Local News

The City of Salem Board of Alderman will conduct a Special Meeting tonight at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory beginning at 6:30, called by Mayor Brad Nash, for the purpose of discussing proposed water and sewer rates from the Utility Committee and there will be a public hearing on the proposed sewer rates. Following the Board of Alderman Special Meeting, the City of Salem Finance Committee will hold a meeting, called Alderman Haydn Powell to review the current 2016-2017 budget and discuss the 2017-2018 budget. The Special Meeting of the City of Salem Board of Alderman and the meeting of the City of Salem Finance Committee are open to the public.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education held their May meeting Thursday evening at the Boardroom. After approval of the agenda, Superintendent John McColloch reported the MAP and EOC testing has been completed. MAP scores should be ready the beginning of summer while the EOC scores are coming in, but a problem with the State website has delayed the state averages. School Board President Bernie Sirois discussed with the Board the forming of a committee to look at the possibility of future school consolidation in Dent County as this has been a part of the discussion with the Salem Initiative. The William Lynch Elementary will be holding pre-school registration May 22nd and May 23rd for children that will be 3 by August 1, 2017 and parents need to call 729-6611 for an appointment. Summer school begins May 30th for 49 incoming kindergarteners and 46 first graders. The Upper Elementary STEM Club has planted their first garden and are hoping to being an economics system for selling and donating to those in need. Serendipity celebrated its 30th year and was a success. The Salem Middle School Archery competed in the National Tournament in Kentucky in May and the team score qualifies them for the World Tournament in Florida in July. Three students from the Salem Senior High will be added to the ACT Wall of Fame, the Boys Track Team are SCA Champions along with the Salem Baseball Team and the Girls Track Team are SCA runner up. It was announced the Salem High School will be offering several business, biology and other dual courses next year. The Board voted to renew the partnership contribution with Healthy Dent County for $10,000 and the Board approved the 2017-2018 Professional Development plan. The Board voted to approve the building handbooks at each building and then approved moving the June meeting date to Thursday, June 22nd. The adult meal prices for 2017-2018 was approved at $2 for breakfast and $3 for lunch, and the Board approved the preliminary budget for 2017-2018. The preliminary budget showed anticipated revenue of $12,543,921 and the anticipated expenditures of $12,486,930. The Board voted to purchase 520 Chromebooks at a cost of $200.97 that includes the license fee and a motion was made to add $500 on the base to the 2017-2018 salary schedule for certified staff. The Board approved the resignation of Natalie Huebner as Kindergarten Interventionist; Sandra Radford as a Middle School Special Education instructor, Angela Barnes as a High School Science teacher and Derek Freeman as Assistant Track and Assistant Football coach. In closed session, the Board voted to hire Angel Edgar as part-time High School Spanish; Staci Armer as a 4th grade teacher, Alanea Tyler for 2nd grade Special Education, and Bryan Carty for High School Science. Also in closed session the Board hired Phil Karr Head Softball Coach, James Joynt for Middle School Football, Kim Cooper for Middle School Track and Bryan Carty for Middle School Football and Middle School Track Coach. The meeting was then adjourned.

