Editor's Note: This part one of a look-back at 2021. This article will highlight the top stories of January through June of 2021.
January
6 • When Dexter City Administrator Mark Stidham passed away suddenly on Dec. 30, 2020, after a month-long battle with COVID-19, he left behind a legacy of friendship, admiration, hard work, unsurpassed devotion to family and community, and laughter.
Former Dexter Mayor John Pruitt observes, “Mark will be difficult to replace. His commitment went beyond the day-to-day workplace. Most people don’t realize he was on the job 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whatever was going on in Dexter—Mark was there. He was always looking out for what needed to be done.”
• A pair of business owners from Bernie questioned the Stoddard County Commission about the process used to determine who receives Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act money.
Waylon Owens, owner of the Bernie Fitness Center, told the commission during its regular weekly meeting Monday morning that he submitted an application in November and didn’t learn until recently that his application was missing a signature.
13 • A Bernie man has been found competent to proceed on a charge of abandonment of a corpse, according to an order issued by a Stoddard County judge.
The order reportedly had to be entered by Associate Circuit Judge Joe Satterfield before Corey L. Gill can undergo a “pre-trial psychiatric examination on the issue of criminal responsibility.”
• The universal playground project continues to progress at Boon Park. “Our goal in the Boon Park Universal Playground Project has always been to begin playground equipment installation in 2021,” observes Jamie Rowe, Dexter Parks and Recreation Park Manager, “and despite the fact that COVID-19 hindered our fundraising efforts this past year, we are still on target with that plan.”
20 • The Puxico School Board moved forward with the Puxico school bond and placed the bond on the April ballot. If the bond passes the district would build a new 30,000 square foot elementary school.
• Nestle Purina recently presented $25,000 to Puxico Project 4 Paws, along with a donation of dog food. The grant money will jump-start the organization’s project to build a new animal shelter.
27 • The Stoddard County SB40 Board renewed its real estate loan with Southern Bank at its January meeting. The loan was taken out originally for the construction of the then-Target Case Management and Progressive Industries buildings. The Progressive Industries building has since been leased to QC Supply. The board currently owes $1,219,222 on the current loan.
• Two businesses who mistakenly received payroll reimbursement through the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act have returned those funds, totaling over $11,000 to the county.
February
3 • Stoddard County 4-H Club Specialist Kristi Baker discussed how the club continued educating its youth during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While in-person events were canceled, the club, which is part of the University of Missouri Extension, went virtual for meetings and events.
• The Stars and Stripes Museum reopened after a month-long remodel. Museum curator Morgan Wilkinson said the new displays feature the Civil War, an expansion of the Battle of the Bulge display and a new section to honor the Stripers. Stripers is the name given to the employees of the Stars and Stripes Newspaper.
10 • Peter Coutavas, the new director for Industrial Development Authority of Stoddard County, spoke with the commissioners about his plans for the organization. Coutavas is a former Puxico mayor and a member of the city council and has served on the IDASC board for 15 years.
17 • Southeast Missouri was hit with icy weather, and most schools missed multiple days due to the weather. School districts account for snow days when the calendar is constructed for the school year, but if the days allotted are exceeded, the district is forced to find a way to make up these days. Giving up previously scheduled days off and tacking on days to the end of the school year are a few ways to do this.
24 • A 62-year-old Bernie man was found shot dead inside an apartment and Dexter police have charged Anthony Thomas Jenkins Sr. for the murder.
March 3 • The Dexter Board of Aldermen meeting for March opened with three concerned citizens addressing the board concerning the future of Dexter and the pending decision on the new city administrator.
Mary Worley addressed the board first saying she had been in business in Dexter for about 45 years and had seen many changes. She listed a few of the past mayors who served the city leading up to the current system with the city administrator. Worley said she was concerned about the city administrator position and would have liked to have seen more community input in the selection process. Worley said she would also like to see a copy of the job description/qualifications being sought by the city.
10 • The Dexter Chamber of Commerce and Three Rivers College signed an agreement to allow Three Rivers College (TRC) to purchase the the Chamber of Commerce building where the college is located at 515 W. Market.
“We are thrilled with this partnership,” said Dexter Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Alisha Trammell.
