Archive for 2017

The Dent County Sheriff’s Department has released reports on recent arrests. On Wednesday, June 7th, deputies were traveling on Route K near Dent County Road 6350 when they met a vehicle, driven by 32-year old Kristopher Schafer of Salem. Deputies knew Schafer to have a probation violation warrant and they turned their patrol vehicle around to stop the car. The deputies were able to locate the vehicle on County Road 6350, but the passenger was now driving the vehicle as Schafer was no longer in the vehicle. A canvass of the area was conducted and Schafer was located walking on Route K. He was arrested and transported to the Dent County Jail. He has received the additional charge of resisting arrest by fleeing and had bond set at $5,000. On Thursday, June 8th, deputies traveled to the 1000 block of County Road 4110 to check for an individual with a warrant. Deputies located 19-year old Terrisa Beyer of Salem and she was arrested and transported to the Dent County Jail on a Warren County warrant for 1st degree child molestation. She was later released to Warren County. If you have any information on these or any other incident reports, please call the Dent County Sheriff’s Office at 729-3241.

The National Weather Service (NWS), the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) have joined together to promote Missouri Summer Weather Safety Week 2017, now through Saturday, June 24th. Two of the biggest weather hazards that affect the United States typically occur during the summer months: lightning and excessive heat. Today’s tip is on lightning safety tips. Remember, there is NO safe place outside in a thunderstorm. Your first and only truly safe choice is to get to a safe building or vehicle. If you are camping, climbing, on a motorcycle or bicycle, boating, scuba diving, or enjoying other outdoor activities and cannot get to a safe vehicle or building, follow these last resort tips. They will not prevent you from being struck by lightning, but may slightly lessen the odds. If camping, hiking, etc., and you are far from a safe vehicle or building, try to avoid open fields, the top of a hill or a ridge top. Stay away from tall, isolated trees or other tall objects. If you are in a forest, stay near a lower stand of trees. If you are camping in an open area, set up camp in a valley, ravine or other low area. Remember, a tent offers NO protection from lighting. Stay away from water, wet items (such as ropes) and metal objects (such as fences and poles). Water and metal are excellent conductors of electricity. Remember, lightning can strike up to 10 miles from the rain area. Plus the current from a lightning flash can easily travel for long distances. If indoors: Stay there! The best protection from lightning is a house or other substantial building. However, stay away from windows, doors, and metal pipes. Do not use electric appliances during the storm. Turn off sensitive equipment such as televisions, VCR’s, and computers. Telephone use is the leading cause of indoor lightning injuries in the United States. Do not make a call unless it is an emergency.

The Salem Police Department released a number of reports. On Wednesday, June 7th at 5:32 in the afternoon, a vehicle was stopped for a traffic violation that led to the arrest of a 33-year old male of Viburnum for driving while having his license suspended. He was issued a summons to appear in court and released. On Friday, June 9th at 2:39 in the afternoon, an officer located a 28-year old Salem female in the 900 block of South Pershing who had an active arrest warrant from the City of Salem. She was taken into custody on the warrant and was incarcerated pending a court appearance. On Saturday, June 10th at 12:51 in the early morning, officers were conducting a narcotics investigation at a residence in the 600 block of South Jackson. The investigation led to the arrest of a 46-year old Salem male for the possession of methamphetamine. He was incarcerated pending an application for a warrant. That afternoon at 2:29, an officer was detailed to a residence in the 900 block of South Carty in reference to an intoxicated male who was causing a disturbance. The report led to the arrest of a 37-year old Salem male for disorderly conduct. He was issued a summons to appear in court and incarcerated on a 12-hour hold. That night at 6:49, an officer was called at the station in reference to a stolen I phone 6. The report revealed that someone unknown took the I-phone 6 valued at $650.00 while the victim was at Wal-Mart. The report is under investigation. On Sunday evening, June 11th at 11:05, an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 400 block of East Second in reference to a female stealing from a vehicle that appeared to be on drugs. The report led to the arrest of a 25-year old Salem female for trespassing, possession of methamphetamine and stealing. She was incarcerated pending the application for warrants. Please contact the Salem Police Department at 729-4242 if you have any information regarding any ongoing investigation.

