Archive for 2026

An accident happened Monday afternoon just after 3:00 in Washington County on Route P near the Pigeon Roost Road that left a woman from Viburnum with moderate injuries. According to the highway patrol report, a 2013 Kia Sorento, driven southbound by a 62-year-old Viburnum woman, traveled off the right side of the roadway. The woman was transported by the Washington County Ambulance District to Mercy Hospital South. The woman was wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident. The Kia was totaled and removed from the scene by Elliott’s Towing.

Dent County Health Center is currently investigating a confirmed case of Legionnaires’ Disease that could be associated with Seville Care Center. Dent County Health Center has been working closely with Seville Care Center and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to ensure appropriate public health measures are in place. Legionnaires’ Disease is a serious type of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. The bacteria are typically spread through inhalation of contaminated mist or water vapor. Legionnaires’ Disease is not normally spread person to person. The investigation is ongoing. Public health officials and facility leadership are collaborating to review potential sources of exposure, evaluate environmental conditions, and determine whether any additional actions are needed to protect residents, staff, and visitors. Additional updates will be provided as more information becomes available. To view more information on Legionnaires’ Disease, visit cdc.gov/legionella. 

The Salem Community Garden will host a presentation on Pest Control tonight at 6:00 behind the Salem United Methodist at 801 East Scenic Rivers Blvd. Everyone is welcome to attend the presentation, and you do not have to have a plot to participate. Plots are still available and your first plot is free. Accessible garden beds are also available. For more information, contact the Dent County Extension at 573-729-3196 or Thom Haines at 573-247-7952.

The City of Salem Parks & Recreation registration for ball season, including baseball, t-ball, and softball, is open today for $35. Late registration begins tomorrow through April 16th at $45. Practice is to start at the beginning of May with coaches to contact with more information. For more information on how to sign up, contact Parks Director Melissa DuBois by calling 573-729-6290 or emailing salemparks@salemmo.com.

Salem Upper Elementary will be presenting The Lion King Jr. today, Friday, and Saturday at the Salem Civic Theater located at 200 North Washington Street. Tickets may be purchased at the door. Today and Friday, shows will take place in the evening at 6:30. On Saturday, there will be one showing in the early afternoon at 2:00 and another in the evening at 6:30. Come out and support the show!

Warmer weather usually means an increase in outside projects that may require digging or excavation work. Remember that if you are building a deck, planting a tree, or completing a large project, Missouri law requires anyone digging underground to notify Missouri 811. Always remember to place your locate requests at least three working days before you dig. Call 811 or place a locate request online at missouri-811.org before any excavation begins. Requests can be made at no cost, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The call will be taken by the Missouri 811 Call Center, which then notifies all relevant utilities in the project area. Once Missouri 811 is notified, utility companies will mark the approximate location of their underground lines, request additional information or advise you that they do not have facilities at the excavation site. Wait three days until a professional locator comes out to mark natural gas, electric, water, sewer, telephone and cable lines. The approximate location of buried utilities will be marked with paint or flags so you can avoid them. Each utility type corresponds to a specific color of paint or flag, and all must be marked before you can dig. Once the site has been clearly marked, proceed with caution. Avoid digging within 18 to 24 inches of each utility mark, if possible. Hitting an underground line can cause serious injury and could disrupt service to you and other customers. It could potentially result in fines and repair costs. According to Ameren, an increase in damage to its underground natural gas and electric facilities has been experienced. A significant driver of these incidents are customers hammering stakes into the ground without having their utility lines located. Even after the facilities are marked, always dig by hand within the tolerance zone of the marked facilities, 24 inches on either side of the line. Contact Missouri 811 at 811 or go online at missouri-811.org to place a locate request.

A municipal election was held Tuesday in Dent County and a total of 901 voters cast ballots for 10.29% of the 8,760 registered voters. The unofficial results of challenged races are from Dent County only and are as follows:

* indicates winners

SALEM R-80 SCHOOL BOARD, 3 YEAR TERM 

(Vote for 3)

Andrew Wynn* 335 votes

Luke Heithold* 352 votes

Drusilla Howard* 310 votes

Kris Bieker 132 votes

SALEM R-80 SCHOOL BOARD, 1 YEAR TERM

Larry Lundy 173 votes

Brady Adams* 314 votes 

SALEM EAST WARD ALDERMAN

Nathan Kinsey* 76 votes

Dylan McGinnis 61 votes

Lana Grove 58 votes

SALEM WEST WARD ALDERMAN

Catherine Dent* 112 votes

Kyle Williams 104 votes

OAK HILL R-I PROPOSITION RAIDERS

Yes 45 votes

No* 100 votes

DENT PHELPS R-III SCHOOL BOARD 

(Vote for 3)

Joshua Summers* 78 votes

Nick Gover 76 votes

Caleb Gidcumb* 78 votes

Bill Manthey* 80 votes

NORTH WOOD R-IV SCHOOL BOARD 

(Vote for 3)

