Robert "Randy" Jackson 1955-2024

Robert Randall "Randy" Jackson, 69, of Grant City, MO, passed away on Friday, November 29, 2024.

Randy was born on October 26, 1955, in Maryville, MO, to Francis and Darlene (Wyatt) Jackson. He was raised in Ravenwood, MO, and graduated from Ravenwood High School, Class of 1973.

Randy married his high school sweetheart, Sharon Kay Messner, on April 10, 1976, in Maryville, MO. They had one daughter, Brandi Jackson. After their divorce, Randy went on to meet Carol Scott. Together, they had two children: Robert "Wade" Jackson and Randi Rogers. Though Carol and Randy later parted ways, they remained close friends for the rest of his life. Randy's heart expanded even further when he welcomed Tiffany Jones and Crystal Davis into his life, embracing them as his own, a true blessing!

Randy was a man who lived life to the fullest, always on the go and never sitting idle. Whether working hard or enjoying time on the farm, he loved spending his days outdoors, and one of his greatest joys was playing with his grandchildren. His infectious energy and love for life will forever be remembered by all who knew him. He was a devoted father, grandfather, brother, and friend who gave selflessly to those he loved, and his presence will be deeply missed.

Randy is preceded in death by his parents, Francis and Darlene Jackson; brothers, Rick and Ron Jackson; nieces, Hollie and Stephanie Morin; and great-niece, Kenya Burns.

He is survived by his children; Brandi Nicole Jackson, Robert Wade Jackson, Randi Sue (Jon) Rogers, Tiffany Michelle (Riley) Jones and Crystal Lynn Davis. He is also survived by his grandchildren; Jayden Michael Ashby, Sydney Kay Jackson, Carson Edward Rogers, Miah Marie Jones, Krislynn Joline Jones, Emilynn Dawn Allen, and Leo Vincent Allen; siblings, Sue (Richard) Burns, Carol (Ron*) Morin, Roger Jackson, Staci (Kirby) Leslie, and Shelly (Larry Catlett) Jackson; as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, and his caregiver Tammy Henry.

Services 1pm Thursday, December 5th at Price Funeral Home. Burial St Patrick’s Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 11:00am to 1:00pm on Thursday at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to help cover the cost of funeral services.

Donna Auffert 1941-2024

      Donna Kay (Stutesman) Auffert, 83, of Parnell, Missouri passed away on Friday, November 29, 2024 at the Nodaway Nursing Home in Maryville.

Donna was born on March 4, 1941 in Parnell, Missouri to Donald Enis and Vesta May (Killam) Stutesman. She was a farm wife and had worked for Eveready. She was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church Auxiliary, she enjoyed taking care of her plants, birds and her cat, Kitzy and was proud of her new home. 

She married Charles Gregory Auffert on June 30, 1958 in Parnell, Missouri. He preceded her in death on December 20, 2010. She was also preceded by her parents, her In-laws, John and Rachel (Hovenkotter) Auffert, sister, Erma (Stutesman) and brother-in-law, Francis Berg, sister-in-law, Sister Mary Ellen Auffert, brother-in-law, Leo Auffert, sister-in-law, Patricia (Bradley) Auffert and brother-in-law, Norbert Schmitz.

She is survived by her children, Linda Coleman (David Clark), David Auffert; sister, Joan Schmitz; brother-in-law, Phillip Auffert; sister-in-law, Willa Auffert; grandchildren, Eric (Dawn) Strueby, Jacob Strueby, Trent, Peyton, Arron (Brooklyn) Coleman, Tabitha Auffert (Matt Hanes), Alicia Briner, Brett Auffert, Molly Bagby; great-grandchildren, Luke and Ian Strueby, Keagan and Sadie Briner, Brock and Charlee Strueby, Aubrie and Lexie Auffert, Kiersten and Reece Strueby, Brecken Auffert, Evelyn and Clarity Hanes.

