By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor

A dig in volleyball is when a player gets under the ball to get a “save’. A group of Dexter middle school girls are digging in tonight to help save women from breast cancer.

A group of lively middle school young ladies are going to “Dig Pink” tonight as they play volleyball and raise awareness and funds for a most worthy cause.

“We are raising money for 18 Fore Life and it’s to help people around our community with breast cancer. And we’re having this and we’re raising a lot of money,” said team member Miranda Rogers. The girls in unison said they hope to help someone in need.

The game is the first of its kind in Dexter. Other athletic teams throughout the region and nation host “pink” games in an effort to raise awareness and funds to fight breast cancer. This is the first such game in Dexter.

The girls, coaches and moms gathered Wednesday evening to help prepare for tonight’s big event. Pink ribbons were prepared to hand out to those attending, signs were made, and t-shirts were folded.

The girls have generated a swell of excitement over tonight’s game. Each girl in working Wednesday night on fashioning pink ribbons knew at least one member of their family or family friend who has been touched by breast cancer. There’s a real sense of comradery among the young ladies and feeling of accomplishing something important.

The eighth grade team has not lost a game this year … and they are hoping to take that victorious spirit to the court and in helping raise awareness about breast cancer.

“People need to know that breast cancer is out there and it affects people,” Miranda said. Through the work on this unique game, the girls have also been made aware of the necessity for women – no matter the age – to have regular exams, and for women to take care of their bodies. “It’s not just old age.”

The girls say they decided to raise money for 18 Fore Life because it is a local organization that helps people and families in the region. All funds generated by the Dig Pink game will go to 18 Fore Life and will be directed to women and their families who are fighting breast cancer.

“It’s going to help people in our community that we could know personally,” said Madison Christian.

Tonight’s Dig Pink volleyball games will begin at 6 p.m. at the T. S. Hill Middle School. The match will feature two undefeated teams – Dexter and Poplar Bluff.

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CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., March 30, 2011 – Southeast Missouri’s public radio station is preparing to mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War with a three-part series on the war.

KRCU at Southeast Missouri State University announces plans to air a three-part series from “Backstory with the American History Guys” on the 150th anniversary of the firing on Fort Sumter that began America’s civil war. The series will air Sunday mornings at 9 a.m. beginning April 3.

April 3: The Road to Civil War

In hindsight, it’s easy to see the Civil War as a conflict just waiting to happen. But to Americans in the spring of 1861, disunion was anything but inevitable. In the days leading up to the firing on Fort Sumter, in fact, Virginia officials rejected secession by a two-to-one margin. Even among those who expected war, few imagined the scale of devastation that was just around the corner.

Taking as a starting point this uncertainty about what was to come, this episode focuses on the dramatic six months between Abraham Lincoln’s election in November 1860 and the outbreak of war in April 1861.

April 10: Why They Fought

One hundred 50 years ago, the Union went to war with the Confederacy. Ever since, Americans have been debating the causes of that war. Most historians today agree that it was fundamentally about slavery. And so what are we to make of the fact that most Southerners didn’t own any slaves, and most Northerners were not abolitionists?

Historian-hosts Brian Balogh, Peter Onuf, and Ed Ayers turn the question of the Civil War’s causes on its side, asking instead why Northerners and Southerners took up arms to fight one another. What causes, in other words, were they willing to die for?

April 17: The Civil War at 150: Questions Remain

As a companion to the two Civil War episodes, BackStory will offer a special listener Q&A edition of the program. For the duration of the hour, historian-hosts Peter Onuf (“18th Century Guy”), Ed Ayers (“19th Century Guy”), and Brian Balogh (20th Century Guy”) will draw on their trans-century expertise to answer questions from listeners on all aspects of the Civil War.

Photo Above: The 150th anniversary of the Firing on Fort Sumter that began the War Between The States will be observed in April. KRCU, the public radio station at Southeast Missouri State University, will feature a three-part series on the war in April. Southeast Missouri was central to the war effort in Missouri. Three unknown Union soldiers are buried at Sadler's Chapel Cemetery northwest of Dexter. (SMT file photo by Annabeth Miller)

A ShowMe Times News Report

A group of future leaders travelled to a statewide competition recently and was successful in competition.

Eleven students in the DECA program at Dexter High School participated in the DECA State Leadership Conference. The students qualified to attend the state conference through success at the district competition earlier this spring.

The Entrepreneurship Promotion team of Austin Seabaugh, Logan Crowley and Glen Parker placed fifth in the state in its competition. The purpose of the Entrepreneurship Promotion Project is for the team to show they can plan, organize, implement and then evaluate a campaign to show the opportunities available for an entrepreneur.

“This is the first time since I became DECA sponsor that a Dexter team has been recognized on the stage at state contest for winning a spot,” Tammy Crowley, DECA sponsor at DHS said.

Photo above:
The team of Austin Seabaugh, Logan Crowley, and Glen Parker, placed fifth in the state in Entrepreneurship Promotion at the DECA state meeting.

