The population center of the nation remains in Missouri, just a little south and west of it’s previous location.

Plato, Missouri, population 109, is the new geographic center of the population of the United States. The community is located in Texas County, and is near Success, Roby and Lynchburg.

U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Groves congratulated the southeast Missouri town during a news conference Thursday.

"2010 is a special decade in our nation’s history," Groves said. "The center of the population has moved in a southerly direction in the most extreme way we've ever seen."

The Census Bureau calculates the center of population after each decennial census. It determines the center based on where an "imaginary, flat, weightless and rigid map of the United States would balance perfectly" if all 308,745,538 residents weighed the same amounts.

The center has been located in Missouri since the 1980 census.

After analyzing the data from the 2010 Census, the new population center is 2.7 miles northeast of Plato in Texas County, Missouri.

The announcement was made today at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, by U.S. Census Director Robert Groves.

“It’s a unique distinction for our congressional district to contain the population center of the entire country, and I think it is in many ways fitting that the center falls right in the middle of the Heartland,” U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson said.

“Our congressional district is a patriotic place, we are home to strong communities, we place a high value on public service, and, to me, we represent the very heart and soul of our nation. No matter where you live in America, you would find a warm welcome if you came to Plato and sat down for coffee in the morning.”

Emerson also noted that the southward shift of the population center reflects the growth of population in southern U.S. states.

“It’s just a short drive from Edgar Springs to Plato in Missouri, but you think about the larger demographic shift in our country. It kind of boggles your mind to think about the movement of millions of people around our country and how we can simply represent that with the mean population center statistic. This is a great teaching tool for our local schools as well as for students around the nation who are learning more about the makeup of our country’s population and how the trends affect our national identity,” she said.

Ever since Chestertown, Md., was determined to be the center of population after the first census was conducted in 1790, the center of population has told the story of America, illustrating how we've grown as a nation. It follows a trail across the country — across Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Missouri — that reflects our history of settling the frontier, manifest destiny, waves of immigration and regional migration.

The Census Bureau reports it will install a commemorative “geodetic control mark” at a site near the official coordinates during a dedication ceremony in April 2011. This survey disc will be used by satellites and land surveyors to conduct scientific surveys to generate precise position data that serve as the foundation for accurate mapping and charting in America.

By Annabeth Miller
ShowMe Times Editor

Chelsey Massey may have been the only one in the audience, and the business hum-drum and routine, but she was enthusiastic nonetheless.

Massey attended Monday evening’s meeting of the Dexter Board of Aldermen, where she observed local government first-hand.

“She is interested in government processes and I invited her to come tonight,” said Ward II Alderman Rick Hux. Massey is a freshman at Dexter High School, was attended the meeting as part of a project for 4H. “Thanks for coming, and any time you want to get involved in the city, we’ll help you out all we can. I appreciate your interest; wish more young people would take part.”

The young Massey got to see first-hand that sometimes government is not real exciting. The 30-minute aldermanic meeting centered on the routine business of the city, including the hiring of a new employee to work at the Depot downtown and the appointment of individuals to two city boards.

Mayor Joe Weber appointed and the aldermen confirmed the appointment of Melba Walker to a four-year term on the Housing Authority & Fair Housing Board, and Bill Settles to a five-year term to the Dexter Airport Board.

City Administrator Mark Stidham announced that Angie Williams was hired and started work this week at the newly remodeled Depot in Historic Downtown Dexter. She will be working part-time at the Depot, assisting visitors and managing the new facility.

In other business Monday evening, the board:

• Accepted the bid of C.A. Walker Contruction for the Fairgrounds Road Lift Station and sewer improvements project. The local firm was the “lowest and best bid” for the project. Its bid was $137,975 for the project.

• Learned from Police Chief Sammy Stone that bids for the constriction of the new addition to the police station will be opened at 3 p.m., Thursday, March 24 at the City Administration Building.

• The board was informed that the citywide Spring Cleanup is scheduled throughout the month of April. In addition, cleanup at the City Cemetery is scheduled April 11-15.

Photo Above:
Chelsey Massey was welcomed to Monday evening's meeting of the Dexter Board of Aldermen by Mayor Joe Weber (right) and Ward II Alderman Rick Hux.]br]

By Annabeth Miller
ShowMe Times Editor

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., March 20, 2011 – Dedication, talented, inspiring, professional, passionate, deserving.

Those were the six words used this week to describe a Dexter teacher honored for her service to education.

MaryRuth Boone was honored by her colleagues with the Southeast Region Meritorious Service to Education Award at a banquet Thursday evening on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University. Boone teaches vocal music at Dexter High School and T.S. Hill Middle School.

