Harry and late wife Alice Bratton final

Harry Bratton invests in North Central Missouri College Foundation

Harry Bratton’s appreciation for North Central Missouri College, formerly Trenton Junior College, is apparent to anyone who calls him a friend or an acquaintance.  The same appreciation and admiration are felt for Harry, an NCMC Distinguished Alumni Class of 2016 Honoree, Missouri Community College Association 2017 Distinguished Alumni, and active NCMC Foundation Board member.  Harry […]

Obituary and Services Graphic

Obituary: Thomas Shane Grooms

Thomas Shane Grooms, born May 10th, 1972, unexpectedly passed away at his home in the early hours of April 4th, 2022. He was 49 years old, one month shy of his 50th birthday. Shane was born in Hood River, Oregon with his twin sister, Sonja, to Annis and Edward Grooms, the 6th and 7th children of the […]

Candidates Forum

Audio: Candidates for Trenton R-9 School Board answer questions from the public during forum on Wednesday

Three candidates for the Trenton R-9 Board of Education participated in a forum in the Rissler Elementary School Library on March 30th. Incumbent Dorothy Taul, Toby Havens, and Jeff Spencer are running for two three-year terms. The forum was relocated after the evacuation of Trenton High School, where the event was originally to be held. […]

Sleeping Baby in dark room (Photo by Kevin Keith on Unsplash)

House grants initial approval to bill that would allow prison nurseries in Missouri

(Missouri Independent) -The House gave initial approval Wednesday to a bill that would allow newborns to remain with their incarcerated mothers for the first year and a half of the baby’s life. The bill would permit the Missouri Department of Corrections to establish nurseries within the state’s correctional facilities, allowing children born to incarcerated women to […]

Master Gardener

Master Gardener course to be offered in Kirksville

A Master Gardener course will be offered in Kirksville. Classes will be at the Adair County Extension Center Tuesdays from 9:30 to noon from March 22nd through June 7th. The presentations will also be available on Zoom. There will also be outdoor, in-person lab classes Thursday mornings from 9 to 11 o’clock on April 14th […]

MDC is offering Free Hunter Education Classes during August

Missouri Department of Conservation to offer free hunter education skills classes in March and April

The Missouri Department of Conservation is offering free upcoming hunter education skills sessions in northwest Missouri. Participants will earn the safety certificate needed to obtain hunting permits. These sessions will teach and test participants for safe firearms handling and basic hunting skills.    The sessions offered and links to register include: Chillicothe from 5:30 to 9:30 […]

North Central Missouri College Website V2 (NCMC)

North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees hear reports, work continues on former US Bank building

Multiple reports were given at the North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees meeting February 22nd. Vice President of Student Affairs Doctor Kristen Alley reported NCMC’s graduation rate is 42%, and the withdrawal rate is 39%. NCMC is the only community college in the state to have a higher graduation rate than a withdrawal rate. […]

American Farm Bureau Federation president Zippy Duvall spoke at the organization’s 2022 annual convention in Atlanta, Georgia (photo provided by American Farm Bureau Federation)

American Farm Bureau Federation claims it’s the ‘voice of agriculture,’ Others beg to differ

(Missouri Independent) – This story was originally published as a collaboration between Investigate Midwest and Watchdog Writers Group. The American Farm Bureau Federation calls itself the “voice of agriculture,” a slogan it trademarked in 2007. But as the divide between agribusiness and small farmers has grown in recent decades, a unified voice of agriculture has become harder to […]

school board meeting

Newtown-Harris Board of Education approves health insurance plan; hold discussion on coop for football

The Newtown-Harris R-3 Board of Education approved the district health insurance provider on February 9th. The provider will be the Ozarks School Benefits Association, and the district will pay $575.82. Contract extensions were approved for Superintendent Doctor Lucas McKinnis and Kindergarten through 12th Grade Principal Kim Palmer. Counselor Megan Brown’s resignation was approved. The board […]