Your World Today

The City of Salem Park and Recreation Board will be meeting this evening at 5:30 at the Salem Community Center at The Armory. During a previous meeting of the board, they had approved the acquisition of a 5.6 acre parcel of property known as the “old fairgrounds” on Franklin Street. In the current budget year, the parks and recreation department is budgeted to make the final 25,000.00 payment to complete a loan from the capital improvement fund to the parks and recreation fund for the purchase of the property. Members of the board of aldermen are requesting the parks and recreation board consider trading the “old fairgrounds” property for 5 acres on 10th Street known as the “old middle school”. This would meet the previously discussed need for a park on the east side of town and could potentially provide a connection between the city park and the Bonebrake Center of Nature and History. The meeting will be open to the public.

The Dent County Fire Protection district board of directors met Tuesday evening. After approval of the consent agenda and approval of the March minutes the financial report was heard showing an ending balance of 222,902.27 as of March 31st. Bills, payment, and statements, along with the budget were reviewed and approved. During the calendar review it was noted that on April 15th there would be a walk through at the R-1 school for a fire safety inspection. The monthly reimbursement report showed a total of 33 calls for the month of March and 105 calls year to date. Of those calls for service 16 were fire calls, along with responding to four accidents, three alarm calls, two agency assist, two medical calls, and one each public service and utility problems. Four calls were listed as other. In old business, the lawn care service bids were presented with a 150.00 bid from Scenic Rivers and a bid of 80.00 from Larry Lundy. It was suggested that Chief Floyd take care of getting the lawn mowed. The tower lease information was tabled until after a statement is received as well as bids for the repair of water damage. It was reported to the board that the repeater has been installed and working properly. After a 2nd reading of a bylaw change for closed sessions, a vote was made and carried to accept the latest changes to page 7 of closed sessions and was made a permanent part of the bylaws. The board also discussed the truck and SCBA financing. The bid from the bank of Salem was 9% for five years, Progressive Ozark Bank at 5.49% for 7 years, Community Leasing Partners was 5.99% for 7 years and Town and Country Bank, 5.25% for 10 years. The bid was approved from Town and Country Bank. In new business, Vince Murdock came in to talk to the board about a bill he had received for a fire on his property on March 13th. He had received a bill for 6,636.00. After he explained the situation on how the fire started and that it involved more that just his property, it was decided to rescind the bill. He also offered to make a 500.00 donation to the department which was accepted by the board. A bid from the Darrell Hayes was presented to 12,270.00 for the repair, sealing, and re-striping of the parking lot. Due to the cost being over 3,000.00 the board will need to obtain more bids before a decision can be made. The board also discussed a handicap ramp on the north side of the building but no action was taken. Chief Floyd then gave his report to the board and said that SCBAs are on order but no delivery date has been given. He also mentioned that the vehicle fire training class hosted by Missouri State University of Columbia was a success with 19 attendees present. Floyd also reported that the department is updating the new software with inventory items and that filters and items to service the trucks has been ordered. The date was then set for the next meeting to take place on Tuesday, May 7th at 6:00 at the fire station which will be open to the public. The board then went into closed session where they approved probationary firefighter Mason Blair be added to the roster, and approved to move Assistant Chief Dennis Floyd to the position as Chief and Lieutenant Derrick Thomas to the position of Assistant Chief. The meeting was then adjourned.

The Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors will hold their regular meeting at 6:00 in the hospital library Tuesday evening. At the meeting, Interim Administrator Jason Edwards will give his report before the board hears the summary of operations for the month of March as well as statistics for the month. The board will hear about the 340B program, receive the Chief Nursing Officer report from Ashley Owens and be updated on Human Resources. In old business the Board will be updated on State and Match Funding, plus receive a Strategic Planning update. In new business the Board will review a Governing Body Bylaw amendment and conduct the election of officers. The board may then vote to go into closed session. The Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors meeting Tuesday night is open to the public. To attend the meeting electronically, contact the hospital administration office at (573) 729-6626, extension 4005.

