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Tuesday, December 1, 2020
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.
Ten Pages & 1 Insert
Established Sept. 4, 1864 - 157th Year - No. 26
Briefs... North 65 Centter Me eals The North 65 Center has announced it will continue not to have in-person dining until further notice. Senior citizen meal delivery will continue as normal, however, there will be no meals served in person during the noon hour. “Grab and go” meals will be available on a daily basis (Monday through Friday), with persons being asked to call the center at 359-3058 by 9:30 a.m. each day. The meals can be picked up at the door between 11 a.m. and noon.
COVID-19 Upda ate The number of COVID-19 cases in Grundy County continues to rise, with 54 additional cases reported since Wednesday, Nov. 25. As of Monday morning, the Grundy County Health Department has reported a total of 687 cases since testing began. Active cases are at 96, down from the 112 cases reported last Wednesday. There have been two additional deaths recorded, which now total 21. The latest COVID numbers available from area county health departments include Livingston, 757 (79 active, 20 deaths); Linn, 646 (95 active, 16 deaths); Sullivan, 641 (27 active, 8 deaths); Harrison, 442 (54 active, 5 deaths); Daviess, 361 (113 active, 9 deaths); Putnam, 208 (45 active, 2 deaths); and Mercer, 81 (17 active, 1 death). No new numbers were available in Caldwell and Carroll counties.
Le etters To o Sa anta Photo Courtesy of Trenton R-9 School District
The Trenton R-9 Performing Arts Center continues to take shape, with work centering on the proscenium, which is the opening of the stage in front of the curtain. Just above the proscenium arch are the main theater speakers. Seating is scheduled to be installed the week of Dec. 14 and school officials are hoping to have the facility ready for use in February.
U.S. CONGRESS
Virus Aid, Federal Funding On Agenda
Key Issues Still Unresolved WASHINGTON (AP) — After months of shadowboxing amid a tense and toxic campaign, Capitol Hill's main players are returning for one final, perhaps futile, attempt at deal-making on a challenging menu of year-end business. COVID-19 relief, a $1.4 trillion catchall spending package, and defense policy — and a final burst of judicial nominees — dominate a truncated two- or three-week session occurring as the coronavirus pandemic rockets out of control in President Donald Trump's final weeks in office. The only absolute must-do business is
C2N DIAGNOSTICS
preventing a government shutdown when a temporary spending bill expires on Dec. 11. The route preferred by top lawmakers like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, DCalif., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is to agree upon and pass an omnibus spending bill for the government. But it may be difficult to overcome bitter divisions regarding a long-delayed COVID-19 relief package that's a top priority of business, state and local governments, educators and others. Time is working against lawmakers as well, as is the Capitol's emerging status as a COVID-19 hotspot. The House has trun-
cated its schedule, and Senate Republicans are joining Democrats in forgoing the in-person lunch meetings that usually anchor their workweeks. It'll take serious, good-faith conversations among top players to determine what's possible, but those haven't transpired yet. Top items for December's lame-duck session: KEEPING THE GOVERNMENT OPEN At a bare minimum, lawmakers need to keep the government running by passing
The Trenton Republican-Times will be publishing Letters to Santa in a special section that will be included in the newspaper on Tuesday, Dec. 22. Children are encouraged to write letters to Santa, telling him of their gift wishes for Christmas. Letters must include the child’s name, age, address (town) and a telephone number in order to be published. Only the child’s name, age and town will be included in the letter. Because of space constraints, letters should be kept to a minimum and the R-T reserves the right to edit letters, if necessary. Persons wanting to submit letters may do so by mail at PO Box 548, Trenton, MO 64683; by e-mail at rtimes@lyn.net; or they may be brought to the R-T office during business hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to noon on Friday. Emailing letters is encouraged. Letters must be received no later than Friday, Dec. 11. ********** DOWNTOWN CHRISTMAS PARADE Friday, Dec. 4 - 6 p.m. Entries Line Up at Farmers Bank of Northern Missouri Parking Lot - 5:30 p.m. (To enter, contact Cindy Jennings at 359-1923) Parade to include Santa Claus and his Elves and KC Wolf.
