Archive for 2019

Dent County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Curley was in Circuit Court in Dent County in front of Judge Megan Seay. Curley reported that Elvis Aaron Meadows of Salem pled guilty to felony domestic assault in the 3rd degree. He was sentenced to three years in the Department of Corrections. Curley also said that Tammy Jean Stone of Salem pled guilty to two Class D felonies for the possession of a controlled substance for heroin and methamphetamine. She was sentenced to five years in the Department of Corrections. According to Curley, Stone is a prior and persistent offender. Curley also reported that Amy Jo Jackson of Salem, who had pled guilty to a Class C felony for the possession of a controlled substance in December of 2016 and was placed on probation, had her probation revoked. She was sentenced to serve four years in the department of Corrections.

With daytime temperatures consistently reaching 90 degrees or more across Central Missouri, the Missouri Department of Transportation advises motorists to be aware of what that heat can do to roadways. “Pavement blow-ups” are rifts that occur when a concrete roadway surface expands at a crack or joint where moisture has seeped in. This recently happened on westbound I-44. That crack weakens the pavement and the heat causes the pavement to buckle and warp, creating holes in the surface. Despite the term, the pavement does not actually explode. Shafer says that roads that have been impacted by flooding this summer could be more susceptible to the pavement blow ups. He advises motorists that come across a blow-up to slow down and report the location to MoDOT. Motorists can call MoDOT’s toll-free customer service center to report pavement blow-ups at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636).

The Community Blood Center of the Ozarks will be hosting a blood drive on Thursday, July 11th, at the First Baptist Church in Salem. The blood drive will take place during the afternoon from 1:00 until 6:00. A free “Never Stop the Adventure Of Saving Lives” t-shirt will be given to each participant. The Community Blood Center of the Ozarks remind participants to eat and drink well before the blood drive. Remember, you must weigh at least 110 pounds, be in good health and bring a photo ID!

Right now, deer hunters can apply online through the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) website for a shot at more than 100 managed deer hunts throughout the state for archery, muzzleloading, and modern firearms from mid-September through mid-January at conservation areas, state and other parks, national wildlife refuges, and other public areas. Some managed hunts are held specifically for youth or for people with disabilities. The managed deer hunt application period is now through July 31st. Hunters are selected by a weighted random drawing. Draw results will be available August 15th through January 15th. Applicants who are drawn will receive area maps and other hunt information by mail. You can get more information on managed deer hunts, preview hunt details at mdc.mo.gov/managedhunt. Details about managed hunts can also be found in MDC’s “2019 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information” booklet available starting in early July at MDC offices and nature centers, from permit vendors around the state, and online at mdc.mo.gov.

Even though they’re a challenging crop to produce, blackberries offer huge potential for Missouri farmers. The “Growing Blackberry Production and Sales in Missouri” project offers educational sessions and tours of innovative blackberry farms. Join local and nationally known blackberry specialists and farmers this Friday, July 12th from 1:00 until 5:00 at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 7057 Old 66 in Cuba, to gain knowledge and expertise on a wide range of blackberry topics. The session will include an overview of blackberry production, cultivars, trellis design, and an informal question and answer session, plus a tour of Ozark Berry Farm at Leasburg. The workshop will be presented by University of Missouri Extension with support from Lincoln University Cooperative Extension, the Missouri Department of Agriculture and the Webb City Farmers Market. There is a $10.00 registration fee and in order to register contact the Crawford County Extension office at 573-775-2135.

During July at ONCRC visitors have the opportunity to enjoy and learn from The River Exhibit. It is a cultural and natural history display of the Current River which includes artifacts, photos, newspaper accounts of the origin and controversy of enabling legislation creating the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, plus reflections on the life and communities that have disappeared. The exhibit provides a great opportunity for tourists, visitors and local citizens to stop by and take a trip of memories down the Current River. The exhibit starts July 8th and continues through the month of July. For information contact Mary Beth Cook at 573-453-6061 or ONCRC at 573-729-0029.

