Local News

The Dent County Commissioners met Thursday morning at the Dent County Courthouse. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles was not able to attend the meeting. First District Commissioner Dennis Purcell was appointed by Dent County Clerk Angie Curley as the acting Presiding Commissioner. In the road report, Purcell stated that some limbs were cut on Dent County Road 5520 and some shop maintenance was being performed. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said crews were putting up some signs that went down with the winds and were checking for other downed signs. Larson also said workers were checking for clogged culvert pipes. Curley then reminded those that that are not registered to vote that they must do so by March 6th to vote in the April 2nd Municipal Election. She is also working on the financial statement for 2019. Dent County Assessor Tina Whitaker was in attendance to discuss her map maintenance agreement and contract with landmark Surveying Company. The annual contract for 2019 is for $575 per month. 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.

Need a break today? Why don’t you stop by the Salem Community Center@The Armory for “Dog Days” and meet with some adorable puppies. Healthy Dent County is partnering with Dent County Animal Welfare Society (DCAWS) to bring you this event from 10:00 in the morning until 2:00 in the afternoon. All the puppies at the event are up for adoption at DCAWS. You can also bring in food or blankets for the animals and be entered in a drawing to win a $50 gift card. For additional information, please call 729-8163.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is offering grants to assist high school fishing clubs in providing quality fishing programs for their members. Grants up to $500 are available to clubs that participate in approved conservation activities, such as kids fishing clinics, fish habitat improvement projects, Stream Team cleanup, special fishing events, and others. MDC Fisheries Programs Specialist Andrew Branson said they hope this grant will help develop young men and women with an appreciation for the outdoors and conservation, along with sharing their passion for fishing with others. Branson said the money the club receives can be used to help with travel, equipment, and other needs that the club may have, but clubs cannot use the grant money to pay wages for coaches or advisors. For more information about the grant or the application process, contact Andrew Branson at 573-522-4115 ext. 3501 or at e-mail him at Andrew.Branson@mdc.mo.gov.

The Missouri Ozark Rally will be held this Saturday in Shannon County. This race is an extension of 100-Acre Wood Rally held in March in Dent, Crawford and Washington counties. The kickoff event will begin at 9:00 at the Eminence City Park where spectators can meet and greet the racers before they get rally underway at 10:00. Another spectator point will be on Shannon County Road 250 starting at about 10:30 and going west to east twice, and then at that same location going east to west twice. That phase will start at about 1:30. The spectator area on Shannon County Road is considered fairly difficult to get to and they recommend that only All-Wheel drive or Four-Wheel drive vehicles attempt to get there as you have to cross a significant low-water crossing. Echo Bluff State Park on Highway 19 will be where the rally “service area” will be located and that area will be in the “loop” parking lot starting at about 12:00 and lasting until 2:00 where the racers can work on their vehicles or just relax a bit. If you plan on attending the service area at Echo Bluff, please park in a different parking lot so that the racers have plenty of room. The end of the event will occur at Echo Bluff State Park at about 4:00. The event is open to everyone! For more information, go to facebook@100AW on go online to MISSOURIOZARKRALLY.100AW.ORG.

Healthy Dent County is pleased to announce a Community Wellness Challenge that will help participants create healthy habits by moving more and eating less. This challenge will run six weeks beginning February 4th and lasting until March 16th. This competition is not a weight loss challenge, but is based on a point system. Every day participants will have a chance to earn 6 core points by creating healthy habits such as eating two servings of fruits and veggies or getting 10,000 steps, or drinking 64 ounces of water. In addition to the core points, there will be special daily points that you can earn by doing different physical and mental health exercises. On top of the daily points there will be weekly challenges that can add an additional seven points for the week if you complete these special challenges such as no sugar for a week, no drinks with calories, reducing screen time and eating meals with your family. Every week teams will report their total team points to the Healthy Dent County staff. A team can consist of two people and has no max. The registration fee is $15 for Healthy Dent County Fitness Center Members (or for anyone that signs up), for non-members the challenge fee is $30. Once registered for the challenge participants will be added to a private Facebook group where we will share healthy recipes, fun workouts and motivation. The team that has the highest average at the end of the six weeks will be the winner, and that team will receive half of the registration fees as their cash prize. So get your team together and register now through on Friday, February 1st. Forms are available at the Salem Community Center @ the Amory or on our Healthy Dent County Facebook Page. For more information please call 729-8163.

