Archive for 2026

A fatal accident occurred early Friday morning around 1:23 in Phelps County on I-44 near mile marker 190.6. According to the highway patrol report, a 2010 Honda Odyssey driven by a 29-year-old female from California failed to stop at a stop sign on the outer road. The Honda travelled into the westbound lanes of I-44 causing a 2021 Freightliner Cascadia driven by a 37-year-old male from Texas to strike the Honda. The driver of the Honda was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Phelps County Coroner Ernie Coverdell at 2:59 in the morning. The report goes on to state she was wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Honda was totaled, and the Freightliner sustained moderate damage. Both vehicles were removed from the scene by Ron Dishman Towing.

A fatal accident occurred Friday evening around 11:40 in Crawford County on Ransom Road at Old Leasburg Road. According to the highway patrol report a 2024 Polaris Sportsman 44-year-old male from Bourbon was travelling southbound and failed to negotiate a curve. The Polaris travelled off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree, ejecting the driver. The driver was pronounced deceased at the scene at 2359 hours by Crawford County Coroner Darren Dake. He was transported to the Crawford County Morgue by the Crawford County Coroner. The report goes on to state the driven was not wearing safety equipment at the time of the accident. The Polaris sustained extensive damage and was removed from the scene by Chris and Sons Towing.

On July 2nd, the Salem Police Department, in collaboration with the Dent County Sheriff’s Office, concluded a multi-week operation to locate and apprehend a wanted fugitive with an active parole absconder warrant. Investigators developed information regarding the whereabouts of the wanted subject, who was reportedly preparing to leave the Dent County area. Investigators conducted surveillance and positively identified the subject as Mitchell Warren. Officers continued surveillance until Warren entered an area where law enforcement could safely conduct an apprehension while minimizing the risk of a vehicle or foot pursuit. An arrest team assembled near Dollar General and coordinated the apprehension of Warren. Warren was located inside a vehicle and attempted to flee; however, the strategic positioning of patrol vehicles prevented the vehicle from leaving the area. Officers issued verbal commands for Warren to exit the vehicle, and he was subsequently taken into custody without further incident. Warren was transported to the Dent County Jail, where he is being held without bond on a parole absconder warrant stemming from an original offense of stealing a motor vehicle. Collaborative efforts among local law enforcement agencies are essential to effectively addressing and suppressing criminal activity within our communities. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The Community Blood Center of the Ozarks will be holding a Salem Community Blood Drive at the First Baptist Church of Salem on 201 North MacArthur Avenue on Tuesday from noon to 6:00 in the evening. While supplies last, donors can look forward to receiving a free velour beach towel, along with a chance to win a $10,000 dream vacation. For rules and details, visit cbco.org/vacation. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are encouraged to minimize potential wait times. Call 417-227-5006 to book yours. Donors are asked to take a few steps to ensure donations operate smoothly on the day of the drive: drink plenty of water the night and morning before you donate; eat a well-balanced meal around 2 to 3 hours before giving; and bring your photo ID, as this is required now for all donors. 

Join the City of Salem Parks & Recreation and Parsons Chiropractic for the third annual Balloon Glow, planned for Saturday, Oct. 24th at 11:00 in the morning at the Al Brown Complex. If you want to be part of the celebration, organizers are now accepting applications for both food and craft vendors. The cost for food vendors is $80, and the cost for craft vendors is $30, with both types of vendors asked to be set up by 10:30 in the morning. To apply, find the application by searching for the “Salem, MO Spectacular Balloon Glow Event” Facebook page. The link to the application form will be pinned at the very top of the page.

Girls’ Night Out will be celebrating its 15th anniversary on Sept. 10th, 2026. This annual event will be held from 4:30 to 7:30 in the evening at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory. Participating vendors will have a variety of products and services tailored to women’s interests, and admission is limited to all women and girls 12 years of age and older. Plan to bring your girlfriends for an evening of pampering, shopping, and eating! This event is now accepting vendors. If interested or in need of more information, contact Jackie@salemcommunitycenter.org or call 573-729-8163.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds deer hunters to apply online from July 1st through July 31st for a shot at more than 140 managed deer hunts throughout the state. There are hunts for archery, muzzleloader, shotgun, and modern firearms from mid-September through mid-January at designated conservation areas, parks, national wildlife refuges, and other public areas. Some managed deer hunts are offered specifically for youth, beginner hunters, or people with disabilities. Hunters are selected by a weighted random drawing. Get more information on managed deer hunts, preview hunt details, and apply at mdc.mo.gov/managedhunt. In order to register for a hunt, you will need a valid conservation ID number for yourself and those in your party.

