Obituary -- Willis "Bill" King 1944-2023

Willis Irvin “Bill” King, 79, Eagleville, MO passed away Sunday, April 30, 2023 at a Bethany, MO hospital.

He was born on March 26, 1944 in Bethany, Missouri the son of Willis Lee and Madelyn (Smith) King.

On October 23, 1978, he married Connie Pierce. She survives of the home.

Bill graduated from Reish Action College in 1972. He moved to Ridgeway, MO where he ran an auction company for 30 years as King and Foster Auction County. He then moved to Eagleville in 2003 where he ran King Auction Service for 20 more years. He loved being an auctioneer. He always said not many people got to work at a job they like but he was so lucky he did.

Bill was blessed with three children, seven grandkids, nine great grandkids and lots of nieces and nephews.

In addition to his wife, Bill is survived by his daughter, Kimberly (Jeffery) Dowel; sons, Jeffery King and Joshua King and brother, Barry (Phyllis) King.

Bill has been cremated under the direction of Roberson Funeral Home, Eagleville, MO.

Memorial Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, May 4 at the Eagleville Community Church, Eagleville, MO under the direction of Roberson Funeral Home, Eagleville, MO. Inurnment will be held at a later date. The family will receive friends from 1:00-2:00 p.m. Thursday at the church. Memorials may be made to the Eagleville Community Church in care of Roberson Funeral Home, P.O. Box 46, Eagleville, MO 64442. Online condolences may be left at www.robersonfuneralhome.com

Obituary -- Sally Burgher 1948-2023

Sally Ilene Burgher, age 74, of Maryville, MO, died of injuries she suffered in a tragic automobile accident, a result of early stage dementia, in Andrew County, Missouri on April 27th, 2023. Sally was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend to many. She will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

Sally was born in Spokane, WA, on September 12, 1948 to Orville L. and Maxine Morton.

She graduated from North Nodaway R-6 High School (Hopkins).  During her life, Sally held several occupations, but particularly enjoyed her time as a veterinary assistant, taking care of animals, especially cats which she adored.  In retirement, Sally was a self-employed housekeeper and made many friends over the years as a result.

Sally married Lloyd D. Burgher on January 29,1986 in Maryville, MO.  Over the years the couple shared residences in Saint Joseph, Joplin, Bethany, and Maryville, MO, making memories and friends in every locale.

She enjoyed her fur babies, T.C.,Gray, Fisher, Little Bit and Cherry Blossom.  She also looked forward to her weekly country dances at the Eagles and spending time with her many close friends.

Sally is preceded in death by her parents Orville L. and Maxine Morton and husband Lloyd D. Burgher.  She is survived by her sister, Joanne (Greg) Zeiman, Canoga Park, CA, two children, Lyle Dean (Amy/Shelly) Burgher, Ankeny, IA, and Tish (David) Payne, Lincoln, NE.  Grandmother to Hannah (Dennis) Hensley, Ankeny, IA, Alex (Tessa) Burgher, Kansas City, MO, Tay McDonald, James McDonald both of Creston, IA, and Gavyn Klommhaus, Lincoln, NE.  She was blessed with several great-grandchildren, Haydenn & Brentlee Hensley, Jonah & Eva Burgher, and Trai McDonald. Sally also leaves behind her “adopted” son, Joshua Kollitz (Josh Daniels) Grant City, MO, and many beloved friends and neighbors.

The family plans to hold a celebration of life at a later date. We invite all acquaintances to join as we reflect on her wonderful life.

In Lieu of flowers, memorials may be given on her behalf to The New Nodaway County Humane Society.

Arrangements: Price Funeral Home of Maryville

Blaine Clements Pitches Mustangs to Win; North Nodaway Flips Script

North Nodaway’s baseball team has been having a rough year after getting off to a brutal start that snowballed. If one thing got fixed, something else would go wrong and the tailspin would continue. But all of a sudden, against Platte Valley, the team started to play better and made the 275 conference champions work for their 12-2 win. Then, they fell into a 5-0 hole against King City on the 25th. But instead of falling apart like they have so many other times before, the players said that the team was much more focused this time and started chipping away behind the pitching of Andrew Phillips and Brice Trimble, improved fielding, and timely hitting. They came back and got the 12-9 win.

