The latest local news, weather and high school sports from the Heartland

KIRKSVILLE, MO --  

Preschoolers in the Northeast Community Action Agency Head Start will now be riding in style.
    
Thanks to a grant for$188,000 about 300 kids around Northeast Missouri will take five shiny new buses to school. Staff say the money from the American Recovery Reinvestment Act couldn't have come at a better time.

“We were in dire need, we were actually thinking that if we did not receive buses we didn't know how much longer we were actually going to be able to provide transportation to our families. Northeast Missouri Community Action Agency serves impoverished families and so we feel like we are providing a great service by being able to bring these children into the centers,” said Amy Summers, Transportation & Facilities Specialist.
       
Thirteen old buses were traded in, and in addition to the five new buses, they were also able to purchase a used one. Adair County will use two of the buses, and the four surrounding counties will each get one.