Local News

A special meeting of the Board of Alderman was held on Friday, July 29th. At that meeting, the board approved Resolution No. 24-2022 which authorizes the mayor to execute an agreement between the City of Salem and MPUA Resources Corporation Mutual Aid Program for weather related and/or staffing emergencies. Next was Resolution No. 25-2022 which is a Resolution authorizing the filing of an application with Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Financial Assistance Centers State ARPA Grant programs for a sub-award of federal financial assistance provided to the State of Missouri by the U.S. Department of the Treasury pursuant to Section 602 (B) of the Social Security Act, as added by Section 9901 of the American Rescue Plan Act. The Department of Natural Resources did not accept the wording of Resolution No. 18-2022. Resolution No. 25-2022 included updated wording to reflect Mayor Parkers name within the resolution. The resolution was passed. Next Carlos Lopez was recommended being added to the Parks and Recreation Board and was approved. The Board of Alderman will hold their regular meeting Tuesday evening at 6:00 in the City Hall Council Chambers. After the consent agenda the board will discuss the Enhanced Enterprise Zone which is a stimulus for existing business expansion or new business development that results in creating sustainable jobs in targeted industries via local property tax abatements to eligible businesses. Next the board will go over Community Revitalization Grant applications. Next Finance Director Stacey Houston will go over the draft purchase policy. Kristen Deluca will go over the 2021 audit of the City of Salem. The board will then discuss rescheduling the September 13th meeting till September 15th. The board will hear reports from City Administrator Ray Walden, Mayor Greg Parker, Public Works Director Mark Nash, Economic Development Director Sally Burbridge and any aldermen who wish to give a report. The meeting will then be adjourned. The regular board meeting of the City of Salem Board of Aldermen is open to the public.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Department has released a few reports for the first week of August. On Monday August 1st, a deputy responded to the 33000 block of Highway 72 for a report of a fraudulent stop payment on a check issued to a business. During the course of the investigation, a 67-year-old Salem man was advised to pay the balance of the check in full or criminal charges would be sought. The check was paid, and the case was closed. Then on Wednesday August 3rd, a deputy responded to the 200 block of East Tenth St. for a reported wanted subject. During the investigation, a 42-year-old Salem woman was arrested on an active warrant. She was transported to the Dent County Jail where she was incarcerated on the warrant. Later that day, a deputy responded to the 1100 block of South Main St. for a reported wanted subject. During the investigation, a 35-year-old Salem man was arrested on an active warrant. He was transported to the Dent County Jail where he was incarcerated on the warrant. On Friday August 5th, deputies responded to the 2200 block of East Highway 32 for a reported domestic dispute. Upon the officer’s arrival it was determined that the incident was unfounded. There was no further investigation. Please contact the Dent County Sheriff’s Department at 573-729-3241 if you have any information on any ongoing investigation.

The Dent County Fire Protection District board of directors will be meeting Tuesday evening at 6:00 at the fire station located at #2 South Main Street. After the roll call and approval of the consent agenda, the board will review the minutes of the July meeting before hearing the financial report and approving bills. Next on the agenda will be the calendar review and the monthly reimbursement report before discussion of any old business. The board will then set the tax levy for 2023 before fire chief Brad Nash gives his report to the board. Before adjourning the date will be set for the September meeting. The meeting of the Dent County Fire Protection District board of directors is open to the public.

The University of Missouri Extension will be holding a Farm Management Through Drought class this Wednesday evening, August 10th from 6:00 till 8:30 at the Wurdack Extension and Education Center located on 164 Bales Road in Cook Station. Extension specialists will go through topics that producers should be mindful of during drought situations. Topics will include livestock decisions and feeding, forage toxins, forage management, money considerations, management, and planning for future events. To register contact the Crawford County Extendion Office at 573-775-2135. This is a free class and everyone is welcome.

