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Friday, April 24, 2020
REPUBLICAN-TIMES TRENTON
75¢
per copy Check out the Republican-Times on the Internet: www.republican-times.com ©W.B. Rogers Printing Co., Inc.
Established Sept. 4, 1864 - 156th Year - No. 67
Trenton, MO 64683
Eight Pages
Briefs...
GC-JN LIBRARY Not Just For Books
Variety Of Online Resources Available
R-9 Summer School The Trenton R-9 School District is postponing the original start of summer school of May 27 to a later date. The announcement of the new date will come after more information on COVID-19 becomes available. Enrollment forms can be dropped off in the lunch pickup line from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The school district also has a limited number of enrollment forms available, which can be picked up in the lunch line as well.
THS S Allum ni Maiiling Plans for completing the annual Trenton High School Alumni Reunion mailing have taken a different direction as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to comply with pandemic restrictions, the alumni association will utilize the Grundy County Opportunity Center in stuffing over 5,000 envelopes and preparing them for mailing. However, classes planning to insert their own class letter are being asked to pick up supplies and complete their respective mailing before returning them to the association for the bulk mailing. Dynamic Tax & Accounting Inc. in Trenton has agreed to serve as the location for class members to pick up supplies, complete with mailing labels, and receive the envelopes for mailing. The date for pickup and return of items will be announced later. Class representatives are asked to contact association secretary Steve Maxey at 660-359-7244 or by email at maxeysteve@gmail.com to confirm their individual mailing with class letters.
Utiili ty Pa ayment Diisc cusse ed The Utility Committee of the Trenton City Council is recommending a deadline of mid-May be established for utility customers to pay late bills or develop a payment plan in an effort to reduce the number of shutoffs. The recommendation was approved by committee members during a meeting on Tuesday night in response to concerns about the increase of delinquent bills. TMU Director Ron Urton said 430 delinquent utility bills were sent out to customers this month, including 20 businesses, totalling to $124,000. That total includes $45,000 in payments due for two months or longer. The council had voted in March to waive the late fees on utility bills for the months of April through June, which TMU Comptroller Rosetta Marsh estimates will result in approximately $40,000 in lost revenue. Mrs. Marsh also reported the utility is anticipated to lose another $30,000 in water revenues from the council voting to delay an 8.5 percent rate increase until June. The recommendation will go to the city council at its next meeting, which is tentatively scheduled for Monday night, April 27. Urton said that while each of the utility departments saw a net revenue gain during the past month, the revenues were significantly lower than a year ago. He said wastewater funds were “not where they need to be” and that water funds are also “nip and tuck.” He said the electric fund was in a healthy position. Urton reported water system flushing has gone smoothly and should be completed next week. The recently-replaced north substation transformer is also now online.
R -T To H onor Grraduates The Trenton Republican-Times will be honoring area high school seniors with a special section to be published in May or June. Parents, grandparents, other family members and friends who would like to recognize their Class of 2020 graduate with a special message can contact Angela Dugan or Lora Jackson at the newspaper office for additional information - 359-2212 or rtimes@lyn.net.
COUNTY COMMISSION
Photo Courtesy of Phil Schlarb
This pilot took social distancing to the extreme earlier this week as he operated his paraglider across the skies near Lake Trenton.
NORTH CENTRAL MISSOURI COLLEGE
Students, School Benefit
CARES Funding Will Provide Some Help Like everyone else, North Central Missouri College is in uncharted territory due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with students, staff and administrators grappling with the new reality of online-only classes, empty residence halls and the uncertainty of how long it might take for life to return to normal. The economic toll being felt by higher education, including NCMC, cannot be minimized, but the announcement of new federal emergency relief funds has brought some good news to the campus. NCMC President Dr. Lenny Klaver said the college will receive $892,038 from the Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Of that amount, $442,019 must go directly to students in the form of cash grants for expenses related to disruptions to their education due to COVID-19. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the student portion of the funds can be used for expenditures such as course materials and technology needed to continue their education during the pandemic as well as food, housing, health care and childcare. While the college is currently in the process of developing a detailed plan for how the funds will be distributed and to whom, Dr. Klaver said the money would be deposited directly from the business office into
student accounts. The other half of the money, the institutional portion, can be used in a variety of ways, including reimbursement of room and board and other refunds depending on when the money was spent. The cost of providing and/or upgrading technology to deliver online classes can also be funded through the CARES money. “We were in pretty good shape already,” Dr. Klaver commented. “But we will need some upgrades. If we can utilize some of that money, it would be great. The cost is going to be way more than that, but it might give us a jump on it.” Dr. Klaver noted that for both the student and institutional portions of the money there is a lot of ambiguity as to exactly what the rules are and how the funding can be allocated. One thing it appears the money cannot be used for, he said, is the $215,000 that the state is withholding from the college as part of budget cuts due to shortfalls in state revenue. In the short-term, that’s the most pressing financial problem NCMC is facing. “Our biggest issue is how to replace $215,000 over the next three months for operating exSee NCMC, Page 8