Nominated for the prestigious award by the Dexter Community Teachers Association, she was seated at the banquet at a table full of her family and colleagues. The group from the Dexter CTA was the largest single delegation of CTA members from any school district in the region.

“As I was planning what to say tonight, I was hard-pressed to find the words to convey to you just what MaryRuth Boone means to the Dexter School District,” fellow teacher Melinda Sweeney said in her introduction of Boone. Sweeney teaches with Boone at T.S. Hill Middle School. “So I looked through the letters written by her colleagues recommending her for this award, and I found the words that are in the minds and the hearts of her colleagues, her friends, and of course, of the students who have been fortunate enough to have had her as a teacher.”

Those six words that Sweeney used described an educator who has worked with more than 10,000 students, hundreds of concerts and countless hours rehearsing with soloists and ensembles.

The words Sweeney said described Boone were dedication, talented, inspiring, professional, passionate, deserving.

“MaryRuth Boone is dedicated to her students and to her art,” she said. “MaryRuth is a talented musician and she shares that talent with her students, the community, and with her church, where she has served as the Choir Director for 30 years. But she's also a talented teacher who knows how to get the best from her students to help them reach their potential.”

Sweeney said Boone inspires her students to be the best that they can be.

“Good is not good enough; we can be better,” Sweeney said. “She inspires her colleagues who watch her tireless efforts, the time she spends with the students.”

Sweeney said Boone demonstrates a high level of professional commitment in her interactions with students, parents, colleagues and the community.

“MaryRuth combines her passion for music with her passion for teaching with her passion for kids and this has made her the beloved teacher that she is today. There is no question that MaryRuth Boone is deserving of our admiration, our respect and of our thanks.”

During her time at the podium, Boone recalled a number of incidents throughout her teaching career. Her stories of foibles with busses and students, of classroom activities and travels with students were all humorous stories that were appreciated by the ballroom full of educators. But the stories ware also all laced with her deep love of her profession and dedication to the students.

Boone praised and thanked her husband, Bill, for his support throughout her 30 years that have included long nights working with students, concerts, trips and activities. She thanked him for his support and patience.

She noted that through the years her students have performed throughout the state of Missouri, including the 2005 Missouri Governor’s Inaugural, as well as in Chicago, at Walt Disney World, New Orleans, and overseas.

“This year we are going to New York City, so I guess I am going out on a high note,” she said.

Attending the banquet with Boone were her husband, Bill, and son Andrew, as well as her brother, Buddy White of Poplar Bluff, and sister-in-law Helen Claire Boone Schott of Cape Girardeau.

In addition, a number of Dexter educators were there to support and honor Boone: Bryce and Sherry Matthews, Scott and Julie Rybolt, Jeannie Cato and Sweeney.

“I always knew I had a passion for music and a calling to teach,” she said. And it has been this overwhelming passion for teaching that has carried her through the years and touched the lives of hundreds of students and the community.

Boone is retiring at the end of the academic year after teaching in the Dexter schools for 30 years.

Photo Above: A number of her colleagues in the Dexter schools attended the banquet honoring MaryRuth Boone at Southeast Missouri State University. Attending were (from left) Scott Rybolt, Melinda Sweeney, Jeannie Cato, Boone, Bryce Matthews and Sherry Matthews. (ShowMe Times Photo by Annabeth Miller)

Photo Below: Family members attending the banquet were (front row, from left) Bill Boone, Boone, Helen Claire Boone Schott of Cape Girardeau, and Buddy White of Poplar Bluff; (back row) son Andrew Boone.

By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor

Three Southeast Missouri residents have been appointed to committees that will set the new boundries for legislative districts as the redistricting process picks up speed in the Show Me State.

Gov. Jay Nixon this week announced the appointments of the members of the bipartisan apportionment commissions that will set new boundaries for the 34 districts in the Missouri Senate and the 163 districts in the Missouri House of Representatives. The Missouri Constitution requires the governor to appoint the two commissions to reapportion the state's legislative districts following the national census.

Eddie Justice and Nate Kennedy, both of Poplar Bluff, were appointed to the House apportionment commission. Justice was appointed as a Republican; Kennedy as a Democrat.

