Your World Today

Dent County Commission held their regular meeting Thursday morning at the Dent County Courthouse. Rick Emory, Sr was in attendance to comment on the poor condition and culvert problem with Dent County Road 5130 as well as work that needs to be done on county roads 5150 and 5170. District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray said the county is getting to all the roads affected by the heavy rains making sure they are “passable,” not in pristine condition. In the road report, Mobray stated rock would be added and grading was being done on Dent County Roads 6245 and 6460. For District 2, Commissioner Gary Polk stated grading was being done on Dent County Roads 2090, 3170, 3173, 5320 and 5325. He said rock would be added to county roads 2210 and 4030. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson said he attended the Tourism Tax Meeting Monday night where three applications were submitted, and one was denied. He said there were four reimbursements approved. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said she continues to work on the 2025 county budget. Larson talked with the commission about a new policy for county office holders and their employees on submitting a grant request. The policy says they must bring a request to apply for the grant to an open commissioner meeting and continue to update the commission on its progress in open meetings. The signing of any grant awarded with commission approval must be at an open session of a commission meeting with the submission of all appropriate grant paperwork. This policy is being adopted to make sure the commission is aware of possible grant awards and timing of those awards that will have to be accounted for in current or future county budgets. Commissioner Larson also announced that all Rural Addressing correspondence will go to the Sheriff’s Department Dispatch office located at the back of the Judicial Building at 112 E. 5th Street starting January 1st, 2025. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams reported on the CART tax received for the month of December. The county received $92,239.35, and the CART funds year-to-date are 5.6% more than last year’s total. Commissioner Gary Polk wanted to express his concern about people posting misinformation on Facebook about what the county is and is not doing without having all the facts. As an example, county road employees cannot grade frozen roads and may have to wait some time that day before they begin grading the road, or they are waiting for the grader to warm up before being operational. He said it is not fair comments are made by people without knowing everything required by the job or conditions that can prohibit work being completed. The next meeting of the commissioners will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The City of Salem has announced the participants in this year’s Holiday Lighting Contest. The contest was open to both residential and commercial properties, encouraging those to show festive displays that celebrate the spirit of the holidays. This year’s participants are located at 1104 North Main Street, 600 North 10th Street, 711 North Pershing Avenue, 1106 Bay Court, 403 East Scenic Rivers Blvd, 1401 South Louise Street and 13 Westwood Drive. The winners will be announced on December 27th. Winning entries in each category will receive credits on their City Utility bills starting with $25 for 3rd Place, $50 for 2nd Place and $100 for 1st Place. Funds for contest awards come from the Community Support line in the City’s General Fund.

The Salvation Army Dent County Service Unit volunteer bell ringers will begin raising funds for those in need at Country Mart and Wal-Mart every Friday and Saturday through December 24th. Counter kettles will also be located throughout the community. The kettles are the primary way funds are raised locally to continue to meet the needs of the less fortunate in our community. For those who do not want to handle cash, you can donate digitally with Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, and Venmo at any Red Kettle. Every donation helps hope march on for those in need, and all gifts stay within the community in which they are given. If you would like to volunteer to ring the famous Salvation Army bell, please call Susie at 729-6771 or 247-7099. You can also call the Salvation Army Dent County Service Unit office at 729-8163.

Holiday celebrations often center around the Christmas tree. Picking the right tree and caring for it properly can ensure a safer, longer-lasting tree. These simple steps show you how. Make sure that the tree you select is fresh. To test freshness, gently shake one of the tree’s branches. It is normal for a few needles to fall, but if an excessive amount of green needles fall, it is a sign that the tree is not fresh. As an alternative to a cut tree, consider purchasing a live evergreen from your local nursery or garden center. Not only will it make a beautiful Christmas tree, you also can plant it in your yard after the season and enjoy it for many holidays to come. If you’re considering a live tree for Christmas, proper planning is essential. Remember water is the single most important factor in caring for your Christmas tree. A fresh tree that is kept in water should last four to five weeks. And don’t place your tree near a heating vent, wood stove, or fireplace, as this tends to dry the tree out. Ensure that your tree is secured in a sturdy tree stand away from high traffic areas and sources of open flames, such as candles and fireplaces. Check to see that all lights have cords that are not worn or frayed, and never leave home or go to bed with the Christmas tree lights on. When the holidays are over, you can place the tree in the backyard to offer cover for wildlife, or under bird feeders to provide nesting locations in the branches. Your tree can be shredded or chipped for mulch, or you can sink it in a pond to enhance fish habitat. If you used a live evergreen and your ground is still soft enough to spade up, add it to your home landscape for years of enjoyment and wildlife cover.

Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk said her office in the Dent County Courthouse will have extended hours for those wanting to pay their tax bills in person starting Friday, December 27th and continuing through Tuesday, December 31st from 8:00 in the morning until 5:30. She reminded everyone that the post office is only open until noon on Saturday, December 28th. Payments mailed in must be postmarked NO LATER than December 31st. She recommends if you wait until that day to take your envelope inside the post office to have it hand stamped at the window. There is also a drop box in the front of the courthouse at the southwest corner of the courthouse square where you can leave your payments through Tuesday night, December 31st. Payments can also be made online by following the instructions on your real estate and personal property tax bills.

