It’s 2009 again, or feels like it. That was when spontaneous, grassroots protests against overweening government sprang up and were widely derided in the media as dangerous and wrongheaded. The protesters then were inveighing against Obamacare; the protesters now are striking out against the coronavirus lockdowns...

"We are continuing to see community spread, and with an increase in testing and reopening, there will be an increase in case numbers," said Maria Davis, health educator with the Cape Girardeau Public Health Center.

Don't listen to White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany's predictable critics. The level of vitriol the leftist media hurls at her daily -- during and apart from the press briefings -- conclusively proves she is doing a superb job. Liberal journalists whip their long knives in her direction and seem shocked she doesn't grovel. ...

The current U.S. budget deficit could soon exceed a record $4 trillion. The massive borrowing is being driven both by prior budget profligacy and a hurried effort by the Donald Trump administration to pump liquidity into a quarantined America. The shutdown has left the country on the cusp of a self-inflicted economic collapse not seen since the Great Depression...

Every now and then as a diversion from hard news about the coronavirus, I like to write about family. Something funny. Or at least an attempt at humor. In this case, COVID-19 has changed how I approach an important part of worship. How about you? Can you relate?

Do you remember when Pope John Paul II went back to his native Poland, about eight months into his pontificate? The Communist officials couldn't not let him in -- he was too beloved. As Pulitzer Prize winner Peggy Noonan, author of "John Paul the Great," has written, from the moment he eventually arrived behind the Iron Curtain, "the boundaries of the world began to shift."...

Last night the officers and several members, of both VFW Post 3838 and its Auxiliary met to discuss the reopening of its Canteen (bar and restaurant). After the Governor of Missouri decided to continue the States reopening plan to remain in phase one, the Post determined that it could not meet the social distancing guidance and be profitable to help our fellow veterans. ...

I was involved with the formation of the original Transportation Trust Fund initiative back in 1995. Now, 25 years later, the City of Cape Girardeau has committed over $125 million toward upgrading the city’s transportation system. These dollars have been designated for new street routes, reconstruction of existing artilleries and collector streets, repair of existing streets (both concrete and asphalt), sidewalks and improved street lighting. ...

I am Nathan Thomas, the current Ward 3 City Council representative. I was appointed to this position to fill the Ward 3 vacancy in fall 2019. I am honored and privileged to serve Cape Girardeau and my Ward, and I humbly ask for your vote on June 2 so I may continue serving...

A huge Libertarian experiment will play out this fall in Cape Girardeau. (Libertarian -- a political system emphasizing limited government.) The experiment: What happens to a community after 20 years of budget cuts to its hometown university? No one knows exactly how the latest round of state budget cuts will impact Southeast Missouri State University. ...

So, I’m neither against or for the wearing of face masks. But I am confused. Maybe I’m being naive here but if EVERYONE wore one (and properly wore it) then wouldn’t logic indicate that we would stop the spread of the virus? Which is the ultimate goal. ...

Jackson high school is allowing full blown football workouts, baseball practice, soccer practice, and basketball practice, but is requiring all graduating seniors to walk 6 feet apart and only allowing 4 guests per graduate. Does this make sense? Over 100,000 now dead. ...

My memories of presidents began with Eisenhower. I have seen good presidents (Kennedy), ineffectual presidents (Carter), criminal presidents (Nixon) and flawed presidents (Clinton), but I have never experienced a president who lacks the empathy, intelligence, emotional stability, statesmanship and moral fiber as Donald Trump. ...

Following in the footsteps of a legendary figure can be a difficult chore. The next principal of Notre Dame Regional High School, assuming the position held for two decades by Brother David Migliorino, would undoubtedly have big shoes to fill. Enter Tim Garner...

Joe Biden says if you are a black person and vote for Trump, you are not really black. Yes you are still black, just smarter than someone who votes for the party of Byrd, Wallace and the KKK. I think this remark by Biden is racist. Now that Trump is scared to death about losing the November election he has started another of his big lies: the election is rigged! If he keeps repeating this lie enough times people will start to have doubts about the election. ...

