Archive for 2020

Dent County Prosecutor Andrew Curley released reports from court held in Dent County Monday in front of Judge Kelly Parker. Curley stated that Matthew Doyle of Salem pled guilty to two counts of failing to register as a sex offender. Judge Parker sentenced Doyle to 14 years in the Department of Corrections under RSMO Section 559.115 with a 120-day shock incarceration. Also on Monday, Tristan Dubois of Salem pled guilty to three counts of felony possession of a controlled substance. He was sentenced by Judge Parker to seven years suspended execution of sentence with five years of probation and parole. Prosecutor Curley requested a Section 559-115 Institutional Treatment Program to address the substance abuse problem. Judge Parker ordered Dubois to complete the CORE program in southwest Missouri. In another case on Monday, Jimmy Govreau pled guilty to forging a money order. Judge Parker sentenced Govreau to a suspended imposition of his sentence with five years supervision, restitution is to be made and Govreau was to have no contact with the victim.

The Salem Police Department has released the following reports. On Saturday morning, October 10th at about 11:50, an officer was dispatched to Mobil for a report of someone leaving without paying for fuel. It was reported that a man had pumped $35.28 worth of gas and did not pay for it. Contact was later made with the subject and due to the police investigation a 23-year old Salem man was arrested and issued a summons. Then on Tuesday morning, October 13th around 9:26, officers were dispatched to the 1500 block of South McArthur for a report someone living in unsafe conditions. Contact was made with the subjects in question. One subject, a 40-year-old Salem female, had an active warrant for her arrest. She was taken to the Dent County Jail and was incarcerated. On Thursday morning, October 15th, at approximately 8:00, officers were dispatched to the 1500 block of East Roosevelt for a report of a male being there that had an active warrant for his arrest. Contact was made with a 45-year-old Salem male who had four active warrants for his arrest. The male was taken into custody without incident and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. That same afternoon near 2:33, an officer was dispatched to the Salem High School for a report of a theft. It was reported that a lock box containing approximately $500 in cash was stolen. Video surveillance of the incident was reviewed, and this incident is under investigation. If you have any information about an ongoing investigation, contact the Salem Police at (573) 729-4242.

The Missouri Department of Conservation reminds hunters, meat processors, taxidermists, and others of new regulations now in effect regarding transporting deer, elk, and other cervid carcasses into Missouri and within the state, and of new regulations on cervid-carcass-disposal requirements for meat processors and taxidermists. The new regulations of the Wildlife Code of Missouri are part of Conservation Department’s ongoing efforts to slow the spread of the deadly disease called Chronic Wasting Disease which affects deer, elk, and other members of the deer family, called cervids. Regulation changes for hunters who harvest deer in Missouri from a Chronic Wasting Disease Management Zone county are that the deer must be telechecked before any parts of the carcass may be transported out of the county of harvest. Whole carcasses and heads of deer harvested in Chronic Wasting Disease Management Zone counties may only be transported out of the county of harvest if the carcass is delivered to a licensed meat processor and/or taxidermist within 48 hours of exiting the county of harvest. There are a number of regulations that have changed for hunters bringing deer and other cervids into Missouri from another state. There are also regulation changes for taxidermists and meat processors. The Conservation Department will again offer statewide voluntary CWD sampling and testing of harvested deer during the entire deer season at select locations throughout the state. It will also be mandatory for CWD sampling for hunters who harvest deer in counties of the CWD Management Zone on November 14th and 15th. Any changes to mandatory sampling requirements due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will be posted at mdc.mo.gov/cwd and be available from regional offices. Get more information on the regulation changes and other CWD information for fall deer hunting, including a map of the CWD Management Zone, from MDC’s 2020 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations & Information booklet, available where permits are sold and online at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/.

Union Electric Company d/b/a Ameren Missouri has filed an application with the Missouri Public Service Commission seeking an Accounting Authority Order (AAO) authorizing it to track and defer, in a regulatory asset, all extraordinary costs and certain foregone revenues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This AAO request applies to Ameren Missouri’s provision of natural gas service to its Missouri customers. Applications to intervene and participate in this case must be filed no later than November 10th with the Secretary of the Missouri Public Service Commission at P.O. Box 360, Jefferson City, Missouri 65102-0360. Individual citizens wishing to comment should contact either the Office of the Public Counsel by calling (866) 922-2959, or the Public Service Commission Staff at 1-800-392-4211. The Office of the Public Counsel is a separate state agency that represents the general public in matters before the Commission. Ameren Missouri provides natural gas service to approximately 132,350 customers in 25 Missouri counties including Dent, Phelps and Gasconade counties in this area.

