Stories from Saturday, December 12, 2015

A retirement tea will be held on Friday, Dec. 18 to honor the career of Peggy Currie, a member of Dexter Public School's staff for the past 28 years. She will be retiring at the end of December. Currie currently serves the district as Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent, working at the schools' administrative offices...

Eastbound Route 60 in Stoddard County will be reduced to one lane as Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform pavement repairs. This section of roadway is located from Route F to Route ZZ. Weather permitting, work will take place Monday, Dec. 14 through Thursday, Dec. 17 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily...

Dexter Police Dec. 10, 2015 At 2:03 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 10, Dexter Police arrested Vita I. Wilkison, 19, of Dexter, on a probation violation warrant. She was incarcerated in the Stoddard County Jail. At 5 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 10, Dexter Police issued a summons to Kenneth H. Burns, of Dexter, on the charge of animal restraint/running loose/bites...

NOREEN HYSLOP@dailystatesman.com It was time for all reindeer to listen up and hurry up as Christmas time drew near during the fifth grade musical, "North Pole Exposure," presented Thursday at Central Elementary. The Songmakers provided several musical selections prior the musical, which was presented once for the student body and again Thursday evening for parents and guests in the school auditorium. The program was directed by Central Music Instructor Delisa Sitze...

Despite alarming stories from media outlets everywhere, the CRE superbug the "phantom menace" is not an imminent threat. At least not to anyone outside of a medical facility. According to Amy Hector, the public health program director with the Stoddard County Health Center, people need to understand that CRE infections are almost always limited to being in healthcare facilities...

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, has been chosen to serve on a powerful leadership committee in the House, the first Missourian appointed since U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., was a House representative years ago. Republican colleagues Thursday elected the 8th District congressman to serve on the Republican Steering Committee, a group of House leaders tasked with choosing committee chairmen and who will serve on the various legislative committees...

For as long as they both can recall, they've wanted to be on the stage -- singing on stage and acting on stage. And for almost as long as they can recall, they have been. Now, two Dexter High School eleventh grade students have an opportunity to perform at the highest level of Missouri High Schools as they prepare to perform with the All-State Choir in late January 2016...

"We have really been welcomed by the community," says new Dexter Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Hillary Starnes about her move to Dexter. Starnes has been so impressed by the city and surrounding community that she is working on a new chamber slogan emphasizing what she has found here: "A caring community."...

ESSEX, Mo. - The undefeated Bloomfield Wildcats varsity boys basketball program added a final victory to its resume before Sunday's Christmas Tournament seed meeting Friday night. Bloomfield opened SCAA play with a 53-22 road win against the Richland Rebels...