Local News – Thursday, July 13th, 2017

The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors held their July meeting Tuesday evening at the fire station. After approval of the agenda and the minutes from the previous meeting, bills were reviewed and approved. The budget was reviewed as was their calendar of upcoming events. The monthly reimbursement report showed a total of 22 calls came in for the month of June. There were three calls for structure fires, one call for a car fire, one call for a landing zone, six calls for first responders, six calls for vehicle accidents, one call for haz-mat, two calls for training and two other calls for which one was for carbon monoxide and the other was for a search and rescue. The total calls year to date is 150. In old business the CDBG grant is still out because of the deadline change and the USDA grant is in question due to Washington red tape. There was no new business and the Board then set their August meeting for Tuesday, August 1st at the fire station beginning at 6:00 pm. The meeting was then adjourned.

Healthy Dent County will be holding a Summer Camp for all boys and girls age 8-12 at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory located 1200 West Rolla Road, from July 24th through the 28th from 8:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the afternoon. The youngsters will be understanding the local food system, gain cooking skills, learn new recipes, expand their knowledge of local resources, learn new exercises and ways to be physically active as well as having a bunch of fun. The cost is $100 per child and a healthy lunch and 2 snacks are included in the price. For more information call 729-8163 or register online at hdcsummercamp.eventbrite.com.

Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) now offers an all-online hunter-education course for Missouri residents 16 years or older to provide a more flexible and convenient option to become hunter-education certified. The all-online course includes videos and animation to teach hunter safety, firearm safety, ethics, regulations, and wildlife management. Students will receive a temporary hunter-education certificate once they complete and pass the 60-question final exam with an 80% or higher. Individuals 15 years or younger are still required to complete the blended hunter education course requiring both a knowledge portion and in-person skills session to receive certification. Missouri’s hunter education course is required for any hunter born on or after January 1, 1967. Hunters who plan to hunt during a Missouri firearms season or are acting as an adult mentor must first complete an approved hunter-education certification program and provide proof of completion unless: 15 years of age or younger and will be hunting with a properly permitted adult mentor 18 or older; born before January 1, 1967. Disability exemption from MDC’s Protection Division for 16 years of age or older and have purchased an apprentice hunter authorization and will be hunting with a property permitted adult mentor 18 or older. Landowner or lessee hunting on self-owned land or land of residence. Learn more about MDC’s hunter education program at mdc.mo.gov.

The public will have an opportunity to learn to kayak at free weekly clinics at Current River State Park south of Salem. The kayak clinics will be held on Friday, July 14th, July 21st, July 28th and August 4th. The clinics will be from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm so expect a full day of learning and being on the water. The instructors for the clinics are certified by the American Canoe Association and all equipment will be provided. The morning session will be conducted on the lake with an optional afternoon session on the Current River paddling from Current River State Park to Round Spring. The clinics are free but space is limited so pre-registration is required. To register or for questions, contact the park at (573) 751-1224 or (573) 323-4235.

The Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District (ORSWMD) is accepting grant applications for the 2018 grant round. Grant applications are due by noon on Friday, August 18th. A workshop to fully explain the grant application requirements and what an award of an Ozark Rivers grant will entail is scheduled from 10:00 AM to noon on Wednesday, July 26th at the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) office, 4 Industrial Drive in St. James. This workshop ensures that potential grantees know the benefits and obligations should they receive funding for their projects. While the exact figure is not yet known, the board expects to award approximately $160,000 in grants that help reduce the amount of waste going to landfills. Funds are available for businesses, schools, non-profit organizations, counties and cities that will: Develop new or improve recycling programs that will reduce the generation of solid waste; create new markets or improve markets for recovered materials, or improve the handling of items banned by MO law from landfills. In its most recent grant round, ORSWMD awarded $200,729 to fund or partially fund 11 projects throughout the seven-county area. These projects included education programs, illegal dump cleanups throughout the region, school and city recycling programs, continued support of the household hazardous waste collection sites in Rolla and St. Robert and special collections for electronics, appliances and tires. The grant dollars awarded by Ozark Rivers comes through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and represent a portion of the landfill tipping fees collected in the district. The grant application is available online at www.ozarkrivers.org. For more information, contact Jill Hollowell at (573) 265-2993.

This Saturday at the Salem City Park Playground, there will be a Rock ‘n’ Roll, Walk ‘n’ Roll fun run starting at 7:00 to help benefit the City of Salem’s new All-Inclusive Playground that will be constructed soon next to the current playground. Registration will begin at 6:00. For children up to 18 years of age, the cost is $15.00 and for adults, the cost is $25.00. For more information or to register, please contact Kim Shelton at 729-8163 or you can register online at https://runwalkroll.eventbrite.com. You can also stop by the Salem Community Center @The Armory at 1200 West Rolla Road.