By Annabeth Miiler,
ShowMe Times Editor

In a surprise move today, one of the leading republican candidates for state senate in the Bootheel has withdrawn from the race.

State. Rep. Gayle Kingery of Poplar Bluff announced today his would not be a candidate for state senate in the 25th senatorial district in the Bootheel. Kingery had announced earlier this year his intention to seek the state senate post being vacated by State Senator Rob Mayer, R-Dexter. Mayer cannot seek another term in office due to state term limits.

“My family asked me to retire,” Kingery said in exclusive telephone call to the ShowMe Times. “My sons all talked to me individually and they made a good case. So I am withdrawing my name from consideration for the state senate race. I am talking our name out of consideration.”

Kingery said his four sons – three of whom live in Colorado and the fourth in Texas – all encouraged their dad to retire and to have more time to travel, camp and enjoy being with family. He said one son was home recently from serving in the military in Iraq, and the family was all together in Colorado.

“I talked it over with my wife, and I decided to do what the kids would like for me to do,” the jovial Kingery said. “Family comes first.”

Kingery said he has enjoyed his time as a state legislator, and will miss the work in Jefferson City.

“It was a tough decision on my part,” he said. “We have really enjoyed our time as state representative. We were able to accomplish much of what we needed to do. We certainly haven’t fixed everything, but we have made a good start.”

Kingery added that he would not become involved in the Republican primary contest, but that he would “support whoever the Republican candidate is after the primary in August.”

Kingery said that while he had been looking forward to the campaign, he now has other thoughts. He said he is now looking forward to escaping the rigors of a campaign and the Bootheel heat and humidity.

“Now that I have made the decision they (the sons) have all called and are happy that I have made the decision to pull out,” he commented. He said he and his wife are also looking forward to two of their favorite activities – traveling and camping.

“We will never leave Poplar Bluff and Missouri, but we will travel a lot more,” he said.

Photo Above: State Rep. Gayle Kingery of Poplar Bluff (left) with Stoddard County GOP chairman Wayne Jean at this year's Republican Lincoln Days in Dexter.

Some younger folks may not remember, but the late Red Skelton was a comedian in the 1950s and 60s - with a popular weekly television.

On Jan. 14, 1969, Skelton offered his television audience his reminiscence of an incident from his schoolboy days in Indiana. Mr. Lasswell, Skelton's teacher, felt his students had come to regard the Pledge of Allegiance as a daily drudgery to be recited by rote; they had lost any sense of the meaning of the words they were speaking.

Skelton's story is a classic, and on this Flag Day, still stands as a reminder of why our nation's flag - and the Pledge of Allegience - is so important.

"When I was a small boy in Vincennes, Indiana, I heard, I think, one of the most outstanding speeches I ever heard in my life. I think it compares with the Sermon on the Mount, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, and Socrates’ Speech to the Students.

We had just finished reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and he [Mr. Lasswell, the Principal of Vincennes High School] called us all together, and he says, “Uh, boys and girls, I have been listening to you recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester, and it seems that it has become monotonous to you. Or, could it be, you do not understand the meaning of each word? If I may, I would like to recite the pledge, and give you a definition for each word:

I -- Me; an individual; a committee of one.

Pledge -- Dedicate all of my worldly good to give without self-pity.

Allegiance -- My love and my devotion.

To the Flag -- Our standard. “Old Glory”; a symbol of courage. And wherever she waves, there is respect, because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts “Freedom is everybody's job.”

of the United -- That means we have all come together.

States -- Individual communities that have united into 48 great states; 48 individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose; all divided by imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common cause, and that’s love of country, of America.

And to the Republic -- A Republic: a sovereign state in which power is invested into the representatives chosen by the people to govern; and the government is the people; and it's from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.

For which it stands

One Nation -- Meaning "so blessed by God."

Indivisible -- Incapable of being divided.

With Liberty -- Which is freedom; the right of power for one to live his own life without fears, threats, or any sort of retaliation.

And Justice -- The principle and qualities of dealing fairly with others.

For All -- For All. That means, boys and girls, it's as much your country as it is mine.

Now let me hear you recite the Pledge of Allegiance:

I pledge allegiance
to the Flag of the United States of America,
and to the Republic, for which it stands;
one nation, indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all.
Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country, and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance: Under God. Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said, "That is a prayer" -- and that be eliminated from our schools, too?



Happy Flag Day

Photo Above: American Flag flying high Tuesday morning over the Dexter Depot

By Annabeth Miiler,
ShowMe Times Editor

The doors of the Stoddard County Ambulance District center in Dexter were thrown open wide Sunday afternoon for an Open House to let the public see the new headquarters for the county service.

Guests were greeted at the doorway by a staff member and led on a guided tour of the facility – from the training room, to the hub of county 911 operations to even upstairs to see the living quarters were ambulance crews spend their “down” time while on duty.

The new facility at the intersection of Oak and Business Highway 114 is really an expanded and remodeled version of the “old” ambulance district facility. The project expanded the facility from 4,000 square feet to almost 17,000 square feet – and created a state-of-the-art facility for Stoddard County.

“It’s a much-needed improvement,” a proud David Cooper said of the center. Cooper is the director of SCAD, and has been with the district for 25 years. He has witnessed SCAD grow from a brand-new service to the multi-station, modern organization it is today.

