08-17-2023 Post Telegraph

Thursday, August 17, 2023

Smithfield closing 10 county farms

Ninety-two workers at 35 farms in north central Missouri councies will lose their jobs in early October

PRESTON COLE

Princeton Post-Telegraph

PRINCETON The 30-year-plus era of large-scale hog production in Mercer County and two neighboring counties will end early this fall, after Smithfield Foods met its legal requirement to inform a state agency of its plans.

Smithfield announced early last week that it was closing 35 hog farm sites in Mercer, Sullivan and Putnam counties. Ten of the farms are in Mercer County in the Princeton area, 13 are near Newtown in Sullivan County, and 12 are in the Lucerne area in Putnam County.

Smithfield Foods, said in the notice that it is “reducing its hog farming operations” across Missouri, and “must reduce its workforce accordingly.” The notice affects salaried and hourly employees.

Neither Smithfield Foods or the WARD data identified the specific farms that will be closed.

Employees affected by the layoffs have the opportunity to move to another Smithfield facility, as long as a position is available that doesn’t displace other employees.

PRESTON COLE/Princeton Post-Telegraph

A billboard advertising jobs with Smithfield Farms was still up Monday morning, Aug. 11, along the west side of U.S. 65 north of Princeton, after the company announced a week earlier that it was closing 35 hog farms in north central Missouri, 10 in Mercer County, a move that will see 92 employees lose their jobs.

The Chinese-owned company followled the Missouri Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act when it notified the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development of its plans to close the plants on Oct. 8, a move that will see 92 employees on company-owned farms lose their jobs.

Murphy-Brown LLC, a division of

Farmers Bank in Princeton opens Monday with week-long celebration

Tours, drawings, two free lunches among highlights

Special to the Post-Telegraph

PRINCETON Farmers Bank of Northern Missouri (FBNM) has announced the opening of its newest branch in Princeton, located at 602 Wesr Grant Street. The branch is scheduled to begin operations on Monday, Aug. 21.

FBNM currently serves nine communities across northern Missouri and south-central Iowa, including Unionville, Mercer, Trenton, Bethany, Gallatin, Cainsville, and Jamesport, Mo., and Centerville and Leon, Iowa. The Princeton branch will mark the 10th addition to the bank’s growing network. Additionally, another branch is slated to open in Corydon, Iowa, in the coming fall.

To commemorate the milestone of establishing its presence in Princeton, Farmers Bank of Northern Missouri will host an exciting week-long

grand opening celebration. The festivities will feature a series of special events, facility tours, daily raffle prizes, gifts for new account openings, and much more, spanning from Tuesday, Aug. 22- Friday, Aug. 25.

The Princeton Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony at noon on Tuesday, Aug. 22.

“The opening of our Princeton location is a testament to the continued growth and support we have received from the communities we serve,” said Mitch Reger, executive vice

rresident and branch manager of Farmers Bank of Northern Missouri. “We are thrilled to be part of the Princeton community and look forward to providing exceptional banking services to our new customers.”

Customers and community members are invited to join in the celebrations and experience the superior banking services that Farmers Bank of Northern Missouri has been delivering for years. For a detailed itinerary of the grand opening events, follow Farmers Bank of Northern Missouri on Facebook.

MERCER COUNTY 4-DAY WEATHER

National Weather Service - Pleasant Hill/Kansas City, Mo.

Time of forecast: 10 a.m. Monday, Aug. 14

Thursday, Aug. 17: Sunny; 80/60

Friday, Aug. 18: Sunny; 83/69

Saturday, Aug. 19: Warming up! Sunny; 91/73

Sunday, Aug. 20: Sunny; 91 Forecasts reflect daytime high and overnight low temperatures.

forecasts change often. Check local radio, weather radio, or the NWS website (www.weather.gov) for the most recent updates.

The U.S. meat industry has been battered with declining profits and lower demand from consumers who are being battered themselves by inflation and higher interest rates.

Smithfield is owned by Hong Kong’s WH Group.

This news came on the same day that chicken processing giant Tyson Foods said it was shuttering four plants in three states, including Missouri (at Noel and Dexter). The Noel closing will see 1,533 workers lose their jobs; that’s about 25% of McDonald County’s workforce.

The 2023-24 academic year begins Tuesday, Aug. 22 at Princeton, Mercer and Cainsville

Serve Mercer County Sept. 9

Special to the Post-Telegraph

PRINCETON Serve Mercer County, an established 501c3, invites all neighbors that want to help neighbors to the opportunity to serve on Saturday, Sept. 9, with a rain date of Saturday, Sept. 30.

