Archive for 2023

Dent County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Curley has released reports from court held in Dent County last Thursday in front of Judge Michael Randazzo. In the first case heard, James Hansel of Salem pleaded guilty to the possession of methamphetamine with the intent to deliver and for resisting arrest. Judge Randazzo sentenced Hansel to eight years in the Missouri Department of Corrections as requested by the prosecutor. In the next case, Nickelous Terrill of Salem plead guilty to a felony charge of driving while having his license revoked or suspended, possession of a controlled substance for methamphetamine, escape from custody, two counts of assault on law enforcement in the 2nd degree and one count of assault on law enforcement in the 3rd degree. Judge Randazzo sentenced Terrill to serve 12 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections as requested by Prosecutor Curley. In the next case, James Denny of Licking, pleaded guilty to the possession of methamphetamine. He was sentenced to serve five years in the Missouri Department of Corrections as requested by the prosecutor. The 4th case heard found Jeremy McAfee of Salem pleading guilty to the possession of a controlled substance which was methamphetamine as a prior and persistent offender. Judge Randazzo sentenced McAfee to serve 10 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections as requested by Prosecutor Curley. The last case of the day was a sentencing hearing for Jerry Thompson of Salem. He had pleaded guilty to four counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of escaping from custody. Thompson requested a seven-year concurrent sentence while Prosecutor Curley requested 15 years due to the circumstances of the incident and his prior criminal history. Judge Randazzo sentenced Thompson to serve 15 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections as requested by Prosecutor Curley.

Listen to KSMO Radio this Thursday morning at 8:30 to find out more about the MRPC and Ozark Solid Waste Management District’s electronics and tire collection to be held in Salem this Saturday from 9:00 to noon at 3rd and Grand Streets in Salem at the Water and Sewer Department Construction Parking Lot. Anything with a cord or that is battery operated can be accepted. KSMO will air the interview on KSMO Radio (AM 1340 and 95.7 FM) and also stream the interview on KSMO Media including the KSMO Stream Facebook Page, KSMO You Tube Page and ksmoradio.com. It’s you chance to get rid of those non-working tools, appliances, TV’s, monitors, cell phones and more. For more information, call 573-265-2993.

Do you own a kayak but want to increase your paddling skills? Have you wanted to learn how to safely paddle down the river? You’re in luck! Missouri State Parks’ Learn2 Paddle River program can help you learn more about kayaking on the river. The program requires preregistration but is FREE. Participants must bring their own kayaks, life jackets, paddles, lunches, sunscreen, hats and sunglasses and wear appropriate attire for getting wet. The program will include a ground school where there will be an in-depth discussion on river safety, plans, equipment and paddling technique before the water school where participants will learn river paddling skills including ferries, eddy turns and low braces. Those in attendance will also learn how to read the river and river rescues. A class will be held at the Current River State Park on September 10th from 10:00 in the morning until 3:00 in the afternoon and you can register for that class now. To find out more information or to register, go online to mostateparks.com/learn2-paddle-river. If a class is full, please enroll using the wait-list function. If an opening in the class becomes available, you will be notified by the Learn2 staff via email or phone call. For more information, please email Taylor.Ratcliff@dnr.mo.gov.

Acrylic Pour Painting with Barbara Johnson will be going on at the Creative Arts Center this Saturday, September 9th from 1:00 in the afternoon till 3:00. Children (with a parent/legal guardian) and adults alike can participate. No previous experience is needed! Students will learn about mixing the paint, preparing it to pour and how to apply it to a stretched canvas. Techniques will be explained and demonstrated which will include flip cup, ring pour, traveling ring, string pull, swiping, sink strainer pours, split cups, bottle bottom pours, balloon kisses and more. Participants will create 2 unique and colorful 8×10 poured paintings, using acrylic paints thinned with a pouring medium. Various techniques will be explained. The cost is $35 and all supplies are included. Interested persons can sign up under “Programs” at the salemcommunitybetterment.com website for activities at the Creative Arts Center.

