Local News

The Phelps County Sheriff’s Department has formally charged 19-year old Samuel Ralph James Karlinski of St. James, with second-degree murder and armed criminal action felonies for the Monday, February 6th shooting death of his father at a residence near St. James. According to the Phelps County Sheriff’s Office, they received a 911 call at Monday morning at 8:51 about a shooting at a residence near St. James. Upon arriving at the scene, deputies found Ralph Leon Karlinski Jr. was dead from apparent gunshot wounds. According to court documents, the person who contacted the police reported that Samuel Karlinski had shot his father three times with a .22-caliber pistol. After a subsequent investigation by the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department, Samuel Karlinski was arrested and taken to the Phelps County Jail and held without bond. Samuel Karlinski in the probable cause statement indicated he shot his father twice in the chest and once in the head in self-defense, but during the investigation, Samuel Karlinski showed no signs of injuries.

The City of Salem Utility Committee met Wednesday night at the Salem Community Center@The Armory. City Administrator Sally Burbridge explained to the committee and crowd about the city budget and the 34 funds the city has. She said many of the funds are encumbered such as the Cemetery Endowment Fund and the Landfill Fund that can only be used for explicit purposes, not general purposes. Funds in those accounts cannot be used by the city for any reason except for the purpose they were initially set up for. So when people see the balance sheet the city has to publish every six-months in the newspaper, people think they have funds available at their disposal which simply is not true. She went on to say each city utility has three funds: one for operations, one for the replacement of vehicles and equipment, and the third for infrastructure upgrades or replacements. From there she discussed why the city is looking to pass a 1% General Revenue Sales tax in April. The General Revenue Fund is responsible for the Salem Police Department with 39% of its funds going there, with 25% allocated for administration and another 24% for public works. Ten percent of the General Revenue Funds are transferred to other funds like Fireworks, Cemetery, Economic Development and more. Currently, the 1% sales tax in the city does not generate enough money to totally provide for those funds, so the General Revenue Fund gets transfers from the Electric, Water and Sewer funds to keep it in the black. Burbridge said the last two years, the city has used their ARPA Funds of $500,000 each year to pay the shortfall in General Revenue, but those monies are now gone. The current fiscal year budget shows the general revenue fund without transfers on June 30th could end up 1.4 million dollars in the red. Even with transfers in from the other departments, the city will still end up about $491,000 short which could mean the trimming back or elimination of some services. Should the public pass the sales tax, revenues would increase by almost $1.25 million dollars that would take the pressure off having to make the transfers and help to stabilize the utility funds by being able to bolster their reserves. She also said there will be a sewer bond question in April on whether the city should issue revenue bonds to finance 4.6 million dollars for federally mandated improvements to the sewer system that would have to paid for directly by sewer system rates. If the measure passes, the city may be able to reduce the amount financed to $1.8 million by using a State Revolving Fund grant and CDBG grant. Either way, sewer rates will go up, but if the issue doesn’t pass, residents may be paying $14 to $15 more per month versus $3 to $6 by passing the bond issue. The election will be on April 4th. After reviewing the city financials, Burbridge talked about the Exceleron Pre-Pay System and it is not working yet. They can’t get the accounts to reconcile correctly. Burbridge talked about payment assistance programs with the use of the pre-pay system as Exceleron says they have a solution, but the city hasn’t seen that yet. The committee opted not to recommend using the Moneygram Service to pay on the pre-pay service as it could end up costing the city money. The committee agreed to keep the Winter Weather Rule in effect where if the temperature falls below 32 degrees as predicted by the National Weather Service in Springfield, disconnects will not be done. This rule would NOT apply to pre-pay customers once it goes on line and there was some discussion on that by the committee with no definitive answer being derived. The committee made no decision on allowing accounts currently on a payback contract with the city to switch to pre-pay when it become available, and the committee would need more clarification on automatically converting accounts to prepay after a specified number of disconnects. They will look for legal guidance on that before making any final decision. Public Works Director Mark Nash gave his report on the electric line loss to the committee but said he didn’t believe the figures were accurate and wanted to check them again before giving actual numbers. He said he would be checking out the numbers on the electric again and then do some hard investigating if the results don’t change much. He did say the water loss figures went from 38% to 8.32% in the city with the new leak detector the city has. Anything under ten percent loss from water lines is excellent. Committee member John Hambacker talked about meter size fees and how, in some cases, multiple units are on the same meter where the city loses out on the meter fees. A motion was made for the staff to report on looking into meter charges based on the size of the meter and any associated fees for discussion at the next meeting. The meeting was then adjourned.

