Your World Today – Thursday, January 7, 2016

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NEWS: Thursday, January 7, 2016

Of the more than 600 critical bridges in Missouri, three of them are in Dent County. On Tuesday, January 5th, Representative Jeff Pogue and Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles along with MoDOT Area Engineer Preston Kramer got a closer look at critical bridges which are located in Dent County - the Route F bridge over Holt Creek, the Route FF bridge over Norman Creek and the Highway 32 bridge over Dry Valley. The Highway 32 bridge is 86 years old, the Route FF bridge is 64 years old and the Route F bridge is 53 years of age. According to Kramer, those three bridges have provided many decades of service, but now they are in critical condition and very near the end of their safe service life. The tour also included two other Dent County bridges, which are not on the critical list but are in need of replacement - the Route F bridge over Dry Creek and the Route TT low-water crossing over Crooked Creek. Missouri has 10,376 bridges on state highways, including 209 that are more than 1,000-feet long. Fifty to 100 fall into the “critical condition” category each year. Critical condition bridges are the state’s worst and with continued deterioration, they are just one or two steps from being closed. Kramer said in order to catch up the state should be replacing more than 100 bridges per year, but funding only allows for about 30 bridges per year to be replaced. That means in 10 years, there will be about 1,500 bridges on the critical condition list. Kramer said that just because a bridge is in critical condition doesn’t mean it’s unsafe as MoDOT routinely inspects bridges and will close them if safety issues are found.

An accident occurred at 9:13 Tuesday night in Phelps County on US 63 about a half miles north of Edgar Springs. According to the highway patrol report, a 2003 Jeep Liberty driven by 56-year old Carmen Cherry of Rolla was traveling southbound and began to slow and drove onto the right shoulder. A 2015 Volvo semi-tractor driven by 30-year old Ryan Barte of Columbia attempted to pass the Jeep when the Jeep attempted to make a left turn or a u-turn and struck the towed unit of the semi-tractor. Cherry suffered serious injuries and was Air Evac’d to University Hospital in Columbia. Everyone involved was wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident. The Jeep Liberty was totaled and removed from the scene by Ron Dishman’s Towing. The Volvo semi-tractor sustained no damage and was driven from the scene while the trailer was towed by I-44 Towing. The Edgar Springs Fire Department and the Phelps County EMS assisted the patrol.

Open Enrollment for the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Health Insurance Marketplace will end on January 31, 2016. Affordable health insurance options are available for those people who do not have coverage as yet. Since the start of Open Enrollment, 253,099 Missourians renewed their coverage or signed up for a new Marketplace plan, but 13 percent of Missourians are still uninsured. Those Mid-Missourians who are under age 65 and are without health insurance coverage still have time to enroll before Open Enrollment ends. Health insurance plans that can meet an individual’s health care needs and their budget are available. If uninsured people miss the January 31 deadline, they will likely have to wait to sign up for coverage until the next Open Enrollment, with health insurance coverage beginning January 2017. Help is available. In Mid-Missouri, federally-certified and state-licensed Navigators from Central Missouri Area Agency on Aging, a non-profit agency, can help every step of the way. They can help to create a Marketplace account, complete the application, compare health insurance plans side-by-side so there's no guesswork, find out if the enrollee is eligible for financial help to pay for coverage; and also assist individuals in enrolling in a health insurance plan that meets his or her needs and budget. All plans in the Marketplace cover essential health benefits, pre-existing conditions, and more. CMAAA's regional Navigators provide fair and accurate information; and they do not charge for their services. For more information, contact Jackie Overby at 729-5697.

The Dent County Memorial Chapel, in an effort to accommodate the immediate facility needs of the James and Gahr Mortuary in Salem and to ease the burden of their clientele, has offered to serve as temporary hosts for their services and accommodate any needs that James and Gahr and the people depending on them may have. The Salem phone lines of James and Gahr remain operational and families may continue to make arrangements with them as usual. The owners, staff and employees of the Dent County Memorial Chapel offer their heartfelt sympathy and send well wishes and encouragement to Donn James, his family, employees and all who were affected by the fire at the mortuary.

SPORTS   [TOP]

J.J. Frazier scored 16 points to lead Georgia's strong 3-point attack and the Bulldogs beat Missouri 77-59 on Wednesday night for their first Southeastern Conference win. Freshman Kevin Puryear led Missouri (7-7, 0-1 SEC) with 19 points. Wes Clark had 13 and no other Tigers scored in double figures. Missouri Tigers will host Auburn Tigers Saturday night at 8 p.m., you can hear the game on KSMO Radio.

Gabriel Landeskog scored at 4:44 of overtime and the Colorado Avalanche rallied late Wednesday night to beat the St. Louis Blues 4-3. Vladimir Tarasenko, David Backes and Patrik Berglund scored for the Blues. Allen finished with 29 saves.  The Blues will play the Anaheim Ducks Friday night at 9:00.

Left feilder Alex Gordon has agreed to a four-year, $72 million deal to return to the Kansas City Royals. Gordon was a key player in the Royals first World Series win since 1985 last season. The three-time All Star is considered one of the best defensive left fielders in the game, having won four Gold Gloves.

OBITUARIES     [TOP]

Funeral services for Alvin D. Apsher of Rolla, age 76, will be this morning at 11:00 at the Landmark Baptist Church. Interment will be in the St. James Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Landmark Baptist Church. All arrangements are under the direction of the James and Gahr Mortuary of Rolla.

Funeral services for Emery A. Clonts of Steelville, age 80, will be held Saturday at 11:00 at the Steelville Assembly of God Church. Visitation will be Friday from 4:00 to 8:00 at the Britton-Bennett Funeral Home and Saturday from 10:00 until service time at the church. Interment will be in the St. John’s United Church of Christ Cemetery in Bem, MO with full military honors. Memorials may be given to the Steelville Assembly of God Church Fellowship Hall Fund.

Funeral services for Garmal Sanders of Rolla, age 94, will be held Monday at 10:00 at the St. Patrick Catholic Church. Visitation will be Sunday from 2:00 to 4:00 with prayer service at 3:00 at the James and Gahr Mortuary in Rolla. Interment will be in the Rolla City Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to the Tri-County Animal Shelter or Rolla Nutrition Site for Meals on Wheels.

WEATHER    [TOP]

Today..Cloudy with a 80% chance for showers, high of 45.
Tonight..Cloudy with a 60% chance for rain, low of 39.
Friday..Mostly cloudy with patchy drizzle, high of 54.
Friday night..Cloudy with a 40% chance for showers, low of 39.
Saturday..50% chance for rain, high of 43.