Governor Extends Drought Alert for Missouri

On Friday, Governor Mike Parson signed Executive Order 24-05, extending Missouri’s drought alert to September 1, 2024. The action directs continued coordination of resources and combined response efforts across state government until conditions improve in drought-impacted areas.

“Issuing a drought alert last spring was quite unprecedented, and unfortunately, the reality is we’re facing conditions worse now than a year ago,” Governor Parson said. “We welcome what rain Missouri has received in recent weeks, but this drought alert will continue so long as Missouri’s farmers and ranchers are struggling from the effects of prolonged dryness and concerns persist over commercial navigation along our riverways.”

Lack of precipitation and below normal streamflow over the past year have kept Missouri under a drought alert continuously since May 31, 2023. Prior to that, a drought alert was active from July 2022 to March 2023.

In accordance with the Missouri Drought Mitigation and Response Plan, Friday’s executive order will continue the drought alert in Missouri counties with areas experiencing moderate or greater drought conditions. It will also extend to any other county that begins experiencing drought conditions consistent with the drought plan’s phases and triggers table.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Drought Assessment Committee coordinates a combined state and federal response to the drought. At its April 17 meeting, the committee recommended the drought alert’s extension after hearing expert testimony that conditions within the state haven’t significantly improved due to unseasonably warm weather and continued dry conditions. Low streamflow within Missouri and a lack of plains and mountain snowpack were also cited as points of concern warranting the committee to continue its work into summer.

To date this year, Missouri has experienced fairly typical precipitation based on historical trends. However, groundwater, streamflow, and precipitation levels are not where they need to be to lift the state out of drought conditions, given the multi-year drought Missouri and other states to our northwest whose snow pack melts feed the Missouri and Mississippi rivers have experienced. 

Many rains in this area have been spotty. On Thursday, anticipated rains prompted the cancellation of the Junior High Tiger Relays and the NEN-Platte Valley baseball game. But it didn’t rain a drop in Eagleville, where the game with Albany was played.

As of April 25, 11 Missouri counties are experiencing severe drought, 71 counties are experiencing moderate drought, and 86 counties are experiencing abnormally dry conditions.

Over the past year, the Drought Assessment Committee has overseen and helped coordinate multiple actions to mitigate the drought that will continue under this Executive Order:

–Bringing together subject matter experts across public and private agencies to collect information and promote collaboration to find solutions to drought-related issues.

–Emergency water pumping and haying opportunities have been made available to farmers on public lands, including select state parks and conservation areas.

–Variances have been approved by the Soil and Water Districts Commission from its regular grazing school requirements, pond cleanout practices, and cover crop and livestock exclusion practices. Money has also been allocated to each Soil and Water Conservation District to help with soil and water resiliency.

–The Department of Natural Resources is monitoring drinking water reservoir systems to ensure drinking water capacity remains unaffected.

–The Department of Transportation continues to offer permits for over-width loads to allow hay to be transported.

–The Missouri Hydrology Information Center partnership is also working to expand the soil moisture and stream gauge networks to provide a more accurate account of water resources across Missouri.

–The Soil and Water Conservation Commission have obligated over $3.6 M to landowners and cooperators in communities to help mitigate the effects of drought.

–The University of Missouri and Missouri Department of Agriculture have both developed hay directories to help farmers and ranchers locate hay. 

Local condition reports are crucial to understanding drought impacts to provide timely and appropriate assistance. The public can submit information about local drought conditions at Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR).

In addition, a variety of helpful resources are online at www.dnr.mo.gov/drought. The Department of Natural Resources is adding information on drought mitigation and assistance opportunities as it becomes available. The one-stop drought website features links to CMOR, current drought-related news, the current United States and Missouri drought monitor maps, the Missouri Drought Mitigation and Response Plan, and other resources, including information on previous droughts.

The Missouri Department of Conservation also warns of the increased risk for wildfires that drought conditions can cause. For more information on how best to prevent wildfires, visit MDC's wildfire prevention website: www.mdc.mo.gov/your-property/fire-management/wildfire-prevention.

