Local News – Thursday, December 21st, 2023

The Missouri State Highway Patrol wishes everyone a merry and safe Christmas. One way for it to be merry is for everyone to arrive at their holiday celebrations safely. Remember to wear your seat belt, obey all traffic laws, pay attention, and please, don’t drive impaired. Over the 2022 Christmas holiday, there were 1,017 traffic crashes statewide. In those crashes, four people were killed and another 318 were injured. This year’s traffic crash counting period begins at 6:00 Friday evening, December 22nd, and will ends at 11:59 Monday evening, December 25th. Travelers are reminded that holiday drivers will affect traffic patterns. If you’re planning a trip during the holiday, please keep this in mind. Drivers are encouraged to make sure they are well rested, no matter how short their driving distance. Check the weather forecast and plan accordingly. Downloading the MoDOT Traveler Information app to your smart phone allows you to check road conditions before you travel. Be proactive! Make sure your vehicle is in good operating condition and allow enough time to reach your destination safely. Winterize your vehicle before bad weather arrives, but realize that sometimes, it’s safest to stay home. If faced with a traffic emergency, motorists can contact the Missouri State Highway Patrol at 1-800-525-5555 or *55 on a cellular phone. This emergency number will ring into the nearest Highway Patrol headquarters. Motorists should use this number if they are in a traffic crash, witness a crash or crime, or pass a stranded motorist in need of assistance, etc. Troopers encourage motorists to protect themselves from all types of hazardous drivers by making sure everyone in the vehicle is properly restrained in a seat belt or child restraint. Please obey all traffic laws, and if alcohol is part of your holiday, designate a sober driver. Every driver can help make our roadways safer this holiday season.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Office released these reports. On Saturday, December 9th, a deputy conducted a traffic stop at Hunt and Hickory Streets in Salem. During the course of the stop, the passenger, a 34-year-old homeless man, was arrested for the possession of a controlled substance. The suspect was taken to the Dent County Jail where charges are pending. On Wednesday, December 13th, a deputy conducted a traffic stop at Iron and First Streets. During the stop, a 44-year-old Salem man was found to be operating a motor vehicle with a revoked driving privilege. The suspect was released to attend a scheduled court hearing and additional charges are pending. Later that same day, a 43-year-old woman and 37-year-old man, both of Salem, reported that known suspects had stolen multiple firearms from their address in the 1600 block of Highway 68. This incident remains under investigation. If anyone has any information regarding an on-going incident, please call the Dent County Sheriff’s Department at 729-3241.

The Missouri Department of Conservation announces changes to turkey hunting regulations for the spring season and has proposed regulation changes for the fall seasons. The Missouri Conservation Commission approved the changes for the spring season at its December open meeting in Jefferson City and also gave initial approval on proposed regulation changes to fall turkey hunting. Spring shooting hours for private land only will be extended from a half-hour before sunrise to sunset. Shooting hours on public land will remain a half-hour before sunrise to 1:00 in the afternoon. These changes will be effective for the Spring 2024 turkey season. Proposed changes to fall turkey hunting season would require both fall firearms turkey hunters and fall archery turkey hunters to purchase a fall turkey-hunting permit. Turkeys would no longer be included in the archery deer permit. The bag limit would be reduced from four to two birds. These proposed changes will be open for public comment from February 2nd through March 2, 2024. According to the MDC, the primary motivation for the regulation changes is to increase opportunities during the spring season for youth hunters and hunters who work during the day and to reduce the fall harvest while maintaining as much opportunity for hunters as possible. MDC noted that 93% of land in Missouri is privately owned and 88% of Missouri’s annual spring turkey harvest is done on private land. The Missouri Conservation Department added that keeping the shooting hours to end at 1:00 in the afternoon on conservation areas and other public lands would continue to support multiple afternoon activities by a variety of users on these areas. The 1:00 closure during the spring season was originally seen decades ago as a way to help Missouri’s turkey population rebound from a few thousand birds to the several hundred thousand wild turkeys we have today. The current fall turkey season allows hunters to harvest up to four birds of either sex without a beard requirement. The proposed changes will reduce the number to two birds of either sex. Learn more about turkey hunting in Missouri at mdc.mo.gov.