Archive for 2019

The Dent County Sheriff’s Department will be conducting a traffic check point in Dent County on Saturday, July 6th. The sheriff’s department is asking anyone who is stopped at the check to please have their driver’s license and proof of insurance ready to present to the officer. The Dent County Sheriff’s Office thanks you ahead of time for your cooperation.

The Dent County Health Center board of trustees met Monday, June 24th. After the call to order, the minutes for the May 2019 meeting were reviewed and approved. Kendra Mobray reported that outpatient lab services were provided to 81 clients during the month of May. Mobray went on to report that the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services WIC program is transitioning to an EBT system, called eWIC, beginning in October of this year. Dent County is scheduled to implement the new program in March 2020. Eric Fuchs from Wayne County will continue as the Emergency Planner for the Health Center. Lodging inspections in the county are also underway at this time and food inspections are up to date. As the new school year approaches, the Health Center would like to remind students and parents that Kindergartners must be up-to-date on immunizations to start school in August. All 8th graders must have one dose of meningitis and one dose of Tdap. Two doses of meningitis are required for 12th graders unless the first dose was administered to a student who was 16 years of age or older, in which case only one dose is required. At least one dose must be given after 16 years of age. The Dent County Health Center currently bills most insurance companies and offers state vaccine for uninsured, underinsured, and Medicaid clients. Vaccinations are available daily without an appointment. For additional questions, please call 573-729-3106. The Health Center reported eight cases of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and one case of Erlichia Chaffeensis. The Dent County Health Center expenses for May 2019 were approved and the next regular board meeting date was set for Monday, July 15th at 5:00 p.m. The meeting was then adjourned.

A draft of the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) for 2020-2024 is available online for the public to review and comment on through the end of regular business hours TODAY! The draft STIP includes 1,869 highway and bridge projects, of which 85% will maintain the system in the condition it is in today. On average, this STIP annually invests in 1,014 lane miles of interstate pavements, 1,346 miles of major route pavements, 2,652 miles of minor route pavements and 213 bridges. The draft 2020-2024 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program lists transportation projects planned by state and regional planning agencies for fiscal years 2020 through 2024 (July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2024) You can access the draft plan by going to the www.modot.org website and the link to the draft is located toward the bottom of the page. To offer comments you can contact MoDOT: STIPcomments@modot.mo.gov, or by calling customer service at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636). Missouri has the nation’s seventh largest state highway system with 33,859 miles of roadways and 10,385 bridges, but ranks 48th nationally in revenue per mile.

A one vehicle accident occurred Tuesday evening at 7:30 in Phelps County on Highway 68 just north of Route F. According to the highway patrol report, a 2008 Saturn Aura driven by 22- year old Emily Bounds of Salem was eastbound when she lost control of the vehicle in a curve, traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree. Bounds suffered minor injuries and refused treatment at the scene. The Saturn sustained moderate damage and was removed from the scene by family. According to the report, Bounds was wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident.

An accident happened on Wednesday morning at 8:25 in Texas County on Highway 32 at Pursiful Drive about four miles east of Licking. According to the highway patrol report a 2007 Ford Fusion was being driven eastbound on Highway 32 by 25-year old Wanda Graber of Licking when a 2006 Mazda 6 driven northbound by 17-year old Kaleena Scheer of Licking, failed to yield to the Ford and struck the vehicle. Both Graber and Scheer suffered minor injuries. Grabber was taken to the Salem Memorial District Hospital by the Salem Ambulance while Scheer was taken to the Texas County Memorial Hospital by the Texas County Ambulance. Scheer was not wearing a seat restraint at time of the accident while Graber was wearing hers. Both vehicles were totaled and removed from the scene by Jays Automotive of Houston.

Did you know that many believe that Missouri is home to Bigfoot and it lives in the Ozarks? Come enjoy a night of family fun beginning at 8:30 p.m., Saturday July 6th at the Echo Bluff State Park amphitheater to hear about this larger-than-life character and other fascinating and funny Ozark tall tales as told by native Missouri storyteller Larry Brown. Brown has been telling these tales for 35 years all over the country and is regularly featured on the Mid-Missouri public radio program Radio Friends with Paul Pepper. Participants are encouraged to dress appropriately for this outdoor event. Echo Bluff State Park is located at 34489 Echo Bluff Drive, Eminence, in southeast Missouri. For more information, call Echo Bluff State Park at 573-751-1224. For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

