Your World Today-Thursday, April 30, 2015

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NEWS   Thursday, April 30, 2015

An accident occurred at 7:25 Tuesday night in Reynolds County on Route K about three miles east of Ellington that took the life a man from Ellington. According to the highway patrol report, a 2001 Dodge pickup driven by 49-year old Robert Martin of Ellington was traveling east and failed to negotiate a curve, left the roadway and struck a tree ejecting the driver. Martin was pronounced dead at the scene by Reynolds County Coroner Jeffrey McSpadden at 7:40 pm. Martin’s body was taken to the McSpadden Funeral Home. He was not wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident. The Dodge pickup was totaled and removed from the scene by Hill’s Metals & Motors of Ellington.

An accident happened at 10:45 Tuesday morning in Dent County on Dent County Road 4080 about four miles northeast of Salem. According to the highway patrol report, a 1969 Chevrolet Suburban driven by 55-year old Timothy Tracy of Salem was traveling southbound and struck the side of a 2005 Dodge Ram owned by 28-year old Christopher Dudley of Niangua, MO that was stationary in the roadway and then struck a pedestrian who was standing in between the Dodge and a towed unit. The pedestrian, 33-year old Charles Russell of Hartville, suffered serious injuries and was flown to Mercy Hospital in Springfield by Air Evac. No one was wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident. Both vehicles sustained minor damage and were driven from the scene.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has been working over the past month to address bridge issues in Shannon County. Recent inspections of Highway 19 Bridges over Sinking Creek, Round Spring and Current River have the Department working to address safety concerns while preventing weight restrictions for heavy truck traffic. Following a routine inspection, the Highway 19 Bridge over Sinking Creek was reduced to one lane with a weight restriction of 20 tons. During construction of the temporary bridge, access to the Sinking Creek Campground and gravel bar will be closed through construction, now, and open following completed construction. With proper clearance and a contractor in place, work is underway and it will be ready for traffic by Memorial Day weekend. Once constructed, the current weight restriction will be lifted. The temporary structure will allow heavy truck traffic to avoid lengthy detours, until funding for construction of a new bridge becomes available, the bypass will remain in place. MoDOT also inspected the bridge over Round Spring. Constructed in 1930, this bridge features two lanes and is 20-feet wide. While there are restrictions on this bridge at this time, it is beginning to show the same issues that resulted in the load posting on the Sinking Creek Bridge. MoDOT will continue inspections on the bridge and will assess what work may need to be completed in the future. However, with the current funding situation, closing the bridge indefinitely in the future is a possibility. A request for a lane reduction from the Shannon County Commission prompted the Department to address safety concerns with the bridge over Current River. MoDOT officials discussed the commission's request and agreed that signing this bridge for one-lane traffic would increase safety in the area. MoDOT stresses that there are no load restrictions associated with the lane reduction. After meeting with MoDOT officials earlier in April to discuss the other bridges in the area, the Current River Bridge came up, and it will be reduced to one lane of traffic to increase safety in the area. Crews will begin signing and striping the Route 19 bridge over Current River in Shannon County for one-lane traffic this week. The bridge is located near the Round Spring Campground. The bridge was built in 1924 and is 18-feet wide. Since 1924, vehicles have gotten larger and with tractor-trailer trucks frequently traveling in the area, reducing the number of lanes will make this area safer for every traveler. Motorists are urged to use caution and watch for opposing traffic when traveling in the area. For more information, call the MoDOT Customer Service Center toll-free at 1 888 ASK-MODOT (1 888-275-6636).

See live eagles up close and personal. Touch a snake! Learn about birds, water quality, search and rescue and lots of other exciting topics at the National Park Service’s annual Junior Ranger Day. This year’s event will be held at Alley Spring on Friday, May 1, starting at 9:00 a.m. This event is FREE. There will be birds of prey presentations from the World Bird Sanctuary in St Louis during which the birds will actually fly over the students’ heads! The Ozark Riverways’ Search and Rescue Team shares high-risk experiences. The Cave Research Foundation teaches us about caves and the Missouri Master Naturalists will be on hand to tell us all about bats. Project Wet will be there along with the Scenic Rivers Stream Team Association to remind us all about the importance of keeping our rivers clean. The American Canoe Association will have a certified trainer to introduce kids to safety on the rivers. Many other organizations will be on the grounds with hands-on, fun, and exciting activities as well. For more information call 573-323-4236, or visit us online at: www.nps.gov/ozark.

SPORTS   [TOP]

Salem Tiger Tennis Team won the SCA championship tournament on Wednesday. Salem finished with 13.5 points to Willow Springs 11 points. Salem will now play Mountain Grove in a dual match today at 4 pm.

Peter Bourjos' RBI triple highlighted a four-run fifth inning that helped the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night. Matt Adams and Kolten Wong each had two hits with an RBI and a run scored for the Cardinals, who have won two straight over the Phillies after the series opener on Monday. They look to win their sixth series in seven sets thus far in the series finale on Thursday. The pregame will start at 11:50 am with the game time at 12:35 pm on KSMORadio.

Roberto Perez had three hits, including his third home run, and Jason Kipnis drove in four runs in the Cleveland Indians' 7-5 win over the Kansas City Royals to avoid a series sweep. Kipnis hit a three-run homer in the third inning that gave Cleveland the lead, and he was credited with an RBI on a sixth-inning groundout. Michael Bourn had two hits and scored twice. The Kansas City Royals will be home and start a four game series against the Detroit Tigers tonight.

OBITUARIES     [TOP]

Funeral services for Murrell Peeples Jr. of Rolla, age 73, will be held this morning at 11:00 at the James and Gahr Mortuary in St. James. Visitation will be from 10:00 until service time Thursday. Interment will be in the St. James City Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to the Phelps County Animal Shelter.

Funeral services for Lawrence “Larry” Baker formerly of Rolla, age 83, will be held Friday at 1:00 at the James and Gahr Mortuary in Rolla. Visitation will be from 11:00 until service time, with Masonic service at 10:30. Interment will be in the Ozark Hills Memorial Garden. Memorials are suggested to the Shriners Children’s Hospital.

WEATHER    [TOP]

Today..Mostly sunny, high of 69.
Tonight..Mostly clear, low of 42.
Friday..Mostly sunny, high of 72.
Friday night..Partly cloudy early, mostly cloudy late, low around 50. Saturday..Partly sunny with a 30% chance for showers, high of 75. Saturday night..Mostly cloudy, low of 56.
Sunday..Partly cloudy, high of 78.