Milan pet food plant to close in January; layoffs hit nearly 5% of county workforce By Echo Menges The Sullivan County community is reeling after learning the Simmons pet food plant is slated to be closed just one month into the new year. Local government officials and Simmons employees were notified on Wednesday, Dec. 3, of the coming closure in accordance with federal law, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, 29 U.S. Code § 2101–2109. The WARN Act requires employers with 100 or more workers to give local governments and employees at least 60 days’ notice of mass…

There’s a very old saying: “When God closes a door, he then opens a window.” It has been attributed to both Helen Keller and Alexander Graham Bell. However, it may be in the movie The Sound of Music where it takes on a more Christian reference, according to experts. It implies that when things don’t go according to our plans, there may be benefits or possibilities elsewhere. It’s a good saying for an optimist. It’s like Noah saying, “Well, the garden drowned out, but now I have more time to fish!” I’m an optimist by nature, and I think it’s…

The rush to capitalize on lucrative federal tax incentives is driving utility-scale solar developers into Missouri’s agricultural heartland, treating prime farmland as a cheap, disposable commodity. This solar land rush has created an imbalance of power, leaving small, rural counties financially exposed and fundamentally changing their way of life—often before residents even know what is happening. The Asymmetry of Expertise: Uneven Negotiation Solar developers arrive armed with a team of lawyers, specialized financial analysts, and land acquisition experts who negotiate billion-dollar contracts daily. They face a rural county commission often comprised of part-time, volunteer, or minimally compensated citizens whose primary…

By Emily Bontrager Recipes that stand the test of time and have been passed down through generations are treasured in my family, and I imagine they are in many other families as well. Small boxes of recipes sit in my family’s baker’s cabinet, each one holding a piece of our own type of culinary history. Inside these boxes are recipes that have been saved, handwritten, cut out, or copied onto recipe cards. Some come from my grandmother, Alberta York; my great-grandmother, Ione Gilbert; my great-great-great-aunt, Olive Evans; my parents; and even a few from myself from when I used to…

MSHP Press Release Portions of Missouri have already been impacted by winter weather. With more winter weather impacting a significant portion of the state, the Missouri State Highway Patrol would like to remind travelers to practice safe driving behaviors. Before traveling, pay attention to weather conditions and make smart decisions regarding travel. Motorists may check road conditions on MoDOT’s Road Condition Map. The MoDOT Traveler Information Map app can be downloaded for free to your smart devices. If conditions dictate, avoid driving on Missouri’s roadways. If you are traveling, make sure you follow the safety behaviors below: · Make sure…

On an October drive back from a waterfowl hunt in South Dakota, riding shotgun with me was good friend and fellow church member Mark Arnold. On such trips, those riding shotgun have two purposes: first, to make sure we don’t get lost and take the wrong turn; second — and certainly more important — to keep the driver from drifting off and falling asleep at the wheel. This may sound like no big deal, but after three mornings of getting up early and then doing the same to make a nine‑hour drive home, it can turn into a long nine…

By Mike Scott, NEMOnews Media Group Automated license plate reader cameras are quietly expanding across Northeast Missouri, helping law enforcement track stolen vehicles and criminal suspects, even as most local sheriff’s offices declined to publicly share how — or how often — the technology is being used in their communities. A questionnaire distributed by NEMOnews Media Group to every regional sheriff’s office about the use of Flock Safety cameras produced only two responses: Clark County and Shelby County. While the limited participation does not confirm how widespread the technology is, publicly available sources and online camera mapping tools indicate that…