News

POPLAR BLUFF — Dexter’s all-time leading scorer is heading to Three Rivers to play college basketball. Tuesday, Chaylea Mosby signed her letter of intent to play for the Lady Raiders next season. “I’ve been praying about it a lot, and I asked God for a sign, and he gave me a sign, so I just feel like this is where he wanted me to go,” Mosby said...

“This project has actually been on the table for over two years,” says Dexter Parks Director Jamie Rowe, “so it is not something we have jumped into without adequate research or consideration.” Rowe is referring to plans to make Boon Park an inclusive playground...

Stoddard County officials approved the 2019 budget with projected revenues of nearly $11.7 million, ending in the black with just over $11.4 million in expenditures. A public hearing was held Tuesday morning in the commission chambers for public comments prior to the budget approval. No citizens were in attendance and the hearing was closed after an hour...

The Bloomfield R-14 School Board held its regularly scheduled meeting Jan. 14. Bloomfield Junior Beta opened the meeting. The Bloomfield Junior Beta officers Ashton White and Joanna Metcalf brought a presentation regarding the state convention before the board...

It’s that time of year again. It’s Girl Scout cookie time. Everyone has their favorites and there are so many varieties to choose from. But local insurance agent and Bernie native Devin Busby doesn’t want just one variety, he wants them all. He will buy two boxes of cookies from any Girl Scout that comes to his office and delivers her sales pitch. ...

Winchester Nursing Center in Bernie recently held an open house and ribbon cutting for their new 40 bed facility. “We are very very excited about this facility,” said owner/operator Doran Vancil. “It's going to be a good asset to the city of Bernie. Pictured is Wanda Vancil cutting the ribbon with the Vancil family and facility staff behind her...

DUDLEY — A 10-hour standoff with a suicidal man inside a Dudley home ended Wednesday afternoon when officers were able to safely disarm him. The man, whose name is not being released at this time, was taken into custody at about 4:30 p.m. and is being held in the Stoddard County Jail on a bond revocation stemming on earlier charges, said Stoddard County Sheriff Carl Hefner.

DEXTER — In a special meeting Tuesday, the Dexter Board of Aldermen unanimously approved amending it’s city code as its related to cable TV franchising fees to now include telephone and internet services. The amendment was made to Chapter 630, which is the city’s gross receipts, specially section 630.060. That section was last updated in April 1984...

A motion to place a $15 million bond measure on the April 2 ballot was passed easily Tuesday by the Dexter Board of Education. A second decision to drop about 26 hours of instructional time from the 2019-2020 school year in order to accommodate construction schedules faced some debate before it was ultimately approved, 5-1...

Here are the brackets for the SCAA boys varsity and junior varsity basketball tournaments that start Monday, Jan. 21 at Bloomfield High School.

The Bernie Board of Aldermen held its regular monthly meeting Jan. 7 in the Bernie Municipal Courtroom. The first order of business was to address the concerns of a Bernie citizen. Alicia Baugh informed the board that she believed her meters were not being read correctly and they were being estimated instead. Mayor James Tilmon assured her that he would look into the situation and make sure the meters would be read correctly. The previous meeting’s minutes were then read and approved...

People look up at the sky and dream of touching the stars. Students at Bloomfield Elementary were able to get close to that. This is because a Mobile Planetarium made a stop at Bloomfield School’s FEMA building. “I love it, I love it, it’s great,” said science educator and program presenter Lucia Brimer, when asked about the kids’ excitement during the program...

The Puxico School Board held its monthly meeting at the administration building. The meeting was opened with a prayer lead by board member Dusty Stroud. The first order of business was the approval of the minutes from the previous meeting. The board then moved on to the payment of monthly bills. The board reviewed the list of bills due. After a motion by board member J.W. Mattingly, the board approved the payment of the bills with a unanimous vote...

Stoddard County officials are working toward a county morgue with former Presiding Commissioner Greg Mathis no longer donating space at his funeral home since leaving office. According to Presiding Commissioner Danny Talkington, the county is looking at constructing a stand alone building as a morgue near the jail expansion project on land already owned by the county...

“It’s amazing that we were impacted in the same way, by the same play,” says Rebecca Taylor. “Yes, it was life-changing for both of us,” agrees identical twin Grace. The 24-year-old sisters, who are currently back at their family home outside Bloomfield, are referring to the musical “Wicked.” They saw the award-winning production in Chicago when they were 14, and although they had previously been exposed to many cultural art forms — including musical theatre — there was something about this particular selection that struck a mutual artistic chord.. ...

Dexter's girls basketball game against Miller Career Academy has been postponed. The Bearcats were scheduled to play Miller on Saturday as part of the Jackson Showcase, but the event was called off because of the incoming winter storm. A makeup date has not been announced...

JEFFERSON CITY – Higher snow accumulation than previously forecast is expected today and the Missouri Department of Transportation warns motorists not to travel unless necessary as snow will cover most of the state. According to the National Weather Service, snowfall totals could be as much as 10 inches in the St. Louis area and in parts of central and northeast Missouri. Isolated areas of the state could see even more snow...

The Bernie School Board will meet in their regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Monday Jan. 14. Among the scheduled items discussed will be the announcement of filing dates for school board candidates.

The Dexter Fire Department responded to a car fire on Pine Street Tuesday afternoon. The blaze was quickly extinguished and there were no injuries. The car was a total loss.

“I have wagons in every state in the Union except Hawaii,” says Jerry Brown of Dexter. “I even sold one to Disneyworld!” At 81-years-of-age, Brown is beginning to wind down a business that has been his passion for 35 years. “We had riding horses, and I wanted a riding wagon like my dad had when I was young. I decided to try and see if I could build one. That’s how it all started,” he explains...

As the partial government shutdown continues, the 686 women, infants and children in Stoddard County who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Program, also known as WIC, will still receive it for now. WIC is a special supplemental nutritional program which provides services to women who are pregnant, and new mothers with children up to their fifth birthday based on income and nutritional risk. ...

DEXTER — The Dexter Board of Aldermen voted unanimously Monday night to award the contracts for the city’s two walking trail/sidewalk projects. Both are phase one projects being funded through Missouri Department of Transportation grants, with a 20 percent match from the city...

DEXTER — Dexter school board members expect to vote later this month to seek an extension of the current debt service tax levy, but want to avoid a tax increase for the projects that now stand at approximately $17.5 million. A special meeting was held Thursday night to discuss options that use a mixture of bond funding and district reserves to avoid a tax increase. The bond measure is expected to go before voters April 2...

DEXTER STATESMAM/Josh Ayers Hannah Smith was crowned Dexter High School's Winter Homcoming Queen Friday night prior to the varsity basketball game against Woodland. Pictured from left are second alternate Blair Rogers, Smith and first alternate Chaylea Mosby. Dexter defeated Woodland 77-39...