The Dent County Commissioners met Thursday morning for their regular meeting. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray stated a tree was blown down in the storms Wednesday night across Dent County Road 5600 and it was being removed. Work crews were going to check other roads in the district for any water damage or trees that had been blown down into or blocking any roads. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said trees were blown across Dent County Roads 2240, 2370, 3275, 5225 and 5300 and crews were removing those trees. He said crews would also be out checking for any roads washed out by the rains or that had trees down near or in the roadways. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said he spoke with City Administrator Ray Walden about his position on the Transportation Advisory Committee at the MRPC. Walden said he would remove himself from the TAC as his last day will be August 31st. Skiles spoke with Sally Burbridge who will take over as the interim City Administrator once Walden leaves, and she indicated she would serve on the committee in place of Walden. The commissioners approved the change in representation. The other representative from Dent County on the TAC is Gary Brown with Bob Parsons as an alternate. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley wanted to remind all tax entities to make sure they advertised their tax rate public hearings to determine their rate for the next year. Once determined, that rate must be submitted to the county clerk’s office by September 1st. Bids were opened on the FLAP Project for Dent County Road 5610 and the culvert replacement. Aaron Benson, the Project Engineer with Great Rivers Engineering, was present. Jason House with West Plains Bridge and Grading was in attendance to present a bid of $555,000. No decision was made at this time. Ron Copeland, State Representative of the 120th district, came in to visit and Commissioner Skiles expressed to him he had some concerns with the Missouri Ethics Commission. Dent County Coroner Ben Pursiful came in to visit and reported he has had seven autopsies this year and the State will pay for two of those. He will be under in his budget on toxicology while indigent deaths are becoming more of a problem with families not claiming their loved ones. He would like the Commission to consider letting him get a truck and sell the suburban due to transporting bodies that are badly decomposed. Pursiful said this could be paid for out of LERF. He will gather some information, get some prices, and get back to the Commission. The next meeting of the Commission will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and it is open to the public.

Missouri’s annual back-to-school sales tax holiday begins this morning at a minute after midnight and runs through midnight on Sunday, August 7th. During this time, certain back-to-school purchases such as school supplies, computers, clothing, and other qualifying items as defined by statute are exempt from state sales tax. During the sales tax holiday, state sales tax will not be charged on clothing that does not have a taxable value of more than $100. State sales tax also will not be charged on school supplies, not exceeding $50 per purchase, that are used in a standard classroom for educational purposes. Also excluding from state sales tax are handheld calculators and graphing calculators that do not have a taxable value of more than $150, and computer software that does not have a taxable value of more than $350. Also exempt from the state sales tax are personal computers that do not cost more than $1,500 and computer peripheral devices that do not cost more than $1,500. Anyone who makes a qualified purchase may participate in the holiday. You do not have to be a Missouri resident or student to participate and save. In addition to the state sales tax, local sales tax will also be waived in the City of Salem and Dent County as they elected NOT to opt out. Even if a local jurisdiction is not participating in the sales tax holiday, the state’s portion of the tax rate (4.225%) will remain exempt for qualifying purchases.

A proposed 375-mile-long scenic byway is headed to several communities for public meetings and a vote of approval. The Scenic Missouri group submitted the proposal, called “Ozark Run,” to the Missouri Department of Transportation, which is authorized to create a state system of scenic byways to preserve cultural, natural, archeological, rustic, historic or recreational roads for the traveling public. The proposal involves six routes including State Highway 21, 185, 106, and 19, and US Highways 63 and 160 that go through 11 different counties including St. Louis, Jefferson, Franklin, Washington, Iron, Reynolds, Shannon, Oregon, Howell, Ozark and Taney. The route would go through eight incorporated towns that include Hillsboro, Sullivan, Caledonia, Centerville, Ellington, Eminence, Alton and Forsyth. The route runs from St. Louis south to the St. Francois Mountains, across the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, west past Bull Shoals Lakes, and ends near Branson. Each governmental agency located along the proposed route will receive a “Written Notice of Intent” requesting a public meeting be held within the next 30 days. The local cities and counties then must approve or disapprove the scenic byway designation through their communities. The application requires 100% local government approval before it’s taken to the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission for approval and official designation. More information about the proposal is located at modot.org/ozark-run-proposed-scenic-byway. Anyone interested in providing feedback is encouraged to contact their local government agency.

