Archive for 2023

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning for their regular meeting at the Dent County Courthouse. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray stated grading was going to be done on Dent County Roads 4126, 5380 and 6600 while brush will be cut on county roads 6090 and 6100. Mobray said rock will be hauled to Dent County Road 5600, better known as the Turtle Loop, for Title II road work on county roads serving the National Forest. The county will receive $43,000 for the rock to be put on the roads and this work would need to be completed by December. District 2 Commissioner Gary Polk indicated materials would be added and grading done on Dent County Road 4330 while only grading would be done on Dent County Roads 2500, 2510, 2540 and 2550. Polk said brush would be cut on county roads 3253, 3255 and 3290. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson said he and Commissioner Mobray attended the South Central County Commissioners meeting Friday in Houston. There was talk on Senate Bill 190 which most counties have yet to take action on as they feel it needs more clarification. There was also some discussion on the Highway 19 Standing Rock Creek Bridge at that meeting. It was also announced the commissioner meeting on Thursday will NOT be held due to a lack of a quorum. Also on Monday, Bonnie Prigge and Anne Freand along with MoDOT Engineer Preston Kramer were in attendance to review priority transportation issues for Dent County as well as the City of Salem. Other attendees included the Shannon County Commissioners, City of Salem Administrator Sally Burbridge, 120th District Representative Ron Copeland who is the Vice-Chairman of the Transportation Infrastructure Committee, and 124th District Representative Don Mayhew who is the chairman of the Transportation Accountability Committee. The meeting was moved from the commissioner’s office to the Dent County Courtroom due to the large crowd. Preston Kramer addressed the Standing Rock Bridge Project issue first saying the project was pushed back to 2024 due to inflation, and after the public hearing held in Salem, he said the detour alternative that was presented at the hearing is NOT being moved forward on by MoDOT. He mentioned other alternatives are currently being examined. He said there will still have to be a detour when the road is switched over, but said the duration should be for much less than the 45 days discussed. The Shannon County Commission said they would be willing to work with the Dent County Commission to secure a better plan, and Representative Copeland added if more money was needed for the project from the budget to bring it to the legislature so they could move forward in helping with this important project. Kramer said he had no more information to pass on and hoped to have some other options by the end of the calendar year. In the Transportation Priority List that are unfunded, the commission, the city, MRPC and Kramer agreed the Route TT low water crossing issue should remain first at the top of the list. Kramer said it is in the scoping phase on the state-wide STIP. Also on the list would be improvements to the intersection of Highway 19 and Roosevelt, the bridge on Highway 32 at Boss, and improvements to Route B. New to the list of needed improvements in the unfunded multi-modal needs was a pedestrian crossing at Highway 32-72 West at Askins Street by Wal-Mart, improvements to construct a partial new taxiway at the airport, and a city wide rural transportation system that could possibly expand to a county wide system. Kramer said the pedestrian crossing may be a better fit for TAP grant that MRPC could help with and that may be looked at as well. The MRPC will compile these priorities for the November meeting of the Transportation Advisory Committee . The next commissioner meeting will be October 23rd at 9:00 and the meeting will be open to the public.

The Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center at 200 South Main Street will host a ribbon cutting this Wednesday at 4:00 to celebrate the completion of the Current River Mural created by artist David Spear. Then this Saturday from 9:00 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon, stop by the ONCRC to witness the beautiful mural. Jason Stotler will be holding a Geodes demonstration from 10:00 to 11:00 at the ONCRC. Geodes are stones with a secret–at first glance, they seem like nothing more than the grey rocks you might see on walk around your neighborhood. Then–crack!–once they’re broken open, they reveal their inner beauty: a tiny cave filled with some of the world’s most spectacular, colorful crystals. You can crack your own for just $3.50. The artist David Spear will be in attendance from 11:00 until 2:00 to meet with the public and answer any questions anyone may have about the mural. There will be music that afternoon and a food fundraiser on site. Come early and visit the Farmer’s Market from 10:00 until noon. Everyone is welcome!

