Local News – Tuesday, October 31st, 2023

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning at the courthouse for their regular meeting. In attendance was Deloris Gray Wood who was honored Thursday night at the MRPC Annual Dinner with a community volunteer award as well as the Eugene E. Northern Award which is the highest award for volunteerism presented by the MRPC. She brought in her plaque to show the commissioners and Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson thanked her again for her tireless efforts to make Dent County a better place. He also wanted to salute Easton May on receiving the Dent County Youth Award for volunteerism at the banquet. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray said materials would be added and grading done on Dent County Road 6540 while only grading would be done on county road 4160. He said rock is still being hauled to county road 5600 for the Title II project and crews were removing a tree down on county road 6500. Mobray said repairs were being made to county truck #125 as the heater was not working. District 2 Commissioner Gary Polk said materials were being added and grading done on Dent County Roads 2320, 2330, 4340 and 4370, while grading only would be done on county road 2340. Polk reported brush would be cut on county roads 2315 and 3210. Commissioner Larson reported an MRPC truck collected eight tons of illegaly disposed of tires picked up by county workers from the county maintenance lot which means $1,800 in recycling fees were not collected to properly dispose of the tires. At the last meeting, Frand Aquino with Gallagher Benefit Services handling the MAGIC Health Consortium, reported the county should expect a 7.5% increase for the cost of health insurance in 2024. Open enrollment will begin this November. The next meeting of the commission will be Thursday at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Police Department, Dent County Sheriff’s Department and the highway patrol encourages everyone to have a safe Halloween. It’s that time of year when young ghosts, vampires, superheroes, and cartoon characters are planning their night of trick-or-treating. While some local events take place in large parking lots the weekend prior, many trick-or-treaters will be out on Halloween night. It’s imperative that drivers and pedestrians stay alert. Young children excited by Halloween could dart in front of a vehicle. Slow down and drive with extra caution. Expect an increase in the number of slow-moving vehicles in neighborhoods as motorists pick up and drop off trick-or-treaters. Please be courteous and stay alert for trick-or-treaters of all ages. Distracted drivers are dangerous drivers─when you’re driving, keep your eyes on the road, not on your phone! Parents are asked to remind children to approach only familiar houses that are well-lit. Remind them they should never enter a stranger’s house or vehicle. Consider trick-or-treating with your children for their safety and because it’s a fun way to spend an evening. Give some thought to safety when choosing a costume. Consider using make-up rather than wearing a mask, which can obstruct a child’s vision making it difficult to see an oncoming car. A light-colored costume is easier for drivers to see at night and adding reflective tape to dark costumes makes them visible. Flame resistant costumes are encouraged. All trick-or-treaters are reminded to watch for traffic while they are out and about this Halloween. Remember to look both ways when crossing the street. Use sidewalks wherever possible and trick-or-treat while it is light outside. If you do go out after dark, increase your visibility by using a flashlight and wearing a light-colored costume. An adult should always accompany small children, and older children should stay in groups. Halloween isn’t just for children. Many adults enjoy dressing up and visiting haunted houses or attending gatherings of friends. If you are driving to a costume party, make sure your costume doesn’t hamper your vision. If you attend a Halloween party that includes alcohol, designate a sober driver for the trip home. Alcohol, even in small amounts, slows reaction time and dulls the senses. Driving after you’ve had alcohol could have a sad and possibly deadly result.

To reflect estimated changes in the wholesale cost of natural gas as well as a change in the company’s Actual Cost Adjustment (ACA) factor, natural gas customers of Ameren Missouri will see natural gas rates change under a filing that takes effect this Wednesday. The ACA factor is a mechanism which tracks any over-collection or under-collection of actual natural gas costs over a 12 month period. The net over- or under-collected balances are subsequently either refunded or collected the next year. Residential customers currently pay approximately $0.63 per Ccf (per hundred cubic feet) of natural gas. Under Ameren Missouri’s filing, the rate will drop to approximately $0.60 per Ccf. About 50% to 55% of a customer’s current natural gas bill reflects the cost of natural gas from wholesale suppliers. The wholesale cost of natural gas is not regulated by the Missouri Public Service Commission. The wellhead cost of natural gas is unregulated and is mostly driven by supply, demand and the weather. Ameren Missouri serves natural gas customers in Dent, Phelps and Gasconade counties in this area.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports that Missouri hunters harvested 12 black bears during the state’s third bear-hunting season, October 16th through the 25th. More than 5,370 hunters applied during May for 400 permits for the season with the maximum total harvest being 40 bears. Of the 400 hunters selected through a random drawing of all applicants, 342 hunters purchased permits for the season. Bear hunting in Missouri is limited to Missouri residents and restricted to three designated areas of southern Missouri called Bear Management Zones (BMZ). Each permit issued is for a specific BMZ and hunting is limited to public or private property within the BMZ. Nine bears were harvested in BMZ 1 out of a maximum of 20 with 173 hunters purchasing permits to hunt the zone. Three bears were harvested in BMZ 2 out of a maximum of 15 with 125 hunters purchasing permits to hunt the zone. No bears were harvested in BMZ 3 out of a maximum of 5 with 44 hunters purchasing permits to hunt the zone. All bears were harvested using firearms methods. Of the 12 bears harvested, three were boars (males) and nine were sows (female). MDC Bear Biologist Nate Bowersock said that MDC had another successful black bear hunting season this year and saw bears harvested in four new counties where bears had not been previously harvested. He went on to say that conditions this season couldn’t have been much better for hunters, and we look forward to hearing from hunters about their experiences through our annual post-season survey. Learn more about Missouri black bears and bear hunting in Missouri at mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/bear.