Your World Today

The Dent County Commission met Thursday morning at the courthouse. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams presented the sales tax received by the county in the month of March. Williams gave the figures for the General Revenue Fund and the LEST Fund which are basically the same. She said the county received $89,360.20 this year while in March of 2019 the county received $82,679.53 which comes to an increase of $6,680.67. Year-to-date, both the GR and LEST Funds are up $1,509.45. The Road and Bridge Fund received $41,791.11 this March which is $4,373.19 more than last March and year-to-date, that fund is up $3,058.42 or 2.86%. The Jail funds each took in $83,470.99 for March and that is $8,721.43 better than the March 2019 collection of $74,749.56. Year-to-date, each of the jail funds are up $6,917.04 and that comes to about 3.25%. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell said materials would be added and patch grading would be done on Dent County Road 4080 while materials will be added to county road 5420 where a crossover pipe repair is being done. Purcell said brush was being cut on county roads 5520 and major maintenance was being done to dump truck #125. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson stated materials would be added and grading done on Dent County Roads 2135 and 3020 while brush would be cut on county roads 2570 and 4380. Larson said some maintenance at the shop was also being done. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported on the SACBA Board meeting Monday night. Their Trivia Night fundraiser is tonight at 6:00 at the Salem Community Center@The Armory. You can still enter a team of eight for $100 by calling 729-8163. The doors will open at 5:30 and food and beverage will be available for purchase. Skiles also attended an Ozark Solid Waste Management District Executive Board meeting Tuesday at the MRPC offices where they approved five grant closures and extensions. They also reallocated $24,960 from grants awards that were declined. They also heard a report on an illegal dump cleanup in the national forest in Washington County. The market for recyclables was also discussed as it continues to be weak. Skiles also reported on a conference call from Governor Mike Parson about the COVID 19 virus that he attended with City Administrator Ray Walden, Dent County Health Center Director Kendra Mobray, Emergency Management Director Brad Nash and deputies from the Dent County Sheriff’s Department. The call was to discuss the state’s preparedness on the issue. The state will be receiving about 13 million dollars to help fight the virus. Parson said the biggest health concerns will be for the elderly, those with respiratory problems or those with a compromised immune system should they get the virus. The state has set up a hot line for anyone who has questions: 1-877-453-8411. The state wants to remind everyone the best way to ward off the virus is to continue good basic hygiene, wash your hands if they come in contact with surfaces and never touch your face with dirty hands. They said you have a much better chance of getting influenza than the COVIC 19 virus. Skiles said on Wednesday he attended a Meramec Regional Emergency Planning Committee meeting where they talked about the COVID 19 virus. They also talked about an awareness class for anhydrous ammonia that is to be held. The commissioners will be going to a South Central County Commissioners meeting today. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said about 20% of registered voters in the Presidential Preference Primary voted on Tuesday. She said absentee voting for the April 7th Municipal Election will continue and the last day to mail out a ballot for that election will be March 25th. She also said the last day to register to vote for the August Primary is July 8th. The Commissioners went into closed session at 10:00 to discuss security contracts for the new jail. The next meeting of the commissioners meeting will be Monday at 9:00 and the meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Police Department has released report for February 27th through March 3rd. On the morning of Thursday the 27th shortly after 9:00, an officer was dispatched to the lobby of the Salem Police Department for a report of a lost or stolen license plate. The license plate was noticed missing off of a vehicle in the 500 block of south Jackson. The plate was entered as being lost or stolen. Saturday afternoon, the 27th at approximately 4:32, an officer was dispatched to Wal-Mart for a report of a shoplifter. It was reported that a 26-year old male from Raymondville had stolen property valued at approximately $22. The male was arrested and issued summons to appear in court. On Sunday evening, March 1st at about 8:19, an officer was dispatched to the lobby of the Salem Police Department for a report of property damage. It was reported that a vehicle had been damaged while parked at the Wal-Mart parking lot. The incident is currently still under investigation. The next morning on March 2nd at around 10:22, an officer made contact with a 36-year old Salem man who had an active arrest warrant. The active warrant was confirmed and the male was arrested and transported to the Dent County Sheriffs Office. Later that same afternoon shortly before 5:00 an officer responded to the Phelps County Sheriffs Office to pick up a 35-year old Salem male who was arrested on a City of Salem warrant. The male was transported, processed and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. Please contact the Salem Police Department at (573) 729-4242 if you have any information regarding a previously mentioned investigation.

In the 42nd Judicial Circuit Court on Tuesday, March 10th in Crawford County in front of Judge Kelly Parker, James Hatcher of Licking pled guilty to two cases involving burglary in the 2nd degree and property damage in Dent County. The state requested six years in prison for the crimes committed and Judge Parker agreed, sentencing Hatcher the six year sentence.

