Dexter’s Animal Shelter is needing some help this weekend.
The Shelter has some wonderful pets ready for adoption. In fact, they have so many dogs, puppies, and kittens and cats that the facility is at full capacity. Full capacity; ‘no room at the inn’ so to speak.
The Shelter will be hosting a pet Adoption Event beginning at 10 this Saturday (Jan. 14) to help pair puppies, kittens, dogs and cats with new, loving owners.
You will make a pet happy. By adopting from the animal shelter you'll help a homeless pet find a new home. Every dog and cat deserves a home. When you adopt from a shelter, you provide a pet with another chance at finding love and a forever home.
During this time of year adoptions are low but the pet population continues to grow, animal shelter officials said.
What’s Happening
- What: Animal Adoption Event
- Where: Dexter Animal Shelter
- When: Saturday, Jan. 14
- Time: Begins at 10 a.m.
- Address: 601 East Grant Street, Dexter
JEFFERSON CITY — Employment law in Missouri is one step closer to reflecting the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Legislation has been introduced by Sen. Brad Lager, R-Savannah, that would change state laws to mirror federal employment laws when it comes to discrimination.
“We want Missouri employees to be protected from employers who break the law,” Lager said. “We can best do this by raising our standards to meet the provisions set out in the historic Civil Rights Act, giving employers and workers better certainty across the board when it comes to their day in court.”
The bill changes Missouri law to state that discrimination must be “a motivating factor” rather than “a contributing factor” in wrongful termination lawsuits, which is identical to language in the federal Civil Rights Act. It would also allow for summary judgments, allow any party to demand a jury trial, limit awards for certain damages as outlined in federal law, and exclude managers and supervisors from being held individually liable.
Lager noted Missouri’s employment law originally resembled federal law, but differences have surfaced through case law.
“Unfortunately, Missouri courts have drastically changed Missouri employment law over the years,” said Lager. “It’s important the people of Missouri, through their elected representatives, ultimately shape our laws.”
Senate Leader Robert N. Mayer, R-Dexter, said bringing certainty to employment law is an important step in legislative efforts aimed at putting Missourians back to work.
“Currently there is no harmony in how employment law is treated between federal standards, state law and how our three appellate courts in Missouri have ruled on the law,” said Mayer. “By harmonizing our state employment law with federal employment law, Missouri companies can invest more in hiring new employees, rather than expansive legal fees to navigate a current system riddled with uncertainty.”
The bill also addresses Missouri’s “whistleblower protections” by clarifying the protections only apply to those employees who call attention to wrongdoing that is illegal, rather than allegations of wrongdoing where no law was broken.
Links Of Interest
The Dexter Police Department just reported to the ShowMe Times that bridges in the city are beginning to ice.
A city spokesman reports the Dexter Street Department is spreading solution on roadways near the Dexter schools and will continue to spread solution on city streets around town.
The National Weather Service in Paducah issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the region through Thursday night. The NWS reports accumulating snow is expected through tonight.
In addition to the snowfall, biting west-northwestern winds are expected to lead to falling temperatures throughout the day. Wind chills in the teens are expected.
Links of Interest
By Annabeth Miller, SMT Editor
Here we go with the snow!
The National Weather Service in Paducah has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Wednesday night through Thursday night. The NWS reports accumulating snow is expected in the region late Wednesday night through Thursday.
A low pressure over the Great Lakes Region will drag a cold front across the middle Mississippi and lower Ohio river valleys. Cold air will combine with moisture already in place to provide a good change of snow. Gusty northwest winds will also reportedly cause some blowing snow along with wind chill readings dipping into the teens single digits.
In advance of the predicted wintery weather, the Missouri Department of Transportation has reminded motorists that even light precipitation can quickly case roads to become slick and dangerous.
“One of the biggest travel issues when winter weather strikes is black ice. Motorists need to be especially cautious as falling drizzle freezes or melted snow refreezes making black ice a concern, especially on bridges and overpasses,” said Customer Relations Manager Sally Oxenhandler.
MoDOT crews are prepared for the snow and ice and ready to treat the state’s highways, Oxenhandler reports.
MoDOT also offerers the following tips for driving in inclement weather:
- Always wear your seat belt.
- Use common sense, and adjust your speed to suit driving conditions.
- If weather conditions warrant windshield wipers, turn your headlights on. They help you see and help other drivers see you. Plus, it's the law.
- Double the distance you normally leave between you and the next car.
- Use gentle pressure on your accelerator pedal when starting on wet or slick surfaces.
- Give snowplows plenty of room, and try not to pass them when conditions are poor.
- Remember that driving is most hazardous when temperatures are near 32 degrees.
- Watch for other vehicles having problems with road conditions.
- Don't pass other vehicles on or near bridges.
- Keep your fuel tank at least half full.
Links of Interest
Photo Above: Wintery weather may indeed cover the Bootheel by Thursday evening, according to the National Weather Service in Paducah. (SMT File Photo by Annabeth Miller)
By Annabeth Miller, SMT Editor
WASHINGTON – Southeast Missouri representative in the U,S, House of Representatives is critical of the moves by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to closed more than 250 offices and labs across the country, including one in Dexter.
U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson said Wednesday afternoon that a slate of USDA office closings in Missouri will reduce services to producers and communities in a major part of the region’s economy.
“These closures should be subject to a thorough review process by Congress, not strong-armed through by an administration seeking to balance its budget on the backs of rural Americans,” Emerson said. “I am a strong proponent of smaller, more efficient and more effective government, but I am also wary of any effort to reduce the presence of federal agencies charged with supporting jobs and growth in the private sectors of our economy.”
Emerson says rural communities in Southern Missouri want USDA to administer programs like Rural Development with as much first-hand knowledge of the communities they are serving as possible.
“Eliminating USDA employees in Dexter and Jackson does nothing to improve the decision-making of USDA offices in Washington DC. USDA is proposing that they consolidate their cell phone plans at their headquarters and get rid of jobs and services in the rest of the country. This nonsensical bureaucratic logic is not good enough for a federal government which must commit to real and substantive efficiencies without compromising the mission of helping rural communities grow and prosper,” Emerson said.
Emerson says the offices are valuable partners for rural communities and producers.
“The bottom line is that these local offices and their few employees each serve a crucial, cost-effective role for agricultural producers – small businesses, essentially – which make up a major proportion of our economy in Southern Missouri,” Emerson said. “Eliminating the offices leaves a gap in information for those folks and forces more of them to rely on fewer resources of the USDA. It’s downright cynical to call such a plan for action a “Blueprint for Stronger Service” – what they are talking about is eroding services to people and communities which depend on access to the information and assistance of the USDA.
The ten offices scheduled to be closed in Missouri include:
- Farm Service Agency, Hillsboro
- Farm Service Agency, Buffalo
- Farm Service Agency, Versailles
- Food & Nutrition Service, St. Louis
- Food & Nutrition Service, Kansas City
- Natural Resource Conservation Service, Dexter
- Rural Development Office, Hillsboro
- Rural Development Office, Jefferson City
- Rural Development Office, Carthage
- Rural Development Office, Jackson
