Your World Today

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning for their regular meeting. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley appointed District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray as the acting presiding commissioner for the day. Grant Wilson from Representative Jason Smith’s office was in attendance and just wanted to let the commission know Smith is holding his second Ways and Means Committee meeting on the road, this one in Yukon, Oklahoma at the stockyards to allow the committee to hear about needs of the everyday people in the heartland. In the road report, Mobray reported the low water bridge on Dent County Road 5610 has been washed out and the bridge on that road is impassable. The new bridge is in the process of being built, but is not near ready for traffic, so thru-traffic on the road is no longer available. Mobray said crews were out Saturday repairing a number of roads and are out again repairing other roads that sustained damage from the rains Thursday night. Mobray went on to report that he has two trucks picking up and stockpiling gravel at the shed as the Salem Quarry is currently out of rock and the county has to go out of town to get their rock. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson also said he had two trucks out picking up gravel and stockpiling it. He went on to say he had crews out checking more roads after Saturday’s repairs as it is too wet to grade any roads at this time. He did say brush would be cut on county road 2070. Larson said he, Clerk Curley and Commissioner Mobray all attended the CCAM annual training at the Lake of the Ozarks last week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. He said they received updates from MoDOT, selling surplus county property, and heard about grant money available for counties from the Department of Natural Resources and USDA. Larson said the group heard from Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe and also US Representative Mark Alford. The commissioners were also told to monitor Senate Bill 161 that deals with the removal of the one cent retail sales tax on prepared food that could end up costing the county $2,137,353 as well as having an adverse effect on funds supported by sales taxes. There was also some discussion on property and real estate taxes being waived for seniors that may meet certain criteria that could also have a negative impact on the county, schools, and other services funded by real estate and personal property taxes. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said the last day to register to vote is Wednesday, and that last day to have a ballot mailed out is March 22nd. She said the county will be testing election equipment at 9:00 on March 31st at her office. Corky Stack discussed with the commission options for moving the electric to the courthouse for the court house renovation. They could eliminate the single phase line coming in from the corner of 5th Street and Highway 19 and run everything off the three-phase line from the east. They also discussed the use of the county backup generator that currently is at Oak Grove Baptist Church as the commission heard that it is no longer a Red Cross Emergency Shelter. If that is true and the generator is available, Stack explained how that generator could be placed in the parking area off 5th and Iron Streets and could be used for the courthouse, sheriff’s office and possibly judicial building. If the county wanted to look into that, the electric to the courthouse would be buried underground in a hole directionally bored to the pad transformer. A transfer switch would be placed at the generator site in case of electrical outages to keep the buildings with power. The additional cost to have this done would be about $45,500 if the current county generator is used, and would be an additional 35,000-to-40,000 dollars if a new generator was needed. This does NOT include the cost to move the generator from the church to the parking lot at Iron and 5th Streets. The commissioners will discuss this option and also check to see if the current generator is truly available before letting Stack know by the end of the week what they decide. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and it is open to the public.

In July 2022, severe storms and record rainfall across the St. Louis region devastated families, homes and businesses, many in areas that had never experienced such flooding before. This historic disaster serves as yet another reminder that severe weather can strike at any time, anywhere. Flooding, especially flash flooding, is the deadliest severe weather hazard in Missouri and can happen year-round. Tornadoes and severe storms also pose deadly threats each year, which is why it’s so important to prepare. Its best to learn about the risks and have an emergency plan in place before severe weather strikes. To prepare and encourage Missourians to learn more about severe weather and how to protect themselves, the National Weather Service, SEMA and local emergency managers will observe Severe Weather Preparedness Week this week through March 10th. Missouri’s annual statewide tornado drill will be held this morning at 10:00 when all NOAA Weather Radios set to receive the Routine Weekly Tests, will alert listeners that the tornado drill has begun. Outdoor warning sirens will also sound across participating Missouri communities. At that time, participants should practice taking cover in their designated shelter.

