Archive for 2025

The Salem Police Department released a report that states on October 25, 2025, the Salem Police Department responded to a report of shots fired at a vehicle in the area of Warfel and East Scenic Rivers Boulevard. Upon arrival, officers initiated an investigation, processed the scene, and began gathering evidence. Preliminary findings indicated that a single shot had been fired into a moving motor vehicle occupied by three juvenile subjects. Following the initial response, investigators continued to collect evidence and work to locate the suspect. Through coordinated efforts with the Dent County Sheriff’s Office, officers identified and apprehended one individual in connection with the incident. The suspect, identified as Allen Smith, was taken into custody and transported to the Salem Police Department for further investigation. Smith was then transported to the Dent County Jail and held awaiting formal charges. A probable cause statement was submitted to the Dent County Prosecutor’s Office, which subsequently filed a Felony Complaint in the Circuit Court of Dent County. The Honorable Judge Kelsaw has issued a NO BOND warrant for the following charges: Three counts of Assault in the 1st Degree, one count of Armed Criminal Action, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm, and Property Damage 2nd Degree. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Salem High School FFA members recently competed in 8 of the 11 Fall Public Speaking categories that were available. Most of the speech topics are based on commodity groups or cooperatives. FFAers select the topic they want to speak on, then do the necessary research, write and re-write the speech, and finally after hours and hours of practice enter competition. Salem’s FFA members were very successful bringing home five firsts, two seconds, and one sixth place. Maggie Hogan won 1st in the Soil & Water division, while Dalli Johnson was 1st in Young Farmers/Farm Wives division, and Abbi Terrill was 1st in Missouri Sheep Producers division. Makena Faulkner took 1st in Missouri Institute of Cooperatives and Konner Headrick was 1st in Missouri Cattleman’s division. John Cunningham came in 2nd in the Farm Bureau division, Madison King was 2nd in Missouri Forest Products division, and Sylvia McDonald was 6th in Missouri Teach Ag division. Congratulations Salem FFA Tigers on your outstanding performance.

Temperatures have dropped, and that nostalgic “fall feeling” has come. The Department of Conservation is reporting that the sweet spot of peak leaf color change is coming soon. This week all the oaks have begun to change. As usual, some are further along than others, but by now every oak should have at least a tinge of change. Other fall color highlights right now are the hickory species, including black, mockernut, shagbark, shellbark, pignut and bitternut. These trees are currently displaying brilliant shades of yellow with some even seeming yellowish orange. The red maples, sumacs, sassafras, dogwoods and black gums continue to make a show of red color, with some starting to fade. For more information you can visit the Missouri Department of Conservation website at mdc.mo.gov.

The 4th Annual Salem Trunk or Treat will be held Halloween night on 4th Street from Highway 19, also known as Main Street, to MacArthur. If your organization or your business would like to be a vendor at the event, you can still be included. Vendors will be handing out candy on 4th Street Halloween evening from 6:00 until 8:00. If you would like to help, the organizers are still accepting donations of prepackaged candy or monetary contributions that will be used to purchase additional candy for the event. If donating money, donation receipts for tax purposes can be provided. The “Trunk or Treat” event is being held to provide the children of the community a safe and controlled area to trick or treat with their parents. Decorations and costumes are asked to be family friendly. For more information on being a vendor, or if you want to make a donation of cash or by check, please contact Deputy Derrick Marfitt at derrickmarfitt@gmail.com or by phone at 573-247-7504; or Sergeant Chris Robbins at crobbins1264@gmail.com. 

The Missouri Department of Conservation and Rolla Parks & Recreation will host a free Introduction to Atlatl event November 1 from 1:00 to 5:00 in the afternoon at Green Acres Park in Rolla. MDC Conservation Educator Dwight Warnke will instruct the program. The minimum age is 10 due to the strength and control required to throw a dart with an atlatl. The program is not recommended for adults with shoulder or back injuries. All equipment will be provided by MDC. Registration is not required. Green Acres Park is located at 550 Green Acres Drive in Rolla. For more information, contact Dwight Warnke at Dwight.Warnke@mdc.mo.gov. To request ADA accommodation, visit mdc.mo.gov/accessibility. 

It’s not too late to attend the popular Healthy Dent County line dancing classes! The last two classes will be tomorrow and next Tuesday evening at 6:30. The cost is $5.00 per person, and participants pay at the door. The classes will be held at the Salem Community Center@The Armory at 1200 West Rolla Road. For more information, call Susie at 573-739-1127.

