Neon Sign On at Roxy for First Time in Decades; 150 Attend Fundraiser

The neon sign at the Roxy in Hopkins was turned on for the first time in many years, the result of fundraising and hours of long labor. Several area businesses sponsored the efforts to get the sign restored, and a fundraiser was held Friday, August 14th to raise even more funds. 

The Hopkins Guys, a band organized for that purpose, performed; they were playing together for the first time ever, but it didn’t matter. J.R. Gladman, Jerry and Phil Forney, Rick Titus, Dennis White, Corey Cross, and Robbie Forney were the members. Mr. White’s grandfather helped build the Roxy in 1949. All of them are from Hopkins except for Mr. Cross, who had played in the past in Mr. Gladman’s bands. Mr. Gladman observed that Hopkins has produced a disproportionate number of musicians, and the trend appears to be holding up with the newer generation. Robbie Forney is the grandson of Jerry and is a junior at North Nodaway. Gannon and Gunner Stricker are skilled on the piano, while Caspian Halvin has recently taken up playing the heavy metal guitar. 

Mr. Gladman said at the show that he got started when he was tossing papers for the St. Joseph paper and saw a copy of the Forney Brothers’ first album on sale at Wilson Grocery in 1978. As a boy of 12, Mr. Gladman saved up a month’s pay and finally bought a copy, wearing out the record. He became a musician and writer himself and started performing after winning talent shows in Maryville and Grant City. He performed at Old Defiance Days in Sheridan in 1984. They performed some of Jerry’s hits, “Missouri Moon,” “Railroad Blues,” and “Brownsville Belle.” 

They went on to cover various country artists including Alan Jackson, Johnny Paycheck, and Vince Gill. Mr. Gladman talked about the time he performed at a nursing home, and one of the residents turned out to be Vince Gill’s grandmother. They sang a pair of Mr. Gladman’s compositions, including “Run, Pony Run,” and “Hopkins, USA.” They threw in an occasional rock tune, including Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven,” and “Werewolves of London.” Carter Forney, younger brother of Robbie, got to get up on the stage and perform the latter song. They also threw in some Johnny Cash. 

There were people from at least 19 communities present, including Hopkins, Pickering, Maryville, Bedford, Shenandoah, Rock Port, St. Joseph, Lawrence (KS), Creston, Lenox, Osceola, Denver, Alanthus Grove, Bolckow, Clarinda, Cowgill (IA), Corning, Jefferson (IA), and Clearmont. “Hopkins is not dead. We’ve just got to keep it going,” said Mr. Gladman. 

Threat of Rain Doesn't Keep Crowds Away at Allendale Rodeo

 The threat of rain did not keep people away from the Allendale Rodeo this year, as the seats were full for the 34th annual edition. 

There was a new clown this year as Josh Roberts, only 15 years old, came up from Arkansas to do the honors. One of his first jokes was that he met a girl from Allendale, but she turned out to be cross-eyed because they could never see eye to eye. Trying to get everyone pumped up, he asked if they were at a church or a rodeo. “It seems like some people need some Mellow Yellow,” he said. 

The rodeo arena was muddy from the on-again off-again rains Saturday. It helped the contestants in some events and hurt them in others. One event that got some participants after not having had much interest the past few years was the steer wrestling. Two contestants placed as Luke Moore got his steer down in 7.2 seconds and Logan Leiderman got his down in 7.79. One contestant allegedly landed so hard according to Josh that the water went anywhere but the hole. Another time, he talked about stepping in a hole so deep, he wound up in China and heard the people there talking. Another time during the event, Josh and the announcer debated the pronunciation of “Y’all.” 

The noise contest was another subject of debate between Rodeo Clown Josh and the announcer. The south side, pumped up by Josh, was noisier, but the announcer claimed victory for his side, “because the Baptist preacher is sitting on my side.” 

Three contestants in the breakaway roping overcame the muddy conditions as Cassie Adams won with 2.9 seconds, Maddie Schultz got a 3.42, and Ashton Joy got 3.6.

The muddy conditions actually made it easier on the Saddle Bronc and Ranch Bronc riders. Wade Madden got a 70 in the event. Another contestant had their horse collapse coming out of the gate and had to re-ride. 

The most popular event, and one which the contestants have had the most difficulty with was the team roping. Only two out of 12 contestants got a qualified ride, as Tanner Schultz and Tate Judd won with a time of 6.7, and Shawn Murphy and Donna McNeese were the other qualified contestants with a time of 12.4. The conditions were easier for the contestants in this event Friday, as four of the six successfully roped their calf.

There was a scare in the Barrel Racing, as one of the contestants fell off her horse in the slick and muddy conditions and had to be taken to the Ambulance, prompting three other contestants to drop out. All of the contestants were really cautious in the slick conditions.

