Archive for 2025

The Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors will hold a special meeting tonight at 7:00 in the hospital library. After the call to order, roll call and approval of the agenda public comments or presentation that are limited to 3 minutes will be heard. No old business is on the agenda, however new business to be conducted includes purchases and updates to policies. The board will go into executive session to discuss personnel and legal issues. Except for the executive session the meeting of the Salem Hospital Board of Directors is open to the public. Anyone that would like to attend by telephone of electronic means should contact the SMH Administration office at 573-729-6626 Extension 4005. 

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning at the Dent County Courthouse. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams presented the CART tax monies received in June. The county received $91,402.67 which is $10,299.25 more than for June of 2024. Year-to-date, the CART funds are up about $41,066.26 which is about an 8.9% increase. Tom from TVC Trust was in to ask for help about property at 1102 East Third Street that he feels has been assessed too high. He told the commission he has talked with County Assessor Jamie Homeyer and has gotten nowhere, and also talked with the state assessor who told him to attend the Board of Equalization meeting on July 21st, but he is not going to be in Missouri that day and was wanting to know what he can do. The commissioners told him that he or his representative would have to be here that day with the information he has collected to make his case. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Keith Green said the crews will be adding rock and grading on Dent County Roads 5070 and 6020, while only grading will be done on county road 6040. Green said brush would be cut on county roads 4210 and 4215. District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams said crews will be in the Sligo area adding rock and grading on Dent County Roads 3350 and 3355, while only grading would be done on county roads 3295, 3300 and 3370. He also said rock would be added and grading done in the Boss area on Dent County Road 4405. Williams indicated bush would be cut on county roads 3233, 3235 and 3250. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson said last week he was named as chairman of the Meramec Community Enhancement Corporation while county representative Ray Walden was named as the treasurer. He said he attended the Dent County Tourism Tax Committee meeting last week where one application for funds was received and approved from the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce for the Chamber Rodeo in September. There were no reimbursements requests submitted. Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk said the county has received 300 applications for the SB190 Homestead Real Estate Tax credits for senior citizens which she presented to the commissioners for their signature. Anyone still interested in applying for the real estate tax credit will need to submit their application by June 30th and those applications are available at courthouse. She also wanted to remind those who have not yet paid their real estate taxes from 2022 that those taxes must be paid by June 30th or that parcel will be sold on the courthouse steps. Checks will no longer be accepted for those taxes in the collector’s office and payments will need to be made in cash or by a cashier’s check. She said there were still 36 properties that have outstanding taxes from 2022. Dent County Assessor Jamie Homeyer was in to let the commissioners know that 85 of the 115 counties in Missouri were going to have an increase in assessment values, but Dent County was not one of them and she is in compliance with all state laws. She said 511 impact notices have been sent out to those who have made improvements to their real estate or personal property in Dent County. At the last meeting, Dent County Emergency Management Director Derrick Marfitt came in to give an update on the FEMA project for the road and bridge department. He was also going to collect the payroll information and get everything submitted as soon as possible. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission will be Thursday morning at the courthouse at 9:00 and the meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Salem present “Vintage Americana” as the parade theme for this year’s 4th of July parade. Sign up is going on now to reserve your spot in the parade. The parade slots will be fall into line, first come first serve. Designated spots will be reserved for the Chamber parade leaders. Parade entry forms are due by June 27th, you can stop by the chamber and pick one up or email: chamber@salemmo.com. For any questions call the Chamber at 573-729-6900.

A former church youth ministry volunteer from Rolla was sentenced to nine years in federal prison for possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material. U.S. District Judge John A. Ross also ordered 52-year-old Bradley Thomas Colvin to pay $84,000 to 28 identified victims. According to court documents, Colvin searched for, viewed and downloaded child sexual abuse material for years. He also distributed the material via a peer-to-peer file sharing program to a Missouri State Highway Patrol officer conducting an investigation. Following a court-approved search of Colvin’s home, he admitted during a polygraph examination to having touched a minor for sexual gratification years earlier at a pool party celebrating the end of Vacation Bible School. Investigators found at least 833 videos and 5,566 images containing child sexual abuse material on Colvin’s computers and electronic devices. Colvin pleaded guilty in March in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography. He will be on supervised release for life after his prison term. The Missouri State Highway Patrol and Missouri State Technical Assistance Team investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet and to identify and rescue victims.

