Local News – Tuesday, November 15th, 2022

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning for their regular meeting. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray said grading would be done on Dent County Roads 5070, 5420 and 6040 while brush would be cut on county road 6240. Mobray said rock would continue to be hauled to Dent County Road 5600 as part of the Title II project. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson reported grading would be done on Dent County Roads 2530, 2540 and 2550 while rock would be added to county roads 2020, 2030 and 2050. Larson went on to say a spreader box would be installed on county truck #116. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles stated he attended the SMDH Community Connect Event Thursday as part of their grant through the Delta Regional Authority to address community and area needs. He said they will be having another meeting in the future after collecting data from those at the meeting. Skiles said Patrick Stites from the MRPC needed to set up a public meeting for the renewal of the Hazard Mitigation Plan. Skiles suggested the date of December 13th and the commission approved. The time and location will be announced at a later time. Commissioner Skiles asked Stan Podorski to serve on the Dent County Law Enforcement Restitution Fund Board of Trustees to fill a vacancy and he accepted. The board is made up of two appointees by the commission, two by the sheriff and one by the coroner. They will be meeting near the end of November. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley stated the election went very smooth with just over 52% of the registered voters casting ballots. She said there were 601 absentee votes cast this year with the new “no-excuse” voting as well as the “excused” absentee voting. Curley said the commissioners will not be meeting on Monday, November 21st due to the Missouri Association of Counties meeting to be held at the Lake of the Ozarks. They will also not be meeting on Thanksgiving Day and the courthouse will be closed on November 24th and 25th. At the last meeting, Commissioner Mobray met with William Terry from the Ozark National Scenic Riverways about the FLAP grant on Dent County Road 6670. Also, Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk reported all tax bills have been mailed out and if you do NOT receive your tax bill by Wednesday, November 16th to please call her office at 729-3911. Also, if you did not update your address before tax bills were sent out, please call or come by the collector’s office in the courthouse. The Commission officially approved awarding the bid for the Cooley Bridge FLAP Project 057 to H. R. Quadri of Van Buren. The next meeting of the commissioners will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Office of Broadband Development in partnership with the Meramec Regional Planning Commission and the University of Missouri system are having a regional listening session this Thursday in Rolla at The Centre from 10:00 in the morning until 12:00 noon located at 1200 Holloway Street. The “Connecting All Missourians” program represents an opportunity to connect the unserved and underserved Missourians. The main purpose of the session is to hear from a diverse range of broadband stakeholders including citizens, business owners, libraries, schools, hospital, localgovernments and service providers. Stakeholder input is crucial in the development of future plans. The information collected will shape the development of the broadband infrastructure in Missouri for the foreseeable future. The goal of the campaign is to identify broadband challenges and barriers while identifying resources that can connect all Missourians. There is no charge to attend the session and you can reserve a seat by typing in “Connecting All Missourians” in the search bar of your web browser

State Fire Marshal Tim Bean has the following advice about the use of extension cords and space heaters. Never substitute extension cords for permanent wiring or use them for more than one appliance. Make sure extension cords or power strips are rated for the product to be plugged in. Never cover an extension cord with a rug or carpet; it prevents heat from escaping. Multi-plug devices and power strips are designed to be plugged directly into electrical outlets; they should never be chained together. Space heaters are a factor in about 43 percent of home heating-related fires and 85 percent of associated deaths. They should only be placed on the floor. Never leave a space heater on when you leave a room. Only plug space heaters directly into wall outlets. Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from all heating equipment, including drapes, furniture, and electronics. Also remember the effect space heaters will have on your utility bills. For example, the normal space heater uses 1,500 watts and that is about an additional $4.80 per day on your electric bill if left on all day, or around $11.20 additional per week to your bill if the space heater is left on eight hours per day for five days a week. In lieu of using a space heater, try wearing layers of clothes or wrap up in a blanket to provide additional warmth.