Your World Today

Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, reminds everyone there will be an increase in traffic over the Thanksgiving holiday. The Thanksgiving holiday is one of the busiest travel periods of the year, with Wednesday and Sunday afternoon/evenings being the most heavily traveled times. Drivers should expect more traffic and the possibility of delays throughout the weekend. Regardless of traffic patterns, safety should remain a priority. The counting period for the 2024 Thanksgiving holiday weekend is from 6 p.m. Wednesday, November 27, 2024, to 11:59 p.m. Sunday, December 1, 2024. Troopers will be participating in Operation C.A.R.E., enforcing all traffic laws, and available to assist the public. Over the 2023 Thanksgiving holiday counting period, nine people were killed and 4,823 injured in 1,342 traffic crashes. If you plan to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend be sure your vehicle is in good condition, obey all traffic laws, and be sure everyone in your vehicle is wearing a seat belt or secured in the appropriate child safety seat for their size and age. Remember: Missouri is now a hands-free state and there is never a reason to speed, drive aggressively, or drive impaired. The MoDOT Traveler Information Map can be a helpful tool while you are traveling. The map provides up-to-date information such as road closures, delays, construction zones, and alternative routes. You can download the app for free to your smart device or access it by using this link: traveler.modot.org/map. If being on or near the water is part of your Thanksgiving holiday weekend plans, remember that the water is becoming colder, and hypothermia is a concern. The body loses heat 25 times faster in water than in the air of the same temperature. The proper use of life jackets is imperative. The public is encouraged to call the Patrol’s Emergency Report Line (800) 525-5555 or *55 on your cellular phone if they witness criminal activity, observe driving behavior that could cause a crash, or experience an emergency. These phone numbers are operational for both highway and water emergencies. If your celebration includes intoxicants, designate someone else to drive whether you are in a boat or vehicle. Please don’t become a statistic.

Dent County Prosecutor Andrew Curley has released information on a sentencing hearing that was held following a probation revocation hearing in front of Judge Michael Randazzo on Monday November 25th.The Defendant, Andrew Terrill of Salem, was sentenced to 10 years in the Department of Corrections, as requested by Prosecutor Curley. The Defendant had previously completed a 559.115 RSMO program in 2023. 

The Salem R-80 School District held their regular meeting on Thursday evening at 5:30 in the administration building. After approving the agenda and consent agenda, the board recognized Barrett Larimore and Kole Martin, from William Lynch Elementary, who represented the Students of the Month and students with 100% attendance, respectively. Mr. Larimore and Mr. Martin led the Pledge of Allegiance. Dr. Nathan Wills provided the Superintendent’s report which included updates on the FEMA Storm Shelter progress, calendar options, and district attendance improvement. The board approved the purchase of cafeteria tablets from Fellers Food Service Equipment, a bond prepayment of $175,000 to pay down existing bonds, Board Election Filing dates of December 12 through 31, as well as the school district audit report. The meeting then adjourned to closed session. 

The November episode of Archives & Airwaves will air tomorrow morning at 10:30. This show, hosted by Sally Granowski, will feature library director Kate McBride. They will be discussing some of the many services provided by the library, as well as upcoming events and closures for the month of December. You can tune in to listen at 1340 AM/95.7 FM as well as the KSMO Media YouTube channel. This monthly program airs on the last Wednesday of each month. 

When a deer is involved in a collision with a vehicle MoDOT State Maintenance Engineer Darin Hamelink said no one should ever jeopardize their safety by attempting to remove an animal in a high-traffic area. Instead, contact MoDOT’s customer service line at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636). He went on to note that crews will address any animal or debris that poses a safety hazard, meaning the item is in the driving lanes. Crews will safely drag the large animal debris to the outer portion of the grassy roadside, outside any active drainage ditch or channel. If a deer is located on the shoulder, MoDOT will address the deer during normal weekday work hours. MoDOT crews are not called out after hours to remove an item unless it is a road safety hazard in a driving lane. MoDOT does not employ any specialized crews assigned to remove dead animals from roadways or contract out any roadkill removal. If a deer is struck along a state-maintained road and is completely off the roadway, MoDOT will not pick it up unless it impedes mail delivery or is in a neighborhood, especially at or near a bus stop.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol has announced they will be closed for Thanksgiving Day. For more news, follow the Missouri State Highway Patrol on X @MSHPTrooperGHQ.

The Salvation Army will once again partner with Wal-Mart for the annual Angel Tree program as well as the Dent County Toy Drive to help local children this Christmas. Local residents have always enjoyed adopting a child, and shopping for clothing, coats, hats, and toys.  Some families use this time of year to teach their children the importance of giving during the holiday season. The Angel Tree will be available beginning today, through Saturday, December 14th. For additional information please call 573-729-8163 or e-mail sherry@salemcommunitycenter.org. The Dent County Toy Drive can be contacted by messaging on Facebook.

The City of Salem is excited to share updates on the Downtown Sidewalk Project as the first half-block nears completion. While the project will be fully finalized in early spring with the installation of new light poles and fixtures as well as street and parking area paint striping, the current progress already reflects a bold vision for a safer, more welcoming downtown featuring new curb extensions, or “bump-outs,” which are a key feature of the project. These extensions will help slow down traffic by narrowing traffic lanes, provide ADA Compliance with wider curb spaces, provide parking protection offering additional visual cues to drivers and protecting cars from potential impact. The design includes textured pavers and delineated zones for planters, trash receptacles, and possible benches which will come after this project are completed. The wider sidewalks allow for easier movement, accommodating pedestrian gatherings and events, while providing space for future amenities. Most of the parking spaces have been maintained and temporary street lighting will be installed to maintain visibility and safety in the area. As we adapt to these changes, the city encourages drivers to familiarize themselves with the new layout. With safety, aesthetics, and accessibility at its core, this initiative is an investment in our community’s future city looking forward to unveiling the finished design in early 2025. 

The Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors held their regular meeting Thursday evening at 7:00 in the Hospital Library. Before the start of the meeting, Board Chairman, Dr. Leigh Ann Price announced that Hospital CEO Brooke Bollman was awarded the 2024 Missouri Rural Health Champion Award. The Board then went on to approve the agenda as well as the minutes from the October 29th and November 19th meetings. During the CEO Report, Ms. Bollman stated they are continuing to work on the cost report analysis, including Medicare bad debt, reallocations, and unclaimed expenses. They also continue to work on training and compliance, inpatient census, and wrapping up their due diligence regarding their affiliation with Phelps Health. During the operations report, it was noted that inpatient and outpatient admissions, emergency room visits, and ambulance runs have gone up slightly in the month of October, while radiology procedures and rehabilitation treatments have gone down. Total operating revenue for October was $2.9 million. Salaries and payroll taxes continue to decrease; however, health insurance continues to increase. Total operating expenses were $2.3 million in October resulting in a profit of $769,000. However, Bollman clarified that all revenue goes into accounts payable, which is now down to $1.2 million. The hospital saw a net 340B revenue of $87,000 in October, and they are currently operating at 21 days cash on hand. There are currently six employment openings for LPNs, RNs, and PRN RNs. Ambulance re-licensure is due in December and will be a virtual training this year. During the human resources report, it was noted that there has been one new hire, and three employees who left in October. The hospital continues to work on enhancing the patient experience by streamlining registration and providing ongoing customer service training. There were a total of 43 reported incidents in October, including 19 administrative/no harm medication events and 11 patient falls in Long Term Care, Acute Care, and outpatients. The ToRCH Grant applications are due December 2nd, and funding announcements will be made January 6, 2025. During the Chief of Staff report, the Board approved new privileges for three doctors in Pathology and Teleradiology, and approved amendments to the bylaws. The Board also approved the High Alert Medication Policy and Sepsis Protocol Policy. The next board meeting will be held on Monday evening, December 23rd at 7:00 in the Doctors’ Library.

The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting Thursday morning in the courthouse. In public comments, David Meinell from Dent County Road 6600 gave a history on how the road came to be and that it was built to be 30-feet wide with 3 to 1 slope on each side. He said right now the road is passable with some bad spots and District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray said the district is a long way from being finished with that road. They installed an additional new culvert pipe, and Mr. Meinell was concerned the FEMA personnel would not approve that, opting instead for a concrete vault, but Commissioner Mobray said the entire commission met with FEMA personnel Wednesday as well as Dent County Emergency Management Director Derrick Marfitt. Mobray said they had no problem with what the county did to that road. Denver Ellis from Dent County Road 2300 brought in some water well application papers from the Department of Natural Resources on the new water well approved last Tuesday night by the City of Salem. Ellis said they had requested from the city an impact study on how this well would affect county residents in the area, but they have not received it yet after numerous requests. Ellis was asking the commission if they could follow up on this to find out how it would have an effect on the water supply for county residents on Dent County Road 2240 and surrounding areas. Commissioner Gary Larson said the commission would investigate it. Emergency Management Director Marfitt said the counties in the region exceeding the 11 million dollars of damage which is the federal threshold for being declared a disaster area, while in Dent County alone the road damages are being estimated over six million dollars after an initial estimate of 4.6 million dollars. Marfitt said Montauk State Park sustained about eight million dollars in damages, but that is under a different category than the counties with it being a state park. In the road report, Commissioner Mobray said rock would be added and grading done on Dent County Road 5110 while only grading would be done on county roads 5115, 5460 and 6080. Rock will also be added to county road 6050. Mobray said from their meeting Wednesday with FEMA, the county would be reimbursed in two phases for their work. Phase 1 is to get the roads back open and passable. Once that is complete, the county will begin Phase 2 which is to put the roads back into their original condition prior to the disaster. The county would be reimbursed for that when the project is complete. Mobray also said there would be no FEMA assistance on Private Lane 601 in Dent County about three miles west of Highway 119 as they did not meet the required damage threshold. District 2 Commissioner Gary Polk said rock would be added and grading done on Dent County Road 4283. Commissioner Larson had nothing to report except that the commission would not be meeting Monday due to the MAC Conference, and there would also be no meeting on Thanksgiving Day. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said the first day to sign up for the Municipal Election in April will be December 10th at the office of the entity you are seeking election. She also said the courthouse would be closed Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving. Dent County Extension personnel were in attendance to discuss their budget for 2025. First, they wanted to present to the commission work done in the community. Livestock Specialist Eric Meusch wanted to remind farmers who suffered damage to their farm road, fences or buildings due to the flooding, or suffered a loss of livestock, to get in touch with their FSA office. He also said two Dent County residents will be part of a five-year experimental grassland study using bio-char. Community Development Specialist Ray Walden said Dent County is part of a Missouri S&T grant on rural infrastructure, and they are working on a multi-state grant effort on housing. They reported there were 38 more 4-H participants in 2024 over 2023 and the extension is still looking for a youth associate leader. Besides the county, the extension is funded by a couple of additional sources totaling about $13,000. They did ask for an increase over last year’s budget due to the increase in minimum wages. The next commissioner meeting will be Monday, December 2nd at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting will be open to the public.

