Stories from Thursday, February 7, 2013

Alberta I. Henderson, daughter of the late Frank Casey and Mildred Proffer Casey, was born on Sept. 14, 1917, in Bebee, Ark., and died Feb. 5, 2013, at Crowley Ridge Care Center in Dexter at the age of 95. Mrs. Henderson enjoyed quilting, was a resident of Dexter and worked at Elder's Manufacturing in Dexter as a seamstress...

JEFFERSON CITY --Skunks soon will emerge from their winter naps, and state officials urge Missourians to exercise caution in encounters with these formidable little creatures. Missouri's only common skunk is the striped species, Mephitis mephitis. Skunks spend the winter holed up in sheltered spots, such as rock piles, barns, and out buildings. Occasionally one finds its way under a front porch...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Local schools took the challenge to buckle up and made it click with students, and students at Richland High School in Essex placed third in the competition, earning Silver status. Statewide, 139 schools, including 38 in the Southeast District participated in this year's Battle of the Belt Challenge, a competition to raise seat belt use among teens...

By MIKE MCCOY Statesman Staff Writer BERNIE -- The Bernie Board of Aldermen passed an ordinance changing the zoning classification to R-1 on land in the Dr. F.O. Kelley Industrial Park at its regular meeting Monday night. The board also passed an ordinance concluding necessary paperwork on the nearly $2.5 million sewer project that began at the beginning of 2012, and setting up a tax exemption for financial compliance, policy and procedure...

By PAULINE JELINEK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) -- The financially struggling U.S. Postal Service said Wednesday it will stop delivering mail on Saturdays but continue to disburse packages six days a week, an apparent end-run around an unaccommodating Congress...

JORDAN SHAPIRO Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A standing room only crowd spilled into the Capitol hallway Wednesday to watch a Missouri House committee hearing on a bill barring payment of union dues as a condition of employment. Union members sat silently as the House Workforce Development committee debated the merits of "right-to-work" legislation. ...

By NOREEN HYSLOP Managing Editor Two local teens with lofty goals have taken on a challenge. The pair has vowed to do their best to stamp out poverty in Stoddard County -- one coat, one can of food, one pair of shoes, one school supply, and one cent at a time...