Tigers Breeze Past Tarkio in Rematch 52-12

Worth County breezed past Tarkio 52-12 in a rematch as the Tigers played the Indians in back to back games due to the new district pairings. Worth County will now travel this Friday (November 9th) to Rock Port for a 7:00 kickoff. It will be a rematch of Worth County's only loss of the year. The winner of that game will play the winner of the Stanberry-Mound City game that will be hosted by Stanberry.

The game was similar to many the Indians have played this year; Tarkio has frequently started off slow and then gotten better as the game progressed. On their first possession, Worth County could not take advantage of an unsuccessful onsides kick as they went three and out as a double pass play went awry and resulted in a sack. But the Tigers got the ball right back as Tarkio went three and out and then was forced to punt. Lane Craven shot through and blocked the punt and recovered it at the Tarkio 2. Dallas Greenland (16 carries, 115 yards) scored the initial Worth County touchdown with 8:19 left in the first and ran in the extra points out of the swinging gate formation to make it 8-0. Worth County used the swinging gate on their extra point attempts most of the night.

The short field hurt Tarkio in the first meeting between the teams and it hurt them again in Friday night's encounter. The Indians once again went three and out and then shanked a punt that rolled dead at the Tarkio 22. This time, Worth County only needed one play to take advantage and Dallas Greenland took a simple lead play and scored with 6:39 left. Dallas then ran in the extra points to make it 16-0.

Kickoff coverage was an area of concern for Worth County, but Tarkio fumbled the ensuing kickoff after nearly fumbling it away the time before and Kevin Stoll was there for the recovery at the Tarkio 22. Once again, Worth County only needed one play to score as Bryce Ross (4 completions, 7 attempts, 67 yards) threw a strike to Aaron Patton and The General took it to the house to make it 22-0 with 6:25 left for Worth County's second score in 14 seconds.

Bryce Ross was shaken up on the next series after Tarkio went three and out, but he recovered to throw a strike to Aaron Patton for his second score from 15 yards out. Once again, Dallas Greenland ran in the extra points out of the swinging gate and Worth County was up 30-0 with 1:55 left in the first. Tarkio once again went three and out, but this time, Worth County lost their first fumble since week 3 against Mound City as Tarkio successfully stripped Dallas Greenland from behind and recovered at their own 37. Max Graves converted a third and 5 down to the Tiger 32 and then Jacob Masonbrink's 13-yard catch and run converted a fourth and 10 down to the 19. A horsecollar penalty gave Tarkio first and goal at the 8, but the Tigers made a successful goal line stand as Dylan Kinsella shot through and dropped Jordan Riley for a loss of four and then two incompletions were followed by a heavy pass rush on fourth and goal; Michael McMahon was only able to scramble to the nine.

Worth County went three and out and Tarkio once again had good field position and threatened again, but could only get to the 22. They converted a fourth and seven on another pass to Masonbrink to the 22, but then Kevin Stoll dropped Brice Lamber for a loss of six, a bobbled snap led to a sack by Stoll, and then Brevyn Ross picked off a pass to kill the drive as the Tigers started at their own 19.

Dallas Greenland ripped off gains for 8 and 12 yards behind the blocking of Brevyn Ross and then Wyatt Rush picked up 14 more down to the Rock Port 27. A fumbled snap and a block in the back penalty moved it back to the 38, but The General caught a 25-yard pass and beat double coverage, giving the Tigers another first down to the Tarkio 13 with time winding down. With 14.6 seconds left, Dallas Greenland spun and twisted his way into the end zone for a score and then threw to Wyatt Rush out of the swinging gate to make it 38-0 at halftime.