The Salem Police Department has released that on Wednesday, officers conducted a traffic stop in the area of Hwy. 19 and Hwy. 68. Officers conducted a consent search of a vehicle resulting in the discovery of a bag containing a white substance, suspected of being a controlled substance, as well as two handguns. An adult female was taken into custody as a result of the investigation, with charges being sought for possession of a controlled substance and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon. All individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Lots of closures abound in Dent County and the City of Salem in observance of Independence Day. Salem Memorial Hospital’s Administrative Offices and Family Medicine Clinic will be closed. The Emergency Department will remain open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide emergency medical care. The Dent County Courthouse will be closed, as well as City of Salem offices. The Healthy Dent County Fitness Center will also be closed, and the Sweet & Low and Tai Chi classes will be canceled; however, members with 24-hour access will still be able to access the Fitness Center during the closure. For other businesses, be sure to check business hours in advance.

The Dent County Commission met in open session Thursday morning at the courthouse. District One Commissioner Keith Green was appointed  acting Presiding Commissioner by County Clerk Angie Curley in the absence of Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson. Under road reports, Green reported that crew members would be working on roads affected by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared disaster of Nov. 2024. District Two Commissioner Jimmy Williams reported that crew members are planning on hauling rock to County Road 3185 and grading county roads 3130, 3185, 3180, and 3245. Crew members are also planning to cut brush on county roads 3190 and 3180. County Clerk Angie Curley reported that the deadline to register to vote for the upcoming primary election is next Wednesday, July 8th. So far, there have been 38 absentee votes cast. No excuse absentee voting will begin July 21st. Absentee voting will continue through Aug. 3rd. Commissioners also approved the Current River Cruiser’s request to utilize the courthouse lawn on Saturday, Sept. 19th for the purposes of holding a car show fundraiser for local cancer support group, Project Win. Under public comments, resident Katie Anne Gaither requested a correction to the minutes of June 22nd, in which she had been misquoted. Commissioners agreed to look into getting the minutes corrected. Collector Denita Williams reported that work reimbursed to the county so far for both FEMA and State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) eligible projects is currently at a total of $224,518.62. Commissioners reported that the process of repairs to county roads from the disaster of November 2024 has been slowgoing and far from completion, crediting the reasoning to challenging administrative burdens, set by both the state and federal government. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission will be at the courthouse at 9:00 Monday morning. The courthouse will be closed in observance of Independence Day on Friday.

This July 4th Independence Day, which is the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, there will be numerous events going on in Salem. At 7:30 in the morning, there will be a pickleball tournament at the Salem Community Center @ The Armory. The Salem Community Choir will be singing at the Salem City Hall Auditorium with the first performance at 2:00 followed by a second performance at 4:00. Near 5:00, food trucks, vendors and boutiques will be opening near the pavilion, and Devon Sutterfield will begin performing. There will be a break in the music just in time to head down to the parade route and pick a spot. The parade starts at 6:00 in the evening from the Grand and Franklin, traveling north on MacArthur, then east on 4th Street to the courthouse square. At the conclusion of the parade, the Salem Community Center @ The Armory will be open from 6:30 to 9:00 with free use of their three bounce houses and gymnasium for basketball and pickleball. Children must be supervised by their parents. Also at the Salem City Park, Sutterfield will resume performing and those attending can check out the vendors and food trucks, while waiting for the fireworks. At 9:25, the Leathers Family will sing our National Anthem followed by the fireworks show that will begin around 9:30 at the Salem City Park. KSMO Media will stream the parade beginning around 6:15 on ksmoradio.com, KSMO Stream Facebook and the KSMO YouTube Channel.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) is an international non-profit 501(C)(3) organization that builds, assembles and delivers beds to children who do not have a bed. The SHP Dent County chapter will be holding its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday from 5:30 to 6:30 in the evening. This meeting will take place at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory in the Walden Conference Room. There will be discussions on upcoming events, needs, and more. More updates from the chapter can be found on Facebook at facebook.com/shpdentco.