The Dent County Commission met Thursday morning at the courthouse. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams presented the CART tax money received in October. She said the county received $97,509.94 which is up from October of 2024 by $8,553.04. Year-to-date, the CART tax is up $62,121.27 over 2024 which is an increase of about 7.7%. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Keith Green stated crews were patching Dent County chip and seal roads 6040 and 6510, while brush would be cut on county road 5520. Green indicated grading was going to be done on county roads 5140, 6210, 6310 and 6350. District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams said workers would be adding rock and grading on county road 2380. He stated grading would also be done on county roads 2320, 2560, 3020 and 3030, while brush will be cut on county road 2130. Williams said a tree had to be removed from county road 3220. Dent County Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson said he attended the tourism tax committee meeting and one reimbursement was approved. No applications were submitted to be funded. Larson said the tourism tax fund has money available to help market special events in Salem provided people submit a request that follows the committee’s guidelines. Larson attended the MRPC Annual Awards banquet Thursday night at the Salem Community Center@The Armory where Dent County Clerk Angie Curley was recognized for her service to the county. Clerk Curley then reported she had 15 students register to vote Tuesday at the high school, then returned Wednesday to the high school to talk with the Life Skills Class. The commission opened bids for the county’s liability, equipment, autos and buildings coverage. Mike Elliott from Town and Country Insurance had only one bid to submit which was from Tokio Marine which is the current insurer for the county. The quote for the insurance was $373,186, and that was an increase of about $107,000 over last year which included a raise in the deductible from $2,500 to $5,000, as well as an increase in the wind and hail damage deductible. The bid was tabled by the commission to review and see if there was any way to reduce the premium with increased deductibles or just having liability insurance on many of the vehicles. The commission then accepted four bids for lawn care and snow removal. They were from TL Mowing LLC, JB Lawn Care, Garden of Eden Nursery and Ron Lundy. The commission tabled the bids to review them and make sure they are comparing each of their services correctly. At the last meeting, the commissioners wanted to remind the public the Road and Bridge Department is selling two dump trucks and a road groomer on Purple Wave and anyone can bid on those items with the closing bid date being November 4th. 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.

The Missouri Department of Conservation invites the public to finish their hunter education certification at an event in Salem on October 27th. This event is the final step to becoming hunter education certified, and the classes are designed for participants ages 11 and older. Have you always wanted to firearm hunt on your own? The Fall regular firearm deer season is November 15th through the 25th. First you need to get certified! Join the Department of Conservation personnel at Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center for a Hunter Education skills session on October 27th from 5:00 to 9:00 in the evening. Participants must be 11 years old and have completed the knowledge portion of the course prior to attending this skills session. This is done either by completing the online version for a fee or filling out the student manual chapter review questions and bringing the booklet to class for instructor review for no charge. Student manuals are available at the Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center, the Rolla Missouri Department of Conservation office at 12655 Route Y in Rolla, or from the MDC website at mdc.mo.gov. Students under 16 are required to show proof of age such as a birth certificate; a passport; or a photo ID that displays a birthdate when checking in. After successfully completing the skills session and passing a 35-question, multiple-choice final with a score of 80%or better, you will receive a temporary certificate so you can purchase a permit and hunt immediately. To register for the October 27th Hunter Education Skills Session, go to mdc.mo.gov. and click on the “Hunter/Bowhunter Education Course Finder,” go to the Hunter Education Skills Session tap, and search for the Salem location where you can register online. The class is open to 30 participants. For any questions, e-mail the instructor at Dwight.Warnke@mdc.mo.gov. The Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center is located at 202 South Main Street in Salem.

The DEA national “Medication Take Back” Day will be held Saturday, October 25th from 10:00 in the morning until 12:00 noon at Wal-Mart on Highway 32-72 West sponsored by the Healthy Dent County Prevention Coalition. Bring your unused and/or expired medication to be safely disposed of. By doing so, you will keep unwanted or expired medication away from kids, persons struggling with substance abuse, and please DO NOT FLUSH IT DOWN THE DRAIN!! Members of the Drug Enforcement Agency, Salem Police Department and Dent County Sheriff’s Department will be on hand to assist with medication collection. Items that will NOT be accepted are syringes or needles, blood and infectious waste, hydrogen peroxide, aerosol cans and inhalers. If you can’t make it that Saturday morning, there are permanent disposal boxes at the Dent County Sheriff’s Department at 112 East 5th Street and at the Salem Police Department at 500 North Jackson Streets.