During the week of January 21st to January 27th, there was a total of 113 calls to the Salem Police Department for service. Police officers conducted 11 traffic stops for various traffic violations with two resulting in a summons or arrest. There were no traffic accident investigations, but there were three informational reports. From the calls for service and traffic stops, a numer of reports were generated. On Sunday, January 22nd, at approximately 3:30 in the afternoon, officers contacted a male subject who had warrants out of the City of Salem for not appearing in court on the charge of property damage. As a result 62-year-old Calvin Fears of Salem, was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. That same night at approximately 11:30, officers were dispatched to the areas of Second and Hickory Streets for a report of burglary. It was reported the residents were away from home when someone broke in and stole approximately $2,200 worth of items from the home. This incident is still under investigation as some of the items have been located. Then on Monday, January 23rd, near 3:00 in the afternoon, officers contacted a woman who had warrants out of the City of Salem for not appearing in court on the charge of shoplifting. As a result 26-year old Tamera Halbrook of Salem, was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. On Thursday afternoon, January 26th around 12:30, officers contacted a male subject who had active warrants out of Dent County for failing to appear on a driving while having their license suspended charge. As a result 72-year-old Emanuel Moore of Salem, was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. That same night around 11:00, officers contacted a female subject during a burglary investigation who had active warrants for her arrest out of Dent County. As a result, 24-year old Phylicia Tinker of Salem, was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. Please contact the Salem Police Department at (573) 729-4242 if you have any information regarding any ongoing investigation.

Project RISE is a program that will help teach individuals to reach financial independence through support and education. This program, sponsored by Healthy Dent County, will help families reach personal and financial goals through employment and career development, time management, goal setting, relationship building, money management and community involvement. The objectives of Project RISE are to increase support systems, resources and community connections as well as providing education that will allow families to develop tools that can improve their financial health and empowerment. While enrolled, families can earn gift cards and other financial incentives, plus meals and childcare are provided during the meetings. The program is 16 weeks long and only 4-7 families will be selected. Families will meet weekly during the evening hours to focus on succeeding in life. Ms. Lacey Walker, Administrative Professional with Healthy Dent County, will serve as the coordinator for this program. To make this project a success, Healthy Dent County will work with social service agencies, churches, health care and employment specialists and community leaders. The wealth of knowledge from these professionals will be invaluable to improving the lives of these families for generations to come.Applications are available at the Salem Community Center@The Armory office. For more information on Project RISE or to determine a family’s eligibility, please contact Lacey Walker at 729-8163 or e-mail her at lacey@salemcommunitycenter.org.

The City of Salem’s Utility Committee will hold a meeting this evening at 6:15 at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory. Items on the agenda to be discussed include City Budget 101, Sales Tax Presentation, Utility Financials, a complete breakdown of the Exceleron Pre-Pay System, Updates on Water and Electric Loss, and Per Unit or Meter Size fees. The meeting of the City of Salem’s Utility Committee tonight is open to the public and was called by Committee Chair Kyle Williams.

An accident happened Monday morning at 6:05 in Texas County near Licking that took the life of a man from Licking. According to the highway patrol report, 56-year-old Allen Long of Licking, was walking on Highway 32 in the westbound lane about a half of a mile from Licking, when he was struck in the roadway by a 2021 Peterbilt driven westbound by 48-year-old Dallas Southards of Salem. Long was pronounced dead at the scene by the Texas County Coroner Marie Lasater at 6:26 Monday morning. Long’s body was taken to the Fox Funeral Home in Licking. There was no damage to the Peterbilt and it was driven from the scene.

The Salem R-80 School Board met Thursday evening, where after approval of the agenda, the board moved into executive closed session to discuss personnel. During the closed session, the board approved the contract of Dr. Lynne Reed and approved the hiring of Kevin Miles as a teacher. Miles will also serve as head football coach and assistant athletic director. The board then returned to open session before they adjourned.

