Archive for 2023

Dent County Fire Protection District Fire Chief Brad Nash released the following information concerning the fire at Dewayne’s Tire Services (800 S MacArthur Ave in Salem) Friday evening. The Dent County Fire Protection District responded to a commercial structure fire on MacArthur Ave Friday evening. When we arrived on scene we found heavy smoke coming from the building. Due to the heavy fire load in the building a decision was made to call Lenox Fire, Rolla City Fire and Cuba Fire for mutual aid. Also on the scene was the Missouri Fire Marshal’s office, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Salem Memorial District Hospital Ambulance, Salem Police Department, Salem Electric Department, Salem Water Department, Dent County Sheriff’s office, Whitaker Towing, American Automotive & Towing and Chilton Oil Company. I apologize if there was anyone that I missed! There was a total of 50 personnel on scene to assist in different areas of the fire. Emergency personnel were on scene for approximately 10 hours. The Dent County Fire Protection District would like to thank the agencies that came to assist in the fire. We would also like to say thank you to all the citizens that brought water and food to the scene. You have no idea how much that means to us! Also, if you dropped off coolers at the fire scene please contact us at 573-729-3250, describe your cooler and we will make sure it gets returned to you. Thank you for all the prayers for the safety of the emergency service workers and please continue to pray for the family that lost their business.

The free back-to-school bash will be today, Thursday and Friday from 5:00 to 9:00 each evening at The Commons. There will be back to school supplies, games, food, prizes, and much more. Come and enjoy the presentation by Todd Keane and The Power Team 2.0. The event is sponsored by community churches and fellowships. For more information or a ride to the event call Pastor Lyndell Decker at (573) 739-9235, Sister Ashely Decker at (573) 466-9156, or Walking Faith Ministries at (573) 729-7500.

The Creative Arts Center will host a Hummingbird Paint and Sip event Friday night, August 18th from 6:00 to 8:00 with Danielle Norris. Grab your drink 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 under “Programs” at the salemcommunitybetterment.com website for activities at the Creative Arts Center.

An accident occurred Monday afternoon at 2:10 in Iron County on County Road 79 two miles south of Bixby. According to the Highway Patrol report a northbound 2021 Kawasaki KX450, driven by 38-year-old Edward Dixon of Bixby, ran off the right side of the roadway and struck the ditch, ejecting Dixon. The driver suffered moderate injuries and was transported by Air Evac to Mercy St. Louis. The report went on to state that Dixon was wearing a safety device at the time of the accident. The Kawasaki sustained minor damage and was driven from the scene.

The Missouri Department of Conservation reports that concrete work and final grading are now in process at the new site for Jerome Access on the Gasconade River, located in Phelps County about 15 miles west of Rolla. Blasting operations to remove a bluff are complete and rough grading is complete throughout the site. The main components of the new Jerome Access site will be a half-acre gravel parking lot with ADA accessible parking spaces and approximately 20 truck/trailer stalls, and a concrete boat ramp that will provide entry to the Gasconade. The two-acre site will also feature opportunities for bank fishing. The contract on the project was awarded to Twehous Excavating Company, Inc. Construction is expected to be completed this August.

A Native Grass Pasture Walk will be held Friday, August 25th from 2:00 until 5:00 in the afternoon in Davisville presented by the University Extension. This pasture walk will look at Native grass stands that have been grazed during a drought. Participants will look at different year’s stands and see how producers can incorporate native warm season grass and introduced cool season grass together. Plenty of opportunity to ask questions on grazing and establishment. There will plenty of opportunity to ask questions on grazing and establishment. Interested persons can register online at extension.missouri.edu or by calling the Crawford County Extension office at 573-775-2135. They will give you driving directions to reach the pasture walk. The program is FREE, there is no charge.

The Dent County Commission will hold a tax levy hearing on Monday, August 21st at 10:00 in the morning at the Dent County Commission office. The tax rates to be determined will be for the General Revenue Fund, the Road and Bridge Fund, the Senior Citizens Service Fund and the Sheltered Workshop, also known as the Senate Bill 40 Fund. Taxes will be calculated based on $100 assessed valuation on real estate and personal property taxes. The 2022 rate for the County General Revenue Fund was $0.00 while the County Road and Bridge Fund was $0.2550. The Senior Citizens Service Fund in 2022 was $0.0480 and the SB 40 Fund rate was $0.1341. The assessed valuation in 2022 for Dent County was $194,819,992. The proposed tax rate levies for each fund are $0.0003 for the County General Revenue Fund, $0.2550 for the County Road and Bridge Fund, $0.0480 for the Senior Citizen Services Fund and $0.1341 for the Senate Bill 40 Fund. The assessed valuation for Dent County in 2023 was $199,533,134. The hearing is open to the public.

