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Wednesday, May 16, 2012
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Headlines
(Photo)
April showers failed to materialize and May is so far going down as one of the dryest on record for the Missouri Bootheel, which is of great concern to local farmers. Already the irrigation wells are working overtime. In...
First prelim hearing put on hold in Qulin murder case (05/16/12)
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. - Testimony began Monday afternoon in the case of a Qulin, Mo., woman accused of conspiring with other family members to kill her stepmother, whose remains were found scattered in a secluded area near Qulin more than 12 years ago. Accompanied by her attorney, Danny Moore, Melissa Jo "Missy" Austin Baggett, 38, appeared before Associate Circuit Judge John Bloodworth for a preliminary hearing in her case...
Postal Service deadline for action by Congress passes (05/16/12)
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Bess Johnson, a clerk at the Richard G. Wilson Mail Processing and Distribution Facility, is pessimistic about her future. "It's just scary," she said. The Cape Girardeau center, with about 100 employees, was one of 220 set to close until the U.S. Postal Service agreed to a moratorium on facility closures through Tuesday to allow Congress time to act on an alternative...
Bernie examines policy changes (05/16/12)
Bernie School Board members accepted the resignation of their Parents as Teachers Instructor, approved two program evaluations, approved revisions to the district's elementary handbook, and unanimously voted to accept the district's 2013 school budget during their regular monthly meeting Monday night...
Mo. Senate votes to add cellphones to No Call List (05/16/12)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Legislation allowing Missourians to add their cellphone numbers to the state's No Call List for telemarketers is on its way to Gov. Jay Nixon. The measure would prohibit most solicitations by phone call or text message to cellphones placed on the list, which Nixon helped develop when he served as Missouri attorney general...
Safe room plans to go to SEMA for approval (05/16/12)
BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The Bloomfield School Board approved sending redesigned specifications for a FEMA safe room to the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) for approval at its regular meeting Monday night and authorized Dr. Nicholas Thiele, district superintendent, to put the project out for bids. ...
PAT Program receives WalMart grant (05/16/12)
Dexter Schools' Parents as Teachers Program received a $1,000 grant this week from the local WalMart Super Store, to be utilized for screenings and home visits to children from birth to three years old during the coming school year. WalMart Store Manager Debbie Juden, second from left, presented the check to, from left, Parent Educator Cheryl Boggess, PAT Director Melanie Stoelting, and Parent Educator Debbie Blunt...
Chicken and Dumplin' benefit set (05/16/12)
A Benefit Chicken and Dumplin' Dinner is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 19 at the Harvest Assembly Church in Essex. The dinner will be held from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. The cost of the meal will be $6. The dinner is being held to offset expenses that the family of Elijah Freeman have incurred since Elijah's diagnosis of lymphoma...
Walker Cemetery meeting set (05/16/12)
Walker Cemetery Association will hold its annual meeting on Sunday, June 3, 2012, at the Mt. Zion Church on County Road 510. A carry-in meal will begin at 12:30 p.m. with the business meeting beginning at 1:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend, especially any family members who have loved ones at the Walker Cemetery...
New York performer with local roots brings show home (05/15/12)
By NOREEN HYSLOP Managing Editor A touch of New York theater is coming to Dexter next month. Tom Vaughn, a Cape Girardeau native with strong roots in Stoddard County, will be bringing his original cabaret show, Trail of Cheers, to The Hickory Log lounge on Thursday, June 14 for a one-night performance...
Three children die in accident near Hayti (05/15/12)
SEMO News Service HAYTI, Mo. - Three children from Jackson, Miss., were killed Sunday when the 1999 Ford SUV in which they were passengers ran off the roadway at the 20.2 mile marker of I-55 South near Hayti. Seven others, including four more children, were seriously hurt after being ejected from the vehicle. No one in the vehicle was wearing safety devices, according to a report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol...
SCAD board member retires (05/15/12)
DAVID COOPER photos Stubbee May of Advance was recently honored by the Stoddard County Ambulance District for serving on the board of directors for the past 19 years. May was named to the board in 1993 when the administrative offices were in Bloomfield. ...
Emergency Vehicle Training in Dexter (05/15/12)
Emergency Vehicle Training NOREEN HYSLOP photo Dexter Fire Department's ongoing training continued over the weekend with an Emergency Vehicle Driver's Training. Marty Schusler, Regional Coordinator for the University of Missouri's Fire Safety Program, led classes Thursday and Friday nights, with obstacle course and maneuver training taking place Saturday morning on the DHS parking lot. ...