SmartAsset, a personal finance technology company headquartered in New York, New York, has conducted a study on determining the most affordable counties to retire. In Missouri, Dent County had the 9th lowest tax burden when looking at a combination of: income tax, sales tax, property tax and fuel tax. To find the places with the lowest tax burdens, SmartAsset calculated the amount of money a specific person would pay in income, sales, property and fuel taxes in each county in the country. To better compare income tax burdens across counties, they used the national median household income. Then they applied relevant deductions and exemptions before calculating federal, state and local income taxes. In order to determine sales tax burden, it was estimated that 35% of take-home (after-tax) pay is spent on taxable goods. They multiplied the average sales tax rate for a county by the household income after taxes. This balance is then multiplied by 35% to estimate the sales tax paid. For property taxes the median property taxes paid in each county were compared. For fuel taxes, they first distributed statewide vehicle miles traveled to the county level using the number of vehicles in each county. Then SmartAsset calculated the total number of licensed drivers within each county. The countywide miles were then distributed amongst the licensed drivers in the county, which gave them the miles driven per licensed driver. Using the nationwide average fuel economy, they calculated the average gallons of gas used per driver in each county and multiplied that by the fuel tax. SmartAsset then added the dollar amount for income, sales, property and fuel taxes to calculate a total tax burden. Finally, each county was ranked and indexed, on a scale of 0 to 100. The county with the lowest tax burden received a score of 100 and the remaining counties in the study were scored based on how closely their tax burden compares. Dent County’s composite score was 79.17, while the lowest tax burden county in Missouri was Ozark County with a composite score of 80.85.

On Tuesday in the Presidential Preference Primary in Dent County, a total of 2,010 votes were cast with 1,359 being Republican, 646 being Democrat and 5 being Libertarian. Incumbent Donald Trump received 1,340 of the Republican votes while Joe Biden captured 375 of the Democrat votes with Bernie Sanders getting 216 and Michael Bloomberg getting 12 votes.

The City of Salem will start sweeping the streets around town in the next couple of weeks. They would like to ask that anything that may be in the way of completing this process including cars, portable basketball goals, and trash cans be moved so there are no obstructions for the street sweeper. Your assistance will allow this process to be completed without incident. The City of Salem appreciates your cooperation.

An accident occurred in Dent County Tuesday morning at 10:30 on Highway 32 about one tenth of a mile west of Route AC. According to the highway patrol report, the driver, 55-year-old Franklin Hedrick of Viburnum, lost control of an eastbound 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier which then traveled off the right side of the roadway. The Chevrolet continued down an embankment and struck a tree. A passenger, 62-year-old Karen Salsman of Steelville, suffered minor injuries and was transported by the Iron County Ambulance to the Salem Memorial District Hospital. The report stated that both Salsman and Hedrick were wearing safety restraints at the time of the accident. The Chevrolet sustained moderate damage and was removed from the scene by Abney’s Towing.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Office has submitted reports for February 25th through 29th. On Tuesday, February 25th, a deputy observed a vehicle parked at the archery range parking lot at Shawnee Mac Conservation Area. Upon checking on the subjects inside the vehicle, a 34-year-old Salem woman was arrested for having an active arrest warrant through Franklin County. The woman was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office Jail and was incarcerated. Also on the 25th, a deputy responded to a residence in 1500 block of Dent6 County Road 5240 for a report of a burglary. Upon arrival, the deputy discovered that a 59- year-old man was the reported victim. The total value of property that was damaged or stolen is approximately $1,200.00. This report is still under investigation. On Friday, February 28th, a deputy conducted a traffic stop in the 1100 block of South Main Street. During the course of the traffic stop, a 38 year-old Salem woman was arrested for the possession of a controlled substance. The woman was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office Jail and was incarcerated. Finally on Saturday, February 29th, a deputy conducted a traffic stop on South Highway 19 and East Margaret Street. During the course of the traffic stop, a 20-year-old Salem man was arrested for driving while being intoxicated. The man was transported to the Dent County Sheriff’s Office where he was fingerprinted, issued a summons and released. Please contact the Dent County Sheriff’s Office at 729-3241 if you have any information about any ongoing investigation.

The Doe Run Company is offering one full scholarship to the Missouri University of Science and Technology 2020 Summer Explosives Camp in June. Interested students from qualifying school districts must apply for the Explosives Camp online, then mail the Doe Run scholarship application by April 15th. Missouri S&T’s Explosives Camp is considered the first camp of its kind. High school juniors and seniors gain hands-on experience with the safe handling and shooting of explosives for a unique look at how explosives are used in different industries. This scholarship covers the full $1,450 camp cost, and is available to students who will be high school juniors or seniors in fall 2020 at the following districts: Potosi R-3; Kingston K-14; Iron County C-4; Bunker R-3; Valley R-VI; Salem R-80; Southern Reynolds Co. R-II; Steelville R-III; Lesterville R-IV and all the St. Francois School Districts: West County R-4, Central R-3 and North R-1. Interested students can obtain a scholarship application through their high school principal or guidance counselor’s office. Scholarship recipients will be notified by May 1st. The camp includes demonstrations, field trips to operations – such as one of Doe Run’s mines, student projects, and ends with a bang with the shooting of a fireworks display. Qualified students who have passed a background check through the federal Safe Explosives Act are permitted to handle explosives. The 2020 Explosives Camp will have two sessions the first being June 7th through the 12th and June 14th through the 19th.