The congressional district committees from the two parties in each of Missouri's nine congressional districts each submitted two nominees for appointment to the House apportionment commission. The governor selected one member from each of the committees' lists, for a total of 18 members. Other House apportionment commission members, along with their congressional district, hometown and political affiliation are:

• Marlene E. Davis (D - First Congressional District, St. Louis)
• Thomas Wilsdon (R - First Congressional District, St. Louis)
• Cheryl Hibbeler (D - Second Congressional District, O'Fallon)
• Ann Wagner (R - Second Congressional District, Ballwin)
• David Courtway (R - Third Congressional District, Festus)
• Jo Ann Karll (D - Third Congressional District, High Ridge)
• Violet Corbett (R - Fourth Congressional District, Knob Noster)
• Paula Willmarth (D - Fourth Congressional District, Jefferson City)
• Chuck Caisley (R - Fifth Congressional District, Kansas City)
• W. Mitchell Elliott (D - Fifth Congressional District, Kansas City)
• Trent Skaggs (D - Sixth Congressional District, North Kansas City)
• James C. Thomas III (R - Sixth Congressional District, Kansas City)
• Nick Myers (R - Seventh Congressional District, Joplin)
• Todd Patterson (D - Seventh Congressional District, Joplin)
• Joe Maxwell (D - Ninth Congressional District, Mexico)
• Cindy O'Laughlin (R - Ninth Congressional District, Shelbina)

Cape Girardeau businesswoman Kathy Swan was appointed as a Republican to serve on the Senate apportionment commission. Swan also serves on the Cape Girardeau City Council and is serving her third term on the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education.

The state committees of the two major political parties each submitted 10 names to the governor to consider for appointment to the Senate apportionment commission. From those lists, the Governor selected five members from each of the lists for the commission, for a total of 10 members.

Other Senate committee members are:

• John Borbonus (D - St. Louis)
• Doug Harpool (D - Springfield)
• John Maupin (R - St. Louis)
• Jeff Mazur (D - Ashland)
• Joe Passanise (R - Springfield)
• Terry Riley (D - Kansas City)
• Miles Ross (R - Springfield)
• Bob Saunders (D - Liberty)
• Yancy Williams (R - Columbia)

Under the time line set by the Missouri Constitution, the commissions will hold their first meetings April 5. They must prepare a tentative map of the 34 Senate districts and 163 House districts within five months.

After a series of public hearings, final maps are due at the Secretary of State’s office by mid-September.

If either commission is unable to complete its work in time, the commission’s job will fall to a panel of appellate court judges who would be appointed by the Missouri Supreme Court.

By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor

The red brick building on Market Street was where 200 people once crafted hats and caps that went around the world – proudly made in Dexter, Missouri. But International Hat closed its doors in Dexter in 1989; Paramount Cap continued the hat-making tradition, but it too, closed its doors.

And now, in 2011 - 22 years after International Hat - the facility is now an educational center to help people prepare for their futures.

Three Rivers College has invited the community to see first-hand this new facility during an Open House on Thursday, March 24 beginning at 4 p.m. The public is invited to visit the center and to see the way in which the college has converted the old hat factory into a state-of-the-art education facility.

“This is one of Three Rivers’ most beautiful and advanced facilities,” said Dr. Devin Stephenson, president of Three Rivers. “This center is very important to us, and to the people of the Dexter area. I expect new, fresh ideas to come from this center. I also expect there to be a very strong relationship with local school systems, the Chamber of Commerce, cities and towns, civic organizations, businesses, industry, and government.”

A wide range of general education courses are offered at the new Dexter center. From College Writing and Introduction to Literature, U.S. History and College Algebra, more than 25 courses are currently offered.

In addition to general education courses, the Dexter Center will deliver training in the Medical Coding option of the Information Systems Technology degree, as well as a Green Diesel Technology program. Students can earn an associate degree in IST: Medical Coding, or certification in diesel mechanics.

Center coordinator is Bill Hampton. Hampton joined the Three Rivers team in January He has more than two decades in education and in business in the region, most recently as the founder and co-owner of YHC-TV in Dexter. His enthusiasm for the college and the opportunities the center offers is contagious.

Joining Hampton as co-coordinator is Ann Matthews. Matthews has served since August 2005 in the Three Rivers Center in Portageville, and has strong family connections to the college, which several members of her family graduating from Three Rivers.

“We’re here to serve the students of Stoddard County and its surrounding areas,” said Hampton. “We invite prospective students, parents of students, and the community in general to come by and see the new facility. Ann and I will be on hand to answer any questions about course offerings, financial aid, and the center in general.”

Refreshments will be served at the Open House on Thursday. The event is free and open to the public.

Photo Above:
State Senator Rob Mayer (right) and U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (left) discuss the programs to be offered at the new Dexter Center of Three Rivers College with college president, Dr. Devin Stephenson during a recent tour of the new facility.(ShowMe Times file photo by Annabeth Miller)