News – Monday, December 9th 2024

The Dent County Commission held their regular meeting Thursday morning at the Dent County Courthouse. At the meeting, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray said work crews would try to grade Dent County Road 6470, while other workers would be working on the dump bed on County Dump Truck 121 which is going up and down very slow. Mobray also said workers will be out measuring pipes and box culverts as many pipes after the heavy rains need to be extended to widen the road. Mobray said this work would not get done until 2025 once an inventory has been determined and ordered. District 2 Commissioner Gary Polk stated grading would be done on Dent County Roads 2020 and 5310. He said crews would be hauling sand to the shop for Montauk State Park and doing maintenance on county dump truck 124. He said crews may change tires on county truck 122 but Polk said he didn’t think they needed to be changed out yet. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson said he and Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams attended the opioid settlement committee meeting Thursday night. The commissioners approved roof repairs be made to the Dent County Annex Building for $1,200 and to the Dent County Judicial Building for $2,956 by Hope Construction. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said she is working on the county budget and the first day to sign up for positions in the 2025 April Municipal Election begins December 10th at the tax entity for which you want to run. The election will be held on April 8th. Commissioner Mobray announced the county has some surplus property they would like to sell before the end of the year. He said they have a Salt Dog Spreader Box, a 1997 Dodge 1500 pickup, and an old air compressor. Sealed bids may be left at the Dent County Courthouse in the clerk’s office, and they must be submitted by 10:00 in the morning on December 23rd. For more information about these items, call the Road and Bridge department at 573-729-7770. Mike Elliott from Town and Country Insurance  came in to visit about the new insurance premium through Tokio Marine HCC regarding the county building, property and auto insurance. The county had a 41% increase in their current premium over last year and it came in at $272,000. There were numerous deductibles that changed. Many such as coverage for law enforcement and auto doubled while other such as equipment and buildings more than doubled. Limitations on wind and hail damage to buildings were also added with a much higher deductible. The insurance begins January 1st and the county will not have time to rebid the insurance this year, but they will be taking bids from different insurance carriers during the summer of 2025. The next commissioner meeting will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and it is open to the public.

A 29-year old man from Salem died after a motorcycle crash early Sunday morning at 12:54 on Highway 32 about a mile west of Dent County Road 4350. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol report, the man was riding a 2008 Harley Davidson Sportster 883 westbound when he lost control on a turn and went off the left side of the road. The man was ejected from the motorcycle and was pronounced dead at the scene by Dent County Coroner Ben Pursifull. The man was not wearing safety equipment at the time of the accident and his body was taken to the Wilson Mortuary in Salem. The motorcycle sustained extensive damage and was removed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing.

The Creative Arts Center will hold a class on Wheat Christmas Stars Thursday evening, at 6:00 with Suzanne Douglass. Students will learn how to prepare the wheat straws, tied knots and how to combine multiple simple stars to make more elaborate ones. The cost of the class is $20. To sign up, go to the SACBA website, click on “Programs” link and then on Creative Arts Center.