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An accident occurred Friday evening at 7:00 in Texas County on Highway 32 about three miles east of Licking. According to the highway patrol report, a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse, driven by 16- year old Logan F. Sheppard of Salem, ran off the left side of the roadway, struck the ditch, a fence and finally a tree. According to the report, Sheppard was wearing a safety restraint and sustained minor injuries. She was transported by ambulance to the Texas County Memorial Hospital. The Mitsubishi was removed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing.

Contractors working for the Missouri Department of Transportation will begin the process of replacing the Highway 8 Bridge over Dry Fork Creek just south of St. James this week. Initial work will begin and traffic control equipment will be installed during the week of February 2^nd, but traffic delays will be minimal. Traffic will always be able to get through the work zone, but there will be times during blasting operations or heavy equipment movement when the contractor will need to flag traffic across the existing bridge. The new bridge is scheduled to be open to traffic by October. The new bridge will be six feet wider than the existing bridge, which was built in 1949. For more information about this project or other transportation-related matters, please call 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636).

On January 22, Acting Midwest Regional Director Patricia Trap signed the Record of Decision for the Final General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (GMP) for Ozark National Scenic Riverways. With her signature, the Final GMP becomes the official guiding document for approximately the next 20 years. The Final GMP was released to the public on December 12, 2014. The required 30-day review period began at that time in order for the National Park Service (NPS) to consider the plan for approval. It allowed 30 days for the public to review the plan before any proposed management action could be implemented. According to Acting Ozark National Scenic Riverways Superintendent Larry Johnson, they will first turn their attention to development of a roads and the trails management plan, which will evaluate access points and river crossings, including the protection of the resources. It will also address the designation of the additional 25-45 miles of horse trails within the park. Throughout the GMP process, which began in 2006, the NPS encouraged and appreciated public involvement at every stage. Over the course of developing the GMP, more than 3,000 public comments were submitted. The National Park Service approval does not guarantee that funding or staffing needed to implement certain elements of the plan will be immediately forthcoming. Some management proposals will require additional planning and design, public feedback, or regulation before they can be implemented.

The City of Salem Board of Alderman will conduct a meeting on Monday, February 2^nd beginning at 7:00 pm at the City Hall Council Chambers located at 202 North Washington. After approval of the agenda, bids will be presented. The city had requested sealed bids on a truck mounted front broom and City Administrator Ray Walden will present the bids to the Board. Walden will update the Board on current projects and offer information concerning the City of Salem followed by a report by Mayor J.J. Tune regarding a thank you from the Houston Adult Education and Literacy Program and a letter from Fidelity Communications regarding rate increases. During the introduction and reading of bills and resolutions, Bill #3286 is an ordinance required to establish the recouping of costs for non-residential utility customers for new construction or upgrade of a current service will be presented to the Board. In new and miscellaneous business, the board will be presented a bill of over $3,000 for their approval from Archer-Elgin for the engineering fees for sewer line replacement. The amount of the bill is $3,976.00. The Housing Authority Board of Commissioners is recommending the re-appointment of Mrs. Clare Dent Underwood and Mr. Joe Brand for another term of four years effective February 16, 2015, as both have stated they will gladly accept the re-appointment. The Board will then vote to go into closed session for the purpose of discussing litigation, personnel and contracts. The City of Salem Board of Alderman meeting is open to the public.

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