Grant City to Pursue CDBG for Water Line

The Grant City Council decided to pursue a CDBG grant that would replace the 11-mile water line from Grant City to the Middlefork Water Plant, which supplies the city with water. In order to qualify, the city has to do an income survey to determine if 51% of their residents are low to middle income. An 80% response rate is required on the survey. The city has been experiencing breaks along the line, leading to interruptions in water service. One such break led to students missing a day of school. The city got a rough estimate of $1,000,000 for the project, meaning that the city might have to pass a bond issue to help finance the project.



The council voted to accept the revised contract with agent Bill Dierenfeldt for carrying the city's health insurance for $2,325 per month.



Code Enforcement Officer Patsy Worthington was not present at the meeting but submitted a written report showing that six first notices were mailed along with six second notices. Two notices were placed on the door while she reported eight verbal conversations with residents. The notices involved weeds, trash, vehicles, houses, and brush. Seven abandoned homes were in the process of coming down while three and possibly five other houses were planning to come down. Mayor Debbie Roach added that students from the school were doing a lot of work around the city painting things and beautifying the city under the Jump Start program.



Public Works Director Carl Staton reported that the city worked on two tubes, repaired the dump truck, is in the process of removing abandoned gas lines, fixed two water leaks, is in the process of blading streets, and helping with the pool. Staton will attend extensive training sessions for the month of August in Stanberry. He reported that the liner in the pool was not leaking and that it was holding up well. The city will not drain the pool like they have in the past; they will leave the water in as part of the guarantee against leaks. There is a leak in the pipes; the city will inspect it after the pool closes for the year; Staton estimated that it was leaking one gallon a minute.



The city looked into getting a track paver and using it as matching funds for the Nature Trail Project but decided against it after they could not find money in the budget to pay for it. There is currently $157,000 left in the grant fund for the project; the city could have allocated money on an hourly basis for every hour that the paver was used for the project. One possible way to make it pay for itself might have been to rent it out to other entities, but that would have required having a city employee take time off from other tasks to operate it.



The main printer that the city uses to print out bills and do other tasks is about to go out; council members told Clerk Ayvonne Morin to get a new printer.



The city has awarded Midland Surveying the contract to mark out the trail for the project; the city is currently waiting on that to finish. The city will try to get it done before softball season starts. Midland will mark out the middle of the trail; once it is marked out, the dirt will begin to move on the project.



The council decided to prosecute those people who refused to mow lawns; they had a choice between mowing the property and sending the bill to the owner and referring it for prosecution. The council decided that it would involve too many time constraints on city employees.

Gov. Nixon signs Omnibus Crimes Bill to increase consequences for cattle theft

Gov. Jay Nixon signed House Bill 62 on the morning of July 9, 2009 at the State Highway Patrol Headquarters Crimes Lab in Jefferson City, Mo. This law will go into effect August 28, 2009.

Steve Willard, president of Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, applauds Gov. Nixon for signing the bill. “This is a big step for cattle producers around the state. It is great to see an issue so important to our members be just as important to our governor and legislators. This is a prime example of MCA membership impacting MCA policy.”

This bill, also known as the Omnibus Crimes Bill, raises the penalty for cattle theft from a class C to a class B felony, which requires a sentence of 5-15 years in prison. It will also require the convicted persons to serve a minimum of 80% of their sentence.

Under this bill, veterinarians must open any record of the livestock to be inspected by the department of agriculture to determine the origin and destination of that animal. Cattle theft has become a large problem in Missouri. Since 2004, over 3,300 head of cattle have been stolen and over $1.2 million in property, panels, 4 wheelers, trucks, trailers, and cattle have been stolen.

