Sworn in at last

Circuit Judge Ben Lewis, left, administers the oath of office to Bob Adams, the new Cape Girardeau County assessor Friday at the Cape Girardeau County Administration Building in Jackson. Adams won a three-way Republican race in August 2012 to replace the lone Democratic county officeholder, Assessor Jerry Reynolds, who retired after serving since 1976. State law allows the incumbent assessor to delay the transition until after the office completes yearly property assessments, which were due June 1.