Local News

No Work Planned Over Memorial Day Weekend - Watch for Summer Work Zones
May 24th 2018 by Dee Loflin
No Work Planned Over Memorial Day Weekend - Watch for Summer Work Zones
Watch out for summer work zones
No work planned over Memorial Day weekend

MoDOT will suspend work zone operations during the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Most routine work zones will stop at noon Friday, May 25 and will resume at 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 29. While most work zones will not be active over the Memorial Day weekend, it may be necessary for some lane closures to remain in place.

In an effort to keep motorists informed, MoDOT has developed a list of significant work zones across the state. Many of the work zones may cause congestion and traffic delays especially during the peak travel times of daily rush hours and weekends including Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons.

Distracted driving and following too closely are two of the main causes of work zone crashes. Drivers are reminded to plan ahead, pay attention to warning signs, wear seat belts, put their phone down, obey the speed limit and don't drink and drive.

Over the 2017 Memorial Day holiday weekend, nine people died and 496 were injured in 1,122 traffic crashes.

Information on all MoDOT work zones statewide is available on the department's Traveler Information Map located at www.modot.org. The map is available as a free app for iPhone and Android phones. The map displays current traffic speed conditions and live camera views. Motorists can also call MoDOT's 24/7 customer service toll free at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636).

To see the complete list of Missouri's major work zones click here - Work Zones.


Last Updated on May 24th 2018 by Dee Loflin




Border to Border Seat Belt Initiative Kicks Off
May 24th 2018 by Dee Loflin
Border to Border Seat Belt Initiative Kicks Off
Border to border seat belt initiative kicks off
2018 Click it or Ticket

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration kicked off the 2018 Click It or Ticket seat belt initiative on Monday. Border to Border, a one-day national seat belt awareness event was coordinated by participating state highway safety offices and their respective law enforcement liaisons. B2B aims to increase law enforcement participation by coordinating highly visible seat belt enforcement and providing seat belt fact sheets for drivers at heavily traveled locations at state lines. The B2B event begins Click It or Ticket week, which runs through June 3 and covers the busy Memorial Day holiday weekend.

"Past Border to Border initiatives have proved helpful toward our overall goal of spreading the message about the importance of buckling up," said Colonel Sandra K. Karsten, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The focus of B2B is on the nighttime hours when seat belt use is at its lowest. "We are working across the state to do all we can to keep our drivers and passengers safe. Wearing a seat belt is the number one thing anyone can do to help prevent death or injury during a vehicle crash," she said.

The B2B program is also a successful study in collaboration between local law enforcement offices: During the 2017 B2B program, participating nationwide law enforcement offices issued citations for 5,695 seat belt and child car seat violations, as well as 14,619 citations for other traffic infractions. This, in turn, reminded drivers to drive safer.

According to NHTSA, nearly half (48 percent) of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2016 were unrestrained. From 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m., that number soared to 56 percent of those killed. That's why one focus of this year's B2B and Click It or Ticket campaigns is nighttime enforcement. During the week of Click It or Ticket, participating law enforcement agencies will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations day and night. In Missouri the maximum penalty for a seat belt violation is $10.

"If one of your friends or a family member does not buckle up when they drive, please ask them to change their habit," said Colonel Karsten. "Help us spread this life-saving message before one more friend or family member dies needlessly. Seat belts save lives, and everyone - front seat and back, child and adult - needs to remember to buckle up - every trip, every time."


Last Updated on May 24th 2018 by Dee Loflin




Charleston Middle School Receives Sy Williams Award
May 22nd 2018 by Dee Loflin
Charleston Middle School Receives Sy Williams Award
Charleston, Missouri - The Charleston Middle School is the recipient of the 2018 Sy Williams Annual Award for Education to support a new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) course at the school.

Principal Dr. Kimberley Blissett accepted the award of $1,000 during a presentation in the school’s recently-renovated library on Tuesday, May 15.

The award will be used to purchase equipment for the course including an iPad and a 3-D printer. The new class will meet in a specially-equipped lab. STEM curriculum uses an interdisciplinary approach and real-world applications to teach science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Students taking STEM courses increase in their math and science proficiency and problem-solving ability. The elective STEM course at Charleston Middle Schools will be offered in addition to standard math, science, computer courses currently offered by the school.

The Sy Williams Annual Award for Education is named for lifelong Charleston resident Sylas “Sy” Williams (1840-1944). Mr. Williams was a founding trustee of Perry Chapel A.M.E. Church. His daughter, Mary Hawkins, and granddaughter, Pauline Murphy, were career educators in the Charleston public school system.

As a young man, Mr. Williams, his parents, and siblings were enslaved on a farm just outside of Charleston. According to U.S. Census figures in 1860, 1,010 enslaved African Americans lived in Mississippi County. Following emancipation, Williams lived in a cabin located on what is now Sy Williams Avenue.

Photo provided.

Last Updated on May 22nd 2018 by Dee Loflin




More from ShowMe Times:
Stoddard County Route CC Closed for Pavement Repairs
May 21st 2018 by Dee Loflin
Stoddard County Route CC Closed for Pavement Repairs
Stoddard County Route CC Closed for Pavement Repairs
 
Route CC in Stoddard County will be closed as Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform pavement repairs. 

This section of roadway is located from Route HH to Route A.                                       

Weather permitting, work will take place Tuesday, May 22 through Thursday, May 24 from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.


Last Updated on May 21st 2018 by Dee Loflin




Dexter PD to Participate in Click It or Ticket Enforcement
May 21st 2018 by Dee Loflin
Dexter PD to Participate in Click It or Ticket Enforcement
Brake for Seat Belts
Dexter Police Department to Participate in Click It or Ticket Enforcement

Dexter, Missouri - Dexter Police will be joining with statewide law enforcement May 21 - June 3 for an aggressive “Click It or Ticket” mobilization to crack down on Missouri’s seat belt violations. 

Six out of 10 people killed in 2017 Missouri traffic crashes were unbuckled.

And even with all the advancements in automobile safety and education on the importance of seat belt use, Missouri’s seat belt use has shown modest improvement in the last six years and is still consistently below the national average. 

Missouri has an 84% seat belt use, which is well below the national average of 90 percent. Teens and pick-up truck drivers are among those least likely to buckle up at 70 and 69 percent. 

“Every day someone dies in a crash in Missouri because they weren’t buckled up,” said Chief Trevor Pulley. “We will be pulling out all the stops to ensure motorists are buckling up.” 
Seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. 


Last Updated on May 21st 2018 by Dee Loflin




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