Local News – Wednesday, September 12th, 2018
The Salem Board of Aldermen met Monday night City Hall Council Chambers. At the meeting, the board postponed bids on the Wastewater Treatment Facility Phase I improvements contracts until October due to the possibility of getting a $500,000 grant from the Department of Natural Resources. Archer Engineering is investigating this possibility. The board approved the purchase of two dump beds for the Street Department from Crown Beds for $6,950 each. The board also approved the bid from Napa Auto Parts for an All-Tel Diagnostic Scanning Tool for $6,340.00. City Administrator Ray Walden reported that Healthy Dent County at the Salem Community Center@The Armory had 5,144 participants during the month of August. Walden said the Community Betterment judges were in town for their visit Monday afternoon. Walden said he wanted to publicly apologize to the community for not addressing a number of issues that are currently ongoing in the community. He said a code enforcement module that will link code enforcement online with the Salem Police will be installed soon. He also said a workshop meeting with he, Jarred Brown and Attorney William Camm Seay about the code enforcement processes will be held. Walden also said the city should take the lead when it comes to nuisance issues on their property. He provided to the alderman a booklet on code enforcement recommendations for a small town. He asked them to review the booklet and make recommendations they feel would be beneficial. He provided a list of projects to the media affecting all departments that still need to be completed. The board approved the Fall Clean-Up Week as recommended by WCA from October 8th through the 12th. They also approved sending City Clerk Mary Happel as the employer delegate to the LAGERS meeting to be held October 25th and 26th at the Sheraton Chalet Hotel in Westport. The employee delegate has not yet been determined. The next meeting of the Salem Board of Aldermen will be held on Monday, October 1st at 7:00 Hall Council Chambers. The board then went into closed session.
The Dent County Sheriffs Office has released some reports. On Tuesday, August 28th, deputies responded to a report of an assault at a residence on Dent County Road 4215. After an investigation, a black zipper case which contained three broken glass pipes and a plastic baggie containing visible residue were located. A pipe tested positive for methamphetamine. As a result, a 44-year old Salem woman was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. She was taken to the Dent County Jail and incarcerated. On Friday, August 31st, deputies conducted a traffic stop in the 200 block of Route ZZ. After a short investigation, a baggie of marijuana and a grinder were located. The driver, a 26-year old Salem man, was arrested and taken to the Dent County Jail. He was found to have a warrant for his arrest and was issued summons for driving while having his license revoked, careless and imprudent driving, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was fingerprinted and released after posting bond. On Saturday, September 1st, deputies conducted a traffic stop on Highway 32 West at Dent County Road 4185. After a short investigation, a blue glass smoking pipe that field tested for the presence of THC was located. As a result, a 37-year old Salem woman was arrested and taken to the Dent County Jail. She was fingerprinted, issued a summons, and released. Later that day, deputies conducted a traffic stop on County Road 6180. The driver, a 21-year old Salem man, was arrested for driving without a valid license. He was fingerprinted, issued a summons, and released. That evening, deputies conducted a traffic stop on Route K and Route Z. The driver, a 32-year old Salem man, was arrested for warrants from Dent County, Salem Police Department and Crawford County. He was taken to the Dent County Jail and incarcerated. If you have any information about an ongoing investigation, please contact the Dent County Sheriff’s Office at 729-3241.
An accident happened Monday morning at 10:25 in Phelps County on Highway 63 at Route K. According to the highway patrol report, a 2001 Dodge Neon, driven eastbound by 24-year old Elsie Rymer of Salem, failed to stop at a stop sign and struck a 2015 Dodge Durango driven southbound by 58-year old Janet Mohrman of Raymondville in the side. A passenger in the Durango, 77-year old Margaret Lane of Licking, received minor injuries and sought her own treatment. The Dodge Neon sustained extensive damage and was removed by Whitaker’s Towing of Salem, while the Dodge Durango sustained moderate damage and was driven from the scene. Everyone was wearing seat restraints at the time of the accident.
Join you friends at Echo Bluff and the Dent County Astronomers for another unbelievable night sky viewing as everyone will gather on the “Sky Porch,” as it has come to be known, at the Bluff Top Pavilion to enjoy the company of Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, and Mars! The event will take place on September 15th from 7:30 to 9:30 in the evening. Everyone’s welcome!