Civic groups and school groups of all ages are encouraged to participate. Register

online by Friday, Sept. 1. Meet at the Mercer County Senior Center in Princeton at 8:30 a.m. then work will be done in teams on projects. Meet at the Senior Center at noon for lunch and teams can finish projects as needed after lunch.

See Serve Mercer County, Page 5

INFORMATION

HOW TO CONTACT US

Princeton Post-Telegraph

PO Box 286/704 West Main

Princeton, MO 64673

Phone: 660-748-3266

Fax: 660-748-3267

Email: posttele@grm.net

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PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

All real estate and/or houses, and all rental housing and/or property, advertised in the Princeton Post-Telegraph newspaper and the Courier shopper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. We will not knowlingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.

EDITOR’S NOTICE

The receipt of news, advertisements, letters to the editor, and/or press releases by the Princeton Post-Telegraph DOES NOT constitute an agreement to publish such news, advertisements, letters to the editor, and/or press releases. All news, advertisements, letters to the editor, and/or press releases will be published at the discretion of the editor. At all times, the editor reserves the right to edit, amend, and/ or delete any and all information at will, with or without explanation.

The limit of liability of the Princeton Post-Telegraph takes no responsibility for advertising, legal and/or non-legal, not published.

The Princeton Post-Telegraph takes no responsibility for the non-publishing of news, letters to the editor, and/or press releases.

This notice also applies for advertisements for the Courier (shopper).

NO HUNTING

NOTICE - Hunting and trespassing with dog and/or gun, trapping or fishing on land owned or leased by the undersigned is strictly forbidden. You are hereby warned to keep off these properties. Trespassers will be prosecuted.

No tresspassing for any reason on land that we own or lease. John & Linda Baughman. 9-29-22-52tpP+C

No hunting or trespassing on any land owned by Bill and Peggy Heck

9-15-22-52tbP+C

No hunting, fishing or trespassing on property owned, leased or rented by Joe and Victoria Ryan 4-27-23-52tpP+C

NO HUNTING

Absolutely no hunting or trespassing on Highland Farms land owned and operated by Dixie Berger, Joe Berger & Steve Berger. 5-19-22-52tpP+C

Absolutely NO TRESPASSING, including but not limited to hunting, fishing, hiking, mushroom hunting and drones on land owned and/ or rented by FRJ Family Farms, LLC and Roberta Zimmer. 3-23-23-52tpP+C

Absolutely no hunting or trespassing on land owned by Barbara & LeRoy Hider 10-13-22-52tpP+C

NO HUNTING OR TRESPASSING on any land owned by LAKE MARIE PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION. 7-28-52tbP+C

No hunting, trespassing or fishing on property owned, leased or rented by Howard or Joe Don Pollard 4-21-22-52tpP

Absolutely no hunting or trespassing on Choate property at any time. 3-30-23-52tpP

Absolutely no hunting with guns or dogs, fishing, or trespassing on land owned by Berndt Farm and Berndt Twin Lake Inc 11-10-22-52tpP

No hunting or trespassing on Cox family property - Andy and Donna Cox, and Robert and Tina Cox. 12-3-20-104tpP

GUNS & AMMO WOOD’S GUN SHOP

5 Miles South of Ravanna 660-748-5795 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday 1-5-2023-ufnP+C

FOR SALE

Old sawmill for sale. 52inch blade, PTO driven. Also, Chevy engine with gearbox and PTO shaft; and 24-inch surface planer, PTO driven. Near Pleasanton, Iowa. Would like to sell all together. Phone 660-748-8259. 8-17pP+C

WANTED: HUNTING LAND

WANTED: Looking for deer hunting lease in Harrison, Mercer, Putnam or Worth County for 2023 season and beyond. Will pay top dollar, not an outfitter. Fully insured, references available. 1-715495-3241. 8-17-4tbP+C

GARAGE SALES

ETC.

ALL garage sales (and similar sales) MUST be paid for in advance, unless you have an account that is in good standing.

Miscellaneous Garage

Sale - By Lois Beavers, Gripp and Smiths. When: Aug. 18 and 19. Where: At the Gripps’, 401 North College, Princeton. Time: 8:302. Some appliances, horse paraphernalia, clothing, etc. 8-17pP+C

SERVICES

Boyer Land Company LLC

Aaron Franklin, Sales Agent Princeton, MO 64673 660-748-6314

YOUR REAL ESTATE SPECIALIST!

1-5-2023ufnP+C

Wells Heating & Air Conditioning LLC

Princeton, MO

660-748-8489

Sales and Service

On All Brands Serving Princeton & Surrounding Area

1-5-2023-ufn-bP+C

Commission

MERCER COUNTY COMMISSION

Report taken from minutes of meetings of the Mercer County Commission. All votes are unanimous unless otherwise noted. Monday, Aug. 7

• Minutes of the July 31 meeting were approved.

