Local News

Congratulations to the 28 High School and Middle School band students who represented Salem R-80 and Northwood R-4 this weekend at the SCA Honor Band Concert. They performed on February 1st in Ava. The Salem High School band students attending were Harmony Alexander, Jainey Pettus, Faith Jasper, Martin Jones, Megan Watkins, Ashton During, Reagin Toten, John Stark, Chris McSwain, Collin Hinderliter, Jon Gallagher, Kelsey Stienbarger, Christopher Harris, Marvin Aspinwall and Taytan Barton. The Salem Middle School band students at Ava were Hunter Barton, Chris Frederickson, Kaison Wilmont, Jarrod Brooks, Rory Dahms, Wyatt Patrick, Parker Holtz and Jacob Bender. The Northwood R-4 students included Xander During, Natily Cook, Harley Medley, Jacob Koontz and Nathan McGraw. Congratulations to all these students for being part of the SCA Honor Band!

The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors met at 6:00 Tuesday evening for their regular monthly meeting. After the roll call a motion was made and carried to approve the consent agenda as well as minutes from the January meeting being reviewed and approved as presented. The financial report was discussed with bills being reviewed and approved as well as the 2019 final budget and 2020 budget being reviewed with an ending balance at the end of January of $268,708.21. During the calendar review, February 8th was determined to be a work day at the station for painting and general cleanup. It was also noted that March 10th will be the Presidential Preference Primary election in Dent County and the Road Rally would take place March 19th. During the monthly reimbursement report, the board made note of 24 calls for the month including 1 structure fire, 7 brush fires, 6 first responder calls, 3 vehicle accidents, 2 fire alarms responses, 2 training events and 3 calls classified as others. Total calls for the year so far is 41 with the average cost for call being $124.82. In new business, Chief Nash asked the board to consider a plan change for the area between the walkway on the Center Street side to add concrete from the building to the new walkway. The current plan has this as a sloped away from the sidewalk on both sides, possibly allowing water to run into the building. The board considered this to be a good idea but would need pricing to make an approval which Chief Nash said he would get and present to the board. Chief Nash also gave a tentative completion on the current renovation as March 1st and also discussed what the district would have to complete after the construction crews leave as far as installing, painting, and cleanup. The date for the next meeting was set for Tuesday, March 3rd at 6:00 at the firehouse. The meeting is open to the public.

Join the Montauk State Park staff for a unique bald eagle viewing at 8:00 this Friday morning, February 7th. Watch the eagles glide across the skies above the Montauk valley. Participants will accompany park staff on a hike near an active eagle’s nest in the park. A spotting scope and binoculars will be available. Dress appropriately for the weather and wear sturdy shoes. Those who would like to attend can meet at the CCC stone picnic shelter by 8:00 Friday morning to warm up around a fire with free coffee and hot chocolate. Montauk State Park is located 22 miles southwest of Salem on Highway 119 in Dent County. For more information about the event, call the park at 573-548-2201.

The Community Blood Center of the Ozarks will hold a blood drive Friday at Salem Wood Products at 200 Stave Mill Road off Highway 19 North. The blood drigve will be from 11:00 that morning until 5:00 in the afternoon. There is a critical need for type “O’ negative and AB plasma. To be eligible to give blood, you must weigh at least 110 pounds, be in good health and present a valid photo ID. For more information, call Lori Westerman at 729-7767.

Tom Botkins will lead a discussion about the Copeland Cemetery at 6:00 Tuesday, February 11th at the Salem Pizza Inn Meeting Room. It is a cemetery with a Who’s Who of early Dent County families living from the Howes Mills Community. This will be a discussion about lost or forgotten cemeteries and the meeting is a welcome call for people who own burial plots, small cemeteries, or know of a cemetery that is being lost to neglect or where no one is still alive that knows its history. For more information, contact Tom Botkins at 573 626-4522 or Deloris Gray Wood at 573 729-2545.

