News – Thursday, February 5th 2026

The public meeting for the Missouri Route 32 bridge replacement over Huzzah Creek in Dent County has changed venues and dates. Built in 1931, the bridge is in poor condition and has reached the end of its useful life. The roadway is anticipated to remain open during construction with a one-lane temporary bypass and temporary traffic signals directing motorists through the work zone. The new dates for the open-house style meeting is Tuesday, February 10 at Boss Assembly of God Church, 22518 State Highway 32 in Boss. Visitors may stop by anytime between 4:30 and 6:00 in the evening to speak with project team members, view exhibits outlining planned work and proposed detours, ask questions and leave comments. There will be no formal presentation. Meeting materials will also be available online. A three-week open comment period is ongoing now through February 17. Input may be submitted online through a form on the project webpage, emailed to CDCR@modot.mo.gov, or mailed to 1511 Missouri Boulevard, Jefferson City, Missouri 65102. All comments must be received or postmarked no later than February 17th. More details are available on the project’s webpage on MoDOT’s website, where interested parties may sign up for project-specific updates. MoDOT asks motorists to buckle up, put phones down, obey traffic signs and slowdown in work zones. For traffic updates, call 1-888-ASK-MoDOT or visit MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map.

After a successful first offering, Healthy Dent County will again offer Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University beginning Sunday, February 8 at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory. The seven-week workshop will meet weekly on Sundays from 2:00 to 3:30 in the afternoon at 1200 W. Rolla Road in Salem. Financial Peace University is a nationally recognized program that teaches step-by-step strategies for budgeting, wise spending, understanding insurance, buying and selling a home, building wealth and practicing generosity. Luke Heithold will lead the class and guide participants through lessons and group discussion in a supportive environment. Organizers said the workshop gives people realistic tools they can use in everyday life after seeing the impact from the first class offering. The cost to attend is $60, and seating is limited. Advance registration is encouraged. For more information or to register, call 573-729-8163. Questions may be emailed to Carlos@salemcommunitycenter.org.

Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick announced his office will conduct a thorough review of governmental operations in Reynolds County. The regularly scheduled performance audit of the county located in southeast Missouri officially commenced with a meeting with county officials on Monday, February 2nd. Auditor Fitzpatrick said that it’s good to regularly shine the light of transparency on county governments as it gives citizens a better understanding of how their government is operating and how it can improve. It also gives county officials a roadmap for how they can make changes that will lead to a system of government that is more accountable and less vulnerable to waste, fraud, or abuse. Fitzpatrick went on to say that we encourage anyone who may have information that is useful to our office while we conduct this audit to contact our Whistleblower Hotline. We appreciate the information we receive, and we keep every submission confidential. The Missouri State Auditor’s Office last conducted a performance audit of Reynolds County in 2018. The audit provided the county with a rating of “good” while making recommendations to improve procedures in the Sheriff’s office, including ensuring appropriate oversight of financial transactions. The State Auditor’s Office also released a closeout audit of the Reynolds County Collector in 2022. The report found the county collector did not properly review fees withheld on utility and delinquent taxes calculated by the property tax system for accuracy and, as a result, the county collector over withheld some fees. Individuals may provide information confidentially for consideration during the audit of Reynolds County to the State Auditor’s Whistleblower Hotline at 800-347-8597, by email at moaudit@auditor.mo.gov, or by visiting www.auditor.mo.gov/hotline.