Your World Today

To guide the state’s internet expansion and training efforts, the Missouri Office of Broadband Development and University of Missouri Extension are conducting a brief online survey on household internet access and use. The anonymous survey can be found online at muext.us/MissouriInternetSurvey. The survey, which takes about six minutes to complete, asks households about existing internet use such as devices used, connections and applications as well as barriers to Internet use such as financial obstacles, training and assistance needs. Allen Spell, assistant extension professor of community and regional economics at the University of Missouri, says broadband can boost a community’s economic growth and quality of life with benefits including gains in job growth, income and gross domestic product. Spell states realizing those benefits requires not just the physical availability of high-speed Internet connections but also the adoption and use of those connections for applications like telemedicine and expanded opportunities related to education, employment and business. According to B.J. Tanksley, the director of the Office of Broadband Development, hearing from citizens in urban and especially rural areas is an incredibly valuable part of understanding our state’s needs. Tanksley encourages everyone who has Internet service to complete the survey, and hopes those who do NOT have Internet service can find a public access location to go online and complete the survey which will be used to obtain community feedback to support the development of additional data-driven tools and outreach reinforcing the Office of Broadband Development’s broadband efforts across the state.

March is the annual observance of National Nutrition Month, a campaign to raise awareness of healthy eating and physical activity. Nutrition is especially important for older adults. Receiving proper nutrition is not only a vital part of healthy aging it can impact immunity, energy levels, heart health and much more. National Nutrition Month is the perfect time for older adults to educate themselves and consider the impact certain food choices have on their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The Salem Senior Center can help with education on nutrition and how to live a healthy lifestyle. On Tuesday morning at 11:00, the Salem Senior Center will have Stephanie Wofford from the Dent County Extension Office in attendance to discuss nutrition information. This is a great way to learn more about health and nutrition while enjoying good food, visiting with friends, and having fun. For more information, contact Jody Schaefer, 573-729-2373, and see them on Facebook: Salem Senior Center.

This Saturday night at 7:00 at the Salem Civic Theatre (better know as the City Hall Auditorium), the Cosmopolitan Club’s 71st Annual Variety Show and Miss Salem Contest themed “A Night to Remember” will be held with David Massengale as the Master of Ceremonies. Ten girls will vie for the title of Miss Salem and this year’s contestants include Neely Leathers sponsored by Inman Insurance, Cierra Richardson sponsored by Family Trash Services, Yadira Blanco sponsored by Bigos Mexican Restaurant, Riley Darby sponsored by the Bank of Salem, Scire Goodson sponsored by Black’s A+ Septic, Tessa Gorman sponsored by Vandvort Drug, Skyler Klapperich sponsored by Our Monkey Shack, Kylie Parks sponsored by Shear Edge and Hannah Brookshire sponsored by Town and Country Bank. The 2023 Miss Salem will be crowned by the 2022 Miss Salem, Sierra Rusco. There will be performances from the Salem Academy of Dance, the Ozark Spirit Cloggers, ATA Taekwondo, Jake Holmlund and the Short Term Disorder Band, That Band 2.0 and a violin solo by Trinity Haas as well the introduction of the contestants by narrator Catherine Dent. The doors will open at 6:30 and the cost of admission is $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for children five years of age and above, and children four and under are FREE. If you can’t make it to the event, KSMO Media will stream the event LIVE on ksmoradio.com, the KSMO Stream Facebook and on the KSMO YouTube Page. Some musical selections in the show may may be muted due to copyright infringement laws or be replaced with a copyright approved song during the stream.

The Opening Day of catch-and-keep trout season started yesterday morning at 6:30 at Montauk State Park. There were 1,587 adult trout tags and another 146 youth tags sold as of 4:30 Wednesday afternoon. A number of lunkers were caught during the day with the largest being an 7-pound, 7-ounces rainbow by Micah Faulkner of Salem followed by a 6 pound, 4-ounce rainbow caught by Chris Hood of Houston. Three other rainbow trout were caught on opening day were at six pounds or above: a 6-pound, 2-ounce trout caught by Eric Lowing of O’Fallon; a 6-pound, 1-ounce trout caught by Cabe Steinburn of Hazelwood and a six- pounder caught by Lawson Toman of Salem. The catch-and-keep season will be in effect until October 31st.

“Tie-Hacking on the Current River” is the next topic for discussion at the Dent County Historical Society’s meeting for the eventual project of “Telling the Story of the Current River from the Road” this Saturday morning at 10:00 in the James & Gahr Fellowship Hall in Salem. Alex Primm will be the special guest. Primm and wife Cathy lived south of Rolla until recently. Cathy worked for the Department of Natural Resources. Alex is an oral historian and storyteller who has lived in various parts of the Ozarks. For several years Primm was a curator at the Ozark Agricultural Museum at Maramec Spring Park and began collecting oral history. So stories about logging, farm life, and living on the frontier might be one of his stories. His recent book ‘Ozark Voices: Oral History from the Heartland’ is being made into an audiobook for the blind via the Library of Congress. He will also show and discuss his book. For more information: contact Deloris Gray Wood at 573-729-2545.

