Local News – Friday, January 25th, 2019

A one-vehicle accident resulting in serious injuries occurred Wednesday afternoon at 4:42 in Iron County on Highway 32 about five miles west of Bunker. The accident happened as a 2012 Ford Edge driven west by 56-year old Eddie Freeman of Salem, traveled off the left side of the road and struck two trees. Freeman was transported by ambulance to Salem Memorial District Hospital for treatment of his injuries. The Ford was totaled in the accident and removed from the scene by Abney’s Towing. According to the report Freeman was not wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident.

The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting Thursday morning in the Courthouse. In the road report District One Commissioner Dennis Purcell said that his crew was working on a spreader box and installing reflectors on the railings of a bridge on Dent County Road 2400. He said that others of his crew were checking roads for slick spots and treating them. Purcell noted that one member of his crew was working with District Two at the Road and Bridge Department. He also reported that on Monday he attended a Tourism Committee meeting where three proposals were presented and approved, plus two requests for reimbursement were approved. District Two Commissioner Gary Larson reported that two of his crewmen, along with a man from District One, were adding three bays to the dump truck parking shed. He said that the rest of his crew was checking for slick spots and grading those to reduce danger. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported that on Wednesday he attended the 50th Anniversary Celebration of MRPC in St. James. He noted that other MRPC Board Members from Dent County in attendance were Gary Brown, Bob Parsons, and Ray Walden. Skiles said that those in attendance were treated to remarks by Ray Carillo, one of the founding members of MRPC. He also noted that MRPC’s Bonnie Prigge is only the third Executive Director in MRPC’s 50 year history. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reminded everyone of the budget hearing Monday, January 28th at 10:00 in the Commissioners’ Office. She also noted that the last day to register for the April 2nd election is March 6th and that anyone who has had an address change should contact her office at 729-4144. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams was in to report CART tax receipts for January at $54,808.09, which is down $1,547.03 or 2%, when compared to January 2018’s $56,355.12. Dent County Sheriff Bob Wells was in to discuss disposing of some Sheriff’s Department vehicles that are no longer needed. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Monday morning in the Courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

Missouri youth, archery, and firearms turkey hunters can apply online for 2019 spring turkey managed hunts starting on February 1st through the 28th through the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) website at mdc.mo.gov. Managed hunt details and application procedures are outlined on the webpage. Drawing results will be posted starting March 15th. Spring turkey hunting youth weekend will be April 6th and 7th with the regular spring season running April 15th through May 5th. Permits will be available starting March 1st. Detailed information on spring turkey hunting will be available in MDC’s 2019 Spring Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available where permits are sold beginning in February. To learn more about turkey hunting in Missouri, visit MDC’s website. Buy Missouri hunting permits from numerous vendors around the state, online at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits, or through the MDC free mobile app, MO Hunting, available for download through Google Play for Android devices or the App Store for Apple devices.

Congressman Jason Smith has announced the 2019 Congressional Art Competition is now accepting entries from high school students across southeast and south central Missouri. Each of the five district offices in Missouri’s 8th Congressional District will select two winning pieces from their region to move on to the “Best of Show” competition, where an overall winner will be selected. The overall winner’s artwork will be displayed in the United States Capitol for a year, where lawmakers and thousands of visitors will walk past it each day. Each regional winner will have the opportunity to have their artwork showcased in local offices for all visitors to see. Last year’s winner was Avery Coffman from Salem R-80, who created her artwork of the St. Jude Chapel in Montauk by burning a drawing of the church into a piece of wood. For winning “Best of Show,” Avery received two round-trip plane tickets to Washington, D.C. to attend the Congressional Art Competition reception with other winners from across the country. To be considered for the Congressional Art Competition, artwork should be submitted to the respective district office no later than April 17th, 2019. Regional winners will be announced shortly thereafter, and the “Best of Show” competition will be held on May 13th, 2019. Local high schools have been notified of the competition and how to submit students’ artwork to local offices. If any students wishing to participate would like more information or wish to see the complete participation rules manual, call the district office at (573) 364-2455.