Stories from Friday, November 25, 2011

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Jay Nixon has ordered the U.S. and Missouri flags at government buildings in all 114 counties and the City of St. Louis to be flown at half-staff on Saturday, Nov. 26, to honor the bravery and sacrifice of Specialist James Roland Burnett Jr., the soldier with ties to Brownwood in Stoddard County who was killed in Afghanistan on Nov. 16...

The Dexter Chamber of Commerce is reaching out to area shoppers as the busiest shopping weekend of the year is now upon us. This year, the Chamber is bringing awareness to Small Business Saturday. Shoppers today have more options than at any time in history. People travel to area towns, nearby major cities and in many cases even shop online. Sometimes, though, people overlook an obvious option in not shopping at their local businesses...

"It's training we hope they never have to use." That's how one Stoddard County Sheriff's deputy described the Active Shooter course held at Richland High School on Tuesday. The course lasts eight hours and centers around both classroom lessons and hands-on simulation of how the situation may be with an active shooter inside the school...

Much of the discussion at the November meeting of the Stoddard County 911 Services Board of Directors Monday night focused on whether to ask county voters to approve a sales tax to help fund 911 services. No action was taken by the board, but they did instruct County 911 Services Administrator Carol Moreland to continue to research the issue with the possibility of putting a sales tax increase on a future ballot...

Dexter High School's varsity basketball team will learn that all good things must come to an end. Coach Rob Nichols and the Bearcats will be without the services of Alan Flannigan, last season's SEMO Conference Player of the Year, for the first time in two seasons as the team tips off the 2011-12 campaign. The 6-foot-7 Flannigan averaged over 22 points and 12 rebounds per game last season and was the team's go-to guy...

The Daily Statesman recently presented a check in the amount of $186.75 to members of the committee supporting UCAN. The money represents sales from two pink painted newspaper racks on display during October in observance of Cancer Awareness Month. From left to right are Janice Nichols, Annis Fortner, Statesman Circulation Assistant John Hawes, and Kim Sifford...

James Roland Burnett Jr., 21, died Nov. 16 in the Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska...