Stories from Wednesday, December 19, 2018

From Staff Reports Butler County Publishing Publisher, Chris Pruett, has named Josh Ayers the new editor of the Dexter Statesman. The position had not been officially filled since the retirement of Noreen Hyslop earlier this year. Ayers, a lifelong resident of Dexter, is a 1995 graduate of Dexter High School and a 1998 graduate of Three Rivers College. He has been with The Dexter Statesman for 18 years...

The Regional Healthcare Foundation will sponsor the Team Fitness Challenge for the 13th straight year. The challenge began in 2007 when the staff at the Regional Healthcare Foundation started noticing a rise in diabetes. "We were noticing the rise in diabetes in the community," said LeVeda Scates. "The rise was in all age groups."...

By NANCY NELSON VINES Contributing Writer "Traditions are so much a part of the holidays," says Susan Leggett Shea of Bloomfield, "but as our life situations change, traditions are altered or maybe disappear altogether. "Hopefully," she adds, "new traditions evolve and find a place among the changes."...

Jonathon Tylor Simpson, 30, of Jackson, Mo., died Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018 at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Visitation will begin at 12:30 p.m. Friday at Cotrell Funeral Chapel in Poplar Bluff, with the funeral service following at 2:30 p.m. with the Rev. Darrell Faire officiating. Burial will follow at Ash Hill Cemetery in Fisk, Mo...

ELLSINORE, Mo. -- Edward "Leroy" Kindrick, 83, son of Ira Clark and Birdie Mae (Stacy) Kindrick was born June 6, 1935 in Walton Chapel, Mo., and departed this life Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018 at Westwood Hills in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Leroy had resided in Ellsinore, Mo., for most of his life. ...

NEELYVILLE, Mo. - Ruth D. Rice, 89, of Naylor, Mo., died Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018 at Colonial Home in Doniphan, Mo. Mrs. Rice was born on Oct. 26, 1929 in Henderson, Ky. and was a resident of Ripley County since 1981. She was a registered nurse and formerly resided in St. Louis, Mo. On Dec. 29, 1972 Mrs. Rice married James Wibur Rice in Clayton, Mo. He preceded her in death on Jan. 27, 2008...

DEXTER -- A plan for a new training center may have to be dropped from an effort to renovate and update facilities districtwide at Dexter schools. Final estimates fall between $20 million and $21.9 million for a project list given to CTS Group, the company assisting with planning and design...

Peace on earth, goodwill to men. This single phrase has its origins in the Gospel of Luke as part of the message delivered by the angels to the shepherds announcing the birth of Jesus. Known as the Annunciation to the Shepherds, the angelic message is central to the nativity, giving hope to mankind with the arrival of the son of God...

PIEDMONT -- East Carter's offense erupted for in Tuesday's game at Clearwater. Four different players scored in double figures, led by Cody Hampton with 23 points on three made 3-pointers, as the Redbirds (4-4) improved to .500 with a 94-80 win against the Tigers (2-6)...

BROSELEY -- The top-seeded Dexter Bearcats' defense dominated in the quarterfinal round of the Twin Rivers Lady Royals Christmas Classic. The Bearcats held eighth-seeded Kennett scoreless for the first 14:34 and didn't allow a field goal until the third quarter of a 46-11 rout...

BROSELEY -- Naylor lost to Doniphan by 16 points on Dec. 10, but that game didn't mean a thing this time around. The Lady Eagles shook off that earlier loss and took it to the fourth-seeded Donettes in the second half. After taking a two-point lead to the locker room, Naylor clamped down on defense and allowed two points the third quarter before finishing off a 45-31 win Tuesday. ...

First Midwest Bank of Dexter was awarded financing of the jail expansion by Stoddard County commissioners Monday following last week's opening of bids. "We had several bids and they were all good bids, but First Midwest Bank stood out," Presiding Commissioner Greg Mathis said. "We are very pleased it's staying with a county bank."...

BROSELEY -- The Twin Rivers R-X School District saw revenues increase about $35,000 over the previous year while expenses decreased, auditor Dwayne Clark reported to the board of education. "There is a big change in your finances for this year," Clark said during Tuesday's meeting...

"I don't see a great deal of traditional decorating anymore," says interior design consultant Patty Shell of Dexter. "Today's Christmas décor, particularly among young clients, tends to follow the ornate, color-coordinated trend." The bright array of contemporary holiday decorating is a colorful contrast to the simple efforts of early homesteaders, whose Colonial homes were festooned with nothing more than bouquets of holly or bay leaves...

Kim Jong Un, angered by the newest U.S. sanctions, is warning that North Korea's commitment to denuclearization could be imperiled and we could be headed for "exchanges of fire." Iran, warns Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, is testing ballistic missiles that are forbidden to them by the U.N. Security Council...

The first iron rule of American politics is: Follow the money. This explains, oh, about 80 percent of what goes on in Washington. Shortly after the latest "Chicken Little" climate change report was published last month, I noted on CNN that one reason so many hundreds of scientists are persuaded that the sky is falling is that they are paid handsomely to do so...