Around Southeast Missouri 2/15/07

Cardwell still testing city drinking water

CARDWELL, Mo. -- Aldermen met Thursday to discuss results from the Department of Natural Resources' recent sampling of the city's drinking water. "Although all tests have come back clean, the department is testing to make sure the soil and ground water from the known contaminated sites haven't permeated and entered into the drinking water," said water superintendent Charlie Smith. Smith said that, although soil and ground water samples have proved to be contaminated at the former Brewer Brothers Bulk Plant site, testing has indicated that the pipes in that area have not become soft, allowing contaminants to permeate the lines into the city's drinking water.

-- Daily Dunklin Democrat

Stoddard Co. low on list of child well-being

According to the Missouri 2006 KIDS COUNT Data Book, Stoddard County is now numbered 111th out of 115 counties in the state when it comes to the well-being of its children. The book documents the status of children in each of the state's counties covering such issues as free and reduced lunches, teen pregnancies, abused and neglected children and violent deaths in children. The book is released by Citizens for Missouri's Children, whose mission it is to study and to improve the well-being of Missouri's children by heightening awareness of children's issues in local communities and by promoting more effective responses to children's needs throughout the state. The data book is a collaborative project between the CMC, the Children's Trust Fund and 30 public and private organizations. The data was compiled from federal, state, county and municipal sources by the Office of Social and Economic Data at the University. Since 1996, when Stoddard County was ranked 50th in the state, the county has dropped rapidly. Over the past four years, the county has not seen an increase in its rating by the book.

-- Dexter Daily Statesman