Your World Today

The Dent County Sheriff’s Department reported that during the week of June 14th, the sheriff’s office and the United States Marshall’s Office conducted a joint operation for sex offender compliance checks with the assistance of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Salem Police Department, the FBI, and Internet Crimes Against Children. These law enforcement organizations visited the homes of registered sex offenders in Dent County. Of the 65 registered in the county, checks were conducted on 59 homes. The remaining offenders will be completed over the next few days. A total of seven offenders were found out of compliance. Compliance Checks are conducted to ensure that registered sex offenders are following the rules and guidelines laid out in Missouri Statutes. When contact was made with the individuals, an interview was conducted, and items listed on the registry forms were compared. Several offenders had minor infractions such as not having updated license plates or incorrect phone numbers. These were corrected on the spot. A total of 11 arrests were made from the investigations during the week.

The Salem Board of Aldermen will hold their regular meeting this evening at 7:00 in the City Hall Council Chambers at 202 North Washington. In the Hearing of Persons, Randy League will request the closure of the streets around the Courthouse Square for the Current River Blue Oval Rally on September 11th. Juliana Bermudez will discuss with the board utility bills that were previously discussed in January of 2020 at her property. Also addressing the board will be Jack Stallings, Chris Hartinger, Teresa Crider and William Parsons to discuss their utility bills. After the consent agenda is reviewed and approved, the board will hear and discuss Resolution #18-2021 that would authorize the mayor to sign an agreement between the city and United Health Care for medical insurance for employees for the City of Salem over the next fiscal year, and Bill No. 3483 which would create an ordinance adopting the annual budget for the City of Salem from July 1st, 2021 through June 30th, 2022. Committee appointments will be discussed before the trailer court license applications are reviewed. In the reports of city officials, boards and committees, City Administrator Ray Walden will update the board on People Centric and items concerning the city, and Planning and Zoning Chairman Gary Brown will discuss two properties that have applied to be rezoned from commercial to industrial. The Board of Alderman will then go into closed session. The regular meeting of the Board of Alderman tonight is open to the public.

An accident occurred Saturday evening at 7:48 in Phelps County on Highway 63 about two miles north of Edgar Springs. According to the highway patrol report, a 1997 Honda LTD driven by 62-year-old Jerry Latham of St. James was travelling southbound and travelled off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree causing both occupants to be ejected. Both Jerry and 61-year-old Debra Latham of St. James suffered serious injuries and were transported to Phelps Health in Rolla. Neither occupant was wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Honda sustained moderate damage and was removed from the scene by a private party.

An accident occurred early Wednesday morning at about 6:05 in Phelps County on Route Y about three miles west of Rolla. According to the highway patrol report, a 2017 Ford Focus, driven by 27-year-old Tabitha Leek of Rolla, traveled off the right side of the roadway, struck a tree and a utility pole when Leek fell asleep. Leek suffered moderate injuries and was transported by EMS to Phelps Health in Rolla. The Ford was totaled and removed from the scene by D & D Recovery of Rolla. The report stated that Leek was wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident.

The University of Missouri Extension will be offering a workshop to help producers learn how to use native, warm-season grasses to improve grazing and wildlife systems. The in-person workshop will be from 8:00 in the morning until 1:00 on Friday, June 25th, at the S&R Cattle Farm in Davisville, according to MU Extension agronomy field specialist Gatlin Bunton. Native warm-season grasses fill production gaps known as the “summer slump” caused by the summer dormancy of cool-season grasses. Native warm-season grasses adapt well to the climate, soils and pest pressure. During the workshop, attendees will learn how to successfully establish warm-season grasses that have high nutritive value. Bunton and MU Extension community engagement specialist Rachel Hopkins will speak about how to use warm-season grasses in grazing systems to reduce exposure to fescue toxicosis which causes losses in calving rates and weaning weights. Attendees also will learn how native grasses can offer cover for wildlife and provide erosion control. The workshop will include a tour of established fields and lunch for participants. For more information or to register, call the Crawford County Extension Center at 573-775-2135.

