Archive for 2018

The Dent County Commissioners met Thursday morning at the Dent County Courthouse. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams presented the sales tax figures for the county’s four funds: General Revenue, Law Enforcement, Road and Bridge, and the Jail Operating and Building fund. Williams stated the sales tax received in April for the General Revenue Fund and LEST was $86,326.04 and year to date, the sales tax revenue is up $59,058.49 for the first four months and that percentage increase in those funds is 21.12%. The Road and Bridge Fund received $38,903.55 in April and year to date, that fund is up 16.2% over last year. The sales taxes received for the jail funds were $76,437 for each fund and Commissioner Skiles said payments to the architectural firm and construction manager are made from those funds. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell stated grading would be done on Dent County Roads 2440 and 5150, while materials would be added and grading done on county road 6220. He also said brush would be cut on Dent County Road 5520. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson reported grading would be done on Dent County Roads 2380, 2390, 2405, 4030, 6120 and 6123. He also said materials would be added to county roads 3273, 3275 and 4040 while brush would be cut on Dent County Roads 2270 and 2303. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles stated that all three commissioners and Dent County Clerk Angie Curley attended the MAC Legislative Conference on Monday. Skiles said it was a very good conference and the group heard from Senator Rowden, Senator Hegeman and Senator Wallingford as well as Representative Justus and Representative Lauer about a number of issues. Richard LaBrash brought in a Resolution from the Missouri House of Representatives that the Senate concurred with regarding a state funeral for the final World War 2 Medal of Honor recipient when they pass. This resolution will be sent to the President and Vice-President of the United States and many others in Washington, D.C. to ask the President to make the request a reality. LaBrash also said the petitions in the area for this cause will be picked up the week of April 16th and sent off to support the resolution. LaBrash also wanted to remind everyone the American Legion and VFW Post on Highway 32 West will be holding their Veteran’s Affair Day on April 27th from 10:00 in the morning until 2:00 in the afternoon. He said the VA has changed their position on Care Giver status in caring for veterans. He said this would benefit some spouses or family members that currently give care to veterans at home as long as they meet three requirements. To see if you meet these qualifications for these benefits, LaBrash says to make plans to attend the Veteran’s Affair Day as the Veteran’s Administration personnel will be in Salem along with staff members from Senators and Representatives from the state and federal government during those four hours. At the last meeting, Sheriff Bob Wells said bids will be accepted for the sale of a 2005 white Crown Victoria Interceptor from the sheriff’s department. Bids will be accepted until April 27th at 5:00 in the sheriff’s office. Bids will be opened at 10:00 the morning on Monday, April 30th at the commission meeting. The next meeting of the commissioners will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

Don’t forget to attend the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce Business Expo will be held tomorrow morning starting at 9:00 and ending at noon at the Salem Community Center@The Armory. The event is FREE and open to the public! There will be 43 vendors on hand to discuss their products and/or services in the local area. There will be four star prizes this year and they are four St. Louis Cardinals tickets from Town and Country Bank, a refurbished Windows 10 computer with keyboard, mouse and monitor from A-1 Tech of Rolla; a one night stay and basket full of goodies from Echo Bluff, and a free enrollment along with a free uniform, free trainer weapon & private lesson from Salem ATA Martial Arts. Parking for the expo will be held at the armory, the Salem City Park and also across the street from the Salem Community Center on Rolla Road. For any questions you may have, contact the chamber office at 729-6900.

An accident occurred in Dent County Thursday morning at 10:10 on Route C about one mile south of Anutt. According to the highway patrol report, a 2003 Ford Focus, driven by 70-year-old Darlene Maass of Lenox, ran off the left side of the roadway and overturned. Maass suffered moderate injuries and was transported by the Salem Ambulance to Phelps County Regional Medical Center. The report stated the Maass was wearing her safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Ford was totaled and removed from the scene by Whitakers Towing.

An accident occurred Thursday afternoon at 1:35 in Phelps County on Highway 68 about nine miles south of St. James. According to the highway patrol report, a northbound a 2009 Yamaha XVS650, driven by 60-year-old Thomas Mash of St. James, failed to negotiate a curve. The Yamaha traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck a sign. Mash suffered serious injuries and was transported by Phelps Air to University Hospital in Columbia. The report stated that Mash was wearing a safety device at the time of the accident. The Yamaha sustained moderate damage and was removed from the scene by Spurgeon’s Towing.

