Archive for 2020

A fatal drowning occurred Saturday evening in Crawford County at 5:35 in Huzzah Creek just above the Confluence. According to the highway patrol report, 24-year old Dalton Newkirk of Highland, Illinois, was struggling in the water, went under the surface and did not resurface. Newkirk was not wearing personal floatation device while in the water. Newkirk’s body was recovered by family and was assisted by Corporal Hurt and Corporal Dunmire. Newkirk’s body was transported to the Hutson Funeral Home in Cuba.

An accident in Pulaski County at around 12:45 Saturday morning resulted in injuries to a Salem resident. According to the report from the highway patrol, a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro being driven by 34-year old Danielle Quinn of Salem was traveling north on Route Y when she struck a deer in the roadway. An occupant in the vehicle, 52-year old Bobbie Laramie of Salem, suffered moderate injuries and was transported by ambulance to the Mercy Hospital in Lebanon. Both occupants of the Camaro were wearing safety restraints. The vehicle sustained moderate damage and was removed from the scene by Onsite Towing.

An accident occurred Saturday evening at 7:15 in Dent County at the Shawnee Mac Lake Conservation Area. According to the highway patrol report, a 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier driven by a 15-year old male juvenile of Salem was traveling southbound and traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree. A 15-year old female of Salem was an occupant in the vehicle and suffered minor injuries and was transported by private vehicle to Salem Memorial District Hospital. The female occupant was not wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident. The Cavalier sustained moderate damages and was towed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing. The highway patrol was assisted by the Dent County Sheriff’s Office.

An accident happened Sunday morning at 9:18 in Dent County on Highway 68 about nine miles north of Salem. According to the highway patrol report, a 2006 Mercury Mountaineer driven southbound by 25-year old Kelly Renee Cunningham of Rolla, traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck the ground. Cunningham suffered minor injuries and was transported by the Salem EMS to the Salem Memorial District Hospital. Cunningham was wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident. The Mountaineer sustained only minor damage and was secured at the scene.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education will hold a special meeting tonight at 5:30 the district administration offices boardroom. After approval of the agenda the board will address new business including approval of a COVID-19 plan, approval of the fuel bid and discuss MSBA training before adjourning. The Salem R-80 Board of Education meeting Monday evening is open to the public.

The Salem Board of Aldermen will hold their regular meeting as well as a public hearing on a new Floodplain Control Ordinance starting at 7:00 tonight at the city hall council chambers. At the meeting, the board will hear bids for refuse and recycling services for three years before hearing renovation bids for the Salem Police Dispatch Center. Bids will be heard on the cabinets and countertops, the demo and the hanging of drywall as well as putting in network lines plus phone and fax lines. The board will also hear bids on the equipment to outfit the new Salem Police Department vehicles just purchased. The bids will be followed by the public hearing to determine changes to the Flood Management Ordinance. After the consent agenda, the board will hear from City Administrator Ray Walden as he will give an update on city projects and also provide an update on Incode. The board will hear Bill #3451 which is an ordinance repealing Chapter-415 concerning Flood Control in the city adopted by Ordinance #3137 in July of 2008, and is replacing it with Ordinance 3451 to be codified in the Code of ordinance of the City of Salem. The board then discussed Bill #3457 that establishes new electric rates for electric services. The board will also discuss Resolution #17-2020 which would authorize the mayor to execute a payment agreement between the city and Salem R-80 School District for a pad-mount transformer for the ag-building. The board will discuss the Code of Conduct which is to be reviewed every two years for possible updates. The board will then vote to go into executive session. The meeting of the alderman and the Public Hearing are both open to the public. The meeting and hearing can be streamed live on ksmoradio.com and will be available after Monday night on You Tube for on-demand playback.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Office has released reports for Tuesday, July 21st and Saturday, July 25th. On the 21st a deputy received information that a subject was at the Dent County Courthouse and had an active warrant for his arrest. A deputy traveled to the courthouse and a 31-year-old Salem man was arrested for having an active arrest warrant through Dent County. The man was taken to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office Jail where he was incarcerated. That same day, the Dent County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a careless and imprudent driver traveling eastbound on West Highway 32 towards Salem. Deputies traveled to the area and located the vehicle. A traffic stop was conducted at the Wal-Mart parking lot. During the course of the traffic stop, a 35-year-old Bucyrus man was arrested for having an active arrest warrant through the Licking Police Department and for also having an active arrest warrant through the Texas County Sheriff’s Office. The man was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office Jail where he was incarcerated. On Saturday, July 25th, a 60-year-old Union woman came into the Dent County Sheriff’s Office and said she had been the victim of an assault which had occurred at a residence in the 500 block of Dent County Road 6250. After further speaking to the victim, deputies traveled to the residence in the 500 block of Dent County Road 6250 to arrest the suspect, a 42-year-old Gladden woman. Deputies arrived at the residence and during the course of the incident, the woman was arrested and transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office Jail where she was incarcerated. If anyone has information about an ongoing investigation, please contact the Dent County Sheriff’s Department at 729-3241.

