Archive for 2017

The Salem Police Department has released some reports. On Tuesday, September 5th at about 7:33 in the evening, an officer located a 26-year old male of Salem in the 1500 block of Beasley who had two active arrest warrants from Dent County. The suspect was taken into custody on the warrants and incarcerated pending a court appearance. That same evening at about 8:27, an officer transported a 35-year old female to Phelps County Regional Medical Center on a mental commitment order. Later on that evening at approximately 10:55, an officer was dispatched to the Phil-Mart Convenience Store in reference to a shoplifter. The investigation of the report led to the arrest of a 32-year old female for stealing alcohol. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court and released. A few minutes later at close to 11:10, a vehicle was stopped for a traffic violation. The investigation of the stop led to the arrest of a 49-year-old female of Salem for driving while having her license revoked. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court and released. On Wednesday, September 6th just after midnight, an officer located a 26-year old female of Salem near Warfel and Jack who had an active arrest warrant from Dent County. The suspect was taken into custody on the warrant and incarcerated pending a court appearance. Please contact the Salem Police Department at (573) 729-4242 if you have information regarding any ongoing investigation.

The Ozark National Scenic Riverways will host a special reunion at the historic Storys Creek One-Room School on Sunday, September 17th at 5:00 p.m. in partnership with the Shannon County Museum. Former teachers, students and their families invite everyone to join in this free event, which will feature a potluck dinner. Visitors are encouraged to bring old pictures and stories to share, a covered dish, and folding chairs. The event will kick off in the Storys Creek School with a program featuring historical information and poems on one-room schools, followed by the potluck dinner. Former students will share their tales from yesteryear and reminisce about school days spent near Storys Creek with former teachers. The Storys Creek School blackboard, which contained the signatures of former students, was partially damaged during the historic flooding earlier this year. Alumni and families are encouraged to put these precious names back on the blackboard during this program. Please help us spread the word to all former students about this special event in their honor. Storys Creek School was built in 1896 and was one of the longest serving one-room schools in Shannon County. Originally located on Storys Creek near Eminence, the school was donated to the National Park Service by Mrs. Edna Staples and moved to Alley Spring in 1971 to serve as an exhibit dedicated to the history of one-room schools in Shannon County. Storys Creek School is located at Alley Spring, five miles west of Eminence on State Route 106. For more information, phone (573) 226-3945.

The Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District (ORSWMD) wants the public to know that you can take a stand for your land and combat illegal dumping. Late fall and late winter are the best times for identifying illegal dumps and they encourage anyone to report illegal dumping activities. The Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District (ORSWMD) provides surveillance camera services as a courtesy to cities and communities. To make a request, contact Jill Hollowell at the Meramac Regional Planning Commission by calling (573) 265-2993. This project is funded by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Missouri Trout Fisherman’s Tournament will be held Saturday and Sunday at Montauk State Park. This tournament, sponsored by the Missouri Trout Fisherman’s Association, is open to everyone. You can register to participate in 8:15, or Saturday morning from 6:30 to 8:00. Anglers entering the tournament will pay an entry fee and prizes will be awarded for tagged the derby at the Dorman L. Steelman Lodge on Friday night between the hours of 6:30 and fish caught during the derby. The prizes will be awarded to all winners on Sunday at noon at the J. Ben Searcy Building.

The Salem Police Department has released some reports. On Thursday, August 31st at approximately 8:06 in the morning, an officer was sent to a residence in the 1400 block of South Washington in reference to a theft from a vehicle. The investigation revealed a person or persons unknown took $148.00 cash from two separate vehicles parked near the residence. The report is under investigation. On Friday, September 1st at approximately 12:17 in the morning, an officer located a 37-year old female of Salem in the 600 block of North Henderson who had an active arrest warrant from Dent County. The suspect was taken into custody on the warrant and incarcerated pending a court appearance. Later that evening at about 6:42, an officer located a 29-year old male and a 25-year old female, both of Salem, who had fugitive warrants from Crawford, Iron, and Reynolds County. The two were taken into custody on the warrants and incarcerated pending extradition. On Saturday September 2nd at approximately 6:35 in the evening, an officer was contacted in reference to property damage of a vehicle. That investigation revealed a person or persons unknown cut a tire, broke a windshield and painted on a blue and white 1988 Chevrolet Suburban causing damages valued at $880.00. This report is still under investigation. On Sunday evening September 3rd at around 8:55, an officer transported a 38-year old male of St. James from Phelps County to Dent County Jail due to an active arrest warrant from the City of Salem. The suspect was incarcerated pending a court appearance. On Monday, September 4th at approximately 3:20 in the afternoon, a vehicle was stopped for a traffic violation. That investigation led to the arrest of a 34- year old male of Salem for driving while having his license revoked. The suspect was issued as summons to appear in court and released. Later that same evening at approximately 11:10, an officer was contacted in reference to a burglary. The investigation of the report revealed a person or persons unknown entered a residence in the 600 block of North Henderson and took a 32-inch flat screen television set. The report is currently under investigation. Please contact the Salem Police Department at (573) 729-4242 if you have any information regarding an ongoing investigation.

The Missouri Forest Products Association (MFPA) is now accepting applications for their logging school program that will begin about October 1, 2017 at the Camp at Lake Wappapello. The school is a 10-week course held 5 days a week and students are expected to stay at the camp throughout the week and housing will be in a dormitory on the property. The logging school tuition is expected to be $5,000 which covers room, meals and instruction for the 10-week period. A maximum of 12 students per session will be accepted in to the program and MFPA will offer two sessions per year, one in October and the other in February. There will classroom as well as field instruction covering topics such as: forest management, timber harvesting, marketing and utilization. To receive additional information, application materials and scholarship opportunities contact Fred Smith at (573) 619-4494.

Ozark National Scenic Riverways announces a proposed increase in cave tour fees for the Round Spring Cave and camping fees for the rustic backcountry campgrounds within the park. Additionally, the Jerktail rustic backcountry camping area is proposed to be added as a fee area. The proposed rate increases are necessary in order for park camping fees to remain comparable with local privately owned businesses. The current camping fees have not been raised in the backcountry sites since 2008. In addition, cave tour fees have not been increased since 2003 and are significantly lower than other area caves. The new rates would take effect April 15, 2018. The proposed camping fees changes include the Basic Family Backcountry Campsites (limit 6 people) that would go from $5.00 to $10.00 a night; the Cluster Backcountry Campsite at Big Tree (7-20 people) that would go from $15.00 to $20.00 a night; the Round Spring Cave Tours (Adults) that would go from $5 to $10; and the Round Spring Cave Tours (Child 12 and under) that would go from $2 to $5. The existing rustic backcountry campgrounds are located at Big Tree, Grubb, Gooseneck, Bay Creek, Blue Spring, Rymers, Shawnee Creek, Two Rivers Primitive, Logyard, Sinking Creek, Cedar Grove, and Dee Murray. This rate increase does not apply to front country campgrounds at Alley Spring, Round Spring, Pulltite, Two Rivers and Big Spring, which will remain the same. The Ozark National Scenic Riverways is able to keep the fees collected from our campgrounds and cave tours to use for improvements to visitor facilities and services such as upgrading restroom and shower facilities, maintaining trails, improving campgrounds, and educational programs for students. If you would like to comment on the proposed rate increase, please respond by November 20th to Lisa Figge at lisa_figge@nps.gov or (573)323-8144.