News – Friday, September 12th 2025

The Dent County Commission met Thursday morning at the courthouse.  In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Keith Green said pipes will be replaced in the Montauk area where needed, and the crews will finish up the chip and seal road repairs in the Shawnee Mac area. District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams reported workers will be adding rock, cutting brush and grading on Dent County Road 2613.  He also said grading would be done on county roads 5320 and 5325.  Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson said he attended the Public Housing Authority meeting, External Relations Committee meeting and regular MRPC meeting Thursday night. He again wanted to remind citizens about the MRPC special electronics and tire collection that will be held this Saturday from 9:00 in the morning until noon at the City of Salem Water and Sewer Construction Building at Third and Grand Streets. If you have any questions about items that can be dropped off or any charges, please contact the MRPC at 573-265-2993 and ask for Jill Hollowell. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said her she has received certification from the state auditor on all tax rates submitted. She said she will be attending her Missouri Association of County Clerks conference next week. The commissioners opened bids for the provider of propane for the courthouse for the next year and they received bids from Ferrellgas and MFA Oil Company. The bids were for exactly the same amount: $1.599 per gallon. The commission went with Ferrellgas who is the current provider. The commission received no bids for lawn care and snow removal for the next year for the courthouse. They will now accept bids for that service until October 23rd at 10:00 when the bids will be opened. If there are any questions about submitting a bid for the snow removal and lawn care around the courthouse, contact District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams at 573-247-7515. At the last meeting, collector Shannon VanKirk reported the monthly collection for August was $49,000.35. It was also announced the county is seeking applications for a Road and Bridge Department employee. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Monday morning at the courthouse at 9:00 and the meeting is open to the public.

The City of Salem is notifying residents and businesses of a planned power outage for the entire community on Saturday, September 20th, 2025, from 12:00 midnight until 5:00 in the morning, weather permitting. Sho-Me Power, the transmission provider for the City of Salem, will be performing necessary maintenance on its transmission line that supplies electricity to Salem. This work is critical to ensure long-term reliability of the electric system. The city is asking all residents and businesses to plan ahead and make appropriate accommodations during this scheduled outage. Preparations may include unplugging sensitive electronics and appliances to prevent possible power surges when service is restored; checking backup power sources such as generators to ensure they are ready if needed; charging phones, medical devices, and other essential electronics in advance; plan for refrigeration needs by limiting how often refrigerators and freezers are opened during the outage; ensuring you have adequate lighting options by keeping flashlights and extra batteries available; and planning ahead for necessary medical equipment or other critical needs that require electricity. The city recognizes this outage may cause some inconvenience and appreciate the community’s cooperation and understanding as Sho-Me Power completes this important work. For further updates, please follow the City of Salem’s official website at salemmo.com.