Posts by Stan Podorski

The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting Thursday morning in the courthouse. Commissioner Wes Mobray was not in attendance due to a prior commitment. In the road report, District Two Commissioner Gary Polk said it was too dry to grade and the work crews would be replacing a crossover pipe on Dent County Road 4290. There was no report given for District 1. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson said he attended the Transportation Advisory Committee meeting last Thursday at the MRPC and most of the discussion was on the concrete problems with the Interstate 44 and some of it will have to be replaced. He said he also attended the South Central County Commissioners Association meeting Friday in Houston. He said the commissioners discussed stories concerning mistreatment of citizens by the National Park Service rangers in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways and are creating a plan of action to bring to the NPS to see what can be done.  Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said she balanced with the treasurer on all monthly accounts for September. She said Tuesday will be the first day for “no excuse” absentee voting, Wednesday is the last day to request a mail out ballot, her office will be open from 8:00 in the morning until 12:00 noon on November 2nd for absentee voting or changes to your voter registration, and the last day to absentee vote will be Monday, November 4th from 8:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the afternoon at the courthouse. She said so far about 300 people have voted absentee during the “Excused” portion of that voting. The next meeting of the commission will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

An accident occurred in Dent County Thursday morning at 7:45 on Highway H on mile east of Lenox. According to the Highway Patrol report a 2000 Ford Ranger, driven by a 17-year-old female juvenile, ran off the right side of the roadway and struck a ditch. The juvenile suffered minor injuries and was transported by a private conveyance to Salem Memorial Hospital. The report state that she was wearing a safety restraint. The Ford sustained minor damage and was removed by a private party.

The Missouri Department of Conservation encourages people to enjoy fall foliage through camping, hiking, driving tours, or even floating. In our area of the state, autumn has been slow to arrive. Flowering dogwoods have bright red berries that match the brilliance of their changing leaves. The black, mockernut, and pignut hickories are showing signs of their bright beautiful yellows. Perhaps you may have noticed some dots of purple near the ground: That’s our native aromatic aster that’s so important for late-season pollinators. The best place to see color so far is down by our scenic rivers you may notice some of the bottomland species changing color. Sycamore is either yellow or entirely defoliated. Enjoying the fall colors along the river is a refreshing change after months surrounded by deep greens. Take advantage of the great weather and get yourself and your family outside! For reports on other areas of the state, the conservation department offers weekly online fall color updates from agency foresters all over the state at mdc.mo.gov/fallcolor

The Dent County Opioid Settlement Committee will be meeting at the Dent County Associate Courtroom at 112 East Fifth Street tonight at 6:00 to establish and approve by-laws, select committee officers, and review the application process before adjourning. The meeting was called by Lt. Rick Letchworth from the Dent County Sheriff’s Department. The meeting is open to the public.

An accident happened Saturday evening at 6:08 in Phelps County on Route D about ½ mile south of Jerome that left a Rolla man with serious injuries. According to the highway patrol report, a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado driven south bound by 42-year-old Shannon Beam, traveled off the left side of the roadway and struck a tree. Beam was transported by the Phelps Health Ambulance to Phelps Health. Beam was not wearing a seat restraint at time of the accident. The Silverado was totaled and removed from the scene by Ron Dishman’s Towing.

An accident happened in Dent County at 1500 Route MM about ten miles east of Salem Saturday afternoon at 4:10 that left a Salem man with serious injuries. According to the highway patrol report, 22-year-old Joseph Kirker was operating a 2008 Honda Motorcycle and traveling northbound, when he was apparently traveling too fast and traveled off the right side of the roadway and overturned. Kirker was flown by Arch 6 Helicopter to the Mercy Hospital in St. Louis. Kirker was wearing safety equipment at the time of the accident. The motorcycle sustained extensive damage and was later towed by the owner. 

The Dent County Sheriff’s Office has submitted the following reports for October 5th through the 9th. On Saturday, the 5th, Deputies responded to the 600 Block of Highway H for a reported missing or stolen license plate. The victim, a 26-year-old Salem woman, advised she was missing a license plate off of her vehicle. The investigation is pending. Then on Monday, the 7th, Deputies conducted a traffic stop in the 1700 block of West Scenic Rivers Boulevard. During the course of the stop the operator, a 27-year-old Salem woman, was found to be in violation of numerous motor vehicle laws. The investigation is pending. The next day Deputies responded to the 1200 block of Dent County Road 5130 for a reported domestic assault. During the course of the investigation the suspect, a 22-year-old Salem woman, was arrested for striking a 68-year-old Salem man. The suspect was arrested and transported to the Dent County Jail where she was place on a 24-hour hold. Finally on Wednesday, the 9th, Deputies conducted a traffic stop in the 6200 block of South Highway 19. During the course of the stop the operator, a 40-year-old Salem man, was arrested for driving on an expired driver’s license. A summons will be issued, and this case is cleared for arrest. If you have any information on any of the ongoing investigations, please contact the Dent County Sheriff’s Office at 573-729-3241.