An accident happened Sunday night at 9:10 in Dent County at the junction of Highway 72 and Route J that took the life of a Salem man. According to the highway patrol report, a 2000 Suzuki Grand Vitara driven southbound by 23-year old Megan Caesar of Salem, was stopped in the merge lane to turn onto Route J when a 2018 GMC Pickup driven northbound by 61-year old Cynthia Fruehauf of Greenbrier, Arkansas, crossed the center line and struck the Suzuki head-on. A passenger in the Suzuki, 72-year old Timothy Gibson of Salem was taken to the Salem Memorial District Hospital by ambulance where he was pronounced dead by Dr. White at 11:11 Sunday night. Fruehauf suffered serious injuries and was Air Evac’d to Mercy Hospital in St. Louis. Caesar suffered serious injuries as well and was Air Evac’d to the University Hospital in Columbia as was another passenger in the Suzuki, 61-year old James Gibson of Salem who also suffered serious injuries. Everyone but James Gibson was wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident. Both vehicles were totaled and removed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing.

The Salem Board of Aldermen met Monday night for their regular scheduled board meeting. The board approved the request from Randy League of the Midwest Blue Oval Club to close the streets around the courthouse square on September 7th for the Current River Blue Oval Car Rally. Public Works Director Mark Nash presented five bids for used tractors for the street department and the board approved his recommendation of a 2014 John Deer 6115R that includes a diamond boom mower for $52,000 delivered. This tractor can clean ditch lines and also can extend in the air to clear overhanging branches and vines as well. It does the work of two tractors with one man. City Administrator Ray Walden wanted to remind everyone of the Independence Day Parade starting at 6:00 Thursday night followed by the fireworks display at about 9:15 to 9:30 at the Commons. He wanted to remind the public they are not allowed to bring and shoot fireworks on the Commons property before, during or after the display. Walden said the city offices would be closed on Thursday for the 4th of July. He also said MoDOT gave the go ahead to advertise for bids for the TAP grant to build the trail from the City Park pavilion to the Salem R-80 Administrative Offices. The bids will be due on Tuesday, July 23rd at 1:30 at the city administrative offices and a pre-bid meeting will be held July 11th at 1:00 at the Salem Community Center@The Armory. Walden reported the Salem Community Center had 4,120 participants in April and 5,017 in May. He also stated an Economic Development Workshop will be held on July 11th at 5:30 at the Dent County Fire Station. He also said he would send the aldermen a list of meeting dates to set up a nuisance workshop that would be open to the public. They can get back with him as to the dates that fit their schedule best. The board approved Resolution #16-2019 with the Dent County Commission, Collector and Treasurer that would allow the county collector to bill and collect the City of Salem real estate, personal property and Salem Public Library taxes through 2023. The board also approved Bill #3422 to create an ordinance to allow the subdividing of a parcel of land at 202, 204 and 206 West Fourth Street. On Bill #3423 to approve a change order agreement for the old middle school, there was a lot of discussion that the city should not have to pay all the additional monies for asbestos abatement as they felt the engineering firm, Environmental Operations, Inc., did not do enough due diligence in their assessment of the old middle school. It was found that there was additional caulking behind each window that was assessed in the school from the original windows that were put in the building which must be removed. Alderman Shelton and Hinderliter voted to approve the additional monies to keep the project moving with the possibility of recourse against Environmental Operations, Inc. while Aldermen James and Nash voted against the bill. Mayor Brad Nash voted to move forward and approved the ordinance with the tie breaking vote. City Clerk Mary Happel said that the Park Street Trailer Court still has not submitted an application for a new license and she was going to contact them and let them know they are in violation and may be subject to penalties. She also has been approached by some people about the UTV ordinance that states they must have turn signals. Many of the models do not have signals and she wanted direction of the board as to leave the ordinance as is or change it. The board voted to remove the requirement to have turn signals on UTV’s from the ordinance. The board approved the repair or replacement of a number of transformers for the Electric Department from Solomon Corporation that totaled $14,680.00. Administrator Walden said $30,000 had been budgeted for this project. The board then went into closed session to discuss contracts and personnel.

Captain Eddie Blaylock, commanding officer of Troop I, announces that during the 4th of July holiday weekend, troopers will conduct a hazardous moving enforcement operation, in Crawford County. This is one of many enforcement projects being conducted through the holiday weekend, which starts today and ends on July 7th. Troopers assigned to this project will direct their efforts to Interstate 44 in Crawford County. Special emphasis on speed, following too close, aggressive driving, and driving impaired will be their primary focus. Captain Blaylock would like to remind travelers to designate a sober driver or sober captain if your holiday plans include alcohol. Captain Blaylock also reminds the public that emergencies on the road or on the water can be reported by dialing *55 on their cellular telephone.