Electrical spikes cause of concern at Justice Center (05/15/12)
By MIKE McCOY Statesman Staff Writer BLOOMFIELD, Mo. - Stoddard County Building Superintendent William Dowdy reported that monitoring the electrical use in the Justice Center over the past week revealed that there is a spike in usage about every 14 minutes. Dowdy told commissioners they have yet to discover the cause of the spike which peaks at around 400 amperes...
Happy Mother's Day...one more time! (05/13/12)
By NOREEN HYSLOP Managing Editor When a kindergarten student says, "I made a Mother's Day card for my mom," it normally indicates that a little time was spent drawing a picture and scrolling their name on a piece of construction paper - a special gift in itself - but students in Amy Pixley's kindergarten RTI class at Southwest Elementary really did "make" their own Mother's Day cards this year. They starting with manufacturing their own card stock - for the second time around!...
Mother's Day Look-a-Like Winner (05/13/12)
Purchase this photo at dailystatesman.com NOREEN HYSLOP photo For the first time in recent memory, the Mother-Daughter Look-a-Like Contest has been won not by a mother and daughter, but by a mother and son, suggesting to the paper that the contest should be renamed the "Mother's Day Look-a-Like Contest. ...
One jailed in Dexter meth lab seizure (05/13/12)
By COREY NOLES Statesman Staff Writer BLOOMFIELD, Mo. - An area man is behind bars following the discovery of a meth lab this week. According to Stoddard County Sheriff Carl Hefner, the meth lab was seized on Thursday, May 10 after an ongoing investigation...
Crowell: Stalling budget wasn't due to vendetta (05/13/12)
By SCOTT MOYERS SEMO News Service JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Sen. Jason Crowell wasn't acting out of malice, he said Thursday. When the Cape Girardeau Republican tried to block Southeast Missouri State University from getting an extra $2 million this week, he said he was acting on principle...
Veteran teachers honored (05/11/12)
Nearly a century of experience will leave the halls of Dexter Schools at the conclusion of the school year this month. A Retirement Tea, hosted by the local Certified Teachers Association, honored four retiring teachers Thursday afternoon at the Bearcat Event Center...
Mace sentenced for role in officer assault (05/11/12)
BLOOMFIELD, Mo. - A Dexter man charged for his role in an officer assault at Dexter in 2011 has been given a four-year suspended sentence. Terry Mace was arrested in September 2011, and was charged with the Class C felony of second degree assault. He has since been at the Stoddard County Jail facing a $250,000 bond...
Bloomfield Board awards asphalt project (05/11/12)
BLOOMFIELD, Mo. - The Bloomfield Board of Aldermen held a special meeting Wednesday evening to open bids on an upcoming paving project. Several of the city's rights-of-way are in disrepair and the city recently began looking into the possibility of having them redone...
Videos
  • Zimmerman recalls Trayvon Martin's last words
    New evidence was released in the Trayvon Martin case, including what Zimmerman claims were Martin's last words, reports Mark Strassmann.
  • 75-million-year-old Dino Skeleton Up for Auction
    A skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus bataar, a distant cousin to the infamous T-rex, is going to be auctioned off by Heritage Auctions on Sunday May 20th in New York City. (May 16)
  • Source: J.Lo Is Leaving "Idol"
    She's been a judge on the show for two years. Now, E! has exclusively learned Jennifer Lopez isn't returning next season. Get the scoop.
  • Scary business idea sends a clown to your friend
    A Swiss actor worked as a terrifying clown that would stalk and scare people on their birthday.
  • Behind the Scenes of the 'Glee' Season Finale
    Although this isn't a final farewell, Glee's upcoming season finale (airing May 22 on FOX) has been an emotional rollercoaster for most of the main cast members. Although this isn't a final farewell, Glee's upcoming season finale has been an emotional rollercoaster for most of the main cast members. VIDEO: Glee Cast Teases Emotional Season Finale "We're all really enjoying every single moment of what we're doing because it's not going to be like this again," said Cory Monteith, who plays one of William McKinley High School's graduating members.
  • The WheelHouse: Tim Tebow
    The WheelHouse discusses Tim Tebow looking great
  • When Cartoons Go Kardashian
    Joel can pull a Kardashian joke out of anywhere--even an animated historical fiction series for kids. Listen in.
  • Class action suit charges NYPD with discrimination
    A judge has granted "class action" status in a lawsuit against NYPD officers for a stop and search policy that some victims feel discriminates against minorities. Jim Axelrod reports.
