Stories from Monday, June 24, 2013

Today in America, obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death. One-third of U.S. adults and 17 percent of children are obese, thus risking dramatically-increased risks of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. The obesity epidemic in America is bankrupting our health care system and reducing the quality of life for an enormous segment of the population...

When it rains in Southeast Missouri, it pours. Ditches fill to overflowing, highways become minor riverways, rivers overflow into the fields, and residents of the flatland community of Advance take to city hall to ask why they have so much water in their yards...

June flooding has caused more than one problem in the Advance area. On June 1, the Advance Community Library was set to host 3 local authors in the morning and a children's summer reading program in the afternoon. As rain poured down and the creeks began to rise, Marble Hill authors Bill Hopkins and Sharon Hopkins called to recommend that the day's activities be rescheduled to a more dry time. ...

Recent heavy rains took their toll in the small Southeast Missouri town of Advance on June 15. Residents battled the high water around their houses, and the 109-year-old Pentecost Church at 402 N. Oak Street sustained significant water damage. Pastor Chad Farris, who is preparing to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the church's re-opening, reported that much of his previous renovation work is in danger of being ruined...