On Tuesday, Cape Girardeau County voters will have a chance to decide whether to enact a half-cent sales tax to fund a variety of county government functions, focusing primarily on law enforcement activities and infrastructure. Sheriff Ruth Ann Dickerson has explained the proposal would allow the county to hire patrol deputies, jailers, transport personnel and school resource officers, while also supporting jail facilities, boosting pay for staff and improving communications infrastructure, among other projects.. ...

Highway 61 and Deerwood in Jackson doesn't need a roundabout for the handful of people who play baseball at Whitney Herzog Field or the few dozen who use the community center. Stop wasting tax dollars. In the midst of a pandemic, our city council has voted to fund two swimming pools in our city. What were they thinking? This is a wrong-headed and irresponsible decision!...

While serving as a sentry with French forces in the Argonne Forest in 1918, a black American private fought off German attackers. Unfazed by his wounds, he hurled grenades until they ran out, shot his rifle until it jammed, used his rifle as a club until it broke, and finally used a bolo knife until reinforcements arrived...

Most local Memorial Day services were canceled this year due to the coronavirus. That didn’t stop Jackson resident Steve Sebaugh from paying his respects to America’s fallen heroes. I drove through the Avenue of Flags at Cape County Park on Monday where 727 flags waved in the air. After stopping at Veterans Memorial Plaza where a granite wall honors Cape Girardeau County’s military veterans, I noticed Sebaugh walking up with his trumpet. ...

Lockdowns are ending as states are loosening restrictions resulting from the Chinese coronavirus. Missouri opened things up a couple of weeks ago. Some are uncomfortable or even downright fearful but are doing their best to resume activities. Then there are those who are not. It is to that latter group I speak...

It’s not March anymore. The coronavirus has taken a heartbreaking toll on Americans, but the course of the virus is not the same as it was a few months ago. We are on the other side of the curve. There are encouraging signs all over the country, and no early indications of a reopening debacle...

Three short months ago, I received an encouraging text from my friend Ravi Zacharias. Now, as if in a blink of an eye, he has passed away. Along with countless thousands, I grieve. When he wrote, he was reeling from excruciating back pain but wholly unaware of the cancer diagnosis that would soon follow. Despite his suffering and his onerous schedule, he shared that he was praying for my brother, Rush, who had just been diagnosed with cancer...

I've been mostly impressed with Missouri Gov. Mike Parson's leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. It's certainly been a big improvement over some blue state governors, like Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, whose actions make little sense in some cases and are a significant government overreach in others...

The year 2020 has been declared as the Year of the Nurse. National Nurses Week was celebrated May 6-12 and coincides with the bicentennial of Florence Nightingale's birth on May 12, 1820. Florence Nightingale once said: "I think one's feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions...actions which bring results." Words were important to her evidenced by the more than 200 books, pamphlets and over 14,000 letters she wrote! "Notes on Nursing" published in 1860 is still one of the most popular compilations of her work done.. ...

Our language is dynamic and word meanings can change, often due to misuse. Take the word awesome. It did mean extremely impressive, but misuse has caused it to mean slightly better than average, as in she's awesome, or these cookies are awesome. But beware! If preceded by so, the meaning is diluted even more. So is like water. It dilutes everything it gets close to. She's so awesome means she's not too hot, but let's pretend she is...

Memorial Day weekend is considered the unofficial kickoff to summer, but, more importantly, the holiday is an opportunity to remember those in the armed services who paid the ultimate sacrifice. This year is different in that many of the normal celebrations have been canceled due to COVID-19. However, the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery Directors will honor the fallen on Monday and lower flags to half-staff. And we can all do our part in honoring their legacy...

Wearing a mask is too easy. It's responsible. It's caring for your at-risk family members and neighbors. And, even if you don't care about the people you're putting at risk by not wearing a mask, then you should care about shutting down our economy when there's a second outbreak. Churches and church leaders should be setting the example...

