Local News – Monday, June 20th, 2022
The Missouri State Highway Patrol would like to remind the public that driver examination stations throughout the state will be closed on today in observance of Juneteenth. Normal operations will resume on Tuesday, June 21st. Also, the City of Salem administration office and the Dent County Courthouse will be closed, state offices will be closed, there will be no postal services and banks will all be closed.
The Dent County Sheriff’s Department has released some reports. On Friday, June 10th, a deputy located a person they knew to have a local warrant in the 600 block of South Water Street. During the stop, a 35-year-old Salem man was arrested on an active Dent County warrant. He was arrested and transported to the Dent County Jail where he was incarcerated. Later that day, a deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop on North Highway 19. The subject refused to yield to the deputy’s emergency equipment and did not stop initially. After finally stopping, a 40-year-old Salem man was arrested on an active Phelps County warrant. He was arrested and transported to the Dent County Jail on the active warrant and placed on a 24-hour hold, pending additional charges. On Saturday, June 11th, a deputy conducted a traffic stop in the 500 block of South Main Street where a 34-year-old Salem man was found to have an active Dent County arrest warrant. He was also found to be in possession of a controlled substance and was subsequently arrested. He was transported to the Dent County Jail on the warrant and placed on a 24-hour hold, pending additional charges. On Sunday, June 12th, a deputy responded to a call of a trespassing complaint on Dent County Road 2300. During the investigation, a 22-year-old Salem man was arrested and issued a criminal summons for Trespassing in the 2nd degree. On Thursday, June 16th, a deputy responded to a call on Dent County Road 4180 for a report of a stealing. The investigation is continuing and will be updated as additional information becomes available. If you have any information regarding an ongoing investigation, call the Dent County Sheriff’s Department at 729-3241.
The City of Salem’s Utility Committee will be holding a meeting Tuesday evening at 6:00 at the Salem Community Center @the Armory. They will go over the proposed electric service availability fee and the kWh rate increase recommendations for Alderman consideration. They will also discuss water and sewer rates before adjourning. The meeting is open to the public.
The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors will be meeting Tuesday night at 6:00 at the hospital library. After the roll call, the board will hear the Administrator’s report from Interim Chief Executive Officer Don Babb. The summary of operations and statistics for the month of May will be presented by the Chief Financial Officer Jo Ann Hammond. Chief Nursing Officer Ashley Sullins will then give her report followed by a report on the hospital foundation as well as the marketing and community perception report. Interim CEO Babb will then update the board on the lab, lagoon and the transformer project. New business will include a discussion by Jodie Gorman on staffing followed by an update on the Delta Regional Community Health System Development Program. The board may go into closed session if needed. The regular meeting of the Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors is open to the public.
Southwest Baptist University’s Salem campus will have a new face greeting and guiding nursing students beginning this summer. Jackie Billings, RN, joined the SBU family on June 1st, after receiving approval from the Missouri State Board of Nursing, as the RN bridge coordinator and instructor of nursing on the Salem campus. Billings has 33 years of experience as a nurse, with a strong background in intensive care. She worked as an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) staff nurse and Assistant Director of Nursing at the Riverside Medical Center in Kankakee, Ill., and most recently as a Post Anesthesia Care Unit RN, providing pre-op and post-op care for surgical patients at Phelps Health in Rolla. From 1991-2013, she served as a professor of nursing at Kankakee Community College. Billings made the move to the Salem area, where her parents have lived for the past 30 years. Students with a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or Paramedic license have the opportunity to go through the RN bridge program, which is offered through SBU’s College of Health Professions, to pursue the two-year associate of science in nursing (ASN) degree at SBU’s Salem or Springfield campus. For information on the RN bridge program or other health science degrees available at the SBU Salem campus, call 729-7071 or www.sbuniv.edu/admissions/salem.
An accident occurred Friday evening around 5:00 in Phelps County on Highway 72 near Phelps County Road 5285. According to the highway patrol report, a 2018 Dodge Journey driven by 36-year-old Megan Montee from Sullivan, was travelling northbound and failed to negotiate a curve. The Dodge travelled off the left side of the road, struck an embankment, and a tree. An occupant in the Dodge, 34-year-old Tyrone Leonard of St. James, suffered minor injuries and was transported by Phelps Health to Phelps Health in Rolla. He was wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Dodge sustained extensive damage and was removed from the scene by C&C Towing. Montee was arrested by the highway patrol for a DWI and not having insurance coverage. She was taken to the Phelps County jail where she was later released.
The Creative Arts Center will hold a color pencil workshop Tuesday from 10:00 in the morning until 3:00 in the afternoon for all skill levels. They will be working on a color pencil drawing of birds. Students can expect to complete a drawing during the workshop. Paper and reference materials will be provided. Lee Copen, a high school art teacher and artist from Mt View, will be leading the workshop. The workshop cost is $40. Call or text the Creative Arts Center to sign up for events at 573-247-0651. You may also visit our website to sign up and prepay for these classes online at: www.salemcommunitybetterment.com