Archive for 2026

On Tuesday, Aug. 4th, members of Operation Relentless Pursuit, Missouri State Highway Patrol, and Salem Police Department Officers conducted a joint operation to locate and apprehend a violent offender wanted on a nationwide extradition warrant. Through investigative efforts, law enforcement developed information regarding the whereabouts of James Vassuer. Officers responded to a business located in the 500 block of North Carty Street, where Vassuer was located and taken into custody without incident. Vassuer was charged with two counts of Statutory Sodomy in the 1st Degree, two counts of Statutory Sodomy in the 2nd Degree; and one count of Child Molestation in the 3rd Degree. Vassuer was taken to the Dent County Jail where he is being held on a $250,000 cash/surety bond warrant for the five charges. This arrest demonstrates the effectiveness of collaboration between local and state law enforcement agencies in identifying and apprehending dangerous offenders. The Salem Police Department appreciates the assistance of its partner agencies and remains committed to working to enhance public safety and remove violent offenders from the community. All persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The Primary Election was held Tuesday in Missouri to determine who will run for offices for their respective parties in the November General Election. A total of 3,829 ballots were cast for a voting turnout of 37.41% of a possible 10,234 registered voters within Dent County. Only the contested races are presented in this article. It is important to note results presented are unofficial. Running for US Representative of District 8 on the Republican ballot was Jason Smith, who received 94,468 votes district wide and 2,533 in Dent County and will be on the ballot for the November General Election. Gordon Heslop ran against Smith, receiving 15,367 votes district wide and 501 in Dent County. Running for District 8 on the Democrat ballot was Chris Reichard, who received 15,334 votes district wide and 58 in Dent County, and Frank A. Barnitz, who received 12,999 votes district wide and 476 in Dent County. Reichard will be on the ballot this November and will be running against Jason Smith (R) and Rebecca Sharpe Lombard (L). Running for State Senator of District 16 on the Republican ballot were four candidates, with Bill Hardwick and Hannah Kelly leading the crowd. District wide, Hardwick received 11,030 votes, while in Dent County he received 1,076 votes. Hannah Kelly received 7,865 votes district wide and 1,107 in Dent County. Hardwick will be on the ballot in November and will be running against Virginia Staabs (D). For local elections in Dent County, running for Presiding Commissioner on the Republican ballot were AJ Seay, who received 2,221 votes, and Denver Ellis, who received 798 votes, with Seay winning the race. For Recorder of Deeds, Jessica Dooley won with 1,808 votes. Melissa Piatt received 1,058 votes. Gladden Township Committeeman was determined on Tuesday, with Josh Akers receiving the nomination with 49 votes and Ken Nelson receiving 31. Gladden Township Committeewoman was also determined, with Alicia Watson receiving 49 votes and Cynthia Nelson receiving 32. Meanwhile, Missouri voters decided on four constitutional amendments on Tuesday. For Constitutional Amendment No. 1, a vote of YES received 1,141,865 votes statewide and 2,545 votes in Dent County, while a vote of NO received 245,778 votes statewide and 1,198 votes in Dent County. For Constitutional Amendment No. 2, a vote of YES received 1,042,413 votes statewide and 2,553 votes in Dent County, while a vote of NO received 312,713 votes statewide and 1,107 votes in Dent County. For Constitutional Amendment No. 4, a vote of YES received 275,040 votes statewide and 970 votes in Dent County, while a vote of NO received 1,122,748 votes statewide and 2,793 votes in Dent County. For Constitutional Amendment No. 5, a vote of YES received 233,309 votes statewide and 584 votes in Dent County, while a vote of NO received 1,165,085 votes statewide and 3,190 votes in Dent County. To find out more about results from this election, visit the Secretary of State website at enr.sos.mo.gov.

