Your World Today

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning in the Courthouse. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles, on behalf of the Commissioners, expressed condolences to the family of former State Representative and Senator Dan Brown. Skiles noted that Brown had been a much respected state legislator and friend. Dee and Maria Jessen were in inquiring about the status of the gate on Dent County Road 4128. First District Commissioner Wes Mobray said he was waiting on County Surveyor Michelle Elwood to finalize her report of the survey, which will then be presented to Dent County Prosecutor Andrew Curley to determine how to proceed. In the road report Mobray said that two men were taking Truck #125 to Columbia to figure out why the truck won’t start and he said it runs fine once started.
He said brush was being cut on Dent County Road 5600 and two men were repairing the backhoe, plus grader #38 was being serviced. District Two Commissioner Gary Larson said that his crew continues adding materials to the Conservation roads, Dent County Roads 2520 and 2530. He said he had 4 trucks hauling and that the job must be completed by June 1. Larson noted that the rest of his crew was checking roads for washouts and cleaning out culverts. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported that on Tuesday he attended the Ozark Solid Waste Management District Board meeting where they reviewed grant applications. He also said that they heard an interesting presentation by Barbara Lucks from Bedhead Mattress Re-cycling of Springfield. Skiles said the full council will meet June 15th and the Annual Banquet is planned for November 30th. He said that on Wednesday morning he will be attending the MAC Board meeting and the CCAM Board meeting during the afternoon. Skiles reported that the State Legislature adjourned Friday and they approved tying another county elected office holder’s salary to State Judges salaries, which in turn are tied to Federal Judges salaries and are set by Washington, D.C. This is an unfunded mandate that sets County Sheriff’s salaries at a minimum of $72,500 based on county assessment. Skiles said that Commissioners talked to Legislators and they were told that basically the Legislators didn’t care what Commissioners thought. He said that if Governor Parson signs the bill into law without a special session to correct flaws in the bill it will cost Dent County $18,800 per year, plus benefits, and in some counties the increase will be over $30,000. He went on to note that it’s pretty disgusting that Missouri Legislators have decided how to spend Missouri counties’ tax dollars. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said that bills were being approved for payment and that she balanced with the Collector and Assessor on all monthly collections, add-ons, and abatements for the month of April and the Commissioners reviewed her reports. At 10:00 the Commissioners conducted a budget hearing to account for the Department of Revenue call back and withholding. The revised budget was approved 3-0. The next regular meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Monday morning at 9:00 in the Dent County Courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

A drowning occurred Sunday evening in Franklin County on the Meramec River at Meramec State Park near the campground boat access. The report from the highway patrol states that 17-year-old William Bergner of Bourbon attempted to swim across the river when he became exhausted and submerged under the water and lost the ability to resurface. Bergner was pronounced dead at 7:51 by Dr. Peter McCarthy at Missouri Baptist Hospital in Sullivan.

The 136th Graduation of the Salem R-80 High School will be held Friday night at 7:00 at the Salem High School Football Field. After the procession of students, the Salem High School band will perform the National Anthem. Assistant Principal Conrad Prugh will present the Senior Class Citizenship Awards, the Missouri Seal of Biliteracy Awards as well as the Best All-Around Boy and Girl Award. Principal Marty Anderson will introduce the Salutatorian, Amy Chen and Tyler Seabaugh, as well as the eleven Valedictorians that include Ryon Coursen, Brecklyn Holtz, Monica Jessen, Martin Jones and Isabella Knaack. Anderson will also recognize the A Plus students, students who are entering the military as well as those entering the work force and going to college. Diplomas will then be awarded to the Class of 2021 students followed the recessional. The graduation exercises will be streamed live on www.ksmoradio.com on Twitch, on Facebook at “KSMO Stream” and the stream is also available on the Salem R-80 website at www.salemr80.org and that will be on YouTube. There is no charge to stream the services. All broadcasts will be in HD.