A man and his mother-in-law are celebrating a $100,000 prize from the Missouri Lottery Scratchers ticket, “Cash Craze.” David Meyers of Licking and Dusty Halbrook of Salem were all smiles when they claimed their prize on January 15th. Meyers says he will use his share of the money to pay off bills, fix up his truck and help his family. Halbrook also plans to pay off bills. The winning ticket was purchased at Smoker’s Outlet located at 803 Highway 32 West in Salem.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital held a special meeting of the Board of Director and Finance Committee to discuss the SMDH facility expansion to include an in-house MRI. Bobby Sullins from Radiology reviewed the MRI’s from Canon, GE and Alliance. The Alliance presentation was for a used Canon machine. Both the Canon Titan MRI and the GE MRI are new machines and feature a minimum of 1.5 Tesla which is the unit of measurement quantifying the strength of a magnetic field, have a minimum of 16 channels, flex coils, large field of view, a large bore of 70-71 centimeters to reduce anxiety for claustrophobic folks and also be able to accept larger patients while most MRI’s have a bore of 55, has a quiet scan, offers a remote scan where a patient can be scanned from elsewhere, and also a smart scan that will be able to scan people with implants. Both MRI’s offer two weeks of basic training while the Canon Titan also offers two weeks of advanced training that has a value of about $90,000. This training will be “hands-on” at other locations that use the Canon software that will help those training become registered in MRI. The Canon offers a 90 day payment delay while the GE offers a 180 day payment delay. The hospital priced the MRI as a lease purchase for 60 months. The first year of the Canon would cost the hospital $28,834 per month and then would be $37,020 per month with the service agreement for years 2-5. The GE would cost $34,187 per month for the first year and would then go to $44,007 per month for years 2 through 5. The Finance committee recommended going with the Canon Titan and the board approved the recommendation. The hospital has a current contract with Alliance for the portable MRI service for another 18 months. They look to secure the price on the new Canon quickly and move forward with the hope of adding the new in-house MRI to the campus in the next nine to 12 months. The meeting was then adjourned.

Monday morning at the Dent County Courthouse, the Dent County Commissioners held the 2019 Dent County Budget hearing. The
General Revenue (GR) Fund ended 2018 with net cash available at 1.413 million dollars. The estimated revenues for 2019 were 1.572 million dollars while estimated expenses for this year are 1.799 million dollars, resulting in an estimated ending balance of over 1.186 million dollars as of December 31st, 2019. The Road and Bridge Fund ending cash balance in 2018 was $502,494.89, with estimated revenues in 2019 of 1.690 million dollars and estimated expenses of 1.952 million dollars which would result in an estimated ending balance of $240,125.09 at the end of 2019. Commissioner Skiles noted that the increase in revenues from the Road and Bridge Department sales tax will allow for an increase in chip and seal road maintenance. Commissioner Purcell and Larson hope to be able to do 18-20 miles of roads this year, but that will be determined by the bids they receive this spring based on the current cost of the oil and chips. Due to the backlog of needed chip and seal road maintenance, there will not be any new roads chip and sealed in 2019. The Assessment Fund ending balance for 2018 was $124,087.07, with estimated revenues of $195,400.00 for 2019 with estimated expenses of $241,794.50. This would result in an estimated ending balance at the end of 2019 of $77,692.57. The Law Enforcement Sales Tax (LEST) Fund ending balance in 2018 was $194,098.40. They estimate revenues in 2019 at 1.358 million dollars while the estimated deductions came in at 1.445 million dollars leaving an estimated ending balance of $107,595.47 at the end of 2019. There was some concern with the 9-1-1 fund as the revenues through landlines have continued to dwindle while the expenses to operate the system continue to rise. Commissioner Skiles said the county is supposed to be receiving additional funding this year through the sale of prepaid cell phones through retailers. The county would have to hold a county wide election to allow the people vote to include a surcharge on their cell phones for the 9-1-1 fund. He said the commissioners haven’t considered that yet, but some other counties are placing that measure on the ballot and Skiles stated the commissioners will monitor those results. Skiles also went over the new budgets for the Jail Construction and Operating Fund as well as the Jail Construction Trust Fund that are based upon a December opening of the jail. All the other smaller budgets were presented for questions, but there were none. The budget for 2019 was then approved by a 3-0 vote. The hearing was then adjourned.