Intercounty Electric Co-Operative Association held their annual Youth Tour Essay contest in February where juniors from the schools in their service area write a 250-500 word essay for the chance to go to Washington, D. C. for a week, or earn a three day trip on the CYCLE program to Jefferson City. Judging was held on March 24th at the Intercounty Electric auditorium in Licking and the winners of the trip to Washington D.C. from schools in the KSMO listening area included Olivia Erway from Salem, Athena Hood from Licking, Raina Forstrom from St. James and Brody Brown from Rolla. Those earning the trip to Jefferson City included Abigail Kilman from Salem, Emily Phillips from Rolla, Katelyn Kinder and Richelle Schwarz from Licking, and Alyssa Dorris and Matthew Altis from St. James. Each of the juniors who participated deserves to be congratulated on their hard work!

Missouri’s 16th annual “No MOre Trash! Bash” will focus on “spring cleaning” the outdoors by asking residents to pick up litter throughout the state during the April 15th to May 15th time period. The litter prevention campaign is sponsored by the Missouri departments of Conservation and Transportation. The annual Trash Bash encourages people to clean up litter across Missouri from roadsides, parks, neighborhoods, rivers, streams, trails and other places during April. Trash Bash activities also include educational efforts in schools, community events and Earth Day celebrations. Each year, MoDOT spends about $6.75 million to remove litter from more than 385,000 acres of roadsides along 34,000 state highway miles. Annual volunteer efforts to pick up litter along Missouri highways are valued at more than $1 million. Last year, more than 43,000 bags of litter and several truckloads of debris were picked up during the spring the “No More Trash! Bash.” People also attended numerous educational events stressing the importance of not littering. Volunteers participated through Adopt-A-Highway and Stream Team litter cleanup events. Missouri Stream Team Program volunteers removed 547 tons of litter from waterways and dedicated more than $2.3 million worth of volunteer time to litter removal statewide annually. Littering also hurts wildlife and Missouri outdoors. Volunteers are needed across the state to participate in litter cleanup activities. Participants can report their cleanup efforts and will receive a thank you No MOre Trash! pin. For more information and to learn how to participate, call 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636).

The Meramec Regional Planning Commission and the Phelps County Public Housing Agency (PHA) Family Self-Sufficiency program will host a free workshop from 10:00 in the morning until noon on April 16th in St. James on “Tackling the Tough Skills: Problem Solving.” This workshop is the final in a series of five that will cover topics such as attitude, responsibility, communications, problem solving and preparing for the workplace. All workshops are held in the Phelps County PHA room ag the MRPC offices located at #4 Industrial Drive in St. James. Christy Saylor, the Missouri Ozarks Community Action county projects coordinator, will be presenting the program. Free training classes are a part of MRPC and PHA’s efforts to help prepare families by making them aware of the resources available to assist with self-sufficiency. Workshops are offered at no cost to the participants. For more information or to RSVP, contact Savannah Vandegriffe at 573-265-4200 ext. 132. Free training classes are a part of MRPC and PHA’s efforts to help prepare families by making them aware of the resources available to assist with self-sufficiency. Each participant who attends will receive a $25 Wal-Mart gift card, as long as they meet income qualifications.

Have you joined the petition drive to have enlisted World War II Veterans honored with a state funeral for the passing of last Medal of Honor recipient? You will find numerous petitions in the area at stores, offices, and governmental buildings. Between 1939 and 1945, sixteen million Americans served our country in World War II. Of that sixteen million, 464 received the Medal of Honor, of which only four recipients remain alive today. In the history of the United States there has never been a state funeral held for an enlisted person. Petitions are located at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory, American Legion Post #99, and numerous locations around Salem. If you have questions or concerns feel free to contact Chairman Richard LaBrash, State Funeral for World War II Veterans, at (573) 729-1394. Signers of the petition must be a registered voter. If you haven’t found a petition in town, people can go online at WorldWar2Salute.org to sign the petition.

