Local News – Tuesday, December 1st, 2020
The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting Monday at the courthouse. Matt Presti was in attendance to ask to use the courthouse lawn for a patriotic rally for Saturday December 5th, but the lawn had already been reserved. Presti then asked to hold the rally on December 12th from 1:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon and the commission approved his request. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams gave the amount of CART money received this month and it came to $55,375.81 which is down from last year by $2,885.69. Year-to-date, CART receipts are down $31,487.86. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell stated materials would be added and grading done on Dent County Road 4080 while only grading would be done on county road 6110. Purcell said brush would be cut on county road 5610, and a technician will be installing a new starter on the grader that serves the Bunker area. Once that is done, grading will be done on county road 5615. Purcell said that all crews before starting on their assigned duties would be checking for downed limbs and trees from the high winds on Sunday. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson reported materials would be added and grading done on Dent County Roads 2010 and 5330 while only grading would be done on county road 2110. He also said brush would be cut on county road 2403. Dent County Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said a contractor would be working on the existing Christmas lights on the courthouse to have them ready by Saturday. He discussed with the other commissioners about putting out a request for proposals to do a study and overall evaluation of the courthouse for numerous repairs and improvements. They discussed the need to get this done so that it can be included in the 2021 county budget. Skiles also corrected an error in the minutes from the previous meeting for a pre-approval for the Scenic Rivers Industries as the amount they asked for $7,393.38 and not $73,393.38. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said she was working on the 2021 county budget. The next meeting of the commissioners will be Monday at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.
A one vehicle accident happened Sunday evening at 6:45 on Highway 32 about 15 miles west of Salem. The report from the highway patrol states that a 2005 Ford Mustang being driven by 25-year old Brittany Taylor of Salem, was westbound when she traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck several trees. Taylor suffered minor injuries and was transported by a private vehicle to Salem Memorial District Hospital for treatment. According to the report, Taylor was wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Mustang was totaled and removed from the scene by Whitakers Towing.
Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation shows that deer hunters in Missouri harvested 176,604 deer during the November portion of firearms deer season, Nov. 14-24. Of the 176,604 deer harvested, 95,654 were antlered bucks, 16,045 were button bucks, and 64,905 were does. Top harvest counties were Howell with 3,496 deer harvested, Franklin with 3,409, and Texas with 3,375. In the local area, Dent County hunters checked 2,241 deer, Shannon County had 2,155 deer harvested, Crawford County reported 2,056 deer taken, Reynolds County had 1,790 deer checked, Phelps County had 1,406 deer harvested and Iron County had 1,235 deer taken. Last year hunters checked 179,960 deer during the November portion of firearms deer season with 91,917 being antlered bucks, 17,330 being button bucks, and 70,713 being does. The Department of Conservation reported three firearms-related hunting incidents during the November portion of the firearms deer season with all being non-fatal and self-inflicted. Archery deer season resumes November 25th through January 15th, 2021. The antlerless portion of firearms deer season runs December 4th – 6th, followed by the alternative methods portion December 26th – January 5th, 2021.
The Salvation Army will once again partner with Wal-Mart for the annual Angel Tree program. Local residents have always enjoyed adopting a child, shopping for clothing, coats, hats, and toys. Some families use this time of year to teach their children the importance of giving during the holiday season. The Angel Tree at Wal-Mart is now available with the final date to adopt an angel being Friday, December 18th. Sign-ups for families wanting to participate in the Angel Tree will be held TODAY and this Thursday at the Dent County Fire Station from 3:30 to 5:30 in the afternoon. If you need more information about the Angel Tree or Salvation Army, call Sherry Lea at 729-8163 or e-mail sherry@salemcommunitycenter.org.