By Annabeth Miller, ShowMe Times Editor

They might be called the “most successful and best behaved gang of girls” at T.S. Hill Middle School. And the title would be right on the mark.

The Dexter 8th Grade Girls Volleyball team had more than just a successful season this year – they’ve had a highly successful, fun-filled pair of seasons on the volleyball court.

Undefeated in everyway – from regular season games to tournaments– the girls are a close-knit group of young ladies who have fun on the court, are great examples of good sportsmanship, determined and truly enjoy victory!

The team was recognized Friday afternoon during the school’s spring sports recognitions assembly.

“They are undefeated in the Stoddard County Tournament in both the 7th and 8th grades,” said Coach Melissa Hahn. “And the amazing thing about this team is that they have never lost one set.”

The girls’ statistics are staggering – never lost a sing set in two years of middle school play; outscored their opponents 1775-868 during the 7th and 8th grade years, won every tournament.

State Sen. Rob Mayer and the Missouri State Senate honored the team with a resolution. Brad Jarrell, a member of Mayer’s staff, presented the resolution to the team on behalf of the state senator.

The resolution noted that the the Lady Cats “gave their many fans good reason to cheer as they beat the Advance Lady Hornets during the hard-fought championship game” of the Stoddard County tournament 25-11 and 25-17, and praised the girls and coaches Hahn and Kara Lummukka.

By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson does not want the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to forget but instead to move with haste in restoring the land and the people who lived and worked in the in the Birds Point floodway in Southeast Missouri.

Emerson sent a letter Friday to Major General Michael Walsh demanding the swift restoration of the Birds Point levee in Missouri’s Eighth Congressional District. The levee was intentionally breached earlier this month by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in three places under the assumption that flooding in nearby areas would be mitigated. Emerson strongly voiced her opposition to the action.

“The people who live and work in the New Madrid Floodway cannot move forward with their recovery until some action is taken to stop water from entering the spillway. This needs to be done as soon as possible as part of a responsible process of restoring flood protection,” Emerson said. “The Corps decision has hurt these communities and counties very badly, and they ought to be a priority as the Corps begins to clean up the mess from this disaster.”

The text of Emerson’s letter follows:

An entire Missouri community and millions of dollars in economic activity in Missouri’s Eighth Congressional District have been wasted by the decision to destroy the Mississippi River levees at Birds Point. My constituents and I will accept nothing less than your total commitment to restoring the New Madrid Floodway, repairing the resulting damage and returning flood protection to those harmed by the actions of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in this disaster.

Pinhook, Missouri, is home to 48 constituents I represent in the New Madrid Floodway, which contains 288 residential structures total. Without restoration of the levees, these Missourians cannot return to their homes. The Floodway is also home to 132,000 acres which produced fully half of the value of Mississippi County’s agricultural economy last year, totaling $65 million. Without restoration of the levees, this county (already a persistent poverty county for four consecutive decades) will be economically devastated.

Not only do these Americans deserve protection from future Mississippi River floods, they must also be helped to their feet by the governmental entity which knocked them down. The restoration of the levees is the very least you can do for the thousands who have been injured by the Corps’ actions. It is entirely appropriate that the Corps would also repair other public and private structures in the Floodway damaged by the levee breach.

Missourians in the Eighth District deserve your prompt and complete commitment to helping them recover from the disaster the Corps caused in their communities. Please provide an immediate indication that the full resources of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be made available to help us in our time of need.

Photo Above: U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (on right) listens as Col. Vernie Reichling Jr., answers questions during a briefing on the levee held by Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh when he announced the decision to blow the levee at Birds Point. (ShowMe Times File Photo)

By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson has a few things to say these days to Vice President Joe Biden – and he might feel he was in the ‘hot seat’ when the conversation is completed.

Biden was in St. Louis on Wednesday and had praise for the Army Corps of Engineers and its decision to blow holes in the Birds Point levee in Missouri and flood more than 125,000 acres in the ShowMe State.

The blowing of the levee resulted in the intentional obliteration of 288 residential structures, ten churches, one entire predominantly African-American community, and the flooding of 128,000 acres of Missouri farmland.

According to the Associated Press, Biden told a group of reporters in St. Louis, “it is evidence that the (Army) Corps of Engineers has come up with a method along the Mississippi to be able to mitigate some of the significant damage that otherwise would have occurred.”

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) responded to the Vice President’s statements by saying Biden clearly doesn’t understand the situation in the congressional district she represents.

“Not only has this decision by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers literally wiped an entire town off the map, it has also in the case of Mississippi County likely reduced the ag economy by some $65 million,” Emerson said. “There is a swath of destruction alongside the river, and there has thus far been no public indication by the Vice President or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that the federal government will be there for these Americans to help them rebuild and keep them safe over the long term.”

Furthermore, Emerson says, there is no evidence to suggest that any reduction in Mississippi River flood stages at Birds Point last week will lead to a reduction in damage as the crest moves downstream.

“I do not know what damage the Vice President imagines was prevented by causing hundreds of millions of dollars of destruction in Southern Missouri, but I can tell you the crisis in our communities is real, it is immediate, and a comprehensive response is urgently needed,” Emerson said.

