Archive for 2025

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning at the courthouse. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Keith Green and District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams said crews would be out checking roads for downed limbs and trees from the high winds Sunday night and Monday. Williams also said a crew would be putting rock in a ditch on Dent County Road 2240 that had previously washed out while other crews would be doing shop maintenance and cutting up trees for the wood furnace at the shop. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson had nothing to report and Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said work continues on the budget, and the deadline to file for an elected position on a school board, hospital board, positions for the cities of Salem and Bunker for the April 7th Municipal Election ends today. Contact the local tax entities you are interested in serving to find out more about the requirements to file for an open position. At the last meeting, Dent County Emergency Management Director Derrick Marfitt discussed with the commission about him becoming an LLC to perform emergency management services for the county. The commission agreed to draft a contract and run it by Missouri Association of Counties attorney Travis Elliott for his opinion. The courthouse will be closed Thursday for New Year’s Day. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Monday morning at the courthouse at 9:00 and the meeting is open to the public.

Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk wants to remind everyone her office will have extended hours for those wanting to pay their tax bills in person from 8:00 this morning until 5:30. Payments mailed in must be postmarked NO LATER than December 31st. She recommends if you mail your payment to take your payment envelope inside the post office at the window to have the date hand stamped on your envelope. There is also a drop box in the front of the courthouse at the southwest corner of the courthouse square where you can leave your payments through midnight tonight. Payments can also be made online by following the instructions on your real estate and personal property tax bills. Payments received after December 31st or that are postmarked after December 31st will be assessed penalties and late fees. If you have questions, please call the Dent County Collector’s office at 573-729-3911.

Colonel Michael A. Turner, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, encourages everyone to make good decisions regarding their New Year’s celebration. No one wants to start 2026 with a traffic crash or DWI arrest. During the 2024-2025 New Year’s period, one person was killed and 118 injured in 264 traffic crashes in Missouri. The 2026 New Year’s holiday counting period begins at 6:00 Wednesday night, December 31st, 2025, and ends at 11:59 Sunday night, January 4th, 2026. If your plans to welcome the new year include alcohol, please designate a sober driver or utilize a ride share service or taxi to ensure you arrive home safely. The roadway is no place for a driver under the influence of drugs or alcohol. If you plan to travel this New Year’s, remember to buckle up and make sure all your passengers do the same. Remember that Missouri is now a hands-free state. Pay attention, obey all traffic laws, and when in doubt, yield the right-of-way. Due to ongoing road construction throughout the state, the Patrol suggests that travelers use the MoDOT Traveler Information Map to plan their travel days. The map provides up-to-date information such as road closures, delays, construction zones, and alternative routes. You can download the app for free to your smart device or access it here. Missouri law states if you’re using your windshield wipers, your headlights must be turned on. You are encouraged to call the Patrol’s Emergency Assistance Number 800-525-5555 or *55 on a cellular phone if you witness criminal activity or experience an emergency.

The next edition of Your World Today will be distributed on Friday, January 2, 2026.

An accident occurred Monday morning at 6:48 on Highway 63, 3 miles south of Edgar Springs that left both drivers with serious injuries. According to the Highway Patrol report a 2018 Ford Focus, driven by an 18-year-old Plattsburgh, NY man, crossed the center of the roadway and struck head on a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado operated by a 48-year-old man from West Plains. The New York man suffered serious injuries and was transported by Air Evac to Cox Hospital in Springfield. The West Plains man also suffered serious injuries and was transported by Phelps Health Air to University Hospital in Columbia. According to the report the driver of the Ford was wearing a safety restraint, while the driver of the Chevrolet was not. Both vehicles were totaled and removed from the scene by Lucas Garage. The Highway Patrol was assisted by the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department and the Rolla Rural Fire Department.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports 10 people died in traffic crashes during this year’s Christmas holiday counting period which ran from 6:00 Wednesday evening, December 24th, through 11:59 Sunday night, December 28th. There were no boating crashes or drownings. During the Christmas holiday counting period, troopers report the following preliminary traffic statistics for 2025. The Patrol investigated 258 traffic crashes that resulted in 94 injuries and 10 fatalities. The Patrol made 93 DWI arrests. During the 2024 Christmas holiday counting period, troopers investigated 81 traffic crashes, which included four fatalities and 44 injuries. Statewide, five people died and 133 people were injured in 295 traffic crashes over last year’s Christmas holiday. Troopers arrested 18 people for driving while intoxicated during the 2024 Christmas holiday counting period. There were no boating crashes, boating fatalities, drowns, or boating while intoxicated arrests during the 2025 Christmas holiday counting period. Further details related to the traffic crashes and arrests can be found on the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s website. It’s important to note that the Christmas Day holiday counting period varies from 1.25 to 4.25 days in length, depending on which day of the week the holiday falls. In 2025, Christmas Day fell on a Thursday, making the holiday period 4.25 days. In 2024, Christmas Day fell on a Wednesday, making the holiday period 1.25 days. Follow the Missouri State Highway Patrol on X @MSHPTrooperGHQ