New Sheridan Post Office to be Built at Old Location

The US Postal Service announced Friday that they plan to rebuild the Sheridan Post Office at the site of the former building, which was torn down. They plan to construct a modular post office at that site, have the same hours, and offer the same services that they offered at the previous post office. Until then, they will continue to serve the community out of the Grant City Post Office.

The plan to rebuild the Post Office at the old location is contingent on whether they can negotiate a satisfactory deal with the owner of the property, and whether the site is suitable for the new building. If not, the Post Office will look at other sites.

Seal Coat Project for I-35 in Harrison County to Start

A seal coat project to extend the life of Interstate 35 in Harrison County is scheduled to begin Wednesday, May 1. The Missouri Department of Transportation has contracted with Vance Brothers, Inc., to complete the project on north and southbound I-35 from Harrison County Route N to U.S. Route 136 in Bethany.

During construction, the roadway will be narrowed to one lane around-the-clock in various locations. Crews will work from dawn to dusk from Monday-Friday.

A 16-foot width restriction will be in place for all project work zones. The project is anticipated to be completed by June. 

All work is weather permitting and schedules are subject to change.

MoDOT asks drivers to work with us by always buckling up, keeping your phone down, slowing down and moving over in work zones. Know before you go and check what work zones you might encounter at traveler.modot.org.

While at modot.org, sign up online for work zone updates. Information is also available 24/7 at 888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636) or via social media.

Route YY Now Open to Traffic

The Bear Creek Bridge on Gentry County Route YY was reopened to all traffic Wednesday, April 24. The bridge that closed in January 2023 due to structural deterioration was replaced by Gene Haile Excavating, Inc., working with the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Learn more about the project at https://www.modot.org/missouri-route-111-missouri-route-46-and-route-yy-bridge-replacement-atchison-and-gentry.

MoDOT asks drivers to work with us by always buckling up, keeping your phone down, slowing down and moving over in work zones. Know before you go and check what work zones you might encounter at traveler.modot.org.

While at modot.org, sign up online for work zone updates. Information is also available 24/7 at 888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636) or via social media.

Junior High Tiger Girls Rise to Second; Brooklyn Smith Wins 100 at Tarkio

Worth County’s junior high girls rose to second Thursday at the Indian Relays in Tarkio and Brooklyn Smith won the 100. 

For the girls, Rock Port had 115, Worth County 62, Albany 58, St. Gregory’s 52, East Atchison 45, Mound City 42, South Holt 22, King City 21, Buchanan County Middle School 17, Platte Valley 16, North Andrew 10, Nodaway Valley 4, and North Nodaway 1.

For the boys, Mound City had 78, King City 63, Rock Port 51, North Andrew 50.50, East Atchison 50, Nodaway Valley 42, Buchanan County Middle School 32, Worth County 30, Platte Valley 27.50, South Holt 22, St. Gregory’s 12, and Albany 7.

For the girls, Brooklyn Smith won the 100 and got a personal best with a time of 14.02. She also got a personal best in the 400 and finished second with a time of 1:08.87. Audrey Runde spent all year between 19 and 21 seconds, but finally rediscovered her form from last year and got a personal best in the 100 Hurdles with a time of 18.47, good enough for third. 

The 4x100 relay team was third with a time of 59.15. The 4x200 was fifth with a time of 2:06.04. The 4x400 was fourth with a personal best of 5:07.28, beating their previous mark by over 15 seconds.

Brooklyn Smith matched a personal best in the High Jump with a third place finish and a height of 1.32 meters. 

The Tigers placed two in the Pole Vault. Megan Tracy was third with a height of 2.11 meters. Hartley Fitzgerald was fourth with a height of 1.98, a personal best.

Brooklyn Smith was third in the Long Jump with a jump of 4.22 meters. Megan Tracy was fourth in the Triple Jump with a jump of 8.45 meters. 

Laura Hansen got a personal best in the Shot Put with a throw of 8.39 meters. Audrey Runde was fourth in the Discus with a personal best throw of 23 meters.

