Local News – Thursday, June 25th, 2020
Dent County Commissioner Dennis Purcell reported on the South Central Missouri Community Action Agency meeting he attend on June 16th and said the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, better known as LIHEAP, has doubled their maximum benefit to $600 which can help low income Missourians to help survive the crisis of COVID-19. To qualify for the program, low income Missourians must be responsible for paying home cooling costs, have less than $3,000 in bank accounts, retirement funds or investments; have a household income of 135% of the federal poverty level which is about $2,400 a month for a family of three; and be a US Citizen or a person legally admitted for permanent residence. To apply for the LIHEAP program, households need to complete an application form and then mail or fax it to the office that services their community. To find out how to get the application and where you need to mail it, contact the office that serves your county. In Salem and Dent County, the number is (573) 729-3500; in Shannon County, the number is (573) 325-8271; and in Reynolds County, the number is (573) 663-2855. You can also call the South Central Missouri Community Action Agency number toll free at (800) 325-4633. Last year, LIHEAP provided assistance to 114,639 Missouri Households. Purcell also reported the agency also is eligible to receive $843,000 in CSBG COVID CARES Act funding through the Department of Health and Senior Services that will be able to be used through 2021. These funds could be used for homeless prevention such as for rent, mortgage, deposits or hotel and motel vouchers; for additional utility assistance such as for deposits, air conditioning units, water, and HVAC repair or replacement; plus health related services such as medical, dental, substance abuse, vision and mental health. These funds can also be used for educational assistance and family support. These CSBG funds have not yet been received, but to find out how to qualify when they do, please call the South Central Missouri Community Action Agency office at 1-800-325-4633 or 573-325-4255.
Troop I of the Missouri State Highway Patrol has changed the details of an accident from June 6th that occurred on Highway 72 at 11:35 in the evening about 1,000 feet west of Dent County Road 3175 that took the lives of 43-year old Greg Pugh of Salem and 46-year old Tabitha Copeland of Rolla. The original report indicated that Copeland’s 2006 Hyundai Sonata passed a witness vehicle at a high rate of speed causing the front of the Sonata to strike the back of a 2004 Buick Park Avenue driven by Pugh. The highway patrol changed the report to now state that the Sonata struck the Buick head on.
A one vehicle accident happened Tuesday night at 10:40 in Dent County off of County Road 912 about 2 miles north of Bunker. The report from the highway patrol states that a Polaris UTV being operated by 59-year old Michael Chapple of Troy, Kansas, overturned entrapping the driver. Chapple was taken by Air Ambulance to Mercy Hospital in Springfield for treatment of serious injuries. The Polaris UTV sustained moderate damages. Chapple was not wearing a safety device at the time of the accident. The Polaris was secured at the site.
Motorists are advised to be on the lookout for chip seal work taking place on various routes in Dent and Phelps County this week. A contractor working for MoDOT will begin chip sealing on Highway 19 between Salem and Shannon County Route KK. Crews will also perform chip sealing operations on Route B in Dent County and Route M in Phelps County. MoDOT says chip sealing operations require one lane to be closed for the safety of motorists and crews. Signs and flaggers will guide motorists through the work zone. Motorists are asked to plan for delays, obey all traffic signs and watch for crews in work zones. Work has already been completed along Route 19 between Salem and Cherryville. This project is expected to be completed by October 1st. A chip seal operation entails spraying a heated film of asphalt liquid on the road, followed by placing fine rocks or chips on top. The chips are then compacted to make them adhere to the roadway. Finally, the excess loose chips are swept from the surface, leaving an improved roadway that will hold up longer than it would have without the treatment. Chip seals are about one-third the cost of a conventional asphalt overlay, averaging $15,000 per mile as compared to an estimated $55,000 per mile for an asphalt overlay. This work is weather permitting and could be delayed. For more information please call 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636) or visit www.modot.org/modot-central-district.
The Salem Area Chamber of Commerce reminds everyone the Independence Day Parade will be held on Saturday, July 4th at 6:00 PM. The theme will be “An American Holiday” with George Flint as the grand marshal. The Chamber is NOT assigning lineup positions for this parade, so participants can line up on a first-come, first-serve basis for spots 12-120 as the Chamber will reserve spots #1 through 11 for the Salem Police Chief, Color Guard, Grand Marshal, VFW and Corporate Sponsors. The parade will follow the normal parade route but will be extended past the Courthouse to Pershing Street at the top of East 4th Street hill. For more information, call 729-6900 or stop by the new office at 1139 South Main St.