Archive for 2020
Weather – Thursday, January 30th, 2020
Today..Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of freezing fog or mist this morning, high of 39.
Tonight..Cloudy with a 20% chance for rain or light freezing rain tonight, low near 27.
Friday..Mostly cloudy, high of 38.
Friday night..Mostly cloudy, low around 31.
Saturday..Mostly sunny, high of 47.
Saturday night..Mostly clear, low near 33.
Sunday..Mostly sunny, high around 62.
Local News – Wednesday, January 29th, 2020
Governor Mike Parson announced nine appointments to various boards and commissions and filled two county office vacancies on Monday. One of those appointments made by Parson was Jamie Homeyer of Salem as the Dent County Assessor. Homeyer has been a realtor with VIP Properties in Salem for 15 years and a co-owner of AW Huber, Inc, since 1995. Ms. Homeyer is a member of Missouri Realtors, the National Association of Realtors, and the South Central Board of Realtors. She also serves as Secretary of the Dent County Community Foundation of the Ozarks and previously served as President of the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce. Homeyer was named as the Interim Dent County assessor by the Dent County Commission to replace Tina Whitaker who retired December 31st.
On Monday morning, January 27th at the Dent County Courthouse, the Dent County Commissioners held the 2020 Dent County Budget hearing. The General Revenue Fund ended 2019 with net cash available at $1,652,120.54. The estimated revenues for 2020 were 1.722 million dollars while estimated expenses for this year are 1.996 million dollars, resulting in an estimated ending balance of $1,377,559.66 as of December 31st, 2020. Skiles stated that $200,000 has been budgeted for repairs to be done on the courthouse. The Road and Bridge Fund ending cash balance in 2019 was $430,812.91. The commissioners have estimated revenues in 2020 at 1.735 million dollars and estimated expenses of 1.928 million dollars that would result in an estimated ending balance of $237,162.91 at the end of 2020. Commissioners Purcell and Larson hope to be able to finish up getting the rest of the chip and seal roads that have not yet received a new coat to be completed this year but that will be determined by the bids they receive based on the current cost of the oil and chips. Again this year, there are no new roads they plan to chip and seal in 2020. The Assessment Fund ending balance for 2019 was $130,161.11. The commissioners estimated revenues in 2020 of $196,800.00 and with estimated expenses of $253,100.00, the estimated ending balance at the end of 2020 would be $73,861.11. The Law Enforcement Sales Tax (LEST) Fund ending balance in 2019 was $218,169.90. They estimate revenues in 2020 to be 1.230 million dollars while the estimated deductions came in at 1.448 million dollars leaving an estimated ending balance of $211,822.90 at the end of 2020. The 9-1-1 fund had an ending balance of $29,938.89 in 2019. Expected estimated revenues are $38,290 in 2020 and with estimated expenses of $43,821.14, there would be an ending balance at the end of 2020 of $24,407.75. The Jail Construction and Operations Fund was adjusted at the hearing with Sheriff Bob Wells wanting to add additional expenses for the boarding of prisoners from other counties that may be housed in Dent County. With the change made, the fund started with a 1.389 million dollar balance on December 31st, 2019 and has expected revenues in 2020 of 1.164 million dollars. The estimated expenses of 1.172 million dollars would leave an ending balance of $1,381,785.99 at the end of 2020. The Jail Construction Trust Fund showed a beginning balance at the end of 2019 of $1,046,631.98. The commissioners estimated revenues of $911,338.90 and with anticipated expenses of $754,107.50, the fund would have an ending balance of 1.204 million dollars at the end of 2020. The commission also went over the Tourism Tax budget that showed an ending balance of $145,067.93 at the end of 2019 with anticipated revenues of $70,500. The commission also anticipates increased use of the fund with expenses of near $150,000 in 2020 that would leave an ending balance of $65,567.93. Skiles also went over the new budgets for the SB40 fund and other smaller funds to see if there were questions, but there were none. The budget for 2020 was then approved by a 3-0 vote. The hearing was then adjourned.