An accident occurred in Dent County Monday morning at 11:25 on Route HH about two miles south of Salem. According to the highway patrol report, a southbound 2013 Kia Sportage, driven by 19-year-old Caitlin Sprow of Rolla, traveled off the right side of the roadway and then overturned. Sprow, along with a passenger 69- year-old Iris Yagel of Rolla, suffered minor injuries and were transported by the Salem Ambulance to Salem Memorial District Hospital. The report stated that both Sprow and Yagel were wearing safety restraints at the time of the accident. The Kia was totaled and removed from the scene by American Muffler and Tire. The Highway Patrol was assisted by the Dent County Sheriff’s Office and the Dent County Fire Protection District.

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning for their regular meeting. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell stated that materials would be added and patch grading done on Dent County Road 4080 while only patch grading would be done on county road 6040. He said brush would be cut on county road 5650 and some edge work will be done on the chip and seal road at the Iron Gate Subdivision off Route P. Purcell went to say that men would be working on the additional dump truck bay out at the county road maintenance shed. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said brush would be cut on county road 2070 while materials will be added and patch grading may be done on Dent County Road 4433. He went on to report that the roads in the Boss area would be checked. Larson said part of his crew would also be working on the additional dump truck parking bay at the county shed and others would be doing shop maintenance. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said he would be attending the MRPC Legislative Day at the Capital today. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley is reminding those who are not registered to vote that they have until March 6th to do so if they want to vote in the April election. Also any voter who may have moved or had a name change since the last election needs to update their voter information by calling the Dent County Clerk’s office at 729-4144 or by stopping the Dent County Courthouse during normal business hours. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Thursday morning at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

Kendra Mobray, the Administrator of the Dent County Health Center at the corner of Franklin and McArthur, wants to remind parents they have a “warming shelf” with numerous infant hats and some blankets. If you need them for your children to stay warm, stop by and get them. The Health Center is asking for donations of children’s gloves and mittens for those bitterly cold days and nights and your help would be greatly appreciated. For more information about the infant hats and blankets, of if you would like to help by donating items or providing a monetary donation for the staff to purchase items, stop by 601 S. McArthur or call 729-3106.

The Salem Police Department has released their latest reports. On Thursday, January 17th at approximately 10:05 in the evening, an officer was contacted at the Salem Police Department in reference to a burglary. The investigation of the report revealed that a person or persons unknown entered a residence in the 100 block of Westwood Drive and took a 410 shotgun and a 20-gauge shotgun each valued at $150.00. The report is under investigation. On Saturday evening, January 19th at about 10:00, an officer located a 44-year-old male of Salem in the 100 block of South Jackson who had an active arrest warrant from Dent County. The suspect was taken into custody on the warrant and incarcerated pending a court appearance. On Sunday morning, January 20th at about 8:00, a vehicle was stopped for a traffic violation. The investigation of the stop led to the arrest of a 68-year-old male of Salem for driving while having his license revoked. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court and released. That afternoon at about 5:04, an officer was dispatched to Wal-Mart in reference to a shoplifter. That investigation led to the arrest of a 38-year-old male of Steelville for stealing merchandise valued at $21.92. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court and released. On Tuesday, January 22nd at 4:50 in the afternoon, an officer was contacted in reference to an harassment. The investigation of the report revealed that a 20-year-old male of Salem had been harassing a 21-year-old female of Salem by following her in traffic, going to her work place, texting, calling and threatening her. Further investigation led to the arrest of the male suspect who was incarcerated pending a warrant application. Please contact the Salem Police Department at (573) 729-4242 if you have any information regarding any ongoing investigation.

