Archive for 2018
Weather – Monday, February 26th, 2018
Today..Mostly sunny, high of 62.
Tonight..Clear, low around 37.
Tuesday..Mostly sunny, high of 65.
Tuesday night..Mostly cloudy with a 70% chance for showers and possibly a thunderstorm, low near 47.
Wednesday..Mostly cloudy with a 30% chance for showers, high of 63.
Local News – Friday, February 23rd, 2018
The Dent County Commissioners held their regular meeting Thursday morning in the Dent County Courthouse. In the road report, District One Commissioner Dennis Purcell said that patch grading would be done on Dent County Road 6500, the Cedar Grove Road, which is commonly called White Oak Hollow. He also noted that materials would be added to county road 6410, while his crew was also out cleaning culvert inlets and crossovers with pitchforks and shovels in preparation for the next rain event. Purcell said that on Monday he attended the Tourism Committee meeting where three proposals were submitted and approved, plus one reimbursement request was submitted and approved. He added that on Tuesday he attended the South Central Community Action Agency meeting in Winona. Purcell said the Agency received a clean audit with no recommendations, plus he learned that funds are still available for weatherization and renovations for those who qualify. He said those needing more information should call (573) 729-3500 and talk to Sarah. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson reported that he had a backhoe cleaning areas on Dent County Road 2340, plus materials would be added to that roadway. He said he had a man replacing signs on county roads 2340 and 2360. Larson went on to say that his crew was patching washouts and hauling materials to numerous areas. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported that last Thursday he attended the Transportation Advisory Committee meeting at MRPC Headquarters in St. James where he learned that traffic fatalities are down for the MoDOT District that Dent County is part of. He also reported that he attended the GRO meeting this past Tuesday. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley wanted to remind Dent County voters that absentee voting is going on in her office for the April 3rd Municipal Election from 8:30 AM until 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. She noted that the last day to mail out an absentee ballot for the April election is March 28th at 5:00 pm and that her office would be open Saturday, March 31st from 8:00 am until 12 noon for absentee voting. Curley added that the last day to register to vote for the April election is March 7th by 5:00 PM. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will Monday in the Courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.
The Salem Vision 2040 second meeting will be held Monday evening, February 26th, from 5:00 until 7:00 at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory at 1200 West Rolla Road in Salem. At this meeting, the students from the Center for Community Studies will present a variety of vision sketches based on the information gathered from the first meeting that dealt with community visioning as well as the discussion with those interested in the community that were present. These “What If” ideas are intended to create discussions and broaden the community’s awareness of potential improvements. Come and bring your friends as people of all ages are encouraged to attend and participate in the visioning process for your city. At this meeting, those attending will hear the various vision strategies explored by the students before informal one-on–one discussions with the students occurs to review their ideas. Finally, their will be a group discussion of the likes and dislikes pertaining to what was seen and the chance for the group to provide advice or feedback for further development. If you live in or near Salem your ideas are welcome. This is the second of four public visioning meetings that will take place between now and May as the city kicks off this year long collaborative visioning process to improve the community. Snacks and coffee will be provided during the sessions. This event is sponsored by the City of Salem in partnership with University of Missouri-Extension and Center for Community Studies, Hammons School of Architecture, Drury University.
The State Funeral for World War II Veterans has announced the appointment of eight distinguished leaders to the Missouri Board of Directors. They are Joe Driskill of Jefferson City, Paul Schuerenberg of Poplar Bluff, Joseph Podorski of Chesterfield, Gary Grigsby of Warrensburg, Dave Pace of Salem, Paul Pryor of Boss, Samuel Paul Winfield of Salem, and Billie Krewson of Licking. These members will serve with Missouri State Chairman, Richard LaBrash of Salem and Bill McNutt, the co-founder and chairman of the State Funeral for World War 2 Veterans, in the effort to convince the President of the United States to designate a single state funeral for the last Medal of Honor holder from World War 2 as a final salute to the 16 million men and women who served in our nation’s armed forces from 1941-1945. Petitions are available all over the City of Salem, Dent County and surrounding counties. If you would like to join this effort to salute our Greatest Generation, please sign a paper petition or go online to www.worldwar2salute.org where you can sign a petition online.
