Local News

Predicting the peak of fall color can be difficult. Missouri is blessed with a great variety of trees, shrubs, and vines. Their leaves turn at different times, so Missourians enjoy a fall color season that may last four to six weeks. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, the only locations beginning to change colors is the northeast region of the state in the Hannibal and Kirksville area. Unlike last year, the Department is actually expecting a fairly decent fall color season because of a good amount of moisture we’ve had in the last month and a half. Right now, most of the fall color consists of the golden yellows of ash, honey locust, cottonwood, and black walnut. Along roadsides, pastures, and field edges, the wild sunflowers and goldenrods are putting on a beautiful display. Soybean fields are changing to yellow rather quickly, too. The beautiful deep reds of sumacs, Virginia creeper, and poison ivy are in full swing. The norm for the peak of the fall color in Missouri is usually around mid-October. This is when maples, ashes, oaks, and hickories are at the height of their fall display. Normally by late October, the colors are fading and the leaves beginning to drop from the trees. Fall color is usually finished by the middle of November. The progression of color change starts earliest in northern Missouri and moves southward across the state. Generally, the color change is predictable, but it can vary from year to year. Much depends on the weather. For more information about the leaves color changes, persons can go to nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/fall-colors. To check out the colors nationwide, go to www.fs.fed.us/fallcolors/2018.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education met in closed session last Thursday. After the resignation of Lisa Jadwin as the elementary yearbook sponsor in regular session, the board made a motion to hire Mary Beth Patrick as elementary yearbook sponsor and the motion was approved. The board approved a motion to grant an A+ appeal of a student before the board issued a letter of reprimand to Volleyball Coach Amanda Walker and a three day suspension from coaching for the period of September 24th through the 26th with pay. The closed session was then adjourned and the board adjourned the meeting at 8:15.

This is National Child Passenger Safety Week and the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety wants to ensure all caregivers of young children know the importance of buckling children in an appropriate child restraint. Motorists can also expect increased enforcement of Missouri’s child seat safety laws during this campaign. In 2017, 12 children less than eight years of age were killed and 43 suffered injuries as occupants in motor vehicle crashes in Missouri. Thirty-one percent of the children killed were not restrained in a car seat or safety belt. Missouri law requires all children under eight to be in an appropriate child safety seat or booster seat, unless: They are at least 80 pounds or they are at least 4’9” tall. Child safety seat technicians will provide education and car seat inspections at locations across the state during this campaign, and throughout the year. You can get your car seat inspected at City of Rolla Fire and Rescue located at 1490 Route BB in Rolla. For more information or to make an appointment, call Jason Goebel at 573-364-3989.

The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors will conduct their October meeting on Tuesday, October 2nd, at the fire station beginning at 6:00 pm. After approval of the agenda as well as the minutes from the September meeting, the Board will review and approve bills. The Board review financial reports for the district and there will be a review of the calendar for upcoming events. The monthly reimbursement report will be presented and the Board will address any old or new business. The Board may then vote to go into closed session to discuss personnel, if necessary, and they will also set the date for the November meeting to be held at the station beginning at 6:00 pm. The October meeting of the Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors is open to the public.

The City of Salem has announced the appointment of Ms. Sally Burbridge as Salem’s next Economic Development Director. Ms. Burbridge was appointed to the position at its regular meeting Monday evening, August 20th in Closed Session by Mayor Brad Nash with the approval of the Board of Aldermen. She will be relocating to Salem from New Mexico and is scheduled to start her new duties in November 2018 with her office located in the City Administrative Offices, 400 North Iron Street.