Only one-third of all family businesses have developed a plan to transition their businesses to another owner. If your family farm has no succession plan or your plan needs an overhaul, then attend this interactive 2-hour workshop called “Preparing for Farm Succession Planning” on March 6th from 6:00 to 8:30 at the Wurdack Farm in Cook Station. You will learn how to navigate family roles and business roles to prevent conflict, improve communication within the family farm business, share farm management decision-making with family during short-term crises, organize a plan to transition farm ownership and management responsibilities to the next generation. Join MU Extension Agricultural Business and Policy specialists Wesley Tucker and Rachel Hopkins to start your farm succession planning at this no-cost workshop. You can register in advance at extension.missouri.edu/counties/dent and type in Farm Succession in the search bar. You can guarantee your seat and refreshments and registration will remain open until all seats are reserved. You can also register by calling the Washington County Extension Office at 573-438-2671.

The Salem Board of Aldermen held their regular meeting Tuesday evening at the City Hall Council Chambers. At the meeting, the board heard from Rob Benowitz requesting the closing of 4th Street from Highway 19 east to just north of Iron Street on Thursday evening, March 16th from 8:30 to 9:00 for a tribute to honor Ken Block who recently passed away. He also asked the board to close 4th Street from Highway 19 west to Jackson Street for the Parc Expose on Saturday, March 18th. The board approved both requests. The board was to hear a request from “The Local” about a request for the closing of 4th Street, but they withdrew their request for this meeting. City Finance Director Stacey Houston reported on the sales tax revenues and said she is confident all the sales tax receipts will exceed budgeted amounts and are up between 8 and 12%. She did say elecric department revenues are up 35% over last year, but that was to be expected with the rate increase while the cost of purchasing electric is up 19% over last year. She said the water and sewer revenues are also up over last year with water up about 5.6% and sewer revenues up 12%. The board approved the bid from Core & Main for setters and saddles for water meter installation for $11,185.93, and approved Resolution #7-2023 to continue the engagement of Gilmore & Bell, P.C. for $1,750.00 per year for a total of $8,750 over the five-year term to provide disclosure compliance services for the two Certificates of Participation the city has. City Administrator Sally Burbridge said two of the four houses on the demolition program are down with the homes on Dillon and Coffmann still standing. She said a draft Planning and Zoning Use Map is being reviewed for accuracy, and that a walk through was held with ESP to see if all the work is complete so that the project can be closed and the funds allocated to the program can be released for work not done by ESP. Public Works Director Mark Nash said there were 73 disconnects this week with 37 of them already reconnected. He said pot holes are beginning to form on city streets and work crews are still removing meters that are idle. Alderman Kala Sisco wanted to remind citizens the city no longer picks up limbs and twigs for free. Citizens must go to city hall and fill out a work order to have the twigs removed. There is a $40 charge and the amount of twigs you place curbside will be unlimited. Alderman Bolerjack wanted to thank everyone who attended the townhall meeting on the 1% sales tax, sewer bond and the 4th Street downtown renovation. Another townhall gathering will be held on March 30th at 6:30 at the City Hall Auditorium. Alderman Williams wanted to remind the public the next Utility Committee meeting will be at 6:15 on March 8th before the meeting was adjourned.

State Representative Ron Copeland of Salem has filed two pieces of legislation that would ensure proper oversight and accountability for state agencies that attempt to sell Missouri’s natural resources. Copeland filed both House Joint Resolution 61 and House Bill 1104 to ensure when an agency sells the state’s natural resources that a significant portion of the proceeds benefit the county where those resources were located. Copeland said he was shocked when he arrived in Jefferson City to learn that state agencies were selling natural resources and keeping the proceeds from the sale with no money going to the county or local entities. Copeland noted that one state agency sold approximately $2 million worth of resources in one county that was near the bottom of all counties in the state economically over a period of three years and kept all of the money. He said the same agency was prepared to sell another $6 million worth of Missouri’s resources in 2022. Copeland said he filed HJR 61 to give the voters of Missouri an opportunity to decide if state agencies should be allowed to profit from the sale of the state’s resources. He also filed HB 1104 as a companion bill that would allocate the funds received from the sale of Missouri’s natural resources. Under Copeland’s bill, 25 percent of the proceeds would go to the state agency for administrative costs, but 50 percent would go directly to the county in which the resources were taken, and 25 percent would go to the school district in that county. Copeland said that without question the communities where these resources exist should benefit from their sale. He feels this is an issue of common sense and fairness, and will continue to fight for these communities to ensure they get what they deserve.