GNM_05-27-2020

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May 27, 2020

UPSP 213-200 Vol. 156, No. 1

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Secretary of State makes the rounds in Missouri

Spring elections take on a different look due to coronavirus alterations will be provided at the door for those needing a mask). Please refer to the May 13 or May 20 edition of the North Missourian to see the official ballot for the June 2 election. The ballot is not included in this issue of the paper. There are no county offices on the ballot in this election. The primary election for county offices such as assessor, sheriff, collector, etc. will be held on Aug. 4. Absentee voting procedures have been affected. Due to the Governor’s stay-at-home order

Mexican national pleads guilty to $10 million marijuana operation A Mexican national pleaded guilty in federal court May 26 to his role in a Daviess County marijuana-growing operation where law enforcement officers seized nearly $10 million worth of plants. Miguel Pulido-Maldonado, also known as “Mona,” 28, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count of conspiracy to manufacture and possess with the intent to dis-

tribute 1,000 or more marijuana plants, and one count of illegally reentering the United States. The owners of the three real estate tracts that comprise the property in Daviess County live in California. Law enforcement officers, who had been keeping the marijuana grow site under surveillance, executed a search warrant at the property at 285th

Street and Unity Avenue on Aug. 27, 2018. The plants were in a clearing inside a large area of timber. A distinct path led from a building in the wooded area to the area containing the marijuana plants. Officers located approximately 2,464 cultivated marijuana plants. With an approximate street value of $1,800 per pound of marijuana, this results in approximately $9,757,440 in marijuana plants seized. Under the terms of Tuesday’s plea agreement, Pulido-Maldonado must forfeit that amount to the government as illegal drugtrafficking proceeds. The Daviess County property must also be forfeited to the government. Pulido-Maldonado, who ran into the woods to escape custody, was arrested on Aug. 30, 2018; he was covered in mud, his arms had numerous bites from either mosquitoes or other insects and it appeared he had been outside for several days. Pulido-Maldo(continued on page 3)

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What standout Lady Bulldog teams earn your vote? See page 6

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County clinics included COVID-19 funding by federal health agency

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft was in Gallatin on May 19 to deliver election supplies to Ronetta Burton, Daviess County Election Authority. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, these supplies might have been considered unusual items needed to conduct an election. Due to the pandemic, Ashcroft delivered muchneeded masks, hand sanitizer, face shields, and 6-foot floor markers to be used during upcoming elections in Daviess County. Shown from left are Rachel Taylor, Carrie Holcomb, Jay Ashcroft, and Ronetta Burton. Ashcroft made similar deliveries to every other county in the state. [Submitted photo]

The 2020 spring election for school boards, fire districts, municipal and tax levies is definitely different. Due to the coronavirus, the April 7 election day is rescheduled to be on June 2. In Daviess County there will be only one central polling location for the entire county: the Lions Club Community Building, 801 W. Grand Street in Gallatin. This polling place will be open to voters between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Those voting will be asked to wear a face mask (supplies

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and ongoing coronavirus recommendations, voters are allowed to choose the “Confined due to illness” reason for voting absentee. This allows any voter to request and utilize an absentee ballot to vote, and every absentee ballot will be counted, as required by law. You may vote in person by absentee ballot at the courthouse anytime between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, through 5 p.m. on Monday, June 1. In person voting will also be available on Saturday, May 30, from 8 a.m. to 12 noon at the east door of the courthouse. You may also vote in person at the Lions Club Building on election day, June 2. “We are working on a case by case basis to try and get everyone that wants to vote absentee a chance to do so,” says Daviess County Clerk and chief election official Ronetta Burton. “In the past I have even hand delivered