On Monday, they hosted the winless East Harrison squad. But the Bobcats came in desperate for a win this year. Blaine Clements came back from an elbow injury to pitch for the first time in a month; he got off to a rocky start as Karlee Crouse jumped on him and dropped a single past Preston Hansen at first. Clements struck out one, but walked three more batters to force in a run, and then Brayden Eakes singled in two to make it 3-0 as East Harrison had a rare lead. A successful double steal put runners at second and third, but Clements settled down and struck out Sloane McClain to get out of the inning.

With one out, Mason Richardson walked and just as the wind died down, Aydan Blackford dropped one right on the left field line for a double as Richardson scored all the way from first to make it 3-1. He stole third and came home on a throwing error by catcher Jayce Davis to cut it to 3-2.

After Mustang second baseman Mason Richardson snagged a pop fly behind second, Clements settled in, striking out the next two batters. The first three Mustang batters walked to start the second; walks lead to runs and sure enough, Aydan Blackford singled home Sarah Wray and Ethan Fry and put Mason Richardson on third. He stole second and Brayden Eakes plunked Andrew Phillips to load the bases and finish his day. Blaine Clements greeted Trysen Ratliff with a double that sliced away from Sloane McClain in right to empty the bases and make it 7-3. But Sloane made a great defensive play, throwing a strong throw to Karlee Crose at second, who threw a perfect relay to Garrett Baker to get Clements out at third to blunt North Nodaway’s momentum and keep it at 7-3.

But Clements recovered from that play to work around a walk and get out of the third. Damian Dailey walked, stole second and third, and came home on Sarah Wray’s groundout to make it 8-3. East Harrison countered in the fourth when Trysen Ratliff walked, stole second, took third on a wild pitch, and came home on Jayce Davis’ single to make it 8-4.

But then North Nodaway put together the kind of inning that opponents have done to them all year in the bottom of the fourth. Aydan Blackford beat out an infield hit as shortstop Kobe Hill made a great stop in the hole, but his throw was not in time. Blackford stole second and third, Andrew Phillips walked, and Blaine Clements singled to left to score Blackford. Phillips was out trying to go first to third as Clements took second, but then the floodgates opened as Brice Trimble singled to left to score Clements and stole second and third. Preston Hansen walked and stole second, and then Trimble scored on a wild pitch as Hansen took third. 

Two more Mustangs walked, finishing Ratliff. That set off a carousel as Jayce Davis tried to stem the bleeding for the Bobcats. But two walks, three runs, and a hit batter later, East Harrison turned to Garrett Baker. He struck out Phillips looking, but Blaine Clements singled and Brice Trimble doubled and another run scored on an errant pickoff before Baker got East Harrison out of the inning. By the time the dust had settled, North Nodaway was up 18-4 after four.

Brice Trimble came in and walked Hill to start the Bobcat fifth, but then froze the next three batters to get out of the inning and preserve the win.

Grant City Citywide Garage Sale Locations

Grant City Citywide Garage Sales will run from May 5th to 7th. The following sales are listed with the Grant City Community Improvement Association:

Lacy Kobbe

320 S Lyon Street (Kobbe Feed & Seed)

May 5th, 3 pm - ??

May 5th, 7 am - ??

Home décor, clothes various sizes, lamps, miscellaneous furniture odds and ends.

Debbie Fletchall

903 S Front Street

May 5th & 6th, 8 am - 4 pm

Twin headboard (white), variety mirror with bench, weight dumbbells, purses, clothing (youth, men’s (Large, XL), women’s (XL to 2X), baby), 1/64 scale barn/silo fencing, decore, DVD movies, picture frames, curtain rods, shoes, miscellaneous

Ross, Claypool, Rush, and Holmes Families

Fairgrounds Building

May 5th, 7:30 am to 4:30 pm

May 6th, 7:30 am to 4:30 pm

Name brand clothes, shoes for the entire family, Vera Bradley weekend tote bag and lunch sack, Harley Davidson, ladies shirts, ironing board, vacuums, kitchen items, home décor, seasonal objects, bar stools, fabric, and much more.

