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Wednesday, May 27, 2020
REPUBLICAN-TIMES TRENTON
Established Sept. 4, 1864 - 156th Year - No. 76
Trenton, MO 64683 COVID-19
75¢
per copy Check out the Republican-Times on the Internet: www.republican-times.com ©W.B. Rogers Printing Co., Inc.
Ten Pages & 2 Inserts
County Has First Two Cases
Free Community Testing Is Saturday The Grundy County Health Department has announced free community COVID-10 testing will be available for residents of Grundy and Mercer counties on Saturday, May 30. Testing will be done from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. as a drive-through event, using the county flu shot route, which begins in the parking lot of the Fist Christian Church at 17th Street and Princeton Road (entering from 17th Street). No more than four persons are to be in a vehicle. Actual testing, which includes a nose swab, will be done at the Emergency Services Complex. The testing is being offered by the health department in partnership with Wright Memorial Hospital, Mosaic Life Care and the Mercer County Health Department. The testing will be active COVID19 testing, not antibody testing. The health department is encouraging members of the public who are experiencing one or more symptoms of COVID-19 or believe they have been exposed to get tested. However, a person does not have to have symptoms to be tested at this event. Symptoms include cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fever, chills, muscle pain, sore throat and
JUNE 2 ELECTION
new loss of taste or smell. Testing participants must be at least 18 years of age. Those wanting to be tested during the event are asked to pre-register in advance to receive an appointment time. The registration process includes several pages of information being obtained, so pre-registration is encouraged to ensure testing can be done in a timely matter. Pre-registration can be done at https://health.mo.gov/communitytest. The link is also be posted to the health department Facebook page and website. Persons who do not have access to a computer or would like assistance with the sign-up process can call 877435-8411. “This community COVID-19 testing event is a great opportunity for us to collaborate with our healthcare partners and neighbors to bring this free service to residents of Grundy and Mercer counties,” health department emergency response planner Kelli Hillerman said. For more information about the testing event, persons can call the health department at 660-359-4196. Meanwhile, the health department has confirmed the first two positive cases of COVID-19 in Grundy
County. The announcement was made late Thursday afternoon. Health department officials report the cases are in separate households and both are isolating in their homes, although one of the cases has since been moved to an out-of-town hospital for further treatment. Close contacts in each of the cases have been identified and communicated with by health department officials regarding further precautions those individuals should be taking. The health department urges the public to continue taking appropriate precautions including good hygiene, social distancing and limiting in-person interactions. Persons should avoid close contact with people not in their household, especially those who are sick; avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth; cover a cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash; wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol; stay home when sick; and clean frequently-touched objects and surfaces often. Persons who are experiencing See COVID-19, Page 10
Hospital Operating At Full Capacity
Wright Memorial Hospital in Trenton is back to operating at full capacity within the hospital outpatient services, including imaging, rehabilitation and surgery as well as at the physician clinics. Wright Memorial Hospital CEO Steve Schieber said the inpatient unit and emergency department also remain operating fully as well. However, the health and safety of patients and staff remain the highest priority. “We’re grateful to be in a position to ramp most all of our services back up within our hospital and clinics in Trenton, and Princeton,” Schieber said “At the same time, we’re still taking precautions to ensure that we are protecting our patients and staff. Some of those precautions include screening all who enter our facilities for temperature and other COVID-19 related symptoms, masking for all patients and staff, maintaining appropriate social distancing in our waiting and clinical areas and continuing our visitor restrictions.” Additionally, the hospital and clinics are calling patients prior to their appointments to screen for risk factors for COVID-19, including symptoms and exposure. They will also continue moving patients from the waiting room to a private room as quickly as possible after check-in. “We want the community to know that we are working very hard daily to ensure we’re able to provide safe, convenient care for all who need it,” Schieber said. “And for those who would prefer, we also have the ability to schedule virtual appointments with our physicians and advanced practice providers so you don’t have to leave your home for care.” Patients are currently being contacted to reschedule some appointments that were delayed due to COVID-19 safety precautions. Patients can also contact the hospital and/or clinic to reschedule on their own. “At the end of the day, we want the community to know that we are ready and prepared to safely provide care, whether it be an emergent need in our emergency department, a routine appointment in one of our clinics, or an elective procedure that was previously postponed,” said Schieber.