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission has approved the FY 2027-2031 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP.) The program lists transportation projects planned by state and regional planning agencies from July 1st, 2026 – June 30th, 2031. The five-year program is one of the largest to date and includes additional funding from General Revenue, passed by the Missouri General Assembly and signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe. Funding is allocated for improvements to Interstates 70 and 44 as well as improvements to airports and roadways. The STIP makes available 13 billion dollars of federal and state revenues for all modes of transportation over the next five years. Of the $13 billion, the STIP details $9.3 billion in contractor awards for road and bridge construction – averaging approximately $1.8 billion per year. In Dent County, scoping for bridge improvements on Route B over the Meramec River is scheduled for the 2026-27 year, while bridge rehab on Highway 19 over Spring Creek, repairing part of Highway 19 about 3/10ths of a mile south of Dent County Road 4050 caused by the 2024 November flood, and the Highway 32 bridge replacement over Huzzah Creek is all scheduled in the next fiscal year to be done. Other projects to be done in the 2026-27 year are the scour repair and painting of the Route B bridge over Dry Branch from the November 2024 flood, and pavement resurfacing of Route C from Highway 72 to Highway 32. Other Dent County projects in future years are the Route FF bridge improvements over Dry Fork Creek, Route H bridge improvements over Dry Fork Creek and the Barnitz Prong Dry Creek, bridge improvements on Highway 32 over the Dry Fork Creek and Pigeon Creek, pavement resurfacing on Route P from Highway 72 to the end of state maintenance which will also include Route JJ from Route N to the end of state maintenance, and the building of a new bridge on Route TT over Crooked Creek. The STIP details improvements to Missouri’s 33,814 miles of highway and 10,427 bridges and culverts. The draft version of the STIP was released in May for public review, with MoDOT receiving 65 comments.

Interstate 44 in downtown St. Louis, between the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge and the Poplar Street Bridge, has reopened. The work to support the bridge column exposed by the recent water and sewer breaks under I-44 has been completed; however, Broadway near Biddle will remain closed for an extended amount of time as several utilities, including the Metropolitan Sewer District and the city’s water department, must complete work at the scene. The following remains closed: Eastbound I-70 express lanes at Union Boulevard; Broadway exit (292B) from westbound I-44; and Broadway is closed in both directions north of Biddle, which restricts access to the eastbound I-44 on ramp.

The Salem Police Department reminds the public of the ordinance related to the discharge of fireworks, which states fireworks only may be discharged from July 1st through July 6th from 8:00 in the morning to 10:00 in the evening, except for July 4th which allows discharging fireworks until midnight. Only Class 1.4G fireworks in unmodified form are allowed to be discharged during those times. It is against the law for those under the age of 18 to be in possession of fireworks without the direct supervision of a parent, guardian, or person over the age of 18. Do not discharge fireworks on public property, public roadways, or from a motor vehicle.

Everyone is invited to Montauk State Park’s Amphitheater this Friday at 9:00 in the evening for a tour of Montauk from its founding to today. A slide show will be shown highlighting dozens of incredible photos from the archives. Everyone is invited to learn about the vibrant milling community that existed at the location long before it became a park. Tour Montauk through the decades as staff celebrates the park’s 100th anniversary with a centennial summer event. Interested parties can also visit the Montauk Mill this Sunday from 10:30 in the morning to 12:30 in the afternoon to learn about its history and what life was like 100 years ago along the Upper Current River.

The Community Blood Center of the Ozarks will be holding a Salem Community Blood Drive at the First Baptist Church of Salem on 201 North MacArthur Avenue on Tuesday, July 7th from noon to 6:00 in the evening. While supplies last, donors can look forward to receiving a free velour beach towel, along with a chance to win a $10,000 dream vacation. For rules and details, visit cbco.org/vacation. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are encouraged to minimize potential wait times. Call 417-227-5006 to book yours. Donors are asked to take a few steps to ensure donations operate smoothly on the day of the drive: drink plenty of water the night and morning before you donate; eat a well-balanced meal around 2 to 3 hours before giving; and bring your photo ID, as this is required now for all donors.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds deer hunters to apply online from July 1st through July 31st for a shot at more than 140 managed deer hunts throughout the state. There are hunts for archery, muzzleloader, shotgun, and modern firearms from mid-September through mid-January at designated conservation areas, parks, national wildlife refuges, and other public areas. Some managed deer hunts are offered specifically for youth, beginner hunters, or people with disabilities. Hunters are selected by a weighted random drawing. Get more information on managed deer hunts, preview hunt details, and apply starting July 1st at mdc.mo.gov/managedhunt. In order to register for a hunt, you will need a valid conservation ID.

The Salem Public Library will be holding a local author book signing on Tuesday, July 7th with fantasy author B.D. Welch and her novel “Tiny Dragon: The Chainbreaker Rebellion.”  “Tiny Dragon” is a fantasy adventure full of thieves, dragons, rebels, secrets, and one very unusual tiny dragon named Clive. Meet the author, check out the book, and stay after for an author read-aloud!