See Congress, Page 4
FDA Has Yet To Give Final Approval
Company Offers Alzheimer’s Diagnosis Test By The Associated Press A company has started selling the first blood test to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, a leap for the field that could make it much easier for people to learn whether they have dementia. It also raises concern about the accuracy and impact of such life-altering news. Independent experts are leery because key test results have not been published and the test has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — it's being sold under more general rules for commercial labs. But they agree that a simple test that can be done in a doctor’s office has long been needed. It might have spared Tammy Maida a decade of futile trips to doctors who chalked up her symptoms to depression, anxiety or menopause before a $5,000 brain scan last year finally showed she had Alzheimer’s. “I now have an answer,” said the 63-year-old former nurse from San Jose, California. If a blood test had been available, “I might have been afraid of the results” but would have “jumped on that” to find out, she said. More than 5 million people in the United States and millions more around the world have Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia. To be diagnosed with it, people must have symptoms such as memory loss plus evidence
of a buildup of a protein called beta-amyloid in the brain. The best way now to measure the protein is a costly PET brain scan that usually is not covered by insurance. That means most people don’t get one and are left wondering if their problems are due to normal aging, Alzheimer’s or something else. The blood test from C2N Diagnostics of St. Louis aims to fill that gap. The company's founders include Drs. David Holtzman and Randall Bateman of Washington University School of Medicine, who headed research that led to the test and are included on a patent that the St. Louis university licensed to C2N. ABOUT THE TEST The test is not intended for general screening or for people without symptoms — it’s aimed at people 60 and older who are having thinking problems and are being evaluated for Alzheimer’s. It’s not covered by insurance or Medicare; the company charges $1,250 and offers discounts based on income. Only doctors can order the test and results come within 10 days. It's sold in all but a few states in the U.S. and just was cleared for sale in Europe. It measures two types of amyloid particles plus various forms of a protein that reveal whether someone has a gene that raises risk for
National Weather Service
Sunny skies are expected this week with cool temperatures rising into the high 30s to low 40s and lows falling into the mid 20s. The high on Wednesday was 50, with .17 of an inch of rain. Thursday’s high was 54, Friday’s high was 52 and Saturday’s high was 54. Sunday’s high was 43 with a low of 29. The high on Sunday at the Government Weather Station near Spickard was 41, the low was 19.
the disease. These factors are combined in a formula that includes age, and patients are given a score suggesting low, medium or high likelihood of having amyloid buildup in the brain. If the test puts them in the low category, “it’s a strong reason to look for other things” besides Alzheimer’s, Bateman said. “There are a thousand things that can cause someone to be cognitively impaired,” from vitamin deficiencies to medications, Holtzman said. “I don’t think this is any different than the testing we do now” except it’s from a blood test rather than a brain scan, he said. “And those are not 100% accurate either.” ACCURACY CLAIMS The company has not published any data on the test’s accuracy, although the doctors have published on the amyloid research leading to the test. Company promotional materials cite results comparing the test to PET brain scans — the current gold standard — in 686 people, ages 60-91, with cognitive impairment or dementia. If a PET scan showed amyloid buildup, the blood test also gave a high probability of that in 92% of cases and missed 8% of them, said the company’s chief executive, Dr. Joel Braunstein. If the PET scan was negative, the blood test ruled out amyloid buildup 77% of the time. The
other 23% got a positive result, but that doesn't necessarily mean the blood test was incorrect, Braunstein said. The published research suggests it may detect amyloid buildup before it's evident on scans. Braunstein said the company will seek FDA approval and the agency has given it a designation that can speed review. He said study results would be published, and he defended the decision to start selling the test now. “Should we be holding that technology back when it could have a big impact on patient care?" he asked. WHAT OTHERS SAY Dr. Eliezer Masliah, neuroscience chief at the U.S. National Institute on Aging, said the government funded some of the work leading to the test as well as other kinds of blood tests. “I would be cautious about interpreting any of these things,” he said of the company’s claims. “We’re encouraged, we’re interested, we’re funding this work but we want to see results.” Heather Snyder of the Alzheimer’s Association said it won't endorse a test without FDA approval. The test also needs to be studied in larger and diverse populations. “It’s not quite clear how accurate or generalizable the results are,” she said.
What’s Inside... It was a big weekend for MU Tigers and KC Chiefs football fans as both teams scored victories. See page 2 of today’s Republican-Times for a recap of the contests played on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
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Sports.............................page 2 National News........page 3 & 5 Local ..............................page 4 Calendars ......................page 5 Across Missouri ............page 6 Comics ...........................page 7 Dear Annie ....................page 8 Crosswords....................page 8 Classifieds .....................page 9