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Faces of Southeast Missouri: Gerry Keene (4/19/24)When introducing new people to caving, Gerry Keene advises them to channel their inner eight-year-old. He says caves are dark and dirty, full of streams and tough terrain that cavers need to crawl over, under and through. “As an adult, you’re like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ But if you look at it like a kid, you’re like, ‘Yes! Go for it!’” Keene says. “You've got to reprogram your sense of adventure back to what it was as a kid, what was really fun, and then you can really enjoy the environment.”...
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Meet the Experts: Find the right fit in an assisted living home with Megan Steimle, Andy Blagg and Kim Wilcox (4/18/24)Capetown and Auburn Creek are all-inclusive, pet-friendly senior living homes in Cape Girardeau locally-owned out of Sikeston, Mo. Capetown, a larger environment, and Auburn Creek, a smaller environment, focus on family values and resident choice. They cultivate this feeling through efforts like serving breakfast made-to-order at whatever time a resident wakes up and decides it’s time for breakfast. Residents order lunch and supper from a menu restaurant-style...
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Community Cookbook: Rice casserole with Debbie Crane from Dexter, Mo. (4/14/24)Debbie Crane grew up in Dexter, Mo., but somehow, she says she didn’t know what Branson, Mo., or Silver Dollar City were until her mother asked to take a vacation there. Debbie made arrangements with a travel agency and visited the park for the first time with her mother Virgina Crane in 1996...
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Meet the Experts: Create a DIY gift for someone you love with Brittney Swicionis, owner of Board & Brush Creative Studio (4/14/24)Brittney Swicionis, owner of Board and Brush Creative Studio in Cape Girardeau, believes in giving back to the community through her business. She has done so through initiatives such as donating DIY projects to the Red Cross to incentivize people to give blood during last year’s blood shortage, teaching about entrepreneurship to young people, and utilizing Board and Brush’s social media accounts to help animals waiting to be adopted find families. ...
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A Tailor for Books: Gary Howard, Jr. restores books for himself, others (4/6/24)It all started with a love for magic. Then a love for magic history kept in books. Now, Gary Howard, Jr. cultivates a love for restoring books — his own and others’ — to preserve precious tomes for future generations. Howard first got into book restoration after reconnecting with his mentor — magician, collector and book restorer Leo Behnke — around 2017. ...
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Pop Culture Happenings: April (4/6/24)In Aprils past, the world saw the “King of Terror’s” reign begin, learned of the tragic death of an American music icon and took a chance on an ABBA musical. 1974 50 yeas ago On April 5, 1974, Stephen King’s first novel, “Carrie,” was published. The story follows Carrie White, a shy, bullied high-school girl who discovers she has telekinetic powers. ...
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Rural Perspective Column: Leadership (4/6/24)Rural America represents a vast amount of land in the United States that, although varied, reflects similar people facing similar challenges and opportunities. Although definitions may differ among those who might refer to themselves as rural citizens, according to The Rural Aperture Project, there is a common thread in the manner that people choose to govern their lives, make their contributions to America and experience the fullness of nature that creates this rural character...
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Poem: Putting the Birds to Bed (4/6/24)Of lately A little before dusk I take a book out to the porch And read ‘til it’s too dark to see And then I sit and watch And listen As the robins and the cardinals And the others Grab one last bite Settle one last squabble...
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Senior Moments Column: One Day at a Time (4/6/24)All throughout my life, I have been told I am a hard worker. Whether it’s working hard within my church, school or home, I always watched as others around me praised me for my work ethic. I never understood why they praised me, as working hard with everything I do always seemed like common sense to me, until the day I woke up in the real world, a world filled with unmotivated people who get nothing done because of a lack of commitment. ...
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The Best Books Club: Contemplating Difference (4/6/24)When I first read “Raven Black” by Ann Cleeves eight years ago, I initially thought it was boring. But I kept reading, and I fell in love with Shetland and Jimmy Perez, as well as the writing of Ann Cleeves. Before I even finished it, I learned “Raven Black” was first in the “Shetland” series, and Cleeves also has a “Vera” series; both were the inspiration of the television series of the same names. ...
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Live Longer, Live Stronger Column: Your blood pressure, it's more important than we think! (4/6/24)A healthy blood pressure reading is critical to our health and livelihood, considering it can prevent heart attacks, strokes, kidney damage and many other health issues. Those who eat more plant-based diets have lower blood pressures, in part because they weigh less — slimmer people have lower blood pressures...
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Community Cookbook: Caramels, Wes Mueller from Sidney, Nebraska (3/16/24)Wes Mueller grew up in Sidney, Neb., a city of 6,000 people — which he says wasn’t small for Cheyenne County, a mostly rural farming community in the western corner of the state. Wes says his mother Bert Mueller was known for her cooking throughout their community...
