Local News – Friday, January 5th, 2024
The Dent County Commissioners met Thursday morning at the courthouse for their first meeting of the new year. Thom Haines was in to ask the commission if any charges had been filed against the person who struck the Dent County Assessor’s vehicle from behind and the Presiding Commission Gary Larson said HE was not aware of any at this time, but told Haines to check with the assessor to see if she knew. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray said two trucks would be adding rock to Dent County Road 6420 and it will also be graded. Mobray also reported grading would be done on county road 6600 and brush would be cut on county road 6580. District 2 Commissioner Gary Polk stated rock would be added and grading done on Dent County Road 4060 while only grading would be done on county roads 4070 and 5280. Polk further went on to say brush would be cut on Dent County Road 2070. Commissioner Larson said he talked with Sheriff Bob Wells and the Next Generation 9-1-1 system in our area is moving forward. He said the governor has set aside money to pay for the project for the first five years and the counties will have to figure out how to pay for it after that. He also said the commission is now working on the budget. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said March 6th would be the last day to register to vote for the April Municipal Election, and that first day to file for August 6th Primary will be February 27th at 8:00 in the morning at the courthouse. The next meeting of the commission will be Monday morning at the courthouse and the meeting will be open to the public.
Dent County Recorder Cindy Ard at the Dent County Commission meeting Thursday talked about a new website where you can sign up to find out if someone is recording a document or changing a recorded document with your name on it. The website is www.deedwatch.com and once signed up, you would receive an e-mail letting you know if a document is recorded with your name on it. There is no charge for this service. Just go to the website, and in the drop-down box select Dent County, Missouri. In the second box, enter your e-mail that you want the notification to come to. From that point, just follow the simple directions to finish signing up. You could include the name that should be on your deed, or any other form of your name the deed may have been recorded. This service is provided by the Dent County Recorders Office to prevent anyone from being scammed out of their property or having someone attached their name to your deed without your knowledge. If you have questions about this service, contact Cindy Ard at the Dent County Recorders Office at 573-729-2198. You can also e-mail her at dcrecorder07@gmail.com.
A fatality accident occurred in Phelps County Thursday morning at approximately 7:25 on Phelps County Road 1160 about six miles northeast of St. James. According to the highway patrol report, a westbound 2000 Chevrolet Blazer driven by 33-year-old Ryan Curtis of St. James, traveled off the right side of the roadway crossing over Phelps County Road 1210, then overturned into a waterway. Curtis was pronounced dead at the scene by Phelps County Coroner Ernie Coverdale. Curtis’ body was released to the Phelps County Coroner. The report stated that Curtis was not wearing a safety restraint. The Chevrolet was totaled and removed from the scene by Spurgeon’s Towing.
As we enter into the thick of winter, Doxo Insights have released a report called U.S. Utilities Market Size and Household Spending Report for 2023. The report examines how much Americans spend on utility bills such electric, gas, water & sewer, and waste & recycling. Doxo provides direct insight into the household financial health and spending activity by leveraging doxo’s unique aggregate bill pay data which is comprised of actual household bill payment activity pulling information from over eight million paying consumers across over 97% of the US Zip Codes. Data comes from over 120,000 billers in 45 different service categories and enables payments using bank accounts, credit cards and debit cards. From this uniquely broad statistical foundation, Doxo has their findings that show utility bills in Salem average $284 per month which is up 5.5% year over year, but is the same as the average utility bill in the State of Missouri. Nationally, the average utility bill is about $351 per month. For households in Salem, the average cost of living for normal household expenses is $1,356 per month or $16,270 per year for the 10 most common household bills. This makes Salem the #76 most expensive city to reside in Missouri. The cost of living in Salem is 33.7% lower than the national average of $2,046, and 23.2% lower than the state average of $1,766. From the data collected, Salem households spend 39% of their income on household bills. Overall, the information shows Salem bills are $8,287 per year lower than the US average.
The time is now to start thinking about the Salem Community Garden behind the Salem United Methodist Church. If you are interested in a plot, contact Master Gardener Charlie Grimm at 573-368-9902 and he will assign you a plot. You can get more than one plot, but there will be a slight charge for each additional plot. Water and tools are provided, and all you need to bring is your love of gardening and the seeds you want to plant. For more information, call Master Gardener Charlie Grimm or the Dent County Extension at 729-3196.