Southeast Missouri - Improvements to the Interstate 55/57/U.S. 60 cloverleaf interchange in Sikeston, Mo. will begin Monday, June 5, weather permitting. The interchange is located at mile marker 66. As work is underway, motorists should anticipate various lane and ramp closures.
The ramp from southbound I-55 onto northbound I-57 will be closed, with a signed detour available. The ramp is expected to reopen Monday, Aug. 7, weather permitting.
The ramp from southbound I-57 to southbound I-55 will also be closed, with a signed detour available. The ramp is expected to reopen Monday, Oct. 2, weather permitting.
Lane closures will also be in place. Southbound I-55 will be reduced to one lane with an 11-foot width restriction from mile marker 66.4 to mile marker 60. In addition, westbound U.S. 60/southbound I-57 and eastbound U.S. 60/northbound I-57 will be reduced to one lane with a 14-foot width restriction below the overpass. Completion is anticipated by Monday, Oct. 2, weather permitting.
The work zone will be marked with signs. Motorists are urged to use extreme caution while traveling near the area.
Cape Girardeau, Missouri - Saint Francis Healthcare System announces the appointment of Jennifer Kern, RN, BSN, as patient care manager for Family BirthPlace.
Kern is responsible and accountable for the delivery of care, development of policies and procedures, standards of care and protocols, and assigns, directs and evaluates the work of the healthcare providers assigned to a specific area in accordance with the policies, procedures, philosophy and objectives of Saint Francis Healthcare System.
She has been a part of the Saint Francis team since 2002 and has worked as a nurse assistant in the Level III NICU, a new nurse on medical/surgical, and the last 11 years at the Family BirthPlace with the last year serving as a lead charge nurse.
Kern earned her bachelor’s in nursing from Southeast Missouri State University.
Saint Francis Medical Center is a 308-bed facility serving more than 713,000 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; Cancer Institute; and Fitness Plus.
Dexter, Missouri - Dexter Police Department announces results of Youth Alcohol Enforcement Campaign.Dexter Police reported that 21 summonses were issued to motorists and 2 fugitives were apprehended during the enforcement period, which ran from May 4 - 15, 2017.
Totals were as follows: 8 seatbelt violations, 1 child restraint violation, 1 suspended or revoked violation, 2 uninsured motorist violations and 8 other non hazardous moving violations were issued. 49 verbal/written warnings were also issued to motorists during this campaign.
Each year, impaired driving cost the lives of thousands on America’s highways.
“There were 196 people killed and 652 seriously injured in 2016 Missouri traffic crashes that involved at least one substance-impaired driver (Alcohol and/or drugs). That works out to approximately one substance-impaired driving involved fatality every two days”
A substance-impaired driver less than 21 years of age was involved in 12 of the fatalities and 66 of the serious injuries.
During May 5 – 16, 2016, two (2) people were killed and 25 seriously injured in Missouri traffic crashes that involved at least one substance-impaired driver (Alcohol and/or drugs).
Dexter Police joined forces with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and nearly 10,000 law enforcement agencies across the country in this year’s Youth Alcohol Enforcement “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign.
For more information, visit the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” Campaign headquarters at www.TrafficSafetyMarketing.gov, or www.saveMOlives.com
Dexter, Missouri - The Friends of the Library will sponsor the Summer Reading Program at the Keller Public Library beginning Wednesday, June 14, 2017 at 11:00 a.m.
The Summer Reading Program is for children of all ages and will be held each Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. The theme this year is Build A Better World.
Summer Reading Program Schedule:
June 14th - The Building Blocks of Magic with Mary Hahne
June 21st - Build Your Dreams with Maggie Thorn
June 28th -Build Your Talents with Mary Ruth Boone
July 5th - Build a Better Nation - Wear red, white, & blue
July 12th - Build a Better You (Crafts & Ice Cream)
July 19th - Animal Architects with Animal Tales, LLC
Bloomfield, Missouri - Pastor Mike Williams is presenting "Dexter's First Air-Force Base" at the Stars & Stripes Museum, Monday, May 22nd at 6:30 p.m.
Many long-time local residents are familiar with the Dexter Airport's creation as a satellite field for the Malden Air Base during WWII and the Korean War. This is not the only time that Stoddard County played a role in training pilots for the US military. A quite different, and much earlier, military airfield was once found in Dexter.
During the First World War a rented hay field on the west side of town hosted pilots from across the country.
Despite the occasional pig grazing on the runway, the community developed a reputation for hospitality among the cadets of Memphis' Park Field training base.
Dexter even helped get three young lieutenants into the record books. Following a war bond drive performance in Bloomfield the night before, three pilots and their mechanic set off on what became the longest flight recorded up to that point in history.