The announcer observed that you could tell if someone from Arkansas graduated from school if they brushed their teeth. Clown Josh said after the bull tossed one rider particularly high in the air that he didn’t know there was an airport in Allendale. One contestant, Leroy Miller, did manage a successful ride with a score of 72. 

Bo Collins, Caleb New Featured on National YouTube Channel About Tiger Football

Last year, Worth County marked its 100th anniversary in football by winning a state title. They were recently featured on Roca Sports, a YouTube channel out of New York, which travels all over the country to do human interest stories. They interviewed players Bo Collins and Caleb New, coach Jon Adwell, assistants Dan Collins and Les New, and members of the community in Craig McNeese, Jeff Blaine, Dennis Downing, and Mason Hawk. They talked about their playing days, the community support for the team, and how the school manages to defy a population decline to field healthy numbers every year. Les New noted that out of 32 players out this year, 13 had a dad or a brother go to state. The broadcast had 35,000 views and 83 comments as of Sunday evening. 

But the crown lies uneasy on Worth County’s head, like it does for any other defending champion. Last year, they defied history by being the first Tiger squad to suffer a regular season loss and then turn around and win a state title. One thing Roca Sports omitted in its broadcast was the role that Northeast Nodaway plays in the program. The Bluejays always supplied 4-8 kids a year to Worth County, many of whom fill key roles. Out of 32 players, there will be six from Northeast Nodaway, all of whom are expected to play key roles in this year’s squad.

Graduating from last year’s squad are stalwarts like Lucas Frisch, Brayden Stevens, Brayden Combs, Sawyer Thurman, and Brayden Murphy. But many others will return.

Bo Collins will return to his tight end position, but he is versatile enough to play anywhere Coach Jon Adwell needs him to. He will move to linebacker this year, Ryder Smyser will move to defensive end. Collins was instrumental in last year’s state title game with three sacks and is now healthy after barely making it through last season and the season before. Hayden Sanders will return at quarterback, where he can muscle his way for three yards at will or air it out deep to receivers like Collins and Caleb New. Cole Ruby is now healthy after dealing with hip injuries during last year’s playoff run; he rushed for 1,500 yards last year. When Cole Ruby went down, Jude Archer turned into a force at the runningback position, getting 150 yards in the State Championship game. Ethan Lininger will return as the center, and Ryder Smyser will return to the line. 

Archer, Bentin Roberts, Liam Cordell, Wyatt Scadden, Jace Burns, and Lance Runde will come over from Northeast Nodaway, and all will be expected to compete for key roles for the team. The Tigers will know right away whether they will be able to contend again. They will face Rock Port in Rock Port on week one on August 28th. The main change to their schedule this year will be the fact they are no longer hosting a jamboree. They will travel to East Atchison, where they will play EA and Nodaway Valley in Tarkio this Friday, August 21st at 7:00 pm. That will be a test for them as well, as the Thunder have one of the fastest receiving corps in eight man, and East Atchison also has some speed on their squad. 

Among teams in the conference, King City still has Landon Carlson at quarterback. Albany always finishes in the upper half of the conference. The Cinderella team of the area will be Princeton, which joined forces with North Harrison; the Shamrocks will bring over leading quarterback Gage Fortner and 1,000+ yard runningback Wyatt Maize along with big linemen Henry Frank and Meric Hansel to compliment Mitchell Walker and a dangerous group of skill players like Bowe Ussery and Kash Holt. 

The softball team will be playing the numbers game once again this year, with only 11 players out for the varsity. They have a solid group of upperclassmen in Megan Tracy, Kristen Tracy, Addison Gray, Keira Hardy, Audrey Runde, and Kambree Briner. The key will be to see if they can develop the lower part of their order. Two freshmen could help; Brooklyn Smith is one of the fastest players on the team, while Kaydence Downing has been a steady hand at softball as well. Teams to watch for this year include Princeton, Albany, Stanberry, King City, and Gilman City, which joined forces with Tri-County this year. 

Opinion -- Hawley, Durbin Launch Child Sex Abuse Investigation Into Roblox

by Senator Josh Hawley's Office

U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) sent a letter to Roblox Founder, President, CEO, and Chair of the Board of Directors David Baszucki, informing him that the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism opened an investigation into Roblox. In the letter, Senator Hawley and Senator Durbin called attention to explicit content present on the platform, as well as its connection to real world child abuse. This investigation is only the latest in the series of actions Senator Hawley and Senator Durbin have taken to protect children online, including their STOP CSAM Act passing out of committee unanimously.

They began, "We write to inform you that the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism has opened an investigation into child safety on the Roblox gaming platform."

