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An investigation of the robbery of a Lecoma woman by the Dent County Sheriff’s Department has led to the arrest of three Dent County individuals for their role in the event. Felony charges of stealing $750 from a purse without consent have been filed against Donald Wethy, Jr., Dawn Smith and Joe Jackson. Wethy and Jackson are being held in the Dent County Jail on a $15,000 bond, while Smith is being held in the Crawford County Jail on a $15,000 bond. According to Sheriff Rick Stallings, the report of the robbery was reported to the sheriff’s office at 3:04 in the morning on January 20th. The victim told the Dent County Deputy that a light-colored car was parked a short distance away from her home and was in front of the Anutt Country Store. The victim said that Smith and Jackson came to her door to use the phone as they said they had a flat tire. The victim stated that Jackson used the telephone to get help to change the flat in the dining room while she was in the living room with Smith. After the call they left her residence and later she discovered the money missing. The deputy was able to videotape the tire tracks from the location of the car according to the victim to another residence where the three individuals were looking for a ride to Licking.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education will conduct their monthly meeting tonight at the district administrative offices boardroom beginning at 6:00 pm. After approval of the agenda and communications, Superintendent Cindy Rumpf will do Board recognition and then update the Board on the election filings. In old business, the Board will receive updated information on the Promethean Board. In new business, a six-month budget comparison will be presented, there will be discussion about a junior high football cooperative and the Board will address resignations. The Board will then vote to go into Closed Session to discuss records protected from disclosure and personnel. The regular monthly meeting of the Salem R-80 Board of Education is open to the public. 

This January 1, 2011 marked the official merger of Missouri’s Water Patrol and Highway Patrol agencies.  Both agencies, which had previously operated separately under the state’s Department of Public Safety, have been working together since August 2010 to create a new division within the Highway Patrol known as the Water Patrol Division. The merger of these two agencies is expected to combine administrative efficiencies and enhance the service and protection to the citizens and visitors of Missouri both on the roads and waterways of the state. Members of the Water Patrol Division will attend four weeks of training at the Missouri State Highway Patrol Academy followed by 10 days of in-car training to familiarize the troopers with highway enforcement policy and procedures. Similar training is in the works for Highway Patrol troopers, which will include boat operations, survival swimming, watercraft law, and defensive tactics both in the water and confined areas such as one would find during a boat stop. The newly created Water Patrol Division will continue to operate the Underwater Dive and Recovery Unit. Officers from the Water Patrol Division are being utilized within other special units of the Highway Patrol, such as K-9 officers and SWAT officers with training and experience in the water environment. The merger will enhance safety on roads and on waterways by the consolidation of assets making the agency even stronger in Missouri.

Sho-Me Power Electric Cooperative, the transmission cooperative that supplies electric power to Intercounty Electric Cooperative, and Intercounty contractors will be clearing trees and brush through the high-voltage power transmission line and the distribution line right-of-way (ROW) in the Salem area. This is an important part in the goal of delivering safe, reliable, cost effective electric service to Intercounty members and the City of Salem. In order to maintain an adequate level of reliability and to ensure a high standard of quality service to their members and wholesale purchasers, Intercounty Electric and Sho-Me Power monitors and manages vegetation growth that may create a potential problem. Trees and branches that grow into or near power lines can cause outages and system disturbances especially when there are increased levels of rain, wet snow, ice or severe wind conditions. Tree and brush clearing can help reduce the number and length of outages. By keeping the brush and shrubbery out of the right-of-way, emergency repairs can be completed faster and the length of outages reduced. In some cases, a tree may not appear as if it could cause a line conflict, but in the winter when loaded with snow or ice or with winds and wet ground they can be swayed to within the reach of power lines so must be removed or trimmed back. As always, trimming trees close to power lines pose serious risk. In fact, tree trimmers who work in close proximity to power lines and other equipment are required to have special training and equipment to ensure safe work procedures for themselves and the public. Please maintain a safe distance from any ROW workers and never attempt to clear any trees or branches near the lines. If you have a tree or branches that need to be cleared or ROW concerns, please contact your energy provider. Intercounty Electric Cooperative Association serves 2,916 square miles covering Phelps, Dent and Texas counties and parts of seven other counties. IECA operates 5,792 miles of line, serving over 30,000 active meters and employs 118 local citizens.

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