Your World Today

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning for their regular meeting at the courthouse. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell stated many areas of his district received between three to five inches of rain from Thursday night through Saturday. He reported that Saturday he was called by the sheriff’s office due to an exposed pipe on Dent County Road 5170 which was repaired. Purcell also said that Dent County Road 5520 south of Gladden sustained significant damage to the road that made it impassible. A grader was called in Sunday to repair the road to make it passable for school busses to make their way over the road safely. Purcell also said crews would be out checking roads and opening clogged pipes. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said crews were out Sunday repairing roads that were reported impassible. Road crews temporarily fixed those roads on Sunday until materials could be added followed by grading and patch grading to improve the roads putting them back into near normal condition. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said he attended the Public Housing Authority Board at the MRPC offices last Thursday. Skiles said that as of December 31st, there were 737 units under lease with the PHA with another 208 people on the waiting list which is about 3 to 4 months long. Skiles also stated the PHA had a clean audit. He went on to report at the MRPC meeting that evening that the region’s state legislative priorities were discussed. He said a couple of state legislators were present and also there was Matt Dane from Josh Hawley’s office. He said the MRPC Day at the Capitol would be on Tuesday, January 21st. Skiles said he would be attending the MAC Board meeting Wednesday morning and the CCAM Board meeting in the afternoon on Wednesday. Skiles said the commission received a letter from the MRPC indicating that SEMA is writing a new grant to update all Hazard Mitigation Plans in the region and Dent County’s plan will expire October 23rd, 2023. The county‘s portion to contribute will be $7,666.67 of which the county will have to pay $4,666.67 in 2022 and provide $3,000 of in-kind services. The commissioners approved committing the funds for the program. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said she is working on the budget and the tentative budget will be ready by Thursday afternoon at her office. She said the annual financial statement is ready to be published in the Salem News, and the courthouse will be closed on Martin Luther King Day, January 20th. She said the last day to register for the Presidential Preference Primary is February 12th and voters will have to choose the party they wish to vote for from Republican, Libertarian, Green, Democrat or Constitution Party. Curley said she would also be at the MAC meeting Wednesday. Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk said the total amount of taxes collected for 2019 as of December 31st was very close as to what was collected in 2018 except the online payments increased by 63%. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Thursday morning at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Dent County Coroner’s office has released the names of the people discovered dead at The Commons last week have been released. The
male was identified as 61-year old Dale Gabrovic and the female was identified as 72-year old Judy Gabrovic. They were from South Dakota and North Carolina. During the course of the investigation, with help of a forensic anthropologist, it was determined the female, Judith Gabrovic had been deceased approximately 3-6 weeks prior to being discovered. At this time the cause of death on both individuals is still under investigation and is pending toxicology.

The Missouri Department of Conservation reports deer hunters in Missouri harvested 12,002 deer during the alternative-methods portion of the fall firearms deer season which is down 107 deer from last year. The alternative methods season is from December 28th through January 7th. Top harvest counties in 2019 were Callaway with 315 deer harvested, Franklin with 297, and Pike with 261. Dent County had 155 deer checked during the alternative methods season. Archery deer hunting continues through January 15th.

Healthy Dent County Fitness Center will host its Third Annual month of Line Dance Classes. They will be held Tuesday evenings at 6:00 on February 11th, 18th & 25th and 6:30 on March 3rd. The cost is $5 per person and you can pay at the door. Rosalie Wright will be the instructor for the classes. Classes will be held at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory on the event floor at 1200 West Rolla Road. Call 573-739-1127 for more information.

A teenager from Bixby was injured in a one vehicle accident Thursday evening shortly after 9:00 on Highway 32 about a mile west of Bixby. The report from the highway patrol states that a 1999 Dodge Ram being driven by 17-year old Stetson Townley of Boss was traveling east on Highway 32 when he ran off the road and struck a tree. Townley, who was not wearing a safety restraint, sustained moderate injuries and was taken by ambulance to Phelps Health Hospital in Rolla. The Dodge was totaled and removed from the scene by Blackies Towing.

The Salem Police Department has released some reports for early January. On the Thursday afternoon, January 2nd at about 1:28, an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 100 block of South Carty in reference to damage to private property. The investigation of the report revealed that an unknown person or persons shot arrows into a portable garage valued at $199.99. The report is under investigation. That same afternoon near 2:30, an officer located a 21-year-old female of Salem who had an active arrest warrant from St. James. She was taken into custody on the warrant and later released with a new date to appear in court after posting bond. Friday night, January 3rd at about 9:34, an officer was dispatched to Wal-Mart in reference to a shoplifter. That investigation led to the arrest of a 25-year-old male of St. James for stealing merchandise valued at $25.00. The man was issued a summons to appear in court and released. On Saturday, January 4th near 3:30 in the afternoon, an officer was dispatched to Wal-Mart in reference to a shoplifter. The investigation of that report led to the arrest of a 36-year-old male of Salem for stealing merchandise valued at $23.30. He was issued a summons to appear in court and released. Please contact the Salem Police Department at 729-4242 if you have any information regarding an ongoing investigation.

On Saturday, January 25th at 7:00 at the Salem High School Gym, it’s the return of the Salem Memorial District Hospital Foundations “Dancing with the Salem Stars” Fundraiser for needed improvements and capital equipment. This year there are 12 dance teams on the docket. They include Don Sneed and Lorna Mundwiller, Michael and Lena Pettus, Rick and Melissa Ragsdale, Thom Haines and Marilyn Sweitzer, Brett Capps and Megan Seay, Lane Howard and Rosalie Wright, Linda Maledy and Jackie Sisco, Shannon Wright and Jaimie Jones, Collin Jones and Sarah Heitman, Slayton Parker and Amanda Walker, Lancer Blair and Sierra Hagler and Larry and Diane Sensintaffer. Come on out and support your favorite dancers as there will be a People’s Choice Award presented to one couple at the end of the event. A limited amount of advanced floor table tickets are available for $20 each and if any remain, may be purchased at the door for $25.00. Last year, those tickets sold out before the event. Bleacher seats will only be available at the door and are priced at $5.00 each. To purchase advance tickets, call 729-6626 or 729-5917 and use extension 4003. The doors will open at 6:30 for this year’s “Dancing with the Salem Stars” on Saturday, January 18th at the SHS gym.