Archive for 2020

The Dent County 4-H and FFA Expo is going on now at The Commons. This year’s expo will be much different than in year’s past due to the COVID-19 virus as a number of the family events and activities have been cancelled or highly modified. Today, all the livestock must be in place on the grounds by 11:00 this morning with weigh-ins beginning around noon. Friday will feature a full day of shows starring at 7:00 in the morning with the Hog Show followed by the Sheep and Goat Show. After lunch, the Small Animal Show will begin at 1:00 followed by the Beef and Dairy Show at 2:00. This year the 4-H and FFA Market Sale will be held at 9:00 Saturday morning. The sale on Saturday will be broadcast live on KSMO Radio and online at ksmoradio.com. There is no charge to attend the expo. Everyone is welcome to attend and encouraged to observe social distancing. Please cover any coughs or sneezes, and wash or disinfect your hands frequently. Hand sanitizing stations will be located around the barns. If you are feeling ill before coming to the expo, please stay home. Wearing a mask is optional at the expo, but should be seriously considered with a fairly large crowd expected.

A one vehicle accident happened Tuesday afternoon shortly after 3:00 in Phelps County on eastbound Interstate 44 near the 197 mile marker. The report from the highway patrol states that a 2004 Toyota Tacoma being driven by 60-year old Ronald Weland of Steelville, traveled off the right side of the highway before returning to the interstate and traveling off the left side of the roadway. The vehicle then struck the cable barrier in the median before coming to a rest in the eastbound lane. Weland was transported by Phelps Air to the University Hospital in Columbia for treatment of serious injuries. The report went on to say that Weland was not wearing a safety restraint at the time of accident. The Toyota was totaled in the accident and removed from the scene by Spurgeon’s Towing.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education will be holding their regular meeting tonight at 6:00 in the Salem R-80 District Administrative board room. At the meeting, the board will then hear the Superintendent’s report from the Dr. Reed covering the COVID re-entry, R-80 facilities update and the SRO Contract. In new business the board will consider bids for milk, bread, food and supply, fuel, and pest control. The board will set the tax rate hearing and regular August Board meeting. The Board will set the MSBA training dates for August 10th, 17th, 24th and 31st. The board will then adjourn and move into executive session. The regular meeting of the R-80 board is open to the public

The Dent County Sheriff’s Department has released some reports. On Tuesday, June 30th, deputies traveled to a residence in the 200 block of Route H for the report of a domestic dispute. During the course of the incident, a 40-year-old Salem woman was arrested for having an active warrant through Dent County. The woman was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office Jail and incarcerated. That same day, a deputy conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of 8th Street and North Highway 19. During the course of the traffic stop, a 33-year-old Salem woman was arrested for driving while having her license revoked or suspended, a 1st offense. The woman was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office where she was fingerprinted, issued a summons and released. on Wednesday, July 1st, a deputy conducted a traffic stop in the 500 block of Highway 68. During the course of the traffic stop, a 31-year-old Salem woman was arrested for driving while having her license revoked or suspended. The woman was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office where she was fingerprinted, issued a summons and released. On Thursday, July 2nd, a deputy conducted a traffic stop in the 400 block of Dent County Road 4180. During the course of the traffic stop, a 33-year-old Salem man was arrested for the possession of a controlled substance and the unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, a prior drug offense. The man was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office Jail and incarcerated. That same day, deputies traveled to a residence in the 200 block of Route H for the report of a domestic dispute. During the course of the incident, a 37-year-old Salem man was arrested for having an active arrest warrant through the Texas County Sheriff’s Office. The man was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office Jail and incarcerated. If anyone has information regarding any ongoing investigation, please call the Dent County Sheriff’s Office at 729-3241.

The Ozark National Scenic Riverways, in partnership with the Ozark Riverways Foundation and Current River State Park, are offering free paddling clinics each Sunday lasting through August 9th at the Current River State Park. These free clinics are open to ten participants per program and pre-registration is required. Participants will need to provide their own personal flotation device & lunch. Paddlers will meet at Current River State Park at 10:00 in the morning for one hour of dry land basic skills, followed by instruction and paddling practice on the lower lake. Students will have the option to continue instruction on the river in the afternoon, paddling approximately four miles from Current River State Park to Round Spring. Instructors for this clinic are certified by the American Canoe Association. Topics to be covered include canoe and kayak equipment, rescue techniques, basic paddle strokes and maneuvers, and river safety. Kayaks and paddles will be supplied by Current River State Park. All participants are encouraged to practice safe social distancing and to wear appropriate face coverings if desired. Kayaks and paddles will be sanitized before and after the clinic in an effort to promote good hygiene. This is an open-air event. For more information or to register for one of the sessions call the Round Spring Visitor Center at 573-323-8093.

