Archive for 2019

The Dent County Commissioners met Thursday morning for their regular meeting. Liz Gruendel was in to discuss the placement of picnic tables on the courthouse lawn for people to meet friends for lunch. This idea was brought to the commissioners back in April where three tables would to be built by the Sheltered Workshop and placed under trees in the shade for folks to enjoy the weather. The commissioners said the tables could be placed on the lawn on a trial basis. This would be a location where people could order a takeout breakfast or lunch from a local eating establishment, bring it downtown to the courthouse and then sit down and enjoy being outside with friends and talk. The tables were originally going to be painted turquoise, but for now they will have a turquoise table cloth that will be attached to the tables. Once there, take a selfie at the table and post it to the “I Heart Salem” Facebook page and show your friends! The idea behind the tables is that they will become a place to swap ideas, share stories, and encourage one another to love our neighbors. This is a project of the University of Missouri Extension. Gruendel said that tables would be left out the entire month of October. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell said grading would be done on Dent County Roads 4122, 4124, 5600, 6660 and 6670 while materials will be added and grading done on county road 5380. Purcell also stated brush would be cut on county roads 6280 and 6283. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said grading would be done on Dent County Roads 3120, 3130 and 3180. He went on to say materials would be added and grading done on county road 2570. Larson also said brush would be cut on county road 3330. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said he attended the CCAM board committee meeting this week where they interviewed four firms to become the new County Commissioners lobbyist in Jefferson City. Skiles said a conference call would be held next Wednesday with the entire board to a make a final decision. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported on the website committee meeting and that a new website will be constructed in the near future. She said that a request for proposals to create a new website for the city, county and Salem Chamber of Commerce will be advertised October 1st in the Salem News and those interested need to submit their proposal to City Administrator ray Walden by October 25th. Matt Lloyd, Dan Ostrander and Steve Thomas with Fabick and Company came in to discuss the two new Cat Graders. A 2019 Model 140 AWD is $251,583.00 with trade in of $218.000.00, leaving a balance owed of $33,583.00. Motion passed 3-0 to accept the offer of two new 2019 Cat replacement machines. One is to be delivered in two weeks and it could be five months before the second is delivered. Fabick is to pick up the Cat 120’s, bring the new Cat 140’s and take the John Deere trade-ins when they deliver the second CAT. At the last meeting, Attorney John Garvey came in to discuss the Opiod Litigation the county elected to be a part of. He discussed the labeler market share of opiod drugs in Dent County, the opiod shipments to pharmacies in the county, the Purdue settlement and the formula on attorney fees. People can find out more information by going to www.opiodsnegotiationclass.com. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Monday morning at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Marching Blue traveled to Sullivan on September 21st to compete in the annual Sullivan Marching Band Festival. Students competed in preliminary competition against three other schools and received the awards for Outstanding Drum Majors, Outstanding Color Guard, and 1st Place overall in class competition. The Salem Marching Blue gave another memorable performance in finals earning the awards for Outstanding Drum Majors and 8th place overall. This is an outstanding achievement due to the fact that the band was up against much larger schools and bands proving that excellence in performance supersedes the size of the group. The Salem Marching Blue will continue their competitive season on October 5th as they travel to Washington, MO to compete in the Washington Marching Festival at 1:00 PM.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is issuing a consumer alert to warn Missouri citizens about a potential scam targeting elderly and vulnerable citizens. Recently, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri has reported hundreds of calls from citizens across Missouri and the country who claim to have received calls from the court’s number asking for money, indicating that the number has been spoofed by scammers. Scammers have made the number look like it is coming from “US Government” or even “US District Court” lending credibility to the callers claims. The caller sounds like a child, pretending to be their grandchild and is currently being held in jail and has gotten in trouble. The scammer goes on to say in order to get out of jail, they need money. This is known as a grandparent scam and it primarily targets the elderly. The Missouri Attorney General’s Office offers these tips to avoid falling victim to this scam and others. If you get a call or email from someone claiming to know you and asking for help, check to confirm that it’s legitimate before you send any money. Ask some questions that would be hard for a scammer to answer correctly – the name of the person’s pet, their mother’s birthday, etc. Contact the person who they claim to be directly. If you can’t reach the person, contact someone else – a friend or relative of the person. Don’t send money unless you are absolutely sure it’s the real person you know. According to Attorney General Schmitt, “There are scammers who consistently think of new ways to take Missourians’ money – this scam is just another example. I urge Missourians and citizens across the country to follow the tips listed by my Consumer Protection Section to avoid falling victim to these scams and to report these scams to our office – we will take action wherever possible.” The Missouri Attorney General’s Office urges citizens to report these scams to the Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-392-8222 or online at https://ago.mo.gov/app/consumercomplaint.

An accident involving a vehicle and a deer happened in Shannon County on Highway 106 about eight miles east of Summersville early Wednesday morning at near 12:40. The highway patrol reports that a 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan being driven by 22-year old Hunter Warren of Eminence was westbound on Highway 106 when he struck the deer in the roadway. Warren suffered minor injuries and was transported by Summerville EMS to Ozarks Medical Center in West Plains. The Dodge sustained moderate damage and was removed from the scene by Sartans Towing of Winona.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital board of directors will hold their rescheduled September monthly meeting on Tuesday, October 1st at 6:00 in the hospital library. The board will hear a department director presentation before getting the summary of operations for the month of August from Monica Stogsdill. Debbie Hines will present the CNO report followed by a report on the Hospital Foundation. Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas will present a marketing and community perception report along with a Chief of Staff Report. In old business, the board will get updated on the hospital expansion and renovation projects, plus conduct the annual bylaw review before new business. In new business the board will hear about purchases for the hospital. The rescheduled meeting of the Salem Memorial District Hospital will be held October 1st at 6:00 at the hospital library and the meeting is open to the public.

A three vehicle accident occurred Tuesday morning at 6:45 in Maries County on Highway 63 south of Highway 28. According to the Highway Patrol Report a northbound 2005 Chevrolet Malibu, driven by 26 year-old Megan Strain of Rolla, struck a northbound 2003 Chevrolet Impala that was stopped in traffic and driven by 30 year-old Damien Montgomery of St. James. The Impala was in turn pushed into the opposing lane and struck by the towed unit of a southbound 2019 Volvo, driven by 34 year-old Daniel McCoy of Tonganoxie, Kansas. Strain suffered minor injuries, while Montgomery suffered moderate injuries. Both Strain and Montgomery were transported to Phelps Health by Maries-Osage Ambulance. The report state that Strain and McCoy were wearing safety restraints at the time of the accident, while Montgomery was not. There was extensive damage to the Impala, while the Malibu sustained moderate damage. Both were removed from the scene by Plaza Towing. There was no damage to the Volvo and it was driven from the scene. The Highway Patrol was assisted by the Vienna Police Department and the Vienna Fire Department.