Your World Today

A special waste collection for residential and farm electronics, appliances, metals and tires will be held from 8:00 until noon this Saturday, June 12th at Brewer Science at 2401 Brewer Drive in Rolla. Brewer Science, the City of Rolla and Meramec Regional Planning Commission, with funding through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District, are partnering on the June 12th collection. The collection is for residential items only and no materials from businesses will be accepted. The collection is open to residents from Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties. To minimize personal contact, those bringing items to the collection are asked to stay inside their vehicles and assistants will unload items. Stoves, washers, dryers, water heaters, and other appliances will be collected free of charge. Free electronics also include computer components, laptop computers, keyboards, hair dryers, VCR/DVD players, cell phones or anything that runs on a cord or battery. Oil and gas must be removed from tanks of any items such as push mowers and weed eaters. All items must be free of debris. Tires on rims will not be accepted. Please note these items will NOT be accepted: CDs, DVDs, VHS and data tapes; floppy disks; transformers, capacitors or ballasts not clearly marked “No PCBs”; smoke detectors; thermostats; medical waste; gas containers such as propane, oxygen, nitrous oxide; anything leaking oil or acid, such as batteries; broken ink or toner cartridges; alkaline batteries; light bulbs and fluorescent tubes; broken CRTs, TVs or monitors. Fees on certain items will be collected as follows: $25 for CRT TVs over 27 inches and wood console TVs, $20 for CRT TVs under 26 inches, $15 for flat screen TVs, $10 for all computer monitors and refrigerated appliances with Freon. Fees for tires are as follows: $2 each for passenger tires, $7.50 each for semi-truck tires and $35 each for tractor tires. For more information on items accepted or the fee structure, please contact Jill Hollowell at MRPC at 573-265-2993 Ext. 109 or at jhollowell@meramecregion.org. For those unable to participate in the Rolla collection, mark your calendars for collections on Oct. 2 at South Central Regional Stockyards in Vienna and Oct. 9 at the St. Robert Aquatic Center.

The 1st Annual Salem Summer Kids Carnival will be held from noon until 4:00 at the corner of McArthur and 4th Street this Saturday in downtown Salem. There will be music, dance contests, airbrush tattoos, bounce houses, waxed hands and numerous street vendors featuring food, snow cones and popcorn. The event is free and open to everyone!

An accident happened in Reynolds County at 12:50 Wednesday afternoon on Route TT about five miles east of Bunker. According to the highway patrol report, a 2006 Honda Shadow driven northbound by 37-year-old William Shipman of Rolla, traveled off the right side of the roadway and overturned. Suffering minor injuries was a passenger on the Shadow, 34-year-old Samantha Stevens of Ellington and she was transported to the Salem Memorial District Hospital. Stevens was wearing safety equipment at the time of the accident while Shipman was not. The Honda sustained minor damage and was removed from the scene by the owner.

Time is running out for residents and students of Phelps and Dent counties to participate in online surveys about the potential for the creation of a Southeast Missouri Transportation Services (SMTS) deviated fixed-route bus service in the Rolla area with possible connections to the cities of St. James and Salem. The surveys are available at meramecregion.org/surveys. There are separate surveys for students and the general public. SMTS in conjunction with the Meramec Regional Planning Commission is conducting a feasibility study for the development of a potential new route. This bus service would be for a fee and be modeled after the Bluff Area Transit Service in Poplar Bluff and the Connect Service in St. Francois County, both of which are operated by SMTS. While the Rolla service would not be identical to Bluff Area Transit Service or Connect in the number of stops or pricing, it would likely operate similarly, if such a service is found to be a possibility. Feedback is critical to determining the viability of such a service in the Phelps and Dent counties area so if you haven’t taken the survey and would be interested in having this type of service, please take the time to do so. SMTS has contracted with MRPC to conduct the feasibility study. SMTS is a nonprofit general public passenger transportation service. SMTS transportation services are available throughout South Central and Southeast Missouri. For more information, please contact Anne Freand, MRPC planning department manager, via email at afreand@meramecregion.org or via phone at 573-265-2993 ext. 105.

Tonight at 6:00, join MU Extension Horticulture Specialist Kate Kammler for a short program on growing great tomatoes at the Salem Community Garden behind the Salem United Methodist Church at 801 E. Scenic Rivers Blvd. Learn tips for pruning, identifying pests and diseases, and other ideas to get your best tomato harvest yet! The program is free and open to the public. A reminder, this is a community garden because anyone is welcome to participate and sign up for a plot to garden or attend the free public workshops. The garden is not open for harvesting by the public. The gardeners put in hard work at their plots and their benefit is fresh healthy food for their families, friends and donations to organizations of their choice. Please respect their efforts and do not pick food from the garden unless it is from a plot of your own. Want to join? Call 729-3196.

