LEADER BOUND for the PLAYOFFS
East Buchanan, Plattsburg win district championships and advance to the Missouri state sectionals || PAGE A7
Thurs., March 2, 2023 |
CLINTON CO.
$1.00 | “Covers Clinton County Like Dew ”
Plattsburg, Lathrop and Gower, Mo.
County leaders mull courthouse renovations
WRESTLING
STATE CHAMP
leader editor
||Continued on A2
one section | 12 pages
Opinion: CCRIII up to the task Editor Brett Adkison writes that the Plattsburg school district has a challenge ahead, but one they can handle. || PAGE A4
by brett adkison
Cramped and antiquated, the Clinton County Courthouse has been outdated for decades. The Clinton County Commissioners have started exploring options to expand and improve the 47-year-old structure. The commissioners are in the initial stages of the process, working with the architectural firm Shive-Hattery and the bonding company D.A. Davidson to consider options and decide on the best path forward. “When this building was built, it wasn’t built for any future,” said Clinton County Commissioner Patrick Clark. “We’ve got to do upgrades in this building. We’re not in the 1970s.” The three commissioners agreed that their predecessors in the 1970s had tough decisions to make after the previous courthouse burned down – a common fate for the (three previous) Clinton County Courthouses. “It’s always easy to look back,” said First District Commissioner Jay Bettis. “This building wasn’t sufficient when it was built. Really quickly, it became insuffi-
INSIDE
Sheriff ’s Report Get a comprehensive look at what went on in law enforcement the previous week throughout Clinton County. || PAGE A3
Season ends for LHS basketball Lathrop boys, girls fall in early district upsets to bring the 2023-2024 season to an end. || PAGE A8
Community........A3 Opinion..............A4 Legals.......A10,A11 Sports...............A7 Lathrop freshman Garrett Beane capped his perfect season with the 2023 Missouri Class 1 State Championship at 106 lbs. last Thursday, finishing the year with a spotless 49-0 record. Wrestlers from Lathrop, Plattsburg and East Buchanan competed at the championships. See A7 for more. clay rader | special to the leader
EAST BUCHANAN
THE LEADER Est. 1895
CITY OF LATHROP
Board hears about Council approves step classroom disruptions screen filter at plant by jim bonebrake leader reporter
During the public comment session at the start of the East Buchanan Board of Education meeting Monday, February 20, one parent, Laura West, addressed the board regarding concerns about disruptions in the classroom – a concern that a number of fourth grade parents share, evidently. A number of parents were there to support Mrs. West on the issue. According to Mrs. West, families are worried about the impact those disruptions have on their children. “Our students are not receiving learning opportunities in a safe
and non-disruptive environment. This has been an ongoing issue for the past few years, and this year the problem has become progressively worse,” said Mrs. West. Mrs. West continued, “I know of one family that has pulled their child out of the district, and several more are considering what action to take for the sake of their children. My own child told me he is resentful and angry about the situation in his class, and we, my husband and I, are trying to figure what steps we need to take next year for our child.” Mrs. West told board members that she had followed the ||Continued on A2
by brett adkison leader editor
The City of Lathrop will be making a big purchase for a piece of equipment at the new wastewater treatment plant. The Lathrop City Council approved the purchase of a stepscreen trash filter for the plant during its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, February 21. The filter is expected to cost approximately $400,000. City Administrator Bob Burns said nearly half of that cost – between $170,000 and $175,000 – will be covered by the remaining grant and loan funding the city received for the project from the state revolving fund.
The remaining costs will come from the city’s sewer fund reserve. Burns explained to The Leader that the filter will remove trash that reaches the city’s new treatment plant – built in recent years at Lathrop’s previously existing lagoon northeast of town – via the sewer system. That trash can plug up aspects of the treatment plant, Burns said, but was less of a concern when they had the lagoon system, as the trash would just fall out. Also during the meeting, Rosemary Hoppins with Middleroad Productions was on hand ||Continued on A3
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VOL. 128, NO. 18