Sports – Friday, February 23rd, 2018
Both the Salem Boys and Girls Basketball Teams will face Owensville tomorrow in District play at the Rolla High School Gym. The Salem Lady Tigers will play at 11:00 Saturday morning while the Boys will play Saturday at 3:00 also against Owensville. Those games will be carried live on KSMO Radio and online at ksmoradio.com. The cost of admission for each game will be $5.00 per person who is six years of age and above.
TODAY is the last day to signup your children aged 14 and under for the City of Salem Youth Soccer League program for $25 per child. Signups for the City of Salem Youth Soccer League are being held at the Salem Community Center@The Armory at 1200 West Rolla Road during normal business hours from 8:00 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon. The league will begin on Saturday, April 7th at the Al Brown multipurpose field and last until April 28th. For more information, call Tye Lydon at 729-6290 or e-mail him at salemparks@salemmo.com.
The Missouri Basketball Tigers will be at Kentucky Saturday night at 6:45 to face the Wildcats on KSMO Radio.
The Blues will play Winnipeg tonight at 6:30 and the game can be heard on KSMO Radio.
The St. Louis Cardinals begin pre-season baseball on KSMO this weekend. On Saturday, the Cardinals will play the NY Mets and KSMO will join the game in progress right after Lady Tiger Basketball, and on Sunday, the Cardinal game with Houston will be delayed until 3:00 after St. Louis Blues Hockey.
Obituaries – Friday, February 23rd, 2018
Funeral services for Victoria Jean “Vickie” Ruble of Arnold, formerly of Salem, will be Saturday at noon at the Wilson Mortuary. Visitation for family and friends will be held from 10:00 until service time of Saturday. Interment will be in the Cedar Grove Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
A Funeral Mass for Stephan Bass of Steelville, age 50, will be Monday morning at 11:00 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Steelville. Visitations will be Sunday from 3:00 until 8:00 at the Britton-Bennett Funeral Home in Steelville and Monday morning from 10:00 until 11:00 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church. Interment will be in the Fairview Cemetery in Butts, Missouri.
Funeral services for Melissa Carole Bierbower of Gerald, formerly of Salem, age 84, will be Monday at 1:00 at the Wilson Mortuary Salem Chapel. Visitation will be held from 11:00 Monday morning until service time. Interment will be in the Cedar Grove Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Cosmopolitan Club.
Weather – Friday, February 23rd, 2018
Today..Cloudy with a 20% chance for showers, high near 55.
Tonight..Mostly cloudy with a 100% chance for showers, low of 45.
Saturday..Mostly cloudy with a 90% chance for showers, high around 63.
Saturday night..Cloudy early with a 50% chance for showers, then partly cloudy, low of 34.
Sunday..Sunny, high of 55.
Local News – Thursday, February 22nd, 2018
The Salem VA/VFW Clinic is looking for more volunteers immediately to provide transportation for local Veterans with appointments at the VA Hospitals in Columbia and Poplar Bluff in the DAV Van. There is an urgent need for volunteer drivers NOW and you do NOT have to be a veteran to volunteer to be a driver! All you need is a regular valid driver’s license. Volunteer drivers will need to pass a drug test and a physical and all the testing will provided by the Veteran’s Administration. Anyone who is interested in being a volunteer driver can pick up a packet at the American Legion Post or call Richard LaBrash at (573) 729-1394. The van will be a valuable asset for Veterans traveling long distances due to the recent changes in reimbursements for travel.
