Names in the news

__BASLER APPOINTED COUNTY CORONER__

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Jay Nixon appointed Eric D. Basler of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, as the new coroner for Ste. Genevieve County. He fills the vacancy after the October death of his father, Leo Basler, who had held the position for more than 30 years. Eric Basler is a licensed funeral director and embalmer, and part owner of Basler Funeral Home.

__PHILLIPS IS EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH__

Tommy Phillips of Millersville was employee of the month for December at Mondi Jackson Inc. Phillips, a BEL operator, has been with the company since Nov. 17, 2003.

__STRUTTMAN JOINS RED CROSS__

Kate Struttman joined the American Red Cross' disaster services department in Cape Girardeau as program manager. She will oversee disaster program services for 13 counties in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois. She previously served as program officer for the American Red Cross AmeriCorps Program while she worked as events planner and program development coordinator for the Missouri Community Service Commission. She was born and raised in Jefferson City, Missouri, and now lives in Jackson.

__EDINGTON ACHIEVES PINNACLE CLUB STATUS__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Lucas Edington, broker/owner of Mossy Oak Properties Mozark Realty, was recognized for making Pinnacle Club status for the second quarter of 2014. The Pinnacle Club recognizes the top land sales professionals each quarter from a network of more than 400 agents and brokers across 22 states.

__MOSSY OAK HONORS EMPLOYEES__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Amy McLean was top lister for October at Mossy Oak Properties, and Stephanie Knoppe was top producer. McLean was also top lister for November, and Ronnie Cline was top producer for the month.

__HEURING JOINS BANK OF MISSOURI__

Lauren Keith Heuring was hired as social media coordinator for The Bank of Missouri's 20 locations across the state. She has previous experience as a TV news anchor at KFVS-TV in Cape Girardeau.

__FOUST TOPS IN NEW MEMBERS__

BROSELEY, Mo. -- Sandy Foust of Broseley, a financial representative for Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial, was new member leader in the Missouri East Region for November. She has been with the company since October. In addition, she recently completed Kaplan Financial's Ethics for the Insurance Professional Course.

__JACKSON SUPERINTENDENT TO RETIRE__

Cutline:MACT officers attended an annual conference at Lake of the Ozarks. Jennifer Hood of Three Rivers College is pictured second from left. (Cutline: (submitted photo))

Ron Anderson, superintendent of the Jackson School District, will retire at the end of June. He told the Southeast Missourian he plans to stay involved with professional organizations and do some consulting work after retirement. The school board on Dec. 9 accepted his retirement, which takes effect June 30. Anderson began his career in Nebraska, teaching for six years before moving into administration. He spent 10 years as a superintendent in Nebraska and 13 years as superintendent in Liberty, Missouri. He came to Jackson in 1999.

__HEURING JOINS ALLIANCE BANK__

ORAN, Mo. -- Jon Heuring joined Alliance Bank as vice president, commercial loan officer, at the Oran branch. He has eight years of experience in agricultural lending. He grew up in the New Hamburg, Missouri, area, where he also farms. Heuring is a graduate of the University of Missouri with a degree in agriculture economics. In his new role he also will provide commercial, consumer and mortgage lending.

__WHITTEN NAMED TOP LISTER__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Terri Whitten was top lister for November at Coldwell Banker Ruth Holloway Realty.

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__RAGLAND JOINS FIRST CHOICE INSURANCE__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Ressie Ragland joined First Choice Insurance and will work primarily with the commercial farm division. Ragland relocated from Little Rock, Arkansas, and has been a licensed attorney in Arkansas for nearly three years.

__BLOOMFIELD CHAMBER ELECTS NEW OFFICERS__

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce elected new officers for 2015: Glen Cantrell, president; Goldie DeGroot, vice president; and Paula Yancey, secretary-treasurer.

