News – Thursday, April 24th 2025

An accident occurred Tuesday afternoon around 2:01 in Phelps County on County Road 1000 and County Road 1010. According to the highway patrol a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt driven by a 17-year-old male juvenile of St. James was traveling eastbound and failed to negotiate a curve. The Cobalt travelled off the left side of the roadway and became airborne; it came to rest facing southbound. The driver suffered serious injuries and was flown to University of Columbia by Phelps Air. The report goes on to say he wasn’t wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Cobalt was totaled and removed from the scene by Spurgeon’s Towing. The highway patrol was assisted by the St. James Fire Department and Phelps Air.

The Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors convened their regular meeting on Tuesday evening at 7:00 in the Doctor’s Library at the hospital. The minutes from both the previous regular meeting and a special meeting were approved, with revisions made to the special meeting minutes. During the Chief Executive Officer’s report, Brooke Bollman noted that the hospital continues to engage in affiliation negotiations, with a strong focus on quality improvement and staff recruitment. She also reported that a lightning strike during the April 5th storm caused significant damage to computers, cameras, servers, and other hardware. The hospital plans to file an insurance claim to cover the losses.During the summary of operations, there has been a decrease in inpatient admissions and an increase in outpatient registrations while emergency room visits have remained consistent. For the month of March, the hospital reported approximately $1.9 million in net patient revenue, $2.2 million in total operating revenue, and $2.1 million in total operating expenses, resulting in a net profit of about $266,000. Additionally, gross 340B revenue totaled approximately $165,000, with a profit of around $87,000. The hospital currently maintains 32 days of cash on hand. The financial report was unanimously approved by the Board. Bollman also presented the Chief Nursing Officer’s report, stating that several nursing positions remain unfilled, including one full-time floating nurse role. In March, there were two new hires and three resignations. The Board approved departmental policies, contingent on departments resolving any interdepartmental discrepancies. The meeting concluded with the Board entering an executive session to discuss legal and personnel matters. The next meeting of the Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors is scheduled for May 27 at 7:00. in the Doctor’s Library at the hospital.

These reports were released by the Dent County Sheriff’s office for April. On Sunday April 13th deputies responded to Seville Care Center for a reported assault. During the course of the investigation, a 53-year-old Salem man was arrested on an active arrest warrant. Subject was incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. Later that same day deputies responded to Salem Memorial Hospital for a reported assault. It was reported that several parties were involved in an incident in the parking lot. The investigation is ongoing. Then on Wednesday April 16th deputies responded to the 5200 block of Highway O for a reported burglary. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that an unknown suspect(s) entered a business and stole money from the location. The investigation is ongoing. Later in the week on Friday April 18th deputies responded to Green Forest R-2 school for a reported property damage. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that an unknown suspect(s) damaged the parking lot of the location. The investigation is ongoing. If you have any information about an ongoing investigation please call #573-729-3241.