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning for their regular meeting. In the road report, District 1 Commission Dennis Purcell indicated grading was going to be done on Dent County Roads 5080, 5530 and 6660. He also said materials would be added to county road 6303 while brush was going to be cut on county roads 4080, 4210 and 6380. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson reported grading was going to be done on Dent County Road 2050. He also said workers would be working on the low water crossing on Dent County Road 5260. Due to the work that will need to be done, the road will be closed for a few days. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said the Beef Days out at The Commons was a big success. He said a special thank you needs to go to the sponsors that make that program possible for the youngsters. Skiles said he would be attending the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District Executive Board meeting today to award the solid waste reduction grants for the upcoming year. Skiles went on to say a special meeting would be held Thursday afternoon at 4:00 with Larry Hart, the bond rating company and the commissioners via conference call at the commissioners’ office at the courthouse. That meeting is open to the public. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said October 10th would be the last day to register to vote for the November General Election. Dwight Ramsburg, the jail project director from Septagon, brought in three contracts for the commissioners to sign from Meyer Electric Co. Inc for the electrical work, Prost Builders, inc. for the general construction and Ozark Fire Sprinkler Co., Inc for the fire Suppression System. The commission voted 3-0 to sign and mail back the contracts. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Community Wide Yard Salem will be held on Saturday, October 6th. People who have extra items they no longer need are encouraged to participate in the yard sale. You can hold you yard sale at your home, at the City Administrative Office parking lot on 4th Street just east of Iron Street, or with the permission of any property owner to use their location. If you wish to reserve space on the parking lot, you will need to call the City Administrative Offices at 729-4811. Each space may be reserved for $8.00 and more than one space can be reserved. Those spaces are reserved on a first come, first served basis. A map of the spaces that have been reserved will be posted on the back door window of the city administrative offices. You can also advertise your yard dale in the Salem News. The cost is $10 for 22 words or less. There is an additional charge for more than 22 words. The deadline to get your ad in the newspaper is this Friday morning, September 28th at 10:00. Maps of all locations that advertise their yard sale with the newspaper will be published in the Salem News in the October 2nd edition. Those maps will also be distributed to the local area convenience stores by Wednesday, October 3rd.

The Dent County Health Center Board of Trustees met last Monday, September 18th for their regular monthly meeting. Administrator Kendra Mobray told the board that Flu shots are now available at the Health Center at a cost of $37. The Health Center will bill private insurance as well as child Medicaid. She said that businesses or job sites interested in scheduling a flue clinic should call 573-729-3106. She also said outpatient lab services were provided to 49 clients in August. Administrator Mobray said there were three reports of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, one case of E. Coli Shiga Toxin, plus one dog bite and one cat bite were investigated during the month of August. She reported that the WIC contract for Fiscal year 2019 has been received and that she attended the SEMA Conference in August. For additional questions on immunizations or other health issues, please call the Dent County Health Center at 729-3106. The next regular meeting of the Dent County Board of Trustees was set for Monday, October 15, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. The meeting was then adjourned.