The City of Salem will be offering utility payment plans to help ease the impact of the federal government shutdown. The city understands the shutdown may cause delays or interruptions in SNAP and other benefit programs that many local families rely on. They know this uncertainty can cause real stress — especially when it comes to keeping up with essential household bills. To help ease the burden, the City of Salem would like to remind residents that they offer utility payment plans for those who may need extra time to catch up on their bills. A payment plan allows city utility customers to spread out a past-due balance over time, making smaller, more manageable payments while keeping their account in good standing. Customers can take up to 12 months to pay off a past-due amount, in addition to paying their current monthly utility bill. As long as payments are made on time according to the plan, no late fees will be added to the account. To avoid disconnection of utility services, customers must set up a payment plan before Tuesday, October 28th, when disconnects are scheduled to occur. To set up a payment plan, customers must come to the Salem Administration Building at 400 N. Iron Street and sign a payment plan contract. Customers are encouraged to pay what they can at the time the plan is set up. The city understands that times like these can be difficult, and they want residents to know that help is available. Their goal is to work with you, not against you, so your utility services can stay active while you get back on track. Residents who would like more information can contact the Salem Utility Office at (573) 729-4117 or visit City of Salem Administration Building during regular business hours.

The Dent County Health Center (DCHC) Board of Trustees met, October 16th at 5:00. Administrator Zach Moser presented the Service and Statistics report for the month of September. In the Communicable Disease Report, he stated there were no cases of COVID-19 reported, however the virus is known to be present in the community, while the active lead cases were reported at 70, plus 11 Communicable Disease cases. There were no Influenza A case, 3 animal bites were report, and there were 9 screenings for sexually transmitted infections, resulting in 34 total tests. The September environmental report showed there where 12 total inspections or re-inspections conducted. The Maternal-Child Health (MCH) statistics showed there were no car seats distributed, there were two Show-Me Healthy Women appointments, 2 CPR Courses, no consultations for Childcare Health, and there were 13 Title X appointments were reported. There were no Presumptive Eligibility (Temporary Medicaid), while there were 361 WIC appointments. The Community-Specific Services Summary showed 589 total appointments other than WIC, 146 total provider appointments, 212 treatment court visits, 177 lab appointments and 90 immunization appointments. Nurse Practitioner Service Details showed 2 Show-Me Healthy Women appointment, 4 family plannings, 4 well-child visits, 2 other well-woman exams, 13 other physicals, 6 SEMO physicals, plus 57 other visits, and 58 acute illness appointments for a total of 115 visits. Laboratory details showed 177 Lab Draws, 15 appointments for Rapid Test for COVID, Flu, RSV or Strep, 3 pregnancy tests, 8 lead tests were reported, plus 17 other urine drug screenings. Phlebotomy Appointments
totaled 151, while all Lab Appointments totaling 177. Immunizations for September showed 23 for COVID-19 and 38 for Influenza, plus 74 other vaccines given during 90 appointments. In the Administrator’s report, Moser reported on the success of the October 2nd Drive Through Vaccine Clinic at the Fire Station and thanked the DCFPD for the use of their facility. He said 95 patients were vaccinated and all COVID vaccines in stock were used during the event. Moser did say that COVID vaccine is back in stock. He said staff would be arriving very early Friday morning the 17th for the Fall Health Fair. Moser reported on the launch of CareCab transportation program which provided 61 rides in September and is expected to grow quickly. He discussed the financial delays from the state of Missouri due to their process changes after their new Fiscal year, and the impact of the Federal Government Shutdown if it continues. Moser also reported on a visit by State Senator Justin Brown, Ashley Kuykendall from Beacon Reproductive Health, and Jack Seigal from Missouri Nurses Association to discuss the challenges of rural healthcare and public health. The financial reports for September were reviewed and approved by the board. The Board entered closed session at 6:00 to discuss personnel. At 8:09 the Board returned to open session having discussed personnel issues, but taking no disclosable votes, other than setting a special meeting for November 27th at 5:00 pm. In new business Zach requested guidance on the Bank of Salem CD expiring October 18th for 

approximately $207,000.00. A motion was made and carried to renew the CD with the Bank of Salem. An employee application for tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment was evaluated for $8,000. A motion was made and carried to approve the $8,000 reimbursement and loan repayment. Moser asked for direction on developing the 2026 budget. The board agreed to have Board Treasurer Bob Gravely work directly with Moser to prepare a budget for approval at later meetings. Prior to adjournment the next regular meeting date was set for Thursday, November 20th, 2025, at 5:00.

The Scenic Rivers Industries Dent County Sheltered Workshop is hosting their first ever Haunted House today, tomorrow, and Saturday from 6:30 until 10:00. The haunted house theme will be  the “The Land of Misfit Toys” where visitors can prepare for an unforgettable journey through the shadows where “Misfit Toys” will lurking around every corner. The haunted house will be held at 1200 South Babb Lane in the building next to MFA; and the cost of admission is $7.00 for adults, $3.00 for children 11 years of age and under. Popcorn and beverages will be available to purchase at the event. If you have any questions, please call the workshop Monday through Thursday at 573-729-6264.

