Archive for 2026

An accident occurred Sunday afternoon at approximately 3:15 in Texas County on Highway AA 4 miles southeast of Success. According to the Highway Patrol report an eastbound 2024 Kawasaki Motorcycle, operated by a 29-year-old Houston, Missouri man, ran off a curve and struck a fence post. The man suffered serious injuries and was transported by Air Evac to Mercy Hospital in St. Louis. The report stated that the man was wearing a safety device. The motorcycle sustained extensive damage and was removed from the scene by Arrington’s Automotive of Plato at trooper’s request.

An accident occurred Sunday night at approximately 11:58 in Lawrence County on I44 one quarter of a mile east of Halltown. According to the Highway Patrol report an eastbound 2014 Chevrolet Silverado, driven by an 18-year-old man from Licking, skidded off of and back onto the roadway and was struck by an eastbound 2024 Freightliner Cascadia driven by a 36-year-old man from Clovis, California. The Chevrolet driver suffered moderate injuries and was transported by EMS to Mercy Hospital in Springfield. The report stated that the 18-year-old was not wearing a safety restraint. The Chevrolet was totaled and removed from the scene by Henry’s Towing. The Freightliner sustained moderate damage and was also removed by Henry’s Towing. The report stated that the driver of the Freightliner was wearing a safety restraint.

The City of Salem Board of Aldermen will hold its regular board meeting tonight at 6:00, located in the Old City Hall Auditorium at 202 North Washington Street. After approval of the agenda and consent agenda, the board will hear public comments. The board will then consider approval of several bids, including for utility poles, an electric service truck, electric department garage doors and openers, and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software. After, the board will consider approval of an end user licence agreement between the city and OpenGov, Inc. for its ERP software. Under new and miscellaneous business, the board will consider approval of several conditional use requests made during the Sept. 9th public hearing of the Planning and Zoning Commission, including the addresses of 809 W. Glendale; 403A & 403B S. Henderson; 400B S. MacArthur; 402A & 402B S. MacArthur; 700 S. Askins; and 603 S. Carty. The board will also consider the subdivision of Lot 4 of the Westwood North Subdivision, alongside the vacating of a 40’ wide strip of an undeveloped street, as requested by the Salem Housing Authority. This is in anticipation of a proposed multifamily 40-unit housing project development at 301 E. Tenth St. Additionally, the board will be considering the rezoning of 301 E. Tenth St. from single family residential (R1) to multifamily residential (R3) and the approval of the Spring Creek Ridge subdivision plat, as presented. The board will also be considering approval of an infrastructure grant agreement, as well as a state block grant agreement, between the city and Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission for improvements at Salem Memorial Airport. Reports of city officials will then be presented. After, the board will be taking a vote to enter closed session pertaining to legal actions before adjournment. This meeting is open to the public until closed. To watch this meeting live streamed, visit youtube.com/@CityofSalemMissouri.

The Dent County Commission met for its regular meeting Monday morning at the courthouse. Under public comments, resident Cindy Jones noted that Gov. Mike Kehoe’s recent executive order established restrictions on Flock cameras. For road reports, District One Commissioner Keith Green shared that since it has rained,   crew members are able to begin grading the following county roads: 6500, 6505, 5630, and 5150. Crew members will also be hauling rock to County Road 6280 and cutting brush on County Road 6350. District Two Commissioner Jimmy Williams reported that crew members will be hauling rock to County Road 2590, changing grader blades, and grading on County Roads 4280, 2590, 2600, and 2593. Williams noted  that phone calls have been received from residents of Lenox and Sligo requesting road maintenance. He encouraged patience as crew members will be working their way through the county. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson reported that he will be attending a meeting with the Meramec Regional Community Foundation (MRCF) on Tuesday. Larson also reported that the courthouse, judicial building, and annex building is now seeking applicants for a part-time custodian. In County Clerk Angie Curley’s reports, she stated that payroll and bills are to be approved and noted that absentee ballots will begin to be mailed out Tuesday to anyone who has requested one. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission will be 9:00 in the morning on Thursday at the courthouse and will be open to the public.