An accident occurred Friday afternoon at 3:30 Route U, about five miles northwest of Salem. According to the highway patrol report, a 1998 Chevrolet Silverado, driven by 18-year old Corree Downs of Salem, was driving westbound when he failed to negotiate a curve, traveled off the left side of the roadway, impacted a sign, and overturned before the Silverado struck a fence and came to rest. The report stated that Downs suffered minor injuries and sought his own treatment. Downs was wearing a safety restraint when the accident occurred. The Chevrolet was totaled and removed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing.

The Dent County Commissioners met Thursday morning at the Dent County Courthouse. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell said workers were servicing grader #26 before it was to grade Dent County Road 6020. He said grading would also be done on county road 5170. Purcell stated that Fabick Cat Trainer Jim Masters was in town to work with a grader operator to show him exactly what the machine can do. Purcell went on to report work was being done on truck #121 as it had an air leak, plus they were going to fix the brakes and do general maintenance on the truck. Work will also be done on Loader #920. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said two trees were down in his area on county roads 4380 and 2540 that were being removed. He stated brush was being cut on Dent County Road 3210 while materials were being added to county roads 2050, 2160 and 5320. Larson said a backhoe was out on county road 5320 removing trees and cleaning out the ditches. Larson reported general service was being done on truck #70 as they will also change a pump in the diesel truck. Larson said he attended the Meramec Regional Development Corporation meeting Wednesday in St. James and they do have money available for new startup businesses or those businesses ready to expand. They have a Revolving Loan Funds, SBA 504 loans, Missouri Action Loan Funds and more available. For more information about the funds available, call 573-265-2993. Presiding Commissioner Darrel Skiles reported the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District grant packets will be available in July. He said there will be a grant workshop on Wednesday, July 26th and the grants will all be due at noon on Friday, August 18th. Skiles said that since June of 2007, the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District has awarded over $2.4 million dollars in grants. Skiles also stated the MCEC and Naturally Meramec are applying for another round of financing or trying to extend their financing to help continue programs like the county’s Work Ready program. These are federal funds issued through the Delta Regional Authority. Skiles indicated the county has received a letter from Drug Court Commissioner Jon Kaiser that pretty much demanded the county increase the Drug Court budget from their pool of funds from the $7,500 at the start of the year which was requested to $20,000 due to an error. Skiles said the county does not have to amend the budget according to the state auditor’s office if they don’t want to. The commissioners voted 3-0 to hold a Public Hearing for amending the drug court budget request as they feel they do good work and also to adjust the General Revenues budget. The hearing to amend the budget was set at 10:00 at the courthouse on July 3rd. The Board of Equalization will be meeting on July 6th at 1:00 in the commissioners’ office. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley attended the South Central Clerk’s Association meeting at West Plains and wanted to let voters know that as long as you are registered in the county you live then you are eligible to vote. She said the new Photo ID Bill that passed means voters will now have to show a Missouri Driver’s License, a Missouri Non-Drivers License or a State ID, a military ID or a passport when they vote. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The City of Salem’s Finance Committee will be holding a meeting, called by Alderman Haydn Powell, on Monday, June 19th at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory, located at 1200 West Rolla Road beginning at 6:30 pm. The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss the 2017-2018 budget. The meeting of the City of Salem’s Finance Committee is open to the public.

A special Current River cleanup will be held this Saturday to help keep the river and Montauk State Park near Salem clean and attractive. Registration will be held from 8:00 to 9:00 AM at the park’s Dorman L. Steelman Lodge near Salem with cleanup activities lasting from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The cleanup will take place from the start of the Current River at Montauk Spring down to Baptist Camp. That night at 6:30, all registered participants will have a barbecue supper at Current River State Park followed by a drawing for prizes. Montauk State Park is located 22 miles southwest of Salem on Highway 119 in Dent County. For more information about the event, call the park at (573) 548-2225.

The Current River Car Cruisers will hold their annual car show this Saturday at the Courthouse Square in Downtown Salem. Registration begins at 8:00 and judging starts at noon using the 100 point system. There will be 20 First Place awards, 20 Second Place Awards and 20 Third Place Awards presented. The registration fee is $20 and the proceeds raised from the car show will go to the St. Jude Children’s Hospital, the American Cancer Society relay for Life, Project Win Cancer Support, Veteran’s Home and local scholarships. For more information, call Gary Cook at 247-0530, Ginny Chase at 729-6405 or Gary or Mary Jo Cook at 729-7859. The show will be held rain or shine!

