Stories from Thursday, August 15, 2013

The new teachers for the Advance-RIV School System were present for orientation on Tuesday, August 13. From left are Amanda Noyes, High School Language Arts; Dennis Wheetly, coach; Jacob Bagot, band; Christina Noah, Spec. Ed. Sec. and Elementary computers; Chris Asmus, assistant coach; Michelle Silman, paraprofessional; Julie Harrison, K-12 counselor; Heather Jones, speech pathologist; Samantha Beck, art. School starts today...

A Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting was held Wednesday afternoon at the newly established Walk N' Roll Early Learning Center at 1017 Arvin Road next to Patrick Roberts, CPA. The center is open Mon. through Friday from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. and serves children from birth to 12 years of age, with a before and after school program. ...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- The announcement of a Saturday casting call seeking background extras for 20th Century Fox's feature film, "Gone Girl," could be a strong signal that Cape Girardeau has been chosen as a filming location, or is squarely in the driver's seat...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Uninsured Missouri residents planning to purchase health insurance as part of the new federal health care law are still waiting for details as the start of enrollment looms. The insurance exchanges, which are essentially online marketplaces to compare and buy health insurance, open on Oct. ...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- A week after she was found, the Scott County coroner identified Cynthia Canoy as the woman whose body was discovered in a burning vehicle in a corn field. While her son remained in jail on accusations of assaulting his stepfather in May, court records showed a history of domestic disputes between Canoy, her son and his stepfather. A relative questions whether police took those incidents seriously enough...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Politicking over tax-cutting legislation has been gaining steam as Missouri lawmakers prepare to return to the state Capitol in four weeks for a possible deciding vote. Republican House Speaker Tim Jones rallied support this week for an effort to override the veto of the bill while Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon on Wednesday continued a summer campaign of defending it. Debate over the tax cut has prompted TV ads and appearances by officials outside Jefferson City...

ESSEX, Mo. -- The BackPacks for Friday (BFF) program started in the Essex area last year and will expand to the Bloomfield area during the current school year. The goal of the program is to meet the needs of hungry children. Across the country, teachers and school nurses have found that in some instances, Monday morning comes and they are forced to compete against hunger for the attention of their students...

A recent audit of the City of Dexter shows the city to be in sound financial shape. The audit, performed by Jean & Company, LLC of Dexter, was recently reported to the Dexter Board of Aldermen. For the fiscal year that concluded on June 30, 2012, the City of Dexter had $24,273,441 in net assets (assets in excess of outstanding debt.) Of that amount, a total of $5,837,193 is unrestricted and can be used to meet the city's ongoing cost of operation...

Members of Bernie Schools Board of Education voted this week to a slight increase in the district's tax rate for the 2014 school year. The decision was based on a recommendation from the Missouri State Auditor Office which, using an established formula for districts across Missouri...

Those who travel along Highway 60 near Dexter have noticed a path of destruction that stretches across several acres of corn on both the north and south sides of the highway. The corn is located about one mile east of the Highway 25 overpass and is actually popcorn. ...

BERNIE, Mo. - The Bernie Mules high school baseball program enters the 2013 fall season with few holes to fill coming off a successful 2013 spring campaign. The Mules return six of its nine starters off of a 2013 spring squad that finished 16-10 and won the Stoddard County Tournament...