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning at the Dent County Courthouse for their regular meeting. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles was not in attendance. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley appointed District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray as temporary Presiding Commissioner for the meeting. Mobray opended the meeting by stating there was a need to clarify some points that he and other elected officials felt were misrepresented by Skiles in his radio program on Friday. They said that as the preliminary budget was being readied for the general public with the 4% COLA increase across the board for all employees and elected officials on January 19th as approved at the salary commission meeting, Skiles did not object to the increase when asked before it was finalized. It wasn’t until the actual end of the budget hearing on Monday, January 30th, right before it was to be approved when Skiles said he was not in favor of the across the board percentage increase and suggested an alternative increase to employees and elected officials. When no one else supported his suggestion, Skiles voted against approving the budget. They also stated when Skiles refers to the salary commission meeting on November 17th that he could not attend due to a prior commitment, he could have asked for the meeting to be changed as another date was open, but he did not. Instead, he wrote a three page letter outlining finances of the county and the need to be frugal pending the outcome of the Department of Revenue’s sales tax debocle and the renovation work the county was committed doing to the courthouse. The elected officials in attendance did not like the fact in the letter their work was being compared to other counties elected officials or their work being compared to school instructors. Other elected officials attended the meeting including Collector Shannon VanKirk, Clerk Angie Curley, Treasurer Denita Williams, Assessor Jamie Homeyer and Commissioner Gary Larson as well as Mobray. They also said the issue over not closing the courthouse on Wednesday, January 25th, and how the employees were to be paid was a difference of opinion. In the road report, Mobray stated materials were going to be added and grading done on Dent County Road 5080 while only grading would be done on county roads 6255 and 6500. He also said brush would be cut on county road 5680. District 2 Commissioner Larson indicated materials would be added and grading done to Dent County Road 4280 while only grading was going to be done on county roads 4260, 6120, 6123, 6130 and 6160. Larson stated materials would be added to county road 4380 and brush was going to be cut on county roads 2165, 2593 and 2600. County Clerk Curley said absentee voting for the April Municipal Election will begin February 21st while voter registration for the election will begin March 8th. Curley said the courthouse would be closed on February 13th for Lincoln Day and also on Monday, February 20th for President’s Day. The next meeting of the commissioners will be Thursday morning at the courthouse at 9:00 and it is open to the public.

The Salem Area Arts Council will hold a “Couples and Singles Paint and Sip” event this Friday night at the Creative Arts Center in Salem. Paint a canvas of a young couple under a tree at sunrise, then on the other side of the tree, an older couple on a park bench representing the changing of the season. All supplies will be provided and all you need to bring is your bestie, snack and favorite beverage. There must be six people sign up to hold the class and the cost is $25 for singles and $40 for couples. To sign up, call or text 573-247-0651, or go online at salemcommunitybetterment.com and look under programs for the Salem Creative Arts Center.

An accident happened Thursday evening at 5:36 in Phelps County on Interstate 44 at the 188-mile marker that took the life of a teenager from St. James. According to the highway patrol report, 39-year-old David Newton of St. James, was driving a 2003 Ford F-350 westbound when the vehicle traveled off the right side of the roadway. Newton overcorrected causing the Ford to overturn several times, ejecting Newton and a 17-year-old male passenger from the pickup. Newton suffered serious injuries and was flown by Mercy Life to the University Hospital in Columbia. The 17-year-old male passenger was flown by Phelps Air to the University Hospital in Columbia where he was pronounced dead at 7:00 Thursday night at the University Hospital by Dr. Shea. The Ford F-350 was totaled and removed from the scene by D&D Towing. The highway report indicates Newton nor the 17-year old passenger were wearing seat restraints. Newton was charged with a DWI causing the death of another, failure to drive within the right lane causing a crash, and for not wearing a seat belt.

A one vehicle accident happened Saturday morning just after 10:20 in Shannon County on Shannon County Road 504 about three miles south of Eminence. According to the highway patrol report, a 2006 Ford F-150 was being driven east by 73-year-old Geraldine Rader of Birch Tree, when the Ford started skidding on the ice covered roadway. The Ford then ran off the left side of the road where the Ford struck a sign and a low water bridge before coming to rest in a creek. Rader was extricated through the roof of the vehicle by the Eminence Area Volunteer Fire Department who were assisted by Shannon County Sheriff’s Department deputies, and Shannon County First Responders. Rader suffered serious injuries and was flown by Air Evac to the Mercy Hospital in Springfield. The Ford was totaled and removed from the scene by Baker’s Towing of Birch Tree. The report went on to state Rader was not wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident.