At the start of the second half, Tarkio got a first down but then had to punt. Their punt coverage, which was a liability last team, let them down again as Andrew Mullock bounced and weaved his way to the Indian 27, setting up a short field. Worth County could not capitalize and gave up the ball on downs, but Tarkio went three and out and Brevyn Ross ran it back to the Indian 29. This time, Worth County was not to be denied as Dallas Greenland's sweep and cutback picked up a first down to the 13. Dallas was seemingly stopped for a loss on the next play, but the defensive end missed the tackle and Dallas was off to the races and scored with 5:18 left in the third. Dallas got a cutback run to make it 46-0, but Tarkio elected to play on.

Tarkio once again went three and out and the second stringers were able to extend the lead before Tarkio got two late scores. Brevyn Ross ripped off gains of 13, 14, and 8 and Andrew Mullock got a 9-yard cutback to the Tarkio 3. Penalties and busted plays backed the Tigers up to the 13, but Brevyn Ross took a spread draw up the middle and then burst his way to the outside and waltzed the tightrope down the left side into the end zone for Worth County's final score of the evening.

A Moment with Mike -- Veterans Day 2012

When this column comes out the elections will be over, the pundits will be revamping their messages, our evening meals will be less likely interrupted by robo-calls, mail will be reduced to normal and hopefully our elected officials will begin to work for the good of those that they represent.  There will be much speculation about our future and how our leaders will shape our country, our state and our local communities.  I sincerely hope and pray that the people of this country that have the privilege of choice and the right to vote have the foresight to elect leaders that will keep this country safe, proud and prosperous so that our future generations will have the same opportunities and freedoms that we have experienced for years.

     In just a few days our nation will pause to honor the many men and women who so selflessly serve in defense of our great nation.  As we look ahead to Veterans day, I think it is important we resolve to acknowledge the service and sacrifices of the members of our Armed Forces each and every day  rather than just one day each year.   

     We are blessed to live in the greatest nation on Earth.   While we go about our daily lives secure in the knowledge that our way of life will be safe now and for future generations, we too often forget the men and women who give us that security.  Thousands of miles away, far from their own families and friends, these brave heroes stand watch on foreign and hostile territory.  They put their lives at risk so that our own lives and the lives of our loved ones will remain protected.

     We owe these patriots a debt of gratitude.  It can come in the form of a simple thank you or it can take shape as something more substantive.  Even at the state level, we must continually be aware of the needs of the men and women who are presently serving or who have served their country in the past.  One of the more important things we did during the last legislative session was to secure a dedicated funding source for our state’s seven veterans’ homes that provide care for more than 1,300 veterans across our state.    With the more than $31 million in funding the homes will receive each year, they will be able to provide the quality care our veterans deserve.

     We also expanded our Show Me Heroes program that helps military personnel and their spouses to find employment when they return from active duty.  It’s another way to give back to our men and women who have left their homes, their jobs and their families to protect our nation and guard our freedoms.

     Veterans day is not one day out of the year to say thank you, but a reminder that we should remember and appreciate our veterans each and every day that America remains the land of the free and the home of the brave.

       If you have questions, you may reach me at my Capitol number 573-751-9465, at the local district number, 660-582-4014, by email at mike.thomson@house.mo.gov or by mail at Room 401B State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101

Going Away Party for Dick & Diane VanVactor

The Progress Organization is hosting a going away party for Dick and Diane VanVactor on Thursday November 8th from 4:30-7:00pm. Come enjoy some of Lois Downing’s great cookies, and share in the memories and help us thank Dick and Diane for making this community a better place to live. They have been very active on many boards, and have volunteered tirelessly in the community. !  Hope to see you there!

Obituary -- Sharon Elaine Carr 1963-2012

Sharon Elaine Carr, age 49, was born January 4, 1963 at the Independence Sanitarium and Hospital in Independence, Missouri to David Gerald and Rita Sharon (Davis) McKiddie.  She passed away suddenly at her Lamoni, Iowa home on Wednesday, October 31, 2012.