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Crowned Queen at the Queen's Ball: Attendees carry on French tradition in Ste. Genevieve (3/6/24)Laura Jablonski arrived at the Queen’s Ball in Ste. Genevieve, Mo., dressed as a peasant woman but went home wearing the crown of the queen. To find who would be crowned queen of the ball, the women were served cake, with one slice containing a figurine of baby Jesus. Jablonski said she went back for several pieces of cake until she found the figurine...
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Meet the Reptiles: Reeves Reptile Rescue educates about their cold-blooded friends (3/5/24)Dru Reeves says it all started when his daughter Makenzie wanted a chameleon for her 14th birthday. He says like most kids, she lost interest in the pet after the first month, but Dru and his wife Tara did not; they were completely fascinated by the creature...
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Faces of Southeast Missouri: Nancy Johnson (3/2/24)While sitting in the Emergency Room (ER) waiting room one evening in 1990, Nancy Johnson decided to become a nurse. Her friend’s husband had been in a fatal automobile accident, and two women in one-piece uniforms who had been part of the flight crew came over to talk with her friend. As Johnson watched them get into a helicopter and take off, she decided she specifically wanted to become a flight nurse...
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Pop Culture Happenings: March 2024 (3/2/24)The last Japanese soldier surrenders, a waitress gets a $3 million tip and Keanu learns Kung Fu. 1974 50 years ago On March 19, 1974, a Japanese soldier surrendered 29 years after World War II ended. Hiroo Onoda was sent to Lubang Island in the Philippines on Dec. ...
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Spirituality Column: The Birds of the House (3/2/24)About 1890, on a small lot on a ridge above Hannibal, Mo., laborers dug a cellar hole. Concrete was cheap because cement was produced locally, so sturdy foundation walls were poured in a square some 24 feet to a side. On them, a four-room worker's cottage was raised around the central pillar of a small brick chimney. ...
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The Best Books Club: "Walden on Wheels," by Ken Ilgunas (3/2/24)In response to our February selection, I asked readers (i.e., you) to choose a book for March that was in some way connected to something they have considered or dreamed of doing that would push them beyond their comfort zone. As a result, I ventured to the Cape Girardeau Public Library to find a book in which the author or protagonist travels or lives in a Class B RV. ...
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Poem: Rubber Bands (3/2/24)Two more arrived today, enclosing my mail. I drop them in the doodad drawer with all the other objects I’ve declined to throw away. Most will never be used. They lie there out of sight and mind, collecting dust. When you do infrequently need one,...
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Live Longer, Live Stronger Column: Optimal Food Choices for Managing Cholesterol (3/2/24)"Nutrition for Health," a publication by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, provides valuable insights into addressing major health challenges through lifestyle changes. Their top advice for reducing cholesterol levels not only prevents heart disease but also contributes to overall well-being...
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Senior Moments Column: More Than Metal and Motors (3/2/24)When I tell others around me I am preparing for one of the most competitive events I’ve ever taken part in, they immediately think I am referring to sports. What they never imagine is that instead of me trying to throw a ball, I help build a robot who does it for me, instead...
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Community Cookbook: Rosettes, by Ethel Priest from St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson (2/28/24)Cooking has and always will be a big part of Ethel Priest’s life. She says she makes most of her food from scratch, because she likes to “know what’s in it.” Priest cooks chicken bones into broth for alphabet soup, pressure cooks apples into applesauce, and picks her own walnuts and pecans for desserts like “hands full” cookies, which include a “handful of this and a handful of that.”...
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Vitamin D: What it is, its benefits and how to get enough (2/17/24)You’ve likely heard a lot of hype about vitamin D in the past few years, but what is it, what is its function and how can we ensure we’re getting enough? Results from many studies concerning vitamin D are mixed, and it’s a complicated topic; the bottom line is, if you’re concerned you’re not getting enough or that you’re getting too much, talk with your health care provider, who can help you create a plan for your unique life and health needs...
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Faces of Southeast Missouri: Dr. Steven Hoffman, PhD (2/13/24)Dr. Steven Hoffman, PhD, coordinator of the Historic Preservation Program at Southeast Missouri State University, says he felt like he found his place for the first time in Atlanta at age 18, working as a delivery person for a word processing service bureau. The job allowed him to walk throughout the city every day, and he loved the energy...
