Your World Today
Sports – Wednesday, March 25th, 2020
KSMO Radio continues to air St. Louis Cardinal Baseball Games from the championship season of 2011. Tonight, the Cards and Pittsburgh Pirates game from August 27th will be replayed.
Weather – Wednesday, March 25th, 2020
Today..Cloudy through mid morning with partly sunny skies by afternoon, high near 66.
Tonight..Partly cloudy, low near 49.
Thursday..Partly sunny, high near 76.
Thursday night..Cloudy with a 30% chance of rain after midnight, low of 58.
Friday..Cloudy with a 60% chance for showers and thunderstorms, high of 77.
Local News – Tuesday, March 24th, 2020
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.
Obituaries – Tuesday, March 24th, 2020
Private memorial services for the immediate family of Larry Duane Schrader of Salem, age 74, will be held Tuesday morning at 11:00 in the Wilson Mortuary Salem Chapel. Visitation will be held Tuesday morning from 8:00 until 11:00 in the Wilson Mortuary Salem Chapel. We will be monitoring the door to insure that only ten people are in our facility at any given time.
A private funeral service with immediate family only for Andrea Yvonne Cowan of Salem, age 41, will be Saturday morning at 11:00 at Wilson Mortuary Salem Chapel. At the request of the family the service will be live streamed on the Wilson Mortuary Facebook page. Visitation will be from 8:00 Friday morning until 8:00 Friday evening in the Wilson Mortuary Salem Chapel. An open air graveside service will be held at noon Saturday in the Carty Cemetery.
Sports – Tuesday, March 24th, 2020
None at this time
Weather – Tuesday, March 24th, 2020
Today..Mostly cloudy with a 100% chance for showers and thunderstorms, nigh near 65.
Tonight..Mostly cloudy with a 30% chance for showers, low of 43.
Wednesday..Cloudy early with sunny skies by afternoon, high near 66.
Wednesday night..Partly cloudy, low near 49.
Thursday..Partly sunny, high near 77.
Local News – Monday, March 23rd, 2020
The City of Salem Board of Aldermen will hold a special meeting tonight at the city hall council chambers at 6:00. At the meeting, the board will hear Bill #3442 that would create an ordinance that would repeal Ordinance #3438 and amend Chapter 515 Electricity, Chapter 705 for Water Regulations and Chapter 710 on Sewers of the municipal code of the City of Salem pertaining to the prompt payment discount and the delayed payment penalty. The board will also hear Bill #3443 that would create an ordinance that allows the mayor to declare a State of Emergency due to the coronavirus and the authorization of temporary protocols and practices for the city during the State of Emergency. A proclamation to declare the State of Emergency will then be read followed by the reading of Bill #3444 that creates an ordinance adding new provisions relating to the Emergency Employee Sick Leave Act according to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The board will finally hear Resolution #5-2020 that would adopt a new policy for a payment plan for utility customers to replace the previous payment plan adopted by Resolution #1-2018 for the City of Salem. The meeting is open to the public but there may be some restrictions due to the required social distance requirement.
The local Salvation Army Dent County Service Unit wants to remind anyone needing assistance with their utility bill, because of job reduction or cuts, to please give us a call at 729-8163. As always, they are here to help local residents in this time of uncertainty. To anyone wanting to help, we are always taking financial contributions, not just during the Christmas season. Your donation will stay local to help your neighbors. With your continued help we will be able to offer much more assistance to each family. Donations can be sent to P.O Box 190, Salem or dropped off at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory.
