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The Dent County Commissioners held their regular meeting at the Dent County Courthouse Thursday morning. At the meeting District 1 Commissioner Bobby Simpson reported that grading would be done on Dent County Roads 540, 542, 602, 641, 642 and 646 and the rest of the District 1 crew would be repairing a dump truck bed. District 2 Commissioner J.J. Tune reported that grading would be done on Dent County Roads 207, 227 and 230 and brush would be cut on Dent County Road 213. Tune said the rest of the District 2 crew would be hauling material to various roads in the Sligo area that needed patching. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported that he had attended a SEMA Damage Assessment Training Meeting in Rolla and he would be attending a Community Block Grant Training Meeting today in Ozark and a Meramec Regional Emergency Management Committee meeting next Wednesday in St. James. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported that Poll Worker training for the February 5^th Election would be held next Wednesday night. Mary Faye Cook attended the meeting to ask about getting Iron Mountain Road chip and sealed. Commissioner Simpson said that the road is on the list for chip and seal, but he does not yet know how much money will be allocated for chip and seal until the budget is approved on the 28^th. Larry Sensintaffer, President of the Senior Citizens Board, came by the meeting to show the Commission a letter that he had received from the State Health & Senior Services office. The letter was a proposition for Dent County to create a Senior Falls Prevention Coalition Service that would help seniors learn techniques that would help to prevent falling. Sensintaffer is against this service and wanted the Commissions input on what he needed to do.  The Commission said the county nurse would be of more help and he should discuss this with the Health Center. The Commissioners will not meet on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but will meet next Thursday at 9:00 and the meeting is open to the public.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education held their regular meeting Thursday evening at the district administrative offices. Each board member received a plaque for their services for Board Recognition week. Superintendent Steve Bryant reported that incumbents Greg Stephens and Jimmy Williams have filed for the board along with Jack Blackwell and Joseph Howard for the three 3-year terms. Bryant reported that the Sixth Circuit US Court of Appeals ruled the “No Child Left Behind” Act was deemed unconstitutional for not providing funds for the mandates. The decision is being appealed. Bryant reported that the Judson Young Foundation donated $30,000 to school and he said that money would be used for computer upgrades in the computer labs. After a number of student presentations, the board heard from Cary Davison and about credit recovery and GED at the high school, and the alternative program from Phillip Karr at the junior high. They also heard about the Parents as Teachers from Karen Jones as she says she has 61 families with 85 children in the program. Bryant stated that the Salem R-80 report card is now available on the DESE website which is www.dese.mo.gov and it gives statistics on salaries, test scores, class sizes, etc. for Salem R-80 and all school districts in the state. The board approved the resignation of para-professional Kim Edwards and then approved the districts’ long-range plans from this year through 2011. This includes the possibility of a bond issue for school expansion, to begin a middle school concept in 2009, and to move the 9^th grade to the high school and the 6^th grade to the “middle school” by 2011 as well as implementing a pre-kindergarten class. The board then went into closed session.

The City of Salem will conduct a “Recycle Day” tomorrow from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at the corner of Third and Grand Streets in Salem. They will accept tin cans, plastic and glass items. For more information regarding the City of Salem “Recycle Day” call 729-4811.

Sports [TOP]

The Salem Boys basketball Tigers will face Fatima tonight in the semi-final round of the St. James Tournament starting at about 8:00. You can hear the game on KSMO Radio and online at www.ksmoradio.com. If Salem wins, they will play Saturday night in the Championship game at 8:00, and if they lose, they will play in the third place game at 6:30 at St. James. Salem enters the game with an 11-5 record.

The Salem Lady Basketball Tigers will travel to Licking to face the Lady Wildcats starting at 6:00 with the JV contest. The varsity game will follow. Salem goes into the contest with a 12-3 record.

The Missouri Tigers will face the Kansas Jayhawks Saturday night at 6:30. You can hear that game on KSMO Radio. Missouri enters the game with an 11-6 record and 1-1 in the Big 12.

The St. Louis Blues will be playing the Nashville Predators in a home and home series starting at 1:00 tomorrow afternoon and wrapping up Monday afternoon in Nashville. You can hear that game on KSMO Radio. The Blues have lost three straight games.

Former St. Louis Blues player Rob Ramage was sentenced to four years in prison for a 2003 crash that killed his friend, ex-Chicago Blackhawks player Keith Magnuson, according to a Toronto newspaper. Ramage had been convicted by a  Newmarket, Ontario, jury last October on five charges, including impaired driving causing death stemming from the accident. Ramage was driving a rental car that slammed head-on into another vehicle just north of Toronto, killing Magnuson. Ontario Superior Court Justice Alexander Sosna called the case serious with "tragic consequences" Thursday and noted Ramage had an otherwise "exemplary record", but felt he needed to send a message of deterrence against drunk driving. He then handed down the sentence of four years. The sentence has been appealed.

Obituaries   [TOP]

Funeral services for Sara F. Hanes of St. James, age 80, will be held Saturday, January 19^th at 11:00 at the James and Gahr Mortuary in St. James. Visitation will also be Saturday from 10:00 am until service time. Interment will be in the St. James Cemetery.

Funeral services for John Ronald Brewer of Linn Creek, age 37, will be held Saturday at 1:00 at the James & Gahr Chapel in Salem. Visitation will be Saturday morning at 10:00 until time of service. Interment will be in the Bunker Cemetery.

Memorial services for Charlene Dee Buchanan of Steelville, age 37, will be held Saturday at 3:00 at the Britton-Bennett Funeral Home in Steelville. Visitation will be from 1:00 until service time.

Funeral services for Ralph H. Tyree of Salem, age 96, will be held Sunday at 2:00 at the James and Gahr Mortuary. Visitation will also be Sunday from 11:00 am until time of service. Interment will be in the Cedar Grove Cemetery.

Funeral services for Betty Sheehan of Louisville Kentucky formerly of Salem, age 65, will be held Tuesday at 1:00 at the James & Gahr Chapel in Salem. Visitation will be from 11:00 until service time. Interment will be in the North Lawn Cemetery.

Funeral services for Joe R. Lacewell of Vichy, age 58, will be held at a later date. All the arrangements are under direction of James & Gahr Mortuary of St. James.

Funeral services for Vernon Major Pollard of Rolla, age 77, are incomplete at this time but under the direction of the James & Gahr Mortuary of Rolla.

Weather [TOP]