Archive for 2017

This is KSMO’s FFA Day! Listen starting at about 8:15 for interviews with FFA students with former FFA Advisor Bob Parsons. Those interviews will also be streamed on ksmoradio.com as well as archived for those who can’t listen on our website. Interviews should last until about 2:30 this afternoon.

The Dent County Commissioners met Thursday morning for their regular meeting in the Dent County Courthouse. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles was unable to attend so Dent County Clerk Angie Curley appointed Associate Commissioner Gary Larson as Acting Presiding Commissioner. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams was in with the February CART receipts which were $57,273.71. She said the year-to-date receipts are up $5,737.69, which is an increase of 5.39%. In the road report, District One Commissioner Dennis Purcell said that grading would be done on Dent County Roads 5080, 5085, 5015, 5070, 5630 and 5610, while brush would be cut on county roads 6570 as well as 6575, and materials would be added to county roads 5130 and 5170. He reported that Monday evening he attended the Dent County Tourism Committee meeting where three proposals were reviewed and approved and three requests for reimbursement were approved. Purcell said that on Tuesday he, along with Road Foreman Rusty Chamberlain and crew member Rodney Atkinson met with Forest Service Representatives at the prospective site for the new Cooley Bridge. The group decided where test holes were to be dug to determine location of bedrock to place the bridge foundation on. Purcell went on to say that Tuesday evening he attended the South Central Missouri Community Action Agency (SCMCAA) meeting. The Agency responsibilities include the Headstart and Earlystart Programs, which are funded to serve 680 children in its seven counties. Some of the services provided by the agency include immunizations, physical exams and dental exams. Purcell said the local contact number is (573) 729-3500, plus weatherization and utility assistance needs might be available by calling (573) 325-4255 and ask for Todd. He noted that SCMCAA, which has a 9 million dollar budget, was recently audited and there were no findings or recommendations for changes. District Two Commissioner Gary Larson reported that grading would be done on Dent County Roads 4300, 4040, 2330 and 3330, while brush would be cut on county road 3370, plus two men would be hauling materials to county roads 4353, 2330 and 3130. He re-stated the sign problem that Commissioner Purcell had brought to the forefront at previous meetings. Larson said that during this week one grader operator had reported 9 missing signs and another 6 missing signs in District Two alone. Larson also noted that after rains that if there is a funeral at one of the county cemeteries the Commissioners would like to be notified if the roads to the cemetery need special attention prior to the services. He said they currently try to foresee those needs, however if there is a problem the Commissioners would appreciate notification. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported that bills were being approved by the Commissioners and that the last day to register for the April election is March 8th. She also wanted to inform voters that they can go online to find their voting location and obtain a sample ballot. Curley said that one source is the Secretary of State’s website at www.sos.mo.gov. Once on the website click on Elections and Voting, then click on View Candidates and Issues, then click on Voter Outreach and input the voters address. She said that voters could also go to www.salemmo.com, click on Dent County tab, and then click on County Clerk tab. The next meeting of the Commissioners will be Monday morning in the Courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

This month, the Salem Area Arts Council will be hosting their monthly community acoustic jam at the Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center (ONCRC) in Salem Saturday starting at 6:30 p.m.  Musicians and listeners of all ages and talents and interests are invited. Bring your instrument and play along with the crew, or just come to listen and pat your feet!  NO talent needed, just enthusiasm!   Bluegrass, country, folk, gospel, modern ballads, oldies—you name it, you will probably hear it!  There is no cost but your time.  The Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center is located at 202 South Main Street (Highway 19 next door to the Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center and Farmers’ Market) in Salem.  If you need directions or information, please contact (573) 247-0279 or e-mail saac@embarqmail.com.

SPORTS   [TOP]

The St. Louis Cardinals spring training games begin tomorrow when they face the Miami Marlins starting at 11:45. Luke Weaver will get the start for the Cardinals Saturday. The Red Birds will also play Sunday at 11:45 against Miami and both games can be heard on KSMO Radio.

The Salem Lady Basketball Tigers will face the Owensville Dutchgirls in the first round of Class 4, District 11 play Saturday afternoon at 4:00. The game will be held at the School of the Osage Gymnasium with a $5.00 admission for anyone 6 years of age and older. If you can’t make it to the game, you can hear it on KSMO Radio and online at ksmoradio.com starting at 3:45 with Tiger Talk and Coach Jake Reardon.

