Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
Dexter, Missouri – A wonderful new business has opened in Dexter, Treasured Threads Quilting.
The Dexter Chamber of Commerce held their official ribbon cutting today with owner, Joyce Kinder.
The quilt shop offers a variety of fabrics, patterns and quilting supplies for the experienced quilter as well as a beginner. They are open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Thursday from 10 – 6:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. They are closed Sunday and Monday.Several classes will be offered including a Cotton Theory Class on July 25th, taught by Martha Hughes. Joyce invites everyone to attend, “Come and make this beautiful double sided table runner. Traven Reds on one side and Pheasant Hill on the other. This runner is quilted as you go!” Class fee is only $20 and the kit is just $89."
On June 27th and again on July 11th, the Scrap Crazy Quilt Class will be offered. Using a minimum of 5 colors or as many as you like of 1/3 yard each of Treasured Threads fabric and you can create a beautiful 48x48 inch scrappy quilt. Leave it as is or embellish with fancy stitching. This would be a fun project for beginners or experienced quilters. Marsha Lovelady and Susan Hill will be the instructors for this class from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
They are busy down at Treasured Thread Quilting with yet another class on July 13th called Simple Saturday. The class is a fun, stress free super simple project and will be held from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Just contact Joyce Kinder at 624-4042 for more information or better yet, stop by at 14605 US Hwy 60 on the outer road west.
Shown in the picture are: Chamber Executive Director Janet Coleman, Martha Hughes with Matt Kinder behind, Mayor Joe Weber, Owner Joyce Kinder with granddaughters, Katie and Lucy Pyle, and Rachel Kinder, who is held by her mother, Sally Kinder, Owner Steve Kinder, with daughter, Leslie, and granddaughter Emily Pyle, Joe Pyle, Chamber President Scott Nelson, Mandy Friesen, Susan Hill, Barb Chandler, and Veronica Hampton.
Written by
Beth Farrah, SMT Writer
Puxico, Missouri - Indian Hills Winery, located in Puxico, has been a local dinner tradition for many families. Aside from their great meals, cheeses, and wines, the family-owned business proposes a beautiful atmosphere overlooking rolling hills, green trees, and their gorgeous vineyards, along with showing an incredibly amount of southern hospitality that make you feel like you are a part of the family.
Martie and Nicole Sifford are the founders of Indian Hills Winery. Martie is currently the fourth grade teacher at Puxico Elementary School and is also a United States Air Force veteran. Throughout the course of his life, he has gardened, farmed, and even raised animals, but he had a new vision and a spark of hope back in 2005 when the idea for Indian Hills was first created.
“My wife and I were sitting at a winery one day in the spring of 2005 enjoying a great glass of wine,” Martie said. “When I turned to her and said, ‘You know, I think we can do this’.”
During that summer, the pair began to put the dream into motion and planted nearly five hundred Chambourcin vines in the spring of 2006. They now have over one thousand vines total, including both red and white grapes that they use to for their wines of all different varieties. Right now, they have ten wines available on their menu, along with deli wraps, flat bread pizzas, sandwiches, salads, and cheese platters.
Aside from their great food and wine, they also have live entertainment outdoors for their customers. Next weekend, on Saturday, June 22nd, Bill Booth will be singing from 3:00pm to 7:00pm. Although the music begins at 3:00pm, guests are advised to come early if they want to get a good seat for the performance. The following weekend, Saturday, June 29th, local and rising country singer, Rebekah Northern, will be performing at the normal time (3pm to 7pm). Northern is a talented young lady who has had very successful performances at other local venues with her music, so Indian Hills is proud to have her perform once again.
Indian Hills Winery is located at 9625 County Road 250 in Puxico, Missouri. The winery is open every Saturday and Sunday from 11:00am to 7:00pm. For more information or for wine purchasing, you can contact their work number at 573-222-3709 or their cell phone number at 573-934-0291 or visit their website at indianhillswinery.com.
Lowenbaum Firm Shares Facts on Health Care Reform
ShowMe Times
news@showmetimes.com
Dexter, Missouri - Area municipalities came together at the City of Dexter Municipal building on Friday afternoon in hopes of gaining a better understanding of the impending effects of health care reform for employers. The featured speaker for the event was Dannae Delano, an attorney with The Lowenbaum Partnership in St. Louis, who has considerable experience with helping employer’s comply with health care reform.
The municipal building was a full capacity with area attendees traveling in from as far as Poplar Bluff and Charleston to explore their way through this complicated subject.
Ivan L. Schrader of Lowenbaum opened up the session with a brief overview of the program and an introduction of his colleague. Both attorneys encouraged the audience to ask questions on the subject because “compliance with the requirements that are effective in 2014 is complicated and very fact specific.”
"Compliance with the changes effective in 2014 requires tracking hours for full and part-time employees, as defined by the regulations, and an employer can choose to use a look-back period of up to 12 months," noted Ms. Delano. “Consequently, an employer may have needed to begin tracking January 1, 2013to utilize the full 12-monthperiod, but can utilize a 6-month look-back period if they begin tracking hours July 1, 2013.”
The primary focus of the presentation was compliance with the “Play or Pay” rules. Simply stated, employers of more than 50 full-time or full-time equivalent employees will be required to offer health coverage that is both affordable and provides minimum value to their full-time employees and those employees’ dependents, or will be penalized.
