Archive for 2022

The Salem Area Chamber of Commerce will hold their annual Independence Day Parade Monday, July 4th at 6:00. The parade’s theme this year is “Road Trip: Exploring America’s Road and Rivers!” with Marilyn Sweitzer as the Grand Marshall. The parade route will start at the SBU campus at Franklin and Grand and move east on Franklin to MacArthur. The parade will then travel north to 4th Street and then head east to the courthouse square. Following the parade, the City of Salem fireworks display will be held at The Commons starting around 9:30. The events are free and open for all to attend. If you will not be able to attend the parade, KSMO Media will stream the parade LIVE on their website at www.ksmoradio.com by clicking the “Listen On-Line” button on the KSMO homepage. You can also watch it on the KSMO YouTube Page or on Facebook KSMO Stream Page: https://www.facebook.com/KSMO-Stream.

The Salem Police Department has released several reports for the month of May. On Thursday morning, May 5th just before noon, an officer stopped a vehicle at West Scenic Rivers Blvd and Water Street for failing to use a turn signal. The driver, 48-year-old John Stiles of Salem, was found to have a warrant for his arrest from Texas County. Stiles was arrested and issued a summons for driving while having his license revoked, he was released to the Dent County Jail for incarceration on the warrant. At 2:53 during the early morning of Sunday, May 8th, an officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the AutoZone parking lot for speeding and making lane violations. The driver, a 27-year-old man from Richton, MS, was found to be intoxicated. After a short investigation, the driver was arrested for DWI. He was taken to the Dent County Jail, where he was issued a summons, and released. Just before 9:45 that same evening, officers responded to a residence in the 1800 block of South Oak Street to serve an parole violation arrest warrant. Officers made contact with 31-year-old Eathan Head of Salem and took him into custody on the warrant. He was taken to the Dent County Jail and incarcerated. During the afternoon of Monday, the 9th at 4:00, officers traveled to a residence in the 1500 South MacArthur for a report of a noxious smell coming from the residence. Consent to search was granted and officers discovered three dogs locked in cages stacked on top of each other full of feces and no accessible food or water. A further search found more animals and none of the animals had food or water. The animals were later surrendered to the code officer and taken to the Dent County Animal Welfare Society. The owner was issued summons for cruelty to animals as well as failure to provide food, water, and adequate shelter. On Tuesday the 10th at 2:19 in the afternoon, officers were called to Phil-Mart for a reported theft. A 51-year-old Salem man was seen on camera stealing a bottle of whiskey and left without paying. He was located a short distance away from the store and arrested. He was issued and summons for stealing and released. On Thursday, May 12th just after 12:45, officers responded to a disturbance near the intersection of Rolla Road and MacArthur. Officers located a vehicle in the area and could smell the odor of marijuana coming from it. A search was conducted, and marijuana and drug paraphernalia were located inside the vehicle. A 19-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman, both of Salem, were arrested. They were both issued a summons for possession of marijuana and released. If you have any information regarding an investigation, please contact the Salem Police Department at 729-4242.

The City of Salem wants to remind everyone discharging of fireworks inside the city limits is allowed from today through July 6th from 8:00 in the morning until 10:00 in the evening except for Monday, Independence Day, when fireworks may be discharged until midnight. The city has approved the discharging of the Class 1.4G fireworks in unmodified form. The possession of fireworks by anyone under the age of eighteen years shall be unlawful unless under the direct supervision of a parent, guardian, or person over the age of eighteen years. Fireworks shall not be discharged on any public property or public roadway, nor from a motor vehicle. Celebrate the Independence Day weekend with music on Saturday night from 6:30 to 8:30 at the Alley Spring Mill and at 8:00 at Echo Bluff State Park. The renowned Baker Family from Birch Tree will perform on the banks of Alley Spring in front of the historic Alley Mill. Alley Mill will be open for visitation during the event and a special tour will be held at 7:30 that night. At Echo Bluff State Park Saturday night, Salem’s own Michael Conners will be performing at the outdoor amphitheater starting at 8:00. Visitors are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or lawn blanket. Bring a snack to enjoy while listening.

Dent County Prosecutor Andrew Curley released two reports on cases heard in front of Judge Michael Randazzo Tuesday in Dent County. In the first case heard, Dale Porrier of Salem pled guilty to the possession of a controlled substance for methamphetamine. Porrier was sentenced to five years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. He had two prior felony findings of guilt. In the second case heard, Caleb Halbrook of Salem pled guilty to two counts of the possession of a controlled substance and two more felony counts for the passing of bad checks. At the sentencing hearing, Prosecutor Curley sought a ten-year sentence under State Statute 559.115 due to the defendants three prior felony convictions. Halbrook sought probation. Over the objection of the state, the defendant was granted a ten-year suspended execution of his sentence with a probation period of five years that comes with all the standard terms of probation with an emphasis on getting substance abuse treatment.