The Tigers placed two in the 100 Hurdles. Mason Hiatt was fourth with a time of 18.88, a personal best. Brock Healy was sixth with a time of 19.19.

The 4x100 relay team was sixth with a time of 56.24. The 4x200 was fifth with a time of 1:56.90.

Mason Hiatt got a personal best in the High Jump with a height of 1.37 meters. 

The Tigers placed two in the Pole Vault. Bentley Frisch won with a height of 2.90 meters. Brock Healy was fourth with a height of 2.43. 

Maverick Cox was fourth in the Long Jump with a jump of 4.89 meters. Jordan Dannar got a personal best with a jump of 4.51. 

Brock Healy was fifth in the Triple Jump with a jump of 9.97 meters. He was first among seventh graders. Bentley Frisch got a season best with a jump of 9.55.

Brock Healy got a personal best in the Discus by over two meters and finished fifth with a throw of 30.17 meters. Wesley Brown matched a personal best with a throw of 23.70.

North Nodaway

Zoey Phillips got a personal best in the 100 with a time of 16.70. Trynzlee Ebrecht got a personal best in the 400 with a time of 1:14.82. Trynzlee broke the 20 second barrier in the 100 Hurdles and finished sixth with a time of 19.56. 

Zoey Phillips got a personal best in the Long Jump with a jump of 3.46 meters. Eliza Clements got a personal best in the Triple Jump with a jump of 7.67 meters. 

For the boys, Jackson Keho got a personal best in the 100 with a time of 13.37. Reed Martin also got a personal best with a time of 15.26. 

Trenton Roberts got a personal best in the 200 with a time of 34.46. Gannon Stricker got a personal best in the 400 with a time of 1:13.54. Robbie Forney got a personal best with a time of 21.69.

The 4x400 got a personal best by over 9 seconds, getting a time of 4:59.26.

Gannon Stricker got a personal best in the Shot Put with a throw of 8.45 meters. 

Tiger Boys Win Third Meet of Year at Stanberry, Girls Third; DeLeon, Casner Finish 1-2 for Mustangs

Worth County’s boys won their third meet of the year, while the girls had their highest point total of the year and finished third. For North Nodaway, Jordan DeLeon and Mason Casner finished 1-2 in the High Jump as the boys finished with their highest point total of the year.

For the girls, Rock Port had 115, Nodaway Valley 77, Worth County 76, Platte Valley 63, Pattonsburg 56, Maysville 51, King City 44, Stanberry 37, Albany 31, DeKalb 21, Princeton 18, North Andrew 6, and North Nodaway 1.

For the boys, they didn’t have to worry about it coming down to the last event as they won handily this time. Worth County had 99, Stanberry 77, Albany 70, Nodaway Valley 66, Rock Port 65, Princeton 51, Platte Valley 47, North Andrew 35, North Nodaway 34, Maysville 33, DeKalb 11, King City 8, and Pattonsburg 7.

The girls were 2-3 in the 100 as Emma Spencer was second with a time of 13.81 and Brooklyn Richardson was third with a time of 13.91. Becca Smith got a season best in the 200 with a time of 32.32. Riley Ridge was fourth in the 100 Hurdles with a time of 18.96. Kristen Tracy was fourth in the 300 Hurdles with a time of 57.02.

The 4x100 team got a personal best and finished second with a time of 52.54. The 4x200 was fourth with a time of 2:05.26. The 800 Sprint Medley was fifth with a time of 2:20.60. 

Riley Ridge won the High Jump with a jump of 1.55 meters. Brooklyn Richardson was fourth with a height of 1.40. The Tigers placed two in the Pole Vault. Eva Engel won with a height of 3.35 meters. Becca Smith was fifth with a height of 1.83 meters. 

Katelyn Fletchall got a personal best in the Long Jump with a jump of 3.98 meters. She was fifth in the Triple Jump with a jump of 8.40 meters.

Kara Staton was fourth in the Shot Put with a throw of 9.53 meters. She was fifth in the Discus with a throw of 28.20 meters. 