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Music Memories Column: Nick Leist and Pat Schwent (2/9/24)For many years, Nick Leist and Pat Schwent were the “dynamic duo” of the Jackson Band program. Nick passed away in 2015, and we recently lost Pat to cancer in November 2023. They were the best personality mix for dealing with rambunctious junior high and high school kids: Nick was an easygoing, Santa Claus type of guy, while Patricia was an intense, high-energy director. Kids respectfully called her “Sarge.”...
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Pop Culture Happenings: February (2/5/24)A kidnapping, a hit movie about the power of dancing and a documentary series about an infamous chef grace television screens 50, 40 and 25 years ago. 1974 50 years ago On Feb. 4, 1974, the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) kidnapped Patty Hearst. Hearst, the granddaughter of American publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, was found and arrested 19 months later. ...
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Rural Perspective Column: Families (2/5/24)Living in rural America can represent a vast array of experiences that can reflect both positive and negative memories, pending on the individual and the particular environment that comprises his or her experiences. However, most would agree the family is the single-most important subgroup that enables individuals to withstand the many challenges faced and embrace the many opportunities and experiences that build human character...
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The Best Books Club Column: "The Love Story of Missy Carmichael," by Beth Morrey (2/5/24)In her witty, yet poignant, debut novel “The Love Story of Missy Carmichael,” Beth Morrey introduces an endearing, but arguably exasperating, protagonist, 78-year-old Millicent Carmichael. Through Missy and the events that unfold throughout the novel, the author explores themes that resonate with readers in their prime-time years of nearing and post-retirement: loneliness, relationship issues, financial stress, aging and love...
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Poem: Painting the House (2/5/24)Sitting at my computer, through the window, I watch the worker repair and paint my front porch. He replaces a broken spindle, caulks the cracks, and applies the fresh paint with long, deft strokes. There’s nothing more encouraging...
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Find a Wealth of Local History at the Cape Girardeau County Archive Center (2/5/24)A brown brick building sits across Highway 61 from the county’s Administrative Building and the courthouse dedicated in 1908. It’s the Cape Girardeau County Archive Center, and from its architecture and dark-tinted windows, you might think it’s not a place to visit. But step inside to find a rich resource for anyone curious about the county’s history, its families and its broader place within the American historical context...
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Senior Moments Column: Dressing for Confidence (2/5/24)“Every woman in this world wears a little sparkle, some in their dress, and some in their eyes.” This quote by Shahla Khan sums up the vision girls like me form in our minds when it comes to homecoming. Whether a girl decides to stun the crowd with the most glamorous outfit or captivate them with her eyes of excitement, every girl wishes to show off her individualistic sparkle. How exactly they get there, though, is quite the journey...
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Faces of Southeast Missouri: Donna Gales (1/30/24)Donna Gales earned a degree in floral design from the American Institute of Floral Design and went on to become head spokesperson for the American Floral Society (AFS), traveling around the United States to attend and run floral conventions. From the halls of the White House to exclusive NFL Superbowl parties, from Broadway to the Rose Bowl, Gales designed for significant audiences throughout the U.S...
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The latest in hearing aid technology (1/17/24)Southwestern Hearing Centers recently opened their 31st clinic in Cape Girardeau Jan. 2. The three-generation, family-owned business was founded in 1947 in St. Louis. The Marino family prides themselves on providing the community with the highest level of service and care in hearing health...
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Community Cookbook: White Cranberry Margarita, by Keller Ford from Cape Girardeau (1/16/24)Keller Ford says he got the “best of both worlds” during his childhood: During the school year, he lived with his mother in Phoenix and throughout parts of Orange County, Calif.; during Christmas and summer, he visited his father in Cape Girardeau. “It was living out there [in the West with] beautiful sunshine, then coming back here to snow,” Ford says...
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Create New Routines: Become physically, mentally and spiritually healthier in the new year with these strategies (1/13/24)We begin a new year with hope, renewal and determination; it’s a good time to start working on developing new routines. Routines, according to the Brain MD article “5 Powerful Benefits of Having a Healthy Daily Routine” by Kim Henderson, can increase efficiency, reduce stress, promote health, boost creativity and provide meaning in our lives...
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Live Longer, Live Stronger Column: Food Choices for Cancer Prevention and Survival (1/12/24)“Nutrition for Health,” a publication by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, offers valuable insights into addressing major health challenges such as cancer, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Here's the best advice for preventing cancer and enhancing survival if diagnosed...
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Help your loved ones feel connected this winter (1/11/24)Mother-daughter duo Shamela Armour and Holly Seyer have a combined experience of more than 43 years of working in various positions in retirement communities, including in administration. They wanted to bring the best aspects of each retirement community they have worked in to their home in Southeast Missouri, to create a licensed assisted living community they would want themselves and their aging family members to live in. ...