The Dent County Health Center will be holding a town hall meeting about Covid-19 vaccines on Friday afternoon August 5th at 4:00 at the Salem Community Center@the Amory. This will be a townhall style question and answer session to discuss recent updates regarding the Covid-19 vaccines including Novavax, a new vaccine that does not use MRNA technology, as well as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for children six months and older. Also, a discussion about the 1st and 2nd booster doses, as well as the Omicron booster which is under study. If you can’t attend, you can view the discussion online at www.facebook.com/DentCountyHealthCtr.

The City of Salem’s Finance Committee will hold a meeting this evening at 5:30 at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory. The agenda includes consideration of fees, unused tax, update on the budget, and audit status before adjournment. The meeting was called by Finance Committee Chair Kayla Sisco and is open to the public.

The Doe Run Company (Doe Run) has released its most recent sustainability report, available at sustainability.doerun.com, showing how the demand for the minerals it mines will play a crucial role in technologies being developed now and in the future. Doe Run’s 13th sustainability report recaps the company’s 2021 performance on 15 key indicators in 10 categories. The report also covers the following highlights from 2021 states the Doe Run delivered nearly 15,000 hours of employee training while continuing to follow CDC protocols so the company could safely work during the second year of the pandemic. In the past 10 years, Doe Run invested more than 585 million on projects to reduce environmental impact, including over 90 million dedicated to remediating former mine sites. The company is also committed to investing in the future. In 2021, more than 30 university students took part in the internship program, and Doe Run donated 60,000 to STEM-related scholarships and mining education programs at Missouri universities. Additionally, Doe Run delivered mining education kits to 18 local elementary school classrooms to teach children about the importance of mining and minerals. Over the past 10 years, Doe Run has donated over 1.9 million to local schools and community organizations. Doe Run also contributes 1.2 billion in annual economic impact to Missouri, including spending more than 188 million with 665 Missouri businesses in 2021. Doe Run also provided good paying jobs for more than 1,200 individuals in 2021. Doe Run’s average employee wages are significantly higher than average in the counties nearest our operations. Doe Run’s sustainability report contains Standard Disclosures from the world’s most widely used sustainability reporting framework, known as the Global Reporting Initiative or GRI. These disclosures consist of data about environmental performance, health and safety performance, workforce composition, and economic impact.

The National Association of County and City Health Officials, the voice of the country’s nearly 3,000 local health departments, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has selected nine local health departments, including the Dent County Health Center, to participate as host sites in Cohort I of the Partnering for Vaccine Equity Project. Over the past three flu seasons, vaccination coverage has increased among adults; however, racial, and ethnic disparities in flu vaccination coverage remain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adults from racial and ethnic minority groups have lower flu vaccination rates and higher rates of severe flu illness and flu-related morbidity and mortality compared to non-Hispanic White adults. This same trend of low vaccination and high morbidity and mortality is documented for COVID-19. Disparities in vaccination coverage, especially among racial and ethnic minority adults, contribute to and further exacerbate existing health inequities. The Partnering for Vaccine Equity project seeks to support local health departments to improve COVID-19 and influenza vaccination coverage because it is an important approach for improving the overall health and economic opportunity for historically-marginalized groups and advancing health equity in communities. The Partnering for Vaccine Equity Project focuses on increasing local health departments’ capacity to address inequities in COVID-19 and influenza vaccination coverage among racial and ethnic minority adults to increase vaccination uptake. This work will be achieved by collaborating with local health departments to identify and address barriers to vaccines, engage community stakeholders and influential messengers to support vaccine messaging, provide education and vaccine delivery at the community level, and facilitate relationships between vaccine providers and the community to increase vaccine confidence, access, and uptake opportunities. The project will run through December 31st, 2022.

Montauk State Park will be hosting Summer’s End Kids Free Fishing Day this Saturday. Fishing tags will be free to kids 15 years of age and younger on this day ibn the park. The children will be able to pick up their tags Friday evening after 7:00 or anytime on Saturday. Adults must have a daily trout tag to assist their children with their fishing experience. For more information contact the park at 548-2201.

A Primary Election was held Tuesday to determine who will run for offices for their respective parties in the November General Election. In some cases, the election determined who would win the General Election as they would be unopposed. Those offices include the State Representative for the 120th District race, the Dent County Presiding Commissioner race, the Clerk of the Circuit Court race and the Watkins Township Committeeman race. A total of 3,239 votes were cast which is 32.74% of the registered voters. Only the contested races are presented, and all contested races were on the Republican ticket. The results presented are unofficial.

