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TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021
TRENTON
R-T REPUBLICAN-TIMES 75¢
©W.B. Rogers Printing Co., Inc.
10 PAGES
Established Sept. 4, 1864 - 157th Year - No. 39
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BRIEFS City Council Filing A Trenton man is seeking a spot on the Trenton City Council, subject to the April 6 election. Robert Romesburg of 1015 E. 13th St., filed for the position in the city’s Third Ward. The term of current Third Ward Councilperson Cathie Smith is expiring and Romesburg is the first candidate to file for the vacancy. Other filings as of Thursday afternoon were Glen Briggs, first ward incumbent, and John Dolan, fourth ward incumbent. The deadline to file is Tuesday, Jan. 19.
GCNHD Board Meeting The Grundy County Nursing Home District Board of Directors will meet in regular session at 4 o’clock today (Tuesday, Jan. 19) at the First Christian Church. Due to COVID-19 concerns, the meeting will not be open to the public. The agenda lists a treasurer’s report and a discussion of energy improvement projects and financing as well as the administrator and RCF reports. The board also plans to hold a closed session to discuss legal matters and personnel. R-T Photo/Wendell Lenhart
Utility Meeting Scheduled
A sign hangs on the door at a local business reminding patrons that there is a mask ordinance in effect in Grundy County. However, not everyone has followed the guidelines.
GCHD: Prevention Is The Goal Mask Ordinance Was Put In Place On December 11
While no one is going to say they love the idea, there’s reason to believe the mask ordinance in Grundy County is making a difference as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the health of area residents. “In public health we’re always looking at prevention,” said Grundy County Health Department Administrator Elizabeth Gibson. “So, when people say our numbers should be going down if the mask are working, we’re thinking that we don’t know how high those numbers might be if we weren’t wearing them.” Ms. Gibson, who serves as the county health officer, put the ordinance in place Dec. 11 after local healthcare officials sounded the alarm that area healthcare facilities were on the verge of being overwhelmed. “We were responding to the
Active Numbers Drop The active cases of COVID-19 in Grundy County took a dip over the weekend, according to the Grundy County Health Department. As of Monday morning, there were 62 active cases of the virus in Grundy County, a number that is down from 82 reported in Friday’s Republican-Times. There are 224 probable cases, up from 223 and 759 confirmed cases, an increase from 748. The total cases since the pandemic began sits at 983, an increase from 971. The death toll in Grundy County remained at 33. healthcare system being overwhelmed by it (COVID-19),” she explained. “We didn’t feel like we could just sit back and do nothing.” Under the ordinance, all persons age 10 and older are supposed to wear a mask any time they are or will be in contact with people who are not household members. All public buildings and businesses are supposed to have signs posted requiring those who enter to wear a face covering. While all you have to do is walk into nearly any business or public building in the county to see that not everyone is following the rules, Ms. Gibson said she has received a lot of feedback from those who support the ordinance. “For some businesses, I
think it almost gave them permission to ask their customers to wear the mask. It gave them someone to blame,” she laughed, “And I’m okay with that!” She went on to say that she knew there were those who were shopping in other communities that already had a mask ordinance in place because they felt safer. “Businesses should be concerned about that,” she said. The fact that many businesses still do not require customers to don the face covering is concerning, she said, also noting that there are public buildings where employees are not wearing them. “Obviously, we would hope to see them wearing the mask to protect themselves and other
people. We know that you can have someone who is asymptomatic and you find out later that person has exposed others. So, I would just encourage everyone to do better.” Ms. Gibson commended the leadership of the Trenton R-9 School District for its stance on masks, which she believes has helped control to a great extent the spread of the virus among the students and staff and to keep them in school. The county remains in the “high-risk” range according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Ms. Gibson hopes that with a vaccine making it’s way to the county, the situation will improve over the next many weeks. The mask ordinance will expire in early February, although she said she will look to the governor’s guidance, how many new cases we’re seeing as well as consult with local health care providers to determine if it will be re-issued. “We’ll see if the situation is being alleviated at that point,” she said, “but I do feel like we’ve moved the needle a little.”
