Local News – Thursday, August 30th, 2018
A salute to the Forestry Industry will be on Labor Day, Monday, September 3rd starting with the Forestry Industry Parade from Highway 32-72 and McArthur to the Dent County Courthouse at 11:00 in the morning. Timber Fun Days will follow at The Commons and the afternoon is loaded with events. From noon until 4:00 there will be contests in cross cut sawing, tomahawk match striking, guessing the age of a tree and the weight of a tie. There will also be knot tying contests, a stump maze walk, and others. At 12:30, little kids can search for toys in a haystack, then at 1:30, little tots can compete in a tractor pull, and at 3:00, kids will have a turtle race. Anyone can participate in the flint and steel fire start at 1:30, the two-person barrel race at 2:00 and the eight person equal weight tug of war at 4:00. In addition to these events there will be displays such as shingle splitting, rail splitting, railroad tie hacking, MDC band saw demonstration, use of a log loader, log identification, wood identification, a wood barrel display and a Cooper making a barrel on site. There will also be a tree felling event, old time fiddle musicians, and displays by land management organizations. Everyone is welcome to watch the parade Labor Day morning starting at 11:00 and attend the Timber Fun Days Festivities at The Commons.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is urging Missouri’s travelers to drive and boat responsibly during the 2018 Labor Day weekend. Whether you are driving or boating, safety must be at the forefront of your plans. In Missouri, 11 people died and 265 were injured in 941 traffic crashes over the 2017 Labor Day holiday. That means one person was killed or injured every 12.4 minutes. Of that total, troopers worked 313 traffic crashes, which included 130 injuries and eight of the fatalities over the 2017 Labor Day holiday. Troopers arrested 142 people for driving while intoxicated during last year’s holiday weekend. The 2018 counting period for the Labor Day holiday will be from 6:00 in the evening this Friday, through 11:59 Monday night, September 3rd. The Highway Patrol will be participating in Operation C.A.R.E. (Crash Awareness & Reduction Effort) over the Labor Day holiday weekend. Speed, inattention, and impaired driving are leading causes of traffic crashes. Thus, all available troopers will be patrolling Missouri’s roadways enforcing Missouri’s speed limit, seat belt, and impaired driving laws, in addition to being available to assist motorists. The Labor Day holiday is a busy boating weekend. In 2016, there were 10 boating crashes which included zero fatalities and 10 injuries. There were no drownings over last year’s Labor Day holiday. Troopers arrested 12 people for boating while intoxicated during last year’s counting period. In an effort to increase safety on our state’s waters, all available officers will be working over the holiday weekend. Missouri’s boaters are asked to do their part by remaining alert for other boats and swimmers, and being courteous on the water. With more boats on the water, it is even more important to pay attention when operating a vessel. The public is encouraged to call the Patrol’s Emergency Report Line (800) 525-5555 or *55 on your cellular phone if they witness criminal activity or experience an emergency. These emergency numbers are operational for both highway and water emergencies.
The Missouri Department of Transportation is asking for help from the public in keeping the state-owned right of way clear of objects that could pose safety risks to motorists. That includes garage sale, political and other yard signs, as well as banners balloons and streamers. Missouri State Statute 227.220 and MoDOT policy prohibit installation or maintenance of non-approved items on state right-of-way. When possible, MoDOT tries to identify and contact a sign owner before removing a sign. Once a sign is removed, it is held for 30 days and can be retrieved from the local MoDOT maintenance facility. MoDOT thanks the public for their help with this important safety matter. For more information about this topic or other transportation-related matters, please call 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636).