Archive for 2022

The City of Salem Parks and Recreation Board will hold a meeting this evening at 5:30 at the Salem Community Center @the armory. The board will receive updates on disc golf. They will hear reports on summer ball and the swimming pool. Then they will review the budget and go over upcoming events. Next hear any board resignations, then go into closed session. The meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Police Department has released a number of reports for mid through late June. On June 15th around midnight, officers contacted a man who had an active warrant out of the Missouri Probation and Parole with no bond. As a result, 30-year-old Terry Storm of Salem was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. On June 17th near 3:00 in the afternoon, officers contacted a man that had two active capias warrants for his arrest out of Probation and Parole and the Phelps County Sheriff’s Office. As a result, 38-year-old Matthew Butzler of Salem was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. At 1:00 in the afternoon on June 21st, officers were dispatched to the 200 block of East Center Street for a report of a domestic dispute. It was reported the argument was taking place over a dog that had been neglected and had died. As a result of the investigation, a 43-year-old Salem female was arrested and issued a summons for animal abuse. On the evening of June 22nd around 7:30, officers were dispatched to Wal-Mart for a report of a shoplifting. It was reported that a woman had stolen $293 worth of merchandise. As a result of the investigation by police, a 39-year-old Rolla woman was arrested and then later released on a summons to appear in court. On June 24th around 9:30 in the evening, officers contacted a woman who had an active warrant for her arrest out of the St. James Police Department. As a result, 57-year-old Patricia George of Rolla was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail awaiting extradition. Please contact with the Salem Police Department at 573-729-4242 if you have any information on any ongoing investigation.

The Missouri Department of Conservation invites landowners and others interested in managing deer on their properties to join a live webinar via Zoom on Thursday evening, July 28th, from 6:00 until 7:00 to learn about its Deer Management Assistance Program, known as DMAP. MDC staff and staff from the National Deer Association will explain the program, answer questions, and offer testimonials from landowners who have used the program. DMAP can help landowners manage deer on their properties by allowing them and hunters they designate to buy additional firearms permits to take antlerless deer on the properties above and beyond regular season harvest limits. Any private property of at least 500 acres located outside of municipal boundaries, regardless of the owner’s legal residence, is eligible for the program. For properties inside the boundaries of a city or town, at least 40 acres are required. Individual parcels of land, regardless of ownership, may be combined to satisfy the acreage requirements as long as no parcel of land is more than a half-mile by air from the boundary of another parcel being combined to form an enrolled DMAP property. DMAP also provides landowners with science-based methods and information to address a spectrum of other local deer-management goals, including Quality Deer Management objectives. To learn more about DMAP, including enrollment visit MDC online at mdc.mo.gov/dmap, or contact your local MDC private land conservationist or conservation agent.

An accident happened Monday afternoon at 5:00 in Phelps County on Highway BB about one half mile past the Rolla city limits. According to the highway patrol report a 2016 Toyota Camry being driven by 25-year-old Sarah Forshee of Rolla was stopped in traffic waiting to make a left turn into a private drive. Forshee was struck from behind by a 2012 Lincoln MKZ being driven by 35-year-old Brianne Friede, also of Rolla. Forshee was taken to Phelps Health Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Friede, along with two juvenile passenger, ages 7 and 10, all suffered minor injuries and chose to seek their own treatment. The Camry sustained extensive damage and was removed from the scene by D&D Towing. The Lincoln was totaled and removed by Dishman’s Towing. The report went on to state that all involved were wearing seat restraints at the time of the accident.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is revising its surveillance and management plan for chronic wasting disease (CWD) and is seeking public feedback on the plan’s goals and objectives, and potential changes to deer hunting regulations. CWD is a fatal, contagious, disease of white-tailed deer and other members of the deer family, known as cervids. The disease is 100% fatal to deer and there is no known cure, treatment, or vaccine. The disease can be spread from deer to deer through direct contact and when deer encounter the disease-causing agent after it has entered the environment from an infected deer. According to Conservation Department, CWD poses a direct threat to the health of Missouri’s deer population, making efforts to manage the disease critically important. MDC developed its first CWD Surveillance and Management Plan after detecting the first cases of the disease in 2010 in northcentral Missouri. Following the detection of CWD in other areas of the state, MDC updated its CWD Surveillance and Management Plan in 2015. The MDC is again wanting to revise its CWD Surveillance and Management Plan to ensure that surveillance and management efforts adapt to changing disease dynamics. As part of the plan revision, MDC is considering some changes to deer-hunting regulations for the 2023 deer hunting season. Proposed regulation changes include increasing the maximum number of firearms antlerless deer hunting permits that a hunter could fill from two to four in select counties, creating a three-day early antlerless portion of firearms deer season in select counties that would begin on a Friday in early-to-mid October, and creating a five-day CWD portion of firearms deer season in select CWD Management Zone counties that would begin the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. For more information on the suggested revisions, visit MDC online at mdc.mo.gov/cwdplan.