__OAK RIDGE SUPERINTENDENT TO RETIRE IN JUNE__

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The Oak Ridge School District soon will be searching for a replacement for its longest-tenured superintendent. Dr. Gerald Landewee, who will retire June 30, spent four years as the district's elementary school principal, one year as assistant superintendent and elementary principal and the past 12 years in his current role. Throughout that time, he's filled a variety of roles in the district of 340 students, from sitting in as a teacher during his principal years to being a substitute bus driver on nearly every route. Before joining Oak Ridge, Landewee served five years as an elementary teacher in the Nell Holcomb School District, two years as the principal of Immaculate Conception in Jackson and two years as a principal in the Cape Girardeau School District.

__MOTHES ATTENDS WINNER'S CIRCLE SUMMIT__

Cheryl Mothes of Jackson, a financial adviser for Edward Jones Financial, attended the annual Winner's Circle Top Women Advisors Summit in Palm Beach, Florida, in December. This year's trip was the third consecutive for Mothes, according to a news release. Attendance at the conference is reserved for top female financial advisers.

__STILSON TO BE HONORED WITH PRIDE AWARD__

Dr. Kenneth L. Stilson was awarded Southeast Missouri State University's 2014 PRIDE Award during commencement exercises on Dec. 20. Stilson is professor of acting, directing and musical theater and chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance in the Earl and Margie Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts at Southeast Missouri State University. He was selected for the PRIDE Award by the Council of Deans after nominations were solicited from each of the university's colleges and schools. The recipient of the award is honored for exemplifying the teacher/scholar model. This is the 19th year Southeast has presented the PRIDE Award. The Provost's Research, Instruction and Development for Excellence (PRIDE) Award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated excellence as a teacher, an extraordinary level of scholarship and service and whose overall accomplishments are especially noteworthy.

__HORTON NAMED FIREFIGHTER OF THE YEAR__

DEXTER, Mo. -- Allan Horton, a five-year member of the Dexter Fire Department, was selected by his fellow firefighters as the 2014 Firefighter of the Year.

__RINES ATTENDS FINANCIAL CONFERENCE__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Meredith Rines, a financial services professional at Dairel L. Denton Jr. & Associates CPA PC, attended the Financial Planning Institute hosted by her broker/dealer, HD Vest. She was selected to attend the conference in Irving, Texas, with 50 other advisers. Rines has been an adviser with HD Vest since 2014.

__OZARK SCENIC RIVERWAYS SUPERINTENDENT TO RETIRE__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Bill Black, superintendent of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, is retiring after three years in the Ozarks and four decades with the National Park Service, the Daily American Republic reported. The park service is selecting an acting superintendent, who will serve in a temporary capacity until the permanent position is filled, said Dena Matteson, public information officer. It is expected to be mid-2015 before a permanent superintendent is chosen, she said. The Riverways has three additional employees retiring at the end of this year. "Ranger Bill" O'Donnell has been at the Riverways for more than 21 years. Faye Walmsley, chief of interpretation, has been with the park four years and spent 29 years working for the NPS throughout the U.S. Richard Shockley has been part of the Riverways' staff for 14 years.

__HALL BECOMES INVESTMENT CONSULTANT__

DEXTER, Mo. -- Bagby Wealth Management announced in a news release that Rhonda Hall is now an investment consultant. She joined Bagby Wealth Management in 2004 and brings 10 years of financial experience to the team. Hall will be leaving her previous role as executive assistant to Mike Bagby to further her career as an investment consultant within the firm. She will continue to hold her certification as a registered paraplanner. She also holds a Series 65 license for passing the Uniform Investment Advisor Law Examination.

__BOYD JOINS TOUCH OF CLASS__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Shelley Boyd joined the staff at Touch of Class Salon. She specializes in Matrix color and does manicures, pedicures and full acrylic sets.

__CENTURY 21 HONORS EMPLOYEES__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Craig Lansford was top producer for November at Century 21 American Realty, and Carla Hicks was top lister.

