Your World Today

An accident occurred Tuesday afternoon around 2:01 in Phelps County on County Road 1000 and County Road 1010. According to the highway patrol a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt driven by a 17-year-old male juvenile of St. James was traveling eastbound and failed to negotiate a curve. The Cobalt travelled off the left side of the roadway and became airborne; it came to rest facing southbound. The driver suffered serious injuries and was flown to University of Columbia by Phelps Air. The report goes on to say he wasn’t wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Cobalt was totaled and removed from the scene by Spurgeon’s Towing. The highway patrol was assisted by the St. James Fire Department and Phelps Air.

The Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors convened their regular meeting on Tuesday evening at 7:00 in the Doctor’s Library at the hospital. The minutes from both the previous regular meeting and a special meeting were approved, with revisions made to the special meeting minutes. During the Chief Executive Officer’s report, Brooke Bollman noted that the hospital continues to engage in affiliation negotiations, with a strong focus on quality improvement and staff recruitment. She also reported that a lightning strike during the April 5th storm caused significant damage to computers, cameras, servers, and other hardware. The hospital plans to file an insurance claim to cover the losses.During the summary of operations, there has been a decrease in inpatient admissions and an increase in outpatient registrations while emergency room visits have remained consistent. For the month of March, the hospital reported approximately $1.9 million in net patient revenue, $2.2 million in total operating revenue, and $2.1 million in total operating expenses, resulting in a net profit of about $266,000. Additionally, gross 340B revenue totaled approximately $165,000, with a profit of around $87,000. The hospital currently maintains 32 days of cash on hand. The financial report was unanimously approved by the Board. Bollman also presented the Chief Nursing Officer’s report, stating that several nursing positions remain unfilled, including one full-time floating nurse role. In March, there were two new hires and three resignations. The Board approved departmental policies, contingent on departments resolving any interdepartmental discrepancies. The meeting concluded with the Board entering an executive session to discuss legal and personnel matters. The next meeting of the Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors is scheduled for May 27 at 7:00. in the Doctor’s Library at the hospital.

These reports were released by the Dent County Sheriff’s office for April. On Sunday April 13th deputies responded to Seville Care Center for a reported assault. During the course of the investigation, a 53-year-old Salem man was arrested on an active arrest warrant. Subject was incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. Later that same day deputies responded to Salem Memorial Hospital for a reported assault. It was reported that several parties were involved in an incident in the parking lot. The investigation is ongoing. Then on Wednesday April 16th deputies responded to the 5200 block of Highway O for a reported burglary. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that an unknown suspect(s) entered a business and stole money from the location. The investigation is ongoing. Later in the week on Friday April 18th deputies responded to Green Forest R-2 school for a reported property damage. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that an unknown suspect(s) damaged the parking lot of the location. The investigation is ongoing. If you have any information about an ongoing investigation please call #573-729-3241.

Alderman Nathan Kinsey, Chair of the City of Salem’s Utility Committee, has called a meeting of the committee for this evening at 6:15 at the Old City Hall Auditorium, 202 North Washington. After the welcome, roll call and approval of the agenda the committee will review the draft budget for water in the city. That will be followed by a review of the water rate, followed by adjournment. The meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Police Department has recently released their report for the month of March. The department responded to eight accidents during the month. Officers responded to three alarms sounding, addressed 52 animal calls and responded to one call for an animal bite. The police investigated four assaults or fights, three burglaries, performed 10 well-being checks and 16 area checks in March. Officers investigated 11 domestic disputes, 13 verbal disturbances, conducted 33 follow-up investigations and provided 24 escorts. They investigated five harassment reports, three parking complaint calls, an intoxicated driver call, four problems with juvenile reports, seven trespassing calls and four property damage reports. The Salem Police wrote nine stealing reports, had four shoplifter complaints, responded to four traffic complaints, assisted two motorists and addressed a panhandling complaint. Officers responded to two reports of a suicidal person, 16 suspicious circumstance calls, three suspicious person calls, and had four found property reports. The Salem Police in March investigated two nuisance violations, had a report of a missing person, and checked out an abandoned vehicle call. Officers attempted to serve nine warrants and conducted 41 traffic stops during the month. The police responded to a total of 415 incidents in March with the average response time to calls being two minutes and six seconds. The average time spent on the scene was 34 minutes and 30 seconds. If you have any information regarding an ongoing investigation, contact the Salem Police Department by calling their non-emergency phone number at (573) 729-4242 or speak with them in person at 500 N. Jackson Street in Salem.