The CARES Act prevented landlords from taking eviction actions against renters who were unable to pay rent on certain federally backed programs, including the Housing Choice Voucher program, operated by the Phelps County Public Housing Agency (PHA). The CARES Act also prohibited charging fees, penalties and other charges to those tenants due to nonpayment. This moratorium on evictions ended on July 24th, and here is what tenants and landlords should know now that the moratorium is over. First, tenants should be aware that after July 24th the PHA or landlord can give an eviction notice if they have not entered into a repayment agreement. Any eviction notice given after the moratorium has ended gives the tenant 30 days to vacate the property. Tenants can avoid eviction in a few ways, which includes notify the housing authority of any decrease in income or change in circumstances as soon as possible, and ask the PHA to recertify the tenant’s income. Tenants can also pay the lump sum of back due rent as soon as possible or ask if a repayment agreement for unpaid rent can be formed. A repayment agreement is a written and signed contract between the PHA or landlord and tenant establishing the amount of back rent due and how much the tenant can pay each month and for how many months until the rent is current. Tenants can also talk to the housing authority about local resources to help with rent, utilities and other basic needs. According to Donald Keeney, the housing manager for the Phelps County PHA, communication between the tenant, the housing authority and the landlord is key in avoiding an eviction due to the ever changing circumstances caused by COVID-19. He suggests that landlords should reach out to tenants and find out why a tenant is behind on rent. Additionally, the landlord should notify the PHA if a tenant falls behind on rent as soon as possible. This allows for staff to reach out directly to participants and assist them in reporting income changes or identifying and applying for additional resources. If possible, landlords are encouraged to enter into repayment agreements so that families can continue to be housed and not be burdened by paying past due rent in a lump sum. HUD encourages landlords to avoid evicting tenants whenever possible. For more information, contact the PHA at 573-265-4200. The MRPC provides staffing to the Phelps County Public Housing Agency that provides rental assistance to over 750 low-income families in Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps (outside of Rolla) and Washington counties.

The city of Salem will be doing curbside yard waste pick-up the first full week of each month. Items that will be picked up by the city include limbs and branches that are cut to a length of 4 feet or less and leaves that are bagged in recyclable leaf bags which can be purchased at the city utility office $2.50 for ten bags. The city will pick up yard waste that has been properly bagged, cut, and placed at the edge of the curb or sidewalk. They ask that you do not block the sidewalk or place items in the street. The city of Salem reserves the right to charge for exceptionally large volumes of yard waste or to recommend removal by a private company. Items that will not be picked up include appliances, household trash, tires, electronics, lumber or building materials, furniture, or recyclables. Items must be ready and set out for pickup on the first Monday of the first full weeks of each month.

A Public Hearing of the Board of Aldermen of the City of Salem will be held Monday night, August 3rd during the Board of Aldermen Meeting which starts at 7:00 in the City Hall Council Chambers at 202 N. Washington. The public hearing will be held to consider changes to the Floodplain Management Ordinance. This hearing, called by Salem Mayor Brad Nash, is open to the public.