PPE Provided
Precautions Being Taken Extra precautions for both judges and voters will be taken when the polls open for the June 2 Municipal Election. The election was postponed from April due to the COVID19 pandemic and with the virus recently detected in positive tests in Grundy County, voters can be sure that extra steps will be taken to lessen the possibility of spreading the infection among those at the polls. Grundy County Clerk Betty Spickard said judges will be provided with masks, gloves and face shields. Booths will be wiped down with sanitizers and extra styluses have been ordered and will be cleaned between voters as will the marking pens. Missouri Secre-
tary of State Jay Ashcroft has provided several of the items, including floor markers to indicate the physical distance that should be maintained between individuals and signage to that effect. Mrs. Spickard said a meeting will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 29 to discuss the procedures with judges. Judges for the election, with the supervisory judges listed first, and polling places include: Wilson and Marion Townships (voting at the Laredo Community Building) Vickie Bowe, Peggy Scott, Republicans; Jackie Owens, Linda Baugher, Democrats. See Election, Page 10
Briefs... Cops ‘N Bo obbers s Cance elle ed Due to concerns with COVID-19, the 2020 Cops ‘N Bobbers fishing event set for June 6 has been cancelled. The community youth event is being rescheduled for June 5, 2021. For more information, persons can contact Trenton Police Chief Rex Ross at 359-2121.
NORTH CENTRAL MISSOURI COLLEGE
R-T Photo/Diane Lowrey
The Grundy County Museum hosted local Memorial Day ceremonies on Monday at the Baker School. And while some changes to the event were made due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a crowd of around 25 persons was in attendance as members of Joseph L. Norton VFW Post No. 919 of Trenton conducted the traditional flag raising and rifle salute. Post Commander Tony Ralston also offered brief remarks.
Safety Measures In Place
Fall Semester In-Person, Online Classes Planned North Central Missouri College will be offering both online and on-campus courses for the 2020 fall semester with added measures to prioritize a safe campus environment. College officials will closely monitor COVID-19 information and work with local
health officials to implement safety guidelines. Should additional local or state orders be put in place, NCMC will review course offerings and adjust as needed to meet safety standards. Classes scheduled on campuses will run in larger rooms or at reduced sizes to allow for so-
National Weather Service
Showers are expected through mid-week with highs in the mid 70s and lows in the lower 60s. The high at Trenton on Thursday, May 21 was 69, Friday’s high was 75 and Saturday’s high was 84. Sunday’s high was 86 with 1.34 inches of rain. Monday’s high was 83, with a low of 66 and .88 of an inch of rain. Monday’s high at the Government Weather Station near Spickard was 80, the low was 63, with .67 of an inch of rain recorded.
cial distancing. On-campus classes will stay on standard schedules whenever possible. If shelter-in-place or other state and county orders occur, NCMC may make various adjustments to accommodate safety needs. Strategies could include rotational scheduling in classrooms or
labs, pre-recorded or live online lectures and remote instruction through face-to-face online meetings or the college’s new online course management system, Brightspace.
What’s Inside... Will there or won’t there be major league baseball this year? Sports Editor Seth Herrold offers his opinion about what might happen in 2020 in a column that appears on page 2 of today’s Republican-Times.
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See NCMC, Page 10
What’s Inside
Sports.............................page 2 Across Missouri ............page 3 Local News ....................page 4 Community ...................page 5 Calendars ......................page 5 Comics ...........................page 6 Crosswords....................page 7 Dear Annie ....................page 8 NASCAR .......................page 9