Local News – Thursday, February 18th, 2021
The Salem Memorial District Hospital will be administering vaccinations for those in the Phase 1A and Phase 1B, Tiers 1 and 2 at the Dent County Fire Station today and again on Thursday, February 25th. If you qualify to be vaccinated, they have vaccines available for both days. To set up your appointment, you must call the Dent County Health Center at 729-3106. Remember, this is the first dosage and a second vaccine will be administered in about 30 days, also at the Dent County Fire Station.
Missouri’s catch-and-keep trout fishing season officially begins at 6:30 in the morning on Monday, March 1st, at Montauk State Park near Salem and Maremac Spring Park near St. James. The catch-and-keep season at the trout parks runs through Oct. 31. The Missouri Department of Conservation operates the trout hatcheries at all four parks and stocks rainbow trout daily throughout the season. Hatchery staff will again use data on trout tags sold in past years to anticipate the number of anglers expected on opening day. Missouri State Parks and the Missouri Department of Conservation are encouraging trout anglers to buy their fishing permits ahead of time. Permits can be purchased from numerous vendors around the state, online at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits or through the MDC free mobile app -- MO Fishing -- available for download through Google Play for Android devices or the App Store for Apple devices. Daily trout tags can also be purchased at the state park concession stores. Anglers are encouraged to have the correct amount of cash for daily tags and to purchase tags early, if possible. The cost of a daily trout tag to fish at Montauk State Park is $4 for adults and $3 for those 15 years of age and younger. The daily limit is four trout. The Department of Conservation is continuing a pilot program at Maramec Spring Park where the daily limit has been raised from four to five trout and the cost of a daily trout tag for adults is $5 and $3 for anglers 15 years of age and younger. The Montauk State Park store hours for purchasing daily trout tags will be 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Saturday, February 27th, from 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM on Sunday, February 28th, and the normal store hours begin Monday, March 1. The Maramec Spring Park store hours for daily tags will be from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM from February 19th to the 26th. Normal store hours of 5:30 AM to 9:30 PM will begin on Saturday, February 27th. The Montauk State Park campgrounds, lodging units and restaurants are all expected to be busy. Anglers and park visitors are encouraged to follow social-distancing guidelines and wear face coverings where a 6-foot distance from others cannot be maintained. Visitors should come prepared with water and hand sanitizer, and dressed appropriately for the weather. The parks will not have warming stations as in past years and fish cleaning stations will remain closed. For more information, call Montauk State Park at 573-548-2201 or the Meramec State Park at 573-265-7124.
Healthy Dent County, the City of Salem, Salem Full Gospel Church, and Salem United Methodist Church are partnering with the True Charity Initiative to host a workshop on effective compassion. True Charity’s Foundations Workshop will outline seven marks of effective charity, combining philosophies with best practices. Many of those who live in poverty are caught in a generational cycle of dependency. The Foundations Workshop will discuss the practicalities of relational, work-oriented, results-driven care that truly empowers those in need. This seminar will give the community a chance to come together and discuss the complexities of poverty in Salem while examining effective approaches to community development. The Foundations Workshop will be held on Wednesday, February 24th from 8:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the afternoon at the Salem Community Center @ The Armory. This full-day course is approved for seven continuing education credits for social workers in Missouri. The workshop will be followed Thursday, February 25th with half-day training in Charity Tracker, an online tool for community collaboration. This software is used by more than 1,700 communities and allows service providers to communicate about the goods and services rendered to their clients. If your organization assists residents financially, you would benefit greatly by attending the one-half day workshop on February 25th from 8:00 in the morning until 12 noon. Lunch will be provided, so please make your reservation by calling 729-8163.
The Salem R-80 Board of Education will be meeting this evening at 6:00 in the High School Library for their regular meeting. After the consent agenda and communications, the Board will hear from Superintendent Dr. Lynne Reed who will give her report on a variety of issues including Board Appreciation Week, January membership, a Health Insurance Update, sharing a Band Teacher with Northwood R-IV, and the Athletic Director report. The board will then hear administration reports from each building principal before hearing new business. In new business the board will hear from Elaine Russell about a Choir Trip, review Public Comments Policy/Form, and discuss Co-op of Junior High Sports. The Board will hear resignations before adjourning and moving into Executive Session for the discussion of real estate and personnel for 2021-2022 including Principal Evaluations and contracts. The regular Board meeting in the High School Library is open to the public.