On Sunday evening at about 9:15, the Salem Police Department responded to a traffic accident. According to their report, a 2000 Toyota was traveling southbound on Craig Industrial Drive when it left the right side of the roadway striking a light pole causing it to overturn and strike a retaining wall and propane tank. The Toyota was occupied by 5 teenagers. The driver and two occupants were air lifted for serious injuries. The other two passengers were transported to SMDH for treatment of minor injuries. The names were not released.
Obituaries – Wednesday, January 29th, 2020
Funeral services for Shirley Farrell of Salem, age 76, will be held at a later date. All arrangements are under the direction of the James & Gahr Mortuary of Salem.
Funeral services for Sally Ann (Martin Turner of Bixby, age 77, are incomplete at this time and are under the direction of the Wilson Mortuary of Viburnum.
Funeral services for Robert Leininger of Rolla, age 89, will be Friday at 1:00 at the Rolla Chapel of the James & Gahr Mortuary. Visitation will be held prior to service time beginning at noon on Friday. Interment will be in the Pearidge Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Pearidge Cemetery.
Funeral services for George Elmer Adams of Columbia, age 88, will be held at 1:30 Saturday at the Britton-Bennett Funeral Home in Steelville. Visitation will be from 11:00 until service time. Interment will be in the Pleasant Point Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the pleasant Point Cemetery.
Sports – Wednesday, January 29th, 2020
It took overtime, but the Steelville Cardinals beat Salem, 55-53 as the Tigers fall to 8-8 on the year. Lucas Morrison had 22 points for Salem while Tanner Diaz added 20 for Steelville. The Tigers will host the Licking Wildcats Friday night in the Town and Country Bank “Cat Classic” starting at 6:00.
The Salem Lady Tigers Basketball game with Lebanon postponed January 20th due to snow will be made up on February 21st. Senior Night for the Lady Tigers will still be held on February 13th against Viburnum as originally planned.
The City of Salem Park and Recreation Department is announcing the return of the “Start Smart Soccer” Program to the Salem Community Center@The Armory at 1200 West Rolla Road. This indoor program is for those boys and girls ages 3 through 5 and parent participation in the program is required. Registration for the Start Smart Soccer program is going on now through February 7th and the cost is $55 per child. The program will be held in March and if anyone has any questions or need more information, call Salem Parks and Rec Director Melissa DuBois at 729-6290 or e-mail her at salemparks@salemmo.com.
Ryan O’Reilly and David Perron scored in the shoot-out as the St. Louis Blues beat the Calgary Flames by the score of 5-4 in Calgary. St. Louis Blues will be at Edmonton Friday night to face the Oilers with a delayed start at 9:00 on KSMO after Salem Tiger Basketball.
The Missouri Basketball Tigers came from behind and beat Georgia last night, 72-69. The Missouri Basketball Tigers will be at South Carolina Saturday afternoon at 2:00. You can hear that game on KSMO Radio.
Weather – Wednesday, January 29th, 2020
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL NOON
Today..Mostly cloudy with a 90% chance for snow showers before 2:00 PM, high around 36.
Tonight..Cloudy with a 20% chance for light snow, low near 25.
Thursday and Thursday night..Mostly cloudy, high of 39, low near 27.
Friday..Partly sunny, high close to 45.
Friday night..Mostly cloudy, low around 30.
Local News – Tuesday, January 28th, 2020
This Friday night will not only be the Town and Country Bank “Cat Classic” at the Salem High School gym for the basketball game between Salem and Licking, but Homecoming as well. This year’s attendants are freshman Cayleigh Moody, sophomore Jaden Flores, junior Jodi Gotchal, and the three senior quen candidates: Malia Terrill, Mallorie Dittman and Brooklin Shelton. Last year’s Homecoming Queen, Madi Keith, will crown the new queen at the festivities. This year’s escorts will be Reese Dodson, Dawson Conway, Carter Chilton, Silas Wulff, Braiden Carmack and Luke Morrison.
The Ozark National Scenic Riverways has selected Jason Lott to serve as the Acting Superintendent following the retirement of Larry Johnson on January 3rd. Lott will arrive in the park this week to begin the 120-day assignment while a new permanent superintendent is sought. Lott has been with the National Park Service (NPS) since 2002. Lott is a twenty-year veteran with the Army National Guard, having served ten years as an enlisted soldier with a deployment during Desert Storm, and as an officer who served as a Company Commander for the 1086th Transportation Company during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Jason retired as a Captain in 2007. Lott holds a master’s degree in History with an emphasis in Cultural Resource Management from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. He and his wife, Wendy, and their two children are residents of Los Alamos, New Mexico.
