Your World Today

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning at the Dent County Courthouse. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles was not in attendance due to a family medical emergency. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley appointed First District Commissioner Wes Mobray as the temporary presiding commissioner for the meeting. In the road report, Mobray said grading would be done on Dent County Roads 5180 and 6505, while materials would be added and grading done on county road 5390. He added that materials would also be added to county road 6500. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson reported four men would be working on the bridge on Dent County Roads 5225. They will be hauling materials to the area and are planning to pour concrete later this week in the hope of finishing up by the weekend. He also said brush would be cut on county roads 3140 and 3150. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley is reminding everyone that tax entities should be advertising their tax rate hearings in the next month to establish their new tax rates. Commissioner Mobray reported on the fuel bids taken for 7,000 gallons of diesel. The commission received three bids: Phil-Mart for $2.20/gallon, MFA for $2.2846/gallon and County Fuels for $2.2650 per gallon. Phil-Mart was awarded the bid. At the last meeting, the commissioners discussed and approved updating the policy handbook for the county. Quentin Stampley with Great Rivers Engineering held a conference call to update the commission on the Cooley Bridge FLAP project. The next step is them doing a right-a-way plan that would cost $3,000 and come out of the FLAP agreement money. The commission agreed to move forward with it. Stampley also gave an update on the Tan Vat FLAP project and they are working to complete final plans that will begin next spring. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams presented the CART monies received in July. The county received $65,861.20 and year-to-date the county is up from last year 13.75%. A reminder for those interested in purchasing the 1998 Dodge Van or the 2009 Chevy Trailblazer from the sheriff’s department, bids will be due in by 10:00, Monday August 2nd, and that will be the next meeting date of the Dent County Commission and that meeting will start at 9:00. It is open to the public.

If you plan on submitting a waste recycling grant this year to the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District, a workshop will be held on Wednesday, July 28th from 10:00 in the morning until 12:00 noon at the MRPC Office at #4 Industrial Drive in St. James. The workshop will also be available by Zoom to help those preparing the grant application. You need to register for the workshop by contacting Jill Hollowell at 265-2993, extension 109 whether you will be in person or wanting to attend by Zoom. An application packet is available at www.ozarkrivers.org. The applications MUST be submitted by noon on August 20th at the MRPC offices to qualify for the grant.

The City of Salem will be doing curbside yard waste pick-up next week starting Monday. Items that will be picked up by the city include limbs and branches that are cut to a length of 4 feet or less, and grass that is bagged in recyclable leaf bags which can be purchased at the city utility office $2.50 for ten bags. The city will pick up yard waste that has been properly bagged, cut, and placed at the edge of the curb or sidewalk. They ask that you do not block the sidewalk or place items in the street. The city of Salem reserves the right to charge for exceptionally large volumes of yard waste or to recommend removal by a private company. Items that will not be picked up include appliances, household trash, tires, electronics, lumber or building materials, furniture, or recyclables. Items must be ready and set out for pickup in July on Tuesday, the start of the first full week of the month. For more information, call the city at 729-4811.

The Kids Trout Fishing Tournament will be held Saturday, July 31st at Montauk State Park. The tournament is limited to kids 15 years old and younger and is sponsored by the Dorman L Steelman Lodge. The two age categories are 11 years of age and under and 12 to 15 years of age. The registration will be at the Lodge. Two prizes will be awarded in each age group for trout and stringer of trout by a random drawing of all entries at 2:00 Saturday afternoon at the Lodge. Gift certificates will be awarded to the winners. The tournament hours are from 7:00 in the morning until 2:00 in the afternoon. Other prizes will be awarded courtesy of the Ray Parker Memorial. For more information, call Montauk State Park at 548-2201.

