News – Friday, June 19th, 2026

The Dent County Commission met Thursday morning at the courthouse. Under road reports, District One Commissioner Keith Green reported that both district one and district two crew members are off for the holiday of Juneteenth. Over the course of the week, district one crew members have been working on hauling and stockpiling rock, as well as preparing County Road 4110 for overlay. District Two Commissioner Jimmy Williams reported that district two crew members have been working on grading roads in the Sligo area and preparing chipseal roads for overlay. Crew members will be continuing preparation for overlay into next week. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson reported that at the Solid Waste Committee meeting in St. James, a nomination of officers was held with Larson remaining as chairman. Financials were also approved at that meeting. Larson attended a Missouri Association of Counties (MAC) “Data Center Summit” meeting held in Jefferson City. The meeting was educational, but Larson ultimately reiterated the commissioners are against data centers and for safeguarding the county. Commissioners will be seeking legal counsel on possible preventative actions the county may take. Larson also attended a Tourism Commission meeting, in which the board approved four reimbursements. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported that bills are to be approved, and that excused absentee voting will begin on June 23rd. A representative of the Salem Chambers Singers, Jackson Harris, requested the use of the courthouse front lawn to sell snowcones on July 4th. The commissioners approved the request. Meanwhile, under public comments, resident Katie Ann Gaither advocated against Flock camera technology, citing concerns of it violating constitutional rights of residents. Gaither encouraged commissioners to take actions to remove the devices from the county. Commissioners informed Gaither that the devices were outside of their control, and that she should contact the Sheriff’s Office for more information on how the cameras are utilized to protect the county. County Collector Shannon VanKirk and County Assessor Alisa Brookshire came in to suggest Dent County become an occupancy county and to have legal counsel draft the ordinance or order, if approved. If approved, it would begin in 2026. No decision was made, as the commissioners will gather more information on the issue. The Dent County Courthouse will be closed June 19th in observance of Juneteenth. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission will be on Monday, June 22nd at 9:00 in the morning in the courthouse. These meetings are open to the public.

A representative of Mercy Clinic Family Medicine has confirmed with Your World Today that the clinic in Salem and Steelville will be shutting down. The Salem primary care clinic will be closing June 29th, and the Steelville Clinic will be closing July 9th, after 32 years of service. According to a statement provided by Mercy, the decision comes as rural healthcare providers face significant cuts to federal healthcare funding. Mercy is currently working with patients to transition their care to nearby clinics in Rolla and Saint James. If you have any questions regarding the Salem Clinic you’re encouraged to call (573) 729-6225 or visit their office at 404 West Rolla Road in Salem.

The Salem Area Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the upcoming Independence Day parade on Saturday, July 4th at 6:00 in the evening. Line  up for entrants begins at 5:00 on Grand Street, in front of Southwest Baptist University. The parade will depart east on Franklin, North on MacArthur, East on Fourth Street, and end at the Dent County Courthouse. The theme of this year’s parade will be America’s 250th: Celebrating Our Past, Present and Future. To sign up or for more information, contact the Chamber of Commerce at 573-729-6900. If you can’t make it to the parade, KSMO Media will be streaming the parade LIVE on the KSMO Stream Facebook page, the KSMO YouTube channel and on ksmoradio.com which is our Twitch channel. All three of the streams are free and will be available at the KSMO website home page (ksmoradio.com). The parade will probably begin streaming around 6:15. If you can’t watch it live, it will be archived for playback at a later time. After the parade, visit the City of Salem Park for a fireworks show put on by the Firework Committee.

Missouri S&T will be hosting a Community Job Fair located at the Innovation Lab on 650 Tim Bradley Way in Rolla this Saturday, beginning at 10:00 in the morning and ending at 2:00 in the afternoon. Attendees will have a chance to connect face-to-face with a variety of local employers and campus departments all in one place. This is an opportunity to learn about current and future job openings, ask questions, and make meaningful connections. There will be free career workshops, including some on resume writing tips, interview skills and confidence, and military transition support. No registration is required. Attendees are encouraged to bring copies of their resume.