*indicates winner.

Dent County Presiding Commissioner
Darrell Skiles* 1,238 votes
Travis Fulton 1,073 votes
Craig Smith 644 votes

Clerk of the Circuit Court
Kristi (Morton) Craig* 1,767 votes
Lisa Blackwell 1,151 votes

State Representative 120 District (All precincts)
Ron Copeland* 5,171 votes
Matthew S. Williams 1,053 votes

US Representative District 8 (all precincts)
Jason Smith* 78,317 votes
Jacob Turner 17,240 votes

State Senator District (All precincts)
Justin Dan Brown* 10,978 votes
Suzie Pollock 10,594 votes

A man’s body was found Tuesday morning at 11:54 in Current River at Cave Spring in Shannon County. According to the water patrol report, 48-year-old Dee Hodges of Wichita, Kansas went missing while floating on the Current River overnight. The Shannon County Coroner Sam Murphy pronounced Hodges dead at 1:00 Tuesday afternoon at the scene. His body was removed from the scene by the Shannon County Coroner.

Dent County Prosecutor Andrew Curley released the results of two cases heard by Judge Nathan Kelsaw in Dent County on Thursday of last week. In the first case Rolando Solis of Steelville pled guilty to the felony charge of possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced to four years in the Department of Corrections. The next case heard involved Billy Smith III who was in court on a motion by the state to revoke his misdemeanor probation for assault, driving while having his license revoked and for leaving the scene of an accident. The state had filed motions for failing to repay the restitution to the victim in the assault case, failure to report to his probation officer and for the use of intoxicants. Smith was drug tested in court Thursday and was ordered to complete five days of shock incarceration in the Dent County Jail as a result of the test. The motions to revoke were set for hearing to be held on a later date.

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, announced the launch of a resources page, www.blunt.senate.gov/drought, to provide information on the programs available to aid Missourians impacted by damaging drought conditions. Blunt said areas across Missouri are experiencing significant, sustained, and damaging drought conditions. This webpage provides information on the resources available to assist farmers and ranchers impacted by drought. He will continue working to ensure state and local officials have the support they need to help get Missouri’s agricultural community back on its feet. The webpage provides information about state and federal programs to support farmers and ranchers impacted by drought, including resources for haying and grazing on Conservation Reserve Program acres and eligibility for Livestock Forage Payments. Currently, about 18% of Missouri is experiencing D3 drought conditions, and 2.3 million Missourians are impacted by drought. Dent County had been classified in the D1 category before rains a week ago actually lifted that designation for the time being.

The City of Salem Board of Aldermen held their regular meeting Tuesday night at the City Hall Council Chambers at 6:00. The board approved a request from Jenna Deason to close the streets around the courthouse including Iron, 4th and 5th Streets for an October music festival that includes kids’ games and vendors. The board heard from Town Screen, LLC about their video network in Salem that focuses on local business and activities. After the consent agenda, the board approved Bill #3513 that would create an ordinance pertaining to the appointment of a temporary city administrator and they also approved Bill #3514 that would create an ordinance for the mayor to execute contingency allowance #4 between the city and ESP for additional requested duct work for the old city hall for $1,768. The board accepted the bid from T & R Electric for transformers for the electric department. City Administrator Ray Walden then gave an update on ongoing projects. Mayor Greg Parker reminded everyone to get out and vote on Tuesday, August 2. He informed the board he would be attending upcoming board and committee meetings to make sure they are organized and running in a professional manner. Public Works Director Mark Nash informed the board that they ordered the parts for the sewer machine and his crews were able to rebuild the city’s machine. Economic Development Director Sally Burbridge said there was no update on the certified site. Park and Recreation Director Melissa Dubois reported that there were thirty-nine summer ball teams with a total of 496 youth involved. She went on to thank the volunteer coaches for a great season. She said the summer day camp was full and they accepted twenty-five campers. There will be a new performing arts camp this summer and so far, 23 youth have registered. She mentioned flag football registration will begin August 1st. The security cameras are up and running at the Alice Lou Craig Municipal swimming pool. Dubois also reminded everyone about the movie night in the park sponsored by Intercounty Electric. Alderman Shawn Bolerjack talked about two programs. The first was the Neighborhood Leadership Academy through the Missouri Extension Office. He also informed the board about the SAFHR Program to help residents who may need help with rent and utilities from the effects of Covid. So far twenty-four Dent County residents have received help through the SAFHR program. Kyle Williams informed the board there will be a public hearing on Tuesday, August 23rd at 5:45 in the evening to discuss sewer rates. Also, the Utility Committee will meet the evening of Wednesday, August 10th at 6:15. The board then went into closed session to discuss contracts, personnel, and real estate.

