News – Friday, October 23rd, 2026

The City of Salem Electric Department will complete a planned power outage beginning at 10:00 in the evening this coming Sunday, Oct. 25th. Crews will be replacing a utility pole behind Country Mart. Country Mart and customers in the Bay Court area will be without power for up to two hours. Power should be restored by midnight if work proceeds as expected. Customers along Main Street (Hwy. 19) and east Scenic Rivers Blvd. (Hwy. 32) who are served by Feeder 1 may notice two brief power interruptions (blinks in power). The first will occur when crews disconnect the affected lines. A second brief interruption will occur when crews reconnect the lines after the pole replacement is complete. Residents may wish to charge electronic devices, save computer work and make other preparations before 10:00. Anyone who depends on electrically powered medical equipment should make appropriate backup arrangements. If your power remains off after the planned work is complete, report the outage by calling or texting 833-703-4811.

The Dent County Commission met for its regular meeting Thursday morning at the courthouse. Under road reports, District One Commissioner Keith Green shared that crew members would be stockpiling rock and hauling rock to County Road 6090. Grading is also planned on County Road 6090, alongside County Road 5615. A grader vehicle is down, Green stated. District Two Commissioner Jimmy Williams shared that crew members would be grading on county roads 5240, 2155, and 3130. Crew members plan to haul rock to County Road 2130 and cut brush on County Road 5240. Tires will be repaired on a county owned tractor, alongside blades on a grader. Williams shared that on Wednesday he attended the Scenic Rivers Industries (SRI) grand opening and toured the new building at 1030 West Hwy. 68 in Salem. He also went to Dent-Phelps R-III with Treasurer Denita Williams where they discussed their jobs as county representatives with fifth and sixth graders. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson shared that he attended a Tourism Commission meeting Monday night, in which board members approved three requests and three reimbursements. County Clerk Angie Curley reported that bills are to be approved, and that she is continuing to work on the Dent County budget for FY2027. For absentee voting, approximately 250 votes have been cast so far. Absentee voting continues through Monday, Nov. 2nd. For more information on the upcoming election, search Facebook for the Dent County Elections/County Clerk-Angie Curley Facebook page, contact the county clerk’s office at 573-729-4144, or email dent@sos.mo.gov. A public notice has also been given by Curley that there will be a post testing of the automatic voting equipment on Friday, Nov. 6th at 10:00 in the morning at the county courthouse and is open to the public. Treasurer Denita Williams reported that the county has received County Aid Road Trust (CART) tax for October 2026 with a total of $92,136.89 received. This is a decrease from October 2025 in the amount of $5,373.05. This is an increase year-to-date of $36,206.21 or 4.2%. Collector Shannon VanKirk also gave notice that tax bills are being prepared and will be sent out on Nov. 3rd. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission will be 9:00 Monday morning at the courthouse and is open to the public.

The Dent County Historical Society will be holding a ceremony honoring the last US Postmistress of Akers, Mo., Prazida Loreen Purcell Maggard. The last Akers post office closed in 1965 and mail has since been routed to Salem. This ceremony will be held on Saturday, Oct. 24th from 1:00 to 3:00 in the afternoon, located at the Akers NPS Ozark Ranger Station, at the end of Hwy. K. Everyone is invited to bring their family, friends, camp chairs, insect repellent, snacks, and water for an afternoon of meeting old friends, listening to history, and plenty of music. Speakers are to include Mark Van Patten of the National Park Service; Josh Akers, the family whose name Akers, Mo. is named; Judy Maggard Stewart, the daughter of the late Prazida; and many others. For more information, contact Deloris Gray Wood at 573-729-2545.