Archive for 2021

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning for their regular meeting. Grant Wilson from Congressman Jason Smith’s office in Rolla, came in to visit with the commissioners and let them know that Congressman Smith has introduced two bills in the House to rescind President Biden’s vaccine mandate, but feels the bills will not get very far in the Democrat led House. He also has written a bill prohibiting the IRS from having surveillance on bank accounts that incur a 600 or more-dollar transaction. Salem & Dent County Economic Development Director Sally Burbridge provided the commissioners with her monthly report. She indicated the Heartland Metals has now officially closed and they had 13 employees when they shut down. She said one building in downtown Bunker sold and she visited with Dr. Ouzts who is purchasing the Dent County Veterinary Clinic. She reported that she, Commissioner Darrell Skiles and Salem R-80 Superintendent Dr. Lynne Reed and attended a broadband meeting at Echo Bluff last Thursday, October 28th. She said she is still awaiting the final go ahead from the US Fish and Wildlife Service to put out for bids. She also said if someone needs information on the Voluntary Residential Demolition Program to contact her at 729-2428. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray indicated service on a grader would be finished today, plus materials would be added and grading done on Dent County Roads 5510, 6420, 6497 and 6500. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson stated materials would be added and grading done on Dent County Road 6160 while only grading would be done on county roads 2515 and 2533. Larson went on to say brush would be cut on county roads 3230 and 3240. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported that at the broadband meeting the previous Thursday, it was noted that better mapping was needed across the entire state for the companies interested in providing Internet services. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley gave the commissioners the Auto Insurance renewal to review and will be working on the county budget for 2022. The Commissioners voted to approve the CERF contribution by each employee to be 6% which is the same as last year. Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk stated tax bills would be going out this Wednesday and that all citizens should check their bills for accuracy once it arrives. If they have questions, they should contact the Dent County Collector at 729-3911. She also said this is the perfect time to sign up for the tax installment program where individuals can make monthly payments on the 5th or 20th of each month for 10 months through an automatic withdrawal from their bank account. The final payment will need to be made before December 31st after any adjustments are made to the personal property or real estate tax bills. More information will be available on your tax bill when it arrives. VanKirk also mentioned that her office and the assessor’s office will be open on New Year’s Eve from 8:00 in the morning until 5:30 in the afternoon for those who wish to make tax payments. Payment of your taxes may be made at the collector’s office, by mail, using the drop box at the southwest corner of the courthouse square, or online. Fees will be the same as last year and will be charged on all credit or debit cards. Dent County Assessor Jamie Homeyer also reported the county assessment form for 2022 will not be mailed out until December 31st and her office will not accept the assessment forms at the office until January 4th or online until January 2nd. Only the collector and assessor’s offices will be open at the courthouse on December 31st. They will NOT be open on January 3rd, but the other county office will be on that day. The next meeting will be meeting Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and it is open to the public.

With deer hunting under way in Missouri, the Missouri Department of Conservation and A.T. Still University in Kirksville are asking deer hunters to save ticks they find on harvested deer and mail them to the University. The ticks will be used for a scientific research study to help better understand the statewide distribution of tick species and the human pathogens they carry. Ticks are large mites that drink the blood of humans and other mammals. Ticks can also carry and spread pathogens that cause illnesses in people. Missouri is home to three common species of ticks that bite humans: lone star tick, American dog tick, and deer tick or blacklegged tick. Deer ticks are the primary transmitters of a bacterial infection called Lyme disease. Adult ticks are about a quarter-inch long and grow to nearly double that when engorged with blood. MDC and A.T. Still University are partnering on a two-year research study to determine the presence of tick species throughout Missouri as well as the pathogens they may harbor. The study began in April and concludes in September 2022. During that time, MDC and the University are asking Missourians to mail ticks to A.T. Still University to be identified by species and life stage and tested for four species of bacterial pathogens. To help with the research efforts, people are asked to place live ticks in a plastic zip-top bag with a piece of damp paper towel or moist cotton ball, then fold the bag and place it inside another plastic zip-top bag with a completed sample-submission form. The sample-submission form is available for printing from the University website at www.atsu.edu and search for the form. People are then asked to place the bag and completed sample-submission form in an envelope and mail it to: A.T. Still University, ATTENTION: Deb Hudman — Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology, 800 W. Jefferson St., Kirksville MO 63501.