At the Dent County Commissioners meeting Monday, Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk reported June collections from real estate, personal property taxes and merchant’s licenses came in at $134,900.31. She also stated the Delinquent Tax Sale will be held on the courthouse steps on Monday, August 24th, the fourth Monday of the month as per state statute. The sale will begin at 10:00. In order for you to avoid having your property sold at the tax sale, you will need to pay all the taxes for the last three years (2017, 2018 and 2019) as well as interest and penalties plus advertising costs in the Salem News by August 21st, 2020. For more information, please contact the Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk at 573-729-3911.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources announced today approximately $4 million in low-interest loans has been awarded to assist with energy-efficiency projects. The only recipient in our area was the City of Salem which received $115,548. Other recipients are the Delta R-V School District, Hannibal Public School District #60, Normandy Schools Collaborative, Schuyler County R-I School District, Scotland County Memorial Hospital and the University of Missouri at Kansas City. The funded projects are expected to support 48 jobs, benefit more than 32,310 Missourians, and result in annual energy savings of just about $499,990. The loans will be repaid with money that is saved on the energy costs as a result of implementing upgrades and improvements. The projects will reduce electricity use by more than 3.3 million kilowatt-hours and natural gas use by 11.889 million Btu. Carol Comer, director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, said the Energy Loan Program awards support all the investments in cost-saving energy improvements. Under the program, low-interest loans are provided to public schools, public and private higher education institutions, public and private not-for-profit hospitals, and local governments to help reduce energy costs. Loan financing may be used for investments such as insulation, lighting systems, heating and cooling systems, combined heat and power, pumps, motors, aerators, renewable energy systems, and other measures that reduce energy use and cost. To learn more about the Energy Loan Program contact the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Division of Energy at 573-751-2254 or toll-free at 855-522-2796.

Captain Eddie A. Blaylock, the commanding officer of Troop I, announced that effective this past Monday, July 13th until September 28th, drivers license testing will not be held in Cuba, Steelville, St. Robert, Salem and Vienna. Those who want to take the written and driving tests in the area will have to go to the Troop I Headquarters located at 1301 Nagogami Road in Rolla on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the afternoon. Written tests will end at 4:45 each afternoon and the road tests will end at 4:30 each day. CDL testing in Rolla will only be held on Thursday and by appointment only. The testing location will be closed from noon until 12:30 for lunch. Due to limited capacities at these locations and to avoid extended wait times, applicants are encouraged to call prior to testing. The number is (573) 368-2345. Applicants must clean and sanitize their vehicle before the skills test is administered and wear a face mask or some sort of face covering. Please limit the amount of people attending the examination to one person other than the applicant. Face coverings will be removed briefly when the applicant’s photo is taken during the licensing process. All times and other testing locations can be found on the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s website.

Since 1990, 943 children have died as a result of heat strokes in hot cars. Multiple babies have died throughout the US this summer from being forgotten in a hot car and Forgotten Baby Syndrome (FBS). Further, hot cars are the primary non-crash vehicle-related cause of death in children under 14. Forgotten baby syndrome refers to parents who accidentally leave a baby or young child in a locked car—often with tragic results. Forgotten baby syndrome occurs when parents are focusing on future tasks instead of the moment. This can be an extremely dangerous mental state for a quiet or sleeping baby. It is the medical explanation that describes how a parent can walk away from the car without thinking about their child in the backseat. While 54 percent of hot car deaths occur when loving parents leave children in the car, there are other ways a child can die in a vehicle. In 28 percent of cases, the child gained access to a vehicle without a parent’s knowledge. The best way to avoid a child gaining access to a vehicle is to keep your car keys out of reach.

An accident happened in Reynolds County Monday evening at 6:30 on Highway 72 at Route A. According to the highway patrol, an unknown UTV driven eastbound by an unknown driver, overturned and ejected 44-year old William Piatt of Salem. Piatt suffered moderate injuries and taken to Mercy Hospital in St. Louis by Air Evac helicopter. The unknown driver then drove the UTV from the scene.