The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting Monday morning in the courthouse. During public comments Raleigh Pence was in voicing his concern with the extreme wash-boarding of Dent County Road 5070, which goes from Highway P to Dent County Road 5015. He also asked about the difference in costs to chip and seal county roads when compared to grading four times a year. The commissioners explained that the financial costs is more for chip and seal installation coupled with the future maintenance costs. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson expressed his heartfelt concerns and thoughts for the Dewayne Arthur family at the loss of their tire shop in Friday night’s fire. His comments were echoed by Commissioners Mobray and Polk. In the road report District One Commissioner Wes Mobray said that his crew was checking roads after Sunday nights storm. He also reported that his crew would be repairing a washout and cleaning out a culvert on Dent County Road 5520. District Two Commissioner Gary Polk said that his crew was also checking roads for washouts and cutting brush on Dent County Road 2240. Larson reported that he attended the Transportation Advisory Committee, the External Relations Committee and the MRPC Board meetings last Thursday in St. James. He noted that the MRPC Annual Awards Banquet would be in Hermann on October 26th and that he had nominated Easton May and Deloris Gray Wood for awards. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported that bills and payroll were being approved by the commissioners for payment. She also noted that Thursday she and Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams would be attending the MAC Board of Directors meeting. Bids were opened for the Road and Bridge Department surplus property. The highest bid for each piece of property was as follows: 2003 Chevy Truck, Rodney Atkinson for $1,601.02, Wire Welder, Jarod Givens for $307.81, Hydraulic Cylinder, Billy Shepher for $52.00, Lonnie Lundy, Grates for $40.00, Snowplow for $100.00, and Tailgate Spreader for $65.00, Power Washer, Jim Privett for $65.95. Corky Stack, AEA Engineering, was in to visit with the Commission about the courthouse repairs and a change order. Jared Barnard with MidMo Trim Lights in Columbia was with Corky to discuss and demonstrate the Courthouse Christmas lights. The lights have a 5-year labor warranty, and a lifetime warranty will be on the lights themselves at a cost of $42,000. The Commissioners voted 3-0 to approve the purchase of the lights. The next meeting of the Commissioners will be Thursday morning at 9:00 and the meeting is open to the public.

The Sheriff’s department released these reports for the first part of August. On Thursday August third, deputies responded to the 3200 block of Highway P in an attempt to locate a wanted subject. During the course of the call, a 25-year-old Salem man attempted to flee law enforcement but was apprehended and arrested on multiple warrants. The subject was transported to the Dent County Jail where he was incarcerated on the warrants and additional charges. Then on Saturday August 5th, deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle being operated by a 61-year-old Salem man. The man had multiple active arrest warrants and fled from deputies. After a brief pursuit, the man was apprehended in the 2200 block of Highway 68 and transported to the Dent County Jail where he was incarcerated on the warrants and additional charges. The next day Sunday August 6th, deputies responded to the 100 block of County Road 3275 for a reported harassment. During the investigation, it was determined that a 55-year-old Salem was in possession of a firearm while threatening a neighbor. The subject was arrested and transported to the Dent County Jail where he was placed on a 24 Hour Hold pending issuance of formal charges. Then on Tuesday August 8th, deputies responded to the 15000 block of E. Highway 32 for a reported assault. During the investigation, it was determined that a 50-year-old Salem man was assaulted by a 44-year-old Salem man. The investigation is ongoing. Finally on Thursday August 10th, deputies responded to the 2500 block of County Road 6280 to execute an arrest warrant. The suspect, a 52-year-old Jadwin man was arrested without incident and transported to the Dent County Jail where he was incarcerated on the warrant. If you have any information regarding any ongoing investigation, please contact the Dent County Sheriff’s office at 729-3241.

The Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors will be meeting this evening at 6:00 in the hospital library. After the roll call the board will hold interviews of potential board appointees before adjourning. The board may then vote to go into closed session. The meeting will be open to the public. Any person that would like to attend by telephone or electronic means should contact the SMDH Administrative office at 729-6626 ext. 4005 to obtain access information.

An accident occurred Friday morning around 8:40 in Dent County on Highway 72 at County Road 2620. According to the highway patrol report a 2003 Ford F150 driven by 49-year-old Todd Perkins of Salem was traveling eastbound and stopped in traffic, a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze driven by 67-year-old Barbara Trump of Rolla also traveling eastbound struck the rear of the Ford. Causing the Ford to travel off the right side of the roadway. Both Todd and Trump suffered minor injuries and were transported by Salem Memorial District Ambulance. Todd was transported to Salem Memorial District Hospital and Trump was transported to Phelps Health in Rolla. Both injured parties were wearing safety restraints at the time of the accident. Both vehicles were totaled and removed from the scene by American Automotive and Muffler.