Updates Given
Ambulance Service Gets Grant Funding Grundy County has received a federal grant to assist the county ambulance service with efforts to continue safe operation of the service during the COVID-19 Pandemic. According to information provided by Grundy County Presiding Commissioner Phil Ray, the $38,000 grant from the Federal CARES Act Relief Fund was reported to the commission during its weekly report from Ambulance Director Steve Tracy. The grant amount is based on 0.06198 percent of the 2019 collected fees involving Medicare Part
B. Funds can be used for items such as specialized personal protective equipment and employee quarantine compensation. The CARES Act funding is related to the coronavirus aid relief and economic security. Commissioners heard a road and bridge update, learning the county crew will be working on the SE 98th Ave. bridge deck repair project that was necessary due to the 2019 flooding. They also reviewed work completed at several sites for FEMA Project DR4451 projects. It was noted several replace-
National Weather Service
There’s a chance of rain on Friday night with skies clearing for Saturday and Sunday and highs in the mid 60s. Monday’s high should reach into the mid 70s with lows dropping to the mid 40s. The high at Trenton on Monday, April 20 was 69 and Tuesday’s high was 70. Wednesday’s high was 73, the low was 48 with .01 of an inch of rain. Wednesday’s high at the Government Weather Station near Spickard was 72, the low was 46.
ment tubes have been delivered to the townships. Grundy County Emergency Management Director Glen Briggs will submit a FEMA disaster application involving COVID-19 personal protective equipment. He told commissioners the application for a Missouri Department of Public Safety Grant for 911 call-handling software is nearing completion. It was reported that there are still no confirmed COVID-19 cases in Grundy County. A closed session was listed on the
announced agenda however, none was needed. The agenda for the Tuesday, April 28 meeting includes a road and bridge update at 8:30 a.m., followed by an emergency management report at 9 a.m. and the opening of concrete bids at 9:15 a.m. Ambulance Director Steve Tracy will give his report at 10 a.m. and a report will be given by the Grundy County Health Department at 10:45 a.m. A closed session for legal and personnel matters is listed at 11 a.m.
What’s Inside... For Gabe Swann, this spring’s high school tennis season might have been a record breaker had it not been for the COVID-19 situation. See page 2 of today’s Republican-Times for a story about the THS senior.
Trenton Republican-Times “News Every Day...When YOU Want It”
MOSTLY SUNNY
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It’s time to step away from the couch and that awesome streaming service that has you binge watching 10 episodes of your favorite show in one weekend. Well, maybe not everyone is doing that but for those who are, there are definitely better ways to use your time and accessing the online resources at the Grundy County-Jewett Norris Library is one of them. While the library’s doors are closed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, its website offers many ways to enjoy a book, study for one of several college/career assessments or do a little research on your family or the Grundy County area. The library website can be accessed at www.grundycountylibrary.org. On the top of the homepage, click on the “links” tab and then on the next “links” tab. Those wishing to download an e-book or audio book can then click on the “Missouri Libraries 2 Go” icon or the “Axis360” icon to download an available book. Persons using those resources will need a library card and, in the case of Axis360, a pin number. Library Administrator Theresa Hunsaker said both can be obtained online by emailing the library at info@grundycountylibrary.or g. But there’s even more to do on the library site than read. Those who wish to look up family history can go to the “links” tab and then to the “genealogy” tab, where HeritageQuest is available. Follow the directions under the icon to access the site and begin looking up family history, including U.S. Census records. (Also, don’t forget to fill out your U.S. Census information while you’re home so your descendants can look you up someday). If you really want to get lost in research, don’t forget to utilize the digital archives that are on the website. You can look at Grundy County newspapers from 1884 to 2016 as well as Grundy County cemetery records. Maybe you want to make really good use of your time at home, perhaps studying for the High School Equivalency Exam, ACT or several job skills areas. Click on the “links” tab and look for “Learning Express Library.” That library is a comprehensive, interactive online learning platform of practice tests and tutorial courses designed to help patrons, students and adult learners succeed on the academic or licensing tests they must pass. There is immediate scoring, complete answer explanations and an individual analysis for your results. Those who click on the See Library, Page 8
What’s Inside
Sports.............................page 2 NASCAR .......................page 2 Agriculture....................page 3 Op/Ed ............................page 4 Calendars ......................page 4 Comics ...........................page 5 Dear Annie ....................page 6 Crosswords....................page 6 Classifieds .....................page 7