News – Tuesday, November 5th 2024

The City of Salem has announced they have contracted with Forrester Works LLC to begin tree clearing and limb trimming along their electrical feeder lines to ensure safe and reliable electricity for city residents. The work, which started yesterday will continue through mid-January 2025. The electrical line clearing is critical to maintain public safety, protect infrastructure, and meet environmental standards. A map outlining the specific areas scheduled for clearing by Forrester Works LLC, is available for public viewing on Facebook, and affected areas are primarily those located along the noted electric routes. The work will be done along right-of-ways to keep the power lines free from obstruction. The goals from this project are to provide citizens with electricity in a safe manner, allow work to be done on the line safely and efficiently, and protect the electric distribution system. This project will also minimize negative impacts on the environment will allowing the city to comply with federal, state, and local regulations. By doing this work, the city hopes to reduce power outages and minimize storm clean up and dangers. A proper and safe reliable right-of-way primary line should have a minimum of 10 feet of ground to sky clearance on either side of the electric pole. The city wants to people to know that the contractor may need to side trim large trees planted outside of the 20-foot span to achieve this. When trees come into contact with power lines, children, adults, and even livestock are at risk of serious injury or worse. A clean right-of-way keeps you and your family, as well as our crews working out in the field, safe. Reliable power delivered safely is always the goal. The City of Salem also has “right-of-way” crews that will be performing routine maintenance and clearing, including the removal of trees and brush that have grown into or under city-maintained power lines and right-of-ways. In non-maintained areas, brush and/or large wood debris will be spread by brush hogging and/or shredding on city-maintained rights-of-way. The debris may also be piled along sides. Any trees located outside the rights-of-way that are a threat to the electric system (such as dying, diseased, leaning, or storm damaged trees) shall be stubbed, cut or appropriately topped to avoid outages, and clean-up will not be provided. Any further restoration/maintenance of the site will be the property owner’s responsibility. For more information or questions regarding the project, please contact the City of Salem’s Public Works Director Steve Paine at 573-729-4811. 

The Missouri State Highway Patrol would like to inform the public of upcoming changes to the driver license testing process. In preparation for the transition, driver examination stations throughout the state will close at 12 noon on Thursday, November 7, and all-day November 8. Normal operations will resume on Tuesday, November 12, following the Veterans Day holiday. Driver examination testing facilities will be closed due to converting to a modernized system, directly integrated into the Department of Revenue’s new driver license system. Follow this link for further information on the driver’s license system changes being implemented by the Missouri Department of Revenue MV-DL System Changes (mo.gov). As part of this upgrade, the Patrol will now offer the Class F written test in a total of 20 languages, which includes a newly created sign language video version of the test made possible by the Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The new system will provide a direct digital reporting network to the Department of Revenue. The system will increase efficiency by sending test results directly to the Department of Revenue. The new system will also help deter driver license fraud. For more information, please visit our website at mshp.dps.mo.gov.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports Missouri hunters harvested 15 black bears during the state’s fourth bear hunting season, October 21st-30th. More than 5,969 hunters applied during May for 400 permits for the season with the maximum total harvest being 40 bears. Of the 400 hunters selected through a random drawing of all applicants, 319 hunters purchased permits for the season. Bear hunting in Missouri is limited to Missouri residents and restricted to three designated areas of southern Missouri called Bear Management Zones (BMZ). Each permit issued is for a specific BMZ and hunting is limited to public or private property within the BMZ. Twelve bears were harvested in BMZ 1 out of a maximum of 20 with 166 hunters purchasing permits to hunt the zone. Three bears were harvested in BMZ 2 out of a maximum of 15 with 121 hunters purchasing permits to hunt the zone. No bears were harvested in BMZ 3 out of a maximum of five with 32 hunters purchasing permits to hunt the zone. Of the bears taken, 13 were harvested using firearms methods, one was harvested with archery equipment, and one was harvested with a crossbow. Ten of the harvested bears were males and five were females. MDC Furbearer Biologist Nate Bowersock said we had another successful black bear hunting season this year and despite the acorn crop potentially being above average, hunters were able to harvest a record number of bears. This could be due to the dryer fall conditions, which likely caused bears to move more often in search of water. Learn more about Missouri black bears and bear hunting in Missouri at mdc.mo.gov.

Ozark National Scenic Riverways last free guided hiking adventures this fall will be November 9th and it is open to the public. This will be the “Hike to Honor Veterans” which is a five-mile round trip to Stegall Mountain. The hike begins at 10:00 in the morning.  Hikers are advised to come prepared with appropriate gear, water, and snacks. For more information or details on meeting locations, call (573) 226-3945 or visit the park’s website.