By definition, a full-time employee works an average of thirty hours or more each week. Many employers are finding that they must adjust their definitions of full-time employee to comply with the law.
The preparation for the health care reform requirements effective in 2014 are very important to your business operations for the coming year. All employers can expect the following, amongst other changes:
- Federal and State Healthcare Exchanges will be implemented
- Employers must determine whether to “Play or Pay”
- There will be no more pre-existing conditions limitations for health coverage
- No longer than a 90-day waiting period for the date of hire will be allowed before coverage must be available to full-time employees
- Cost sharing is capped and no annual or lifetime limits on coverage are allowed
- Adult dependent children must be eligible for coverage until age 26
- Wellness benefits and rewards limitations will increase and may be more utilized by employers
Unlike most other laws applicable to employee benefits, there are few exceptions for employer, and governmental employers, non-profits and religious-based employers must comply with the health care reform requirements..
Governmental employers were urged to begin planning for compliance immediately, as ordinances may need to be amended to comply.
Ms. Delano will be conducting webinars this upcoming week, and more information can be found here.
Special Thanks ... To Dexter's City Administrator Mark Stidham and City Clerk Crystal Bishop for their efforts in arranging the seminar for area municipalities.
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
Dexter, Missouri – The Rotary Club of Dexter met for their noon meeting. Danny Talkington, 1st District Commissioner introduced the sheriff of Stoddard County, Carl Hefner.
His topic was basically “What Happens When We Go Out of the Country” as he discussed his recent trip overseas. “Thank you for having me here today,” he stated, “It was quite an experience for me on my vacation.”
He noted that he and a few friends traveled on the Queen Elizabeth II from New York and took the same route as the Titanic did over 100 years ago, but in reverse of course. They even went over the exact spot where the Titanic lays at the bottom of the ocean.
They traveled England; saw Buckingham Palace and the changing of the guard, which takes a couple of hours and is performed daily. “You have to be extremely aware of your surroundings while in that crowd. People picking pockets and steeling your wallets happens to be how many make a living there. They steel from the tourists.”
He continued by stating he never saw much law enforcement and if he did they were walking. They carry no firearms. While there he was in a department store and a man started screaming at another customer and then him. The girls working quickly ducked behind a counter. “It was kind of scary,” he said. “It seemed he screamed forever before a manager came over to find out the problem and even longer before they took him away.”“At 2 pm daily the entire country shuts down to have tea and the American dollar isn’t worth much at all. People love the USA and want to come to America,” he stated.
William Wallace is still a national hero in Scotland and in September of 2014 the Scottish people will vote to become independent and break away from England.
Sheriff Hefner spoke of how the airport security was definitely more difficult to get through as he was “strip” searched four times down to his underwear. They even rubbed litmus like paper over his body to see if he had been around explosives. He almost missed his flight home and the tickets of course were non-refundable!
He then changed subjects and told the Rotary they had a population of 64 offenders in the Stoddard County Jail. They only have 35 beds, so some of the incarcerated have to sleep on mats on the floor in the day rooms. The Stoddard County Jail typically processes 3,700 inmates per year. “This is still the best county in Southeast Missouri to live in and perhaps the state of Missouri,” commented Hefner.
The Rotary Club of Dexter appreciated Sheriff Hefner taking the time out of his very busy day to come and talk to them. Ken Harris, President of the local Rotary Chapter thanked Carl for his enlightening story of traveling overseas.
The Dexter Rotary Club meets each Tuesday at the American Steakhouse. Twice each month at 7:00 a.m. and twice at noon. If you would like more information or would like to join Rotary, please contact Jack Rodgers at 624-5762 or if you would like to be a guest speaker send an email to [email=jrod63841@yahoo.com.
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
Dexter, Missouri – Southeast Health hosted a Cardinals Day at Central Gardens Residential Care Facility. Heather Waddle and Tracy Hedrick’s community bible school study group of 7th graders helped with serving popcorn, nachos and beverages to the Cardinal fans!
Tracy Hedrick is also a physical therapist with Southeast Health and her partner, Krystal McGowan, put together a very nice afternoon for the more than 25 residents who attended.
Robin Stanfield, Personal Care Supervisor at Central Gardens, escorted resident after resident into the media room decked out with baseball themed decorations. Each resident received a red beaded necklace and most were wearing their Cardinal red or white shirts!After a short rain delay, Amy Ellinghouse of Southeast Health wearing her favorite Cardinal outfit popped the popcorn and cheered as the Cardinals scored their first run.
Gordan Hill, Central Gardens Resident and great grandpa to Drew Albritton, couldn’t wait for the game to get started. He is a true St. Louis Cardinal fan! Even resident Barbara Harper made her way in and clapped for the boys in red and ate her nachos.
Everyone seemed to have a great time eating and cheering for the St. Louis Cardinals as they played the Mets in New York. Drawings were held and prizes were awarded. Southeast Health graciously donated all the prizes, including Cardinal t-shirts and other Cardinal mementos. Residents didn’t go away empty handed, each was given a treat bag form Southeast Health as well to take home.
Thank you to everyone who made this a special day for the residents at Central Gardens. They appreciated the exhilarating afternoon and wonderful memories.
