Local News – Thursday, May 17th, 2018
An accident occurred Wednesday morning at 2:40 in Iron County on Route KK about three miles south of Bixby. According to the highway patrol report, a 1995 Ford F-150 driven southbound by 42-year old David Lunsford, II of Boss, went off the roadway, overturned and struck a tree. Lunsford suffered moderate injuries and was taken by ambulance to the Salem Memorial District Hospital. It was not known if Lunsford was wearing a seat restraint when the accident occurred. The Ford was totaled and removed from the scene by Abney’s Wrecker of Viburnum.
The Salem 133rd Graduation exercises will be held Friday night at 7:00 at the Salem High School Football Field. For the Class of 2018, a total of 142 seniors are expected to receive their diplomas. At the ceremony, there will be performances by the Salem High School Band and Chamber Singers. Assistant Principal Richard Parks will present the senior Class Citizenship Awards and the best all-around Boys and Girl Award. Four Salutatorians will speak and they are Gregory Headrick, Sarah Parker, Madison Shaw, & Savanna Tuttle. Following the Salutatorian speeches, eight Valedictorians will delivery their speeches. The eight Valedictorians are Baylee Bilyeu, Nathaniel Bray, Cory Gamblin, Matthew Jessen, Richard Parks, Aubrey Schmit, Jacob Stacy, & Dawson Wynn. The A+ students will be recognized as well as those students who are entering the military. The diplomas will then be presented to the graduating class to conclude the ceremony. The 2018 Graduation exercises will be outside unless there are adverse weather conditions. If that would be the case, the exercises would be moved inside the high school gym. If you can’t make it to the commencement, you can watch it live on Fidelity Local 6 or HD 406, or you can stream the ceremony live on www.fidelitylocal6.com. You can also find times the ceremony will be rebroadcast on Fidelity Local 6 or HD 406 at www.fidelitylocal6.com.
The Ozark National Scenic Riverways will host a special celebration of the historic Akers community on Saturday and Sunday in partnership with the Shannon County Museum and Ozark Heritage Project. Everyone is invited to attend this event, which will highlight the rich history of the upper Current River. On Saturday, a local Current River bluegrass band will provide entertainment at the Akers Visitor Center from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Tiny’s Hillbilly BBQ will be on hand so that visitors can enjoy an evening meal on the banks of the Current River while listening to the music. A dutch oven cooking demonstration will be conducted as well. Participants are encouraged to explore all the nearby historic sites, including Akers Ferry, Mt Zion Church, Devils Well, Howell-Maggard Cabin and Welch Spring. Rangers will be available at Akers Visitor Center to provide information and directions for seeing those areas. On Sunday, activities will begin at 11:00 that morning with a special service at the Mt. Zion Church, located one-half mile north of Akers Ferry on Route K. At noon, everyone will gather at the Akers Visitor Center to enjoy a picnic lunch, a bluegrass open jam session with local musicians, and stories about life on the upper Current River from descendants of local families. Those with a connection to the Akers community will have an opportunity to share memories with everyone in attendance. At 2:00 Sunday afternoon, they will kick-off the 2018 Current River Canoe Race with a short paddle from Welch Spring to Akers. A brief visit to the Howell-Maggard Cabin will be included during the paddle. Everyone’s welcome to attend! For more information about this event, call (573) 323-8093.
In closed session Tuesday night, the Salem R-80 Board of Education employed Shannon Phelps to instruct Kindergarten through 5th grade music; hired Melanie Smith to teach 3rd grade; employed Tyler McConnell to teach High School English; and hired Carilee Ball as a Psychological Examiner. The board also employed Rockey Wade as a middle school football coach and Bryan Carty as an assistant varsity football coach. They also discussed a personnel issue before adjourning.
Captain James W. Remillard, the commanding officer of Troop I, announced that sometime this month, troopers assigned to Troop I will be conducting an impaired driving enforcement patrol in Crawford County. Troopers assigned to these special enforcement operations will patrol those highways where in the past a higher number of alcohol-related arrests and traffic crashes have occurred. Captain Remillard would like to remind motorists that they can report highway emergencies and serious traffic offenses to the nearest troop headquarters by dialing *55 on a cellular telephone.