Archive for 2026
Obituaries – Tuesday, February 16th 2026
Funeral Services for Helen Pauline (Owen) Warden, age 81, of Salem will be held at 12:00 noon today, in the Wilson Mortuary Salem Chapel. Burial to follow in the Cedar Grove Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 11:00 this morning until time of service.
Funeral services for Bonnie A. Hunter of Newburg, age 85, will be Thursday at 12:00 noon in the Rolla Chapel of James & Gahr Mortuary. Visitation will be from 11:00 until service time. Interment will be at the Big Piney Cemetery.
Celebration of Life Service for Marvin Lavern Gillam of Cuba, Missouri, formerly of Davisville, will be Saturday afternoon at 2:00 in the Wilson Mortuary Viburnum Chapel. Visitation will be from 1:00 until service time.
Graveside Services for Randy Lynn Land of Salem, age 62, will be Saturday afternoon at 5:00 at the Mr. Hermon Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Salem Public Library or The Rolla Mission. All arrangements are under the direction of the Wilson Mortuary of Salem.
Sports – Tuesday, February 16th 2026
The Salem Basketball Tigers will be at Liberty High School in Mountain View tonight to face the Eagles. The varsity game will begin around 7:30 and can be heard live on KSMO Radio 1340 AM & 95.7 FM and audio streamed on KSMO Media. Salem enters the contest with a 16-8 record while Liberty is 21-2 on the year.
The Salem Lady Basketball Tigers faced off against the Liberty Lady Eagles last night and fell by a score of 60-54. Clara Ball led the Lady Tigers with 20 points, followed by Abigail Terrill with 12. The Lady Tigers are now 9-14 and are looking to bounce back on the road against the Mountain Grove Lady Panthers this Thursday.
The Bunker Boys Basketball Eagles were on the road in Farmington to play the Knights yesterday evening. The JV Eagles fell early, 60-23. The Varsity Eagles spent most of their game battling from behind after an 11-11 first quarter tie. While the game was close throughout, the Knights started to distance themselves in the fourth eventually handing Bunker only their second loss on the season, 64-52. The Bunker Eagles boys basketball teams will be in Valley tonight. The JV boys game will follow the varsity girls’ game and the varsity boys game will conclude the night’s trio of games. The Valley Varsity Boys also recently played Farmington and fell, 72-48, they are 10-11 on the year compared to Bunker’s 22-2 record.
The Bunker Lady Eagles were in Sparta last night and defeated the Lady Trojans, 52-37. Their next game will be on the road in Valley tonight. They will begin the night’s games at 5:00. The Bunker Lady Eagles enter the game with a 20-3 record while the Lady Vikings are still searching for their first win on the year.
The Bunker R-3 FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) team recently traveled to Arcadia Valley for the District 12 Leadership Conference Competition. Students were tasked with competing in a wide variety of events. Congratulations to the following students for placing in their respective fields; Senior, Ethan Forster placed second in Future Business Educator. Senior, Riley Skaggs placed second in Agribusiness and fourth in Economics. Senior, Jayton Skaggs placed fourth in Accounting One. Junior, Regan Bowen placed fourth in Sales Presentation. Junior, Jacqueline Brawley of Bunker R-3, placed for Arcadia Valley’s FBLA team and received first place in Website Design. Sophomore, Wyatt Amsden placed first in Insurance & Risk Management, second in Intro Business Concepts, and third in Intro to Info Technology. Sophomore, Bella Sanders placed third in Intro to Business Procedures. Sophomore, Gus Skaggs placed fourth in Intro to Supply Chain Management. Sophomore, Dalie Martin placed fourth in Management and Sophomore, Owen Gant placed first in Intro to Supply Chain and Management. Congratulations to all of these students on your FBLA Competition results. To learn more about Missouri FBLA you can visit MOfbla.org.
News – Monday, February 16th 2026
On Saturday February 14th, Patrolmen from the Salem Police Department initiated an investigation into the whereabouts of a wanted fugitive who had been evading authorities for a Phelps County warrant, for approximately four years. Officers responded to the 100 block of South Jackson Street after receiving information that the subject was inside a residence. Officers issued verbal commands for the individual to exit the residence; however, the subject initially refused to comply. Additional assistance was requested from the Dent County Sheriff’s Office, and a perimeter was established. The subject, identified as Thomas Weaver, was subsequently taken into custody without incident. Weaver was transported to the Dent County Jail, where he is being held on the following charge: Failure to Appear for driving while revoked. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The Meramec Regional Planning Commission’s Revolving Loan Fund has over $700,000 to loan to businesses in any of the eight counties served by the Meramec Regional Planning Commission which includes Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski, and Washington counties. Any individual business can apply for up to $200,000 in a revolving fund loan. Benefits of this loan program include fixed rate financing for the borrower, improving a locality’s quality of life, a lower down payment for the eligible passive concern, and longer maturities to repay the debt for the borrower. For any business needing assistance, call the MRPC office today at 573-265-2993.
