Local News – Friday, May 28th, 2021
There will not be a Your World Today on Monday, May 31st due to Memorial Day. Our next edition will be Tuesday, June 1st. Happy Memorial Day!
Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, recognizes Memorial Day weekend is highly anticipated and reminds motorists the Patrol will be participating in Operation C.A.R.E. or, 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. Over the 2020 Memorial Day holiday weekend, 10 people died and 444 were injured in 1,081 traffic crashes. Last year, troopers made 118 DWI arrests. The Memorial Day weekend is also an unofficial start to the boating season. During the 2020 Memorial Day weekend, there were 11 boating crashes which included one fatality and seven injuries. One person drowned over last year’s holiday weekend and troopers arrested 11 people for boating while intoxicated over the 2020 Memorial Day weekend. This year’s counting period for the holiday weekend begins at 6:00 tonight and ends at 11:59 PM, Monday, May 31st. Troopers will focus their attention on seat belt use, use of child safety seats, impaired drivers, hazardous moving violations, and speed violations. If your plans include driving or boating, choose to be courteous and obey all Missouri laws. Use a seat belt when you drive and wear a life jacket when you’re on or near the water. Always pay attention, whether you’re operating a vehicle or a vessel, and choose to be a sober driver on land and on the water. A safe, fun weekend starts with planning and good decisions. Motorists or boaters in need of assistance or who want to report a crime should use the Highway Patrol’s Emergency Assistance number 1-800-525-5555 or *55 on a cellular phone. Motorists are encouraged to do their part to make Missouri’s roadways safer. 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. Missouri provides a variety of opportunities for boating. Please be courteous to others on the water, wear a life jacket, and obey the law regarding safe operation of a vessel and no wake zones. Causing harm to another person or their property with an excessive boat wake may subject you to enforcement action or civil liability. Treat other boaters and property owners as you want to be treated. Never operate a boat while you are impaired; never ride with an impaired operator.
The Missouri Department of Transportation is advising local residents that a Dent County road will be closed for the next several months for a bridge replacement project. The Route FF bridge over Norman Creek, located near the Phelps County line, has reached the point where replacement is necessary. Starting Tuesday, June 1st, crews will begin removing the existing Norman Creek bridge to replace it with a new box culvert. Route FF will be closed to traffic at the bridge for the duration of the project. The work is expected to be completed by August 20th. Motorists will need to use alternate routes while the bridge replacement takes place. The bridge is included in Gov. Mike Parson’s $351 million “Focus on Bridges” program, which will repair or replace 250 bridges across the state. Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) crews will also be making pavement repairs to Route KK in Saint James next week. Crews will close one lane daily on Route KK between Highway 68 & 8 and the Crawford County line from 7:00 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon Wednesday, June 2nd, through Tuesday, June 8th. MoDOT appreciates the patience of motorists traveling through the work area. Drivers are advised to watch for workers on the road and obey all traffic signs. This work is weather permitting and could be delayed. For more information and updates about the bridge project, please call 1-888-275-6636 or visit www.modot.org/NormanCreekBridge.
Missouri State Parks invites the public to begin their archery journey by attending a hands-on course at Echo Bluff State Park during the afternoon June 19th from 1:00 until 3:00. Participants may register now through June 12th. This program is for anyone who wants to learn the basics of archery and atlatl throwing. The Learn2 Aim courses offer two hours of free instruction and are open to ages 10 and older. Registration is required and all slots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. To register visit mostateparks.com/learn2.