News – Monday, December 22nd 2025

The Dent County Commission met Thursday morning at the courthouse. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Keith Green said brush will be cut on Dent County Road 5610 and maintenance will be done at the shop. District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams reported a crew will be doing some grading on Dent County Road 2440, plus they will be doing maintenance on a county dump truck. Crews will also be patching potholes on county road 3290. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson said he attended an MCEC Zoom meeting Wednesday where that board reviewed financial information. He mentioned he also attended a Tourism Tax Committee meeting Tuesday where one application was partially funded by the committee. They also approved three requests for reimbursement and denied one. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said the courthouse will be closed December 24th through the 26th. They will reopen on Monday, December 29th with extended hours in the Collector’s office from 8:00 to 5:30 through Wednesday, December 31st. She also mentioned candidates can still file for offices for the April 7th Municipal Election for school boards, hospital boards, City of Salem alderman positions, etc. She said those who want to file will do so at the entities office, NOT at the courthouse, and if they have any questions about the qualifications to run for the position they choose, potential candidates need to contact those individual entities themselves, not her office. She also wanted to remind those candidates to call the taxing entities to find out about their holiday hours, especially those wanting to run for school boards, as they may only have those hours posted on the door. She also mentioned that her office continues working on the budget for 2026. Curley went on to say she has prepared an updated personnel policy for the commission to review before it is approved. At the last meeting, the commission discussed FEMA funding and projects with Emergency Management Director Derrick Marfitt, and they heard from Assessor Alisa Brookshire who indicated she would be asking for more funds to be transferred from the County General Revenue Fund to the Assessment Operating Fund due to rising costs when she submits her budget as it has been at $39,000 for many years. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be this morning at the courthouse at 9:00 and the meeting is open to the public. 

An accident happened at 10:23 Thursday morning in Phelps County on Highway 63 about five miles south of Rolla. According to the highway patrol report, a 2016 Hyundai Veloster driven northbound by a 36-year-old male from Licking, traveled off the right side of the roadway where the vehicle became airborne and overturned. The driver of the Hyundai suffered moderate injuries, and a four-year-old female passenger suffered minor injuries in the crash. Both were taken by the Phelps Health Ambulance to Phelps Health in Rolla. The driver was not wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident while the four-year-old girl was wearing a seat restraint. The vehicle was totaled and removed from the scene by D&D Towing.