A accident occurred Friday afternoon at 12:30 on Red Oak Road about two miles west of Waynesville. According to the highway patrol report, a 2004 Ford Taurus driven by 48-year old Benjamin Johnson of Salem, was traveling southbound when the vehicle began to skid, then overturned and struck a tree. Johnson suffered moderate injuries and was transported to Phelps County Regional Medical Center by Pulaski County EMS. Suffering minor injuries in the accident was a passenger, 38-year old Miki Johnson of Salem. She was transported to the Phelps County Regional Medical Center by Pulaski County EMS. Both Benjamin and Miki Johnson were wearing safety restraints at the time of the accident. The Ford Taurus sustained moderate damage and was towed from the scene by Jacks Towing.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education met Thursday evening for their regular meeting at the district administrative boardroom. At the meeting, the board heard about a 5th grade science project before Superintendent John McColloch discussed some improvements to be made the high school football stands. He said the railings were bad there and will be replaced along with some needed concrete work in the next two weeks while the team is on the road. He also said some exterior doors at William Lynch and the Upper Elementary School are being replaced as the bottom has rotted out. There was also a discussion about putting up some type of fencing around the upper elementary playground. The playground is accessible from the woods on the west side of the school. The issue has always been that the children will not be able to get out of the playground area fast enough if there was an emergency event that would require them to get back into the school. This will be looked into. After the building principals gave their reports, the board approved the bus routes for this year and they are the same as last year. The board also adopted the Special Education Compliance Plan which is the same as the Special Education Compliance Plan for the 2017-18 year since the statewide board of education was going through their upheaval with Governor Greidens. The board approved setting the 2019 Graduation Exercises for May 17th at 7:00, and they approved the 2018A MSBA Policy updates that directly affected the Salem R-80 District. The board heard about the needed budget adjustments for the Phase 10 Construction Work being done at the Football Field restrooms and high school gymnasium. The budgeted cost is $660,000 and the current balance in Fund 4 is $1,598,170.53. The new balance after this adjustment will be $938,170.53. The board also approved granting an easement of 3,971.5 square feet to the City of Salem to construct a TAP grant sidewalk to run from Tiger Pride Drive by the high school parking lot to Route J to meet up with a trail that will be built from the Salem R-80 District Administrative Building to the Salem City Park at the Salem Community Center@The Armory. The board then went into closed session.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital regular board meeting was held Tuesday evening in the Hospital Library. Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas introduced Todd Workman who is the Director of Facilities. He discussed with the board that he has changed some of the processes and continues to look for ways to cut costs such as changing soaps, sanitizers and paper towel dispensers. He presented photos of the improvements made such as the painting of the curbs and blocks, grounds work and landscaping, new paint and newly waxed floors in the Emergency Room waiting area, freshly painted halls with upgraded light fixtures, new plastic to protect walls in the Emergency Department and much more. The board thanked him for what he has already done and what he plans to do. In the summary of operations for the month of August, the hospital had 86 inpatient admissions with 273 inpatient census days. Patients per day in Acute Care came in at 8.8 in August. The hospital showed a gain from operations of $101,632 and revenues over expenses after taxes of $103,447. Cash decreased for the month by $607,370 as there were three payrolls covered in the month, and the days in net account receivables rose to 56 from 55 days last month. During the month, there were 826 emergency room visits to go with 258 ambulance runs with 180 patients being assessed, 31 surgery cases, 1,648 outpatient registrations, 298 home health visits, 8,088 lab tests, 1,155 radiological procedures including 48 mammograms and 667 rehab treatments. Debbie Hines gave the Chief of Nursing report and said this year in the Quality Improvement Program the hospital will concentrate on two focus areas: Transitions of Care and Patient Safety. The Hospital Auxiliary will be having Shoe Roads Productions at the hospital library on October 23rd. They will also help the mammography unit with the Pink Out Project. The Hospital Foundation will be holding their “Dancing with the Salem Stars” on January 26th at the Salem High School Gym and they need some female dancers. Call the hospital if you would like to dance at 729-6626. The foundation is still waiting on the federal government so that they can file for state tax exemption. Hospital Chief Operating Officer Chris Strickland said the hospital continues to be involved in numerous community sponsorships and will be part of numerous events like the Rose Holland Trout Derby and Oak Hill R-1 Career Day. They will have a Pink Out Night at the Salem High School football game with Mountain View-Liberty on October 12th. He also said the hospital will give 25 free mammograms to uninsured women 40 years of age and older. That day is tentatively scheduled for Friday, October 19th. Women can call the hospital to sign up for the free mammogram. The grand opening of the Mammography Unit will be Monday, October 1st at 10:00. The board approved the new courtesy staff privileges for three doctors from USA Radiology, and another four were approved for mammography privileges from USA Radiology. A Strategic Planning Meeting will be held October 19th through the 21st and the board approved the annual bylaw review with no changes. The board discussed changing the board meeting dates in October, November and December. The board members will check their schedules to help determine the best dates to have a quorum. The board then went into closed session.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education will hold their regular meeting at 6:00 this evening at the Salem District Administrative Offices Boardroom. At the meeting, the board will hear from Superintendent John McColloch about a facilities update and 5th grade science project before the principals from all the schools will give their reports. The school board will review and approve all previous minutes and bills, approve the food service report and attendance report and approve the substitute list. New business will include the approval of bus routes, special education compliance plan and approve a graduation date. The board will also consider MSBA 2018B policy updates and 2018-2019 budget amendments and also consider an easement agreement with the city of Salem. The meeting will adjourn and move into an executive session. The regular monthly meeting is open to the public.

