Region briefs 8/28/07

Winners of BBQ Festannounced by Jaycees

The winners of last weekend's Cape Girardeau BBQ Fest were released Monday by the Cape Girardeau Jaycees. The top three teams selected in each division were:

• Overall: Mason Dixon Swines, first; J-Mack Cookers, second; Piggin' and Grinnin', third.
• Chicken: Davis Farms, first; Highway Heat, second; Caney Misfits, third.
• Pork ribs: Nordenia Grillfest Team, first; Piggin' and Grinnin', second; Mason Dixon Swines, third.
• Pork: The ABS Cooking Team, first; J-Mack Cookers, second; Hardwood Gang, third.
• Brisket: Bottomland BBQ, first; Partners 'N Swine, second; Mason Dixon Swines, third.

Bridge to be reducedto one lane for repairs

A bridge on Route BB in Cape Girardeau County will be reduced to one 10-foot-wide lane this week while routine repairs are performed. Crews will work on the bridge from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday through Friday, weather permitting. The bridge is three miles west of Route B over Caney Creek.

Taxes to go up a penny for local school district

The last time the Nell Holcomb school district held a public hearing on taxes, no residents came to speak.This year, the meeting is at 6 p.m. Thursday in the board room of the school district, at 6547 Highway 177, in Cape Girardeau. Darryl Pannier, Nell Holcomb's superintendent, doesn't expect many people this time either, especially for a one cent increase. "We're looking at $3.17 per $100 assessed valuation," he said. "Cape's is $4. People don't have much to say, because ours is so low." The tax increase resulted from higher assessed values of homes in the district, not from a board of education vote.

-- From staff reports