Submitted by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer

Dexter, Missouri - Route 60 in Stoddard County will be reduced to one lane as Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform pavement repairs. 

This section of roadway is located from Route 25 to One Mile Road.

Weather permitting, work will take place Monday, June 24 through Thursday, June 27 from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

The work zone will be marked with signs.  Motorists are urged to use extreme caution while traveling near the area.

For additional information, contact MoDOT's Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636) or visit www.modot.org/southeast.

Dexter, Missouri - On June 30th, longtime Media Minister of the First Baptist Church of Dexter, Mr. Don Kennedy will offer an inspiring message, "A Long Obedience in the Same Direction" during church services prior to his Retirement Reception.

Every one is cordially invited to the Retirement Reception held in honor of Don, a great father and husband, but most of all one who has been committed to his Church and dedicated to his God.  Please celebrate with the First Baptist Church his tireless service and dedication to not only his church but his community as well.

On Sunday, June 30, 2013 from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. family and friends can celebrate with him in the Fellowship Hall at the First Baptist Church in Dexter.

There will be a slide show of photos of Don along with many photos of great memories from the past.  The public is encouraged to attend!

"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men."

Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer

Dexter, Missouri – A wonderful new business has opened in Dexter, Treasured Threads Quilting.

The Dexter Chamber of Commerce held their official ribbon cutting today with owner, Joyce Kinder. 

The quilt shop offers a variety of fabrics, patterns and quilting supplies for the experienced quilter as well as a beginner.  They  are open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Thursday from 10 – 6:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.  They are closed Sunday and Monday.

Several classes will be offered including a Cotton Theory Class on July 25^th, taught by Martha Hughes.  Joyce invites everyone to attend, “Come and make this beautiful double sided table runner.  Traven Reds on one side and Pheasant Hill on the other.  This runner is quilted as you go!”  Class fee is only $20 and the kit is just $89."

On June 27^th and again on July 11^th, the Scrap Crazy Quilt Class will be offered.  Using a minimum of 5 colors or as many as you like of 1/3 yard each of Treasured Threads fabric and you can create a beautiful 48x48 inch scrappy quilt.  Leave it as is or embellish with fancy stitching.  This would be a fun project for beginners or experienced quilters.  Marsha Lovelady and Susan Hill will be the instructors for this class from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

They are busy down at Treasured Thread Quilting with yet another class on July 13^th called Simple Saturday.  The class is a fun, stress free super simple project and will be held from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.  Just contact Joyce Kinder at 624-4042 for more information or better yet, stop by at 14605 US Hwy 60 on the outer road west.

Shown in the picture are: Chamber Executive Director Janet Coleman, Martha Hughes with Matt Kinder behind, Mayor Joe Weber, Owner Joyce Kinder with granddaughters, Katie and Lucy Pyle, and Rachel Kinder, who is held by her mother, Sally Kinder, Owner Steve Kinder, with daughter, Leslie, and granddaughter Emily Pyle, Joe Pyle, Chamber President Scott Nelson, Mandy Friesen, Susan Hill, Barb Chandler, and Veronica Hampton.

Written by

Beth Farrah, SMT Writer

 

Puxico, Missouri - Indian Hills Winery, located in Puxico, has been a local dinner tradition for many families. Aside from their great meals, cheeses, and wines, the family-owned business proposes a beautiful atmosphere overlooking rolling hills, green trees, and their gorgeous vineyards, along with showing an incredibly amount of southern hospitality that make you feel like you are a part of the family.

Martie and Nicole Sifford are the founders of Indian Hills Winery. Martie is currently the fourth grade teacher at Puxico Elementary School and is also a United States Air Force veteran. Throughout the course of his life, he has gardened, farmed, and even raised animals, but he had a new vision and a spark of hope back in 2005 when the idea for Indian Hills was first created.

“My wife and I were sitting at a winery one day in the spring of 2005 enjoying a great glass of wine,” Martie said. “When I turned to her and said, ‘You know, I think we can do this’.”

