Local News

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning for their regular meeting. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles was not in attendance due to illness. First District Commissioner Dennis Purcell acted as presiding commissioner for the meeting in Skiles’ absence. In the road report, Purcell stated that a call was received for a downed tree on Dent County Road 5440. Workers went out and removed the tree as well as some burnt couch springs that were at the scene. Purcell said grading would be done on Dent County Roads 5630, 6370 and 6500 while brush would be cut on county roads 5630 and 5650. Purcell went on to say that with wintry weather in the forecast, the crews will be checking out the snow removal and salt spreading equipment. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson expressed his deep sorrow for the loss of District 2 Road Supervisor Sam Gorman who passed away Christmas day. A friend to everyone, Gorman will be missed by all that knew him. Larson said materials would be added and grading done on Dent County Road 3300 while only grading would be done on county roads 3310 and 4280. He went on to say brush would be cut on county road 4040. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said she would continue to work on getting the 2021 budget prepared for the commissioners as work on the budget would begin next week. She wanted to remind everyone the Dent County Collector’s office will be open extended hours this week from 8:00 until 5:30 daily through Thursday for those who want to pay their real estate or personal property taxes in person. You can also mail in your taxes, but they MUST be postmarked by December 31st to avoid any penalties. You can also drop off your payment in the drop box at the southwest corner of the courthouse lawn before January 1st. Payment of taxes can also be made online by following the instruction on your tax bill. There is a fee to pay your taxes online by ACH, debit or credit card. It was noted with President Trump’s signing of the latest economic COVID-19 incentive package, the CARES Act deadline has been extended to December 31st, 2021. Three CARES Act applications were mailed to the commissioners for their approval and they were from the Dent County Health Center for $9,579.30, Oak Hill R-1 School for $13,630.06 and Green Forest R-2 School for $1,516.17. The meeting Monday was the last meeting for 1st District Commissioner Dennis Purcell who will be stepping aside after serving 12 years as a commissioner for newly elected 1st District Commissioner Wes Mobray. Mobray will be sworn-in this Thursday afternoon to his new position. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Monday, January 4th at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Dent County Service Unit of The Salvation Army would like to announce that they have successfully surpassed their $35,000 goal during this year’s Christmas Kettle Campaign. The total raised was $35,410.13 to date. Along with the monetary donations received this year, 208 local children were adopted at the Angel Trees located at Wal-Mart. The local Salvation Army Board would like to thank everyone who made monetary donations and/or who adopted an angel. They also extend their greatest appreciation to the dedicated volunteers that took time out of their busy holiday season to ring the bells at the kettles. The community’s continued generosity will be distributed through- out 2021 to those less fortunate in Dent County.

A one vehicle accident happened Sunday afternoon just before 4:00 in Phelps County on Phelps County Road 3010 just north of Route BB. The report from the highway patrol states that a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt being driven by 17-year old Gabriel Buell of Rolla, traveled off the right side of the road. Buell overcorrected causing the vehicle to overturn in the roadway before sliding off the left side of the road and coming to a stop. Buell, who was wearing a safety restraint, was transported to Phelps Health for treatment of minor injuries. The Chevrolet was totaled and removed from the scene by Dishman’s Towing.

Your friends at KSMO Radio and Your World Today wish everyone a joyous and Merry Christmas. To that end, Your World Today will not be published on Thursday and Friday for the Christmas holiday. The next edition will be on Monday, December 28th.

A two vehicle accident happened Monday afternoon around 5:30 in Reynolds County on Highway 72 about ive miles north of Bunker. According to the report released from the highway patrol, a 2014 Ford Explorer being driven by 23-year old Cathy Piatt of Bunker, was traveling east and was attempting to pass another vehicle. At that time, a 2004 GMC Yukon being driven by 47-year old Derrick Conway of Bunker crested a hill and attempted to avoid the Piatt vehicle. Both vehicles then went off the roadway and struck head-on. Conway was transported to Salem Memorial District Hospital for treatment of moderate injuries. Both vehicles sustained extensive damage and were removed from the scene by Whitakers Towing. According to the report, both drivers were wearing safety restraints. The highway patrol was assisted by both the Dent and Reynolds County Sheriff’s Departments.

