By Annabeth Miiler,
ShowMe Times Editor

WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The young men at Missouri Boys State had a special honor this week as they experienced first-hand the fundamentals and operation of government.

Not only did Missouri’s governor visit Boys State on Thursday, he signed legislation into law that will provide more funding for college scholarships that some of the Boys State participants and their peers may utilize.

Gov. Jay Nixon used the Boys State setting on Thursday to sign legislation that provides more college scholarships for Missouri students who want to pursue degrees in the sciences and math.

Several young men from Stoddard County have been participating in Missouri Boys State this week. Dexter is represented by Owen Flowers, Dylan Heflin, Tyler Miller, and Zane Olson. Others from the county include Dustin James, Advance; Johnathan Gadberry, Bloomfield; and Justin Yoebstle of Puxico.

In addition, four of the Stoddard County men were elected to office while at Boys State. Owen Flowers of Dexter was elected Presiding Commission of Benton County; Dylan Heflin was elected to the City Council in Weyer City; Tyler Miller was elected as a State Representative from Blair City and Johnathan Gadberry was elected to the House of Representatives from Carnahan City.

American Legion Boys States have shaped some of the most prominent leaders in our country. Bill Clinton, Michael Jordan, Neil Armstrong, and former Missouri Governor Bob Holden are just a few of the leaders who have come from the Boys State program. Boys State programs have time and time again led young men to do great things - such is the nature of the program.

Nixon signed into law House Bill 233, that puts additional resources for scholarships in math and science and adds needed resources into the state’s nursing programs to help meet the growing demand for heath care workers.

House Bill 223, the Advanced Placement Incentive Grant Program for STEM and Caring for Missourians Nursing Education Incentive, passed both chambers of the Missouri General Assembly with overwhelming bipartisan support.

The legislation establishes a one-time, nonrenewable $500 grant to Missouri public high schools who score a 3 or higher on AP tests in math or science, and who receive an Access Missouri award or A+ scholarship.

"I've brought that legislation here today to demonstrate that when we stand together on common ground, we can provide for the common good," Gov. Nixon told the students attending Boys State. "Take the lessons you learn this week about governing, and put them to work in your own lives and careers."

By Annabeth Miiler,
ShowMe Times Editor

Christopher Snider is an enthusiastic guy. It only takes a moment of conversation to know that this fellow is passionate about what he does and he is passionate about life.

Snider is passionate these days about Go Green Contracting, a regional construction company that he heads and is doing a lot of work in Dexter and the surrounding area. Snider’s Go Green Contracting is busy these days – working in overdrive busy – and crews are helping area residents replace roofs due to damage from recent hail storms and high winds.

Snider’s company is different if several ways – the first being the fact that they are an environmentally conscious company. Snider says they try to help a client make at least one “green’ decision with each project.

“We try to help a homeowner make ‘One green decision at a time,’” Snider said. “On every project we are going to make one eco-conscious decision on the homeowner’s behalf.”

This could range from recycling the old asphalt shingles to installing a more efficient ventilation system which will in turn mean less energy used in the home. “So a homeowner is actually making at least one small eco-friendly decision at a time,” Snider explained.

But beyond this environmental commitment, there are other differences with the firm. For one thing, Go Green uses the same software as the insurance companies and a Go Green staff member will be on hand when an insurance adjuster visits and inspects a client’s home.

“Once you’ve picked up the phone and called your insurance company and have a claims number, that’s about the hardest thing you do,” he said recently. He explained that a Go Green staff member will be on hand when the insurance adjustor inspects the home and they will agree on the scope of loss.”

In addition, Go Green uses the same computer software as the insurance companies, which simplifies the process even further. This expedites the paperwork between the construction company and the insurance adjustor, and insures that the process is as easy as possible for the client and, most beneficially, helps ensure that all of the damage is paid for and repaired correctly.

Snider is the son of Mark and Sherry Snider of Dexter and attended elementary school in the local schools. He is now married with a 2-year-old son and lives in Cape Girardeau.

Snider’s firm is also looking to locate a shingles recycling center in Southeast Missouri.

“The recycling machine crunches up these shingles and spits out this aggregate and this aggregate goes back into our roads,” he said. The Missouri Department of Transportation says that up to seven percent of asphalt on roadways can be recycled material.

“What that practically means is approximately 2.5 tons of waste from an average roof will not end up in a landfill,” he said. “The goal is to be able to potentially save 10-20 thousand tons of shingles from going into the landfill”

In even just a brief conversation it is obvious that Snider is passionate about Go Green – about the eco-friendly business model, about the way that modern technology is good for homeowners and business, and the way his Go Green works for and looks out for clients best interests. Snider not only applies his environmental values to business, but his personal Christian values – with an above board, companionate and passionate way of doing business.

“We take all of this seriously,” he said. “If we are out in a neighborhood after a storm, my team will be riding bikes; it’s a little way that we can make a difference, we strive to be 100% paperless in our office, and we’re currently working with several clients to begin building houses that are self-sustaining.”

For example, there is a historic building downtown Cape Girardeau that Go Green is working with to install eco-friendly roofing material that can potentially save 80% of the current energy costs. That works out to a potential savings over over $2000 per month.

During a storm scenario, Snider and his team are quite busy helping homeowners restore their homes’ exterior and, unfortunately, have seen some unscrupulous contractors that can take advantage of homeowners by charging for items that are unnecessary or charging large fees for ‘upgraded’ material.

“It’s sad to see some contractors taking advantage of our areas’ homeowners; especially the elderly who simply want their house back to it’s pre-storm condition” Snider states.

All in all, this storm season has yielded considerable work for area contractors and helped to spur a sector of our economy that has been slow over the past few years.

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.