The Salem Police Department has released their report for the month of October. The department responded to 14 accidents during the month. Officers responded to 23 alarms sounding and addressed 31 animal calls, investigated six assaults or fights, three burglaries, performed 9 well-being checks and 19 area checks in October. Police investigated 14 domestic disputes, 10 verbal and one physical disturbances, conducted 61 follow-up investigations, and provided 24 escorts. They investigated 5 harassment reports, 4 nuisance violations, two parking complaint calls, 4 intoxicated pedestrian report, one intoxicated driver, 7 shoplifting reports and offered assistance to two motorists. The Salem Police wrote 6 property damage reports, made 4 stealing reports, wrote five trespassing reports and responded to four traffic complaints. Officers responded to two reports of suicidal persons, 17 suspicious circumstance calls, two suspicious person calls, and 7 suspicious vehicle calls. Officers attempted to serve five warrants and conducted 62 traffic stops during the month. The police responded to a total of 548 incidents in October with the average response time to calls being two minutes. The average time spent on the scene was 25 minutes and 35 seconds.

The Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors regular meeting will be this evening at 7:00 in the hospital library. The meeting is open to the public and can be attended electronically or by telephone. If you would like to attend through these methods contact the SMDH administration office at 573-729-6626 ext. 4005. After roll call the board review the minutes from the October and November board meetings. The CEO will give his report. Then the hospital report to include summary of operations and statistics, 340 B program, CNO report, human resources update, and quality information. Then the Chief of Staff report, before old business. Next will be new business to include medical staff bylaw review and hospital policies for review.

The Taum Sauk Mountain State Park and Jay Nixon Backcountry conceptual development plan meeting originally scheduled for November 9th, will now be held on Saturday, December 7th at 9:00 in the morning. The guided hikes being held in conjunction with the meeting, including the overnight trip to Jay Nixon Backcountry, are also postponed due to flooded trails. Representatives from Missouri State Parks invite the public to attend rescheduled informational meetings for both the Taum Sauk Mountain State Park and Jay Nixon Backcountry on Saturday, December 7th. The public is invited to share comments and ask questions about the facilities and their operations. These informational meetings are being held in conjunction with the two parks’ conceptual development planning open house. The open house will be held at Taum Sauk Mountain State Park. In the event of inclement weather, the open house may be moved, but an update will be provided prior to the date. As the long-range plan for the park is updated, the public is encouraged to come learn more about the planning process, ask questions and provide input regarding future park use and development. A 30-day comment period will begin December 7th with a survey available online at mostateparks.com/CDP. A guided hike to Mina Sauk Falls will be available for those attending and will begin at 10:30 December 7th and it is a strenuous 3.5-mile hike. Input from the public is important to Missouri State Parks. The meetings will inform the public on the current status and future plans for the park or historic site and offer visitors the opportunity to comment on the facilities.

The Creative Arts Center in Salem will hold a class on designing your own Pet Bowl on Saturday, November 23rd from 10:00 in the morning until 12:00 noon with Danielle Norris. Come and customize your very own non-spill ceramic made for smaller dogs and cats. Students will paint them and seal them for pet use! This class is perfect for all ages! Children must have an adult present to assist. The cost of the class is $15 and all supplies are included. There must be ten people sign up to hold the class and it will be limited to 30 participants. To sign up, go to the SACBA website, click on “Programs” link and then on the Creative Arts Center.