Posts by Stan Podorski

The Dent County Sheriff’s office has released some reports. On Sunday, May 5th, deputies responded to the 100 block of Dent County Road 4240 for a reported attempted burglary. The victim, a 37-year-old Salem man, told deputies that a known subject was attempting to kick his door in. The suspect was then apprehended and the case was cleared. Then on Friday, May 24th, deputies took a report for a stolen battery charger from the 2600 block of Dent County Road 2070. The victim advised deputies that unknown subjects had stolen the item from his property. The investigation is ongoing. Then on Tuesday, May 28th, deputies arrested a 57-year-old Salem man on an outstanding arrest warrant. He was transported to the Dent County Jail where he was incarcerated. If you have any information regarding any ongoing investigation, please call the Dent County Sheriff’s office at 729-3241.

Want some free fun that gets family and friends outside in nature? Get hooked on fishing with the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Free Fishing Days June 8th and 9th. During Free Fishing Days, anyone may fish in the Show-Me State without having to buy a fishing permit, trout permit, or trout park daily tag. Free Fishing Days is an annual Department of Conservation event that takes place statewide during the Saturday and Sunday following the first Monday in June. Aside from not needing permits, other fishing regulations remain in effect, such as limits on size and number of fish an angler may keep. Special permits may still be required at some county, city, or private fishing areas. Trespass laws remain in effect on private property. Conservation makes Missouri a great place to fish, and Free Fishing Days encourages people to sample Missouri’s abundant fishing opportunities. Missouri has more than a million acres of surface water, and most of it provides great fishing. More than 200 different fish species are found in Missouri, with more than 20 of them being game fish for the state’s more than 1.1 million anglers. For information on Missouri fishing regulations, fish identification, and more, get a copy of Missouri Department of Conservation’s 2024 Summary of Missouri Fishing Regulations, available where permits are sold, or online at mdc.mo.gov.

The Salem Area Chamber of Commerce Business Expo will be held this Saturday morning from 9:00 until 11:00 at 1156 South Main Street in the Chamber parking lot. Many local businesses will have booths available where the public can find out more about them, and some will also have free samples or promotional items available. The event is free and open to everyone!

Shannon County First Responders and the Birch Tree Volunteer Fire Department responded to a serious accident north of Birch Tree on Saturday May 30th. A vehicle carrying five underage persons overturned on Highway FF, coming to rest on its roof. The Birch Tree Fire Department used hydraulic tools to lift the vehicle off of one of the victims. The First Responders rendered immediate medical treatment to the injured youths. One victim, a thirteen year old, was transported to the hospital by helicopter, which landed on US Highway 60. The others had less serious injuries and were transported by Willow Springs Ambulance or by their families.

The Missouri Department of Transportation reports that Route KK in Reynolds County will be reduced to one lane with a 12-foot width restriction as contractor crews perform bridge maintenance now through August 30th, weather permitting. This section of roadway is located from Reynolds County Road 900 to Reynolds County Road 906 near Bunker. The work zone will be marked with signs. Motorists are urged to use extreme caution while traveling near the area. For additional information, please contact Resident Engineer Don Hills at (573) 472-9013, MoDOT’s Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636) or visit www.modot.org/southeast.

Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) is accepting public comment on its Title VI Plan from now to June 21st. MRPC is conducting a three-year review and update of the plan, consistent with the requirements outlined by the Federal Transit Administration. The purpose of the plan is to describe the non-discrimination efforts undertaken by MRPC to ensure its programs, policies, services and other activities are available to all interested individuals. The entire draft plan is available online at www.meramecregion.org/publications. For additional questions or to submit feedback, email MRPC Executive Director Bonnie Prigge at bprigge@meramecregion.org or call the MRPC office at 573-265-2993. Feedback can also be mailed to MRPC Attention Bonnie Prigge, #4 Industrial Drive, St. James, MO 65559 or individuals can stop by the office in person from 8:00 in the morning until and 4:30 in the afternoon, Monday through Friday. The MRPC board will include the Title VI plan on its June 13th agenda.

