Local News – Monday, March 11th, 2024
The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors will be meeting at 6:00 on Tuesday, March 12th at the fire station located at #2 South Main Street. After the roll call, the board will go into closed session to discuss personnel, policies and procedures before they approve the consent agenda which includes the financial reports, minutes and the budget review. The board will review the scheduled events on the calendar, discuss the monthly reimbursement report and talk about old business including SCBA bottle purchase, lawn care service, the tower lease program, repair of water damaged rooms, audit request for the department, new truck purchase, and other information. In new business the board will discuss policy and procedures, interview new firefighter candidates, and discuss personnel in closed session. After Chief Floyd give his reports, the board will set the date for the next meeting. The meeting will then be adjourned. the meeting of the Dent County Fire Protection District Board is open to the public.
Between February 17th to March 1st there were a total of 180 calls for service to the Salem Police Department. Officers conducted 20 traffic stops for various traffic violations with three resulting in a summons or arrest. Officers also conducted seven traffic accident investigations. On Monday evening February 19th at 6:00 officers on patrol noticed a male subject who had active warrants walk into Wal Mart. Officers searched for the man and were able to locate 32 year Terry Storm of Salem who was incarcerated on three capias warrants for a parole violation, possession of a controlled substance, and property damage. Early Thursday morning February 22nd at about 5:00 officers conducted a traffic stop near Franklin Street and Highway 72 on a vehicle having malfunctioning lights. During the stop, it was found that the driver of the vehicle had an active warrant out of Dent County. Robert Lewis, age 35 of Salem was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail on a capias warrant for possession of a controlled substance. During the evening of Monday February 26th at approximately 6:00 officers concluded a short-term investigation into the location of a female with capias warrants out of Texas County. As a result, Amy Jackson, age 40 of Salem was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail on two capias warrants for burglary and stealing. Finally, on the afternoon of Wednesday February 28th close to 2:00 officers located a male subject who had an active warrant for his arrest. 26 year old Jacob Bussey of Salem was arrested on his warrant for possession of a controlled substance. Bussey was later released on his an own recognizance. Please contact the Salem Police Department at (573) 729-4242 if you have any information regarding an investigation.
The Salem Public Library and Dent County Astronomers will host an “Eclipse Exploration” on Tuesday evening at 6:00 PM. This is a chance to learn about the upcoming total solar eclipse next month. The program is free and will be in the library’s north basement meeting room. A limited number of eclipse glasses will be available for those who attend. No library card is required to attend.”
The Missouri Invasive Plant Council in partnership with Forest ReLeaf of Missouri, Forrest Keeling Nursery, and the Missouri Department of Conservation, will host a Callery pear, also known as Bradford pears, “buyback” program in locations around the state on April 23rd. On this date, citizens who complete event registration will receive a free native tree when they show a photo of a cut down Callery pear tree from their property. Registration for the Callery Pear Buyback event is open from March 15 through April 15. On the registration form, participants will choose their event location, select a native tree, and upload a photo of the cut-down Bradford pear tree. One free, non-invasive, native tree will be given to registered participants at the selected location on the day of the event from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Participants will receive potted native trees, donated by Forest ReLeaf and Forrest Keeling Nursery, in 3-gallon containers that stand between 2- and 4-feet tall. To register or for more information about this event, including a full list of native tree species offered and how to identify Callery pear trees contact Missouri Invasive Plant Counci Coordinator Emily Render, (573) 569-8659, at info@moinvasives.org.
A Water media En Plein Air (pronounced “on’ plen air”) class with Lexie Mutch will be held March 18th from 9:00 in the morning until 12:00 noon starting at the Creative Arts Center at 204 South Main before caravaning over to the Shawnee Mac Lakes Conservation Area around 10:00 to the fishing dock. Once there, the group will settle into the nature-scrape, choose subjects for study and hone our drawing and painting skills through direct observation. Join us for an art adventure! Participants will learn an accessible method of painting outdoors with minimal supplies. We will discuss various methods of rendering subjects materially and technically. The class is for those 18 years of age and older. The cost of $30 covers all the supplies. Register online at the SACBA website. Under programs, find the Creative Arts Center, and registrations are on a first-come, first served basis.