News – Friday, July 3rd, 2026

The Salem Police Department has released that on Wednesday, officers conducted a traffic stop in the area of Hwy. 19 and Hwy. 68. Officers conducted a consent search of a vehicle resulting in the discovery of a bag containing a white substance, suspected of being a controlled substance, as well as two handguns. An adult female was taken into custody as a result of the investigation, with charges being sought for possession of a controlled substance and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon. All individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Lots of closures abound in Dent County and the City of Salem in observance of Independence Day. Salem Memorial Hospital’s Administrative Offices and Family Medicine Clinic will be closed. The Emergency Department will remain open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide emergency medical care. The Dent County Courthouse will be closed, as well as City of Salem offices. The Healthy Dent County Fitness Center will also be closed, and the Sweet & Low and Tai Chi classes will be canceled; however, members with 24-hour access will still be able to access the Fitness Center during the closure. For other businesses, be sure to check business hours in advance.

The Dent County Commission met in open session Thursday morning at the courthouse. District One Commissioner Keith Green was appointed  acting Presiding Commissioner by County Clerk Angie Curley in the absence of Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson. Under road reports, Green reported that crew members would be working on roads affected by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared disaster of Nov. 2024. District Two Commissioner Jimmy Williams reported that crew members are planning on hauling rock to County Road 3185 and grading county roads 3130, 3185, 3180, and 3245. Crew members are also planning to cut brush on county roads 3190 and 3180. County Clerk Angie Curley reported that the deadline to register to vote for the upcoming primary election is next Wednesday, July 8th. So far, there have been 38 absentee votes cast. No excuse absentee voting will begin July 21st. Absentee voting will continue through Aug. 3rd. Commissioners also approved the Current River Cruiser’s request to utilize the courthouse lawn on Saturday, Sept. 19th for the purposes of holding a car show fundraiser for local cancer support group, Project Win. Under public comments, resident Katie Anne Gaither requested a correction to the minutes of June 22nd, in which she had been misquoted. Commissioners agreed to look into getting the minutes corrected. Collector Denita Williams reported that work reimbursed to the county so far for both FEMA and State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) eligible projects is currently at a total of $224,518.62. Commissioners reported that the process of repairs to county roads from the disaster of November 2024 has been slowgoing and far from completion, crediting the reasoning to challenging administrative burdens, set by both the state and federal government. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission will be at the courthouse at 9:00 Monday morning. The courthouse will be closed in observance of Independence Day on Friday.

This July 4th Independence Day, which is the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, there will be numerous events going on in Salem. At 7:30 in the morning, there will be a pickleball tournament at the Salem Community Center @ The Armory. The Salem Community Choir will be singing at the Salem City Hall Auditorium with the first performance at 2:00 followed by a second performance at 4:00. Near 5:00, food trucks, vendors and boutiques will be opening near the pavilion, and Devon Sutterfield will begin performing. There will be a break in the music just in time to head down to the parade route and pick a spot. The parade starts at 6:00 in the evening from the Grand and Franklin, traveling north on MacArthur, then east on 4th Street to the courthouse square. At the conclusion of the parade, the Salem Community Center @ The Armory will be open from 6:30 to 9:00 with free use of their three bounce houses and gymnasium for basketball and pickleball. Children must be supervised by their parents. Also at the Salem City Park, Sutterfield will resume performing and those attending can check out the vendors and food trucks, while waiting for the fireworks. At 9:25, the Leathers Family will sing our National Anthem followed by the fireworks show that will begin around 9:30 at the Salem City Park. KSMO Media will stream the parade beginning around 6:15 on ksmoradio.com, KSMO Stream Facebook and the KSMO YouTube Channel.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) is an international non-profit 501(C)(3) organization that builds, assembles and delivers beds to children who do not have a bed. The SHP Dent County chapter will be holding its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday from 5:30 to 6:30 in the evening. This meeting will take place at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory in the Walden Conference Room. There will be discussions on upcoming events, needs, and more. More updates from the chapter can be found on Facebook at facebook.com/shpdentco.