BUSINESS MEMO: TO RECEIVE GRANT

Marble Hill, Mo., is one of seven rural communities to receive state grants to spur economic development.

The Rural Economic Development Council has awarded Rural Economic Assistance Program (REAP) grants to the cities of Ellington, Marble Hill, Mountain View, Lexington and Weston, plus Dade and Dallas counties, to hire professional economic developers.

The funds, up to $30,000 a year for a community, will be available Jan. 1.

Thirty-one communities have participated in the REAP program. REAP participants have started 480 new businesses that have generated more than 5,000 new jobs.