Your World Today

The Salem Board of Aldermen held a meeting Monday at the City Hall Council Chambers. After the consent agenda, the board heard from City Administrator Ray Walden. He thanked everyone that organized and participated in the holiday events this year. For the month of December the Salem Community Center @ the Armory reported a total of 3,867 participants. With the recent utility bill cycle changes Walden invited citizens to call the utility office at 729-4117 if they have any questions. He reported that Salem has been selected to participate in an MS&T Project Management class and projects for the students to work on are being identified. Walden announced that a Workforce Development grant has been approved and a building will be constructed at the Salem R-80 School to house the construction trade and cyber security classes. The city office will be closed on Monday, January 20th for the Martin Luther King holiday and the next City Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 21st. The board approved a trailer park license for the Park Street Trailer Park located at 101 S. Park Street. Bill No. 3436, an ordinance addressing the canceling of meetings due to emergencies or inclement weather was approved. Also approved was Resolution No. 1-2020 addressing the closing of city offices due to inclement weather and how staff time is accounted for. Economic Development Director, Sally Burbridge, explained the need to list property prices when listing acreage for sale on state websites. The board approved drafting a resolution and establishing a policy on the sale of acreage in the Master’s Industrial Park. Mayor Brad Nash recommended and the board approved appointing Wanda Henson to the Salem Housing Authority Board to fill the unexpired term of Madonna Mosely. Nash also requested and received approval to appoint Bob Jenkins and Leah Nash to the Park and Recreation Board. The board then went into closed session to discuss real estate, contracts and personnel.

A two vehicle accident happened Monday afternoon at around 3:20 in Dent County on Route C at the Texas County line. The report from the highway patrol states that a 2006 Chrysler Town and Country being driven by 70-year old Gary Cassier of Lenox was southbound and was attempting to make a left turn into a private drive when he was struck from behind by a 2002 Ford F-250 driven by 18-year old Wyatt Lundy of Licking. A passenger in the Chrysler, 46-year old Larry Krewson of Lenox, was transported to the Salem Memorial District Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The Chrysler sustained moderate damage and was left at the scene while the Ford received minor damage and was driven from the scene. According to the report, all involved were wearing safety restraints at the time of the accident.

The Salem Police Department has released reports for December 29th and 30th. Sunday morning, the 29th, at approximately 8:27 an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 1100 block of South Hickory in reference to a burglary. The investigation of the report revealed a person or persons unknown entered a residence by force and took two firearms. The firearms were identified as a Taurus 357 caliber pistol valued at $700.00 and a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun valued at $250. The report is under investigation. That afternoon at about 4:20 an officer located a 56-year-old female of Salem in the 800 block of East Hunt who had an active arrest warrant from the City of Salem. The suspect was taken into custody on the warrant and later released with a new date to appear in court after posting bond. Later that evening at approximately 7:26, an officer located a 41-year-old male of Salem in the 100 block of North Henderson who had an active arrest warrant from the City of Salem. The suspect was taken into custody on the warrant and later released after paying all fines and costs associated with the warrant. Finally on Monday morning, December 30th at approximately 10:33, an officer was contacted at the Salem Police Department in reference to identity theft. The investigation of the report revealed a person or persons unknown took out a loan for $3,138.35 in the name of another without consent. The report is under investigation. Please contact the Salem Police Department at 729-4242 if you have information regarding any investigation.

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning at the Dent County Courthouse. Commissioner Dennis Purcell was not in attendance due to a previous commitment so Supervisor Rodney Atkinson was in attendance. According to Atkinson in District 1, materials were going to be added and grading done on Dent County Roads 5600 and 6080 while grading only would be done on county road 5130. He also said brush would be cut on county road 6460. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson indicated materials would be added and grading done on Dent County Roads 3050 and 3160, while grading only would be done on county roads 2520, 2530, 4370 and 5240. Larson went to report materials would be added to county road 3040 and brush would be cut on county road 2360. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said the commisioners would be working on the 2020 budget and no bills can be paid until it is approved. The budget hearing will be held on January 27th at 10:00 at the commissioners’ office. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported that she and Treasurer Denita Williams balanced on all accounts for December. Dan Riley and Noel Johnson attended the meeting to address the condition of Dent County Road 6280 that has been in very bad shape for some time and is causing damage to vehicles and tires. Riley had brought letters in from residents who live on the road as ell as the postal service worker and bus driver who drive the road about its condition. Atkinson responded by saying the road was on the schedule to be worked on this week. Economic Development Director Sally Burbridge was in to give her monthly economic report for December before Dent County Sheriff’s Bob Wells and Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Curley presented a check to Treasurer Williams from the sale of unclaimed seized weapons done in accordance to State Statute 542.301. A total of 24 weapons were sold, some from as far back as the 1990’s. The check was for $2,057.20 and goes into the county’s General Revenue Fund. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting will be open to the public.

