2003 Year In Review – Part 2

Dec 31, 2003 | Headline News

Editor?s Note: This is the second part of a two-part series recapping the year 2003. Today?s story focuses on the months of July through December.

July

Residents in Trenton and Grundy County celebrated July 4 with a program at the Trenton Municipal Airport. Included in the day?s events were a fly-in, games and airplane rides. Evening entertainment was held at the C.F. Russell Stadium, which concluded with a fireworks display.

Members of the Trenton High School cheerleading squad received team and individual honors at the National Cheerleaders Association camp in Columbia. Courtney Cox and Christina Woodard were named to the All-America team while Annie Hooker was named the ?top gun? dancer. The squad was selected to attend the NCA national competition, but were unable to do so because of MSHSAA regulations prohibiting competitions held in other states.

According to a feature story written by Ronda Lickteig, CHEM (Companies Helping to Eliminate Meth) is being used by local and county law enforcement officials in an effort to deter methamphetamine manufacturing and use in Grundy County. The program involves local merchants and their employees as well as members of the public informing law enforcement agencies about the purchase of items used to manufacture meth.

The Tax Increment Financing Committee recommended that the Trenton City Council approve a portion of a proposal to renovate the former Adams Middle School before approval was given to the entire plan. Trenton AMS, LLC made the request so work could begin on the gymnasium area, which was used by the Trenton High School Alumni Association for its annual dance. The final plan was approved later in the year and a request has already been made to begin preliminary work on Phase II. Several businesses have already located in the building, with others scheduled to open after Jan. 1.

The Grundy County Law Enforcement Committee decided not to pursue a November vote on a new jail, citing the need for more time to firm up plans for a new facility as well as the location for the building. Some consideration was given to putting the issue on the April ballot, but committee members decided to postpone action indefinitely until levy issues for the Trenton R-9 and Grundy R-5 school districts are resolved.

The Grundy County Nursing Home District Board of Directors voted 4-2 to fire the administrator of the Sunnyview Nursing Home and Apartments, Denella Marlay, during a special meeting on July 17. Patricia Akers was named interim administrator and was later hired to fill the position on a permanent basis. Two board members, Phil Schlarb and Gary Dolan, also resigned from the board as did the nursing home district?s attorney, Jim Holcomb.

Trenton resident Phil Hoffman was elected vice chairman of the advisory committee for the University of Missouri research farm near Spickard.

Tuesday night dances at the Grundy County Senior Center were featured in a story appearing on July 21 in the Republican-Times. Dances are held every other week as fund-raisers for the center.

The World Changers arrived in Trenton on Sunday, July 20 and spent a week renovating and repairing homes in Trenton and the surrounding area. The city of Trenton received money through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development to help fund the project, which included a total of 17 homes at Trenton, Laredo and Princeton.

The Grundy County Health Department conducted a Bioterrorism Preparedness Planning Exercise in Trenton, with county and city officials taking part along with other agencies such as schools and emergency services.

Spickard resident David Briegel was sentenced in federal court to two years without parole for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The sentence was given after Briegel had earlier pleaded guilty to the charge in connection with an incident on Nov. 27, 2002.

NCMC Board of Trustee member Betty Frances Hall was selected as the recipient of the Missouri Community College Association?s Distinguished Community College Alumni award. Ms. Hall is a 1951 graduate of Trenton Junior College and is an original member of the board, serving since 1986.

AUGUST

Assistant City Administrator for Community Development, Rick Childers, resigned his position to assume executive director duties of the Pioneer Trails Regional Planning Commission.

New employees of the Trenton R-9 School District for the 2003-2004 school year included Superintendent Craig Noah, middle school family and consumer sciences instructor Suzi Beck, middle school special education instructor Angie Sloan, high school math teacher Mary Hale, high school special education teacher Brenda Thorne, middle school art instructor Penny Roberts and middle school special education teacher Doug Yates.

Sixth District Congressman Sam Graves of Tarkio visited Trenton and Hoffman-Reed, Inc. as part of a daylong agriculture swing through northwest Missouri.

The Trenton City Council?s Administrative Committee is looking at changes in rental inspections following a meeting held in August with local rental property owners. The city committee is considering a change in when a unit is inspected, possibly reducing the number of times to once a year rather than each time the unit is rented, as is the current practice. No final action has been taken on the issue.

The Grundy County-Jewett Norris Library established its ?Friends of the Library? program, in which persons could volunteer time to assist with activities at the library as well as provide financial support. The program was featured in the R-T on Aug. 25.

?Sculpture by Mick Luehrman? was the first of a series of exhibits being featured this year in the Dorris Rider Art Gallery on the NCMC campus. The exhibit began on Aug. 26 and continued through Sept. 19.