An accident happened in Crawford County Wednesday evening at 6:57 at 304 West Highway 8. According to the highway patrol report, a 2014 Mazda van driven westbound by 22-year-old Aleczander Thunder-Mathews of Steelville, suffered a blown tire causing the van to travel off the right side of the roadway where it went through a fence and struck a tree. Thunder-Mathews suffered moderate injuries while a passenger in the van, a 17-year-old male from Rolla, suffered minor injuries. They were both take to Phelps Health in Rolla by a private vehicle. The van was totaled and was secured at the scene. Both Thunder-Mathews and the minor from Rolla were wearing seat restraints at the time of the accident.

The City of Salem is reminding citizens that the recycling not picked up last week due to the icy conditions will be picked up this week starting Wednesday on the north half of town and the north side of Center St. All recycling on the south half of town and the south side of Center Street. will be picked up on Thursday.

On February 1st, the Doe Run Company promoted Lou Magdits to vice president of sales and marketing. The move is a part of the company’s succession planning and the recent announcement by Doe Run executive Jose Hansen of his intention to retire at the end of 2023. In his new role, Magdits joins the company’s executive team in providing strategic direction to the company, bringing his expertise and oversight to the company’s scrap metal procurement, metal sales, transportation and customer service. Metal concentrate sales continue reporting to Matthew Wohl, president and CEO at Doe Run. Magdits is a veteran of the continue to be overseen by Jose Hansen, vice president – concentrates sales, who will metals and lead battery industries, with nearly 44 years’ experience, including supervising metal and raw material purchases; sales of lead, specialty alloys and other co-products; customer service; production planning; and metal contract negotiations with global manufacturers.

The Dent County Commissioners met Thursday morning at the courthouse for their regular meeting. Deloris Gray Wood from the Dent County Historical Society wanted to talk with the commission about the historical society’s idea of “Telling the Story of the Current River from the Roads.” Wood said at previous meetings of the society, it was discussed that interpretive panels about a local event or historical location could be installed on county road right-of-way or placed on private property along a state maintained road. She mentioned the Mount Olive Baptist Church, the Ashley (Saltpeter) Cave, Montauk, Tan Vat, Cedar Grove and other locations. Wood said she would be applying for a 100% grant for the panels, associated website, posts and more once the application period opens for 2023. She believes once the grant is awarded that there may be a 12-month period to complete the project. She is hoping the grant will provide enough funds for all the work to be done before approaching the Tourism Tax Committee for additional funds if the grant falls short. She was wanting to know if the county would install the posts and panels. The commission said they didn’t see a problem with it, but wanted her to get back with them once she knew more about what the grant did and did not cover. Wood also said there would be another Dent County Historical Society meeting Monday night at the James and Gahr Fellowship Hall at 5:00. She is asking the public if they know of burial sites or cemeteries within the Ozark Natural Scenic Riverways boundaries to let her know as they want to make sure these areas are identified and protected. In the road report, District One Commissioner Wes Mobray said crews would be patching chip and seal with the ultimate paving material. He said crews have salted the county roads past Route B as those roads are covered with ice, but it has had little effect on making travel better. Also if thawing does occur, the roads are then refreezing and becoming even more slick. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said crews are working on the shop loader and another loader at the maintenance shop needing repairs. He said a man went to Willow Springs to get parts for the Caterpillar loader. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said he was in Jefferson City Wednesday with the CCAM board to talk with senators and representatives about unfunded mandates, jail per deim and other county issues. Skiles said at the Industrial Development Authority meeting held Wednesday, Chris Holliday was elected President with Dean Jones re-elected Vice-President and Bob Parsons re-elected as Secretary-Treasurer. Skiles said City Administrator Sally Burbridge talked about the Sewer Bond Issue on the ballot in April, and Alderman Shawn Bolerjack discussed the one cent General Revenue Fund sales tax increase ballot proposal. The commissioners approved the $1,000 annual contract with the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, and they approved the Quit Claim Deed for Crawford County resident Terry Reeve for the railroad right-of-way on his property. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said she applied for and received a 2023 Election Efficiency Grant from the Missouri Secretary of State’s office for $3,075.28. She has used the funds in the past to pay for election judge training, equipment maintenance and the polling place accessibility in Bunker. She said she saw in the paper the public notice to put out for bid the sewer work at the jail with her office the contact location for those who need more information. Commissioner Skiles contacted architect Corky Stack who compiled the specs, and is to provide Curley’s office with the information. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Police Department has submitted more reports for the week of January 14th through 20th. On Tuesday, January 17th, at approximately 9:00 in the evening, officers were dispatched to Dollar General for a report of trespassing. It was reported that a female subject had entered the store who had previously been asked not to return. Contact was made and as a result a 42-year-old Salem female was issued a summons for Trespassing. On Thursday, January 19th, at approximately 1:00 in the afternoon, an officer was dispatched near the intersection of Grand and Third Streets for a report of a sexual assault. It was reported that a male subject had sexually assaulted a female subject. During the investigation, details and evidence was collected and as a result of the findings, the male subject was later located and arrested. The 38-year-old Salem man was incarcerated at the Dent County Jail on charges of Sodomy. On Friday evening, January 20th at approximately 9:30, an officer conducted a traffic stop near the intersection of Highway 32 and Askins Street for an inoperable brake light. During the stop it was found the driver had an active arrest warrant out of Texas County. As a result 49-year-old Floyd Mayberry Jr. of Raymondville was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail awaiting extradition or bond. Please contact the Salem Police Department at 729-4242 if you have any information regarding any investigation.

