Archive for 2023

Dent County Fire Protetction District Chief Brad Nash reported the Fire District Board of Directors meeting scheduled for tonight was postponed due to a lack of a quorum. The board meeting has been rescheduled for March 7th at 6:00 at the Dent County Firehouse.

The City of Salem will be holding a Town Hall to share information and answer questions concerning the Downtown Project, the Proposed Additional Sales Tax and the Sewer Bond on Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at the Old City Hall Auditorium, 202 N. Washington St., from 5pm to 7pm. There will be presentations and information available from City Staff and the City’s Engineer, Archer Elgin Engineering will be on hand to answer questions about the topics. Light refreshments will be provided. The Downtown Project is anticipated to go to bid early this summer. The Additional Sales Tax and Sewer Bond will be on the April 4th, 2023 election ballot for the public to cast their vote. Residents are encouraged to come out and learn why these projects are occurring and the impact they will have on our community. For additional information contact Sally Burbridge, City Administrator at 729-2428.

An accident occurred Monday morning at 7:41 that left a Dent County Juvenile with minor injuries. According to the highway patrol report, the 16-year-old female juvenile was driving northbound in a 2008 Nissan Frontier on Route HH about four miles south of Salem. The Nissan traveled off left side of the roadway and struck a tree. The girl was transported by a private conveyance to the Salem Memorial Hospital for the treatment of her injuries. The Nissan was removed from the scene by American Automotive and Towing. The highway patrol was assisted at the scene by the Dent County Sheriff’s Department deputies.

The Salem Board of Aldermen will hold their regular meeting tonight at 6:00 at the City Hall Council Chambers at 202 North Washington Street. In the hearing of persons, the board will hear a request from Kerri Konkel representing “Project Graduation” to have a Senior Parade on Sunday, May 7th at 2:00 in the afternoon. The parade route will begin on Craig Industrial Drive and proceed northwest toward Iron Mountain Road and then onto Center Street. The parade will go left onto Center Street where the route will progress to Pershing where the parade will turn right. The parade will stay on Pershing all the way to 4th Street where it will go west on 4th Street, then go south on MacArthur Avenue and then finally west on 3rd Street heading toward the Salem High School. They will ask for the streets on the parade route to be closed for the parade. The board will also hear from Jamie Cantrell from Edgar Springs who would like to speak with the board the cumbersome process that landlords must go through to get the utilities put back into their name when a tenant leaves. After the consent agenda, the board will discuss Resolution #5-2023 authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement between the City of Salem and H.W. Lochner, Inc. to perform professional services for engineering and project oversight of six “T”-Hangers at the Salem Memorial Airport. The board will then hear reports from City Administrator Sally Burbridge, Mayor Greg Parker, Public Works Director Mark Nash, Parks and Recreation Director Melissa Dubois and each individual aldermen before going into closed session to discuss contracts. The regular meeting of the City of Salem Board of Aldermen will be tonight at 6:00 and the meeting is open to the public.

Come and learn the concept behind Fakemon generating and begin a sketchbook of your own Pokemon inspired characters. In this class, you will create an evolution board of a basic character in various media. Isabella Knaack will walk you through the steps and give you the visual aids and inspiration to help you have fun and be creative. The class will be held this Friday morning from 9:00 until noon and the cost of the class is $15 which includes all supplies. There must be a minimum of four people take the class and it will be maxed out at twenty. To sign up, call or text 573-247-0651, or go online at salemcommunitybetterment.com and look under programs for the Salem Creative Arts Center.

During the week of January 28th through February 6th, there was a total of 110 calls to the Salem Police Department for service. Officers conducted 20 traffic stops for various traffic violations with five resulting in a summons or arrest. There were one traffic accident investigation and five informational reports. Of the calls for service and traffic stops, the as number of reports were generated. On Saturday, January 28th at approximately 4:00 in the afternoon, officers made contact with a woman that had a warrant out for her arrest. The officer noticed the woman during a routine patrol and knew that she had a warrant for her arrest. As a result, 35-year-old Tiffany Meder of Salem, was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail being held on the active warrant out of Crawford County and is awaiting extradition. Later that afternoon around 5:30, officers contacted a man who had a warrant out for his arrest. It was confirmed that the man had an active warrant when he turned himself into the Salem Police Department. As a result, 23-year-old Jon Payne was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail on his Dent County warrant. Then on Tuesday night, January 31st at approximately 7:30, officers responded to a traffic crash at Acuff and MacArthur Street. It was found that a van had struck a utility pole. During the investigation it was found that the man driving the vehicle was intoxicated. As a result of the investigation, a 56-year-old Salem man was arrested and issued a summons for Driving While being Intoxicated. On Friday, February 3rd at about noon, an officer was dispatched to Wal-Mart for the report of a theft. It was reported that a female subject had been stealing items totaling $128 over the course of the past month. A case was submitted and after a short investigation, an 18-year-old Salem woman was arrested and issued a summons for stealing. Later that evening near 8:30, an officer finished an investigation into shoplifting at Wal-Mart that had occurred on January 30th. The report stated that a male subject had stolen $64 of merchandise. As a result of that investigation, a 36-year-old Salem male was arrested and issued a summons for stealing. Please contact the Salem Police Department at (573) 729-4242 if you have any information regarding any ongoing investigation.

