Your World Today

Spring weather usually means an increase in outside projects that may require digging or excavation work. Missouri Public Service Commission Chairman Ryan Silvey said before you start digging on any project, it is very important that you contact the Missouri One Call Center at 811 or 1-800-DIG-RITE (344-7483) or go online to place a locate request at www.mo1call.com so that underground utility lines can be marked. Help protect yourself, your family and your property by making sure you call or click before you begin a project that requires any digging. It’s smart, it’s free and it’s the law. If you are planting a tree, building a deck or completing a large project, Missouri law requires anyone digging underground to call 811 or 1-800-DIG-RITE at least three working days before excavation begins. The call will be taken by the Missouri One Call Center, which then notifies all relevant utilities in the project area. During this three-day period, utility companies will mark the approximate location of their underground lines, request additional information or advise you that they do not have facilities at the excavation site. Hitting an underground line can cause serious injury, it could disrupt service to you and other customers, and it could potentially result in fines and repair costs. Call before you dig. It’s free and it’s the law. For more information, please go to Missouri One Call at www.mo1call.com.

The City of Salem Board of Aldermen will be meeting tonight at the City Hall Council Chambers at 7:00. At the meeting, the board will get a chance to ask questions about the request for funding for the airport board. In bids, the board will hear bids on getting the runway lighting at the airport working as well as bids on the compact tractor and a UTV for the Salem Park and Recreation Department. After the consent agenda, the board will hear from City Administrator Ray Waldon on the scheduling of the City Wide pickup for extra trash on May 3rd through 7th and May 10th through the 14th. He will also discuss project updates from Archer-Elgin before updating the board on items concerning the city. In the introduction and reading of bills and resolutions, Bill #3474 will be read amending the ordinance covering the temporary city clerk, Resolution # 5-2021 authorizes the mayor to terminate the agreement between the City of Salem and Riverways Federal Credit Union for consultant services, and Bill #3475 authorizing the mayor to execute a task order pertaining to the agreement between the City of Salem and C.M. Archer Group, P.C. to perform described services on the project named Wastewater Pre-Treatment Program Engineering Report. The meeting will then be adjourned. The meeting of the City of Salem Board of Aldermen tonight will be open to the public.

The Ozark National Scenic Riverways is asking for assistance from the public to identify those responsible for recent vandalism at Rocky Falls. On March 31st, park rangers received a report about vandalism at Rocky Falls. They found several rocks around the area that had been tagged with a variety of symbols and words in red spray paint. The vandalism is believed to have occurred sometime between Saturday, March 27th, and Wednesday, March 31st. Rocky Falls is one of the most visited sites within Ozark National Scenic Riverways with its picturesque falls cascading over large, purple-hued, igneous rock formations. Removal of the markings is expected to be challenging and costly, as park managers strive to avoid any lasting scarring effect by the either the paint or the removal process. The National Park Service is offering up to $2,000 for information that leads to a conviction in this vandalism case. If you have information that can help, please provide as many details as you can, including the description of any vehicles or persons observed at the scene, the names of any persons responsible or involved, or any other pertinent information. To submit your information, Call or text the Investigative Services Branch Tip line at 888-653-0009, submit your report online at www.nps.gov/ISB and click “Submit a Tip,” or e-mail your tip in to nps_isb@nps.gov. You must submit contact information to be compensated by the National Park Service.

In celebration of National Library Week, the Salem Public Library will hold a “Golden Library Card” drawing. This week, ten “Golden Library Cards” will be hidden throughout the building. Visitors who find a golden card may enter it in the drawing. Please limit entries to one per family. Three cards will be drawn. Each winning card will be worth $10 in library credit for fines, faxes, copies, lamination, and book sales. If you have any questions, please call the library at 729-4331 or stop by 403 North Jackson.

