The last four months of 2019 saw the Green Hills Animal Shelter facing a need for funding to replace the shelter roof, approval of raises for elected county officials and several honors being received by Wright Memorial Hospital.
September
It costs a lot of money to operate an animal shelter, but when you add the cost of a roof replacement, those numbers skyrocket. The Green Hills Animal Shelter faced that dilemma in 2019 and their need for both operating and renovation funds was profiled in a Republican-Times story.
The annual Mean Bean Bag Toss, a fundraiser for the Green Hills Women’s Shelter, drew 33 teams and raised around $4,000.
Boone Construction of Columbia was awarded the contract to replace the 17th Street Bridge. The company submitted the lowest of six bids received for the work. The cost of the project is $3,373,194, with funds being provided by a Community Development Block Grant, the Missouri Department of Transportation, the Union Pacific Railroad and the city of Trenton’s transportation sales tax.
Trenton High School celebrated 75 years of homecomings with activities that included honoring all past homecoming queens. Senior McKayla Blackburn was named the school’s 75th homecoming queen.
Efforts are under way to renovate the existing building that houses the Joseph L. Norton VFW Post No. 919 at Trenton. A soup luncheon kicked off fundraising events for the project, which has a $500,000 goal. The renovation was the subject of a story that appeared in the Republican-Times.
Wright Memorial Hospital announced a new program in which an oncology nurse will be made available to cancer patients to help them navigate through the “physical, spiritual, emotional and financial hardships” in living with cancer and beyond. The nurse navigator, Ashley Ewing, will assist patients through every aspect of the diagnosis, treatment and recovery process as well as the clinical coordination of their treatment. This year’s Wright Run raised $5,000 for the hospital’s oncology program.
Thompson Farm Supervisor Jon Schreffler was the subject of an article written by MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources writer Logan Jackson and shared with Republican-Times readers.
October
The Dr. Paul and Barbara Cox and Dr. Andy and Holly Cox families were named grand marshals of the 2019 Missouri Day Festival Parade. A little rain failed to dampen the spirits of those attending the festival, which featured several activities during the three-day event. Officials have announced that the event will be held over a two-day period in 2020.
As part of National Fire Prevention Month, the Grundy County Commission, the City of Trenton and the Grundy County Opportunity Center joined forces to urge residents to display their house numbers where they can be seen by emergency personnel. House numbers can be purchased through the GCOC.
Cost of living raises were approved for elected county officials by the county salary commission. It took two votes to approve the 1 percent increase, which would go into effect on Jan. 1.
A recent audit gave Grundy County “good marks” for its financial records for a two-year period ending Dec. 31, 2018. Some minor findings were cited in the audit, conducted by McBride and Associates LLC of Kansas City.
The Trenton Republican-Times and Ronda Lickteig were honored by the Bright Futures Trenton program during its annual recognition breakfast. The Republican-Times was named “Partner of the Year” for its work with the preschool snack pack program while Mrs. Lickteig was named the “Champion of the Year” for not only helping organize the R-T effort, but also for her work with the Hodge Presbyterian Church New Soles for Bright Futures shoe project. She is also a member of the preschool site council as well as a lunch buddy at the middle school.
Eight properties were designated to be taken down by the City of Trenton for its 2019 Demolition Program. A ninth property may be added if the owners agree to pay for a portion of the cost.
November
Veach Saddlery celebrated its 100th anniversary as a family-owned business in 2019 and its current owners, Robert and Peggy Veach Robinson, along with their son, Craig Robinson, were the subject of a Republican-Times feature story.
The annual Festival of Trees was held in a new location in 2019, being moved to the Red Barn Event Center. A large crowd attended this year’s event, which included the traditional auction of donated holiday items.
Grace Allen and Matthew Slater were named the Trenton FFA Barnwarming queen and king.
Wright Memorial Hospital received the Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award, recognizing WMH as a top performing health care facility by achieving the 95th percentile or above in clinical quality performance.
Trenton voters will decide in April whether or not to approve a 5 percent lodging tax, which would be assessed to persons staying in local motels, hotels and bed and breakfasts. The money would be used to fund a convention and visitors bureau.
December
The Trenton Downtown Improvement Association/Main Street Trenton sponsored Christmas activities in the downtown area, including the traditional lighting of the mayor’s Christmas tree, a parade and a variety of entertainment. Downtown businesses also remained open for visitors looking for a last minute Christmas gift.
The THS Drama Department presented “The Snow White Variety Show” at the Hoover Community Theater. Tashyana Dowell was the director.
The Grundy County Commission approved a new health insurance carrier, with Blue Cross Blue Shield providing employee coverage through HIC Insurance. The policy is to cost the county less than the current one.
Eighth grader Milo Simpson won the Trenton Middle School Geography Bee, besting fifth grader Graeme Sager. Simpson will take an online test to qualify for the state competition next month.
The Wright Memorial Hospital Senior Life Solutions program was selected as one of only 11 STAR training sites in the nation by Psychiatric Medical Care. Robin Dennert is the program director.
Grundy County Emergency Management Director Glen Briggs has become synonomous with “weather” in the area as he uses his forecasting skills to provide residents with the latest information. His work as the area’s “Dan Henry” was featured in a Republican-Times story.
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