Local News – Friday, February 16th, 2018

The Dent County Commissioners met Thursday morning for their regular meeting. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams was in attendance with eight different budgeted transfers to various funds for the commission to approve. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell said materials would be added and grading would be done on Dent County Road 2480 while only grading would be done on county roads 5070, 5150, 5420 and 5500. He also said brush would be cut on Dent County Road 5630. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson indicated that materials would be added and grading done on Dent County Roads 3165 and 4260 while only grading would be done on county road 2020. Larson stated brush would be cut on Dent County Road 3180. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported he attended the Salem Area Community Betterment Association Annual Meeting Monday and two new board members have been added: Jenna Deason and Bob Gravely. He wanted to remind everyone the SACBA Annual Trivia Night will be held March 16th at the Salem Community Center@The Armory. He said attended a Transportation Advisory Committee Meeting Thursday afternoon. At the last meeting, Donald Dodd, President of the IDA Board, said the board had three board positions open that were three year terms. Willing to serve again on the board are Sherman Odom and Joan Sample while a third person for the position will be considered by the IDA Board. Once they find a person they would like to nominate, they will bring their recommendation to the county. There was also some discussion on the new construction work going on Highway 32-72 West. Public Administrator Sherida Cook attended the meeting to discuss her request for a pay raise for her part time employee in the budget. The budget the commissioners approved did not contain any raises for part-time employees for that office. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley wanted to remind everyone that the courthouse will be closed on President’s Day on Monday. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Thursday, February 22nd at the courthouse at 9:00 and it will be open to the public.

A citizens’ response to an active shooter event training will be held at Oak Grove Baptist Church Saturday from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm. The training is open to citizens, law enforcement officers and anyone concerned with community safety. The training will be presented by Joe Weber of Weber and Associates and will cover active shooter situations and ways to enhance citizens’ chances of survival when confronted by an active shooter. As active shooter events become more frequent, the need for preparation has become more critical. While law enforcement is trained to address active shooter events they rarely take place in the presence of law enforcement. The lack of law enforcement present to protect and assist citizens make it important to provide people with tools to protect themselves until law enforcement arrives. This type of training is referred to as CRASE, which stands for Citizens’ Response to Active Shooter Events. This class is FREE of charge since it is hosted by local law enforcement as a service to the community and lunch will be served by the church. Please contact Salem Police Chief Keith Steelman at 729-4242, Sheriff Bob Wells at 729-3241, or Joe Weber at 729-4429 if you plan on attending so they can get a head count, or if you have any questions about the class.

Echo Bluff State Park will host a Great American Backyard Bird Count event from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. this Saturday at the park’s amphitheater. Participants will take a brief hike in the park’s day-use area to identify and count different types of birds. Participants are encouraged to bring cameras and their own binoculars. A limited number of binoculars will be available along with some field guides for identifying birds. Echo Bluff State Park is located on Hwy 19, about 25 miles south of Salem and approximately 14 miles north of Eminence. For more information about the event, call Connie at Echo Bluff State Park at 573-751-1224. For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.