As part of an ongoing improvement project taking place on various roadways in Dent and Phelps Counties, work crews plan to start on the next phase next week. Starting Monday, a contractor working for the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) will begin resurfacing Phelps County Route K. This work is expected to take several weeks to complete and will require daily intermittent lane closures with flaggers to guide motorists through the work zone. Once this work is complete, crews will begin resurfacing Dent County Route HH near Salem. Shoulder work as well as culvert and resurfacing work on Highway 68 from Highway 19 to Highway 8 near St. James will continue into the fall. All work is weather permitting and could be delayed. For more information and updates about this project or other transportation-related matters, please call 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636)

The Salem R-80 Board of Education held their regular meeting Thursday evening at the Salem High School Library. Superintendent Dr. Lynne Reed discussed work on the 2021-2022 budget in getting it ready to bring to the board. She also said a statement will be put on the Salem R-80 website by Tuesday about a re-entry plan for the next school year as required by DESE. Since it was not ready in time for the board meeting, the plan will state that it will be subject to board approval. Assistant Superintendent John Smith told the board that none of the test scores from the past year will be used for accreditation. The scores for the 2020-2021 year will be released to the public to show performance levels and individual results, but there will be no annual performance report for the last year and that makes it the third year in a row that no report has been generated. Smith said the R-80 District plans next year to be back to near normal, but virtual education will still be available. Smith reported the district is in the process of putting all the curriculum unit plans and pacing guidelines on the R-80 website for each school. Currently the high school curriculum is available to be reviewed. In the building reports, Principal Dr Herman Blau said 45 students had perfect attendance for summer school at William Lynch Elementary and the Upper Elementary School had great numbers as well. Principal Rich Parks said the Middle School is getting in new equipment, making classroom moves and is having sports camps. High School Principal Marty Anderson said that 27 students were enrolled at Summer School and 21 of them completed it. One student even graduated by earning their credits. The board approved amending the 2020-21 budget to reflect the actual revenues and expenses. After calculating the revenues and expenses, Dr. Reed said there was 22.01% of unrestricted fund balances remaining from the 2020-2021 budget. The board discussed the 2021-22 budget that included a $400 raise in the base salary of teachers to $32,000 plus one vertical step on the salary schedule, a minimum of $10 per hour for support staff and a minimum of $11 for bus drivers. Health insurance per employee averaged $490.11 which was reflected in the budget. She also asked the board to approve the one-time annual WADA transfer from General Revenue to Capital Projects of up to 7%. She expected it to come to about $466,308 and it would be moved from last year’s budget upon the completion of the audit. The board approved donating the old IMac from the art department to the Salem Community Art Center, approved the Healthy Dent County partner renewal of $10,000, and they approved tabling the vote on MSBA policy revisions dealing with virtual education until the next meeting. The board announced Phillip Karr resigned as the boys spring baseball coach and was employed as the spring girls softball coach. Assistant Baseball Coach Tony Edwards was employed as the new high school boys baseball coach for 2021-22. The board then went into closed session.

Road striping operations are in progress throughout the state and the Missouri Department of Transportation is urging motorists to use caution when encountering work crews. Drivers may come upon slow-moving caravans of trucks refreshing the lines on the roadway at various locations in the state through August. Striping crews must travel slowly as they paint roadway markings to ensure a good quality line. The striping trains consist of three to five vehicles and can stretch over one-half mile while moving 8 to 12 mph. The trucks have flashing lights, boards with flashing arrows and signs that say, “SLOW VEHICLES” and “WET PAINT.” Crisp, easy-to-see striping is a significant safety feature on roadways. MoDOT uses paint embedded with glass beads. The beads reflect headlight beams back in the direction of the motorist to make the stripes more visible, especially at night, wet road or low light conditions. Most of the striping is done during daylight hours. However, it is not uncommon to see crews working at night on interstate highways and other high-volume divided highways. Rain or very damp conditions will cancel or cut short any striping work that is scheduled. If you drive through wet paint, clean your car as quickly as possible with a high-powered water hose, such as those used in car washes. Scheduled striping operations are posted on MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map at traveler.modot.org. The map is also available as a free app for Apple and Android devices.

