Missouri - Pushing the lawn mower back and forth across the yard is a springtime necessity. It can be a pleasure for some and a chore for others. At MoDOT, our crews are beginning the mowing season with a main purpose: safety.

During May and June, there is a good chance you will see MoDOT crews out mowing on tractor mowers so motorists have a clear, safe line of sight as they cruise along state highways.

"We ask motorists to pay attention and slow down when approaching mowing crews. Please take the time to pass carefully and safely especially on rural two lane roads," said MoDOT State Maintenance Engineer Becky Allmeroth.

Major and minor routes will be mowed at least three times through the end of October. Along with the mowing, crews selectively use herbicides to stunt grass growth as well as to control brush and stop the spread of noxious weeds. Wildflowers are an added benefit of not mowing fence-to-fence and careful herbicide usage.

On rural two-lane roads, crews may use a protective "follow" truck to alert motorists they are approaching slow-moving mowers. Drivers are advised to use the following tips to safely pass mowers:

Be alert for trucks and tractors with lights flashing and moving slowly - 2 to 5 mph.

Slow down, and focus on the road ahead of you. Avoid talking and texting on a cell phone or other distractions.

Be prepared to stop or drive very slowly behind a "follow" truck, especially approaching a hill or curve on a two-lane road.

Obey the no passing zone stripes, and only pass when you can see far enough past the "follow" truck to avoid meeting oncoming traffic.

Between mowing cycles, report grass and weeds blocking visibility at intersections along state roads to MoDOT. Contact MoDOT's 24/7 Customer Service Center at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636), or fill out an online form at www.modot.org and click on Report A Road Concern.

Cape Girardeau County - State Highway N between State Highway NN and County Road 253 is currently closed in Cape Girardeau County due to a sinkhole developing on the highway. MODOT has already begun fixing the hole; however it is unknown when the highway will be reopened.

Photo by Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office.

Jackson, Missouri - The Jackson Police Department is trying to locate a missing person, Adrienne Kay Ptacek. She has not been seen since last Friday, June 17 in Jackson, Missouri.

She is driving a 2007 Tan Chevy Malibu with Missouri License Plates AD2F7W. The vehicle has a broken front grill and the left rear bumper is cracked.

Dexter, Missouri - The Living Estate of Sandra Denbow will be auctioned by Moreland Auction Service, LLC on Saturday, June 25, 2016 at 812 S. One Mile Road in Dexter. Beginning at 10:00 a.m.

If rain then the auction will be postponed until at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 26, 2016.

Items are very clean and in great shape!  Bedroom suite and pool table are extraordinary!  Terms are cash or approved good check, all items are “as is”, not responsible for any accidents, and announcements made day of sale takes precedence over printed or implied.

Items to be auctioned are too numerous to mention; however here is an incomplete list of many of the items.

Antiques & Collectibles: Unique Oak Loveseat & Chair Cushioned and with rollers, granny folding rocker, 4 pc vintage bedroom suite, vintage table, vintage side table, World War II Series VHS Tapes, LP 33 Collection, 78 records, 48 Records, Fire King baking dish, Vintage toys, and much more!

Kitchen: Fascino Stoneware small appliances, kitchen linens, coffee mugs, glassware, canning jars, canning supplies, baking dishes, Corning Ware, Tupperware, stainless bowls and much more!

Household: Floor lamp, lamps, oil lamp, silk flowers, pictures, vases, TVs, VCR, cassettes, wood décor canoe, baskets, bed linens, pillows, curtains, towels, Tick Quilts, and 2 drawer metal cabinet, and more!

Appliances: Electric fireplace, Maytag front load washer and dryer.

Furniture: Ashley dining table with 6 chairs, Peters Revengton bedroom suite, dresser, chest, King bed frame with mattress and boxsprings, Kasson Oak pool table with leather pockets and accessories, matching oak side table, sofa table, stacking tables, office chair, rocker glider, pine side table, and much much much more!