The Salem Board of Aldermen held their regular meeting at the city hall council chambers Monday night. At the meeting, the board heard from operations manager Joe Bruno from the Dent County Sheltered Workshop who explained to the board their budget had been cut $47,300 and there will be a sharp increase in salaries this year due to the increase in the state minimum wage. He also explained there is federal legislation passed through the house to eliminate the adjustment to the minimum wage for those with disabilities that would basically put an end to sheltered workshops if passed through the Senate. He said he appreciates all the businesses that use their services, but even if everything would go perfect this year, the sheltered workshop would end up the year about $7,000 in the hole. Kristen DeLuca of K DeLuca Audit Services LLC presented the board with findings from her audit of fiscal year 2019. She said she gave the city an unmodified opinion that states the books were fairly stated in her opinion. In short, she said the city had in total over 27 million dollars in assets and had over 9.8 million dollars in liabilities which leaves the city with a net position of over 16.4 million dollars. DeLuca also said she had no new findings for the city in their financials. She said two notes that are presented say the city has a problem with the segregation of duties which is normal for a city of this size, and that the books were prepared under the guidance of the generally accepted accounting principals better known as GAAP. The board approved the recommendation by Archer Elgin to go with the bid from Don Maggi, Inc of Rolla to do the work for the TAP Grant to build the trail from the R-80 Administration building to Pavilion #1 in the Salem City Park for $306.500.52. With this grant, 80% will be paid by MoDOT with 20% being the responsibility of the city. After the board approved the consent agenda, Park and Recreation Director Melissa Dubois reported the football camp that just got underway had 134 children in it. She wanted to thank Andrew Wynn and Head Football Coach Dylan Wyrick for helping with the camp and making it possible. She said Smart Soccer Signups end Friday for boys and girls age 3 through 5 and a parent, and the regular Soccer program signups for boys and girls 14 and under will also end Friday with late registration ending on February 14th. City Administrator Ray Walden said there were 4,421 people who used the Salem Community Center@The Armory in January. He said utility bills will be going out this week and will only reflect about one months usage. He said if anyone has questions, they can stop by the utility office or call 729-4117. Walden invited everyone to the retirement celebration for Salem Police Chief Keith Steelman and Lieutenant Marty Farrar at the Salem Police Station from 2:30-4:00 on February 14th. Walden said the next Board of Aldermen meeting would be held on February 18th due to President’s Day on Monday and the offices will be closed that day. The board approved Resolution 2-2020 that adopted an economic development policy for the pricing of land for sale in the Masters Industrial Park, and approved Resolution #3-2020 approving the agreement between the City of Salem and C. M. Archer Group, P.C. to be the city’s engineer. The board approved a layout plan submitted by Legend Clift to create a mobile home park at 701 East Center Street. The plan had previously been approved by the building inspector. Clift is in the process of improving the property and installing a new water line. The board also approved the allowed destruction of old police records that are seven years and older to be destroyed in accordance with state statutes as submitted by Chief Keith Steelman. The board then went into closed session.

The Salem Area Arts Council is sponsoring “Art Across the Ages” from March 2 through March 27, 2020 at the Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center (ONCRC) in Salem to celebrate Youth Art Month. Young people and adult artists from all around the Dent County area are encouraged to submit their work for display during this time to show how artistic talent can be found in many forms and artists can be of any age. Additionally, a “Meet the Artists” public reception with refreshments will be held on Tuesday evening, March 10th from 6:00 to 8:00. Artists can make arrangements to drop off their artwork during the month of February by calling (573) 247-0279. This is a wonderful way to display the amazing talent found within this area, and artists of all ages and art of all media are encouraged to participate. All school art teachers and home schoolers are being invited to submit examples of their students’ work. For more information, please feel free to call the representative of the Salem Area Arts Council at (573) 247-0279. The Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center is located at 202 South Main in Salem.

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning at the courthouse for their regular meeting. Joe Bruno, the workshop manager from the Dent County Sheltered Workshop, was in attendance along with their board President Josh Gordon, board member Denita Williams and the parent of a worker, Keith Mueller. He wanted to speak with the commissioners about the future of the workshop. Bruno said that many other sheltered workshops have stopped collecting recyclables as those markets have dried up. As an example he cited the recycling of cardboard for businesses where at one time they were getting $200 per ton where as now they only receive $45 per ton. Bruno says the Sheltered Workshop now charges business $2.00 per pickup of cardboard, by doing this they kept 150.74 tons of cardboard out of landfills. He says the money they get back does not cover the cost of collecting the cardboard with the cost of the truck, gas, manpower, etc. He also said the increase in the minimum wage will hurt as he requested an increase in funds from the SB40 Board to cover the increase, but received a cut in his budget of $47,386. Bruno said that if everything went perfect this year, the workshop would end up about $9,500 short with all these cuts in place. He says the workshop is a viable work opportunity for their 33 clients that would have difficulty in many cases finding a job elsewhere, plus he feels obligated to his seven staff members. Bruno stated there is now a push from Washington, DC to eliminate all Sheltered Workshops. He stated House Bill 582 passed the House, but he does not feel it will make it through the Senate, but that is an unknown. The sheltered workshop provides packing services, assembly services, lawn mowing, collects recycling materials, builds birdhouses and picnic tables and more. They can also shred personal or commercial documents with their large shredders. Bruno said their most important feature is providing needed services to the community. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell said materials were added and grading is being done on Dent County Roads 5170 and 6220, while only grading will be done on county road 6020. Purcell said brush will be cut on county roads 6020 and 6580 and a crew will be patching potholes in various locations on chip and seal roads including county road 6180. Commissioner Gary Larson stated materials will be added and grading would be done on Dent County Roads 2120 and 3180, while only materials are going to be added to county road 4060 and grading done on county road 4300. Larson said brush would be cut on Dent County Road 2530. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley is reminding everyone to make sure that all your voting information is correct, and if you have moved or had a name change to please contact her office. The last day to register will be February 12th for the Presidential Preference Primary where you will have to pick a party before voting. The next meeting of the commissioners will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Dent County Sheriffs Department has released report on the department’s activities between January 20th and January 24th. On Monday the 20th, a deputy traveled to the 35000 block of Highway 72 in an attempt to serve an arrest warrant. A 53-year-old man from Silex was arrested for an active warrant through the Phelps County Sheriff’s Office. The man was arrested and transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office where he was later extradited to Phelps County. Then last Wednesday on the 22nd, deputies traveled to a residence on Dent County Road 6620 in an attempt to serve an arrest warrant at which time a 33-year-old Licking man was arrested for an active warrant through the Texas County Sheriff’s Office. The man was transported to the Dent County Jail and incarcerated. That same day the Viburnum Police Department located a 45-year-old Salem man who had active arrest warrants through Dent County. A deputy with the Dent County Sheriff’s Office traveled to the Viburnum Police Department and transported the man back to Dent County jail where he was incarcerated. On Friday, the 24th, deputies conducted a traffic stop near the 6500 block of Highway 119. During the course of the traffic stop, a 38-year-old Salem woman was arrested for felony driving while having her license revoked. The woman was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office where she was fingerprinted, issued a summons and released. If you have information about any investigation, contact the sheriff’s office at 729-3241.

A one-vehicle accident happened Sunday afternoon shortly before 1:30 in Crawford County on Highway 19 just north of Route O. The report from the highway patrol report states that a 2017 Can Am UTV being operated by 50- year old Brad Weber of Cuba was traveling south when the crash occurred as an unknown vehicle traveling north crossed the centerline causing Weber to travel off the right side of the road and overturn. Weber suffered serious injuries and was transported to Missouri Baptist Hospital in Sullivan. The UTV sustained extensive damage and was removed from the scene by family.

A one vehicle accident happened Sunday afternoon shortly after 4:30 in Phelps County that resulted in injuries to two St. James residents. According to the report from the highway patrol, a 2013 Harley Davidson Streetglide driven by 42-year old Clay McKinnon of St. James was traveling north on Highway 63 about three miles south of Vida when the motorcycle experienced a mechanical malfunction and overturned ejecting McKinnon and a passenger, 34-year old Christina Scantlin. McKinnon suffered minor injuries and sought his own treatment. Scantlin was transported by Phelps Health Ambulance to Phelps Health Hospital in Rolla for the treatment of moderate injuries. The Harley Davidson was totaled and was towed from the scene by the owner.

