Troy Saville 1968-2026

Daryn Troy Saville was born December 20, 1968 and passed away on June 24, 2026.

Troy graduated from Worth County R-III in 1987. Troy joined the United States Marines but was released on a medical discharge due to health issues.

He loved hunting, fishing and collecting pocket knives and spending time outdoors.

Troy is survived by his brother, Scott Saville and wife, Sandra; his nephews Dale and Cale Saville, Aunts, Uncles and many cousins.

Troy was preceded in death by his parents, Daryl and Connie Saville, his grandparents Howard and Mary Thompson and Gene and Mary Steele.

Graveside services and inurnment will be held at 1 pm, Saturday, July 11 at the Grant City Cemetery. Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

 

Sheridan Gets Major Bridge Repaired

The City repaired a tube on a bridge at the south end of town on Fourth Street by Dan Barnett and Gary Rush’s. The county got the tube for them at $4,050. Gary Rush, Tyler Paxson, Rodney Martin, and Barry Lyle put in the tube at no cost to the city. Another tube by the MFA is going bad.

The “Children at Play” signs that the city ordered have arrived.

Work continued on the demolition grant that the city has applied for. There were nine properties identified for demolition; the city got five responses, and another came forward and expressed interest. The city is now in the process of making sure its ordinances align with the grant rules. Structures under the grant must be vacant for at least 12 months and applicants must demonstrate an absence of utility bills, and all taxes must be paid. Property owners must pay a $500 match, which is due and payable when demolition work begins. The city has to hold a public hearing.

The city is in the process of figuring out what they can and can’t do regarding the closure of streets. The city had closed Fourth & Crescent on the north end of town last meeting, and it will remain closed. Residents Jerry and Valerie Rauch maintain that over the years, the road went from straight to curved as people were cutting corners, taking 20 feet off their property. There had been a problem with people parking east of the Housing on what is supposed to be city right of way. One possible solution would be to do a survey, but it would cost between $1,000 and $2,500 to do.

Mayor Butch Thomas reported that a tree by Nick Joslin’s on the west side of town is rotting and big chunks of it are starting to fall down on the roadway. It is out of city limits, but it could be subject to the Worth County Brush Ordinance. It states that landowners are responsible for maintaining brush along county roads. It was passed by voters 15 years ago.

Water Superintendent Barry Lyle reported that the water tower was inspected, and the city will get a report. The DNR is planning to come by for an inspection. Water usage is high, with people breaking out pools, and there are a few leaks.

The council authorized bids for replacing the roof on the bathroom with a tin roof. The old roof leaks, damaging the interior and causing odor and sanitation issues. The urinal and one of the women’s toilets are not working.

Sometime after Old Defiance Days, vandals took some of the picnic tables and put them on top of the roof. Mayor Thomas reported seeing some kids take them back down again.

 

Hopkins City Council to Pursue Water Grant, Supports CBC Pursuit of Demolition Grant

The Hopkins City Council, at its regular meeting Monday, voted to pursue a water grant for its system and authorized Deena Poynter to do the leg work to pursue it. She gave a presentation to the council regarding water grants. There are three avenues that the city can go through. One is through the CDBG process; the city qualifies for its income guidelines. The second is through the EPA, which tends to focus on outdated water systems. The third is through USDA Rural Development. The city would first get a Preliminary Engineering Report, which costs $50,000; however, there are grant programs to cover that cost.

Council members gave verbal approval for the CBC to pursue a demolition grant for the city. The city had been denied two years ago, but the CBC has gathered more information about the process and how they can earn points and decided to try again.

Chris Bird reported that he is in the process of switching over to automatic water meter reading so that the city will not have to estimate water use. Previously, the city read meters every other month, which created problems when a leak spiked the water bill.

The council is in the process of looking for a solution to their trash issues. Previously, according to the June 1st minutes, Porter Trash notified the city that it was raising its rate to $20 per stop. Mr. Bird said that he would like to see the city get a grant to do its own trash and that the savings from trash costs could go to hiring another person. Councilman Shadoe Miller said that he is in the process of researching rates that other trash providers charge. The council voted to table it and use Porter Trash on a month by month basis.