Sharon was baptized into the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Miami, Oklahoma, by her father,  Priest David McKiddie.  She was a long-time member of the Decatur City Restoration Branch.  She loved her Lord and His Church, believed the message of Salvation and lived it in her life.  She enjoyed teaching Sunday School and she loved children.  She graduated from Van Horn High School in Independence in 1979.  In May of 1985, she graduated from Graceland College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Education and Administrative Services and also in Business Administration.  In 1989, she earned her degree in Elementary Education and in July 2002, her Masters of Education in Collaborative Learning and Teaching.  She was always learning more.  Over the years Sharon taught Business and Computer Science in public schools in Farragut, Iowa, Ridgeway, Missouri, Worth County R3 Schools in Grant City, Missouri, and in Lamoni, Iowa for the past 17 years.  She also was director of the Credit Recovery Alternative Academy School in Lamoni for a year.

On July 21, 1985 Sharon was united in marriage to Allen Bradford Carr southeast of Allendale, Missouri on the Carr family farm.  They were blessed with three sons, Timothy Jordan, Bradford Alexander, and Nathaniel Jackson.

Sharon was a woman of many interests and hobbies.  She loved politics and was active at both the county and state levels.  She served as a member of the Decatur County Republican Central Committee, a delegate to Iowa GOP district and state conventions, and recently on the State Platform Committee.  She loved to read, play the piano, sing, travel, ride horses, and attend all Lamoni School sporting events.  She was Lamoni's #1 sports fan!  But of all her interests, her greatest love was family, especially her sons.  She told them often, “I Love You Forever.”  After the boys were all out of the house, Sharon's  plans were to take flying lessons to become a pilot.  She never stopped dreaming of what she could do next.

Survivors include her husband Brad Carr of Lamoni; sons, Tim Carr of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Alex Carr and Jack Carr, both of Lamoni; her parents of Independence; brother Scott McKiddie and wife Jeannette and their daughters, Rene and Rachel, all of Independence; her in-laws, Berk and Joyce Carr of Allendale, Missouri; Brad's siblings; several aunts, uncles, and cousins from Michigan; nieces and nephews; and other relatives and many friends.

Memorial services will be held at the Lamoni Community of Christ Church at 3 p.m. Sunday, November 4, 2012 with Elder Mark Walker and Elder Jon Barney officiating.  Burial will be in the Allendale, Missouri Cemetery at a later date.    Arrangements are through the Slade – O'Donnell Funeral Home of Leon and Lamoni, Iowa. 

A Memorial Fund has been established by the Family.

WC Junior High Girls Back on Winning Track

Worth County's junior high girls came into Thursday night's game against Northeast Nodaway with one lone win at the start of the year, but broke out of their slump with a vengeance, using a strong second half to win 23-3 over the winless Bluejays. The game started off as a tight defensive struggle as neither side could find the range from the field in the opening quarter. Worth County's only point was from the free throw line as Kristen Ross knocked one down as the game was tied 1-1 after one period of play.

Payton Adwell's free throw was the lone tally for either side in the first four minutes of the second quarter, but then Grace Schottel got a steal off the press to finally put Worth County up 4-1 with 1:51 left in the second. Quinci Schottel added a free throw as the Tigers led 5-1 at the break.

All of a sudden, the lid came off the basket for Worth County in the second half and everything started falling as Worth County scored 14 points in the third to put the game away. Grace Schottel opened the scoring with a backdoor layup to start the period, followed by a banked shot from the right wing from Quinci. Quinci followed with a pair of free throws following a fast break and all of a sudden, Northeast could not cross the half court line against the full court press and all hell broke loose. Quinci followed with a steal off the press and Grace followed with a driving layup, a banked shot from the high post, and a steal off the press to put Worth County up 19-1. Grace scored off another drive in the fourth and Payton Adwell had a nice fake move and baseline shot to round out the scoring for the Tigers.

Grace got a career high of 12 points for the Tigers; she was the first player to break double figures this year. Quinci followed with 7.