• Bills were approved and paid.

• Suzanne Eastin spoke to commissioners about the brush letter she received for brush along Almond Place in Lindley Township. She said she would like a 30-day extension, and commissioners voted to all the extension.

• Assessor Dana Widner presented July fees collected.

• Circuit Clerk and Recorder Tammy Crouse presented the July uniform disbursement record, receipt and disbursement report, and list of land transfers.

• Commissioners received the July mileage logs and motor equipment reports from Deputies Randy Francis and Riley Nelson, and the July motor equipment expense report from Sheriff Jose Lopez.

• Commissioners and County Clerk Judy Hamilton signed a certified copy of authorizing Collector/Treasurer Susan Moore to pay the following:

* $94.65 to GRM Networks for the phone bill (money taken from TMF Fund #34);

* $462 to Idemia Identity & Security for maintenance and a support agreement (money taken from Inmate Security Fund #47); and

* $576.50 to Tiger Commissary Services for commissary items for inmates (money taken from Jail Commissary Fund #49).

• The July sales tax and use tax reports were received from the Missouri Department of Revenue, for the county’s use on Aug. 7.

• Commissioners held the county tax levy hearing.

* The General Revenue levy has a tax rate ceiling of 37.83 cents on the $100 of assessed valuation. Hamilton presented a sales tax roll-

back work sheet reflecting a rollback of 11.27 cents, and recommended the General Revenue property tax rate be set at 26.56 cents. Commissioners set the levy at the recommended rate.

* The Road and Bridge tax rate ceiling is 14.18 cents, and commissioners voted to set levy at that rate.

• Lindley Township held its tax levy hearing, with Trustee Mike Covey and board member Kenneth Meinke present. They voted to set three levies at their maximum tax rate ceilings.

• Commissioners received current and delinquent tax reports and treasurer’s monthly balance sheets from Moore, as verified by Hamilton. Commissioners also received the budgeted revenue and expense from Hamilton.

• Robert Walters asked commissioners about the placement of a fence on Desoto Avenue. They told him the fence needs to be 20 feet from the center of the road.

• Lisa Colson, director of programs, and Amanda George, assistant planner TAC and hazard mitigation with Green Hills Regional Planning Commission, spoke to commissioners about the Mercer County Hazard Mitigation Plan.

• At 10 a.m., commissioner went into closed session under Section 610.021(3), RSMo (hiring, firing or disciplining of particular employees. Lopez, Nelson and Jail Administrator Travis Marts were in attendance. The group came out of the closed session at 10:16, with no action taken.

organizations

Chapter BY PEO

Chapter BY PEO met Aug. 7 at the Mercer County Library with president Beth Boxley as hostess. Nine members were present.

Corresponding secretary Pearl Scurlock read a “thank you” from the Youth Theater Workshop for helping with this project.

Members voted unanimously to participate in the Dress A Girl program. Kim Palmer will head this project. Materials are to be brought to the next meeting.

All were reminded to bring tennis shoes for the recycling project.

Delicious refreshments before Alice Mason gave the program on sacrifices the signers of the Declaration of Independence made to champion freedom.

The next meeting will be Sept. 4.

Cainsville

MELANIE CHANEY

Carson and Hunter Eads spent the weekend of Aug. 4-6 with their great-grandma Lila McLain and helped with yard work. Other visitors have been Page Eads, Randal and Kay Thomas, and Walker Thomas.

The congregation of the Christian Church presented an 80th wedding anniversary cake to Leland and Marjorie Parkhurst at their home on Sunday, Aug. 13.

Don't forget school starts Aug. 22 with a half day,and the night before is open house. Lunch the first day of school will be taco salads.

Community Prayer Worship and Praise Night will be Saturday, Aug. 26 at 6:30 p.m. at Cainsville Assembly of God. Everyone is welcome! Refreshments and fellowship to follow.

Zion Baptist Church will be having its 23rd annual gospel jubilee on Aug. 26-27. Start time will be at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Not much news has been given to me the last few weeks. Either people really are not doing any visiting, traveling or having any events, or they are hoping I will start making stuff up! Please send me something!

sChool Food

All menus subject to change. PRINCETON

Breakfast is available to all students. It is served with a choice of 1% white milk or skim chocolate milk. Cereal is available as an option every day except where noted. Fruit and juice are available every day. Nutri-grain bars are available on select days.

Monday, Aug. 21: no school.

Tuesday, Aug. 22: maple pancake sandwich.

Wednesday, Aug. 23: breakfast pizza.

Thursday, Aug. 24: EggStravagamza bacon and cheese, toast.