R-5 Ponders Four-Day School Week Board Also Reviews The Cooperative Agreement With Newtown-Harris
The Grundy R-5 Board of Education is continuing to look into the possibility of implementing a four-day school week for the 2021-22 school year. According to R-5 Superintendent Phil Fox, the board heard a presentation on the four-day week from High School Principal Matt Rayl and Elementary Principal Jen Dryer during the board’s regular meeting held Wednesday. The principals explained that data supports the four-day week concept. A community survey was also reviewed and approved by the board to be released for public comment. No
other action was taken at this time. A discussion was held on the present COVID-19 response for the district and board members agreed to extend the Families First Coronavirus Response Act that provides employees with 80 hours of paid sick leave if the employee is quarantined with the virus. The board also reviewed and discussed the cooperative agreement that is currently in place with the Newtown-Harris School District, with the administration directed to contact the Newtown administration to discuss continuation of the agreement. In other business, potential changes to a bus route were discussed and it was noted that the Missouri State Highway Patrol inspection of buses will be held March 3 at the Department of Transportation building near Trenton. A committee was also appointed to investigate the feasibility of constructing a bus barn. The board also approved the purchase of new cur-
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE Sunny skies will appear over Trenton on Wednesday and Thursday with highs in the mid 40’s. The high at Trenton on Thursday was 42 with .3 of an inch of snow and .1 of an inch of rain. On Friday the high was 35 with 1.5 inches of snow and .6 of an inch of rain. Saturday’s high was 32 and Sunday’s high was 36 with a low of 24. There was no report from the Government Weather Station near Spickard.
riculum for the elementary school at a cost of $11,445 as well as giving approval to MCE policy updates and hearing principal reports. It was announced that the filing period for the April 6 board election ends on Tuesday, Jan. 19. Two candidates, Mary Lentz and Caleb Shiflett, have filed for election, with the terms of Mike Herrold and Alex Peterson expiring. Following an executive session, the board accepted the resignation of fourth grade instructor Janna Burkeybile, effective at the end of the school year, and Kelli Urton, as Parents as Teachers educator, effective immediately. In addition, the evaluations of the two principals were conducted after which both were offered contract extensions, with their salaries to be set at a later date. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 10.
The Trenton Utility Committee will meet at 6 o’clock tonight (Tuesday, Jan. 19) at city hall. The public will not be able to attend physically but may join by Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81000483315. Items on the announced agenda include department reports, a director’s update and a review of monthly financial records.
Blood Drive On Feb. 1 The Community Blood Center will hold a blood drive in Trenton on Monday, Feb. 1. The drive will be held at the North 65 Center from noon to 6 p.m. Donors are encouraged to make an appointment by visiting savealifenow.org/group and using group code TN.
I REMEMBER TRENTON
Odd-Sounding Name, But A Good Time Place Big City Girl Enjoyed Trenton’s Small Town Flair
Editor’s Note: This story is written by Jane Norris Brinkmann of Ferguson, who spent a lot of time in Trenton with her uncle and aunt, Merle and Thelma Davis. They were the owners of Davis Food Center, which was located in the current building that houses the Green Hills Regional Planning Commission. Persons who have a memory to share about any topic related to Trenton and the surrounding area are asked to do so by e-mailing the Republican-Times newspaper at rtimes@lyn.net. Stories should include the writer’s name, address and telephone number. Stories are to be submitted by e-mail and will appear periodically in the newspaper. by Jane Norris Brinkmann Gizmo’s - an odd-sounding name, but nevertheless a wonderful place to have a good time in a small town. From the outside, it’s just a dilapidated red brick building on Main Street. On the exposed outer wall, the only writing is painted in big white letters: “Bulldogs Beat Chillicothe.” Once I enter the door, an en-
GRAPPLING GREATS... The Trenton High School wrestling team picked up two victories on Thursday night. Trenton defeated visiting Polo and Marceline on their home mat to move to 5-3 overall on the season. SPORTS, PAGE 2
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tirely different atmosphere is in action. Young people are all around, talking while dancing, playing pinball or just sitting at the counter or in a booth. Shouts of “Hi there!”, “How are you, Jane?”, “Long time, no see!” and “When did you get into town?” greet me. Kids are twirling around on the counter stools while drinking sodas. Boys are playing pinball with as much intensity as a grand national chess match. Girls stand around them, cheering them on and, of course, flirting. In the back room, I am greeted by a more subdued atmosphere. Over in the corner is a big jukebox, the only light in the room except for the little that filters in through the doorway to the front. A row of booths line one wall. In these is taking place the inevitable quarreling and patching up of boys and girls. On the opposite wall is a row of benches occupied by boys who are trying to get up enough nerve to ask a girl to dance. More people are introduced to me, people who seem so much more open with their friendship than those in the big city where I live. They always have a ready smile and are eager to listen to what I say and to include me in their activities. Gizmo’s is just a red, small building in a small north central Missouri town, but each time I leave there, I leave with a feeling of deep regret.
WHAT’S INSIDE
SPORTS..................PAGES 2 & 3 LOCAL ............................PAGE 4 CALENDARS ..................PAGE 5 COMMUNITY .................PAGE 5 COMICS..........................PAGE 6 CROSSWORDS ...............PAGE 7 CLASSIFIEDS ..........PAGE 8 & 9 LOCAL ...........................PAGE 10