News – Tuesday, March 25th 2025

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning at the courthouse. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Keith Green said grading will occur on Dent County Roads 4150, 4155, 6245 and 6500, while rock will be added to the roads where needed. He did say brush would be cut on county road 6240. District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams said a crew would be installing a driveway pipe on county road 2245 and rock would also be added to that road. Williams indicated grading would be done on Dent County Roads 2370, 2700, 3120, 4350 and 4353; while rock will also be added to county road 6500. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson said Ameren Missouri will be holding public hearings in April to increase the price of natural gas rates. All the public hearings will be at 6:00 and they will be in Cape Girardeau on April 14th, Wentzville on April 16th, and in Jefferson City on April 21st. A virtual public hearing will also be held on April 24th at noon or at 6:00. For all the details, go to the Missouri Public Service Commission website and in the search bar, look for Public Hearings.  Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said the no excuse absentee voting for the Municipal Election begins today and the last day to have an absentee ballot mailed out will be Wednesday. Her office will be open for absentee voting on Saturday, April 5th from 8:00 in the morning until 12:00 noon. Curley also said the voting equipment public test will be April 1st at 9:00 in the morning. Curley also said the Secretary of State’s office will be sending out RFQ for a new centralized Missouri voter registration computer system and she was asked and accepted being one of the ten county clerks on the committee. At the last meeting, the Commission agreed 3-0 and signed the Order & Ordinance of the Dent County Commission 3/20/25 adopting the procedures to carry out the purposes and intent of the referendum held on November 5, 2024, in the General Election authorizing a property tax credit pursuant to Senate Bill 190 and 756, known as a “homestead credit.” The Commission also agreed 3-0 to sign Resolution 3/20/25 in support of state funding to assist the SB40 board with the rebuilding of the sheltered workshop in Salem. Jay Stabler with Custom Home Elevators of St Louis came in to visit. He talked about a stair lift, but the Commission will have to get with the Fire Chief to see if that is going to work and not a fire hazard. The next meeting of the commission will be Thursday morning at 9:00 and the meeting will be open to the public.

The Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors will meet this evening at 7:00 in the Hospital Library. The call to order and roll call will be followed by the approval of the agenda. Public comments and presentation will be heard, and speakers must sign in and are limited to 3-minute time limit. The minutes of the February 25th meeting will be approved followed by the CEO Report. The Hospital Report including the summary of operation, which will include the approval of the monthly financial, the Chief Nursing Report, the Human Services Report, and the Quality Improvement/Risk Management Report. The Chief of Staff Report will be followed by Old and New Business. The Board will go into Executive Session for discussion with legal counsel and personnel, followed by adjournment. Any person who would like to attend by telephone or electronic means should contact SMH Administration Office at 573-729-6626, extension 4005, to obtain access information. The regular session of the SMH Board of Directors this evening is open to the public.

The Salem R-80 School district held their regular meeting Thursday evening at 5:30 in the administration building. After approving the agenda and consent agenda, Superintendent Dr. Nathan Wills shared communication from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Tammy Schmidt family, the Sue Tucker family and the Licking VFW. Dr. Wills delivered a comprehensive Superintendent’s Report covering numerous topics, including updates on FEMA building construction, the upcoming teacher and staff dress code, and the successful school bus inspection results from March 20th, 2025. He expressed gratitude to the Licking VFW for their generous $1,000 donation to the Salem High School Robotics team and acknowledged the contributions of the Agriculture Department and building staff. Dr. Wills also reported on current teacher openings and the closeout of the Construction Trades Block Development Grant, while announcing Dr. Blau’s appointment as the district’s representative for eighth-grade transition. During new business, the Board unanimously approved the 2025-2026 OPAA contract agreement, an out-of-state trip for Construction Trades/Skills USA, revised gate prices for non-conference activities, and the engagement of Mickes/DeBeer Litigation Group for legal services. The board also held a discussion regarding a Fireworks Display location request. Additionally, the board acknowledged personnel changes including the transfer of Amy Major to an Interventionist position and the retirements of Kim Cooper and Stacey Hall, as well as the resignation of Brianna Corkell. After concluding the public portion of the meeting, the Board moved into Executive Session to discuss personnel matters, before adjourning.