The Healthy Dent County Fitness Center is excited to ring in the New Year with a special bonus fitness class designed to jump-start your fitness goals in 2025! Starting on January 6th they’re offering a limited-time Armory X Fitness Class featuring CrossFit-style workouts under the expert guidance of Eric Metcalf, a local instructor, teacher, and assistant football coach at Salem R-80 School District. This class is a high-intensity, coach-led workout that incorporates constantly varied functional movements like bodyweight exercises designed to develop broad physical capabilities including strength, power, endurance, agility, and coordination, all while being scalable to different fitness levels through modifications and proper coaching; typically featuring a warm-up, skill development, a “Workout of the Day” (WOD), and a cool-down, with the WOD often scored to track progress and encourage competition. This energizing class will be held every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evening at 5:15 PM throughout the month of January at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory. The cost is $35 for Healthy Dent County Fitness Center members or $60 for non-members. For those who aren’t yet members, there is a membership special at just $24.75 for a full membership! Becoming a member will grant you access to the Armory X Fitness class where you get both a membership and this class for $60.00. Spaces for this class are limited to the first 20 registrants, so we encourage you to act quickly to secure your spot. Registration must be completed and paid in full before your spot is confirmed. You can register by calling 573-739-1127 or email susie@salemcommunitycenter.org.

Montauk State Park will be closed to guests until at least February 21st, 2025. Park crews are actively assessing safety concerns and addressing damage to park infrastructure caused by early November flooding. The extent of the destruction and the work required to reopen the park is substantial. While the park remains closed to the public, the Missouri Department of Conservation announced that winter catch-and-release trout season remains open at Roaring River and Bennett Spring state parks and Maramec Spring Park. When heavy equipment use is complete, opportunities for volunteer cleanup efforts may become available. If you are interested in helping, please email dspvolunteercoordinator@dnr.mo.gov. For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com.

A devastating fire destroyed the Sheltered Workshop in Salem yesterday, leaving employees and community members stunned by the loss. The workshop, which mostly employs individuals with special needs, lost not only its facility but also approximately $13,000 worth of toys that were collected throughout the year and prepared for distribution to approximately 130 local children. Community members not only in Salem and Dent County; but neighboring communities poured in their support to replenish the lost toys. In less than 11 hours The Dent County Toy Drive reported on their Facebook page that not only had they been able to replace all of the toys lost in the fire, but were overwhelmed with donations. In a post they stated that they’ve been inundated with an outpouring of love and support. The toy distribution day has been postponed to Monday as volunteers need extra time to sort through all the donations and reorganize gifts for each child. With their financial and toy needs met they announced that any excess will be used in future toy drives. They are urging anyone that still wants to donate to please direct your generosity to Scenic Rivers Industries. To donate online you can go to PayPal.com/fundraiser/hub and search for Salem Area Community Betterment Association. Monetary donations are also being accepted at The Bank of Salem and The Salem Area Chamber of Commerce is accepting monetary donations, shelf stable foods, and toiletries for Scenic River Industries and their employees. The Chamber is located in the Crossroads Shopping Center at 1136 S Main Street in Salem.

The Dent County Sheriff’s office released some reports for the 2nd week of December. First on Sunday December 8th deputies took a report for an assault that occurred in the 1800 block of W. Highway 32. The investigation revealed that a 28-year-old Salem man was struck by a 28-year-old Salem woman. The investigation is ongoing. The next day Monday December 9th deputies conducted a traffic stop at Doss Rd. and E. Highway 32. During the course of the stop, a 42-year-old Salem man was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. The suspect was transported to the Dent County Jail and placed on a 24 hour hold pending issuance of formal charges. Then on Tuesday December 10th deputies responded to the unit block of County Road 6080 for a reported trespassing complaint. During the course of the investigation, a 43-year-old Salem man was arrested for violation of an ex-parte order of protection. The suspect was transported to the Dent County Jail and placed on a 24 hour hold pending issuance of formal charges. The following day Wednesday December 11th deputies conducted a traffic stop on W. Highway 32 near the Ranch Motel. During the course of the stop, the operator, a 31-year-old Salem man was found to be driving with a revoked driving privilege and no valid insurance. The investigation is ongoing. If you have any information on an ongoing investigation please contact the Sheriff’s office at 573-729-3241.

