News – Tuesday, March 10th 2026

The City of Salem Board of Aldermen will meet this evening at 6:00 at 202 N. Washington in the Old City Hall Auditorium. After the Pledge of Allegiance, roll call and approval of the agenda and consent agenda, the board will hear any scheduled public comments. The board will be considering a committee appointment of Sue Hubbs to the Salem Housing Authority to fill an unexpired term. Under new and miscellaneous business, the board will hear a resolution authorizing the submission of a grant application to the Missouri Department of Transportation Aviation Section for airport improvements at the Salem Memorial Airport (K33.) The board will be hearing and approving bids for control panel improvements, utility poles, and a tree trimming truck repair. City officials will then report followed by a closed session. The meeting of the City of Salem Board of Alderman is open to the public.

The Dent County Commission met in regular session Monday morning at the courthouse. Both First District Commissioner Keith Green and Second District Commissioner Jimmy Williams shared that road crew members are out patching what they can on the washouts, with Williams sharing that his district crew members will also be attempting to unstop several pipes and culverts. Both encouraged patience within residents as the heavy rains have impacted roads with more forecasted Tuesday, delaying their ability to lay down more rock. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported that payroll was approved. Curley further reported the voting registration deadline for the April 7th Municipal Election is Wednesday and encouraged those needing to make address changes to do so as soon as possible. Excused absentee voting continues, and March 24th is the first day for “no excuse absentee” voting which will continue through April 6th. From 8:00 in the morning until 12:00 noon Saturday, April 4th, the courthouse will be open for absentee voting in the county clerk’s office. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams reported on sales tax receipts received for March, stating that General Revenue and Law Enforcement received $94,228.39. Year-to-date those funds are $15,505.73 over the total collected through March 2025, a 6.6% increase. The Road and Bridge Fund received $47,114.16, and year-to-date those funds are $15,505.73 over the total collected through March 2025. That is about an 11.9% increase. Williams reported both Jail Funds received $94,648.80, and year-to-date those funds are each up $30,958.42, an increase of 11.8%. The next meeting of the commission will be Thursday morning at the courthouse, and the meeting will be open to the public.

According to a petition filed March 5th in the Circuit Court for Shannon County, plaintiffs including Thomas Appell; Seamus James Fuller; Jack Norris, Lonnie Norris, James Norris, and Lisa Norris; and other unknown persons living or owning property along State Route YY have brought a lawsuit against Royal Oak Enterprises, LLC. The petition alleges that since approximately 2022, dangerous and toxic material from the charcoal plant have interfered with not only the plaintiffs’ use and possession of their property, but also the enjoyment of their property. The charcoal plant affected machinery and plant life as well as the personal health and wellness of the plaintiffs, it was further alleged. Plaintiffs made claims for negligence, trespass, and private & public nuisance against Royal Oak. The plaintiffs seek damages greater than $25,000. As of Monday, March 9th, a summons has been issued to Royal Oak Enterprises, LLC, according to a newly filed docket entry on file on courts.mo.gov/casenet.

The 100 Acre Wood Rally is returning to Dent, Crawford, and Washington counties at the end of this week. In Dent County, look forward to the 4th Street Parc Expose’ and Welcome this Saturday from 9 to 11 in the morning. Throughout the day, find locations to spectate through the Spectator Guide found online at rally.100aw.org/spectating. Most spectator locations are free of charge and no tickets are needed. If you would like to meet this year’s drivers while they’re in Salem and view the high performance machines they’ll be driving, you can do so Saturday morning on 4th Street. Drivers and their vehicles will line 4th Street until their departure to the first stage. This is a rare opportunity to meet world class, regional, and local rally sport drivers in one of the Ozark’s premiere motorsport events. In the evening Saturday, come down to the Dent County Commons for both the regional and national award ceremony from 8:15 to 10.

Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District (ORSWMD) is now seeking submissions for the 35th Annual Earth Day Trash Art, Poster and Graphic Art contest. The competition is open to all students in grades kindergarten through 12th in Dent, Crawford, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties. Homeschool students meeting these criteria are eligible and encouraged to participate. The graphic art portion of the contest is also open to post-secondary students. The theme for this year’s art contest is “Be a Food Waste Warrior” to increase awareness of food waste. Students have the opportunity to participate in multiple contest categories, including posters (hand-drawn and graphic arts), and re-purposing recyclables and trash into three-dimensional pieces of trash art. Posters should echo the theme of reducing food waste, a top priority in the district. The trash art contest may follow the underlying solid waste management theme to reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle. Entries for all categories will be accepted from now through March 19th and may be dropped off at the county clerk offices at the nearest courthouse. For more information, visit ozarkrivers.org/programs-and-services/earth-day.