Cooper said many folks do not realize that Stoddard County is one of the largest counties in Missouri in terms of area. So while some counties can have an ambulance service with one station, the enormous size of Stoddard County requires multiple facilities – in Bernie, Puxico, Advance and the headquarters in Dexter. The new center in Dexter houses critical services – such as the 911 call hub, training facilities, and is technologically and logistically set to handle emergencies such as this spring’s floods.

Many features of the new facility have been developed as a result of events and how the county was able to respond. Local events – like the Ice Storm in 2009 and this year’s flooding – showed that the county needed an Emergency Crisis Center.

“After the Ice Storm, I went to Bloomfield and sat down with the sheriff and we agreed there needed to be a crisis response center,” Cooper said. So the new SCAD headquarters has space and facilities so that all the county emergency management responses can be managed from a single site. In addition, the technology is in place so that if power was to be lost, services such as 911 and vital communications would continue.

The events of September 11, 2001 also had a hand in some of the features of the facility.

“9-11 changed a lot of things for us,” Cooper said. FEMA regulations and practical experience demanded certain features for the new SCAD headquarters, all with an eye toward the security of the personnel, the equipment, and the public.

The new facility was designed for present needs but also growth. Cooper said there has been a steady increase in SCAD calls and responsibilities throughout his 25 years with the district.

“You build with the future in mind, and that’s what we did,” he said. “This facility will meet present needs, and help grow in the future.”

SCAD staff and board members were on hand at the open house Sunday – giving guided tours and serving refreshments. In the 911 room visitors had the change to call 911, and see their call come into the system, find their location, and witness first-hand what is on the screens when a call comes into the system.

Photo Above: Carol Moreland explains the operation of the 911 call center to guests during the open house at the Stoddard County Ambulance District Sunday.

It was an evening filled with excitement as Dexter’s newest restaurant held a special opening party at Dhafer’s Mediterranean Steakhouse.  Area residents experienced the lovely décor and fine foods prepared Friday (June 10) evening as staff, chefs and management welcomed over 100 guests to the invitation-only affair.  

Dhafer and Melissa Al-Makuter are the new owners of one of the area’s premier steakhouses.   You immediately know that quality of food and excellence of service are the first-hand priorities for these business owners.

Melissa and children have been living in the area for the last two years, but Dhafer has only recently made the move to southeast Missouri. Dhafer, a former manager of a high-end steakhouse in Kansas City, was used in reconstruction after Operation Iraqi Freedom as an interpreter.


During her husband’s time overseas, Melissa - with the help of her parents - renovated the facility, which was formerly Diva’s Special Events.

Upon arrival at Dhafer’s, guests are greeted with a friendly, eloquent staff that is eager to serve you. Moving forward, guests quickly notice an extremely tasteful modern décor in the dimly lit dining area, where the wait staff remained eager to serve guests with many delicious dishes throughout the evening.

For those unfamiliar with a Mediterranean diet, it is noted as a very heart-healthy diet according to a Mayo Clinic report.  The Mediterranean diet incorporates the basics of healthy eating — plus a splash of flavorful olive oil and perhaps a glass of red wine — among other components characterizing the traditional cooking style of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. 

In fact, a recent analysis of more than 1.5 million healthy adults demonstrated that following a Mediterranean diet was associated with a reduced risk of overall and cardiovascular mortality, a reduced incidence of cancer, and a reduced incidence of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

The menu will consist of steak, fish, and vegetable-based dishes, with very little fried offerings. There will be a separate lunch and dinner menu, and even a buffet on Saturdays and Sundays.

Dhafer’s Mediterranean Steakhouse will be officially ‘open to the public’ on Wednesday, June 15.

Youngsters in Dexter will travel the world this summer - to Jamaica, Australia, Europe, South America and North America. Passports for the journey will be help keep their travel memories for safekeeping and along the way they will meet new animals, customs, music and more!

All of this travel will be done with “tour director” Rita LeBeau and her talented team of volunteers at Dexter’s Keller Public Library and the Summer Reading Program. The six-week program’s theme is “One World, Many Stories.”

The adventures will begin on Wednesday, June 15 and will continue for six weeks at the library. Programs are held each Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Keller Public Library on Grant Street. All children are invited to participate in the programs and all are free.

“You don’t have to have a library card to attend – it is free of charges to all ages,” said Library Director Pam Trammell.

The community room is decked out with bright posters and memorabilia from the travels the youngsters will take this summer. LeBeau has planned a six-week program that is sure to excite, entertain and energize!

The annual program is planned and led by a crew of creative volunteers each summer, but an extremely important group at the facility financially supports the program.

“The Friends of the Library completely underwrite the cost of the Summer Reading Program,” said Trammell. She said the cost for all the decorations; the Friends group picks up incentives, prizes and refreshments.

And there are lots of new books for the children to discover, too, Trammell announced

. “Our board (Library Board of Directors) makes buying books a priority,” she said. A displey of brand-new books - all with stories from around the world - are on display in the community room.

The six-week program will include fun and activities for the youngsters, as well as a corps of volunteers from the community who will be guest readers and bring stories to life. One week is a craft day, with several crafts projects as well as the poplar ice cream treats.

Trammell said every week holds excitement for children, with the final program being live animals from around the world for them to see and “meet.”

Throughout the summer the youngsters will discover the many stories in the world, learn more about this one world as well as learning that reading is fun!

BRIEFLY

WHAT: Summer Reading Program
THEME: One World, Many Stories
WHERE:/ Dexter’s Keller Public Library
WHEN: Wednesdays , 11a.m. until 12 noon
COST: Free to all children
WEBSITE: http://www.kellerpl.org/