Local News – Tuesday, August 8th, 2017

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning at the courthouse for their regular meeting. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson had a previous commitment so Road Supervisor Sam Gorman filled in with the road report. Gorman said grading would be done on Dent County Roads 2403, 2370, 3140, 4290 and 5240 while brush will be cut on county roads 5260 and 3280. Gorman reported that materials would be added to county roads 2370 and 3240. He stated grader #32 was having the grader blades changed and crews would be out checking roads from the weekend rains. District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell said that some areas in his district reported receiving 3.6 inches of rain over the weekend, but there were no reports of any washouts. Purcell stated Dent County Road 6630 would have two trucks hauling materials to it before grading would be done. He went on to report grading would also be done on county roads 5080 and 6090 while one man would be going to Springfield to get a load of oil for the chip and seal repair. Dent County Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported on the CCAM meeting he attended in Mexico, Missouri last week to plan the training for commissioners next February. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said she balanced with the treasurer on all accounts for July, and she also balanced with the collector and assessor on the July monthly collections, abatements and add-ons. She did say she investigated the long-distance services offered by CenturyLink and Fidelity Communications, and recommended going with CenturyLink for all county offices with the exception of the Dent County Recorder. The Commissioners approved her recommendation. Democratic candidate for the 16th Missouri Senatorial District Ryan Dillon came in to introduce himself to the commissioner. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

An accident happened in Shannon County at 6:45 Sunday evening on Highway 19 about 15 miles north of Eminence. According to the highway patrol report, a 2003 Nissan Altima driven southbound on Highway 19 by 35-year old David Sechrest of Birch Tree, struck a 2007 Pontiac G6 driven northbound by 20-year old Taylor Gorman of Salem. Gorman suffered minor injuries and sought her own medical treatment. The Altima and the Pontiac G6 were both totaled and removed from the scene by Tyler’s Towing in Eminence. Everyone involved in the accident was wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident.

The Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) and Phelps County Public Housing Agency (PHA) Family Self-Sufficiency program will host a free Energy Savers Class Wednesday, August 9th. Participants actively look at their energy choices, energy use, and how to make the right choices when it comes to saving energy. The class will look at energy use for the kitchen, bathroom, laundry, cooling, heating and lighting as well as energy safety and kids and energy. The class will be held from 10:00 AM to noon at Phelps County PHA located at #4 Industrial Drive in St. James, with Christy Saylor, Missouri Ozarks Community Action (MOCA) county projects coordinator, presenting.
MRPC provides staffing to the Phelps County Public Housing Agency that provides rental assistance to over 750 low-income families in Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps (outside the city limits of Rolla) and Washington counties. The PHA also offers the Family Self-Sufficiency Program where clients develop a goal-oriented, five-year plan that moves them toward self-sufficiency and independence from government programs. Workshops are offered at no cost to the participant. For more information or to RSVP, contact Savannah Vandegriffe at (573)265-4200 ext. 132. Free training classes are a part of MRPC and PHA’s efforts to help prepare families by making them aware of the resources available to assist with self-sufficiency. Each participant who attends will receive a $25 Wal-Mart gift card, as long as they meet income qualifications.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has issued a rabies alert for Dent County effective July 31st. A dog in Dent County had been exposed to a skunk in June and developed rabies and died. As a result of the dog testing for rabies, nine persons in the family received the complete anti-rabies series of shots while staff from the veterinary clinic received booster doses of the rabies vaccine. The rabies alert will be lifted after 90 days if rabies activity is not identified in any domestic animals or in a significant number of wild animals. Last year, a total of 25 rabid animals were detected including 17 bats, five skunks, one dog, one cat and one cow. This year statewide, there have been a total of ten rabid animals including seven bats, two dogs and a skunk. Two Missouri residents have died from rabies in the past eight years.

The Doe Run Company (Doe Run) welcomes Anthony Staley to the role of general manager for the Metals Division. He will oversee metal processing and recycling operations at both the Resource Recycling facility in Boss, Missouri, and the refinery, strip mill, and alloying and casting facility in Herculaneum, Missouri. Staley brings nearly 20 years of experience in operations and project management experience to Doe Run, including developing large-scale metal production facilities for a variety of primary products, and safety improvement and environmental management. Prior to joining Doe Run, Staley held global management positions at major national and international mining and metal production facilities. Staley has published multiple technical papers on a wide range of topics, including copper electrowinning – a cleaner metal processing technology, as well as zinc and aluminum processing. He is a graduate of the Colorado School of Mines with a bachelor’s degree in chemical and petroleum-refining engineering, a master’s degree in business and economics, and a doctorate in physiochemical processing of metals. Additionally, Staley is a member of the Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, and Mining & Metallurgical Society of America (MMSA). Doe Run’s Metals Division includes more than 300 employees, most of whom support the recycling of lead-based materials at Resource Recycling.