A one-vehicle accident resulting in serious injuries occurred Wednesday afternoon at 4:42 in Iron County on Highway 32 about five miles west of Bunker. The accident happened as a 2012 Ford Edge driven west by 56-year old Eddie Freeman of Salem, traveled off the left side of the road and struck two trees. Freeman was transported by ambulance to Salem Memorial District Hospital for treatment of his injuries. The Ford was totaled in the accident and removed from the scene by Abney’s Towing. According to the report Freeman was not wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident.

The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting Thursday morning in the Courthouse. In the road report District One Commissioner Dennis Purcell said that his crew was working on a spreader box and installing reflectors on the railings of a bridge on Dent County Road 2400. He said that others of his crew were checking roads for slick spots and treating them. Purcell noted that one member of his crew was working with District Two at the Road and Bridge Department. He also reported that on Monday he attended a Tourism Committee meeting where three proposals were presented and approved, plus two requests for reimbursement were approved. District Two Commissioner Gary Larson reported that two of his crewmen, along with a man from District One, were adding three bays to the dump truck parking shed. He said that the rest of his crew was checking for slick spots and grading those to reduce danger. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported that on Wednesday he attended the 50th Anniversary Celebration of MRPC in St. James. He noted that other MRPC Board Members from Dent County in attendance were Gary Brown, Bob Parsons, and Ray Walden. Skiles said that those in attendance were treated to remarks by Ray Carillo, one of the founding members of MRPC. He also noted that MRPC’s Bonnie Prigge is only the third Executive Director in MRPC’s 50 year history. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reminded everyone of the budget hearing Monday, January 28th at 10:00 in the Commissioners’ Office. She also noted that the last day to register for the April 2nd election is March 6th and that anyone who has had an address change should contact her office at 729-4144. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams was in to report CART tax receipts for January at $54,808.09, which is down $1,547.03 or 2%, when compared to January 2018’s $56,355.12. Dent County Sheriff Bob Wells was in to discuss disposing of some Sheriff’s Department vehicles that are no longer needed. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Monday morning in the Courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

Missouri youth, archery, and firearms turkey hunters can apply online for 2019 spring turkey managed hunts starting on February 1st through the 28th through the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) website at mdc.mo.gov. Managed hunt details and application procedures are outlined on the webpage. Drawing results will be posted starting March 15th. Spring turkey hunting youth weekend will be April 6th and 7th with the regular spring season running April 15th through May 5th. Permits will be available starting March 1st. Detailed information on spring turkey hunting will be available in MDC’s 2019 Spring Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available where permits are sold beginning in February. To learn more about turkey hunting in Missouri, visit MDC’s website. Buy Missouri hunting permits from numerous vendors around the state, online at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits, or through the MDC free mobile app, MO Hunting, available for download through Google Play for Android devices or the App Store for Apple devices.

