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Mark Twain National Forest will offer three days of free day use and two free nights of camping at year-round recreation areas the second weekend in January. Free camping is being offered in unreserved campsites both Saturday and Sunday nights, and free day use is being offered at unreserved sites Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, January 14^th through 16^th in 2012. Motorized trail permits are still required for use of the Chadwick and Sutton Bluff trail systems, and normal fees still apply. Free camping and day use is being offered at Cobb Ridge in the Chadwick Motorcycle and ATV Area in Christian County and Greer Crossing on the Eleven Point River in Oregon County. In addition, the following campgrounds or camping areas are among those open year-round without fees: Berryman and Hazel Creek in Washington County; Bar-K in Christian County; Dry Fork in Callaway County and Big Piney Trail Camp in Texas County, all of which have facilities for equestrian camping; Paddy Creek in Texas County, Pine Ridge in Callaway County and McCormack Lake in Oregon County, where horses are not allowed. Mark Twain National Forest will be offering free use again later in 2012: Get Outdoors Day June 9^th with free camping on June 8^th and 9^th; free day use on June 9^th and 10^th and this is also free fishing weekend in Missouri; National Public Lands Day: September 29^th, with free camping September 28^th and 29^th, and free day use September 29^th and 30^th; and Veterans Day Weekend November 10^th through 12^th, with free camping on November 10^th and 11^th and free day use all 3 days. There will be a lot more recreation areas open and participating in the free use during the summer, but fees will still be charged at sites operated by concessionaires. For more information about the Mark Twain National Forest, go to www.fs.usda.gov/mtnf.

An accident occurred at 2:55 Tuesday afternoon in Texas County on Highway 137 about five and half miles North of Raymondville. According to the highway patrol a 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer driven by 29-year old Benjamin Ogden of Salem was traveling northbound, ran off the right side of the roadway, struck a driveway approach and overturned. Ogen suffered serious injury and was transported by aircraft to St. John’s Mercy Hospital in St. Louis. An occupant, 5-year old Kadyn Hall of Licking suffered minor injury and was transported by ambulance to the Texas County Memorial Hosptial. No one was wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident. The Chevrolet Trailblazer was totaled and removed from the scene by A1 Towing.

State Treasurer Clint Zweifel announced that $23.5 million in Unclaimed Property has already been returned in the first six months of fiscal year 2012. The amount is a 31 percent increase over the same record setting period the previous year. The total number of accounts returned in the first six months is also on record pace with 64,000 returned. That is a 7 percent increase over the same time the previous year. Since January 2009, Treasurer Zweifel has returned $106 million to more than 310,000 account holders and cut wait times for Unclaimed Property in half. More than 51,000 paperless claims have been paid, and more than 42,000 people have signed up for email notifications. The current 12-month Unclaimed Property records were set by Treasurer Zweifel in fiscal year 2011 when he returned $36 million to 120,000 account holders, breaking his previous record of $35 million to 92,000 account holders set in fiscal year 2010. The total dollar amounts and total accounts in Unclaimed Property remaining in the Mid-Missouri Region, which includes the counties of: Audrain, Benton, Boone, Callaway, Camden, Cole, Cooper, Dent, Gasconade, Howard, Maries, Miller, Moniteau, Montgomery, Morgan, Osage, Pettis, Phelps, Pulaski, Saline is  $22.4 million in more than 250,000 accounts. For more information about Unclaimed Property, go to ShowMeMoney.com.

Two American Red Cross Capital Area Chapter volunteers are assisting a Dent County resident whose mobile home burned. The fire was on Wednesday, January 4^th in the 2600 block of County Road 2240 near Salem. Volunteers met with the client Tuesday and provided for his immediate emergency needs by giving him resources to obtain food and clothing. The client also received a comfort kit, which includes personal hygiene items. The American Red Cross provides immediate assistance with food, clothing, shelter and other critical needs in the wake of disasters and emergencies. The Red Cross is able to respond 24/7 and provide a vast array of programs and services throughout the region due to the dedication of hundreds of volunteers who give freely of their time. All Red Cross disaster relief assistance is free, thanks to generous public support. For more information about volunteer opportunities, emergency services or a variety of other programs provided by the organization, please call (573) 635-1132, or log on to the Capital Area Chapter’s website at www.redcrosscapitalarea.org.

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