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This Saturday, March 1^st marks the opening of catch-and-keep trout fishing at Montauk State Park near Salem and the Maramec Spring Park near St. James. Opening-day weather often is cold and sometimes wet, but it never dampens the spirits of anglers who think nothing of standing up to their bellybuttons in chilly water. No doubt they are warmed by the knowledge that more than 30,000 trout, averaging around 12 inches, are stocked for opening day, with a few hundred “lunkers,” ranging from three to 10 pounds, thrown in for good measure. Another influence on opening-day attendance is the day of the week March 1 falls on. Weekends draw crowds that can top 10,000 at all four state trout parks. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) operates hatcheries at all four trout parks. To predict turnout on a particular day, MDC hatchery managers rely on records going back more than 70 years. Montauk Hatchery Manager Tom Whelan is expecting approximately 3,000 anglers and plan to stock 9,000 trout at the park for opening day. At Maramec Spring Park, hatchery manager Wesley Swee is planning for 2,000 anglers on March 1 and will stock 6,000 trout. Gov. Jeremiah “Jay” Nixon is expected to attend the opener at Bennett Spring State Park. Three of Missouri’s trout parks – Bennett Spring, Montauk, and Roaring River– are owned by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The Maramec Spring Park is owned by the James Foundation. Call the following numbers for more information about trout-park fishing: Montauk at 573-548-2585 and Maramec at 573-265-7801. Anglers need a daily trout tag to fish in Missouri’s trout parks. Missouri residents aged 16 through 64 need a fishing permit in addition to the daily tag. Nonresidents who are 16 years old and older also need a fishing permit 

Dent County Assessor Tina Whitaker wants to remind everyone your annual assessment forms that list your personal and business property will be coming due this Saturday, March 1^st. Those forms MUST be in the Dent County Assessor’s Office by that day to avoid paying a penalty. You may drop off your assessment list at the assessor’s office at the courthouse and they are open from 8:00 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon, Monday through Friday. There is also a drop box on the front lawn of the courthouse for your convenience if you can’t make it until after hours. You can also mail in your assessment forms. Remember, the forms must be received in the Assessor’s office by Saturday, March 1^st or postmarked March 1^st to avoid a penalty. If you have lost your assessment list forms, additional blank forms are available at the Dent County Assessor’s Office. If you have any questions, call the Dent County Assessor, Tina Whitaker, at the Dent County Courthouse at 729-6010 or stop by during regular business hours.

The Project Graduation committee wanted to thank everyone who participated in the $100 raffle and wanted to congratulate the winners. The winners are as follows:

1- $5,000 winner – Susie Cahill
1- $2,000 winner – Ben Pursifull
1- $1,000 winner – Andre Whittaker
4 - $500 winners – JJ Tune, Dennis Enke, Sherri Arcobasso, and Jim Freeman

A big thank you also goes out to the Class of 2014 seniors who helped sell tickets. The seniors were eligible to win $100 for selling tickets and the two winners of $100 each were Sarah Chase and Cordell Tatom.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol has released a few of arrest reports. On Tuesday, February 25^th at 4:21 in the afternoon, 42-year old Robert Prag of Salem was arrested and charged with felony possession of a controlled substance, misdemeanor unlawful use of drug paraphernalia, driving while suspended, no insurance, and no seatbelt. He was taken to the Phelps County Jail and later released. Later that night at 10:55, 59-year old Charles Notter of Salem was arrested on a Dent County warrant for failure to appear on an original charge of possession of marijuana. He was taken to the Dent County Jail and held on bond. On Wednesday, February 11^th at 11:06 in the evening, 32-year old Gary Trolinger of Salem was arrested and charged with driving while suspended/revoked, driving while intoxicated, no seat belt, and failure to signal. He was later released. Captain Lee Ann Kenley, commanding officer of Troop I, also announced that a DWI saturation will be conducted in Phelps County, and a sobriety checkpoint will be conducted in Dent County sometime during the month of March. The Patrol encourages motorists to protect themselves by making sure everyone in the vehicle is properly restrained in a seat belt.

The Montauk Rural Fire Department will have a Fisherman’s Special Fundraiser & Spaghetti Dinner on Saturday, March 1^st at the Montauk Rural Fire Department, located on Highway 119, from 5:00 to 8:30 pm. The cost of the Spaghetti Dinner is $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for children age 5 and under. Drawings will be held after the dinner for a number of fisherman related items.

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