On Thursday, May 18th at approximately 6:34 in the evening, officers of the Salem Police Department were detailed to the 800 block of east Highway 32 in reference to a possible seizure. Upon arrival, officers found a 29-year old Salem woman who was combative and unresponsive. The woman was transported to Salem Memorial District Hospital via ambulance. Later the woman was air lifted to Columbia where she passed away. An autopsy will be conducted and the death is under investigation.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Department has released a report for May 10th. Dent County deputies assisted agents of the Missouri Department of Conservation with an investigation in the 7000 block of Highway 32 West. As a result of a consent search on the property, 28 cups and planters pots with marijuana plants as well as five glass smoking devices with residue and a plastic pill container with residue were located. The residue field-tested positive for methamphetamine. Arrested and transported to the Dent County Jail was 39-year old Douglas Tiefenthaler of Salem. Also present was 33-year old Randall Welch Jr. of Salem. A consent search of Welch’s person revealed a glass smoking device with residue that field-tested positive for methamphetamine. He was also taken to the Dent County Jail and incarcerated. Tiefenthaler was charged with the Manufacturing of 35 Grams or Less of Marijuana and given a $20,000 cash only bond. Welch was charged with possession of a controlled substance and given a $10,000 cash only bond. Any one who has any information about any ongoing investment is asked to contact the Dent County Sheriff’s Office at 729-3241.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors met for the regular meeting Tuesday evening at the hospital library. In the summary of operations for the month of April, inpatient admissions, census days and emergency room visits were all down from the previous year and budgeted amounts, yet the hospital showed a gain of operations of $21,571 with an excess of revenues over expenses of $30,570. There were some additional expenses during the month for the golf tournament (that ended up being postponed) and also to Peoplecentric for additional consulting, but there was still an increase of cash for the month of $264,587 that left the hospital with days cash on hand of 89 and that is ten more days than the average for Critical Access Hospitals in Missouri. During the month there were 61 acute care admissions and 730 emergency room visits with an average turnaround time of 130 minutes. Also during the month, there were 203 ambulance runs with 151 patients being transported to the hospital, 47 surgery cases, 1,457 outpatient registrations, 218 home health visits, 7,162 tests, 987 radiological procedures, 177 CT scans, 36 MRI scans, 3 nuclear med scans, 561 rehab treatments, 143 dialysis treatments and 238 clinical visits. Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas said the Mobile Mammography unit again did not make it to the hospital in April and he said they may be checking into another service. Lucas said the hospital foundation golf tournament was rescheduled for June 9th at the Spring Creek Golf Club with 18 teams signed up. He said bronze sponsorships had doubled for the tournament. The hospital auxiliary will take the summer off but they did say the Shoe Road Productions have rescheduled their visit for June 27th in the hospital library. At the community health fair held May 10th and 11th, there were 398 people who attended. Lucas reported on the SMDH Family Medicine Satisfaction Survey results for the January through March. A total of 82 surveys were returned and all the results were excellent. Lucas reported on the Chief of Staff’s report where the 2017 critical lab values were reviewed and some changes were made. Lucas said they have gotten some numbers on the possible City of Salem Sewer Expansion, but not enough to make a final decision. The board reviewed the fiscal year 2018 budget prepared by the Finance Committee and approved the budget that showed about a four percent increase in ancillary and outpatient services and even smaller increases in Acute care charges. The budget included salary increases from 0% to 4%, retirement plan increases of 4%, supply cost increase of 4% and drug cost increases of 10%. The operating budget projected net operating revenue of $22,138,000 with total operating expenses expected to be $21,975,000 leaving a projected gain from operations of $152,970. The board approved the fiscal year 2018 budget. Lucas said Air Evac will probably be moving to the campus next week to their quarters in POB 2. The board approved a change in the safe deposit box signature card that removed Christina Webb and added L.J Cottrill, and they tabled purchasing a new Ford Fusion and F-150 truck until they can check and see if local dealers can get the vehicles for similar prices. The board then went into closed session.

The National Archery in the Schools (NASP) National Tournament and NASP International Bowhunting Organization (IBO) 3D Challenge were held May 11-13 in Louisville, Ky. More than 14,490 student archers in grades 4-12 from 670 schools competed, including 857 Missouri students from 45 schools. Missouri’s Sarcoxie High School was crowned national champions of NASP National Tournament and they set the record for highest NASP National Tournament team score with 3,465 out of 3,600. Seventh grader Irvin Johnson from Salem Middle School shot a score of 294 out of 300 to take fifth place in the middle school boys division. More than 4,100 student archers competed in the NASP IBO 3D Challenge, and many Missouri archers were among the top of their division. NASP promotes education, self-esteem, and physical activity for students in grades 4-12 through participation in the sport of archery.