During that summer, the pair began to put the dream into motion and planted nearly five hundred Chambourcin vines in the spring of 2006. They now have over one thousand vines total, including both red and white grapes that they use to for their wines of all different varieties. Right now, they have ten wines available on their menu, along with deli wraps, flat bread pizzas, sandwiches, salads, and cheese platters.

Aside from their great food and wine, they also have live entertainment outdoors for their customers. Next weekend, on Saturday, June 22^nd, Bill Booth will be singing from 3:00pm to 7:00pm. Although the music begins at 3:00pm, guests are advised to come early if they want to get a good seat for the performance. The following weekend, Saturday, June 29^th, local and rising country singer, Rebekah Northern, will be performing at the normal time (3pm to 7pm). Northern is a talented young lady who has had very successful performances at other local venues with her music, so Indian Hills is proud to have her perform once again.

Indian Hills Winery is located at 9625 County Road 250 in Puxico, Missouri. The winery is open every Saturday and Sunday from 11:00am to 7:00pm. For more information or for wine purchasing, you can contact their work number at 573-222-3709 or their cell phone number at 573-934-0291 or visit their website at indianhillswinery.com. 

Lowenbaum Firm Shares Facts on Health Care Reform

Dexter, Missouri - Area municipalities came together at the City of Dexter Municipal building on Friday afternoon in hopes of gaining a better understanding of the impending effects of health care reform for employers.  The featured speaker for the event was Dannae Delano, an attorney with The Lowenbaum Partnership in St. Louis, who has considerable experience with helping employer’s comply with health care reform.

The municipal building was a full capacity with area attendees traveling in from as far as Poplar Bluff and Charleston to explore their way through this complicated subject. 

Ivan L. Schrader of Lowenbaum opened up the session with a brief overview of the program and an introduction of his colleague.  Both attorneys encouraged the audience to ask questions on the subject because “compliance with the requirements that are effective in 2014 is complicated and very fact specific.”

"Compliance with the changes effective  in 2014 requires tracking hours for full and part-time employees, as defined by the regulations, and an employer can choose to use a look-back period of up to 12 months," noted Ms. Delano.  “Consequently, an employer may have needed to begin tracking January 1, 2013to utilize the full 12-monthperiod, but can utilize a 6-month look-back period if they begin tracking hours July 1, 2013.”

The primary focus of the presentation was compliance with the “Play or Pay” rules.  Simply stated, employers of more than 50 full-time or full-time equivalent employees will be required to offer health coverage that is both affordable and provides minimum value to their full-time employees and those employees’ dependents, or will be penalized.

 

By definition, a full-time employee works an average of thirty hours or more each week.  Many employers are finding that they must adjust their definitions of full-time employee to comply with the law.

The preparation for the health care reform requirements effective in 2014 are very important to your business operations for the coming year.  All employers can expect the following, amongst other changes:

1. Federal and State Healthcare Exchanges will be implemented
2. Employers must determine whether to “Play or Pay”
3. There will be no more pre-existing conditions limitations for health coverage
4. No longer than a 90-day waiting period for the date of hire will be allowed before coverage must be available to full-time employees
5. Cost sharing is capped and no annual or lifetime limits on coverage are allowed
6. Adult dependent children must be eligible for coverage until age 26
7. Wellness benefits and rewards limitations will increase and may be more utilized by employers

Unlike most other laws applicable to employee benefits, there are few exceptions for employer, and governmental employers, non-profits and religious-based employers must comply with the health care reform requirements..

Governmental employers were urged to begin planning for compliance immediately, as ordinances may need to be amended to comply.

 

Ms. Delano will be conducting webinars this upcoming week, and more information can be found here.

Special Thanks ... To Dexter's City Administrator Mark Stidham and City Clerk Crystal Bishop for their efforts in arranging the seminar for area municipalities.