The Salem Board of Aldermen held a regular meeting Monday evening at the City Hall Council Chambers. After the consent agenda was approved, City Administrator Ray Walden reported the materials for the renovation work at the City Administration Offices would be in this week and look for their work to be completed in January with an open house to follow. He said there was no City of Salem Seniority Banquet this year, but Walden did want to salute the longest tenured employee of the city and that is Mary Happel who celebrated her 42nd year working for the city. Walden said they are still working with BHMG engineers on the pre-paid billing options to bring back before the board, and the city offices would be closed this Thursday and Friday for Christmas, and next Friday for New Years. Public Works Director Mark Nash stated the next utility billing is right on time as determined by the utility committee as city workers are getting the manual read counts in. He said there has been some issue in getting the new meter numbers into the system, but they have been in communication with Incode where a bulk update of 225 meters will be done en masse to get them online. Nash said that the billing is working out better now that the city is getting true reads. Nash said the ad will be in the Salem News for the specs on the grinding pump station and the bids will be due in on January 5th. The board approved the sale of two Dodge Charges Pursuit vehicles on Purple Wave as surplus in Resolution 22-2020. One of the vehicles was the old K-9 vehicle while the other as the regular pursuit vehicle. The board also approved the addition of Jon Mahalka to the airport board before going into closed session.

Register for Salem Public Library’s Hibernation Reading Challenge and settle in for winter fun! All ages are encouraged to participate! This challenge begins on December 28, 2020 and ends on February 6, 2021. Registration is quick and easy. Simply click on the Beanstack link located on the library’s home page, salempubliclibrary.net. Readers will earn tickets for prize drawings as they log reading minutes in the Beanstack software. Extra tickets may be earned by completing creative boredom-busting activities! Prize baskets will include items for cozy at-home winter entertainment like a snuggly fleece throw, tasty cocoa, along with terrific books and movies. This program is free!”

A three vehicle accident happened Tuesday afternoon just after 2:30 in Phelps County on Highway 63 about five miles south of Rolla. The report from the highway patrol states that a 2007 Chrysler Town and County being driven by 63-year old Sandra Seeger of Foristell, Missouri was entering the highway from Phelps County Road 7160 and pulled into the path of a 1995 Chevrolet Silverado being driven east by 67- year old Clifford King of Rolla. After the Chevrolet struck the Chrysler, it then rolled backward striking a 2017 Ford Escape being driven by 70-year old Carolyn Crow of Licking. Both Seeger and King were transported to Phelps Health in Rolla for treatment of minor injuries. According to the report, all drivers involved were wearing safety restraints. The Chrysler and Chevrolet both sustained extensive damage. The Chrysler was towed from the scene by C & C Towing and the Chevrolet was removed by Taylor’s Towing of Rolla. The Ford had minor damage and was able to be driven from the scene.

Congratulations goes out to the three winners of this year’s KSMO Big Christmas Giveaway drawn this past weekend. This year’s winners were Sierra Miller from Echo Bluff State Park, Bonnie Quick from Southtown Furniture and Tiffany Smith from Fairground Auto Plaza. KSMO Radio, Echo Bluff State Park, Southtown Furniture and Fairground Auto Plaza want to thank everyone that participated in the contest and wish everyone a very, Merry Christmas!