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning at the Courthouse for their regular meeting. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles was not at the meeting due to a previous commitment. Commissioner Dennis Purcell acted as the presiding commissioner for the meeting and gave the road report for District 1. He stated workers would be installing crossover pipes and adding materials to Dent County Roads 5610, 5615 and 5680. He also said workers would be servicing and doing ditch work on county road 4080. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson also said workers would be installing crossover pipes and adding materials to Dent County Roads 2020 and 2570. He said brush would be cut on county road 4280 and a radiator hose will be replaced on Grader #32. Larson also indicated that a person had reported a tree down on county road 3020. He said someone had cleared away part of the tree to make the road passable, but workers would finish removing the tree. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported that her office and the treasurer’s office balanced on all accounts for the month of June, plus her office and the collector’s office and the assessor’s office balanced on all abatements, add-ons and collections for the month of June. Curley said absentee voting continues in her office through August 3rd while anyone wanting a ballot to be mailed out need to request that from her office by July 22nd. Dent County Collector Denita Williams presented the commissioners with the sales tax reports for the money received by the county in July. In the General Revenue Fund and Law Enforcement Sales Tax Fund, the county received just over $74,994.00 in July which was about $506.00 less than in June of 2019, but year-to-date, the both funds are up about $30,225.00. The Road and Bridge Fund received $35,773.10 and that was down $25.62 from last July’s receipts, but year-to date, the funds are up $18,540.35. Both of the jail funds received $71,418.99 and they were down from last year by $35.85, while year-to-date, both funds are up $35,410.19. At the last meeting, the commissioners received three CARES Act applications for reimbursement and all three were approved. The three entities were Green Forest R-2 for $1,669.10; Dent-Phelps R-3 for $1,365.94 and the Dent County Health Department for $11,561.03. The commissioners also agreed in a unanimous vote to set the maximum a public entity can get from the CARES Act funding at $125,000. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Police Department has released a number of reports for the first week of July. On the first day of July near 8:00 in the evening, an officer was made aware of a male subject who had numerous felony warrants walking in the 500 block of South Pershing. Contact was made with the male subject and when he was made aware he was being arrested, the man fled on foot from the scene. A short time later the 29-year-old Salem male was taken into custody. Also located on his person was methamphetamine paraphernalia. He was transported to the Dent County Jail for incarceration on his warrants. Charges of resisting arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia are being sought. On Thursday, July 2nd around 2:30, an officer responded to the 800 block of East Gibbs to attempt to make contact with a male subject who had not properly registered as a sex offender. The address on East Gibbs was the registered address for the man. After a short investigation it was found that the man had not lived at the residence in over a month. Information was obtained by the officer about the whereabouts of this person. As a result of the investigation, a 42-year-old Salem man was located at an unregistered address and arrested for failing to register. The male subject was transported to the Dent County Jail and placed on a 24-hour hold pending the application of warrants. That same evening near 11:45, an officer was on traffic patrol when a car was traveling south on Highway 19 at a high rate of speed. The officer conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle near the intersection of Highway 19 and Highway 32. It was also found the vehicle had expired registration. Contact was made with the driver and signs of intoxication were visible. The driver was asked to exit the vehicle and complete a series of standardized field sobriety tests. As a result of the investigation a 22-year-old male from Westphalia was arrested for driving while being intoxicated. The male subject was also found to have an active arrest warrant out of St. James Police Department. The man was transported to the Dent County Jail for incarceration on the warrant. The male was issued a summons to appear in court for the traffic violations and for driving while being intoxicated. On Friday, June 3rd near 12:45 in the afternoon, an officer was on routine traffic patrol. The officer observed a blue Chrysler van traveling on Highway 19 with expired registration. A traffic stop was conducted in the McDonald’s parking lot. Contact was made with the driver and he was found to have a revoked driver’s license and had an arrest warrant out of Phelps County. As a result of the stop, a 36-year old Salem man was arrested for driving while having his license revoked and the Phelps County arrest warrant. The male was taken to the Dent County Jail and issued a summons for driving while having his license revoked and was incarcerated pending extradition or posting bond. Please call the Salem Police Department at 729-4242 if you have information regarding any ongoing investigation.