The Gazette-Democrat

Bat? Bird? Bug? UFO? Or, maybe, just a bit of dust on the camera’s lens? Can’t be sure. The image was captured during last week’s partial lunar eclipse.

Full Moon...by any other name...and some more stuff...

Seemed like Mother Nature tried to end our drought with a Great Big Ol’ Downpour at about the same time I was heading to The Paragraph Factory in Anna Monday morning.

Splish, splash, Rocky was takin’ a bath in the “pond” in the photographer’s backyard...on a Friday...maybe the critter was getting ready for the weekend.

Rocky gets ready for the weekend...and other stuff

I’m not quite why it crossed it mind Monday evening, but there it was... We’ll come back to that thought in just a bit... Meanwhile... I know you can’t wait, so here is my latest Critter Sighting (and Smelling) Update...

Bears were spotted last week at the Union County Fair in Anna...

Bears out there...at the Union County Fair...

There were bears out there. One bear. Two bears. Three bears. Maybe even four bears. I saw them. I really did... ...at the Union County Fair... ...there’s even a picture to prove it...

July 28...clouds billowed into the sky over Cobden during the evening. The photographer (that would be me) did a little magic in Photoshop to highlight the steeple at the First Baptist Church in Cobden...just to give an idea of the immensity of the clouds.

The Journey Through Life is just peachy...

Once again this week, we’ll be offering a little bit of this...and a little bit of that...and some pics of the sky...

One more memory from a recent visit to Old Man River...an egret (well, I think it's an egret) was doing a balancing act on a rather large piece of driftwood (as in a log) that was floating in the water along the banks of the river at Grand Tower. The egret flew the coop, so to speak, when a towboat approached. By the way...I think there was an oak buffet with a beveled mirror hidden in there...or maybe an arrowhead...

This week's menu features word salad...

Goodness, gracious...it’s August already. How can that be possible?

The towboat Mt Vernon was making its way north on the Mississippi River at Grand Tower late last Friday morning. Mississippi River water was lapping at the edge of what I think is a boat launch area along the river. The water in the river had been stirred up by the towboat’s passage. The towboat was going under a landmark natural gas pipeline bridge which crosses the river.

Spending some time with Old Man River...

Oh...to be able to string together a few words like fellow journalist Mark Twain...

‘Tragedy of Macbeth’ to be presented

Stone Soup Shakespeare plans to present the play “The Tragedy of Macbeth” at 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, at the Lincoln Memorial Picnic Grounds in Jonesboro. The park is located at 521 N. Main St. The production is a five-person adaptation of Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth” which is on tour for outdoor...

Day on the River slated

A Missouri Department of Conservation, MDC, Day on the River event showcasing the Mississippi River is planned from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 28 at Riverfront Park in Cape Girardeau. All ages and groups are welcome at the free event and no registration is required. The event is scheduled to feature...

Buncombe Grade School sponsoring shoe donation drive

Buncombe Grade School, the smallest school in Johnson County, with fewer than 50 students, is proving that size doesn’t limit the ability to make a big impact. From now until Oct. 31, the school is collecting gently worn, used and new shoes as part of a community-wide effort to support the...

Smokey Bear, Woodsy Owl celebration set

A celebration in honor of the birthdays of Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl is planned Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Barkhausen Cache River Wetlands Center near Cypress. The celebration is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The wetlands center is located at 8885 State Route 37 South. All ages are welcome....

Lawyer in Library programs scheduled in area communities

Each month at local public libraries in the First Judicial Circuit in Southern Illinois, volunteer attorneys are working to help self-represented litigants through the Lawyer in the Library program. Organizers of the program note that with locations across the Southern Illinois region, free legal...

Secretary of state's office offering more online services

By Alex Abbeduto Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinoisans who need a notary public can now access those services online through a new “E-Notary” portal launched by the secretary of state’s office. The process is one of the latest initiatives of Illinois Secretary of...

Jazz festival scheduled in Cairo

The Harold S. Jones Fine Arts Center in Cairo announces plans for the fifth annual Smooth Jazz on the River Festival The two-day celebration of music, community and culture is planned Sept. 1-2 at Fort Defiance State Park in Cairo. Festival hours are scheduled from noon to 10 p.m. each day....

Rocky Ledges Trail Run/Walk planned at Touch of Nature

The Rocky Ledges 5K/10K Trail Run/Walk, set among the forested lakeside trails of Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center, is set for Sept. 21. Registration for the event is underway. The ninth edition of the event begins and ends at Camp 2, giving...

SIU Day scheduled at state fair

The color maroon will be everywhere on Saturday, Aug. 31, as the programs and services that Southern Illinois University Carbondale provides to the region and beyond will be on display at the Du Quoin State Fair. The events are part of SIU Day/Coal Heritage Day. The fairgrounds are open from noon...

Spay, Neuter Coalition event slated

Live music, a meal and more are planned at an upcoming “spay”getti dinner in Union County. The Cobden Spay and Neuter Coalition is planning to host the event from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, at Veterans of Foreign Wars Carroll P. Foster Post No. 3455 near Anna. Ticket prices are $10 for...

Obituaries

Lana Diane Livesay

Lana Diane Livesay, 62, of Jonesboro, passed away on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. She was born on July 5, 1962, in Cape Girardeau, the daughter of Gene and Doris Jean West Williams. On April 17, 1981, she married her love and life partner, Rick Livesay, and he survives. She was a lifelong member of...

Lois Ann Carr

Lois Ann Carr, 67, of Dongola, died Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, at her home. She was born on Oct. 18, 1956, in Bertrand, Mo., the daughter of Richard and Ella Lois Dean Thurman. She was married to Jesse Carr. He preceded her in death. She was an avid fan of the “Adam 12” and “Murder, She Wrote”...

Gloria M. Sivia

Gloria M. Sivia, 80, of Jonesboro, died Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, at Union County Hospital in Anna. She was born on Jan. 27, 1944, in Thebes, the daughter of Lilbourn and Jessie Anglin Riley. On May 24, 2008, she married Bobby Ray Sivia at Mt. Olive Baptist Church. She is survived by her husband...

Londa Faye Peterson

Londa Faye Peterson, 56, of Anna, died Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, at Deaconess Midtown Hospital in Evansville, Ind., with her husband holding her hand. She was born on Sept. 6, 1968, in Blytheville, Ark., the daughter of the Rev. Rev. Joseph and Sheila Keen Aldridge. On Aug. 12, 2000, she married...

Earl Lynn Ring

Earl Lynn Ring, 63, of Gordonville, Mo., died Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at his home. He was born on Nov. 26, 1960, in Cape Girardeau, the son of Richard L. Ring and Joyce E. Abernathy Ring. Mr. Ring is survived by his mother, Joyce Ring of Wolf Lake; sister Joy Henson (Robert) of Grand Tower; brother...