Mrs. Auffert has been cremated under the care of Price Funeral Home. A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, December 10th at 11am at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Parnell, Missouri. Rosary will be recited at 10:30am Tuesday prior to the Mass. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery in Parnell. The family suggests memorials to the Nodaway Nursing Home.

www.pricefuneralhomemaryville.com

 

Worth County Land Transfers for November 2024

     November 1st — Book 209, Page 62; Larry Bunker to First State Community Bank; Modification of Deed of Trust; Book 205, Page 61.

November 5th — Book 209, Page 63-66; Grand River Family Farms, Bill Engel, Maurice & Kathy Brand Trust; and Brennen Claypool to Nextera Energy Transmission Midwest; Termination of Easement; Book 206, Pages 214, 218, 217, and 189.

November 5th — Book 209, Page 67; Pamela Craig Declaration of Trust to FCS Financial; Deed of Trust; See Record.

November 8th — Book 209, Page 68; Laticia & Nicholas Velez to Tyson Troutwine; Warranty Deed; See Record.

November 8th — Book 209, Page 69; Laticia & Nicholas Velez to Tyson Troutwine; Quit Claim Deed; See Record.

November 8th — Book 209, Page 70; Craig & Sheila Hunt to Tyson Troutwine; Warranty Deed; See Record.

November 13th — Book 209, Page 75; Mari Guarneri, Randy Guarneri, Richard Guarneri, and Martin Johnson to City of Sheridan; Quit Claim Deeds; See Record.

November 15th — Book 209, Page 77; BTC Bank to Craig & Sheila Hunt; Deed of Release; Book 193, Page 107.

November 15th — Book 209, Page 78; City of Sheridan to Tuker Riley; Quit Claim Deed; See Record.

November 18th — Book 209, Page 81; Ben & Camille Siegrist to Commodity Credit Corporation; Severance Agreement; See Record.

November 19th — Book 209, Page 82; Brennen Claypool to First Interstate Bank; Deed of Trust; See Record.

November 22nd — Book 209, Page 83; FCS Financial to R.J. Mullock Family Trust; Deed of Release; Book 183, Page 51.

November 25th — Book 209, Page 84; Abby Hern to Dustin Hern; Quit Claim Deed; See Record.

November 25th — Book 209, Page 85; Dustin Hern to BTC Bank; Deed of Trust; See Record.

November 25th — Book 209, Page 86; Jubal & Rebecca Summers to Public Water Supply, Easement; See Record.

November 26th — Book 209, Page 87; Robin Davidson to Nodaway Valley Bank; Deed of Trust; See Record.

November 26th — Book 209, Page 88; Crosshair Properties LLC to Triangle Investment Ground and Woods & Wildlife Properties; Warranty Deed; See Record.

November 26th — Book 209, Page 89; Southern Agcredit ACA to Megan & Ralph Angelo; Provisional Deed of Release; Book 208, Page 119.

November 26th — Book 209, Page 90; Woods & Wildlife Properties to Farm Credit Mid-America; Deed of Trust; See Record.

November 26th — Book 209, Page 91; Triangle Investments Group to Farm Credit Mid-America; Deed of Trust; See Record.

November 26th — Book 209, Page 92; Triangle Investments Group and Woods & Wildlife Properties to Farm Credit Mid-America; Deed of Trust; See Record.

November 26th — Book 209, Page 93; Gary & Marcia Rush to Angela Meier, Brian Monticue, Chad Rush, Jason Rush, and Jennifer Crabtree; Beneficiary Deed; See Record.

November 26th — Book 209, Page 94; Verimore Bank to Diane & Michael Miller; Deed of Release; Book 198, Page 57.

November 27th — Book 209, Page 96; William Tracy and Marcia J. Tracy Revocable Living Trust to 3 Point Finance LLC; Deed of Trust; See Record.

November 27th — Book 209, Page 98; Brigit Neukrich and Thomas Osborn and Cynthia Wharton to Scott & Robin Davidson; Warranty Deed; See Record.

