Local News – Wednesday, June 19th, 2024

The City of Salem wants to remind everyone that the new Servline Protection Program for city water lines will begin July 1st and will offer up to $2,500 coverage per occurrence against high service bills that are caused by unexpected leaks. The cost of the program for residential customers is $2.35 per month and $2.50 per unit per month for Residential Master Metered Multi-Habitational customers. Commercial customers will be charged $6.50 per month for a single occupancy and $13.00 per month for a multiple occupancy location. All eligible City of Salem customers are automatically enrolled in this optional program, so if you don’t want it, you have to opt out and you only have until June 30th to do so. Otherwise the charges will appear on your utility bill when the program goes live on July 1st. Call 1-844-952-0741 to find out more information about the program including a copy of the full terms and restrictions, or to opt out of the program and decline protection. Those who keep the program can cancel at any time, but if you wanted to re-enroll, you would have to wait 30 days to do so. If a water customer declines the coverage by opting out, they will be accepting full responsibility for all excess water charges caused by the leak. If a customer has the coverage and they have an exceedingly high water bill caused by usage due to a qualifying leak or line break, the City of Salem’s leak loss protection program covers the utility bill once the active cause of the leak has been repaired. Again, if you want to “opt out” of the Servline Protection Program for your city water service, call 1-844-952-0741 before July 1st.

As more Americans plan July 4th celebrations, the Division of Fire Safety is reminding Missourians to put fireworks safety first this Independence Day. Public fireworks displays not only offer the best sights, they are the safest, but if folks choose to use consumer fireworks, please handle them with extreme caution and do not allow children to use fireworks. Remember, within the city limits of Salem, the discharge of fireworks is legal for individuals 18 years of age or older, or those under the supervision of a parent, guardian or person 18 years old or older between the period of July 1st and July 6th. By ordinance, those discharging fireworks may only do so between the hours of 8:00 in the morning until 10:00 at night except on July 4th when the hours shall be 8:00 in the morning until midnight. Only Class 1.4G fireworks in unmodified form shall be discharged. Fireworks sales at seasonal retailers are legal in Missouri starting June 20th and lasting until July 10th. Please keep in mind that July 4th is not only the busiest day of the year for fireworks, it is the busiest day of the year for fires. About 40 percent of Independence Day structure fires are the result of fireworks, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Across the U.S. in 2022, fireworks started an estimated 18,500 fires according to NFPA. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2022, eleven peopleacross the United State died as the result of fireworks, with victims ranging from 11 to 43 years old; 10,200 people were treated for injuries in hospital emergency rooms nationally with children under 15 years of age accounting for 28% of the 2022 injuries. The Product Safety Council also said that about 43% of selected and tested fireworks were found to contain illegal components that could cause severe injuries. In Missouri, about 250 people go to emergency rooms each day with fireworks-related injuries in the 30 days around July 4th. Missourians who choose to use consumer fireworks should only use fireworks in a large open space that has been cleared of flammable materials, make sure to have a garden hose or a bucket of water nearby in case of a fire, only light fireworks one at a time; never try to re-light fireworks that have malfunctioned, and dispose of fireworks by soaking them in water and leaving them in a trash can. For questions or concerns about firework safety, firework rules, or firework dealers, contact the Division of Fire Safety at (573) 751-2930.

An accident happened in Dent County Monday morning just after 10:00 on Highway 32 about 17 miles east of Salem. According to the highway patrol report, a 2007 Chrysler Sebring driven westbound by 31-year old Dallas Agers of Salem, traveled off the left side of the roadway and struck a fence. Agers suffered minor injuries and was transported to the Salem Memorial Hospital. The Chrysler Sebring sustained moderate damage and was removed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing. It was unknown if Agers was wearing a seat restraint.

The Creative Arts Center will be holding a Hand-stamped Copper Jewelry making class on Friday evening from 6:30-8:30 with Leann Light. The class is open to all children 14 years of age and older. You will learn how to stamp on metal, add texture (if you wish), make a chain and assemble your necklace. At the end of the class, you will take home a custom stamped, one of a kind, piece of jewelry created entirely by you. All tools and materials will be provided. You can choose up to three metal discs and add a charm or crystal, or both, all on a 20 inch stainless steel chain. The cost of the class is $50 and that includes all your supplies. at least two people need to sign up for the class which will be limited to no more than six students.To register, go the SACBA website and find the Programs tab. Find the Creative Arts Center and click to register for the class. Registrations online are on a first come, first serve basis.

On Thursday, the Mudbugs will spend time outdoors at the Bonebrake Center of Nature and History exploring the grounds trying to find evidence that Bigfoot has returned. The activity will last about 1 hour and targets kids between the ages of 6 and 12 or so, but all ages are welcome. All events are held at the Bonebrake Center from 2:00 until 3:30. A donation to the Bonebrake Center of $2.00 per child is appreciated. They ask that a parent or legal guardian accompany your children (in case any emergency medical situations should arise). For more information, e-mail Janet Price at moonshadowmomentsllc@gmail.com. Don’t forget to check them out on Facebook!