The City of Salem’s Finance Committee will hold a meeting this evening, at 5:30 at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory. The agenda includes consideration of fees, unused tax, update on the budget, and audit status before adjournment. The meeting was called by Finance Committee Chair Kayla Sisco and is open to the public.

Ozark National Scenic Riverways will be conducting two managed deer hunts in October at Big Spring. These hunting opportunities are being extended to two special groups of the nation’s population, our youth, and our military service members with permanent mobility impairments. The youth hunt will be held October 8th and 9th. Anyone interested in applying for this hunt must apply online through the Missouri Department of Conservation at www.mdc.mo.gov/managedhunt. The Managed Deer Hunt application period for the youth hunt is July 1 through July 31. The Exceptional Warrior Mobility-Impaired managed hunt will be held October 22nd and 23rd. Applications and more information for the Mobility Impaired hunt can be found on-line at: https://www.nps.gov/ozar. A total of 10 randomly selected hunters will be chosen for each hunt. Portions of the Big Spring area will be temporarily closed to the public during both hunts on the following dates. The Exceptional Warrior Mobility-Impaired managed hunt is being conducted in partnership with the Foundation for Exceptional Warriors (The FEW), the Missouri Department of Conservation, S&T Taxidermy, Quilts of Valor, Outdoorsmen with a Mission, and Ozark Riverways Foundation. The FEW is a nonprofit organization that proactively and directly serves Exceptional Warriors who epitomize honor, valor, service, and sacrifice. The organization is helping to offset hunting and lodging expenses for the Exceptional Warrior hunt participants. For more information on The FEW, visit their website at www.exceptionalwarriors.org, or phone (918) 824-1094. For more information, visit the park’s Facebook page, visit the park website at www.nps.gov/ozar, or phone (573) 323-4236.

Montauk State Park will be hosting a Kid’s Trout Fishing Tournament on Saturday July 30th. The tournament is sponsored by the Dorman L. Steelman Lodge and is limited to kids 15 years old and younger. There are two age categories 11 and under and 12 to 15. Registration will be at the Dorman L. Steelman Lodge Saturday morning at 7:00. Two prizes will be awarded in each age group. One for trout and one for stringer of trout, by a random drawing of all entries at 2:00 in the afternoon in the Lodge. For more information contact the park at 573-548-2201.

Be sure to visit the Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center now through July 31st for a display honoring Missourian Thomas Hart Benton. On display will be a scaled replica of the Thomas Hart Benton mural. The mural was commissioned in 1935 and completed in 1936. The mural explores the history and tales of Missouri’s past. If you have questions, would like more information, or would like to volunteer please call Liz Condray at 573-729-0029.

The Alice Lou Craig Municipal Swimming Pool at the Salem City Park will be offering a night swim this Friday from 7:30 until 9:30 with a $5.00 admission. Season pass holders will be admitted free. This special night swim is being held since the pool had to be closed for a few days due to maintenance.