 

Auditor Says Vernon County Misused Dollars, Overtaxed Residents

 

The former Vernon County Clerk misused taxpayer dollars to buy himself a retirement gift, and to make other questionable purchases of items such as a heated vest according to a report released today by State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick. The regularly-scheduled audit, which gives the county the lowest possible rating of "poor," also found Vernon County residents were overtaxed by approximately $123,000 in property tax revenue by not properly rolling back the property tax levy for all sales tax collected.

"Taxpayers in Vernon County deserve better and should be able to trust that their government officials aren't using their tax dollars irresponsibly while also overtaxing them. This audit report provides substantive recommendations that will allow the county to correct the mistakes of the past and ensure they don't happen again," said Auditor Fitzpatrick. He added, "I'm glad to see the current clerk and other county officials are taking our recommendations seriously and working in good faith to put them into place."

The audit documents nearly $5,300 in purchases by the former clerk that were either inappropriate or inessential to the administration and operation of the office. The list of items includes $311 for retirement gifts the former clerk purchased for himself and the former presiding commissioner, as well as $160 for a heated vest. The report also notes $611 used to purchase headphones as gifts for his employees, $530 for a cell phone signal booster for the home of the former clerk, and $3,125 in gift card purchases that were given to county employees as Christmas gifts. The audit report notes that public funds should be spent only on items necessary and beneficial to the county.

Another finding in the report highlights the former clerk failed to accurately calculate the property tax reduction in 2020 and 2021. The miscalculation resulted in Vernon County residents being overtaxed by $71,000 in 2020 and $97,000 in 2021. While the current clerk made the adjustment correctly in 2022 and 2023 and decreased the accumulated excess property tax revenue by approximately $45,000, the county still has approximately $123,000 in excess collections. The report recommends the county work to properly calculate property tax reductions and correct the accumulation of excess property tax revenue.

The audit also highlights the lacking controls and procedures in the County Collector-Treasurer's Office that led to more than $13.5 million in uncorrected errors that were a result of numerous unrecorded or incorrectly recorded deposits, bad checks, and other errors identified in the accounting system. The report found the collector-treasurer does not adequately perform bank reconciliations and that supporting documentation for the book balance used in the reconciliation for the general account is not maintained and the adjusted bank balance calculated in the reconciliation does not represent the available cash balance of the account. In addition, a liabilities list is not prepared and reconciled to the available cash balance in the general account.

Other findings in the report include lacking procedures to ensure all tax money received is transferred to the treasurer's account prior to distribution, nearly $200,000 in improper withholdings made by the collector-treasurer, failure to comply with the Missouri Sunshine Law, lacking controls and procedures in the County Clerk's Office, a failure to develop a records management and retention policy that includes electronic communications, and a mid-term salary increase of $25,434 to the sheriff in September 2022, retroactive to January 1, 2022, in violation of constitutional provisions and state law.

 

NEN Board Rescinds Resignation of Brenda Dougan

     The Northeast Nodaway School Board, at their regular meeting November 25th, rescinded the resignation of Superintendent Brenda Dougan.

Marcy Sobotka reported on the activities happening in the first grade and the elementary. There will be a Polar Express day on December 20th, with activities and snacks throughout the day and it will end with the watching of the Polar Express movie. Sobotka also reported about recent CTA events. Their goals are to provide scholarships for NEN seniors and sonic drinks and a birthday cart for CTA members. The CTA Holiday Party will be January 11th at Bearcat Lanes in Maryville.

The board voted to approve the audit bid from John W. Gillum, CPA, LLC for services for the next three years. The 2025 bid will be for $7,590. The 2026 bid will be for $8,045. The 2027 bid will be for $8,525.

The board chose Lindsey Jackson to be representative for the Belcher Scholarship. She will now compete at the regional level for the scholarship. She will also receive a $200 scholarship from the NEN Education Foundation.