Green for Life will be providing the Fall Cleanup week for City of Salem residents beginning Monday, October 21st through Friday, October 25th. Residents are asked to have all trash placed at the curb the night before your normal scheduled trash day. EPA law will not allow the collection of yard waste, batteries, tires, motor oil, chemicals or solvents, paint, appliances, or non-compactable items such as concrete, tree stumps, steel, or construction debris. If you have questions about the WCA residential Fall Cleanup Week, please call 1-800-926-3953 or 1-417-741-7714.

A Native Warm Season Grass Seed Production Workshop will be held on Friday, October 25th at the Wurdack Research Center in Cook Station at 164 Bales Road from 9:00 in the morning until 3:00 in the afternoon. This workshop is a great way to diversify your farm operation as attendees will learn about native grass seed production with field demonstrations on harvesting and seed cleaning. Extension specialists will be discussing regulations and testing, harvest methods and financial tracking. The cost is $35 per person. For more information or to register, contact Rachel Hopkins at 573-438-2671 or you can go online at extension.missouri.edu/events. Please make you reservation by Monday, October 21st.

The Doe Run Company’s Maroon and Gray mine rescue teams took home multiple awards at the Missouri Regional Mine Rescue contest held September 23rd through the 26th at the Missouri University of Science and Technology’s experimental mine site. The Maroon team took first place in the field competition, and the Gray team took first place in both the team technician and first-aid competitions. In addition, team members Gary Moore took second and Luke Davis took third in the benchman competition. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) judges the competition which is the only underground mine rescue competition in the United States. A total of nine teams competed, including teams from Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico and Tennessee. Doe Run’s mine rescue teams train on a voluntary basis and compete in mine rescue competitions annually. The teams consistently place near or at the top at regional and national mine rescue competitions. Doe Run’s Gray team technicians are Mark Barton and Sara Laskowsky, who won first place in the team technician competition, while the Maroon team’s technicians, Andrew Hampton and Jacob Piatt, took second. Doe Run’s Gray team members Eric Click, Chris Brawley and James Gamblin came in first in the first-aid competition, and Jarred Tackett, Brandon “Buck” Roderman and Mike Snyder from the Maroon team took second in the first-aid competition. Doe Run’s focus on safety is evident beyond mine rescue. Across the company, Doe Run employees completed nearly 35,000 hours of environmental, health and safety training in 2023. 
Healthy Dent County has announced that the Fashion Show that was to be held on Saturday, October 19th at the Salem Community Center@The Armory was is canceled due to unforeseen circumstances. All ticket sales will be refunded. You can contact them at 573-729-8163 for questions or concerns.

The Salem Police Department has submitted the following reports. On the night of Thursday, September 26th at approximately 7:00 officers conducted a traffic stop after seeing a subject they knew to have active warrants. As a result of the stop Roy Briggs, age 55 of Salem, was arrested on his warrant for possession of controlled substance with a bond of $3,000 cash or Surety. Then Friday morning the 27th at approximately 2:00 officers were dispatched to the area of Third and Macarthur for a report of a suspicious person sleeping under a carport. Contact was made with the male, and it was found he had active warrants out of Franklin County Missouri. As a result, Shane Lang, age 39, was arrested on a no bond warrant out of Franklin County. Lang was incarcerated at the Dent County Jail awaiting extradition. Late that same night, at approximately 11:30, officers arrested a female subject who had an active warrant for her arrest. Contact was made with her at her home and as a result Ashley Swaringan was arrested on her warrant for disorderly conduct with a bond of $184.50 cash only. Then on Thursday, October 3rd, at approximately 1:00 in the afternoon, officers located and arrested a male subject for outstanding warrants. Officers while on patrol located Anthony Justice, age 29 of Salem, who they knew had an active warrant out of Dent County for felony stealing with a bond of $10,000 cash or surety. Justice was incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. Please contact the Salem Police Department at (573) 729-4242 if you have any information regarding any investigation.

Join Danielle Norris on Saturday October 19th from 9:30 to 10:30 in the morning for a Foxy Sly Fall Kids Paint Party. Your kid will paint an adorable sly fox in a pumpkin! The artist will take your kids step by step, until they have a finished a painting perfect for fall! The class is for kids 5 and up! Interested persons can sign up at salemcommunitybetterment.com