Montgomery County celebrated its 205th anniversary in 2023 by having a resident being appointed Missouri Supreme Court judge, getting a new overpass project in New Florence and having its courthouse back in business.

Other top stories in the county in 2023 included Rhineland receiving a huge infrastructure grant, a resident running for Miss Missouri and numerous accomplishments from the athletic teams at Montgomery County and Wellsville-Middletown high schools.

Here are the top Montgomery County stories for 2023:

Broniec appointed Missouri Supreme Court judge
Montgomery City resident Kelly Broniece was appointed by Missouri Governor Mike Parson to the Missouri Supreme Court on Sept. 12 during a press conference at the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City. She was one of three nominees to fill the vacancy of now-retired Judge George W. Draper III.

Three months before, Broniec was selected as the chief judge by the Court of Appeals in the Eastern District, which is the state’s largest court. She was picked as a judge of the Court of Appeals in 2020 after working as Montgomery County associate circuit judge for 14 years. She was the county’s prosecuting attorney for seven years.

Broniec sat with the Missouri Supreme Court in 2022, replacing W. Brent Powell to hear an arbitration case. This year, she joined three other women on the Missouri Supreme Court.

Overpass project completed in New Florence
The bridge replacement and interchange project at the intersection of Highway 19 and Interstate 70 in New Florence was completed in September over two months ahead of schedule. The $10 million project was fully opened to traffic on Sept. 18.

The project began in October 2022. It included two 172 feet-by-212 feet oval roundabouts with an 18-foot truck apron. Demolition of the old Highway 19 bridge was on Oct. 22, which was the sixth and final stage of construction.

During the summer, the roundabouts were constructed. North and South Outer Roads to the west of Highway 19 were closed, forcing drivers to cruise through the newly constructed Clark Drive to get to businesses such as McDonalds, the Shell gas station and America’s Best Value Inn.

County courthouse reopens
The Montgomery County Courthouse was reopened for business during the spring after being closed for several months due to a renovation project that included window and roof replacements, masonry repairs, asbestos abatement and the installation of new lighting and ceilings.

The county commissioners and county clerk had to work from the Montgomery County Communications Center at 250 Pickering during the renovation. On April 13, the commissioners held their first meeting at the newly renovated courthouse. Their desk was renovated with a new facade and countertop that included a Montgomery County logo.

Veregy, a company based out of Phoenix, Ariz., worked on the $5.2 million project.

Rhineland receives infrastructure grant
The Village of Rhineland was awarded a $676,296 grant from the Missouri Department of Economic Development’s Community Development Block Grant program that will help make improvements on its street infrastructure system for erosion control and street paving.

The grant was discussed during a meeting with 14 people that included city officials and representatives from the MDED and Boonslick Regional Planning Commission on June 9 at Rhineland City Hall. Rhineland worked with BRPC on the grant proposal for a year.

Laskowski runs for Miss Missouri
Jonesburg native Emily Laskowski ran for the Miss Missouri pageant in June at the campus of Missouri Military Academy in Mexico. She was one of the first 10 contestants who were eliminated in the finals.

Laskowski, a 2017 Montgomery County graduate, clinched an automatic berth to the 2024 Miss Missouri pageant after winning the Miss Heart of Southern Missouri Pageant in October at the Melba Performing Arts Center in Houston, located 90 miles east of Springfield. She won the Miss Northwest Counties pageant in January at Maryville.

County sports highlights
A total of 15 county athletes earned all-state honors in their respective sports this year. They were Harrison Bishop (Montgomery County, baseball), Jacer Brower (Montgomery County, track), Jace Ellis (Montgomery County, baseball), Tyler Erwin (Montgomery County, track), Aliviah Fischer (Montgomery County, softball), Lyric Ford (Montgomery County, track), Reese Hill (Montgomery County, softball), Mason Leu (Montgomery County, football), Gage Marshall (Wellsville-Middletown, track), Clayton Parker (Montgomery County, basketball), Logan Pursifull (Wellsville-Middletown, track), El Reagan (Montgomery County, track), Malia Rodgers (Montgomery County, basketball), Bethany Slovensky (Wellsville-Middletown, track) and Jadrian Thurmon (Montgomery County, cross country).

MCHS won team conference titles in girls and boys basketball, girls track, baseball, girls cross country and volleyball. Team district championships were won by the MCHS girls basketball and W-M boys track teams.