Stories from Friday, December 12, 2014

The path to a district baseball championship got a bit tougher for a defending state champion and a pair of SCAA talents Friday. The Missouri High School Activities Association released district alignments for baseball for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons Friday...

Wappapello Lake -- December 3, 2014: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Wappapello Lake will begin annual winter drawdown from recreation pool to conservation pool on December 15, 2014. In accordance with the water control plan, the pool is drawn down from 359.74 feet, referenced to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD), to 354.74 feet NGVD (five feet lower). Barring significant precipitation, the lake should reach conservation pool January 2015...

Strickland Electric became the most recent member of the Dexter Chamber of Commerce, last week. On hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony were: (from l-r) Debbie Stidham, Shirley Carney, Amy Lovelady, Terry Battles, Karen Cook, Leslie Kyle, Joe Weber, Drew Strickland, Rachel Phillips, Kevin Bishop, Sherri Holifield, and Bill Hampton...

At a special meeting of the Dexter R-XI Board of Education this week, the Board approved a proposal from Missouri School Boards Association representative Dr. Jerry Waddle for MSBA to provide services in finding Dexter's next school superintendent. Last month, current Superintendent Dr. Tom Sharp announced his July 1 resignation as he envisions relocating closer to his children and grandchildren...

Over 2,000 wreaths arrived at the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery at Bloomfield for the Wreaths Across America program to be held Saturday, Dec. 13, at 11 a.m. The community contributed enough money to the annual event to provide enough wreaths to put on every grave site at the cemetery. ...

Flu season has started, and it arrived earlier than anticipated. And, while healthcare officials are concerned about this year's strain of the flu, vaccinations are still strongly encouraged. One thing healthcare officials are very concerned about is the effectiveness of this year's vaccine...

Wednesday was the final day for families to apply for help through the Daily Statesman's Operation Santa program, and six new families have asked for help. One of those has already been adopted, but five remain. A total of 43 families have made up the list this year, almost all of which have been adopted through the generosity of individuals, clubs, church groups, civic groups and businesses throughout the community...

BERNIE, Mo. -- The Bernie Board of Aldermen approved the purchase of a new fax/copy machine at their regular meeting recently for use by the police department and municipal court. The aldermen opted to buy the machine from Shelton's Business Machines of Malden, Mo., at a cost of $1,417...

Members of the Dexter First United Methodist Church Choir are shown raising their voices in song during their recent Christmas Cantata, "The Songs of Christmas." The choir is under the direction of Mary Ruth Boone. See additonal photos in Photo Galleries at www.dailystatesman.com or scan the QR code herein with any smart phone...

Jason Brett Vaughn of Rolla, Mo., was born in Poplar Bluff, Mo., on Nov. 30, 1973, and died Dec. 11, 2014, after a courageous battle with A.L.S. (Lou Gehrig Disease). Jason graduated from Rolla High School in 1992. Prior to his illness, Jason was the owner/operator of the TLC Landscaping Company of Rolla. ...

By NOREEN HYSLOP Managing Editor Wednesday was the final day for families to apply for help through the Daily Statesman's Operation Santa program, and several new families came forward with Christmas needs. A total of 45 families have made up the list this year. Listed below are the final six families that remain in need of help...