The City of Salem Parks and Recreation Board will hold a meeting this evening at 5:30 at the Salem Community Center @the armory. The board will receive updates on disc golf. They will hear reports on summer ball and the swimming pool. Then they will review the budget and go over upcoming events. Next hear any board resignations, then go into closed session. The meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Police Department has released a number of reports for mid through late June. On June 15th around midnight, officers contacted a man who had an active warrant out of the Missouri Probation and Parole with no bond. As a result, 30-year-old Terry Storm of Salem was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. On June 17th near 3:00 in the afternoon, officers contacted a man that had two active capias warrants for his arrest out of Probation and Parole and the Phelps County Sheriff’s Office. As a result, 38-year-old Matthew Butzler of Salem was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. At 1:00 in the afternoon on June 21st, officers were dispatched to the 200 block of East Center Street for a report of a domestic dispute. It was reported the argument was taking place over a dog that had been neglected and had died. As a result of the investigation, a 43-year-old Salem female was arrested and issued a summons for animal abuse. On the evening of June 22nd around 7:30, officers were dispatched to Wal-Mart for a report of a shoplifting. It was reported that a woman had stolen $293 worth of merchandise. As a result of the investigation by police, a 39-year-old Rolla woman was arrested and then later released on a summons to appear in court. On June 24th around 9:30 in the evening, officers contacted a woman who had an active warrant for her arrest out of the St. James Police Department. As a result, 57-year-old Patricia George of Rolla was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail awaiting extradition. Please contact with the Salem Police Department at 573-729-4242 if you have any information on any ongoing investigation.

The Missouri Department of Conservation invites landowners and others interested in managing deer on their properties to join a live webinar via Zoom on Thursday evening, July 28th, from 6:00 until 7:00 to learn about its Deer Management Assistance Program, known as DMAP. MDC staff and staff from the National Deer Association will explain the program, answer questions, and offer testimonials from landowners who have used the program. DMAP can help landowners manage deer on their properties by allowing them and hunters they designate to buy additional firearms permits to take antlerless deer on the properties above and beyond regular season harvest limits. Any private property of at least 500 acres located outside of municipal boundaries, regardless of the owner’s legal residence, is eligible for the program. For properties inside the boundaries of a city or town, at least 40 acres are required. Individual parcels of land, regardless of ownership, may be combined to satisfy the acreage requirements as long as no parcel of land is more than a half-mile by air from the boundary of another parcel being combined to form an enrolled DMAP property. DMAP also provides landowners with science-based methods and information to address a spectrum of other local deer-management goals, including Quality Deer Management objectives. To learn more about DMAP, including enrollment visit MDC online at mdc.mo.gov/dmap, or contact your local MDC private land conservationist or conservation agent.

An accident happened Monday afternoon at 5:00 in Phelps County on Highway BB about one half mile past the Rolla city limits. According to the highway patrol report a 2016 Toyota Camry being driven by 25-year-old Sarah Forshee of Rolla was stopped in traffic waiting to make a left turn into a private drive. Forshee was struck from behind by a 2012 Lincoln MKZ being driven by 35-year-old Brianne Friede, also of Rolla. Forshee was taken to Phelps Health Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Friede, along with two juvenile passenger, ages 7 and 10, all suffered minor injuries and chose to seek their own treatment. The Camry sustained extensive damage and was removed from the scene by D&D Towing. The Lincoln was totaled and removed by Dishman’s Towing. The report went on to state that all involved were wearing seat restraints at the time of the accident.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is revising its surveillance and management plan for chronic wasting disease (CWD) and is seeking public feedback on the plan’s goals and objectives, and potential changes to deer hunting regulations. CWD is a fatal, contagious, disease of white-tailed deer and other members of the deer family, known as cervids. The disease is 100% fatal to deer and there is no known cure, treatment, or vaccine. The disease can be spread from deer to deer through direct contact and when deer encounter the disease-causing agent after it has entered the environment from an infected deer. According to Conservation Department, CWD poses a direct threat to the health of Missouri’s deer population, making efforts to manage the disease critically important. MDC developed its first CWD Surveillance and Management Plan after detecting the first cases of the disease in 2010 in northcentral Missouri. Following the detection of CWD in other areas of the state, MDC updated its CWD Surveillance and Management Plan in 2015. The MDC is again wanting to revise its CWD Surveillance and Management Plan to ensure that surveillance and management efforts adapt to changing disease dynamics. As part of the plan revision, MDC is considering some changes to deer-hunting regulations for the 2023 deer hunting season. Proposed regulation changes include increasing the maximum number of firearms antlerless deer hunting permits that a hunter could fill from two to four in select counties, creating a three-day early antlerless portion of firearms deer season in select counties that would begin on a Friday in early-to-mid October, and creating a five-day CWD portion of firearms deer season in select CWD Management Zone counties that would begin the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. For more information on the suggested revisions, visit MDC online at mdc.mo.gov/cwdplan.

