News – Wednesday, May 7th 2025

Mayor Greg Parker has called for a special meeting of the Board of Aldermen for 6:00 this evening at the Old City Hall Auditorium at 202 North Washington. After the call to order, roll call, and approval of the agenda Bill No. 3653, an ordinance authorizing the Mayor to execute Change Order No. 4 with Donald Maggi, Inc., for the Salem Sidewalk Improvement Project (TAP 9901(520)) will be considered.

The Community Blood Center of the Ozarks, the sole supplier of blood, platelets, and plasma to patients at 45 area healthcare facilities, is asking everyone to team up to help support blood needs in their community by donating during the “Bleed Red” promotion at the upcoming community blood drive in Salem on Tuesday, May 13th from 12:00 noon until 6:00 in the evening at the First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall at 201 North MacArthur. Successful donors will receive a three-quarter sleeve Springfield Cardinals baseball T-shirt and a voucher for two free admissions to an upcoming Springfield Cardinals game, while supplies last. Community Blood Center of the Ozarks donors provide all the blood for patients at Salem Memorial District Hospital, Phelps Health, as well as other healthcare facilities. To help avoid wait times, appointments are strongly encouraged. Donors can schedule an appointment at www.cbco.org/baseball/ or by calling 417-227-5006.

There will be a “Sign N’ Wine” class on creating Spring Front Porch Welcome Signs with Danielle Norris will be held on Friday, May 9th from 6:00 until 9:00 in the evening. What better way to welcome spring than with a customized sign for your front porch! Stencils and all the supplies are provided. You can bring a board or purchase one from us. The Arts Center boards will be 8 inches wide by 34 inches long. or 15 by 15 square You bring your ideas, and we will supply you with the instructions and one on one help to make your perfect piece! Feel free to bring your own vinyl for patterns or any extra things you may want on your sign. The cost of the class is is $35 if we supply a board, or $20 if you supply your own At least six people must attend the class and it will be limited to 16.  To sign up, go to the SACBA website, click on “Programs” link and then on the Creative Arts Center.

The spring season brings blooms, sunny skies, warmer temperatures, and a variety of newborn animals. Young wildlife can pull on our heartstrings as they look to be abandoned, but that’s rarely the case. The Missouri Department of Conservation reminds the public that the best place for wildlife is in the wild. A common newborn species we may encounter in the spring is young birds. When you see newborns alone, that means the parents are likely out searching for food and will return. If you see a chick with feathers hopping on the ground, leave it alone because it’s a fledgling and its parents are nearby keeping watch. Fledglings can spend up to 10 days on the ground learning to fly. If you find one that has no feathers, it likely fell out of its nest, and you can return it to the nesting area if possible. Another animal you shouldn’t interfere with is young rabbits. Rabbits seldom survive in captivity and can actually die of fright from being handled. A common myth is that human scent does will cause wild mothers to reject their young but that’s not true. It takes a lot of knowledge to care for and rehabilitate wild animals and it requires special training, permits, and facilities. Not to mention, it’s illegal to possess many wild animals without a valid state or federal permit. Wildlife can become dangerous as they mature, and can carry disease, parasites, and cause property damage. People have good intentions, and it can be tempting to take these cute, young animals in our homes, but the best thing we can do for wild animals is to leave them in the wild.

The Missouri Department of Revenue is warning Missourians of ongoing nationwide text scams. The department has received a large increase in calls reporting these phishing texts. These texts are often threatening, claiming to be from the Missouri Department of Revenue or Department of Motor Vehicles and may include a warning regarding unpaid traffic violations, outstanding toll charges, or fines owed. These texts are NOT from the Missouri Department of Revenue and are NOT LEGITIMATE. The department will not send requests for payment or request personal information via text message. If you receive one of these phishing texts do NOT click on any links in the text, do NOT respond to the text, and be sure to delete the text. The department is working with law enforcement agencies to mitigate these illegal messages.