Opinion: Training Session Provides EPA Officials with Biodiesel Facts

by the Missouri Soybean Association
Officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were on hand for a biodiesel training session intended to educate decision makers on a controversial issue that could significantly impact the U.S. biodiesel industry. Representatives from the Kansas City and St. Louis Regional Clean Cities partnered with the Kansas Soybean Commission and the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council to address a proposed ruling made by the EPA that would revise the expanded Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS-2). The session began in a soybean field and included a bus tour to a soybean processing facility and biodiesel plant. "We wanted to be able to show every step of the biodiesel process from the field to the tailpipe," said Dale R. Ludwig, executive director and CEO of the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council. "Sometimes people need to see something firsthand before they can truly understand it. We hope this educational session will help government officials make informed decisions regarding biodiesel." The EPA ruling calls for indirect land use change to be included in the calculations used to determine biodiesel's greenhouse gas emissions. In order to qualify for use in the RFS-2, biofuels must demonstrate an ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent compared to petroleum-based fuels. Studies have shown biodiesel easily meets that goal by reducing lifecycle carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, by 78 percent compared to conventional diesel fuel. When indirect land use calculations are applied, biodiesel's emission reductions fall below the 50 percent threshold. The indirect land use theory is based off the assumption that an increase in production of biodiesel in the United States results in the deforestation of Brazil and other countries to plant more crops to make up for demand. This assumption penalizes biodiesel for the release of carbon from trees that have been cut down. However, statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service show deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest has actually decreased since 2004, when U.S. biodiesel production began to increase significantly. "There's a great deal of uncertainty regarding the calculations the EPA is using in the indirect land use formula that render it suspect," said Kevin Herdler, executive director of the St. Louis Clean Cities chapter. "You've got to be sure of all the facts when you're making a decision of this magnitude. At this point, it would appear the methodologies the EPA is using to determine the impact of indirect land use are flawed." The EPA is currently accepting public comments regarding its proposed ruling on the RFS-2. The deadline to submit comments is Sept. 25, 2009. The EPA requests that comments on this issue be identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ- OAR-2005-0161. Comments can be e-mailed to asdinfo@epa.gov.

Gov. Nixon signs bill to protect Missouri families from sudden foreclosures

Gov. Jay Nixon today signed House Bill 836 & 753 into law to protect Missouri families from sudden foreclosures during these difficult economic times.

Under the new law, tenants of a residential property must be given written notice when the property has been foreclosed. If the new owner plans to seek possession of the property, the current tenants must be given at least 10 days from the date of notice to vacate the premises.

Previously, notice of foreclosure was only given to the owner of a residential property and often was not passed on to tenants legally residing at the property. This caused many families to be evicted without notice, and in some instances, without alternative housing arranged.

“During these difficult economic times, more and more homes and properties are being foreclosed every day,” Gov. Nixon said. “This bill will help to ensure vital protections for those who rent their homes. The impact that a sudden foreclosure can have on a family is devastating and cannot be ignored. This bill will make a real difference for Missouri families.”

The bill received overwhelming, bipartisan support in both the Missouri House of Representatives and the Senate. In each chamber, the bill passed unanimously.

The Governor delivered remarks and signed the bill during a luncheon at the annual conference of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus in Kansas City.

Jack Remembers for 7-15-09

by Jack Hackley
Somebody please help and tell me what I have missed out on. I try to watch the evening national news. I prefer Brian Williams on NBC. On a Thursday night when I turned on the news, Brian Williams announced there was breaking news that Michael Jackson had died and for virtually the rest of that newscast, it was about Michael Jackson. I flipped the channel to ABC, same news there, and on CBS with Katie Curik. The next night and all weekend, it was the same thing except now they are saying that Michael Jackson was the greatest singer and dancer who ever lived. Whoa! Wait just a minute. These are the same stations that told us he was a child molester.
If I am not mistaken, Bing Crosby sold somewhere between 500 million and 900 million records back when no one had any money to buy them. "White Christmas" alone has sold 100 million and still selling strong. Not only that, Crosby won an Oscar for his role in the movie "Going My Way". Let’s don’t forget Frank Sinatra who had a few hits himself and also won an Oscar for best supporting actor in one of my favorite movies, "From Here to Eternity". Of course, my favorite singer was Hank Williams who I watched at the Ivanhoe Temple sing the number one song on the Hillbilly Hit Parade, "Lovesick Blues".
I also liked Earnest Tubb, Hank Snow, and in my drinking days ran in to Red Foley in a bar in Springfield and had a few drinks. Of course one of the all time greats was Eddie Arnold, who probably had more songs on the charts than anyone else since he recorded for 62 years, never drank, smoked, and remained married to the same woman. The greatest in my lifetime besides Bing Crosby would have been Elvis Presley. Elvis sold a billion records even though he got drafted in the Army and spent two years of his life in the Third Armored Division in Germany. Ironically, that Division’s photographer was Richard Deason, a brother to Beth Fulks, who owns Broadway Grill in Oak Grove, and also helps me prepare my articles. Richard photographed Elvis several times.
Michael who?
Jack can be reached at PO Box 40, Oak Grove, MO 64075 or jackremembers@aol.com

