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Friday, January 8, 2021
REPUBLICAN-TIMES TRENTON
Trenton, MO 64683
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 - 157th Year - No. 36
Ten Pages + One Insert
Watts Tabbed As Next RPC Director She Will Assume Her New Role In Early March
SEVERAL FACTORS DRIVING VACCINE AVAILABILITY Health Deparment Getting Calls About Access To Recently-Approved Vaccine BY RONDA LICKTEIG It’s the question on the minds of many Grundy County residents: “when can I get a COVID-19 vaccine?” The answer, for most people, is.....no one is sure. Elizabeth Gibson, administrator of the Grundy County Health Department, said the department gets calls every day from people who are wondering when the recently-approved vaccine will be available to them. The real answer is that it depends on several factors such as their occupation, their age and the condition of their health. “People call about it daily,” she said. “They want to know when they can get vaccinated. There are a lot who are ready to take it when we move into a tier that will allow them to have it.” The “tier” she is referring to is the system the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has developed to prioritize the distribution of the
two vaccines that are currently available, the Pfizer vaccine and the Moderna vaccine. Under Phase 1A, residents and staff of long-term care facilities and healthcare workers who are directly involved with patients are able to get the vaccine. Ms. Gibson said in Grundy County, employees of Saint Luke’s Health System and Mosaic Life Care are getting the vaccine, administered through their own systems. Residents and staff of longterm care facilities are also included in this phase and those in Grundy County should be receiving those vaccines in the very near future. Again, those are not being distributed by the health department, but through chain pharmacies. Phase 1B of the distribution plan will include high-risk individuals (those with health conditions who are between the ages of 18 and 64 and all individuals age 65 and over) as well as First Responders and other essential workers. These could include teachers and other education staff, childcare workers, water/wastewater workers, food and agriculture workers, critical manufacturing workers and energy workers. The DHSS has noted that staff are currently working to prioritize these groups and will be releasing that information soon. Phase 2 includes populations deemed
to be at risk, such as prisoners, the homeless, etc., and again, those populations are in the process of being prioritized by the DHSS. Phase 3 would include all Missouri residents and Ms. Gibson said that group could be waiting until late spring to get a vaccine. One of the issues facing local health departments, including those in small counties such as Grundy, is the requirement to order a minimum number of vaccines. For the Moderna vaccine, that number is 100 doses while for the Pfizer vaccine, the number jumps to 975. She said departments in the region will likely band together to order the vaccine. While it might seem like 100 would be an easy amount to distribute, it all depends on how many people are willing to take it during that phase. “Just as an example, you could have a business that has 50 employees so you think using 100 would be easy. But, what if only 10 of those 50 want it? It’s going to be difficult for small guys like us. There’s a short turnaround time of when you have to use it,” she explained. Ms. Gibson did say that when a person gets the first dose of the vaccine, a second dose is supposedly reserved for them, so that shouldn’t be a problem for [See VACCINE, Page 10]
The Green Hills Regional Planning Commission’s Board of Directors has announced the selection of a new executive director. Corrine M. Watts has been selected to serve as the next executive director of the RPC. The region’s presiding county commissioners conducted interviews with four candidates on Dec. 21 and recommended Mrs. Watts to the full board for consideration. The board of directors met via conference call Dec. 22 and after lengthy discussion and deliberation unanimously voted to offer the position to Mrs. Watts. Mrs. Watts is currently the Director of Workforce Services for the Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council in Olympia, WA and has experience managing nonprofit organizations such as the Red Cross and Autism Society of Washington as well as experience as an administrator and instructor with community and technical college systems. Mrs. Watts is a Missouri native, hailing from the Higginsville area. She graduated from Central Missouri State University in 2006 with a master of science degree in criminal justice, having previously earned a bachelor of science degree in sociology from CMSU. She has a shared passion for community development and engagement, which led her to seeking the executive director’s position at the
Corrine M. Watts
planning commission. Mrs. Watts is excited for the opportunity to move back to Missouri to be nearer to her family and at this time anticipates assuming her duties the first week of March. In addition to hiring Mrs. Watts, the board reassigned assistant director Jackie Soptic to the position of transition director. She will work with the board, staff and Mrs. Watts during the transition period, which will provide stability to the basic services provided by the commission while the agency develops new strategies under the leadership of Mrs. Watts. Mrs. Watts will replace Randy Railsback, who was recently elected to serve as Missouri State Representative. He will be sworn into office on Jan. 6 and is planning to volunteer his time as needed to also assist in the transition. Questions concerning the Green Hills Regional Planning Commission’s transition plan can be directed to Mrs. Soptic at 660-359-5636 ext. 12 or 660-359-1434.
