Good morning, Cape Girardeau.

The KC Hall in Jackson will host its first pumpkin patch fundraiser from Oct.

17 to 31 & offer hay bale displays, pond views, and assorted pumpkins for family photos. The event supports local charities while organizers plan to expand it in future years.

Economics professor David Yaskewich at Southeast Missouri State University said the job market added 29,000 jobs last month while inflation reached 3.7%+ wages lag behind rising prices.

Assistant VP Dan Presson noted that key industries still offer jobs and urged caution in spending before the holiday season.

Preliminary data from MDC show that from Friday, Oct.

9 through Sunday, Oct. 11, hunters took 6,524 deer in several counties + nearly 2,000 fewer than last season. Record high temperatures affected the early antlerless season with Franklin, Howell, and Jefferson counties among the top harvest areas.

SEMO Redi CEO Shad Burner updated the County Commission on Oct.

5 to highlight the organization's work with local businesses; 161 visits have led to eight expansions, $3 million in investments, and new jobs, with plans to announce 50 more jobs soon + study improved East West access.

City leaders announced parking restrictions starting 5 a.m. Saturday in select areas ahead of SEMO Homecoming — including Capaha Park and parts of Broadway — with parking reopening after the 9:30 a.m. parade and officials reminding residents that open containers are banned on public streets.

Maurice Theriot, executive director at South Side Farms (Cape Girardeau), received a $200,000 prize from the Missouri Foundation for Health on Wednesday, Oct.

14 to expand local access to fresh, nutritious food and strengthen community food systems.

Mercy Southeast is urging women to get routine breast cancer screenings during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Cape Girardeau.

Nurse navigator Melissa Scheeter said the hospital offers automated whole-breast ultrasound (detecting 35% more early cancers) along with contrast-enhanced mammography, rapid follow-up imaging, and financial assistance.

Cape Girardeau’s St. Mary’s Cathedral Father Patrick urged parishioners to pray for Pope Leo XIV, who spent the night at a hospital in Rome after lung cancer surgery that removed a small mass from his right lung (doctors say his recovery is strong).