Dexter, Missouri - Ms. Petunia Pig has made a full recovery thanks to her competent doctors and nurses!  If you have driven by Dexter Queen lately you may have noticed that Ms. Petunia was not on her post at the entrance.  No, she didn't run away to find her night in shining armor,  Mr. Oinks-A-Lot nor was she taken by the big bad wolf.

Ms. Petunia was mowed down by a vehicle in a horrible accident that occurred several weeks ago.  While not sustaining life-threatening injuries, she did suffer numerous scrapes and abrasions.  She also suffered minor damage to her legs and face and has been recuperating in Dana's shop.

After a few weeks of rest and recovery her Piggy Doctor  along with advice from her plastic surgeon gave her the all-clear.  She was released to full duty.

Yesterday Ms. Petunia made her grand appearance after receiving wonderful care from Lori Hawkins, owner of Dexter Queen. She also received a complete make-over.  Her eyes are just as gorgeous as ever and her complexion couldn't me more beautiful!  Her flag is bright red and her tail purple.  She is ready for duty!

Ms. Petunia is glad to be back at job on her post working seven days a week.  She has completed her duties effortlessly for years and has become quite an icon in the city of Dexter.

When asked, "Ms. Petunia has made a speedy and full recovery and is proud to be back at work receiving mail for Dexter Queen".

The Dexter community is glad to see her doing so well and we wish her the best as she sits upon her post at Dexter Queen each and every day, rain or shine, she will be working diligently.

Ms. Petunia can be seen at Dexter Queen, 1109 Highway Bus. 60 and don't forget to come in and get a Lotta Pig!!  Check out their website by clicking HERE.

Columbia, Missouri - Researchers at the University of Missouri have proven that a compound initially developed as a cholesterol-fighting molecule not only halts the progression of breast cancer, but also can kill the cancerous cells.

“Cholesterol is a molecule found in all animal cells and serves as a structural component of cell membranes,” said Salman Hyder, the Zalk Endowed Professor in Tumor Angiogenesis and professor of biomedical sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center at MU. “Because tumor cells grow rapidly they need to synthesize more cholesterol. Scientists working to cure breast cancer often seek out alternative targets that might slow or stop the progression of the disease, including the elimination of the cancerous cells. In our study, we targeted the production of cholesterol in cancer cells leading to death of breast cancer cells.”

Previous studies suggest that 70 percent of breast cancers found in women are hormone dependent and can be treated with anti-hormone medicines such as tamoxifen. Although tumor cells may initially respond to therapies, most eventually develop resistance, which causes breast cancer cells to grow and spread. Cholesterol also can contribute to the development of anti-hormone resistance because cholesterol is converted into hormones in tumor cells. Therefore, these cholesterol-forming pathways are attractive therapeutic targets for the treatment of breast cancer.

Using compounds initially developed by Roche Pharmaceuticals for the treatment of high cholesterol, which reduces cholesterol in a different manner than the widely used statins.  Hyder and his team administered the molecule to human breast cancer cells. They found that the compound was effective in reducing human breast cancer cell growth and often caused cancer cell death. Most interestingly they found that the cholesterol lowering drug they tested destroyed an estrogen receptor, a protein which encourages the tumor cells to grow.

Equipped with this information, Hyder and the team tested the results in mice with breast cancer. Following injection of the compound, Hyder found that the molecule was effective at killing breast cancer cells by reducing the presence of estrogen receptors in tumor cells, Hyder said.

“The compound exhibited anti-tumor properties in both human samples, which were outside the body, and in samples that were administered by injection into the mice,” Hyder said. “In both cases, the proteins that cause tumors to grow were eliminated, leading to more aggressive cell death.”

Hyder believes that further clinical testing can lead to a drug that has the dual purpose of fighting high cholesterol and cancer.

Researchers involved with the study included Yayun Liang, research associate professor at Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center; Cynthia Besch-Williford, professor of veterinary pathobiology at MU; Benford Mafuvadze, post-doctoral fellow at Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center; Matthew Cook, pre-doctoral fellow in Biomedical Sciences; and Xiaoqin Zou, associate professor of physics and biochemistry and a researcher at the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center. Johannes Aebi from Roche Pharmaceuticals also contributed to the research.

The study, “Cholesterol biosynthesis inhibitors as potent novel anti-cancer agents: suppression of hormone-dependent breast cancer by the oxidosqualene cyclase inhibitor RO 48-8071,” was published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment and was funded by a grant from the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Program.

Poplar Bluff, Missouri - After years of work by local planning agencies and transportation partners, Missourians are now asked to weigh in on a list of transportation projects and improvements that could improve safety, create jobs, and boost Missouri's economy.

The Missouri Department of Transportation has coordinated a series of open house meetings to ask residents to take a look at the draft list of local priorities and share their comments. The list a provision of Constitutional Amendment 7, an Aug. 5 ballot measure to temporarily raise Missouri's sales tax by ¾ cent.