Emerson said four Southern Missouri counties have been declared major federal disaster areas, but that an expansion of that designation to Scott, Stoddard, Cape Girardeau and other counties is necessary, as well as restoration of the levee sections the Corps of Engineers detonated.

“I think it is foolhardy to call any action that purposefully ruins Americans lives and livelihoods is a sound method of dealing with any disaster,” Emerson said. “The folks I represent are no less important than any other Americans suffering from the flooding along the river.”

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson at a briefing by the Army Corps of Engineers near Birds Point on the Mississippi River levee.

By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor

ROLLA, Mo. - Life and work on the campus of Missouri University of Science and Technology have started to return to normal after a frightening situation Thursday morning.

Police issued an "all clear" bulletin at 1 p.m. after apprehending a suspect in a into custody who is believed to have entered nearby Fort Leonard Wood military base with an assault rifle, fled to Rolla in a stolen car while shooting at pursuing officers, wrecked the car at the university campus, walked through a university campus building in Rolla with the rifle, and then broke into a home and stole a car from the person living there.

The suspect has been identified as Cody Willcoxson of Southwest City, in McDonald County.

Missouri S&T went on a lockdown just before 9 a.m. Thursday after a report of a man with a gun was on campus in McNutt Hall, a building in the mining department. A text alert was sent out and a message was posted on S&T's website.

Law enforcement officers later said no shots were fired on campus but some shots were fired near campus. One shot hit a sheriff's deputy's car.

According to the Rolla police, at approximately 8:36 a.m. a male identified as Cody Nathaniel Willcoxon was seen at the entrance gate at Fort Leonard Wood with an AK-47. After being questioned, he fled the scene and was pursued by members of the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department and St. Robert Police Department in a silver passenger car.

The suspect then began to shoot at the pursuing officers, and he headed east on I-44. Spike strips were set up on I-44 which resulted in the suspect exiting at the Rolla 184 Exit.

The suspect then began shooting at Rolla Police officers and members of the Phelps County Sheriff's Department as they pursued him.

The suspect then drove through several areas in Rolla where he continued shooting at officers.

The suspect vehicle stopped near McNutt Hall at Missouri S&T near University Drive and Highway 63. The suspect fled from his vehicle on foot with a long rifle. Law enforcement officers established a perimeter around McNutt Hall and cleared the building.

Several minutes later the suspect broke into an occupied residence in the 1000 block of Crinoidal Court and demanded the keys to the resident's car and stole it. He later fled the scene in the stolen car.

At approximately 1 p.m., law enforcement officials apprehended the suspect. He is now in custody.

Most students on the Rolla campus had already left for summer break when the incident occurred.

Photo Above: The Millennium Arch on the campus of the Missouri University of Science & Technology in Rolla, where earlier today the campus was on lock-down due a suspect with an AK-47 assault rifle. The Millennium Arch started out as several large slabs of red granite rock and precisely cut with a high tech water jet. The original design came from internationally acclaimed artist Edwina Sandy, the granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill.

BREAKING MISSOURI NEWS!
10:37 a.m.

The campus of Missouri University of Science and Technology remains in lockdown mode after a man who fired shots near campus entered a Missouri S&T building around 8:45 a.m. CDT today.

No shots were fired on campus and no injuries to on-campus students, faculty and staff were reported.

As of 10:15 a.m. CDT today, the suspect, a white male, is still at large and was last seen near White Columns Drive, a residential area northwest of campus across Interstate 44.

The suspect was last seen wearing a blue-and-white t-shirt and may be bleeding from one hand.

Missouri S&T issued a lockdown alert at around 8:40 a.m. today after the suspect had entered McNutt Hall, which houses classrooms, offices and laboratories. The suspect soon exited the building and traveled on foot north of campus.

Police recovered a firearm near McNutt Hall.

All university students, faculty and staff are to remain in their buildings until Missouri S&T Police issue an all-clear. Individuals off-campus are asked to remain away from campus until the all-clear has been issued.



10:20 a.m. ROLLA, Mo. – Missouri University of Science and Technology (formerly UMR) in Rolla went on a lockdown just before 9 a.m. Thursday morning with a report a shooter on the Rolla campus in McNutt Hall. McNutt Hall is a part of the university’s Mining Department.

The university sent a text alert to all students and a message posted on the universiy’s website – www.mst.edu.

The university reported at 9:50 that no shots were fired on campus and no unjuries have been reported. However, the campus is still on lockdown and operating under emergency conditions. Students, faculty and staff are being advised to continue to secure buildings and stay indoors until the university gives the “all clear.”

At 9:10 am, the university posted the suspect had left campus, but advised those on campus to continue to secure buildings and stay indoors. The message advised people not already on campus to avoid going on campus.

Authorities believe the suspect is no longer armed, because they found an AK-47 underneath a brown pickup on campus.

The university says finals are still going on and students on campus are being told to stay inside buildings.

Students and staff not on campus are being told to stay away.