The Healthy Dent County Fitness Center, located in the Salem Community Center @ the Armory, is partnering to provide complementary memberships to members of the nationally recognized Renew Active program by United Healthcare. Through this collaboration, Healthy Dent County Fitness Center will now offer older adults a way to increase their levels of physical activity while motivating them to remain active. Renew Active is the nation’s leading community fitness program designed exclusively for older adults. Renew Active is the gold standard in Medicare fitness programs for body and mind. Silver Sneakers is also offered at the Fitness Center. To learn more about its Renew Active or Silver Sneakers offerings and how you can get a free membership, call 739-1127 or stop by the Salem Community Center @ the Armory, 1200 W. Rolla Road in Salem for a tour of the facility.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education held their regular meeting Tuesday evening at the Salem High School Library. Superintendent Dr. Lynne Reed updated the Board on the recent meeting with the coaches concerning the tin gym renovations as well as Tracy Strange’s District Community Liaison Training. She also detailed with the Board the summer work performed thus far by the custodial and maintenance staffs. In new business, the bid for milk from Hiland Dairy, the bread bid from Country Mart, the food bid from US Food, the supply bid from Graves and the pest control bid from Integrity Pest Control were all approved. The bids for gasoline and diesel were tabled. The tax rate hearing was set for August 19th at 5:45 and is to be followed by the regular August Board meeting. The Memorandum of Understanding with Northwood R-IV for the sharing of a band teacher was approved, as was the Return to Learning Plan which is available at the Salem R-80 website. The new personnel handbook was approved, and the MSBA policy update recommendations were approved. The motion was made and approved to provide a $200.00 stipend for staff members who attend a covid training during the August 24th workshop day. The board accepted the resignation of Cole Price, the Middle School special education instructor, which was effective immediately, and Assistant Superintendent John Smith which will be effective June 30th, 2022. The board then went into closed session. In closed session the Board approved a five-day extension of Rich Beckett’s contract for 2021-2022, and the Board moved Terry Nash to Step 20 and added a 10-day contract extension. The meeting was then adjourned.

Are you interested in a great volunteer opportunity right here in Salem? If you have a few hours per week to help out in your community in an easy way, look no further than Grace Harbor! They will be opening a temporary shelter soon. Their mission is to serve youth and school-aged kids in Salem and the surrounding areas. If there is availability at Grace Harbor, they will accept other individuals on a case-by- case basis, but the youth are their number one priority. They have a variety of volunteer opportunities at Grace Harbor such as cooking daily meals, grocery shopping, house cleaning, assisting residents, office work, grounds keeping and more. At this time, Grace Harbor has morning, afternoon, mid-afternoon, evening, and overnight shifts available. Volunteers must be at least 20 years of age, have a valid driver’s license, and complete the required testing. The Grace Harbor committee will be holding training meetings tomorrow evening, July 27th, from 6:00-8:00, and then Wednesday, July 28th from 10:00-12:00, and 2:00-4:00. If you are interested in volunteering, please plan on attending one of these meetings. If you have any questions, contact Jenny Summers at 573-247-7062 or Karen Carmier at 573-247-4530.

With above 90 degree temperatures expected, everyone working or playing outside needs to know the signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses, like heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Being aware can help you stay safe during extreme heat. Warning signs of heat exhaustion include heavy sweating, paleness, muscle cramps, tiredness and weakness, dizziness or fainting, headache, nausea or vomiting. To help prevent heat-related illness, follow these safety tips if you will be outside: Do chores, visit playgrounds or parks during the coolest time of the day. Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing as well as sunscreen to protect your skin from harmful rays. Sunburn affects your body’s ability to cool itself and causes a loss of body fluids. Increase your fluid intake–regardless of activity level. Don’t wait until you feel thirsty. Avoid drinks containing caffeine, alcohol or large amounts of sugar because they can cause you to lose more fluid. Ask your doctor whether medications you take affect your body’s response to heat. Avoid very cold beverages as they can cause stomach cramps. Just have them sip cool water and try to cool down the person’s forehead and behind their neck with a moist, damp cloth. Remember, if the person you are with stops perspiring and their skin turns very red and is dry, or their temperature climbs to 103 or higher where they may become confused, nauseous and have a headache, they may be having a heat stroke. Get them to a cool place and call 9-1-1. For more information, go to www.cdc.gov.

Representatives from Missouri State Parks invite the public to attend an informational meeting about the Current River State Park and Roger Pryor Pioneer Backcountry on Saturday, July 31st at the Current River State Park. The meeting will begin at 1:00 in the afternoon at the barbecue house in the screened-in picnic area, located to the left of Current River Lodge in the main area of the park. The public is invited to share comments and ask questions about the site and its operations. Input from the public is important to Missouri State Parks. The meetings give staff the opportunity to let people know the current status and future plans for the park or historic site, and they offer visitors the opportunity to comment on the facilities. The Current River State Park is located off Highway 19 South at 11053 County Road 19D in southeast Missouri. For more information about the meeting, call 573-751-6414.

