Cape Girardeau, Missouri - Gene Magnus has been promoted to director of Information Systems at Saint Francis Medical Center. In this position, he will be responsible for all of Saint Francis’ application software systems, including the new, system-wide Epic electronic medical record.

Magnus started Saint Francis in 2010 as a senior systems analyst in Information Systems. Most recently, he served as a project leader in the same department and was instrumental in the implementation of electronic medical records for Saint Francis employed physicians. Prior to joining the Medical Center, Magnus owned a local computer and telecommunications business.

“Gene comes highly recommended by his peers and has exhibited a strong customer service and ‘can-do’ attitude during his five years at Saint Francis,” said Edward Duryee, chief information officer at Saint Francis. “I am looking forward to working with him in this new role.”

Magnus earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Southeast Missouri State University and an MBA in healthcare administration from William Woods University. He is a certified project management professional (PMP) and serves on several local nonprofit organizations’ boards of directors.

Saint Francis Medical Center is a 284-bed facility serving more than 650,000 people throughout Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas. Guided by its mission to provide a ministry of healing and wellness inspired by its Christian philosophy and values, the Medical Center has become a progressive, innovative regional tertiary care referral center. Saint Francis’ major service lines, which have received national recognition, include the Neurosciences Institute; Orthopedic Institute; Family BirthPlace, featuring the region’s first Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Heart Hospital; Emergency and Level III Trauma Center with Convenient Care; Cancer Institute; and Fitness Plus.

Dexter, Missouri - The Lighthouse Children's Church is doing a fundraiser during the 100 Mile Yard Sale weekend.  They are renting out spots at $20 a day and 100% of the proceeds goes to sending our kids to church camp.

You can set up Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, but not Sunday or Monday. You can call the lighthouse at 624-2500 or Rachel Strickland at 625-9545

Visitors and residents will be out in full force along Route 25 Memorial Day weekend in search of bargains at the 100-Mile Yard Sale, but MoDOT wants you to remember the greatest savings of the event could be a life.

"It's a fun weekend that people look forward to each year," says Traffic Engineer Craig Compas, "but we want people to remember that there's more traffic and more congestion along Route 25 this weekend than any other and drivers need to keep that in mind."

MoDOT will do its part to bring the safety message to the forefront.  Message boards will be in place along the route to alert drivers of the unusual traffic patterns and promote safe driving.

"We really want drivers to be alert-to be aware of their surroundings, to be aware of sudden stops and to look for pedestrian traffic," Compas says.  "It's a big event locally, and we want everyone to enjoy themselves and be as safe as possible."

For more information, contact Compas at (573) 472-5310 or call MoDOT's Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636).

ATTENTION ALL MIDDLE SCHOOL & HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS!  Have you ever wondered... What is it like to perform surgery?  Work in the ER?  Have a career in health care?  Stop wondering!  Register now for the 2015 Missouri AHEC Science & Health (M*A*S*H) Camps!  Learn about science in the field of medicine, nursing, dentistry, and other health care occupations.  Participate in hands-on learning activities that include:  vital signs, CPR, first aid, suturing, injections, dissections labs, oral health, and more!  And YES... have FUN too!
 
M*A*S*H Camp is a summer day camp held at various locations throughout the area.  The following camps will be held this summer:

2015 Middle School M*A*S*H Camps
June 19 – Puxico Junior High School, Puxico, MO
June 30 - East Carter County Middle School, Ellsinore, MO
July 14 - Butler County 4-H Club, Poplar Bluff, MO


2015 High School M*A*S*H Camps
June 2-3 - South Pemiscot High School, Steele, MO
July 30-31 – Sikeston Career & Technology Center, Sikeston, MO
August 6-7 – TRC Nursing & Allied Health Center, Poplar Bluff, MO

All students must complete an application in advance and submit it by the appropriate deadline.  The cost of attending a 1 day camp is $10.00 and a 2 day camp is $20.00.  Payment should be in the form of a check or money order made payable to SEMO AHEC and submitted with an application.  Applications will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis and participants accepted will be notified by email.
 
Information and applications can be obtained by visiting www.semoahec.org/mashcamp or by email from Racheal Baker, SEMO AHEC Program Specialist, at racheal@semoahec.org.  Early response is highly encouraged, as capacity is limited for these events.
 
M*A*S*H* Camp is a collaborative effort of community partners including: the Southeastern Missouri Area Health Education Center (SEMO AHEC), South Pemiscot High School, Puxico Junior High School, East Carter Middle School, Sikeston Career & Technology Center, and Three Rivers College of Nursing & Allied Health.  The mission of all academic and community partners in this unique learning opportunity is to provide early exposure and academic enrichment to students who are interested in becoming health care professionals in the Southeastern Missouri region.