The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors met for the regular meeting Tuesday evening at the hospital library. The summary of operations for the month of January showed the hospital had a gain from operations of $74,011 and an excess of revenues over expenses of $436,631. So far in this fiscal year, the hospital has a gain from operations of $298,485 with an excess of revenues over expenses of $730,798. The cash flow statement showed a gain in cash of $1,104,969 for the month with days in accounts receivable at 67, up from the 61 days in December. Chief Nursing Officer Debbie Hines reported during the month there were 71 acute care admissions and 886 emergency room visits. Also during the month, there were 222 ambulance runs with 168 patients being transported to the hospital, 27 surgery cases, 1,799 outpatient registrations, 217 home health visits, 8,967 lab tests and 1,103 radiological procedures. Hines went over the Quality Improvement Projects that focused on nine departments selecting areas where improvement is needed. These departments included Dialysis, Swing bed, Medical Records, Pharmacy, Emergency Department, Materials Management, Infection Control, Home Health and Long Term Care. Hines presented the Influenza update that showed in January there were 236 reported cases of the flu and so far in February, that total number has reached 411 through February19th. The total amount of flu cases reported last year came to 227 cases. Lucas said the Hospital Foundation Board discussed changes to the Golf Tournament in June where they are hoping to get 26 teams involved with two flights: one starting at 8:00 in the morning and the other at 1:00 in the afternoon. The Foundation board elected to examine the Foundation entity structure to see if it would be better if it were it’s own 501 C 3 non-for profit organization. That board would examine data and determine if it is beneficial to make that change. Chris Strickland discussed the Strategic Marketing Plan that is mission and vision driven. Strickland said the hospital is working to be patient focused while incorporating all the aspects of community involvement that will integrate the marketing plan. Strickland said the Health Fair had 304 attendees in February, but the first day was slowed by adverse weather. He said he would like to see the Health Fair become a bigger event with more of the services the hospital has to offer being available. Administrator Kasey Lucas reported the Finance Committee Meeting for February was being rescheduled as there was some discussion on capital purchases that need to be addressed in possibly a five-year plan that prevented them from meeting. The Home Health By-Law revision discussed at the last meeting was approved before the board discussed purchases. The board approved the purchase of a 55-gallon drum handler for Materials Management from Northern Tool for $1,048, new Dell Latitude 14 Rugged Extreme lap top computers from Insight for the EMS Department from Insight for $10,360, and the purchase of the Evident Human Resources Module for their system for $10,950.00 that will allow them to send secure e-mail information rather print it out on paper. The board then went into closed session.
The Salem Police Department released their report for the month of January. During the month, they wrote eight equipment repair orders, 13 summons to appear in court, 11 warning tickets, and 13 traffic tickets. The Salem Police Department investigated nine accidents, one assault, one report of domestic assault, four reports of domestic violence, two reports of fraud, one lost or stolen license plate, one dog bite and eight fugitive warrants. The department also investigated six reports of possession of a controlled substance, three possessions of drug paraphernalia, four reports of property damage and 13 reports of stealing. The police department received 853 calls for service during the month and handled 113 walk-ins to the station. They spent 28 hours in court testifying and 12 hours as court bailiff. The Salem Police Department drove a total of 8,264 miles and arrested 18 males and 15 females during the month of January.
Obituaries – Thursday, February 22nd, 2018
Funeral services for Anne M. Will of Raymore, MO, formerly of Salem, age 77, will be held at noon today at the James and Gahr Salem Chapel. Visitation will be held from 10:00 this morning until service time. Interment will be in the North Lawn Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Salem United Methodist Church.
Funeral services for Lucille Downing Jennings of Ironton, formerly of Steelville, age 81, will be held today at noon at the Britton-Bennett Funeral Home in Steelville. Visitation will be from 10:00 until time of service time. Interment will be in the Haffer Family Cemetery in Steelville.
Funeral services for Victoria Jean “Vickie” Ruble of Arnold, formerly of Salem, will be Saturday at noon at the Wilson Mortuary. Visitation for family and friends will be held from 10:00 until service time of Saturday. Interment will be in the Cedar Grove Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
Funeral Mass for Stephan Bass of Steelville, age 50, will be Monday at 11:00 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Steelville. Visitations will be Sunday from 3:00 until 8:00 at the Britton-Bennett Funeral Home in Steelville and Monday from 10:00 until 11:00 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church. Interment will be in the Fairview Cemetery, Butts, Missouri.
Sports – Thursday, February 22nd, 2018
Both the Salem Boys and Girls Basketball Teams are seeded 4th in District play which begins Saturday at the Rolla High School Gym. The Salem Lady Tigers will play at 11:00 Saturday morning against Owensville while the Boys will play Saturday at 3:00 also against Owensville. Those games will be carried live on KSMO Radio and online at ksmoradio.com. The cost of admission for each game will be $5.00 per person who is six years of age and above. Both games can be heard on KSMO Radio and online at ksmoradio.com.
Friday is the last day to signup your children aged 14 and under for the City of Salem Youth Soccer League program for $25 per child. You can signups your child at the Salem Community Center@The Armory at 1200 West Rolla Road during normal business hours from 8:00 until 4:30. The league will begin April 7th at the Al Brown Park and last until April 28th. Signups will continue through this Friday for $25 per child. Late registration will begin on February 24th through March 2nd for $35 per child. For more information, call Tye Lydon at 729-6290 or e-mail him at salemparks@salemmo. com.