  • GI Killed in Cambodia Awarded Medal of Honor
    Forty years since the Vietnam War, Spec. Leslie H. Sabo Jr. was honored by President Barack Obama on Wednesday with the nation's highest award for gallantry. Obama presented the Medal of Honor to Sabo's widow. (May 16)
The Latest.....
National Headlines
  • Celtics top 76ers 107-91 in Game 3 for 2-1 lead
    PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Kevin Garnett scored 27 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and used a dominant second quarter to help the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 107-91 on Wednesday night and take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals....
  • RFK Jr.'s estranged wife, Mary, found dead in NY
    BEDFORD, N.Y. (AP) -- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s estranged wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, who had fought drug and alcohol problems, was found dead at the family property Wednesday....
  • 'Lady A' fetes students in tornado-hit Ind. town
    INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The Grammy Award-winning country music trio Lady Antebellum performed a "mini-prom" for students of a southern Indiana town that was devastated by a tornado in early March....
  • 2 US Navy ships collide in Pacific; no injuries
    SAN DIEGO (AP) -- An 844-foot-long U.S. Navy assault ship collided with a refueling tanker Wednesday in the Pacific Ocean, causing damage to both ships, but there were no injuries or fuel spills, military officials said....
  • TB patient charged in Calif. for not taking meds
    SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Authorities in California took the unusual step of jailing and charging a tuberculosis patient who they say refused to take medication to keep his disease from becoming contagious....
  • Coffee buzz: Study finds java drinkers live longer
    MILWAUKEE (AP) -- One of life's simple pleasures just got a little sweeter. After years of waffling research on coffee and health, even some fear that java might raise the risk of heart disease, a big study finds the opposite: Coffee drinkers are a little more likely to live longer. Regular or decaf doesn't matter....
  • Lower oil prices ease load on consumers and Obama
    NEW YORK (AP) -- A threat that's been hanging over the economy is starting to look a lot less menacing....
Missouri Headlines
  • Mo. senator taken to hospital from Capitol
    JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A Missouri state senator was being examined at a Jefferson City hospital after becoming light-headed during a debate on education issues....
  • Mo. Senate approves tax credits compromise
    JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri senators voted Wednesday to authorize new tax credits aimed at attracting college sports tournaments to the state while also moving to cap the amount of incentives available for refurbishing historical buildings....
  • Missouri House endorses health care legislation
    JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Missouri House approved legislation Wednesday that would allow health care workers, medical centers and others to refuse to provide contraception or carry out procedures that violate their religious or ethical beliefs....
  • Man, 2 children die in Kansas City house fire
    KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Police say a fire that killed a man and his two children in their south Kansas City home appears to be accidental....
  • Mo. priest seeks delay in child porn trial
    KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A Kansas City-area Catholic priest accused of taking pornographic pictures of children wants to delay his trial by at least two months....
Strange Headlines
  • Authorities: Trooper gets text seeking illegal buy
    ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- Two women face possible charges after authorities say a text message seeking the illegal purchase of alcohol was errantly sent to an Alaska State Trooper....
  • Horse runs into sea, rescued a mile offshore
    CARPINTERIA, Calif. (AP) -- Maybe he should be named Bob....
  • Zimbabwe politician drives off in motor show car
    HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) -- State prosecutors in Zimbabwe say an opposition politician at a Ford Motor Company car show got into the latest model on display and drove it away. He faces car theft charges in court next month....
  • NJ gov., mayor channel Seinfeld in video parody
    TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and the mayor of New Jersey's largest city are channeling the Seinfeld-Newman rivalry in a video parody that spoofs the mayor's heroics and Christie's vice presidential potential....
  • Workers go trash-picking for Mass. woman's rings
    ATTLEBORO, Mass. (AP) -- An Attleboro, Mass., woman is praising the city's trash collection company after its workers helped her dig through mountains of stinking garbage to find five valuable rings she inadvertently threw away, including her engagement and wedding bands....
  • Dozens of flyswatters wash up on Alaska beaches
    KODIAK, Alaska (AP) -- Dozens of fly swatters bearing logos of collegiate and professional sports teams have been washing up on the beaches of an Alaska island....
  • Man freed on bond but must write book reports
    RICHMOND, Calif. (AP) -- A man charged in an undercover sting operation in Northern California that ended in gunfire has been ordered released on bond on the condition that he read and write book reports....