Archive for 2017

At the Salem R-80 Board of Education meeting Tuesday night, Superintendent John McColloch thanked the community for the many recent donations to Salem R-80 School System including $28,000 from the Judson Young Foundation; $50,000 from the Douglas Dent Scholarship Fund; $1,500 from the Alumni Group; and a $150,000 donation to the Dent County Community Foundation for the start of a Constructions Trade Program. Also at the meeting after closed session, the board selected Jacob Stacy as the recipient of the local MSBA Belcher Scholarship. The meeting was then adjourned.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reminds motorists to include safe, crash free travel as part of their holiday plans. Check your vehicle before you travel to ensure that it is in good working condition. Make sure you are well rested before driving to your destination, no matter how short the distance. Keep an eye on the weather, too. Above all, please, please obey all traffic laws, be a courteous driver, and drive sober. Last year, there were 885 traffic crashes during the Christmas counting period. In those crashes, five people were killed and another 314 were injured. During the 2016 Christmas holiday, one person was killed or injured every 14.6 minutes. The 2017 Christmas holiday counting period begins at 6:00 Friday evening, December 22nd and ending at 11:59 Monday, Christmas night. Remember: Holiday drivers will affect traffic patterns. Check the weather forecast and plan accordingly. The Road Condition Report number is 1-888-275-6636. Allow extra time to reach your destination, and obey all traffic laws. If faced with a traffic emergency, motorists can contact the Missouri State Highway Patrol at 1-800-525-5555 or *55 on a cellular phone. This emergency number will ring into the nearest Highway Patrol headquarters. Motorists should use this number if they are in a traffic crash, witness a crash or crime, or observe a stranded motorist in need of assistance, or other traffic emergencies.

The Salvation Army Dent County Service Unit volunteers will be out ringing bells to help raise funds locally with the familiar red kettle at Christmas time this Friday and Saturday for the final time this year. The red kettles will be located at Country Mart, Dollar General and Wal-Mart every Friday and Saturday until December 23rd. A number of counter kettles are also located at various locations throughout the community. The generosity of our community has been fantastic and with the help of the bell ringers to those who donate, the Dent County Service Unit is closing in on 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 in 2018. The Salvation Army Dent County Service Unit office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon in the Salem Community Center @ the Armory, 1200 W. Rolla Road in Salem. For more information, contact Sherry Lea at 729-8163 or e-mail dentcountysalvationarmy@gmail.com. The Salvation Army-doing the most good.

At its meeting on December 15th, the Missouri Conservation Commission approved recommendations by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) for 2018-2019 turkey-hunting and deer-hunting season dates. The 2018 Spring and Fall Turkey hunting dates are April 7th and 8th for the Spring Youth Portion followed by the regular Spring Turkey Season from April 16th through May 6th. The Fall Firearms Turkey Season will be held October 1st through the 31st. The 2018-2019 Archery Deer and Turkey Hunting dates will be from September 15th through November 9th and November 21st through January 15th, 2019. The Firearms Deer Seasons will start with the Early Youth Portion on October 27th and 28th followed by the regular with November Portion from November 10th through the 20th. The Late Youth Portion of the Firearm Deer Season will be from November 23rd through the 25th followed by the Antler less Portion from November 30th through December 2md. The Firearms Deer Alternative Methods Portion of the season will be held December 22nd through January 1st, 2019. Details on hunting regulations, harvest limits, allowed methods, required permits, and other related information will be available in the Department’s “2018 Spring Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information” and the “2018 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklets. Both will be available where permits are sold prior to the related seasons. Learn more about deer and turkey hunting in Missouri at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov

The City of Salem Board of Aldermen will hold their regular meeting this evening at 7:00 in the City Hall Council Chambers. In the hearing of persons, auditor Kristen DeLuca will present the audit report. In bids, the board will discuss bids to repair the crawler from the street department, and hear bids on ultraviolet disinfection equipment for the Solid waste Treatment facility project. After the consent agenda, City Administrator Ray Walden will give his report, which will include a CDL Policy and differential pay report, locations for select board meetings in 2018, and information on a Park and Recreation Fundraising event. Mayor Brad Nash will give his report followed by the introduction and the reading of ordinance #3352, an ordinance annexing certain adjacent territory into the City of Salem owned by Max M. Inman and LaWanna L. Inman, Trustees of Inman Living Trust. Ordinance #3353 will be introduced and read, an ordinance authorizing the Mayor to sign and execute Task Order NO. 4 pertaining to an agreement between the City of Salem and C.M. Archer Group, P.C. dated November 2, 2015 to perform described services on the Project Named Highway J/72 Water and Sewer Extension. In new and miscellaneous business, the board will discuss destruction of old records at the Salem Police Department and approve invoices over $3,000 before going into closed session to discuss contracts, real estate and personnel. The meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Acoustic Jam will be held Saturday night at 6:30 at the Creative Arts Center, formerly the Teachers Closet, at 6:30. Musicians and listeners of all ages and talents are invited and there is no cost. For more information, call 247-0279 or e-mail saac@embarqmail.com.