Southeast Missouri is home to many rural Missourians and rural medical centers that are often under threat of closure. If there were something Missourians could do to ensure those individuals would have access to care, shouldn't we do it? If there were a way to help keep those hospitals open, shouldn't we look for it?...

Dr. Keith Graham is a living miracle. On Tuesday afternoon, just days after being released from Saint Francis Medical Center, Dr. Graham and his wife, Tammy, spoke with me via video chat from their home. Keith was hospitalized for nearly two months due to complications resulting from COVID-19. A pulmonologist, he said it was ironic to be on the other side of the doctor-patient relationship...

Red- and blue-state America was already divided before the coronavirus epidemic hit. Globalization had enriched the East Coast and West Coast corridors but hollowed out much in between. The traditional values of small towns and rural counties were increasingly at odds with postmodern lifestyles in the cities...

National Police Week May 11--17, honored the service and sacrifice of U.S. law enforcement officers. This sacrifice is almost beyond belief, in that on average, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty somewhere in the United States every 54 hours. Since the first known line-of-duty death in 1786, more than 22,000 U.S. law enforcement officers have made the ultimate sacrifice...

There is no debate about the effectiveness of wearing a simple cloth mask indoors and in public. It is about 80% effective in stopping you from transmitting COVID-19. Period. There's no rational argument otherwise. If you're so tough that you're not worried about contracting the virus, then feel good that the same mask is only about 20% effective in keeping you from getting it. Do the right thing...

ALLENTOWN, Pa. President Donald Trump, speaking to the Washington Examiner ahead of an event at a medical supply facility in this key swing state, took aim at Joe Biden's mental faculties, at one point claiming his Democratic challenger "has absolutely no idea what's happening."...

Stacey Abrams has another distinction to add to her resume -- she's among the most preposterous potential vice-presidential candidates ever. Her attempt to leverage a failed Georgia gubernatorial bid into a spot on the Democratic ticket is so brazenly absurd that it's hard to think of precedents...

On the ballot June 2 for Cape Girardeau voters is the Transportation Trust Fund (TTF6) sales tax extension. The five-year extension is expected to generate $25 million to be used on a mix of new projects, roadway maintenance and other transportation projects...

"Don't believe the hype!" We've all heard that expression. But what about the [non]hype? How many of us believe that? I challenge each of us, instead, to reject it and do the thing we think is too big, too late, too good to be true. Hyping, to keep it simple, is exaggerating. ...

I picked up carryout at a couple restaurants last week, and in both cases the restaurant was either open for inside business or preparing to open. Tables had been separated to provide required social distancing. Wait staff was in masks. It was affirming to see the restaurants implementing public health guidelines, which have been stressed and reinforced by all levels of government from the White House to the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center. ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a crisis around the world. It has drastically affected our country and our state. Comparably, here in our county and in Cape Girardeau we have fared better than most. As we begin to reopen our city and local businesses, please continue to follow the guidelines where possible. Social distancing, wearing masks and sanitizing will be with us for awhile. It is still a matter of common sense and individual responsibility...

Perhaps you listened to the Supreme Court oral arguments in the Catholic school case on C-SPAN? Even with it happening over the phone and us listening in live, it added a whiff of that longed-for "normalcy" to the week and a little nostalgia, too, for the days when we had debates outside of pandemics...

The Flourish Magazine Ladies Night Out was scheduled for this month. With the challenges brought on by the novel coronavirus, this year’s event, which regularly draws hundreds of area women, is moving online for a virtual experience that promises to entertain and inspire...

In a sea of distortions from left and right wing media, the Southeast Missourian, and especially Jon Rust, have stuck to the science of this pandemic and served our communities well. Lives are saved by accurately presenting the facts. And Jon Rust has likely saved lives with his grasp of the seriousness of this crisis. ...