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TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2022
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Green Hills Wellness Challenge To Get Under Way Next Week Contest Will Run From Jan. 17-April 2 With Weekly Reports If your resolution was to drop a few pounds, then the incentive you need might be to sign up for the Green Hills Wellness Challenge, which will get under way next week. The annual challenge was suspended in 2021 due to COVID-19 concerns but signups for 2022 are under way at the Ketcham Community Center, located on the campus of North Central Missouri College. The challenge will run
from Jan. 17-April 2 and each member must weigh in weekly and report their physical activity at the KCC or at other locations with prior approval. The cost to participate is $10 per person and each person who loses 10 percent of their initial weigh-in weight will receive a monetary prize. In addition, the individual with the most miles logged during the challenge will win a plaque. Drawings will be held for prizes for those completing their wellness logs. The event is sponsored by NCMCKetcham Center, the Regional Arthritis Center, the Grundy County Health Department and the Trenton RepublicanTimes.
BRIEFS R-9 Board Agenda
Submitted Photo
Caleb Ireland was recently sworn in as a full-time deputy with the Grundy County Sheriff’s Department. Ireland, pictured with Grundy County Associate Judge Steven D. Hudson, assumed his duties as of the first of the year and has previous law enforcement experience with the Daviess County Sheriff’s Department.
State COVID Numbers Setting Records Influenza Complicates Local Picture In Grundy County ST. LOUIS (AP) — The number of people being treated for COVID-19 across Missouri continues to set records as virus cases surge across the state and strain hospital capacity. The state Department of Health and Senior Services said 3,235 people were hospitalized with the virus statewide and about 15% of the state’s hospital beds remained available. That
number just topped 2,900 for the first time on Friday and exceeded the record of 2,862 set in December 2020. Locally, the Grundy County Health Department’s weekly update on Friday, Jan. 7 showed 44 new cases, a number that does not include home tests even when they are reported to the health department. There were 16 active cases, bringing the total number of cases reported since the pandemic began to 2,060. In addition, there have been 61 deaths attributed to the virus, which is an increase of three last week.
Further complicating the situation is widespread flu activity in the state, with Grundy County having 66 lab-confirmed flu cases in the past two months. Flu shots are available at the health department as are COVID-19 vaccinations and booster doses. Statewide, the seven-day rolling average of new COVID-19 cases hit a record Saturday at 7,058 cases before declining to 6,983 on Sunday. In the St. Louis area, that city's Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force said 1,283 people were being treated for COVID-19 at area hospitals Sunday. The St.
Louis Post-Dispatch reports that was the seventh day in a row that the number hit a new record. An average of 226 people a day have been admitted to St. Louis area hospitals with COVID-19 each day over the past week, up from 193 on Saturday. The Metropolitan Task Force includes BJC HealthCare, Mercy, SSM Health and St. Luke's Hospital. A total of 13,318 deaths and 891,287 virus cases have been reported in the state since the pandemic began.
Shifting Concerns Pose Challenges For Dems Voters Worrying Less About COVID Management, More About Economy In New Poll WASHINGTON (AP) — Heading into a critical midterm election year, the top political concerns of Americans are shifting in ways that suggest Democrats face considerable challenges to maintaining their control of Congress. A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that management of the coronavirus pandemic, once an issue that strongly favored President
Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats, is beginning to recede in the minds of Americans. COVID-19 is increasingly overshadowed by concerns about the economy and personal finances — particularly inflation — which are topics that could lift Republicans. Just 37% of Americans name the virus as one of their top five priorities for the government to work on in 2022, compared with 53% who said it was a leading priority at the same time a year ago. The economy outpaced the pandemic in the open-ended question, with 68% of respondents mentioning it in some way as a top 2022 concern. A similar percentage said the same last year, but mentions of inflation are much higher now: 14% this year,
compared with less than 1% last year. Consumer prices jumped 6.8% for the 12 months ending in November, a nearly fourdecade high. Meanwhile, roughly twice as many Americans now mention their household finances, namely, the cost of living, as a governmental priority, 24% vs. 12% last year. The poll was conducted in early December, when worries about the virus were rising as omicron took hold in the country, but before it sparked record caseloads, overwhelmed testing sites and hospitals and upended holiday travel. Still, in recent follow-up interviews with participants, including self-identified Democrats, many said those [See POLL, Page 6]
Photo courtesy of Terri Wilson Kelly
FRIDAY HOOPS
All area teams were in basketball action on Friday as Trenton, Gallatin, Princeton, Grundy, Gilman City, Mercer and Tri-County took to the court. SPORTS, 2
WEATHER ALMANAC Day: High/Low Rain Thursday 13/4 — Friday 19/4 — Saturday 35/19 — Sunday 33/14 — Barton Campus Sunday 33/13 —
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The Trenton R-9 Board of Education will hold its January meeting at 5:30 p.m., tonight (Tuesday, Jan. 11) in the district office. Items on the announced agenda include an election candidate update, information on the “Grow Your Own Teachers” grant program and the teacher recruitment and retention program, setting the date for a board work session, reports on the Early Childhood/Parents as Teachers program, health services and safety, administrative reports from the superintendent and building administrators and a closed session to discuss personnel.
Grundy R-5 Agenda
The Grundy R-5 Board of Education will meet in regular session at 6 p.m. tonight (Tuesday, Jan. 11) at the school. Items on the announced agenda include a transportation report, COVID update, four-day week information/calendar for the 2021-22 school year, a board candidate update, a preliminary calendar for the 2022-23 school year, a review of the GrundyNewtown cooperative agreement for 2021-22, principal reports, a financial report and a closed session to discuss personnel, and student discipline.
MLK Day Closings
Several offices and businesses have announced their plans to close on Monday, Jan. 17 in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Closed will be the Trenton City Hall/Trenton Municipal Utilities, the Grundy County Courthouse, the Grundy County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Trenton Area Chamber of Commerce/License Bureau, the Grundy County-Jewett Norris Library, the Grundy County Health Department, the North Missouri Children’s Advocacy Center, Green Hills Regional Planning Commission (the Career Center will also be closed), Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri, BTC Bank, Farmers Bank of Northern Missouri, Farmers State Bank, Citizens Bank and Trust and US Bank. The Trenton Post Office will be closed on Monday and there will be no mail delivery or box mail. There will be no classes in the Trenton R-9, Pleasant View R-6, Laredo R-7, Grundy R-5, Spickard R-2 or Gallatin R-5 school districts. North Central Missouri College will also be closed and there will be no classes. The Republican-Times office will be open on Monday during regular business hours.
CVB Plans Meeting
Submitted Photo
North Central Missouri College held its annual spring convocation on Friday, Jan. 7, and welcomed new full-time employees that began since fall in-service, which include, from left, front row, Kaitlyn Coleman-Maryville Nursing and Health Sciences administrative specialist, Alyssa Black-TRIO administrative assistant, Dr. Cindy Wells-Talent Search director, Grace Carder-counselor/emergency preparedness and Don Kennedy-custodian; back row, Jeremy Wilson-surgical technology instructor and program director, Lyle Wheelbarger-custodian, Abigail Oneal-learning services specialist, Liza Duncan-marketing and interlibrary loan librarian, Ally Graham-Talent Search advisor; and Dennis Sturguess-assistant director of facilities. Classes for the spring semester began on Monday, Jan. 10.
The Trenton Convention and Visitors Bureau will hold a meeting at noon, Wednesday at city hall. The meeting is open to the public but can be accessed on Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87605 016089. Items on the announced agenda include a treasurer’s report, photography for the website, noncompliance and an update from JLSA via Zoom.