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning at the courthouse for their regular meeting. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams presented the CART taxes received this month and they came to $59,041.53 and that is down from December of 2019 by $676.46. Year-to-date, the CART funds received are down $32,164.32 in 2020 and that comes to a reduction of 4.6%. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell stated grading would be done on Dent County Roads 4210, 5680, 6610 and 6620 while brush would be cut on county roads 4160 and 5650. Purcell said he attended the South Central Missouri Community Action Agency meeting last Tuesday and they still have money available for weatherization, and home repair, and they still have emergency assistance available for those who may need help with their utility bills as well as rent or mortgage. There are income guidelines to qualify for this assistance. For more information, contact Sarah at 729-3500. Purcell also said that on Thursday, he virtually attended the Corridor Advisory Team meeting on the replacement or rehabilitation of two bridges on Highway 19 south. For those interested, public comments can be made by going to modot.org/roundspringbridges. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson reported materials would be added and grading done on county roads 2030, 4050 and 4055, while only grading would be done on Dent County Road 4480. He added brush would be cut on county road 4030. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said the assessor’s office has been quarantined and would be closed until December 29th. If you have a question, call 729-6060 or e-mail dentcounty@embarqmail.com. He said he attended a CCAM meeting with the executive officers Tuesday and they worked on the virtual commissioners February training and also discussed possibly having a half day special training for newly elected commissioners. Skiles also said they discussed possible legislative issues including the publishing of county condensed financial statements. He also said they support having the prosecuting attorney’s salary paid by the state. He went on to say the courthouse would be closed Thursday and Friday for Christmas. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said she balanced with the treasurer on all accounts for the month of November, and she is still working on the 2021 county budget. At 10:00, the commission opened bids for the county’s auto, liability as well as errors and omissions insurance. They received three bids and the commission awarded the winning bid to the Hollida Insurance Agency, LLC from Poplar Bluff for $115,581 for the 2021 year. At the last meeting, Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk brought in her turnover report of $1,314,323.79 for the month of November. The Commissioners also approved CARES Act funding for All Accounted For of $15,888.18, Shelton Fabrication at $50,000, KSMO Enterprises of $2,968.17, Oak Grove Baptist Church of $2,681.98, the Dent County Health Center at $17,985.49, Plank Investments of $50,000, Curley and Co. Salon at $10,670, Cornerstone, Inc. of $4,210.98, Williams American Construction, Inc. of $50,000, SACBA at $13,052.55, Wisdom Drug, LLC for $50,000, the Montauk Rural Fire District of $1,590.00 and the Vogue family Hair Care at $4,024.52. The next meeting will be Monday, December 28th at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public. The next meeting will be Monday, December 28th at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

Thursday night at the Salem R-80 High School Library, the Salem R-80 board of Education met for their regular December board meeting. Superintendent Dr. Lynne Reed explained the savings from the refunding of the bonds the board agreed to saved $123,047 and that is about $17,000 more than projected. After the budget update, Reed reported there have been some investments in the Youth Opportunity Program for the Salem R-80 Construction Trades Program, but there is still a ways to go. She said when people review their end of the year tax situation, they tend to look for these type of tax credits that are available with the CBDG grants that are 50% of the investment made over $500. The board then heard from Auditor Matt James from Willow Springs who said the audit went well. He said he offered a clean opinion on the financial statements as well on the federal awards. James said the Salem R-80 School District’s net cash position decreased by $148,472 from $4,883,675.91 for the 2018-19 school year to $4,735,203.37 for the 2019-20. He said the district was very consistent with their expenses, but he did note the district real estate appraised values were up about $2 million dollars which did generate additional tax revenues. Athletic Director Phillip Karr reported on the last Athletic Advisory Committee meeting in December and said the next meeting would be held on January 13th to establish the organization of youth sports in the Salem and Dent County area. The board selected Brecklyn Holt as the recipient of the MSBA Belcher Scholarship Recipient, approved the renewal of the MUSIC liability insurance which offers the same coverage with an increase in cost of $7,000, and they tentatively approved a request from Choir Director Elaine Russell to allow students to travel to a national choir competition in either Orlando or Nashville in April. This will be re-evaluated in February to see where the COVID-19 virus situation stands at that time. The board heard from Amber Pryor about students receiving fine arts credit for multimedia instruction in commercial art and business in a new class being developed as part of the two year business course implementation plan at the high school. The board also approved the mask mandate for the second semester for all schools which was explained in letters sent to parents. If you need more information about the mandate, the information is available on the Salem R-80 website.

The Salem Board of Aldermen will meet this evening at the City Hall Council Chambers at 202 North Washington Street at 7:00. After the consent agenda, the board will hear from City Administrator Ray Walden who will provide an update on a number of city projects. The board will then hear and discuss Resolution #22-2020 that approves the sale of surplus city inventory and personal property that is being deemed obsolete and unusable by the city. The board will then hear Mayor Brad Nash suggest adding Jon Mihalka to the airport board before they go into closed session to discuss personnel. The meeting of the Salem Board of Aldermen tonight is open to the public.