An accident happened just after noon Monday afternoon in Crawford County on Highway E five miles east of Steelville. The report from the highway patrol states that a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer being driven by 39-year-old Brent Setzer of Steelville traveled off the right side of the roadway causing the driver to overcorrect. The vehicle then crossed the center lane and Setzer overcorrected again causing the vehicle to overturn and travel off the left side of the road before coming to a stop. Setzer suffered serious injuries and taken by Air Evac to Mercy Hospital in Creve Couer. The Trailblazer was totaled and removed from the scene by Miles and Sons Towing.

Utility Committee Chairman Shawn Bolerjack has called for a meeting of the city of Salem’s Utility Committee tonight at 6:00 at City Hall Council Chambers. The agenda for the meeting includes a review of a high water consumption discount, a discussion of a discount incentive on electric usage from February 8th through May 15th, 2021 for customers paying their bill in full and having no prior balance due. There will also be a discussion to review a sample bill for usage from February 8th, 2021 through May 15th, 2021 and an informational cover letter to be sent to customers followed by an update on fiscal year-to-date utility financials before adjourning. Following the utility committee meeting, the City of Salem Board of Aldermen will be meeting at 7:00 in the City Hall Council Chambers. After the roll call, Skip Dahms will ask the board to permit the blocking off of a section of Fourth Street between Henderson and McArthur Streets for a kids’ festival to be held on June 12th. After approval of the consent agenda, the aldermen will discuss bids for renovation of the Police department dispatch call center and for undercarriage repair on a John Deere 555G crawler. Bill #3477 will be introduced and read which is an ordinance authorizing the mayor to sign and execute task order #10 pertaining to an agreement between the city of Salem and C.M. Archer Group P.C. dated February 3rd, 2020 for engineering design services related to the Phase 2 improvements at the wastewater treatment facility. Resolution #16-2021 would adopt a policy on the utility committee recommendation of utility credits for the city of Salem. The aldermen will then hear a report from City Administrator Ray Walden on issues concerning the city. Also at the meeting, a library committee appointment will be made by Mayor Brad Nash. The board may go into closed session before adjourning. The City of Salem Utility Committee meeting and the Board of Aldermen meeting this evening are both open to the public.

The Salem Police Department has released their report for the month of April. They served 18 summonses to appear in court, gave out 69 warning tickets, and 13 traffic tickets, plus they also served 2 fugitive warrants. The Salem Police department investigated 17 traffic accidents, wrote 5 property damage reports, 17 stealing reports, and investigated 2 identity thefts. The department also investigated three driving while having a license revoked or suspended, a resisting or interfering with an arrest, a violation of an exparte or full order of protection, four possessions of a controlled substance as well as three domestic violence reports, investigated two nuisance violations and conducted two death investigations. The department was also dispatched for 37 animal calls, 21 ambulance assist calls, and performed 88 traffic stops for the month. The Department also conducted 59 follow-up investigations, one leaving the scene of an accident, and responded to 26 suspicious subjects and also performed 24 well-being checks. The Salem Police Department received 951 calls for service during the month of April and had 43 walk-ins to the station. The department drove 8,180 miles during the month of April. There were 16 males and 13 females arrested during the month. The Police Department also served 4 hours as court bailiff during the month.

A summer “kick off” will take place at Akers for the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. The free event features an open-air celebration of the
Akers community beginning at 9:00 this Saturday. The lawn around the Akers Visitor Center will host information booths and exhibits about historic communities on the banks of the Current River. Those with a connection to the upper Current River community will have an opportunity to share memories with everyone in attendance. In accordance with the federal mask mandate, face masks will be required for entry into Mt. Zion Church. Social distancing will be implemented for outdoor activities and face masks will be required whenever visitors are unable to maintain a six-foot distance from those outside their household. Participants will be able to take part in activities including a paddle from Welch to Akers, a self-guided hike to Welch Spring and cave, a tour of Mt. Zion Church, and a tour of Akers Cemetery with a civil war “ghost”. Ozark National Scenic Riverways preserves the free-flowing Current and Jacks Fork Rivers, the surrounding natural resources, and the unique cultural heritage of the Ozark people. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/ozar or call (573) 323-4236.