Dougan presented a proposal from Parent Square for district, school, and classroom level communication. There is a one time setup fee for $3,375 and an annual cost of $4,400.

The board will request bids for banking services. Bids will be presented for approval at the February board meeting. The school is required to request bids for banking services every five years.

Filing dates for the April 8th election will be from December 10th to December 31st.

The Department of Elementary & Secondary Education is creating an educator job board. It will launch in January 2025.

The new Continuous Improvement Implementation Review will start for 2025-26 for the school.

The Halloween Parade was well attended, with 20 stops on the elementary Halloween Parade. The PAT had a Trunk or Treat and there was a Family Reading Night and an FCCLA sponsored dance.

The school conducted interviews with four senior education students at Northwest. One of them was selected to student teach next year with Mrs. Grotewiel.

A basketball family reading night was held at the school, with junior high basketball players reading to kids before a home basketball game.

A Veterans Day assembly was held on November 11th. Mr. Jenkins was the guest speaker.

Mrs. Groomer and a group of 8th, 9th, and 10th grade students went to Jefferson to attend the Vive 18 event. They came up with a plan to promote student pride and participation in winter basketball events.

A mock election was held in the elementary.

The school has expanded DARE this year to include first through fifth grade after having it for sixth grade. Topics covered include stranger danger, safe foods and household items, calling 911, saying no to peer pressure, conflict resolution, and cybersafety.

Postseason honorees for the softball team included Baylie Busby (All-275, 1st Team All District, 2nd Team All-Region), Blair Nelson (All-275), Brianna Meyer (All-275, 2nd Team All-District), Hadley DeFreece (All-275, 1st Team All-District, 2nd Team All-State), and Lindsey Jackson (All-275, 1st Team All-District, 1st Team All-Region).

 

“The Grab” Chronicles Foreign Takeovers of US, Global Farmland

     The documentary film “The Grab,” narrated by Nathan Halverson of the Center for Investigative Reporting, talks about how foreign interests are seeking to buy up farmland in both the US and worldwide in order to provide sufficient food and water for their own people.

In 2012, massive uprisings known as “Arab Spring” toppled or nearly toppled numerous Middle Eastern governments. Egypt and Tunisia were toppled, and another such uprising, in Syria, led to the current civil war there, which recently flared up again when anti-Assad forces there captured Aleppo, from where they had been forced out several years ago.

As a result, other governments, including China, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, are in the process of buying up massive amounts of land, especially in places such as the US and Africa, in order to import food and water resources in order to keep their people fed in order to prevent uprisings in their own countries.

Terrorist groups like ISIS pop up in places like Syria, Somalia, Libya, and other places. Halverson noted that the Somali pirates, used to be fishermen, but they were displaced because massive trawling by outside interests meant the destruction of their livelihoods.

The documentary featured Smithfield Foods, which purchased Premium Standard Farms in 2008, including their facilities near Princeton. In 2013, Shuanghui Group of China purchased Smithfield Foods and their 500 farms for $4.72 billion, for which, reports Halverson, the Bank of China (controlled by the Chinese government) arranged the financing. In 2014, Shuanghui changed its name to WH Group.

The Chinese government has a stated goal of acquiring land abroad in order to prevent starvation of its people. Xi Jinping, the leader of China, was shown recounting growing up during the Great Famine of China from 1959 to 1961. As a result, anywhere from 15 million to 55 million people were killed.

Increasingly, food is being seen as a national security issue; the documentary features numerous interviews with people in the US national security community who focused on these issues. More and more, wars are likely to be fought over scarce resources. As one source put it, “If the US quits exporting food to the world, there wou ld be Armageddon.”

Naturally, these plans by foreign interests to buy up land to provide food and water to their people have drawn opposition. For instance, Halverson documented efforts by a group of people in Zambia to fight efforts to push them off their ancestral homelands and into government-made tents. However, these efforts, aided by a lawyer who went to South Africa to get his law degree, were stopped.

