This is the time of year we focus our attention on high school graduates, as across the nation, students have either just walked across the stage or are about to. Words of wisdom, gifts, and prayers -- appreciated and much needed -- extend from us to them, but maybe we should widen our lenses and bestow the same on another group just as needy during this time...

When it comes to the global-warming debate, mischaracterizations abound. For example, the term “denier” is often used — suggesting someone doesn’t believe the Earth has warmed over the past century. In fact, the scientific community is split over the primary driver of contemporary warming — whether it’s rising carbon dioxide (CO2) or increased solar output. ...

I'm in my 70s and most people of my generation were taught to be very courteous on the telephone, especially to callers. Therefore, it was very hard to learn to hang up on liars, scammers, telemarketers, identity thieves, etc. But we have to. Most of the calls we get now on our land lines come from scoundrels of some sort. ...

I am writing with regard to medical marijuana dispensaries in the City of Cape Girardeau. With the experience I have living just off Broadway in the city, I would welcome the dispensary to be within 200 feet of my home verses a restaurant. Does having dispensaries close to churches and schools really matter? Would you not allow a CVS or Walgreens in those areas? Medical marijuana dispensaries are exactly the same thing except they are selling THC in another form. ...

My wife and I were some the lucky recipients of the Southeast Missourian Newspaper Catfish Baseball Ticket contest. We were given tickets for the Tuesday night game which the Catfish won! We wanted to thank the Southeast Missourian for wonderful seats, great food and beverage and an all around enjoyable evening! We were greeted by Mr. ...

The hockey fans of Missouri are celebrating the Blues, not singing them. Thousands upon thousands of fans filled the streets of St. Louis on Saturday as Blues players, coaches and fans lifted the Stanley Cup in celebration. The championship, won with a 4-1 victory in Game 7 over the Boston Bruins, was the first in the franchise’s 52-year history, a history that has brought many heartbreaks to loyal fans...

You might know Bloomfield, Missouri as the small town with a Purina factory. Or for its Christmas high school basketball tournament. One of Missouri's cemeteries for veterans is located in Bloomfield. But did you know that this rural Missouri town of less than 2,000 people is home to the Stars and Stripes Museum and Library?...

Editor's note: The following is our annual Father's Day editorial. The best fathers are the best teachers. They teach us how to throw a fastball, set a hook, tie our shoes, ride a bike. They teach us right from wrong, good from bad. They teach us humor and humility, discipline and decency...

The River Campus will host its arts festival this weekend, headlined by this year's production of "Newsies." The student production will be the largest one of the summer. It's a good time to enjoy the talent of a collaboration of high school and students as well as professional actors. ...

Congratulations to the Notre Dame girls soccer team. The Bulldogs were the last team standing. Notre Dame's girls won their second state title in three years with a 4-0 win over Visitation Academy in the title game. The team was led by eight seniors, and several players who lost in last year's state title game. The group capped off a brilliant high school athletic career...

The Democratic Party and its leadership think it is a crime for a person to be successful in this country. They want to see more people on welfare and food stamps so they will be beholden to the government. This is not the American way. This is pure socialism...

The setting was a Harvard Business School classroom. The question came from a boy who looked to be around 12 years old, "How much time do I have to use a smart phone to be called an addict?" It was a question, it seemed, sparked because of his parents, who considered his use to be over the line, and there was a note of defiance in the tone...

If Congress votes to give themselves a pay raise, we should vote each and every one of them out of office. Why do you deserve a raise for doing nothing? Why do you deserve a raise for wasting millions of tax payers money? Why do you deserve a raise for not protecting our borders? The answer is "You do not deserve a raise!"...

Communication has gone downhill big time. I used to think it was mainly the younger folks who no longer understood the basics, but I've learned that poor communication has become an equal opportunity oppressor. So I dedicate today to some principles that every one of us should apply...

As summer approaches many families will be visiting one of America's great national parks. The writer and historian Wallace Stegner famously penned, "National parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst."...

Our area communities provide many opportunities to hear live, outdoor music concerts. Whether its Tunes at Twilight, every Friday night at Ivers Square, or municipal bands, there are plenty of opportunities to take time to slow things down and take in some music...

Any time you give to a charity, you’d like to know the organization is well run and your donations are being put to good use. The local Southeast Missouri Food Bank seems to fit that bill. The food bank was named one of the “40 best food banks in America” in an article recently published by www.msn.com...

Its amazing that Cape Girardeau city hall can spend millions of dollars on a swimming pool and ballpark but doesn’t have the money to repair the city streets. Seems like a problem with management. ...

