Archive for 2022

The Salem Area Community Betterment Association is proud to announce the return of Trees and Trains Exhibit to the Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center starting with an Open House this Sunday from 1:00 until 3:00 hosted by the City of Peace Garden Club. Beginning Monday, November 21st, Trees and Trains will be open Monday through Friday except Thanksgiving Day from 9:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the afternoon. On Saturday, December 3rd, Trees and Trains will hold an evening open house from 7:00 until 9:00 with additional activities for those in attendance. And no Trees and Trains event is complete without a visit from Santa! He will be at the Creative Arts Center next to the ONCRC Saturday, December 17th and Sunday, December 18th from 2:00 until 5:00 with the Trees and Trains Exhibit also open at that time. This community event is only possible with the support of numerous organizations, businesses and individuals creating a beautiful collection of unique Christmas trees complimented by fun trains that catch every child’s eye. SACBA also wants to send out their heart felt appreciation to all the volunteers who give of their time during the holidays to make this event special. Donations are encouraged to thank the Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center for hosting this festive event!

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) encourages deer hunters to share their harvests by donating surplus venison to the Share the Harvest program to help feed hungry Missourians. The program is administered by the Conservation Federation of Missouri and the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and has provided nearly 5 million pounds of lean, healthy venison to help feed hungry Missourians since it was started in 1992. Donating is easy. Simply take harvested deer to an approved meat processor and let the processor know how much venison to donate. Meat-processing fees are covered entirely or in part by numerous local sponsors, along with statewide sponsors. The donated deer meat goes to local food banks and food pantries to help feed hungry Missourians all around the state. To get Share the Harvest venison, contact local food banks or food pantries. The National Institutes of Health state that children need protein in their diets for proper growth and development, and adults need it to maintain good health. Yet many Missourians can’t afford or can’t get to good sources of protein. Through Share the Harvest, Missouri hunters can help provide those in need with high-quality protein in the form of naturally lean, locally harvested deer meat. For more information on Share the Harvest, visit MDC online at mdc.mo.gov/share.

The Salem Creative Arts Center located at 204 South Main in Salem will be holding a Fall Harvest Paint N Sip this Friday evening, November 18th, from 6:30 till 8:30. Come join artist Danielle Norris as she leads you through a night of fun and painting! Bring your bestie and your favorite beverage and create a painting worthy of the fall season! The cost is $25 per person and all supplies are provided. The Creative Arts Center has two easy ways to sign up for events! Call or text 573-247-0651, or go online at salemcommunitybetterment.com and look under programs for the Salem Creative Arts Center.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education will hold their regular meeting this evening at 6:00 in the Salem R-80 Boardroom. After the approval of the agenda, the Board will hear the school’s audit report from Ken Schultz before hearing Superintendent Dr. Reed and Dr. Wills report. The board will also hear reports from the principals from the William Lynch Elementary School, the upper elementary school, the middle school and the senior high, as well as on athletics and transportation. In new business, the board will consider high school vaping citations, set the board filing dates for the April 2023 election starting December 6th and ending on the 27th, and set the 2023 graduation date for 7:00 on May 19th. The board will have the first reading of policy revision before considering the Missouri Capital Asset Advantage Treasury recommendations for the school. The board will also discuss the SpedTrack contract before going into executive session to discuss personnel. The meeting this evening will be open to the public.

The Ozark National Scenic Riverways is deeply saddened to report that searchers have found the body of a deer hunter that was last seen on Sunday, November 13th and had been reported missing near the Cave Spring area in Carter County. On Wednesday morning, the body of 58-year-old Phillip Carnell of Sikeston was discovered by volunteers on horseback on a small island in a slough not far from the area he had planned to hunt after more than two days of intense searching. It is suspected that he became lost and crossed the slough onto the island while tracking a deer. The condition of the body is consistent with death caused by hypothermia and exposure. There was a huge outpouring of community support, with nearly 150 volunteers combing the area on November 14th and 15th. The search teams utilized nearly every means of search available by air, land, and water. An investigation is ongoing.

Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation shows deer hunters in Missouri harvested 93,355 deer during opening weekend of the November portion of firearms deer season November 12th and 13th. Of the 93,355 deer harvested, 55,267 were antlered bucks, 7,250 were button bucks, and 30,838 were does. Top harvest counties for opening weekend were Franklin with 2,015 deer harvested, Texas with 1,724, and Callaway with 1,692. Last year, hunters checked 89,939 deer during opening weekend of the November portion of firearms deer season. Other counties in the local area, there were 1,292 deer checked in Dent County, 1,333 deer were harvested in Crawford County, 1,205 deer were taken in Shannon County, 916 deer were checked in Phelps County, 835 deer were harvested in Reynolds County and 621 deer were taken in Iron County. The November portion of firearms deer season continues through November 22nd.

The Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance announces the release of final health insurance rates for the individual market in 2023 for the State of Missouri. As in previous years, Missouri has at least one insurance company offering health plans in every county in the state. United Healthcare re-entered the individual market in the state and will be offering plans in 33 counties, including the Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, and Joplin areas. Over half of Missouri’s counties now have three or more carriers offering coverage in the individual market (61 out of 115), and nearly a quarter of the counties in the state have five or more carriers offering coverage (27 of 115). The 115 jurisdictions include 114 counties plus the City of St. Louis. Open enrollment for the 2023 plan year begins on November 1st and ends on January 15th, 2023. The Department encourages consumers to shop carefully for health insurance coverage. It’s important to consider more than the cost of premiums when choosing your health plan for 2023. Companies may change the type of policy they sell from one year to the next. Networks may vary from year to year and often differ based on where you live. The Department has a Health Insurance Shopping Tool on its website that can help consumers compare plans. Missouri consumers who have questions regarding association health plans (AHPs) and short-term limited-duration coverage should contact an insurance producer. For more information and to use the Department’s shopping tool, visit www.insurance.mo.gov or call the Insurance Consumer Hotline at 800-726-7390.

The Missouri Natural Resources Conservation Service has announced Friday, November 18th, as the cut-off date to apply for the next available opportunity in Fiscal Year 2023 Conservation Stewardship Program, known as CSP. CSP is the nation’s largest conservation program in terms of participating land and is designed to help agricultural producers have more robust conservation activities. This program is designed to help producers take their conservation activities to the next level. Through CSP, agricultural producers and forest landowners earn payments for actively managing, maintaining, and expanding conservation activities like cover crops, ecologically-based pest management, buffer strips, and pollinator and beneficial insect habitat – all while maintaining active agricultural or forest production on their land. CSP also encourages the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and new management techniques such as irrigation monitoring, precision agriculture applications, improved grazing systems, on-site carbon storage and planting for high carbon sequestration rate, and new soil amendments to improve water quality. NRCS accepts CSP applications on a continuous basis, but applications are ranked and funded by enrollment period, which have application cut-off dates that are set by each state. Applications received after the cut-off date will automatically be considered during the next funding cycle. Agricultural producers can submit applications at local NRCS offices. NRCS also offers free technical assistance to all Missouri residents. For more information about NRCS programs and assistance, visit the www.mo.nrcs.usda.gov

Representatives from Missouri State Parks invite the public to provide input for Elephant Rocks State Park’s conceptual development plan update. A 30-day comment period is going on now with a survey available online at mostateparks.com/cdp. This survey kickstarts the conceptual development planning process. Input regarding the site’s recreational opportunities, infrastructure and amenities will help guide the site’s future development. For more information on conceptual development planning, please visit mostateparks.com/cdp or call Ryan Dunwoody, Planning Section Chief, at 573-751-8462.

Signups for the Dent County Toy Drive and the Salvation Army Angel Tree will be held Monday, November 21st and again on Monday, November 28th from 3:30 until 5:30 in the afternoon at the Salem Community Center@The Armory at 1200 West Rolla Road. These are the only dates to sign-up your children and some documentation will be required. These programs are limited to children from newborn to 12-years of age, and the parent or guardian they live with MUST sign them up. The parent needs to bring with them a birth certificate or shot record or current grade card to prove the child’s age; and the parents must live in Dent County. A current utility bill or a letter from the school the child attends will also work. Only one person per family may register and no children are allowed to be present during the signups. Parents will be asked the interests of each child, and they should know their children’s clothes and shoe sizes. For parents to save some time, there is a link on the Dent County Toy Drive Facebook Page to complete the pre-registration form. The Dent County Toy Drive and the Salvation Army want all children to have a great Christmas, but they are also asking parents not to participate unless you truly need their help. If you have questions, message the Dent County Toy Drive on their Facebook page or call 729-8163.