BLOOMFIELD - The polls are closed and votes have been tallied in Tuesday's municipal and school board election.

Unofficial tallies in Tuesday's election as released by County Clerk Joe Watson for Dexter School Board include:

• Allen Massey - 55
• Kenny Pope (incumbent) - 367
• Rick Williams (incumbent) - 274
• Ken Rinehart - 220 

There was one write-in vote cast in he school district.

The only contested rqce in Dexter City was in Ward II for a one-year unexpired term on the Board of Aldermen.

• Tim Aslin (incumbent) - 140
• Billy McClain - 21

Check the ShowMe Times on Wednesday for complete Stoddard County election results.

The Dexter community showed its big heart and helping hands Saturday during the Stuff-A-Truck event to help collect food for the Stoddard County Rescue Mission. Volunteers from local chuches were located at four sites in the city, collecting canned and non-perishable food for the mission. Organized by the First United Methodist Church, churches that accepted the challenge included Sweet Prospect Baptist Church, First Christian Church - Disciples of Christ, First Baptist Church and sponsoring businesses USA Drug, Harp's, Town and Country, Wal-Mart and Quick Cash Loans. According to event organizer Loretta Reid, five trucks delivered food late Saturday afternoon. Reid said worker at the mission declared it was "like Christmas"! The shelves at the Stoddard County Rescue Mission are running spare these days, and the food is not on hand to meet an ever-growing need. Helping to load food into a truck at USA Drug Saturday were three girls from the United Methodist Church - (from left) Jonni Hill, Natalie Petroza, and Emma Powell. (ShowMe Times photo by Annabeth Miller)

By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor

JEFFERSON CITY – The Missouri Senate today overwhelmingly voted to override Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of a bill to reform Missouri’s Workmen’s Compensation System.

The Missouri Senate voted 24 to 9 to override the Nixon’s veto of Senate Bill 572 which would reform the state's Workers’ Compensation System. Both the Senate and House had passed the bill in early March and sent it to the governor’s desk. The governor did not act for a week before he vetoed the legislation.

“Where the governor has been absent in leading in job creation, the Senate has made it one of its major goals,” said Senate Leader Rob Mayer, R - Dexter. “Today’s override signals we will continue to work hard to create jobs for the numerous Missouri workers unemployed, and I hope our colleagues in the House join us in that effort.”

“Spurring job creation is one of our biggest priorities, so it was important for the Senate to act on the governor’s veto,” said the legislation’s sponsor, Senate Majority Floor Leader Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles. “It is vital we are moving forward with fixing the current failed policies in place so businesses will begin to invest and hire more employees.”

A 2010 appeals court decision opened up employees to personal lawsuits by their co-employees for their role in honest workplace accidents. The bill would restore protections for co-employees from these lawsuits.

Dempsey added, “Ending lawsuit abuses and relieving the need for additional insurance to cover honest accidents at work would help employers put more Missourians back to work.”

The legislation also reinstated Workers’ Compensation as the exclusive remedy for workplace accidents and occupational diseases.

The bill now moves to the House for its consideration in overriding the veto.

A ribbon-cutter celebration was held Wednesday morning to mark the opening of a new business in Dexter, Smith-Payne Realty. On hand for the celebration were (front row, from left) Jack Huffman of First Midwest Bank, Chamber Executive Director Janey Coleman, Connie Smith, Sherm Smith, Mayor Joe Weber, Melonie Payne and children Josiah and Moriah Payne, Chamber President Kenny Pope, Cherie Smith, Sherm Smith Jr., and Bob Coffey; (in back) Regina Jolly, Betty Watkins and Dee Glenn, Joe Payne, Crystal Fortner and Cheryl Parrish. The realty firm is staffed by Sherm Smith, Sherm Smith Jr. and Melonie Payne and is located at 915 West Business Highway 60 (behind McDonald's) The Smith-Payne ribbon-cutting celebration was Ribbon Ceremony Number 2 for 2012 and the first for a new business in Dexter for the year. (SMT photo by Annabeth Miller)

By Annnabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor

Vandals have once again left their calling card at one of Dexter’s parks, and the city’s new video cameras have once again caught the suspects “red handed.”

Dexter Parks and Recreation Supt. Lawson Metcalf reported to the Dexter Board of Aldermen at its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday evening. Metcalf reported vandals recently struck at the public restrooms in the East City Park for the second time this spring.

And for the second time the parks’ newly installed surveillance cameras caught the vandals in action. This incident, Metcalf said, involved girls and was not quite as expensive as the incident reported last month.

“They tired to tear a commode off the wall,” he said. They damaged the commode's flush valve and one of the stalls. He estimated the damage at approximately $600.

“We caught them on video coming and going. They were having a great time,” Metcalf said sarcastically. Information from the video was turned over to the Dexter Police Department and that a worker in his department knew the suspects’ names.

The police apprehended the suspects and received a confession from at least one.

Metcalf reported that the Parks and Recreation Department now has surveillance camera systems in the West and East Park, and well as the historical “Old Gym” on Park Lane and the new DPR Gym in the East Park.