The planned citywide power outage will be Wednesday from 1:00 to 3:00 in the early hours of the morning. The power will be turned off so crews can safely replace an insulator on the transmission system serving Salem. Residents and businesses are encouraged to charge phones and other important devices before going to bed the night before. Customers should also keep flashlights nearby and turn off or unplug sensitive electronic equipment. Anyone who depends on electrically powered medical equipment should make sure a safe backup power source is available. Security systems, medical alerts, electronic clocks, timers and other devices may also be affected. If your power remains off after the City of Salem announces that service has been restored, call or text 833-703-4811.

An accident occurred in Phelps County in the early hours of Saturday morning at approximately 2:05 on eastbound I-44 at the 194.4-mile marker. According to the Highway Patrol report, a 26-year-old woman from Lonedell, Mo. fell asleep while driving a 2016 Toyota Camry and collided with an unknown vehicle. The 26-year-old woman suffered minor injuries and was transported by St. James ambulance to Phelps Health. According to the report, the woman was wearing a safety device. The Toyota Camry was totalled and removed from the scene by Tunes Towing.

An accident occurred in Phelps County on Friday at approximately 10:25 in the evening near County Road 7140. According to the Highway Patrol report, a 17-year-old juvenile travelled off the left side of the roadway, struck a tree, and overturned while driving a 2013 Cadillac SRX. The juvenile suffered minor injuries and was transported by Phelps Health Ambulance to Phelps Health Hospital in Rolla. According to the report, the juvenile was wearing a safety device. The 2013 Cadillac SRX was totalled and removed from the scene by D&D Towing.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has released a list of general highway maintenance and construction work planned in the mid-Missouri area through Friday. On Hwy. 32, resurfacing continues east of Salem as the project continues toward Iron County’s Hwy. KK. On Hwy. 19 and Hwy. 32, pedestrian facility upgrades continue in the city limits of Salem with minimal traffic impacts expected. Bridge maintenance continues over Dry Fork Creek, northwest of Salem on Hwy. 72. One lane will remain open, and crews will flag traffic through the work zone. In Phelps County, pavement repairs are planned beginning today and continuing through Thursday on I-44 on the eastbound on and off-ramps from Hwy. D to I-44 at Exit 172. Daily periodic closures of each ramp will be required. Bridge rehabilitation continues over I-44 at the Business Loop 44/Hwy. 72/Kingshighway junction, with the bridge remaining closed to all westbound traffic and expected completion of that project in October. On Hwy. 63, bridge rehabilitation continues over Little Piney Creek near Yancy Mills with temporary traffic signals being used to maintain traffic through the single-lane work zone. That project is also scheduled for completion in October. On Hwy. BB, or 10th Street in Rolla, bridge rehabilitation continues over the BNSF Railway with one lane open in each direction and no center turn lane. 

The Nov. 3rd General Election is coming up, with voters encouraged to reach out with any questions to the Dent County Clerk’s Office by phone at 573-729-4144 or email at dent@sos.mo.gov. Excused absentee voting is set to begin on Tuesday, and no excuse, in-person absentee voting will begin on Oct. 20th. Absentee voting will continue through Nov. 2nd.

The Dent County Clerk’s Office has given notice that a public test of the automatic absentee voting equipment is scheduled for today at 2:00 in the afternoon at the Dent County Courthouse. This test is open for public viewing.

The planned citywide power outage will be this Wednesday, Sept. 23rd from 1:00 to 3:00 in the early hours of the morning. This is so crews can safely replace an insulator on the transmission system serving Salem.  Residents are encouraged to charge phones and other important devices before going to bed the night before. Customers should also keep flashlights nearby and turn off or unplug sensitive electronic equipment. Anyone who depends on electrically powered medical equipment should make sure a safe backup power source is available. Security systems, medical alerts, electronic clocks, timers and other devices may also be affected. Customers do not need to report the loss of power during the scheduled outage period. If your power remains off after the City of Salem announces that service has been restored, call or text 833-703-4811.