Janet Brown, 22297 Hwy 46

Friday 7 am - 5 pm

Saturday 7 am - 3 pm

Books, clothes, housewares, Christmas, electronics, and other misc items.

Heidi Kerwin

1006 South High St.

Friday - Sunday 9 am - ?

Kitchen items, cook cooks, sewing & craft supplies, knickknacks.

Kelsey Larson

605 South Front St.

Friday, 10 am - 2 pm

Saturday, 9 am - ?

Sunday, 1 pm - 5 pm

Baby clothes, baby items, large summer maternity clothes, boy kid toys, holiday decor, household items, size 12 mermaid wedding dress, & whatever else we find! 

Her son Vance will be selling lemonade & cookies, Saturday only!

Shamrock Boys Have 49 Points, Girls 44 at South Harrison Relays

North Harrison’s track teams had a respectable showing Thursday at South Harrison, with both teams getting over 40 points. The boys had 49 team points and the girls had 44.

For the girls, South Harrison ran away with it with 213 points. Maysville had 118, Gilman City 68, Braymer 48, East Harrison 47, Albany 45, North Harrison 44, and Winston 17.

For the boys, South Harrison had 117, Braymer 97, Albany 96, Winston 93, Maysville 73, Gilman City 67, North Harrison 49, East Harrison 13, and North Daviess 12.

For the girls, Erika Gerken was sixth in the 100 with a time of 14.99. Halle Morgan was seventh with a time of 15.29. Kira Robertson was fifth in the 200 with a time of 31.70. Erika Gerken was eighth with a time of 33.96. 

Erika Gerken has been steadily improving in the 100 Hurdles, and it finally started paying off with medals as she placed fourth in the event with a personal best time of 19.07. Kira Robertson was sixth with a time of 21.44. 

The Shamrocks placed two in the Long Jump. Halle Morgan was seventh with a jump of 13’5¾”. Kira Robertson was eighth with a jump of 13’2¼”. Halle Morgan was third in the Triple Jump with a jump of 28’10½”. 

Lily Shovick was fourth in the Shot Put with a throw of 29’3½”. Lily was also fourth in the Discus with a throw of 76’11½”. Erika Gerken was sixth with a throw of 64’6¾”. Lily improved her Javelin throw by almost 5 feet and got fifth with a throw of 79’9¾”. 

For the boys, Kolton Graham was seventh in the 200 with a personal best run of 26.09. Noah Brashears got a personal best in the 100 Hurdles with a time of 20.29. 

The 4x100 team of Tyson Gibson, Griffin Dougherty, Noah Brashears, and Kolton Graham was fourth with a time of 50.22. The 4x200 team of Tyson Gibson, Griffin Dougherty, Noah Brashears, and Kolton Graham was third with a time of 1:45. 

Tyson Gibson was second in the High Jump with a jump of 5’10¾”. That mark was a personal best. Tyson won the Triple Jump with a jump of 41’7¼”. 

The Shamrocks got two season bests in the Shot Put. Dillon Hartschen got a season best of 29’4¼” and Griffin Dougherty got a season best of 26’5¼”. Dillon placed third in the discus and got a personal best mark if 95’1¼”. Owan Roberson was sixth with a throw of 91’6”. Kolton Graham tried his hand at the Javelin and was eighth with a throw of 101’5”. 

Education Bill Faces Skepticism Over Pay Raise Sustainability

BY EMMET JAMIESON

Missouri Digital News

A broad House education bill earned support at a Senate hearing Tuesday although some questioned the long-term effectiveness of its funding proposals.

House Bill 497 seeks to address two critical issues with Missouri public schools: that Missouri ranks last in the nation for teacher pay and is among the lowest for public school expenditures per student.

Rep. Ed Lewis, R-Moberly, the bill’s sponsor, told the Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee Tuesday that HB 497 is an education omnibus that includes provisions from about 10 bills.