Sheridan High School Classes of 1966-1976 Reunite

After a few years of talking and planning, a reunion celebrating the last 10 graduating classes of Sheridan High School finally became a reality. The reunion was held at the community hall in Sheridan the evening of June 27th.
Those in attendance included the following:
1976-Ricky Welch - Parnell MO
Ed Morrow - Pickering MO
1975-Doug Allee - Sheridan MO
Don Lantz - Harlan IA
Renee Morrow Smyser - Maryville MO
1974-Rick Morrow - Sheridan MO
Steve Smyser - Grant City MO
Roger Ridge - St Joseph MO
Chandra Allee Hopkins - Sheridan MO
1973-Mike & Linda Smyser Scott - Grant City MO
Stephen Allee - Overland Park KS
1972-Kathy Rowe Ruiz - Sheridan MO
Connie Randle Wonderly - Sheridan MO
1971-Joan Randle Osmon - Albany MO
Linda Dowis Marsh
Janet Scott Gladstone -- Moberly MO
1970-Sherry Rowe Evans - Sheridan MO
Stephen Wake - Shenandoah IA
Bob Fletchall - Kansas City MO
Bob Henry - Bedford IA
Alan Welch - Parnell MO
1969-Larry Anderson - Maryville MO
Jessie Ridenour - Maryville MO
Debbie Davis Pettit - Mt Ayr IA
1968-Sharon Scott Rawlings - Columbia MO
1967-Eddie Troutwine - Plattsburg MO
1966-Larry Musick - Hopkins MO
Jay Sanders - Parnell MO
A special invitation was issued to David Parman, class of 1965 - Sheridan MO
Guests included Ruby Allee, Larry Marsh, Paul Dowis, Pat Musick, Bonnie Sanders, Marcha Anderson, Dean Pettit, Grace Morrow, David Evans, Larry Osmon, Peggy Lantz and Kathy Troutwine.
Plans were made for another reunion next year during Defiance Days again. All classes from the 60's and 70's are invited.

Range of Corn Development Found Across Northwest Missouri Fields

Range of Corn Development Found Across
Northwest Missouri Fields
There is a wide range of corn planting dates across Northwest Missouri. Corn plants range from emergence to silking.
Late planted corn generally has issues of poor weed control and need for fertilizer. If products were applied earlier, the weed control products are now losing control. Also, fields that have been delayed from wet soils also face the need for additional nitrogen fertilizer.
At the Graves-Chapple Demonstration Farm, the south part of the farm was saturated with standing water during the spring. We applied supplemental nitrogen to this area as much of the nitrogen denitrified or was leached deeper into the soil. The plants have responded to additional nitrogen compared to the checks so we are maintaining our yields.
Early planted corn especially along the west side of the region looks extremely good. Corn is dark green and moving along in forming kernels.
Growers, who are considering applying fungicides and herbicides, should do so according to the label. Research from Purdue indicates that adding surfactants before tassel emergence can impact ear development. Also some herbicides can also cause the same type of injury.
Also, be careful when applying products to avoid drift onto any adjacent crops. We want to progress through the growing season without any issues.
Corn insect problems have been few. We are currently trapping for Western Bean Cutworm at the Graves-Chapple Farm and have only captured a few moths. We are looking at four different types of traps to determine which may work best.
For more information, contact Wayne Flanary at 660-446-3724 or Heather Benedict at 660-425-6434, Regional Agronomists with the University of Missouri Extension.