WC Junior High Boys Pick Up 4th Win

Worth County's junior high boys picked up their fourth win, a 32-20 win over Northeast Nodaway behind 13 points from Drake Kinsella and a balanced attack. The Tigers had come off a two point 27-25 win over King City, a team that had beaten Stanberry and they picked up their second straight road win. The Tigers got 9 from Cade Allee and 8 from Ryan McClellan in the win.

The Tigers scored the first nine points of the game as Drake Kinsella had 4 during the run, Cade Allee had a 3-point play, and Ryan McClellan added a steal. Northeast hung around throughout the second quarter, but Cade Allee scored a backdoor layup, Drake Kinsella hit a pair of free throws, and Mason Hawk stepped through two defenders to score as Worth County led 15-7 at the break.

Cade Allee showed that he was maturing as a player, finally learning to use the backboard in the third quarter and scoring four straight points to put the Tigers up double digits at 19-7. Drake Kinsella added a free throw and Ryan McClellan scored off a steal as Worth County led 22-10 after three.

The balanced scoring from Worth County freed up Drake Kinsella in the fourth quarter and he scored two quick buckets early on and then added a pair of free throws. Ryan McClellan scored twice as Worth County's biggest lead was 32-14 with 1:38 left in the game.

Missouri running out of time to decide on expanding Medicaid

Linda Spence is a 63-year-old full-time student at University of Missouri-Kansas City. After losing her job as a Program Director on the campus of UMKC, she has no health insurance because she does not qualify for Medicaid.
After the US Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional for the federal government to force states into expanding their Medicaid coverage, Missouri now has a choice of whether or not to expand Medicaid for people like Linda Spence.
The Federal government will pay 100 percent of the financial burden imposed by Medicaid expansion for the first three years, but starting after the initial grace period, Missouri would start to become responsible for some of the cost. Starting in 2017, Missouri would be responsible for five percent of the cost in 2017 and 10 percent starting in 2022, according to state officials and advocacy groups.
Spence said she takes advantage of a discount at Truman Hospital for people with lower incomes. She said not many people know about this discount, and people who want it must apply for it. Spence also said without this discount, she would have no way of obtaining any kind of regular health care. She also said that not having insurance can affect the quality of health care she is able to receive.
"If I were able to qualify for something like Medicaid, granted I would have to qualify for it, but at least I would know it was something a little bit more guaranteed. I might have access to other physicians other than going through Truman. Maybe I would be able to choose my own doctor, for example. Go to specialists of my choosing, instead of just specialist that are available," said Spence.
A major concern legislators have with expansion is that it could take away a lot of funding from other areas of the budget, namely education.
"When you're looking at increases of potentially 100 or 200 million dollars that you have to find because of expansion, there is only one place where there is a pot of money big enough to take that, and that is public education," said Senate Appropriations Chair Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia.
Schaefer said that there is no way around public education funding taking a hit with the Medicaid expansion, and if the true cost, is too detrimental to education then he would not be in favor of expansion.
Sen. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, thinks Missouri would have to pull funds from a diverse group of areas to fund expansion.
"I know from my experience as a legislator, that anytime one program absorbs up a bunch of resources, they try to spread the pain around everywhere else. So it isn't just education, every other program would suffer," Schaaf said.
Schaaf said Missouri does not have an obligation to use tax dollars to give able-bodied adults health care.
"We already take care of kids, and we take care of the disabled, and we take care of the elderly. These people are able-bodied, and it would be wrong for us to give them free health care and put them on Medicaid, and expect other working adults to pay for them," Schaaf, a licensed physician,  said.
For a single parent with one child to receive Medicaid under the current coverage in Missouri, their annual income would need to be less than $2,809.00, according to the Missouri Foundation for Health. The new program, should it be implemented in Missouri, would allow anyone at 133 percent of the federal poverty line to receive Medicaid. That covers a higher percentage of the poverty line than is currently afforded to people