Local News – Monday, April 6th, 2020

The Dent County Health Center and local county and city officials are working together as a result of Governor Parson’s “Stay At Home” Missouri Order that goes into effect at 12:01 tomorrow morning and will last until 11:59 Friday night, April 24th. Agency leaders will continue to plan and discuss to coordinate within Salem and Dent County to help prevent and protect citizens from the spread of the COVID-19 virus, while also protecting the constitutional rights and economic interests of the community. They understand that this pandemic is difficult physically, financially and emotionally for all citizens. They ask for your continued patience in following the “Stay at Home” Missouri Order and appreciate the sacrifices citizens are making. Among other guidelines, the Order requires all individuals and nonessential businesses in the state of Missouri shall avoid gatherings of more than ten people and shall maintain a distance of six feet apart except for family members; all public and charter schools must remain closed for the duration of the Order; and nothing in this Order shall prohibit daycares, child care providers, or schools from providing child care for working families in accordance with CDC guidelines. The Order does not prohibit Missourians from accessing essential services such as grocery stores, gas stations, doctor’s appointments after confirming an appointment with your doctor, pharmacies, banks, getting carry-out food or engaging in outdoor recreation, provided that social distancing is maintained and other necessary precautions are taken and maintained to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. Essential workers, services and sectors include, but are not limited to healthcare workers and caregivers; law enforcement, fire fighters, and first responders; government operations; mental health and Social Service workers; pharmacy employees; workers supporting groceries, pharmacies and other retail sales of food and beverage products; restaurant carryout and quick-serve food operations and food delivery employees; farm workers; electricity and utility industry employees; critical manufacturing employees providing medical supply chains, energy, transportation, food, and chemicals; petroleum, natural and propane gas workers; transportation and logistics workers; communications and information technology employees, and banks. A special thanks to community members who have donated their time and talent to create handmade masks. Hundreds of masks have been distributed to local healthcare providers, nursing homes, and businesses. Businesses or volunteers needing guidance on fabric mask distribution may contact the Dent County Health Center at 729-3106. More information on the CDC’s recommendation regarding the use of cloth face masks, as well as a instructions to make a homemade mask can be found at the CDC website: www.cdc.gov.

City Administrator Ray Walden wanted to let the public know that the next utility bills are expected to be processed by April 10th. These bills will include trash charges for two months as utility bills were not processed in March. Though penalties are not being processed during the State of Emergency by the City of Salem, the bills will have a listed penalty date of May 1st. Bills paid by April 20th will be eligible the 1% discount on the electric portion of the bill. Accounts set up for auto payments will be processed on April 20th. If there are any questions about your city utility bill, please contact the city utility office at 729-4117. The City of Salem has a list of ways that people can conserve on their utility bills during the year and during the COVID 19 pandemic. You can find the list on the City of Salem Facebook page.

Aging Best (formerly Central Missouri Area Agency on Aging) is providing curbside and home delivered meals in the 19 counties we serve which includes Salem and Dent County. There are seniors and caregivers in these counties who are unable to come to the center
for a curbside meal or are afraid of having contact with someone delivering meals to their home. They want to assure seniors and caregivers that Aging Best is following the recommended safety measures to prepare and transfer the meals. For curbside meals, seniors stay in their vehicles while we bring the meals to the cars. For home delivered meals, drivers place the meals outside of seniors’ homes in a safe place of their choice. If you or someone you know needs assistance with meals, access to food or a list of available resources for other aging related needs, or if you would be interested in volunteering to deliver meals or donating supplies, please call the Salem Senior Center Administrator Jody Schaefer at (573) 729-2373.

An accident happened Friday night at 10:30 in Reynolds County on Reynolds County Road 290 about four miles north of Bunker. According to the highway patrol report, a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado driven by 29-year old Bradley Gorden of Salem was traveling westbound when the Silverado ran off the roadway and overturned. Bradley was ejected from the vehicle and suffered serious injuries. He was transported to Salem Memorial by ambulance. Bradley was not wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Silverado sustained moderate damage and was towed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing.

The City of Salem Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public meeting at 6:00 tonight at the City Hall Auditorium to discuss a waiver to allow parking in front of the South Aire Annex owned by Central Mo Investments, LLC. At 7:00 tonight, the Salem Board of Aldermen regular meeting will be held also at the City Hall Auditorium. In bids, the board will hear bids to do perform nova chip, and chip & seal on a number of city streets. Following the consent agenda, the board will hear from Gary Brown from Planning and Zoning on their public meeting. City Administrator Ray Walden will update the board on city projects and then discuss the RFP for the implementation of energy saving measures at city facilities and selected capital improvements. The board will discuss Bill #3445 that would authorize the mayor to execute a detailed engineering study agreement between the city and McKinstry Essention LLC for those energy saving measures. The board will go into closed session. Both meetings are open to the public.