In the Dent County 42nd Judicial Court proceedings held on Wednesday, June 2nd in front of Judge Megan Seay, Wayne Quick of Salem, was sentenced to serve four years in the Missouri Department of Corrections under Revised Statues of Missouri 559.115 as requested by Dent County Prosecutor Andrew Curley for failing to register as a sex offender and for failing to register a social media account. The defendant requested to be placed on probation, but the request was denied by Judge Seay.

The Salem Park and Recreation board will be meeting tonight at 7:00 at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory, 1200 West Rolla Road. After the roll call and a review of the minutes of the previous meeting, Park and Recreation Director Melissa Dubois will give the 2020 Alice Lou Craig Municipal pool report along with the new weather closure policy as well as reporting on the 2021 baseball, softball, and T-ball programs. After the budget review and approval, the board will discuss the LSFC soccer field grant and accept resignations along with election of a new president. Any other business may then be brought before the board before adjournment. The meeting of the Salem Park and Recreation board is open to the public.

A series of road, trail, and bridge projects are underway for eight locations within Ozark National Scenic Riverways to repair damage from the devastating 2017 flood that destroyed many features and facilities along the Current and Jacks Fork rivers. Repair work began in May and is expected to be completed prior to the summer of 2022. The length of time needed to complete work at each site is dependent on the complexity of the repairs, weather, and river conditions. Each of the projects could result in slight disruptions to normal activities if roads, trails, or nearby areas need to be temporarily closed to ensure the safety of visitors and workers. The projects will begin at different times, with some running concurrently. Repair of roads and asphalt has begun in the Pulltite Campground and at Baptist Landing. Additional road repairs will be completed at Powder Mill Campground and along Peavine Road near Big Spring. Trail repairs are planned for the Lower Welch Spring trail and the River’s Edge trail near Big Spring Campground. Work to replace the footbridge on the Alley Spring hiking trail has begun and is expected to take approximately two months. The previous wooden bridge is being replaced with a more sustainable steel bridge that is several inches higher than the original, to reduce the chance of future flood damage. Wood fascia and accents will match the aesthetic of the Alley Spring historic district. Replacement of the nearby pedestrian bridge over the Jacks Fork River is also planned but has not yet begun. Once that project is underway it is expected to last approximately five months. The new pedestrian bridge will be constructed at the same height as the adjacent vehicle bridge on Highway 106, with fewer piers in the river so that it is less visually intrusive than the previous bridge. These flood recovery projects are being coordinated with the Federal Highway Administration and its Emergency Relief for Federally-owned Roads Program, which has provided funding, planning expertise, and project oversight for the repairs. For updates on project timelines or temporary closures associated with these repairs, please visit the park website at nps.gov/ozar, visit the park’s Facebook page, or call (573) 323-4236. Ozark National Scenic Riverways preserves the free-flowing Current and Jacks Fork rivers, the surrounding resources, and the unique cultural heritage of the Ozark people.

The Missouri Department of Conservation invites the public to get hooked on fishing through its Free Fishing Days June 12th and 13th. During Free Fishing Days, anyone may fish in the Show-Me State without having to buy a fishing permit, trout permit, or trout park daily tag. This is an annual event that takes place statewide during the Saturday and Sunday following the first Monday in June. Aside from not needing permits, other fishing regulations remain in effect during Free Fishing Days, such as limits on size and number of fish an angler may keep. Special permits may still be required at some county, city, or private fishing areas. Trespass laws remain in effect on private property. All other fishing regulations are also in effect. Learn more about fishing in Missouri at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/fishing.

The Missouri State Parks invites the public to participate Learn2 Paddle kayaking classes offered at select parks this summer. The program is for anyone who wants to experience kayaking but is not sure where to start. It is also perfect for those who want to get out on the water but don’t own a kayak. In the Salem and Dent County area, the Current River State Park will host two-hour kayaking classes this Friday from 1:00 until 3:00, July 10th from 10:00 until noon, and on August 6th from 1:00 until 3:00. The Missouri State Parks will provide the kayaks, paddle, life jackets and instructors. Participants must be at least 10 years of age. Children 14 and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian during the entire program. Participants should be comfortable around water. All Missouri State Parks rules and regulations apply. This is a family-oriented program; alcohol and tobacco products are not allowed while participating in the Learn2 Paddle program. The class registration fee is $5 per participant; registration is required. For registration information, visit mostateparks.com and click on their Learn2 button under Topics. For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com.