The Salem Boys Basketball Tigers will also play Saturday afternoon at 5:30 against Owensville at the School of the Osage gym in Class 4, District 11 play. Admission to the game is $5.00 for everyone age 6 and older. If you can’t make it to the boys’ game, it will also can be heard on KSMO Radio and online at ksmoradio.com starting at 5:15 with Tiger Talk and Coach Conrad Prugh.

The Missouri Tigers will be at Ole Miss Saturday afternoon starting at 2:30. Due to the Salem District Basketball games, the Missouri game will not be heard on KSMO radio. Missouri is 7-20 on the year and 2-13 in the SEC.

The St. Louis Blues will travel to Chicago Sunday to face the Black Hawks starting at 6:00 with the pre-game show on KSMO with the puck dropping at 6:30. The Blues have 67 points and lead Nashville by two points for 3^rd place in the Central Division, but the Predators have played one less game than St. Louis.

OBITUARIES     [TOP]

Funeral services for Gregory Johnson of Lesterville formerly of Salem, age 65 will be held toay at 1:00 at the James and Gahr Mortuary in Salem. Visitation will be from 11:00 until service time. Interment will be in the North Lawn Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to the Crocker Assisted Living for a bench in honor of Greg Johnson.

Funeral services for Verla Emma (Barton) Cookson of Viburnum, age 74, will be held Saturday at 11:00 at the James and Gahr Mortuary in Salem. Visitation will be today from 5:00 to 8:00. Interment will be in the Barton Cemetery in Oates.

Memorial services for Twyla Fenton of Ozark, formerly of Salem, age 73, will be held Saturday at 3:00 at the Ozark General Baptist Church in Springfield. Visitation will be from 2:00 until 6:00 at the church. There will be no interment. All arrangements are under the direction of the James and Gahr Mortuary in Salem.

WEATHER    [TOP]

Today..Mostly sunny and breezy, high of 63 by noon, then falling temps in the afternoon into the 50’s.
Tonight..Mostly cloudy, low of 26.
Saturday..Mostly sunny and breezy, high near 43.
Saturday night..Mostly clear, low of 25.
Sunday..Partly cloudy early, then cloudy with a 40% chance for afternoon rain, high of 49.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors met for the regular meeting Tuesday evening at the hospital library. Chief Financial Officer Monica Gargus gave the summary of operations for January that showed that inpatient admissions along with outpatient registrations, and Emergency Room visits were all above budget. The hospital had a gain from operations of $139,556. Cash increased during the month $667,588, while the days in accounts receivable rose at 55. The days cash-on-hand came in at 82 for January. Chief Nursing Officer Debbie Hines reported during the month there were 86 acute care admissions plus 804 emergency room visits with an average turnaround time of 135 minutes. Also during the month, there were 222 ambulance runs with 175 patients transported to the hospital, 21 surgery cases, 1,533 outpatient registrations, 208 home health visits, 7,648 lab tests, 1,009 radiological procedures, 190 CT scans, 36 MRI scans, 11 nuclear med scans, 725 rehab treatments, 146 dialysis treatments and 324 clinical visits of which 139 were for podiatry. Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas stated the Hospital Foundation cancelled the Dent County Schools Have Talent contest as there was not enough interest at this time, but may bring it up at a later date and the Golf Tournament is scheduled for May 5th at the Spring Creek Golf Club. The Hospital Auxiliary will have a Scrub Hub on the hospital campus March 31st, the Shoe Road Productions will be in the hospital library August 29th and they will have Wreath Sales from September 1st through October 31st. The Auxiliary will meet on March 7th at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory at noon and lunch will be provided for anyone interested. Reports showed a total of 429 attended the health screening in February and the next health screening will be May 10th and 11th. Lucas stated that there will be two booths setup at the Health Expo on Thursday, February 23rd at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory. One booth will be representing the hospital and the other representing the clinic. In old business, Lucas updated the Board on the hospital retirement plan. The transfer of fund from Metlife to OneAmerica was completed February 17th. From January 31st to March 3rd, they are in a black out period as the first contribution to OneAmerica will be March 17th. Lucas stated that contributions are still going on, but are in a holding account until March 17th. In new business, the departmental policy and procedure reveiw has been completed for another year. Lucas reported that Air Evac was interested in looking to expand their services onto the hospital campus. Lucas indicated the initial term would be for 5-years with a 5-year renewal where Air Evac would be responsible for construction costs and relocation of the employee parking lot. The Board then approved the budgeted purchase of a replacement Pulmonary Function System, that is refurbished from Bemes for $26,900; the replacement of an Anesthesia Machine for the operating room, that is refurbished from Bell for $16,135; a work table for Dietary from Fellers Food Service for $2,639; and a replacement ice machine in the Emergency Room from Follett for $4,183. The ice machine was already purchased as the old one had gone out. The Board then voted to go into closed session.