GFL has notified the City of Salem that due to icy road conditions south and west of Salem that recycling will not be picked up this week. All recycling on the north half of town and the north side of Center St. will be picked up on Wednesday, February 8th; and all recycling on the south half of town and the south side of Center St. will be picked up on Thursday, February 9th. The City of Salem apologizes for the inconvenience and appreciates your understanding.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education will hold a special meeting this evening at 6:00 to go into executive session to discuss hiring a football coach and approving the contract of the superintendent. The board will then come back into open session to adjourn.

Project RISE is a program that will help teach individuals to reach financial independence through support and education. This program, sponsored by Healthy Dent County, will help families reach personal and financial goals through employment and career development, time management, goal setting, relationship building, money management and community involvement. The objectives of Project RISE are to increase support systems, resources and community connections as well as providing education that will allow families to develop tools that can improve their financial health and empowerment. While enrolled, families can earn gift cards and other financial incentives, plus meals and childcare are provided during the meetings. The program is 16 weeks long and only 4-7 families will be selected. Families will meet weekly during the evening hours to focus on succeeding in life. Ms. Lacey Walker, Administrative Professional with Healthy Dent County, will serve as the coordinator for this program. To make this project a success, Healthy Dent County will work with social service agencies, churches, health care and employment specialists and community leaders. The wealth of knowledge from these professionals will be invaluable to improving the lives of these families for generations to come. Applications are available at the Salem Community Center@The Armory office. For more information on Project RISE or to determine a family’s eligibility, please contact Lacey Walker at 729-8163 or e-mail her at lacey@salemcommunitycenter.org.

The Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District is now accepting submissions for its 32nd Annual Earth Day Trash Art, Poster and Graphic Art contest. The theme for this year’s art contest is “Rescue Earth’s Resources: Become a First Responder for the Planet.” The Ozark Rivers Earth Day contest is a poster, trash art, and graphic art competition open to all students in grades kindergarten through 12th in Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties. Homeschool students meeting these criteria are eligible and encouraged to participate. The graphic art portion of the contest is also open to post-secondary students. MRPC provides the day-to-day management of the solid waste district. Students have the opportunity to participate in multiple contest categories, including posters with hand-drawn and graphic arts, and re-purposing recyclables and trash into three-dimensional pieces of trash art. All art entries should echo the theme of the contest and an underlying solid waste management theme to reduce, reuse, and recycle. First and second place contest winners will be awarded prizes, made possible by sponsor donations. Honorable mention projects will also be recognized. All prizes will be earth-friendly, with the first prize valued at $30, second prize valued at $10 and honorable mention prizes valued at $5 approximately. Entries for all categories will be accepted from March 1st through 17th and may be dropped off at the county clerk offices at the nearest courthouse or at MRPC, located at #4 Industrial Drive in St. James. Posters must not exceed 28” x 22”, and trash art projects must not exceed 12”x 12” x 12”. Only one entry per category per student will be accepted, but students may submit entries for all three categories. All entries must be clearly marked with the student’s name, grade, school district, school name and teacher’s name. If any information is not labeled, the entry will be disqualified. If you or your business would like to be a sponsor or for more information about the contest, call 573-265-2993.