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning at the Dent County Courthouse. At the meeting, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray was not in attendance due to a previous commitment. District 2 Commissioner Gary Polk gave the report for District 1 and said grading was going to be done on Dent County Roads 6190, 6230 and 6280. He also said brush would be cut on county road 5015 and a truck was going to Springfield to get oil for chip and seal repair. Polk then gave the report for District 2 and stated grading would be done on Dent County Road 4437 while brush was going to be cut on county roads 2300, 2620, 2630, 2640, 5280 and 5290. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson indicated that Sheriff Bob Wells met with the transportation director of Royal Oak last Thursday afternoon after the commission meeting to help develop a plan for the larger truck traffic. The meeting was held to hopefully eliminate 90% or more of the large truck traffic from using the county roads. It was also hoped when the county receives and installs their new “no large truck traffic” international signs that will eliminate even more. Larson stated he would be attending a Meramec Community Enhancement Coproration meeting this afternoon in St. James. He also reported he continues to work with the insurance adjuster on the insurance claim on the courthouse from the hail storm. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said the special election for the Bunker R-3 School Board will be held today from 6:00 AM until 7:00 PM. Voters from Reynolds, Shannon and Dent County will all be voting at the Bunker Firehouse. Voters will need to bring an photo ID with them when they vote. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission will be Thursday at 9:00 and it is open to the public.

A special waste collection for residential electronics, appliances, tires and media storage will be held from 8 a.m. until noon on June 8th at Brewer Science, 2401 Brewer Drive in Rolla. Brewer Science, the City of Rolla and Meramec Regional Planning Commission, with funding through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District, are partnering on the June 8th collection. The collection is for residential items only – no materials from businesses will be accepted and is open to residents from Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties. For the first time, media storage is also being accepted at the collection. Media storage includes records, 8-track tapes, VHS tapes, cassette tapes, CDs, DVDs, floppy discs, external hard drives and flash drives. Stoves, washers, dryers, hot water heaters, and other appliances will be collected free of charge. Free electronics also include computer components, laptop computers, keyboards, hair dryers, VCR/DVD players, cell phones or anything that runs on a cord or battery. Oil and gas must be removed from tanks of any items such as push mowers, weed eaters, etc. All items must be free of debris. Tires on rims will not be accepted. Please note the following items will NOT be accepted: transformers, capacitors or ballasts not clearly marked “No PCBs”; smoke detectors; thermostats; medical waste; gas containers such as propane, oxygen, nitrous oxide; anything leaking oil or acid, such as batteries; broken ink or toner cartridges; alkaline batteries; light bulbs and fluorescent tubes; broken CRTs, TVs or monitors. Fees on certain items will be collected as follows: $25 for CRT TVs over 27 inches, projection screens and wood console TVs, $20 for CRT TVs under 26 inches, $15 for flat screen TVs, $10 for all computer monitors and refrigerated appliances with Freon and $5 for printers, scanners or copiers. Fees for tires are as follows: $2 each for passenger tires, $7.50 each for semi-truck tires and $35 each for tractor tires. Electronics,media storage and appliances are recycled by Midwest Recycling Center and tires are recycled through Champlin Tires. For more information on items accepted or the fee structure, please contact Kathryn Hawes at MRPC at 573-265-2993 Ext. 110. For those unable to participate in the Rolla collection, mark your calendars for collections on September 28th in Vienna and October 26th in St. Robert.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education held a special meeting Monday morning at the district administrative offices. The board heard from Matt Patterson from HTK Architects who was in attendance to offer information on the bids and bidding process for the FEMA storm shelter while Billy Cobb representating Cahill’s Construction was in attendance to answer any questions. After some discussion, the board made the motion to approve the bid from Cahill Contruction for the FEMA storm shelter to be built at the Upper Elementary School. In closed session, the board accepted the resignation of Bekah Hayes as a high school physical education instructor and head girls softball coach, Amanda Hanger as the assistant softball coach, Makayla Schafer as a middle school art instructor and Kaylee Jay as the speech and language pathologist. The board then employed Lexi Wills as the speech-language pathologist and amended Rich Parks contract to 220 days before going back into open session and adjourning.

An accident occurred Monday morning at 10:10 in Crawford County off of Highway YY on private property. According to the highway patrol report, a 2004 Honda 450 being operated by 20-year-old Dawson Hajek of Steelville, was travelling up a steep incline causing the Honda to rollover. Hajek suffered serious injuries and was flown to Mercy St. Louis. Hajek was not wearing any safety equipment at the time of the accident. The Honda was left at the scene.

