Local News – Thursday, May 25th, 2017

Here is an Ozark National Scenic Riverways update as they have opened some land-based areas for day use. Park staff and the Midwest Region Incident Management Team have been working to assess conditions and identify areas that are safe to open as we continue to address the large tasks ahead. Teams are working daily to clean up debris, repair extensive damage to facilities, and prioritize areas that can be opened. Full amenities are not available yet in the re-opened areas. Plan to pack out whatever you bring to the areas as trash collection and restroom cleaning will be limited, and areas will not be mowed. Patience is appreciated while recovery efforts continue. Now open are the Round Spring and Pulltite Campgrounds. Reduced rates will be posted at campgrounds where all amenities, such as showers and flush toilets, are not on line yet. Some parts of the Jacks Fork and Current River are now open. Floating is now available on the Upper Current from Tan Vat to Round Spring, and the Jacks Fork is now open for floating from Buck Hollow to Alley boat launch; but closed from Alley boat launch to Two Rivers until safety hazards can be mitigated. The Lower Current River is open for power boating but closed to floating due to persistent high water. These launch areas are now open: Tan Vat, Baptist, Cedar Grove, Akers, Pulltite, Round Spring, Buck Hollow, Rymers, Alley and Big Spring. Open are the Alley Mill parking area, grounds around Alley Mill and Storys Creek School, Alley General Store 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Alley Mill is closed due to flood damage, restrooms – due to issues with the sewage system. Devils Well is open for day use and picnicking. Akers Ranger Station public restrooms will be open. For public information and status updates information desks will be staffed at Round Spring Contact Station, Alley Spring General Store, and Park Headquarters in Van Buren, daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

In some ways, Memorial Day weekend is the gateway to summer fun. The long weekend is an opportunity to visit family or friends, go to one of Missouri’s lakes, or enjoy any number of recreation opportunities in our state. Colonel Sandra K. Karsten, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, would like the public to make safety a priority this holiday weekend. Use a seat belt and pay attention when you drive, and wear your life jacket when you’re on or near the water. Know where work zones are located along your route, and if alcohol is part of your holiday, make sure driving a vehicle or a vessel is not. The Patrol will be participating in Operation C.A.R.E. (Crash Awareness Reduction Effort) during the long holiday weekend. This means every available trooper will be on the road enforcing traffic laws and assisting motorists. In addition, the Patrol will assign troopers to 20-mile intervals along Interstates 29, 44, 55, and 70, and U.S. Highways 60 and 61 tomorrow and Monday, May 29th. Troopers taking part in the holiday peak travel crash reduction enforcement project will be alert for all traffic offenses, and be especially vigilant to aggressive driving violations. Motorists or boaters in need of assistance or who want to report a crime should use the Highway Patrol’s Emergency Assistance number 1-800-525-5555 or *55 on a cellular phone. For road condition reports, travelers can visit our web site at mshp.dps.mo.gov. Click on the Road Condition icon to view road construction areas throughout the state or call 1-888-275-6636. Over the 2016 Memorial Day holiday weekend, 13 people died and 451 were injured in 1,045 traffic crashes. Last year, troopers made 135 DWI arrests. This year’s fatality counting period for the holiday weekend begins at 6:00 pm on Friday, May 26th, and ends at 11:59 pm on Monday, May 29th. Troopers will focus their attention on seat belt use, use of child safety seats, impaired drivers, and speed violations. Motorists are encouraged to be safe and courteous drivers. Speed, inattention, and impaired driving are leading causes of traffic crashes. Please do your part. Obey all traffic laws and make sure everyone in the vehicle is properly restrained in a seat belt or child restraint. The only 100 percent survivable traffic crash is the one that never happens. Make sure everyone in the vehicle is properly restrained in a seat belt or child restraint. Every day as we travel on Missouri’s roadways, we trust that every driver on the road is going to obey the speed limit, pay attention, and drive sober. “Don’t Violate The Trust.”