Ameren Missouri is reminding residential customers across the state that a wide range of resources remain available to support qualifying households with their energy bills in 2026. In addition to programs funded by the company, Ameren partners with the Energy Assistance Foundation and hundreds of Community Action Agencies to ensure customers can apply for funds, including the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). In Dent and Phelps counties, Ameren Missouri provides natural gas services. Ameren also invites customers who are able to give back to their communities to partner with the company by making a one-time or recurring contribution to the “Dollar More” program. The “Dollar More” program provides eligible households up to $600 per calendar year. Also, qualifications for the program have increased up to 300% of the Federal Poverty Level. Throughout 2025, Ameren Missouri partnered with hundreds of Community Action Agencies to make more than $140 million in energy assistance and LIHEAP support available to customers across Missouri as well as in Illinois. For more information on all available resources, visit Ameren.com/Assistance.
A “Junk Journals” class will be held on Thursday evening, February 19th from 5:00 to 8:00 with Gail Phelan at the Creative Arts Center. Attendees will make a booklet out of mailers, envelopes, and scraps of packing paper. Use pretty much anything you would normally toss in the bin to make a journal. The class will learn the ‘3-hole pamphlet stitch’ to bind your book together. The class is for those who are 6-years and up with adult. The cost of the class is $20 All materials and supplies will be provided. At least four people must sign up for the class, and it will be limited to 13. To sign up for this class or future classes like Chunky Knit Blankets, Oil Painting, and Clay Sculpting, go to the SACBA website, click on the “Programs” link and then on the Creative Arts Center.
Obituaries – Monday, February 16th 2026
Funeral Services for Helen Pauline (Owen) Warden, age 81, of Salem will be held at 12:00 noon on Tuesday, in the Wilson Mortuary Salem Chapel. Burial to follow in the Cedar Grove Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 11:00 in the morning until time of service.
Funeral services for Bonnie A. Hunter of Newburg, age 85, will be Thursday at 12:00 at the Rolla Chapel of James & Gahr Mortuary. Visitation will be from 11:00 until service time. Interment will be at the Big Piney Cemetery.
Celebration of Life Service for Marvin Lavern Gillam of Cuba, Missouri, formerly of Davisville, will be Saturday at 2:00 at the Wilson Mortuary Viburnum Chapel. Visitation will be from 1:00 until service time.
Graveside Services for Randy Lynn Land of Salem, age 62, will be Saturday afternoon at 5:00 at the Mr. Hermon Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Salem Public Library or The Rolla Mission. Arrangements are under the direction of the Wilson Mortuary of Salem.
Sports – Monday, February 16th 2026
A solid team effort by the Salem Boys Basketball Tigers Friday night at the SHS led to 59-53 win over the Thayer Bobcats to keep the Salem hopes for an SCA Conference title alive. Braiden Gapsch had 18 points and a key late game steal to lead the Tigers, while Gavin Sapaugh had another double-double netting 12 points and capturing 12 rebounds. Salem also got 12 points from Lincoln Thomas and nine more from Tyson Connors with all his points coming in the 4th quarter including some key free throws down the stretch. Salem improves to 16-8 with the win and 4-1 in the SCA Conference. Salem will be at Liberty High School in Mountain View Tuesday night to face the Eagles who are 5-0 in the SCA Conference. The varsity game will begin around 7:30 and can be heard on KSMO Radio and audio streamed on KSMO Media.
The Salem Boys JV beat the Thayer JV Bobcats Friday night 50-57, then won the Bourbon JV Tournament Saturday as they beat Belle, 79-44. Earlier in the week, the JV had defeated Steelville, 70-38 in the first round of the tournament. The Salem JV stands at 14-4 on the year and they will face the Mountain View-Liberty Eagles Tuesday night at 6:00.
The Salem Lady Basketball Tigers lost their sixth straight game as they fell to Couch Friday night, 73-51. Clara Ball led Salem with 18 points who are now 9-14 on the year. Karlee Clayton led Couch with 21 points as they improve to 15-7. Salem will be at Mountain View to face the Liberty Lady Eagles with the varsity contest starting near 7:20. Salem is 3-2 in the SCA Conference.
The Salem Lady JV Basketball Tigers fell to Couch Friday night, 57-32.They will be in Mountain View tonight to face the Liberty JV Lady Eagles starting at 6:00.
