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MIRANDA JAMISON Safety upgrades costing thousands of dollars have transformed the Ray County Jail as officials work to address persistent staffing shortages and rising youth substance use. Sheriff Gary Blackwell recently informed the Ray County Coalition the jail facility underwent approximately $100,000 in repairs after being shut down early this year due to safety concerns.

A bridge south of Orrick that has carried Missouri Route Z traffic for decades is nearing the end of its service life and transportation officials want to hear from the community before it is replaced.

Editor’s note: This story is the first in a two-part series examining information Missouri health leaders recently discussed about sweeping federal Medicaid cuts. Part One details the proposed reductions, potential impacts on rural hospitals and urgent warnings from administrators across the region.

Following a leadership shake-up at Ray County Hospital and Healthcare, the organization is seeking community input on local health needs through a new survey designed to inform services and resources for years to come.

Planned training for road crews, equipment maintenance and empty vending machines complaints, as well as a lack of bids for county services combined to create a busy slate of issues for county leaders.

In rural Missouri, where stray animals often outnumber shelter spaces and pet owners struggle with rising costs, one woman decided prevention was the only way to break the cycle. SNIP ‘EM Founder and President Amy Pearson has spent the past year growing a grassroots effort into a multi-county nonprofit organization dedicated to ending pet overpopulation one surgery at a time.

A Hardin man has been granted a bond modification after being held without bond on a felony charge stemming from what deputies described as a serious safety risk. James A.