• In the biggest drug bust in Stoddard County’s history, a Dexter man was arrested as he returned home from California with 74 pounds of marijuana in a rented SUV, according to Sheriff Carl Hefner.
Jack E. Schmerber Jr., 31, was detained without incident by Stoddard County investigators, who were tipped off about the drugs by a confidential informant, according to Hefner.
17 • The Stoddard County Commission announced the hiring of Andrew Bohnert, as the county’s new emergency management agency director and floodplain manager.
Bohnert was offered the job at a salary of $55,000 per year plus the county’s benefit plan.
24 • The Stoddard County SB40 Board approved a voluntary raise to the monthly payment on its loan at Southern Bank. At the January meeting the board renewed a loan at Southern Bank. This loan is for the amount owed on the construction of the then-Target Case Management and Progressive Industries buildings. The Progressive Industries building has since been leased to QC Supply. Following a down payment of $219,222.36, the board approved a $1 million loan at three years and 3% interest.
• Puxico voters hold the fate of the Puxico Elementary School in their hands in the municipal election on April 6. The Puxico School Board has placed a $6.5 million bond issue on the ballot that, if it passes, would allow the construction of a new elementary school. In January 2020 a committee met for the first time to discuss the concerns with the current school and options moving forward.
31 • The Stoddard County Emergency Management Agency has a new director. Andrew Bohnert is the new director and floodplain manager. Bohnert came to Stoddard County from Perry County where he held the same position.
• The Stoddard County Commission voted to approve the paperwork necessary to begin construction of a bridge on County Road 780 in Elk Township. Jeremy Manning, of Smith and Company of Poplar Bluff, is the project manager, and Keith Simpson Contracting LLC is the contractor.
April 7 • Voters in Advance and Puxico decided the fate of two school bond issues Tuesday evening.
In Advance voters passed the $1.5 million bond by an unofficial count of 207 votes yes to 46 no. This bond will allow the district to make several improvements, including a new roof coating on the elementary and high school buildings, security upgrades and a new bus garage.
The evening did not end as well for the Puxico School District. Although the final unofficial count, including votes from Wayne County (part of the Puxico School District extends into Wayne County), was 285 yes to 243 no, the bond failed. The bond required a 4/7 majority to pass, but fell just short of that mark.
14 • At a special Dexter Board of Aldermen meeting, Dexter Police Chief Trevor Pulley was named the new Dexter city administrator. Pulley has served as Dexter police chief for the past three years. With Pulley moving to the city administrator’s office, he will no longer serve as police chief. Captain Hank Trout has been named the new Dexter police chief.
• Loyd Rice, manager of fiber services for SEMO Electric Cooperative, addressed the Stoddard County Commission concerning the process used by the Federal Communications Commission to distribute money for rural internet access.
21 • Stoddard County Associate Commissioner Carol Jarrell raised concerns about the amount of mileage County Clerk Cecil Weeks reported for the April election.
Speaking at Monday’s regular meeting, Jarrell said Weeks reported 617 miles for the election for setup, delivery of equipment and poll visits.
• “Of course you know I am going to have some big shoes to fill,” said new Dexter Police Chief Hank Trout. “Trevor was an outstanding chief and has done great things for this department.”
“I am thankful for the opportunity to be the chief here in Dexter,” said Trout. “I am grateful that Chief (Trevor) Pulley had the confidence in me to lead this department.”
28 • The Stoddard County Emergency Management Agency has rolled out some new technology to assist in their duty to provide early warning messaging to county residents in the event of severe weather.
SDS Weather’s RadarOmega is now active in the county. This system includes a cyclonePORT network with weather stations installed in Dexter, Puxico, Bloomfield, Dudley, Advance and Essex, and a mobile unit based out of Bernie.
• Saint Francis Health Plans made its debut last summer and provides health benefits for employers throughout Saint Francis’ 12 core counties in Southeast Missouri.
Dexter R-XI schools has now become SFHP’s largest client in Dexter, following action by the Board of Education.