The American Red Cross declared on July 27th a national blood supply crisis amid critically low blood donations and shortages of type O blood. Despite thousands of people answering the call to give, blood donations are not keeping pace with hospital demand. Extreme heat, poor air quality and widespread foodborne illnesses are contributing to lower donor turnout this summer, further straining the nation’s blood supply. Those who may be eligible are urged to book an appointment now at RedCrossBlood.org or 1-800-RED CROSS. Those who donate from Aug. 1st through Aug. 31st will receive a $20 Amazon Gift Card by email. Additional details are available at RedCrossBlood.org. There will be an American Red Cross Blood Drive at Bunker R-III School District within the Old Gym of the high school on Aug. 31st from 1:30 to 5:30 in the afternoon. This will be the Bunker High School Student Council’s first blood drive of the upcoming school year. Come out and help donate blood and give a chance at life to those in need, and help seniors earn scholarships. To make an appointment, visit the American Red Cross website at redcrossblood.org/give and type in Bunker’s zip code of 63629.

The Primary Election was held Tuesday in Missouri to determine who will run for offices for their respective parties in the November General Election. A total of 3,829 ballots were cast for a voting turnout of 37.41% of a possible 10,234 registered voters within Dent County. Only the contested races are presented in this article. It is important to note results presented are unofficial. Amendment results will be reported at a later time when official. 

*indicates winners 

State Auditor (R)

Scott Fitzpatrick* 2,355 votes

Gerald (Jerry) Wistrand Jr. 369

U.S. Representative District 8 (R)

Jason T. Smith* 2,533 votes

Gordon Heslop 501 votes

State Senator District 16 (R)

Bill Hardwick 1,076 votes

Philip Lohmann 160

Don Mayhew 615

Hannah Kelly* 1,107 

Presiding Commissioner (R)

AJ Seay* 2,221 votes

Denver Ellis 798 votes

Recorder Of Deeds (R)

Jessica Dooley* 1,808 votes

Melissa Piatt 1,058 votes

Gladden Township Committeeman (R)

Ken Nelson 31 votes

Josh Akers* 49 votes

Gladden Township Committeewoman (R)

Cynthia Nelson 32 votes

Alicia Watson* 49 votes

State Auditor (D)

Quentin Wilson* 271 votes

Gregory Upchurch 173 votes

US Representative District 8 (D)

Chris Reichard 58 votes

Frank A. Barnitz* 476 votes

The following are the unofficial results only from Dent County regarding the proposed constitutional amendments. Official results from the statewide vote will be shared at a later time. 

Constitutional Amendment No. 1 

YES 2,545 votes

NO 1,198 votes

Constitutional Amendment No. 2

YES 2,553 votes

NO 1,107 votes

Constitutional Amendment No. 4

YES 970 votes

NO 2,793 votes

Constitutional Amendment No. 5

YES 584 votes

NO 3,190 votes

On Monday, August 3rd, two Salem Police Department patrolmen responded to a business in the 200 block of South Main Street following a report of a vehicle that had crashed into a gas pump. Upon arrival, officers located an unresponsive male driver and immediately rendered medical aid. The driver was subsequently transported for medical evaluation and later cleared by medical personnel. The driver, identified as Nathan Halte, was taken into custody. During the initial investigation, officers located numerous fentanyl capsules and syringes inside the vehicle. The investigation also revealed that Halte has multiple prior felony convictions in several states. Following the investigation, Halte was transported to the Dent County Jail pending the filing of formal charges. A probable cause statement was submitted to the Dent County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Curley reviewed the case and filed a felony complaint in the Circuit Court of Dent County. The Honorable Judge Kelsaw subsequently issued a $50,000 cash/surety bond warrant for the following offense: Trafficking Drugs in the Second Degree. The investigation remains ongoing, and additional driving-related charges are expected to be sought. All persons are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is inviting the public to join the discussion on high-priority unfunded transportation needs at an upcoming meeting. MoDOT, working with its regional planning partners, has outlined a draft High-Priority Unfunded Needs listing, which identifies $1.3 billion in annual unfunded transportation needs for the system. The list was created to guide the development of needs into funded projects as state and federal transportation funds become available in future years. The public is invited to review the list and provide feedback on the order of priorities and additional needs that could be funded in the future. A meeting to discuss the draft High-Priority Unfunded Needs list in Central Missouri will be held Wednesday, Aug. 19th from 4:00 to 6:00 in the evening at MoDOT’s Central District office, located at 1511 Missouri Boulevard in Jefferson City. The presentation materials and a comment form are also available online, found on the MoDOT website at modot.org and by searching “High Priority Unfunded Needs Public Meeting.”

