News – Friday, May 15th 2025

The 140th Graduation Ceremonies of the Salem R-80 High School is scheduled to be held tonight at 7:00 at the Bill Schuchardt Football Stadium. After the procession of 140 graduating students, the National Anthem will be performed by the Salem High School Chamber Choir Singers. Assistant Principal Clay Moody will present the Senior Class Citizenship Awards and Glory Awards. Principal Jody Heavin will present the Best Overall Excellence Awards to one girl and one boy, and the Missouri Scholars 100 Award. Heavin will also introduce the A-Plus students, students who are entering the military, the career and technical certified students as well as those students’ attending college. Senior Class President Liberty Ross will give her speech before Senior Class-Vice President Lindsey Hinderliter gives her speech. Diplomas will then be awarded to the Class of 2025 students by Superintendent Dr. Nathan Wills and President of the R-80 Board of Education, Drusilla Howard, followed by the tossing of the caps. The graduation exercises will be streamed live on KSMO Media. Those wanting to stream the graduation exercises can go to the Salem R-80 website which is www.salemr80.org, go to their activities menu and you will find a link to the KSMO Stream which is our Twitch account. People can also go directly to the KSMO Radio website at www.ksmoradio.com and from the homepage, they can click on the stream of their choice including the KSMO Stream Facebook page, KSMO Twitch page and on KSMO’s YouTube page. There is NO charge to watch the services. Should the exercises be rained out, they will be held Sunday afternoon at 2:00. 

Free trout fishing, a casting contest for prizes, and free hotdogs are enough to make any kid’s day.  Those are exactly the makings of Kids’ Fishing Day, Saturday, May 17 at Maramec Spring Park, located near St. James.  The event is hosted by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) in cooperation with The James Foundation.  It offers free fishing and other fun activities for children 15 years of age and younger. The park will open at 5:30 a.m. and the Kids Fishing Day event will be held from 6:30 a.m. to 8:15 p.m.  The entire upper half of the spring branch will be reserved for kids 15 years of age and younger. Free daily fishing tags for children will be available to pick up Friday, May 16, at the James Foundation Store and on Saturday, May 17, at the Mill Pavilion by the big tent.  Any car that has a child 15 and under gets into the park for free as well. MDC will stock rainbow trout throughout the day to ensure plenty of action to keep kids engaged and excited.  Among them will be some lunkers and tagged fish that kids can redeem for prizes.  Volunteers, along with MDC staff, will be on hand all day to assist young anglers.  A limited number of loaner fishing poles will be available, but children are encouraged to bring their own fishing poles and equipment. The World Bird Sanctuary will be on hand featuring a live bald eagle and American kestrel.  Everyone can enjoy free hot dogs and soda, along with attractions like archery, t-shirt painting, and a casting contest.  There will even be a drawing for big prizes like free guided trips. The event will be held rain or shine and sponsored by Phelps County Bank, St. James Chamber of Commerce, St. James Trout Fraternity, surrounding Wal-Marts, Missouri Trout Fishermen’s Association, Dickey Bubs, Rockin’ C Outdoors, LOZ Lures, Mutzie’s Bait, HAWGZ Custom Baits, and Bait WrX. Maramec Spring Park, owned and operated by The James Foundation, is located on Highway 8 about six miles east of St. James, approximately and hour and a half from the St. Louis area.  The park’s hatchery is administered by MDC and produces about 100,000 trout each year. For more information about the event, call the Maramec Spring Hatchery at 573-265-7801. To learn more about fishing in Missouri, at mdc.mo.gov/fishing.

Missouri native plants will be on sale on Saturday May 17th from 8:00 in the morning until noon at the Rolla Farmers Market in the JC Penney parking lot. Whether your garden is sunny or shaded, your soil wet or dry, vendors from Prairie Hill Farm and Doolittle Gardens will have plants to suit your growing conditions. As native Missouri plants have adapted to our local climate and soils and are part of our native ecosystems, they can provide beauty in all seasons with less maintenance and the greatest benefit to wildlife. The sale is sponsored by Meramec Hills Chapter of Missouri Master Naturalists and Paradoxa Chapter of the Missouri Native Plant Society.