The Bunker Boys Basketball Eagles edged St. Vincent in overtime Saturday at the People’s Community Bank Shoot-Out at Bunker, 71-65 to improve to 22-1 on the year. They will be Farmington tonight with the JV game at 5:30 with the varsity game to follow.
The Bunker Boys varsity basketball team has been seeded 1st in the Class 1, District 3 for districts and will get a bye in the first round. District basketball will begin Tuesday night, February 24th in Bunker and the Eagles first game will be the district semi-final Thursday, February 26th at 5:30 against the winner of the Koshkonong/Lesterville game.
The Lady Eagles of Bunker fell to St. Vincent in overtime Saturday at the People’s Community Bank Shoot-Out, 48-45 to fall to 19-3 on the year. The Lady Eagles will be at Sparta tonight starting at 6:00.
The Texas Longhorns dominated Missouri in the second half of their SEC Conference match Saturday beating the Tigers, 85-68. Missouri was led by Jayden Stone and Mark Mitchell who each scored 16 points. Missouri is now 17-8 on the year and 7-5 in the SEC Conference. Missouri will host Vanderbilt Wednesday night starting at 7:30 with the pregame show on KSMO Radio.
News – Friday, February 13th 2026
The City of Salem Board of Aldermen have called a special meeting today in the Old City Hall Auditorium at 5:00. Following roll call and approval of the agenda, the board will discuss the MPUA invoice approval, before adjourning. This meeting is open to the public.
The Missouri Department of Conservation reminds Missouri hunters and anglers that related annual permits expire at the end of February, including 2025 permits for small game, fishing, trout fishing, and combination hunting and fishing. You can buy Missouri hunting and fishing permits from one of many vendors around the state, online at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits, or through MDC’s free mobile apps, MO Hunting and MO Fishing, available for download through Google Play for Android devices or the App Store for Apple devices. Save time by buying hunting and fishing permits for multiple people in a single transaction. Select the “Additional Customer” option during the permit purchase. Avoid having to manually renew permits each year by using MDC’s Permit Auto-Renewal Service. It allows customers to enroll eligible permits in a service that will automatically renew their permits prior to the start of the next season or permit year. The process was designed to ensure customers never have expired permits when they need them most. Learn more about this service at mdc.mo.gov/permits/permit-auto-renewal. Commercial and lifetime permits can be purchased only through the MDC Permit Services Unit by calling 573-522-0107. Contact them for an application.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has released its 2025 Progress Update for the Missouri Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy. The update highlights the state’s significant progress in reducing nutrient pollution, improving water quality and strengthening statewide conservation efforts. The Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy is Missouri’s long-term, adaptive approach to reducing nitrogen and phosphorus pollution to help protect local waterways and downstream ecosystems. The update outlines progress Missouri has made through collaboration with state agencies, conservation districts, agricultural partners and local communities. Chris Wieberg, deputy director of MoDNR’s Missouri Geological Survey said that Missouri’s Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy reflects the state’s commitment to balancing agricultural productivity, economic growth and environmental stewardship. Key highlights from the 2025 Progress Update include: More than $168 million invested in conservation practices through the Parks, Soils and Water Sales Tax from 2022 to 2025. Prevention of more than 5.2 million tons of soil and associated nutrients from entering Missouri waterways. Expansion of cover crop adoption, with more than 168,000 acres served in 2025. And implementation of more than 50 active 4R Nutrient Stewardship contracts covering over 4,300 acres by MoDNR’s Soil and Water Conservation Program. The report also highlights Missouri’s participation in national efforts to address Gulf Hypoxia, the development of nutrient trading programs and ongoing research through edge-of-field monitoring and innovative other conservation practices. In addition to documenting progress, the update outlines priorities for 2026 and 2027. These include expanding nutrient trading, increasing watershed modeling, strengthening partnerships with USDA-NRCS and advancing research on emerging conservation technologies.
Applications for the 54th Cadet Patrol Academy are now being accepted. The joint program between the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the American Legion is looking for young men and women ages from 16 to 18 to join the 54th Cadet Patrol Academy class. This week-long class begins June 7th and gives students an opportunity to gain hands on experience and an understanding of law enforcement. Additionally, students can explore different career paths within the Patrol. The Cadets will spend the week mirroring the work recruits do during the Patrol academy. A graduation ceremony will be held for participants on Friday, June 12th. Students who apply must have a GPA of 2.0 or higher, be of good moral character, have a valid driver’s license or permit, turn 16 prior to April 1st, and have an interest in pursuing a career in the Criminal Justice System. Those interested may obtain an application from their local American Legion Post. Questions regarding the Cadet Patrol Academy can be directed to Corporal Michael Halim at 573-522-7650.