They continued, "You trumpet Roblox as a safe digital playground for children as young as five. But the public record raises serious questions about this promise of safety. Over the past decade, police have arrested numerous individuals for committing serious acts of violence and harm against children they met via Roblox, including grooming, sexual abuse, kidnapping, rape, and even murder. Roblox is being used to trade child sexual abuse material, participate in sexually explicit (and often violent) virtual 'experiences' with children, bribe and extort children into producing explicit content, and lure children into in-person meetings. It is heartbreaking. In 2025, Roblox reported 65,381 instances of suspected child sexual exploitation to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children—more than double what it reported in 2024."

"Roblox appears to prioritize revenue and engagement metrics over the safety and well-being of our children, and the alleged criminal activity on Roblox warrants congressional scrutiny. Accordingly, be advised that Roblox is hereby directed to preserve all records, in any format and wherever located, in connection with child safety, child sexual or physical abuse, child bullying, or child financial exploitation ... Let us be clear: children on your platform are hurting. Congress will not look the other way. We await your prompt and complete response," they concluded.

Read the full letter below.

August 12, 2026

David Baszucki

Founder, President, CEO, and Chair of the Board of Directors

Roblox Corp.

Mr. Baszucki:

We write to inform you that the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism has opened an investigation into child safety on the Roblox gaming platform.

You trumpet Roblox as a safe digital playground for children as young as five. But the public record raises serious questions about this promise of safety. Over the past decade, police have arrested numerous individuals for committing serious acts of violence and harm against children they met via Roblox, including grooming, sexual abuse, kidnapping, rape, and even murder. Roblox is being used to trade child sexual abuse material, participate in sexually explicit (and often violent) virtual “experiences” with children, bribe and extort children into producing explicit content, and lure children into in-person meetings. It is heartbreaking. In 2025, Roblox reported 65,381 instances of suspected child sexual exploitation to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children—more than double what it reported in 2024.

Roblox appears to prioritize revenue and engagement metrics over the safety and well-being of our children, and the alleged criminal activity on Roblox warrants congressional scrutiny. Accordingly, be advised that Roblox is hereby directed to preserve all records, in any format and wherever located, in connection with child safety, child sexual or physical abuse, child bullying, or child financial exploitation. We also attach an annex containing document requests and interrogatories. Please produce all documents and information specified in the annex no later than August 31, 2026.

Let us be clear: children on your platform are hurting. Congress will not look the other way. We await your prompt and complete response.

Sincerely,

Josh Hawley 

Chairman

Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism 

Richard J. Durbin

Ranking Member

Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism

Lois Hackett 1937-2026

Lois Darlene (Dunn) Hackett, age 88 of Maryville, Missouri, formerly of Hopkins, Missouri passed away Wednesday, August 12, 2026 at Village Care Health Center with her family by her side.

 Lois was born October 26, 1937 in Conception Jct., Missouri to Clarence Herbert Dunn and Vivian Marie (Combs) Dunn. 

Lois was a graduate of Horace Mann High School in Maryville.

On November 14, 1959 she married Lloyd Wilbur Hackett.  Lloyd preceded her death in May of 2001. Also preceding her in death were her brother Larry Dunn Sr, sisters Charlotte Combs and Addie Mae Combs.

Three girls were born to this union. Vanessa (Rex) Peter, Skidmore, Missouri, children Bo & Kayl (Jessie) Hansen, and Will Peter, Valerie (Rick) Hartman, Augusta, Kansas, children Jessica and Jared Hartman Vivian (Adam) Riley, Hopkins, Missouri, children Cameron Morrison, Ryan (Morgan) & Lacy Riley, three great grandchildren Preston, Mya, and Lucas Hansen.  Additional members of Lois’s family are her brothers Bob Dunn, Maryville Missouri , James Dunn, Mound City Missouri, Nieces and Nephews.

Lois and Lloyd moved to Spokane, Washington in June of 1961.  All their children were born while they were in Washington, they moved back to Missouri in 1981. 

Lois was a homemaker and all it entailed.  She and Lloyd liked working in the garden and taking care of flowers. With the grateful help of Lloyd, Lois was always canning items from their large garden. Some of her favorite hobbies were crocheting, macroing, and collecting cookbooks. 

In Lois’s later years she took up scrapbooking with her daughters. It was lot’s of fun for a few years, later Lois let it pass on to her daughters.  Lois knew that the love they had enjoyed scrapbooking, the girls would keep scrapbooking their hearts out. 

Lois enjoyed listening to music, some of her favorite songs were Amazing Grace, One Day at a Time, and Seven Spanish Angels. Lois also enjoyed spending all the time she could with her grand and great grandchildren.  

