The year 2021 was a good one for Montgomery County.

The county had a state champion in high school track, had four residents who were honored for their heroic acts during the year and had several big events return after they were cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are the top Montgomery County stories for 2021:

Finke wins state title in high jump
Renee Finke ended her track career at Montgomery County High School as a state champion on May 29.

Finke captured her second state championship in the high jump in three years after winning the event in 5 feet, 6 inches at the Class 3 state meet in Jefferson City. The win helped Finke complete an undefeated season in the high jump. She won the event nine times this season.

“I came out and did the high jump way better than I expected,” Finke said. “I was having a super good day.”

Finke, who now attends Central Methodist University, finished with three all-state medals. She also placed third in the 100-meter hurdles in a school-record mark of 15.28 seconds and seventh in the triple jump in 34 feet. Finke wrapped up her high school track career with five all-state medals.

The heroes of Jonesburg
Frank Ellis, Austin Killian, Mark Saak and Gunner Sexton were honored for their heroic acts in 2021.

Killian, a truck driver from Jonesburg, saved a man’s life during a fiery wreck along Highway 370 in St. Charles County on Jan. 14. Killian was on his way to make a delivery when he saw a truck crash on the highway. As the truck started to burst into flames, Killian got out of his truck and started running towards the trapped driver.

On June 22, Ellis, Sexton and Saak rescued Jonesburg police officer Lenny Sylcox while he was trying to make an arrest of a man on North First Street in Jonesburg. The trio received proclamations from the city of Jonesburg and the state of Missouri during a Jonesburg city council meeting on July 12.

“We just wanted the three of them to actually have something to be recognized so they can keep it and show it to their family members and friends for the rest of their lives,” Jonesburg Mayor Bob Sellenriek said.

Big events return to Montgomery County
Events such as the Montgomery County Fair, Old Settlers Picnic, Old Threshers Show, Jonesburg Fair and Homecoming, the All-Town Yard Sale and Bikes, Wings and Warriors came back in 2021 after they were called off in 2020 due to the pandemic.

During the Fair in July, the Junior Livestock Auction generated $365,800 in gross receipts, the highest sale on record. It shattered the old mark of $201,000 in 2019.

The Fair also had a new hog barn, new bleachers and several new attractions such as the first annual Cornhole Tournament, the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show and the Dirt Drag races. Faith Hardee was named Fair Queen.

The Old Settlers Picnic in New Florence was back for its 140th year on Aug. 6-7. Whitney Palm and Nevaeh Talbot were named Old Settlers Picnic Queen and Princess, respectively.

Carroz named associate circuit judge
Wellsville native Nathan Carroz was appointed by Gov. Mike Parson as associate circuit judge for the 12th Judicial Circuit on March 11. He was sworn in two weeks later at a ceremony at the Montgomery County Courthouse.

Carroz replaced Kelly Broniec, who worked as associate circuit judge for 14 years before being appointed as a judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, in October 2020.

Carroz worked as a prosecuting attorney for nine years. Before that, he worked as an assistant prosecutor after graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law.

Vaccine reaches county
The Montgomery County Health Department gave out its first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in January. MCHD gave out 800 shots to county residents after holding three vaccination clinics in a span of 10 days from Jan. 25-Feb. 4.

The county is still affected by the pandemic. There were 1,055 positive cases in 2021, compared to 821 in 2020. There were 38 deaths – including 17 in 2021 – since the pandemic started in March 2020.

Other highlights
Save-A-Lot in Montgomery City closed after 20 years on Jan. 27; Montgomery City resident Kelli Turner received a proclamation for her longtime service with the state of Missouri in June; Montgomery City resident Eliza Matthews participated in the Midwest National Pageant in September at Cape Girardeau; MCHS won Eastern Missouri Conference titles in girls and boys basketball, girls track, golf, volleyball and girls cross country; and the W-M boys cross country team placed third in the Class 1 state meet in Columbia on Nov. 6.