Congressman Jason Smith has announced the 2019 Congressional Art Competition is now accepting entries from high school students across southeast and south central Missouri. Each of the five district offices in Missouri’s 8th Congressional District will select two winning pieces from their region to move on to the “Best of Show” competition, where an overall winner will be selected. The overall winner’s artwork will be displayed in the United States Capitol for a year, where lawmakers and thousands of visitors will walk past it each day. Each regional winner will have the opportunity to have their artwork showcased in local offices for all visitors to see. Last year’s winner was Avery Coffman from Salem R-80, who created her artwork of the St. Jude Chapel in Montauk by burning a drawing of the church into a piece of wood. For winning “Best of Show,” Avery received two round-trip plane tickets to Washington, D.C. to attend the Congressional Art Competition reception with other winners from across the country. To be considered for the Congressional Art Competition, artwork should be submitted to the respective district office no later than April 17th, 2019. Regional winners will be announced shortly thereafter, and the “Best of Show” competition will be held on May 13th, 2019. Local high schools have been notified of the competition and how to submit students’ artwork to local offices. If any students wishing to participate would like more information or wish to see the complete participation rules manual, call the district office at (573) 364-2455.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital regular board meeting was held Tuesday evening in the Hospital Library. The board approved the appointment of Mike Swyers as the District 2 board member to fill the vacancy of A.J. Seay who resigned after moving from the district. Swyers was sworn in by Hospital Attorney Mark Weaver. Swyers has filed to run for this position in the upcoming April election and will be sworn in again after the election as he is unopposed. The board heard from Frank Rauhe questioning his bill for outpatient services. He stated that his co-pay bill, after Medicare’s payment, was 12 times higher than at a larger hospital in St. Louis. Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas explained that Medicare sets the fees and co-payment charges for all Critical Access hospitals. Lucas recently discussed the need for reform in the Medicare calculations for Critical Access Hospitals with Congressman Jason Smith. The board heard presentations from Jodie Gorman, Human Resources and Kathy Haynes, Infection Control/Employee Health. Monica Stogsdil gave the summary of operations for the month of December. The hospital had 108 inpatient admissions with 346 inpatient census days. The hospital showed a gain from operations of $80,122 and revenues over expenses after taxes of $136,583. Cash increased for the month by $239,444. During the month, there were 733 emergency room visits to go with 193 ambulance runs, 18 surgery cases, 1,510 outpatient registrations, 339 home health visits, 7,760 lab tests, 1,153 radiological procedures and 665 rehab treatments. Chief of Nursing Debbie Hines gave a Hospital Performance Report where the hospital is ranked on five areas. The next Hospital Auxiliary meeting will be held February 5 at noon at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory where the 2019 fundraising schedule will be discussed. Hospital COO Chris Strickland reported the Hospital Foundation “Dancing with the Salem Stars” fundraising event will be held this Saturday at the Salem High School gymnasium. A benefit concert and wing-off will be held August 3 at the Commons. He said the hospital is continuing to work on Project RISE with Healthy Dent County. Lucas gave the Patient Satisfaction Survey results for the Emergency Department and Family Medicine. There were 130 total surveys returned for the ED department and 431 returned for the Family Medicine, both departments received very high scores in each category. The board approved the medical staff recommendation for active staff privileges for all current CRNA, Medical and Courtesy staff. The board approved a Conflict of Interest Policy and approved appointing Mike Swyers to the Finance Committee. The board also approved the budget purchase of a BiPap Machine Replacement for Cardio Pulmonary totaling $13,797 from Philips Health Care; a medical grade refrigerator for the Pharmacy for $2,366 from Alex Laboratory Equipment, a refrigerator for Dietary from US Foods for $4,264. They also approved the non-budgeted purchase of two refrigerators for $8,312 for the Lab from Jack’s Refrigeration. The board then went into closed session.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Department has released some reports. On Tuesday, January 15th, deputies received a report of cattle stolen. During the course of the investigation, it was discovered that approximately 32 cattle had been reported stolen from a property off Route K. This report is open and still under investigation. On Wednesday, January 16th, deputies conducted a traffic stop on East Highway 32 near Chilton Oil Company. During the course of the traffic stop, a 26-year old Salem man was arrested for driving while being intoxicated. The male was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office, finger printed, issued summons and released. That same day, deputies received a report from Intercounty Electric of a utility meter that was being tampered with. Deputies traveled to an address on Private Lane 413, which is where the meter was located that was allegedly being affected. During the course of the investigation, a 58-year old Salem man was arrested for tampering with a utility meter in the 2nd degree. He was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office, fingerprinted, issued summons and released. If anyone has any information about the cattle theft, please contact the Dent County Sheriff’s Department at 729-3241.

