Local News – Friday, May 25th, 2018

The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting Thursday morning in the Courthouse. In the road report District One Commissioner Dennis Purcell reported that materials would be added to and grading would be done on Dent County Roads 6410 and 6580, while grading only would be done on county roads 4220, 6010 and 5420. District Two Commissioner Gary Larson said that grading would be done on Dent County Roads 2570, 4300 and 2360, plus patch grading would be done to fix washouts on county roads 4430, 2320, 2050 and 2330. He went on to say that materials would be added to Dent County Roads 3270, 4300, 2320 and 2360. Larson said that a man was screening brown rock at the Road and Bridge Department and that the recent numerous washouts had really worked on depleting the supply of brown rock. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said that all three Commissioners attended the Hazardous Mitigation Plan meeting Monday afternoon, plus he attended the GRO meeting Tuesday evening. He went on to report that he would be attending the Region I Homeland Security Committee Meeting in St. James Thursday afternoon. Skiles reminded everyone that the Commission is seeking bids on new carpet for the courtroom and for the installation of windows on the third floor of the Courthouse and that the Courthouse would be closed Monday in observance of Memorial Day. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said that bills were being approved by the Commissioners for payment and that Tuesday she attended the website meeting with Tabitha Utley, Ray Walden and others. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams was in to report that the CART receipts for May were $59,599.54, which is up year-to-date $2,356.32 or nearly .85%. She noted that $59,008.06 was received for May of 2017. Due to the Courthouse being closed on Monday for Memorial Day next regular meeting of the Commission will be Thursday morning at 9:00 and the meeting is open to the public.

The Memorial Day weekend is here you and you will have an opportunity to visit family or friends, go to one of Missouri’s lakes, or enjoy any number of recreation opportunities in the state. A safe, fun weekend starts with you. The Missouri State Highway Patrol will be participating in Operation C.A.R.E. (Crash Awareness Reduction Effort) during the long holiday weekend. This means every available trooper will be on the road enforcing traffic laws and assisting motorists. In addition, the Patrol will assign troopers to 20-mile intervals along Interstates 29, 44, 55, and 70, and U.S. Highways 60 and 61 on May 25, 2018 and May 28, 2018. Troopers taking part in the holiday peak travel crash reduction enforcement project will be alert for all traffic offenses, and be especially vigilant to aggressive driving violations. Over the 2017 Memorial Day holiday weekend, nine people died and 496 were injured in 1,122 traffic crashes. Last year, troopers made 107 DWI arrests. This year’s fatality counting period for the holiday weekend begins at 6:00 Friday evening and it ends at 11:59 Monday night. Troopers will focus their attention on seat belt use, use of child safety seats, impaired drivers, hazardous moving violations, and speed violations. Motorists are encouraged to be safe and courteous drivers. Speed, inattention, and impaired driving are leading causes of traffic crashes. Please do your part. Obey all traffic laws and make sure everyone in the vehicle is properly restrained in a seat belt or child restraint. Motorists in need of assistance Highway Patrol’s Emergency Assistance number 1-800-525-5555 or *55 on a cellular phone. For road condition reports, travelers can visit the Patrol’s website at www.mshp.dps.mo.gov. Click on the Road Condition icon to view road construction areas throughout the state or call 1-888-275-6636.

Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, joined by 14 other state attorneys general, filed an amicus brief supporting the repeal of the Obama Administration’s 2017 Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices Rule. The brief argues that this Rule, adopted on the very last day of the Obama Administration, was both illegal and economically unjustifiable. The 1990 Organic Foods Production Act was intended to impose specific feed and medicinal production standards for “USDA certified organic” products. In contrast, the 2017 Rule focused almost entirely on animal care and living conditions, imposing stringent requirements that poultry have access to outdoor soil. Legally, the states argue, the Obama USDA did not have statutory authority to enact animal-welfare regulations about outdoor access under the guise of regulating organic foods. Economic analysis also demonstrates that this regulation would have been extremely harmful for small organic farmers and consumers across the country. The high cost of complying with this rule would have likely driven many producers out of the organic farming business, leading to an estimated loss of $80-86 billion. This, in turn, would have driven up the cost of the organic products, harming consumers and reducing consumer choices. Missouri has 302 certified organic farms, totaling 41,078 acres. Missouri farmers produced 386 million organic eggs in 2016, generating over $70 million in revenue.