A program was held Aug. 28 to dedicate Highway 65 as the ?American Legion Highway.? Missouri Department of Transportation Director Henry Hungerbeeler was a special guest at the ceremony, held at C.F. Russell Stadium.

Missouri Agriculture Director Peter Hofherr was in the Trenton area to get a first-hand look at the effects of the summer?s drought on farmers in northwest Missouri. He also visited the Stewartsville, Bethany, Princeton and Jamesport areas.

Brian Thompson of Trenton was the fifth best shooter in his class at the Grand American World Trapshooting Championships held in Ohio. Thompson has been trapshooting for two and one-half years, including membership on the Trenton FFA Trapshooting Team.

SEPTEMBER

The Trenton R-9 School District found itself on the list of schools in Missouri that didn?t meet certain criteria of the No Child Left Behind law, however, Superintendent Craig Noah noted that the numbers used to make the determinations didn?t tell the whole story of how well R-9 students are actually doing in the classroom. He noted that the Free and Reduced Lunch subcategory was where the state aid the district fell below the percentages required to meet the proficiency criteria. The overall numbers showed Trenton students doing well.

Elected officers of the Rissler School PTO were E?Lisha Gass, president; Melissa Purkapile, immediate past president; Wendy Shuler, vice president; Ronda Lickteig, secretary; Tricia Lenhart, treasurer and bookfair chairman; Robin Wilson and Mary Woodson, chili supper chairpersons; and Lisa Fuller and Tracy Utley, spring activity chairpersons.

The Foundation Trust for THS made a $16,000 donation to the Trenton R-9 School District to pay for the installation of air conditioning in the high school commons.

The city of Trenton received a $25,850 community facility grant to help purchase an early warning siren system. The money came from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The sirens have been purchased and are expected to arrive in Trenton after the first of the year.

Grundy County 4-H members were honored during the annual county recognition program on Sept. 20.

Ed Geyer was named grand marshal of the 2003 Missouri Day Festival Parade, which was to be held Oct. 18. ?A Sample of the Past – School Days? was the theme of the parade, which was coordinated by the Trenton Rotary Club.

Joe Driskill, director of the Department of Economic Development, was in Trenton to discuss the state?s ?Blueprint for Prosperity and Jobs? during a program on the NCMC campus. Driskill and members of his staff talked about efforts to reorganize the department to better fit the needs of Missourians.

Nine residents of Grundy and Mercer counties were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges involving the manufacturing and distribution of methamphetamines. Gary Michael Swafford, Stacy Todd Davis, Brianna Leigh Johnson and Patricia Jean Chipps, all of Trenton, and Laurie E. Baker of Princeton were charged with conspiring to manufacture and distributed 50 grams or more of meth between Oct. 1, 2002 and Sept. 18 of this year. Olin Youngs and Mary Lynn Thomas of Trenton and Gary Peter Bordelon and Joyce Swigart, both of Warrensburg, were charged with three counts involving the manufacture and distribution of meth.

The NCMC Board of Trustees approved purchase of a motorcoach for use by athletic teams and other organizations at the school. Fund-raising efforts have been on-going to secure the money for the $45,000 purchase.

Savannah Shipley and Erick Jackson were named Grundy R-5 FFA barnwarming queen and king.

Trenton native Martha Risser was featured in the opening program for the Grundy County Friends of the Arts 2003-2004 season. Ms. Risser and the Shawnee Mission Theater in the Park Ensemble presented the program.

OCTOBER

Senior Ashley Hutchinson was named THS homecoming queen. Melissa Gay, a freshman, was named homecoming princess.

The Green Hills Regional Planning Commission received the Achievement in Excellence Award during the Workforce Develop-ment Conference. The award was given in recognition of the RPC?s ?rapid response? efforts when the ConAgra plant at Milan closed.

An Oregon man, visiting friends in Trenton, is in the process of visiting every county seat in the United States. To show he has visited each county, Dick Bennett has his photo taken in front of some type of sign designating the county name.

Crystal Wendt and Isaiah Phillips were named the 2003 Little Miss and Mister Trenton during opening ceremonies for the Missouri Day Festival. Also recognized were winners of the Missouri Day essay and coloring contests. Members of the THS and TMS vocal music departments provided entertainment.

NOVEMBER

After months of missed deadlines and other problems associated with county reassessment, members of the Grundy County Commission announced they had contacted the state tax commission about their concerns, in particular those involving possible violation of state statute. The county commission was told there were no provisions in the state statute to deal with the assessor missing deadlines and that the tax commission has ?always emphasized that the primary objective is fair and correct assessments so long as the delay does not jeopardize the county?s property tax system itself.? Assessments were sent out in November, however, the county clerk?s office noted errors in the bills that while not affecting the accuracy of the assessed valuation and tax calculation on real estate tax bills, did show a doubled number on the tax bills of the number of acres assessed. A notice was sent out with the bills, explaining the situation.