Salem High School will be hosting an Open House in the afternoon of Aug. 20th from 4:00 to 6:00. Incoming students of the 2026-27 school year will have the opportunity to tour the campus, meet teachers, and ask questions. Available for purchase will be Chromebook insurance, parking passes, and t-shirts. For questions, contact 573-729-6641. To see supply lists for the year, visit salemr80.org/page/supply-lists.

This is a Notice of Public Hearing. The Dent County Fire Protection District Board will be holding a public tax levy hearing at the Dent County Fire Protection District Firehouse located at #2 South Main on Tuesday, Aug. 11th at 6:30 in the evening. The meeting is open to the public.

The Dent County Commission has given notice that its regular meeting scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 6th has been cancelled. The next regularly scheduled meeting for the Dent County Commission will be 9:00 in the morning Monday, Aug. 10th at the courthouse.

An accident occurred early Sunday morning around 3:35 in Pulaski County on Highway O at the intersection of Concord Road. According to the highway patrol report a 2017 GMC Canyon driven by a 45-year-old female from Dixon travelled off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree. The driver suffered serious injuries and was transported by Dixon Ambulance District to Phelps Health Rolla. The report states she was not wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The GMC sustained extensive damage and was removed from the scene by TC Towing.

An accident occurred Saturday afternoon around 12:18 in Phelps County at 16226 Highway O. According to the highway patrol report a 2002 Ford Explorer driven by a 34-year-old female from St. James was travelling northbound and traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree. The driver suffered moderate injuries and was transported to Phelps Heath by Phelps Health EMS. The report states she was wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Ford sustained extensive damage and was towed by Tunes Towing.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors held its regular meeting on Tuesday evening at 7:00 in the Doctor’s Library.  A presentation was given by the auditing firm Wipfli for the 2025 Fiscal Year audit, led by Paul Traczek and David Goodman. A clean opinion on the financial statements for 2025 was issued. Key highlights included a noted operating margin of 1.4%, net days inpatient accounts receivable at 62 days, an average financial age of 19 years or fixed assets, and a debt service coverage ratio of 4.08. Several internal control issues were flagged in need of improvement, including segregation of duties due to limited staff, and 29 audit adjustments causing a $3 million decrease to the bottom line, credited to late reconciliations from 2024 and the 2024 audit. Despite this decrease, Goodman noted that there was still a positive bottom line with income from operations over $500,000 in comparison to a loss in 2024 of $2.5 million. Traczek wrapped up the presentation by noting that the landscape of rural healthcare is changing rapidly, due to Medicaid and Medicare funding changes, incoming impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), and the Rural Health Transformation fund allocating $50 billion over the next five years, split into two $25 billion tranches. The first $25 billion will be distributed through the states. In Missouri, $216 million has been allocated for the state to disburse, with anticipation of $200 million being allocated to the state annually over the next four years. The next tranche of $25 billion will be distributed directly by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) through competitive applications with a requirement of “innovation” for proposals. All $50 billion must be expended or have a congressionally approved plan by the end of the 5‑year program period. Traczek encouraged board members and staff to stay updated on these upcoming changes and challenges and continue looking for grant opportunities as they come available. The board approved the audit, as presented. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors will be held on Aug. 25th at 6:45 in the Doctor’s Library and is open to the public. At that time, a tax hearing will precede regular business.

The Salem R-80 High School will be holding another walk-in registration day this Thursday, Aug. 6th for anyone needing a device or internet connection to complete their online registration for the upcoming school year. This will be held from 8:00 in the morning to 3:00 in the afternoon.  Please enter through the High School library’s doors. If you have already completed your registration, or plan to register on your own device, you do not need to attend.

A traveling exhibit on loan from the State Historical Society of Missouri Springfield Research Center has landed at the Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center, titled “Broadcasting the Ozarks: A History of RadiOzark Enterprises.” The exhibit showcases the history of Springfield’s RadiOzark Enterprises, the company behind nationally-known syndicated radio programs such as The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show, The Red Foley Show, and Shorty Thompson’s Dalle Rockin’ Rhythm. At the exhibit, learn about Springfield’s legacy as the “Crossroads of Country Music” and the RadiOzark Record Collection housed at the State Historical Society of Missouri’s Springfield Research Center.