Local News – Tuesday, July 21st, 2020

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning for their regular meeting. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell said grading would be done on Dent County Roads 5620, 5625 and 5650 while ditch work and grading would be done on county road 4080. Purcell stated after a flat tire on brush cutter #8 is repaired, brush will be cut on county road 4080. He went to say a man would be going to Springfield to get a load of oil for chip and seal repair, especially on county road 6580. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said weather permitting a crew would be adding materials and grading on Dent County Road 2590. He said brush would be cut on county roads 4340 and 6150 while a tree was going to be removed from county road 2380. Larson also stated a grader blade on Grader #32 was being changed out and he received from the Missouri Department of Conservation their CART program agreement that reimburses the county for them to put down white rock and grade roads that service the conservation area. He will sign that and get it back to them for another year. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said that he attended a County Commission Association meeting last week and they have decided to not hold their annual training in Columbia next February. The meeting will be held virtually and it will still be required that all commissioners view the virtual sessions. The commissioners will have to sign an affidavit to that effect. Skiles also said the Missouri Association of Counties conference for this fall is up in the air. They will be meeting next month to determine the status of that meeting. All the commissioners wanted to congratulate the buyers, sellers, parents, the Junior Livestock Committee and all the volunteers for the great work at this year’s 4-H and FFA Livestock Auction at The Commons that set another new record for sales with over $245,000. Skiles also wanted to thank Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe for attending the auction. The commissioners also received a letter that the Dent County Prosecuting Attorney’s annual salary will increase to $145,334 for the next fiscal year. The commission also received four requests for CARES Act reimbursements with three coming from the Dent County Health Center totaling about $33,000 and another from the Dent County Sheltered Workshop for about $1,800. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley wanted to remind everyone the last day to request a mail out ballot or absentee ballot by mail is 5:00 Wednesday. People can vote absentee in person through August 3rd. She also said she has sample ballots available in her office and a sample ballot will also published in the Salem News. The next meeting of the commission will be Monday, July 27th at 9:00 and the meeting is open to the public.

The 2020 4-H and FFA Expo kicked off early Friday morning at 7:00 with the hog show with seven classes of market hogs. Class 1 winner was Isaac Westerman with a 232 pound barrow, class 2 winner was Kiara Kuhn with a 240 pound hog and class 3 was won by Jaxon Raulston’s 246 pound hog. Class 4 was won by Landon Cook with a 255 pound hog, Class 5 winner was Blake Edwards 275 pound hog, Class 6 winner was Lola Roderman with a 300 pound hog and Class 7 was won by Isabel Thomas’ a 318 pound hog. Judge Chris Hudson from Middletown, Missouri selected Isaac Westerman’s hog as Grand Champion and Lola Roderman’s as Reserve Champion. A lightweight class of market hogs was won by Bryce Martin with a 190 pound pig. Breeding class gilt winners were Katarina Morris, Corbett Ball, Bryce Martin, Kennedy Major and Jaxon Roderman. Corbett Balls gilt was Duroc Champion and Kiara Kuhn’s gilt was Yorkshire Champion. Champion Crossbred Gilt was won by Kennedy Major and Wyatt Martin took the Reserve Champion Crossbred Gilt, while Olivia Wisdom exhibited the Champion All Other Breeds Gilt. In the championship drive Kiara Kuhn’s gilt was named Champion Commercial Gilt, while Kennedy Major’s gilt won the Reserve Champion Crossbred Gilt. Judge Hudson selected Caden Manthey as Senior Showmanship Champion, Isaac Westerman as Intermediate Showman and Bryce Martin was tapped as the Junior Showmanship winner.

A drowning occurred Sunday afternoon around 3:00 on the Meramec River in Crawford County about 1.25 miles downstream of the Onondaga Boat Ramp. According to the Missouri Water patrol, 24-year old Alexander Terrell of Jefferson City entered the water to assist another person who was struggling and became submerged. Terrell was transported to the Missouri Baptist Hospital in Sullivan by the North Crawford County Ambulance but was pronounced dead just after 5:00 in the afternoon by Dr. McCarthy at the hospital. This is the third drowning in Troop I this year.

The morning portion of the 2020 Expo livestock judging concluded with the Goat and Sheep Show. During the Goat Show Judge Hudson Selected Brady Shafer’s goat as the Class 3 winner and Champion Goat, plus Abbi Terrill’s goat was the Class 2 winner and Reserve Champion Goat. Charlee Duncan exhibited the Champion Breeding Doe. In the Sheep Show Hudson selected Stetson Mobray’s 90 pound lamb as Class 1 winner, Preslie Strader’s 122 pounder as Class 2 winner and tapped Kennedy Major’s 157 pound lamb as winner of Class 3. Strader’s market lamb was awarded the Champion Market Lamb, while Emma Fleener’s second place lamb in Class 2 was picked as the Reserve Champion Lamb. Cody Lundy exhibited a 63 pound lightweight lamb. Strader also exhibited the Champion Crossbred Ewe, while Tyffany Lucerne showed the Reserve Champion Crossbred Ewe. Champion Suffolk Ram was won by Kaenan Knaack. Sheep Showmanship went to Intermediate Tiffany Lucerne and Junior Preslie Strader. The Goat Showmanship Intermediate division was won by Lori Terrill and the Junior division winner was Brady Schafer.