News – Thursday, January 29th 2026

The City of Salem Board of Aldermen meeting that was scheduled for Tuesday, January 27th, has been postponed until the next regularly scheduled meeting date which will be February 10th at the Salem City Hall Auditorium.

Dent County Opioid Fund Disbursement Board Chairman Rick Letchworth has called a meeting of the Dent County Opioid Settlement Committee at 6:00 tonight at the Dent County Associate Courtroom at 112 East 5th Street. After the roll call and approval of previous meeting minutes, the agenda calls for the reading of the applications for funding that were received before the committee will accept questions and comments from applicants. The committee will then discuss the applications and determine which ones should be approved for funding. The committee will then set future application for funding deadlines and set the next meeting date for future applications approval before adjourning. The Dent County Opioid Settlement Committee meeting tonight is open to the public.

The Salem Police Department has released two reports that occurred in the last few days. The first report was in regard to the arrest of a Salem woman on a felony arrest warrant which occurred on January 23rd. According to their report, three Salem Police patrolmen conducted a short-term investigation into the whereabouts of a wanted fugitive. The officers responded to the 300 block of East Fourth Street where they located the subject and identified her as Alexis Alguilar. Alguilar was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Dent County Jail. Alguilar had an active probation violation stemming from the original charge for the Unlawful Possession of a Firearm and is currently being held without bond. In the second report that occurred on January 27th, a Salem Police patrolman and detective conducted a short-term investigation regarding the whereabouts of a wanted fugitive related to a prior narcotics investigation. Officers responded to the 400 block of West Ninth Street where they located the subject and identified him as David Howell. Howell was taken into custody and transported to the Dent County Jail. Howell had failed to appear in court on the charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance and Keeping or Maintaining a Public Nuisance. Howell is currently being held without bond. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol has released the following statistics from this past weekend’s winter storm. According to the release the patrol responded to 1,437 calls for service and assisted 289 stranded motorists. They responded to 207 minor crashes that resulted in 30 injuries. The patrol stated that there was one fatality crash, but it was not related to the weather.

The Missouri Department of Conservation reminds hunters that portable tree stands must be removed from conservation areas by February 1st. This applies to areas where black bear, deer, or elk hunting is allowed, allowed by special-use permit, or except as otherwise authorized in the Wildlife Code of Missouri. According the Wildlife Code, only portable tree stands are allowed on conservation areas, and only from September 1st through January 31st. Unattended stands must be plainly labeled on a durable material with the full name and address, or conservation number, of the owner and must be removed from the area before February 1st. Use of nails, screw-in steps, and any material or method that would damage the tree is prohibited. Any tree stand found on conservation areas after February 1st may be removed and seized as evidence by conservation agents until an owner can be determined or a court order for its disposition can be obtained. Get more information on the Wildlife Code of Missouri from MDC online at mdc.mo.gov.

Signups for the City of Salem Park and Recreation Department’s Youth Soccer program are going on now for $35 per person until February 6th. Planned age divisions are four and under, six and under, eight and under, ten and under, 12 and under and 14 and under. To sign up, go to the Salem Park and Recreation Facebook page and find the link to Teamsnap to register your child online. Late registration begins February 7th and will last until February 13th and there will be an additional $10 charge. If you have a problem getting registered, e-mail Park and Recreation Director Melissa Dubois at salemparks@salemmo.com.