Your World Today

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning for their regular meeting. District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell said parts of his district received as much as two inches of rain over the weekend to go with very windy conditions Sunday. Because of this, he has crews out checking for washouts as well as downed trees and limbs. He does have a crew on Dent County Road 6050 trimming low limbs back. Purcell indicated he has another crew out replacing missing Dent County Road number signs. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said service is being done on County Truck #24. He said that a crew plans on adding materials to Dent County Roads 2050, 3300, 6120 and 6123 provided they are not too soft for the trucks to bring in the gravel. He also said a worker would be cutting brush on county road 2510 if the shoulders are not too soft. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said he attended a Transportation Advisory Committee meeting Thursday where they discussed the possibility of adding passing lanes to Highway 63 between the Vichy Airport and Westphalia. There is a better chance to get this done over a period of years than making Highway 63 a four lane highway. At the MRPC Board meeting, Skiles said representatives of US Representative Jason Smith and US Senator Roy Blunt were on hand as they talked about finding ways to make broadband more available at an affordable cost. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported that Wednesday is the last day to register to vote in the Presidential Preference Primary. The courthouse will be closed that day due to Lincoln’s Birthday so if you want to register in person, that will have to be done today at the courthouse in the county clerk’s office. You can register online on Wednesday. Curley also reported that the courthouse would be closed on Monday, February 17th for President’s Day. She went on to report that she balanced on all monthly accounts with the Dent County Treasurer. Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk told the commissioners that just over $645,000 in taxes were collected in January and has been properly distributed. She said her office has updated the County Merchants License and they look different than before. It was also brought up in the meeting the feral hog situation is now getting worse in Dent County with property being affected in the eastern and southern parts of the county. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission will be Thursday, February 20th at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

This past Friday, February 7th, Richard Kneib of St. Charles pled guilty in connection with a charge involving the felony possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine, as a persistent drug offender for charges in connection with his arrest on May 18th, 2018. Kneib was the driver of a vehicle that was searched after the Salem Police Departments canine alerted for the presence of narcotics following a traffic stop. A search was conducted as a result and approximately 90 grams of methamphetamine was located in the rear passenger search behind the driver. This plea occurred on the eve of trial as the case was scheduled for a jury trial in Iron County in March. A sentencing hearing was conducted and the defendant was sentenced to 10 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections as a result of the hearing. This was the sentence that was requested by Dent County Prosecutor Andrew M. Curley. Judge Megan Seay presided over the case.

The Missouri Department of Public Safety has awarded a total of $708,000 in federal Local Law Enforcement Block Grant (LLEBG/JAG) funds from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance to 106 law enforcement agencies, including municipal police departments, county sheriffs department, public university police departments, and state law enforcement agencies. The money granted will help purchase essential equipment used by officers, including ballistic vests, first aid and trauma kits, police radios, light bars, and sirens. The grants are designed to help protect officers and increase safety across Missouri. Locally, the Dent County Sheriff’s Department received $8,775 to help purchase nine bullet proof vests; the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department received $9,890.70 to help buy three light bars for vehicles, five helmets or shields or batons, and eight miscellaneous items; the Shannon County Sheriff’s Department was given $9,999.97 to help purchase a vehicle; and the St. James Police Department will be receiving $9,985.04 to help purchase mobile data transfer equipment. Grant recipients must purchase their approved equipment by June 30, 2020.

An accident happened in Dent County Wednesday night at 8:08 on Highway 32 about a mile east of Salem. According to the highway patrol report, an eastbound 2013 Freightliner Conventional, driven by 44-year-old James Randle of Nashville, Illinois, traveled off the right side of the roadway and overturned. The report stated that Randle suffered minor injuries and was transported to Salem Memorial District Hospital by Salem Ambulance. According to the report, Randle was wearing a safety restraint when the accident occurred. The Freightliner sustained moderate damage and was left at the scene.

An accident happened Wednesday morning at 11:45 in Texas County on Route AF near Route N just west of Licking. According to the highway patrol report, 29-year old Amber Merrell of Licking lost control of a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee on the ice covered roadway going west and slid off the roadway where the Grand Cherokee overturned. Merrell suffered moderate injuries while an 11-year female juvenile suffered minor injuries. Both were taken by ambulance to the Texas County Memorial Hospital for treatment. Everyone was wearing their seat restraints when the accident occurred. The Jeep Grand Cherokee sustained moderate damages and the owner made arrangements to have it removed.

A one vehicle accident happened Thursday night at 8:30 on Highway 32 about four miles east of Salem. According to the report from the highway patrol, a 2003 Nissan Altima being driven by 17-year old Ethan Simpson of Salem was westbound when he ran off the right side of the roadway while attempting to avoid another vehicle that came into his lane and struck a tree. Simpson was taken by a private vehicle to Salem Memorial District Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The Nissan was totaled and removed from the scene by the owner. According to the report, Simpson was wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident.

Missouri’s Complicated Fence Law will be addressed this Wednesday evening, February 12th starting at 6:30 at the Salem Community Center at the Armory. Landowners need to be aware of what fence law applies in their county, so they know their rights and responsibilities. Joe Koenen is an Agricultural Business Specialist with University of Missouri Extension who will be presenting the program that night. Missouri continues to have a very complicated fence law, in large part due to the fact that two separate laws cover the state depending on the county that your land is in. Other problems are both laws are subject to interpretation and can be a little different, depending on the county. A comparison of the two laws will happen during the program. According to Koenen, if you own land, you really need to know the law and how it impacts you whether you own livestock or not. Furthermore, in 2016 a portion of the law was changed to address livestock liability that affects livestock and non-livestock owners alike. This program will be conducted via Zoom so attendees can see the presentation and ask questions of the presenter. It allows Koenen to talk to several folks in a wide area without traveling to each location. There is a $25 charge for the first person and $15 for each additional person from the same operation. The charge covers the program and materials. Contact Rachel Hopkins at the Washington County Extension Office 573-438-2671 if you have any questions or need special accommodations. To register, contact the Dent County Extension Office at 573-729-3196.