Rolla Daily Digest Friday, September 25, 2026
Ty's Take
When a funeral home loses its license, that's a failure at the most intimate level of community service. The state revocation in Phelps and Dent counties strikes at something people have to trust absolutely, whether they're planning ahead or standing in the worst moment of their lives. That trust matters more in a county seat like Rolla, where the same businesses tend to serve families for generations. Meanwhile, the overdose death in Waynesville and the charges that followed are another reminder that this crisis doesn't announce itself with warning signs. It just arrives, leaves a body and a courtroom behind, and moves on to the next family while the rest of us keep trying to figure out what to do about it.
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Phelps County Focus
Waynesville man charged over fatal overdose
A Waynesville man has been charged with a felony count of delivering a controlled substance mixture that caused a death following a September 16 overdose. Bill J. Bennett admitted to selling narcotics to the victim and authorities discovered a substantial quantity of illegal narcotics at his...
The State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors revoked the licenses of James & Gahr Mortuary (with locations in Rolla and St. James) and Dent County Memorial Chapel in Salem, along with individual licenses held by owners Donn and Connie James. The revocations stemmed from violations involving...
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