A reminder that the Missouri Department of Conservation will offer one-day women’s only clinic highlighting the fundamentals of shotgun and handgun shooting this Saturday. There will be four separate classes from 9–11 AM, from 12:00–1:30 PM, from 2-3:30 PM, and from 4-5:30 PM at the Rolla Shooting Club in Rolla. Beginner Handgun Class is designed for women and girls ages 16 and older; those age 16 to 17 may participate with a parent or guardian who is also registered for the workshop. The minimum age to participate in Beginner Shotgun Shooting is 12; but girls ages 12 to 17 years must be accompanied by a parent or guardian that is also registered for the class. Spots are limited for all classes; registration is required by TODAY. A waiting list will be made available for courses that become full. For more information, send an email to Dwight Warnke at Dwight.Warnke@mdc.mo.gov. The Rolla Shooting Club is located at 13950 County Road 3240 in Rolla.

In response to higher than usual City of Salem electric bills, in May and June the South-Central Community Action Agency, Catholic Charities and the Salvation Army came together each Tuesday at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory to help citizens with utility assistance. To date over 200 households have been assisted with $110,000 being spent. Due to the enormous response, a large portion of the allocated funds have been depleted. The June 22nd and June 29th dates where the agencies where to come together at the Armory have been cancelled. All three agencies have worked together to assist as many residents as possible and will continue to do so in the coming months. If anyone still needs assistance, you may contact the Salvation Army by calling 729-8163 or come to the Salem Community Center @ the Amory, Monday thru Friday from 8:00 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon.

Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk w ants to remind anyone who still has delinquent real estate taxes from 2018 that you will need to pay them IN FULL by Wednesday June 30th, during regular business hours from 8:00 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon. If you fail to do so, then on July 1st, the taxes from 2018, 2019 and 2020 will be declared due by August 20th, 2021. If not paid by then, your parcel will be sold at the Delinquent Tax Sale that will be held on Monday, August 23rd, 2021. Check payments will no longer be accepted, so you will need to pay with cash, cashier’s check or money order. If you are not sure this applies to you or you do not understand how the system works, you need to call the Dent County Collector’s Office immediately so that it can be explained to you. This is very important so do not put it off any longer. Call the Dent County Collectors Office at 573-729-3911 with any questions you may have or stop by the Dent County Courthouse. Starting July 1st, there will be an additional $25 per parcel added to the tax bill to pay for advertising costs in the Salem News. Remember, only the taxes for 2018 need to be paid IN FULL by Wednesday, June 30th to give you another whole year to pay the other outstanding years.

The Ozark National Scenic Riverways will host a series of one-day workshops about the basics of fly fishing on June 24th, July 22nd, and August 19th at the Akers Visitor Center. These free workshops are limited to 10 participants for each date and reservations are required. Park ranger Mark Van Patten will demonstrate various fly rod casting techniques, proper catch and release techniques, and strategies for fly presentation. Instruction will also include lessons on aquatic entomology (fish food), recommended equipment, reading the water, and understanding flies. Fly rods and reels will be available for those who do not have their own. The book “Fly Fishing A-Z” will be provided. The clinics are expected to last the full day. Participants should bring a valid Missouri fishing permit and trout stamp, fishing vest, waders, hat, sunglasses (polarized preferred), sunscreen, bug spray, lunch and bottled water. For more information and to make reservations for one of the workshops, please contact the Round Spring Ranger Station at (573) 323-8093. The Ozark National Scenic Riverways follows the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and any corresponding federal mandates in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. All participants at the workshop should be prepared to practice social distancing as needed. If you are not yet fully vaccinated, masks are required when social distancing cannot be maintained.

A reminder that the Missouri Department of Conservation will offer one-day women’s only clinic highlighting the fundamentals of shotgun and handgun shooting this Saturday. There will be four separate classes from 9–11 AM, from 12:00–1:30 PM, from 2-3:30 PM, and from 4-5:30 PM at the Rolla Shooting Club in Rolla. Beginner Handgun Class is designed for women and girls ages 16 and older; those age 16 to 17 may participate with a parent or guardian who is also registered for the workshop. The minimum age to participate in Beginner Shotgun Shooting is 12; but participants ages 12 to 17 years must be accompanied by a parent or guardian that is also registered for the class. Spots are limited for all classes; registration is required by June 18th. A waiting list will be made available for courses that become full. For more information, send an email to Dwight Warnke at Dwight.Warnke@mdc.mo.gov. The Rolla Shooting Club is located at 13950 County Road 3240 in Rolla.

The Salem License Office will be closed July 1st through July 5th. They will reopen on July 6th at 8:00 AM. Customers needing immediate assistance can visit one of the area license offices in Rolla, Ellington, Viburnum, or Cuba.