There was a celebration in Historic Downtown Dexter Friday as the Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting celebration at Calla Lilys at 11 South Locust Street. On hand for the celebration were (from left) Chamber Executive Janet Coleman, Chamber board member Mendy Bell, Marrianne Bruce of the ShowMe Times, Kandi Jones of Cally Lilys staff and young Hayden Mouton, chamber board member Wes Howard, Dexter City Administrator Mark Stidham, Calla Lilys owner Charlotte Jones and young Brooklyn Mouton, (in back) chamber board member Scott Nelson, chamber board secretary/treasurer Kevin Bishop, Paula Smith, and Deborah Sturgess of Trinkets and Treasures. The celebration was the 11th ribbon-cutting celebration held by the Chamber in 2011. (SMT photo by Annabeth Miller)

The ribbon was cut Tuesday to formally launch the opening of Dhafer’s Mediterranean Steakhouse in Downtown Dexter. The restaurant is owned by Dhafer and Melissa Al-Makuter and will feature a wide variety of fresh-made appetizers, pastas, steaks, chops, chicken, fresh fish, salads and burgers. On hand for the Dexter Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting Celebration were (front row, from left) Kevin Bishop of the Chamber of Commerce, Deborah Sturgess of Trinkets and Treasures, Dexter Mayor Joe Weber, (behind) Chamber members Jeri Morgan-Pierce and Mendy Bell, the Al-Makuter’s sons, Joseph and Jake, Dhafer and Melissa Al-Makater (behind the boys), Kenny Pope of the Dexter Chamber of Commerce, Marrianne Bruce of the ShowMe Times, and Chamber Executive Director Janet Coleman. The restaurant’s staff and guests stand behind. The restaurant is located at 117 South Locust in Downtown Dexter. (SMT photo by Annabeth Miller)

Dexter Mayor Joe Weber and his daughter Beth were among the guests aboard Union Pacific's No. 844 on the Great Excursion Adventure - as it traveled earlier this week from Poplar Bluff to Walnut Ridge, Ark. The Webers, aldermen Jerry Corder and Kirby Taylor, and their wives were among UP's guests on Monday during the special steam train's visit to the region. No. 844's Great Excursion Adventure will end Friday in North Little Rock, Ark. (The ShowMe Times thank Aldermen Corder and City Administrator Mark Stidham for providing this photo.)

Flags will fly at half-mast on Wednesday through Missouri in honor of a law enforcement officer who died from injuries sustained in the line of duty during the Joplin tornado.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has ordered flags in the state to fly at half-mast from sunrise to sunset on Wednesday, June 8 in honor of Master Patrolman Jefferson "Jeff" Taylor, who died from injuries he sustained following the tornado that struck Joplin.

On May 23 Taylor was struck by lightning while serving during the storms that hit the Joplin area. Taylor was an officer with the Riverside Police Department, was a member of the department's K-9 Unit with his partner, Flash, and was a member of the Riverside SWAT team.

Taylor was part of a 12-member team on officers and firefighters from Riverside that responded to the tornado disaster. Taylor died June 3 from injuries he sustained May 23.

Jefferson City, MO – A magnitude 4.2 earthquake that struck near Sullivan early this morning served as a reminder of the powerful seismic zones in and around southeast Missouri and the need for citizens to be prepared for a major seismic event. Just over a month ago, Missouri participated in the Great Shake Out, a multi‐state earthquake drill scheduled in recognition of the 200th anniversary of the deadly 1811 quakes in the New Madrid Seismic Zone.

Many Missourians, however, are unable to fully prepare for the devastation of a major earthquake due to the epidemic lack of affordable, effective earthquake insurance available throughout the state and especially in the St. Louis and Bootheel areas.

More than 40 company carriers have stopped providing earthquake insurance in Missouri in the last decade. While those companies have shed all of their exposure, others have severely restricted coverages and implemented restrictions and exclusions that most policyholders are not aware of. A recent survey by the Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration found that where coverage is available, multiple high deductibles based on the value of the structure rather than the amount of damage mean that many homeowners would have to carry all or most of the risk themselves, despite being insured.

“This year’s tornado and flood threats in Missouri have only highlighted the critical role that insurance plays in rebuilding after a catastrophe,” says Larry Case, executive vice president of the Missouri Association of Insurance Agents. “Missourians, especially those in the Southeast and St. Louis, will be the victims of major financial loss when a larger quake strikes.”

MAIA has proposed several legislative solutions to the lack of affordable and effective earthquake insurance in the state, but these solutions have met resistance from insurance companies and have seen little movement in the General Assembly. MAIA recommends that homeowners talk to their insurance agents to better understand the coverage they have, and more importantly, the coverage they don’t have.

Founded in 1899, the Missouri Association of Insurance Agents is the oldest and largest association of independent agents in Missouri, representing some 4,000 independent agents, brokers and their employees. Its members are businesses that offer customers a choice of policies from a variety of insurance companies. Independent insurance agents and brokers offer all lines of insurance property, casualty, life, health, employee benefit plans and retirement products. Web address: www.missouriagent.org.