The Dent County Commissioners’ regular meeting was held Monday morning at the courthouse. Deloris Gray Wood from the Dent County Historical Society was in attendance to discuss with the commission the 150th anniversary of the Dent County Courthouse. She recommended a celebration on March 30th at the courthouse with a birthday cake and water. March 30th, 1870 is the date the contract to build the courthouse was approved. The other celebration she would like to have is on July 4th. The commissioners agreed to both celebrations and they will discuss further what to do on Independence Day to tie in with the parade and other downtown events. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams presented the January CART tax receipts for the commission. She reported Dent County received $56,050.15 this January compared to the $54,808.09 received in a January of 2019. That is an increase of $1,242.06. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell said patch grading was being done on Dent County Roads 6230 and 6240. He said the southern part of the county received about five inches of snow from the last storm Thursday and Friday. He also stated that a crossover pipe was being repaired and another was being installed on county road 5170. He said additional road materials would be added to that road as well. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said brush was being cut on county roads 2560, 2580, 2613 and 4430. He also said men would be working on Dent County Truck #116 and doing shop maintenance. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported he would be attending a Department of Natural Resources meeting at the Salem Community Center@The Armory at 1:00 today on preservation grant funds. He is interested on anything that may be able to be used for the courthouse provided that it doesn’t have too many strings associated with it. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said absentee voting for the March 10th Presidential Preference Primary would begin today. She also said the last day to register to vote for the primary would be February 12th. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission would be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.
The Dent County Sheriff’s Office has released some reports. On Tuesday, January 14th, deputies traveled to a residence in the 100 block of South Pershing Street to serve an arrest warrant. During the course of the incident, a 30-year-old Salem man was arrested for having active warrants through Dent County. The man was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office where he was incarcerated. Then on January 15th a deputy conducted a traffic stop on McArthur Street. During the course of the traffic stop, a 28-year-old Licking man was arrested for having active arrest warrants from the Houston Police Department and Licking Police Department. The man was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office where he was later extradited by another agency. On Thursday, January 16th, a deputy traveled to a residence in the 6500 block of Highway 119 for the report of a burglary. During the course of the investigation, a 19-year-old Salem man was arrested for having an active arrest warrant through Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office. The man was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office where he later posted bond and was released. Please call the Dent County Sheriff’s Office at 729-3241 with any information about an ongoing investigation.
Obituaries – Tuesday, January 28th, 2020
Funeral services for Robert Leininger of Rolla, age 89, will be Friday at 1:00 at the Rolla Chapel of the James & Gahr Mortuary. Visitation will be held prior to service time beginning at noon on Friday. Interment will be in the Pearidge Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Pearidge Cemetery.
Funeral services for Shirley Farrell of Salem, age 76, will be held at a later date. All arrangements are under the direction of the James & Gahr Mortuary of Salem.
Funeral services for Sally Ann (Martin Turner of Bixby, age 77, are incomplete at this time and are under the direction of the Wilson Mortuary of Viburnum.
Sports – Tuesday, January 28th, 2020
The West Plains Lady Zizzers defense shut down the Salem Lady Tigers Monday night by the score of 56-37. The Lady Zizzers out rebounded Salem by almost a 3-1 margin. Salem was led by Savannah Manthey with 13 points and Tatum Hatridge with 10. Salem is 11-6 on the year. Salem will make up their game with Licking Thursday night at Licking starting at 6:00 with the JV game with the varsity game to follow.
The All-Tournament team for the St. James Tournament was named and Reese Dodson from Salem earned his place as one of the top six players in the tournament. Dodson finished the tournament with 61 points in the three games. Mason Parker and Andrew Branson from St. James were also named to the team. Congratulations Reese!
The Salem Boys Basketball Tigers will host the Steelville Cardinals tonight at the SHS Gym. Salem has lost their previous two games to Steelville this year. The JV game gets underway at 6:00 with the varsity match to follow. You can hear the varsity game on KSMO Radio and online at ksmoradio.com.
