Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer
Bloomfield, Missouri - The Missouri Department of Public Safety Veterans Commission is a state agency that was established by Missouri Statue to aid all Veterans, their dependents, and legal representatives by providing information regarding the rights of Veterans and to assist Veterans in accessing available benefits through both the State and Federal Government.
Within the Veterans Commission is the Veterans Cemetery Program. The Missouri Veterans Commission created a network of Veterans cemeteries throughout Missouri so that every Missouri Veteran will have reasonable access to a Veterans Cemetery. There are five such cemeteries in the State that are in operation at this time: Springfield, Higginsville, Bloomfield, Ft. Leonard Wood, and Jacksonville.
The Missouri Veterans Cemetery at Bloomfield conducted its first interment on September 29, 2003. The current Director is Ken Swearengin, who was recently awarded the Employee of the Month by the Missouri Veterans Cemetery Central Office/Veterans Services Program/Cemeteries program. Mr. Bryan Hunt, Deputy Director of the Missouri Veterans Commission and Mr. Stan Baughn, Missouri Veterans Commission, Director of Veterans Cemetery Program were on hand to recognize Mr. Swearengin with a plaque to honor him.
Ken is instrumental in organizing the "Wreaths Across America", Veterans Day Celebrations, Annual Fishing Day, Memorial Day Celebrations and honoring our fallen who are buried at the Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield.
If you would like to see pictures of the events and learn more about the cemetery you can go to their Facebook page, Missouri Veterans Cemetery - Bloomfield.
Jessica Snider, SMT Writer
With high school basketball at its peak, many people throughout the area are gearing up for the annual Stoddard County Basketball Tournament.
The tournament is set to be held in the Bloomfield Gym, and will begin Monday afternoon.
Even though many people are looking forward to the basketball competition that the tournament will supply, this tournament is also very big for the cheerleading teams throughout the county.
The cheer teams are judged while cheering at the county tournament, and will compete for the title when the tournament draws to a conclusion.
As everyone prepares for this upcoming week full of high school basketball, remember to support your local cheerleading team as they are also in a competition!
Good luck to all basketball players and cheerleaders!
Submitted by
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer
JEFFERSON CITY - What kind of transportation system do you want to see for Missouri? That's the question the Missouri Department of Transportation will be asking of Missourians over the next few months with a new statewide initiative called "On The Move."
The effort will update Missouri's long-term transportation plan through a series of listening sessions, a mobile tour and virtual forums. The "On The Move" website launched today at www.missourionthemove.org.
Visitors to the site can learn about the assets of Missouri's transportation system, track what MoDOT is hearing from Missourians, keep track of "On The Move" events, and comment on the specific projects they think are needed. "Missouri transportation begins with Missouri citizens - the very people who use our roads and bridges, railways, greenways, waterways and airways to travel to and from work, to the doctor, to soccer practice and everywhere in between," says MoDOT Chief Engineer Dave Nichols.
"Engaging Missourians to provide input is a critical step to ensure that MoDOT outlines a sustainable and economically viable transportation vision that serves the growing needs of Missourians well into the future."
The first two listening sessions are scheduled for February 5 in Columbia from 6-8 p.m. at the Reynolds Alumni Center, and February 19 in Cape Girardeau from 5-7 p.m. at the Osage Center.
The general public and transportation stakeholders are invited to attend, but due to limited seating, interested persons must register to secure a seat by RSVPing at missourionthemove.org/community-engagement/schedule-of-events.
Registration closes at noon the day prior to each listening session. Details on the remaining events will be forthcoming.
Feb. 5 Columbia
Feb. 19 Cape Girardeau
Feb. 21, 26, 28 St. Louis/St. Charles
March 5 Joplin
March 7 Springfield
March 12, 13, 14 Kansas City
March 19 Lebanon
March 21 Poplar Bluff
April 3 Kirksville
April 4 Hannibal
April 9 Maryville
April 11 St. Joseph
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer
Southeast Missouri - The Circuit Breaker tax rebate program, also known as the Missouri Property Tax Credit program has been in effect since 1973, but has changed some over the years.
The Missouri Department of Revenue will provide training to acquaint volunteers and other interested parties in how to prepare these forms.
The training will be held on January 30th from 1:30 p.m. until around 3:00 p.m. in the meeting room of the Southeast Missouri Area Agency on Aging office, located at 1219 N. Kingshighway, Suite 100, Cape Girardeau. If you would be interested in a training closer to you please let us know, it might be possible.
Each year seniors who meet the eligibility guidelines can file for this tax rebate and there are volunteers available to assist with the filing.
For more information about Circuit Breaker Program, check out the article under Blogs on the ShowMe Times web page. There is a very interesting article by Ruth Dockins, Public Information Director.
Seniors do not need to pay for this service because there are plenty of well trained volunteers available for assistance.
If you would like to attend this training please call 1-800-392-8771 to register.
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer
Dexter, Missouri – The Stoddard County Genealogy Society met on Monday, January 14, 2013 at the Hickory Log for their annual awards banquet.
Installation of officers was held and the winner of the M.A. Hart Volunteer Award for Society Volunteer was also announced.
Officers are Shirley Carney, President; Frances Moore, Vice-President; Lynda Stewart, Secretary and Rick Young, Treasurer.
This year’s recipient was Lynda Stewart who has been an active member of the Stoddard County Genealogy Society since 2005. Presenting the award was M. A. Hart and Frances Moore.
Lynda has served as the Editor of the Society newsletter and Secretary of the organization. She volunteers in the Genealogy Room at the Keller Public Library and assists the staff with the cataloging and maintenance of the Genealogy Collection. She also assists patrons with their genealogical research. Lynda helped to organize the Beginning Genealogy Workshop, which was held in June 2012. She is also helping organize the FamilySearch Workshop that will be held on February 9th at the Keller Public Library.
The M.A. Hart Volunteer Award is presented annually to a person who has made outstanding contributions to Genealogy and the preservation of the history of Stoddard County. We congratulate Lynda Stewart for her endless ability of volunteering her time to this endeavor.
font-family:Verdana">If you would like to know more about Genealogy research the Stoddard County Genealogy Society meets at the Keller Public Library once a month and they have a wonderfully informative Facebook page, www.facebook.com/StoddardCountyGenealogySociety.
font-family:Verdana">If you are interested in the FamilySearch Workshop, please register by calling the Keller Pubic Library at 624-3764.
