Local News – Friday, March 16th, 2018
The Dent County Commissioners met Thursday morning at the Dent County Courthouse. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles was unable to attend due to a previous commitment and Dent County Clerk Angie Curley appointed Commissioner Dennis Purcell as Acting Presiding Commissioner. The commissioners heard from Don Hagler and Brad Turner about concerns with the jail project and how long it is taking to get it moving forward. The commission would like to have these gentlemen attend their next meeting with the architect and project manager. They both stated they would like to attend. In the road report, Purcell indicated materials would be added and grading done on Dent County Roads 4080 and 6580, while only grading would be done on county roads 5400 and 5490. Purcell went on to say workers would be installing a driveway culvert and adding materials to Dent County Road 5013. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson stated grading would be done on Dent County Roads 2320 and 2330 while brush would be cut on county road 3330. Larson did say he had two men delivering materials to the fishing ponds at Howes Mill through an agreement with the U.S. Forest Service. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported the county was undergoing a Workman’s Comp audit Thursday morning. She went on to say absentee voting continues up to April 2nd, in her office on Saturday, March 31st from 8:00 in the morning until noon; and the last day to mail out a ballot will be Wednesday, March 28th. Curley also said she would be testing the electronic voting machines on Friday, March 23rd at 9:00 at the courthouse. The next meeting of the commission will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol wants to remind everyone that boating season is upon us and according to state statutes, every person born after January 1, 1984, or as required pursuant to section 306.128, who operates a vessel on the lakes of this state shall possess, on the vessel, a boating safety identification card issued by the water patrol division or its agent which shows that he or she has successfully completed a boating safety course approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and certified by the water patrol division. The boating safety course may include a course sponsored by the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary or the United States Power Squadron. The water patrol division may appoint agents to administer a boater education course or course equivalency examination and issue boater identification cards under guidelines established by the water patrol. If you have to have a boater ID card, there will be an upcoming boating safety course on Saturday, March 24th from 8:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the afternoon at Troop I Headquarters in Rolla at 1301 Nagogami Road. Only 20 people may attend this class. You can register online by going to the MSHP website at www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov. Once there, scan down the left side of the page and find Boating Safety and Education Certification and click on it. Find the Rolla location, click in the circle to the left of the class and go to the bottom of the page and click register. You can find out more information by calling (573) 368-2345. Any class with less than 10 students registered two days prior to the class being held may be cancelled. In the case of a class being cancelled, attempts will be made to contact the registered students in a timely fashion but not guaranteed. Check the MSHP website the day of the class or call to make sure the class is still being held. You can also take the course online, but there is a cost to do it that way.
There is currently a petition drive to have a state funeral for the last Medal of Honor recipient from World War II that would honor all 16 million of those courageous men and women who fought to protect the freedoms we enjoy today. Of that sixteen million, only 464 received the Medal of Honor, of which only four recipients remain alive today. Back in September of 2017, a nationwide petition drive was launched to convince the President of the United States to designate a state funeral in Washington D.C. for the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from World War II. This single state funeral would provide special recognition for all Medal of Honor recipients, and serve as a final salute to the “greatest generation” of men and women who served during World War II. Petitions are located in various business locations in Salem, Dent County and surrounding counties. Signers of the petition must be a registered voter. If you have questions or concerns feel free to contact Richard LaBrash, State Chairman of the World War II Salute Initiative in Missouri, at (573) 729-1394 or people can go online at WorldWar2Salute.org to sign the petition.
This St. Patrick’s Day weekend, make sure your luck doesn’t run out by planning ahead for a sober ride home should you choose to take part in the celebration. The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety reminds motorists of the various options available to get everyone home safe. Designating a sober driver, or staying home and celebrating are just a few of those options. Preliminary 2017 data indicates that 185 people were killed and 592 were seriously injured in crashes involving at least one substance-impaired driver. Fifty-one of those drivers were under the age of 21. Missouri’s Zero Tolerance Law states that drivers under 21 years old caught with even a trace of alcohol in their system will have their licenses suspended. Besides driving completely sober, motorists are advised to put their cell phones down while driving and always buckle up..everyone, every trip, every time. Buckle Up, Phone Down.