The City of Salem Board of Aldermen will hold a special meeting this evening at the City Hall Council Chambers at 7:00. At the meeting, the board will discuss online surplus sales, discuss Bill #3399 that would create an ordinance for the mayor to execute an agreement between the City of Salem and H.W . Lochner, Inc. to provide the engineering services for the Salem Memorial Airport clearing and Grub Tree project supplemental agreement, and discuss Bill #3400 that would create an ordinance to authorize the mayor to execute a state block grant agreement between the City of Salem and the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission for the Obstruction Removal (trees) for additional grant funds not to exceed $201,663. The meeting will then be adjourned.

Healthy Dent County will be presenting a “Fall Fest” Friday evening from 5:00 until 8:00 at the Salem High School Football game in an area by the front gate just below the practice football field. Activities will include a bounce house, corn toss, poke a pumpkin, witch ring toss, knockin’ down pumpkins, along with a football toss. A photo area will also be available. The event is free and fun for all ages. For more information about “Fall Fest,” call 729-8163.

The 3rd Annual Salem High School Alumni weekend is taking place this weekend. The activities begin Friday evening at the Salem High School football stadium with the Healthy Dent County “Fall Fest” from 5:00 until 7:00. At 7:00 that evening, the Salem Tigers will take on the Ava Bears. There will be a silent auction during the game. After the game, a bonfire and social gathering will be held at the Al Brown Fields. The Alumni Weekend continues on Saturday with a breakfast fundraiser at the Salem High School beginning at 8:00 that morning and continuing until 10:30. Tours of the school will be given at 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30. Then from 4:00 until 8:00 that evening at the old Salem City Hall, there will be live music and an FFA BBQ, along with student booths, a dance performance, a bouncy house, games and more. At 8:00 Saturday night, there will be an outdoor family movie at the William Lynch playground along with a cruise of Salem. All proceeds from the event will go to school organizations. If you have any type of connection to the Salem High School, you are welcome to attend any of the events. For more information, visit their website at www.shsalumnifoundation.org or contact them on Facebook.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Department has released a number of reports fo the week of September 10th. On the 10th, deputies conducted a traffic stop on Dent County Road 4170. The driver, a 30-year old Salem man, was arrested for while driving while having his license revoked. He was fingerprinted, issued a summons, and released. On Tuesday, September 11th, deputies traveled to a residence in the 1000 block of East Center to attempt to serve an arrest warrant. Deputies located a 23-year old female at the residence with an active warrant for her arrest. She was taken into custody and transported to the Dent County Jail. On Thursday, September 13th, deputies received reports of damaged mailboxes on Dent County Roads 6180 and 6190, as well as Route K. Those reports are still under investigation. On Friday, September 14th, deputies responded to a residence on Dent County Road 4155 for a report of a domestic disturbance. After an investigation, a 58-year old Salem woman was arrested for Domestic Assault in the 4th degree. She was fingerprinted, issued a summons, and released. On Saturday, September 15th, deputies conducted a traffic stop on Dent County Road 4110. The driver, a 26-year old Salem man, was arrested for driving with an excessive Breath Alcohol Content. He was fingerprinted, issued a summons, and released. If anyone has information about an ongoing investigation, please contact the Dent County Sheriffs Office at 729-3241.

