Dexter, Missouri - Everyone wishes for a white Christmas and this year was no exception.  By 6 pm Christmas evening the Heartland was beginning to see some precipitation in the form of sleet and snow.  Within just a few hours some folks were reporting the ground to be covered with a white glaze of sparkling snow.  By morning most of the Heartland had five to eight inches of snow on the ground with snow drifts from three to four feet.

Southeast Missouri has never been known for its snow, there have many years we did not see any of the "white stuff".  If we did, it mostly would not have amounted to anything more than a light dusting.  Students were already out for the holiday break so no huddling around the tv to watch the news in anticipation of school letting out.  The real question most children wanted to know was "how much?"  Will it be enough to build a snowman or a snow fort?  Can we ride the 4-wheeler?  Can I go outside and play?

For Landon King, a kindergarten student from Paducah, Kentucky, he saw his first real snowfall.  What memories he will have of eating his first snowball and making his first snow angel!  Children of all ages were outside yesterday throwing snowballs, building snowmen, riding 4-wheelers, slipping and sliding down hills and falling into the snowdrifts.  What fun it was to watch them playing, laughing and having a great time just running around in the beautiful white blanket of snow!

Even college students like Lauren Dudley, a Freshman at the University of Arkansas, Jonesboro played in the snow.  She was was home for the holidays spending time with her family.  Instead of after holiday shopping, she took pleasure in building her very first snowman.  With a carrot nose and some coal for eyes her little snowman was cute as it could be. Some folks went all out with building of their snowmen, with scarves, mittens, coal buttons and eyes and even a corncob pipe. The Blizzard of 2012 will last in the memories of many and it was a day filled with much fun for the young and old.

Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer

Poplar Bluff, Missouri – Poplar Bluff has a new emerging country/pop artist in their town.  Eighth grade student, Tori Travers will be hosting a CD release party.  Tori will celebrate the debut of her new album at Las Margaritas on Saturday, December 29^th from 5 pm to 8 pm.

Tori will also be performing and signing autographs.  If you have not heard this very talented 8^th grader sing, you should stop by, have a bite to eat and enjoy the entertainment.  She is truly a remarkable young lady with a wonderful voice.  Her CD is already available for purchase online and in music stores.

 

 

Dexter, Missouri - The anticipated blizzard we have experienced was predicted days ago by our own Dexter weatherman, Jeff Huffman.  Jeff long predicted the storm would be a good one or a bad one depending on your perspective.

In speaking with Dexter city manager, Mark Stidham, the Dexter city offices are closed at this point but will play it by ear as to when they will open.  The street department and others are busy clearing the streets to make them safe for area residents to travel.

"This is some stiff stuff (snow)!" commented Stidham.  "We are busy working on the streets to get them in good shape."

Other local businesses will be opening slowly throughout the day and of course, there are no school closures due to the Christmas break in the area. 

The greatest complication is the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament that was scheduled for their opening round today.  At this point, the tournament has been moved back one day and will now hold the finals on Monday. 

Though out of the area, Jeff Huffman continues to have a heart for his hometown of Dexter.  It's fun to follow his career as a meteorologist and fun to watch his predictions for the weather in our area.  You can follow him at on his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/jeffreyhuffmanor on his Twitter page at https://twitter.com/huffmanweather. 

Jeff is the son of Jack and Betty Huffman.  After graduating in 2001 from the University of Missouri-Columbia, Jeff worked a period of time in the Jefferson City / Columbia area as a meteorologist before transferring to Gainesville Florida  He is a 1997 graduate of Dexter High School.

Dexter, Missouri - Santa Claus, along with some special area elves, had a big gift in mind for The Ben Kruse 18 Fore Life Foundation this Christmas season as the Claus For A Cause fundraiser presented their check to Scott Kruse for $4,000.00. 

Among many other charitable events held throughout the year, Claus for a Cause is held at the Trinity United Methodist Church each December.  Over the past three years, the event has raised nearly $10,000 for charity organizations.

The inspired vision of Julie Dodd in 2008, the event has continued to grow each year.  Julie and photography friend, Amy Ellinghouse, learned of the idea at a seminar that encouraged attendees to use their talents to bring good things to others.  With a passion and love for photography, the idea was created and the rest is a wonderful history of contributions to others.

Claus For A Cause is a great gift to the community allowing area families to get high quality pictures of their children with Ole Saint Nick.  These are memories that will last a lifetime for these families.

Congratulations to 18 Fore Life and a special thanks to Julie and her team for offering their gift of photography as a gift to our community.

 

Dexter, Missouri - As many of us find ourselves in the midst of a holiday celebration, we may be facing one additional concern - SNOW and ICE.

Snow and strong winds are in the forecast for a good portion of the state, meaning we should be prepared for the possibility of slick roadways and decreased visibility.  The Missouri Department of Transportation reminds us to use caution and check road conditions before we travel.

MoDOT's Traveler Information Map, at www.modot.org offers current views of road conditions for Missouri interstates and highways.  Conditions for these routes are color-coded to give visitors the information they need at a glance.  Users can zoom in to a particular location, view live weather radar and view images from MoDOT's traffic cameras and message boards.

For those of us who use smartphones and tablets, the recently upgraded Traveler Information App brings the same information to our mobile devices.  We can even create a "My Routes" text report that allows us to make a custom list of the routes we travel the most.  The App is available for free from the iPhone and Android App stores by serching for "MoDOT".

MoDOT also provides road conditions information through their Customer Service Center.  Dial 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636) to speak to one of their expert customer service representatives.  They are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Remember while MoDOT works hard to treat and plow our highways as the snow begins to accumulate, it is important to allow extra time for travel and to check road conditions before you head out.  If at all possible try to stay home until the road are clear.