Archive for 2020

The Dent County Health Center will be holding a Drive through Flu Shot Clinic today from 10:00 this morning until 6:00 tonight at the Dent County Fire Protection District Fire Station at #2 South Main in Salem. The shot clinic is for ages 6 months and up and participants are requested to have their insurance cards available.

The Dent County Commission met Tuesday morning in the courthouse. Sheriff Bob Wells was in to get approval to advertise for oil changes for the Sheriff’s Department vehicles. The Commission approved the advertisement and bids are to be submitted to the Dent County Clerk’s office by 10:00 on Monday, October 26th. Treasurer Denita Williams was in with the sales tax receipts for October. General Revenue and Law Enforcement Sales Tax each received $72,720.24, which is up $4,311.51 over September and up year-to-date $39,666.97 or nearly 4.9%. Road and Bridge received $34,266.25 and is up $2,725.53 or nearly 6.6% year-to-date. The Jail Operations and Jail Trust Fund each received $68,464.65 and they are up $48,781.01 or 6.45%. In the road report, District One Commissioner Dennis Purcell noted that roadways are nearly too dry to grade. He said ditching would take place on Dent County Road 5220, commonly referred to as the Quarry Road, and materials would be added to that road. Purcell reported that materials would be added to county roads 2470 and 2480, plus bridge repair would be done on county road 6580. Purcell said that two men had gone to Jefferson City to pickup Truck #119, which had been in for repairs. He concluded by saying that time permitting brush would be cut on county roads 4122 and 4124. District Two Commissioner Gary Larson said that brush would be cut on Dent County Roads 3080 and 3090, and materials would be added to county road 5300. Larson explained that the low water bridge on county road 3180 was going to have quite a bit of concrete added to it in order to avoid further deterioration. He also reported that extensive repair was going to be done to a damaged area of county road 3240 that is chip and sealed, plus a pipe was going to be installed on county road 2330. Presiding Commissioner Darrel Skiles reported that last Tuesday he attend a meeting of the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District where none grants were approved for nearly $195,000. On Friday, he attended a meeting of a group in Houston that is working on developing a plan to get Highway 63 to four lanes from Highway 50 in Osage County to the Arkansas line. The group involves nearly all the counties that Highway 63 travels through and they are considering forming a Transportation Development District. Skiles said he attended to address the probable by-pass of Rolla and his hope that it would be on the east side of Rolla in order to provide Salem and Dent County better access to Highway 63 and I44, rather than on the west side of Rolla. He also noted that he attended the small business breakfast where Kelly Sink presented ideas about utilizing the Cares Act funds. The Commissioners emphasized the fact that Dent County still has around a million dollars in Cares Act funds to be utilized by small business and public entities. Those interested need to contact MRPC’s Kelly Sink at 573-265-2993. The Commissioners approved Cares Act Fund payments of $30,000 for Ozark Dental and $50,000 for Jadwin Transportation. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley noted that absentee voting continues through November 2nd at 5:00 pm and her office will be open Saturday, October 31st, from 8:00 until 12:00 noon. She said the last day to mail out an absentee ballot is October 21st at 5:00 pm and that sample ballots are available to be picked up or emailed. Curley said that the public testing of election equipment will be October 23rd at 9:00. She also noted that bills were being approved for payment along with payroll and that she balanced with the collector and assessor on all monthly collections, abatements and add-ons for September and that the Commissioners reviewed her reports. The Commissioners approved signing the Hazardous Mitigation Plan update contract which is due in 2023. This is done in order to start the update process. Jeff Banderet with Great Rivers was in to review the FLAP Projects for the Cooley Bridge and Tan Vat access road improvements. The Commission approved and signed the forms that summarize each project. The next meeting of the Commission will be Monday morning in the courthouse and it is open to the public.

The Salem Airport Board will be meeting this evening at the Salem Community Center@The Armory starting at 6:00. The agenda includes unfinished business which includes an update on the airport lights, an update on the new and existing hangers, an update on the gate opener, an update on the contracting out for fuel service and an update on a courtesy car. In new business, the airport board will review the 2019-2020 tentative year end reports as well as the 2020-2021 year-to-date financial reports. They will also discuss a prospective weather station at the airport and any other business before adjourning. The meeting is open to the public.