Friday, Aug. 25: biscuits, sausage gravy.

Lunch is served with the choice of 1% fat-free white milk or fat-free chocolate milk. Students in grades K-5 have the choice of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or the menu entree. Students in grades 6-12 have the option of a chef salad or the entree every day unless noted. All bakery items are whole wheat or whole grain. Fruit is served with lunch.

Monday, Aug. 21: no school.

Tuesday, Aug. 22: hot ham and cheese sandwich or hot dog, cherry tomatoes, green beans.

Wednesday, Aug. 23: chicken fajita or hamburger, Spanish rice,

buttered carrots.

Thursday, Aug. 24: cheesburger macaroni (MoBeef) or cheese lasagna rollup, peas, cottage cheese.

Friday, Aug. 25: pepperoni pizza, buttered corn, mozzarella cheesestick, dessert.

MERCER

Breakfast is served with orange juice and white or chocolate milk. Cereal is an optional entree.

Mondays: egg entree. Tuesdays: cereal, toast. Wednesdays: breakfast roll. Thursdays: sausage, pancakes. Fridays: biscuits, gravy.

Lunch is served with milk. A salad bar and fruits and vegetables are available every day, except where noted. Students in grades PK-6 will have the choice of option A or a chef salad. Students in grades 7-12 will have the choice of either option or a chef salad.

Monday, Aug. 21: a) no school.

Tuesday, Aug. 22: a) chicken sandwich; b) fish sandwich; macaroni and cheese.

Wednesday, Aug. 23: a) sloppy joe; b) deli sandwich; chips.

Thursday, Aug. 24: chicken nuggets; b) spaghetti, breadstick; corn.

Friday, Aug. 25: a) popcorn chicken; b) chicken quesadills; fries.

CAINSVILLE

Breakfast is served with fruit, juice, and milk.

Mondays: breakfast burrito, cereal, toast. Tuesdays: french toast with syrup and peanut butter, turkey sausage. Wednesdays: cereal, toast, hash brown patty, scrambled eggs. Thursdays: pancake, turkey sausage. Fridays: biscuits, gravy.

Lunch is served with milk. Fruits and vegetables are available every day, and students are required to have at least one cup of either on their tray.

Monday, Aug. 21: no school.

Tuesday, Aug. 22: taco salad

Wednesday, Aug. 22: ham and cheese sandwich, chips.

Thursday, Aug. 23: salisbury steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, carrots.

Friday, Aug. 25: chicken fajitas, corn.

CorreCtions & CLARIFICATIONS

The Princeton PostTelegraph strives for accuracy and fairness in all of its news stories and photo captions. If you feel we have made an error, please contact us at 660748-3266 or posttele@ grm.net (email) to request a correction. If it is found we are in error, we will be happy to publish a correction or clarification.

OBITUARIES Marilyn Schooler

Princeton, Mo.

Mrs. Marilyn C. Persell Schooler, 91, a resident of Princeton, Mo., died at 8:25 p.m. Monday, Aug. 7, 2023 at Pearl’s II Eden for Elders in Princeton.

Her funeral service was held Friday, Aug. 11 at Princeton First Baptist Church. Burial was in Princeton Cemetery.

Memorials to Princeton First Baptist Church or Princeton Cemetery and may be left with Resthaven Mortuary of Trenton, Mo.

Marilyn, the only child of Jack and Cleatice Stotts Girdner, was born May 13, 1932 in Mill Grove, Mo., in Mercer County. She went to grade school in Mill Grove and one year of high school at Princeton. She received her GED certificate around 1965.

She worked as an optometric assistance to Dr. Ted Lymer at Trenton for 23 years, and at Trenton Foods for six years before retiring.

She was a member of Princeton First Baptist Church.

Marilyn married Cecil Persell on Sept. 28, 1947 and to this union their sons, Bruce and Larry, were born. He preceded her in death on April 18, 1990.

She then married Edward Schooler on June 30, 2000 and he passed away on June 16, 2022.

Her survivors include a son, Bruce Persell and wife Janice, Spickard, Mo.; one daughter-in-law Dianna Persell, Spickard; five grandchildren, Shane Persell and wife Anna, Brian Persell and wife Holly, Christy Ferstl and husband Jay, Shelly Hanson and husband Danny, grandson-in-law Chas Walmsley; and 13 great-grandchildren and nine great-great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husbands; one son; Larry Persell; and one granddaughter, Misty Walmsley.

ADVERTISE in the Princeton Post-Telegraph today!

MERCER CO. FOOD PANTRY

Located in the basement of Princeton United Methodist Church.

Second and fourth Tuesday: 9-10:30 a.m.

Other Tuesdays: 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Note: Persons can pick up their food in the church basement. At present, social distancing will be observed, and masks are recommended but not mandatory.

SENIOR MENUS

All menus subject to change.

MERCER COUNTY

SENIOR CENTER

Serving from 11 a.m.12:30 p.m. Meals can be picked up at the west door (facing Broadway Street) from 11:30-12:15. Meals served with 2% milk, coffee or tea. All bread, rolls, buns and crackers are whole grain; at least half grains are whole grains. For meal deliveries, call 660-748-3636 by 10 a.m. Everyone is welcome to eat at the Senior Center.

Meals for anyone age 60 and older are a suggested contribution of $5. Meals for anyone under age 60 cost $7.

Monday, Aug. 21: turkey and bacon club sandwich on croissant (with cheese, lettuce, tomato), 3-bean salad, cottage cheese, peaches.

Tuesday, Aug. 22: macaroni and pork casserole, corn, broccoli and cheese, sliced bread, strawberries and banana.

Wednesday, Aug. 23: chili cheese dog/ bun, tater tots, spinach, peanut butter marshmallow squares, pears.

Thursday, Aug. 24: kielbasa with roasted cabbage, seasoned potatoes, sliced bread, strawberry applesauce.

Friday, Aug. 25: pork loin, roasted red potatoes, mixed vegetables, stuffing, assorted fruit, devil’s food cake with chocolate icing, ice cream.

Livestock producers eligible for drought aid

Special to the Post-Telegraph PRINCETON Cristal Dunkin, executive director of the USDA’s Mercer County Farm Service Agency (FSA) office, announced last Thursday (July 10) that the FSA is now accepting applications for the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) for grazing losses due to drought. The deadline to apply for 2023 LFP assistance is Jan. 30, 2024.

LFP provides compensation to eligible livestock producers who suffered grazing losses for covered livestock due to drought on privately owned or cash leased land or fire on federally managed land. For LFP, qualifying drought intensity levels are determined using the U.S. Drought Monitor. Producers in

Mercer County are eligible to apply for 2023 LFP benefits for grazing losses on native pasture and full season improved pasture. Visit the FSA LFP webpage for a full list of eligible counties and pasture types.

Livestock eligible for LFP include alpacas, beef cattle, bison, buffalo, beefalo, dairy cattle, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats, llamas, ostriches, reindeer, or sheep that have been or would have been grazing the eligible grazing land or pastureland. Recently, FSA updated LFP policy to expand program eligibility to include additional income producing grazing animals, like horses and ostrich, that contribute to the commercial viability of an agricultural operation.

Livestock used for hunting and consumption by the owner and horses and other animals that are used or intended to be used for racing and wagering, or recreational purposes, remain ineligible.

As a reminder, producers who want to participate in many USDA programs including disaster assistance programs like LFP, must file timely acreage reports by filling

Life with Barbie

out the FSA-578 form to remain eligible for program benefits. Livestock producers interested in applying LFP should contact Mercer County FSA at 660-748-4385 with any questions about the eligibility of specific livestock and forage crops, or to set up an appointment.

More information in USDA disaster assistance is available at farmers. gov/recover.

As dismayed as it may be for the “woke” folk among us, the fact is that some 90% of three-to-ten year old American girls still own one or more Barbie dolls, according to Mattel, the company that introduced the iconic toys 60 years ago. The recently-released Barbie movie is a sexagenarian tribute to the plaything as is the real-life Malibu Barbie DreamHouse in California, which, for the occasion, is available for a short term via the Airbnb realtors for two-person, two-day stays.

State “Maternal Mortality” report published

LISA COX

Special to the Post-Telegraph

JEFFERSON CITY The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has published “A Multi Year Look at Maternal Mortality in Missouri: 2018-2020 Annual Report” on behalf of the state’s Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review (PAMR) Board. The report is an aggregate of three years’ worth of work of the PAMR and is based upon the most recent data available. Analysis of data and related patient records indicates the top causes of pregnancy-related death are mental health (including substance use disorders or SUDs), cardiovascular issues and homicide.

The PAMR Board is a multidisciplinary board of experts from across the state tasked with examining the causes and contributing factors associated with maternal mortality and ultimately forming recommendations that could prevent these deaths from occurring in the future.

The 2018-2020 annual report contains data, including the timing and leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths, and factors that contributed

to these deaths, such as mental health conditions and SUD. The report also reflects the disparities that exist in our state and among our most vulnerable populations, including our Black and publicly insured communities.

Key findings include:

• An average of 70 Missouri women died while pregnant or within one year of pregnancy each year, with the highest number recorded in 2020 (85 deaths).

• Mental health conditions, including SUDs, were the leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related deaths, followed by cardiovascular disease and homicides.

• All pregnancy-related deaths due to mental health conditions, including SUD, were determined to be preventable.

• Black women living in Missouri are three times more likely to die within one year of pregnancy than white women.

• The number of suicide deaths doubled when comparing 2017-2019 with 2018-2020. This corresponded with an increase in the number of firearm deaths.

• Women on Medicaid in the state of Missouri

are 10 times more likely to die within one year of pregnancy than those with private insurance.

The PAMR Board found that the pregnancy-related mortality ratio (PRMR) was 32 deaths per 100,000 live births from 2018-2020, which is up from 25.2 deaths in the 2017-2019. Eighty-four percent of pregnancy-related deaths were determined to be preventable, which is 9% higher than the last multi-year report.

Included in the report are recommendations made by the PAMR Board based on case reviews, including six directed at Missouri lawmakers. By the end of the 2023 session, four of these recommendations were funded by the General Assembly and Governor Mike Parson. In addition to funding being appropriated for the following Medicaid adjustments, $4,350,000 in general revenue was also approved for DHSS to implement a maternal mortality prevention plan. The recommendations now being implemented include the following:

• Provide funding for a statewide Perinatal Quality Collaborative by 2023.

• Establish and fund a

statewide Perinatal Health Access Project to aid healthcare providers in providing evidence-based mental health care, including SUD treatment to Missouri women.

• Extend Medicaid coverage to one year postpartum for all conditions (including medical, mental health and SUD), even if the woman did not start treatment prior to delivery, to aid women whose condition is exacerbated in the postpartum period.

• Fund Medicaid expansion by 2023.

The 2018-2020 annual report can be viewed at Health.Mo.Gov/data/ pamr.

CORRECTIONS

& CLARIFICATIONS

The Princeton PostTelegraph strives for accuracy and fairness in all of its news stories and photo captions. If you feel we have made an error, please contact us at 660-7483266 or posttele@grm. net (email) to request a correction. If it is found we are in error, we will be happy to publish a correction or clarification.

SUBSCRIBE to the Princeton Post-Telegraph today!

Hot Dog!

Beenie Von Weenie is proof that “if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.” After years of trying, the dachshund finally was declared “The Fastest Wienie of the West!” at the 26th Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals at California’s Los Alamitos Race Course. Beenie’s owner, Nicolee Leonard, gleefully told KABC-TV, “Fantastic! I've been coming every year. And he nailed it. He won a doghouse and $1,000 and the title.”

SUBMITTED PHOTO Reed Mitchell of Princeton showed the Junior Champion Hereford Barrow on Friday, Aug. 11 during the 2023 Missouri State Fair in Sedalia.

Wright Memorial Hospital recognized for stroke, heart attack care

Special to the Post-Telegraph

TRENTON Wright Memorial Hospital has recently received multiple designations relating to the high level of care provided for strokes and heart attacks.

Wright Memorial earned The Joint Commission’s Acute Heart Attack Ready Certification and The Joint Commission’s Acute Stroke Ready Certification.

Wright Memorial underwent a rigorous, onsite review to earn these certifications. During the visit, reviewers from The Joint Commission evaluated compliance with related certification standards. The Joint Commission standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts, and patients. The

reviewers also conducted onsite observations and interviews.

Additionally, for efforts to optimize stroke care and eliminate rural health care outcome disparities, Wright Memorial Hospital has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Rural Recognition Bronze award.

The award recognizes hospitals for their efforts toward acute stroke care excellence demonstrated by composite score compliance to guideline-directed care for intravenous thrombolytic therapy, timely hospital inter-facility transfer, dysphagia screening, symptom timeline and deficit assessment documentation, emergency medical services communication, brain imaging, and stroke expert

consultation.

Also, with the recent certifications from The Joint Commission, Wright Memorial was designated by the state of Missouri as a Level III Stroke Center and a Level III STEMI Center.

The Time Critical Diagnosis (TCD) system, which implements the stroke and STEMI levels of hospital designation across the state, was created in 2013 through the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. It’s a statewide emergency medical care response system aimed at providing faster response and quality care when a time-critical emergency happens. The goal is to create consistent, statewide rules and regulations to help emergency and hospital personnel ensure patients

Department of Agriculture updates Hay Directory

CHRISTI MILLER

Special to the Post-Telegraph

JEFFERSON CITY The Missouri Department of Agriculture announces changes to the department’s online Hay Directory, making it even easier for sellers and buyers of hay. The department manages the online hay directory, where livestock producers can search for hay made available by other producers in Missouri and other states.

