Archive for 2025

The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors will hold their meeting this evening at 6:00 in the fire station located at #2 South Main Street. After call to order the oath of office will be taken by new board members, then roll call. After approval of the consent agenda they will review the minutes, go over the financial report, approve bills, then review the budget, and hear the monthly reimbursement report. In old business they will discuss the bond issue and tower lease. In new business they will hear the Chief’s report and set a date for the next meeting. The Board will go into closed session, if necessary, before adjourning.

The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting Monday morning at the courthouse. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Keith Green said workers will be doing maintenance on a number of vehicles. District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams said workers are spreading salt and sand on county roads 2140 and 2150 as well as on other roads where they find slick spots. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson said he attended the MRPC and Phelps County Housing Authority meetings by zoom Thursday. He wants to remind Dent County citizens that the Phelps County Housing Authority is not taking any applications at this time for housing assistance. Larson said he and the other commissioners along with Dent County Emergency Director Derrick Marfitt would be attending a FEMA meeting in Waynesville today. Larson announced bids for diesel fuel were taken and Phil-Mart had the lowest bid at $2.45 per gallon. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said the preliminary county budget will be available to the public after 10:00 this morning. You can pick up a copy at the clerk’s office or you can contact them, and they can e-mail you the budget. Call 729-4144 for more information. She also said tax entity certifications are due by January 28th in her office. Curley went on to say the courthouse would be closed on Monday, January 20th for Martin Luther King’s birthday. At the last meeting, Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk brought in her monthly totals for December and said the county collected $6,216,646.95. The commission approved and signed the contract for the maintenance of the ownership map and land transfers for the County Assessor’s office. This contract is from January 1st through December 31st for $700 per month to Justin Basham. The commissioners discussed the budget with numerous office holders and discussed putting 

out for bid the lawn care service as well as emergency snow and ice removal on sidewalks sometime this spring. The next meeting of the commission will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting will be open to the public.

The Dent County Sheriff’s office released these reports for the first week of January. On Wednesday January 1st deputies took a report for a theft that occurred in the 400 block of County Road 5070. The victim, a 65-year-old Salem man, stated money had been taken from his wallet. 

The investigation is ongoing. The next day Thursday January 2nd  deputies responded to the 20000 block of E. Highway 32 for a reported burglary. The victim, a 50-year-old Boss man, advised suspect(s)  had broken into his residence and stolen numerous items. The investigation is ongoing. On the following day Friday January 3rd deputies responded to the 100 block of County Road 6680 for a wanted subject. The suspect, a 53-year-old Salem man, was arrested on a warrant and transported to the Dent County Jail. Then on Sunday January 5th deputies responded to the 600 block of County Road 2480 for a reported burglary. The victim, a 61-year-old Iowa man, advised suspect(s) had broken into his residence and stolen multiple items. Additional suspect information was gathered, and the investigation is ongoing. If you have any information on an ongoing investigation please contact the Sheriff’s office at 573-729-3241.

The Board of Directors of Salem Memorial District Hospital will conduct a special meeting this evening at 7:00. The meeting will take place in the Hospital Library and may be fully conducted and attended by telephone or other electronic means and the public may observe and attend any portion of the meeting not closed to the public pursuant to Chapter 610.021 RSMo. After roll call and approval of the agenda The board will hear public comments and presentations, speakers must sign -in and keep comments to 3 minutes. Then they will discuss old and new business. Any person that would like to attend by telephone or electronic means should contact the SMH Administration office at 573-729-6626 ext. 4005, to obtain access information.

An accident occurred Friday evening January 10th around 6:55 on Hwy 63 and County Road 5320. According to the highway patrol report a 2002 Suzuki XL7 driven by a 65-year-old Edgar Springs female was traveling southbound when the vehicle began to slide in the snow. The Suzuki travelled off the right side of the roadway and struck an embankment. The driver suffered minor injuries and was transported to Phelps Heath by Phelps Health EMS. She was wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Suzuki sustained moderate damage and was towed by D&D.

Meramec Regional Community Foundation (MRCF) began accepting applications for its 2025 community grant making fund on December 15th and it will close on January 24th, 2025. MRCF will be awarding two $750 community grants. One grant will be made to a project that focuses on community or economic development efforts with emphasis being given to projects involving the celebration and promotion of the 100th anniversary of Route 66 and the other will assist at-risk children and/or low-income families. Any nonprofit, 501(c)3 organizations, schools, faith-based organizations and governmental entities looking to address these needs are encouraged to apply. Organizations and governmental entities must be based in the Meramec Region – Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties – to qualify. 2012 marked the inaugural year for the grant program, and in the last 12 years $18,500 in grant funds have been awarded to 66 community projects throughout the region. A portion of the fund’s earnings are distributed each year through grants. Applications for the 2025 grant round will be accepted online only until 5:00 January 24th, 2025. Online applications may be found and submitted by searching Meramec Regional Community Foundation at www.grantinterface.com/Process/Apply?urlkey=cfozarksgrants. For more information on the grant opportunity, contact Bonnie Prigge at bprigge@meramecregion.org or 573-265-2993. MRCF is an outgrowth of the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) and is an affiliate of Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO) in Springfield. The regional affiliate was formed in 2010 and has distributed over $1.6 million to support the region. Persons needing more information on MRCF and its philanthropy efforts can contact Bonnie Prigge. To learn more about MRCF, visit www.cfozarks.org/affiliates. To keep up with the latest MRPC news and events, visit the MRPC website at www.meramecregion.org or on Facebook at facebook.com/meramecregion/.