Come take a mental health break and pet some adorable puppies! Healthy Dent County is partnering with the Dent County Animal Welfare Society (DCAWS) to bring you their very first “Dog Days!” Come out to the Salem Community Center @ Armory and play with some puppies to unwind and de-stress. The event will be on February 1st from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm in the multipurpose room. All the puppies at the event are up for adoption at DCAWS. If you want to bring in food or blankets for the animals, you will be entered in a drawing to win a $50 gift card. For additional information, please call 729-8163.

The Dent County Service Unit of The Salvation Army would like to announce that they have successfully surpassed their $30,000 goal during this year’s Christmas Kettle Campaign. The total raised was $39,544. Along with the monetary donations received this year, 289 local children were adopted at the Angel Tree that was located at Wal-Mart. The local Salvation Army Board would like to thank everyone who made monetary donations and/or 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 throughout 2019 to those less fortunate in Dent County.

The Salem Board of Alderman met Tuesday night at the City Hall Council Chambers. Bids were discussed for a utility body for a 2006 F-250. This issue was brought back for consideration after the bid from KRANZ Body, LLC had been misplaced. The Board voted to rescind the motion passed at the January 7th meeting to accept the bid from Knapheide Truck Equipment. Since the list of specifications submitted to the bidders was not available for review so the Board postponed a decision to award the bid until the next Board of Alderman meeting. Three responsible bids for WWTP Phase 1B Improvement Projects were received and the Board approved the low bid by Smith & Edwards Construction, Inc. of Mountain Grove in the amount of $1,574,750.00. Three alternative bids were received for rebuilding or replacing an influent pump or pumps. The Board approved the purchase of two pumps from Hydro-Kinetics Corporation in St. Louis for a total of $28,133.00. After approval of the consent agenda, City Attorney William Camm Seay reported that there were no objections at the Planning and Zoning Commission Public Hearing to the subdivision of 5400 Ranch Motel Drive. The Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to approve the request to subdivide Lots A, B, C, & D and zone the lots R-3, while the remaining properties will continue to be zoned Commercial. The Board approved the request by the commission and an ordinance will be prepared to finalize the request. City Administrator Ray Walden reported that Requests for Proposal Qualifications will be sent out for the former Middle School and the former City Hall Auditorium, plus water line projects. Economic Development Director Sally Burbridge presented the Social Media Policy for consideration. She noted that the Policy addresses Facebook use and any other Social Media utilized by the City of Salem. Resolution No. 1-2019, a resolution authorizing the Mayor to sign the application for a LWCF Grant for Soccer Field Complex development, was approved board as was Resolution 2-2019, a resolution adopting a social media policy for the City of Salem. Resolution No. 3-2019, a resolution authorizing the mayor to accept a perpetual utility easement located at 1415 West Scenic Rivers Boulevard, on property owned by Phelps County Regional Medical Center, was presented and was approved by the board. The meeting was then adjourned.

A one-vehicle accident injury accident happened Monday evening at 6:51 in Phelps County, on Route C just north of Phelps County Road 8260. A 2005 Chevrolet Impala, driven by 57-year old Lawrence Greene of Rolla, was southbound and failed to negotiate a curve. The vehicle traveled off the left side of the road and struck a fence, a utility box and a tree. Greene was transported to Phelps Health hospital for treatment of moderate injuries. According to the report, Greene was wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Impala sustained moderate damage and was removed from the scene by Ron Dishman’s Towing.

This Saturday night at 6:30 at the Creative Arts Center, everyone is invited to the Salem Acoustic Community Jam. Bring your instrument and play along or just come and tap your feet. There is no cost but your time!