An accident happened Friday night at 6:51 in St. Louis County on eastbound Interstate 44 west of the Highway 141 junction that took the life of a man from Steelville. According to the highway patrol report, a 2002 Chevy Silverado driven eastbound on Interstate 44 by 28-year old Troy Kennedy of Steelville, went off the right side of the roadway causing Kennedy to overcorrect. The overcorrection caused the Silverado to overturn multiple times ejecting Kennedy from the Chevy. Kennedy was taken to the Mercy Hospital in St. Louis and was pronounced dead at 7:23 Friday evening by Dr. Sineff. His body was taken to the St. Louis County Morgue by the St. Louis County Medical Examiner’s office transport service. Kennedy was not wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident. The Chevy Silverado was totaled and removed from the scene by McNamara’s Towing of St. Louis.

An accident happened in Dent County on Highway 72 at the intersection of Route C Thursday afternoon at 3:50. According to the highway patrol report, a 2002 Chevy Impala driven westbound by 18-year old Joshua Birdsong of Salem, rear ended a 1998 Mitsubishi Mirage driven westbound by 59-year old Jimmy Seest of Rolla. The Mirage then rear ended a 2002 Ford Focus driven westbound by a 16-year old male juvenile of Salem who was stopped to make a left turn onto Route C. Suffering moderate injuries was Jimmy Seest who was taken by ambulance to the Salem Memorial District Hospital, while Joshua Birdsong suffered minor injuries. He was taken by a private vehicle to the Salem Hospital for treatment. The Chevy Impala was totaled and removed by Tune’s Auto of Rolla from the scene; the Mitsubishi was also totaled and removed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing of Salem, and the Ford Focus had moderate damage and was driven from the scene. Everyone involved were wearing seat restraints at the time of the accident.

A two vehicle accident resulting in five injuries happened shortly after 2:30 Wednesday afternoon in Ste. Genevieve County at Route D and Route HH. The report from the highway patrol states that a 2019 Toyota Camry driven by 31-year old Shawn Livingston of St. James was traveling west on Route HH and failed to stop at a stop sign, striking a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado being driven by 67-year old Cecil Crocker of Bonne Terre. The impact caused both vehicles to travel off the west side of the road and strike a tree. Livingston and a passenger in the Toyota, 31-yearb old Sara Jones of Park Hills, suffered moderate injuries and were both transported to Parkland Health Center in Farmington by St. Francois County Ambulance. The driver of the Chevrolet, Cecil CrockerJr., suffered serious injuries and was transported to Mercy Hospital South by St. Genevieve County Ambulance while two passengers in the Chevy, 27-year old Robert Gynland and 17- year old Kevin Nash, both of Bonne Terre, suffered minor injuries and were both transported to Parkland Health Center in Farmington by the Ste. Genevieve County Ambulance District. Both vehicles were totaled and removed from the scene by Buckley’s Towing. Neither the driver of the Toyota nor the passengers in the Silverado were wearing safety restraints at the time of the accident.

The City of Salem Board of Aldermen will meet Monday night at the City Hall Council Chambers for their regular meeting at 7:00. In the hearing of persons, the board will hear from Ray Bruno of the Scenic Rivers Industries about possible changes in the recycling services they offer. The board will also hear Kristin DeLuca from K Deluca Auditing Services as she will present the 2019 Fiscal Year audit for the city. The board will then receive and discuss bids from on the TAP Grant for the trail from the Salem R-80 Administration Building to Pavilion #1 in the Salem City Park. After the consent agenda, the board will hear from City Administrator Ray Walden about current projects going on in the city. They will also get an update on the park and recreation programs from Park and Rec Director Melissa DuBois. In the Introduction and Reading of Bills, Resolution 2-2020 will be discussed that would adopt an economic development policy for the sale of land in the Masters Industrial Park in the City of Salem. The Board will also hear Resolution 3-2020 to approve a three-year contract with the C.M. Archer Group to continue to provide engineering services for the city. In new business, the board will hear from Legend Clift as he is requesting approval for a mobile home court at 701 East Center Street. Salem Police Chief Keith Steelman will discuss the destruction of some of the 2013 police records that no longer have to be kept. The board will then go into closed session to discuss contracts, personnel and real estate before adjourning. The meeting of the Salem Board of Aldermen is open to the public.

