Local News – Thursday, November 12th, 2020
An accident happened in Dent County at 3:51 Tuesday afternoon on Route Z about eight miles south of Salem. According to the highway patrol report, 31-year old Mary E. Moser of Jadwin was driving a 2014 Honda CRV northbound when the CRV traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree. Moser suffered serious injuries and was transported by the Mercy Lifeline to the University Hospital in Columbia. A passenger, a less than one-year old female, also suffered serious injuries and was taken by the Salem EMS to the Salem Memorial District Hospital. The CRV was totaled and removed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing. The highway patrol was assisted by the Jadwin Fire Department and the Dent County Sheriff’s Department.
Healthy Dent County has announced the Grand Opening of their new Gymnasium at the north side of the Salem Community Center@The Armory this afternoon with an open house from 4:00 to 5:30. The ribbon cutting will occur at 4:30 to officially open the gymnasium. Congressman Jason Smith representing Missouri’s 8th District will be in attendance for the event. The new gym is equipped with six retractable basketball goals and can be used for pickleball and volleyball as well. Everyone is welcome to attend! For more information about the gym, please call Healthy Dent County at the Salem Community Center@The Armory at 729-8163 or stop by 1200 West Rolla Road.
The Meramec Regional Planning Commission was awarded a $780,000 revolving loan fund from the Economic Development Administration CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants. The MRPC board approved the CARES RLF plan submitted to the Economic Development Administration for the use of the RLF funds, which will include a micro-loan lending program to meet working capital and fixed asset needs at its October 8th board meeting. The CARES RLF new loan program is designed to provide financing for small businesses, particularly those impacted by COVID-19. The loan program is structured to include simplified loan applications and closing procedures, reduced loan application fees, reduced borrower equity and collateral requirements and reduced interest rates. MRPC Business Loan Specialist Candace Connell said the MRPC has the money to lend to small businesses impacted by COVID-19 at really good rates for things like working capital, inventory, equipment, land and buildings. The MRPC and the Meramec Regional Development Corporation, who will work as the loan review agent, will consider loan requests from $5,000 to $200,000 for businesses located in the Meramec Region. The program will allow borrowers to finance up to 90 percent of the total project cost. Projects up to $50,000 do not require a participating lender. For projects over $50,000, a participating lender must finance a minimum of 25 percent up to 50 percent of the total cost. The loan terms are up to eight years for working capital and typically 15 years for fixed assets with reduced interest rates. The first loan was made at 3.5 percent. Additionally, for every $20,000 borrowed the business must create or retain one job and all businesses need to demonstrate an impact from COVID-19 when applying. This is MRPC’s third EDA-financed RLF.. Businesses and bankers interested in learning more about this new loan opportunity can contact Candace Connell, MRPC business loan specialist, at cconnell@meramecregion.org or by phone at 573-263-8651.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) announces it has maintained its certification by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Forest Management Standard for 658,348 acres of state land. The certification follows an annual audit of MDC forestry practices for those lands. MDC has maintained its certified status since 2017 with annual audits confirming its forest-management practices continue to meet the SFI® standard. SFI is one of the world’s most recognized, independent third-party for forest-management certification standards and certification provides assurances of responsible practices across the forest products supply chain. MDC State Forester Justine Gartner said certification to SFI considers all aspects of our forest management process, from actions taken in the woods to the paperwork they keep in their files. MDC is extremely proud to maintain this certification, which means They have outside validation that they are properly managing forest resources to assure their health and sustainability. SFI’s Forest Management Standard is based upon principles, goals and performance measures that were developed nationally by professional foresters, conservationists and others with the intention of promoting sustainable forest management in North America. SFI and its many partners work together to balance environmental, economic, and social objectives such as conservation of wildlife habitat and biodiversity, harvesting forest products, protecting water quality, providing forest industry jobs, and developing recreational opportunities. The SFI Forest Management Standard is also the only standard that requires participants to support forestry research. To find out more information, go to https://www.forests.org/.
The Federal Highway Administration has declared this week as National Traffic Incident Response Awareness Week. Every year, 200 roadside workers lose their lives in the line of duty, according to AAA. When motorists approach MoDOT or any other responders or emergency vehicles on the side of the highway with flashing lights, they should move over. A report from the National Safety Commission revealed that 71% of Americans do not know about their state’s Move Over law. Missouri’s Move Over law requires drivers to either change lanes or slow down when approaching stationary MoDOT, law enforcement or other emergency vehicles with flashing lights. To help protect those who protect us, all 50 states enforce some form of the Move Over law.