Local News – Wednesday, November 25th, 2020
Your World Today will not be published on Thursday and Friday this week for the Thanksgiving holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!
The Dent County Commissioners met Tuesday morning at the courthouse. At the meeting, the commissioners approved a request by Megan Seay for the purchase of two separate council chambers tables and a lectern for the courtroom from Village Gallery that would be paid for out of CARES Act money if available, or from the county General Revenue Fund. The commission approved the request from Sherry Lea from Healthy Dent County to hold registration for the “Santa Dash” on Saturday, December 5th at 2:00 on the courthouse square before the parade. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell stated the western half of Dent County received about three inches of rain. Crews were out patch grading on the 2400 numbered roads to fix damages. He said a tree was down blocking county road 4220 that was removed and crews were out checking other roads for downed trees and limbs. Purcell said brush was being cut on county road 2470, maintenance was being done on grader #24 and the workers were installing a new tool box and fuel tanks on truck #79 which is the county truck just purchased for the road and bridge department. Purcell said he attended a tourism tax commission meeting where one proposal was approved and three reimbursements were also approved. He also said he and 2nd District Commissioner Gary Larson participated in the virtual MAC and CCAM annual meetings. In District 2, Larson said grading would be done on Dent County Roads 3200, 3220 and 6160, while brush would be cut on county roads 2380, 2403, 3253 and 3255. Larson went on to say patch grading would be done on various roads with washouts. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said he and Dent County Emergency Management Director Brad Nash were on a conference call with Governor Parson Friday as Dent County is now in the extreme risk category for the spread of COVID-19 as the positive test rate is at 33.1% from all tests taken. Skiles said he was in Columbia for the MAC and CCAM meetings Monday and was elected the new president of the County Commissioners Association of Missouri board for next year. The commissioners discussed opening the CARES Act money applications again to public entities and small businesses that was closed after the Dent County Sheriff’s Department submitted a large reimbursement. The commissioners agreed to pull back some of that application to keep funds available for those who were working on their applications. The deadline for small businesses is December 10th and December 15th for public entities. Again, these funds will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis, so get your application in promptly. Skiles said the courthouse will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and Friday after Thanksgiving. The commission also agreed to advertise for bids for the county’s general liability and auto insurance. Those bids will need to be in by December 14th at 10:00 in the morning. Kendra Mobray, the Dent County Health Center Administrator, was in to update the commission on the latest COVID-19 data and discuss with them the changes in the contact tracing that went into effect last Friday. The commission approved CARES Act Funding for Healthy Dent County for $44,845.40, Manthey Rentals for $14,964.40, the Salem Chamber of Commerce for $449 and Everything Cinema for $50,000. They also accepted pre-approval projects for Scenic Rivers Industries for $73,393.38 and the Salem Public Library for $29,673. At the last meeting, Dent County Assessor Jamie Homeyer came in to discuss the imagery software and that the county can use it now if that will make it qualify for the CARES Act money. She will contact Kelly Sink for clarification. Also, the commission approved a CARES Act request from the Dent County Health Center for $15,436.49. The next meeting of the Commission will be Monday morning at 9:00 and the meeting is open to the public.
An accident happened Monday night just before 9:00 in Taney County. The report from the highway patrol states that a state trooper attempted to make a traffic stop on a 1996 Ford Taurus being driven by 33 year old Cory Hatfield of Taneyville. The vehicle fled from the trooper resulting in a pursuit that ended in a crash on Lake Shore Drive about a mile east of Branson. Hatfield suffered minor injuries and was treated on the scene. An occupant in the vehicle, 35 year old Crystal Felter of Salem, suffered moderate injuries and was transported by ambulance to Cox South in Springfield. The Ford was totaled and removed from the scene by All Time Towing. Hatfield was arrested without incident on 12 separate charges.
An accident occurred Tuesday morning at 6:00 in Shannon County on Highway 19 fourteen miles north of Eminence involving a Salem Woman. According to the Highway Patrol Report a southbound 2007 Ford Mustang, driven by 40 year-old Holly Ziegelmeyer of Salem, ran off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree. Ziegelmeyer suffered minor injuries and was taken by ambulance to Salem Memorial District Hospital. The report stated that it was unknown whether she was wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Mustang was removed from the scene by American Muffler and Towing of Salem.