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The Best Books Club Column: "The Ride of Her Life," by Elizabeth Letts (1/10/24)It starts with a journey that has a clearly-defined starting point and a somewhat vague destination, with only a very general idea of how to get from the former to the latter and absolutely no idea as to what might happen along the way. That was the situation 63-year-old Annie Wilkins faced in 1954. ...
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Compression socks are your friend (1/9/24)Dr. Colleen Moore, owner and vascular surgeon at InVein in Cape Girardeau, wants people to know vein treatment is a medical issue; Medicare covers the treatment of varicose veins. If your veins bother you, she says it’s worthwhile to get evaluated: The treatments are simple and performed in-office. When patients come into her practice, she evaluates them herself, to design a customized treatment plan...
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Senior Moments Column: Countdown to Adulthood (1/8/24)“5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1 … Happy New Year!” I remember hearing this exact phrase on Jan. 1, 2020. This was during the middle of eighth grade, and I remember thinking how that year was going to be my year. I was going to be starting high school in a few months, and I was surrounded with people I loved...
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Poem: Old Cars (1/8/24)--for Wayne Moseley You see them all over the South (and maybe elsewhere), parked in the side yard or down by the barn, long past roadworthiness, rusting out, now beyond repair, reminders of good intentions once held but then abandoned. There’s the old Plymouth,...
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Spirituality Column: A Week of Weeknights (1/8/24)Why does a week have seven days? Though it’s an inheritance from human pre-history, surely there’s a better reason than “we’ve always done it this way.” Yes, there is. When our ancestors looked up, by day and night, seven lights moved across the sky: the sun, moon and five planets their unaided eyes could see. No clocks measured time; celestial bodies marked the bounds of life. That was power to respect and honor with names...
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Pop Culture Happenings: January (1/8/24)We rocked around the clock in 1974, took a bite of an Apple in 1984 and had a Moment of Zen in 1999. 1974 50 years ago On Jan. 15, 1974, the TV sitcom “Happy Days,” created by Garry Marshall, began its 11-year run on ABC. The series presented an idealized vision of life in the 1950s and early 1960s Midwestern United States, and it starred Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham and Henry Winkler as his friend Fonzie. ...
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Column: Rural Perspective, Infrastructure (12/23/23)Improving the infrastructure of rural America is vital to the integrity of these communities, as it ensures children and families have the opportunities to experience a certain quality of life rooted in access to clean drinking water, high-speed internet, and quality bridges, roads, and highways, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)...
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Column: The Best Books Club, "A Redbird Christmas," by Fannie Flagg (12/23/23)Within two years of my entering the primetime years — aka the “best years” — my youngest child left the nest, my husband passed away, my last surviving parent died, I weathered a major career change and moved from my hometown. Thrust into a “new normal” I despised, I longed for my old life, for its familiarity and the joy it had brought...
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Community Cookbook: Fruitcake Recipe, by Sue Jones from Jackson (12/23/23)Sue Jones spent her childhood on a farm located off of Highway 72 in the Fruitland/Jackson area. Those years on the farm were full of wholesome adventures: Jones rode horses, gathered persimmons from the fruit tree next to the driveway and heated up water for baths by setting a metal tub out in the summer sun...
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Column: Live Longer, Live Stronger — Tackling Diabetes (12/20/23)The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine’s publication “Nutrition for Health” contains excellent information about addressing the major health challenges we face, such as obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Diabetes is a condition where too much sugar, called glucose, is in a person’s bloodstream. ...
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Ugly Quilt Ministry: Bedrolls help people on streets keep warm throughout winter (12/12/23)In the early 2000s, the Ugly Quilt Ministry at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Cape Girardeau made 100 bedrolls out of mismatched fabrics for people who were homeless in South St. Louis. In the spring, they received a letter from an employee at the soup kitchen where the bedrolls were distributed. The letter contained information that shifted the perspective of Pat Edwards, who has been involved with the ministry since...
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Get Social, Get Healthy: The benefits to working out in a group (12/2/23)Working out during the winter months can be a challenge: It gets dark outside earlier in the evening, and colder temperatures can keep you inside, curled up on your couch. Although it’s tempting to skip exercise during this time of the year, it’s as important as ever to both physical and mental health to persevere in staying active...
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Pop Culture Happenings: December (12/2/23)Disney World finally says, “Aarrgh!,” Victory is stolen and “Titanic” brings in the bucks. 1973 50 YEARS AGO On Dec. 15, 1973, the “Pirates of the Caribbean” attraction finally opened at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., much to the joy of the ride’s fans. When Disney World was first completed in 1971, it included replicas of many popular rides from Disneyland in California. However, Pirates was not included, and when fans were vocal in their disappointment, the ride was added in 1973...