The Salem Area Chamber of Commerce Business Expo will be held this Saturday starting at 9:00 and ending at noon at the Salem Community Center@The Armory. A total of 43 vendors will be in attendance and four of those businesses will be giving away prizes valued at more than $250: Town and Country Bank with four St. Louis Cardinals tickets, A-1 Tech of Rolla will be offering a refurbished Windows 10 computer with keyboard, mouse and monitor; Echo Bluff will be offering a one night stay and basket full of Echo Bluff goodies, and Salem ATA Martial Arts will be giving away a free enrollment along with a free uniform, free trainer weapon & private lesson. There is no cost to attend the expo and everyone is welcome. This is an excellent opportunity to find out about a number of local businesses where you can talk with them about their services and products. Many business will have products there you can buy. Many of these vendors will offer free giveaway items or may have their own prize registration. Parking for the expo will be throughout the Salem City Park and also across the street from the Salem Community Center on Rolla Road. Make it a point to stop by the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce Business Expo this Saturday starting at 9:00 at the Salem Community Center@The Armory at 1200 West Rolla Road. For any questions you may have, contact the chamber office at 729-6900.

Missouri Department of Transportation Senior Maintenance Worker Justin Sundell of Salem recalls a time he was flagging vehicles through a work zone on Highway 68 when he noticed a car that wasn’t slowing down. Sundell says the next thing he heard was the sound of squealing tires and locking brakes as the driver was looking at his phone the whole time. This week is “National Work Zone Awareness Week” and Sundell is speaking up in hopes of getting drivers to pay more attention in work zones, which will be cropping up throughout the state as warmer weather moves in. He is begging drivers to buckle up and put the phone down. Unfortunately, work zone crashes are on the rise nationwide. Sixteen people were killed in work zone crashes last year and two of those people were workers. That is double the number killed in 2016, when eight people died in work zones. In fact, a work zone crash occurs every 5.4 minutes. With construction season underway, motorists will encounter work taking place on Missouri roadways through the fall. Some of the more impactful work zones will occur on Interstates 70, 44, 64, 55, 270 and on Highway 65. Here are some tips for navigating work zones safely: Observe warning signs and merge before reaching lane closures, and be aware of changing traffic conditions. Traffic could slow or stop unexpectedly as the traffic lanes can merge, or equipment and workers can enter the roadway. Always be prepared to slow down. Driving too fast for the conditions is a major factor in work zone crashes. To help make your travel safer, visit MoDOT’s Traveler Information map at www.traveler.modot.org/map and find out what work zones you’ll encounter before you go.

According to preliminary data from Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), young turkey hunters harvested 1,723 turkeys during the spring youth season this past Saturday and Sunday. Top harvest counties were Franklin with 51 turkeys harvested, Miller with 43, and Maries with 43. Young hunters checked a little over 4,000 turkeys during last year’s youth weekend. MDC’s Turkey Biologist, Jason Isabelle, said that weather was the biggest contributing factor to this year’s low youth turkey season harvest. Temperatures that were well-below average probably made it difficult for young hunters to spend as much time hunting this past weekend as they would have with more seasonal temperatures. Isabelle also notes that in addition to cold temperatures this weekend, spring has been slow to get here this year causing turkeys to be a little behind schedule as far as the winter flock break-up. With warmer temperatures in the forecast, hunting conditions should be much more favorable for the upcoming regular spring turkey season. For more information on the upcoming regular spring turkey hunting season, April 16-May 6, get a copy of MDC’s 2018 Spring Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available where permits are sold, or online. Hunters who harvest their first turkey can have the accomplishment recognized through a special certificate from MDC, complete with a photo. Learn more at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/trophies-certificates/certificates.

The Community Blood Center of the Ozarks has scheduled another blood drive in Salem this week and this one will be Friday from 9:00 in the morning until 2:00 in the afternoon at the Salem Memorial District Hospital. Remember, current blood supplies of “O” negative and “A” negative are critically low. To be eligible to give blood, you must weight at least 110 pounds, be in good health and have a picture ID. For more information about this blood drive, contact Debra Piatt at the Salem Hospital at 729-6626. The other blood drive in Salem is today at the Salem High School from 8:30 until 2:30.