Archive for 2022

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning for their regular meeting. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray said grading would be done on Dent County Roads 5070, 5420 and 6040 while brush would be cut on county road 6240. Mobray said rock would continue to be hauled to Dent County Road 5600 as part of the Title II project. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson reported grading would be done on Dent County Roads 2530, 2540 and 2550 while rock would be added to county roads 2020, 2030 and 2050. Larson went on to say a spreader box would be installed on county truck #116. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles stated he attended the SMDH Community Connect Event Thursday as part of their grant through the Delta Regional Authority to address community and area needs. He said they will be having another meeting in the future after collecting data from those at the meeting. Skiles said Patrick Stites from the MRPC needed to set up a public meeting for the renewal of the Hazard Mitigation Plan. Skiles suggested the date of December 13th and the commission approved. The time and location will be announced at a later time. Commissioner Skiles asked Stan Podorski to serve on the Dent County Law Enforcement Restitution Fund Board of Trustees to fill a vacancy and he accepted. The board is made up of two appointees by the commission, two by the sheriff and one by the coroner. They will be meeting near the end of November. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley stated the election went very smooth with just over 52% of the registered voters casting ballots. She said there were 601 absentee votes cast this year with the new “no-excuse” voting as well as the “excused” absentee voting. Curley said the commissioners will not be meeting on Monday, November 21st due to the Missouri Association of Counties meeting to be held at the Lake of the Ozarks. They will also not be meeting on Thanksgiving Day and the courthouse will be closed on November 24th and 25th. At the last meeting, Commissioner Mobray met with William Terry from the Ozark National Scenic Riverways about the FLAP grant on Dent County Road 6670. Also, Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk reported all tax bills have been mailed out and if you do NOT receive your tax bill by Wednesday, November 16th to please call her office at 729-3911. Also, if you did not update your address before tax bills were sent out, please call or come by the collector’s office in the courthouse. The Commission officially approved awarding the bid for the Cooley Bridge FLAP Project 057 to H. R. Quadri of Van Buren. The next meeting of the commissioners will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Office of Broadband Development in partnership with the Meramec Regional Planning Commission and the University of Missouri system are having a regional listening session this Thursday in Rolla at The Centre from 10:00 in the morning until 12:00 noon located at 1200 Holloway Street. The “Connecting All Missourians” program represents an opportunity to connect the unserved and underserved Missourians. The main purpose of the session is to hear from a diverse range of broadband stakeholders including citizens, business owners, libraries, schools, hospital, localgovernments and service providers. Stakeholder input is crucial in the development of future plans. The information collected will shape the development of the broadband infrastructure in Missouri for the foreseeable future. The goal of the campaign is to identify broadband challenges and barriers while identifying resources that can connect all Missourians. There is no charge to attend the session and you can reserve a seat by typing in “Connecting All Missourians” in the search bar of your web browser

State Fire Marshal Tim Bean has the following advice about the use of extension cords and space heaters. Never substitute extension cords for permanent wiring or use them for more than one appliance. Make sure extension cords or power strips are rated for the product to be plugged in. Never cover an extension cord with a rug or carpet; it prevents heat from escaping. Multi-plug devices and power strips are designed to be plugged directly into electrical outlets; they should never be chained together. Space heaters are a factor in about 43 percent of home heating-related fires and 85 percent of associated deaths. They should only be placed on the floor. Never leave a space heater on when you leave a room. Only plug space heaters directly into wall outlets. Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from all heating equipment, including drapes, furniture, and electronics. Also remember the effect space heaters will have on your utility bills. For example, the normal space heater uses 1,500 watts and that is about an additional $4.80 per day on your electric bill if left on all day, or around $11.20 additional per week to your bill if the space heater is left on eight hours per day for five days a week. In lieu of using a space heater, try wearing layers of clothes or wrap up in a blanket to provide additional warmth.

An accident happened in Dent County Thursday evening at 6:35 on Route U about a mile and half west of Highway 68. According to the highway patrol report, 70-year-old Karen Clancy of St. James, was driving a 2003 Ford Windstar driven westbound when she failed to negotiate a curve causing the Windstar to go off the right side of the roadway. The Ford struck a ditch and then a utility pole before coming to rest. Clancy suffered minor injuries and was taken by the Salem Memorial EMS to the Salem Memorial District Hospital. Clancy was wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident. The Ford Windstar had moderate damage and was removed from the scene by a private conveyance.

An accident occurred Friday afternoon in Crawford County on the south service road west of Baldwin Road. According to the highway patrol report a 2019 Chevrolet Spark driven by 30-year-old Ian Montgomery of Bourbon, was traveling eastbound and traveled off the right side of the roadway, striking a tree and an embankment. Montgomery suffered moderate injuries and was transported by North Crawford Ambulance to Missouri Baptist Hospital in Sullivan. He was wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Chevrolet sustained extensive damage and was removed from the scene by Patriot Towing in Sullivan.

The Salvation Army Dent County Service Unit will soon begin raising funds with the familiar red kettle at Christmas time. The famous red kettle will be located at Country Mart and Wal-Mart starting the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and then every Friday and Saturday until Christmas Eve with volunteer bell ringers from numerous organizations and businesses. Counter kettles will be located at various locations throughout the community. The kettles are the primary way that funds are raised to continue to meet the needs of the less fortunate in our community. Volunteer bell ringers are always needed each year to help raise these funds. To volunteer to ring the bell at the red kettle, please call Susie at 729-6771 or 247-7099 or The Salvation Army office at 729-8163. Also, the Salvation Army will once again partner with Wal-Mart for the annual Angel Tree program. Local residents have always enjoyed adopting a child, and shopping for clothing, coats, hats, and toys. Some families use this time of year to teach their children the importance of giving during the holiday season. The Angel Tree will be available starting Saturday, November 18th with the final date to adopt an angel being Saturday, December 17th. Sign-ups for families wanting to participate in the Angel Tree will be held Monday, November 21st and Monday, November 28th from 3:30 to 5:30 in the afternoon at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory. The Salvation Army Dent County Service Unit office hours are Monday thru Friday 9:00 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon in the Salem Community Center @ the Armorylocated at 1200 W. Rolla Road in Salem. For additional information, please call Sherry Lea at 573-729-8163 or send her an e-mail at sherry@salemcommunitycenter.org.