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning at the courthouse for their regular meeting. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams presented the CART money received in July and reported the Road and Bridge Fund received $68,696.84 which is $2,835.64 more than the 2021 figure of $65,861.20. The increase year-to-date is $26,457.51 which comes to about a 6.36% increase. Williams also said a $40,000 budgeted transfer from the Inmate Security Fund was made to the new Jail Operations Fund. That leaves $20,000 yet to be transferred as per the budget after a $60,000 transfer was made in March. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray said brush was being cut on Dent County Road 5110 and all the other crew members were stock piling rock at the road and bridge maintenance shed. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said materials were being hauled to Dent County Road 2330 and crews were out checking other roads for possible washouts. Larson went on to say two men would be going to Jefferson City to pickup truck #116 from Knapheide after they repaired the hydraulic problem. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles stated before the rains received Monday, the drought condition this year will probably end up worse than the one in 2012 when it was dry early in the year, but fertilizer had been put down allowing the grass to came to life when the rains came in August and September. This year with the cost of fertilizer so high, most farmers couldn’t afford to put that down in the spring so the long-term affect this year for grass may be worse. Skiles said he would be attending a Meramec Community Enhancement Corporation meeting on Wednesday afternoon. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said the August Primary is fast approaching. Absentee voting continues in her office until 5:00 on August 1st and voters will need to choose a specific party ballot when they vote between the Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or the Constitution Party. She also said her office will be open this Saturday, July 30th from 8:00 in the morning until noon for absentee voting. Election Day will be Tuesday, August 2nd from 6:00 in the morning until 7:00 in the evening. You still have time to change your voter registration if you have moved or had a name change. Come by the county clerk’s office at the courthouse and get that taken care of before Tuesday. Don’t forget to bring an ID with you to vote. This could be your driver’s license, a government issued ID, your electric or gas bill, college ID, or bank statement. If you have any questions, please call her office at 729-4144. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Senior Center will be hosting a lunch with State Representative Ron Copeland this Wednesday morning at 11:30 at 604 N McGrath Lane. Everyone is welcome to attend. Lunch is served until 1:00.

The City of Salem Board of Aldermen will hold their regular meeting tonight at the city hall council chambers at 6:00. The board will hear from Jenna Deason asking to close the roads around the courthouse including Iron, 4th and 5th Streets for an October music festival that includes kids’ games and vendors. The board will also hear from Town Screen, LLC about their video network in Salem that focuses on local business and activities. After the consent agenda, the board will discuss Bill #3513 that would create an ordinance pertaining to the appointment of a temporary city administrator; and they will discuss Bill #3514 that would create an ordinance for the mayor to execute contingency allowance #4 between the city and ESP for additional requested duct work for the old city hall for $1,768. The board will hear bids on transformers for the electric department before hearing from City Administrator Ray Walden and Mayor Greg Parker. The board will also hear from Public Works Director Mark Nash who will discuss an emergency purchase of a sewer machine before Economic Development Director Sally Burbridge gives her report and Park and Recreation Director Meliss Dubois gives her report. The aldermen at that time will be able to present their reports. The board will then go into closed session to discuss contracts, personnel and real estate. The meeting of the city of Salem Board of Alderman Tuesday is open to the public.

The Salem Board of Education in closed session Thursday evening employed Becca Hays as the assistant girls’ basketball coach and Jordan McLaurin was transferred to assistant boys’ basketball coach. The board also approved setting the administrator salary schedule based on the number of years as an administrator. The meeting was then adjourned. A correction to the story from Monday where it was written the board accepted the resignation of Julie Harris. They did not accept her resignation, but they did institute the late resignation penalty as outlined in the board policies as written. We apologize for the error.

The Creative Arts Center will be offering a kid’s summer mini art camp with Danielle Norris. The camp will be three days starting Wednesday from 8:30 in the morning till 11:30. The camp is $60 per child and includes all supplies needed plus a small snack each day. Projects will revolve around learning and nature. The targeted age group for the camp is grades first through nineth. There will be an informal art show Friday morning at 11:15 for parents. To sign up call or text 573-247-0651. Or visit our website at: salemcommunitybetterment.com.