An accident happened Thursday morning just after 7:00 in Texas County on Highway B one mile east of Houston. According to the highway patrol report a 1997 Ford Explorer being driven east by 36 year old Melissa Gentry of Raymondville traveled off the right side of the road. Gentry then over corrected and went off the left side of the road, impacting an embankment and overturning. Gentry suffered minor injuries and was taken by a private vehicle to the Texas County Memorial hospital. The Explorer was totaled and removed from the scene by Jays Towing.

An accident occurred Thursday afternoon at 1:15 in Texas County on Highway 63 three miles north of Cabool that took the life of a Cabool woman. According to the Highway Patrol Report a 2011 Chevrolet Avalanche, driven by 48-year-old Christie Smith of Cabool, hydroplaned and crossed the center line where it was struck by a 2023 Chevrolet Suburban driven by 60-year-old Timothy Nash of Wright City, Missouri. Smith was pronounced deceased at Texas County Memorial Hospital by Dr. E. P. Schafer at 2:30. Suffering serious injuries in the accident was 23-year-old Megan Smith of Cabool. She was taken by ambulance to Texas County Memorial Hospital and was Life Flight-ed to Springfield. Nash suffered moderate injuries and was taken by ambulance to Cox South in Springfield. The report stated that Christie Smith and Timothy Nash were wearing seat restraints at the time of the accident, while Megan Smith was not. Both vehicles were totaled and removed from the scene by Jay’s Automotive. The Highway Patrol was assisted by the Cabool Fire Department.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education will be hold a tax rate hearing at 5:30 in the Salem R-80 board room on Thursday to be followed by the regular board meeting. After approval of the agenda the tax rate will be presented dollowed by the adoption of the tax rate. After the approval of the consent agenda for the regular meeting the board is expected to approve the minutes of the July meeting and approve bills, the substitute list and the MOU with Compass Health. After hearing the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendents reports with be the Administrators reports from William Lynch Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School, along with reports from Clay Moody on the facilities and athletics, along withreports from Instructional coaches and special education report. In new business before the board will be preliminary approval of the 2022-23 annual secretary of the board report, approval of the conflict of interest ordinance, approve the letter of engagement with Gilmore Bell, approval of the construction trades program, and a declaration of surplus property to include the old phone system and freezer, and consider responses to RFP for a security camera system. The board will also 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 meeting Thursday evening will be open to the public.

The Sheriff’s department released these reports for the first part of August. On Thursday August 3rd, deputies responded to the 3200 block of Highway P in an attempt to locate a wanted subject. During the course of the call, a 25-year-old Salem man attempted to flee law enforcement but was apprehended and arrested on multiple warrants. The subject was transported to the Dent County Jail where he was incarcerated on the warrants and additional charges. Then on Saturday August 5th deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle being operated by a 61-year-old Salem man. The man had multiple active arrest warrants and fled from deputies. After a brief pursuit, the man was apprehended in the 2200 block of Highway 68 and transported to the Dent County Jail where he was incarcerated on the warrants and additional charges. The next day, Sunday August 6th, deputies responded to the 100 block of County Road 3275 for a reported harassment. During the investigation, it was determined that a 55-year-old Salem man was in possession of a firearm while threatening a neighbor. The subject was arrested and transported to the Dent County Jail where he was placed on a 24 Hour Hold pending issuance of formal charges. Then on Tuesday August 8th, deputies responded to the 15000 block of East Highway 32 for a reported assault. During the investigation, it was determined that a 50-year-old Salem man was assaulted by a 44-year-old Salem man. The investigation is ongoing. Finally on Thursday August 10th, deputies responded to the 2500 block of County Road 6280 to execute an arrest warrant. The suspect, a 52-year-old Jadwin man, was arrested without incident and transported to the Dent County Jail where he was incarcerated on the warrant. If you have any information regarding any ongoing investigation, please contact the Dent County Sheriff’s office at 729-3241.

A free back to school bash will be August 16th, 17th, and 18th from 5:00 until 9:00 at The Commons. There will be back to school supplies, games, food, prizes and much more. Come and enjoy the presentation by Todd Keane and The Power Team 2.0. The event is hosted by community churches and fellowships. If you need more information or a ride to the event call Pastor Lyndell Decker at (573) 739-9235, Sister Ashley Decker at (573) 466-9156, or Walking Faith Ministries at (573) 729-7500.