Local News – Thursday, April 27th, 2023
The 8th Annual Veteran Affairs Day will be held tomorrow from 10:00 in the morning until 2:00 in the afternoon sponsored by the American Legion Post 99 and All-American VFW Post 6280 located at 2522 Highway 32 West in Salem. The Affairs Day is where veterans can learn about the changes and requirements for them to get their benefits. Veterans can also enroll in VA health care. Veteran Affairs Day is an annual outreach to veterans of central rural Missouri in an attempt to provide easier access to VA services. It includes American Legion District 16 and VFW District 2 which includes Camden, Cole, Crawford, Dent, Howell, Laclede, Maries, Miller, Phelps, Osage, Pulaski, Reynolds, Shannon, Texas and Wright counties. Representatives from the Department of Veteran Affairs will include enrollment and claims processing specialists from the Truman VA Hospital, as well as benefit advisors from St. Louis VA Regional Office. The Columbia Veteran Center will have counselors and advisors on hand in their mobile unit. The Missouri Veterans Commission will also have Service Officers at the event, as well as a Department of Education Veterans Employment Representative. They have also invited representatives from elected officials, including Congressman Jason Smith, US Senator Josh Hawley and State Representative Ron Copeland. The event starts at 10:00 and a light lunch provided around noon. It doesn’t matter when you served. If you have questions, a claim or need to enroll into the VA healthcare system, please attend. Don’t miss out on your hard earned benefits. Call the American Legion Post 99/VFW Post 6280 at 573-729-3710 for questions or to schedule private time with a counselor.
The Salem Police Department released these reports for the first week of April. During the week of April 1st to April 7th, there were 140 calls for service. Officers conducted 20 traffic stops for various traffic violations with four resulting in a summons or arrest. Officers also conducted two traffic accident investigations along with three informational reports. On Monday, April 3rd around 4:00 in the morning, officers were dispatched to the 1200 block of East Third Street for a report of someone trying to break into a house. Officers contacted the subject who was highly impaired on narcotics. The subject was placed on a 12-hour safe keep at the Dent County Jail due to his level of impairment. The victim in this case did not wish to pursue charges. On Wednesday, April 5th near 5:00 in the morning, officers were dispatched to the area of Forrest Hill Drive for a report of property damage. It was reported that in the overnight hours someone had tampered with and attempted to steal a UTV. This incident is still under investigation using video surveillance from the area. Around 8:00 Friday evening, April 7th, officers were dispatched to Franklin and Grand for a report of a vehicle doing donuts in the field. Officers discovered the driver was intoxicated. After an investigation, a 25-year-old St. James male was arrested and later released on a summons for excessive Blood-Alcohol Content. Later that same evening around 11:30, officers conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of Highway 19 and 68 for a vehicle not maintaining a single lane. Officers contacted the driver and he was found to be intoxicated. After an investigation the driver of the vehicle was arrested for a DWI and later released on summons. Please contact the Salem Police Department at 729-4242 if you have information regarding an ongoing investigation.
Montauk State Park will be handing out free seedlings on Friday April 28th in celebration of Arbor Day. Park visitors can pick up the seedlings at the White Oak Hole parking lot from 9:00 in the morning until 3:00 in the afternoon. The trees are provided courtesy of the Missouri Department of Conservation’s George White Nursery. For more information, contact the park at 573-548-2201.
You are invited to a special workshop at the with Brooks Blevins on “How to Talk Ozark in Seven Simple Steps” this Saturday at 10:00 at the Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center. The event is free and open to the public. Check out the Dent County History exhibit at the ONCRC which will be open from 9:00 until 2:00 this Saturday.