Local News – Thursday, August 17th, 2017
An apparent suicide occurred Saturday, August 12th at the Shawnee Mac Conservation Area according to Dent County Deputy Coroner Ben Pursifull. The Dent County Sheriff’s Department contacted the Dent County Coroner’s office at about 10:30 Saturday evening to conduct a death investigation at Shawnee Mac. The investigation showed that Jacob Kenney from Salem died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The report said the body was released to the Fox Funeral Home in Licking.
The Salem R-80 Board of Education will hold a tax rate hearing at 5:50 this evening followed by the regular board meeting at 7:00 at the Salem District Administrative Offices Boardroom. At the meeting, the board will hear from Superintendent John McColloch about Professional Development Days, the MSBA Annual Conference and receive a facilities update. The principals from all the schools will give their reports on open houses and the first days of school before the board approves the annual Secretary of the Board’s report and the discusses the proposed tax rate from the hearing held prior to the regular meeting. The board will then go into closed session to discuss personnel. The Salem R-80 Board of Education meeting for Thursday will start with the tax rate hearing at 5:50 followed by the regular board meeting at the District Administrative Office and both are open to the public.
The Ozark National Scenic Riverways invites the public to attend an open house on Wednesday, August 23, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Methodist Fellowship Hall in Eminence, Missouri. The purpose of this open house is to collect information to aid in the development of a new Long Range Interpretive Plan for the park. Park rangers will be available to discuss your ideas for outreach and public programs with you which, in turn, will assist in the development of services that meet the needs of our visitors. The Methodist Fellowship Hall is located at 18228 Church Street in Eminence, approximately 2 blocks west of the intersection of Highway 19 and Highway 106. The Long Range Interpretive Plan will help guide the creation of interpretive and educational programs, outreach efforts, media, exhibits and publications for the next seven to ten years. It will help set goals and priorities for interpretation and education. As part of the process for developing a new long-range plan for interpretive and educational outreach activities at Ozark National Scenic Riverways, it is important to include input and ideas from our stakeholders and partners. Please stop by the open house to share your ideas and feedback! We look forward to hearing from the public and encourage all to visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/ozar or our Facebook page for further updates. For more information, please contact Dena Matteson at (573) 323-4814.
The Meramec Regional Planning Commission and Region I Homeland Security Oversight Committee are sponsoring a free Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training on August 26th-27th at #4 Industrial Drive in St. James. Seating is limited for the class and priority will be given to individuals or groups within Region I – Crawford, Dent, Laclede, Maries, Phelps and Pulaski counties. The class aims at providing citizens within the community with skills to perform essential lifesaving functions while waiting for the professional responders to arrive following a disaster. Each class is approximately 16 contact hours and is spread over two days – Saturday, August 26th from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, August 27th from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. CERT has become a highly sought after course by citizens groups, corporations and school systems to train employees how to handle emergencies and disasters. Course topics include disaster fire suppression, disaster medical operations, light search and rescue, disaster psychology and team organization. The deadline to register is August 18th. To register or for more information, contact MRPC Senior Community Development Specialist Anne Freand at 573-265-2993 ext. 105 or via email at afreand@meramecregion.org. Funding for the training is provided by the Missouri Department of Public Safety and the Missouri Office of Homeland Security.
The Salem Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a semi-pro rodeo, sanctioned by MRCA/URA and produced by Outlaw Rodeo Productions this Labor Day weekend. On Saturday, September 2nd and Sunday, September 3rd beginning at 7:30 each night at The Commons on Highway 72 North, you can watch the spirit of the Old West come alive with events such as team roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing, and the all-time crowd favorite, bull riding! Advanced tickets are available at The Bank of Salem, Town and Country Bank, Riverways Federal Credit Union, Progressive Ozark Bank and the Salem Chamber office at 200 S Main. Prices are $8 for adults and $4 for children ages 5-11. If you have any questions, or would like to become a vendor, contact Tabatha at the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce at (573) 729-6900.