The Salem Police Department has released some reports. On Friday, September 7th at approximately 3:16 in the afternoon, an officer was dispatched to a traffic crash located at Highway 19 and Center. The investigation of the crash led to the arrest of a 36-year old male of Salem for driving while being intoxicated and driving while having his license revoked. The suspect was issued summonses to appear in court and released. Later that day at approximately 5:02 in the evening, an officer was contacted at the Salem Police Department in reference to damage to a vehicle. The investigation of the report revealed an unknown male and female suspect in a silver PT Cruiser damaged a red 2011 Ford F-150 truck that was parked in Pizza Hut parking lot. The value of the damage is approximately $100.00. The report is under investigation. Later still at 9:54 that night, an officer transported a 28-year old female of Rolla from Phelps County Jail to Dent County Jail due to an active arrest warrant from the City of Salem. The suspect was incarcerated on the warrant pending a court appearance. On Sunday, September 9th at approximately 10:53 in the morning, an officer was contacted at the Salem Police Department in reference to a theft from a storage unit. That investigation revealed person or persons unknown took items valued at $1,275.00 from a storage unit located at 200 East Rolla Road. The report is under investigation. Later that afternoon at 1:42, an officer was contacted at the Salem Police Department in reference damage to a vehicle. The investigation of the report revealed a person unknown broke the sliding back glass valued at $300.00 on a maroon 2010 Chevrolet S10 pickup that was parked in the 400 block of South Pershing. The report is under investigation. On Monday, September 10th at approximately 6:03 in the evening, an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 1600 block of Odom Drive in reference to a subject who was trespassing. That investigation led to the arrest of a 68-year old male of Salem for trespassing. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court and released. On Wednesday morning, September 12th at approximately 11:40, an officer was contacted at the Salem Police Department in reference to a stolen vehicle. The investigation of the report revealed that a person or persons unknown took a 2007 Suzuki Bandit motorcycle from a residence in the 300 block of East Ninth. On that same day at approximately 2:00 in the afternoon, the motorcycle was located abandon near the City of Salem wastewater treatment plant. The report is still under investigation. Please contact the Salem Police Department at 729-4242 if you have any information regarding an investigation.

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning at the courthouse for their regular meeting. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell indicated that grading would be done on Dent County Roads 5630, 5670 and 6280. Purcell stated crews would be installing a driveway culvert on Dent County Road 5130, then adding materials to the road followed by grading. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson reported grading would be done on Dent County Roads 3330 and 3335 with county road 5260 being finished up from last week. He said brush would be cut on county road 4380 while materials would be added and patch grading would be done on county road 2110. Commissioner Larson also said work will start on the replacement of the low water crossing this week on Dent County Road 5260 as Jim Moenster came in to check on the status of the work. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles stated he attended the MRPC External Relations meeting last Thursday where they finalized the plans for the annual awards dinner to be held in Hermann on October 25th. Skiles also said the state legislative priorities were discussed as state legislators are expected to be in attendance at the MRPC meeting in December. He also said they were given an update on the MRPC website and how they use social media as informational sources for the area. Today, he will be attending an Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management Board meeting to review and score grant applications for recycling. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported the last day to register to vote for the General Election will be October 10th. Commissioner Skiles said the county has received another request to issue a Quit Claim Deed on the old Burlington-Northern Railroad right-of-way property from Crawford County. The $500 fee was attached and the commissioners approved to issue the Quit Claim Deed. At the last meting, the commissioners approved joining a class action lawsuit from the National Association of Counties to recover monies from insufficient PILT payments received from 2015 through 2017. There was no cost to the county to join the class action lawsuit. The next meeting of the commission will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Dent County Sheriffs Office has released some reports. On Monday, September 3rd, deputies received a report of a burglary in the 1000 block of County Road 4110. The victim reported that an 18” Husqvarna chainsaw, an 18” Stihl Chainsaw, and a Stihl weed eater had been taken from a garage. This report is still under investigation. Later, deputies responded to Private Lane 630 for a report of property damage. The victim reported that their vehicle had been damaged by a neighbor. A 41-year old Salem man was arrested for 2nd degree property damage. He was issued a summons and released. On Wednesday, September 5th, deputies conducted a traffic stop Rolla Road at 10th Street. The driver, a 30-year old Salem man, was arrested for driving while having his license revoked. He was fingerprinted, issued a summons, and released. On Thursday, September 6th, deputies conducted a traffic stop in the Country Mart parking lot. The driver, a 48-year old Salem man, was arrested for driving while having his license suspended. He was fingerprinted, issued a summons, and released. On Friday, September 7th, deputies conducted a traffic stop on Highway 72 near County Road 3210. The driver, a 23-year old Salem man, was arrested on a misdemeanor Iron County warrant. He was taken to the Dent County Jail and later bonded. Later that day, deputies received a report of a stolen license plate. This report is still under investigation. If you have any information about an ongoing investigation, please contact the Dent County Sheriff’s Office at 729-3241.