The Salem Parks and Recreation Board will be meeting tonight 6:00 at the Salem Community Center@The Armory. At the meeting, the board will elect officers for the upcoming year before Parks and Recreation Director Tye Lydon will provide reports for the soccer program, the opening of the pool, as well as the softball, baseball and T-Ball city leagues and tournaments. Park Board President Stan Podorski will provide a budget update before Lydon and Podorski go over a number of facility improvements that have been made such as the pool house repairs, tree planting, stream cleaning and the cleanup of the old Al Brown Concession building. They will also discuss projects that are being worked on now including the TAP grant and the LWCF Unlimited Playground grant, concession and sidewalk work at Al Brown Fields, lighting and fencing at Al Brown Fields and some important purchases that have been made. After addressing any other business, the board will go into closed session to discuss personnel. The Salem Park and Recreation Board meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Board of Aldermen met Monday night at the city hall council chambers following the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. The board approved the request from the Salem Public Library to use the sidewalk for a sidewalk art contest and to use traffic cones to block off some parking spaces. The board heard about the bid on the NovaChip overlay, but wanted a second bid on that product or something similar. The board voted to repost the bid proposal. The board approved changing their life insurance carrier from Guardian Life Insurance to Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield for $20,000 basic life insurance and $20,000 AD&D Insurance for $4.74 per month per employee. Last year, the city paid $5.20 per month per employee. After the consent agenda was approved, Gary Brown reported on the Planning and Zoning meeting. He said the committee elected officers and Brown was elected as Chairman, Keith Inman was elected as Vice-Chairman and Wayne Bertz was named Secretary. The Committee recommended approving an In-Home Business License for a hair salon at 205 S. Washington for Carly Wilbur and the board of aldermen approved. City Administrator Ray Walden said the Salem Community Center had a total of 5,629 participants during the month of April. He reported a launch meeting was held on May 10th to begin work on the TAP grant and the LWCF grant that will develop the Unlimited Play playground with the initial work probably coming in the city park. He said the Salem Parks and Recreation Board will be meeting Thursday at the Salem Community Center@The Armory at 6:00 and the city offices will be closed on May 29th for Memorial Day. The board approved allowing Walden to request qualifications for the architectural and engineering services for the Old Middle School property that will be due by June 9th. Mayor Brad Nash discussed the use of the city electric line locator on private property as there is no firm that can do that kind of work in the area if it is needed. He asked City Attorney William Camm Seay if a waiver could be drawn up that would allow the city to be held harmless if they would use the machine and make a mistake. Seay said you cannot remove negligence with a waiver and Mayor Nash said he will investigate this further. The board approved Bill #3331 adopting rules and regulations for the City of Salem’s Cedar Grove Cemetery that will go into effect immediately upon the signing of the bill. The Board approved adding Elizabeth Condray to the Planning and Zoning Commission to replace mike Thompson who resigned, and they also approved the appointment of Chad Heithold as the Chairman of the Utility Committee with members Alderwoman Molly Zettel, Gary Brown, Mike Godi, Jerry Layman, Catherine Dent and John Hambacker. The board went into closed session to discuss litigation.

A meeting was held at the Salem City Hall Auditorium Monday to kick off the Dent County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. About twenty people were on hand including representatives from the City of Salem, the Dent County Commission, Healthy Dent County, Dent County Health Center, and all the school districts. Tammy Snodgrass and Ryan Dunwoody from the MRPC explained the process and the time frame to have the first draft completed which she expects will be June of 2018 with the final plan expected about a year later. The mitigation plan is used to identify hazards, assess the potential impact of those hazards, develop goals as well as objectives and actions to reduce impacts, and to prioritize those actions. There are seven planning areas and they are the City of Salem, Dent County and the five school districts. The meeting eliminated some potential hazards in Dent County before the next steps in the process were discussed including the next meeting to be held June 12th with all the data collection surveys due June 19th. For more information about the mitigation plan, contact Ryan Dunwoody at 573-265-2993.

The Salem Police Department released reports involving traffic violations, a suspicious vehicle, and a traffic crash. On Friday, May 5th at 1:58 in the early morning, a vehicle was stopped for a traffic violation. The stop led to the arrest of a 20-year old Salem male for driving without a valid license. He was issued a summons to appear in court and released. On Saturday, May 6th at 12:32 in the early morning, an officer was investigating a suspicious vehicle parked at the Mercy Medical Center at Rolla and Macarthur. The investigation led to the arrest of a 37-year old Salem female on an active arrest warrant from Iron County. She was incarcerated pending extradition. On Sunday, May 7th at 12:12 in the early morning, a vehicle was stopped for a traffic violation. The stop led to the arrest of a 28-year old Salem male for driving while suspended. He was issued a summons to appear in court and released. That night at 9:20, an officer was detailed to North Henderson near the walking trail in reference to an intoxicated male yelling profanities and hitting things as he walked past them. The report led to the arrest of a 22-year old Salem male for failure to obey a lawful order of a police officer. He was issued a summons to appear in court and released. Contact the Salem Police Department at 729-4242 if you have any information regarding any ongoing investigation.