The Dent County Assessor’s office in the Dent County Courthouse has been placed on quarantine through December 29th. The 2021 Assessment forms were mailed on December 16th and can be returned to our office by mail to 400 N Main, Salem, MO 65560, or placed in the drop box in front of the court house, or in the box by our Assessor window. Please make sure you have signed your form and put your phone number in case we have any questions. If you need other assistance with assessments, you may leave a message at 573-729-6010 and we will do our best to return your call as soon as we are able. You can also send us an email at: dentcounty@embarqmail.com. They apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience and understanding.

Dent County Prosecutor Andrew Curley has released some reports from last week. In Crawford County on December 8th in front of Judge Kelly Parker, Joshua Benton of Bunker, who was on probation for domestic assault in the 3rd degree after completing the state 559 program, absconded from supervision and his probation was revoked. He was then sentenced to serve four years in the Department of Corrections. On Monday, December 14th in front of Judge Parker, Brice Mullins of Salem had his probation revoked. He was sentenced to six years in the Department of Corrections. He has additional charges for the distribution of a controlled substance from the recent drug roundup that are unresolved at this time. Then on Thursday in Dent County in front Judge Benjamin Thompson, Megan Fisk of Salem pled guilty to the possession of methamphetamine from a charge in 2017 and the distribution of meth in 2020. Fisk was sentenced to ten years in the Department of Corrections under the RSMO Section 559.115 program which calls for a 120 day shock incarceration as requested by the prosecutor.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors in closed session discussed and approved a contract for services with the Cerner Information Technology Company out of Kansas City to merge their electronic health records into a single system. This process will take between 12 and 15 months and is being done to allow all the departments at the hospital to be able to access a patient’s file without having to change systems. There is no cost for this to be done until they go live sometime in the year 2022.

The Salvation Army Dent County Service Unit is asking for your help in meeting their Christmas Kettle goal of $35,000 this year. With only three days left to ring the bell at the familiar red kettle, the local organization is falling short of their goal. Christmas season is the only time that funds are raised locally. The $35,000 goal was established by the local board and has been the same goal for nearly 5 years, but with the pandemic hitting our community, they are for the first time ever, facing the goal not being reached. The Dent County Service Unit assists over 250 families each year with financial assistance with things like, utility bills, rent/mortgage payments and prescription costs. Families that lose their homes to fire are also assisted by the organization. If you would like to help the local board reach their goal, send your tax-deductible check in the mail to P.O. Box 190, drop off a check at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory, or drop off your donation in the red kettles that are located at Wal-Mart, Country Mart and Dollar General today, tomorrow and Christmas Eve. Your donation will stay locally to assist families in their time of need.

At the Salem R-80 Board of Education meeting Thursday night following a long discussion between administrators, principals and board members, the board adopted implementing a plan for a district mask mandate for the second semester. There is flexibility in the plan as pre-kindergarten through 5th grade students will have to wear a mask on the bus, in the hallways and when working in small groups. They will NOT have to wear masks in their cohort classroom, PE class and recess. Students in 6th through 12th grade as well as staff will be required to wear masks when less than six feet from another person, in classrooms, hallways and common areas. Students in all grade levels will be required to masks at school events (ballgames) and adults are encouraged to do so as well, plus any visitors to the buildings during the day will be required to wear a mask. This is being done to keep students and staff safer and to reduce the number of staff and students from being quarantined. A letter will be sent out by the Superintendent’s Office to all parents with a full explanation of the plan on today. It will also be on the school’s website.