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning at the courthouse for their regular meeting. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams presented the CART money received in July and reported the Road and Bridge Fund received $68,696.84 which is $2,835.64 more than the 2021 figure of $65,861.20. The increase year-to-date is $26,457.51 which comes to about a 6.36% increase. Williams also said a $40,000 budgeted transfer from the Inmate Security Fund was made to the new Jail Operations Fund. That leaves $20,000 yet to be transferred as per the budget after a $60,000 transfer was made in March. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray said brush was being cut on Dent County Road 5110 and all the other crew members were stock piling rock at the road and bridge maintenance shed. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said materials were being hauled to Dent County Road 2330 and crews were out checking other roads for possible washouts. Larson went on to say two men would be going to Jefferson City to pickup truck #116 from Knapheide after they repaired the hydraulic problem. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles stated before the rains received Monday, the drought condition this year will probably end up worse than the one in 2012 when it was dry early in the year, but fertilizer had been put down allowing the grass to came to life when the rains came in August and September. This year with the cost of fertilizer so high, most farmers couldn’t afford to put that down in the spring so the long-term affect this year for grass may be worse. Skiles said he would be attending a Meramec Community Enhancement Corporation meeting on Wednesday afternoon. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said the August Primary is fast approaching. Absentee voting continues in her office until 5:00 on August 1st and voters will need to choose a specific party ballot when they vote between the Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or the Constitution Party. She also said her office will be open this Saturday, July 30th from 8:00 in the morning until noon for absentee voting. Election Day will be Tuesday, August 2nd from 6:00 in the morning until 7:00 in the evening. You still have time to change your voter registration if you have moved or had a name change. Come by the county clerk’s office at the courthouse and get that taken care of before Tuesday. Don’t forget to bring an ID with you to vote. This could be your driver’s license, a government issued ID, your electric or gas bill, college ID, or bank statement. If you have any questions, please call her office at 729-4144. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Senior Center will be hosting a lunch with State Representative Ron Copeland this Wednesday morning at 11:30 at 604 N McGrath Lane. Everyone is welcome to attend. Lunch is served until 1:00.

The City of Salem Board of Aldermen will hold their regular meeting tonight at the city hall council chambers at 6:00. The board will hear from Jenna Deason asking to close the roads around the courthouse including Iron, 4th and 5th Streets for an October music festival that includes kids’ games and vendors. The board will also hear from Town Screen, LLC about their video network in Salem that focuses on local business and activities. After the consent agenda, the board will discuss Bill #3513 that would create an ordinance pertaining to the appointment of a temporary city administrator; and they will discuss Bill #3514 that would create an ordinance for the mayor to execute contingency allowance #4 between the city and ESP for additional requested duct work for the old city hall for $1,768. The board will hear bids on transformers for the electric department before hearing from City Administrator Ray Walden and Mayor Greg Parker. The board will also hear from Public Works Director Mark Nash who will discuss an emergency purchase of a sewer machine before Economic Development Director Sally Burbridge gives her report and Park and Recreation Director Meliss Dubois gives her report. The aldermen at that time will be able to present their reports. The board will then go into closed session to discuss contracts, personnel and real estate. The meeting of the city of Salem Board of Alderman Tuesday is open to the public.

The Salem Board of Education in closed session Thursday evening employed Becca Hays as the assistant girls’ basketball coach and Jordan McLaurin was transferred to assistant boys’ basketball coach. The board also approved setting the administrator salary schedule based on the number of years as an administrator. The meeting was then adjourned. A correction to the story from Monday where it was written the board accepted the resignation of Julie Harris. They did not accept her resignation, but they did institute the late resignation penalty as outlined in the board policies as written. We apologize for the error.

The Creative Arts Center will be offering a kid’s summer mini art camp with Danielle Norris. The camp will be three days starting Wednesday from 8:30 in the morning till 11:30. The camp is $60 per child and includes all supplies needed plus a small snack each day. Projects will revolve around learning and nature. The targeted age group for the camp is grades first through nineth. There will be an informal art show Friday morning at 11:15 for parents. To sign up call or text 573-247-0651. Or visit our website at: salemcommunitybetterment.com.