An accident occurred Friday morning at 7:00 in Dent County on Dent County Road 6380 at Dent County Road 6370. According to the highway patrol report, a 2005 Ford F-150, driven by 24-year-old Eva Wilson of Salem, failed to yield to a 2019 Bluebird School Bus driven by 48-year-old Tricia Manson of Salem. The Ford struck the side of the school bus and both vehicles came to rest in the roadway. Suffering minor injuries were two 5-year-old female juveniles and one 9-year-old female juvenile. All three students were transported by the Salem Ambulance to the Salem Memorial Hospital. The Ford was totaled and removed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing. The Bluebird sustained extensive damage and was also towed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing.

An accident happened in Phelps County Sunday morning at 7:00 on Highway 72 about eight miles from Rolla. According to the highway patrol report, a 17-year-old male juvenile from Salem, was driving a 1996 Chevrolet Silverado eastbound when the vehicle traveled off the right side of the road. The driver overcorrected and the Silverado went off the left side of the roadway where the Chevy struck two trees before coming to rest over an embankment. The juvenile suffered serious injuries and was airlifted by Mercy Lifeline to St. John’s Mercy Hospital in Creve Coeur. The Chevy Silverado was totaled and removed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing.

City Administrator Sally Burbridge has announced the final pickup dates for curbside recycling in Salem and a cost increase in the city trash pickup services. The final pickup dates for curbside recycling will be September 6th & 7th for the east side of town and September 13th & 14th for the west side of town. After final pickups, the recycle bins will be picked up by GFL. There were multiple factors relating to the city not receiving a bid for curbside recycling this round. Higher costs to the trash company to pay a facility to take the material and continued contamination by customers placing non-recyclable material in the bins were the top reasons stated. Unfortunately, this is a much larger concern, given that both Rolla and Springfield have discontinued curbside recycling services. Weekly curbside trash service will continue to be provided by GFL, but there will be an increase in the monthly cost to citizens. After the board of alderman’s approval of the new contract with GFL, the monthly service will increase to $18.50 per month for residents under 63 years of age, and $18.00 for those 63 years of age and over. Those out of town with city utilities and trash service will see their rates increase to $21.50 per month. For those residents who wish to continue recycling, the Scenic Rivers Industries (also known as the Sheltered Workshop) at 601 S. Walker Street will accept newspapers, magazines, cardboard and aluminum cans. They may be dropped off in the bins in the side of the building here in Salem. For questions, please call the Utility Office at 729-4117.

The Mudbugs last event for the year will be a “Weenie Roast” at the Bonebrake Center of Nature and History on September 7th at 5:00. If you plan on attending with your children, please let Cheri Low know how many will be with your party. Please send her an e-mail her at naturalist.cheri@gmail.com. The suggested contribution for each program is $2.00 but additional donations are always welcome. All monies collected go to the Bonebrake Center. Each program is geared toward children from six to 12-years of age, but all aged children are welcome. They ask that parents please accompany their children.

Missouri deer, turkey, waterfowl, and dove hunters can get the most current information on upcoming fall hunting from the Missouri Department of Conservation’s new 2023 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet and the Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Hunting Digest 2023-2024. The 2023 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet has detailed information on fall deer and turkey hunting seasons, limits, permits, managed hunts, regulations, conservation areas to hunt, post-harvest instructions, chronic wasting disease updates, and more. The Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Hunting Digest 2023-2024 has detailed information on waterfowl hunting along with hunting doves and other migratory game birds such as rail, snipe, and woodcock. It also has information on needed permits and duck-stamp requirements, hunting seasons and limits, hunting areas, regulations, and more. The booklet and digest is available where permits are sold and online at mdc.mo.gov Buy Missouri hunting and fishing permits from numerous vendors around the state, online at mdc.mo.gov/permits, or through MDC’s free mobile app, MO Hunting, available for download through Google Play or the App Store.

