Stories from Tuesday, October 7, 2014

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. - The championship semifinals are set at the SCAA volleyball tournament following a thrilling quarterfinal finale Tuesday night. The fourth-seeded Bloomfield Wildcats outlasted the fifth-seeded Woodland Cardinals 20-25, 25-16, 25-12 in the final varsity quarterfinal Tuesday. Bloomfield advances to play top-seeded Dexter Thursday at 7 p.m. in a semifinal.The other varsity semifinal will feature second-seeded Bernie and third-seeded Advance Thursday at 8 p.m....

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Smith and Company Engineers presented a priority list of six bridges in need of replacement in Stoddard County during the regular meeting of the commission Monday morning. The six bridges totaled $1,750,743 in estimated cost to replace, and were located in Duck Creek, Castor, Pike, Richland, Elk and Liberty Townships. ...

The Historic Downtown Dexter Association will sponsor the city's Annual Fall Fest this Saturday, Oct. 11 beginning at 10 a.m. and running throughout Saturday until 4 p.m. There will be a display of Evans pottery at the Welcome Center, located at the old railroad depot. Also at the depot will be the winners of the Annual Fair Photo Contest. The photos depicted the theme, "Winter Scenes of Stoddard County."...

Dexter Postmaster Patrick Powell and employees of the local post office are doing their part to recognize breast cancer survivors and to help raise funds for further research to find a breast cancer cure. In observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the local post office is working to make customers aware of a special stamp that is available throughout the year that benefits breast cancer research. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A new Missouri law requiring a 72-hour abortion waiting period is set to take effect this week, and the state's only licensed abortion clinic isn't planning to try to stop it. Although Planned Parenthood officials have denounced the Missouri law as "onerous" and "burdensome" for women, the organization isn't planning to file a lawsuit before the measure takes effect Friday. That's because abortion-rights groups have determined their chances of success aren't that good...

DEXTER, Mo. - The Dexter seventh and eighth grade girls basketball teams both improved to 2-0 with home wins against Doniphan Monday. Dexter won the seventh grade contest 38-30 and beat Doniphan 49-16 in the eighth grade game. Natalie Sitze tallied all 15 of her points in the first half of the eighth grade contest. Sitze hit both of Dexter's treys...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. - The favorites advanced in the varsity bracket in Day 1 of the SCAA volleyball tournament at Bloomfield Monday. Defending tournament champion Dexter increased its winning streak to 17 games with a 25-10, 25-5 victory against eighth-seeded Bell City. Third-seeded Advanced followed with a 25-20, 25-23 win against sixth-seeded Puxico...

James E. Kelley, 80, of Bloomfield, died Oct. 6, 2014, at his home. He was born May 23, 1934, in Cairo, Ill., the son of Moy and Cola Triplett Kelley. James and Rozela Bailey were united in marriage in Jan. 20, 1953, in East Prairie, Mo. Mrs. Kelley preceded him in death on June 16, 2006. James later married Elouise Fredwell on May 3, 2008, in Bloomfield. She survives of their home...

William Wilson, age 85, son of the late Rev. Girvus and Mary Baxter Wilson, died at his home in Mississippi on Oct. 6, 2014. Mr. Wilson was a native of St. Louis, Mo., and was raised in southeast Missouri. He was an insurance adjuster and member of the Mississippi Claims Association in which he served as All Post President in 1969. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Madison...

Levi Stinson of Bloomfield is a happy, normal two-year-old who likes the Avengers, Spider Man, and Mickey Mouse. He likes the Despicable Me movies and he loves to play with the farm implement toys that his dad, Clint Stinson, brings home from his job at Baker Implement in Dexter...