The Bonebrake Center of Nature and History will present “The REAL Ozark Hillbilly” on Friday evening, September 28th starting at 6:30. Hosted by Janet Price, naturalist, of Moon Shadow Moments, LLC, formerly of Johnson’s Shut-Ins, participants learn about what it is to be a REAL hillbilly. Slack-jawed yokel, or hard-working, resourceful folks? Discover your own Ozark heritage and even try your hand in the “Hillbilly Olympics!” this program is appropriate for all ages and is especially family-friendly. The cost is $1.00 per person or $5.00/family, regardless of the number, which includes a light snack. Phone reservations are requested to plan for snacks and activities. Please call the Bonebrake Center (729-3400) for more information or register. The Bonebrake Center is located at 601 North Hickory Street in Salem, at the corner of North Hickory Street and East Rolla Road. You can also check out events on the website at www.bonebrake.org or on our Facebook page!

The Salem Memorial District Hospital’s next Health Fair will be located at the Salem Community Center@The Armory this Wednesday, September 19th and Thursday, September 20th, from 6:00 to 9:00 each morning. DO NOT BE LATE! The health fair closes promptly at 9:00 in the morning each day. You will find reduce prices on a number of lab tests that can save you hundreds of dollars including a lipid profile for only $35. For this test, you must not eat or drink anything for at least ten hours before the test (except water), preferably for 12 hours. You will also find other low costs tests for bone density, thyroid, kidney, prostate and A1c Glucose tests. There are also some free services available that morning including free blood pressure checks, BMI/body fat percentage and more. No insurance will be accepted at this health fair! You may pay with cash, credit card, check, debit card or an HSA Account card. For any questions you may have or for more information, call the Salem Memorial District Hospital at 729-6626.

The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting at the courthouse Thursday morning. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams gave the report on the sales tax collections in the month of September. Williams reported the General Revenue Fund received $112,218.61 in December which is up $20,868.80 from the 2017 amount collected in September. Year-to-date, the General Revenue Fund is up $135,609.90 which comes to about 21.33%. A similar amount was collected in the Law Enforcement Sales Tax Fund for September. Williams said the Road and Bridge Fund received $53,432.33 and that is up from the $42,246.54 collected in September 2017. The increase year-to-date in that fund is $56,578.27 and that increase is 19.14% over last year. Williams reported each jail fund raised $106,210.51 in September. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell stated grading would be done on Dent County Roads 6500, 5630 and 5650 while ditch work and a crossover pipe for a low water crossing is being installed on county road 5130. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said materials would be added and grading done on county roads 2070 and 2110 while only grading would be done on Dent County Road 5260. Larson said the low water crossing on county road 2070 is now open to traffic. Dent County Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said he and the other commissioners attended the Community Betterment Judges visit to Salem on Monday. He also said he attended the MRPC External Relations and board meeting Thursday night. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said she balanced with the collector and assessor on all abatements, collections and add-ons for August. She also said people need to be registered to vote for the November General Election by October 10th. She said the state will be sending out postcards next week to citizens who would be eligible to vote but are not currently registered in an effort to get people registered in time for the November election. If you receive one of these postcards and you are already a registered voter, please disregard it. The commissioners approved the bid from Dent County Glass and Door to make the west doors to the courthouse handicapped accessible using a push button system to open the doors automatically for entry or exit as well as all applicable hardware for $4,280. The commission agreed to revise the ordinance for getting an ATV/UTV permit from a lifetime permit to an annual permit. They will sign the revised ordinance once the annual stickers arrive and the ordinance will then be in effect from that date forward. The Board opened new grader bids at 10:00 from Erb Equipment Company and Fabick. After a long discussion and comparison of the options and features of each machine, the board elected to purchase two new Fabick Cat graders with the steering wheel option. These machines feature a five year/5,000 hour warranty and have a buy back after five years of $110,000. These graders will be delivered sometime in late January or February. The next meeting of the commission will be Monday morning at 9:00 and the meeting is open to the public.

