diff --git a/dzgui/api/mods.py b/dzgui/api/mods.py
index c04f1fc..bcbd1c6 100644
--- a/dzgui/api/mods.py
+++ b/dzgui/api/mods.py
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ def get_delimited_mods(steam_path: Path) -> list[Any]:
         size = get_mod_size(mod)
         # NOTE: final col is cell renderer highlight toggle
         clean.append([meta.name, symlink, mod_dir, size, False])
-    clean.sort(key=lambda row: row[0])
+    clean.sort(key=lambda row: row[0].casefold())
     return clean
 
 
diff --git a/dzgui/const/enum.py b/dzgui/const/enum.py
index 254e3fd..712d4e2 100644
--- a/dzgui/const/enum.py
+++ b/dzgui/const/enum.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 from enum import Enum
-from typing import Self
+from typing import Any, Self
 
 from dzgui.util import strings
 
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ class FilterMode(Enum):
 
 
 class EnumWithAttrs(Enum):
-    def __new__(cls, *args, **kwargs) -> Self:
+    def __new__(cls, *args: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> Self:
         value = len(cls.__members__) + 1
         obj = object.__new__(cls)
         obj._value_ = value
diff --git a/dzgui/managers/mods.py b/dzgui/managers/mods.py
index 46dff80..9e09abf 100644
--- a/dzgui/managers/mods.py
+++ b/dzgui/managers/mods.py
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ from dzgui.api.mods import (
 from dzgui.const.constants import APP_NAME, APPID_DAYZ, APPID_DAYZ_EXP
 from dzgui.const.enum import Preferences
 from dzgui.managers.threading import call_on_thread, StoredFunc, ThreadingManager
-from dzgui.model.model_factory import ModelFactory
+from dzgui.model.model_factory import FastInsertListStore, ModelFactory
 from dzgui.util.format import format_mods
 
 import dzgui.api.pefile as PeFile
@@ -44,11 +44,13 @@ class ModManager:
         self.path = controller.query_config(Preferences.DEFAULT)
         self.treeview = self.controller.get_modtreeview()
 
+        self.store: FastInsertListStore
+
         self.thread_man = ThreadingManager(controller)
         self._get_mods()
 
     @call_on_thread("getting mods")
-    def _get_mods(self) -> list:
+    def _get_mods(self) -> None:
         mods = get_delimited_mods(self.path)
         if len(mods) < 1:
             msg = self.format_mod_statusbar()
@@ -58,13 +60,13 @@ class ModManager:
         func = StoredFunc(self._on_mods_loaded, mods)
         self.thread_man.set_cleanup_func(func)
 
-    def _on_mods_loaded(self, mods: list[int]) -> None:
-        model = ModelFactory().make_mod_store()
-        model.extend(mods)
-        self.treeview.set_model(model)
+    def _on_mods_loaded(self, mods: list[list[str, str, str, float, bool]]) -> None:
+        self.store = ModelFactory().make_mod_store()
+        self.store.extend(mods)
+        self.treeview.set_model(self.store)
         msg = self.format_mod_statusbar()
-        mods = len(model)
-        self.emitter.emit("mods_updated", msg, mods)
+        total_mods = len(self.store)
+        self.emitter.emit("mods_updated", msg, total_mods)
 
     @call_on_thread("deleting mods")
     def delete_mods(self) -> None:
@@ -87,7 +89,7 @@ class ModManager:
         mod = model.get(tree_iter, 2)[0]
         return mod, tree_iter
 
-    def delete_single_mod(self, tree_path: Gtk.TreePath) -> None:
+    def delete_single_mod(self, tree_path: Gtk.TreePath) -> Gtk.TreeIter:
         mod, _iter = self.get_mod_from_tree_path(tree_path)
 
         steam_path = Path(self.path)
@@ -111,7 +113,10 @@ class ModManager:
 
     def _on_mods_deleted(self, iters: list[Gtk.TreeIter]) -> None:
         for _iter in iters:
-            self.treeview.get_model().remove(_iter)
+            self.store.remove(_iter)
+            #model = self.treeview.get_model()
+            #if model:
+            #    model.remove(_iter) # FIXME: do not remove from model interface directly
         remove_stale_signatures(self.prefs.paths.config, self.prefs.paths.version)
         mods = len(self.treeview.get_model())
         msg = self.format_mod_statusbar()
diff --git a/dzgui/util/_json.py b/dzgui/util/_json.py
index 4a46bdf..bc8f70e 100644
--- a/dzgui/util/_json.py
+++ b/dzgui/util/_json.py
@@ -1,16 +1,17 @@
 import json
 from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Any
 
-def read_json(path: Path) -> dict:
+def read_json(path: Path) -> Any:
     try:
         with open(path, "r") as infile:
             try:
                 data = json.load(infile)
+                return data
             except json.decoder.JSONDecodeError as e:
                 raise e
     except OSError as e:
         raise e
-    return data
 
 
 def write_json(data: dict, path: Path) -> None:
diff --git a/dzgui/views/trees/tree_servers.py b/dzgui/views/trees/tree_servers.py
index 19492a2..3866126 100644
--- a/dzgui/views/trees/tree_servers.py
+++ b/dzgui/views/trees/tree_servers.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import logging
 import threading
 
 from queue import Queue
-from typing import Any, Optional, Self
+from typing import Any, Optional, Self, Union
 from warnings import deprecated
 
 from dzgui.api.servers import ping, Record
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ class ServerTreeView(ContextMixin, TreeView):
     def set_loaded(self, status: bool) -> None:
         self.loaded = status
 
-    def get_model_and_control_model(self) -> tuple["FastInsertListStore", list[Any]]:
+    def get_model_and_control_model(self) -> tuple[Union["FastInsertListStore", None], list[Any]]:
         model = self.get_model()
         control = self.proxy_man.get_control()
         return model, control