News – Tuesday, September 8th, 2026

An accident occurred in Phelps County Thursday midday at approximately 11:38 on County Road 5280 five miles south of Rolla. According to the Highway Patrol report a westbound 2021 Honda Rebel 300 motorcycle, operated by a 22-year-old Rolla man, traveled off the right side of the roadway before returning to the roadway, and overturning. The man suffered serious injuries and was flown by Phelps Air to University Hospital in Columbia. The report stated that the man was wearing a safety device. The Honda sustained extensive damage and was removed from the scene by R & R Towing. The Highway Patrol was assisted by the Phelps County Sheriff’s Office, Phelps Health Ambulance, and the Rolla Rural Fire Department.

The Office of Governor Mike Kehoe has released that President Donald J. Trump has approved on Wednesday, Sept. 2nd Missouri’s request for a major disaster declaration for nine counties heavily impacted by the historic flash flooding and severe storms of July 9th through July 11th. The request for the disaster declaration was made on July 29th by Gov. Kehoe after joint Preliminary Damage Assessments confirmed more than $26.5 million in emergency response expenses and damage to public infrastructure. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance program is now available to state, tribal and eligible local governments and qualifying nonprofits for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by severe storms, straight-line winds and flooding in Bollinger, Crawford, Iron, Madison, Morgan, Reynolds, Ripley, Washington and Wayne counties. This is Missouri’s third federal disaster declaration of the year. Missourians with unmet needs are encouraged to contact United Way at 2-1-1 or the American Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767. For additional resources and information on disaster recovery in Missouri, including general cleanup information, housing assistance, and mental health services, please visit recovery.mo.gov.

The Salem Area Arts Council, alongside Salem Area Community Betterment Association (SACBA), invites the community to attend the “Art Walk” that will take place on 4th Street on Saturday, Sept. 26th from 10:00 in the morning to 3:00 in the afternoon. For the past three years, the annual “Art in the Parking Lot” has grown with over 600 attending in 2025. With hopes to bring more business downtown, the new “Art Walk” on 4th Street, from the Bank of Salem to The Local, will involve art vendors, live music, demonstrations, food, free crafts for kids, a bucket raffle, cake and craft walks, and much more. Consider volunteering, promoting the event, or donating items to the “Cake and Craft Walk” by reaching out to Naomi Niemann at 919-534-5299. Learn more about the upcoming Art Walk, alongside other fun events and programs hosted by the Salem Area Arts Council, at sacba.org/salem-creative-arts-center-events.

The Nov. 3rd General Election is coming up, with voters encouraged to reach out with any questions to the Dent County Clerk’s Office by phone at 573-729-4144 or email at dent@sos.mo.gov. Absentee voting is set to begin on Sept. 22nd and no excuse, in-person absentee voting will begin on Oct. 20th. Absentee voting will continue through Nov. 2nd. The last day to register to vote will be Oct. 7th. The deadline to return ballots to the election authority will be no later than 7:00 in the evening Tuesday, Nov. 3rd. For more information on this upcoming election, visit the Missouri Secretary of State website at sos.mo.gov/elections. To check your voter registration, visit the website provided by the Secretary of State at voteroutreach.sos.mo.gov. Stay up to date on voting deadlines by following the Dent County Elections Facebook page by searching Facebook for “Dent County Elections/County Clerk-Angie Curley.”