An accident happened in Dent County Sunday afternoon at 12:15 on Route H about four miles west of Salem. According to the highway patrol report, a 2021 Kia Forte driven eastbound by 26-year-old Katelynn Mathes of Salem, traveled off the left side of the roadway, went down an embankment and struck a creek bed. Mathes and a passenger, 41-year-old Wesley Parsons of Newburg, suffered serious injuries and were both flown to Mercy Hospital in St. Louis. The report states that neither Mathes or Parsons were wearing seat restraints at the time of the accident. The Kia was totaled and removed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing.

An accident occurred Friday evening around 6:25 in Phelps County on Highway 63 about a half mile north of Rolla. According to the highway patrol report, a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu driven by 42-year-old Robert Anderson of Rolla, was traveling southbound and slid on the wet roadway. The Chevrolet traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck a rock bluff. Anderson suffered moderate injuries and was transported by the Phelps County Ambulance to Phelps Health. The report goes on to say he was not wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Chevrolet was totaled and removed from the scene by D and D Towing.

An accident occurred Friday morning around 11:15 in Texas County on Highway 32 about seven miles west of Licking. According to the highway patrol report, a 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by 59-year-old Susan Supple of Licking, was traveling westbound and traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck an electric pole. She suffered minor injuries and was transported by the Texas County Memorial Ambulance to Texas County Memorial Hospital. The Chevrolet was totaled and removed from the scene by Jay’s Towing at the officers’ request.

The City of Salem Airport Board will be meeting this evening at 6:30 at the Salem Community Center at The Armory at 1200 West Rolla Road. At the meeting, the board will hold an election of officers before discussing the airport budget for next fiscal year. They will discuss land lease agreements and prices for new hangars, get an update on the new hanger project, get an update on the fuel pump card reader, discuss airport security and the gate opener, get an update on the pilot lounge and courtesy car policy before discussing any other business. The meeting of the airport board is open to the public.

Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) is accepting public comment on its Title VI Plan from now to June 21st. MRPC is conducting a three-year review and update of the plan, consistent with the requirements outlined by the Federal Transit Administration. The purpose of the plan is to describe the non-discrimination efforts undertaken by MRPC to ensure its programs, policies, services and other activities are available to all interested individuals. The entire draft plan is available online at www.meramecregion.org/publications. For additional questions or to submit feedback, email MRPC Executive Director Bonnie Prigge at bprigge@meramecregion.org or call the MRPC office at 573-265-2993. Feedback can also be mailed to MRPC Attention Bonnie Prigge, #4 Industrial Drive, St. James, MO 65559 or individuals can stop by the office in person from 8:00 in the morning until and 4:30 in the afternoon, Monday through Friday. The MRPC board will include the Title VI plan on its June 13th agenda.

The Salem Creative Arts Center will be holding a Farm Dayz Paint N Sip with Danielle Norris this Friday from 6:30 to 8:30. Grab your favorite beverage and best fal pal for this cute farm painting. The artist will take you step by step through the whole process. It will be a hee-haw good time. At least six people need to sign up for the class to be held and it will be limited to 20 attendees. The cost is $25 per person and all supplies are provided. To register, go the SACBA website and find the Programs tab. Find the Creative Arts Center and click to register for the class. Registrations online are on a first come, first serve basis.

Missouri State Parks values the tremendous contributions and sacrifices made by members of the military and their families. To show appreciation to active service members, Missouri State Parks is joining the nationwide Blue Star Museums initiative, a program that offers free admission to currently serving U.S. military personnel and their families. The program will end on Labor Day, Monday, September 2nd.The Blue Star Museums program is a collaborative effort of the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the U.S. Department of Defense and more than 2,000 museums across the nation. Those currently serving in the United States military and their families receive free admission to museums and historic sites that are part of the Missouri State Parks system by showing their military ID. In addition to the Blue Star Museums program, Missouri State Parks also offers a military camping discount. Military members and veterans receive a $2 discount year-round at state parks campgrounds. The military discount will be given to retired, veteran and active-duty military personnel, as well as family members of active-duty military personnel, by showing a military I.D. During July, visitors to Missouri’s state parks and historic sites will have the opportunity to “round up” their purchases to be used for veteran programs, such as the Hero Deer Hunt and Veterans’ Deer Hunt. For more information on the Missouri State Park system, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.