After a few cooler evenings and morning, the forest and woodland hillsides in the Ozark Region are beginning to show a little more fall color this week, while other areas are still mostly showing various shades of green. Walnut and sassafras are turning, and some black gums are showing nice reds. Maples, black cherry, and elms are starting to show yellows and reds and should be very colorful over the next few weeks. On drier sites, oaks and hickories have yellow and brown leaves, but in areas where they receive more moisture, their leaves are showing just a hint of yellow. Look for them to reach peak color in middle to late October. Although not common, our native red mulberry trees, with their large, heart-shaped leaves, are bright yellow now. In open fields and along roadsides, sumacs are showing brilliant red. Some fall hot spots to take advantage of this beautiful time of the year to get out and enjoy nature is the Current and Jack’s Fork Rivers! Sinking Creek is also an excellent tributary to now only see great colors but the incredible bluffs. If you are in Texas County, check out the Barn Hollow Conservation Area and Buck Hollow Access where Highway 17 crosses the Jacks Fork River and provides excellent opportunities to view the fall color kaleidoscope.

The Missouri Department of Conservation has announced it has changed its mandatory sampling requirements for chronic wasting disease (CWD) to voluntary sampling in 30 counties during the opening weekend of this year’s November firearms portion of deer season. The change was prompted by ongoing cases and public-health concerns in Missouri regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The change will impact hunters who harvest deer during the opening weekend of the November portion of the firearms deer season on November 14th and 15th in any of the 30 CWD Management Zone counties that include in our area Crawford, Franklin, Gasconade, Howell, Oregon, St. Francois and Washington. While CWD sampling is no longer required that opening weekend for the 30 counties in its CWD Management Zone, MDC’s 71 CWD sampling stations located throughout the zone will remain open. MDC encourages hunters to have their deer sampled for CWD on the day of harvest. MDC will be taking precautions to ensure the health of both staff and the public during CWD sampling. Social distancing will be practiced by MDC staff at all stations. MDC staff will wear gloves and face masks at all times. Hunters and those with them will be asked to remain in their vehicles while their deer is being sampled. Hunters will only be asked to provide county of harvest and will not be asked to identify harvest location on a map. MDC asks hunters and others who are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 to refrain from visiting CWD sampling stations. MDC will continue to offer statewide voluntary CWD sampling and testing of harvested deer during the entire deer season at select locations throughout the state, including participating MDC offices, cooperating taxidermists, and new freezer head-drop locations. Sampling and test results are free. Find locations and more information online at mdc.mo.gov/cwd or by contacting an MDC regional office.

Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, invites the public to visit the agency’s recently created Show-Me Integrity portal. Accessed through the Patrol’s website, visitors get an unprecedented look inside the Patrol. Colonel Olson said that they know that accreditation, core values, community policing, service, and protection are only words until you see how they apply them every day during every contact. The Show-Me Integrity portal provides insight into policies, training, and important functions, as well as related statistics. Learn more about your Missouri State Highway Patrol by visiting the portal at https://www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov and click on the “Show-Me Integrity” portal icon in the middle of the home page. Colonel Olson also said that he hopes the Show-Me Integrity portal conveys to Missouri citizens the high standards the employees meet as they perform their duties, plus they are proud to serve you with integrity, responsibility, respect, professionalism, compassion, resourcefulness, character, and commitment.

Monday was an historic day for the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla and for the state of Missouri. St. Louis businessman Fred Kummer and his wife June have donated 300 million dollars to the southern Missouri university he graduated from in 1955 which is the largest single gift in the history of Missouri higher education. S&T Chancellor Mo Dehghani says the funding will help to launch four new research centers focused on infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. Dehghani says he hopes they will be game changers. The university also plans to use the gift on things like creating new faculty jobs, providing scholarships and fellowships as well as launching a shuttle service between S&T and St. Louis to bring students to campus. Kummer is the founder of St. Louis-based HBE Corporation, a design-build health care firm. Missouri S&T is a research university of over 8,000 students focused on science, technology, engineering and math.

Salem Alderman Kevin James has called for a City of Salem Utility Committee meeting to be held Thursday evening, October 15th at the Salem Community Center@The Armory at 1200 West Rolla. At the meeting, the committee will receive an update on the AMI Project and utility billing before getting an update on the BHMG’s AMI project review and assessment. Following that update, the utility committee will see demonstrations of online payments and pay-by-phone options. Finally any other topics from the committee members will be heard for future considerations and actions. The meeting of the City of Salem Utility Committee meeting is open to the public.