Local News – Monday, February 19th, 2024
An accident happened Friday morning at 11:05 in Dent County on Highway 19 about eight miles south of Salem. According to the highway patrol report, a 2000 Chevy Cavalier driven southbound by 43-year-old Kevin Henson of Salem, traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree. Henson suffered moderate injuries and was taken by the Salem Ambulance to the Salem Memorial Hospital. A passenger, 36-year-old Marlene Adenkan of Salem, suffered minor injuries and was taken by a private vehicle to the Salem Memorial Hospital. The vehicle sustained extensive damage and was removed from the scene by American Auto. Neither Henson or Adenkan were wearing seat restraints at the time of the accident.
Highway 72 in Reynolds County will be reduced down to one lane Tuesday from 9:00 in the morning until 2:00 in the afternoon, as the Missouri Department of Transportation crews will be performing pavement repairs. This section of roadway is located from Reynolds County Road 924 to Route A near Bunker. Also, Route KK in Reynolds & Iron Counties will be reduced to one lane on Wednesday from 8:00 until 2:00 in the afternoon as crews perform pavement repairs. Both of the projects will be weather permitting. Both work zones will be marked with signs. Motorists are urged to use extreme caution while traveling near the area. For additional information, contact MoDOT’s Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636) or visit www.modot.org/southeast.
Preparations are underway for Ozark National Scenic Riverways to accomplish several prescribed burns this spring, between mid-February and mid-April. The burns will be carefully planned and monitored by the park’s Fire Management staff. The scheduling of these prescribed burns is dependent on weather and vegetation meeting certain conditions. During prescribed burns, park operations will continue as usual, although temporary closure of trails or roads adjacent to the burn unit may be necessary for visitor safety. Several prescribed burns planned at Ozark Riverways in 2024 will be cooperative efforts between the National Park Service and other land management agencies. The Booming Shoals prescribed burn unit (1,095 acres) near Powder Mill and the Alley Spring burn unit (785 acres) west of Eminence will be conducted with Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). The Pulltite prescribed burn unit (580 acres) near Pulltite Campground will be conducted jointly by the NPS, MDC, and The Nature Conservancy. The Welch Lodge prescribed burn unit (694 acres) in northern Shannon County includes lands managed by the L-A-D Foundation and Pioneer Forest. The Big Tree/Kelley prescribed burn unit (386 acres) near the end of Z Highway south of Big Spring will be managed by NPS firefighters. In order to ensure the safety of firefighters and the public, foot and vehicle travel in or near the prescribed fire operations may be temporarily restricted. Firefighters plan to conduct prescribed burns during weather conditions that will allow for smoke to disperse without causing negative impacts. However, smoke may impair visibility in the vicinity of the prescribed burn and could linger low in the atmosphere over a broad geographic area. Individuals with respiratory ailments are encouraged to take extra precautions to avoid exposure to smoke. Anyone who is concerned about the potential impacts of smoke from a prescribed burn can request to be added to the park’s notification list in order to be contacted in advance. For more information about prescribed burns at Ozark Riverways or to be included on the park’s notification list, contact Josh Chilton at (573) 226-3945. If you would like to receive additional information about other prescribed burns in the local area, please contact Missouri Department of Conservation at (573) 226-3616 or the U.S. Forest Service at (573) 364-4621. You may also visit www.nps.gov/ozar for further updates.