Archive for 2017

The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors held their July meeting Tuesday evening at the fire station. After approval of the agenda and the minutes from the previous meeting, bills were reviewed and approved. The budget was reviewed as was their calendar of upcoming events. The monthly reimbursement report showed a total of 22 calls came in for the month of June. There were three calls for structure fires, one call for a car fire, one call for a landing zone, six calls for first responders, six calls for vehicle accidents, one call for haz-mat, two calls for training and two other calls for which one was for carbon monoxide and the other was for a search and rescue. The total calls year to date is 150. In old business the CDBG grant is still out because of the deadline change and the USDA grant is in question due to Washington red tape. There was no new business and the Board then set their August meeting for Tuesday, August 1st at the fire station beginning at 6:00 pm. The meeting was then adjourned.

Healthy Dent County will be holding a Summer Camp for all boys and girls age 8-12 at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory located 1200 West Rolla Road, from July 24th through the 28th from 8:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the afternoon. The youngsters will be understanding the local food system, gain cooking skills, learn new recipes, expand their knowledge of local resources, learn new exercises and ways to be physically active as well as having a bunch of fun. The cost is $100 per child and a healthy lunch and 2 snacks are included in the price. For more information call 729-8163 or register online at hdcsummercamp.eventbrite.com.

Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) now offers an all-online hunter-education course for Missouri residents 16 years or older to provide a more flexible and convenient option to become hunter-education certified. The all-online course includes videos and animation to teach hunter safety, firearm safety, ethics, regulations, and wildlife management. Students will receive a temporary hunter-education certificate once they complete and pass the 60-question final exam with an 80% or higher. Individuals 15 years or younger are still required to complete the blended hunter education course requiring both a knowledge portion and in-person skills session to receive certification. Missouri’s hunter education course is required for any hunter born on or after January 1, 1967. Hunters who plan to hunt during a Missouri firearms season or are acting as an adult mentor must first complete an approved hunter-education certification program and provide proof of completion unless: 15 years of age or younger and will be hunting with a properly permitted adult mentor 18 or older; born before January 1, 1967. Disability exemption from MDC’s Protection Division for 16 years of age or older and have purchased an apprentice hunter authorization and will be hunting with a property permitted adult mentor 18 or older. Landowner or lessee hunting on self-owned land or land of residence. Learn more about MDC’s hunter education program at mdc.mo.gov.

The public will have an opportunity to learn to kayak at free weekly clinics at Current River State Park south of Salem. The kayak clinics will be held on Friday, July 14th, July 21st, July 28th and August 4th. The clinics will be from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm so expect a full day of learning and being on the water. The instructors for the clinics are certified by the American Canoe Association and all equipment will be provided. The morning session will be conducted on the lake with an optional afternoon session on the Current River paddling from Current River State Park to Round Spring. The clinics are free but space is limited so pre-registration is required. To register or for questions, contact the park at (573) 751-1224 or (573) 323-4235.

The Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District (ORSWMD) is accepting grant applications for the 2018 grant round. Grant applications are due by noon on Friday, August 18th. A workshop to fully explain the grant application requirements and what an award of an Ozark Rivers grant will entail is scheduled from 10:00 AM to noon on Wednesday, July 26th at the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) office, 4 Industrial Drive in St. James. This workshop ensures that potential grantees know the benefits and obligations should they receive funding for their projects. While the exact figure is not yet known, the board expects to award approximately $160,000 in grants that help reduce the amount of waste going to landfills. Funds are available for businesses, schools, non-profit organizations, counties and cities that will: Develop new or improve recycling programs that will reduce the generation of solid waste; create new markets or improve markets for recovered materials, or improve the handling of items banned by MO law from landfills. In its most recent grant round, ORSWMD awarded $200,729 to fund or partially fund 11 projects throughout the seven-county area. These projects included education programs, illegal dump cleanups throughout the region, school and city recycling programs, continued support of the household hazardous waste collection sites in Rolla and St. Robert and special collections for electronics, appliances and tires. The grant dollars awarded by Ozark Rivers comes through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and represent a portion of the landfill tipping fees collected in the district. The grant application is available online at www.ozarkrivers.org. For more information, contact Jill Hollowell at (573) 265-2993.