Healthy Schools, Healthy Communities is teaming up with the North Wood Obstacle Course to put on the first ever, “ELITE DAY” where kids will learn about the importance of physical activity and unique ways to get active. This is the first of its kind. Students in grades 6-8 from Dent County schools will be competing on the obstacle course with a variety of challenges. The children will compete as individuals and as teams. The program will run from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm today!

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning at the courthouse. Emergency Management Director Brad Nash was in to tell the commission that FEMA and SEMA personnel will be at the firehouse this morning at 8:30. He said it would be good if a commissioner and the road and bridge district supervisors can be there to take FEMA and SEMA around and show them the worst of the worst. He said this year they requested more information then before. They want a map with all the damaged areas hi-lighted, wanted copies of the annual road district budgets, pictures of the damage as well as a spreadsheet of every road that had damage from the rains with GPS coordinates that include all the labor, materials, rentals, etc needed for each damaged area. Commissioners Dennis Purcell and Gary Larson both stated that the first three requests were covered, but there is no way that a spreadsheet with that information could be completed. Nash stated at 9:30, the people with individual assistance requests are to be at the firehouse. If you had damage from the extensive rains or flooding, call Brad Nash at the firehouse at 729-3250. Marlin Hartman was in to request additional and longer culverts be installed on Dent County Road 6160. He said some of the culverts are full or gravel and others are too short and get covered up when the road is graded. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Purcell said Dent County Road 6635 that was washed out in the Montauk area is being rebuilt. Materials will be taken to other roads in that area. Another crew is still rebuilding Dent County Road 4080. Purcell said patch grading will be done on Dent County Road 6230 on a curve while other grading will be done on county roads 5410, 5420 and 5480. He said repairs will need to be made to county road 6300 where the chip and seal was damaged by the water rushing over the road. Work will also be done on various other road locations as time allows. District 2 Commissioner Larson said patch grading will be done on country roads 2330, 2380, 4290 and 5260. Time permitting; work will also be done on county roads 5270, 3273 and 3275. Larson stated materials would be hauled to county roads 2330, 2380 and 4290, and brush would be cut on Dent County Road 3330. Presiding Commissioner Darrel Skiles reported Salem and Dent County will host the MRPC Annual Awards Dinner Thursday, October 26th, at the Salem Community Center@The Armory. At the MRPC meeting, the special speaker was Luke Holtschneider who works with the Department of Economic Development in rural development and he is working on getting broadband Internet access in the rural area. He will be holding a meeting in July. Skiles will be attending an Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District Executive Board meeting Tuesday. The commission visited the Dent County Judicial Building to review a request for renovations by Becky Sweeney in her office. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Thursday morning at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Department has released some reports. On Tuesday, May 9th, deputies conducted a consent search at a residence in the 1000 block of County Road 4300. During the search, deputies found revealed baggies containing marijuana and marijuana seeds. As a result, 37-year old Asha Kirker of Salem was fingerprinted and given asummons for possession of up to 10 grams or less of marijuana. that same day, deputies responded to the Anutt Country Store in the 24000 block of Highway C for a report of property damage. Deputies discovered that a front window had been broken. This report is still under investigation. On Wednesday, May 10th, deputies conducted a traffic stop on Highway 32 West at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church. The driver, 23-year old Kevin Coon of Salem, was arrested for driving while revoked. During a consent search of the vehicle, a clear plastic baggie with residue that field tested positive of methamphetamine was found under the driver’s seat. Coon was taken to the Dent County Jail and incarcerated. He was charged with possession of a controlled substance and given a $10,000 cash only bond. Anyone who has any information regarding any ongoing investigation should call the Dent County Sheriff’s Office at 729-3241.

