LEWIS COUNTY LEADER
SEE PAGE 4A
Lewis County
Serving the communities of Lewis County, Mo. since 1862
Thursday, December 29, 2011
(USPS 088-820) Vol. XXXIX New Series, No. 52 Canton, Mo. 63435 • 12 Pages • 2 Sections • 55 cents
2011: A Year In Review
BREAKING NEWS UPDATES AT
The Press-News Journal has put together a few of the top stories of 2011. We hope you enjoy this special edition of the Press-News Journal!
Weather June 27 Storm
HOLIDAY CHANGES NEWSPAPER DEADLINE
A widespread storm battered nearly every area of Lewis County early Monday morning June 27. The storm dumped four or more inches on parts of the County in a 24-hour period, produced high winds, felled hundreds of trees, and damaged dozens of structures and vehicles. Some Lewis County residents were in their homes when large trees hit the structures in the early Monday storms. No injuries were reported in the County. The Ewing R-4 Fire Department burned a large pile of debris from the June 27 storm August 6. Ewing Mayor Linda Lueckenhoff said FEMA officials estimated the pile at at 2,000 cubic yards, which had gradually been piled since the storm. The burn was a controlled burn, approved by the Department of Natural Resources with a special permit. Insurance companies have been busy with claims from the June 27 storm. “We had 75-85 claims that were storm related. That’s above what we had in 2003 after the tornado,” said Brenda Boltz of Farm Bureau in Monticello in a July 6 interview. Farm Bureau is one of several insurance companies checked that have brought extra adjusters in to assess damage claims.
The New Year’s Eve/Day Holiday has brought a deadline change for next week’s Press-News Journal. The PNJ will be open Monday, Jan. 2. But news items sent through the U.S. mail must be sent earlier. Electronic submissions of news and photos are recommended. Also, most local banks will be closed all day Saturday, Dec. 31 through Monday, Jan. 2, 2012. However, Heartland Bank in Canton is the lone exception, as it will be open Saturday, Dec. 31 until noon. Many government buildings will also be closed Monday, Jan. 2.
TAX PAYMENT DEADLINE IS THIS WEEKEND; PAY BEFORE THEN
Blizzard
By Dan Steinbeck, Editor dan@lewispnj.com
The deadline for paying city and county taxes is December 31. This year the day falls on Saturday, and in many cases, the last day to pay in person is Friday, December 30. Any tax payments sent by mail must be postmarked no later than Dec. 31, but those waiting until the last minute should take payments into a post office to make sure it carries that postmark. This is true whether tax payments are sent to the Lewis County Collector’s Office in Monticello, Canton City Hall, Ewing City Hall, LaGrange City Hall, Lewistown tax collector, or LaBelle City Hall. Many of the cities have Monday, Jan. 2 as a holiday, and thus won’t put the penalty in effect until Jan. 3, however, payment checks should still carry a 2011 date to be counted as current. There are drop boxes at most of the city halls in Lewis County.
CONTRACTS, CO-OP VOTE, AND REPORTS HIGHLIGHT CANTON R-V BOARD MEETING The Canton R-V School Board offered Principal Jesse Uhlmeyer and Assistant Principal Cindy Whiston two-year contract extensions. The board also hired Melinda Johnson as an hour paraprofessional. The board voted to approve the school sport co-op agreement with Highland and would pay the transportation costs. (Highland did not approve the measure two days later). Superintendent Andy Anderson heard from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Canton has passed its self-monitoring checklist for the Missouri School Improvement Program. Kelli Oliver and Courtney Garnett gave counselor reports to the board. School board filing opened Dec. 13 and runs through Jan. 17. The terms of Brenna Phillips and Joe Jorgenson are up for election.
PNJ File Photos
TOP - A blizzard hit the county on Feb. 1 with significant drifting, making travel impossible. BOTTOM - A June 27 storm battered the county damaging many structures and toppling hundreds of trees.
A terrible blizzard drastically altered life in Lewis County Feb. 1. When the wind and snow stopped, there were anywhere from 14 to 20 inches of snow; drifting made exact totals difficult to determine. A snowdrift from the blizzard slid off the Canton R-V gym room and damaged the dropped ceiling in the band room, causing the roof to sag. The room has been cleared as safe, but still needs repair. Year In Review continued on page 2A
Canton trail work is in progress By Dan Steinbeck, Editor dan@lewispnj.com
Construction work has started for a walking ecotrail in Canton. City crews have begun scraping the dirt and extending some drainage tubes around a ponding area on Second Street. According to Joe Clark, who is serving as project manager, the trail will be approximately 2,200 feet long on either side of the pond area, but not at the south end of the project where pumps are located. When finished, the trail will consist of crushed rock on a geotextile surface, safety handrails on two foot bridges to be constructed, and several information boards to tell people about bird, plants, Photo by Dan Steinbeck and animal species in the Construction work has been started at a ponding area on Second Street in Canton for a area. walking trail and bird and wildlife watching. The project is funded by the Canton Tourism “Since it is close to the Committee. school, it will be useful as a teaching aid for children to observe the different species,” Clark Upchurch said The Conservation De- with costs not to exceed $20,000. It is said. partment suggests bringing native plants tentatively slated to be finished in the While the proximity to the school is to the area. spring. key, another purpose of the trail is to “What’s neat about the project is the A separate project is also in the works draw eco-tourists. water and be raised and lowered to draw for tourists. It is a levee walk, for which “It will be an educational lab with op- different birds,” Upchurch said adding, Clark wrote a $160,000 grant with the portunities for birders (bird watchers),” that shore birds would benefit from lower Missouri Department of Transportation. said Canton Tourism Co-Chairman Jim water and waterfowl such as ducks would Clark said the two trails won’t join, but Upchurch. Upchurch has been in contact benefit from higher river levels. will be near by. with Tony Robyn of the Audubon SociThe Canton Tourism Commission is Bids have not been let for the levee ety, and Missouri Department of Conser- funding the project, and those funds walk project, but it could be ready by vation to help develop and promote the come from a motel tax. City crews are summer, 2012. project when completed. doing the bulk of the work on the trail,
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