Your World Today

The Missouri Department of Transportation crews will be working on highways in Salem and Dent County this week for driving surface repairs. MoDOT crews will be making pavement repairs on Highway 68 in Phelps County starting Monday. Crews will close one lane on Highway 68 at Highway 8 and Route NN from 7:00 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon. Another crew will be patching pavement on Highway 19 between Fourth Street and Spring Creek Bridge. The work will take place starting this Tuesday and will require one lane to be closed. That closure will take place from 6:00 in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon. Flaggers will be in place to guide motorist through the work area. Drivers are advised to slow down through work zones, obey all traffic signs, and give crews plenty of room to work. This 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) or visit www.modot.org/central.

An accident happened in Osage County Sunday morning at 7:05 on Route E at Highway 63. According to the highway patrol report, a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado driven westbound by 20-year-old Darren Delanois of Rolla failed to yield at the intersection of Route E and Highway 63. The Chevrolet traveled across Highway 63 and struck a ditch, a hill, and a tree before traveling down an embankment and coming to rest on Highway 63. Delanois suffered moderate injuries and was taken to the University of Missouri at Columbia Medical Center by ambulance. Delanois was not wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident. The Chevy was totaled and removed from the scene by 4J’s Towing.

An accident happened in Crawford County on Route CC about five miles east of Highway 19 Sunday afternoon. According to the highway patrol report, a 17-year-old male juvenile from Cuba was driving a 2005 Ford F250 westbound when he traveled off the right side of the roadway. The driver overcorrected causing the Ford to go off the left side of the roadway, overturn and strike a tree. The boy sustained serious injuries and was follow by Air Evac to the Mercy Hospital in Creve Coeur. The Ford was totaled and removed from the scene by Patriot Towing. The male juvenile was not wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident.

An accident happened Wednesday afternoon at 2:50 in Crawford County on Highway 19 near the entrance to the Rafting Company. According to the highway patrol, a 2000 Dodge Ram driven westbound by a 17-year-old female juvenile of Cuba, Missouri, failed to yield and struck a 1989 Chevy Silverado driven southbound by 62-year-old Kenneth Martin of Davisville. Martin suffered minor injuries and sought his own treatment. Everyone involved in the accident was wearing seat restraints. Both vehicles had minor damage and were driven from the scene.

The National Park Service and Ozark National Scenic Riverways park managers are pleased to announce planned improvements to facilities and infrastructure within the Big Spring District including the historic dining lodge and 16 historic structures as well as the rental cabins and other features that were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934-1937. The facilities house an existing concession operation that dates back to their construction and is the park’s only dining and lodging operation. A concessioner uses the historic lodge and cabins to provide visitors with a unique and rich experience in one of the most heavily visited areas of the park during the summer months. The National Park Service plans to rehabilitate the historic structures and landscape, recreation area, boat dock, utility systems, and other features, allowing the park to reduce operation and maintenance costs while they improve visitor and staff safety, re-establish a concession contract, improve visitor experience, and improve accessibility by bringing Cabin 413 and the boat dock into Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Standards compliance. While the lodge, cabins, and boat dock will be closed during restoration activities, the Big Spring campground, pavilions, and nearby hiking trails will remain open throughout the course of this project. The park intends to begin construction of the project in October 2021, which is anticipated to last 16 months. They look forward to inviting visitors back to enjoy the lodging, dining, and recreation facilities once the restoration is complete. For more information, call park headquarters at (573) 323-4236 or visit the website at www.nps.gov/ozar.

The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors met Tuesday evening at 6:00 at the fire station at #2 South Main Street. During the financial report, bills were reviewed and approved and the budget showed an ending balance as of March 31st of $286,476.99. The calendar was then reviewed with shot clinics to continue in April at the district. The monthly reimbursement report was presented with a total of 42 calls for the month of March including 5 structure fires, 2 flue fires, 20 brush calls, 1 car fire, 1 vehicle accident, 1 dumpster fire, 2 first responder and 5 mutual aid calls, 2 haz-mat calls, and two training calls. Total calls year to date stand at 108 with the average cost per call being $96.25. Chief Brad Nash reported to the board that all ceilings and lights have been installed with only one room remaining which will require wallboard to be installed and that should be started this week. Chief Nash also reported that the privacy window panels have been installed in the dispatch office and that the flooring project is next and should be started right away. The date was then set for the next meeting which will be Tuesday, May 4th, at 6:00 at the fire station which will be open to the public. The meeting was then adjourned.

Salem Memorial District Hospital and the Dent County Health Center will hold a mass vaccination event for COVID-19 to include ALL Missouri residents over the age of 16 at the Dent County Fire Station on Friday, April 16th. The booster vaccine being held at the same location on Friday, May 7th. Please go to the Dent County Health Center or Salem Memorial District Hospital Facebook page for more information and how to register for this event. There is also a registration link on the Salem Memorial District Hospital website.

The Missouri Public Service Commission has established the deadline for those wishing to intervene and participate in a natural gas rate case filed by Union Electric Company d/b/a Ameren Missouri. Applications to intervene and participate in this case must be filed no later than April 30, 2021, with the Secretary of the Missouri Public Service Commission, P.O. Box 360, Jefferson City, Missouri 65102, or by using the Commission’s Electronic Filing and Information System (EFIS) at www.psc.mo.gov. Individual citizens wishing to comment should contact either the Office of the Public Counsel at 866-922-2959, or the Public Service Commission Staff at 1-800-392-4211. On March 31st, Ameren Missouri filed a natural gas rate case with the Missouri Public Service Commission seeking to increase its natural gas base rate annual revenues by approximately $9.4 million. According to Ameren Missouri, the adjustment in base rates would mean natural gas rates would increase for an average residential customer by approximately $4 a month. Ameren Missouri serves approximately 135,000 natural gas customers in 25 Missouri counties including Dent and Phelps counties.

The Youth Spring Turkey hunt will be this Saturday and Sunday for youngsters who are age 6-15. The limit for each youth is one male turkey or turkey with a visible beard. Any youth who take a turkey during the youth season may not harvest a second bird until April 26th. This is because the bird taken during the youth season counts as the first bird for the first week of the regular season. Allowed hunting methods include shotguns with shot not larger than No. 4, longbows, recurve bows, or compound bows; crossbows, Atlatl and hand-held string releasing devices that have illuminated sights, scopes, and quick point sights. Youth may hunt this weekend from one half hour before sunrise to sunset. For more information, hunters should get or read the Missouri Department of Conservation’s 2021 Spring Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information. They are free at MDC regional offices, MDC nature centers, and other places where permits are sold. You can also get the booklet information online at mdc.mo.gov using the search box at the top of the homepage.