News – Monday, June 8th, 2026
The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors will be holding its monthly meeting Tuesday night at 6:00 at 2 South Main Street. After the call to order and roll call, the board will consider the approval of the consent agenda, to contain the previous meeting’s minutes, financial report, bills, and budget review. Under old business, the board will discuss the CTI Tower Lease and revised bylaws. Under new business, the board will discuss insurance as proposed by representative Mary Martin of American Midwest Insurance. The board will then be presented the monthly reimbursement reports by Fire Chief Derek Thomas. The next meeting date will then be set, and the board will enter a closed session if necessary before adjournment. This meeting will be open to the public.
The Missouri Department of Transportation has released a list of general highway maintenance and construction work planned the week of June 8th to June 14th. Motorists should travel with care and be alert for slow-moving equipment. For Dent County, the bridge over Dry Creek at Hwy. B remains closed with project completion scheduled for the end of July. Pedestrian facility upgrades continue in the city limits of Salem on Hwy. 19 and Hwy. 32. The project is expected to be completed in September. A resurfacing project spanning from Hwy. 63 in Texas County to Hwy. KK in Iron County is scheduled to begin today. Work will begin with signal work in the city of Salem with resurfacing scheduled to begin June 15. Paving work in Licking and Salem will take place at night, with all other work scheduled during daytime hours. A 10-foot width restriction is in place around-the-clock for the duration of the project, which is expected to be completed by mid-September. One lane will remain open, and crews will flag traffic through the work zones.
MRPC and the Region I Homeland Security Oversight Committee are holding an abbreviated friends and family CPR class this Saturday at the MRPC office, #4 Industrial Drive, St. James. This class provides hands-on CPR training, practice with AEDs, an introduction to first aid and is meant to be an informative and relaxed environment for basic understanding of life-saving measures. The course does not offer certification and is approximately 60-90 minutes long. While registration is required, the class is offered free of charge. Samantha Sherman, senior community development specialist with MRPC, said that this is the perfect opportunity for individuals who may be watching children over the summer or community members who have a desire to assist when needed to get basic hands-on knowledge without going through a lengthy certification course. The hope is that this course provides enough knowledge to be beneficial to participants who find themselves in emergency situations that require immediate action. The course is being taught by Scott Proffitt, a certified instructor with Rolla Fire and Rescue. To register for the class, email or call Samatha Sherman with MRPC at ssherman@meramecregion.org or 573-265-2993, ext. 101. This training opportunity is funded through a grant provided by Region I Homeland Security Oversight Committee.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) has released that it has completed its 2026 annual school bus inspection. Over 11,000 school buses were successfully inspected in accordance to Missouri revised state statues. A total of 287 Missouri school districts earned the Patrol’s Total Fleet Excellence Award for 2026. Missouri’s 2026 school bus inspection results are as follows: School buses rated as “approved” upon initial inspection were 10,239; buses rated as “defective” were 849; and buses rated as “out-of-service” were 283. Buses with identified defective components require repair within 10 days. Buses placed out-of-service require correction of the component(s), reinspection, and a return to service by Patrol personnel prior to further usage in transporting passengers. According to the individual school district results for 2026, the Salem R-80 School District’s fleet of 10 buses received 90% approval from Highway Patrol Troop I, with only one bus receiving a defective rating; Oak-Hill R-I received a rating of 60% on their fleet of five buses; Green Forest R-II received a rating of 75% on their fleet of eight buses; Dent-Phelps R-III received an approval rating of 100% on their fleet of nine buses; and North Wood R-IV received an approval rating of 57.1% of their fleet of seven buses.
The Dent County Chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) is in need of more volunteers to assist with bed deliveries on the outskirts of Dent County. If you are someone willing and able to lend a hand, join SHP, an international non-profit that builds, assembles, and delivers new beds to children in need to ensure no child sleeps on the floor of our town. No experience is needed and training is provided. Just recently, over 40 people from Oak Grove Baptist Church, Gladden Baptist Church, and New Home Baptist Church joined together to build beds for children in need. For more information, contact Patti McKeown at patti.mckeown@shpbeds.org or call the Dent County chapter at 1-844-432-2337. Updates can also be found at facebook.com/shpdentco.
The Salem Heritage Sign has officially returned to its original placement after being removed for restoration work from both the City of Salem Electric Department and Construction Department. Department crew members have worked hard to restore the sign’s lighting, concrete slab, and painted lettering. The sign was originally placed in the City of Salem Roadside Park in 1957 by the State Historical Society of Missouri and State Highway Commission, telling a brief history of Salem.