News – Wednesday, December 18th 2024

A devastating fire destroyed the Sheltered Workshop in Salem yesterday, leaving employees and community members stunned by the loss. The workshop, which mostly employs individuals with special needs, lost not only its facility but also approximately $13,000 worth of toys that were collected throughout the year and prepared for distribution to approximately 130 local children. Community members not only in Salem and Dent County; but neighboring communities poured in their support to replenish the lost toys. In less than 11 hours The Dent County Toy Drive reported on their Facebook page that not only had they been able to replace all of the toys lost in the fire, but were overwhelmed with donations. In a post they stated that they’ve been inundated with an outpouring of love and support. The toy distribution day has been postponed to Monday as volunteers need extra time to sort through all the donations and reorganize gifts for each child. With their financial and toy needs met they announced that any excess will be used in future toy drives. They are urging anyone that still wants to donate to please direct your generosity to Scenic Rivers Industries. To donate online you can go to PayPal.com/fundraiser/hub and search for Salem Area Community Betterment Association. Monetary donations are also being accepted at The Bank of Salem and The Salem Area Chamber of Commerce is accepting monetary donations, shelf stable foods, and toiletries for Scenic River Industries and their employees. The Chamber is located in the Crossroads Shopping Center at 1136 S Main Street in Salem.

The Dent County Sheriff’s office released some reports for the 2nd week of December. First on Sunday December 8th deputies took a report for an assault that occurred in the 1800 block of W. Highway 32. The investigation revealed that a 28-year-old Salem man was struck by a 28-year-old Salem woman. The investigation is ongoing. The next day Monday December 9th deputies conducted a traffic stop at Doss Rd. and E. Highway 32. During the course of the stop, a 42-year-old Salem man was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. The suspect was transported to the Dent County Jail and placed on a 24 hour hold pending issuance of formal charges. Then on Tuesday December 10th deputies responded to the unit block of County Road 6080 for a reported trespassing complaint. During the course of the investigation, a 43-year-old Salem man was arrested for violation of an ex-parte order of protection. The suspect was transported to the Dent County Jail and placed on a 24 hour hold pending issuance of formal charges. The following day Wednesday December 11th deputies conducted a traffic stop on W. Highway 32 near the Ranch Motel. During the course of the stop, the operator, a 31-year-old Salem man was found to be driving with a revoked driving privilege and no valid insurance. The investigation is ongoing. If you have any information on an ongoing investigation please contact the Sheriff’s office at 573-729-3241.

The Missouri Conservation Commission met December 12th for a closed executive session, and December 13th for its regular open meeting, both at the Missouri Department of Conservation St. Louis Regional Office in St. Charles. Among other items discussed, the commission approved recommendations to set season dates for each portion of the 2025-2026 firearms deer hunting season and recommendations to modify cervid carcass transport regulations and establish cervid carcass disposal regulations. They also approved recommendations to establish season dates and limits for the 2025 Missouri Spring Turkey Hunting seasons and regulation recommendations for conservation areas and managed hunts. The commission approved the advertisement and sale of an estimated 1,272,028 board feet of timber located on 586 acres of Compartment 33 of the Angeline Conservation Area in Shannon County. They also approved the advertisement and sale of an estimated 6,386,003 board feet of timber located on 1,375 acres of Compartment 22 in the Current River Conservation Area in Shannon and Reynolds County. They then set their next meeting for February 7th.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol would like to remind the public that driver examination stations throughout the state will be closed during the holidays starting with the Christmas closure Tuesday, December 24th at 12 noon and Wednesday, December 25th. Normal operations will resume on Thursday, December 26th. New Year’s Day closure will be Wednesday, January 1 with normal operations resuming on Tuesday, January 2, 2025. For more news, follow the Missouri State Highway Patrol on X @MSHPTrooperGHQ