The council voted to restart the process for condemning the trailer next to Rick’s Country Shoppe. Previously, the council had given the green light for it, but then a new council was elected, and it was put on the backburner. The council will hire a building inspector to condemn it.

The Regional Council is in the process of looking into possible funds for a new siren for the city. Currently, the city owns the siren, but the Fire Department sets it off. For many years, it had only been meant to be used as a pager for the Fire Department and for the 6 am, 12 noon, and 6 pm signal. Currently, it must be manually set off by a member of the Fire Department in the event of a tornado. Councilman David Smyser said that while a box to control the siren from the city would be cheaper, “If we can get a grant for a new siren, I’m all for it.”

Ken Pettlon of the Hopkins American Legion came to present the Legion’s plan to turn the area of the town across the street from the Roxy into a memorial park for veterans. The Legion is dying out, with few members left. The city voted to deed 22 feet of property to the Legion for the project. At a later date down the road, the Legion will deed the park back to the city when it is no longer able to maintain it. Mr. Bird noted that Maryville started getting a lot of grant money for its walking trails after they built their Freedom Rock.

Clerk Mary Smith reported that she had gotten a call from Smart XEO, a company interested in overhauling the city website. It can store ordinances and minutes at a cost of $2,400 for the first year and $1,200 a year for the next four. The city would be locked into a five-year contract, and the company could raise the price by up to 5% per year. If the city were to break its contract, the remaining balance would be due and payable immediately. The city voted to table the proposal until it could get references.

The city received a DNR complaint from a citizen, Jerry Coons, alleging that the city water is so dirty that it clogs his filter to the point where he sometimes has to replace it on a daily basis. He alleged that the city has repeatedly ignored his complaints. The DNR will conduct a routine drinking water inspection for the city.

The city is in the process of updating the office for both Clerk Mary Smith and for Chris Bird. The city voted to scrap the old metal desks and to dispose of the other old desks. The office will get new flooring.

Mayor Matt Wray caught three teens from Iowa red-handed dumping trash into the city dump at the ball diamond.

Tentative date for the Citywide Cleanup will be August 7th through 8th. If you have appliances that need to be hauled off, contact the city. The council voted to split the cost with the CBC.

Lorrie Schatz told the city that two of her neighbors’ dogs got out of their yard and attacked someone.

The council went into closed session following the regular meeting to discuss salaries.

The next meeting will be August 3rd at 7:00 pm.

 

 

 

Data Center Developer Still Tapping Land for Feasibility

Susie Strauch reported at the Nodaway County Commission meeting Thursday that people were still coming and tapping the land which would hold the proposed $6 billion data center to see if it was feasible to build a large building on it.

Ms. Strauch said she was still not happy over the fact that in the feasibility study commissioned by the Rural Water District, two of the plans involved crossing their land. “What else are we going to destroy,” she asked.

Presiding Commissioner Bill Walker said that no tax abatements were no the table yet, and that they would meet with the attorney that afternoon.

Asked about Chapter 100 bonds, Assessor Rex Wallace, who was at the meeting, explained how they work. A governmental entity like a county or city issues bonds, the developer buys the bonds itself so no public funds are at risk, the governmental entity owns the project and leases it back to the developer, and then the developer buys it back at a nominal amount at maturity. Like tax abatements, there have been no discussions regarding Chapter 100 bonds between the county and the developer.

“If you’re thinking of giving an abatement, what makes you think they’re going to implement an agreement,” asked Tim Schafer. “If one is coming here, it needs to be state of the art, not one that is going to consume all our water.”

Deseret News reported on a proposed 30 megawatt data center in Utah that would use helium cooling from a high-temperature nuclear microreactor and air-based closed loop cooling, requiring no water for cooling.

George Null talked about school funding and data centers. He said that the school funding situation in Missouri was even worse than commonly believed. “If you don’t do an abatement, that means you’re trusting South Nodaway to do the right thing with regards to the tax money they get.” He expressed the fear that if a moratorium was too long, Scale Microgrids might walk away. Presiding Commissioner Bill Walker said that if no abatement were done, the tax money would be distributed to South Nodaway and other taxing entities like it normally would.