The Tigers placed two in the Javelin. Autumn Cousatte broke the 30 meter barrier and finished fourth with a throw of 30.14. Brooklyn Richardson also got a personal best with a throw of 27.95.

The Tigers placed two in both the hurdle events. Lucas Frisch won the 110 Hurdles with a time of 17.30. Brayden Combs was third with a time of 19.49, a personal best. Frisch also won the 300 Hurdles. Brayden Combs was third with his second best time of the year at 48.07.

The 4x200 was fifth with a time of 1:50.65. The 800 Sprint Medley won with a time of 1:45.72.

Andrew Griffin was fourth in the High Jump with a height of 1.60 meters. Brayden Combs was fourth in the Pole Vault with a height of 2.74 meters. Wyatt Hill was fifth with a height of 2.59.

Landon Moser was third in the Long Jump with a jump of 5.56 meters. Wyatt Hill got a personal best with a jump of 4.77. Andrew Griffin was second in the Long Jump with a jump of 11.17.

Bo Collins was fourth in the Shot Put with a throw of 11.39 meters. He won the Discus with a throw of 39.76. Tyler New won the Javelin with a throw of 42.73 meters.

North Nodaway

Lauren Herndon got North Nodaway’s first points all year with a sixth place finish in the High Jump. She got a personal best jump of 1.35 meters. She also got a personal best in the Long Jump with a jump of 3.88 meters.

Jordan DeLeon was second in the 110 Hurdles with a time of 18.64. He was fourth in the 300 Hurdles with a time of 48.32 meters. 

The Mustangs finished 1-2 in the High Jump. Jordan DeLeon and Mason Casner both got a height of 1.70 meters, with DeLeon winning on tiebreaks. DeLeon got a personal best, while Casner matched a personal best.

Mason Casner was fourth in the Long Jump with a jump of 5.55 meters.

Ethan Fry Keeps North Nodaway Close but King City Walks Off 3-2

Ethan Fry did everything he could to keep North Nodaway close, but the Mustangs could not overcome five errors or six called third strikes as King City walked it off 3-2 Tuesday, April 23rd. 

King City had won four games up to that point, but were in the middle of an ugly four game losing streak, including a 24-4 loss to St. Joseph Christian and a 20-3 loss to Albany. North Nodaway, still searching for their first win, followed a 4-3 loss to DeKalb with an ugly 18-0 blowout loss to Platte Valley, a game that ended so quickly that one of the umpires, Rory Bredlow, made it to the NEN game with Nodaway Valley while it was still in progress.

The game was moved to North Nodaway due to heavy rains at King City the night before; King City remained the home team for that game.

Neither side could draw blood for the first three innings. North Nodaway stopped itself for the first three innings with four called third strikes during that stretch while Ethan Fry kept King City off balance with his big breaking ball and was backed up by a couple of good catches by Daryn Berg in right field. 

But after North Nodaway could not score in the fourth, Ryder Sample doubled to left as it sliced away from Ridge Clements and Jacob Jensen singled him to home. But Jensen was out in a rundown trying to steal third as he got a late break for the bag and was a sitting duck.

North Nodaway could not solve Graham Medsker and his breaking ball all night, but in the sixth inning, he ran out of pitches, Alex Jones replaced him on the mound, and North Nodaway struck with two outs. Preston Hansen singled for Medsker’s final at bat and Brice Trimble followed with a double into the gap in left. Daryn Berg got hit by a pitch and Ridge Clements singled home a run to make it 2-1.

But with one out in the Wildkat sixth, Fry lost Jaxzen Johnston’s pop fly in the sun and King City had new life. Johnston took second on a balk and third on a steal. Maddox Farmer stretched a single into a double as Johnston scored to tie it at 2-2.

After North Nodaway went down in order in the seventh. Alex Jones reached on an error as shortstop Brice Trimble’s throw was wide. He stole second and went to third on Cayden Wainscott’s bunt. Trying to make something happen, Fry tried to pick off Jones at third, but third baseman Blaine Clements and the runner got tangled up, the ball got away, and Jones scored for the winning run.