May 5 • At a regular meeting of the Advance R-IV School District Board of Education on April 8, a general obligation bond parameters resolution was approved that designated a final terms committee consisting of Superintendent Shannon Garner, Board President Ryan Schrader, and Larry J. Hart, CEO of L.J. Hart & Company. It authorized the sale of $1,500,000 general obligation bonds to its municipal bond underwriter, L.J. Hart & Company of St. Louis.
12 • On Memorial Day weekend, the Dexter Aquatic Center reopened for the first time since 2019 after it was shut down in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Stoddard County’s annual tax sale moved from the courthouse steps to a computer near you in August. The sale for property on which taxes are delinquent is held annually on the fourth Monday in August.
19 • “Class of 2021 one last time, wherever you go, remember your roots and don’t forget to show up early, stay late and do a little more than what’s expected,” said Dexter High School Principal Alana Dowdy. “Whatever you do, don’t forget the best view comes after the hardest climb.”
A year ago the Bearcat Event Center (BEC) sat empty on graduation day. The graduates paraded around the Dexter School District campus and part of the surrounding area in cars.
26 • Auditor Patrick Kitner was present at the May meeting of the Stoddard County Senate Bill 40 Board. Kitner gave the board an unmodified opinion on the annual audit. This was the best opinion that can be received. This report consists of recommendations and suggestions for the board. This audit was presented at the April meeting by board member Wayne Jean. Kitner was present to answer any questions the board may have.
June 2 • Dexter has been named the most patriotic city in Missouri by Insurify. The company, which has been recognizing communities with this honor since 2018, honors the community in each state with the highest proportion of military veterans and active military personnel.
• A new columbarium wall was dedicated at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery during the annual Memorial Day service. The ceremony opened with Kara Boone singing the national anthem and Chaplain Madonna McDonald leading the invocation.
9 • Loyd Rice, manager of fiber services for SEMO Electric Cooperative, requested the Stoddard County Commission use its American Recovery Act funds to bring fiber optic internet service to Puxico.
• Dexter City Manager Trevor Pulley spoke to the Stoddard County commissioners about using some of the county’s American Recovery Act funds to extend the city’s water-and-sewer system to a property near the U.S. Highway 60-Missouri State Highway 25 interchange.
• After going virtual in 2020, the Ben Kruse 18 Fore Life Banquet returned to its traditional in-person format at the Dexter Elks Lodge. The charity celebrated both its 20th anniversary and $3 million in love offerings to those fighting cancer.
16 • The Stoddard County Commission asked SEMO Electric Cooperative about the cost for bringing high-speed internet to Puxico and rural areas of western Stoddard County.
Loyd Rice, manager of fiber services for SEMO Electric Cooperative, requested the commission use its American Rescue Plan funds to bring fiber optic internet service to Puxico during a previous commission meeting.
• The Stoddard County Commission voted 3-0 to commit $800,000 of the county’s American Rescue Plan funds over the next two years to a water-and-sewer system for a project to bring a truck stop and hotel to property near the U.S. Highway 60-Missouri State Highway 25 interchange.
23 • A county water district and the city of Advance approached the Stoddard County Commission about obtaining American Rescue Plan funds from the county.
The county was awarded $5,637,766 in ARP funds with the first half deposited into the county’s bank account the previous week and the remainder coming next year.
• The cost to bring fiber-optic internet to the underserved areas of southwestern Stoddard County was revealed during a county commission meeting.
Presiding Commissioner Danny Talkington asked Loyd Rice, manager of fiber services for SEMO Electric Cooperative, how much it would cost to install a fiber network not only in Puxico and the Puxico R-8 School District but for the county’s other areas that have few or no options for high-speed internet.
30 • The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) program is not new to Dexter but for the first time the Fellowship of Christian Athletes held a three-day Power Camp in Dexter on June 29 and 30 and July 1. It hopes this will be the first of many held in Dexter. Dexter coaches gave their time to instruct the elementary and junior high students.
• The Dexter School Board accepted a bid for pest control services for the 2021-22 school year and approved a tentative budget.
Assistant Superintendent Gavin Miller presented the bids for the pest control service to the board. Two pest control bids were received. They were received from Deprow Services and All Star Pest Management. All Star Pest Management presented a bid for $5,975 and has served the district for 24 years.