A carnival with proceeds to benefit Grace Harbor Homeless Shelter will be held this Saturday afternoon May 22nd from 2:00 until 5:00. Tickets may be purchased in advance by contacting Kathy Bryant at 739-9163 or Jenny Summers at 247-7062. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. You are invited to bring your lawn chair, blanket, family and friends. Smoking, vaping, drugs and alcohol are not allowed on the grounds of the church.

City utility bills for consumption from January 9th, 2021 through February 8th, 2021 were mailed last week. If you have not received your bill or if you have questions about your bill, please stop by or call the utility office at (573) 729-4117. In response to user requests for utility billing to reflect more recent consumption the next utility bills will be for consumption from February 8th, 2021 through May 15th, 2021 with customers having the option to pay their account in full or if eligible, to request a payment plan. Penalties and disconnects for non-payment will resume on July 1st, 2021. Information about the upcoming bills for consumption through 5/15/2021 along with any updated information regarding utility bills will be mailed to utility customers on or around May 19th, 2021. If you have a past-due balance, please bring your account current or make payment arrangements by July 1st, 2021 to avoid being disconnected. Are you in need of utility payment assistance? Make it easy to seek financial assistance through the South Central Community Action Agency, Catholic Charities, and The Salvation Army Dent County Service Unit. These organizations will be available each Tuesday through the end of May from 10:30 in the morning until 1:00 in the afternoon at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory at 1200 West Rolla Road. Check the www.salemmo.com website for information on available resources for assistance or call (573) 729-4117.

The Missouri Department of Conservation has announced it has updated its website to offer a new look and better navigation for users. According to MDC, most of the web content will remain where it was while other content has been moved to better fit where visitors expect to find it. MDC had about 6.8 million visitors to its website last year. You can visit MDC’s updated website for a new look and easier navigation at mdc.mo.gov. Key improvements users may notice are better search results thanks to a new search engine powering the site, easier to find information on buying permits, and a new section on invasive and nuisance animal and plant species. Popular webpages that have been improved include “Places to Go” to discover nature on MDC areas, the online “Field Guide” to help users identify Missouri plants and animals, and the hunting and fishing “Species A-Z” pages to help identify game species. The new website also provides a better user experience on mobile devices, specifically Android devices. Some Android users reported having navigation issues on our existing website, so MDC wanted to ensure the new site works smoothly on all devices. The number-one goal of the MDC website is to have as many visitors complete the tasks they came to the site for as quickly and easily as possibly. It was noted that the staff used input from the website’s public comment form and regular website survey results to determine changes and priorities when working on the website.

SEMO Behavioral Health’s Show Me Hope Crisis Counseling Program will host the first annual Mental Health Awareness Walk/Run this Saturday at the Salem City Park in Salem. This free event will begin at 3:00 and is designed to raise awareness and remove stigmas associated with mental health in our community during Mental Health Awareness Month. In addition to the Walk/Run, there will be food available for purchase including burgers, hot dogs and baked goods. Local vendors will also be on hand to display their products and community mental health partners will distribute information about local services and there will be prize drawings in addition to activities and giveaways for the kids. For more information taking part in the Mental Health Awareness Walk/Run please contact Jodie Richter, Crisis Counselor, by emailing hrichter@semobh.org or call 573-330-2544.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors will conduct their May meeting at noon on Tuesday in the hospital library. After the approval of the minutes from the April 20th meeting, Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas will report on the summary of the operations and statistics for the month of April followed by the Chief of Nursing Report from Debbie Hines. A report on the hospital foundation, plus the marketing and community perception report will be given by Chief Operating Officer Jason Edwards. Lucas will give the Chief of Staff report before he gives an update on the Hospital expansion and renovation, Cerner conversion, and a report on the Finance Committee Meeting. New business may consist of the review of purchases since the last meeting and a report on the SMDH imaging. The board may vote to go into closed session. The SMDH Board meeting is open to the public provided they wear a mask to the meeting.