Members of the media are encouraged to attend a public meeting anytime during the advertised hours to view the draft transportation improvements list and speak with key regional transportation partners. No formal presentations will be made.

The entire public meeting schedule, the draft transportation improvement list, and an online comment form are available at noon on June 13 at www.modot.org/movingforward.

WHAT:       Open House Public Meeting to Gather Comments on Transportation Improvement List

WHEN:      Tuesday, June 17 from 4-7 p.m.

WHERE:   Poplar Bluff Chamber of Commerce, 111 W. Pine Street, Poplar Bluff, Mo.

WHO:        MoDOT Employees, Regional Planning Commission Representatives

United States - Thinking about a fall getaway? There's an Amtrk Station in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.  Amtrak has a special discount available. If you purchase your tickets during the month of June, you can receive a 30 percent discount on travel during the month of September. The discount is valid on two train services in Missouri: the Missouri River Runner and the Lincoln Service.

The Missouri River Runner offers twice daily service between Kansas City and St. Louis. The Lincoln Service provides four daily trains between St. Louis and Chicago.

The details on the 30 percent sale are as follows:

Terms and Conditions:

•        Sale Period:  June 1 - June 30, 2014

•        Travel Period:  September 2 - September 30, 2014

•        Blackout Dates:  None

•        Valid for Coach seats only; no accommodation upgrades permitted

•        Offer valid on the following trains only:  Missouri River Runner, Lincoln Service and Heartland Flyer

•        Non-refundable (once ticketed); exchangeable prior to original travel date

•        Up to two children, ages 2-12 may accompany each adult at half fare

•        Must refer to Discount Code C318

For more information, visit http://www.amtrak.com/.

Southeast Missouri - Elected officials from several counties have banded together to support the much needed electricity rate reduction that Noranda Aluminum plant has requested from Ameren Missouri.

A letter to the Public Service Commission signed by elected officials in several counties was emailed to the ShowMe Times.  The letter is dated June 9, 2014 and is as follows:

-Elected County Officials of New Madrid, Dunklin, Pemiscot, Stoddard, Scott & Butler Counties

Public Service Commission

200 Madison Street

P.O. Box 360

Jefferson City, MO 65102-0360 

RE:  Closure of Noranda Aluminum Due to Increased Electric Rates

Dear Commissioners:

We, the Elected County Officials of New Madrid, Dunklin, Pemiscot, Stoddard, & Butler Counties, write you today as a collective group to express our extreme concern for the economic well-being of our communities should the unthinkable event of the closure of Noranda Aluminum occur due to increased electric rates charged by Ameren Missouri.

As it is certainly understandable that a company such as Noranda could not survive an increase of $44 million over the six years for a single overhead item such as electricity, we support the rate reduction requested by Noranda.  We respect the heavy burden this decision places upon you as Public Service Commissioners and request that you consider the disastrous effects to our region that the closure of Noranda will cause in your deliberations. 

What we can say with certainty is the dire economic ramifications that the closure of Noranda Aluminum would have on our region.  Noranda is not simply the foundation for the economy of New Madrid County; it is in many ways the bedrock to multiple sectors of the economy for this entire region. 

The loss of 900 high paying jobs with substantial benefits will cause irreparable cascading damage to many business sectors that rely on both serving as vendors for the supply and maintenance of he smelter as well as those businesses that rely on the patronage of those employees of Noranda.

It is difficult to conceive of a business sector that will not be devastated by the loss of these 900 high paying jobs with substantial benefits.  The housing market will plummet in all counties, with the epicenter falling in New Madrid and cascading across the surrounding counties.  The construction industry, including hardware supply stores, carpenters, plumbers, and electricians, will suffer as 900 fewer high paying jobs means far less new home construction in the region.

The banking industry will suffer crushing numbers of defaults and home foreclosures when these 900 families suddenly face the grim reality of having far less or no income to pay their notes.  The list goes on and on….

The citizens of this region are a proud, resilient people.  They pride themselves on working hard and being self-sufficient and self-sustaining.  The sad reality of this situation is that should Noranda shutter its doors, no matter how determined the people are, we will not recover.  This area and is its proud history will be forever damaged and its people forever injured.  The socio-economic fabric of this region will never be the same.

Therefore, we the Elected Officials of New Madrid, Dunklin, Pemiscot, Stoddard, & Butler Counties implore you in your deliberations to consider the citizens of our counties and the drastic effect your decision will have on each an every one of their lives.

To preserve our regional economy and way of life, we respectfully request that you grant Noranda Aluminum their request rate reduction.

                       RESPECTFULLY,

                       The Elected County Officials of New Madrid,

                       Dunklin, Stoddard, Scott, Pemiscot & Butler

Please note the letter is signed by every elected county official in the Bootheel (56 signatures) from New Madrid, Dunklin, Pemiscot, Stoddard, & Butler counties.  There are only two elected officials who were unavailable at the meeting to sign either due to illness or being out of town.