News

Ray County leaders are pushing back against a new offer regarding the Sand Pit Road and Gill Lane railroad crossings, raising concerns about liability, financial burden and fairness. As recently discussed, Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) offered two options in the new proposal: close the crossings in exchange for $600,000 each or install crossing gates and lights but require the county to pay $30,000 annually to maintain them – $15,000 per crossing – indefinitely.

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a twopart series exploring the deadly 1919 confrontation between Judge Franklin Pierce Divelbiss and newspaper editor Bob Lyon in Richmond, Missouri, and the far-reaching consequences that followed. On April 7, 1919, the courthouse in Richmond was like any other day.

The University of Missouri (MU) Extension in Ray County is encouraging eligible farm families to apply for the 2025 Missouri Century Farm program, with the application deadline approaching on May 1. Each year, MU Extension, in partnership with the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and the Missouri Farm Bureau, honors Missouri farms that have been owned and operated by the same family for 100 consecutive years or more.

In the April 18, 2025 issue regarding the jail staffing story: - The Morton Bridge was mistakenly referred to as the Elliot Lightenberg Bridge. The correct name is Morton Bridge, located at the intersection of Landing Road and