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning for their regular meeting at the courthouse. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell stated grading would be done on Dent County Roads 5600 and 6600 and materials would be added to county road 5080. He also said brush would be cut on county roads 4210 and 4215, and that a man would be traveling to Springfield to get oil for chip and seal repairs. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said materials would be added and grading done on Dent County Roads 3080 and 3090, while only grading will be done on county road 3130. Larson went on to say brush would be cut on county road 3020 and that services as going to be done on grader #31 and tractor #6. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said he attended a 9-1-1 regionalization meeting last Wednesday in St. James that deals with the regions described in House Bill #1456. That bill said up to 11 regions could be created, but right now ii looks like the state has proposed eight regions and that Dent County would be in Region 6 that will extend from Maries County to the Arkansas Line in Oregon County. The reasoning behind this is to make the 9-1-1 system more effective and efficient in the state. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said Dent County residents should have received their new voter registration cards and they are blue. Dent County Collector Denita Williams brought in the sales tax numbers for the money received by the county this month from the state. She said the General Revenue Fund and LEST Funds were down this July from July 2018 by over $18,000 in each fund. The GR and LEST Funds received $75,501.19 this July and year-to date are down $19,413.75 which is about a 3.4% drop. Williams said the Road and Bridge Fund went from $44,222.42 last July to $35,798.72 this July which is a reduction of over $8,400. Year-to-date, the Road and Bridge Fund is down $4,623.25 and that is a drop of about 1.66%. She said the Jail Trust Fund and the Construction and Operating Fund each came in at $72,454.84 for the month of July and that is down from July of 2018 which came in at $88,075.12 for each fund. Year-to-date, each jail fund is up about $363.16. At 10:00, Commissioner Purcell opened bids received for a quality used truck for the county to purchase for the road and bridge department. Three companies submitted bids for a total of eight vehicles. B&B Motors submitted bids for three trucks, Chafin Motors had bids for two trucks and C&E Auto submitted bids for three trucks. No action was taken at the meeting as the trucks will need to be looked at by the commissioners before a decision is reached. At the last meeting, the commissioners agreed to seek lease/financing bids for two graders that will be due in the office by 10:00 on July 18th. The commissioners also announced that there will not be a commissioner meeting this Thursday morning due to previous commitments by all three commissioners. The next meeting will be held July 15th at the courthouse at 9:00 and the meeting will be open to the public.

The Salem Police Department has released some reports. On Friday night, June 28th at about 10:00, an officer located a 39-year-old male of Salem in the 1500 block of South Gertrude who had two active arrest warrants from the City of Salem. The suspect was taken into custody on the warrants and was later released with a date to appear in court after posting bond. On Saturday night, June 29th near 7:16, a vehicle was stopped for a traffic violation. The investigation of the stop led to the arrest of a 31-year-old male of Salem for driving while having his license revoked. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court and released. On Sunday afternoon at 12:28 on June 30th, an officer was dispatched to the Dollar General parking lot in reference to a female slumped over the in the driver’s seat of a vehicle. The investigation of the report led to the arrest of a 51-year-old female of Salem for being in possession of a controlled substance. The suspect was incarcerated pending the application for a warrant. Please contact the Salem Police Department at 729-4242 if you have any information regarding an ongoing investigation.

The Missouri Department of Conservation has announced it has reduced the number of counties in its management zone for chronic wasting disease (CWD) from 48 to 29 starting in July. Changes to the CWD Management Zone will impact restrictions on feeding deer, antler-point restrictions, antlerless permits for some counties, and mandatory CWD sampling. The 29 counties now included in MDC’s CWD Management Zone are: Adair, Barry, Cedar, Chariton, Christian, Crawford, Franklin, Gasconade, Hickory, Howell, Jefferson, Knox, Linn, Macon, Mercer, Oregon, Ozark, Perry, Polk, Putnam, St. Charles, St. Clair, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Warren, and Washington. In response to finding CWD in Missouri, the Conservation Department created a CWD Management Zone around where confirmed cases of the disease have been found to help track and limit its spread. Recent research shows more than 90 percent of bucks in Missouri disperse less than 10 miles. Based on this recent research, the Department of Conservation is removing the following counties from its CWD Management Zone because they are more than 10 miles from locations where cases of CWD have been found: Benton, Bollinger, Boone, Callaway, Cape Girardeau, Carroll, Cole, Cooper, Dade, Grundy, Livingston, Madison, McDonald, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, Osage, Randolph, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby, and St. Louis. Added to the CWD Management Zone were Christian, Howell, and Oregon counties because of recent CWD detections in Oregon, Stone, and Taney counties.