The City of Salem Utility Committee will conduct a meeting, called by Chairman Alderman Chad Heithold tonight be the Salem Community Center @ the Armory beginning at 7:00. The purpose of the meeting will be to review rates for 2017-2018. The meeting of the Salem Utility Committee is open to the public.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors will be conducting their May meeting tonight in the hospital library beginning at 6:00. After approval of the minutes from the April 18th meeting, Chief Financial Officer Monica Gargus will update the Board on the summary of operations and statistics reports for April followed by Chief Nursing Officer Debbie Hines report for April. Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas will report on the hospital foundation, auxiliary activities and community involvement along with marketing strategy. In old business will be a discussion of the City of Salem water/sewer expansion and the meeting of the budget committee regarding 2018. In new business the Board will address purchases made for the hospital. The Board may vote to go into closed session. The May meeting of the Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors is open the public.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Department has released some reports. On May 5th, deputies traveled to the 6000 block of Highway VV for an investigation. Deputies were granted consent to search the residence and located a clear plastic baggie with residue that field tested positive for methamphetamine. As a result, 51- year old Steven Dorothy of Salem, was arrested and incarcerated into the Dent County Jail. That same day, deputies traveled to the 700 block of Dent County Road 6620 and made contact with an individual that had two active Texas County warrants for her arrest. As a result, 31-year old Bethany Heiney of Licking was arrested and incarcerated in the Texas County Jail. On May 6th, deputies conducted a traffic stop at the Shawnee Mac Conservation Area. While speaking with the vehicle occupants, the odor of marijuana was detected. As a result of a short investigation, 18-year old Robert White of Salem, was arrested for Minor in Possession, Minor Visibly Intoxicated, and Littering. White was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office, where he was fingerprinted and released on 3 summons to appear in court. On May 7th, deputies responded to the 1800 block of County Road 4030 for a report of a burglary. Upon arrival, it was discovered that various tools had been taken from a shed. This report is still under investigation. That same day, deputies responded to the 200 block of County Road 6470 for a report of an 18-year old with a diminished mental capacity walking off into the woods. A search was conducted of the area with the help of Missouri State Highway Patrol, Salem Police Department, and Texas County Sheriff’s Office. A Texas County Deputy was able to locate the missing person walking on Route AB in Texas County. He was then returned home to his guardian. If you have any information about any ongoing investigation, please contact the Dent County Sheriff’s Department at 729-3241.

The City of Salem Planning & Zoning Commission will conduct a meeting tonight at the City Hall Council Chambers located 202 North Washington beginning at 6:30 regarding a request of an In-Home business at 205 South Washington owned by Carly Wilber. The City of Salem Board of Alderman will conduct their regular meeting starting at 7:00. During the hearing of persons, Kate McBride with the Salem Public Library will request to used sidewalk & traffic cones on Thursday, June 1st for the annual teen sidewalk chalk art contest. In bids, the City of Salem requested bids for an estimated 16,000 square yards of NovaChip overlay and the one bid received will be presented to the Board. Also in bids, the City of Salem employee life insurance is up for renewal. During reports of city officials, boards and committees, the Board of Alderman will hear the results of the Planning & Zoning Commission meeting held earlier regarding an In-Home business. City Administrator Ray Walden will then report on various current and future projects concerning the City of Salem as well as give an update on the Old Middle School property followed by reports by Mayor Brad Nash. During the introduction and reading of bills and resolutions, Bill #3331 an ordinance adopting rules and regulations for the City of Salem’s Cedar Grove Cemetery as well as providing when this ordinance shall become effective will be presented for the Board’s approval. In new and miscellaneous business, Mayor Nash is requesting Board approval to appoint Elizabeth Condray to the Planning & Zoning Board to replace Mike Thompson’s unexpired term which ends in 2018. Mayor Nash will also request Board approval to appoint Alderman Chad Heithold, Chairman, Alderwoman Molly Zettel, Gary Brown, Mike Godi, Jerry Layman, Catherine Dent and John Hambacker to the City of Salem Utility Committee. The Board may vote to go into closed session. The meeting of the Planning & Zoning Commission and regular meeting of the City of Salem Board of Alderman are open to the public.

