Local News – Tuesday, August 23rd, 2022
The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning for their regular meeting at the Dent County Courthouse. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams shared with the commission the amount of CART taxes received this month which came to $67,226.14. That is $5,136.92 more than the August amount for 2021 and year-to-date, CART funds are up $31,594.43. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray indicated grading would be done on Dent County Roads 5610 and 6040 while brush was going to be cut on county roads 5170 and 5180. He also said crews would be checking for washouts on some roads in the southern part of the county. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson stated materials were being added and grading was being done on Dent County Road 2240 while only grading was being done on county roads 4040 and 4280. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported he attended the Sustainable Ozarks Partnership meeting in Pulaski County which is an area wide support organization for Fort Leonard Wood. The group is proactive in addressing issues that affect Fort Leonard Wood and was instrumental in the fight to keep Fort Leonard Wood from being closed during the last Base Reduction and Closure window. He also said he attended Senator Blunt’s Agriculture Advisory meeting at Sedalia last Thursday. Skiles said Senators Blunt and Hawley spoke along with Congressman Jason Smith, Billy Long and others. Skiles said the new extrication equipment has arrived and training was provided to the fire departments at the Dent County Fire Department in Salem. Skiles said he wanted to thank Whitaker’s Towing for providing vehicles for the practice work and training, and then removing them after training. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said the tax rate hearing would be Thursday at 10:00 for four county funds: the General Revenue Fund, the Road and Bridge Fund, the Senate Bill 40 Fund and the Senior Citizen Service Fund. The total assessed valuation for the county is $194,819.992 for 2022 which is up from the $179,762,905 from 2021. The tax rate hearing is open to the public. Curley said the last day to register to vote for the November election will be October 12th. Curley said she would be attending the mandatory county clerks meeting next week in Springfield. She stated there will be no commissioner meeting on Monday, August 29th and the courthouse will be closed on Labor Day, September 5th. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting will be open to the public.
An accident happened in Reynolds County on Route N about four miles south of Steelville Sunday evening just after 7:00. According to the highway patrol, a 2014 Honda Pioneers UTV driven northbound by 32-year-old Richard Troutt of Lesterville, went off the right side of the roadway and overturned, ejecting the driver and a passenger. Suffering serious injuries was 30-year-old Austin Halbert of Steelville, who was flown by Survival Flight 1 to Mercy Hospital North in St. Louis. The driver, Richard Trout, suffered minor injuries and sought his own treatment. Neither Trout nor Halbert were wearing safety equipment. The Honda UTV was totaled and was removed by the owner.
An accident happened Sunday afternoon at 4:10 in Crawford County on Highway 19 about three quarters of a mile south of Steelville. According to the highway patrol report, a 1984 Honda Moped driven southbound by 48-year-old Lisa Ellis of Steelville, attempted to make a U-turn and overturned. Ellis suffered moderate injuries and was transported to the Missouri Baptist Hospital in Sullivan by the Steelville Ambulance. Ellis was not wearing any safety equipment. The Moped had minor damage and was driven from the scene.
At the Creative Arts Center Wednesday night, they will hold a Mordiford (Heart) Wheat-Weaving Class from 6:00 until 8:00 in the evening. Led by Suzanne Douglass, this activity is perfect for children and adults. Come learn and enjoy the art of wheat weaving! Wheat weaving artist Suzanne Douglass will walk you through the creation of a beautiful Mordiford Heart. The cost is $25 and that includes supplies. Call or text the Creative Arts Center at 573-247-0651 to sign up for events! You can go online at salemcommunitybetterment.com and look under programs for the Salem Creative Arts Center at 204 South Main Street in Salem.
At the Salem R-80 Board of Education meeting last Thursday, the board accepted the resignations of Randy Mackley, Kim Harris, Janae Williams and Alisha Gallagher. In closed session, the board approved the hiring of Phillip Karr as a middle school physical education teacher, employed Kim Moser as William Lynch Elementary Librarian and Art Teacher, and employed Kathleen Palmer as a Special Education teacher at the Salem Upper Elementary School. The board also approved extra duty contracts for the Building Project Coordinator and District Improvement Coordinator, approved a staff member as an SPO, and approved moved four employees to the approved stipend over the minimum salary of $38,000. The meeting was then adjourned.