The Salvation Army announced plans to open a thrift shop in Trenton. The shop is located at 905 Main St. and was opened the second week in November.

Federal charges were filed against a Princeton man, who was involved in an incident involving the Mercer County Sheriff?s Department and the kidnapping of a Princeton man. Raymond Burton was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was also charged in Mercer County and Wayne County, IA in connection with the incident, which began at a home in Princeton and end with law enforcement officials apprehending him in Iowa.

The Trenton R-9 Board of Education heard a proposal from a St. Louis firm, which would offer a summer school program that could result in additional state funds for the school district. Edison Learning would provide all staff and materials and pay all costs involved with the program, including incentives for students to attend. The program would be more intensive than what has been done in the past. The board agreed in December to use the program.

At the same meeting, board member Don Sager asked for identification of at least $500,000 in possible cuts the district could consider if state funding does not improve. He asked that the list be made available in January and the board has already moved toward that process, having received information on various items at meetings held since that time.

John Stewart of Trenton returned home after spending five months in Iraq as part of a Navy Seabee unit that helped do reconstruction work in the country. His experiences were shared in a feature story appearing Nov. 14.

Former Sullivan County Associate Circuit Judge Jeff Sayre received a four-year sentence in federal court after having pled guilty in June for soliciting a bribe while on the bench. He had resigned from the bench and surrendered his law license.

Trenton FFA members Hilary Holeman and Stephanie Gutshall competed in fall speaking contests at Gallatin. Miss Holeman placed first in the Missouri Institute of Cooperatives competition, qualifying for the state contest at Jefferson City. Miss Gutshall was selected as the alternate in the Missouri Farm Bureau speaking contest, which was held in December.

Trenton residents celebrated ?A Hometown Christmas? when the Trenton Area Chamber of Commerce and the Grundy County Historical Society sponsored events the weekend of Nov. 21-22. Activities included a parade, decorated trees at the Grundy County Museum, a musical program and a visit by Santa Claus.

Citing financial concerns on both the local and state levels, Grundy R-5 Superintendent Paul Huey announced that the board of education made several cuts in personnel and programs for the 2004-2005 school year. Over $340,000 in reductions were made by the board, which also voted to place a levy issue on the April ballot, asking patrons to approve a 45-cent increase with a five-year sunset clause.

A former Trenton Municipal Utilities employee used his new-found retirement to recondition a 1944 American LeFrance fire truck belonging to the city. Ralph Cutsinger’s many hours of working on the truck was the subject of a feature story.

DECEMBER

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held, officially marking the opening of the new Ninth Street railroad bridge. The $2.3 million project included construction of a new bridge, which was relocated to the north of the former structure, as well as widening of the road, repaving and new traffic control signals at the intersection of Harris Avenue and Ninth Street.

NCMC English Instructor and Associate Dean of Arts, Dr. Vickie Wheeler, was recognized with the Governor?s Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Officials of the Miss Trenton and Green Hills Area Scholarship Pageants announced they would not be holding a pageant in January, as had originally been announced, but instead would move the annual pageants to the fall.

The Trenton City Council voted to do away with a section of a city ordinance that prohibited the riding of bicycles on sidewalks in the city?s business areas. In addition, parking limits in the downtown area were also removed with the exception of those on Main Street between 13th Street and Crowder Road (in front of Geyer Hall) and the timed parking in front of the Grundy County-Jewett Norris Library.

A ?teen court? is planned in the Third Judicial Circuit, which includes Grundy County. A grant has been received by the Juvenile Office, which will implement the program. Juvenile officials see the court as a way to deal with first-time offenders in an effort to keep hem from becoming repeat offenders. High school students would be used as prosectors, defense attorneys, bailiffs, jurors, etc. and dispense the proper punishment after undergoing intensive training.

The Grundy County Salary Commission voted to set salaries of elected county officials at 100 percent of the maximum allowed by state law. Whether or not the county commission chooses to set the salaries at that rate won?t be known until they set the county budget for the coming year.

The R-9 Board of Education voted to no longer have self-funded insurance coverage and instead have employee coverage provided by Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Kansas City, resulting in savings of around $12,300 for the district while providing the same basic coverage. The new plan goes into effect on Jan. 1.

Grundy County celebrated the 100th anniversary of the courthouse and jail with a program on Dec. 19 at the courthouse. Several individuals, including former county officials, spoke at the event, which included ribbon cuttings at both buildings as well as a ribbon cutting to recognize installation of the new elevator. A time capsule was opened and items in the capsule were on display. Items are being collected until Feb. 1 for a new time capsule.