Local News – Monday, March 7th, 2022
The Cosmopolitan Club’s Variety Show and Miss Salem Pageant was held Saturday evening at the Salem Civic Theatre. Denise Stoner, sponsored by The Bank of Salem, was voted Miss Personality by the other contestants. The second runner up in the pageant was Kaitlynn Stephan sponsored by Carrell’s Garden, and the first runner up was Riley Darby sponsored by Curt’s Mobile Homes. The winner of the 2022 Miss Salem Pageant was Sierra Rusco sponsored by Moser Pharmacy. Congratulations to all of the contestants. If you missed the variety show and pageant you can watch the stream on YouTube. Just go to the KSMO radio website and click on local event videos.
The Dent County Commission met Thursday morning at the courthouse for their regular meeting. District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray said the fuel lift pump part that was ordered for the downed grader was lost and another has to be ordered. Mobray said he attended the Extension Council meeting held on Monday, February 28th. Mobray reported he received a petition to close 1.2 miles of Dent County Road 5490 between the farms owned by Donny Hodges. Signatures have been gathered from the neighbors in support of the closing. The commission set the road closure hearing date for March 24th at 10:00 in the commission offices. Mobray will post the notice in three locations that serve the area for opposition or comments. The road is basically a creek bed road. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson stated crews installed culverts and materials on Dent County Roads 2330 and 3253. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said he attended the FFA Supporters Association Breakfast held Thursday morning and wanted to congratulate the Salem FFA Chapter on the fine work they do. Skiles said the county received a transportation needs survey from the MRPC that will need to be completed and returned as part of the Regional Transportation Plan update. At 10:00, the commission held a road closure hearing on two county roads in District 2. The first road was Dent County Road 2053 in the Watkins Township that is surrounded by property owned by Larry Daniels. The petition was to close the entire 1/10th of a mile road. The second road was Dent County Road 3283 in the Spring Creek Township that is completely surrounded by the property of Eddie Parsons. The petition was to close the entire quarter of mile road. There was no opposition to either road being closed and the commission approved the closing of those roads with a unanimous vote. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said the deadline to register to vote in the April Municipal Election will be March 9th, and absentee voting for that election continues in her office at the Dent County Courthouse. The last day to mailout a ballot for the Municipal Election will be March 23rd. The next meeting of the commission is this morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.
Today is the last day for the public to comment on the National Park Service’s proposed amendments to the special regulations for motorized vessels within Ozark National Scenic Riverways. These proposed changes were included in the park’s General Management Plan as part of the Preferred Alternative. The General Management Plan was finalized in 2015 after a long public planning process. The NPS proposes to create seasonal non-motorized zones along the upper stretches of the Current and Jacks Fork rivers where low water levels during the peak season typically restrict access for motorboats. These zones would provide areas without conflict between motorized and non-motorized users during peak visitor season, when it can be challenging for non-motorized vessels and motorboats to navigate narrow river channels at the same time. Peak visitor season usually begins the day after the last day of trapping season and end the day before gigging season, which would currently be April 1st through September 14th. The NPS is also looking for comments to legalize the use of 60/40 horsepower (HP) motors with jet propulsion. These motors are the most popular with motorboat users today. Under existing regulations for motorized vessels within Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the 60/40 HP motors are not legal because they exceed 40 HP at the powerhead. They are also looking for public comments on the and establish a 150 HP limit for jet propulsion and 105 HP limit for motors with a propellor on the Current River between Big Spring and the southern boundary of the park. These limits were proposed to address visitor concerns about safety, degradation of experience and increasing boat sizes resulting from no limits on boat motor size. Members of the public may submit comments on the proposed rule, identified with the Regulation Identifier Number (RIN) 1024-AE62, through March 7th, by going online to www.regulations.gov. In the Search box, enter 1024-AE62. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. You can also submit written hard copies by U.S. Mail or hand deliver to: Superintendent, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, 404 Watercress Drive, P.O. Box 490, Van Buren, MO. 63965. Only comments submitted online through the Regulations.gov site or by hardcopy will be accepted. For more information, call 573-323-4236.
An accident happened in Jefferson County Thursday evening at 7:36 on Highway 21 just south of Perkins Road. According to the highway patrol report, a 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 driven by 25-year-old Brendan Mitchell of Steelville, was traveling northbound and traveled off the right side of the roadway. The front side of the Dodge struck a series of small trees while the left side of the Ram struck a utility pole. Mitchell suffered moderate injuries and was transported by the Valle Ambulance to the Mercy Hospital in Jefferson County. Mitchell was wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident. The Dodge Ram sustained extensive damage and was towed from the scene by Haberberger Towing.