Archive for 2023

Tuesday night at a special board meeting in the hospital library, the Salem Memorial Hospital’s board of directors appointed two new members to fill the vacancies of A.J. Seay from District 6 and Willie Strader from District 4. Seay and Strader had resigned their positions earlier this month. Those selected to fill those vacancies were Dr. Leigh Ann Price in District 6 and Zach Moser in District 4. Chris Holliday in District 6 and David Kerr in District 4 were also interviewed by the board before the final appointments were made.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education will hold their tax rate hearing tonight at the Salem R-80 Board Room. The assessed valuation went from a total of $78,528,420 real estate and personal property in 2022-2023 to $79,232,570 in 2023-2024. Also noted that new construction and improvements in 2022-2023 were $510,420 and that went up to $1,006,140 in 2023-2024. The real estate assessed values increased during that time while the personal property assessed values actually decreased from 2022-23 to 2023-24 by about $660,000. With this information, the Salem R-80 School District for the 2023-24 school year will receive $2,178,896 from the proposed school tax rate levy of $2.75 per $100 assessed valuation and another $356,547 from the proposed debt service amount of $0.45 per $100 assessed valuation. This is just about $22,500 more than for the 2022-23 school year. These proposed tax rate rates are the same as they were for the 2022-2023 school year. The regular meeting will then follow. After the reports from Superintendent Dr. Lynne Reed and Dr. Nathan Wills, the board will hear from the principals of each building as well as other special reports. In new business, the board will give preliminary approval of the 2022-23 annual secretary of the board report, plus approve the conflict of interest ordinance, approve the letter of engagement with Gilmore Bell and approve the construction trades contract. The board will also declare surplus property to include the old phone system as well as a freezer, plus consider responses to the RFP for a security camera system. The board will hear the first reading of the MSBA policy update and approve a service agreement with “Get The Lead Out LLC”, and consider the Gift of Life program. The board may then vote to go into closed session to discuss personnel and real estate. The tax rate hearing at 5:30 and the meeting to follow this evening are both open to the public.

An accident occurred in Phelps County Tuesday afternoon at 4:30 at 17120 Phelps County Road 7360. According to the highway patrol report, a 17-year-old female juvenile from Newburg, was driving a westbound 1999 Mazda Protege when she lost control and overcorrected causing the Mazda to strike an embankment and overturn. The juvenile suffered minor injuries and was taken to Phelps Health by a private vehicle. According to the report, the driver was wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident. The Mazda was totaled and taken to the owner’s address by D & D Towing.

The Creative Arts Center will be hosting a Hummingbird Paint and Sip event this Friday night from 6:00 to 8:00 with Danielle Norris. Grab your favorite beverages and head to the Creative Arts Center for a fun and relaxing night of painting beautiful birds. The artist will take you step by step through this painting. A minimum of six must sign up with a limit of 25 people for the event. The cost of the class is $25. An additional $5 charge will be added for those who pay at the door. Interested persons can sign up online under “Programs” at the salemcommunitybetterment.com website. You can also check out the other activities at the Creative Arts Center.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is still accepting entries for the 2023 Photo Contest, but time is running out! The deadline to submit photos is September 1st. Entries can include images from anywhere in Missouri, featuring beautiful natural resources, unique state parks and historic sites, natural phenomena, outdoor recreation, scenic landscapes, weather, wildlife and people enjoying the outdoors. Contestants can submit entries in the following categories: “Natural Resources” that includes photographs of Missouri’s air, landscapes and waterways; “Unique Places” such as photographs taken within one of Missouri’s state parks and historic sites which can be found by visiting the website mostateparks.com; or “People Enjoying Missouri’s Outdoors” includes photographs of people enjoying and exploring Missouri’s great outdoors. Judges will choose first, second, third and honorable mention winners for each category. Winning entries will be featured on the department’s social media platforms. For more information or to submit photos, visit dnr.mo.gov/photo-contest.

Ozark National Scenic Riverways will host a one-day workshop about the basics of fly fishing for youth between the ages of 12 and 16 this Sunday at the Akers Visitor Center. These free workshops are limited to 10 youth participants and at least one parent or guardian for each youth. Reservations are required. Park Ranger Mark Van Patten will lead the workshops and demonstrate various fly rod casting techniques, proper catch and release techniques, and strategies for fly presentation. Instruction will also include lessons on aquatic entomology, recommended equipment, reading the water, and understanding flies. Fly rods and reels will be available for those who do not have their own. The book Fly Fishing A-Z will be provided. The clinics are expected to last the full day. Participants should bring the following: Valid Missouri fishing permit and trout stamp if 16 years or older. A Trout Stamp is required for all ages, if under 16 the cost is $5.00. Waders or something to wear while wading but no open-toed shoes. A hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, bug spray, lunch and water. This workshop is made possible through the support of the Ozark Riverways Foundation and a grant from the National Park Foundation. For more information or to make reservation, please contact the Pulltite Ranger Station at (573) 858-3397.