Poplar Bluff, MO - In preparation for a potential increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Southeast Missouri, Three Rivers College will move to virtual instruction on Monday, March 23, through the end of the 2020 Spring semester.
Face-to-face classes will continue to meet through Wednesday, March 18, and evening classes will meet on Thursday, March 19, unless otherwise informed by the instructor. In order to conduct necessary faculty collaboration and training, all face-to-face classes will be cancelled during the day on Thursday (Thursday night classes will meet) and all classes are cancelled for Friday, March 20. Classes currently online will continue to be held as normal. Certain technical education programs and nursing and allied heath courses will continue to meet for specific lab times. Faculty will contact these students to inform them of the meeting times.
The decision to move to virtual instruction was made after consulting with faculty and community members. The College had been following the CDC guidelines for institutions of higher learning that do not have COVID-19 identified in their community, as well as staying in close contact with public health authorities.
“We decided not to wait and proactively started planning to move to virtual education for our students,” said Dr. Wesley Payne, President of Three Rivers College. “The health of our students is of the utmost importance to us and our focus will continue to be on student success.”
Three Rivers currently offers online classes for many courses, so the necessary technology is already in place and seasoned online instructors are ready to help with the transition. Many Three Rivers faculty have undergone extensive training in creating online classes to ensure online students receive the same high-quality education as face-to-face students. Those faculty are working with part-time adjunct faculty to make the transition as smooth as possible.
“In exploring new options for virtual learning, we are finding new and better tools,” said Payne. “I am confident we will emerge from this better and stronger and in an even better position to help our students achieve their educational goals.”
The College will remain open during normal business hours at all locations, and faculty and staff will be available during normal College hours. The Welcome Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. from March 17 through March 20. To provide more support for students during this transition, from March 23 through March 27 the Welcome Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Rutland Library and the Tutoring and Learning Center will be open during their normal times for the remainder of the week and will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. thereafter and will be available to offer services to students, including tutoring, computer labs, and library resources. Services at the Rutland Library and the TLC will be available both face-to-face and online for all students.
The Rivers Ridge Apartments will remain open for any student who wishes to remain. Those students who wish to return to their homes will go through the normal check out process.
“Out of necessity, we’re making this change in the middle of the semester, which makes it harder on everyone,” said Payne. “I am proud and impressed with our team and our response to helping students. Everyone’s goal has been to take care of our students—who have trusted us in their pursuit of building a better future for themselves and their families.”
The College is also cancelling events through the end of the semester in response to COVID-19. “Regretfully, this cancellation will apply to our annual commencement ceremony,” said Payne.
Students who meet the requirements will receive their degrees and certificates and their graduation will be reflected on their transcripts. Any student planning to participate in the graduation ceremony will be allowed to participate in the next scheduled ceremony. Diplomas for all graduating students will be mailed after the end of the semester. Students with questions or concerns should email mhamann@trcc.edu.
Registration for Summer and Fall classes opens for current students on March 23 and can be done in person or virtually. Most students have education plans in place through the TRC student planning system. Advisor approval can be done virtually and registration can be completed online.
Registration opens for all on April 6. New students can visit trcc.edu/admissions/checklist for a Getting Started Checklist to guide them through the enrolling and registering process, or call the Welcome Center at 573-840-9605.
Students and employees who are sick are to remain home and not report to work or class. Specific screening programs are being put in place for members of the campus community. The College has increased sanitation protocols as recommended by the CDC.
If students have questions regarding academic instruction, they should contact the individual instructor or the appropriate department chairperson. Faculty and staff will stay in frequent contact with students in order to proactively address issues as they arise.
“We are doing everything we can to ensure this transition to virtual instruction is successful for all of our students,” said Payne. “We ask that students having issues reach out to us right away so we can address the issue.”
In addition to contacting instructors with academic questions, students can call the TRC Welcome Center at 573-840-9605 to get assistance with issues and answers to other questions.
Three Rivers College is committed to contributing to the quality of life in Southeast Missouri with quality, affordable higher education opportunities and community services that support and encourage the economic, civic, and cultural vitality of the region. For more information about college and workforce programs and upcoming events, visit trcc.edu.
To our Valued Customers,
The health and well-being of your pet is our top priority. As news of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in our community continues to develop, we are monitoring the situation closely.
At this time, our clinic remains open and is operating under regular business hours.
While the CDC and other health authorities have indicated that dogs, cats, and other domestic animals are not considered at risk for contracting COVID-19, we are taking extra precautions to ensure the health and safety of humans within our facilities— notably our clients and staff. Keeping our practice "hospital-clean" has always been a priority for us, and we continue to do so. Additionally, for the safety of our team and your family we are monitoring CDC recommendations and will continue to increase our attention to cleaning frequency and methods accordingly. We are happy to provide options for hand cleaning for both clients and team members, and we work closely with our staff to ensure that anyone who is not feeling well understands that we support them staying home. To our customers:
If you are feeling ill or experiencing flu-like symptoms and have an upcoming wellness (not critical) appointment, we kindly ask that you call us to reschedule.
If you are healthy with no signs of illness, please bring your animal to our hospital and practice social distancing including no physical touching, appropriate hand washing and keeping 6-10 feet of distance from others in the clinic.
