News – Wednesday, September 3rd 2025

Five people died in traffic crashes and one person drowned during the 2025 Labor Day holiday weekend, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The counting period ran from 6:00 Friday evening, August 29, through 11:59 Monday night, September 1. Troopers worked 222 traffic crashes with 104 injuries during the holiday period. They made 100 driving while intoxicated arrests and 14 drug arrests. Two people died Saturday, August 30. A 52-year-old man from Clarkton died when his motorcycle drove off a dead-end road into a ditch on a farm road one mile east of Clarkton in New Madrid County. He was not wearing a helmet. A 48-year-old female pedestrian from Excelsior Springs was killed while walking on southbound Missouri 291 north of Middlebrook Drive in Clay County. Two people were killed Sunday, August 31. A 46-year-old man from Bunker died when his vehicle traveled off the right side of westbound Missouri 72, overcorrected, went off the left side and overturned 10 miles east of Bunker in Reynolds County. He was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle. A 42-year-old male pedestrian was killed while attempting to cross Missouri 364 near Jungermann in St. Charles County. One person died Monday, September 1. A 16-year-old male was killed when the UTV he was driving overturned while making a turn on private property three miles east of Anderson in McDonald County. He was not using a safety device. On the water, troopers investigated three boating crashes with four injuries and no fatalities. They made nine boating while intoxicated arrests. One person drowned at Lake of the Ozarks at Public Beach Two in Camden County Saturday. The victim was a 19-year-old male from Glenwood, Illinois, who entered the water by unknown means and did not resurface.

The Missouri Department of Conservation indicates that orders can be submitted now through April 15th for shrubs and tree seedlings from the George O. White State Forest Nursery near Licking. Native trees and shrubs can help improve wildlife habitat and soil and water conservation while also improving the appearance and value of private property. A variety of low-cost native tree and shrub seedlings are sold for reforestation, windbreaks, erosion control, wildlife food and cover, and other purposes. The nursery provides mainly one-year-old, bare-root seedlings with sizes varying by species. Seedling varieties include: pine, bald cypress, cottonwood, black walnut, hickory, oak, pecan, persimmon, river birch, maple, willow, sycamore, blackberry, buttonbush, hazelnut, redbud, ninebark, elderberry, sumac, wild plum, witch hazel, and others. New this year, MDC will offer four bundle types of seedlings: wildlife, pollinator, edible, and nut bundles. Each customer is limited to only two of each bundle. Seedlings are available in bundles of 10 or increments of 25 per species. Prices range from 40 cents to $1.17 per seedling. Sales tax will be added to orders unless tax exempt. There is a shipping fee and a $9 handling charge for each order. Receive a 15% discount up to $20 off seedling orders with a Conservation ID Number. The nursery grows millions of seedlings each year, but some species are very popular and sell out quickly and some seedlings occasionally succumb to harsh weather or hungry wildlife, despite the nursery staff’s best efforts. Even if a species is listed as “sold out,” customers can still place an order for those seedlings because other orders may get canceled, freeing up inventory. Customers won’t be charged for seedlings unless they are available to ship. Orders will be shipped or can be picked up at the nursery near Licking from February through May. The 2025-26 seedling order forms are available at MDC regional offices and nature centers, or you can contact the George O White State Forest Nursery at 573-674-3229. You can also request a form by e-mail StateForestNursery@mdc.mo.gov. Trees or shrub seedlings can also be ordered on the Missouri Department of Conservation website at mdc.mo.gov.

Missouri, traffic fatalities in the state are down – so far – for the third consecutive year. Preliminary data shows from January 1st through August 24th, 2025, 577 people were killed in Missouri traffic crashes, down from 589 during the same period last year. While the 2% decrease is encouraging, it’s too early to know if progress will hold, especially as Missourians transition to fall traffic patterns. Last year, 344 people lost their lives in a Missouri traffic crash after September 1st, through December 31st, 2024, and there were 364 such fatalities for the same time frame in 2023. If Missouri is to end the year with another reduction in traffic fatalities, continued gains in the final four months of the year will be crucial. MoDOT is encouraging all Missourians to help keep momentum by committing to four simple actions: Buckle up, phone down, slow down, and drive sober. Drivers can plan their trip ahead of time with MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map at www.traveler.modot.org, where they can find current work zones, closures and incidents. Missouri’s strategic highway safety plan, Show-Me Zero, provides more information for how all Missourians can do their part to achieve zero traffic fatalities. The plan can be viewed at www.savemolives.com.

Are you needing a gift for a birthday, or a thank you? You can now get gift certificates from the Creative Arts Center. Simply fill out the informational form at sacba.org/event-details/digital-gift-certificate, and either print it or have it emailed. The card is worth $25 and can be used towards any class or event now up to December 30, 2026.