Local News – Wednesday, January 5th, 2022
The 2022 Dent County Assessment Lists have been mailed. You should receive those assessment lists in the mail this week. If you do NOT receive your assessment forms by Monday, January 10th or are not sure that you will be receiving any forms, contact the Dent County Assessor at 573-729-6010. Online filing is available now through April 30th. In addition to being able to file online, there is a drop box in front of the courthouse, as well as a drop box inside the courthouse by the office door, or you may also mail your completed form back to the Dent County Assessor at 400 N Main St, Salem, MO 65560. To avoid a late filing penalty, your completed assessment forms will be due in the assessor’s office by March 1st. The assessor’s office is open from 8:00 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon, Monday through Friday, or call Assessor Jamie Homeyer them at 573-729-6010 with any questions. If there is no answer, please leave them a message and they will return your call as soon as possible.
The Dent County Sheriff’s Department has released a couple of reports. On Friday, December 31st, a deputy conducted a traffic stop on Center Street. As a result of the stop, a 24-year-old Salem man was arrested for driving while having his license revoked or suspended. The man was transported to the Dent County jail where he was fingerprinted, issued a summons and released. The next day on January 1st, a deputy conducted a traffic stop on Highway 19. During the stop a 51-year-old Salem woman was arrested for driving while having her license revoked or suspended. The woman was transported to the Dent County Jail where she was fingerprinted, issued a summons and released.
An accident happened Monday afternoon at 2:05 in Phelps County on Interstate 44 at the 185-mile marker. According to the highway patrol report, 20-year-old Dakota Cezar of Rolla was driving a 1993 Honda Prelude eastbound on Interstate 44 when he lost control of the vehicle. It then traveled off the left side of the roadway where the Prelude struck the median cable barrier and then a concrete wall. Cezar suffered minor injuries and was transported to Phelps Health in Rolla. The Honda was totaled and was removed from the scene by C&C Towing of Rolla.
The annual open enrollment period for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act has been extended through January 15, 2022. The extension will allow consumers more time to review their plan choices, seek in-person assistance, and enroll in the plan that best meets their needs. Many more Missourians may now be eligible for comprehensive health coverage, thanks to Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. This is the perfect time for individuals to explore the options and make sure they are receiving all possible benefits. Aging Best’s certified navigators can assist with the process and answer questions about the program. They will also be able to determine if there are other money saving programs you may be eligible for. Please call 1-800-369-5211 to schedule an appointment with one of our specialists.
For the first time since 2006, Missouri’s traffic fatalities surpassed 1,000. According to preliminary data, 1,004 people were killed in Missouri traffic crashes in 2021, nearly a 3% increase over 2020 and marking the second straight year of growing fatality totals after nearly a decade of steady decline. Lack of seat belt use continues to be a common denominator in fatal crashes. Approximately two-thirds of vehicle occupants killed were not wearing a seat belt. Other preliminary data shows drivers using a cellphone were involved in more than 2,200 crashes in Missouri in 2021, although distracted driving remains widely underreported. The report also shows about 40% of the fatal crashes on the year involved speeding or driving too fast for the conditions. Missouri’s strategic highway safety plan, Show-Me Zero, focuses on four ways every Missourian can help eliminate traffic deaths by buckling up, putting your phone down, slowing down and driving sober.
A Dent County Festival Committee meeting will be held Wednesday, January 26th from 5:30-6.30 at The Salem Community Center@The Armory Rotary meeting room. A brainstorming session will be held to plan for upcoming events. The committee has discussed the possibility of a Spring/Summer vendor event, a Fall Festival, a Christmas Festival and maybe a tie-in event with the “Naturally Meramec” group for a “taste of Dent County” effort. The meeting is open to anyone. If you know of dates of events already scheduled in the area or surrounding towns, please bring those dates with you. The committee would like to set dates at this meeting so they can start planning for the first event. If you need more information or have an idea for an event, e-mail Tonya Sanders at Utilities3@salemmo.com.