Nina Wiederholt said that she feared water leakage from such a massive project. She noted that the proposed buildings and gas turbine were small compared to the size of the land, meaning there was a lot of room for expansion later. A conceptual rendering of the proposed data center on the White Cloud Acres site shows three larger buildings and two smaller buildings, with a gas generator.

Kim Mildward, Assistant Nodaway County Economic Developer, said that without a tax abatement, the county would have no say in the project. “We need a moratorium to get straight answers,” Scott Wilson said.  By state law, tax abatement agreement’s can’t go below 50%.

Possible consolidation of schools came up given that South Nodaway would have a huge windfall from the proposed data center. Dustin Skoglund, South Nodaway Superintendent, said that he had no authority to give funds away to other schools. All funds are spent according to state law and under a budget that is approved by the school board. Consolidation between two schools would require a vote of both school boards and then voters in both school districts.

Donna Tompkins said that she wanted to get the Nodaway County Commission, the Maryville City Council, and the Rural Water District Board in one room to answer everyone’s questions. “You don’t know what is being said at other meetings,” she pointed out. Commissioner Walker said he was open to that. “After we get the facts, I’m all for it,” he said.

Kim Swyers said that if the proposed data center clearcut all the vegetation, it would cause a massive erosion problem. “We have one of the few timbers left in the area,” added Susie Strauch.

Citing the argument by supporters that data centers would save local schools, Scott Wilson said that schools will consolidate whether data centers come or not.

J.R. Calkin, who lives next to the proposed data center, said that he had concerns about noise and health if the data center were to come. “We bought our place in 2011 to retire,” Mr. Calkin said. “There were no wind turbines or power line substations. How much is enough?” Jean Calkin said, “We wanted to live out in the country, not this. We came to live next to family, and now we’ll have to go different ways.”

 

 

Dedication Held for New Worth County War Memorial

A dedication was held Saturday evening to mark the new War Memorial in the Worth County Courtyard. The new display features new plaques with the names of every Worth County resident who ever served in conflicts of the US Armed Forces. The old one had been chipping away over the years. It is decorated with the American Flag as well as the flags of all six branches of the US Armed Forces, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Space Force.

A committee was formed of people after one member, Janice Borey, noticed that the paint from her father’s name, Earl Hardy, was chipping away from the old display and many others were as well. Mr. Hardy had fought in World War II. Donations were collected and a grant was obtained to replace the memorial. “They all deserve our gratitude,” said Ms. Borey. “They gave us the gift of freedom.”

Julia Wideman said that our nation was blessed because of God’s favor and all the heartache and sacrifices our men and women in uniform have made over the years. “These people swore an oath to defend our country from enemies both foreign and domestic,” said Ms. Wideman. She said that their courage ensured that we would be free and that we needed to continue to stand for truth in a post-truth world.

“There are those who would hold that we are not great,” said Ms. Wideman. “We were built on the Bible, on a system by the people and for the people, and to create a people who are self-governed,” she said. “As a result, we became prosperous like no other country. This is a radical concept found nowhere else.”

Turning to the World Cup, Ms. Wideman said that people from around the world were blown away by the generous hospitality shown by Americans and that they found our way of life amazing. “We have such an amazing country, why wouldn’t others find us exceptional,” she asked.

As a result of our freedoms, Ms. Wideman said that we have a “grave responsibility” to protect and defend our constitution by praying for our country, troops, and leaders as well as actively participating in our civic life.

Bob Hull and members of VFW Post 3123 raised the American Flag. The service flags of the six branches of the US Armed Forces were raised, with veterans from each branch raising them when possible. Jack Cottrell raised the flag of the US Army. Ron Richards raised the flag of the Marines. Paul Myers raised the flag of the Navy. Kenny Mullock raised the flag of the Air Force.

 

Jack Cottrell, Margaret Bishop are Oldest People at Allendale 4th of July

Around 800 people were at the 2026 version of the Allendale Fourth of July Breakfast Saturday as a threatened rain did not materialize. The balloon rides that were promised were canceled due to forecasted weather Friday night, but that did not materialize either, as it all missed the area to the north, hitting Iowa instead.