The next Festival Committee meeting will be at 5:30 this afternoon at the Salem Community Center at the Armory in the Rotary Meeting Room. The committee will be discussing Christmas Festival activities, a Taste of Salem and craft fair, plus a 5K and 10K run. The meeting is open to anyone and all are welcome to attend.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors will hold a special closed session meeting to discuss litigation, contracts and personnel. The meeting will begin at 6:00 this evening and it is NOT open to the public.

The Missouri Public Service Commission has approved a filing made Ameren Missouri to change the Delivery Charge Adjustment (DCA) on the bills of Ameren Missouri natural gas customers. The establishment of the DCA was part of an agreement reached by parties in a natural gas general rate case filed by Ameren Missouri in December of 2018. That agreement was approved by the Public Service Commission in August of 2019. The current DCA for a residential customer is approximately $0.0158 per Ccf (per hundred cubic feet) of natural gas. As a result of this adjustment, the DCA will drop to approximately $0.0085 per Ccf starting TODAY. A residential customer that uses 100 Ccf’s a month will experience a decrease in their bill of approximately $0.73 a month. Ameren Missouri provides natural gas service to approximately 135,000 customers in Missouri including customers in Dent, Gasconade and Phelps counties.

An accident happened Thursday afternoon just before 5:00 in Franklin County on westbound Interstate 44 at the 224-mile marker. The report from the highway patrol states that a 2011 Lincoln MKZ being driven by 72-year-old John Betts of Rolla traveled off the right side of the interstate and struck a guardrail. A passenger in the vehicle, 73-year-old Margene Betts, also of Rolla, was taken by Missouri Baptist ambulance to Missouri Baptist Hospital in Sullivan for treatment of minor injuries. The Lincoln sustained moderate damage and was removed from the scene by Chuck’s Towing. The report went on to state that both occupants were wearing safety restraints.

An accident happened Friday night just after 10:30 in Phelps County on Interstate 44 eastbound at the 184-mile marker. The report from the highway patrol states that a 2010 Ford Mustang being driven by 18-year-old Logan Neumann of St. Ann ran off the south side of the interstate and struck a rock embankment. Two passengers in the vehicle, a 5-year-old and 7-year-old males, were taken be Phelps Health EMS to Phelps Health Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. All of the occupants were wearing safety restraints at the time. The Mustang was totaled and removed from the scene by Dishman’s Towing.

Once again, The Doe Run Company ranked among the top teams at the Missouri Regional Mine Rescue Contest. The event was held from September 30th to October 1st at the Missouri University of Science and Technology’s experimental mine in Rolla. The Maroon Team placed first in the mine rescue field competition, the biggest event of the competition. The field competition tests how well the team strategizes and adheres to mine rescue procedures during an emergency scenario. The Gray Team finished third, earning Doe Run two of the top three positions. James Gamblin, Chris Brawley and Eric Click earned first place in the first aid competition for the Gray Team, which consisted of a CPR and first-responder scenario. Maroon Team members Brandon Roderman, Richie Brewer and Mike Snyder took third place. Gray Team members Mark Barton and Skyler Westrup came in first in the team technical event, which measures participants’ expertise in operating mine rescue equipment, such as breathing apparatuses and gas-level monitoring. Garry Moore of the Gray Team also earned a third-place finish in the bench competition for his skill in maintaining and repairing self-contained breathing apparatuses. Doe Run’s two mine rescue teams complete eight hours of training monthly to practice first aid and rescue scenarios. Among the teams’ many accolades are two national championship titles. Mine rescue training is a responsibility the teams take on in addition to their regular job roles. Team members work in a variety of jobs in Doe Run’s six underground mines, such as electricians, drillers, blasters, mechanics, hoistmen, instrument technicians and truck drivers. Members of Doe Run’s Maroon Team include: Captain Steve Setzer, Jarred Tackett, Nathan Setzer, Richie Brewer, Brandon Roderman, Jake Piatt, Mike Snyder, Luke Davis and Andrew, Hampton. The Gray Team includes: Captain Charlie Walker, Eric Click, Mark Barton, Skyler Westrup, James Gamblin, Chris Brawley, Mitchell Kisser and Garry Moore.

