From the (Home) Business Desk: Getting the message right

The single most important rule of journalism is to ensure the truth and accuracy of the facts.

One of the first things I learned in News Writing 101 at Southeast Missouri State nearly 50 years ago was that a factual error in an assigned story -- even a misspelled name -- meant an automatic failing grade. (The second thing I learned was to keep a dictionary handy; thank goodness somebody invented spellcheck.)

Every newspaper editor, reporter or writer does his or her best to be accurate and truthful to the best of his or her knowledge and ability. We constantly check and double-check our information to be certain of its correctness.

Even so, there are occasions when an error appears in our print or online stories.

One such instance occurred last week in a business-related story in which the Missourian reported on dozens of AT&T cellular communications towers being installed in Cape Girardeau.

The front page headline read "5G towers going up across Cape." The story below the headline described how state-of-the-art "5th generation" wireless networking technology would provide faster internet speeds, improved coverage and better voice quality.

According to industry experts, 5G will bring speeds of around 10 gigabits per second to your phone, which, I understand, is more than 600 times faster than typical 4G speeds -- fast enough to download a 4K high-definition movie in under 30 seconds.

Sounds great, doesn't it?

The only problem, it turned out, was that the towers going up in Cape Girardeau were not 5G, but were, in fact, 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution), a step below 5G.

A factual error? Apparently.

However, email between the story writer, city officials and an AT&T representative contained numerous references to 5G. It appeared city officials assumed the towers were intended for 5G technology.

The online version of the tower story was quickly revised and included an editor's note explaining how AT&T responded with references to 5G technology when asked about the towers.

Did the communications company have a breakdown in its communications? Perhaps.

But putting that issue aside, it seems there may be other issues related to the tower installations.

Some residents are questioning the appearance and location of some of the towers. One of them is State Rep. Kathy Swan of Cape Girardeau who told me one of the towers is on her street.

She said House Bill 1991, passed by the Missouri Legislature, deals with cellular tower appearance and dimensions.

"My understanding was they wouldn't be unsightly and wouldn't be right in your face," she said.

Specifically, Swan said she questions whether the tower cabinets are larger than what is allowed by state law for a "small wireless facility." HB 1991, she said, "clearly limits" size of the cellular towers and ground mounted equipment.

At 24.98 cubic feet, "the ground mounted equipment currently exceeds the 15-foot restriction by nearly 10 feet," she said.

"My concern is the size doesn't meet state statute, but I'm not an engineer," and I'm not an attorney," she said. "I want verification from someone in the know that it doesn't violate state statutes, but it certainly seems to. The law is very clear on this, or seems to be."

I expect we'll hear more about this in the weeks to come.

Hospital on track for spring opening

I was in touch last week with Tim Cockrell, CEO of the new behavioral health hospital under construction on South Silver Springs Road in Cape Girardeau. I asked him for an update on the facility's opening date, which was originally anticipated before the end of the year.

"The challenges presented by COVID in the region have slowed construction and this may create a delay in the opening of the facility," he told me, but said as of now, he and other members of the hospital's executive team are looking forward to an opening date in the spring of 2021.

Between now and then, Cockrell said the 102-bed inpatient facility will be filling a variety of positions. Job openings at the hospital are posted at www.southeastbehavioral.com.

"We are working hard to find the best individuals to staff the facility and meet our targeted (opening) date," he said.

The $33 million hospital is a partnership between SoutheastHEALTH and Universal Health Services Inc., the nation's largest provider of behavioral health services, headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

COVID continues to impact restaurants

The food and beverage industry, specifically bars and restaurants, continue to be one of the business sectors most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Approximately 1 of every 5 jobs lost nationwide due to the pandemic has been in the restaurant industry.

As of Tuesday, restaurants in St. Louis County will once again be limited to outdoor and takeout dining to help discourage large indoor gatherings.

Closer to home, it's difficult to keep up with which restaurants and fast food establishments allow inside dining and which are limiting service to curbside pickup and outdoor dining.

Burrito-Ville on Broadway announced Friday morning it has closed its indoor seating area "until further notice" due to "the increased cases of COVID in our area."

In a Twitter post, the restaurant said it will "still be offering to-go orders, online orders (with a free soda) and curbside ordering through the pickup window."

Old Town Cape plans seasonal events

The holiday season in downtown Cape Girardeau will kick off Nov. 27 with the second annual lighting of the downtown Christmas tree.

The event at the intersection of Broadway and Fountain Street will begin at 5:30 p.m. that day with music from the Jerry Ford Ensemble and Christmas caroling, with Santa and Mrs. Claus slated to light the 30-foot tree in the Vasterling Suites Courtyard at about 6:20 that evening.

Attendees will be asked to wear face coverings and respect social-distancing guidelines.

The following week, on Dec. 4 and 5, Old Town Cape will host the 18th annual Downtown Christmas Open House.

The downtown Cape Girardeau event, scheduled for 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. both days, will feature live caroling, visits from Santa and the Grinch, horse-drawn wagon rides and winter window displays. There will also be opportunities to win one of two $500 shopping sprees. In order to reduce the potential spread of COVID-19 or other viruses, entries for this year's shopping spree will be "digital." Eight posters, each with a unique QR code link to a shopping spree entry form, will be distributed in the downtown area both days and anyone entering the drawing for one of the shopping sprees will be encouraged to find all eight posters for a total of eight entries.

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