Jack Cottrell of Grant City was the oldest man as he was still everywhere at 96 years young. Margaret Bishop of Mount Ayr was the oldest woman at 95. Roeh Miller, at four weeks old, was the youngest girl; she is the daughter of Dylan and Chelsea Miller of Allendale. Indiana Wall, son of Lincoln and Molli Wall of Blockton, was the youngest boy. Joe Olney of Abbeville (LA) was the farthest away, coming from 950 miles away.

Paul Myers, whose brother was killed in Vietnam, raised the flag. He and other veterans were recognized, including, but not limited to Roger Knight, Dick Snethen, Jim Coulson (long-time Sheridan mail carrier), Jack Cottrell, Lee Mincy, Bill Tracy, Kyle Dignan, Ron Richards, Will Brown, and Charles Kreitlow.

Some political candidates spoke. Casey Scott, Democratic candidate for Second District House Representative, said she wanted to be a voice for working mothers in the legislature who work 2-3 jobs as well as try to raise kids. She wanted to see full funding for public schools and to reverse what she called the broken promises of the state, which she says underfunds the school drastically in violation of the Missouri Constitution.

Ms. Scott said she also wanted to be an advocate for healthcare; she said that too many people were being forced to make choices between finances and medical care, delaying care until a medical emergency such as a terminal cancer that spread throughout the body or some other terminal illness.

She said that many people lost their jobs due to inadequate healthcare and that many veterans were struggling to access the system in order to get benefits they were entitled to. She said there were groups that were more than willing to help veterans, but they were all running on shoestring budgets and could not replace a fully functional veterans healthcare system. “People keep telling me it’s time for a change,” she said.

Melissa Percell, Republican candidate for Worth County Clerk, said that if elected, she would put her 20 years of experience to work for the county and promised transparency to the people.

Brandon Allee, Republican candidate for Worth County Clerk, said that he was asked to run following the retirement of Roberta Owens and that it would be hard to fill her footsteps, but that if elected, he would work hard for the people of Worth County.

Brandon Harvey, Republican candidate for House District 2, said that his background in banking, ag, and commercial business qualified him to be the next state representative. He pledged to fully fund rural schools and to work for good roads and bridges and adequate water supply.

 

 

Donald Moore 1935-2026

Donald Eugene Moore, age 91, Clark, Wyoming, formerly of Denver, Missouri, died Thursday, July 2, 2026, at Powell Valley Health Care, Powell, Wyoming.

Donald was born March 13, 1935, in Kansas City, Missouri.  He was the son of the late Howard F. and Inez Lora (Wood) Moore.

He was united in marriage to Mary Catherine Cavaunaugh.  She preceded him in death in 2021.

He attended high school in Grant City with the class of 1953.

On September 8, 1953, Donald joined the United States Navy.  He served his country four years on the USS Hornet (CVA 12), and Essex class aircraft carrier. Donald held the rank of Air Traffic Controller Petty Officer 1^st Class. He was honorably discharged from active-duty June 16, 1957, but remained in the Navy Reserve until 1961.

When returning to civilian life Donald, having coordinated all forms of naval aviation, transitioned right into his job as an air traffic controller.  His training in the navy had skilled him in working in control towers, radar facilities and on aircraft carriers.  During the 1980’s he worked privately for various contract towers.  He spent many years at airports in St. Louis, Chicago and Kansas City.

Donald also was a lock smith for over 20 years, most recently for Bill’s Lock and Key, Inc. in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Donald was also preceded in death by a son Chris Moore who died in 2021.

His survivors include his daughter Marian Moore, Clark, Wyoming and son Mark Moore, Portland, Oregon, one granddaughter Megan and 4 great grandchildren.

Graveside funeral services for Donald will be held at 10 AM, Tuesday, July 7, 2026, at the Prairie Chapel Cemetery near Denver, Missouri.  There will be no visitation at the funeral home.

Arrangements: Hann Funeral Home, Grant City, Missouri

andrewshannfuneralhome.com