Friday night at the Salem Basketball game between the Tigers and Licking Wildcats, Malia Terrill was crowned the 2020 Homecoming Queen by last year’s Homecoming Queen, Madi Keith. Her court consisted of freshman Cayleigh Moody, sophomore Jaden Flores, junior Jodi Gothchal and seniors Mallorie Dittman and Brooklin Shelton. Congratulations Malia!

The Dent County Commissioners met Thursday morning at the courthouse for their regular meeting. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell stated materials would be added and grading done on Dent County Roads 5015, 5085, 6220 and 6230. He went on to say that maintenance work was being done on brush cutter #48 and that workers would be replacing road number signs that had been stolen. The stolen signs each year cost the county about $2,200 in materials not to mention additional labor needed to install the signs. Purcell said the theft of the road number signs creates a safety hazard for emergency vehicles to be able to find people in need of those services. If anyone sees someone taking a county road number sign, please contact the Dent County Sheriff’s Department at 729-3241. Commissioner Gary Larson reported that a worker from District 1 and his district are repairing the Dura-Patch machine. He also said brush would be cut on county roads 2520 and 2530. Larson also indicated that materials would be added to several roads with muddy spots. Larson added that workers would be cleaning out pipes on Dent County Roads 4280, 4290 and 5300. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported on the Department of Natural Resources Historic Courthouse Preservation Grant meeting held at the Salem Community Center@The Armory on Tuesday. Skiles said right now there are no dollars available at this time. Skiles stated DNR is currently writing the rules for the grant. The program will be funded by legislative appropriations. The next meeting of the commissioners will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse. The meeting will be open to the public

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds Missouri resident and nonresident landowners who qualify to receive free or discounted deer and turkey hunting permits to register their properties in MDC’s new Landowner Permit Registry either online or by completing a paper application. Starting this year, resident landowners with 20 or more contiguous acres and nonresident landowners
with 75 or more contiguous acres qualify for landowner deer and turkey permits and must submit their property information to the MDC Landowner Registry to receive them. The new landowner registry will provide MDC and permit vendors with secure records of landowners and members of their households who qualify for the free and discounted permits, along with proof of land ownership and boundaries of the properties for which the free and discounted permits apply. According to MDC, the landowner registry is needed by both the Department and permit vendors to help eliminate misuse of landowner permits and privileges. Conservation agents around the state find several hundred violations each year related to the misuse of landowner permits and privileges. Learn more about the MDC Landowner Registry and apply online through the secure MDC webpage at mdc.mo.gov/landownerpermits. The page also provides answers to common questions. For a paper application and more information on the registry, go online, email permits@mdc.mo.gov, call MDC Permit Services at 573-522-0107 and select Option 1, or mail a request to: Missouri Department of Conservation, Permit Services – Landowner, PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180.

An accident happened in Dent County at 6:05 in the morning Thursday on Highway 32 about 15 miles west of Salem. According to the highway patrol report, a 2003 Ford Focus driven eastbound by 39-year old Shadrach Ferguson of Raymondville, failed to negotiate a curve and traveled off the right side of the roadway where the vehicle overturned. Ferguson suffered moderate injuries and was taken to the Salem Memorial District Hospital. Ferguson was not wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident. The Focus was totaled and removed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing of Salem. The Missouri Highway Patrol was assisted by the Dent County Sheriff’s Department.