An accident occurred Monday morning at 4:28 in Phelps County on Route Y three and a half miles northwest of Rolla. According to the highway patrol, a 2007 Chevrolet 2500 driven by 37-year-old Charles Bell of Rolla, traveled off the right side of the roadway and overturned. Bell suffered serious injuries and was transported by Phelps Health Air to University Hospital in Columbia. It was unknown whether he was wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Chevrolet sustained extensive damage and was removed from the scene by Ron Dishman’s Towing. The Highway Patrol was assisted by the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department and the Rolla Rural Fire Department.

The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors will be meeting tonight at 6:00 at the fire station located at #2 South Main Street. After the call to order the Board is expected to approve the consent agenda and review the minutes of the December meeting, which will be followed by approval of bills and the financial report. The Board will also discuss the monthly reimbursement report. Old and new business will then be brought before the Board followed by a report from fire Chief Brad Nash. The Board will then set the date for the February meeting before adjourning. The meeting of the Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors meeting is open to the public.

On December 23rd of last year, the Dent County Sheriff’s Office and the Dent County Prosecutor’s Office completed another round of firearm sales seized in connection with criminal activity in Dent County. Today, Dent County Prosecutor Andrew M. Curley and Dent County Sheriff Bob Wells will be presenting another check in the amount of $2,057.20 to the Dent County Treasurer and Dent County Commissioners at their meeting. These funds benefit the county general revenue fund for the local school district. In response to this contribution, Salem R-80 Superintendent John McCulloch stated that each year the Salem R-80 School District receives about $80,000 in revenue from the county in the form of fines and escheats. He said this revenue goes directly into a special fund for teacher salaries. McColloch said the district appreciate the efforts of the Dent County Sheriff’s Office and the Dent County Prosecuting Attorney with the collection of this revenue. Sheriff Wells and Prosecutor Curley anticipate future seizures and sales of illegally possessed firearms in the future to further punish criminal activity and to hopefully deter future crime. The majority of the firearms seized were in connection with the illegal possession and distribution of controlled substances.

The Salem Board of Aldermen will be meeting tonight 7:00 at the City Hall Council Chambers. After the consent agenda, the board will hear from City Administrator Ray Walden. He will update the board on city projects underway, discuss a council meeting cancellation policy due to inclement weather and also discuss an office closure policy for inclement weather. In unfinished business, the board will discuss approving the trailer court license of the Park Street Trailer Park. In the introduction and reading of bills and resolutions, Bill #3436 that deals with the cancellation of meetings due to bad weather will be read. Then Resolution #1-2020 will be read that deals with the closing of the office due to inclement weather as that is addressed by the Employee Handbook which was adopted with a resolution. In new business, the board will discuss a policy on establishing a policy on the sale of acreage in the Master’s Industrial Park. The board will also hear a recommendation from Mayor Brad Nash to fill a vacancy on the Salem Housing Authority Board. They will also hear a recommendation by Mayor Nash to fill vacancies on the Park and Recreation Board before going into closed session to discuss real estate, contracts and personnel. Following closed session, the mayor will nominate a candidate for a new Chief of Police to replace the retiring Chief Keith Steelman that will be voted on by the aldermen. The new chief, if elected, would take the oath of office administered by the city clerk on or before February 14th. The meeting will then be adjourned.

Now is a good time for Missourians to consider buying flood insurance. Many Missourians are still working to recover from the widespread flooding of 2019. In some areas of the state, dealing with flooding and its aftermath has been a constant since March. More than 1,750 claims have been filed by flood insurance policyholders in Missouri alone. FEMA, the National Weather Service, and other agencies are concerned that flooding may be a problem again next spring. FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is a great way to protect your home from flooding. Statewide, the NFIP has paid more than $68.7 million in flood insurance claims to Missouri policyholders for damage that began in March 2019. Here are some key facts about flood insurance. Most home, business and rental insurance policies do not cover flood damage. It takes 30 days for a flood insurance policy to take effect after you buy it and almost 25 percent of flood insurance claims come from areas not considered at high risk for flooding. The average annual cost of an NFIP policy for homeowners is about $700 and renters can also buy flood insurance for their personal property. Do you know that as little as one inch of water can cause $25,000 in damage to a home. In 2019, in eight counties not declared for the flooding disasters, FEMA’s flood insurance program paid $4.1 million in claims due to flooding. Since the year 2000, NFIP has paid nearly half a billion dollars ($490,728,817) on claims submitted by flood insurance policy holders in Missouri. Despite these significant payments, the number of NFIP policies in Missouri has dropped 1.4 percent, from 20,327 to 20,041, since March 2018. FEMA disaster assistance home repair grants are limited to primary residences and only to make them safe, sanitary and functional, but FEMA’s flood insurance policies are much more expansive. For example: A single-family home can be insured up to a maximum of $250,000 and its contents up to $100,000. Renters can cover contents up to $100,000. Non-residential property owners can insure their building up to $500,000 and contents up to an additional $500,000. And, perhaps most important, payments are based on flood damage to the residence, not contingent on a federal disaster declaration. To find an insurance agent who sells flood insurance or to learn more about NFIP, call 800-427-4661. Information also is available at www.FloodSmart.gov.