David Massengale* 44 votes 

Jenna Dunn* 41 votes

Aaron Brooks* 48 votes

Noah Sapp 34 votes

CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 4 IRON COUNTY BOARD MEMBERS 

(Vote for 3)

Fred Bozic* 20 votes

Brian Matt 5 votes

David Major* 21 votes

Adam Asher* 23 votes

QUAD COUNTY FIRE BOARD DIRECTOR 

Robert Hicks 12 votes

Bradly Hubbs 12 votes

The Licking Police Department made the public aware of an incident that occurred Monday. According to the department an assault involving a firearm was reported just outside the city limits of Licking. The suspect subsequently fled the scene and entered the city limits, where he struck a vehicle at the Dollar General store, plus caused damage to an additional vehicle, before continuing to the Licking Police Department. At the department, the suspect drove over the curb and nearly struck the building with his vehicle. He then exited the vehicle, retrieved a floor jack from the vehicle, and used it to destroy two entry doors and severely damage an interior safety window before barricading himself inside the lobby. Two Licking Police Officers quickly secured the scene until additional officers arrived. After a brief negotiation, the suspect exited the building and was taken into custody without further incident. He was transported to the Texas County Jail. The department assured the community that there is no ongoing threat to the public at this time. Additional information, including formal charges, will be released once the investigation is complete. Due to the damage sustained during the incident, the department lobby will remain closed until further notice. The department can still be reached by phone at 573-674-2278. Chief Burton noted that the department appreciates the public’s patience and cooperation.

Elevated fire danger is expected today as winds gust in the 25 to 30mph range and afternoon humidity levels drop into the 25 to 35% range, according to the NOAA. Fires can spread rapidly in these conditions. Outside burning is discouraged except by experienced fire personnel.

The Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors has called a special, executive session meeting this afternoon in the Doctor’s Library at the hospital. This meeting will not be open to the public. The minutes will likely be reviewed and approved during the open session of their regularly scheduled board meeting on the evening of April 25th, at 7:00, which is open to the public.

The Dent County Commission held its meeting Monday morning at the courthouse. First District Commissioner Keith Green reported that crew members are planning to grade county roads 5510 and 6500. Crew members will also be maintaining the backhoe. District Two Commissioner Jimmy Williams reported that crew members are planning to grade county roads 4290 and 4437. Crew members will also be hauling rock and grading the conservation area’s County Road 2530. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported that payroll will be approved. No excuse absentee voting continues at the courthouse today from 8:00 in the morning to 5:00 in the afternoon. Tomorrow, voters will have to go to their individual polling locations, and those locations will be open from 6:00 in the morning to 7:00 in the evening. If unsure of your voting location, call the Dent County Clerk’s office at 573-729-4144. If your polling location is the Green Forest R-II School Gym, it will not be an active polling site for this election. When voting, please remember to bring your photo ID. Curley reported that estimations for voter turnout for the April Municipal Election are between 10 – 13%. The next meeting of the commission will be Thursday morning at 9:00 in the courthouse, and the meeting is open to the public.  

According to a press release from the office of Christopher R. Pieper, a law firm in Missouri, the Salem Bowling Center has filed a Sunshine Law Lawsuit against the City of Salem on April 3rd, in the Circuit Court of Dent County. The petition alleges the city and three of its officials, including City Clerk Tammy Koller, City Administrator Sally Burbridge, and Mayor Greg Parker, knowingly and purposefully violated Missouri’s Sunshine Law by charging unauthorized fees and failing to produce records responsive to six public records requests related to the city’s utility billing practices. The records requests were part of Salem Bowling Center’s efforts to investigate alleged improper utility billing practices by the city, the subject of which has a pending investigation by the Missouri State Auditor. The petition further alleges the city’s Sunshine Law violations were deliberate in order to prevent the Salem Bowling Center from prosecuting its utility billing appeal by unlawfully preventing access to public records, and that the city responded to each records request with delay, incomplete production, and procedural non-compliance — repeatedly failing to provide the detailed explanations for delay required by law, refusing to produce records in the requested format, and assessing fees the Sunshine Law does not permit. Furthermore, the petition alleges the city sat on its own internal technical reports for months before disclosing them to the Bowling Center on the same day it denied the utility billing appeals, a move the petition characterizes as a deliberate effort to deny the Bowling Center any meaningful opportunity to respond. The seven-count petition seeks civil penalties of up to $5,000 per Sunshine Law violation, injunctive relief requiring the city to produce withheld records and refund unauthorized fees, and an award of attorneys’ fees and costs as authorized by Section 610.027, RSMo. The petition names the city, city clerk, city administrator, and mayor jointly and severally liable for the alleged violations. At the time of this publication, the City of Salem has not responded to a request for comment.