The Missouri Department of Conservation is extending the deadline to January 15th for landowner enrollment into the Missouri Outdoor Recreational Access Program. MRAP provides incentive payments of $15 to $25 per acre and habitat improvement financial assistance to participating landowners in return for allowing public access to their land for recreational activities such as hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing. Participating landowners can choose the recreational activities allowed on their property by selecting one of the following MRAP access types: all access hunting and fishing, small game and turkey hunting, youth only hunting and fishing, archery hunting, fishing only, or wildlife viewing. Offered lands must meet minimum eligibility requirements such as being 40 contiguous acres in size or 5 contiguous acres for wildlife viewing access types or 1 pond acre for fishing-only access types. MRAP properties must also consist of at least 20% quality wildlife habitat which includes native grass fields, crop field buffers, or managed woodlands to be eligible for the program. There are currently more than 50 properties enrolled in the program, totaling over 13,000 acres of lands available for public outdoor recreation. MRAP funding is provided through a U.S. Department of Agriculture federal grant. This funding allows for the additional enrollment of approximately 7,500 new MRAP acres. For more information on how to apply to the MRAP program, visit short.mdc.mo.gov/Zcs.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education will be meeting this evening at 6:00 in the High School Library. After the consent agenda and communications, the Board will hear the audit report by Matt James. Superintendent Dr. Lynne Reed will give her report including the update on refunding of bonds, COVID update, budget update and Leadership Team meeting update. The board will then hear administration reports from each building principal and the athletic director before hearing new business. In new business the board will discuss the selection of MSBA Belcher Scholarship recipient, MUSIC renewal, fine arts credit, and mask mandate implementation plan. Ms. Elaine Russell will address the Board about choir competition and trips. The board will then move into Executive Session to discuss personnel. The Salem R-80 Board of Education meeting is open to the public.

A one vehicle accident happened Tuesday night at 10:00 on Highway CC about 7 miles east of Salem. According to the report released by the highway patrol, a 2006 Jeep Liberty being driven by a 16-year old female of Salem was northbound when she traveled off the right side of the roadway, returned to the roadway and over-corrected causing the Jeep to overturn. The driver, who was wearing a safety restraint, was transported to the Salem Memorial District Hospital by Salem EMS for treatment of minor injuries. The Jeep was totaled and removed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital regular board meeting was held Tuesday at noon in the Hospital Library. In the summary of operations for the month of November, the hospital had 116 inpatient admissions with 360 inpatient census days. Patients per day in Acute Care came in at 12 in November. The hospital showed a loss from operations of $504,809 and expenses over revenues after taxes of $503,259. Cash decreased for the month by $568,261. The days in net account receivables rose to 103 days, up from 100 in October. During the month, there were 596 emergency room visits to go with 184 ambulance runs with 130 patients being transported, 18 surgery cases, 1,749 outpatient registrations, 276 home health visits, 6,470 lab tests, 1,059 radiological procedures including 685 rehab treatments. Chief of Nursing Debbie Hines reported the state survey found no deficiencies and the Sleep Studies Accreditation was completed on December 3rd. Some minor recommendations were made on December 9th and the plan of corrections is due on January 9th. Director of Home Health Services Ashley Sullins gave a report on activity from October of 2019 through September of 2020. The hospital had an overall rating of care at 89%, the care of patients at 89%, and the likelihood of recommending the facility at 84%. The timeliness of admissions between October 2018 and September of 2019 in Home Health Care came in at 94.5%, 15.9% for re-hospitalizations, and emergency room visits where patients were not hospitalized was at 10.4%. The Salem Memorial District Hospital received a star rating of 3.5 with an overall patient satisfaction rating of 5 which is the best you can get. Sullins also reported on the quarterly infection rate and the goal is to keep it under 5% and currently infections were at 4% for the October through December 2019 period, the January through March 2020 period and the July through September period. The January through March 2020 period had no infections. The hospital foundation advisory board will meet January 6th and will discuss the golf tournament and Wings and Strings events. They will also discuss the distance grant learning and telemedicine program grant and how it will be implemented. Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas reported that the Salem hospital has been approved to provide the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine when it arrives. The hospital will be working with the health center on the distribution of the vaccine. In the expansion update, the MRI is now fully functional and they are now scheduling patients. Lucas said the new outpatient area is now completed an the sewer project in the administration hallway is near completion. At the request of the bond issuers, the board approved using property tax dollars to help pay for the bond payments for the hospital construction improvements. Filing is now underway for the District #2 seat at the hospital and will continue until January 19th. That is the seat currently held by Mike Swyers and he has refiled. The board approved the budgeted purchases of a Fresenius hemodialysis machine for $15,637 to replace an old machine, and they approved the purchase of a new Dell Utility server for the IT department from Paragon for $75,301. The board also approved the non-budgeted purchase of 2 Nihon Kohden Sensors for the Emergency Department for $4,700. The board then went into closed session.