Sports – Friday, February 13th 2026
Braiden Gapsch scored 33 points and Gavin Sapaugh recorded another double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds as the Salem Boys Basketball Tigers beat Steelville Thursday night, 74-66. Hunter Starbeck and Malakai Bruno each 15 points for the Cardinals. Salem, is 15-8 on the year and will play the Thayer Bobcats tonight around 7:20 at the SHS Gym. Salem and Thayer enter the game with 3-1 SCA Conference records and the Bobcats are 11-10 on the year. The game will be carried on KSMO Radio (AM 1340 and 95.7 FM) and video streamed on KSMO Media (ksmoradio.com, KSMO Stream Facebook Page and the KSMO You Tube Page). Salem and Thayer enter the game with 3-1 SCA Conference records while Mountain View-Liberty leads the SCA Conference with a 4-0 record.
The Salem Lady Basketball Tigers battled back in the 4th quarter after falling behind Steelville, 40-30 after three quarters, outscoring the Lady Cardinals, 18-10, but fell short in their comeback effort losing to Steelville, 50-48. Clara Ball led all Salem scorers with 13 points followed by Paisley May with 12 points and Allison Walters with 10 points. Jazmyn Hurd scored 18 points to lead the Lady Cardinals followed by Emeri Perkins with 17 more. Salem falls to 9-12 on the year and the loss is their 5th straight. They will be at Couch tonight starting at 5:30 with the JV game with the varsity to follow.
The Salem Boys JV Basketball Tigers beat the Steelville Cardinals Thursday night, 69-40, and move to 11-4 on the year. They will take on the Thayer JV Bobcats tonight starting at 6:00 at the SHS Gym.
The Salem Lady Tigers JV played only two quarters Thursday and fell to Steelville, 20-3.
The Bunker Eagles Boys and Girls Basketball Teams will play in the Peoples Community Bank Bunker Shootout Saturday against St. Vincent at the Bunker High School Gym. The girls will play 3:00 and the boys game will follow at 4:30.
The Missouri Basketball Tigers will host the Texas Longhorns Saturday night in SEC Conference play. The pre-game show will be at 7:00 with the tip-off at 7:30 on KSMO Radio. Missouri is 17-7 on the year and 7-4 in the SEC Conference.
Obituaries – Friday, February 13th 2026
Due to family illness, the services for Randy Lynn Land of Salem, age 62, have been postponed and will be announced at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the Salem Public Library or The Rolla Mission. All arrangements are under the direction of Wilson Mortuary of Salem.
Funeral Services for Helen Pauline (Owen) Warden, age 81, of Salem will be held at 12:00 noon on Tuesday, February 17, in the Wilson Mortuary Salem Chapel. Burial to follow in the Cedar Grove Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 11:00 in the morning until time of service.
Sports – Thursday, February 12th 2026
It’ll be a busy night tonight in the Salem High School Gym with the Steelville Cardinals and Lady Cardinals coming to town. A total of four games will be played starting at 4:30 this afternoon. The Salem JV Lady Tigers will start the night with a two quarter half game, followed by a full JV boys game. The 9-11 Varsity Lady Tigers will take the court for their game against the 8-15 Lady Cardinals once the JV games finish. Then the 14-8 Tigers will cap off the night with their game against the 10-11 Cardinals. You can listen to all the varsity action tonight on KSMO Radio 1340 AM & 95.7 FM or watch it live on KSMO Media’s Facebook, YouTube, or Twitch page. A pair of Tiger Talks will be heard prior to the Lady Tigers game where Stan Stevens interviews Coach Woody, and Coach Patterson. Following the video stream of the Lady Tigers game there will be a brief five minute period when KSMO Media starts a new stream for the boys game on each platform. There will be no interruption on the radio side.
The Missouri Basketball Tigers faced off against Texas A&M last night in Reed Arena. In a close game throughout the Tigers narrowly defeated the Aggies, 86-85. The difference maker in this game was the Tiger’s ability to out rebound the Aggies, 36 to 25. Five Tigers scored double digits on the night with Trent Pierce leading the way with 23 points, followed by T.O. Barrett with 17, and Shawn Phillips with 12. Up next for the Mizzou Tigers will be another Texas team this Saturday evening when they host the Longhorns. You can listen to this game live on KSMO Radio with pregame coverage starts at 6:30 and tip-off at 7:00.
Obituaries – Thursday, February 12th 2026
Graveside Services for Randy Lynn Land of Salem, age 62, will be Saturday at 1:00 at the Mt. Hermon Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Salem Public Library or The Rolla Mission. Arrangements are under the direction of the Wilson Mortuary of Salem.