Stories from Thursday, December 5, 2013

With winter weather nearing the area, we are beginning to have some closings and cancellations trickle in to our office. Check back early and often for updates throughout the day. Also follow us on Facebook and Twitter @dailystatesman for more updates as they come in...

Governor urges Missourians to prepare for potentially hazardous conditions, avoid unnecessary travel, and watch for downed power lines in areas that may be affected by ice JEFFERSON CITY -- Gov. Jay Nixon today activated the State Emergency Operations Center for 24-hour a day operations in response to a winter storm system that threatens to bring freezing rain, sleet, snow and ice to much of Missouri. ...

The Bernie varsity boys basketball tournament was postponed Thursday night. The championship and third-place games are now scheduled for Dec. 12. Top-seeded Bernie will play third-seeded Twin Rivers in the championship Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Bernie. Fifth-seeded Holcomb will play seventh-seeded Bloomfield in the third-place game Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. at Bernie...

Note: 27 photos of Wednesday's semifinal action are available in a photo gallery at this link: View Photos Here BERNIE, Mo. - The stage is set for yet another epic showdown between the Bernie Mules and Twin Rivers Royals at the Bernie Invitational varsity boys basketball tournament...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri senators passed legislation Wednesday offering up to $1.7 billion of incentives over two decades for Boeing to assemble a commercial airplane in St. Louis. The Senate's 23-8 vote in a special session sends the measure to the House with just a few days remaining before what Gov. Jay Nixon has said is a Tuesday deadline to submit a proposal to Boeing...

In July 2012, the Dexter City Pond suffered a natural fish kill. While a permanent remedy has been out of reach for the better part of a year, it is now officially in the works. After the initial kill, Parks and Recreation Superintendent Lawson Metcalf said the park board began looking into ways to prevent such an incident from occurring again...

In spite of the winter weather forecast that will likely impede traffic and business over the next few days, The Daily Statesman does plan to print a Friday, Dec. 6 edition. It is highly possible that carriers will be unable to deliver the Friday paper due to the probability of ice on the rural roadways. We ask that our readers be aware of those conditions and be patient with regard to paper delivery of both the Friday and Sunday editions...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A group that advocates for the legalization of marijuana will hold a town hall meeting Dec. 12 at Three Rivers College. Show-Me Cannabis will present a panel of speakers who advocate for change in Missouri law. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- The driver in a fatal box-truck crash faces more legal troubles in connection with the accident. Bobby Joe Abernathy, 34, of Jackson was driving a Slumberland Furniture truck west on Highway 34 when the truck crossed the centerline and collided with an eastbound sport-utility vehicle driven by Erin Cordell, then 18, of Marble Hill, Mo...

Spencer Pedigo, son of David Pedigo and Judy Shafer Pedigo, was born on May 8, 1981, in Dexter, Mo. and died on Dec. 3, 2013, at his residence in Dexter at the age of 32. Spencer was affiliated with the Mount Zion Walker Baptist Church in Bloomfield. He graduated from Dexter Senior High School in 1999 and was formerly employed at Faurecia Emissions in Dexter as an electronic technician. At the time of his death, he owned N.S. Construction Company...

Sue Roper, 88, of Advance, died Dec. 4, 2013, at the Golden Living Center in Bloomfield. She was born July 27, 1925, at Cullman, Ala., the daughter of Clarence and Bertha Putman Howard. Sue was a homemaker and a member of Union Grove General Baptist Church near Swinton...

The Salvation Army is looking not only for bellringers to help out during the Christmas season, but also musicians who might be willing to accompany the bellringers as they collect for the needy just prior to the Christmas holidays. The familiar sight of the Salvation Army kettles and bell ringers may remind us to be thankful for what we have and to think of others who may not have as much, says Jan Wheeler who heads up the Salvation Army effort through her role at DAEOC's Sikeston office...

Members urged to plan ahead should power be interrupted The first significant winter weather event of the season is bearing down on Missouri, and the state's electric cooperatives are prepared for severe weather. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for portions of the Ozarks and southeast Missouri in effect from 9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, through 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6...