The Salem Area Chamber of Commerce congratulates the 2020 Christmas Parade 1st Place Winners. This year, the non-commercial float winner was the Scenic Rivers Industries while the commercial float winner was the Bank of Salem. The Horsemanship winner was presented to Matt Gregory. The chamber wanted to thank everyone who participated in this year’s Parade of Lights and also those who attended the parade.

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning at the courthouse for their regular meeting. District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell was not in attendance due to a previous commitment. Sherry Lea, the executive Director of Healthy Dent County, was in to discuss the renewal of the rural addressing services they have been performing since 2008. The contract is for $12,000 annually to be paid in two semi-annual payments. The commission would also be responsible for the $995 maintenance fee. The commissioners voted to approve renewing the contract for another year. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams presented the sales tax received by the county from the state in December and it was down from last December in all funds. In the General Revenue Fund and LEST Fund, they each received $84,644.84 this month and that is down $13,020.07 from last December, but year-to-date, the funds finished the 2020 year up $55,886.21 which is about a 5.7% increase. The Road and Bridge Fund received $39,771.38 and that was down from last year by $5,877.78, but year to date, the fund finished up $34,121.26 which is about 7.5%. The two jail funds, the Operating Fund and the Trust Fund, each received $79,550.59 and that is down $11,745.39 for December, but year to date, those funds are each up $67,796.97 which is about a 7.45% increase. Matt Presti was in to report on the Patriotic Rally held Saturday on the courthouse lawn and said 100 plus people attended with no altercations of any kind. He wanted to thank the commission for allowing them to use the lawn for the rally. In the road report, District 1 Road Supervisor Rodney Atkinson stated grading would be done on Dent County Roads 4210, 4215, 5610 and 5615, while materials would be added and grading done on county roads 6630 and 6633. He also said brush would be cut on county road 5620. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson reported grading would be done on Dent County Road 3350 while materials would be added and grading done on county road 3330. He went on to say brush would be cut on county roads 4030 and 4330 while grader #31 would receive its 500 hour service. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said he attended the Ozark Rivers Solid waste Management District Full Council meeting last week where they received updates on grants and approved extensions on some awards. He said he attended by Zoom a Transportation Advisory Committee meeting at the Salem Community Center @ The Armory on Thursday with Ray Walden and Gary Brown attending. This meeting sets the region’s priorities they would like MoDOT to address in the coming year. Skiles said the first priority was putting in a bridge at the low water crossing on Route TT at Sligo over Crooked Creek, and the third priority was the replacement of the Highway 19 South Bridge over Gladden Creek, better known as the Standing Rock Bridge. Skiles said at the MRPC meeting later that night, the commission heard from Jason Jeffries from the Missouri Department of Conservation about feral hogs and other items of interest to the department. Skiles said he would be attending a CCAM meeting Wednesday in Jefferson City to get the latest information about the upcoming commissioner training and the legislative priorities of the counties. Skiles also reported at the FCC auction last week to provide broadband services to rural Missouri, Aptitude Internet out of Farmington received a large portion of the 7.4 million dollars that went to Dent County. Rural Electric Consortium will receive funds as well as CenturyLink to provide broadband in Dent County. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said she is still working on the 2021 county budget, and Tuesday is the first day for candidates for the Municipal Election in April to file at the location of the entity they are running for except for those running for the Dent County Health Center Board of Directors and they need to file at the Dent County Clerks office. She also said she balanced with the collector and assessor on all collections, abatements and add-ons for the month of November. The commissioners approved a contract with the MRPC to continue to represent Dent County on the CARES Act distributions and the issuing of the upcoming tax form requirements as well as answering any auditing questions that may arise. Kurt Faigle of the 100 Wood Acre Rally was on a conference call with the commissioners and the rally will be held on March 19th and 20th, but there will be no Park Expose in downtown Salem that Saturday and no spectators will be allowed as of now at the normal spectator locations due to the pandemic. He still feels there will be a large contingent of vehicles that will register in 2021 as this has been one of the most popular races over the last two years with over 80 entries each year. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The University Extension of Missouri will be holding a Goat and Sheep Production Workshop this evening at 6:00 via Zoom. This is an online only workshop. Please call 1-816-324-3147 to receive a Zoom link.

