Local News – Wednesday, August 16, 2023
Dent County Fire Protection District Fire Chief Brad Nash released the following information concerning the fire at Dewayne’s Tire Services (800 S MacArthur Ave in Salem) Friday evening. The Dent County Fire Protection District responded to a commercial structure fire on MacArthur Ave Friday evening. When we arrived on scene we found heavy smoke coming from the building. Due to the heavy fire load in the building a decision was made to call Lenox Fire, Rolla City Fire and Cuba Fire for mutual aid. Also on the scene was the Missouri Fire Marshal’s office, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Salem Memorial District Hospital Ambulance, Salem Police Department, Salem Electric Department, Salem Water Department, Dent County Sheriff’s office, Whitaker Towing, American Automotive & Towing and Chilton Oil Company. I apologize if there was anyone that I missed! There was a total of 50 personnel on scene to assist in different areas of the fire. Emergency personnel were on scene for approximately 10 hours. The Dent County Fire Protection District would like to thank the agencies that came to assist in the fire. We would also like to say thank you to all the citizens that brought water and food to the scene. You have no idea how much that means to us! Also, if you dropped off coolers at the fire scene please contact us at 573-729-3250, describe your cooler and we will make sure it gets returned to you. Thank you for all the prayers for the safety of the emergency service workers and please continue to pray for the family that lost their business.
The free back-to-school bash will be today, Thursday and Friday from 5:00 to 9:00 each evening at The Commons. There will be back to school supplies, games, food, prizes, and much more. Come and enjoy the presentation by Todd Keane and The Power Team 2.0. The event is sponsored by community churches and fellowships. For more information or a ride to the event call Pastor Lyndell Decker at (573) 739-9235, Sister Ashely Decker at (573) 466-9156, or Walking Faith Ministries at (573) 729-7500.
The Creative Arts Center will host a Hummingbird Paint and Sip event Friday night, August 18th from 6:00 to 8:00 with Danielle Norris. Grab your drink and head to The Creative Arts Center for a fun and relaxing night of painting beautiful birds. The artist will take you step by step through this painting. A minimum of six must sign up with a limit of 25 people for the event. The cost of the class is $25. An additional $5 charge will be added for those who pay at the door. Interested persons can sign up under “Programs” at the salemcommunitybetterment.com website for activities at the Creative Arts Center.
An accident occurred Monday afternoon at 2:10 in Iron County on County Road 79 two miles south of Bixby. According to the Highway Patrol report a northbound 2021 Kawasaki KX450, driven by 38-year-old Edward Dixon of Bixby, ran off the right side of the roadway and struck the ditch, ejecting Dixon. The driver suffered moderate injuries and was transported by Air Evac to Mercy St. Louis. The report went on to state that Dixon was wearing a safety device at the time of the accident. The Kawasaki sustained minor damage and was driven from the scene.
The Missouri Department of Conservation reports that concrete work and final grading are now in process at the new site for Jerome Access on the Gasconade River, located in Phelps County about 15 miles west of Rolla. Blasting operations to remove a bluff are complete and rough grading is complete throughout the site. The main components of the new Jerome Access site will be a half-acre gravel parking lot with ADA accessible parking spaces and approximately 20 truck/trailer stalls, and a concrete boat ramp that will provide entry to the Gasconade. The two-acre site will also feature opportunities for bank fishing. The contract on the project was awarded to Twehous Excavating Company, Inc. Construction is expected to be completed this August.
A Native Grass Pasture Walk will be held Friday, August 25th from 2:00 until 5:00 in the afternoon in Davisville presented by the University Extension. This pasture walk will look at Native grass stands that have been grazed during a drought. Participants will look at different year’s stands and see how producers can incorporate native warm season grass and introduced cool season grass together. Plenty of opportunity to ask questions on grazing and establishment. There will plenty of opportunity to ask questions on grazing and establishment. Interested persons can register online at extension.missouri.edu or by calling the Crawford County Extension office at 573-775-2135. They will give you driving directions to reach the pasture walk. The program is FREE, there is no charge.
The Dent County Commission will hold a tax levy hearing on Monday, August 21st at 10:00 in the morning at the Dent County Commission office. The tax rates to be determined will be for the General Revenue Fund, the Road and Bridge Fund, the Senior Citizens Service Fund and the Sheltered Workshop, also known as the Senate Bill 40 Fund. Taxes will be calculated based on $100 assessed valuation on real estate and personal property taxes. The 2022 rate for the County General Revenue Fund was $0.00 while the County Road and Bridge Fund was $0.2550. The Senior Citizens Service Fund in 2022 was $0.0480 and the SB 40 Fund rate was $0.1341. The assessed valuation in 2022 for Dent County was $194,819,992. The proposed tax rate levies for each fund are $0.0003 for the County General Revenue Fund, $0.2550 for the County Road and Bridge Fund, $0.0480 for the Senior Citizen Services Fund and $0.1341 for the Senate Bill 40 Fund. The assessed valuation for Dent County in 2023 was $199,533,134. The hearing is open to the public.