The Dent County Commission met for their regular meeting at the courthouse Thursday. Attending the meeting was Grant Wilson from 8th District Representative Jason Smith’s office who wanted to let people know Smith would be at the Dent County Republican Lincoln Days on Thursday, April 18th. Also in attendance was Mike Swyers who was asking as a concerned citizen what the status was of the broadband situation in Dent County. He is seeing all the surrounding counties receiving funding from the state for improved broadband but is not seeing anything for Dent County. The commission told Swyers they have been to numerous meetings on this and Presiding Commission Gary Larson said it is brought up at every MRPC meeting. Currently, the Missouri Department of Economic Development has a window open where citizens can challenge what the Missouri Broadband Map shows as having adequate, little or no service. Challengers will be able to provide information that would indicate the locations that should or should not be available for funding. Time is running out as the window for filing challenges will close on Tuesday, April 23rd. If you currently do NOT have broadband, you will need to go to a location that offers public access to a computer or to a location that has Internet service with your phone and go to this website: ded.mo.gov/office-broadband-development and click on the Broadband Availability Challenge and enter the requested information. Candidate for 120th State Representative Lancer Blair was also in attendance at the commission meeting and said he attended the Crawford County Lincoln Days and a meeting of “We the People” in Crawford County. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams gave the sales tax figures the county received from the state this month. In the General Revenue Fund and the Law Enforcement Sales Tax Fund, the county received $98,610.46 which is up from April 2023 receipts by $19,157.38. Year-to-date, those funds are up $3,610.28. For the Road and Bridge Fund, the county received $43,386.02 and that is up $8,857.85 from April of 2023. Year-to-date, that fund is down $1,173.18. The Jail Operating and Trust Funds each received $87,193.68 in April and that was up $17,770.96 over last April. Year-to-date, those funds are each down $1,155.95. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray said the work crews would be digging up a soft spot on the chip and seal county road 4185. They will be solidifying the base and rebuilding the road at that location. Once done, the county will rechip and seal that part of the road and finish chip and sealing the rest of the roadway. Mobray also said brush was cut on county road 6470. District 2 Commissioner Gary Polk said workers were stockpiling gravel at the road and bridge department, plus maintenance was being done on grader #40, a new fuel tank was being put on truck #82 and work was being done on the exhaust of truck #122. Commissioner Larson said he and the commissioners attended the MAC Legislative Day and heard from Governor Mike Parsons. He also attended the TAC, HUD and MRPC regular meeting Thursday night. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said she attended the MAC Board Meeting on Monday where they discussed numerous issues. She went on to say that she balanced with the collector and assessor on monthly collections, add-ons, and abatements. She said she is also getting preliminary work done for the August Primary election. The next meeting of the commission will be Monday at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Police department has released their report for the month of March. The department responded to 13 accidents during the month. Officers also responded to six alarms sounding and addressed 35 animal calls. Officers investigated eight assaults or fights, one burglary, performed nine well being checks and ten area checks during the month. The department investigated six domestic disputes, five verbal disturbances, conducted 59 follow-up investigations and provided 16 escorts. They investigated five nuisance violations, four reports of fraud, and offered assistance to seven motorists. The Salem Police wrote six property damage reports during March, plus made seven stealing reports and responded to three traffic complaints. Officers investigated 20 suspicious circumstance calls, seven suspicious person calls and eight suspicious vehicle calls. Officers responded to a trespassing call and attempted to serve seven warrants in March. Officers conducted 50 traffic stops during the month. The police responded to a total of 452 incidents in March with the average response time to calls being 2:12. The average time spent on the scene was 15:57.

The Doe Run Company and Missouri Department of Natural Resources will be hosting a free, family fun event at the Missouri Mines State Historic Site in Park Hills on Saturday from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The event is called “Spring Rocks ’N Roll” and celebrates minerals, music and memories. The event is an expanded and reimagined version of a former event, “Fall Rocks,” previously held annually in October. Doe Run and its employees will provide indoor and outdoor activities, including a children’s battery-operated, ride and drive mine equipment obstacle course, a drone flying station for adults, “gold” panning, a mineral trivia game, cookie mining, and more. . Doe Run will also host a job recruitment booth for those looking to learn more about working in the mining and metals industry. Visitors are encouraged to register to win one of four free bicycles that will be given away toward the end of the event. This year marks Doe Run’s 160th anniversary and the company has much to celebrate. It recently announced it won a $7 million grant from the Department of Defense to build a demonstration plant that will extract cobalt and nickel from Missouri resources.

The Salem Memorial Hospital will hold a special board meeting Sunday at 2:00 in the hospital library to swear in newly elected board members and discuss a proposed policy and a pledge of confidentiality. The board may then go into closed session before they adjourn. The meeting is open to the public. Any person wanting to attend by phone or electronic means should contact the SMDH administration office by Friday at 573-729-6626, ext 4005 to obtain access information.

This Saturday at the Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center on Highway 19 at the exhibit called “Crossroads: Change in Rural America,” there will be a panel presentation about the area on forestry, farming and tourism beginning at 10:00 called “In What Ways do we use our Land?” Also available for sale at the exhibit will be Salem Walking Tour Books. The exhibit is open Monday through Saturday and there is no charge to visit the exhibit. The “Crossroads” exhibit is part of the “Museum on Main Street,” a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and state humanities councils nationwide. Support for the “Museum on Main Street” exhibit has been provided by the United States Congress.

