Local News – Monday, February 25th, 2019
An accident occurred in Dent County Thursday night at 9:15 that took the life of a Bunker man. According to the highway patrol report, a southbound 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass, driven by 39-year old Robert F. McDowell of Bunker, attempted to negotiate a curve and traveled off the right side of the roadway on Route KK about ten miles north of Bunker. McDowell then overcorrected causing the Oldsmobile to travel off the left side of roadway, ejecting him from the vehicle. McDowell was pronounced dead at 11:05 Friday night by Reynolds County Coroner Jeff McSpadden. The report stated that McDowell was not wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident. The Oldsmobile was totaled and removed from the scene by Abney’s Towing of Viburnum.
How has the opiate epidemic impacted Dent County and the surrounding area? That’s just one of the questions to be addressed at a meeting to be held this evening starting at 5:30 at a community conversation. This is the rescheduled conversation originally scheduled for Tuesday, February 19th. The get together will take place at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory, 1200 West Rolla Road in Salem. Other questions to be addressed include, but are not limited to, how has the opiate epidemic impacted you personally, plus has someone you loved been influenced by opioids? If you are interested in influencing a positive change in our community, plan to attend the community conversation tonight at 5:30. For more information contact Sherry Lea at 729-8163 or online at sherry@salemcommunitycenter.org.
The Salem R-80 Board of Education held a 2019-2020 school calendar hearing before their regular meeting Thursday evening at the district administrative offices that will begin on August 15th and conclude on May 15th. There were no objections at the hearing. Superintendent John McColloch reported on the Free and Reduced Lunch Count and which shows there are 1,335 students in the district which is 50 more than last year. There are 1,044 resident students and 291 students from the other K-8 schools. FFA Advisors Lane Howard and Heather Johnson discussed with the board numerous improvements needed to bring the FFA wood shop and metal shop up to date and also safer. These changes would replace old equipment and tools, some of which were brought over from the old high school in 1964. The cost of the improvements to the wood shop would be $45,344 and the metal shop $85,496. The exhaust kit needed for the metal shop would be paid for completely by a 100% DESE Performance grant, an Enhancement grant would pay for another 75% and half of the Classroom Kit would paid for through FV-4 program. They asked the board to consider budgeting in the remainder of the cost which would come to $26,615 for the Enhancement grant and $3,690 for the Classroom kit. Coach Karr updated the board with his athletic report updating them on proposed new MSHSAA regulations. He said he would like to form an athletic advisory committee to discuss athletics not only at the high school but all the way down to the city league level. He also presented statistics that showed students who participate in athletics actually do better in school. John Smith then updated the board on the Annual Performance Report. After each building principal gave their reports, the board approved the calendar for the 2019-2020 school year, the MSBA 2018 D policy updates and the purchase of 25 new Promethian Projectors this year and 25 more next year at a cost of $682.34 each from CDWG. These will be paid for from funds provided by the Judson Young Foundation. The board approved the resignation of 3rd grade teacher Elizabeth Warden and Middle School Principal K. Scott Roberts at the end of the school year. In closed session, the board approved upholding the A+ Citizenship disqualification of one student and an out of school suspension for another. Superintendent John McColloch discussed the growth plans and evaluations for all district administrators. They also approved to extend the contract for high school assistant principals Clay Moody and Rich Parks, upper elementary principal Melanie Wisdom and high school principal Marty Anderson one additional year through the 2020-2021 school year. The board went on to extend the contract of assistant superintendent John Smith two additional years through the 2021-2022 school year. The meeting was then adjourned.