The City of Salem Park and Recreation Department and Salem Holiday Committee are looking for churches, businesses, organizations and even private individuals that would like to set up an illuminated holiday display inside the Salem City Park starting the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Contact Melissa Dubois for more information at 573-729-6290. These displays would be for Salem’s first drive through light display in the park that would be scheduled to be from November 25th through January 1st.

The Friends of the Salem Public Library will be meeting on Monday, November 2nd at 12:00 noon in the Salem Library basement at the corner of 4th and Jackson Streets. All members are urged to attend.

OOPS! In Monday’s Your World Today, the phone number to call the nurse when you arrive at the Salem Memorial District Hospital Family Medicine on Highway 72 North for your flu shots was incorrect. The number should have been 739-1934. When you call the nurse, give them your name and phone number. Remember to park in the marked areas on the side of the Physician Office Building #3 for your flu shot. This service will end this Friday. We apologize for the error.

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning for their regular meeting. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell stated that grading would be done on Dent County Road 5600 better know as the Turtle loop. He said a crew would be processing downed limbs from a tree on county road 2450 and would cut it into furnace size wood to be used at the shop for heating. He said brush would be cut on county road 2430 and 2440 and a man would be hauling materials from the quarry to stock pile at the Road and Bridge Department for emergencies. Purcell also reported he attended the tourism tax commission meeting last Monday where they approved seven requests for reimbursement. He also said that on Tuesday last week, he attended the South Central Missouri Community Action Agency meeting in Winona. Purcell said the fiscal year for the agency began on October 1st and all funds have been fully funded. This includes the LIHEAP program, weatherization and housing assistance. There is income guidelines associated with these programs and for more information, people should call Sara at 729-3500. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson stated that materials were being added, and chip and seal work was being done on Dent County Road 3240. He went on to say brush was being cut on county roads 5240 and 5245 and the low water bridge work on Dent County Road 3180 has been completed as the work was not as extensive as first thought. He said a crew would be out cleaning out pipes for the anticipated rainfall. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said the county has received three CARES ACT requests for reimbursement. They are from Manthey Rentals for $21,089.40, Dent-Phelps R-3 School for $739.27 and from the Salem R-80 School for $27,742.65. Skiles stated that there is still $1,180,000 dollars remaining in the CARES Act. To get more information on how to apply for assistance or for questions about the CARES Act funding, please contact the MRPC and speak with Kelly Sink or Eva Voss at 573-265-2993. Skiles said he would be attending the Health Insurance Consortium meeting this week in Springfield. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said absentee voting continues in her office through 5:00 On Monday, November 2nd. She said her office would be open this Saturday from 8:00 in the morning until noon for those who would like to absentee vote. She said the polls will be open on November 3rd from 6:00 in the morning until 7:00 in the evening and don’t forget to bring an ID, which could be a driver’s license, voter registration card, electric bill, etc. Also if you need to make an address change or name change to your voter registration, please do so now so that it will save time at the polls next Tuesday. Curley wants to remind the public that there will be no electioneering within 25 feet of the polls and that includes T-Shirts, hats, buttons, flyers, etc., plus don’t forget to use social distancing. If you have any questions, call the Dent County Clerk’s office at 729-4144. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams presented the CART fund receipts for this October as $61,264.88 was received compared to $61,515.22 for October of 2019. Year-to-date, the CART funds are down $28,602.17 which is down about 4.9%. The Commissioner went over bids for oil changes to the Dent County Sheriff’s Department vehicles. Bids were received from Hubbs Tire Center, Terrills Complete Auto Care, American Automotive and Towing, and Whitaker Auto Body. The commissioners referred the bids to the sheriff for a final decision. The board also opened bids for performing an audit for the 2020 year. The board received one bid from Devereux and Company out of St. Charles for a maximum price of $13,500. The commission postponed making any decision on the audit until a future meeting to see if an audit will actually be necessary because of the CARES Act funding. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission will be Monday at the courthouse at 9:00 and the meeting is open to the public.