Tonight will not only be the Town and Country Bank “Cat Classic” at the Salem High School gym for the basketball game between Salem and Licking, but Homecoming as well. This year’s attendants are freshman Cayleigh Moody, sophomore Jaden Flores, junior Jodi Gotchal, and the three senior quen candidates: Malia Terrill, Mallorie Dittman and Brooklin Shelton. Last year’s Homecoming Queen, Madi Keith, willcrown the new queen at the festivities. This year’s escorts will be Reese Dodson, Dawson Conway, Carter Chilton, Silas Wulff, Braiden Carmack and Luke Morrison.

A one vehicle accident involving a Salem resident occurred Wednesday morning at 8:40 in Phelps County on Highway 72 about six miles east of Rolla near Phelps County Road 4120. According to the report released from the highway patrol, a 2004 Pontiac Grand Am being driven by 22-year old Angel Spurgin of Salem, was westbound and began sliding on the ice covered roadway. The car traveled off the left side of the road striking a marker post as well as an embankment and a tree. Spurgin, who was not wearing a safety restraint, suffered moderate injuries and was transported to Phelps Health in Rolla. The Pontiac was totaled and removed from the scene by C&C Towing.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Office has released reports for January 17th and 18th. On Friday, January 17th, the Dent County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a 27-year-old Rolla man who stated he had active arrest warrants from Pulaski County. Deputies traveled to the 35000 block of Highway 72 and arrested the man on the warrant. He was taken to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office where he was incarcerated. On Saturday, January 18th, deputies traveled to the 3200 block of Route P in an attempt to serve arrest warrants. During the course of the incident, a 23-year-old Salem woman was arrested for having an active arrest warrant through Dent County. Also arrested during the incident was a 28-year-old Salem man for an arrest warrant through Probation and Parole. Both subjects were transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office where they were incarcerated. Please call the Dent County Sheriff’s Office at 729-3241 with information about any ongoing investigation.

Ozark National Scenic Riverways is proposing a temporary closure on the taking, pursuing or releasing of all feral swine within the park. The temporary closure would support interagency efforts to eliminate feral swine in Missouri. The temporary closure would align Ozark National Scenic Riverways with its partners and neighbors in the statewide efforts to eliminate feral swine from Missouri. It is a crucial step in meeting the goals of the Missouri Feral Hog Elimination Partnership. This is a cooperative effort by a number of agencies and organizations within Missouri, including the U.S. Forest Service, Missouri Department of Conservation, the USDA Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service, and the Missouri Department of Agriculture. The proposed closure would include an allowance for opportunistic take of feral swine by persons possessing a valid State deer or turkey hunting permit who are hunting deer or turkey in compliance with the permit. The proposal for temporary closure is available for public review and comment on the Planning, Environment and Public Comment website at parkplanning.nps.gov/ozar. The proposal will be open for comment now to February 11th.

The Meramec Regional Community Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2020 community grant round. All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. on January 31st 2020. The community grantmaking program for Meramec Regional Community Foundation is available for programs and organizations in Meramec’s eight-county region for Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington Counties. An estimated six grants of $250 each will be available to nonprofit, 501(c)3 organizations, schools, faith-based organizations and governmental entities looking for funds to address local needs through their project that will enhance the quality of life within the community. Nonprofit, 501(c)3 organizations, schools, faith-based organizations and governmental entities are eligible to apply for grants. Applications must be for First-time applicants should include a copy of their 501(c)3 status,.For questions please contact Maria Bancroft at 573.265.2993, ext. 114, or email mbancroft@meramecregion.org or Bonnie Prigge, 573.265.2993, ext. 103, or email bprigge@meramecregion.org. The Community Foundation of the Ozarks is a regional public charitable foundation that holds more than 3,000 funds for donors, nonprofit partners and 49 affiliate foundations, including the Meramec Regional Community Foundation.

Come and weave an amazing love knot with straw for yourself or a loved one on Friday, February 7th at 6:30 at the Creative Arts Center. This is an introductory workshop to learn the age old traditional art that yields beautiful results. The cost is just $10.00 for regular love knots and only $5.00 for little hearts. The program is led by professional artist Suzanne Douglass and all the materials will be provided and you can take home your creation at the end of the night. Call or text 247-0279 to register for the program and arrange payment to hold your spot.

