Local News – Friday, May 19th, 2017

SPECIAL ALERT FOR GRADUATION:

Based on the National Weather Service’s 40% chance of scattered showers after 6:00 this evening, the Salem High School Graduation Exercises will be held in the Salem High School Gym.

The Gymnasium doors will open at 5:00 and the overflow crowd will be located in the high school cafeteria where the ceremony will be streamed live on Fidelity Local 6 throughout the cafeteria.

The 132nd graduation commencement exercises at the Salem High School will feature the Class of 2017 and it will be held at 7:00in the gym. It is anticipated that 121 seniors will receive their diplomas at the exercises. The Class of 2017 has five Valedictorians and they are Makayla Cahill, Ty Conley, Carson Mowery, Makenna Farrar and Kirsten Strebe. There are two Salutatorians and they are Payton Curley and Kari Hatridge. Other awards to be presented will be the Senior Class Citizenship Awards and the Best All-Around Boy and Girls Awards. This year the Band will be performing "Pomp and Circumstance" as the students make their way on the track to their seats as well as a performance of "Stars and Stripes Forever" after the choir performs the National Anthem and "Indodana". Also, there will be no scholarships awarded during the ceremony as they were presented at a ceremony in April that totaled more than $70,000. Again, this year's proceedings will be held in the Senior High School Gymnasium. If you can't make it to the ceremony, you can watch the proceedings live on the Fidelity Cable Local 6 and 406 in Salem.

The Dent County Commissioners meet for their regular meeting Thursday morning in the Dent County Courthouse. In the road report District One Commissioner Dennis Purcell said that patch grading would be done on and materials would be added to Dent County roads 6500, 5110, 5130, and 5150, while grading only would be done on county roads 5380, 5580, and 5600. Purcell added that Monday evening he attended the Tourism Tax Commission meeting where three new proposals were submitted and approved, plus five reimbursement requests were approved. District Two Commissioner Gary Larson reported that grading would be done on Dent County roads 4380, 3020, 3050, and 3030, that brush would be cut on county roads 3333 and 4050, and grading would be done on county roads 2530 and 2540. Larson reported that the meeting with the FEMA Team on Tuesday “went really well.” Dent County has reached the threshold to be eligible for disaster funds and FEMA is waiting on a Presidential Declaration. Larson said that the team of five from FEMA was very nice and helpful, even assisting Road and Bridge Department staff in getting everything in order. Larson, as well as R & B Foremen Rusty Chamberlain and Sam Gorman, took the team throughout the county to physically review damage. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said that the recent news release in the Salem News relative to the closure of the Dry Valley Bridge on Highway 32 for replacement this summer was inaccurate. He said he had contacted MoDOT Engineer Preston Kramer and Kramer said that the press release that was sent out was inaccurate. Kramer said that there will be a temporary bypass associated with the bridge replacement, but it could be closed from time to time depending on weather, etc. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported that the Commissioners were approving bills for payment. Skiles shared that Shive-Hattery had requested to use SCI Engineering, Inc. for geotechnical exploration services for the Jail Project. The Commissioners approved the $8,000 expense, 3-0. Bids were opened for chip and seal, plus two new Sheriff’s Department cars. N.B. West of Sullivan was the lone bidder on chip and seal for single coat at $1.35 per square yard and double coat at $3.60 per square yard. The Commissioners voted 3-0 to accept the West bid. The bids for financing of the cars for three years were 2.25% from Bank of Salem, 2.09% from Town and County Bank, and 2.17% from US Bank. The Town and Country bid was approved, 3-0. Commissioner Skiles left at 10:20 due to a personal commitment. The next meeting of the Commissioners will be Monday morning and the meeting is open to the public.

Congressman Jason Smith will honor the Congressional Art Competition finalists from Missouri’s 8th Congressional District this Saturday, May 20 at the Mineral Area College Theatre Lobby. The 4th Annual Art Competition Reception will be held from 2:00 until 3:00. The winner will be announced during the reception and will have their artwork displayed in the United States Capitol for a full year. There are six finalists from across the 8th Congressional District. Two of the finalists include Baylee Bilyeu and Makayla Cahill from Salem R-80 High School. In addition to having their artwork displayed in the United States Capitol, the “Best of Show” winner will receive two round trip tickets to Washington, D.C. to attend the Congressional Art Competition reception with other art competition winners from across the country. Smith encourages high school students throughout southeast and south central Missouri to submit their artwork to the competition next year for a chance to have their work featured in the United States Capitol.