News

Residents of Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties who have household hazardous waste materials, like car batteries, CFL light bulbs, used oil or antifreeze or other toxic, poisonous or flammable products, can dispose of them free of charge, year round, at satellite Household Hazardous Waste facilities in Rolla and St. Robert. The Rolla facility is located at the Rolla Recycling Center at 2141 Old St. James Road. The St. Robert facility is located at the St. Robert Transfer Station, located on J.H. Williamson Drive. While the service is free, an appointment is necessary to drop-off materials at either location. Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District (ORSWMD), in partnership with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), provided funding to the two cities to establish and operate the facilities. Solid waste department employees in St. Robert and Rolla have been trained in accepting waste and proper storage. Persons interested in using either facility can make an appointment by calling the Rolla Recycling Center or St. Robert Transfer Station during normal business hours, depending on which facility the person wishes to visit. The Rolla number is (573) 364-6693. The St. Robert number is (573) 336-5155. When you call, please be prepared to describe the types of materials and quantity of each that you wish to drop off so that staff can make arrangements to receive and properly store the materials at the facility. A substance is considered hazardous when it contains ingredients or a combination of ingredients that can be harmful to the environment and/or human health. HHW products may ignite easily, react or explode when mixed with other substances, or may be corrosive, toxic or poisonous. Each facility has established limits on the number of gallons of liquids that a household can drop off in a visit.

Spring has arrived, and along with it, varying temperatures and weather patterns. These changes can cause problems for drivers. The Missouri State Highway Patrol offers these reminders for driving safely during spring: Heavy rain can cause flooding and spring showers will certainly spawn flash flooding. Never drive through fast moving waters; even a small amount of fast-moving water can sweep a slow-moving vehicle off the roadway. If your vehicle becomes stuck in rising water, get out quickly and move to higher ground. Respect barriers or barricades put in place by MoDOT. They are there to protect you; don’t go around them! Widely varying temperatures can leave roadways or bridge floors covered with frost. Even though roads appear to be clear, it is important to slow down and watch for slick areas, especially early in the morning. Temperature changes also cause fog to develop. Drivers need to slow down, turn on their headlights, and be prepared to stop in foggy conditions. Weather conditions requiring the use of windshield wipers are usually those that affect visibility. Motorists are reminded that state law requires them to turn on their vehicle’s headlights any time they are using the windshield wipers. It only takes a second to turn on your vehicle’s headlights. But, that second could make you more visible to other drivers and prevent a traffic crash. Drivers need to be aware of farming equipment in the spring. Tractors and other wide farm implements will be traveling down rural roads. Drivers are encouraged to be patient, slow down, and give these pieces of equipment room on the road. If you plan to pass a slow-moving farm implement, do so wisely. Never attempt to pass on hills or curves. Also, check for a “driveway” on the left before passing. A farm implement moving to the right may be preparing for a wide turn, rather than allowing you to pass. Spring weather brings more traffic to the roadways, as people begin taking advantage of Missouri’s many recreation areas. Watch for changes in traffic patterns caused by the increase in the number of drivers on the road. One of the traffic patterns to watch for is an increase in bicycles or pedestrians. In nice weather, joggers are more common. Also, children are likely to walk or ride their bicycle to school. Stay alert! The Patrol encourages motorists and watercraft operators to protect themselves by making sure everyone in the vehicle is properly restrained in a seat belt or child restraint and everyone in the vessel is wearing an approved life jacket. Click It 4 Life and Wear It!

Many signs of spring in Missouri are a welcome sight. Green shoots and flowering trees and bulbs promise warmer weather ahead. Unfortunately, other sights during spring aren't so welcome, such as litter along roads and highways, in our communities and in our outdoor spaces. Help fight litter in Missouri through the state’s annual No MOre Trash month-long Trash Bash in April. The Trash Bash is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) as part of their ongoing No MOre Trash statewide anti-litter campaign. The annual Trash Bash encourage people to clean up litter all across Missouri, from

roadsides, parks, neighborhoods, rivers, streams, trails and other places. Last year, more than 18,000 volunteers and other Trash-Bash participants collected more than 130,000 bags of trash and many truckloads of debris during the 2012 month-long event. Littering isn’t just ugly; it also hurts wildlife and Missouri outdoors. Show you care about a litter-free Missouri by bashing trash in April. Go online to nomoretrash.org for more information on the Trash Bash, and to report cleanup efforts.

Sports [TOP]

The Salem Tiger baseball team will play at Ava this afternoon at 4:00 in SCA play. Salem is 3-2 on the year and you can hear the game on KSMO Radio and online at ksmoradio.com.

Three other Salem Tiger teams will be in action today. Salem golf will host the Salem Invitational today. The Salem track team will be in Sullivan for a meet at 4:00. The Salem tennis team will be in Mountain View today at 4:00.

The St. Louis Blues will be in Chicago tonight to face the Blackhawks. The Blues are 18-14-2 on the year. You can hear the game on KSMO Radio, starting with the pre-game show at 7:00.

Cliff Pennington's RBI single in the 16th inning lifted the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 10-9 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the rubber match of their season-opening series at Chase Field. Yadier Molina homered and drove in three runs, while Daniel Descalso went 4- for-7 with two runs scored and two RBI for the Cardinals. St. Louis' Lance Lynn lasted just four-plus innings after yielding four runs on six hits and three walks. The Cardinals have the day off today.

Alexei Ramirez, Adam Dunn, and Tyler Flowers each hit solo homers as the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals, 5-2, in the middle installment of a three-game series. Billy Butler had an RBI and Alex Gordon hit a double and scored a run for the Royals, who have dropped the first two games of this series. Starter Ervin Santana (0-1) picked up the loss after allowing four runs on five hits, but did strike out eight batters in defeat. The Kansas City Royals will attempt to avoid a three-game sweep by the Chicago White Sox when they play again today.

Obituaries   [TOP] 

None at this time

Weather   [TOP]