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The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting Monday morning at the Dent County Courthouse. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell stated grading would be done on Dent County Roads 5450, 5460 and 6370, while materials would be added and grading done on county road 6020. He also said brush would be cut on Dent County Road 5380 and a man would be hauling brown rock. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson indicated grading would be done on a number of roads in his district including Dent County Roads 2020, 2240, 2405, 4290, 4300, 5225, 6123 and 6140. He noted that work is continuing on Dent County Truck #65, and two men would be hauling brown rock. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles attended a SACBA Board meeting and wanted to remind everyone the commissioners would not be meeting Thursday due to their annual training; and would not be meeting on Monday, February 16^th due to President’s Day. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Thursday morning, February 19th at 9:00 at the courthouse. The meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Police Department released their report for the month of January. During the month, they wrote one equipment repair order, 12 summons to appear in court, 18 warning tickets, and 19 traffic tickets. The Salem Police Department investigated 10 accidents, one assault, three burglaries, three reports of disorderly conduct, seven reports of domestic violence, two reports of driving while drugged, one report of driving while intoxicated, one report of driving while revoked and/or suspended, one report of endangering the welfare of a child, and three reports of leaving the scene of an accident. The department also investigated one report for an open beer or liquor container, three reports of property damage, two reports of receiving stolen property, 11 reports of stealing, one report of unlawful possession of a firearm, and one 96-hour commitment. They also investigated five reports of distributing/delivering/manufacturing /producing/possessing a controlled substance, three reports of possession of amphetamine, one report of possession of marijuana and three reports of possession of drug paraphernalia. The Salem Police Department also conducted one death investigation. The police department received 1,453 calls for service during the month, handled 130 walk-ins to the station, and redirected 67 calls to the animal control officer. They spent 32 hours in court testifying, six hours as court bailiff and spent eight hours teaching D.A.R.E. The calls in January included 13 calls for escorts, one call for an intoxicated driver, three calls for prowlers, one call for a suspicious person and/or vehicle, 11 calls for domestic disputes, and two calls for a wrecker. There were five 911 calls, nine calls for a peace disturbance, five calls for alarms sounding, four calls for fights in progress, five ambulance assist calls, one fire call and two calls for property damage.  The Salem Police Department drove a total of 8,587 miles and arrested 18 males and 6 females during the month of January. The Salem Police Department received a Block Grant in the amount of $8,804.45. The money will be used to purchase three mobile Motorola XLT 2500 radios, 13 lighted traffic batons, one for each officer, 13 first aide kits, one for each vehicle and reflective safety vests for each officer.

Have you made your appointment yet to get your taxes filed at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory? Volunteers for AARP will be conducting free tax filing assistance at their computer lab again this year. This free tax filing assistance is still available from February 27th and will continue every Friday until April 10^th. To schedule your appointment, you need to call the Salem Community Center @ the Armory at 729-8163. They will tell you what you need to bring to have you tax returns completed. There are only a few tax assistance appointment times remaining on February 27^th, but there are still plenty of availabilities through April 10th. All appointments are scheduled on a first come, first served basis. The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide volunteers are trained in filing certain tax forms and schedules, including the Form 1040. However, the Volunteer Protection Act requires that our volunteers stay in the scope of the program. If counselors feel they do not have adequate knowledge or your return is too complex, you may need to seek out another qualified counselor or you will need to get paid tax assistance. The Salem Community Center @ the Armory is located at 1200 W. Rolla Road. 

Roadwork will continue in the KSMO area. In Crawford County, roadside maintenance will take place on Highway 49 between Highway 19 and Route Y in Iron County; and Route T between Highway 8 and the end of state maintenance through Friday, February 20^th. One lane will be open, and crews will flag traffic through the work area. In Dent County, bridge maintenance will take place on Highway 32 over Dry Valley Creek, east of County Road 4245 through Friday, February 13^th. One lane will be open, and crews will flag traffic through the work area. In Phelps County, bridge replacement is underway on Highway 8 over Dry Creek just south of St. James. Traffic control equipment installation and site clearing will take place this week. Minimal traffic delays are expected. The project is scheduled to be completed in the fall. For more information about a project, please contact MoDOT at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636).

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