A two vehicle accident happened Friday evening at 6:30 in Phelps County on Route V about two miles north of Rolla that resulted in three people suffering injuries. According to the report released from the highway patrol, a 2008 Chevrolet 2500 HD, driven by 53-year old Richard Voyles of Rolla, was southbound on Route V and traveled into the oncoming lane striking a 2007 Mazda 6 traveling northbound, driven by 19-year old Scott Hill of St. James. Voyles sustained moderate injuries and was taken to Phelps Health by the Phelps Health Ambulance. It was unknown if he was wearing a seat restarint when the accident occurred. Two passengers in the Hill vehicle were also injured. Suffering serious injuries was 19-year old Dakota Mathenia of St. James who was flown to University Hospital in Columbia by Phelps Health Air Ambulance for treatment. She was not wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident. The other passenger, one-year old Laikin Hill of St. James, was transported by the Phelps Health Ambulance to Phelps Health for treatment. She was in a child safety seat. Scott Hill did not injured in the accident. Both vehicles were totaled in the accident and removed from the scene by Ron Dishman’s Towing of Rolla.

A one vehicle accident Friday morning at 8:30 in Maries County that left a person from St. James with minor injuries. According to the highway patrol report, a 2011 Chevrolet Camaro being driven by 22-year old Lindsay Seams, of St. James, was eastbound at the intersection of Route H and Route C when she failed to stop at a stop sign, traveled across and off the roadway striking a sign and some trees. Seams was transported by a private vehicle to Phelps Health in Rolla for treatment of her injuries. The Camaro was totaled and removed from the scene by Spurgeon’s Towing. Seams was wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident.

An accident occurred on Saturday evening at 10:10 in Phelps County on Highway 68 about three and a half miles south of St. James. According to the highway patrol report, a 2007 Harley Davidson driven by 50-year old Michael Cornelius from Perryville was traveling northbound when he traveled off the right side of the roadway and and the motorcycle started to slide. Cornelius suffered moderate injuries and was transported to Phelps Health by the St. James Ambulance. The Harley Davidson motorcycle sustained moderate damage and was towed from the scene by Spurgeon’s Towing of St. James.

The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors Meeting took place at 6:00 Tuesday evening, July 2nd. After the call to order, a motion was made and carried to approve the consent agenda and minutes from the previous meeting were reviewed and approved as presented. Bills were heard and approved with an ending balance of $204,112.87 as of the end of June. The budget was reviewed and approved. The calendar review made note of the 4th of July parade. In the monthly reimbursement report, the department received a total of 17 calls for the month of June, bringing the total calls year to date to 150. In old business, Chief Nash stated that the department upgrade project was waiting on USDA, Engineers, and Lawyers final approval and confirmation of insurance to get started. As soon as the approval comes in the roof project will be the first to be started. Chief Nash also stated that the pump motor on Tanker 84 needs repaired or replaced. A replacement motor would cost $3500.00 and the system is old. The board asked Chief Nash to get pricing for new verses repair and report to the board so as to get this taken care of as soon as possible. Nash also reported that a vacancy for an officer has become available for the department. Applications have been given out and after being received back will be reviewed and interviewed for the position. The date for the next meeting was set for August 6th at 6 p.m. at the fire station.

On Tuesday, July 9th, the University Extension will join with Country Mart in Salem to empower 16 low-income residents of Salem with the shopping skills needed to stretch their food dollars and serve healthy, affordable meals to their families. Local families will learn to compare unit prices, purchase fruits and vegetables on a budget, read food labels and pick out whole grains. Nutrition and Health Specialist Rachel Buenemann MS, RD, LD will lead the tours for local adults and families. During the one and a half hour tour, participants are empowered with four key food skills, receive a booklet with recipes and shopping tips, a reusable grocery bag and $10 worth of healthy groceries. The sessions will be from 10:00 until noon and from 1:00 until 3:00 in the afternoon. To register for the Cooking Matters at the Store Day or for more information call 573-458-6260.

The Bonebrake Discovery Camp will be held Wednesday, July 10th through Friday, July 12th at the Bonebrake Center of Nature and History from 9:00 in the morning until 3:30 in the afternoon. This camp is for children from the ages of about seven to twelve and will provide an enthusiastic experience of the outdoors coupled with art and cultural programs. All the activities are designed to nourish, enrich and strengthen a growing child. The cost is $75 for the three day session and enrollment is limited! Registration is on a first come, first served basis. Call 729-34000 for more information or e-mail bonebrakecenter@embarqmail.com.