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning for their regular meeting. The Commissioners voted 3-0 to lift the Burn Ban established last Monday for the area. They felt the rainfall received Sunday and early Monday morning was enough to remove the immediate fire danger. They will continue to monitor the weather, but more rain is supposed to arrive this week through early Friday morning. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell stated grading would be done on rough spots on Dent County Roads 5150, 5160, 5170, 5380 and 6220 if time permits. He said brush would be cut on county road 5690 and a man would be stockpiling base rock at the shed. He also said he would be attending a South Central Missouri Community Action Agency meeting tonight in Winona. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson indicated grading would be done on Dent County Roads 2030 and 3180 while two men would be adding materials to and grading would be done on county road 5260. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported on the Transportation Advisory Committee meeting last Thursday at the MRPC building. He said a group wanting to convert the Rock Island Railroad into a trail that would be adopted into the state park system was in to ask for a letter of support for their entire project. Some heated discussion was held on the costs to the state park system for bridge maintenance for the trail, and not to honor private property rights where the railroad easements on the deed say that if the property were not used for a railroad, it would revert back to the original landowner. The Rails to Trails Conservancy has promoted this as the next longest Rail to Trail system, but the TAC Committee voted down by a narrow vote for a letter of support for their entire project. The TAC committee thought did approve a letter of support for the piece of the trail that is in Owensville and Belle. Also at the TAC meeting, Skiles said three Dent County Projects came in 9th, 10th, and 11th in priority of the 30 projects submitted. Coming in at 9th was the Standing Rock Bridge over Gladden Creek on Highway 19 south of Salem, followed by the Bridge on Route FF over Norman Creek with the adding of shoulders on Highway 68 from Highway 19 to the Dent-Phelps County line coming in 11th. Another project, the low water crossing on Route TT in Sligo, was way down on the list, but MoDOT is very aware of that problem and has stated that unless there is a tremendous influx of funds, that project will probably not get done. Skiles said Senator Brown was in attendance at the meeting to discuss the upcoming session for the legislators. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams announced additional sales tax revenues for Dent County sent by the state. She stated the county received an additional $13,591.23 for the Road and Bridge Sales Tax Fund with the General Revenue Fund getting an additional $27,791.14. She went on to say the Law Enforcement Sales Tax Fund received an additional $27,769.66 while the two Jail Capital Improvement Funds each came in with an additional $10,579.49. American Legion Chaplain Richard Labrash was also in to let the commissioners know this is the last week to adopt-a-vet at the St. James Veteran’s Home for Christmas. The cost to adopt-a-vet is $50 per veteran. If you would like to help out, contact Richard at 729-1394. At the last meeting, Prosecutor Andrew Curley and Associate Circuit Judge Brandi Baird came in to discuss a third courtroom upstairs at the Judicial Building. The costs would be minimal and the commissioners voted to move forward with the project. The next meeting of the dent County Commission will be Thursday morning at 9:00 and the meeting is open to the public.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education will hold their regular board meeting at 6:00 this evening at the Salem District Administrative Offices Boardroom. At the meeting, the Board will hear from Superintendent John McColloch who will give a facilities report and provide an update on the board of education candidate filings. The principals from all the schools will give their reports before the board selects an MSBA Belcher Scholarship recipient. The board will also discuss the MUSIC renewal, consider 2017-2018 budget revisions and accept resignations. The board will then go into closed session to discuss personnel. The Salem R-80 Board of Education meeting tonight will be at the District Administrative Office at 6:00 and the meeting is open to the public.

Missourians planning to heat their homes with wood this winter should check their chimneys now. University of Missouri Extension safety specialist, Karen Funkenbusch suggests scheduling a periodic chimney cleaning to eliminate any creosote, the highly combustible byproduct given off when wood burns. When ignited, creosote can cause destructive chimney fires. You can clean your own chimney using a wire chimney brush, but Funkenbusch warns that this is hard, dirty work. Professional chimney cleaning services are available across Missouri. In addition to cleaning, there are several steps you can take to reduce the risk of chimney fires like using seasoned wood, which has a lower moisture content and therefore produces less smoke and burns more efficiently, by never burning cardboard boxes, wrapping paper, trash or Christmas trees in an indoor fireplace; do not use water on an extremely hot chimney fire as quick cooling can crack the tile lining or warp a metal chimney, and repair cracks or holes in older masonry flues. Sparks could get to the framework surrounding the chimney through these defects and ignite a house fire. If you do have a chimney fire, get everyone out of the house, then call the fire department. If there is a fire in the stove box or fireplace box, extinguish it with a dry-chemical extinguisher. For more information, ask for the free MU Extension guide “Cleaning Stovepipes and Chimneys” (G1735).