Lawn & Tools: Hammock, gas grill (new), Brinkman Smoke’n Pit, small smoker, power inventor, supply cord, chainsaw, hedge trimmer, limb & trim, weed eater, extension ladder, minnow bucket, tool boxes, wrenches, hand tools, garden stool, gas cans, flower pots, mower blades, and much more!

Misc: Stamina Recumbent Air Bike, Bowflex XTL, Relaxiciser, golf clubs and bag, golf ball washer, suitcases, basketballs, binoculars, books, wheelchair, walker, wedding dress, mink coat and more!

Missouri - Foresters with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) urge people not to move firewood and ash logs to avoid the further spread of invasive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) insects. Native to Asia, these bugs are destroying ash trees wherever they are, ruining millions of dollars in forest products and blemishing Missouri’s forests as they leave behind skeletons of dead ash trees. An MDC EAB distribution map was updated this week marking all the known Missouri counties with EAB infestations.  Examination of ash trees on public land by a U.S. Department of Agriculture officer this spring has revealed additional EAB populations.  The updated count of infestations in Missouri is 23 EAB positive counties with 16 of those in the southeast portion of the state.

According to Jennifer Behnken, MDC’s urban forester for Missouri’s southeast region, EAB is especially threatening to Missouri’s ash population because of a simple reason -- it doesn’t belong here.

“Our native borer insects kill only the severely weakened trees, the trees that need to be taken out anyway,” Behnken explained. “The EAB isn’t native to our area and it isn’t so picky. It kills healthy ash trees, so it’s devastating to our ash tree population.”

Behnken said there are few ways to control EAB in forests beyond trying to slow its spread. Many infestations start when people move infested ash wood into new areas. Missourians are encouraged to not move firewood, but rather obtain it near where it will be burned.  A statewide EAB quarantine put in place by the U.S. and Missouri Departments of Agriculture in 2013 restricts the movement of ash nursery stock, any part of an ash tree, or firewood cut from any hardwood species into other states not known to have EAB.   

“If people will stop moving ash trees, firewood or logs, that will help,” she said. “On their own, EAB can only move up to five miles a year, so that’s why moving firewood accelerates their movement tremendously.”

Also, Behnken said MDC encourages cities, counties and neighborhoods to work with a local forester to help manage ash tree populations.

Ash trees are popular in urban areas, like neighborhoods, because they have a hearty reputation and tolerate a variety of environments. They’re easily recognized and typically line urban streets to provide shade and improve the appearance and value of communities. However, they’re also a native tree to Missouri forests and the effects of EAB are becoming noticeable on the landscape.

“There are several reasons you might notice a dead tree in the middle of an otherwise healthy forest, but it’s becoming more often that you notice it’s an ash tree that’s fallen prey to EAB,” Behnken said.

With EAB, it’s the larvae that do the real damage. Adult beetles simply nibble on foliage, but the larvae feed on the inner bark of ash trees, which stops the tree’s ability to move water and nutrients and eventually kills it. All of Missouri’s native ash trees such as green, white, pumpkin and blue ash are vulnerable to EAB. Behnken said cultivars aren’t immune and EAB affects the trees at all stages, from saplings to fully mature.

“We ask that people watch for and report suspected EAB infestations in counties that aren’t yet known to have them,” Behnken said. “We’re working to understand how EAB spreads and we certainly appreciate help from people who notice damage to their ash trees.”

Symptoms of an EAB infestation include leaf die-off from the top of the tree, moving downward, excessive new branch growth (epicormic sprouting), bark splitting and woodpecker damage. To check an ash tree for EAB, look for a thin-bodied, emerald colored beetle that is less than a half inch long. Look for the “galleries” or long, squiggly tunnels EAB leave under the bark of ash trees and look for D-shaped exit holes about 1/8 inch in diameter left from adult EAB beetles emerging from an infested tree.