Stories from Wednesday, February 4, 2015

By NOREEN HYSLOP Managing Editor PUXICO, Mo. -- Stoddard County authorities and the Missouri Highway Patrol are currently in the area of Mingo Wildlife Refuge in search of a suspect who is believed to have shot and killed John C. Fowler, 57, of St. Peters, Mo.,multiple times with a shotgun near the community of Hiram in Wayne County on Sunday morning. ...

BERNIE, Mo. - The Bernie Mules varsity boys basketball team secured its third victory of the season against Twin Rivers 66-64 in double overtime Tuesday night. "Beating a good team three times is a very tough thing to do," Botsch said. "Twin Rivers came in here and played our butts off. They were more physical and really hurt us on the glass and just had more fire and desire overall. We were fortunate to hang on for the win."...

By EMILY PRIDDY SEMO News Service ZALMA, Mo. -- The father of a Zalma, Mo., murder suspect told police his son shot Kenneth Willard because he feared Willard was setting him up to kill him, according to a probable-cause affidavit filed Monday in connection with the case...

By MIKE MCCOY Statesman Staff Writer BERNIE, Mo. -- Auditor Lori Crump with Maloney, Wright and Robbins, CPAs, in Farmington, Mo., told the Bernie Board of Aldermen Monday night the 2015 audit of the city was "a clean report." Crump said it was a better audit this year in terms of the overall fund balances being higher than in the 2014 audit...

By MIKE MCCOY Statesman Staff Writer BERNIE, Mo. -- The Bernie Board of Aldermen voted to have City Attorney Robin Northern draft an ordinance vacating Judy Street from where it dead ends near Highway 25 to Oak Street. The action came at their regular meeting Monday night. The only property owners effected by vacating the street are the Bernie Church of Christ and Steve and Dottie Babb...

Photo courtesy of SHANNON PUTNAM Dakota Silliman, a senior at Dexter High School, is The Daily Statesman's February 2015 Calendar Girl. She is the daughter of Chad and Dena Silliman. Dakota is a member of FTA, Honor Society, and the Varsity Softball Team. She also serves as treasurer for DECA. She plans to attend Southeast Missouri State University in the fall to major in radiology and later earn a degree in nursing...

By JONATHON DAWE Statesman Staff Writer After reviewing the areas of need in their respective wards, the Dexter Aldermen have decided which roads will be paved in the coming months. During last month's meeting, City Administrator Mark Stidham provided the aldermen with a list of proposed paving projects in each ward, based on the roads that needed it most. ...

Dexter Police Feb. 3, 2015 At 10:08 a.m., Monday, Feb. 2, Dexter Police responded to a two-vehicle accident at 1603 West Business Highway 60. According to the report, the accident occurred when a vehicle driven by Timothy E. Hart, 41, of Puxico backed into a vehicle, which was driven by Peggy S. Evans, 72, of Dexter...

JACKSON, Mo. - The Dexter Bearcats varsity girls basketball team fell behind the undefeated Saxony Lutheran Crusaders early and never caught up Tuesday night. Saxony Lutheran scored the first 11 points, increased its advantage to 18-4 by the end of the first period and led by at least six the rest of the way as it secured a 53-44 home win against Dexter...

PUXICO, Mo. -- Mingo National Wildlife Refuge will be hosting a public meeting to provide an overview of the 2014 hunt season on the refuge. The meeting will be held at the Mingo Visitor Center on February 19, 2015 at 6 p.m. During the meeting, Mingo Refuge Staff will look at the first hunt season with the new Refuge Hunt Plan in place. ...