This Friday night will not only be the Town and Country Bank “Cat Classic” at the Salem High School gym for the basketball game between Salem and Licking, but Homecoming as well. This year’s attendants are freshman Cayleigh Moody, sophomore Jaden Flores, junior Jodi Gotchal, and the three senior quen candidates: Malia Terrill, Mallorie Dittman and Brooklin Shelton. Last year’s Homecoming Queen, Madi Keith, will crown the new queen at the festivities. This year’s escorts will be Reese Dodson, Dawson Conway, Carter Chilton, Silas Wulff, Braiden Carmack and Luke Morrison.

The Ozark National Scenic Riverways has selected Jason Lott to serve as the Acting Superintendent following the retirement of Larry Johnson on January 3rd. Lott will arrive in the park this week to begin the 120-day assignment while a new permanent superintendent is sought. Lott has been with the National Park Service (NPS) since 2002. Lott is a twenty-year veteran with the Army National Guard, having served ten years as an enlisted soldier with a deployment during Desert Storm, and as an officer who served as a Company Commander for the 1086th Transportation Company during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Jason retired as a Captain in 2007. Lott holds a master’s degree in History with an emphasis in Cultural Resource Management from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. He and his wife, Wendy, and their two children are residents of Los Alamos, New Mexico.

The Dent County Commissioners’ regular meeting was held Monday morning at the courthouse. Deloris Gray Wood from the Dent County Historical Society was in attendance to discuss with the commission the 150th anniversary of the Dent County Courthouse. She recommended a celebration on March 30th at the courthouse with a birthday cake and water. March 30th, 1870 is the date the contract to build the courthouse was approved. The other celebration she would like to have is on July 4th. The commissioners agreed to both celebrations and they will discuss further what to do on Independence Day to tie in with the parade and other downtown events. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams presented the January CART tax receipts for the commission. She reported Dent County received $56,050.15 this January compared to the $54,808.09 received in a January of 2019. That is an increase of $1,242.06. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell said patch grading was being done on Dent County Roads 6230 and 6240. He said the southern part of the county received about five inches of snow from the last storm Thursday and Friday. He also stated that a crossover pipe was being repaired and another was being installed on county road 5170. He said additional road materials would be added to that road as well. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said brush was being cut on county roads 2560, 2580, 2613 and 4430. He also said men would be working on Dent County Truck #116 and doing shop maintenance. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported he would be attending a Department of Natural Resources meeting at the Salem Community Center@The Armory at 1:00 today on preservation grant funds. He is interested on anything that may be able to be used for the courthouse provided that it doesn’t have too many strings associated with it. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said absentee voting for the March 10th Presidential Preference Primary would begin today. She also said the last day to register to vote for the primary would be February 12th. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission would be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Office has released some reports. On Tuesday, January 14th, deputies traveled to a residence in the 100 block of South Pershing Street to serve an arrest warrant. During the course of the incident, a 30-year-old Salem man was arrested for having active warrants through Dent County. The man was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office where he was incarcerated. Then on January 15th a deputy conducted a traffic stop on McArthur Street. During the course of the traffic stop, a 28-year-old Licking man was arrested for having active arrest warrants from the Houston Police Department and Licking Police Department. The man was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office where he was later extradited by another agency. On Thursday, January 16th, a deputy traveled to a residence in the 6500 block of Highway 119 for the report of a burglary. During the course of the investigation, a 19-year-old Salem man was arrested for having an active arrest warrant through Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office. The man was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office where he later posted bond and was released. Please call the Dent County Sheriff’s Office at 729-3241 with any information about an ongoing investigation.