The Missouri Public Service Commission suggests a number of steps consumers can take in the kitchen and laundry areas to help with cooling the home, while saving electricity. Vacuum the coils of your refrigerator and check for frost buildup in refrigerators and freezers, which causes an appliance to work harder. Try to wash full loads in the dishwasher, and use the short cycle when possible. Consider washing clothes in cold water with a cold-water detergent. Use your microwave, toaster oven, slow cooker, broiler oven or other energy-saving appliances for cooking food. Turn down the temperature on your water heater. Just a few degrees can contribute to savings. Cover pans when cooking on a stove top and use exhaust fans periodically, as required, to reduce indoor humidity. Avoid using extension cords with appliances as they can reduce the efficiency of the appliance, plus there will be some energy loss in the cord. 

According to the Missouri Net a summer meal program is underway for Missouri children. Tanya Harvey of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services says there are 950 meal sites throughout the state. Those sites in Salem include Salem Senior Center from 11:30 to 12:30 and William Lynch Elementary from 11:00 until 12:00. Meals are also available at Bunker R-III from 12:00 until 1:00. Harvey said that last year, they served more than four million meals to children in the USDA-backed program. Children up to age 18 can get a meal. The sites are located in areas where 50-percent of the children qualify for free or reduced-price meals at school, which means all children in that area can get a free meal if they want one. Children do not have to prove eligibility to obtain a meal. The USDA requires each meal include a milk, a grain, a meat or meat alternative, a fruit and a vegetable.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol would like to remind the public that driver examination stations throughout the state will be closed on Friday, July 4, 2025, in observance of Independence Day. Normal operations will resume on Monday. Follow the Missouri State Highway Patrol on X @MSHPTrooperGHQ

An accident occurred in Dent County Wednesday afternoon at 1:35 on private property four miles east of Salem. According to the Highway Patrol report a 66-year-old Salem man was operating a 2000 URAL 650 Motorcycle. The driver of the motorcycle was driving in the driveway to the garage when it struck a pothole and he was ejected. The man suffered minor injuries and was taken to Salem Memorial Hospital by Salem Ambulance. He was not wearing any safety equipment at the time of the accident. The motorcycle sustained no damage and was left at the scene.

The Utility Committee convened for its regular meeting on Wednesday at 6:15 PM in the Auditorium at 202 N. Washington St. However, due to a lack of quorum, no votes were held on the proposed agenda items. The meeting began with City Administrator Sally Burbridge providing updates on several key issues. She explained that recent changes in legislation regarding card payment processing would prevent the City from charging a convenience fee for in-person debit card payments. While the new regulations prohibit the fee for in-person payments, convenience fees will still be allowed for online transactions. Additionally, the City will no longer be able to offer auto-pay via debit or credit card through the Utility Office; however, auto-pay via ACH check will remain available. Burbridge also noted that the City’s card reader system, provided by US Bank, is no longer supported for software upgrades or security enhancements. This system has allowed the City to consolidate payments across multiple accounts into a single transaction, avoiding additional card processing fees. In other updates, Burbridge discussed upcoming maintenance work on the City’s water towers, starting with the tower at the Industrial Park once the new tower is completed and operational. She mentioned the possibility of contracting with a company for routine maintenance across all City water towers. Finance Director Stacy Houston then presented the proposed budgets and Capital Improvement Plans for the Electric, Water, and Sewer funds. The proposed budget for the Electric Depreciation and Replacement fund includes an estimated deficit of approximately $300,000, primarily due to the need to replace an inoperable bucket truck. This shortfall may be covered by reserve funds from previous years. The City has also allocated $450,000 to rehabilitate the Industrial Park water tower, with this amount subject to change once the project goes to bid. As a result of this project, the water fund will need to use approximately $182,000 from previous year’s reserves to address the deficit. During the reports, Burbridge briefly highlighted key takeaways from the recent MPUA & MMMPEP meeting and the MPUA conference. Public Works Director Steve Paine also provided an update on the City’s utility crews, specifically reminding residents that Forester, the company tasked with trimming trees along the feeder lines, will first address the foliage and then return within 72 hours, weather permitting, to clean up any debris. The meeting then adjourned.

The 4th of July Celebrations in Salem kicks off with the Salem Community Choir at the Salem Civic Center. The first performance is at 2:00 in the afternoon, then again at 4:00. Just in time to head down to the parade route and pick a spot. The parade will start at 6:00 in the evening. After the parade head over to the Salem City Park and check out the vendors and food trucks, with the fireworks show to begin at dark.