Do you have nature lovers on your holiday gift list? The Missouri Department of Conservation’s online Nature Shop makes holiday shopping a breeze for anyone interested in nature-themed gifts. Offerings include the ever-popular Natural Events Calendar, plus a variety of books and more for all ages. Holiday shoppers can also skip retail stores and visit one of the MDC nature centers around the state. Holiday gift offerings include a 2023 Natural Events Calendar. This annual favorite has amazing images of native animals, plants, and places, along with phases of the moon, holidays and days of recognition, daily notes about natural events, and more. New for this year is a Coneflower Nature Journal that includes simple tips to get you started drawing or writing about nature. It is spiral bound with plenty of blank pages. Cooking Wild in Missouri is favorite cookbook features more than 100 recipes for native game, fish, fruits, nuts, and mushrooms. Another new offering is Strange but True which was adapted from the pages of MDC’s Xplor magazine and features 350 weird and wild facts and illustrations about creatures that inhabit Missouri. A Paddlers Guide to Missouri makes a great gift for canoeists, kayakers, and floaters with color photos, maps, and descriptions of 58 rivers and streams. Owl & Nuthatches Notecard Sets is another new offering that’s great for gift giving. Each set includes 12 cards of either a barred owl or brown-headed pair of nuthatch birds. Missouri’s Wild Mushrooms is a great guide for hunting, identifying, and cooking the state’s most common mushrooms. The second edition of Discover Missouri Natural Area is a handy reference helps nature lovers experience 50 great examples of our state’s natural heritage. The new edition features updated maps, text, references, and scientific names. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Missouri, Third Edition is a classic book that has been updated and expanded to a 522-page illustrated guide that provides descriptions, distribution, habitats, habits, breeding, and other information on nearly 130 species of native salamanders, toads, frogs, turtles, lizards, and snakes. Buy these and other items at MDC nature centers, through the MDC online Nature Shop at mdcnatureshop.com or by calling 877-521-8632.

The Board of Aldermen met in closed session pursuant to RSMo.610.021(3) on Tuesday and voted unanimously to terminate assistant city clerk Erica Sheppard’s employment with the city effective immediately.

Today is Veteran’s Day and all federal, state, county and city governmental offices will be closed. All the banks, the post office, the license bureau, etc will also be closed. Certain retailers may also be closed and you contact them before heading on to their location to make sure they are open.

With the most popular portion of firearms deer season opening Saturday, the Missouri Department of Conservation reminds non-hunters to practice safety measures when afield during hunting seasons. MDC offers these safety tips for non-hunters: Wear bright clothing to be more visible, such as a bright orange hat, jacket, or pack. Place a bright orange vest or bandana on the canines who join you and keep them leashed. Avoid earth-toned or animal-colored clothing such as tan and brown and be aware that hunters are often most active during the early morning and late afternoon, when game animals are most active. Be especially aware of your own visibility during these times when light is dim. Stay on designated trails. Trails are designed to improve the safety of public users and to protect sensitive habitats. Enjoying recreational activities only on designated trails will reduce the likelihood of entering hunting areas. Whenever venturing into the outdoors, let someone know where you are going and when to expect your return. Make yourself known. If you hear shooting, raise your voice, and let hunters know you are in the area. Be courteous. Once a hunter is aware of your presence, don’t make unnecessary noise to disturb wildlife. Identify hunting seasons and lands open to hunting. Learn where and when hunting is taking place. Plan your recreation activities based on this information. Find information on Missouri hunting seasons at mo.gov/hunting-trapping. Find conservation areas that allow hunting and those that do not by using the MDC Places to Go web feature at mo.gov.

Town and Country Bank was honored as the 2022 Lender of the Year by the Meramec Regional Development Corporation (MRDC) for its partnership efforts to bring jobs and private investment to the Meramec Region. Clifton Parker, manager of information systems; Brandon Licklider, St. James branch manager; Sheldon Shaver, chief lending officer and Kyle Hofstetter, Bourbon branch manager accepted the award on behalf of the bank. Dalton Nilges, president of MRDC, made the presentations at Meramec Regional Planning Commission’s (MRPC) Annual Dinner Oct. 13 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Vienna. MRDC was able to collaborate with Town and Country Bank to help Frank and Lisa Barnitz to get the Rolla Farmers Exchange a working capital loan funded through MRPC’s Revolving Loan Fund. The project will create up to 12 jobs in two years. Town and Country Bank was purchased by the Gott family in 1993 and are the current owners. Roger Gott is the president and chairman of the board. Town and Country Bank provides a variety of lending services for personal, business, including agricultural lending, consumer loans and lines of credit. In addition, the bank offers insurance and investment services to its customers. Town and Country Bank is a gold level associate member of MRPC. MRDC, an SBA Certified Development Company, partners with local banks to provide gap financing with the SBA 504 program. MRDC also serves as a loan review board for MRPC – owned revolving loan funds. MRPC provides the staffing for MRDC. For more information on MRPC’s small business loans program, feel free to contact Maria Bancroft at 573-265-2993 ext. 114 or at e-mail mbancroft@meramecregion.org.