An accident happened in Iron County Monday afternoon at 12:10 on Route Y about a mile north of Viburnum. According to the report, a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado driven northbound by a 16-year-old male juvenile from Bellview, Missouri, crossed the center line and struck head-on a 2021 GMC Acadia driven southbound by 61-year-old Gregory Wallis of Steelville. Wallis suffered moderate injuries and was taken by ambulance to the Salem Memorial Hospital, while the juvenile suffered minor injuries and was taken by a private conveyance to the Iron County Medical Center. Both drivers were wearing seat restraints at the time of the accident. The Chevy Silverado and GMC Acadia were both totaled in the accident and removed from the scene by Abney’s Towing.

An accident happened in Texas County Saturday evening around 6:35 on Highway 32 about two miles west of Licking. According to the highway patrol report, a 2017 Jeep Wrangler driven westbound by 53-year-old Regina Vestal of Licking, went off the left side of the roadway and she overcorrected. The Jeep then went off the right side of the roadway, hit a fence and overturned, ejecting Vestal from the Jeep. Vestal suffered serious injuries and was taken by ambulance to the Mercy Hospital in Springfield. Vestal as not wearing a seat restraint at time of the accident. The highway patrol was assisted at the scene by the Licking Fire Department and the Texas County Sheriff’s Department.

Two Edgar Springs residents were injured in an accident that occurred Friday evening at 7:15 in Jefferson County on Route Y near Wilson Place. According to the highway patrol report, a 2003 Chrysler Voyager being driven by 66-year-old Chris Whitley of Edgar Springs, was traveling southbound when he failed to negotiate a curve. The Chrysler traveled off the left side of the roadway, when Whitley overcorrected, causing the vehicle to overturn. Chris Whitley and a passenger, 62-year-old Tesha Dannis, also of Edgar Springs, both suffered moderate injuries and were both taken by Valle Ambulance District to the Mercy Hospital in Jefferson County. The Chrysler sustained extensive damage and was towed from the scene by Shank’s Towing. Both occupants were wearing seat restraints at the time of the accident.

Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation shows that hunters harvested 16,575 deer during the state’s new firearms early antlerless portion of deer season, October 6th through the 8th. The top-three harvest counties were Franklin with 489 deer harvested, Howell with 454, and Ripley with 437. With deer numbers being at desired levels in most counties but continuing to increase, additional antlerless harvest is needed to stabilize the deer population. The goal of the new firearms early antlerless portion is to help increase antlerless deer harvest prior to the November portion of firearms season when many hunters focus on harvesting bucks. The timing of the early antlerless portion was chosen to provide hunting opportunity when weather conditions are usually favorable and to minimize conflicts with archery hunters, who hunt most in late October and early November. Deer hunting in Missouri continues with archery hunting through November 10th and again November 22nd through January 15th, 2024. Get more information on deer hunting from MDC’s 2023 Fall Deer & Turkey Regulations and Information booklet, available where permits are sold and online at mdc.mo.gov.

The Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors will hold their regular meeting at 6:00 in the hospital library Tuesday evening. Interim Administrator Jason Edwards will give his report before the board hears the summary of operations for the month of September as well as statistics for the month. They will also hear about the 340B program, hear the Chief Nursing Officer report, be updated on Human Resources, and receive a report on the hospital foundation. In old business, the board will discuss both state and matching fund updates for needed capital improvements, strategic planning, a long range capital plan, and discuss the finance committee dates. New business to be discussed include the holiday board meeting dates and revenue cycle updates. The board may then vote to go into closed session. The Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors meeting is open to the public.

The community of Salem is invited to attend a volunteer meeting at the Bonebrake Center of Nature and History this Wednesday evening. What interests you? What would you like to see offered at the Bonebrake Center? What skills can you share with us? They would like to match up those skills with the Center’s needs. If you have an interest in art, music, cultural history, nature, science or almost anything else, and can spare even one or two days a year, they would love to hear from you. Imagine what we could all do, together! The Bonebrake Center is located at 601 North Hickory St at Rolla Road. For more information, contact moonshadowmomentsllc@gmail.com or call 573-546-2450 and leave a message.