If you need to find a job, develop a resume or need help with funding to attend training to get a better job, it is now available locally! Missouri Workforce Development Board has a MO Job Center Affiliate office at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory at 1200 West Rolla Street in Salem. Sue Nardi, Career Consultant and a local resident of Salem, is available Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Sue will assist customers with resume development, access to job leads, job referrals and connection to needed resources. Workshops to improve skills and increase employment opportunities can be scheduled, just ask Sue for the “list of workshops”. Career assessment and access to training is also available. Employers can contact Sue for assistance posting job vacancies in Missouri’s jobs.mo.gov system; connection to Business Services for recruitment, access training programs for new employees and scheduling “Special Hiring Events” to fill job vacancies. Contact Sue if you would like to make an appointment at 573-578-5573 or stop by the Salem Community Center@The Armory Wednesday or Thursdays between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Veterans Representatives are also available to provide case management services to help Veterans eliminate barriers to employment and gain access to resources by appointment only. Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act youth staff are available (by appointment) to assist youth 14 to 24 years of age with education and job related programs. To schedule an appointment to see a Veterans Representative or a Youth Career Manager, call 573-364-7030.

The Meramec Hills Chapter of the Missouri Master Naturalists is offering their ninth initial training course on Wednesday evenings beginning with an orientation evening June 14th from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the DNR Mozarkite Conference Room, 1251 Gale Drive off Fairgrounds Road in Rolla. The orientation is an overview at which you determine whether this program is a fit for you. If you decide to join, classes begin July 26th and run from 6:00 to 9:00 PM for 12 weeks. Four Saturday field sessions are included. The Missouri Master Naturalist program is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation and University of Missouri Extension. This community service group is focused on engaging Missourians in the stewardship of our state’s natural resources through science-based education and volunteer service. The program is designed for those who want to learn about and become involved in the management and protection of Missouri’s natural resources. The Meramec Hills Chapter of Missouri Master Naturalists is based in Rolla, with members involved in volunteer projects throughout Dent, Phelps, Pulaski and neighboring counties. Members meet monthly in Rolla for an educational program and business meeting. Chapter membership begins with the 12-week initial training course taught by field scientists, other professional naturalists, and university professors. Certification as a Master Naturalist is then maintained with 40 hours of natural resource-related volunteer service and eight hours of advanced training each year. You must be 18 years or older to enroll. The class is limited to 25 participants and is first come, first served. The fee is $100 to cover materials you will take home throughout the course. To enroll visit our website and complete the online enrollment or pick up a form at the University Extension office in Rolla. For more information, contact Lorely Lather (573) 265-4034 or visit the website: http://www.meramechills.org.

Representatives of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and State of Missouri agencies will participate in public meetings to explain various types of flood-recovery assistance available to landowners and units of government. During the meetings, representatives of the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), Rural Development (RD), and Risk Management Agency (RMA) will describe the federal programs that they administer that could assist those whose property sustained damages from flooding that occurred in April and May. A representative of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources also will speak, and other state agencies could also be represented. A meeting will be held from 9:30 AM to noon on Tuesday, June 20th at the Phelps County Courthouse located at 200 North Main Street in Rolla, Room 149. For more information or to request accommodations to participate in this meeting call (573) 876-0901. Requests for accommodations must be made by Friday, June 16th.

For the first time ever, the Missouri Department of Conservation in partnership with the Show-Me Games will host a Missouri National Archery in the Schools Program Archery Tournament at the Battle High School in Columbia. The Tournament is open toany 4th through 12th grader who attends school that offers the NASP program. Salem Schools will have Irvin Johnson as their lone representative this Saturday in Columbia, MO. Good luck Irvin!

A Painting with Oil Pastels Workshop will be held tonight from 6–8 PM at the Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center in Salem in the old teachers closet building. The Salem Area Arts Council is hosting the workshop for $25 per person and that includes all materials. Stop by the ONCRC at 202 South Main or call 247-0279.