News – Monday, April 13th, 2026

The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors will be meeting Tuesday evening at 6:00 at the Fire Station at #2 South Main. After the call to order and roll call will be the approval of the consent agenda, which includes review of previous meeting minutes, the financial report and approval of bills, plus the budget review. In old business, the board will address the Fidelity (CTI) Tower Lease. In new business, the board will discuss lawn care. Chief Thomas will give his report, which will include the monthly reimbursement report, followed by the setting of the date for the next meeting and closed session, if necessary, before adjournment. The regular meeting of the DCFPD Board of Directors is open to the public.

The Salem Public Library Board of Trustees held their meeting at 5:00 in the library’s conference room April 9th. After approving the previous meeting’s minutes, Library Director, Kate McBride presented the librarians report. During her report, she noted that items received and provided to Missouri Evergreen were down from the same time last year, but the circulation of books, ebooks, audio books, and periodicals were up. Paperback trade numbers were also up. After approving the financial report, the board discussed book reviews and correspondences. In Old Business, the board discussed plans for the South Basement repairs, and in New Business the board voted on and approved the placement of a Naloxone Box to be provided by the Dent County Health Center, more details about that installation will be provided at a later time. The meeting then adjourned. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Salem Public Library Board of Trustees is scheduled for May 14th at 5:00 in the library’s conference room, and is open to the public. 

The Salem R-80 High School participated in its annual Service Project Day on April 8th. Students started working with the sunrise, and their projects ranged from cleaning rocks from local park ball fields, repainting William Lynch Elementary’s playground games, organizing food and cleaning the local food pantry at the Shepherds Nook, stream clean up at Bonebrake, cleaning flower beds, spreading mulch and trimming trees at Salem Upper Elementary, walking the 34 acres of Cedar Grove Cemetery picking up trash, fallen flowers and limbs, organizing at the Salem Public Library, installing metal on the gables of Salem R-80’s administrative building and building insulated walls for the Salem’s Creative Arts Center. Heather Johnson organized these events with herself, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Tinker, Ms. Blair, Mrs. Terrill, and Mrs. Kettner supervising all activities.

A group of Salem High School students traveled to West Plains to participate in the Interscholastic Contest at Missouri State University West Plains. For the second year in a row, the students earned first place overall for Division I, which consists of six schools. Overall, there were twenty-four schools total. Not only are the students bringing home the trophy, but several students are bringing home some medals of their own. Division I medalists include: Ivan Brooks, August Scheel, Anna Belle Seye, Quin Dahms, Tabitha Deller, Addison Fulton, Maggie Hogan, Isabella Black, Harlie Click, Zoey Elliott, Abbi Terrill, Marshall White, and Haiden Shaw. Overall scoring medalists (for all divisions) include: Ave Wofford, Isabella Black, Tabitha Deller, Zoey Elliot, Carter Foster, and Marshall White. Congratulations to these students!