The Missouri Conservation Commission met December 12th for a closed executive session, and December 13th for its regular open meeting, both at the Missouri Department of Conservation St. Louis Regional Office in St. Charles. Among other items discussed, the commission approved recommendations to set season dates for each portion of the 2025-2026 firearms deer hunting season and recommendations to modify cervid carcass transport regulations and establish cervid carcass disposal regulations. They also approved recommendations to establish season dates and limits for the 2025 Missouri Spring Turkey Hunting seasons and regulation recommendations for conservation areas and managed hunts. The commission approved the advertisement and sale of an estimated 1,272,028 board feet of timber located on 586 acres of Compartment 33 of the Angeline Conservation Area in Shannon County. They also approved the advertisement and sale of an estimated 6,386,003 board feet of timber located on 1,375 acres of Compartment 22 in the Current River Conservation Area in Shannon and Reynolds County. They then set their next meeting for February 7th.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol would like to remind the public that driver examination stations throughout the state will be closed during the holidays starting with the Christmas closure Tuesday, December 24th at 12 noon and Wednesday, December 25th. Normal operations will resume on Thursday, December 26th. New Year’s Day closure will be Wednesday, January 1 with normal operations resuming on Tuesday, January 2, 2025. For more news, follow the Missouri State Highway Patrol on X @MSHPTrooperGHQ

The Salem R80 Board of Education will hold their regular meeting Thursday evening at 5:30 in the R80 Board Room. After the call to order and approval of the agenda will be recognition of Upper Elementary students and their artwork exhibit from the art show. During the Superintendent’s report CSIP Goals will be addressed in all reports, plus Mr. Copeland will present the APR Review. Administrator reports will be heard from William Lynch, Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School, Athletics and Activities, Special Education, Technology, and Maintenance. In new business the 2025-2026 Tuition Rate is to be approved. The Board will consider resignations, hires, and transfers, followed by adjournment and moving into Executive Session to consider Student Issues and Personnel. The regular meeting of the Salem R80 Board of Education is open to the public. 

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning at the courthouse for their regular meeting. District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray was not in attendance due to a previous commitment. District 2 Commissioner Gary Polk gave the District 1 report and said the crew is checking roads and training a new employee on the brush cutter. In District 2, Polk said a crew would be changing the oil in pickup #82, then checking the battery on another truck before doing general maintenance on yet another truck. He also said a crew would be cleaning out a pipe on Dent County Road 3170 and installing a new sign on county road 2200. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson attended a Transportation Advisory Committee meeting and an MRPC meeting last Thursday in St. James. In the TAC meeting, Larson stated Dent County received the highest points in each category on the MODOT priorities list. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported she attended a South Central Clerk’s Regional meeting last Friday. The next meeting will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors at their meeting Tuesday evening, December 10th, reviewed the annual fire district incident report.  The annual reimbursement report showed a total of 233 calls for the fiscal year from December 1, 2023, to November 30th, 2024. Those calls included 87 fires making up 37.33% of all calls and they were comprised of 17 grass or brush fires, 22 building fires, 19 forest or woodland fires, one mobile home fire, six outdoor rubbish or trash fires, two natural vegetation fires, eight passenger vehicle fires, two transport vehicle fires, three fires classified as other, and seven other types of fires. The fire department responded to 27 accident calls, 25 medicals assist or emergency calls, 23 alarms sounding calls, 15 hazardous material calls, seven agency assist calls, two rescue calls, five utility problem calls, eight public service calls and one smoke investigation. The fire department also had nine calls canceled while en route to a destination. 

The Meramec Regional Planning Commission’s Sub-District Coalition for Roadway Safety Subcommittee will be meeting on Friday, December 20th with lunch at 11:30 followed by the Meeting from 12:00 noon until 1:30 at the MRPC offices. The subcommittee will hear an overview from Central District Safety Engineer, Trent Brooks from the Department of Transportation, about the coalition before they review the fatality reports from across the state and Meramec Region. The subcommittee will be addressing ATV/UTV incidents among young operators with Ellen Duysen, who is a Research Assistant Professor from the College of Public Health Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health. She will discuss the growing need for outreach concerning ATV/UTV safety especially regarding children and how dangerous these machines can be especially for those who the unit is not built for. The subcommittee will then hear and overview of Missouri Strategic Highway Safety Plan from Joseph Jones, an Assistant State Highway Safety and Traffic Engineer, who will discuss the importance of having a plan of this type. The MRPC Roadway Safety Program Review will then be heard with Mag Roberts reporting on the docudrama Planning; then Caitlin Jones will report on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Program, the Buckle Buddy/Arrive Alive Efforts, and the Project Graduation/Docudrama Grant Application. After reports and comments are heard from the Central District, Missouri State Highway Patrol, MRPC, and other partners attending, the meeting will be adjourned. For more information on the meeting, to verify your attendance at the meeting, or to get Zoom information, contact Caitlin Jones at (573) 265-2993 Ext. 125.

Taum Sauk has granted the City of Bunker another grant for their park. The city crews will be removing the gazebo and placing a pavilion on a concrete floor, sidewalks for handicap accessibility, and metal picnic tables. The City of Bunker is so appreciative that the Taum Sauk Foundation is funding this project. The park has been a HUGE asset to their community. They look forward to getting started on this park improvement project!

The Salem Community Choir will present “What Sweeter Music,” a festival of carols on Friday evening, December 20th at 7:00 and again on Sunday afternoon, December 22nd at 2 pm. Both performances will be held at the Dry Fork Church off Route F in Salem. The performance features well known carols and various soloists and is under the direction of Catherine Dent. Refreshments will be served following both performances.