A four vehicle accident happened in Phelps County Wednesday night around 8:53 on Highway 63 south of Phelps County Road 5170 that took the lives of three people. According to the highway patrol report, a 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo driven northbound by 61-year-old Patrick Perry of Newburg, crossed the center line and struck the side of a 2007 GMC Yukon driven southbound by a 16-year-old female juvenile from Edgar Springs, before striking head-on a 2007 Ford Focus driven southbound by 19-year-old Grace Gorman of Rolla. The impact of the Monte Carlo and Ford Focus caused them to rotate in the roadway. At that time, a 2002 Ford F-150 driven southbound by a 16-year-old male juvenile from Edgar Springs, struck the Chevy Monte Carlo causing the car to travel off the right side of the roadway into a rock bluff. Pronounced dead at the scene by Phelps County Coroner Ernie Coverdell were drivers Patrick Perry of Newburg and Grace Gorman of Rolla as well as a passenger in the Ford Focus, 18-year old Michael Sutton of Edgar Springs. The bodies of Gorman and Perry were taken to the James and Gahr Mortuary in Rolla by the coroner, and Sutton’s body was taken to the Phelps County Morgue by the coroner. Suffering minor injuries from the GMC Yukon were the 16-year-old female juvenile driver and an 11-year-old male juvenile passenger. They were taken to Phelps Health by a private vehicle. All the vehicles were totaled in the accident. The 2007 GMC Yukon, 2007 Ford Focus and 2004 Monte Carlo were removed from the scene by D&D Towing while Ron Dishman’s Towing removed the 2002 Ford F-150 from the scene. The highway patrol was assisted at the scene by the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department.

The Dent County Commission met Thursday morning at the courthouse. Grant Wilson from Jason Smith’s office was in and reported Smith has been making the rounds on his farm tour while Congress was on break in August. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray reported that his work crew would be patching chip and seal roads and filling stray potholes with the Ultimate Paving Material. He said workers were also out checking on roads for problems that citizens have called about. District 2 Commissioner Gary Polk said materials would be added and grading done on Dent County Roads 5310 and 5325, while only grading was going to be done on county roads 2540 and 2550. Polk said rock would also be hauled to county road 4030 where a crew was installing a new driveway pipe. Presiding Commissioner Larson said he attended an MRPC Dues Review Committee meeting where the dues may increase for next year for member cities and counties. They will have another meeting on October 4th. Larson nominated A.J. Seay to be appointed to the County Law Enforcement Restitution Fund Board and the commission approved the nomination. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said all taxing entities have submitted their certifications to her office. She said she will be attending the County Clerk Election Authority Conference next week starting Tuesday. Curley also said the courthouse would be closed for the Labor Day holiday. Also discussed was an upgrade to the CCTV security system in the jail. The upgrade will improve the coverage from the initial installation. The cost of the upgrade is $92,638 and it will come from the county’s Construction Jail Trust Fund. The new system is to be installed in January or February of 2024. At the last meeting, the commission heard from Jason Rinker from Stronghold Data about cyber security, insurance, grants and digital maps. Engineer Corky Stack presented an invoice for the AEA Stack Engineering Design Group, and City Administrator Sally Burbridge also came in. The next meeting of the commissioners will be Thursday, September 7th at the courthouse and the meeting will be open to the public.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education held a special meeting Thursday at the district board room. At the meeting, the board discussed the RFP process they used to discuss the bids received. At their regular board meeting on August 17th, IT Director Brian Andrews summarized bids received instead of the board actually reviewing the bid proposal documents themselves leading to some confusion. After his summary, the board agreed to go with a bid from Communications Technologies Inc, out of St. Louis, for over $110,000 of the $120,000 grant amount for security cameras for the Motorola Vigilant system. The next day, the board called a special meeting and rescinded the approval of the bid as it was brought to the attention of the board the actual proposal documents were not presented to the board to see who actually placed the bid and what was actually proposed in the bid, not a summary. In the special meeting held Thursday, the board had been given the original proposal documentation with no other information discussed or considered. Board President Steven Patterson said the board could ask to have the project rebid, do nothing or could accept their original motion from the August 17th meeting. The board elected to go with their original motion for the Motorola System. Andrews said it would take about ten weeks to install and the school will monitor both systems side-by-side during installation to make sure no security is lost. The other $30,000 of the grant is for radios and security doors on the FFA building. After approving additions to the teacher substitute list, the board went into closed session.