Archive for 2025

A two-vehicle accident occurred Thursday at noon on Highway 63 near Beaver Creek in Phelps County. A 10-year-old boy from Salem suffered minor injuries and was transported by Phelps Health Ambulance to Phelps Health. According to the Highway Patrol report, a 2003 Chevrolet 2500 driven by a 28-year-old man from Rolla was traveling southbound when it went off the right side of the roadway. The driver overcorrected, causing the vehicle to cross the center line and strike a northbound 2000 Pontiac Montana driven by a 30-year-old man from Salem. The Chevrolet sustained total damage and was towed by D & D. The Pontiac had moderate damage and was also towed by D & D. Both drivers were wearing seat restraints at the time of the accident.

Nicole M. Raulston, 42, of Salem was arrested Thursday night at 10:25 by the Missouri State Highway Patrol on multiple charges. She was released Friday. Raulston was charged with driving while intoxicated with a person less than 17 years old in the vehicle, no valid license, no seatbelt, and two counts of failing to secure a child less than 16 years old. The arrest occurred in Dent County and was handled by Troop I of the Highway Patrol.

The Missouri Department of Transportation will replace culverts on several area routes this week. One lane will remain open during construction, with crews flagging traffic through work zones. Route 8 will have culvert replacement work at various locations. Routes B, K, and N will also have culvert replacement during the same period. MoDOT asks motorists to buckle up, put phones down, obey traffic signs, and slowdown in work zones.

The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors met Tuesday evening at the Fire Station at #2 South Main. The Board approved the consent agenda, then did a review of the financial report which showed an ending balance of $328,086.50. The budget was also reviewed and approved. The Monthly Reimbursement Report showed there were 19 calls for August and a total of 190 calls year-to-date. The calls in August included nine fire calls, two accident calls with injuries, two false alarm responses, two medical calls, two calls categorized as other, two canceled calls en route and one HazMat call. In old business, the Fidelity (CTI) Tower Lease was tabled. The bond payments will come from a Bank of Salem Money Market account with two signatures as approved at the July meeting. The trucks that have been declared surplus by the department are wanted by the rural fire departments, and the board approved selling the trucks to the rural departments that provide mutual aid. The assistant chief presented a bid to repair the drop cords in the bay and lights in the parking lot. The board approved $4,700 to complete the electric on the parking lot lights and the bay will be time and labor only. In new business, quotes were presented for safety lights and the board approved to purchase 30 Angel Lights for $1,800; plus quotes for safety vests were also presented with the board approved purchasing 50 safety vests up to but not to exceed a $2,500 purchase price. The board approved having three fire trucks at the Dent County Courthouse 155th Anniversary Celebration on October 4th. Fire Chief Dennis Floyd presented a number of different quotes for the board to consider. He presented quotes for vent fans which were tabled for more information; presented quotes for vent saws where the board approved the purchase of three electric vent saws for a total of $3,990; presented a quote for a K12 Saw and the board approved the purchase for $2,328; presented a quote for practice dummies that come in six different sizes where the board approved to purchase three different size practice dummies for $5,075; presented a quote for a search and rescue training room where the board approved purchasing the materials needed to build the room with the firefighters building it; and presented a quote for a calibration machine and two multi-gas detectors where the board approved the purchase of the detectors with calibration tools for $6,872.66. Floyd reported the district had eight SCBA Scott Packs and parts are no longer available. The board approved decommissioning the SCBA Packs. The next Dent County Fire Protection District Board meeting will be October 14th at 6:00 at the fire station.

