Stories from Tuesday, January 6, 2015

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that there were nine fatalities during the New Year's holiday counting period from 6 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014, to 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015. Troopers investigated 344 traffic crashes with 116 injuries. In addition, troopers made 90 arrests for driving while intoxicated during the 102-hour counting period. There were no boating or drowning incidents during the New Year's holiday counting period, according to the Patrol...

History will come to life Saturday afternoon, Jan. 10, at Keller Public Library when Civil War re-enactor David Koonce -- a Missouri native who recently returned to the area from Ohio -- takes on the role of General Sterling Price, Missouri's 11th governor and Civil War Brigadier General who remained loyal to the south until his death...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The Stoddard County Commission will put into the 2015 budget approximately $287,000 as revenue from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to replace a bridge that was destroyed in 2011 during a flood. The commission took the action at their regular meeting Monday. The county sustained damages to roads, levees and the bridge on County Road 410 in Castor Township in 2011, and a federal disaster was declared...

Two vehicles sustained significant damage and were both towed from the scene of an accident just before noon Monday at N. Mulberry and Market Streets near downtown Dexter. The accident occurred when Juanita Bacon, driving the Jeep Liberty pictured at right, was westbound on Market Street, stopped at the stop sign and proceeded through the intersection, striking a southbound 2012 Mazda driven by Jessica McHenry. There is no stop sign for north and southbound traffic at the intersection. Neither driver sustained injuries in the wreck.

SoutheastHEALTH presented its Sportsmanship Award to Scott County Central High School boys basketball player Matthew Blissett at the 2014 Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament on Tuesday night, Dec. 30, at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau. The annual award recognizes a student who displays success on the court, in the classroom and in the community...

DEXTER, Mo. - Local MMA fighter Frank Cortez of Clarkton defended his Light Heavyweight Championship Dec. 27 in St. Charles in front of a crowd of approximately 9,000 people. Cortez fought Jason Huncovsky from Finney's Hit Squad - a MMA team from the St. Louis area...

Dexter Police Jan. 1-5, 2015 Eric James Kirkpatrick, 30,of Dexter was arrested on Jan. 1, at 119 E. Stanley St. for third degree assault and for endangering the welfare of a child. His bond was set at $225. On Friday, Jan. 2, at 2:47 p.m., an accident occurred at 4 S. Catalpa when Bernice Taylor of Essex backed into a parked vehicle...

Danny R. Gregg, son of the late S. T. Gregg, Jewell Lorren Gregg and Joann Gregg, was born on July 21, 1954, in Detroit, Mich., and died on Jan. 4, 2015, at the Cancer Treatment Center in Tulsa, Okla., at the age of 60. Mr. Gregg was a member of the Dexter church of Christ and was a resident of Dexter. ...

By JONATHON DAWE Statesman Staff Writer Dexter has been fortunate in that the city has seen an increase in sales tax revenue, even when the state and nation were in recession. As a result of the good fortune, the city can move forward with plans to pave roads in the city...

NOREEN HYSLOP photo Kenton Barbour, 3-year old son of Patrick and Katie Barbour, was paying attention at Keller Library Tuesday when guest reader, Kim Cook, told youngsters to put on their "listening ears" for Story Hour. Cook presented "The Mitten," and "Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?" A gallery of additional photos may be viewed at www.dailystatesman.com or by scanning the QR code herein...

Robert and Sylvia Blaszkiewicz have been married 25 years, but they've known each other for 40 years. "You might not want to do a story on me," quips Robert, age 90. "I'm her fourth husband, and she buried the other three, plus a daughter. I sleep with one foot on the floor for fear she'll kill me during the night."...