In La Paz County, Arizona, the documentary reported there were angry town hall meetings consisting of residents who had adequate water supplies for decades before Saudi interests came in, bought 15 square miles of land, pumped 3,500 gallons of water a minute, and drained all the local water reserves, forcing families to either spend a lot of money to redrill their wells or move elsewhere.

Closer to home, local legislators were furious when the Grain Belt Express came through Missouri with an 800 mile transmission line carrying renewable energy from Kansas to elsewhere. Invenergy, the company building the line, got final approval in 2023. They are allowed to use eminent domain to build on property of landowners who don’t agree; some of the lines run across private property. Landowners are compensated whether it is done voluntarily or through eminent domain.

The war between Russia and Ukraine broke out as the documentary was being completed. Halverson reported on some of the goals for Russia. With the planet warming up and subject to more extreme weather, Russia is seeking to position itself as an exporter of food. As the planet warms up, more Russian land will become arable. The problem is that there are not enough Russian farmers to work the land; Russian development companies, with Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s support, are recruiting American cowboys to come and teach Russians how to farm. The documentary showed a rodeo in Russia where a cowboy originally from Nebraska was showing the Russians how to work cattle. His wife posted his resume to the Russian company in question as a joke; to everyone’s shock, they heard right back from them and hired him on the spot.

In 2014, Russia seized Crimea following the overthrow of the Ukrainian government. Subsequently, Ukraine cut off the water supply from Crimea by building a huge dam on the North Crimean Canal. Before Russia annexed Crimea, 85% of its water had come from Ukraine. Subsequently, the land, which had been some of the most arable land in the world, was difficult to farm due to lack of water.  The documentary says that seizing the dam and destroying it was one of the reasons why Putin launched his “Special Military Operation.” 

The Grab is available for viewing at the Magnolia Pictures website at www.magpictures.com/thegrab/home.

 

Wyatt Maize, Jensen Davis Score 16 as Shamrock Boys Overpower Shorthanded Mustangs

     North Harrison’s boys looked like they were in midseason form Tuesday, November 27th and North Nodaway once again has to deal with an injury to a key player as the Shamrocks won 59-32 in the first game of the year for both teams.

North Nodaway has had a history of struggling with injuries during the early part of the season, as Aydan Blackford went down twice to football injuries and the Mustangs never got off the ground. Last year, with Blackford finally healthy, they won 15 games. Now, they have to deal with the loss of Owen Martin, who was in the boot for Tuesday’s game. While not the scoring machine that Blackford was, he has made all sorts of hustle plays for the Mustangs, and they have struggled without him on the floor.

Meanwhile, North Harrison is defying expectations for this year. They got key player Wyatt Maize back from a football injury, and they have two starting freshmen in Jensen Davis and Gage Fortner and another, Ryker Fortner, who played a lot of minutes. Thought to be down this year from the loss of Keygun Johnson and Jerry Gilpatrick, the returners and the newcomers have meshed in just fine.

For the Shamrocks, the goal will be to stay out of a comfort zone. Three years ago, they started off the season with an impressive 61-29 win over North Nodaway in Hopkins, only to fall off a cliff and win only eight games that year, including a game in which they handed Trenton its only win that year.

North Harrison immediately jumped on the Mustangs, getting a 3-pointer and a layup off a steal from Wyatt Maize. Dustin Hamilton got loose in transition and Andrew Craig scored off a Hamilton steal to make it 9-0. For Craig, he has shown steady improvement each year, showing that he is a bull in a China shop down low and has shown a newfound ability to run the floor this year. He can afford to be aggressive as the Shamrocks can throw Owan Roberson in to spell him.

