Local News – Friday, July 5th, 2019
The Dent County Sheriff’s Department will be conducting a traffic check point in Dent County on Saturday, July 6th. The sheriff’s department is asking anyone who is stopped at the check to please have their driver’s license and proof of insurance ready to present to the officer. The Dent County Sheriff’s Office thanks you ahead of time for your cooperation.
The Dent County Health Center board of trustees met Monday, June 24th. After the call to order, the minutes for the May 2019 meeting were reviewed and approved. Kendra Mobray reported that outpatient lab services were provided to 81 clients during the month of May. Mobray went on to report that the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services WIC program is transitioning to an EBT system, called eWIC, beginning in October of this year. Dent County is scheduled to implement the new program in March 2020. Eric Fuchs from Wayne County will continue as the Emergency Planner for the Health Center. Lodging inspections in the county are also underway at this time and food inspections are up to date. As the new school year approaches, the Health Center would like to remind students and parents that Kindergartners must be up-to-date on immunizations to start school in August. All 8th graders must have one dose of meningitis and one dose of Tdap. Two doses of meningitis are required for 12th graders unless the first dose was administered to a student who was 16 years of age or older, in which case only one dose is required. At least one dose must be given after 16 years of age. The Dent County Health Center currently bills most insurance companies and offers state vaccine for uninsured, underinsured, and Medicaid clients. Vaccinations are available daily without an appointment. For additional questions, please call 573-729-3106. The Health Center reported eight cases of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and one case of Erlichia Chaffeensis. The Dent County Health Center expenses for May 2019 were approved and the next regular board meeting date was set for Monday, July 15th at 5:00 p.m. The meeting was then adjourned.
A draft of the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) for 2020-2024 is available online for the public to review and comment on through the end of regular business hours TODAY! The draft STIP includes 1,869 highway and bridge projects, of which 85% will maintain the system in the condition it is in today. On average, this STIP annually invests in 1,014 lane miles of interstate pavements, 1,346 miles of major route pavements, 2,652 miles of minor route pavements and 213 bridges. The draft 2020-2024 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program lists transportation projects planned by state and regional planning agencies for fiscal years 2020 through 2024 (July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2024) You can access the draft plan by going to the www.modot.org website and the link to the draft is located toward the bottom of the page. To offer comments you can contact MoDOT: STIPcomments@modot.mo.gov, or by calling customer service at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636). Missouri has the nation’s seventh largest state highway system with 33,859 miles of roadways and 10,385 bridges, but ranks 48th nationally in revenue per mile.
A one vehicle accident occurred Tuesday evening at 7:30 in Phelps County on Highway 68 just north of Route F. According to the highway patrol report, a 2008 Saturn Aura driven by 22- year old Emily Bounds of Salem was eastbound when she lost control of the vehicle in a curve, traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree. Bounds suffered minor injuries and refused treatment at the scene. The Saturn sustained moderate damage and was removed from the scene by family. According to the report, Bounds was wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident.
An accident happened on Wednesday morning at 8:25 in Texas County on Highway 32 at Pursiful Drive about four miles east of Licking. According to the highway patrol report a 2007 Ford Fusion was being driven eastbound on Highway 32 by 25-year old Wanda Graber of Licking when a 2006 Mazda 6 driven northbound by 17-year old Kaleena Scheer of Licking, failed to yield to the Ford and struck the vehicle. Both Graber and Scheer suffered minor injuries. Grabber was taken to the Salem Memorial District Hospital by the Salem Ambulance while Scheer was taken to the Texas County Memorial Hospital by the Texas County Ambulance. Scheer was not wearing a seat restraint at time of the accident while Graber was wearing hers. Both vehicles were totaled and removed from the scene by Jays Automotive of Houston.
Did you know that many believe that Missouri is home to Bigfoot and it lives in the Ozarks? Come enjoy a night of family fun beginning at 8:30 p.m., Saturday July 6th at the Echo Bluff State Park amphitheater to hear about this larger-than-life character and other fascinating and funny Ozark tall tales as told by native Missouri storyteller Larry Brown. Brown has been telling these tales for 35 years all over the country and is regularly featured on the Mid-Missouri public radio program Radio Friends with Paul Pepper. Participants are encouraged to dress appropriately for this outdoor event. Echo Bluff State Park is located at 34489 Echo Bluff Drive, Eminence, in southeast Missouri. For more information, call Echo Bluff State Park at 573-751-1224. For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.