__DILDAY HONORED FOR INSURANCE SALES__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Lisa Dilday with First Choice Insurance in Poplar Bluff was honored as the leading sales agent in the East Missouri region for GuideOne Insurance Co. GuideOne, which provides niche insurance solutions and risk management tolls for values-based individuals and organizations, recognized Dilday as the leading church specialist in the area.

__LIBLA RETIRING FROM MID CONTINENT__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Mid Continent Steel & Wire Inc. announced the retirement of its founder and CEO, David Libla, effective Dec. 31. He will be replaced by Fernando Villanueva, who assumed the CEO position on Sept. 15 and has been working with Libla. Villanueva previously worked with Deacero Mexico for 20 years. Libla will remain on the comany's board of directors after his retirement.

__SIKESTON HONORS CITY EMPLOYEES__

SIKESTON, Mo. -- The City of Sikeston honored employees during its Dec. 1 meeting. Honorees included Matt Holifield of the Parks Division, Public Works Employee of the Year; firefighter Jimmy Harrell, Public Safety Employee of the Year; Kathy Medley, economic development administrative assistant, Governmental Services Employee of the Year; and Darren Martin, street supervisor, Administrative/Supervisory Employee of the Year. Rhonda Council and Trisha Griswell were also nominated for the governmental services award, and Bill Mygatt and Pat Cox were also nominated for the administrative/supervisory award.

__UNITED WAY ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD MEMBERS__

The United Way of Southeast Missouri announced the appointment of three new members to its board of directors. They include Judy Aslin, vice president/chief nursing officer for SoutheastHEALTH; Shelly Moore, co-founder of Cape Leaders Alliance Partnership, a licensed Realtor for Ashland Century 21 Realty, a contemporary gospel recording artist and member of the Cape Girardeau City Council representing Ward 2; and Jack Geissinger, plant manager for Procter & Gamble's Family Care Plant.

__AMOS COMPLETES INSURANCE COURSE__

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Patricia Amos of Sikeston, a financial representative of Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial, completed Kaplan Financial's Basic I for the Insurance Professional Course. Amos has been with Modern Woodmen since October.

__MCSPADDEN NAMED PRIVATE LANDS CONSERVATIONIST__

The Missouri Department of Conservation selected Kara McSpadden as the new private lands conservationist for the Dexter, Missouri, area. She has been assigned duties in Butler, Dunklin and Stoddard counties. The MDC's private lands conservationists work with landowners to improve wildlife habitat by teaching management techniques such as timber stand improvement, food plot development and invasive species control. McSpadden, a Dunklin County native, has a background in production agriculture as well as education and resource management.

__SELLS HONORED FOR 30 YEARS WITH MCDONALD'S__

Local McDonald's owner-operator Darren Sells was honored for his 30 years of service during the annual McDonald's Regional Owner-Operator Association Conference for the Great Southern Region in New Orleans. Sells began his career as a crew member in his father's restaurants in Dyersburg, Tennessee, in 1984, eventually becoming a store manager and opening a restaurant for his father in 1987. He became a McDonald's owner in 1995 in Trenton, Tennessee. Sells now operates Missouri restaurants in Kennett, Portageville and Hayti, and Tennessee restaurants in Trenton, Dyersburg (two restaurants), Milan and West Newbern.

__HOOD NAMED VP FOR MACT__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Jennifer Hood, administrative assistant for Three Rivers College's Career Education and Workforce Development department, was named vice president of the Missouri Association for Customized Training. Hood, who was elected secretary of MACT in 2013, was promoted as part of the regular cycle of officer appointments for the organization.

__BOELLER NAMED CEO OF CAPE RETIREMENT__

Keith Boeller was named chief executive officer of Cape Retirement Community Inc., which owns The Chateau Girardeau independent and assisted living and nursing facility in Cape Girardeau. Boeller is a certified public accountant and business leader. He is a member of the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce and a board member of First State Community Bank.