Local News – Friday, December 20th, 2019
The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting Thursday morning at the Dent County Courthouse. In the road report, both District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell and District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson stated that crews would be out sanding and salting county roads, especially on curves and hills and other slick spots that are shaded most of the time. Purcell also said that brush would be cut on Dent County Road 6420. Purcell went on to report that he attended the South Central Missouri Community Action Agency meeting in Winona Tuesday where funds are still available for many of their programs. Purcell says funds are still available for home repairs, weatherization, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, better known as LIHEAP. All applicants must meet particular income guidelines for each of the programs available. Renters must have owner approval and owner participation to receive services. For more information about any of the programs listed, call 729-3500 if you live in Dent County, call 573-663-2855 if you reside in Reynolds County, and for Shannon County residents, call 573-325-8271. You can also check out the website: https://scmcaa.org. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles wants to remind those who are interested in the Dent County Assessor’s position after Assessor Tina Whitaker retires on December 31st, need to let the Dent County Commission know of your interest. Stop by the regular meetings on Monday or Thursday from 9:00 until 12:00 noon before the end of the year. Three people have already indicated to the commission of their interest in the position. The commissioners will appoint a person to take over the Assessor’s position to start on January 2nd. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said she would be working on the county budget for 2020. The commissioners also approved by a 3-0 vote to renew the county’s liability insurance and auto insurances through MOPERM for the 2020 year. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners 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 November. They issued four equipment repair orders, 13 summonses to appear in court, six warning tickets, and nine traffic tickets, plus they also served three fugitive warrants. The Salem Police investigated ten traffic accidents, wrote three property damage reports, seven stealing reports, and one trespassing report. The department investigated three reports of driving while having a license revoked or suspended, one driving while being intoxicated, four possession of a controlled substance reports, and five domestic violence reports. The department was also dispatched for 55 animal calls, 30 ambulance assist calls, 30 well being checks, 10 requests for information, and performed 62 traffic stops for the month. The Salem Police Department received 1155 calls during the month of November and had 113 walk-ins to the station. The department drove 7,181 miles during the month and spent 15 hours in court testifying and eight hours as court bailiff. There were 15 males and seven females arrested in November.
An accident happened at 6:30 Wednesday evening in Dent County on Highway 32 about 14 miles east of Salem. The report from the highway patrol states that a 1997 GMC Jimmy being driven by 19-year old Austin Roark of Salem, was eastbound when the GMC traveled off the right side of the road and struck a tree. Roark was transported by a private vehicle to the Salem Memorial District Hospital for the treatment of moderate injuries. According to the report, Roark was not wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The GMC was totaled in the accident and removed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing.