Local News – Monday November 15th, 2021

On September 21st, 2021, the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control announced $13.25M in grants to prevent and reduce substance use in youth 18-years of age or younger. The Healthy Dent County Prevention Coalition was awarded $125,000 per year for five years to strengthen the infrastructure among local partners to create and sustain a reduction in local youth substance use. After five years, community coalitions may re-compete for another five-year cycle. The Healthy Dent County Prevention Coalition also received a $100,000 grant from the Department of Mental Health to reduce youth substance use. With these grants, two Prevention Coordinators have been hired to teach the evidence-based “Too Good for Drugs” curriculum in all Salem and Dent County schools. Melissa Gould will teach students in grades 6 through 8 and Jason Eddie will teach students in grades 9 through 12. The “Too Good for Drugs” curriculum is a comprehensive family of substance use and prevention curricula designed to mitigate the risk factors associated with risky behavior and build protection within the child. The program builds the basis for a safe, supportive, and respectful learning environment. Recognizing that local problems need local solutions, these grant funded coalitions engage multiple sectors of the community and employ a variety of environmental strategies to address local substance use problems. Both grants involve local communities in finding solutions and also helps youth at risk for substance use recognize the majority of our Nation’s youth choose not to use substances. As demonstrated by independent evaluations, the Drug Free Communities Support Program significantly reduces substance use amongst youth, the target population. The Healthy Dent County Prevention Coalition was formed in 2017 to develop effective, evidence-based strategies to prevent youth substance use. The mission of the HDC Prevention Coalition is to facilitate community participation in the prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use among our young people and community. For additional information about the HDC Prevention Coalition please contact Healthy Dent County’s Executive Director, Sherry Lea, at 573-729-8163 or sherry@salemcommunitycenter.org.

Many people don’t realize that minerals are a part of every manufactured product we use daily. That’s one reason why The Doe Run Company (Doe Run) is providing local teachers with a fun and educational curriculum along with the materials that teach children about the ways minerals are used in our everyday lives. Doe Run packaged kits containing instructions for two minerals-themed activities and a gift card to purchase the materials needed to complete them. They have been distributed to classrooms at Iron County C-4 Elementary in Viburnum and Salem Upper Elementary. Doe Run is working to bring the kits to other local school districts too. One of the activities is “Cookie Mining,” which utilizes chocolate chip cookies, toothpicks, paper clips and graph paper to teach children about mining. Children take on the role of a miner by first selecting the ‘mine’ – a cookie – that they want to purchase. Next, they choose the type of mining equipment they wish to use, either a toothpick or paper clip. After mining their cookie for its chocolate chips, children must ‘reclaim’ the leftover cookie. Finally, they tally up the “value” of their mined chips and subtract the costs they incurred. A second hands-on activity is called “Toothpaste with a Twist,” in which children can make and flavor their own toothpaste. This exercise shows students how minerals are essential ingredients in maintaining good oral hygiene.

The Salem Board of Aldermen met Friday night at the Salem Community Center @The Armory for a special meeting called by Mayor Kim Steelman. At the meeting, the board reviewed and discussed Bill #3494 which created an ordinance amending the City of Salem Code of Ordinances, Chapter 110 in regards to the mayor and board of alderman. This bill addressed Article 1 Board of Aldermen, Section 110.120 concerning vacancies and how they are filled. The Bill proposed changing the original wording by adding “The Board of Aldermen may adopt procedures to fill vacancies consistent with this Section. The successor shall serve until the next regular municipal election, at which time a successor shall be duly elected to fill the remainder of any unexpired term for the office.” The other parts of the original ordinance remained unchanged. This bill was approved by the aldermen. The board then approved Resolution #33-2021 that repealed Resolution #32-2021 and provided for a Municipal Election on April 5, 2022 for one West Ward Alderman to serve a term of one year expiring in April of 2023, for one West Ward Alderman to serve a term of two years expiring in April of 2024, one East Ward Alderman to serve a two-year term expiring in April of 2024, and a mayor to serve a two-year term that would expire in April of 2024. The signup dates remain the same starting at 8:00 in the morning on December 7th and ending at 5:00 PM on December 28th at the City Administration building in the office of the City Clerk as in the previous resolution. The meeting was then adjourned.

The local Salvation Army Dent County Service Unit raises funds locally with the familiar red kettle at Christmas time. The famous red kettle will be located at Country Mart, Dollar General and Wal-Mart starting the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and lasting until Christmas Eve every Friday and Saturday. Counter kettles will be located at various locations throughout the community. The kettles are the primary way that funds are raised to continue meeting the needs of the less fortunate in our community. Volunteer bell ringers are needed each year to help raise funds. To volunteer to ring the bell at the red kettle, please visit the online registration webpage at www.registertoring.com or call Susie at 729-6771 or 247-7099. For additional information regarding The Salvation Army please stop by the Salem Community Center @ the Armory, 1200 W. Rolla Road or call at 729-8163.