Local News – Monday, November 9th, 2020
An accident occurred Saturday evening at 7:18 on Route W about three miles north of Highway 32 in Dent County. According to the highway patrol report, a 2003 GMC Sierra driven by 38-year old Joshua Gately of Salem was traveling southbound. The GMC traveled off the left side of the roadway and struck a tree. Gately suffered moderate injuries and was transported to Salem Memorial District Hospital by EMS. He was wearing a safety restraint at the rime of the accident. The GMC was totaled and removed from the scene by family.
Landowners and renters can learn about farm leases from University of Missouri Extension specialists 6:00 to 9:00 tomorrow evening. Participants in our area can attend through Zoom. Topics include current rental rates and trends, items to include in a lease, terminating a lease, recreational leases, and crop and livestock share arrangements. USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service publishes average cash rental rates for farm, forage and pasture ground each September. The MU Extension studies these rates every three years. Ten MU Extension offices will be open for those who wish to attend in person or do not have reliable internet access. The closest location to Salem will be West Plains. With CDC guidelines in place, in-person class sizes are limited. Instructors at each site will provide an opportunity for attendees to interact with presenters. For details and registration, go to extension.missouri.edu and search for “farm lease.”
The Missouri Department of Conservation encourages deer hunters who will have their deer professionally processed to check with meat processors about their availability to process deer this fall. Some meat processors around the state are reporting higher-than-normal business and may not be accepting deer for processing or will have significant delays in processing deer. Hunters wanting to donate to Share the Harvest are also encouraged to check with their local meat processors as some are not participating in the program this year. Get more information on Share the Harvest online at huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/
Ozark National Scenic Riverways is seeking public input on the park’s draft Accessibility Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan. Public participation is an important part of the planning process and will help Ozark National Scenic Riverways become more accessible for all visitors. An interdisciplinary team of planners, facility specialists, and landscape architects produced the plan to help Ozark National Scenic Riverways improve park-wide accessibility. In creating the plan, the team identified the key experiences that every visitor, regardless of their ability, should be able to have at the park. This helped set the stage for identifying and prioritizing where key experiences could be found. After performing the assessment, the team developed strategies and solutions to address accessibility barriers. The final plan will guide changes to the way existing services, activities, and programs are provided to increase accessibility for all users. The draft Accessibility Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan will be available online for public review and comment at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/ozar. Comments must be received no later than November 19, 2020. Comments may be submitted online or will be accepted through the mail to: Ozark National Scenic Riverways; Attn: SETP comments; P. O. Box 490; Van Buren, Missouri 63965. When commenting, please consider these questions: Does the plan capture the accessibility barriers present in the park and are the recommended solutions appropriate and comprehensive? The National Park Service values your interest in Ozark National Scenic Riverways, and we look forward to your participation in this planning process. For more information, contact Dena Matteson at (573) 323-4814 or dena_matteson@nps.gov.
Missouri State Parks today announced eight Missouri communities have been selected to receive more than $1 million in federal grants from the Federal Highway Administration to assist with the development of trails. The grants are part of the Recreational Trails Program, which can be used to develop, acquire and restore recreational trails and trailhead facilities. Locally, Recreational Trails Program recommended grant recipients, along with the projects and grant amounts include the city of Winona, Lions Club Park Recreation Trail: $129,621 and the city of St. James, The St. James-Maramec Iron Works Bike Path Restroom Facility: $25,000. For more information on Recreational Trails Program grants, contact mspgrants@dnr.mo.gov. For more information on Missouri state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
The City of Salem Park and Recreation Department and Salem Holiday Committee is still looking for churches, businesses, organizations and even private individuals that would like to set up an illuminated holiday display inside the Salem City Park for the first ever drive-through light display for the Christmas holidays. The drive-through would begin on the Friday AFTER Thanksgiving. These displays would be scheduled to be open from November 27th through January 1st. Contact Melissa Dubois for more information at 573-729-6290 or to sign up.