Lois will be missed by her family and all who knew her whether you were her friend or a neighbor.

andrewshannfuneralhome.com

36 Suicide Prevention Run/Walk Shirts Ordered

If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call 988. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, 7 days a week. 

Jeremy Baker of the Worth County Suicide Prevention Coalition reported at Wednesday’s regular meeting that he received orders for 36 shirts for the upcoming Suicide Prevention Run/Walk, which will be held Saturday, September 12th with registration starting at 7 am in the school parking lot and the run starting at 7:30 am. Twelve people attended Wednesday’s meeting; it was the most who had attended the meeting since the kickoff meeting several months ago. 

Volunteers are sought for the upcoming run/walk, including for setup, monitoring traffic and runners, helping to shut down roads, and cleanup. Contact Jeremy Baker at (660) 254-5311 if interested.

The Coalition received a $2,500 grant a few months ago to train three people who will train up to 24 others to recognize and act on warning signs of suicide. That will mean that there will be at least 75 people who will be trained to recognize such signs when the training is done. One person who will take the training, Sheena Fletchall, attended the meeting and showed a care package she is putting together for people who are struggling with mental health issues, something she does. She takes donations of items that people no longer need that could be included in such care packages. The Coalition voted to approve the expense to train Ms. Fletchall. She said she had gotten a lot of interest in Nodaway County about training people in schools about suicide awareness.

Completing the training gives one a three-year certification to train others in suicide awareness. It is renewable for $100 at the end of the three-year period. 

Rachel Brown talked about how the Harrison County coalition puts together care packages for people and gives out gun locks.

Grace Englehart of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention reported that there are many free videos on suicide prevention in Missouri. She said she would send resources to the coalition. 

Groundwork was laid for the Suicide Prevention event, including the run/walk as well as a breakfast to be held afterwards. It will tentatively include information about the coalition, door prizes, and a suicide prevention training. 

Plans were made for possible activities after the event is over, including possibly sending cards to people around the county. Josh Kollitz said he had a lot of cards on hand. Mr. Kollitz invited the coalition to the Worth County Fall Carnival, which is being held the week after, on September 19th. 

Jeremy Baker reported that he had distributed 1,300 gun locks in the area. He has 200 left. 

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 10th at 5:00 pm at the Worth County Community Church (formerly the United Methodist Church). 

Volunteers Sought for Nodaway County Zoning Planning Committee

Volunteers are being sought for a Zoning Planning Committee for Nodaway County, which is looking into zoning as part of its data center moratorium. The committee would be advisory in nature regarding zoning for the county. "We need someone who doesn't have a dog in the fight who can help us with research," said Presiding Commissioner Bill Walker. Interested parties can contact the Nodaway County Commission at nodawaycom@gmail.com.

Along with the proposed data center south of Maryville, there was discussion about the construction in that area. Susie Strauch said that especially with the unmowed side and one lane of traffic at Route 71 and 340th Road, "It's a disaster waiting to happen." "Trucks now have to cut across two lanes of traffic," added Commissioner Scott Walk. There is a similar situation with the interchange between Route 71 south and I-29 south. Motorists have to enter from the left side of the road and cut across two lanes of traffic that is doing 75 mph to get to the right side of the road. While the DOT has lengthened the entry lane, it is still a hazard.

Jeff From said that he went through the representations Scale Microgrids made on the proposed project and the representations made in the permit application for the power generator portion of the project with the Missouri DNR and found 22 discrepancies. "What the developer is saying and what is on the permit application is two different things," said Mr. From. 

Presiding Commissioner Bill Walker, in response to another question, said the commission would seek to talk to the attorney that day about zoning. "This is a large county and we don't need to be covered in data centers," said Rhonda Beatty.

Commissioner Scott Walk, who is on the state board of the Missouri Association of Counties and who was absent Tuesday, August 11th to attend a board meeting, said that data centers were a main topic of conversation both at the state level and at the national level. He invited State Representative Jeff Farnan to come to a commission meeting to hear out constituents. That led Scott Wilson to say, "You don't need Jeff Farnan or [State Senator] Rusty Black's permission to move forward with this. This is your project." Mr. Walk said that the commissioners read everything that people send them, including Mr. From's latest correspondence. 

Holly Caviness asked about monitoring emissions from the facility. Commissioner Walk said that the DNR monitors emissions from such facilities on a daily basis and that they keep records. All documents by public bodies are subject to document requests under the Missouri Sunshine Law. 

Commissioner Walk explained the zoning process and how it works. Zoning would only cover the unincorporated areas of the county. It would not cover, say, Maryville or Ravenwood, which have their own city councils and enforcement. Zoning would cover land use permits such as CAFO's and data centers.