Stories from Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Two fires in Stoddard County on Tuesday resulted in no injuries. The first was a structure fire early in the afternoon on Stoddard Street in Dexter near Tyson Foods. Dexter Fire Chief Don Seymore said the department remained on scene for two hours. Seymore further stated that the house sustained heavy damage during the blaze but no one was injured...

Officers with the Dexter and Malden police departments were among those participating in a special holiday enforcement campaign to reduce the number of traffic fatalities nationwide. From Dec. 18 through Jan. 1, the officers partnered with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for its 2020 holiday season “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” DWI enforcement campaign...

The Keller Public Library has been awarded a $4,264 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) technology grant made possible through the Missouri State Library.  The grant funds will be used to replace three staff computers, as well as the firewall. ...

Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, has announced that 31 troopers will graduate from the Patrol’s Law Enforcement Academy on Wednesday, January 20, 2021. The ceremony is by invitation only due to the coronavirus guidelines; however, it will be made available to the public and the media live via the Patrol’s Facebook page Facebook.com/motrooper. ...

The director of the Stoddard County Health Center, Ben Godwin, confirmed 20 new cases of COVID-19 along with 15 recoveries. The county now sits at 2,739 confirmed cases with 112 active, 2,567 recovered and 60 deaths. Broken down by age group the cases are 0 to 19 – 381 cases, 20 to 29 – 358 cases, 30 to 39 – 360 cases, 40 to 49 – 417 cases, 50 to 59 – 357 cases, 60 to 69 – 380 cases, 70 to 79 – 284 cases and 80-plus – 202 cases. ...

After two terms spanning eight years as Missouri’s senator for the 25th District, Doug Libla’s time as a lawmaker in Jefferson City has come to an end. “I’m proud of the opportunity to get to go to Jefferson City, and I appreciate the vote of confidence in people who voted for me,” Libla said...