Stories from Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Four offices in county government and three district offices will be contested in the November 2012 general election. Republican Mike Watkins of Dexter filed for county collector/treasurer and will be unopposed in the August primary election. Incumbent Carla Knowles Moore (D) filed for re-election with no opposition in the primary. The two will meet in the general election. Also on the last day to file, Ryan Wm. Holder of Advance filed as a Democratic candidate for Missouri House District 151...

First United Methodist Church of Dexter is spearheading a Community Food Drive "Stuff a Truck" event to be held this Saturday, March 31, to restock the shelves of the Stoddard County Gospel Mission. The mission is facing an extreme shortage of canned goods and non-perishable food items...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The Stoddard County Commission signed a revised contract with Langford Mechanical and Sheet Metal, Inc. of Jackson, Mo., for maintenance of the HVAC and ventilation systems in the Justice Center and the Government Building at its regular meeting Monday. The revised contract calls for an annual fee of $12,148.16...

Solos and ensembles from Dexter High School's Music Department, under the direction of Jamie Sepulvado, attended the District Contest held Saturday, March 24, at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center on Three Rivers' Poplar Bluff campus, along with several choirs from the region. ...

Fifteen band members from Dexter High School, under the direction of Scott Rybolt, proved their musical ability recently and earned inclusion in the All District High School Band. They will now proceed to the State level of competition in late April in Columbia, Mo. ...

Daisies, Brownies and Girl Scouts from across Southeast Missouri gathered for a day of fun and games Saturday at Dexter's Second General Baptist Church. The event was spearheaded by the Missouri Heartland Girl Scouts' Leadership Program Specialist, April Isbell, from Dexter. ...

Brad Potts' bases-clearing double in the bottom of the sixth inning lifted the Dexter Bearcats to a 8-5 win over Oran at home Tuesday afternoon at the East Park ball field. Oran had erased an early 4-0 Dexter lead with two runs in the fifth and three in the top of the sixth before the Bearcats rallied to steal the win. Potts came to the plate with two-outs and the bases loaded and delivered a shot up the middle to empty the bases...

KENNETT, Mo. -- It would have been difficult for the Kennett Lady Indians softball team to script a better ending to its home opener against the Dexter Lady Bearcats Tuesday afternoon. The Lady Indians entered the bottom of the fourth inning leading by just one run at 4-3 after Dexter scored two runs in the top of the fourth...

Mildred Unger, daughter of the late Herman Macke and Lillian Hincke Macke, was born on April 11, 1923, in Cape Girardeau, Mo., and died March 26, 2012, at the Golden Living Center in Bloomfield, Mo., at the age of 88. Mrs. Unger was a member of the Trinity United Methodist Church in Bloomfield and a member of the Bloomfield Chapter #385 Order of Eastern Star. ...

Demp Holden, a resident of Dexter, died Tuesday, March 27, 2012, at the Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau at the age of 86. Arrangements are incomplete at this time and will be announced later by the Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter...