House Fire news graphic

Fire destroys vacant house near Trenton

Fire over the weekend destroyed a vacant house southwest of Trenton. Grundy County Rural Fire Protection District, among others, responded to 225 Southwest Highway W which is owned by Tim Blozvich of Trenton. Just after 12 noon Saturday, firefighters arrived at the scene to find the house fully-engulfed with fire. They deployed a hose line […]

Fiber Optic Internet Access

The net neutrality battle moves to the states, and to 2020

Net neutrality suffered a significant blow on Tuesday as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld the Trump administration’s rollback of Obama-era consumer protections. Because the court upheld the repeal, it remains legal for internet service providers such as AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon to block or throttle any sites they want, and […]

Natural Resources Conservation Service or NRCS

Deadline extended for NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection Program

The application deadline has been extended in Missouri for the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service Emergency Watershed Protection Program. The deadline has been extended to November 27, 2019, due to the addition of 14 Missouri counties recently added to a federal disaster declaration following flooding this year. Missouri State Conservationist J. […]

Smithville Fire Protection District Website

Missouri State Auditor issues follow-up report on Smithville Area Fire Protection District

A follow-up report by State Auditor Nicole Galloway shows the Smithville Area Fire Protection District has made progress to implement many of the recommendations of a 2018 audit. The citizen-requested audit highlighted improper incentive payments to employees, questionable credit card and travel expenditures, and poor planning for the construction of a fire station by the […]

USDA Sign

Useful USDA resources available for farmers hurt by 2018, 2019 disasters

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has announced that agricultural producers affected by natural disasters in 2018 and 2019, including Hurricane Dorian, can apply for assistance through the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+). Signup for this U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program began Sept. 11, 2019. “U.S. agriculture has been dealt a hefty […]