The Dent County Commissioners met Thursday morning at the courthouse. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams reported on the sales tax received this month. The General Revenue Fund and Law Enforcement Sales Tax Fund each received $92,864.40 which is less than the $98,823.98 received in January of 2024. The Road and Bridge Fund received $43,671.90, and that is down from January 2024 receipt of $45,679.68. The Dent County Jail Operating and Trust funds each received $87,764.88 compared to $91,781.07 received in January of 2024. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Keith Green and District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Willams both said crews were still doing snow removal and treating slick spots on the county gravel roads as well as removing limbs and trees that have fallen across the roads or are hanging low in the roads. Green said he has a truck down that will need to go Knapheide, and Williams also has a truck down that needs repair. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson suggested adding Ed Pratt to the Tourism Tax Committee and that appointment was approved by all the commissioners. Larson attended the Phelps County HUD meeting and MRPC meeting by Zoom Thursday. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported that all tax entities will need to have their election certification to the county clerk’s office by 5:00 on January 28th. She said the county continues to work on the 2025 budget and said a tentative budget would be ready for the public by Monday, January 13th at 10:00 in her office. The final county budget hearing will be held at 10:00 in the morning on January 23rd in the commissioners office in the courthouse which will be open to the public. Curley also she balanced with the collector and assessor for the month of December on all abatements, add-ons, and collections. She also balanced with the treasurer on all accounts for the month of December. The next meeting of the commission will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and it is open to the public.

Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation shows deer hunters harvested 10,089 deer during the alternative method portion of deer season, December 28th through January 7th. Top harvest counties were Franklin with 223 deer harvested, Pike with 209, and Macon with 207 deer taken. In our area, Texas County had 110 deer taken, the Crawford County harvest was 109, Dent County harvested 98 deer, Shannon County had 71 deer harvested, Phelps County had 66 deer harvested, Reynolds County had 51 deer taken and Iron County had 47 deer harvested. This year’s harvest total was down from last years alternative methods by 2,407. Archery deer hunting continues through January 15th. For current ongoing preliminary harvest totals by season, county, and type of deer, or for more information, visit the MDC website at mdc.mo.gov

The Creative Arts Center in Salem will hold a beginner Friendly Cell Phone Crossbody Pouch Sewing Class on Saturday, January 18th from 9:00 in the morning until 3:00 in the afternoon with Gail Phelan that includes a break for lunch. This is a great beginner project for those who are interested in learning the art of making bags. Bring your own sewing machine. Students should know how to operate their machine. All fabric, hardware, zips and webbing will be provided as well as basic tools for your use in the class. Feel free to bring any favorite markers, clips, etc. The class is open to all those 18 and older. There must at least two people sign up to hold the class and it will be limited to four. To sign up, go to the SACBA website, click on “Programs” link and then on the Creative Arts Center.

According to the City of Salem’s Facebook Page the City of Salem Administration Office has been receiving reports from local businesses that they are getting emails from what appear to be local officials asking for passwords. The City of Salem wants residents and businesses to know that they would never ask for your password information in an email. They advise the public to be cautious about opening suspicions emails and it is often best to delete suspicious messages without opening them as they could contain viruses. If you have any questions you can contact the City of Salem at 573-729-4811.

The City of Salem will hold a public hearing on Tuesday evening, January 14th at 6:00 at the Old City Hall Auditorium located at 202 North Washington St. to discuss the city’s submission of the Community Development Block Grant Program Mitigation application for a new storm warning siren system. The city is interested in obtaining all citizens’ input on community development needs within the city. The city needs as much local participation as possible in order to reflect the true desires of the community as a whole, as well as the comments relating to the proposed project application. The State has established a maximum application request for each funding category. Activities that are eligible for funding include the improvement of public works, public facilities, housing rehabilitation, and others allowed by law. At least 51% of the funds must be used to benefit low-and-moderate income persons. No displacement of persons will be proposed. The city is proposing to upgrade the emergency siren system by replacing the eight existing sirens with two new sirens that provide community-wide coverage using the latest technology. The total project cost is estimated at approximately $133,532. The city proposes to contribute $27,500 in cash and approximately $6,032 in in-kind work, with CDBG grant funds of $100,000 needed to make up the balance. All citizens are encouraged to attend in order to comment on the proposed activities. For more information, contact City Administrator Sally Burbridge at 573-729-4811 or by email at cityadminstrator@salemmo.com. If you need special accommodations to attend the public hearing, including LEP assistance, please contact the City Administration office by Friday afternoon, January 10th by 2:00. The meeting will be held at an accessible location and the city will make every effort possible to provide reasonable accommodation.

The Healthy Dent County Fitness Center will again offer their Line Dancing classes again this year Tuesday nights throughout the month of February at 6:30 at the Salem Community Center @ The Armory. The cost to attend is $5.00 and just pay at the door. The class instructor is Rosalie Wright. For more information call 739-1127 or e-mail susie@salemcommunitycenter.org. 

The Dent County Health Center is providing warming items for those in need with winter coats, gloves, mittens, hats and NEW socks. They will continue to provide the service this year, but right now they are in need of support from Salem and Dent County to replenish their stock. If you would like to help restock the items people have already picked up, you can donate gloves, mittens, all sizes of hats, new socks and blankets. For more information, to donate items or to make monetary donations for staff to purchase items for the warming center at the Dent County Health Center, or if you need someone to pick up your donations, feel free to call them at 729-3106 or stop by the Dent County Health Center on Highway 32-72 East. 

On Friday night, January 17th from 5:00 until 8:00 at the Creative Arts Center, students can learn to make Chunky Knit Blanket with Danielle Kissir. Learn how to finger knit a chunky blanket. This is a beginners class and open to those 10 years of age and older. The cost of the class is $75 with supplies included. There must at least five people sign up to hold the class. To sign up, go to the SACBA website, click on “Programs” link and then on Creative Arts Center.