The Missouri Department of Conservation wants to remind fisherman that the last day of the catch and Release Season at Montauk State Park will be February 13th. The second Monday of February every year marks the end of the winter Catch-and-Release season. No fishing will be allowed at the park until the opening day of Trout Season which will be on March 1st. For more information on fishing of all types in Missouri as well as fishing licenses, visit the Missouri Department of Conservation website at mdc.mo.gov.

The Dent County Commission held their 2023 budget hearing Monday morning at the commissioner’s office in the courthouse. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles went over the major funds that comprise the budget. The General Revenue Fund ended 2022 with net cash available at $2,442,212.51. The estimated revenues for 2023 are 2.121 million dollars while estimated expenses for this year are 3.381 million dollars, resulting in an estimated ending balance of $1,182,616.97 as of December 31st, 2023. Skiles stated that $800,000 was budgeted for repairs to be done on the courthouse in 2022 of which $347,000 were spent, then another one million dollars was appropriated for 2023 for additional courthouse repairs. The Road and Bridge Fund ending cash balance in 2022 was $511,493.16. The commissioners have estimated revenues in 2023 at 2.643 million dollars and estimated expenses of 2.785 million dollars that would result in an estimated ending balance of $369,573.16 at the end of 2023. The Assessment Fund ending balance for 2022 was $148,137.78. The commissioners estimated revenues in 2023 of $218,350.00 and with estimated expenses of $291,642.60, the estimated ending balance at the end of 2023 would be $74,845.18. The Law Enforcement Sales Tax (LEST) Fund ending balance in 2022 was $836,645.31 that was helped with increase in actual revenues by ARPA funds in 2022. The commissioners estimate revenues in 2023 to be 1.231 million dollars while the estimated deductions came in at 1.486 million dollars leaving an estimated ending balance of $582,537.59 at the end of 2023. The 9-1-1 fund had an ending balance of $61,250.72 in 2022 that showed an increase in revenues of over $4,500 for the year. Expected estimated revenues are $42,633 in 2023 and with estimated expenses of $40,500.00, there would be an ending balance at the end of 2023 of $63,383.78. The Jail Construction and Operations Fund finished the 2022 year with cash available of $2,263,325.29. The fund has expected revenues in 2023 of 2.068 million dollars and estimated expenses of 2.485 million dollars that would leave an ending balance of $1,845,817.88 at the end of 2023. The Jail Construction Trust Fund finished 2022 with an ending balance of $1.705 million dollars. The commissioners estimated revenues of $1,032,427.03 and with anticipated expenses of $1,201,857.50, the fund would have an ending balance of 1.536 million dollars at the end of 2023. Skiles also went over the new budgets for the SB40 fund and offered to revue smaller funds to see if there were questions, but there were none. The budget for 2023 was then approved by a 2-1 vote with Commissioner Skiles voting against the budget due to a 4% COLA increase for all employees including elected officials who also received an increase around 1% due to the assessed valuation increase. Skiles said the increase for employees was about $1,200 while the office holders were going to get about an increase of about $2,400. The hearing was then adjourned.

Missouri turkey hunters can apply online during February for 2023 spring turkey managed hunts 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. The spring turkey hunting youth portion will be April 1 and 2 with the regular spring season running April 17th through May 7th. Detailed information on spring turkey hunting will be available in the MDC 2023 Spring Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available where permits are sold beginning in March. To learn more about turkey hunting, visit MDC’s website at mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/turkey. 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.

The Salem Area Council presents a four-week Stained Glass Class with Jennifer Curry starting Tuesday, February 7th at the Creative Arts Center. You can learn the art of stained glass and create a panel of your own. Students will use some basic stained glass cutting and soldering techniques and be introduced to the vocabulary and materials used while creating a beautifully designed piece. Curry will provide the materials and equipment as well as the instruction and knowledge for each student to have a successful and enjoyable experience. Class time are 1:00 until 4:00 in the afternoon of 5:00 to 8:00 in the evening. The cost of the program is $150 which includes the supplies and safety equipment. There must be a minimum of two students for the class to be held and no more than five students can be in one class. To sign up, call or text 573-247-0651, or go online at salemcommunitybetterment.com and look under programs for the Salem Creative Arts Center.

