Local News – Wednesday, November 22nd, 2017
The Salvation Army Dent County Service Unit volunteers will be ringing bells starting today to help raise funds locally with the familiar red kettle at Christmas time. The red kettles will be located at Country Mart, Dollar General and Wal-Mart today and then every Friday and Saturday until December 23rd. A number of counter kettles are also located at various locations throughout the community. With the generous help of our community from bell ringers to those who donate, the Dent County Service Unit hopes to reach their 2017 goal of $30,000. The kettles are the primary way that funds are raised to continue to meet the emergency needs as well supplementary needs of individuals and families struggling to make ends meet in Dent County. Volunteer bell ringers are needed each year to help raise these funds. To volunteer to ring the bell at the red kettle, please call Jan at 729-6355. For additional information about the local service unit, please call Sherry Lea at 573-729-8163. The Salvation Army..doing the most good.
The Salem Board of Aldermen met Monday night for their regular meeting. In Bids, the board approved the bid from R & B for three walkie talkies for $1,935 each with an extra battery and the added upgrade that mesh these radios with the state and sheriff’s department radios. The money used to pay for the walkie talkies will come from the money left over from the repeater of about $6,700. After the consent agenda was approved, City Administrator Ray Walden told the board about a workshop held on sidewalks in the city where a full audit assessment was done. Also discussed at the workshop were the downtown streetscape and the TAP grant. Walden went on to say the Airport Board met as well as the Park Board. Walden wanted to thank Marilyn Sweitzer and Shaun Bolerjack for all their hard work on the Heroes Marathon that took place last Saturday. Walden reminded everyone the city offices would be closed Thanksgiving Day and Friday. He also handed out an information packet to the aldermen concerning a CDL Policy and differential pay. Currently the city has two workers who have the classification to haul a 5th wheel. He is looking for feedback from the aldermen on the information at the next meeting. Mayor Brad Nash said the city had advertised for a new Economic Development Director and received seven applications. Nash said there has been one interview and they are scheduling more. He hopes to have a recommendation by the end of the year for the aldermen. The board passed Resolution 5-2017 calling for the Municipal Election on April 3rd for a mayor, one east ward and one west ward aldermen. They also approved Bill #3349 that amended the City of Salem Budget by $300,000 on the income and expense side going from revenues of $12,642,369 to $12,942,369 and expenses from $12,519,474 to $12,819,474. The board went on to pass Bill #3350 that allows the city to enter into a lease purchase transaction from which the proceeds will pay for the improvements to the Alice Lou Craig Municipal Pool. The bill further approves the execution of the certain documents in association with the transaction. The board also approved Bill #3351 that authorized Mayor Nash to execute an agreement between the City of Salem and H.W. Lochner to provide engineering services for the Salem Memorial Airport clearing and the grub trees project. The board approved the holding of a public hearing by the City of Salem Planning and Zoning Commission concerning the petition for annexation from Max and LaWanna Inman, the trustees of the Inman Living Trust. The board went on to approve leaving the salaries of elected officials the same so no new ordinance is needed. Any increase or decrease in salary would have only affected the newly elected officers. The board then voted to go into closed session.
The counting period for the 2017 Thanksgiving holiday weekend is from 6:00 tonight until 11:59 Sunday night. During the 2016 Thanksgiving holiday weekend, 14 people were killed and another 553 were injured in 1,426 traffic crashes. That means one person was killed or injured in a traffic crash every 10.8 minutes in Missouri over last year’s Thanksgiving holiday weekend. It is also important that you are well rested before you start driving. Remember to buckle up — seat belts save lives! Obey all of the traffic laws—all of the time. There is never a reason to speed, drive aggressively, or drive impaired. The Patrol will participate in Operation C.A.R.E (Crash Awareness & Reduction Effort) during this Thanksgiving holiday weekend. As part of this operation, all available troopers will be assigned to Missouri’s roadways to enforce traffic laws, especially those related to impaired driving, driving over the speed limit, and seat belt/child restraint use. Troopers will also be available to assist motorists as needed. This Thanksgiving weekend will include 20-Mile Trooper enforcement projects on November 22 and November 26, 2017. Troopers will be assigned at 20-mile intervals along Interstates 29, 44, 55, and 70, as well as U.S. Highways 60 and 63. The Highway Patrol’s Emergency Assistance number is 1-800-525-5555 (or *55 on a cellular phone). Motorists should use this emergency assistance number to report traffic crashes, crimes being committed, or other emergencies on Missouri’s highways. When you dial this number anywhere in the state, it rings directly into the closest Patrol headquarters.