The Dent County Commission met Thursday morning at the courthouse.  In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Keith Green said pipes will be replaced in the Montauk area where needed, and the crews will finish up the chip and seal road repairs in the Shawnee Mac area. District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams reported workers will be adding rock, cutting brush and grading on Dent County Road 2613.  He also said grading would be done on county roads 5320 and 5325.  Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson said he attended the Public Housing Authority meeting, External Relations Committee meeting and regular MRPC meeting Thursday night. He again wanted to remind citizens about the MRPC special electronics and tire collection that will be held this Saturday from 9:00 in the morning until noon at the City of Salem Water and Sewer Construction Building at Third and Grand Streets. If you have any questions about items that can be dropped off or any charges, please contact the MRPC at 573-265-2993 and ask for Jill Hollowell. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said her she has received certification from the state auditor on all tax rates submitted. She said she will be attending her Missouri Association of County Clerks conference next week. The commissioners opened bids for the provider of propane for the courthouse for the next year and they received bids from Ferrellgas and MFA Oil Company. The bids were for exactly the same amount: $1.599 per gallon. The commission went with Ferrellgas who is the current provider. The commission received no bids for lawn care and snow removal for the next year for the courthouse. They will now accept bids for that service until October 23rd at 10:00 when the bids will be opened. If there are any questions about submitting a bid for the snow removal and lawn care around the courthouse, contact District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams at 573-247-7515. At the last meeting, collector Shannon VanKirk reported the monthly collection for August was $49,000.35. It was also announced the county is seeking applications for a Road and Bridge Department employee. 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 City of Salem is notifying residents and businesses of a planned power outage for the entire community on Saturday, September 20th, 2025, from 12:00 midnight until 5:00 in the morning, weather permitting. Sho-Me Power, the transmission provider for the City of Salem, will be performing necessary maintenance on its transmission line that supplies electricity to Salem. This work is critical to ensure long-term reliability of the electric system. The city is asking all residents and businesses to plan ahead and make appropriate accommodations during this scheduled outage. Preparations may include unplugging sensitive electronics and appliances to prevent possible power surges when service is restored; checking backup power sources such as generators to ensure they are ready if needed; charging phones, medical devices, and other essential electronics in advance; plan for refrigeration needs by limiting how often refrigerators and freezers are opened during the outage; ensuring you have adequate lighting options by keeping flashlights and extra batteries available; and planning ahead for necessary medical equipment or other critical needs that require electricity. The city recognizes this outage may cause some inconvenience and appreciate the community’s cooperation and understanding as Sho-Me Power completes this important work. For further updates, please follow the City of Salem’s official website at salemmo.com.

The City of Salem Board of Aldermen held their regular meeting Tuesday evening at 6:00 in the Auditorium located at 202 N. Washington Street. After approving the agenda and consent agenda, the board approved the street closure request for 4th street from Highway 19 to McArthur for the annual Trunk or Treat event held on Halloween from 5:30 to 8:30. The board also voted to appoint City Clerk Tammy Koller as the employer delegate at the LAGERS annual meeting in Springfield in October, and a commercial property appraisal proposal from John Smallwood, for the total amount of $3,550.00. The board has approved $6,000.00 in the current budget for these appraisals. There was a bid to restripe the runway and taxiway at the airport, and the board granted it to R.F. Sealing and Striping, for $14,980.10. They were the same company that re-striped the airport the last time. During the city official’s reports, Mayor Greg Parker highlighted several upcoming community events, Public Works Director Steve Paine gave an update on the various utility crews and stated construction on the parking lot at the Community Center at the Armory is scheduled to start soon, and Economic Developer Carry Sutterfield highlighted some projects she has been working on, specifically how to bring more business to the Salem area, and help reduce housing insecurities within the community. With no other reports, the meeting adjourned to closed session for attorney client privilege. The next Board of Aldermen meeting is scheduled for Tuesday September 23rd at 6:00 in the Auditorium, and is open to the public. 

A special waste collection for residential electronics, appliances, tires and media storage will be held from 9:00 in the morning until noon on Saturday, September 13th in Salem at Salem S/W Parking Lot, located at the corner of Third and Grand. The City of Salem, Meramec Regional Planning Commission and Dent County Commission with funding through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources  and Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District are partnering on the September 13th collection. The collection is for residential items only and is open to residents from Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties. No materials from businesses will be accepted. Stoves, washers, dryers, hot water heaters, and other appliances will be collected free of charge. Free electronics also include computer components, laptop computers, keyboards, hair dryers, VCR/DVD players, cell phones or anything that runs on a cord or battery. Oil and gas must be removed from tanks of any items such as push mowers, weed eaters, etc. All items must be free of debris. Media storage includes records, 8-track tapes, VHS tapes, cassette tapes, CDs, DVDs, floppy discs, external hard drives and flash drives. Fees on certain items will be collected. For CRT TVs over 27 inches, projection screens and wood console TVs, the fee will be $25. A fee of $20 will be collected for CRT TVs under 26 inches, $15 for flat screen TVs, $10 for all computer monitors and refrigerated appliances with Freon and $5 for printers, scanners or copiers. Fees for the tire collection will be $2 for each for passenger tires, $7.50 for each for semi-truck tires and $35 for each for tractor tires. Tires on rims will be charged double. Electronics and appliances are recycled by Midwest Recycling Center, and tires are recycled through Champlin Tires. Media storage is being recycled through Terracycle, a mail-in recycling service. For more information on items accepted or the fee structure, please contact Jill Hollowell at MRPC at 573-265-2993 Ext. 109 or at jhollowell@meramecregion.org.