Stories from Tuesday, September 25, 2012

The Dexter High School Class of 1997 is inviting all classmates who graduated or went to school for any period of time with them to the 15-year class reunion. The reunion will be held at the Elks Lodge in Dexter on Saturday, Sept. 29. Doors will open at 7 p.m., with food being served throughout the evening and a sound system starting at 8 p.m...

Two Dexter residents were injured in a Sunday afternoon wreck on Rt. AF, half a mile south of the city. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 38-year-old Randell L. Beck was westbound on AF around 3:45 p.m. when the vehicle he was driving, a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix, left the right side of the roadway and overturned into a ravine...

At 7 p.m. Monday, William E. Vanover, 20, of Puxico struck a tractor in the rear as both vehicles were northbound on CR 470, three miles north of Dudley. Injured was Wayne A. Long, 19, of Grant, Ark., the driver of the International tractor. He was taken to Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau...

Purchase this photo at www.dailystatesman.com NOREEN HYSLOP-photo The Dexter High School Class of 1962 reunited over the recent weekend. Part of their activities included occupying bleacher seats as they did 50 years ago to watch a Bearcat football game. Together, they witnessed the 2012 Bearcats' first win of the season as they beat the Kennett Indians 26-7...

Staff reports Pleasant weather conditions made for good numbers at the 2012 Stoddard County Fair last week with revenue from the carnival rides setting a record. According to Fair Board President Kevin Holman, Thursday and Saturday nights were above average in attendance and especially in the number of tickets sold for rides provided by Tinsley Amusements. Thursday is Bracelet Night, and attendance was up 1,500 from last year, when it rained on that night...

By MIKE MCCOY Statesman Staff Writer BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Stoddard County Clerk Joe Watson reported that the Nov. 6 election ballots have been received by his office with absentee voting starting Sept. 25. He gave an election update to the Stoddard County Commission during its regular meeting Monday...

Purchase this photo at dailystatesman.com NOREEN HYSLOP photo- nhyslop@dailystatesman.com The 4-H and FFA livestock auction took place at the Stoddard County Fairgrounds on Saturday morning following the annual buyer's breakfast. At left is 4-H member Patrick Lutmer of Dexter. Patrick received the Herdsmanship Award in the Sheep Division. Other awards for livestock exhibition are pictured on page 14 of today's Daily Statesman and online in Photo Galleries at ...

By NOREEN HYSLOP Managing Editor It's been almost three months since Dexter's City Pond suffered a massive fish kill, a natural event caused by a combination of factors including the extreme July heat and an algae bloom. The pond suffered the first fish kill in its history during the first weekend in July when, as Dexter Park and Recreation Director Lawson Metcalf said at the time, "We were set up to fail with conditions being what they'd been." Thousands of fish -- shad, crappie, catfish, large mouth bass and bluegill -- floated up to the pond's banks when the contributing factors deprived the pond's fish of oxygen.. ...