At the request of Dent County Fire Chief Derek Thomas, and the Chiefs of Lenox Rural Fire Department, Jadwin Volunteer Fire Department, and Montauk Rural Fire Department, the Dent County Commission has adopted an ordinance implementing a county-wide burn ban due to current drought conditions and the increased danger of fires throughout Dent County. Outdoor burning and open burning are prohibited throughout Dent County. This includes burning trees, logs, brush, stumps, and other vegetative material, as well as burn barrels and agricultural burning. The ordinance does provide limited exceptions, including cooking or grilling with charcoal, wood, propane, or natural gas in appropriate cooking/grilling appliances, as well as certain heating, construction, and maintenance uses specified in the ordinance. Anyone maintaining an outdoor fire may be held responsible for fire suppression costs and damages caused by the fire. Violations of the ordinance may constitute a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to 365 days in jail, a fine of up to $2,000, or both. The burn ban is intended to protect the lives and property of Dent County residents during the current dry conditions. The duration of the burn ban may be shortened or extended depending on weather and fire conditions.

The Dent County Commissioners met Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse for their regular meeting. During public comments, Michael Garrett, who was buying some property, asked the commission to prepare a letter on county letterhead stating Dent County does not have planning and zoning. The request was approved. A resident of County Road 5170 requested brush be cut on that roadway. Canyon Goodbar of the Dent County Sheriff’s office requested approval of a radio grant application for $25,000 from the Missouri Department of Public Safety for three radios and three repeaters. The commissioners approved the grant application. Grant Wilson, representative of Congressman Jason Smith’s office, urged Dent County residents to document and report rainfall amounts to the drought monitor. Under road reports, District One Commissioner Keith Green said crew members are off until Monday. District Two Commissioner Jimmy Williams said that a crew member is cutting brush. Chip and seal work has been completed in both districts, and both Williams and Green reported they were pleased with the job that was done. Williams further noted that both districts had replaced a lot of culverts; thus, the county’s supply is getting low. Williams and Green have both noted in the past that replacing culverts is one task that they can complete when it is too dry to grade. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson reported he attended a lengthy meeting in St. James on Tuesday of the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District (ORSWMD) which decided on the distribution of requested grant funds. He noted that there were over $351,000 in requests, and that the funds available totaled $326,464; it was approximately $25,000 short of meeting all requests. All the applications will be funded, but some at lower amounts than requested. The approved amounts would be awarded at the next meeting of the ORSWMD. Moving on, Larson stated he would have a Zoom meeting with the county health insurance company, MAGIC Consortium. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported that bills  were being approved by the commissioners for payment. Brent Duncan, Midwest Mechanical; Tony Haile, Gene Haile Excavating, Inc.; Shannon Jenkins, Mera Excavating; Mason Parker, Build Tec Construction; and Brooke Rogers, Courtney Construction, were present for the bid opening on FEMA 2 crossing repairs. Christa Swartz with Great Rivers Engineering was also present and bids were opened at 10:00. Gene Haile Excavating bid was $161,488; Build Tech Construction bid $66,950; Courtney Construction bid $97,997.23; and Mera Excavating bid $149,069.52. The Midwest Mechanical bid was opened, but it was labeled on the envelope with the wrong bid. Brent Duncan went to his vehicle to get the correct bid, which was presented after 10:00 at $51,050. Christa Swartz discussed that $92,888 was Great Rivers engineer’s estimate, and she will reach out to the first and second bidder. GRE will review received bids to make sure they meet all requirements. Swartz discussed the fact that the Midwest Mechanical bid was not in the meeting at the required 10:00, so it would not be counted. The commissioners agreed. Dent County Fire Chief Derek Thomas presented a Burn Ban Ordinance which was approved by the commissioners. The next meeting of the commissioners will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse, and the meeting will be open to the public.