News – Wednesday, April 1st, 2026

An accident occurred in Dent County Monday afternoon at approximately 5:00 on Highway 19 at Dent County Road 4060. According to the Highway Patrol report, an eastbound 2005 Ford F150, driven by a 69-year-old Salem man, ran off the right side of the roadway. The driver overcorrected, and the Ford ran off the left side of the roadway where it overturned. The man suffered serious injuries and was transported by Salem Ambulance and then Air Evac. The report stated that the man was not wearing a safety restraint. The F150 was totaled and removed from the scene by Whitakers Towing of Salem. 

An accident occurred in Dent County Monday evening at approximately 7:00 on Highway H near Dent County Road 2380. According to the Highway Patrol report a westbound 2000 Dodge Ram 1500, driven by a 34-year-old Edgar Springs man, ran off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree. The man suffered minor injuries and was transported by Salem Ambulance to Salem Memorial Hospital. The report stated that the man was not wearing a safety restraint. The Dodge Ram was totaled and removed from the scene by the owner. 

This guide provided by Dent County Clerk Angie Curley provides essential information for residents for the general municipal election: The final day to vote no-excuse absentee in-person is next Monday, April 6th. Election Day will be next Tuesday, April 7th, and polls will be open from 6:00 in the morning to 7:00 in the evening. You must present a valid government-issued photo ID at your polling location. If your polling location is the Green Forest R-II School Gym, it will not be an active polling site for this election. If unsure of where your polling location is, contact the Dent County Clerk’s office at 573-729-4144. You can obtain a sample ballot also by contacting the Dent County Clerk’s office. Remember that there is no electioneering allowed within or near the polls on Election Day within 25 feet. This includes asking someone for their vote, distributing campaign literature, wearing campaign shirts, hats, pins, etc. Make sure all of your voting information is up to date, such as your address or name. 

According to a press release Salem R-80 District Superintendent Nate Wills provided this afternoon, the Salem High School was one of just 37 high schools, out of nearly 1,000 total statewide, to voluntarily participate in an initiative launched in 2025 to test wastewater for illicit drugs of concern. These schools support their communities and the state by helping to identify potential drug trends affecting students and the surrounding community. Participation demonstrates the district’s proactive commitment to prevention, awareness, and early identification of substance use trends. Wills clarified that the wastewater sample connected to the district was not collected from a dedicated sewer line serving only the high school and middle school. Instead, it intersects with the broader municipal system, meaning it reflects wastewater from the city at large, not exclusively from the school facilities. Sampling occurred between 8:00 in the morning and 3:30 in the afternoon over a 10-week period. During that time, a substance identified as a nitazene, a highly potent synthetic opioid, was detected in one week of the sampling. Because the sample was not exclusive to school facilities, this result cannot be necessarily attributed to the Salem R-80 students, staff, or campuses specifically. However, it reinforces the importance of continued awareness, education, and prevention efforts both in our schools and throughout the community. Earlier this week, district leadership met with Jamie Myers, Director of Prevention Consultants of Missouri; David Chirban, Coordinator of Drug Free Communities; Sherry L. Lea, Executive Director of Healthy Dent County; Carlos Lopez, Healthy Dent County Youth Prevention Coordinator; and Jessica Ricks, Population Health Director at the Dent County Health Center to review the findings and determine next steps on prevention and education. In addition to these partnerships, the district continues to actively implement prevention-focused programming for students. These efforts include Teens On Prevention, a student-led coalition that promotes healthy choices and leadership among peers; Teens Teach Prevention, a peer-to-peer model that empowers students to educate and support one another; and Too Good For Drugs, a research-based curriculum provided to students in grades 4–9 that focuses on building decision-making skills, resilience, and resistance to substance use. Data like this is critically important as communities and the State of Missouri work together to counteract dangerous drugs, protect lives, prevent addiction, and reduce the serious health, safety, and social consequences associated with substance use. Wills concluded that if the community has questions or would like more information about resources available to families, please contact any of the Salem R-80 building offices. The district will continue to partner with local organizations and keep the community informed on the issue.