North and Southbound Interstate 55 in Cape Girardeau County will be closed as contractor crews perform utility repairs.
This section will be between Exit 96 and Exit 99. Weather permitting, work will be completed on Wednesday, Nov. 2 from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m.
Message boards and signs will be in place marking a detour route, using William Street, Mt. Auburn and Kingshighway. 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)
Nestlé USA, Inc. is initiating a voluntary recall of its Nestlé Drumstick Club 16 count Variety Pack and 24 count Vanilla Pack (with cones marked for easy individual sale) due to a possible health risk. The two pack sizes contain 4.6 fl.oz. cones and were manufactured in Bakersfield, Calif. and distributed nationally. No other production codes, sizes or varieties of Nestlé Drumstick products are affected by this recall.
The company received positive test results for Listeria monocytogenes (LM) from equipment contact surfaces from a location on the production line where these products are made. There have been no positive test results for LM present in the Drumstick cones themselves. The products impacted by the voluntary recall were put into distribution inadvertently. No illnesses have been reported to date; the company is initiating this recall as a precautionary action to avoid any potential for consumer illness.
Listeria monocytogenescan cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
The Nestlé recall is limited to the Drumstick Club 16 Count Variety Pack and 24 count Vanilla Pack, made at the company’s Bakersfield, Calif. ice cream production facility. The product identification codes can be found on the back of the packages and on the individually marked vanilla cones from the 24 count pack. The two packs being recalled carry distinct UPC codes, as well as a “best before” date and production code.
Dexter, Missouri - The Dexter Police Department was awarded a contract/grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation Highway Safety Division which was effective from 10/01/2015 to 09/30/2016.
The purpose of this grant was to conduct aggressive patrols and sobriety checkpoints to deter impaired driving. This grant also covered officer’s salaries to travel to other jurisdictions to conduct sobriety checkpoints as part of the Southeast Missouri DWI Task Force operation. This grant was approved in the amount of $11,847.During these overtime projects, Dexter Police Officers worked a total of 129 hours and made contact with 530 motorists during roving patrols and one sobriety checkpoint conducted in the City limits of Dexter. The following are the totals from these traffic stops and the sobriety checkpoint with summonses/arrest’s issued:
DWI Alcohol arrest – 1
Signal light violations -1
Speeding violations – 2
Other Hazardous Moving Violations – 2
Seat Belt Violations – 12
Child Restraint Violations – 1
Suspended or Revoked Driver’s License Violations – 7
Driving with no operator’s license – 7
Uninsured motorist – 12
Felony arrest -1
Drug Arrests -2
Other non-hazardous moving violations – 8
Total Violations 53
The following are the totals from these traffic stops with verbal/written warnings issued:
Warning for stop sign violation – 3
Warning for signal light violation – 2
Warning for careless and imprudent driving – 2
Warning for speeding – 53
Warning for other hazardous moving violations – 14
Warning for seat belts – 8
Warning for child restraints – 2
Warning for no operator’s license – 1
Warning for uninsured motorist – 5
Warning for other non-hazardous moving violation 76
Total warnings issued – 166
The Dexter Police Department encourages the use of a sober driver. If you suspect an impaired driver on the roadway, please call the Dexter Police at 573-624-5512.
Thank you,
Lieutenant J.T. Benton 914.
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
More than 1 million fires occur each year in the United States. Throughout the past decade, the number of fires -- and of resulting deaths and injuries -- has gone down. But residential fires still damage homes across our country, causing a higher percentage of fire deaths, injuries, and economic loss than any other fires, and wildfires continue to devastate our forests and threaten nearby homes and businesses. During Fire Prevention Week, we strive to increase our preparedness for fires and commit to giving dedicated firefighters the support they need to keep us safe.
Every moment counts during a fire, and smoke alarms help save lives. However, many people do not know that their smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years -- after 10 years, they tend to become unreliable. I encourage everyone to check the manufacturing dates of their smoke alarms to see if they need replacing. Families and businesses should also develop and practice evacuation plans in case of emergencies and should prepare communication strategies in case of a fire. All Americans can learn more about steps they can take to prepare for fires by visiting www.Ready.gov.
In recent years, we have experienced some of the most severe wildfire seasons in American history, including roughly 50,000 wildfires and over 9 million acres burned last year alone. Climate change exacerbates wildfire risks through drier landscapes and higher temperatures -- we must recognize the effects our changing climate has on fire risks and help fire professionals and community leaders take action to enhance community resilience against these risks. Last year, my Administration brought together fire chiefs from around our country to identify key lessons learned from fires at the wildland-urban interface and actions that can be taken to reduce the harm to people and property associated with wildfires in these areas, where fighting fires is especially complicated, expensive, and dangerous. We need to be smarter about where we build, and we must work to better understand how fires behave so our firefighters can work more safely and effectively -- we owe these heroic professionals nothing less.
This week presents opportunities for businesses, families, and communities to learn about ways to protect themselves in case of fire and helps raise awareness of steps we can all take to prevent fires. During Fire Prevention Week, we also pause to honor our first responders and firefighters, including those who have sacrificed their own lives to save the lives of people they had never met. Let us salute them and pay tribute to all firefighters whose bravery, sense of duty, and love of country make our Nation a stronger, safer place.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 9 through October 15, 2016, as Fire Prevention Week. On Sunday, October 9, 2016, in accordance with Public Law 107-51, the flag of the United States will be flown at half-staff at all Federal office buildings in honor of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service. I call on all Americans to participate in this observance with appropriate programs and activities and by renewing their efforts to prevent fires and their tragic consequences.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-first.
BARACK OBAMA
Results of a recent statewide survey reveal that Missouri drivers and passengers are buckling up more in 2016, but still have much room to improve.
Based on 123,678 observations of Missouri drivers and passengers in this year's statewide survey, the safety belt use rate is 81.4 percent, up 1.5 percent from 2015. This is still far behind the national average, which was 88.5 percent in 2015.
Safety belt usage ranged from a low of 63 percent in Jackson County to a high of 95 percent in Montgomery County. The survey also indicated that females tend to buckle up more than males with 85 and 78.6 percent respectively. Pickup truck drivers are only 69.7 percent likely to buckle up, while drivers of sport utility vehicles buckle up at 86.7 percent.
"It's vital that the driver and all passengers are buckled up every trip, every one, every time, day and night," said Bill Whitfield, chair of the executive committee for the coalition. "Ninety-four percent of the time driver error is responsible for a crash, and your safety belt is your best defense if a crash occurs."
Modern vehicles are safer than they have ever been. Integrated safety systems such as airbags and crumple zones have drastically increased chances of crash survival. However, all of these safety improvements are designed with the assumption that the occupants of a vehicle are properly restrained with a safety belt. Not wearing a safety belt severely undermines a vehicle's ability to keep its passengers safe in a crash.
As of Sept. 29, 669 people have died in Missouri traffic crashes this year, an 8% increase over this time last year. Of those deaths, 439 were vehicle occupants who had a seat belt available, but 60 percent chose not to wear a safety belt and were killed. Many of these people might be alive today if they had simply buckled up.
For more information on highway safety, visit saveMOlives.com. You can also follow Save MO Lives on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
