Special edition highlights progress

A residential building boom across the region.

Major construction projects at both hospitals.

The start of downtown revitalization in Cape Girardeau.

New schools. New restaurants. New investments.

All these made 2002 a banner year for the Southeast Missouri region, and all are described in today's Progress Edition.

There's a section about locally owned business, including a gear factory that started from nothing, an appliance store that focuses on service and a small car-parts shop that grew to a 27-store company.

There's a section on local communities. Jackson looks forward to millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements while Cape Girardeau awaits completion of a new bridge across the Mississippi River. Oak Ridge opened an Interstate 55 interchange in 2002, Oran saw railroad crossing improvements, Benton's new jail was completed, Marble Hill got a major chain restaurant, Scott City improved its schools ... and the list goes on.

Other stories explain how residents enjoy state-of-the-art Internet, cell phone and medical technology.

And finally, there is a section on the Southeast Missourian's new press. The newspaper made a $3 million investment for the machinery and a building to house it to bring its readers and advertisers a better quality product.

It's all inside.