Your World Today

The Dent County Commissioners on Monday decided to provide only limited access to the courthouse as the front and rear doors will be closed until further notice. The office holders are asking that you conduct your business by phone, mail or e-mail. If you want an ATV or UTV permit, that information can be done by phone or mail, or for anyone who wants to vote absentee, contact the county clerk’s office at 729-4144 and they can meet you curbsite where you can vote. For those who want to pay personal property taxes or real estate taxes, or turn in their assessment forms, you can mail them to the appropriate office at the address on your form, or you can leave them in the drop-off box at the southwest corner of the courthouse lawn and they will be retrieved. To request access to the county clerk’s office for notary renewals, or to make an appointment with the treasurer’s office, the county collector’s office or the assessor’s office, call the office holder and discuss your need. Many times your needs can be handled on the phone. Here is a list of the county office phone numbers: the Dent County Clerk is 729-4144; the Dent County Collector is 729-3911, the Dent County Assessor is 729-6010 and the Dent County Treasurer is 729-8260. The commission also decided to only hold meetings on Monday mornings from 9:00 in the morning until noon or the conclusion of business until further notice. Those meetings will be open to the public.

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning at the courthouse. Dent County Health Center Administrator Kendra Mobray said that as of Sunday, 106 cases of the COVID-19 virus have been reported in Missouri. She said she gets her data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. She reported there are still no cases of the virus in Dent or the immediate surrounding counties. She said her office had contacted all the restaurants after the directive was sent down Saturday about all food establishments being allowed to only offer carry out or delivery. She also said the Dent County Health Center will only be accessible to patients who make an appointment except for those who need to get vital records. The number to call is 729-3106. Emergency Management Director Brad Nash brought in a proclamation to declare a “State of Emergency” for Dent County about the COVID 19 virus as he said that would make it easier for him to put the county’s emergency operational plan in effect if it was needed. The commissioner’s approved declaring the State of Emergency for Dent County. Donald Dodd from the Dent County Industrial Development Board was in to recommend Chris Holiday to fill the IDA Board position vacated by James Coffman. The commission approved his request. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell said patch grading would be done on Dent County Roads 2430, 2470, 4210, 6220 and 6430 while materials would also be added to two of those county roads: 6220 and 6430. Purcell mentioned brush would be cut on county road 5530. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson reported that materials would be added and patch grading done on Dent County Roads 2150 and 3300 while only patch grading would be done on county road 4437. Larson went on to say brush would be cut on county road 2380. He wanted to remind everyone that the county roads are still extremely wet and with more rain in the forecast, grading right now would do much more damage to the roads than good. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said he attended the COVID 19 meeting last Friday at the firehouse. He also was on a conference call that day with the CCAM board of Directors to hear how they are dealing with the pandemic. He said some counties close to the metropolitan areas would like more state control while some of the rural counties would like less restrictions. Their next conference call will be Wednesday. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said candidate filing for county offices will be open until March 31st. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Monday, March 30th at 9:00 and the meeting will be open to the public.

After a promising start to 2020 with a five-year low in January traffic fatalities, February did not follow suit and ended with 63 people killed (preliminary results) in Missouri traffic crashes. As the state eyes a long-term vision for zero traffic fatalities, there have been 10 days thus far in 2020 with no fatal traffic crashes. Meanwhile, there were 12 days in February alone where three or more people were killed in a crash, including six fatalities on Super Bowl Sunday. Traffic crashes constitute a public health crisis – one that claimed the lives of 877 people in Missouri and more than 36,000 nationwide last year. The majority of these deaths are preventable by simply slowing down, buckling up and putting your phone down. Missouri’s Buckle Up Phone Down campaign has seen tremendous success with more than 500 businesses and 13,000 individuals pledging to adopt those two life-saving steps. Seat belt usage has increased by 6.3% in the last three years in Missouri and fatalities dropped 6% during that same period. Following Missouri’s lead, three other states are also active in the BUPD movement with several more expressing interest in the initiative as well. That said the February results are a reminder there remains plenty of work to do in both spreading and adopting the message. Preliminary statistics show that 72% of drivers and passengers killed in 2020 crashes thus far were unbuckled. Compared to 2019, this is a 9% increase in the number of unbuckled occupants killed. While excessive speed, aggression, distraction, and impairment remain the leading cause of fatal traffic crashes in Missouri, seat belts, car seats, and helmets remain a person’s number one defense should a crash occur. There have been countless tragedies on our roadways that could have been prevented with the simple use of a seat belt. Likewise, many of these crashes would not occur in the first place if we all embrace our responsibility to drive in a safe manner. Simple conscious and consistent choices can ensure that March and the remainder of 2020 result in a better outcome. As you take your daily commute or simply drop the top on the convertible for a sunny spring drive, please remember the simple steps we can all take to ensure a safer transportation system: drive sober, slow down, buckle up and put your phone down. Together, we can all do our part to move Missouri closer to zero traffic fatalities. For additional information regarding roadway safety or Buckle Up Phone Down, visit www.saveMOlives.com or www.modot.org/bupd.