The Salem Middle School students did well in the Middle School Contest for solos and ensembles at Camdenton held last Saturday. Receiving a #1 exemplary rating for a vocal solo were 8th graders Autumn Culp, Cullen Edwards, Brooklyn Letchworth, Mayrin Ramirez-Briceno, Jane Roberts and Phoebe Taylor. Seventh graders that received a #1 rating were Kelsey Lansing and Kavan Toman; and 6th graders receiving the #1 rating were Emmerson Dillon, Morrison Gregg and Grace Taylor. Ensembles who received a #1 exemplary rating were the 6th grade girls ensemble made up of Emmerson Dillon, Grace Taylor, Emmalee Camden, Serenity Drury, Izarie Torres, Eva Schlag and Kimberly Sanchez. Two 7th grade ensembles were given a #1 rating. The girls ensemble was made up of Clara Ball, Madison Mercer and Hannah Prugh; and the boys ensemble was comprised of Chase Dahms, Caleb Ouzts and Kavan Toman. There was one 7th grade girls duet that received the #1 rating and that was Kelsey Lansing and Katlyn Mendenhall. Three 8th grade girl ensembles were honored with a #1 rating. One ensemble was made up of Aleaha Hofer, Deanna Moore and Kylee Smith. Another was comprised of Autumn Culp, Jane Roberts, Brooklyn Letchworth, Phoebe Taylor and Mayrin Ramirez- Briceno. The third 8th grade ensemble was made up of Calyssa Parks, Ellie Hogan, Emma Schlag, Addyson Summers, Gracie Mendenhall and Grace Kerr. Other middle school students received a #2 outstanding rating included one 8th grade soloist, Aleaha Hofer, and five 7th grade soloists. They were Kristal Bluhm, Charlotte Granowski, Hannah Prugh, Alice Salyer and Jacen Triplett. Also receiving a #2 rating were the 7th grade girls ensemble made up of Sophia Decker, Brinkley Tripp, Alice Salyer and Aubrey Widner; and the 8th grade boys ensemble comprised of Bentley Loughridge, Aiden Summers, Maison Sanders, Cullen Edwards and Alex Woodward. Receiving a #3 rating was the 7th grade girls ensemble that was made up of Grace Ballard, Charlotte Granowski and Kaylin Jackson. Congratulations to all of the students on their achievement!

An accident happened Tuesday morning just before 6:00 in Phelps County on Interstate 44 westbound at the 182 mile-marker about two miles west of Rolla. According to the highway patrol report, a 2014 Dodge Ram 3500 being driven by 47-year-old Bryon Poe of Rolla, and a 2023 Peterbilt being driven by 57-year-old Timothy Clark of Springfield, were both traveling westbound when they entered a construction zone. Concrete dust in the air obstructed the vision of both drivers. The Peterbilt slowed because of the limited vision and the towed unit was struck from behind by the Dodge Ram. Poe suffered moderate injuries and was taken by Phelps Health ambulance to the Phelps Health hospital. Clark received minor injuries but chose to seek his own treatment. The Dodge was totaled and removed from the scene by D&D Towing. The Peterbilt had minor damage and was able to be driven from the scene. The report went on to state that both drivers were wearing seat restraints at the time of the accident.

An accident happened Tuesday afternoon at 3:40 in Iron County at Route Y and Highway 49. According to the highway patrol report, a 2016 IC Bus being driven by 41-year-old Lynnita Asher of Boss, was stopped at a stop sign when she was struck from behind by a 2008 Ford Taurus being driven by 18-year-old Chassitty Williams of Fort Clinton, Ohio. A passenger in the Taurus, 20-year-old Jasmine Frost, from the state of Colorado, suffered minor injuries and was taken by EMS to the Salem Memorial Hospital for treatment. The Ford sustained extensive damage and was removed from the scene by Abney’s Towing. The bus was able to be driven from the scene. Williams and Asher were wearing seat restraints at the time of the accident while Frost was not using a seat restraint.

Danielle Norris will be leading a “Sign & Wine Spring Front Porch Welcome Sign” workshop this Friday evening from 6:00 to 8:30. They will supply the stencils and supplies. You can bring your own board which needs to be eight inches by 34 inches, or buy one from the Creative Arts Center. You can hand letter it yourself, or add pre-cut vinyl lettering. Then for the summer class, you can bring the sign back and paint your Summer sign on the back. This class is ages 12 and older. If you are a new participant and need a sign, the cost is $35 per person. If you bring your own board, the cost is $20. Interested persons can sign up under “Programs” at the SACBA website for activities at the Creative Arts Center.