The City of Salem Utility Committee meeting was held Tuesday evening at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory. Chairman Shawn Bolerjack called the meeting to order. City Administrator Ray Walden gave an update on utility billing. There are 2,834 active electric accounts with 1,454 being current on their bill. A total of 495 are 30 days past due; 262 are 60 days past due and 218 are over 90 days past due. There are currently 39 accounts that have not made a payment in over a year. The June 16th through July 15th bill will be the last one sent out before cutoffs are resumed on August 6th. Citizens are encouraged to call or visit the City Utility Office at 729-4117 to make payment arrangements. There are currently 75 customers with payment plans and another 23 that have initiated the process and need to finish the paperwork. The committee reviewed and made several recommendations to the wording and information that is included on the current bills. Bolerjack recommended customers that are on budget billing should have their usage reviewed twice a year to make adjustments as needed. Utility Committee member Catherine Dent volunteered to help the staff in the utility office contact customers that are in jeopardy of having their electric disconnected as well as reaching out to customers to help establish payment plans. The February Cold Snap bill was discussed. The city will participate in the Governor Parson’s no interest 60-month loan to pay the $1,275,025 that is owed. After some discussion regarding how to pass on this cost to customers, the committee voted to recommend the Alderman add 4.4% rate adjustment to all customers monthly bills. The committee discussed the request from Heartland Metal for a reduction on their commercial water rate. The committee will recommend to the Alderman that no change be made at this time. Heartland Metal may ask the committee to revisit this subject after they have an efficiency study conducted. Walden gave an update on the Exceleron Pre-Paid Electric Project. This web-based portal will allow customers to pay their electric bill online using a credit card and should be completed in two months. After getting an update on the Electric and Street Department projects, the meeting was adjourned.

Last week, the US Department of Health and Human Services through the Health Resources and Services Administration provided Missouri with $8,268,032 to support COVID response efforts in rural areas. This funding was distributed through the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program to 32 small rural hospitals for COVID testing and mitigation. These hospitals with less than 50 beds or that are Critical Access Hospitals are key health care access points and trusted community sources. According to Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas, the Salem Memorial District Hospital received $161,000 from this fund that is earmarked for COVID testing and mitigation.

Dent County Prosecutor Andrew Curley reported on three cases heard in Crawford County on Tuesday, July 20th in front of Judge Michael Randazzo in the 42nd Judicial Circuit Court. In the first case heard, Rose Howell of Salem had violated her probation for the possession of a controlled substance after completing the RSMOSection 559.115 program. She was sentenced to 10 years in the Department of Corrections as requested by Prosecutor Andrew Curley. Howell requested to be placed in the drug court program and to continue on probation was denied by Judge Randazzo. In the next case, Samantha Conaway of Salem had her sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to two felony counts of distribution guilty, one count of the fraudulent use of a credit device, and one felony count of the possession of a controlled substance. Prosecutor Curley requested a total of 10 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections while Conaway sought probation. Judge Randazzo sentenced Conaway to a total of 10 years under RSMO Section 559.115 in the shock incarceration program. In the last case Tuesday, Carl Blair of Salem pled guilty to failing to register as a sex offender. In the sentencing hearing, Curley sought four years in the Department of Corrections under Section 559.115. Blair sought probation. Blair was sentenced by Judge Randazzo to a four-year suspended execution of sentence with 5-years probation over the objection of the state.

An accident occurred Thursday morning at 5:45 in Iron County on Highway 32 about four miles west of Bixby. According to the highway patrol report, a westbound 2016 Chevrolet Cruze, driven by 25-year-old Mark Cooper of Belgrade, crossed the center line and struck head on an eastbound 2010 International, driven by 58-year-old Gary Glastetter of Oran, Missouri. The International then ran off the road, struck a tree and caught fire. Cooper suffered serious injuries and Glastetter suffered moderate injuries. Both were transported by ambulance to Salem Memorial District Hospital. The report stated that Glastetter was wearing a safety restraint, while it was unknown if Cooper was. Both vehicles were totaled and removed from the scene by Abney’s Towing.