The Dent County Historical Society will be holding their next meeting on Monday, February 6th, at 5:00 at James and Gahr Fellowship Hall. Cemeteries and burial sites along the Current River will be discused as well as the Project which is to have wayside panels at pull-outs at places on private land with an agreement with the landowner. Discussion will also be held about the National Park Service Ozark National Scenic Riverways. The meetings are open to everyone. For more information or if people want to share or have ideas of possible stories, call Deloris Gray Wood at 573 729-2545 or e-mail her at delorisgraywood@gmail.com.

The Healthy Dent County Fitness Center will offer their Line Dancing classes again this year Tuesday nights through the month of February at 6:30 at the Salem Community Center @ The Armory. The cost to attend is $5.00 and just pay at the door. The class instructor is Rosalie Wright. For more information call 739-1127 or e-mail susie@salemcommunitycenter.org.

The Dent County Commissioners held their regular meeting Monday at the Dent County Courthouse. At the meeting, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray and District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said work crews would be out sanding the chip and seal roads and also checking out the other roads for any needed treatment. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles stated that last Wednesday, the commission did not close the courthouse due to weather but none of the office holders or their employees showed up. Skiles said the policy says that full time employees will be paid if the commissioners close the courthouse due to weather or whatever reason, but if the employee elects not to come in, they are to take a vacation or sick day if they want to be paid for that day. Some of the office holders were following the stipulated policy while others were just going to authorize their employees to be paid as if the commission did close the courthouse without having to use a vacation or sick day. Skiles asked the commissioners how they wanted to handle the situation. The discussion involved office holders stating they didn’t have their employees come in because of the weather and their safety as they live a distance from the city, and because of the slick conditions around the courthouse which could cause a person to fall and get hurt. The office holders also emphasized that they are in charge of the employees and they can make the decision to close their office if they so choose. However, the policy was approved by all the office holders and no one had made any mention to the commission that they didn’t approve of the policy as written and that it should be revisited. The conversation then turned from the policy on closing the courthouse to fairness in holiday pay for those working 8, 10 or 12-hour shifts and how much they are paid on those days off where the person on a 10-hour shift would get two hours more pay than someone on an 8-hours shift. After more discussion, Commissioner Larson said to just pay the employees however the office holder submitted their time sheets and that the issue would need to be reviewed by the commission and office holders. The commissioners approved the MRPC Notice of Decision for the $30,000 in ARPA Funds to be released to the Salem Nutrition Center, and later approved the bid from Rich Devereux and Company, LLC from St. Charles for $18,500 to do a financial audit of the county. The commissioners elected to put off approving a quit-claim deed until their next meeting Thursday at the commissioner’s office at 9:00 at the courthouse. That meeting is open to the public.

Missouri State Parks announces campsites previously on hold at Montauk State Park and Roaring River State Park will be released for guests to reserve in March and April. Both campgrounds will undergo improvements later in 2023, but will be temporarily available until construction dates are determined. The campsites released will be in campground Loop 4 at Montauk State Park, which will undergo an electrical upgrade from 30 amp to 50 amp sites; and in campground Loop 3 at Roaring River State Park, which will be converted from basic sites to sites with sewer, electric and water. Both projects are in the design phase and should be sent out for bid later this spring. For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

During the week of January 14th to January 20th there was a total of 133 calls for service. Officers with the Salem Police Department conducted 32 traffic stops for various traffic violations with 9 resulting in a summons or arrest. Officers conducted 2 traffic accident investigations along with 4 informational reports. Of the calls for service and traffic stops, the following reports were generated. On Saturday afternoon, January 14th, at approximately 4:00 an officer was dispatched to WalMart for a report of shoplifting. It was reported that a male subject had stolen a phone case that was valued at $54. As a result of the investigation a 23-year-old Salem male was arrested and later released on summons for shoplifting. Then on Tuesday January 17th at near noon officers were dispatched to the intersection of Oak and Missouri Highway 32 for a report of shots fired. It was reported that during a disturbance a female subject brandished a handgun and fired two shots at two other subjects. An investigation was conducted into the incident wherein spent shell casings were recovered. Further investigation led to finding the female subject that had fired the shots. As a result a 26-year-old Salem female was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail for charges of Assault in the 1st degree, Unlawful Use of a Firearm, Armed Criminal Action, and Harassment in the 1st degree. Please contact the Salem Police Department at (573) 729-4242 if you have any information regarding any investigation.