By Annabeth Miller, ShowMe Times Editor

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – March 26, 2011 - With the rising cost of food and gasoline and everyday expenses, colleges and universities are examining the cost of living making tough choices for the next academic year.

Like their peers across the nation, students at Southeast Missouri State University and their families will have to dig a bit deeper for living and eating on campus.

The Southeast Board of Regents met Friday and approved new room and board rates for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Under the approved plan, room and board rates will increase an average of 3.71 percent for next academic year.

Dr. Dennis Holt, vice president for enrollment management and student success, said average room rates will increase 3.37 percent, while average board rates will climb by 4.26 percent for fiscal 2012, bringing the average combined room and board rate increase to 3.71 percent for the 2011-2012 academic year.

New Dorm Rates

Based on the new rates, the cost of living in dorms will range for $3,750 in Dearmont to $5,750 for Vandiver, Henderson and New halls.



These figures reflect the cost to continue, including additional costs for maintenance and repair. Private room rates continue to be 1.5 times the rate of a double room, Holt said.

Dinner Time!

Holt says the average food plan change of 4.26 percent is consistent with the University/Chartwells dining contract and reflects actual and anticipated inflation in food prices for 2011-2012.



The flex dollars reflected in the board rates are cash stored electronically on students’ ID cards as part of their meal plan. They can be used at any campus dining location to buy additional meals, food items, snacks and beverages.

With the approved room and board rate increases, a student living in Towers South/East with a 15-meal plan will pay $6,360, up from $6,160 last year.

The Board also approved a three percent increase for non-traditional housing at Southeast. Southeast offers non-traditional housing at Washington Street Apartments, 19 units that vary in number of bedrooms, the size of rooms, and amenities.

Rates next academic year will range from $379.90 for a one-bedroom efficiency apartment at 505 Washington Street to $513.99 for a two-bedroom unit with a balcony at 401 Washington Street.

By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor

Things were all polished and new Thursday afternoon at the new Three Rivers College Center in Dexter - ready for the college president and Rocky Raider to show off the college's newest campus.

The college hosted an Open House for the community at the new facility on Market Street, and a steady stream of Dexter area residents visited and toured the center.

“This is one of Three Rivers’ most beautiful and advanced facilities,” said Dr. Devin Stephenson, President of the college. “This center is very important to us, and to the people of the Dexter area. I expect new, fresh ideas to come from this center.”

Stephenson and center coordinator Bill Hampton, assistant coordinator Ann Matthews and other college staff members offered tours of the college center, including the Green Diesel lab spaces, which include multiple cutaways of real trucks, truck engines, and more. The Student Ambassadors were on hand to greet visitors and even Rocky Raider, the college mascot was on hand to meet folks.

The Dexter center is located at 515 West Market Street, off One Mile Road in Dexter. Portions of the former hat factory are still in use by the Dexter Chamber of Commerce and other businesses, with Three Rivers now occupying classrooms, offices, computer labs, lab spaces, and even a bookstore. Classes in the Dexter center began on January 18, 2011.

“We’re here to serve the students of Stoddard County and its surrounding areas,” said Hampton. “We invite prospective students, parents of students, and the community in general to come by and see the new facility. Ann and I will be on hand to answer any questions about course offerings, financial aid, and the center in general.”

Classes For Summer

Registration for summer classes at Three Rivers began this week with a full slate of classes being offered locally.

Summer Classes will be offered in three sessions – June 6-28; July 5-28; and a full session from June 6 through July 28.

Among the classes to be offered this summer include general education courses such as Fundamentals of English, College Writing, American History Since 1877, Fundamentals of Math, Beginning and Intermediate Algebra, Public Speaking and more.

Other classes offered at the Dexter Center will include Art for the Elementary Teacher, History and Appreciation of Theater and Survey of Early Childhood Students also have the option of taking classes online. This summer, Three Rivers is offering over 70 online classes, which students can access from their home computer or any computer with an Internet connection.

Course offerings can be viewed online by going to trcc.edu and clicking on "Current Course Schedule." Students are encouraged to register for classes as soon as possible to ensure class availability. New Three Rivers students must register in person on campus, or at one of the college centers in Malden, Kennett, Sikeston, Portageville or Dexter. Returning students can register online at trcc.edu by using the myTRCC program.

Summer Registration continues through June 2 for in-person registration, and until June 5 for online registration. Regular registration for Fall 2011 is scheduled to begin on April 6. For questions about enrolling, registering, applying for financial aid or available programs, call the Three Rivers College Welcome Center at 573-840-9605 or toll-free at 1-877-879-8722.

Photos Above:
Top Photo: Three Rivers College President Dr. Devin Stephenson (left) and Dexter City Administrator Mark Stidham chat with the college's mascot, Rocky Raider, at the Open House.
Bottom Photo: Dexter Library Executive Director Pam Trammell (left) chats with Connie Hampton during a tour of the Three Rivers campus in Dexter. Hampton is the center coordinator at the college's facility in Malden.