The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors will be meeting Tuesday night at 6:00 at the fire station located at #2 South Main Street. After the roll call and approval of the consent agenda the board will review the Policy and Procedures manual. The minutes from the October meeting will then be reviewed before hearing the financial report and approval of bills. Following the calendar review will be the monthly reimbursement report. Old and new business will then be brought before the board before going into closed session if necessary. The date will then be set for the December meeting before adjourning. The meeting of the Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors is open to the public.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol will be close all testing stations on Thursday, November 11th in honor of veteran’s Day. MoDOT Motor Carrier Services will be also closed that day. Services will resume to their normal schedule on Friday, November 12th.

The Salem Police Department has released the following reports for the first half of October. On Friday morning, October 1st around 7:00, an officer arrested Emanuel Moore of Salem for six active arrest warrant through the Dent County Sheriff’s Office. Moore was incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. Then on Thursday night, October 7th about 7:30, an officer arrested Richard Labrash, Jr. on warrants out of the Dent County Sheriff’s Office. Labrash was incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. On Friday, October 8th near 2:30 in the afternoon, an officer arrested 43-year-old Rebecca Hughes for outstanding warrants through Dent County. Hughes was incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. Just minutes later at approximately 3:30, an officer was dispatched to Wal-Mart for a report of a shoplifter. It was reported that a 29-year-old Sullivan male had stolen $65 worth of merchandise and left the store without paying for it. As a result, the man was later arrested and issued a summons for shoplifting. On Saturday night, the 9th of October at around 10:00, an officer was dispatched to the 800 block of East Fourth Street for a report of a domestic disturbance. It was reported that a male subject had struck his mother in the heat of an argument and was refusing to let her leave the residence. An investigation was conducted and as a result a 31-year-old Salem male was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail pending the application of warrants. On Sunday afternoon, October 10th about 1:00, officers were conducting a security check of the old shoe factory on South Walker. While canvassing the area officers located a female subject that was trespassing on the property. As a result, a 33-year-old Salem female was arrested and issued summons for trespassing. If you have any information regarding an ongoing investigation, please contact the Salem Police Department at (573) 729-4242.

An accident happened Thursday morning just after 7:00 in Dent County about 12 miles west of Salem. According to the highway patrol report, a 2013 Cadillac SRX being driven by 47-year-old Vera Copeland of Licking had slowed for a deer in the roadway. The Cadillac was struck from behind by a 2008 Toyota Yaris being driven by 23-year-old Elizabeth Lee, also of Licking. Copeland was taken by a private vehicle to the Salem Memorial District Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The Cadillac sustained minor damage and the Toyota had extensive damage. Both were removed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing. The report stated that both drivers were wearing seat restraints at the time of the accident.

The Missouri Department of Conservation reports that Missouri hunters harvested 12 black bears during the state’s inaugural bear-hunting season, which ran October 18th throught the 27th. More than 6,330 hunters applied for 400 permits for the season with the maximum total harvest for the season being 40 bears. MDC State Furbearer and Black Bear Biologist Laura Conlee says a harvest of 12 bears in the first season is testament to the hunters. Dent County is in BMZ 2 which is the portion of Missouri east of a line running north from the Arkansas border on U.S. Highway 63 to Interstate 44; east on Interstate 44 to State Highway 47; north on State Highway 47 to the Missouri River; east along the Missouri River to the Illinois border. Three of the 12 bears were killed in BMZ 2 with the other nine being in BMZ 1 that runs west of a line running north from the Arkansas border on U.S. Highway 63 to U.S. Highway 60; west on U.S. Highway 60 to MO-360; west on MO-360 to Interstate 44; west on Interstate 44 to the Oklahoma border. Bear hunting in Missouri is limited to Missouri residents and restricted to three designated areas of southern Missouri called Bear Management Zones (BMZ). Each permit issued was for a specific BMZ and hunting was limited to public or private property within the BMZ. Black bears were historically abundant throughout the forested areas of Missouri prior to European settlement but were nearly eliminated by unregulated killing in the late 1800s, as well as from habitat loss when Ozark forests were logged. Over the last 50 years, bear numbers and range in Missouri have grown to around 800 black bears with most found south of the Missouri River and primarily south of Interstate 44. Missouri bear range is expanding. Bear numbers in Missouri are increasing each year by approximately 9% and are expected to double in less than 10 years. As bear numbers continue to increase, MDC will use a highly regulated hunting season as an essential part of population management. MDC’s 2020-2030 Black Bear Management Plan will guide bear management in Missouri for the next decade. Learn more about black bears in Missouri and MDC management efforts at mdc.mo.gov/bears.