Among its provisions, HB 497 would:

Raise the minimum teacher pay from $25,000 to $38,000 in the 2024-25 school year.

Allow the funding formula, which calculates state aid to school districts, to gradually grow over the next nine years.

Expand scholarships for new teachers in “hard to staff” schools or subject areas.

Allow school districts to exceed established salary schedules for teachers in hard to staff schools or subject areas.

Require schools to develop traumatic blood loss protocol, supply a bleeding control kit and designate personnel to receive training in using the kit.

Expand who school districts could designate as a school resource officer eligible to carry a concealed gun on school grounds.

Lewis said the provisions in the bill have been “well-vetted and well-received” and noted that it cleared the House floor with a decisive mandate of 145-5.

Lewis said two core provisions of the bill, the teacher salary raise and funding formula increase, work in sync. The bill provides for a “Teacher Baseline Salary Grant Fund” to assist school districts with 70% of the salary increase until 2027. After this point, Lewis said, the funding formula increase would make up the difference.

The funding formula increase mirrors the content of HB 529, sponsored by Rep. John Black, R-Marshfield. Lewis said he expected it would add about $30 million to the state’s pledge to public schools.

Nobody testified in opposition to HB 497, but many of those who testified in support or for informational purposes voiced concerns about the long-term sustainability of the bill’s method of boosting minimum teacher pay.

Mike Lodewegen, associate executive director of government affairs for the Missouri Association of School Administrators, said his organization believes anywhere between 35% to 40% of school districts “are not going to see additional resources” from the funding formula boost and will struggle to keep up with the salary increase.

Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, said many of the rural schools in his district would likely be “adversely affected” by increasing minimum teacher pay. Hoskins and Lodewegen both said they would like to see simulations to test out the plan the bill contemplates.

“I think the intent’s good, obviously our teachers will make more, but I don’t want there to be a cliff and all of a sudden there’s no more money coming from the state to help boost up those salaries,” Hoskins said.

Mike Wood, a lobbyist for the Missouri State Teachers Association, said he supported raising teacher salaries but was not sure this was the right way to do it. He criticized the lack of a built-in increase and a dedicated funding source.

“We would like to see an approach where maybe the state board of education each year makes a recommendation to the governor, the governor includes that in the budget recommendations,” Wood said. “That way it stays fluid dependent upon the availability of funds.”

The provision that would triple scholarships for prospective teachers in hard to staff schools or subject areas received broad support. The “Teacher Recruitment and Retention State Scholarship Program” would cover 100% of eligible tuition and fees.

Lauren Kreisel, a lobbyist for the Associated Students of the University of Missouri and a student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, said HB 497 would ensure Missouri “does not lose future teachers.”

Margie VanDeven, the commissioner of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, said the state board of education’s top priority is teacher retention and recruitment because “teachers remain the number one school-level factor for our students’ success.” She said both the teacher salary increase and the scholarship expansion would further this goal.

North Nodaway Gets $50,000 School Safety Grant From State

On Monday, Governor Mike Parson announced 169 school districts and charter schools have received grants from the newly created School Safety Grant Program. North Nodaway got a $50,000 grant from the program.

“Improving the safety and security of our schools is an issue we can all support, and these grants help ensure our schools remain safe environments for Missouri children to learn,” Governor Parson said. “While threats of violence are something we never want to see in our classrooms, we must be prepared and have proper resources and response plans in place.”

The grant program aims to support school safety improvements, including physical security upgrades and associated technology in school facilities (e.g., door locks, monitoring systems), bleeding control kits, and automatic external defibrillators. The $20 million grant was part of Governor Parson's Fiscal Year 2023 early supplemental budget request. Governor Parson's Fiscal Year 2024 budget proposal includes an additional $50 million for the program, if approved by the General Assembly.

“Funding to support safety helps ensure schools remain among the safest places for our students,” Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven said. “These grant funds to support the physical safety of schools are an important part of ensuring our students have a safe environment for learning and growing.”

School districts and charter schools applied to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) through a competitive grant application process for a maximum grant amount of $900,000 for districts/schools with the largest student populations.