An accident occurred Friday afternoon at 3:33 in Phelps County on Highway 63 about one mile south of Rolla. According to the highway patrol report, a 2014 Dodge Caravan driven by 32-year-old Joshua Cullom of Rolla was stopped in traffic in the southbound lane when a 2006 Nissan Altima driven by a 16-year-old male juvenile from Edgar Springs rear ended the Caravan. After the crash occurred, the Altima caught on fire. A 15-year-old male juvenile from Rolla in the Caravan suffered minor injuries and was transported to Phelps Health by the Phelps Health Ambulance. Everyone involved was wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Altima was totaled and removed from the scene by Lucas Garage. The Caravan sustained minor damage and was driven from the scene. The Highway Patrol was assisted by Rolla Rural Fire Department.

The City of Salem has been awarded a MODOT Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) grant for sidewalk safety improvements. The $346,780 grant will allow the city to make safety improvements on Fourth Street in Salem. The MRPC Transportation Advisory Committee ranked the Salem project as the top application in the region. Statewide, there were 66 applications and only 16 chosen for funding, due to limited funding. It was also announced that the City of Salem Park and Recreation Department also was awarded the LWCF grant for work on the new soccer fields.

Creating more forage per acre, of a higher quality product, with more plant diversity to increase grazing potential is the goal of this MU Extension four-part series dealing with pasture and hay management. In the month of April these four mini-series, over possible pasture and hay management to improve your grazing and or baling operation, will be discussed. All four programs will be conducted via zoom. Controlling spring weed competition problems will be Monday morning, April 5th, at 10:00 with MU Field Specialist, Terry Halleran. Kick starting your pasture for extended grazing potential will be on Monday, April 12th, 10:00 in the morning with MU
Field Specialist, Jill Scheidt. Pasture reseeding and/or renovation for the spring and fall grazing seasons will be the morning of April 19th at 10:00 hosted by Tim Schnakenberg, MU Field Specialist. Fall and winter weed control and stockpiling for extended grazing potential on Monday morning, April 26th, at 10:00 with Sarah Kenyon, MU Field Specialist. The series is FREE and producers can register online or contact the Hickory County MU Extension Office at 417 818 2618.

You are invited to the next Business @ Breakfast that will be held at the Salem Community Center @ The Armory or via Zoom to be held on Wednesday morning, April 7th from 7:00 until 7:45. If you are a business owner, business manager or if you are wanting to start a business,
then be part of the group where you can find where to find skilled labor who can pass a drug test and that will show up. Hosted by Salem Economic Development Director Sally Burbridge who will be at the Community Center and virtually with Sarah Hultine Massengale with the MU Extension. You will hear from Executive Director Dorsey Newcomb and Deputy Director of the Sustainable Ozarks Partnership as well as Walter Harris, the Transition Services Manager with Fort Leonard Wood, about hiring veterans and military retirees. These individuals have numerous skills and can be an asset to any company. To make your reservation to attend in person where there is a limit of 10 people, or to attend by Zoom, let Sarah Massengale know by e-mailing her at: hultines@missouri.edu. There will be coffee, fresh fruit and donuts for those attending in person.

As part of its mission to support educational outreach, the State Historical Society of Missouri has reaffirmed its commitment to the much-loved Historic Missourians website by updating the site to use modern web technology, making it mobile-friendly and giving it a fresh new look. Originally launched in 2006, the website features well-resourced biographies for notable Missourians of all time periods, races, genders, and occupations. Historic Missourians also meets education standards set by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and has long been used by Missouri students, educators, and parents. Students use Historic Missourians to explore the lives of entrepreneurs like Walt Disney, journalists like Mary Paxton Keeley, scientists like George Washington Carver, athletes like Stan Musial, educators like Susan Blow, and more. SHSMO executive director Gary R. Kremer said the biographies available on this site feature rich images, pictures of artifacts, and other primary sources that help students get started on their own journey of historical research. Historic Missourians is online and FREE to worldwide audiences. Visit at historicmissourians.shsmo.org.

The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors will be meeting Tuesday evening, April 6th at 6:00 at the fire station at #2 South Main Street. After the roll call and approval of the consent agenda, the board will review the minutes of the March meeting before hearing the financial report and approving bills. Next on the agenda will be the review of the calendar and the monthly reimbursement report before hearing any old or new business and various report. The board may then vote to go into closed session. If a closed session is not needed, the board will set the date for the May meeting before adjourning. The meeting of the Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors on Tuesday is open to the public.