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The Dent County Commissioners held their regular meeting at the Dent County Courthouse Thursday morning and District 2 Commissioner J.J. Tune was not in attendance. District 1 Commissioner Bobby Simpson reported that there is major flooding throughout both districts and low water crossings and bridges are not marked off, so everyone needs to drive with caution.  Simpson also said that it will take at least one to two months to fix all the county roads that have water damage. It was also reported that a portion of Dent County Road 5013 had been closed off because water had washed out a four-foot tunnel underneath the roadway. The road has been re-opened with a temporary fix of the problem. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles and Dent County Emergency Management Director Brad Nash both reported that SEMA has been contacted and they are looking at possible resources to help fund the repair and cleanup of the roads and bridges. Region I Coordinator Jim Pasley will be in Dent County next week to inspect the hardest hit parts of the county, then an entire team will come in and do a damage assessment of the entire county. Until then, the Commissioners urge everyone to drive with caution and to please be patient and if they see any problems with a road that could cause danger to please contact the Commission. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported that she has received 39 requests for mail out absentee ballots and next Wednesday Senator Kit Bond will be holding a listening post at the courthouse at 2:00. The next meeting of the Commission will be Monday morning at 9:00 and the meeting is open to the public

The City of Salem Board of Aldermen met Thursday morning for a special meeting to determine what the city will do with the proposed 34.3% increase in electric costs from Sho-Me Power that begins April 1^st. At the last board meeting, the aldermen were deadlocked to pass a proposed 30% increase in rates as proposed by Mayor Gary Brown. At the meeting Thursday morning, Brown showed that the city would be saving over $178,000 in the next budget because numerous items have now been paid in full like the electric bucket truck, the street sweeper, a pickup for the water department and more. He said that another $22,300 could possibly be cut from this year’s budget including $10,000 for playground equipment. The city could also look at reducing the hour’s city employee’s work per week from 40 to 32, but that would also reduce services and was the least favorable of all the options. The mayor said that voters could pass a ½ cent sales tax for parks and storm water work with a sunset clause in seven years that would drop it to a ¼ cent tax per year. At best if passed, monies would not start being collected until October. At the current level of spending in the city, that tax would produce $3.5 million in the first seven years before dropping to $250,000 per year. That would help cover some of the costs, but it would still leave the city well short. The board voted again and the result was the same: Alderman Whitley and McDaniels voted yes while Aldermen Riley and Jackson voted no. The mayor said that he has no further plans to call another special meeting this month and that The city will be looking at trying to find a way to pay the additional $98,000 from Sho-Me Power for the month of April. The consensus from those citizens attending Monday and Thursday was to find more cuts in the budget rather than pass on that large of an increase, but the mayor pointed out that the electric fund currently supports the police department, and parks and recreation. Brown said those funds would suffer without the 30% increase possible causing some services to be cut.

In Closed Session Wednesday evening, the Salem R-80 Board of Education employed Shelly Johnson as a Lower Elementary/Senior High custodian, Faye Parker as a Lower Elementary paraprofessional and Michael Helm as a Junior High paraprofessional. The meeting adjourned.

Sports [TOP]

Signups for the City of Salem Summer Youth Baseball/Softball/T-Ball Season will be held in the front lobby of the Salem Freedom Activity Center. This league is for all boys and girls that are between 4 and 13-years of age. The last sign-ups will be held today from 4:00 to 6:00 and then on Saturday from 9:00 am to noon. The cost is $15.00 per child.

Cardinal Pocket Schedules are now available at the KSMO Rdaio studios at 800 South Main Street. They are also available at Country Mart, the Bank of Salem. Fidelity Communications, Town and Country Bank, K & H Auto Supply, Progressive Ozark Bank, Radio Shack, the Salem Memorial District Hospital and Mooney Auto.

Jason Spezza's second period goal gave Ottawa a lead it would never relinquish as the Senators edged the struggling St. Louis Blues, 3-2, at Scotiabank Place. Jamal Mayers and Jeff Woywitka each tallied for the Blues. Hannu Toivonen allowed three goals on 24 shots to absorb the loss. The Blues will be in Chicago Sunday at 2:00. You can hear that game on KSMO joined in progress after Cards baseball.

St. Louis' Aaron Miles came home with the tying run when Florida's Joe Nelson uncorked a ninth-inning wild pitch, and the Cardinals and Marlins ended their Grapefruit League contest at a 2-2 deadlock after 10 innings. Albert Pujols drove in the other St. Louis run, while starter Braden Looper allowed just one run on five hits in 5 1/3 innings. St. Louis plays Minnesota and the New York Mets this weekend on KSMO at 11:55. The Cards did sign pitcher Adam Wainwright to a four-year contract extension yesterday

John Buck drove in three runs to lead Kansas City over Milwaukee, 11-3, in Cactus League action. Billy Butler and Ryan Shealy knocked in two runs each for the Royals, who pounded out 15 hits in the win.

Obituaries   [TOP]