For North Nodaway, Jordan DeLeon, who has excelled on the track, grew a few inches since last season and broke into the starting lineup this year. Now one of the tallest kids on the squad, he made his presence felt as he got a putback for North Nodaway’s first points of the season. Wyatt Maize scored off a drive and Jensen Davis scored his first of many points as a Shamrock with a 3-pointer before Trevin Wyllie, a sparkplug from last year for the Mustangs, scored three to close out the first quarter and Mason Casner scored a three point play to start the second to cut it to 14-8.

Gage Fortner scored off a drive and pullup and added a steal and fed Andrew Craig to make it 18-8 before picking up his  third foul. North Nodaway started to find its footing and played evenly with the Shamrocks for much of the remainder of the second before some late triples from Wyatt Maize and Jensen Davis put the Shamrocks on top 33-17 at the half.

Wyatt Maize aired one out to Jensen Davis for a layup, Maize scored off a steal, and Andrew Craig went backdoor to push the Shamrock lead over 20 at 39-17 to start the second half. Jordan DeLeon scored from inside and then Trevin Wyllie tried to spark the Mustangs with a pair of three point plays to cut it to 41-25, but then free throws from Wyatt Maize, a triple from Davis, and a free throw and a putback from Andrew Craig put the Shamrocks up 49-27 before Mason Casner’s free throw cut it to 49-28 after three. There was a glimmer of hope for the Mustangs as both Shamrock big men Andrew Craig and Owan Roberson were at four fouls. Get them both out and North Nodaway could make a huge run.

But after Owan Roberson picked up his fifth foul to start the fourth quarter, Andrew Craig managed to play the whole fourth quarter without fouling as the Shamrocks continued to pull away. Gage Fortner hit back to back jacks to give the Shamrocks a 55-28 lead at the 3:24 mark of the fourth. Jordan DeLeon got untracked in the paint for the Mustangs, scoring twice, but then Jensen Davis scored off a Gage Fortner steal and Tate Richardson scored off a Landon Johnson steal to push it up to 59-32.

For North Nodaway, Trevin Wyllie had a career high of 13. Jordan DeLeon, seeing his first extended varsity action, scored 9. Mason Casner had 7, Blaine Clements 2, and Ridge Clements 1.

Blaine Clements had 3 blocks. Jordan DeLeon had 2.

Blaine Clements had 8 rebounds. Jordan DeLeon had 7, Mason Casner 4, Ridge Clements, Trevin Wyllie, and Aiden James 2 each, and Kaeden Nave 1.

Trevin Wyllie and Mason Casner had 2 assists. Ridge Clements, Jordan DeLeon, and Blaine Clements had 1.

Blaine Clements had 5 tips. Kaeden Nave and Ridge Clements each had 1.

Trevin Wyllie had 3 steals. Kaeden Nave had 2 and Mason Casner and Blaine Clements had 1.

For North Harrison, Wyatt Maize and Jensen Davis had 16 each. Andrew Craig had 13, Gage Fortner 8, Dustin Hamilton 4, and Tate Richardson 2.

Dustin Hamilton had 1 block.

Andrew Craig had 9 boards. Evan Schreiber and Gage Fortner had 5 each, Jensen Davis and Wyatt Maize 3, Owan Roberson and Ryker Fortner 2, and Dustin Hamilton 1.

Wyatt Maize picked up right where he left off as an assist machine for the Shamrocks, picking up 6. Ryker Fortner had 4, Jensen Davis 3, Evan Schreiber and Gage Fortner 2, and Dustin Hamilton and Landon Johnson 1. The big difference in the game was the ball movement by both teams; North Harrison had 19 assists to only seven for North Nodaway.

Wyatt Maize had 4 tips. Gage Fortner, Dustin Hamilton, and Tate Richardson had 2, and Jensen Davis, Kyler Kimbrough, Ryker Fortner, and Landon Johnson had 1.

Wyatt Maize had 3 steals. Gage Fortner, Ryker Fortner, and Dustin Hamilton had 2 each. Evan Schreiber, Jensen Davis, and Landon Johnson had 1.