The Dent County Prosecutor’s Office has issued a notice to all deer and turkey hunters for this season. Whether using a traditional paper permit or the MO hunting app, hunters must notch their permit immediately after harvesting a deer or turkey and then tele-check their harvest. To notch a paper permit, hunters should tear a small notch in the month and day of harvest on the permit. To notch a permit using the MO Hunting app, hunters should select the permit they wish to use from the list in the app and follow the short prompts on the screen. Once the permit is notched, hunters may transport their deer or turkey within Missouri. Carcass movement regulations apply in CWD management Zone counties. As long as hunters stay with their harvested game, they don’t need to tag it, but if they leave their deer or turkey, they must attach a tag. Hunters with paper permits can simply attach their notched permit to the deer or turkey. It is recommended to seal the permit in a zip-top bag and attach the bag with a string, wire, or tape. Hunters using the MO Hunting app must attach a label with their full name, address, permit number, and date of harvest to the deer or turkey. All deer or turkey must be Telechec by 10:00 pm on the day of harvest, before processing the game, or before leaving the state, whichever comes first. After the deer or turkey has been telechecked, it may be processed, stored, or transported by anyone as long as it is labeled with the hunter’s full name, address, date taken, and Telecheck confirmation number.

The Salem Memorial Hospital Board meeting will be held this evening at 7:00 at the hospital library. At the meeting after public comments are heard, the board will hear a report from Chief Executive Officer Brooke Bollman before hearing the summary of operations for the month of March as well as reviewing and approving the monthly financials. The board will hear the Chief of Nursing and Human Resources reports before discussing old business which included a policy review. In new business, the board will get an update on the Pyxis Profiling system before the election of board officers is conducted. The board may then go into executive session to discuss legal issues and personnel. The Salem Memorial Hospital Board meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Board of Aldermen will meet at 6:00 Tuesday evening at 202 North Washington at the Old City Hall Auditorium. After the call to order, pledge of allegiance, prayer, and roll call will be the approval of the agenda. The Consent Agenda including the minutes of the April 15th meeting will be approved followed by public comments, Sho Me Smokefree Presentation by Youth Advocates, plus Board and Committee Appointments. Bids for park fencing will be reviewed. New and miscellaneous business will include a letter to legislators and community support request for funding. City officials will then report followed by closed session if necessary. The meeting of the City of Salem Board of Alderman is open to the public.

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning at the courthouse. At the meeting, Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams brought in the CART receipts received by the county. She stated the county received $75,330.30 which is $3,795.85 more than last year, and year-to-date, the CART funds are up $25,264.59 over 2024. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Keith Green and District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams both said crews would be out checking road conditions after the storm this weekend as well as cleaning out culverts. Williams also said the County Dump Truck #126 had to go Knapheide in Jefferson City for hydraulics and the other dump truck needs a new turbo. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson had nothing to report, and Clerk Angie Curley said bills were to be paid. The commissioners will not be meeting Thursday, and their next meeting will be Monday, April 29th at the courthouse.

The Show Me Green Sales Tax Holiday is going on now giving Missourian’s the opportunity to save money on select purchases while stimulating economic activity in the state. According to the Missouri Department of Revenue, all of Missouri is participating in the appliance sales tax holiday. According to Missouri statute, from April 19th through April 25th, state sales tax is waived on qualifying ENERGY STAR® certified appliances. This certification indicates that a product has been independently verified to meet strict standards – which can mean superior performance and long-term energy savings. Many items with the Energy Star certification are exempt from state sales tax on the first $1,500 of each appliance purchased. For more information on the sales tax holiday, a list of qualifying items, and frequently asked questions, visit dor.mo.gov and type in “sales tax holiday” in the search bar.