Local News – Wednesday, May 1st, 2024

Dent County Assessor Jamie Homeyer wants to remind everyone your annual assessment forms that list your personal and business property for 2023 are due TODAY. Those forms MUST be dropped off in the Dent County Assessor’s Office or postmarked today to avoid paying a penalty. You may drop off your assessment list at the assessor’s office at the courthouse and they are open from 8:00 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon. There is also a drop box on the front lawn of the courthouse for your convenience if you can’t make it by until after hours. You can also mail in your assessment list forms, but make sure you have the postal clerk postmark your envelope. If you have lost your assessment list form or never received one, or you are new to the area, blank forms are available at the Dent County Assessor’s Office in the Dent County Courthouse. The penalty for not getting in your assessment form on time is determined at $10 per every $1,000 of assessed valuation with a maximum penalty of $100 if you have assessed valuation of $10,000 or more. If you have any questions or need assistance, call Dent County Assessor Jamie Homeyer at the Dent County Courthouse at 729-6010 or stop by the courthouse during regular business hours at the corner of Highway 19 and 4th Street in downtown Salem.

Century farms and ranches have shaped our nation and state. The Missouri Century Farm Program celebrates the lasting contributions farmers and ranchers have made to our country’s and state’s heritage. In 1976, the Centennial Farm project was initiated in Missouri, awarding certificates to persons owning farms that had been in the same family for 100 years or more. Ten years later, the University of Missouri Extension and the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources created the annual Century Farm program and recognition. Since the program began in 1976, more than 8,000 Missouri farms have received the Century Farm designation. To have a farm be designated as a Missouri Century Farm, the same family must have owned the farm for 100 consecutive years or more as of December 31, 2024; the line of ownership from the original settler or buyer may be through children, grandchildren, siblings and nephews and nieces, including through marriage or adoption; and the present farm shall consist of no less than 40 acres of the original land and shall make a financial contribution to the overall farm income. The application period end TODAY and you can apply through an online application process. A fee of $140 is required to cover processing costs, a certificate, a booklet and one two-sided, 2-foot by 2-foot metal sign for each approved farm. No late applications will be accepted. You can still apply by going to extension.missouri.edu/programs/century-farms.

On April 23rd, a sentencing hearing was held Sara Lynn Cunningham of Salem in front of Judge Michael Randazzo. Cunningham was charged with two charges of tampering with a motor vehicle in the 1st degree, kidnapping in the 1st degree, leaving the scene of an accident, operating a motor vehicle in careless and imprudent manor, resisting arrest or detention or failing to stop as well as a DWI. This stems from an incident that started at the Salem High School on July 7th, 2022 and continued all the way to Rolla. Dent County Prosecutor Andrew Curley sought 10 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections based on the nature of the crime and the impact on the victims. Cunningham sought probation with placement in the Restoration Hope Program in Springfield, MO. Cunningham had been in the Dent County Jail the past seven months due to a previous bond violation. At the conclusion of the hearing, the Cunningham was sentenced to serve a ten-year suspended sentence. With the sentence suspended, Cunningham placed on probation for five years with the standard terms of probation, with a special term of probation to include the repayment of restitution and placement in the Restoration Hope Program.

The Salem High School Ag Department greenhouse plant sale will start this Saturday, May 4th from 7:00 in the morning until 12:00 noon. There will be vegetables, hanging baskets, annuals and succulents. The Ag department will accept cash or checks. There will NOT be any presales. If you are unable to come on Saturday, the Ag Department will be open the week of May 7th through May 10th from 8:00 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon. The proceeds raised will benefit the Greenhouse Operations and Management Crisis Budget. For more information about the sale, e-mail Salem Ag instructor Heather Johnson at heather.johnson@salemr80.org.