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors met Tuesday night at the hospital library. At the meeting, the board heard from Karolyn Adams, the Clinical Director of the SMDH Family Medicine, about the history of the clinic and changes over the years. For the month of December, CFO Monica Stogsdill reported 120 patients were admitted with only 286 inpatient census days. The acute care average amount of patients per day in December was 10. Outpatient registrations came in at 1,736 while there were 1,736 cardiopulmonary procedures, 8,514 laboratory tests, 1,420 radiological procedures, 782 emergency department visits, 578 rehab treatments and 278 Home Health visits. A total of 226 ambulance runs were made in December with 178 patients transported with 48 dry runs. For the month, the hospital had a loss from operations of $346,551 with an excess of expenses over revenues of $289,169 after tax receipts. The expenses in December were driven by contractual services that included those for nursing, rehab care and also for billing and medical records. With the loss from operations, there was a cash decrease during the month of $42,158 with the days cash on hand still at 46. Days in net receivable continues to rise during this time of transition and now stands at 89 days with over 16 million dollars of total receivables. Stogsdill said bills were just sent out for over $2 million dollars of private pay bills with another round of bills going out soon for another 1.4 million dollars. CNO Debbie Hines said there were nine reported cases of flu in Dent County since December 1st. Hospital CEO Kasey Lucas said the hospital auxiliary had nine members at their January meeting at the Salem Community Center@The Armory. They talked about the fundraisers for the year. COO Jason Edwards reported on the hospital foundation and they have 10 couples for this year’s “Dancing with the Salem Stars” to be held Saturday night at the Salem High School Gym. Some floor tickets are available for $20 in advance and if any are left, they will be $25 at the door. Bleacher tickets will be available at the door only and will be $5.00 each. Contact Edwards at the hospital for more information at 729-6626, ext 4003. Edwards also talked about the Diabetes Support Group that will begin meeting at the Salem Community Center@The Armory on March 12th with Dietician Nicole Hancock holding the one hour class from 4:30 to 5:30 on the second Tuesday of every month. Lucas went over the SMDH Emergency Department and SMDH Family Medicine Patient Satisfaction Survey results with the board. Both surveys came back with extremely positive responses. Lucas also reported on the Chief of Staff’s meeting held where Dr. John Demorlis was re-elected as the Chief of Staff, Dr. Yvonne Prince was elected the Vice-Chief of Staff and Dr. Ralph Ford was elected Secretary. The board then reviewed the medical staff reappointments and approved all the active staff and courtesy staff that reapplied. Lucas stated that only Judy Thompson of District #1 and Willie Strader of District #4 filed for those seats for the Municipal Election. Since there are no races, these individuals are automatically elected and the hospital does not have to pay for an election. Thompson’s term is for six years and Strader’s term is for three years. Lucas reviewed with the board the strategic planning for the hospital for 2020 that includes employee education and onboarding, facility expansion, standards of care, electronic medical records consolidation and affiliations such as the high school sports medicine program and telemedicine grant. The board approved the conflict of interest policy and a Home Health by-law change before announcing the finance committee this year. Ray Bruno will be the chair with Mike Swyers and Willie Strader making up the rest of the committee. The board approved the purchase of a Vein Viewer for the Laboratory from AccuVein for $5,645; two high flow heated Nasal Cannulas for the Cardio Department from Fisher and Paykel Healthcare for $6,055; a Hoyer Calibre Lift and Sling for Acute Care from McKesson for $7,314; a Weight Bed Stretcher for the Emergency Department for $7,695, three IV Pumps for the Emergency Department from B. Braun for $8,013, and a new floor scrubber for housekeeping from Cape Janitor Supply for $6,495. Lucas also reminded the board about Health Fair on February 5th and 6th at the Salem Community Center@The Armory from 6:00 until 9:00 in the morning. The board then went into closed session.

The Dent County Health Center Board of Trustees and their staff is proud to announce that the Dent County Health Center will be moving to their new location at 1010 E. Scenic Rivers Blvd (the old Dr. Cunningham office location) to enable them to serve clients more efficiently and expand on current services. The old office will be closed January 27th through January 31st for moving, weather permitting. They plan to re-open at the new location on Monday, February 3rd. If you have questions, please call them today at 729-3106.