Weather – Thursday, February 22nd, 2018
Today..A 20% chance for freezing rain and/or sleet early, followed by rain until noon, then mostly cloudy, high near 48.
Tonight..Cloudy with a 90% chance for showers, low of 42.
Friday..Cloudy with a 30% chance for afternoon showers, high of 56.
Friday night.. Cloudy with a 90% chance for showers, low around 47.
Local News – Wednesday, February 21st, 2018
The Salem R-80 Board of Education held their regular meeting Thursday at the District Administrative Offices. Superintendent John McColloch gave a report on the Free and Reduced Lunch Count and all students in grades K-12 continue to eat school lunch and breakfast for free. He then went over the January Membership which showed the student enrollment for the district was 1,285 students. The current preschool enrollment currently stands at 133. A total of 283 of the Salem R-80 students are non-resident. Middle School Principal Scott Roberts recognized 8th grade student Denise Stoner for her accomplishments at a recent race at Rogersville where she set a new state record for her age group. McColluch recognized William Lynch teacher Lauren Prugh who discussed the first year of the Bridges program which helps students prepare for Kindergarten. The building principals gave their reports. Kriste Crocker from William Lynch Elementary said Kindergarten Registration will be March 20 and 21. Parents of incoming kindergarteners should call the office after March 1st to schedule an appointment. Children that will be five by August 1, 2018 are eligible for kindergarten enrollment. At the Upper Elementary School, Melanie Wisdom congratulated the eight Arrow Slingers who participated in the Dent Phelps R-3 tournament held on Thursday, January 25th. Three of those Arrow Slingers won medals. They were Bryar Bobbitt who took 1st place in the boys' division; Ayla Wood who captured 2nd place in the girls' division; and Izzy Crannell who took 3rd place in the girls' division. At the Middle School, Scott Roberts congratulated the SMS Quiz Bowl "A" Team for their win in the Dent County Middle School Quiz Bowl Tournament. The “A” Team is comprised Denise Stoner, Nate Darby, Marvin Aspinwall and Marshall Gollaher. He said the “B” Team took third place and that team is made up of Kayla Howard, Collin Heavin, Thomas McDonald and Wyatt Patrick. At the Senior High, Marty Anderson said the Work Keys and ACT testing will occur April 3rd as 60 Sophomores and 60 Juniors have signed up for the ACT. Anderson said the ACT Rewards will stay in place as in the past. In new business, the board approved the 2018-2019 school year calendar, and also approved the purchase of 10 new Promethean Boards for William Lynch Elementary using Cox Foundation funds. The board accepted the resignation of William Hubbs as the 7th grade basketball coach before going into closed session where Superintendent John McColloch discussed the growth plans and evaluations for all district administrators. The board then extended the contracts one additional year for Clay Moody, high school assistant principal; Rich Parks, high school assistant principal; Melanie Wisdom, upper elementary principal; Marty Anderson, high school principal; Scott Roberts, Middle School principal; John Smith, assistant superintendent; and Kriste Crocker, William Lynch Elementary principal. The meeting was then adjourned.
The Salem Board of Aldermen held their regular meeting Tuesday evening at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory with Alderman Molly Zettel attending via video. Requesting to be heard at the meeting was Nikki Riley who spoke for the citizens behind the "We Refuse To Pay" facebook group. She thanked the board for taking the issue of higher than normal electric bills seriously and being willing to help find solutions. She requested that the aldermen do not change the utility bill due dates back to the 20th as was talked about at the previous meeting. Riley also requested the city reconsider taking pledges for utility assistance through the South Central Community Action Agency program. Her final request was for the board to edit the new budget billing plan to allow all customers to take advantage of the program, even those that have had late notices in the past. City Administer Ray Walden noted the Salem Community Center@the Armory had 2,649 participants to programs in December and 3,611 participants in January. On Monday, February 26th from 5:00-7:00 PM, the second meeting of the 2040 Visioning project will be held at the Salem Community Center@the Armory. Both Walden and Mayor Nash encouraged local citizens to attend these meetings. The board approved Bill # 3363, an ordinance to authorize the mayor to execute an agreement between the city and Hydro-Kinetics Corporation for Waste Water Treatment Plant improvements on the intermediate pump station. The board also approved Bill No. 3364, an ordinance authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement with BHMG for engineering services to compile an RFP for AMI for the electric and water utilities. The board then went into closed session.