Congratulations to these 7th and 8th grade Salem Middle School Band students for their selection in the Missouri Music Educators Association Central District Honor Band. The students participated in an all day rehearsal and concert at the Waynesville High School on January 5th. The 7th Grade students named to the band included Hunter Barton, Chris Frederickson, Abby Hutto and Jacob Bender. The 8th Graders that were selected to the band include Kaycee Ditch, Hayden Utley, Reagin Toten and Chris Harris. Congratulations also go out to these students for their selection to the SCA Middle School Honor Band. These students will rehearse and perform on February 2nd at the Ava High School. The 7th Grade students named to honor band include Hunter Barton, Chris Frederickson and Jacob Bender. The 8th Grade students named to the Honor band include Kiele Land, Alyson Leach, Kaycee Ditch, Reagin Toten, Sam Henderson, Chris Harris, Marvin Aspinwall and Dylan McMullin.

The City of Salem Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a Public Hearing at 6:30 tonight to hear a request of the subdividing of 5400 Ranch Motel Drive at the City Hall Council Chambers. A Planning and Zoning Commission meeting to discuss the subdividing of Ranch Motel Drive will follow the hearing. The regular Board of Aldermen meeting will follow at 7:00 at the council chambers and will feature the discussion of three bids. The first bid will be for the utility body for a 2006 Ford F-250. A bid placed by Kranz Body of St. Louis had been misplaced and will now be brought before the alderman along with the bid from Knapheide of Jefferson City. Bids for the Waste Water Treatment Project Phase 1B Improvements will be discussed as will the recommendation by Archer-Elgin. There will also be a bid brought before the aldermen for the rebuilding of an influent pump. After the consent agenda, the board will hear the recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission about the subdividing of 5400 Ranch Motel Drive. They will also hear City Administrator Ray Walden’s report. In new business, the board will hear about and discuss a new Social Media Policy for the city. The board will also hear three resolutions at the meeting. The first allows the mayor to sign the application for federal assistance and any other documents needed by the State of Missouri or the US Department of the Interior, National Park Service. The second resolution is to adopt a Social Media Policy for the City of Salem, and the third resolution authorizes the mayor to sign to accept a perpetuity utility easement located at 1415 West Scenic Rivers Blvd on property owned by the Phelps County Regional Medical Center. The meeting will then be adjourned. The Salem Planning and Zoning Commission hearing and meeting, and the Salem Board of Aldermen meeting are open to the public.

A one-vehicle accident happened Sunday afternoon at 3:30 in Dent County on Highway 32 West of Salem. According to the highway patrol report, a 1996 Chevy S-10 Pickup driven eastbound by 17-year old Nathan Faulkner of Salem traveled off the right side of the roadway, struck a fence and a telephone pole. The Chevy S-10 then overturned in a ditch. Faulkner suffered minor injuries and refused treatment at the scene. The Chevy was totaled and removed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing.

Missouri’s 2018-2019 deer-hunting season ended January 15th with the Missouri Department of Conservation reporting a preliminary total harvest of 290,339 deer. Top counties for the overall season were Franklin with 5,826 deer harvested, Callaway with 5,545, and Howell with 5,350. Of the 290,339 deer harvested, 136,776 were antlered bucks, 30,116 were button bucks, and 123,447 were does. The most recent record season was in 2012-2013 with a total harvest of 313,254. Deer hunting ended with the close of the archery season. Preliminary data from MDC showed that hunters checked 54,447 deer during the archery season. Top counties for the archery season were Jefferson with 1,262 deer harvested, St. Louis with 1,083, and Franklin with 1,068. Hunters checked 51,991 deer during the 2017-2018 archery season. In our area, deer taken in Dent County came to 3,107, another 4,500 were harvested in Texas County, 3,345 deer were taken in Crawford County, Reynolds County harvested 3,071 deer, Shannon County hunters took 2,940 deer and Phelps County harvested 2,410 deer. MDC reported eight firearms-related hunting incidents during the 2018 fall deer and turkey hunting seasons. Three were fatalities with two occurring incidental to hunting while at hunting camps and one was a self-inflicted incident in the field. Of the five non-fatal incidents, four were self-inflicted and the fifth occurred when the shooter shot a victim while swinging on game.