The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors met at 6:00 last Wednesday evening at the Fire Station at #2 South Main. The board approved the consent agenda, plus reviewed and approved the minutes from the previous meeting, then did the review of the financials, followed by the review and approval of bills, payments and statements. The budget was also reviewed and approved. The Monthly Reimbursement Report showed there were 26 calls for September and a total of 219 year-to-date. The calls in August included eight fire calls, two accident calls, one false alarm response, six medical calls, three calls categorized as other, and two canceled calls en route. In old business, the Fidelity (CTI) Tower Lease was again tabled. In new business relative to Firefighters Association of Missouri (FFAM), recruitment and retainment incentives information was presented by Director Stokes and the following motions were voted on and passed. Chief Floyd is to start the process for professional grant writing services for AFG grant with Fire House Grants. A Resolution for a Cooperation Agreement for the security investment of Public Funds with MOSIP. To join Firefighters Association of Missouri (FFAM). To join the National Volunteer Fire Council. Lieutenant Robbins presented bids for training room equipment and completion, which were approved for a total of $5,000.00. Captain Marffit presented information on the Junior FF program and the board voted to approve the implementation pending legal review. Director Knight presented quotes on Crib Units, Digital Fire Training Systems, and Extraction Kits. Chief Floyd presented quotes for new hose nozzles. A motion was made and passed to accept the bid from Sentinel for the new trucks and to replace nonfunctioning nozzles. Tire quotes were also presented for Truck 8020 and the bid from Mastertrack for $377.29 per tire was approved. Chief Floyd reported that the electric has been installed in the bay for the charging drops for the trucks. He said that the annual ladder tests have been completed and passed. Floyd reported that the training facility construction is coming along nicely. He also reported that Greg Thies and Scott Montoya will be attending instructor training school in November. The board went in to closed session to discuss competitive bidding. After returning to open session the meeting was adjourned at 9:43.

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning at the courthouse. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Keith Green said materials would be added where needed and grading done on Dent County Roads 5220 and 5179 as well as some other roads in that area. He indicated brush would be cut on county road 5520, and a grader blade would be changed out on a grader. District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams reported workers will be adding rock and grading on Dent County Roads 2360 while only grading will be done on county roads 2200, 2340 and 3120. Williams said men will be going to Springfield to get oil for chip and seal repair. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson reported that the county received the remonumentation agreement that will be pay the county surveyor $400 per corner by the Department of Agriculture. The county surveyor, Michelle Elwood, will rework eight corners and the reimbursement will be no more than $3,200. The commission signed the agreement. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported her office and the county treasurer’s office balanced on all accounts for the month of September. She also said the CART funds project for Dent County for 2026 is expected to $1,080,000 for 2025 based on 200 million dollars spent on gas and car purchases as well as increase in the CART tax rate due to the final fuel tax 2.5% increase in July of this year. Curley said she will be doing a voter registration today at the high school from 11:00 until 1:30 and then return Wednesday to the school for Kim Thompson’s Life Skills class. Curley reported the county’s Workman’s Comp premium for 2026 will be 11% lower than in 2025. At the last meeting, the commission also discussed the county’s health insurance renewal. The premium showed a 6.5% premium increase which was better than what was expected. The commission agreed to keep the deductible agreement that same as in previous years. The next meeting of the commission will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

This week is School Bus Safety Week, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol would like to remind motorists that school bus safety is an important part of driver etiquette. The Patrol encourages everyone to review these school bus safety tips. Parents, please remind your students to use proper school bus etiquette when being transported to and from school. Students should sit quietly in their seats and keep the aisle clear. They should never shout, throw objects, or stick anything out the window. Students should make note of where emergency exits are on the bus in case they need to use them. They should always listen to the school bus driver for instructions. When exiting the bus, always use the handrail and stay at least 10 feet in front of the bus when crossing a street. Motorists are reminded to be aware of all school zones and school bus stop signs. Bus drivers must activate the bus’s crossing control arm when loading or unloading students. MO law states that if motorists are meeting or following a stopped school bus on a two-lane road, drivers must stop. However, it is only necessary to stop on a four-lane highway when following the bus. Be extra cautious as some children may not be aware of traffic and step unexpectedly onto the roadway. Allow extra time during your commute during school hours. Drivers, students, and parents should remain patient and aware when school bus transportation is in use. Not only does this protect school children, but it will ensure your and other motorists’ safety as well. For more the, Missouri State Highway Patrol is on X @MSHPTrooperGHQ