Your World Today

An accident happened in Dent County Sunday afternoon at 12:15 on Route H about four miles west of Salem. According to the highway patrol report, a 2021 Kia Forte driven eastbound by 26-year-old Katelynn Mathes of Salem, traveled off the left side of the roadway, went down an embankment and struck a creek bed. Mathes and a passenger, 41-year-old Wesley Parsons of Newburg, suffered serious injuries and were both flown to Mercy Hospital in St. Louis. The report states that neither Mathes or Parsons were wearing seat restraints at the time of the accident. The Kia was totaled and removed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing.

An accident occurred Friday evening around 6:25 in Phelps County on Highway 63 about a half mile north of Rolla. According to the highway patrol report, a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu driven by 42-year-old Robert Anderson of Rolla, was traveling southbound and slid on the wet roadway. The Chevrolet traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck a rock bluff. Anderson suffered moderate injuries and was transported by the Phelps County Ambulance to Phelps Health. The report goes on to say he was not wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Chevrolet was totaled and removed from the scene by D and D Towing.

An accident occurred Friday morning around 11:15 in Texas County on Highway 32 about seven miles west of Licking. According to the highway patrol report, a 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by 59-year-old Susan Supple of Licking, was traveling westbound and traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck an electric pole. She suffered minor injuries and was transported by the Texas County Memorial Ambulance to Texas County Memorial Hospital. The Chevrolet was totaled and removed from the scene by Jay’s Towing at the officers’ request.

The City of Salem Airport Board will be meeting this evening at 6:30 at the Salem Community Center at The Armory at 1200 West Rolla Road. At the meeting, the board will hold an election of officers before discussing the airport budget for next fiscal year. They will discuss land lease agreements and prices for new hangars, get an update on the new hanger project, get an update on the fuel pump card reader, discuss airport security and the gate opener, get an update on the pilot lounge and courtesy car policy before discussing any other business. The meeting of the airport board is open to the public.

Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) is accepting public comment on its Title VI Plan from now to June 21st. MRPC is conducting a three-year review and update of the plan, consistent with the requirements outlined by the Federal Transit Administration. The purpose of the plan is to describe the non-discrimination efforts undertaken by MRPC to ensure its programs, policies, services and other activities are available to all interested individuals. The entire draft plan is available online at www.meramecregion.org/publications. For additional questions or to submit feedback, email MRPC Executive Director Bonnie Prigge at bprigge@meramecregion.org or call the MRPC office at 573-265-2993. Feedback can also be mailed to MRPC Attention Bonnie Prigge, #4 Industrial Drive, St. James, MO 65559 or individuals can stop by the office in person from 8:00 in the morning until and 4:30 in the afternoon, Monday through Friday. The MRPC board will include the Title VI plan on its June 13th agenda.

The Salem Creative Arts Center will be holding a Farm Dayz Paint N Sip with Danielle Norris this Friday from 6:30 to 8:30. Grab your favorite beverage and best fal pal for this cute farm painting. The artist will take you step by step through the whole process. It will be a hee-haw good time. At least six people need to sign up for the class to be held and it will be limited to 20 attendees. The cost is $25 per person and all supplies are provided. To register, go the SACBA website and find the Programs tab. Find the Creative Arts Center and click to register for the class. Registrations online are on a first come, first serve basis.

Missouri State Parks values the tremendous contributions and sacrifices made by members of the military and their families. To show appreciation to active service members, Missouri State Parks is joining the nationwide Blue Star Museums initiative, a program that offers free admission to currently serving U.S. military personnel and their families. The program will end on Labor Day, Monday, September 2nd.The Blue Star Museums program is a collaborative effort of the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the U.S. Department of Defense and more than 2,000 museums across the nation. Those currently serving in the United States military and their families receive free admission to museums and historic sites that are part of the Missouri State Parks system by showing their military ID. In addition to the Blue Star Museums program, Missouri State Parks also offers a military camping discount. Military members and veterans receive a $2 discount year-round at state parks campgrounds. The military discount will be given to retired, veteran and active-duty military personnel, as well as family members of active-duty military personnel, by showing a military I.D. During July, visitors to Missouri’s state parks and historic sites will have the opportunity to “round up” their purchases to be used for veteran programs, such as the Hero Deer Hunt and Veterans’ Deer Hunt. For more information on the Missouri State Park system, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