If your pet requires urgent care or has a medical emergency, and you are ill, please arrange for a trusted friend, neighbor, or healthy family member to transport your pet to our hospital. If you call ahead, we will gladly accommodate your representative and make appropriate arrangements.
If you do not have a trusted friend, neighbor, or healthy family member to transport your pet, please call 573-471-4500 when you arrive at our hospital and remain in your vehicle with your animal.
For more information and health guidance regarding COVID-19, please visit the CDC or WHO websites. For additional questions, please contact us at ahcsikeston@gmail.com or 573-471-4500 or to contact the Dexter office call (573) 624-5505.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation. We look forward to seeing you and your pet soon.
Your pet healthcare partners at Animal Health Center
Stoddard County, MIssouri - Stoddard county Sheriff Carl Hefner announced this press release due to the COV-19 (Coronavirus).
"Our office is committed to protecting and serving our citizens. At this time our Deputies will continue responding to ALL calls in a regular manner. If a Deputy is requested and someone in your home is experiencing symptoms consistent with flu or COVID-19, we ask that you let our dispatcher know prior to the arrival of first responders, stated Stoddard County Sheriff, Carl Hefner.
Our office will remain open Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:00pm for all concealed carry permits and sex offender registration.
All jail visits will be suspended until further notice. Anyone who needs to place funds on an inmate commissary is encouraged to use the website: https://orders.tigercommissary.com/services/ call toll free 877-844-3726, or visit the kiosk in the lobby.
Our office is staying up to date with information from the Centers for Disease Control, and Stoddard County Public Health Department. We will keep the public informed of any changes to our procedures. During these unprecedented and unknown times, the safety of the public and our staff is the highest priority. Our prayers are with all citizens affected by this epidemic and we ask for you to remember that God is in control. We thank you for your cooperation and patience during this time.
Springdale, AR - Harps Food Stores, Inc., has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire 20 stores across northeastern Arkansas and southeastern Missouri from Town & Country Grocers of Fredericktown, Missouri. The transaction remains subject to ordinary due diligence including approval from the Town and Country shareholders.
The locations are as follows:
Country Mart in Harrison, Arkansas
Town & Country in Highland, Arkansas
Town & Country in Thayer, Missouri
Cash Saver in West Plains, Missouri
Country Mart in Fredericktown, Missouri
Country Mart in Bonne Terre, Missouri
Country Mart in Potosi, Missouri
Country Mart in Park Hills, Missouri
ALPS Supermarket in Malden, Missouri
Town & Country in Newark, Arkansas
Price Chopper in Pocahontas, Arkansas
Country Mart in Kennett, Missouri
Town & Country in Dexter, Missouri
Country Mart in Jackson, Missouri
Country Mart in Piggott, Arkansas
Country Mart in Marble Hill, Missouri
Town & Country in Clarkton, Missouri
Town & Country in Doniphan, Missouri
Town & Country in Bernie, Missouri
Country Mart in Farmington, Missouri
While the timing of the transaction has not been finalized, both parties anticipate completing the transaction throughout this summer.
“Opportunities like this are rare,” said Kim Eskew, president and CEO of Harps Food Stores. “We are extremely excited about adding these stores to our Harps family. They will make a great addition to our company as we strive to continue to grow.”
Harps is a 100% employee-owned company, which operates 92 stores in four states, including Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas.
Harps is the largest employee-owned company in the state of Arkansas and was founded by Harvard and Floy Harp in Springdale in 1930. Since then, the company has grown to employ over 4,500 associates.
In an effort to mitigate the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) The Dexter Police Department will be following modified protocols regarding to our calls for service. Dexter Police Department is committed to ensuring the safety of our citizens and businesses. We are not short staffed; we are still actively patrolling our community 24 hours a day with the same personnel as before. Some of our procedures have changed regarding how we handle certain calls for service to protect our staff and the public in general, but we are still here to serve and protect. All emergency calls will be responded to with officers.
Our officers will continue to respond to “in progress” calls and all emergency calls. All non-emergency and routine business calls will be handled over the telephone.
When a call for service warrants an officer’s response, our Communications Unit will ask all callers a brief series of basic screening questions to safeguard against exposure to responding officers. The response to these answers will not exclude a caller from receiving services or from having an officer respond, they will only allow the officer the opportunity to take necessary safety precautions if necessary.
We also request that the general public refrain from traveling to the Dexter Police Department and instead, make every attempt to report any incident via telephone (573-624-5512, Ext 1).
These modified protocols are in place to protect our officers so they may continue to serve this community without interruption, and they are also in place to protect the public and effectively diminish the spread of COVID-19 throughout the community.
We greatly appreciate your understanding and your cooperation. We want our community to know we are actively evolving with this situation and we intend to remain unwavering in our dedication to serve and protect this community.
Any member of the community can contact the Dexter Police Department by phone, our website, Facebook, or email (during business hours).
Phone number 573-624-5512 Ext 1
Website: http://visitdexter.com/police/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dexterpolicedepartment
Email – Trevor.pulley@dexterpd.com
Chief of Police
Trevor Pulley
