Children

Bloomfield unveils new monument (05/01/08)
Local officials unveiled a new monument on the lawn of the Stoddard County Courthouse Monday afternoon. The monument, entitled 'The Civil War in Bloomfield,' now stands on the southwest corner of the courthouse lawn. Nearly 75 people came out for the dedication...

Local retiring teachers to be honored May 8 (05/01/08)
A retirement tea will take place in the Dexter High School library on the afternoon of Thursday, May 8, 2008, to honor eight retiring Dexter staff members. The tea, which will be a drop-in event from 4-5:30 p.m., will honor Pam Horton and Debbie McKay from the high school, along with Phyllis Howard from Central Elementary. Three teachers from Southwest Elementary will be honored, including Marsha Lovelady, Vicki Matthes and Cheryl Boggess...

Central students celebrate Arbor Day (05/01/08)
Herman Morse has always loved the land and in his former role as principal at Central Elementary School in Dexter, he celebrated his appreciation each year for all things that grow around Arbor Day by obtaining donations of pine trees from the Department of Conversation and spending a day with his elementary students planting the trees behind the school...

Living with autism; opening doors for a child's brighter future (04/27/08)
Little Owen Statler, who lives in rural Bloomfield with his parents and an older sister, begins his day like most five-year-olds; sometimes a little resistant in getting up, but following the routine of brushing his teeth and eating breakfast and getting dressed as most other preschoolers do...

Dexter man admits to child molestation charges (04/25/08)
A 35-year-old Dexter man is in Stoddard County Jail today, charged in connection with molesting a three-year-old girl. Chris Abernathy has admitted to molestation allegations, according to the Dexter Police Department. In a report from Detective Lt. Trevor Pulley, Abernathy admitted to the charges of molestation during an interview on Wednesday...

Dexter High School's top 10 percent (04/23/08)

1992 DHS grad addresses top students (04/23/08)
Dr. Ray Silliman, a 1992 DHS graduate, stepped back into the halls of Dexter High last week to present the keynote address to the top 10 percent of each high school class. It is a tradition at DHS to welcome back a successful alumni to address the students and 2008 marks the 24th consecutive year that the school has honored its highest achievers. ...

Welty trial pushed back (04/02/08)
A 14-year-old Bloomfield boy accused of murder has again had his trial pushed back. Following a Monday hearing, Judge William Syler decided that the process of jury selection for the case against Owen Welty, originally scheduled for later this month, will now begin in St. Louis on Sept. 19...

Blunt urging parents to make sure children are immunized (03/30/08)
There can be many questions for parents when it comes to having their children vaccinated against certain disease. Recently, questions have been raised on whether vaccinations contribute to children developing autism and other health problems. However, Missouri leaders and other health professionals are urging parents to remember that the benefits of vaccinating healthy children far outweigh the rare risks that have been associated with the act...

Richland board accepts DESE award (03/28/08)
Members of Richland's School Board met in regular session Thursday night, having recently accepted the award for Distinction in Performance from the Department of Secondary and Elementary Education earlier this month. Members approved the calendar for the 2008-09 school year, along with dates for the upcoming summer school session and learned of numerous student achievements...

Local Girl Scouts thwart mosquitos in unusual fashion (03/26/08)
Most would consider it an odd thing to invite bats into town, but that's exactly what four members of Girl Scout Troop 425 are doing. It's a unique idea and is the brainstorm of Emma Powell, one of the eighth grade girls in the troop. "We needed a project to earn our Silver Award," says Emma, "and I had read about these bat-houses."...