The Dent County Commissioners met Thursday at the Dent County Courthouse. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray indicated rock would be added and grading done on Dent County Roads 6230 and 6435 while only grdaing would be done oncounty road 6280. District 2 Commissioner Gary Polk stated grading would be done on Dent County Roads 4380, 5310, 5330 and 5333. He went on to report rock would be added to county ropad 4290 andbrush was going to be cut on county roads 3210 and 4340. He said crews would be welding a patch on dump truck #116, working on the water system on the ashpalt roller and also work on the steering mechanism on grader #37. Polk said a man would also be going to get parts from Caterpillar in Rolla. He also said the county would be receiving the new road groomer at the road and bridge department this week. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson said the CEO of Royal Oak Charcoal would like to come to a commissioner meeting on Monday, June 10th between 9:30 and 10:00. This stems from a conversation that Sheriff Bob Wells had with Tim Jones at Royal Oak about the increase in semi-truck traffic on Dent County Roads 3290 and 3300. Jones told the sheriff he would be speaking with the Royal Oak dispatch as well to reroute the trucks. Sheriff Wells said deputies will continue to patrol the area. The commission reviewed a draft ordinance proposed by Sheriff Wells that would give the Dent County Sheriff’s Department a law the deputies could enforce when dealing with the large trucks who violate state laws. Commissioner Larson said he would like to discuss the ordinance further with the sheriff before having the commission vote on it. Larson also brought up a request from Four Rivers Community Health Center for a letter of support to the state to provide certain health services to the residents of Dent County. The letter was approved by a 2-0 vote with Commissioner Mobray abstaining since his wife Kendra is an employee of Four Rivers. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said sample ballots for the August Primary would be available in her office after June 25th. Citizens could stop by and pick one up or contact her office and she could e-mail them a sample ballot. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission will be Monday mroning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

Today is the last day to apply for the Energy Assistance through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Energy Assistance is designed to provide financial assistance to help pay primary fuel source heating bills for Missourians during the months of October through March. Eligibility requirements for this assistance are based on income, family size, available resources and responsibility for payment of home heating costs. The assistance is offered to eligible low-income Missourians for bills from November 1st through May 31st for elderly and disabled households, and from December 1st through May 31st for all other households. Other assistance available is the Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP) funds. These funds can be used to prevent or restore disconnected service, assist with emergency repairs and furnace replacements and even purchase wood stoves and air conditioners. To qualify for the ECIP assistance, households must provide a notice of disconnect for energy payments. Applications are availbale. For more information or to learn how to apply for LIHEAP, call the South Central Community Action Agency in Salem at 800-325-4633 or call 729-3500. You can also get the application online at scmcaa.org/energy-assistance.

Embark on a journey through history in the Mark Twain National Forest in the Salem Ranger District this Saturday morning starting at 9:00. The American Hiking Society’s National Trail Days® is the host for the annual event. Explore an Old Trail, an unofficial Trail Segment of the National Park Service (NPS) Hildebrand Route of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, going from Reynolds County into Dent County. The adventure begins on Reynolds County Road 903 at the Trail of Tears “To Original Route – Next 31 Miles” NPS Brown sign across Highway 72 from Marcoot Tower. Hikers will traverse Highway 72, heading west, go past the scenic Marcoot Lookout FireTower, to the locked gate. Beside the gate, hikers will enter MTNF “Forest Road 2795,”on the old Centerville Road. The hike will be in the Scotia-Marcoot Walk-in Spring Turkey Hunting Area. It is free to hike in the Mark Twain National Forest, and parking is free in the Marcoot Lookout Tower area. You hike at your own risk on public lands. One should consider wearing long pants, light-colored clothes, a hat, and boots. Bring bug spray, water, snacks, and maybe lunch. No food is available on or near the premises or restroom facilities. The Missouri Chapter Trail of Tears Association, and the DentCounty Historical Society are the local organizations that meticulously planned the local National Trails Day® event. Contact Deloris Gray Wood, President of the Dent County Historical Society at (573) 729-2545.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education has called for a meeting Monday morning, June 3rd, at 8:15 in the R-80 Administrative Board Room. After approval of the agenda, the board will consider the acceptance of bids for the FEMA construction project. The board will then move into Executive Session to discuss personnel. The board will return to open session and adjourn the meeting. The meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Board of Alderman met at the City Hall Auditorium on Tuesday evening for their regular meeting. The board approved the request by Burgendee Lytle to have 4th, 5th and Iron streets around the courthouse square closed for Summerfest on June 8th. Summerfest will be from noon until 6:00 PM and the streets will be closed starting at 10:30 that morning. The board approved allowing Josh Kotschedoff to spend no more than $20,000 each on transformers and electric poles when ordering them as market conditions are changing daily. There was no motion made by the board on the TAP Downtown Project bids and it died for lack of a motion. In new and miscellaneous business, the board approved Resolution #12-2024 allowing the mayor to execute a one-year memorandum of understanding between the City of Salem and Missouri State Universtity-West Plains Adult Education and Literacy program allowing for AEL Education to be held at 202 North Washington Street in the old city hall basement. The board approved Bill #3609 amending the city code of Salem regarding the creation and membership of the Airport Advisory Board. City of Salem Finance Director Stacey Houston stated sales tax revenue receipts in May were up nine percent and year-to-date, the sales tax numbers are up about one percent. She stated that water and electric consumption were down in April. The cost of power in April to the city was $3.852 million dollars as revenues billed from electric usage were $6.055 million dollars. At the end of April, the total of the fund balances of all city funds was $10,134,925. Houston said the city has received 72% of their budgeted revenues and have expended 62% of what was budgeted. The board then went into closed session.