J.T Miller scored two goals in the 2nd period and the Vancouver Canucks held on to beat the St. Louis Blues by the score of 3-1. Thatcher Demko stopped 36 of 37 shots and Zach Sanford scored the only Blues goal. The St. Louis Blues will be at Calgary to face the Flames tonight with a delayed start at 9:00 on KSMO after Salem Tiger Basketball.
The Missouri Basketball Tigers will host Georgia tonight. That game will NOT be heard on KSMO Radio due to Salem Tigers Basketball.
Weather – Tuesday, January 28th, 2020
DENSE FOG ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9:00 THIS MORNING
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6:00 TONIGHT UNTIL NOON WEDNESDAY
Today..Mostly cloudy with a slight chance for late afternoon light rain or snow, high of 36.
Tonight..Mostly cloudy with an 80% chance for snow showers late, low of 25.
Wednesday..Mostly cloudy with an 80% chance for snow showers before noon, high around 36.
Wednesday night..Cloudy, low near 27.
Thursday..Mostly cloudy, high of 38.
Local News – Monday, January 27th, 2020
The Dent County Budget Hearing will be held this morning at 10:00 at the Dent County Commissioners office in the Dent County Courthouse. The commission’s regular meeting will begin at 9:00. The public is welcome to attend the regular meeting and budget hearing.
The Dent County Commissioners met for the regular meeting Thursday morning in the Dent County Courthouse. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell said that crews were out treating hills, curves and junctions, as well as any other slick spots. He said another crew was replacing road signs on Dent County Roads 4080, 5160 and 5170. Purcell requested that the public please call the Dent County Sheriff’s Office at 729-3241 if they observe anyone stealing or damaging county road signs. He also noted he attended the Tourism Tax Commission meeting on Monday where they had no proposals presented and two requests for reimbursement were submitted and approved. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said his crews were also treating slick spots and replacing signs, plus getting equipment ready for the next snow storm. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported that on Tuesday he attended the MRPC Legislative Day at the Capital where they shared legislative priorities with 122nd District Representatives Steve Lynch of Pulaski County, 61st District Representative Aaron Griesheimer of Gasconade County, and Senator Justin Brown. The legislators indicated that they felt they were going to make some headway on reducing the per-diem owed to counties and that the State would be supporting broadband expansion. Dwight Ramsburg with Septagone came in to visit the Commission and scheduled a jail update for Monday at 11:00. Financial audit bids were received from Daniel Jones & Associates of Arnold and Devereux & Company of St. Charles. The low bid of $12,500 from Devereux & Company was approved 3-0. Dent County Coroner Gina White and Deputy Coroner Ben Pursifull were in to discuss her budget.
The Salem Police Department has released their report for the month of December. They issued 6 equipment repair orders, 8 summonses to appear in court, 11 warning tickets, and 12 traffic tickets, plus they also served 2 fugitive warrants. The Salem Police investigated 4 traffic accidents, wrote 2 property damage reports, 7 stealing reports, and 1 report of interfering or resisting arrest. The department investigated 2 driving while intoxicated, 4 possessions of a controlled substance reports, 2 possessions of drug paraphernalia and 2 domestic assault reports, along with 1 leaving the scene of an accident. The department was also dispatched for 38 animal calls, 34 ambulance assist calls, and performed 72 traffic stops for the month. The Salem Police Department received 942 calls for service during the month of December and had 75 walk-ins to the station. The department drove 7,722 miles during the month and spent 20 hours in court testifying and 6 hours as court bailiff. There were 15 males and 7 females arrested in December. The department also reported that during the month of December the “shop with a cop” program was a success with 22 children being supplied with Christmas presents. The Salem Police Department, Dent County Sheriffs office, Missouri State Highway Patrol and the U. S. Forest Service also participated in the event.
At the 2020 Salem Memorial District Hospital Foundation’s “Dancing with the Salem Stars” at the SHS gym this year’s winning couple was Shannon Wright and Jaimie Jones. Taking second place was Brett Capps and Megan Seay while the People’s Choice Award went to Thom Haines and Marilyn Sweitzer. The foundation wanted to thank all the businesses and individuals who sponsored tables and those who attended the event with bleacher seats.