Local News – Wednesday, July 15th, 2020
At the Dent County Commissioners meeting Monday, Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk reported June collections from real estate, personal property taxes and merchant’s licenses came in at $134,900.31. She also stated the Delinquent Tax Sale will be held on the courthouse steps on Monday, August 24th, the fourth Monday of the month as per state statute. The sale will begin at 10:00. In order for you to avoid having your property sold at the tax sale, you will need to pay all the taxes for the last three years (2017, 2018 and 2019) as well as interest and penalties plus advertising costs in the Salem News by August 21st, 2020. For more information, please contact the Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk at 573-729-3911.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources announced today approximately $4 million in low-interest loans has been awarded to assist with energy-efficiency projects. The only recipient in our area was the City of Salem which received $115,548. Other recipients are the Delta R-V School District, Hannibal Public School District #60, Normandy Schools Collaborative, Schuyler County R-I School District, Scotland County Memorial Hospital and the University of Missouri at Kansas City. The funded projects are expected to support 48 jobs, benefit more than 32,310 Missourians, and result in annual energy savings of just about $499,990. The loans will be repaid with money that is saved on the energy costs as a result of implementing upgrades and improvements. The projects will reduce electricity use by more than 3.3 million kilowatt-hours and natural gas use by 11.889 million Btu. Carol Comer, director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, said the Energy Loan Program awards support all the investments in cost-saving energy improvements. Under the program, low-interest loans are provided to public schools, public and private higher education institutions, public and private not-for-profit hospitals, and local governments to help reduce energy costs. Loan financing may be used for investments such as insulation, lighting systems, heating and cooling systems, combined heat and power, pumps, motors, aerators, renewable energy systems, and other measures that reduce energy use and cost. To learn more about the Energy Loan Program contact the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Division of Energy at 573-751-2254 or toll-free at 855-522-2796.
Captain Eddie A. Blaylock, the commanding officer of Troop I, announced that effective this past Monday, July 13th until September 28th, drivers license testing will not be held in Cuba, Steelville, St. Robert, Salem and Vienna. Those who want to take the written and driving tests in the area will have to go to the Troop I Headquarters located at 1301 Nagogami Road in Rolla on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the afternoon. Written tests will end at 4:45 each afternoon and the road tests will end at 4:30 each day. CDL testing in Rolla will only be held on Thursday and by appointment only. The testing location will be closed from noon until 12:30 for lunch. Due to limited capacities at these locations and to avoid extended wait times, applicants are encouraged to call prior to testing. The number is (573) 368-2345. Applicants must clean and sanitize their vehicle before the skills test is administered and wear a face mask or some sort of face covering. Please limit the amount of people attending the examination to one person other than the applicant. Face coverings will be removed briefly when the applicant’s photo is taken during the licensing process. All times and other testing locations can be found on the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s website.
Since 1990, 943 children have died as a result of heat strokes in hot cars. Multiple babies have died throughout the US this summer from being forgotten in a hot car and Forgotten Baby Syndrome (FBS). Further, hot cars are the primary non-crash vehicle-related cause of death in children under 14. Forgotten baby syndrome refers to parents who accidentally leave a baby or young child in a locked car—often with tragic results. Forgotten baby syndrome occurs when parents are focusing on future tasks instead of the moment. This can be an extremely dangerous mental state for a quiet or sleeping baby. It is the medical explanation that describes how a parent can walk away from the car without thinking about their child in the backseat. While 54 percent of hot car deaths occur when loving parents leave children in the car, there are other ways a child can die in a vehicle. In 28 percent of cases, the child gained access to a vehicle without a parent’s knowledge. The best way to avoid a child gaining access to a vehicle is to keep your car keys out of reach.
An accident happened in Reynolds County Monday evening at 6:30 on Highway 72 at Route A. According to the highway patrol, an unknown UTV driven eastbound by an unknown driver, overturned and ejected 44-year old William Piatt of Salem. Piatt suffered moderate injuries and taken to Mercy Hospital in St. Louis by Air Evac helicopter. The unknown driver then drove the UTV from the scene.