“Times are tough in this extensive drought,” said

Director of Agriculture

Chris Chinn. “I’m thankful our team is able to provide resources to producers statewide. With new updates to the MDA Hay Directory, it will be even easier for producers to find what they need and ensure hay is available to their livestock.”

The MDA directory can be filtered by county or state and is regularly maintained by department staff. The List Your Hay section can be filtered by region of Missouri,

hay type, bale type, bale weight, and unit. Producers can also review a lab analysis if the seller has provided one.

For more information

“48N48”

about the Missouri Department of Agriculture and its programs, visit the department online at Agriculture.Mo.Gov.

These fly boys broke the record for traversing mainland America, landing in each of the 48 states in less than 48 hours. Delta A350 Capt. Barry Behnfeldt and Aaron Wilson and technician Thomas Twiddy took off in their 1980 PA32R Piper Saratoga and landed in each of the contiguous 48 states from Michigan to Maine. And they made what they called their "48N48" trip not in 48 hours but in a record breaking 44 hours and seven minutes.

are transported and treated by the most appropriate facility for their conditions.

“We are incredibly honored to receive these stroke and STEMI designations,” said Wright Memorial CEO Steve Schiever. “But even more so, I’m incredibly proud of the hard work our staff has put in providing excellent care and ensuring that our standard of care is exceeding certain benchmarks put in place by The Joint Commission, the American Heart Association, the American Stroke Association, and the State of Missouri’s Health and Senior Services department. These designations validate our ongoing commitment to providing exceptional emergency care to our community.”

Serve Mercer County From Page 1

T-shirts will be available to those that register early. If you have helped before, use the Serve Mercer County yellow T-shirt from last year.

Elderly residents or those with medical needs are invited to register their projects for cleanup efforts by calling 660-748-4486 or 660-635-1921. Yard projects are ideal. Tools and equipment can be arranged in advance to complete projects.

Monetary donations for lumber and supplies can be sent to Serve Mercer County, c/o Princeton United Methodist Church, 804 E. Main, Princeton, MO 64673. To volunteer or register a project, forms are available at www.servemercercounty.com.

Have an original item you’d like published in the Princeton Post-Telegraph? Send it to us by email: posttele@grm.net.

Photos on a jpeg, please.

Despite AI, jobs still need human judgement

JOHN GRIMALDI Special to the Post-Telegraph

WASHINGTON Arthur C. Clarke’s classic sci-fi tale 2001: A Space Odyssey, featuring a creepy computer named HAL, was made into a hit movie in 1968. Here we are, 55 years later, faced with what some are calling a scary, real life version of HAL. It’s called artificial intelligence (AI), a computer technology that some are saying is capable of depriving future generations of jobs. Actually, an Indian company recently fired the better part of its workforce, replacing its employees with fake, AI workers. The 31-year-old CEO of the e-commerce company, Suumit Shah, callously tweeted, “We had to layoff 90% of our support team because of this AI chatbot. Tough? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely.”

Needless to say Shah took quite a bit of heat is an understatement. Social media was abuzz with criticism for what was seen as a heartless attitude. He took it in stride, however, with the message, “over time, everybody will start doing this.” In fact, according to CNBC, Goldman Sachs says that 300 million jobs could be affected by artificial intelligence.

However, the same

CNBC report quotes Sujith Abraham, senior VP of Salesforce ASEAN who says, “with its ability to supercharge human capabilities, AI should be used as a tool to empower the workforce rather than hindering or replacing them.” However, he added, “It is not without risk. This aspect is embedded in our generative AI guidelines that help guide responsible development and implementation of this transformative technology, that includes human participation.”

In reality, career coach Ashley Stahl says that, instead of machines taking away jobs in vast numbers in the future, “robots are probably not coming for your jobs, at least not yet.” In an article she penned for Forbes magazine, she put it this way: “Given how artificial intelligence has been portrayed in the media, in particular in some of our favorite sci-fi movies, it’s clear that the advent of this technology has created fear that AI will one day make human beings obsolete in the workforce. After all, as technology has advanced, many tasks

that were once executed by human hands have become automated. It’s only natural to fear that the leap toward creating intelligent computers could herald the beginning of the end of work as we know it. But I don’t think there is any reason to be so fatalistic.”

Stahl cites an MIT task force report that says in the long run AI has its limitations. It can replicate “human intelligence in executing certain tasks, (but) its programs are typically only capable of ‘specialized’ intelligence, meaning they can solve only one problem, and execute only one task at a time. Often, they can be rigid, and unable to respond to any changes in input, or perform any ‘thinking’ outside of their prescribed programming. Humans, however, possess ‘generalized intelligence,’ with the kind of problem solving, abstract thinking and critical judgement that will continue to be important in business. (Thus) Human judgement will be relevant.”