It has come to our attention of the city of Salem utilities office that there was a printing error on some of the Utility Bills sent out in January 2023 and a small portion of the bills state the due date is the 5th of the following month. Since this is the date printed on some of the bills that went out, the City of Salem will be honoring that due date for the current bill which covers the period of November 15th, 2022 through December 15th, 2022. Customers will have until 5 pm on February 6th, since the 5th is a Sunday, to pay their bills to avoid disconnection. The following, or next month’s, bill will be printed with the correct last day to pay of February 27, 2023. For questions please call the Utility office at 729-4117.

The Dent County Health Center (DCHC) Board of Trustees held their regular meeting on Monday, January 23. The meeting had been postponed from January 19 due to lack of a quorum. DCHC Administrator Zach Moser presented the communicable disease report which included 79 new COVID-19 cases for December. Moser reported the new Communicable Disease nurse has been working through a backlog of elevated blood lead cases. He said 14 were closed in November, while 31 cases remain open in December. Moser explained that the number has jumped up due to a change in reported from cases closed each month to reporting active cases. Four sexually transmitted infection screenings were conducted in December. The Health Center conducts free screenings for common sexually transmitted diseases. Moser noted that influenza cases have increased early in the season and 101 total cases were reported in December. In the diagnostics report, Moser said that 153 blood draw appointments were completed in December. The DCHC can conduct most tests at reduced cost for those without insurance. There were 196 COVID tests in December. COVID tests are $10 for rapid antigen test, $35 for COVID/FLU combo test, and $50 for molecular C19 Test. Most people can qualify for free testing and no doctor’s orders are required. Moser said that 89 COVID-19 vaccines were administered in December. He reported that 67 Influenza vaccines were administered in December, plus free flu vaccine is still available at the Health Center. Other vaccines administered totaled 56. There was a total of 613 appointments held during December. WIC appointments in December total was 333. Moser noted that in December 113 urine drug screenings were conducted on behalf of the Dent County Treatment Court. Assistant Administrator Roma Jones gave the environmental report and said she conducted 4 inspections and fielded 5 environmental questions. In the Administrators report, Moser said that 289 children are currently enrolled with 16 providers in the childcare subsidy program and $417,121 grant funds have been provided so far toward the program. Moser reported that the slowness of DHSS to reimburse grant expenditures made it necessary to temporarily transfer $300,000, which included cashing a $150,000 CD. Cashing the CD resulted in an interest penalty of $174.98. The DHSS reimbursement of $300,000 was received January 17. In new business, Moser reported that the Health Center started with Quickbooks Online January 1st to improve collaboration and reporting. He also noted that the 2021 and 2022 Audits are underway. Dennis Floyd and Robert Gravely were the only two filers for the two open Board of Trustees positions so no election will be held. Moser noted that the Health Center future plans include a Health Fair, Vision Screening, Walk-in Heart-Health Screenings, and walk-in vaccine clinic. The Health Center website improvements were reviewed including online restaurant inspections, staff photos and access to certain financial reports and minutes. The website can be found at any of the following: dentcohealth.org, dentcountyhealthcenter.com or dentcountyhealthcenter.org. DCHC expenses for December were reviewed and approved. Moser presented the budget which projected revenue for 2023 at $2,171,574.14, with $1,105,143.20 from the Health Disparities grant for Childcare Subsidies. Local property taxes were budgeted at $180,000. Expenses for 2023 were projected to be $1,782,089.46, which yields a surplus of $389,309.14. The surplus will actually replace funds that had to be used in December due to DHSS payment not arriving until January. Moser noted that the 2024 budget will be much tighter due to the expiration of several COVID-19 funding sources. Salaries and fringe benefits remain the greatest expense at $988,200, followed by Childcare Subsidies at $425,000. After much discussion and line item evaluation the budget was approved. In relation to finances, the budget, etc., Moser was directed by the Board to evaluate options for accounting services. The Board went into closed session to discuss real estate. The Board returned to open session after approving terms of an offer on adjoining property. The next regular meeting of the DCHC Board was set for Thursday, February 16th.