Last weekend President Donald Trump made an unannounced visit to Mclean Bible Church, a nondenominational megachurch in Northern Virginian. The Sunday service followed the Virginia Beach mass shooting and was also previously designated -- unrelatedly -- as a day of prayer for the president and other government leaders...

The citizens of Cape should send their bills for realignment and balancing of tires to the city of Cape, due to the deplorable conditions that our streets are in. Going North on Mt. Auburn near El Acapulco is a large hole that has been there for months. This could easily cause a wreck...

Local treasured landmark Fort D is closer to being added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is good news for those who value culture and history. The Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation has approved the application, meaning the increased likelihood of national registry status...

People dying on Mt. Everest making the news. People die every day, they know the risk, yet still do it. Why? What about the rescuers they put in peril because of their ignorance? Sorry, but cannot get too worked up about these deaths. Surprise, surprise! The Cape Girardeau SportsPlex is not breaking even. ...

Please help us save Shady Grove Cemetery in Cape Girardeau County. It was established around 1850 and it's said to hold more than 200 graves. Several headstones and crosses have recently been removed from our ancestors' gravesites and stacked along side near the front of the cemetery. Shady Grove is the resting place of at least two of our direct descendants who fought for our nation during the civil war. Please help prevent the destruction of this vital piece of Missouri's history...

Today is the 75th anniversary of D-Day in World War II, a day in 1944 that began to turn the tide for freedom against persecution by the hands of Adolph Hitler and the Nazis that were threatening world domination. On this day 75 years ago, 160,000 Allied troops poured onto a French coastline to fight the Nazis on the beaches of Normandy. ...

Ruby Tuesday's and O'Charley's restaurants had become dining staples in Cape Girardeau, before their closings were announced last week. The chain restaurants were closed after lease terms and agreements expired and were not renewed with Drury Southwest...

Almost 20 years ago, shortly after welcoming my sister Mia into the world, my family and I learned that she had a genetic disorder known as Neurofibromatosis (NF for short). Our family was pitted against a disorder with relatively few treatments and no cure, and Mia was facing a lifelong battle against her own body. ...

Excellent column by Lucas Presson on the Perryville veteran's memorial! On Memorial Day I went to see the memorial and found it a very moving experience. There were several veterans telling family members war stories, and I got the impression it may have been the first time they had talked about it...

Fathers get the short end of the stick every year. Father's Day hardly gets the hype Mother's Day does. So I decided to do my part early to help dads get some much-deserved recognition. On Mother's Day, moms get showered with flowers, candy, dinner, and gifts people have spent weeks, at least, contemplating. ...

Is President Donald Trump really a friend of farmers? Farmers have been hoping that India could be a market replacement for China. But now the President is taking on India, too. Farmers prefer markets to federal payouts. The Democrats lost an election they rigged. The Democrats lost an investigation they rigged. Can anyone tell me what the Democrats in office are doing besides hating Trump, promoting communism and staging fake hate crimes?...

Friday, June 7 marks the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Griswold v. Connecticut, granting the right of privacy to married couples to use contraception. For over 50 years, birth control's impact has been felt in nearly every sociological sector, from the economy to education...

Over the course of two weeks to end May, more than 280 tornadoes were confirmed in the United States. The tornadoes ranged from Ohio to Oklahoma, Kansas and even Maryland. While none of the tornadoes were EF5 tornadoes that can kill scores or even hundreds of people, several were killed across the country, and the damage was widespread. The U.S. saw 13 straight days with at least one reported tornado. Last week, a small, EF1 tornado was reported in Miner, Missouri, in Scott County...

A new statue is in place at Ivers Square, and now the scenery of the park seems to better match the name. On Saturday, there will be an official unveiling and dedication ceremony from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Common Pleas Courthouse park, now known as Ivers Square...

"If you build it, they will come." That, of course, is a line from the classic baseball movie "Field of Dreams," featuring Kevin Costner as a farmer who dedicates his corn field to build a baseball stadium that attracts ballplayers of days gone by. You could, however, use that famous line to describe the Missouri National Veterans Memorial in Perryville, Missouri. Except in this case, it's not a game and the people are real...

Capaha Park and Arena Park need more lighting that stays on all the time. The headline reads: "Cape city expenses exceeding revenue; staff to propose changes, cuts." And yet the city will still commit millions to building a swimming pool. Hey, voters! Here's your sign...

If Missouri raises its gas tax it will result in a net loss of revenue, not gain! As pointed out countless times here before Missouri borders seven other states, all of which have higher taxes on gas, cigarettes, etc. If we raise our taxes as high as these states people will stop crossing the state lines to shop here resulting in less tax revenue for projects. Not more!...