Last week, the Vatican distributed a message re-

garding the dangers of AI and “the need to be vigilant and to work so that a logic of violence and discrimination does not take root in the production and use of such devices at the expense of the most fragile and excluded. The urgent need to orient the concept and use of artificial intelligence in a responsible way, so that it may be at the service of humanity and the protection of our common home, requires that ethical reflection be extended to the sphere of education and law.”

PRINCETON Casey’s

EverCare Pharmacy

Hy-Vee Clinic Pharmacy

Snappy’s Store

Mercer Hometown Market

SOUTH LINEVILLE

Randy’s

Go figure

It is estimated that hundreds of millions of online buyers make purchases via Amazon. Cindy Smith of Prince William County, Va., is one of them, as is Liz Geltman of Washington, DC. That’s not the only thing they have in common. Back in May, Geltman reported that she received some 80 unsolicited packages of goods from the online “super” market over a period of time. More recently, Smith received more than 100 boxes containing a variety of products ranging from glue guns to binoculars. She, too, did not order the goodies she received. Believe it or not, according to the UPI news service: “Amazon officials said they looked into both incidents, and discovered both Smith and Geltman's packages were the result of vendors having packages shipped to random addresses in order to remove unsold merchandise from Amazon fulfillment centers.”

John Grimaldi is an editorial contribution at the Association of Mature Amercian Citizens.

SS “Special Extra Credit for Military Service” explained

RUSSELL GLOOR

Special to the Post-Telegraph

WASHINGTON Dear Rusty: As a military veteran, I was told that the final amount of my Social Security should be a little higher as a reward for military service. If so, I have two questions: 1. How much is the boost? 2. How can I know that amount has been applied? Signed: Unsure

Dear Unsure: We receive questions about this fairly often from our military veterans. I want to first thank you for your service to our country and then assure you that, as a military veteran myself, I have thoroughly investigated this subject - the so-called “Special Extra Credit for Military Service,” which is widely misunderstood. Although someone suggested that your Social Security benefit “is supposed to be a little higher” because you are a military veteran, allow me to share how this somewhat obscure rule actually works.

Any extra money for military veterans does not come in the form of

SENIOR ISSUES

a special “boost” to their Social Security benefit because of their military service; instead, certain older veterans receive extra credit to their earnings for the years they served. Those extra earnings are applied only to those who served in specific years, as additional dollars added to their actual earnings record for their service-years. The amount added to the veteran’s true service-year earnings varies a bit depending on which years you served. For example, if you served between 19571977, your actual earnings for each service-year would be increased by $300 for each full quarter you had active duty pay to a maximum of $1,200 additional earnings per service-year. The credit is computed a bit differently for those who served between 1978-2001, but the maximum annual earnings credit for those service years is the same - $1,200. And, for clarity, those who served before

1957 get extra earnings credit under an entirely different formula, and those who served after 2001 receive no extra credits for their military service years.

So how might this affect your Social Security benefit? Well, when your benefit is claimed, Social Security reviews your lifetime earnings record, inflates each actual annual amount to equal today’s dollar equivalent, and selects the highest earning 35 years from your lifetime record to calculate your “Primary Insurance Amount” or “PIA” (your PIA is the amount you are entitled to at full retirement age). If your military service-years are among the 35 years used to compute your PIA when you claim, then the “Special Extra Credit for Military Service” will result in a somewhat higher PIA (a slightly higher monthly SS benefit). If the highest earning 35 years in your lifetime record do not include your military-service-years, then those extra credits added to your earnings

for your military-service-years will have no effect on your Social Security benefit (because using those service-years would result in a lower benefit). How Social Security applies those special extra credits to your service-year earnings also varies depending on when you served. Those who served before 1968 needed to show their DD214 to get the extra credits, but those who served in between 1968-2001 were automatically given the extra credits based on their military service records.

So, if your military service was between 1968 and 2001, your earnings during the years you served were automatically increased by SS to reflect your “special extra” earnings and - if those years are among the highest of the 35 years used to compute your SS benefit - you are now receiving the extra benefit amount you’re entitled to from those credits. If you have at least 35 years over your lifetime where you earned more than

your pay while serving in the military, your current benefit is more than it would be if your military service years were included. If you have questions about your earnings during your military service years, you may wish to obtain a copy of your lifetime earnings history from Social Security to review those amounts (easiest way to get your lifetime earnings history is via your personal “my Social Security” account at www.ssa.gov/myaccount.

Russell Gloor is the national Social Security advisor for the AMAC (Association of Mature American Citizens) Foundation.

This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit the website amacfoundation.org/ programs/social-security-advisory or send an email to ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.

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