FLIP PAGES FOR WEBSITE.qxp_Trenton Republican-Times 1/20/22 1:06 PM Page 1
FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2022
R-T
TRENTON
REPUBLICAN-TIMES
75¢
©Honeycutt Media, LLC
Established Sept. 4, 1864 - 158th Year - No. 40
12 PAGES + 1 INSERT
republican-times.com
Gallatin Approves Cooperative Sports With Tri-County Spickard Board Revises COVID Procedures
THS Photo/Michael Schultz
The Trenton High School Students of the Quarter for the second quarter of the 2021-22 school year have been announced and include, from left, freshman Jacob Horton, sophomore Kimberly Otto, junior Mercy Schweizer and senior Gracyn Rongey.
Students Of Quarter Named Horton, Otto, Schweizer And Rongey Announced As Honorees The Trenton High School Students of the Quarter for the second quarter of the 2021-22 school year have been announced. Those selected for the second quarter include freshman Jacob Horton, sophomore Kimberly Otto, junior Mercy Schweizer and senior Gracyn Rongey. It is an honor that can be bestowed on a student once in their high school careers. Jacob is the son of Tim and Brandi Horton. He is a member of Scholar Bowl, Spanish Club and Trenton T-Club. Outside of school
he is a member of Boy Scout Troop 97. Kimberly is the daughter of Wilmer and Martha Otto. At THS she is a member of the Trenton FFA Chapter, where she serves as a junior officer. She is also the manager for the THS volleyball team. Outside of school, she is employed at the Gingerich Dutch Pantry and volunteers at the Church Women United Thrift Store. Mercy is the daughter of Rich and Candy Schweizer. She is a secondyear member of the THS girls wres-
tling team and played volleyball both her freshman and sophomore years. Outside of school she volunteers as a babysitter for a local church and enjoys her job at Trenton Hy-Vee. Gracyn is the daughter of Joe and Rachael Rongey. She is a member of the THS girls softball and basketball teams. She is in National Honor Society, FFA, Key Club, Spanish Club, Science Club and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Outside of school she is a member of the Dockery Chapel Church.
The Gallatin Board of Education held a meeting Wednesday evening, with the Spickard R-2 board meeting on Monday, Jan. 17. Both districts discussed their COVID-19 policies as well as district activities. Gallatin R-5 The Gallatin R-5 Board of Education voted Wednesday evening to enter into a cooperative sports agreement with Tri-County for football for the Fall 2022 season. The action came during the board’s regular monthly meeting and followed action earlier this month when the Tri-County R-7 Board approved the agreement. The cooperative will allow Tri-County R-7 middle school and high school students to play football with Gallatin next fall. Currently, the agreement only extends to middle school students, who then cannot play when they reach ninth grade. The new agreement will allow players to continue playing football in high school. Activities Di-
Trenton Police Department Finally At Full Staff New Policies Create Interest In Department Like police departments across the country, the Trenton Police Department has struggled to maintain a full force over the past several years. With support from local government and its advisory board, the TPD is finally at full staff for the first time in many years. Trenton Police Chief Rex Ross said the department now has 11 full-time officers in addition to himself, which is considered a full staff. Compare that to February 2020 when the loss of three officers left the department with just seven full-time officers to police the city. A mid-year raise of $2 per hour didn’t do much to stop the leakage of officers, who could go to area departments and earn more money and not be burdened with the excessive amount of overtime
WEATHER ALMANAC Day: High/Low Rain Monday 37/25 — Tuesday 48/28 — Wednesday 38/7 — Barton Campus Wednesday 37/5 —
republicantimes.com
they were being required to work at the TPD. In February 2021, the city council approved a tuition reimbursement program that will reimburse the cost of tuition and related expenses of attending a law enforcement academy up to a maximum of $7,000. The program requires the officers to commit to working for the department for three years. “We didn’t get much spark from that even though we advertised it; but we did get some prospects,” said Chief Ross. In September 2021 the city council approved a lateral police officer incentive bonus. Through that program, an officer who al-
ready has at least one year experience in law enforcement and is working for another department can receive up to $3,000 in bonus pay if they are in good standing with the department in which they are currently employed and with the Post-Secondary Officer Training program. The officers are paid $1,000 when they are hired, another $1,000 when they are off field training and the third $1,000 after six months of employment. Ross said the bonus is taxed, unlike the reimbursement, but it has brought two officers into the department. Two others have entered under the reimbursement program.