The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting Thursday morning in the Dent County Courthouse. Donnie Gray was in inquiring about the Dent County Jail Project. County Clerk Angie Curley went to her office and got a Request for Qualifications packet for Gray. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams was in with the sales tax receipts for May which were $52,699.28 for General Revenue and $25,718.61 for Road and Bridge. Williams indicated that GR was up $9,104.95 or 2.8172% and R&B was up $6,449.45 which is 4.3624%. In the road report District One Commissioner Dennis Purcell said that grading would be done on and materials would be added to Dent County road 5080, while grading only would be done on county roads 5460, 5440, 6670 and 6650, plus patch grading would be done on county roads 5100 and 5103. Purcell went on to say that a crew was replacing tires on dump truck #117 and that crew would be continuing to remove the landslide on county road 6660, after which they would move to county road 6635 to work on repairs and make it more passable. Purcell also asked that county residents be patient as some low lying roads are still too wet and soft to grade, but they are passable. District Two Commissioner Gary Larson interjected that residents need to understand that it takes considerable time to deal with over 630 miles of county roads. Larson said that if a resident can’t get out they just need to get word to the Commissioners and they will get the road passable. In the District Two report Larson said that materials would be added to and patch grading done on Dent County roads 4283 and 4290, while grading only would be done on county roads 3020, 3220 and 2530 depending on how wet the roads are due to Wednesday nights rain which ranged from one to eight tenths of an inch. Larson went on to say that materials would be added to county roads 3160, 2540 and 2530, while brush would be cut on county road 2330. Presiding Commissioner Skiles said that Wednesday he attended the County Commissioners Association board meeting in Jefferson City. He said that major discussion centered on what could be done to help Carter County after their devastating flood. Skiles went on to say that the counties will be receiving information about what their specific needs are. Skiles added that Thursday afternoon he would be in St. James attending the Public Housing Authority meeting and the MRPC Board meeting Thursday night. Sally Lonning was in to complain to Commissioner Larson about what she felt was a safety issue on Dent County road 2240. Ellen Baum of the Scenic Rivers Industries Board was in to invite the Commissioners to the 40th Anniversary Celebration in June. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported that bills were being approved by the Commissioners for payment. She went on to say that she balanced with the Dent County Treasurer on all accounts for April, as well as with the County Collector and Assessor on all add-ons, abatements and collections for April and the Commissioners approved her reports. Curley added that on Tuesday she attended a productive website meeting at The Salem Community Center @ The Armory with City Administrator Ray Walden, Salem Chamber Director Tabitha Utley, and Cory Crocker of the Salem Initiative. Bids for the grader financing for five years were received from Bank of Salem at 2.55% with no fees stated, from Town and Country Bank at 2.24% with no fees stated, and from US Bank at 2.17% with no fees. The Commissioners voted 3 to 0 to accept the US Bank bid. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission will be Monday morning in the Courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Dry Valley Creek Bridge on Highway 32 in Dent County is set for replacement this summer under a contract approved by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. The commission awarded the contract to KCI Construction Company, after the company submitted the lowest bid of $1,194,449. The bridge, located east of Salem, will be wider when work is complete by the fall. Work on the bridge will require the road to be closed. For more information about this project or other transportation-related matters, please call 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636).

An accident occurred at 4:25 Tuesday afternoon in Shannon County on Highway 19 about ten miles north of Eminence. According to the highway patrol report, a 2002 Suzuki Verona motorcycle driven by 40-year old William E. Sweigard of Salem was traveling southbound on highway 19. The accident occurred as Sweigard lost control of the motorcycle and overturned. Sweigard suffered moderate injuries and was transports by ambulance to the Salem Memorial District Hospital in Salem. He was wearing a safety device at the time of the accident. The Suzuki Verona motorcycle sustained extensive damage and was towed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing of Salem.

Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation shows that turkey hunters checked 39,239 birds during Missouri’s 2017 regular spring turkey season April 17th through May 7th. The top harvest counties were Franklin with 932 birds checked, Texas with 843, and Callaway with 697. Young turkey hunters harvested 4,100 birds during the 2017 spring youth season, April 8-9, bringing the overall 2017 spring turkey harvest to 43,339. The 2016 overall spring turkey harvest was 48,374 birds with 4,167 harvested during the youth weekend and 44,207 during the regular spring season. He added that the number of birds harvested this spring wasn’t too far behind last year’s harvest total going into the second weekend of spring turkey season, but the heavy rains that blanketed much of the state shortly thereafter caused the harvest to drop rapidly. In the local area, there was a total of 631 turkeys checked in Dent County while Phelps County had 606 birds harvested followed by Crawford County with 479 birds taken. The 2017 spring turkey season included two non-fatal hunting incidents. One involved a shooter who mistook another hunter for a turkey and the other was a self-inflicted shooting injury.