An accident happened Thursday morning shortly after 10:00 in Franklin County on Highway 47 at Clearview Road. According to the highway patrol report a 2004 Toyota 4Runner being driven south by 64-year-old Kathie Hoss of Steelville, was slowing for a red signal and was struck from behind by a 2019 GMC Sierra being driven by 57-year-old Steven Tobben of Washington, Missouri. Hoss was taken by the Union Ambulance to the Mercy Hospital in Washington for the treatment of minor injuries. Both vehicles sustained moderate damage and were removed from the scene by Patriot Towing. The report went on to state that both drivers were wearing seat restraints at the time of the accident.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol would like to remind the public that driver examination stations throughout the state will be closed today in observance of Lincoln’s birthday. Normal operations will resume tomorrow, February 14th. The stations will also be closed on Monday, February 20, in observance of Washington’s birthday. Normal operations will resume on Tuesday, February 21.

Come and share open studio time at the Salem Creative Arta Center with other hand-building Potter’s this Thursday morning from 9:00 until 12:00 noon with Connie Behrick and Susan Parker-England. You can work on your own designs or follow along with an instructor as they make a weekly project. In this class, a hand built Casserole Baking dish will be created. This class is geared towards those who already have taken beginners pottery classes. To sign up, call or text 573-247-0651, or go online at salemcommunitybetterment.com and look under programs for the Salem Creative Arts Center. The cost of the class is $25.00.

The Dent County Commissioners met Thursday morning at the Dent County Courthouse. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles was not able to attend. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley appointed District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson as the temporary Presiding Commissioner. In the road report, both Commissioners Wes Mobray and Larson said crews were out checking for washouts as well as limbs and trees blown down due to the high winds. Mobray said Great Rivers Engineering would be calling the commission to provide an update on the FLAP projects going on in the county. Clerk Angie Curley said absentee voting for the April 4th election will begin February 21st. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams brought in her report on the sales tax monies received in February from the Department of Revenue. She said the General Revenue Fund and the Dent County LEST Fund each received $91,226.82 this month which is $5,292.57 more than the 2022 figure of $85,934.25 for February. Year-to-date, those funds are each up $17,902.73. In the Road and Bridge Fund, the county received $41,600.72 while last February the county took in $35,271.11. That difference was $6,329.61 and year-to-date, the Road and Bridge Fund is up $10,658.45 over 2022. In the two jail funds, the trust fund and operating fund, revenues received from the state this month came in at cost is $20 for the adult and $5.00 for each $83,201.55 and that is $12,722.03 more than February of 2022, and year-to-date each fund is up $21,441.21. The courthouse will be closed on Monday so the next commissioner meeting will be held on Thursday, February 16th at 9:00 at the courthouse and it will be open to the public.

The Salem Area Arts Council will hold a Snowman Valentine Parent/Child Paint Party this Saturday afternoon from 1:00 to 3:00 at the Creative Arts Center. Patty Burmeister will guide you step-by-step through the creation of the painting. You will have fun learning to paint shades of colors and adding details to your cute snowman. All the supplies are provided and the child. To sign up, call or text 573-247-0651, or go online at salemcommunitybetterment.com and look under programs for the Salem Creative Arts Center.

The Ozark National Scenic Riverways has openings for volunteer Camp Hosts at the scenic Alley Spring campground from mid-July to September 2023 and Round Spring campground for the entire 2023 Summer Season. These volunteer positions are eligible for meal reimbursement of up to $10 per day per person for up to two people per location. Camp Hosts work to assist Rangers with general campground responsibilities as well as assisting campers. Camp Hosts should enjoy being in contact with people and be able to greet the public in a friendly, helpful, and professional manner. A resume is required. For more information on this opportunity, please go to volunteer.gov and type in either Alley Spring or Round Spring.

The Missouri Department of Transportation invites Missouri students in grades K-8 to help fight litter in Missouri by participating in the 2023 “Yes You CAN Make Missouri Litter-Free” trash-can-decorating contest. The contest is part of MoDOT’s annual “No MOre Trash!” statewide litter campaign, which is held in April. The contest encourages school aged kids to join in the fight against litter by decorating a large trash can with the “No MOre Trash!” logo and a litter prevention message using a variety of creative materials. Schools, or home school programs, may submit one trash can entry in each competition category: grades K-2, 3-5 and 6-8. Entries are judged based on creativity, adherence to the contest rules and effective use of the theme and logo. First-place winners from each competition category receive $200 awarded to the sponsoring schools. All first-place winners are then eligible for a grand prize of $600 and a trophy awarded to the sponsoring school. There is no entry fee for the contest. Participating school groups must submit a completed entry form online with up to three photos and a release form by March 17. Contest rules, entry forms, release forms, logos, past winners and educational information can also be found at modot.org/trash-can-contest.

The Missouri Department of Conservation wants to remind fisherman that the last day of the Catch and Release Season at Montauk State Park will be Monday, February 13th. The second Monday of February every year marks the end of the winter Catch-and-Release season. No fishing will be allowed at the park until the opening day of Trout Season which will be on March 1st. For more information on fishing of all types in Missouri as well as fishing licenses, visit the Missouri Department of Conservation website at mdc.mo.gov.