The current pay for a new police officer is $19.72 per hour. Being able to compete with area departments has made a huge difference in attracting officers, with Chief Ross noting that he believes in the first part of February all of the officers will be off their training period and on their own. He credits Mayor Linda Crooks and other city leaders for taking the steps that were necessary to create a strong department. “I think the council, the mayor and (City Administrator) Ron (Urton) have been very supportive as well as the police personnel board,” Ross said. “They are the ones that
have pushed for it. We’re generally able to get applicants now when other places are still having trouble. So, we’re feeling pretty good right now.” In addition to Chief Ross, the department currently includes Lt. Larry Smith, Sgt. Jeb Walker, Sgt. Keith Edmonston and officers Faith Fliflet, Kameron Hind, Chanse Houghton, Trever Ratliff, Bryan Roberts, Jeff Spencer, Zach Underwood and Michael Williams. To give the public an opportunity to put a face with a name, the Republican-Times has included a picture collage of the department on page 12 of today’s RepublicanTimes.
BRIEFS R-9 Work Session
The Trenton R-9 Board of Education will hold a work session at 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 24 at the district office. The meeting, which is scheduled to last until 7 p.m., is a work session only, designed for discussion, goal setting and planning. No action items will take place at the meeting.
Trenton’s Got Talent
The Trenton High School show choir, Gold Rush, is hosting a fund-raiser talent show, “Trenton’s Got Talent” to raise funds for a trip to Nashville. Auditions for the show will be held from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Trenton Performing Arts Center. The actual show is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 11 in the TPAC. All students who are college age or younger are welcome to audition. Links to sign up can be found on all of the Trenton R-9 social media pages and more information can be obtained by contacting THS vocal music instructor Tyler Busick at 660-988-1218 or at tbusick@trentonr9.k12.mo.us. All proceeds from the show will be used to help defray the cost of the Gold Rush trip to Nashville in March.
R-9 Cancels Classes
Due to inclement weather and student/staff illness, classes in the Trenton R-9 School District were cancelled for both Thursday and Friday. All activities scheduled for Thursday were cancelled and will not be rescheduled. Friday’s courtwarming basketball game against Milan has been rescheduled for Feb. 8, with the courtwarming dance now scheduled for 9 to 11 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 29. The girls wrestling match at Brookfield set for Friday will not be rescheduled. The status of activities for Saturday will be decided on Friday and will be announced on the district’s website and social media pages.
Hearing Set For Jan. 31
The Grundy County Commission has scheduled a public hearing to receive comment on the 2022 budget. According to Grundy County Clerk Betty Spickard, the commission will hold the hearing at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 31, after which the commission is expected to approve the document. Commissioners worked on the budget during the Tuesday, Jan. 18 meeting, which also included two closed sessions to discuss personnel, with no announcement made concerning any action taken.
rector Barron Gann said the addition of the students will not move Gallatin from Class 1, which had a cut off of 207 students in grades nine through 11 this year. That number might be increased to 215, he said. GHS Head Football Coach Patrick Treece said he supports the change and feels it will provide added depth for the team and added opportunity for TriCounty athletes. The two schools also have an agreement allowing Gallatin High School students to play spring baseball with Tri-County. Board members updated the district’s Safe Return [See AREA, Page 6]
Main Street Trenton Seeks New Director Taul Resigns, Will Work Part Time During Transition Main Street Trenton will be seeking a new director following the announcement of the resignation of Megan Taul. Main Street President Jackie Soptic announced the resignation, indicating that Mrs. Taul has accepted a position with Grundy Electric Cooperative. According to Mrs. Soptic, Mrs. Taul will continue to work part-time for Main Street Trenton during the transition to the hiring of a new director. The four committees of the organization, which include organization, economic vitality, design and promotion, will continue to function through the group’s board of directors. “We thank Megan for all of her hard work and her assistance during the transition,” said Mrs. Soptic. “We look forward to finding the right person to help us continue all of the success we have enjoyed in the downtown area the last several years.” Main Street Trenton is a community-supported and volunteer-driven organization of people working together to revitalize Downtown Trenton. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the historic charm of downtown Trenton. The successes of 2021 were celebrated recently with the release of the Main Street Trenton 2021 Annual Report, which showed the successful completion of 30 projects during the year. Those projects included: the 30-Year Celebration Street Dinner, budget development, investor drive, grant applications and administration, created financial policies, 2022 [See TRENTON, Page 4]