The National Association of Letter Carriers, (NACL) is once again conducting a “Help Us Stamp Out Hunger, Spread The Word” campaign and it will be held this Saturday, May 13th. All you have to do is fill a bag and place healthy non-perishable food donations near your mailbox and the local mail carriers will pick those items up. All items collected will be distributed to local food pantries for distribution.

“Old Mill Days” will be held Friday May 12th and Saturday May 13th at Montauk State Park from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. This annual event celebrates the historic Mill and rich Ozark heritage. Each year, the valley comes to life with historical re-enactors, historical artisans and other local Ozark crafters. Step back in time and explore lost traditions of a time many have forgotten. Friday is an educational day for students and the public alike. On Saturday, the event doubles in excitement as local artisans will be selling their wares in front of the mill. Contact the park naturalist for more information at (573) 548-2225.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Department has released a number of reports. On April 27th, deputies received information that a stolen vehicle was in the area of 3rd Street and Pershing. Deputies responded and found the vehicle in the 800 block of East 3rd Street. After a short investigation, 34-year old Mitchell Warren of Salem, was arrested. He was taken to the Dent County Jail and incarcerated. Warren has since been charged with 1st degree tampering with a motor vehicle and was given a $10,000 cash only bond. On April 29th, deputies conducted a traffic stop in the Burger King parking lot. As a result, 45-year old Sherry Elgin of Salem was arrested for driving while her license revoked. A consent search of the vehicle was then conducted and a loaded syringe with liquid that field tested positive for methamphetamine was found. Elgin was transported to the Dent County Jail, given a summons for driving while having her license revoked, and was incarcerated. She was charged with possession of a controlled substance and given a $20,000 cash only bond. On May 2nd, deputies responded to the 600 block of County Road 2360 for a report of a burglary. Upon deputies arrival, it was discovered that a rear door had been kicked in and several items were stolen. Items that were stolen included a red Dolmar-Sachs 16-18″ chainsaw, a FS36 Stihl weed eater, and a jewelry box with jewelry inside. This report is still under investigation. On May 3rd, deputies received information that a stolen Jeep was located on Route AB in Dent County. Deputies traveled to the area and located the vehicle at the intersection of Route AB and Dent County Road 6580. After a short investigation, it was discovered that the vehicle was reported stolen by the Cabool Police Department. The vehicle was secured and removed from the scene for the Cabool Police Department to process. On May 4th, deputies observed 35-year old Marvin Remster of Salem walk into Country Mart. Deputies knew Remster to have a felony capias warrant for his arrest. He was arrested, transported to the Dent County Jail, and incarcerated without incident. If you have any information about any ongoing investigation, please contact the Dent County Sheriff’s Department at 729-3241.

The Doe Run Company announced that Genevieve Sutton of Bunker, was inducted into the Missouri University of Science and Technology’s (Missouri S&T) prestigious Mines and Metallurgy Academy on April 20, along with 10 other alumni. Sutton has nearly 17 years of experience in the mining and environmental, health and safety (EHS) fields, and is currently an EHS technical supervisor for The Doe Run Company. Employment in occupations related to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is projected to grow to more than 9 million between 2012 and 2022, faster than most other occupations. In some cases, there will be more jobs than eligible employees. The mining industry estimates 50,000 new employees will be needed to meet a shortage of skilled mine workers as the result of retiring employees over the next several years. In addition to her new participation with the Mines and Metallurgy Academy, Sutton is part of a team of several Doe Run employees charged with managing Doe Run’s ongoing partnership with Missouri S&T to provide funding and resources to support students pursuing degrees in mining and STEM fields. Funding from Doe Run has helped build the recently completed Kennedy Mine Building on campus, and provide equipment and tools for students to practice skills they will need in the industry. Sutton has a special personal relationship with Missouri S&T as well. Both she and her husband studied mining engineering at Missouri S&T and were the first couple to be married in the Missouri S&T Experimental Mine in Rolla.