The Salem Board of Aldermen met Tuesday evening in the City Hall Council Chambers. The board approved Bill #3508 to establish a monthly electric service availability charge of $15 for commercial customers and $10 for residential customers for one year with those funds going into the electric reserve fund, plus a 13.14 cent per kilowatt hour rate for everyone with a minimum commercial charge of $52.58 and a minimum residential charge of $26.28. This charge will become effective for the bills for the July 15th through August 15th electric consumption. The board approved Bill #3509 to amend the 2021-2022 fiscal year annual budget to increase total intergovernmental transfers from $1,050,769 to $1,487,074; then approved Bill #3510 approving the City of Salem annual budget for 2022-2023 fiscal year starting July 1st. The new budget has a reduction in workforce, another $290,000 cut from the General Revenue Fund, the removal of the $1,500 deductible reimbursement to employees along with no cost-of-living adjustments or merit increases. The new fiscal year will have anticipated revenues of $14,606,126 with expenses expected to be $14,256,371 with intergovernmental transfers of $2,142,542. The board approved Resolution #20-2022 to extend the contract with Godi Excavating, LLC for the certified work site at the industrial park through October 15th. Mayor Greg Parker recommended that Thomas Relford and Kevin James be added to the Finance Committee, and Wanda Henson to the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners and the board approved the recommended appointments. The board heard from Ewell Lawson, the Chief Financial Officer of Missouri Public Utility Alliance, who talked about utilities owned by local communities. He said utilities under local control fair better than those cities served by corporations or large companies driven by profits. He said MPUA provides training for linemen and advocacy services as well as emergency services through their sister cities. Chief Markets Officer Rebecca Atkins discussed how the alliance shops for the best available rates for their power pools as the alliance is a “pass through” system to the communities. She said the MPUA rates last year during the February cold snap were about 1/3rd less than other utility providers. Because the MPUA is a not-for-profit organization, they are able to look for the best value from all suppliers to keep costs as affordable as possible. City Administrator Ray Walden said the contract with People Centric has been suspended due to the budget cuts, but the board heard from Don Harkey on how the city should continue with their strategic planning steering committee, have a long-term vision, and forecast their needed revenues and expenses. Walden said the city offices will be closed on Monday, Independence Day; and everyone is invited to the parade Monday at 6:00 downtown and the fireworks at The Commons Monday night around 9:30. Walden said the city received a rebate check of $7,500 from Connell Insurance for the city’s Workman’s Comp insurance due to the lack of claims. The reduction of claims will also result in a reduction of premium of about $32,000. Mayor Greg Parker thanked the city staff and board for the hard work put in on the budget and understanding the tough decisions that had to be made. Public Works Director Mark Nash said he talked with the department heads about the staff reductions and how they will persevere. He said there were 95 disconnects Monday morning with 55 of them reconnected before the end of the day Tuesday. Salem and Dent County Economic Development Director Sally Burbridge showed the board the certified site application notebook and said signatures for the first two rounds of the ‘Welcome Home Program” have been secured. She said more applications from veterans are still needed, but the applicants must live in a house and not a mobile home and live within the city limits. Building Inspector Jarrod Brown said two of the three mobile home parks that have submitted their application for a license renewal, but he could only recommend the park at 701 South Pershing for approval. The other mobile home park who applied still needs come cleaning up before they can be approved. License renewal is due June 30th. The board approved a conditional use permit for an AT&T Cell Tower that was to be located at 1702 Doss Road, but Sherman Odom said AT&T has to meet with the Indian Council yet and they do not think the council will grant them permission to build the tower at that location. Odom said he may back applying for a new location depending on their decision. The board then went into closed session.

The July Fourth holiday weekend is a great opportunity to enjoy one of Missouri’s recreational opportunities or a backyard barbecue. Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, reminds Missouri’s travelers to make smart choices for a safe July Fourth holiday. Everyone should place safety at the top of their list when planning how to celebrate our nation’s freedoms. No matter how you decide to spend the long weekend, your smartest choice is to follow all Missouri traffic and boating laws. During the 2021 counting period, seven people were killed and 532 injured in Missouri over the holiday in 1,139 traffic crashes. Over the 2021 July Fourth holiday, troopers arrested 80 people for driving while intoxicated. The 2022 counting period for the July Fourth holiday will be from 6:00 Friday evening July 1through midnight on Monday July 4th. The Highway Patrol will be participating in Operation C.A.R.E. (Crash Awareness & Reduction Effort) over the July Fourth holiday weekend. All available troopers will be patrolling Missouri roadways to enforce traffic laws and offering assistance as needed. Anyone needing assistance or who witnesses criminal activity while traveling on Missouri’s roadways can contact the nearest Highway Patrol troop headquarters by calling the Patrol Emergency Report Line at 1-800-525-5555 or *55 on a cellular phone.

Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk wants to remind anyone who has delinquent real estate taxes from 2019, you will need to pay them IN FULL by THURSDAY, June 30th at the collector’s office in the courthouse from 8:00 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon. If you don’t pay them by that date, on July 1st, your real estate taxes from the years 2019, 2020 and 2021 will be declared due by Friday, August 19th. If not paid by then, your real estate parcel will be sold at the delinquent tax sale that will be held on the courthouse square on Monday, August 22nd. From July 1st on, check payments will no longer be accepted so you would need to pay with cash, cashier’s check or money order. If you are not sure this applies to you or you do not understand how the system works, please call the Dent County Collector’s Office at 729-3911 with any questions you may have or stop by the Dent County Courthouse. Also as of July 1st, an additional $25 per parcel will be added to the tax bill to pay for the advertising costs in the Salem News. Again, only the 2019 taxes must be paid IN FULL by Thursday, June 30th to give you another whole year to pay the other outstanding years. If you have any questions, call the collector’s office at 729-3911.

The Dent County Sheriff’s office has released some reports. On Saturday June 18th, a deputy responded to Salem Memorial District Hospital for a reported dog bite injury. During the investigation, it was determined that a juvenile had been bitten by a dog on Dent County Road 2480. An investigation was conducted, and the dog was placed on a 10-day quarantine. Then on Monday, June 20th, a deputy investigated a report of a stolen vehicle from Highway 68. It was revealed that an unknown subject or subjects removed a 1999 Jeep from the location without permission of the owner. The investigation is ongoing. On Wednesday, June 22nd, a deputy responded to Dent County Road 4080 for a reported trespassing complaint. During the investigation, it was determined that unknown subjects entered into a resident through an unlocked window. No items were reported stolen or damaged. The investigation into the subjects’ identities is still ongoing. Later that evening, deputies responded to the 39000 block of Highway 72 for a reported wanted subject. A 42-year-old Salem man was arrested on an outstanding Douglas County warrant. He was transported to the Dent County Jail where he later posted bond and was released. Then on Friday, June 24th, deputies responded to the 300 block of South Jackson Street for a reported wanted subject. During the investigation, a 23-year-old Salem man was arrested on three outstanding warrants. He was transported to the Dent County Jail where he was incarcerated on the warrants. If you have any information regarding an ongoing investigation, call the Dent County Sheriff’s Department at 729-3241.

Dent County Prosecutor Andrew Curley released three reports on cases heard in front of Judge Michael Randazzo Friday in Dent County. In the first case, Cheri Sturdivant of Salem pled guilty to the distribution of meth and the possession of meth and oxycodone. Sturdivant’s probation was revoked, and she was sentenced to serve ten years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. Also on Friday, Judge Randazzo sentenced Danny Beyer of Salem to serve seven years in the department of corrections under State Statute 559.115 for a felony DWI. Randazzo also revoked the probation for the possession of a controlled substance for Michaela Hamilton of Salem. Hamilton was sentenced to serve seven years in the department of corrections under State Statute 559.115 with a 120-day institutional treatment program.

An accident happened Sunday evening just before 5:00 in Franklin County on westbound Interstate 44 at the 229.2 mile-marker. According to the report released by the highway west on the Interstate. Another vehicle began to make a lane change into the lane the Camry patrol a 2009 Toyota Camry being driven by 29-year-old Justin Strickland of Rolla was traveling was driving in. This caused Strickland to lose control and travel through the median and overturn in the eastbound lanes. A 2012 Dodge Ram 3500 being driven eastbound of 37-year-old Larry Bruns of Foristell swerved to avoid the Camry but was struck from debris from the Toyota. Strickland suffered moderate injuries. A passenger, 30-year-old Catlin Hughes of Rolla also received moderate injuries. Another passenger, a 6-year-old boy also of Rolla suffered minor injuries. All three were taken by ambulance to Missouri Baptist Hospital in Sullivan for treatment of their injuries. The report went on to state that all involved were wearing safety restraints at the time of the accident. The Toyota was totaled and removed from the scene by Patriot Towing. The Dodge was able to be driven from the scene.