Healthy Dent County, Salem Memorial District Hospital and the Dent County Health Center have joined together again this year for the second annual Dent Count Health Expo. This is a free community event to showcase local health-care providers and professionals. The Dent County Health Fair will be held on today from 4:00 to 7:00pm at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory. Participating exhibitors will bring knowledge and information that is of interest to everyone. Over 30 vendors will be attending including the Salem Memorial District Hospital, Air Evac, Dent County Health Center, Healthy Dent County, Healthy Salem, local chiropractors, dentists, eye doctors, pharmacies, and many health care professionals. The event is free for all ages. Bring a canned good or non-perishable food item to get a ticket to win prizes. One ticket per item, the more you donate, the more your chances increase to win prizes. All donations will be given to Sacred Heart Food Pantry. For more information, call 729-8163.

Time is running out for you to get free tax service from the Volunteers for AARP at the Salem Community Center@ the Armory computer lab.  According to their office, there are just a few open appointments available on Apirl 7th. For the volunteers to serve clients, you MUST make an appointment and schedule a time where they can meet with you. Appointments can be made by calling 729-8163. When you make your appointment, the receptionist will tell you what information you will need to bring with for the preparation of your tax return. Again just a few openings for free tax assistance are available on April 7th so call today.

For all 4-H and FFA members that will be participating in this year’s livestock show and auction, the steer weigh-in will be held at the Salem Livestock Barn this Saturday February 25, from 8:00 am until 9:30 am. Also remember that the mandatory quality assurance meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 7th at 7:00 pm which will be held at the city hall auditorium. For more information, call Ted or Linda at 729-3196.

SPORTS   [TOP]

The St. Louis Cardinals spring training games begin Saturday when they face the Miami Marlins starting at 11:45. They will also play Sunday at 11:45 against Miami and both games can be heard on KSMO Radio.

The St. Louis Blues are in the middle of their required 5-day layoff and will resume play on Sunday in Chicago against the Blackhawks.

In the Class 4, District 11 Boys and Girls Basketball seedings, the Salem Lady Basketball Tigers were seeded 3^rd in districts and will play Saturday afternoon at 4:00 at the School of the Osage gym against the Owensville Dutch Girls. The Salem Boys Basketball Tigers were seeded 4^th and they will play Saturday at 5:30 against Owensville also at the School of the Osage gym. Admission to all districts games are $5.00 for everyone age 6 and older.

OBITUARIES     [TOP]

Funeral services for Wayne Poole of Salem, age 82, will be held today at 2:00 at the James and Gahr Mortuary in Salem. Visitation will be from 12:00 until service time. Interment will be in the North Lawn Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to the American Diabetes Association.

Funeral services for Gregory Johnson of Lesterville formerly of Salem, age 65 will be held Friday at 1:00 at the James and Gahr Mortuary in Salem. Visitation will be from 11:00 until service time. Interment will be in the North Lawn Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to the Crocker Assisted Living for a bench in honor of Greg Johnson.

Funeral services for Verla Emma (Barton) Cookson of Viburnum, age 74, will be held Saturday at 11:00 at the James and Gahr Mortuary in Salem. Visitation will be Friday from 5:00 to 8:00. Interment will be in the Barton Cemetery in Oates.

Memorial services for Twyla Fenton of Ozark, formerly of Salem, age 73, will be held Saturday at 3:00 at the Ozark General Baptist Church in Springfield. Visitation will be from 2:00 until 6:00 at the church. There will be no interment. All arrangements are under the direction of the James and Gahr Mortuary in Salem.

WEATHER    [TOP]

Today..Foggy this morning, then mostly cloudy and breezy, high near 75.
Tonight..Cloudy and windy, low of 54.
Friday..Mostly sunny and windy, high of 66.
Friday night..Partly cloudy, low near 30.
Saturday..Mostly sunny, high of 44.
Saturday night..Mostly clear, low of 24.
Sunday..Partly sunny, high of 50.
Sunday night..Cloudy, low around 33.