Cape Girardeau City Hall — and put others in the position of having to pay more for goods — The Ground-A-Bout. n Labor shortages appeared across the commercial and industrial spectrum. This nationwide phenomenon reared its head in Southeast Missouri as many business owners and managers reported less-than-full staffs, resulting in changes to operations and, in some cases, closures. Schnucks reduced its daily hours of operation. Mario and Angela’s Italian Cucina shut down entirely. n While there were some big comings announced, some big goings came with them. Rural King is moving closer to opening its Cape Girardeau location. Camping World announced a coming Scott County facility. Macy’s, though, closed its doors. Of course, none of these year-end lists is ever complete, and ours could have included another trend or two from a business standpoint. Health care expansions continued unabated, including the Veterans Affairs facility coming along and SoutheastHEALTH announcing a multiphase expansion at its west campus. Saint Francis Healthcare added its own expansion in Jackson. The Center Junction interchange project wrapped up, and it has been roundly praised. (Read more in this weekend’s top overall stories recap.) As the calendar turns from 2021 to 2022, what’s on the economic horizon? We wish for three things. Unemployment has continued to drop throughout the region, and we hope that trend continues. Full employment not only fuels the region’s economic engine, but it lifts all fiscal boats. Supply chain issues are holding down economic growth. We encourage elected, appointed and private officials to take steps to alleviate these hurdles. Infrastructure is the foundation upon which our economy moves. From port and rail facilities to bridge projects and broadband internet, we must continue to upgrade our capabilities if we are to continue an upward trajectory. There are exciting things going on in our region — a loop rail project at the Cape Girardeau port, expanded broadband service throughout the region and bridge/highways projects such as Center Junction. Keep the momentum going. Here is to a prosperous 2022!

As is tradition, the Southeast Missourian publishes the biblical Christmas story. It is a simple story, but the birth in a stable some 2,000 years ago changed the world. We share scripture from the Gospel according to St. Luke, Chapter 2 And it came to pass those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one unto his own city...

Education can be a silver bullet, lifting people out of poverty and improving their quality of life. Leaders at Blanchard Elementary School in Cape Girardeau have taken aim at one particular aspect of educating young people, and the results show their efforts are hitting their target...

The images coming out of Mayfield, Kentucky, and four other Midwest states affected by last weekend's storms are heartbreaking. Homes and businesses completely destroyed. More gut-wrenching, the loss of life. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced Friday the number of fatalities had reached 77 people in his state. It's now the deadliest storm in Kentucky history...

It's a big weekend for 626 Southeast Missouri State students and their families as the university is set to hold two commencement ceremonies Saturday at the Show Me Center. Graduates of Arts and Media, Business and Computing, Humanities and Social Sciences will be recognized during the 10 a.m. commencement, while graduates of Education, Health and Human Studies and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math will walk in the 2 p.m. ceremony...

Crews began demolition of the south grandstand at 91-year-old Houck Stadium last week. It was a seminal moment for the university and its athletic program, culminating years of history for generations of Redhawks and Indians fans. But efforts are underway to have the first phase of a south grandstand with new seating bowl, restrooms and concession areas by the fall...

Ten years ago, a fire caused extensive damaged to Blanchard Elementary School in Cape Girardeau, leading to $500,000 in damages and displacing students from their school. Last week, students and staff at the school remembered the disaster by thanking Cape Girardeau firefighters with gifts of food...

Three area high school teams recently made deep runs in the state playoffs. Jackson's football team, coming off a state championship in 2020 and two consecutive appearances in the title game, lost to Webb City 35-21 in this year's semifinal. The Indians struggled to get going in the first half but made an impressive comeback after halftime...

Occasionally we will hear about an individual who gifts a sizable donation to a charity upon their death. And these are noble efforts of generosity worth commending. Recently, however, we published a story from our sister newspaper in Sikeston about an area woman who donated $2.355 million collectively to more than 20 charities following her death in late 2020...

Eighty years ago Tuesday, the United States was attacked at Pearl Harbor by the Japanese naval and air forces. The attack led to 2,403 service member and civilian casualties, along with an additional 1,178 injured. The attack ultimately led the United States into World War II...

The Christmas season has begun, but there are many local children and seniors this holiday season who could use your help. The Cape Jaycees have kicked off the Toybox and Christmas for the Elderly programs, two important efforts the Southeast Missourian has partnered in for many years...

The downtown Cape Girardeau floodwall has for years served a very practical purpose in protecting the city from the rising waters of the mighty Mississippi River. We've written about its importance in this space before from a practical perspective. But the wall has also served an aesthetic and historical purpose, with another chapter written — or, shall we say painted — recently by respected artist Craig Thomas and team...

The City of Cape Girardeau finds itself in a unique position — facing a problem but having two complementary tools with which to attack it. In their campaign to convince voters to approve a use tax — applying the local sales tax rate to purchases made online — municipal officials pointed to city employee salaries as a growing problem. ...

Southeast Missouri State University's Historic Preservation Association recently marked its 40th anniversary. A weekend of events gathered former and current students and culminated in an awards ceremony. Among those honored was Denise Morrison, who accepted the Dr. Mattingly Award, the program's highest honor...

This week most of us will gather with family and friends to enjoy more than enough food and give thanks to Almighty God for the many blessings in our lives. Faith has much to do with the significance behind the holiday. In the early 1600s, the Pilgrims fled England to live freely -- namely the freedom to worship God according to their own conscientious. ...