News – Thursday, July 9th, 2026

The Dent County 4-H and FFA Expo kicks off Tuesday, July 14th at The Commons with the setting up of the Exhibit Entries from 4:00 to 6:30. Those entries will be judged starting Wednesday morning, July 15th at 10:00. That same evening at 6:00 will be the Dessert Auction. Entry forms are available at the Dent County Extension Office or call them at 573-729-3196 and they can e-mail you an entry form. Dessert items must be brought in between 3:00 and 5:00 to the multi-purpose building at The Commons that Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday, July 16th, livestock registration will be from 9:30 until 11:30 and all livestock MUST be in place by 11:00. Weigh-ins are scheduled to start at 12:30 with the Small Animal Show beginning at 2:00. The “Pig Pals” practice will be at 5:00 with the show to follow at 5:30. The exhibitor and family supper will be held at 6:00. On Friday, July 17th, the shows will kick off at 7:00 in the morning with the hog show, followed by the Sheep and Goat Show. The Beef and Dairy Show will start at 1:00 Friday afternoon. On Saturday morning, July 18th, at 8:00, there will be a breakfast that will be followed at 9:00 with the highlight of the Expo, the 4-H and FFA Market Sale. The auction will be carried live on KSMO Radio (AM 1340 and FM 95.7) and also live streamed on KSMO Media (ksmoradio.com, KSMO Stream Facebook and the KSMO YouTube Channel.) For additional information contact the Dent County Extension office at (573) 729-3196.

Following the severe weather that impacted communities across Missouri over the holiday weekend, the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance (DCI) reminds Missourians who have questions or concerns about their insurance coverage to contact the department’s Consumer Hotline at 800-726-7390 or visit insurance.mo.gov/consumers. DCI encourages consumers to remember three important steps as they begin to recover and start the insurance claims process: Inspect and document damage by taking photos or video evidence of damage to homes, vehicles, or personal belongings. Take steps to prevent further damage after a loss, such as covering a damaged roof with a tarp or boarding broken windows, and keep all receipts for emergency repairs as they may be reimbursable. File your claim as soon as possible by contacting your insurance company or agent promptly to report damage and be prepared to provide details and documentation. Filing early can help avoid delays.

The Dent County Clerk’s office has available a sample ballot and fair ballot language for the amendments for voters for the Tuesday, August 4th, 2026 Primary Election. Voters must choose one party to vote on: Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or non-partisan. All ballots will feature the four constitutional amendments, but non-partisan ballots will ONLY have the four constitutional amendments. For Amendment No. 1, a “yes” vote will continue for 10 years the one-tenth of one percent sales/use tax that is used for soil and water conservation and for state parks and historic sites. This will be resubmitted to the voters for approval in 10 years. A “no” vote will not continue this sales/use tax. If passed, this measure will not increase or decrease taxes. For Amendment No. 2, A “yes” vote will amend the Missouri Constitution to require that all charter counties, including Jackson County, elect a county assessor and that such assessors comply with training requirements established by state law. A “no” vote will not change the current constitutional provisions, which exempt Jackson County from the requirement to elect its assessor and do not require charter county assessors to follow training requirements under general law. If passed, this measure will have no impact on taxes. For Amendment No. 4, a “yes” vote will amend the Missouri Constitution to: modify current requirements of Article III and Article XII that a simple statewide majority of voters may approve initiative petitions to amend the constitution; require a majority of voters in each congressional district to approve initiative petitions to amend the constitution; and make available to each voter the full text of initiative petitions with their ballot. A “no” vote will not amend the Missouri Constitution to require majority approval in each congressional district for initiative petitions to amend the constitution or make available the full text of initiative petitions with the ballot. If passed, this measure will not increase or decrease taxes. For Amendment No. 5, a “yes” vote will amend the Missouri Constitution to require legislative phase-out and elimination of the individual state income tax based on revenue growth, and authorize the expansion of sales and use taxes; curtail constitutional limits on taxing goods and services; and require local tax rate cuts without reducing school funding if local sales tax revenue increases. A “no” vote will not amend the Missouri Constitution to require legislative phase-out and elimination of the individual state income tax based on revenue growth; and will not authorize the expansion of sales and use taxes. At this time, the impact on taxes is unknown. Absentee voting at the Dent County Clerk’s Office continues through Aug. 3rd. No excuse absentee voting will begin July 21st. To stay up to date on upcoming deadlines and voting information, be sure to follow the Dent County Elections Facebook page by searching Facebook for “Dent County Elections/County Clerk-Angie Curley.” For more voting or election information, visit the Missouri Secretary of State website at sos.mo.gov/elections/goVoteMissouri.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) reminds drivers to stay alert while driving in areas known to flood. It doesn’t take much water to sweep a vehicle off the roadway. Turn around, don’t drown. Do not drive around barriers. Drivers are reminded to slow down at night.