A decision -- at last

For more than two years, a shadow has hung over Jackson's mayor, Paul Sander, and other city officials as an investigation into alleged wrongdoing was conducted by the Cape Girardeau Sheriff's Department and the Missouri attorney general's office.

Many details of the probe -- like most investigations -- were never made public, but enough was made public to raise questions about the allegations.

. These questions were fueled, in part, because of the length of time the investigation took. Many observers concluded that the fact that the investigation was dragging on was an indication that problems existed.

Last week, the attorney general's office finally put an end to the speculation.

The investigation found "there was no indication of wrongdoing," according to a spokesman for the attorney general. This was good news in many respects. It vindicated Sander, who has maintained all along that he had done nothing wrong. And it vindicated Jackson's effort to promote development in and around the city.

The big hang-up, as it turns out, wasn't the seriousness of the allegations. Instead, the process was slowed by a personnel change in the attorney general's office.

Despite the in-house situation at the attorney general's office, it seems this matter could have been put to rest months earlier, thereby avoiding the stress that occurs when no decision is being made.