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recently provided $17,360,958 to 351 Rural Health Clinics (RHC’s) in Missouri for COVID-19 testing. Locally, the Cameron Regional Medical Center has received funding from the grant, along with its clinics in Daviess County: Gallatin Family Medicine; Jamesport Outreach Clinic; and the Pattonsburg Medical Clinic. The amount of funding per clinic site has not yet been determined. Nationally, $225 million was awarded to over 4,500 RHC’s across the country to support COVID-19 testing efforts and expand access to testing in rural communities. Rural Health Clinics are a special designation given to health care practices in underserved rural areas by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that help ensure access to care for rural residents. This funding is through the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act that President Trump signed into law on April 24, 2020, which specifically directed these monies to be allocated to RHC’s. HRSA funded RHC organizations based on the number of certified clinic sites they operate, providing nearly $50,000 per clinic site. “Today’s funding provides rural health clinics with resources and flexibility to boost their testing capabilities to fight COVID-19,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “Further expanding testing capacity, including at RHC’s, is a crucial element of safely reopening our country and help-

ing Americans return to work and school. A safe reopening is vital for Americans’ health and well-being, and especially so for those living in rural areas, who may have struggled with access (continued on page 3)

One current case, three recovered from COVID-19 Daviess County Health Department noted its fourth case of positive COVID-19 on Thursday, May 21. There is only one current positive case; the other three have recovered. The current person has been notified and all contacts have been contacted, according to the health department. If you have not been contacted then you are not a contact to this case. The case and their contacts are all following public health officials and staying home until released by medical personnel to resume regular activities.

Coronavirus Update Confirmed Cases to Date

Grundy County ...... (+2 this week) 2 Daviess County ..... (+1 this week) 4 Caldwell County..... (+1 this week) 5 Gentry County ....(+16 this week) 19 Livingston County .... (unchanged) 3 Dekalb County ....... (+2 this week) 6 Harrison County..... (+1 this week) 9 Clinton County ....... (unchanged) 18 Missouri 12,291 cases, 686 deaths

Source: Missouri DHSS at 8:15 a.m. May 27

USA: 1.72M confirmed cases, 365K recoveries, 100K deaths Worldwide: 5.61M confirmed cases, 2.31M recoveries, 351K deaths

Source: Wikipedia; Daily situation reports available via the World Health Organization.

Produce giveaway here on June 4 Free boxes of produce will be given away from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Gallatin on Thursday, June 4, for those in need. Approximately 325 boxes are scheduled to arrive through a USDA program distributing surplus food during this pandemic. Each box will contain about 25 pounds of produce. A delivery truck from C&C Produce will be parked in front of the church located at 409 S. Main (Hwy. 13) during the giveaway. More details about this food giveaway will be posted online and in next week’s print edition.

(continued on page 3)

Average Missourians need help amidst pandemic, Daviess County poverty rate decreases slightly The Missourians to End Poverty coalition, in partnership with Missouri Community Action Network, announces the release of its 2020 Missouri Poverty Report. This 20-page report is a comprehensive snapshot of key poverty-related data points in Missouri, updated and expanded from the 2018 edition. According to the report, Missouri ranks 20th highest in the US for poverty rate with a statewide poverty rate of 13.2%. The poverty rate for Daviess County is 14.9% in 2020. The poverty rate for Daviess County was 16.9% in 2018. The statistics reveal a decrease of poverty by 2%

for the county over the two year period. Like the 2018 report, this version is organized by the five elements of poverty, which all have an impact on the health and wellbeing of individuals and families: economic and family security, education, food and nutrition, health, and housing and energy. In addition to an exploration of statistics related to the five elements of poverty, the 2020 report provides an analysis of Missouri’s urban and rural communities and any related impact on poverty, along with suggestions for programs and solutions that help address poverty. The data for the report was

collected prior to the coronavirus pandemic, and as such, the information provides a baseline of the state’s economy prior to the economic downturn due to COVID-19. This data is critical as governments, nonprofits, and businesses determine how to stabilize the economy and provide supports to Missourians who may need assistance during this unprecedented time in our state’s and nation’s history. Before the pandemic, Missouri saw a decline in poverty from a 10-year high of 16.2% in 2012 to 13.2% in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The 2018 figure accounts for 786,330 (continued on page 3)


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