An accident happened on Interstate 44 in Phelps County near the 186 mile marker Monday morning at 7:14. The report released from the highway patrol states that a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado being driven by 25-year old Hannah Toothaker of Vichy, was changing lanes and struck a 2018 Ford F-650 being driven by 49-year old Christy Anderson of Las Vegas, Nevada. Toothaker was transported to Phelps Health in Rolla for treatment of moderate injuries. The report states that Toothaker was not wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Silverado was totaled and removed from the scene by Ron Dishman’s Towing. The Ford had minor damage and was driven from the scene.

The City of Salem Planning and Zoning Board of Adjustments will hold a meeting tonight at 6:00 at the City Hall Council Chambers at 202 North Washington. At the meeting, the board will hear a request for a setback variance for a shed built at 507 East Roosevelt. The owner of the property is Tom McCracken. The meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital Family Medicine on Highway 72 North will continue to offer drive-up flu shots through this Friday from 8:00 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon for current SMDH Family Medicine patients. You are asked to please park in the marked areas on the side of Physicians Office Building #3. Once you arrive, please call 739-19354 and give the nurse your name and phone number.

The Dent County Health Center will be offering a drive-thru flu shot clinic this Thursday at the Dent County Fire Station at #2 South Main Street for those six months of age and older. They will bill most insurance companies so have your insurance card available. They can also bill Medicare and Children’s Medicaid. The Dent County Health Center will provide FREE flu shots for uninsured children and adults. High dose flu shots will be available for those 65 and older. The clinic will be held from 11:00 in the morning until 5:30 in the afternoon. If you have any questions about the flu vaccine or the drive-thru clinic, please call the Dent County Health Center at 729-3106. No appointments are needed.

The Missouri Department of Conservation is accepting applications through November 13th for the Missouri Outdoor Recreational Access Program (MRAP). The MRAP program provides incentive payments and habitat improvement help to private landowners who open their properties to the public for walk-in hunting, fishing, or wildlife viewing. The recreation allowed on each property varies according to the public access option selected by the participating landowner. MRAP access types include all access hunting and fishing, small game and turkey hunting, youth only hunting and fishing, archery hunting, fishing only, or wildlife viewing. Offered lands must meet eligibility requirements such as being at least 40 contiguous acres or at least a one-acre pond for fishing access. Wildlife viewing properties must be at least five contiguous acres and located within highly-populated counties. Land must also contain minimum amounts of quality wildlife habitat such as native grass fields, crop-field buffers, restored wetlands, or managed woodlands. There are currently more than 50 properties enrolled in the program, representing over 13,000 acres of wildlife habitat available to the public. Expansion of MRAP is possible through a new grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. MDC has received $2.2 million in funding this year, double the previous grant that allowed current MRAP properties to enroll. The standard commitment period to participate in the program is three years. The annual payment rates are determined by factors such as the access type selected by the landowner and the amount of quality habitat available. Most landowners can typically expect to earn $15-$25 an acre, per year. Landowners interested in boosting their annual payment can implement habitat improvements on their land. To find out more on how to apply to the MRAP program, visit short.mdc.mo.gov/Zcs.

The Missouri Department of Conservation is reporting that our area is in it’s peak color right now. The landscape is stunning and beautiful. The Ozark hillsides are now awash in almost every color imaginable. All the colors of the spectrum are represented: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet. Reds have been most notable in black gum, sumacs, and Virginia creeper. Orange has been the dominant color of sassafras and some maples recently. (If you are fortunate enough to have a maple in your yard you may have noticed that the side exposed to the sun is a little more vibrant.) Yellow is common on black walnut, mulberry, pawpaw, and hickories. Greens, of course, dominated throughout the growing season. Now, however, and through the winter months until leaves emerge in spring, the green tops of shortleaf pine and eastern red cedar will decorate hillsides and valleys. Dogwood leaves are also a special treat, spanning the entire width of cyan, blue, and violet color all on the same tree! Taken together, and with the recent cool nighttime temperatures and a little rainfall, this next week should be the peak viewing time. Get out and enjoy nature!