BRIEFS Grundy Co. COVID Update
Biden’s Victory Is Confirmed By Senate
Cases of COVID-19 have increased in Grundy County in the past few days, including one additional death attributed to the virus. Grundy County Health Department Administrator Elizabeth Gibson said that as of Thursday morning, there have been 920 total cases, which is an increase from 890 reported in Tuesday’s Republican-Times. There are 697 confirmed cases (up from 671), 84 active (up from 79), 223 probable cases (up from 219) and 29 deaths, an increase of one.
Capitol Riot Prompts Opposition To Back Down
TDIA/Main St. Annual Meeting The Trenton Downtown Improvement Association and Main Street Trenton will hold its annual meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 12 beginning at 11 a.m. To allow for social distancing, the in-person meeting will be held at Trenton City Hall as well as virtually via Zoom. In order to be sure social distancing can be maintained, interested persons are requested to RSVP to Megan Taul at 660-654-3716 or by email at director.mstrenton@gmail.com. Information about how to join the meeting through Zoom can also be obtained by contacting Mrs. Taul at the above number or email.
Tri-County Board Agenda The Tri-County R-7 Board of Education will meet in regular session at 6 p.m. Monday in the old gym at the school in Jamesport. Items on the announced agenda include administrative reports, COVID-19 response and planning, renewal of a certificate of deposit, a hazard mitigation plan resolution, preliminary school calendar, technology, a budget review and an executive session to discuss personnel, including the superintendent’s evaluation, and student records.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A sober, shaken Senate returned to its hallowed chamber Wednesday night to slap away a frivolous election challenge, but its secondary purpose seemed to be to rise from the wreckage of a shocking day in which they were forced to flee the Capitol by a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump. The riot in the Capitol prompted more than half of those who had signed on to the protest to instead vote “no.” Catering to Trump's supporters seemed less important than defending democracy. Tennessee's GOP senators abandoned the effort, as did Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., who lost her runoff election Tuesday, helping to deliver control of the Senate to Democrats. Wis-
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE Mostly cloudy skies are expected throughout the weekend, with high temperatures topping out around 30 and lows in the upper teens. The sun returns for Monday and Tuesday. The high at Trenton on Monday, Jan. 4 was 40, with highs Tuesday and Wednesday hitting 42. Wednesday’s low was 35. The high Wednesday at the Government Weather Station near Spickard was 40, the low was 30.
consin's GOP Sen. Ron Johnson dropped out, as did James Lankford, R-Okla., a promising younger Republican who raised eyebrows when initially supporting the effort. The 93-6 tally upholding President-elect Joe Biden's win in Arizona was preceded by an unusually serious debate in which party labels were shed and constitutional prerogatives embraced. “We will not be kept out of this chamber by thugs, mobs, or threats. We will not bow to lawlessness or intimidation," said Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. “We are back at our posts. We will discharge our duty under the Constitution for our nation. And we are going to do it tonight." As senators debated, Trump took it on the chin from longtime critics like Mitt Romney, R-Utah. But many Republicans who spent years tiptoeing around Trump's often-scandalous behavior seemed to finally have had enough. “We witnessed today the damage that can result when men in power and responsibil-
ity refuse to acknowledge the truth,” said Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa. “We saw bloodshed because the demagogue chose to spread falsehoods and sow distrust of his own fellow Americans." The debate was forced by Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who argued that it was the only way to speak up for millions of Americans who believe Trump's false claims that the election was stolen from him. But their reputations as presidential wannabes hung over the debate. “I ask my colleagues, do we weigh our own political fortunes more heavily than we weigh the strength of our republic, the strength of our democracy, and the cause of freedom?" said Romney, whose desk is directly behind Hawley. “What’s the weight of personal acclaim compared to the weight of conscience?" More than 90 senators populated the chamber for the debate — guarded by dozens of heavily armed police — and the typically verbose crowd
DEFENSIVE ’DOGS... The Trenton High School girls basketball team used an alltime defensive effort to power past Gallatin for its first Grand River Conference victory of the season on Tuesday night. SPORTS, PAGE 2
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had to keep their remarks to just five minutes. Trump ally Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., also abandoned the president, appearing to cite his role in encouraging the mob. “Trump and I, we had a hell of a journey. I hate it being this way,” Graham said. “From my point of view, he’s been a consequential president. But today ... all I can say is count me out. Enough is enough.” Romney, the party's 2012 nominee, reminded his colleagues that he knows how unpleasant it is to lose a presidential election, drawing hearty laughter. But he earned an enthusiastic, spontaneous round of applause with a simple observation: “The best way we could show respect for the voters who are upset is by telling them the truth." Nearly 15 hours after lawmakers first gathered in joint session, they accepted the final state tally -- Wyoming’s three electoral votes which went to Trump -- and certified Biden’s victory.
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SPORTS ..........................PAGE 2 LOCAL ............................PAGE 3 Op/Ed ............................PAGE 4 CALENDARS ..................PAGE 5 AGRICULTURE..............PAGE 6 COMICS ..........................PAGE 7 CROSSWORDS ..............PAGE 8 CLASSIFIEDS ................PAGE 9 LOCAL ..........................PAGE 10