The Dent County Service Unit of the Salvation Army wants to let everyone know that ALL the angels from this year’s “Angel Tree” at Wal-Mart have been selected. The local service unit wants to thank all those who helped out by taking care of one or more angels in this unusual year of 2020. Your support of the “Angel Tree” as well as the youth of Dent County is greatly appreciated.

A fatal accident occurred Friday afternoon at 4:41 in Crawford County on Highway 19 about four miles south of Cuba. According to the highway patrol report, a 2004 Nissan Quest driven by 42-year old Michael Rayoum of Rolla, was traveling northbound when he traveled off the right side of the roadway, overcorrected and came back on the roadway and struck head-on a 2018 Kia Optima driven by 31-year old Adam Crocker of Cuba who was traveling southbound. Crocker was transported to the Missouri Baptist Hospital in Sullivan by the North Crawford Ambulance. He was pronounced dead at 5:45 by Dr. Melissa Bradley at the hospital. Rayoum was arrested for a DWI resulting in the death of another person. He was also charged with the possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana, failure to drive on the right side of the roadway and for not wearing a seat belt. He was released for the treatment of moderate injuries suffered in the accident and was transported by the North Crawford Ambulance to Missouri Baptist in Sullivan. Crocker was not wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident. Both vehicles were removed from the scene by Miles and Sons’ Towing. The highway patrol was assisted by the Cuba Police Department and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office. This was the 1st fatality in Troop I for the month of December.

An accident occurred Saturday morning at 2:45 in Dent County on Route H at Route CC. According to the highway patrol report, a 1992 Dodge Power Ram driven by 23-year old Hank Martin of Beulah, was traveling westbound and failed to stop at a stop sign, traveled through the intersection and struck a tree. Martin suffered serious injuries and was flown by Air Evac to Springfield Mercy. The Dodge was totaled and removed from the scene by American Muffler. Martin was not wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors will conduct their December meeting Tuesday, December 15th, in the hospital library beginning at 12:00 noon. After the call to order, roll call, and approval of the minutes of the November 17th meeting, Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas will report on the summary of the operations for the month of November, followed by the Chief of Nursing Report by Debbie Hines. A report on the hospital foundation, plus the marketing and community perception report will be given by Chief Operating Officer Jason Edwards. Lucas will then go over the COVID-19 update and an update on Hospital expansion and renovation, plus election filing. New business will include purchases since the last meeting. The board may vote to go into closed session. Due to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, the December meeting of the Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors will be conducted by zoom. The meeting is open to anyone to join. For information on how to access the meeting via zoom, please email kbrown@smdh.net or call (573) 729-5917, extension 4005.

An accident happened Saturday evening at 8:58 in Shannon County on Route D about one half mile west of Flatwood. According to the highway patrol report, a 1996 Ford Ranger driven eastbound by 26-year old Michael Treadway of Salem, traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree. Treadway suffered minor injuries and as transported by the Mercy Ambulance to the Salem Memorial District Hospital. Treadway was wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident. The Ford Ranger was totaled and removed from the scene by Sartin’s Towing.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol would like to remind the public that driver examination stations throughout the state will be closed on Thursday, December 24th in observance of Christmas Eve, and Friday, December 25th, in observance of Christmas Day. Normal operations will resume Monday, December 28, 2020. The driver examination stations will also be closed on Friday, January 1st for New Year’s Day. Normal operations will resume on Monday, January 4th.