The Salem R-80 Board of Education met Thursday night at the Salem R-80 District Administrative Offices. Board members Carrie Snyder and Holly Erway joined the meeting via Zoom. Superintendent John McColloch stated summer school is scheduled to start on May 18th and last 14 days until June 5th for those in Kindergarten through the 6th grade. This may be changed or eliminated depending upon when or if school starts again this semester. McCollloch also said the state has cancelled all testing for the rest of the year. McColloch also reported on the health insurance premium for the school. For the current insurance carrier, the cost would jump from $456.53 to 598.06 per employee which is a 31% increase. McColloch has received some other bids and is currently matching those up against the current carrier. He said the board would have to make a decision before April 1st as that is the last day the school could let their current carrier know they are going with someone else. McColloch added that the LED lighting project at the schools is moving along nicely as the high school and middle school are about 50% complete and about 20% complete at the Upper Elementary. He did say the workers should be able to make good progress with the schools closed and hopes to complete the project ahead of time. McColloch did say the school is still looking for a local investor or investors to make $150,000 donation to get the tax credit offered when the school was approved for the YOP program. If no one steps forward, he said he may have to look at out of town investors. In old business, the board approved the setting of the school year with an additional 15 minutes being added to each day from August 24th and ending on May 14th. The board tabled the organizational meeting for the board since the Municipal election has been moved back to June 2nd. The board approved the MSBA Policy Service Agreement at a cost fo $3,479 per year, approved the tuition rate for the 2020-21 school year at $7,487.41, approved the MSBA 2019C Board Police Updates, and accepted the bid from CDWG for 350 Chromebooks at a cost of $214.01 per Chromebook. The board approved the resignations of high school physical education and head track coach Brian McNamee; high school science teacher Jessica Crites; middle school football and assistant boys’ basketball coach Rockey Wade; Jillian Doddema as the assistant track coach, Sarah Sullivan as a middle school math instructor; Dale Sandlin, JR as a middle school physical education teacher, middle school basketball coach and assistant track coach; and Chelsie Fulton as the high school student council sponsor. In closed session, the board approved hiring all probational teachers from William Lynch Elementary to the high school, Kaylie Jay as a speech pathologist, Kristen Williams as the new high school head volleyball coach and physical education, Bryson Barnes as a high school business instructor, Emily Atkinson as a high school science teacher, Jody Heavin as the fall cheerleading coach, Chelsey Tune as well as all high school club instructors and the athletic team coaches. The meeting was then adjourned.
Obituaries – Monday, March 23rd, 2020
Private funeral services for Lonnie Franklin Horton of Doniphan, age 52, will be today at 12:00 at the Wilson Mortuary Viburnum Chapel. These services will be private and for immediate family only. Burial will be in the Barton Cemetery.
Graveside services for Alma Katherine Marshall of St. Charles, age 82, will be today at 1:00 in the Pleasant Point Cemetery in Steelville. All the arrangements are under the direction of the Britton-Bennett Funeral Home.
Memorial services for Larry Duane Schrader of Salem, age 74, will be Tuesday morning at 11:00 in the Wilson Mortuary Salem Chapel. Visitation will also be on Tuesday from 10:00 until service time.
A private funeral service with immediate family only for Andrea Yvonne Cowan of Salem, age 41, will be Saturday morning at 11:00 at Wilson Mortuary Salem Chapel. At the request of the family the service will be live streamed on the Wilson Mortuary Facebook page. Visitation will be from 8:00 Friday morning until 8:00 Friday evening in the Wilson Mortuary Salem Chapel. An open air graveside service will be held at noon Friday in the Carty Cemetery.
A private memorial service for Jay Edward Iler of Salem, age 66, will be held at a later date. All the arrangements are under the direction of the Wilson Mortuary of Salem.
A Memorial Service for Dixie Lee (Williams) Miller of Salem, age 95, will be held in Clarion, Iowa at a later date. All the arrangements are under the direction of Wilson Mortuary of Salem.
Sports – Monday, March 23rd, 2020
Since this would be the first week of the regular baseball season, KSMO Radio along with some of the other Cardinal affiliates through the Cardinal Baseball Network and Skyview Networks, have elected to carry St. Louis Cardinal baseball games from the 2011 World Championship season starting with the August 25th regular season game in Pittsburgh which will air tonight starting at 6:15. We will follow the regular season through the playoffs and through the World Series unless the Major League baseball season would begin. Games will be heard every Monday through Friday starting at 6:15, Saturdays at 6:00 and Sundays at 12:00 noon. KSMO will air local commercials from our normal Cardinals Baseball sponsors during the games at no cost to show our appreciation for their support over the years!
Weather – Monday, March 23rd, 2020
Today..Mostly cloudy, high around 61.
Tonight..Cloudy with a 40% chance for showers, low of 46.
Tuesday..Mostly cloudy with a 90% chance for showers and thunderstorms, nigh near 65.
Tuesday night..Mostly cloudy, low near 43.
Wednesday..Mostly sunny, high near 70.