The Salem Area Arts Council will hold their regular meeting tonight at the Creative Arts Center and they would like to hear from you. Help them plan, develop and coordinate arts activities for the Salem area. This is for people who like music, visual arts, film, theatre, etc.
The meeting starts at 7:00 and it is open to everyone.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education met Thursday evening at the District Administrative Offices. Superintendent McColloch recognized the members of the Board of Education in honor of School Board Recognition Week. He also reported that incumbents Dustin Howard and Dr. Bernie Sirois were the only two who filed for the positions coming up on the Board of Education so no election of the R-80 School will need to be held. McColloch introduced Elizabeth Hogan, Jessica Crites, and Angela Loughridge from the High School Science Department who gave an update on the curriculum and class changes for the 2019-2020 school year. McColloch gave a budget update that shows revenues year-to-date are $7,325,106.78 with expenditures coming in at $6,962,721.29. McColloch gave the board information on the tuition calculation tool that the district will be using to determine tuition for the 2019-2020 school year. In the school reports, William Lynch Elementary has 255 students enrolled that breaks down to 65 in pre-kindergarten students, 117 kindergarten students and 73 first grade students. Currently, 91.22% of William Lynch students are above 90% in attendance for the year. At the Salem Upper Elementary school, their current enrollment is 353, with three more expected this week. Currently, 95% of Upper Elementary students are at or above 90% in attendance through the end of December. It was also announced that the Salem Upper Elementary has been nominated to be a featured story in the February Positive Focus Newsletter, an electronic publication of Missouri Schoolwide Positive Focus Newsletter. At the Middle School, their enrollment currently stands at 220 students with 90.08% of the students attending school at 90% or above for the year. The Salem High School enrollment is at 578 with 93.2% of the students attending school 90% of the time or better. It was reported that Workkeys testing will occur in February and the district received a $4,000 grant from the Department of Labor for the testing. It was also reported ACT testing will occur on April 2nd and that is open to any student in grades 9 through 12. Ten Salem High School students graduated in December. The board accepted the resignation of James Joynt, the high school business instructor, effective at the end of the 2018-2019 school year before going into closed session where the board voted to extend Superintendent John McColloch’s contract through the 2021-2022 school year and add an additional 5 days of vacation. The board also hired Lindsey Major to instruct high school math before hearing from four community members concerning athletics. The meeting as then adjourned.

A Prescribed Burn Workshop will be held TONIGHT from 6:00 until 9:00 at the Salem Community Center@The Armory. Cody Roberts
from the Missouri Department of Conservation will describe how prescribed burning can be a valuable tool for managing native plant diversity and controlling undesirable vegetation, but it can be dangerous and ineffective when not used properly. This workshop will provide basic information about how to plan and execute a prescribed burn for grassland management. For more questions or to register for the class, please call Cody Roberts at 573-226-3241 ext 106. You can also register from the Missouri Department of Conservation website at mdc.mo.gov.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors will conduct their January meeting on Tuesday, January 22nd in the hospital library beginning at 6:00 pm. After approval of the agenda, the board will hear the administrator’s report that includes a summary of the operations for the month of December with Monica Stogsdill, the Chief of Nursing Report for the month will be given by Debbie Hines, a report on the hospital foundation as well as the marketing and community perception with COO Chris Strickland, and Administrator Kasey Lucas will present the auxiliary report and the patient satisfaction survey results. After the Chief of Staff report, the Board will be informed of candidates who filed for the two open board seats. In new business, the board will review the conflict of interest policy and discuss purchases before going into closed session. The January board meeting of the Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors is open to the public.