This Saturday at the Salem City Park Playground, there will be a Rock ‘n’ Roll, Walk ‘n’ Roll fun run starting at 7:00 to help benefit the City of Salem’s new All-Inclusive Playground that will be constructed soon next to the current playground. Registration will begin at 6:00. For children up to 18 years of age, the cost is $15.00 and for adults, the cost is $25.00. For more information or to register, please contact Kim Shelton at 729-8163 or you can register online at https://runwalkroll.eventbrite.com. You can also stop by the Salem Community Center @The Armory at 1200 West Rolla Road.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Department released reports for the first few days of July involving a shot fired, traffic stops and theft. On Saturday, July 1st, deputies responded to a report of a shot fired at a residence in the 8000 block of Route K. Deputies observed where a bullet had penetrated the front railing, struck a lantern, and dented the wood siding. Residents described a black Chevy Tahoe as a vehicle stopped in the roadway as it occurred. They observed two shirtless males in the vehicle as well and the report is still under investigation. On Sunday, July 2nd, deputies conducted a traffic stop on Highway 72 at Route J. As a result, 24-year old Britta Terrill of Salem was arrested for driving while intoxicated. After her arrest, Terrill was found to be in possession of a small blue pill. Deputies identified the pill to be Alprazolam 1 milligram, a controlled substance. She was taken to the Dent County Jail and incarcerated. She was charged with possession of a controlled substance and given a $10,000 cash only bond. On that same day, deputies responded to a residence on Highway YY for a report of a stolen wallet. The victim stated that his wallet was taken from the hood of a truck parked at the residence. A neighbor told deputies they noticed a red Chevy Tahoe or Blazer, between a 1992-1995 model year, drive past the house, stop suddenly, and pull into the driveway. Two men exited the vehicle and walked over to the driver’s side of the truck and then left. The neighbor described the two males as shirtless with tattoos on their arms and the driver walked with a limp. This report is still under investigation. That same day, deputies took a report of stolen game cameras on county road 2300. The suspect also damaged the man’s ground blind by tearing off some of the netting. This report is still under investigation. Later on that day deputies conducted a traffic stop in the Phil-Mart parking lot. As a result, 46-year old Jerry Cottrell of Salem was arrested for driving while suspended. He was taken to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office, fingerprinted, issued summons, and released. Anyone with any information regarding any ongoing investigation is asked to call the Dent County Sheriff’s Department at 729-3241.

An accident occurred at 3:30 early Tuesday morning in Texas County on Highway 63 about seven miles north of Houston. According to the highway patrol report, a 2009 Nissan Versa driven by 26-year old Ashley Mendenhall of Salem was traveling southbound and struck a deer in the roadway. Mendenhall suffered minor injuries and was taken by private vehicle to the Texas County Memorial Hospital. The Nissan sustained moderate damage and was towed by Jay’s Towing.

The Salem Police Department released reports involving traffic violations, damage to private property, a disturbance and a shoplifter.
On Thursday evening, June 29th at 10:22, a vehicle was stopped for a traffic violation. The stop led to the arrest of a 40-year old Salem female for driving while being intoxicated, driving while having her license suspended, possession of a controlled substance and on an active arrest warrant from the State of Missouri. She was incarcerated pending the application for warrants and extradition. On Saturday, July 1st at 1:42 in the early morning, a vehicle was stopped for a traffic violation. The stop led to the arrest of a 32-year old male of Desloge for driving while being intoxicated and driving while having his license revoked. A 30-year old male passenger of the vehicle was also placed under arrest for possession of a controlled substance. The 32-year old male was issued summonses to appear in court and released. The 30-year old male was incarcerated pending the application for a warrant. Later that same morning at 9:50, an officer was detailed to a residence in the 700 block of South Pershing in reference to damage to private property. The report revealed that a person or persons unknown broke the side rear cargo glass valued at $100.00 on a blue 2002 Ford Escape. The report is under investigation. On Sunday, July 2nd at 1:40 in the early morning, an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 400 block of East First Street in reference to a disturbance. The report led to the arrest of a 22-year old Salem male on an active arrest warrant from Dent County. He was incarcerated on the warrant pending a court appearance. That evening at 6:14, an officer responded to Wal-Mart in reference to a shoplifter. The report led to the arrest of a 46-year old Salem male for stealing merchandise valued at $37.60 and trying to return it for cash. He was issued summonses to appear in court and released. Please contact the Salem Police Department at 729-4242 if you have any information regarding any ongoing investigation.

With temperatures rising across mid-Missouri this summer, sections of roadway may begin to buckle and crack due to the hot temperatures. The so-called “blow-ups” occur when the roadway surface expands at a crack or joint where moisture has seeped in. That crack weakens the pavement and the heat causes the pavement to buckle and warp. While it is difficult to predict where or when a pavement blow-up will happen, Missouri Department of Transportation crews monitor state routes during the summer months for possible problem areas. Central District Maintenance Engineer Jason Shafer is encouraging motorists to call when they encounter a pavement blow-up, so it can be fixed quickly. Motorists can call MoDOT’s toll-free customer service center at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636) to report pavement blow-ups.

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.