Volunteers for AARP have been helping Dent County Citizens with free tax filing assistance at the Salem Community Center@ the Armory for the many years. You can make your appointment now, but the earliest date for an appointment is Friday, February 6th. Appointments can be made by calling the Salem Community Center at 729-8163 with the last day for appointments being Friday, April 3rd. This local service is provided entirely by AARP trained volunteers and will be the 22nd year that Healthy Dent County has partnered with AARP to provide this free tax service to our community. AARP Foundation Tax-Aide volunteers are trained in filing certain tax forms and schedules, including the Form 1040. However, the Volunteer Protection Act requires that our volunteers stay in the scope of the program. If counselors feel they do not have adequate knowledge or your return is too complex, you may need to seek another qualified counselor or paid tax assistance. Items you will need to bring with you to have your tax returns prepared include: Proof of identification such as a picture ID; Social Security Cards for you, your spouse and dependents; or a Social Security Number verification letter issued by the Social Security Administration. You should also bring birth dates for you, your spouse and dependents on the tax return. Also needed are wage and earning statement(s) Form W-2, W-2G, 1099-R, 1099-Misc from all employers; year-end Social Security Statements showing total SS received and Medicare payments; and interest and dividend statements from banks (Forms 1099). You should bring a copy of last year’s federal and state returns if available; plus proof of bank account routing numbers and account numbers for Direct Deposit, such as a blank check or deposit slip. To file taxes electronically on a married-filing-joint tax return, both spouses must be present to sign the required forms. The Salem Community Center @ the Armory is located at 1200 West Rolla Road. Appointments can be made by calling 729-8163.

The Dent County Commission met last Monday morning at the courthouse. District 1 Commissioner Keith Green said rock would be added and grading done on Dent County Road 5400 while only grading will be done on county road 6430. He also stated brush would be cut on county road 5615 and reflector signs are being installed on county road 5130. A crew will check other roads to see if reflectors need to be added. District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams reported rock will be added and grading done on Dent County Roads 2140 and 4130, while only grading would be done on county roads 2120 and 2130. He did state brush would be cut on county road 2200 and that a crew is straightening out a pipe at the intersection of county roads 2240 and 2260 where it was apparently run over. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said her office continues working on the budget for 2026. At 9:30, the commissioners approved an amended budget by the SB40 board for 2025 as they received insurance proceeds from the fire at the sheltered workshop and they also had larger than anticipated expenses from the fire cleanup. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams presented the CART receipts for the month of December. She stated the county received $91,450.98 and that is down $788 from the December of 2024. Williams reported that year to date that CART is up $72,782.18 which is about a 7.4% increase. At 10:00, the commission opened bids for the creation of a 1st floor ADA compliant bathroom at the courthouse. They received and approved the only bid and that was from Thomas Excavation for $20,990. At 11:00 Jeff Banderet from Great Rivers Engineering came in to talk about ongoing projects, starting with the sidewalk TAP grant around the courthouse. He felt the county will be able to advertise the project for bids in February with the construction possibly starting as early as late April or May. Banderet also talked about the FLAP project for the paving of the county gravel road as the backway to Montauk State Park. He said once he hears back from the state, the county will have to secure easements or get land donations from the existing landowners before the project can begin. Dent County Emergency Management Director Derrick Marfitt was in attendance and said the county has been reimbursed $183,646 which covers four FEMA projects out of the nine requests by the county for funding from the flooding of 2025. The commission authorized Great Rivers Engineering to proceed with the design phase for funded FEMA projects. According to Marfitt, Dent County still has outstanding requests for funding from FEMA of $1,437,000. Banderet went on to say there is funding for BRO bridge replacement projects, and those applications need to be submitted this spring. At the last meeting, the commissioner approved the revision to the County Personnel Policy and also heard from Craig Faigle from the 100-Acre Wood Road Rally. He said the event this year will be held in Dent County March 14, 2026. The commissioners went on to employ Joe Pogue as the new janitor at the courthouse after interviewing him and he will begin this Friday. The next meeting will be this morning at 9:00 in the courthouse. The meeting is open to the public.