The Missouri Highway Patrol has released preliminary reports which indicate there were seven traffic fatalities, no boating fatalities, and no drownings over Memorial Day Weekend. The 2024 Memorial Day weekend counting period began at 6:00 Friday evening and ran through 11:59 Monday night. During the counting period the State Highway Patrol troopers investigated 275 traffic crashes resulting in 161 injuries and 7 fatalities. The Patrol made 128 DWI arrests. Boating statistics indicate that there were 7 crashes resulting in 7 injuries and the Patrol made 6 BWI arrests.

The draft Fiscal Year 2025 through 2029 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program or STIP, from the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission, is wrapping up its 30-day public review and comment period. In the past 10 years, MoDOT and its construction partners have completed 4,206 projects with a program value of $11.1 billion, but it wasdelivered $536 million below budget and 93% on time. The draft FY 2025 through 2029 STIP lists transportation projects planned by state and regional planning agencies for fiscal years 2025-2029 and reflects the transportation needs of communities across the state. In Dent County, there are four projects in the STIP including pavement preservation on Route K from Highway 19 to Route KK, and also on Route J in Salem from Highway 32 to Highway 72; bridge improvement on Route B over Dry Creek; bridge improvement on Highway 19 over Spring Creek; and the upgrading of the pedestrian facilities to meet the ADA transition plan on Highway 32 and 19.Those interested in offering comments can contact MoDOT by email at STIPcomments@modot.mo.gov, by calling customer service at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636), or by mail to Transportation Planning, Program Comments, P.O. Box 270, Jefferson City, MO 65102. The program is also available on MoDOT’s website: modot.org/DRAFTSTIP. The formal comment period ends TODAY!!

The Creative Arts Council is offering a Summertime Front Porch Sign & Wine this Friday from 6:30 unti 9:00 with Danielle Norris. It’s a great time to decorate your front porch!! For those who did Spring porch signs (or prior fall or winter signs), come back and decorate the back of your sign for Summertime! Or you can do this as a stand alone event, and make your very own front porch sign! They use stencils and tracing paper to create their very own one of a kind design to match your decor and tastes. So get those ideas together and come learn how to create your sign step by step. The artist is very hands on, and will help you make it yours!  If you are a repeat attendee, bring your board back or if you have your own board, the cost of the class is $20. If you are a new attendee and will be needing a board, the class cost is $35. A minimum of six people are needed to hold the class and it will be limited to 16. Signup at the Salem Area Community Betterment Association website, go to the Creative Arts Center link and look under programs.

The City Salem’s Capital Improvements will hold a workshop tonight at 6:00 at the Salem Community Center@the Armory. The meeting has been called for the introduction of City of Salem budgets and to review proposed FY24-25 Capital Improvement Projects. The meeting was called by Alderman Shawn Bolerjack, Chairman.