News – Wednesday, October 15th 2025

The City of Salem’s Airport Board will hold a meeting this evening at 6:00 at the Old City Hall Auditorium at 202 North Washington. After the call to order and approval of the agenda the Board will approve the previous meeting minutes. The Board will consider recommending CIP and Fuel Price. The board will be updated on the gate opener and camera, plus discuss the Swartz Hangar, followed by public comments prior to adjournment. The meeting was called by Airport Board President Tyler Naramore.

Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) Executive Director Bonnie Prigge, Planning Manager Anne Freand and Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Meramec Area Engineer Preston Kramer will meet with Dent County commissioners and citizens to discuss transportation needs on the state system tomorrow, at the Commissioners at 10:30. The public is encouraged to attend this meeting and share concerns or needs about road and bridge and multimodal – bike, pedestrian, airports, transit, rail and port – transportation needs. Prigge, executive director at MRPC said it’s important that we hear from Dent County leadership and residents about road, bridge and multi-modal needs in the county, so now is the time to make sure our county needs list is complete. She went on to note that if you cannot attend the meeting, please reach out to MRPC at any time to add a need to the list. MRPC and MoDOT are meeting with all eight counties in the region. Each county meeting will conclude with the identification of top road and bridge priorities and multimodal priorities. The information from these meetings is gathered and prioritized to help inform MoDOT for the next Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) as well as consideration of the Central District’s High Priority Unfunded Needs list. Each county is asked to select its top three or four needs to be prioritized with the other projects in the Meramec Region. Road and bridge projects will be prioritized at the December Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting and multimodal will be done most likely in February at the newly formed Multimodal Transportation Advisory Committee (MMTAC) meeting. To keep up with the latest MRPC news and events, visit the MRPC website at www.meramecregion.org or on Facebook at facebook.com/meramecregion/

The Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance (DCI) encourages those eligible for Medicare to review their plan options and costs during this year’s open enrollment period. Starting today and lasting through December 7th, Missourians can change their Part D drug coverage or Medicare Advantage plans. To help with that choice, the department offers free assistance to Medicare-eligible individuals and their caregivers through Missouri’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) which is funded through a grant from the Administration for Community Living. Funding is administered through DCI, and service is provided by Missouri Connections for Health, a nonprofit organization. Missouri SHIP also helps Missourians on a limited income determine whether they qualify for a low-income subsidy or Medicare Savings Programs to offset the cost of their prescription drugs. Missourians can seek unbiased assistance from Missouri SHIP at no cost throughout the year by phone or arrange one-on-one counseling by calling 1-800-390-3330 or visiting missouriship.org. Remember that fraudsters often use the Medicare open enrollment period to target seniors and other vulnerable individuals through deceptive sales tactics, such as commercials, online ads, or even personal phone calls. These scams occur year-round, but they are especially common when individuals are actively reviewing their coverage options. One of the best ways to protect yourself against health care fraud and abuse is by never sharing personal information with strangers, especially your Medicare or Social Security numbers. DCI is charged with protecting Missouri consumers through oversight of various professional licensees operating in the state. For more information visit their website at dci.mo.gov.