A four-week bevel leaded stained glass class with Jennifer Curry starts today from 5:00 to 8:00 where students will learn cutting, grinding, soldering, came pulling and cutting zinc came in order to build a leaded panel. The materials and equipment will be provided. The cost is $175 and at least two people must sign up for the class to be held with a maximum of six. The class starts today and will end on March 28th. For more information 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 in Dent County Saturday night on Dent County Road 2240 about a mile west of Salem. According to the highway patrol report, 24-year-old Ethan Newman of Salem, was driving a 2022 Kawasaki Teryx KRX1000 UTV eastbound when he lost control and traveled off the right side of the road. The UTV came back on the road and struck the side of a 2005 Ford F-150 driven westbound by 62-year-old Cary Nash of Salem. The UTV then overturned, ejected Newman who suffered serious injuries and was flown by Mercy to the Mercy Hospital in Creve Coeur. It was unknown if Newton was using safety devices at the time of the accident. Nash was not injuries in the accident and drove the Ford that sustained moderate damages from the scene. The UTV also sustained moderate damages and was towed from the scene by a private conveyance. Newton was charged with a DWI and failure to drive on the right half of the roadway resulting in a crash by the highway patrol.

Saturday at the Salem Civic Theatre (formally known as the City Hall Auditorium), the 71st Annual Variety Show and Miss Salem Contest was held sponsored by the Cosmopolitan Club with this year’s theme “A Night to Remember.” Ten girls were in the running for the 2023 Miss Salem crown and narrator Catherine Dent announced the winners. The 2023 Miss Salem was Tessa Gorman who was crowned by the 2022 Miss Salem, Sierra Rusco. She was sponsored by Vandivort Drug. The 1st-Runner-Up went to Brooke Yates sponsored by Progressive Ozark Bank, the 2nd-Runner up was presented to Neely Leathers sponsored by Inman Insurance and the Miss Personality Award which is voted on by the girls competing, went to Yadira Blanco sponsored by Bigos Mexican Restaurant. Congratulations to all the contestants.

The Dent County Fire Protection Board of Directors will be meeting tomorrow evening at 6:00 at the fire station located #2 South Main Street. After approval of the consent agenda, the board will review the minutes of the February meeting, hear the financial report and approve bills, then review the budget. After the calandar review, the board will view the monthly reimbursement report before hearing any old or new business. Fire Chief Brad Nash will then make his report to the board. The date will then be set for the April meeting before adjourning. The meeting this Tuesday evening will be open to the public.

The Salem Area Community Bettermemnt Assocation invites everyone out to the “Art Across The Ages” show at the Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center’s gallery room. Sponsored by the Salem Area Arts Council, the exhibit will be open starting today until March 31st from 9:00 to 5:00 weekdays with an Open House as well as a reception for the all the artists and their families tomorrow from 4:00 until 7:00. Come and enjoy this unique exhibit highlighting the talent of the artists of all ages in the area. There are a wide variety of artists who give many perspectives, adding to the vision of the artist evolving from childhood to adult. It is the goal of the Salem Area Arts Council to involve the public, displaying and recognizing local art and artists, and to bring art related activities to the area.

A four-week Bevel Leaded Stained Glass class with Jennifer Curry at the Creative Arts Center starts Tuesday from 5:00 to 8:00 where students will learn cutting, grinding, soldering, came pulling and cutting zinc came in order to build a leaded panel. The materials and equipment will be provided. The cost is $175 and at least two people must sign up for the class to be held with a maximum of six. The class starts Tuesday, March 7th and ends on March 28th. For more information, go online at salemcommunitybetterment.com and look under programs for the Salem Creative Arts Center, or call or text 573-247-0651.

The Salem Hospital Foundation will be holding a CornHole Tournament at the Salem Community Center@The Armory Saturday. Registration starts at 10:00 with the bags to fly at 11:00. This is a double elimination tournament and there is $1,000 in prizes. To register, call Clifton Parker at 647-9338 or go on the Scoreholio app.