By Presidential Proclamation

Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week 2015

Each May, our Nation salutes the American women and men who put their lives on the line every day to maintain public safety and hold accountable those who break the law. On Peace Officers Memorial Day and during Police Week, we recognize all those who have dedicated their lives to this vital task. With heavy hearts, we mourn the heroes taken from us only because they chose to serve, and we rededicate ourselves to carrying forward their noble legacy.

Our law enforcement officers have extraordinarily tough jobs. They regularly work in dangerous environments and in difficult, high-tension situations. And they often face challenges deeply rooted in systemic problems and broader social issues. These professionals serve to protect their communities and strengthen their Nation, and they deserve to go home safely to their loved ones at the end of each shift. As President, I am committed to making sure America's dedicated police officers receive the support and recognition they have earned, and to doing all I can to protect those who protect us.

One important way to make policing safer and more effective is by continuing to enhance relations and trust between law enforcement and the neighborhoods they serve. This will make it easier and safer for police officers to do their jobs, and it will strengthen the places we live and work. This important task will require our Nation -- our communities, our law enforcement, and our leaders at every level -- to come together to commit to meeting this challenge and moving our country forward, block by block and neighborhood by neighborhood. As President, I firmly believe it is within our power to make progress in our time, and I am dedicated to partnering with all those who are willing to do this necessary work.

My Administration is taking concrete steps to implement the commonsense, pragmatic recommendations my Task Force on 21st Century Policing put forward based on input from law enforcement personnel as well as criminal justice experts, community leaders, and civil liberties advocates. And we are engaging with local jurisdictions so they can begin to make the changes that will help ensure that police officers and their communities are partners in battling crime and that everyone feels safe on and off the job.

Our Nation's police officers are mentors in our schools, familiar faces on the corner, and pillars of our communities. They keep our borders secure and our roads safe, and in times of crisis, they rush toward tragedy. They are hardworking mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons who have dedicated their lives to public service, working every day to build a brighter future for their families and their Nation. Their selfless commitment and daily sacrifice represent what is possible for every city, town, and reservation in America, and our country has an enormous opportunity to lift up the very best law enforcement personnel as examples -- not just to other officers, but to all who aspire to lives of good citizenship. This week and every week, let us remember the patriots who laid down their lives for ours and honor all who strive to make our Nation more safe, more free, and more just.

By a joint resolution approved October 1, 1962, as amended (76 Stat. 676), and by Public Law 103-322, as amended (36 U.S.C. 136-137), the President has been authorized and requested to designate May 15 of each year as "Peace Officers Memorial Day" and the week in which it falls as "Police Week."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 15, 2015, as Peace Officers Memorial Day and May 10 through May 16, 2015, as Police Week. I call upon all Americans to observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I also call on the Governors of the United States and its Territories, and appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that the flag be flown at half-staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day. I further encourage all Americans to display the flag at half-staff from their homes and businesses on that day.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-ninth.

BARACK OBAMA

Jefferson City, Missouri – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reported that turkey hunters checked 43,991 birds during Missouri’s 2015 regular spring turkey season April 20 through May 10. Top harvest counties were Franklin with 897 birds checked, Texas with 858, and Saint Clair with 771. Young turkey hunters ages 6 – 15 years harvested 4,441 birds during the 2015 spring youth season, April 11 and 12, bringing the overall spring 2015 turkey harvest to 48,432.

The 2014 overall spring turkey harvest was 47,605 birds. The 2015 overall spring harvest is the fourth consecutive increase since 2011, when the combined youth and regular season harvest was 42,226. Spring turkey harvest totals by county are available at http://mdc.mo.gov/node/30565.

MDC recorded four firearms-related spring turkey hunting incidents during the 2015 regular season and none during the youth weekend. One of the incidents was fatal. Two involved shooters who mistook other hunters for turkeys.

Missouri’s turkey harvest continues to be among the highest in the nation. MDC restoration efforts from past decades have taken this popular game bird from the brink of extirpation in the state by the 1950s to an estimated sustainable population of more than 300,000 birds today.

In addition to permit sales revenue, economic estimates show that Missouri turkey hunters spend more than $125 million each year on travel, food, lodging and hunting equipment, which in turn generates millions in local and state sales tax revenue.

Turkey hunters can commemorate their first harvest by creating an MDC First Turkey certificate suitable for framing at http://mdc.mo.gov/node/10469.

Shown in the photo is Tonya Chapman with her first wild turkey kill.