School cafeterias may be closed for the summer, but help is still on the table for Missouri families. Through LINC’s Caring Communities initiative, free meals are being served to kids younger than 18 at schools, churches, parks, and other familiar neighborhood sites.

The Missouri National Education Association hopes to stop the use of the state’s general revenue to fund private school scholarships.

The 93rd annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors took place June 19-22 in Tampa, Florida.

SEMO Anthropology students and faculty helped identify remains found in 2022 near Portageville, Missouri, solving a cold case and bringing closure to the family of missing Indiana man Robert J. Eaton.

The Cape Girardeau Police announced in a social media update that Nathaniel (Nate) Hubert had been located safe in Shannon County, Missouri. He was found on the afternoon of June 27 and had reportedly been drinking from a stream and had not eaten in several days.

A federal decision to cut millions in gun-violence prevention grants is drawing criticism in Missouri and beyond. The U.S. Department of Justice recently terminated more than 370 public safety grants - a move that’s already impacting efforts in cities such as St. Louis. Comments from Chris Sullivan, E. Desmond Lee professor of youth crime and violence, University of Missouri-St. Louis, and the department chair for criminology and criminal justice.

SEMO unveils $1.5 million in upgrades and a new name for its Police Academy, aiming to modernize training, boost student focus, and expand regional law enforcement collaboration.

SEMO’s Board of Governors reviewed new campus partnerships in medicine, agriculture, and STEM, unveiled the Vollink Family Observatory, and announced updates to the Police Academy during their June 17 meeting.

On Sunday, June 22, a section of Siemers Drive in Cape Girardeau buckled due to excessive heat. Another smaller section on Broadway Street was affected by the extreme heat in the region. Drivers are reminded to buckle up and contact local law enforcement if anything unusual is noticed about a roadway.

Cape Girardeau’s aging water system is at risk of failure, and an August vote could determine if the city secures funding for critical repairs or faces deeper water shortages in the coming years.