Stories from Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Over the past several weeks, I have spent much of my time as city manager monitoring state and federal government guidance on COVID-19 and adjusting city operations to comply with any recommendations and directives issued by health authorities. At the same time, like many Sikestonians, I have been dealing with the ramifications of these conditions at home, where my five children and teacher wife are enjoying (or enduring?) a very long spring break, largely isolated from friends, sports, and typical activities.. ...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. — The Stoddard County Public Health Center has been notified of the first positive case of COVID-19 in Stoddard County, the center announced via its Facebook page Wednesday. The case is contact-related and the patient, a male in his early 40s, is quarantined at home, according to the Center...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — The Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center has confirmed three positive cases of COVID-19 in Cape County.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House and Senate leaders of both major political parties announced agreement early Wednesday on an unprecedented $2 trillion emergency bill to rush sweeping aid to businesses, workers and a health care system slammed by the coronavirus pandemic...

Dear Editor, As you evaluate a COVID-19 emergency aid package, I urge you to support charities and nonprofit organizations serving vulnerable people and communities at this time of need. Charities and nonprofits need the following policies to maintain operations, expand scope to address increasing demand, and stabilize losses from closures:...

To whom it may concern. Does anybody remember the Hong Kong Flu? I think it’s coming back and it’s called coronavirus with a vengeance.

ST. LOUIS — Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation, announced today that residential, commercial and industrial customers' electric rates will decrease starting in April. The Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) approved a $32 million decrease in the company's annual revenue requirement, which translates to a savings of approximately $15 per year for an average residential customer. ...

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The youngest of the eight people to die of the coronavirus outbreak in Missouri was a 31-year-old Red Cross employee who was buried as her family watched from their cars. The American Red Cross Missouri-Arkansas Region said that besides the death of biomedical services employee Jazmond Dixon in St. ...

The White House and Senate leaders of both parties have agreed on unprecedented emergency legislation to rush sweeping aid totaling some $2 trillion to businesses, workers and a health care system slammed by the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, India's 1.3 billion people joined the global lockdown, and Prince Charles has tested positive for the new coronavirus...

The Dunklin County Health Department has been notified of the second positive case of COVID-19 in Dunklin County. The contact investigation has begun by the health department. The client is being quarantined at home. Health Department staff are working in coordination with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) to determine any close contacts of that individual who were possibly exposed. ...

SIKESTON — With the COVID-19 pandemic announcement, Missouri Delta Medical Center is taking extra precautions to protect the health of patients, visitors and staff by temporarily suspending its visitors. On Wednesday Missouri Delta Medical Center and Clinics temporarily suspended all visitors until the transmission of COVID-19 is no longer a threat to our patients, staff and community...

Maps exist to show us where we are, as well as where we're headed. The Associated Press COVID-19 county-by-county map does just that. Today, America's coastlines are streaked with deeper shades of red — California and New York in particular. That's where most of the cases of the coroavirus are. Farther inland, the image grows paler, showing the regions that so far have escaped the worst of the pandemic that has dramatically changed the lives of more than a billion people...

DUFUR, Ore. (AP) — The social distancing rules repeated like a mantra in America's urban centers, where the coronavirus is spreading exponentially, might seem silly in wide-open places where neighbors live miles apart and "working from home" means another day spent branding calves or driving a tractor alone through a field...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — Jimmie Wayne Ivie, 75, died March 25, 2020, at his home. Born June 19, 1944, son of the late Oscar Herman and Willie Ethel Lindsey Ivie, he had been employed as a foreman for Prairie Manufacturing Co. He was a charter member of Big Book Club and of the Pentecostal belief...