News – Thursday, May 28th 2025

The Salem Board of Aldermen will hold a special meeting this evening at 6:00 at the Old City Hall Auditorium at 202 N. Washington Street. After the agenda is approved, the board will go into closed session to discuss actions of litigation. Following the closed session, the board will hear a request for utility from Terry Perkins before they discuss Bill #3662 that repeals Chapter 700, Division III, Section 700.230 due to updates to Section 710. After that, the board will discuss nine bills from Bill #3663 to Bill #3671 that establish a user charge system for the City of Salem’s wastewater system to provide funds needed to pay for all expenses associated with the wastewater system. The meeting will then be adjourned. The special meeting of the Salem Board of Aldermen tonight is open to the public.

The Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors held their regular meeting Tuesday evening at 7:00 in the Doctor’s Library. After approving the agenda and previous meeting’s minutes, pending minor changes, Jean Nyberg of Forvis-Mazars presented the audit report for fiscal year 2024, highlighting that the audit remains in draft form due to an incomplete inventory count. She reviewed key financials, noting a decrease in total assets from $15 million in 2023 to $13.8 million in 2024, primarily due to ongoing operating losses and reduced cash flow. Receivables from self-pay patients increased, reflecting industry trends associated with high-deductible insurance plans. Nyberg reported an overall net loss of $965,000 in 2024, a significant improvement from the previous year’s $2.3 million loss. She also identified notable deficiencies in the segregation of duties, attributed to limited staffing. After the Board approved the interim audit report, Hospital CEO Brooke Bollman delivered the administrative report and operational summary. She noted that inpatient admissions and outpatient registrations have remained relatively steady, while emergency room visits and ambulance runs declined slightly from the previous month. Total operating revenue for April was approximately $2.132 million, with total operating expenditures at a similar level, resulting in a net profit of $7,103.62. 340B program revenue for April totaled $62,368, while expenses reached $76,368, resulting in a deficit of $14,536, largely due to missing contract payments, at the time of reporting. The Hospital currently has 31 days of cash on hand. During the Chief Nursing Officer’s report, Amber Hogan noted that several positions remain open and that an EMT-B training program is expected to begin in August. Kendra Mobray presented the quality report, citing 21 risk management incidents related to medication documentation errors. All were promptly addressed, and meetings with department heads have been scheduled to determine corrective actions. Board elections were also held, with Dr. Leigh Ann Price elected as Chair, Zach Moser as Vice Chair, and Frank Barnitz as Secretary. Before adjourning, the Board approved a memorial to be painted in honor of Monty Kitchen. The next Hospital Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for June 24th at 7:00 in the Doctor’s Library and is open to the public.

Three people died in traffic crashes over the 2025 Memorial Day weekend counting period which began at 6:00 Friday evening, May 23rd, and continued through 11:59 Monday night, May 26th. Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers investigated 182 traffic crashes involving 83 injuries and three fatalities over holiday weekend. The patrol also made 78 DWI over the holiday weekend. There were three boating crashes resulting in no injuries during the same period. The patrol made no boating while intoxicated arrests during the counting period. During last year’s 2024 counting period, the patrol investigated 275 traffic crashes, which included 161 injuries and seven fatalities. Also, over the 2024 Memorial Day holiday, Marine operations troopers investigated seven boating crashes, which included no fatalities and seven injuries. Troopers made 128 driving while intoxicated arrests and six boating while intoxicated arrests. No one drowned over the 2024 Memorial Day holiday. Last year statewide, there were 10 people who died and 486 that were injured in 1,046 vehicle crashes on all roads.

On Thursday, June 5th at the Old City Hall Basement Meeting Room located at 200 North Washington Street, the Dent County Extension will be holding a hands-on Dry Cured Bacon Workshop from 5:30-6:30 in the evening. The focus of the workshop is to learn how to make dry-cured bacon, including the curing and aging process, and how to smoke and prepare it for a meal. The cost of the workshop is $35, and all supplies are included. Participants will leave with a 4 to 6-pound slab of bacon. You MUST register by today to participate. Call the Dent County Extension Office at 573-729-3196 or register online at extension.missouri.edu/events and type in dry-cured-bacon-workshop-3 in the search bar.