Stories from Wednesday, August 20, 2014

The starting time of the highly anticipated varsity football opener between Dexter and Ste. Genevieve has been pushed to 8 p.m. Friday night at Ste. Genevieve. The forecasted high for Friday in Ste. Genevieve is 97 degrees.

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The Bloomfield School Board set the tax rate for the 2014-15 school year at $3.01 per hundred dollars of valuation at a public hearing held prior to the start of the regular meeting Monday night. The rate is slightly above the rate last year of $2.9955...

NEW MADRID COUNTY -- A Bernie man was jailed Monday afternoon following a wreck that left two Stoddard County residents injured. Travis D. Stone, 36, was charged by the Missouri State Highway Patrol with two counts of felony assault in the second degree and for failure to yield. ...

Local gardener and photographer, Dee Boesen, captured the beauty of some of her lilies in full bloom over the summer months. While it's no surprise that the flower is indeed a lily, it may come as a surprise to know the specific name for this species. If you think you can identify the lily, email the correct answer to nhyslop@dailystatesman.com. The sender of the first correct answer received will be the recipient of a one-month subscription to the paper...

BLOOMFIELD -- Not quite through her first term as Bloomfield Mayor, Donna Medlin announced her resignation from the office at the Bloomfield Board of Aldermen meeting on Monday, August 11. Her resignation will not be official until the next Board of Aldermen meeting on Monday, August 25...

FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) -- Ferguson's leaders urged residents Tuesday to stay home after dark to "allow peace to settle in" and pledged several actions to reconnect with the predominantly black community in the St. Louis suburb where the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown has sparked nightly clashes between protesters and police...

New faces hope to continue the success of the Dexter girls tennis program this fall. The Bearcats return two of its six starters off of last season's squad that finished 11-5 and placed second in Class 1, District 1. "We had a great year last year," Dexter tennis coach Kurt Lovelady said. "It's definitely a rebuilding year with only one senior on varsity this season, but that's what I said about the boys in the spring and they turned out pretty good...

Mary Drucille Ayers, 87, formerly of Dexter, died at her residence in Cape Girardeau on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014. Visitation will take place at St. Vincent's Catholic Church in Cape Girardeau on Friday, Aug. 22 at 10 a.m. with a funeral mass to follow at 11 a.m...