An ABATE Fundraiser for the South Central Missouri Chapter will be held this Sunday as they will hold a Poker Run that will begin with registration at 10:00 at the Whispering Pines Campground on Route ZZ in Jadwin. The run begins at 11:00 as the ride will go to Akers Ferry, Double O in Eminence, JB Malones in Salem and back to Whispering Pine. Drivers must have a drivers/motorcycle license and everyone signs a waiver at the time of registration. The cost is $10 for the first hand and $5.00 for each additional hand. The best hand wins $50. For more information, contact Dale Williams at 573-453-0000.

Healthy Dent County and the Salem Memorial District Hospital invites you to join them for a great evening at the Community Wellness Expo today at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory, located at 1200 West Rolla Road in Salem. The event begins at 5:00 and will last until 7:00. This is a free community event to showcase the wellness of ourselves and our community. There will be interactive booths with hospitals, doctors’ offices, eye doctors, chiropractors, dentists, first responders, along with additional health providers. If you bring a canned good or non-perishable food item, you will receive a ticket to win prizes. You will receive one ticket for every item you bring in so if you bring in ten cans of food, you get ten tickets. The more you donate, the better your chances are to win prizes. All donations will be given to Sacred Heart Food Pantry. If you have any questions about the Community Wellness Expo, please call 729-8163.

On Monday, Community Betterment Judges Dean and Ava Lingner of Lathrop, MO visited Salem for the annual awards competition. During their visit, Salem was able to showcase local community projects accomplished since the last awards competition. Participating communities will be recognized at the 55th Annual MCB Conference that will be held in Columbia on October 14th and 15th. Governor Parson will be presenting the awards beginning at 5:00 on the 15th. All community members, friends and youth are invited to attend the informative educational sessions and awards competition where the winners of the adult leadership, youth leadership, community awards and community youth award group award will be recognized. Registration to event is open to anyone and can be made the MCB website: www.MOCommunityBetterment.com.

Come and join the fun and camaraderie at the 2018 Fall Rendezvous of the Missouri Fur Trappers Association this Friday and Saturday from 6:00 in the morning until 7:00 in the evening, and from 8:00 until noon on Sunday. It will be held at the Commons in Salem in Missouri. Numerous types of vendors will be in attendance. There will be something for the whole family to enjoy. Tent camping on the grounds is $15 per day, and electric hookups are available for $20 per day. If you want reservations for campsites with electrical and water hookups, you can call Sarah Myers at (573) 453-6551. A schedule of events that will occur daily at the event is available at the Missouri Fur Trappers Association website: www.missouritrappers.com.

University of Missouri Extension will host a Management Intensive Grazing School September 26th through 28th at the MU Hugo Wurdack Research Center near Cook Station. The three-day program will include guest speakers covering the topics of grazing system layout and design, watering systems, fence systems, soil fertility, livestock nutrition, and forage growth and quality. Additionally, extensive farm tours will be included to allow participants to receive training on grazing system utilization. The cost of the three-day school is $135 per person or $215 per farm couple. This fee includes the cost of meals, resource books and other handout materials pertinent to the course. Space is limited for this program, and registration along with full payment is required by September 20th. For more information, please contact Rachel Hopkins, MU Extension Ag Business Specialist at (573) 438-2671. To register, contact the Dent County Extension office at 573-729-3196, or visit www.extension.missouri.edu/dent.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Department has stated that a new scam is going on around the local area. Local people have been called saying they will be arrested on outstanding warrants. Individuals are being instructed to call a 1-803 number to keep from being arrested. The originating call is coming from South Carolina. THIS IS A SCAM! Please do not call the number they give you and do NOT give out any personal information if you do call. DO NOT SEND MONEY or give them credit card or bank numbers. If you receive this type of call, contact the Dent County Sheriff’s Department at 729-3241.

The State of Missouri has been granted more time to comply with stricter identification requirements under the Real ID Act. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security granted Missouri a grace period through January 21st, 2019. The current extension ends October 10th. During this grace period, federal agencies will accept Missouri-issued driver licenses and ID cards for official purposes, including domestic air travel. Missouri Department of Revenue officials expect the state to be compliant with the Real ID Act in March 2019.