LEADER CLINTON COUNT Y
Thurs., July 20, 2023 |
Plattsburg, Lathrop and Gower, Mo.
$1.00 | “Covers Clinton County Like Dew ”
CITY OF GOWER
Council hears about projects, drainage issue on 3rd St. by jim bonebrake leader reporter
During the monthly meeting of the Gower City Council on Monday, July 10, the council heard a couple’s plea for a remedy, as haydite (a road overlay material)
PLATTSBURG
City has AED in each cop car now
is running off their street and into their driveway and yard. Robert and Amy Bergman moved to Gower about 18 months ago and addressed the council with their concern Monday. They live on N. Third Street. City Adminis-
trator Carroll Fisher confirmed the issue Monday but isn’t yet sure of the best solution. Both he and Alderman Paul Pottier assured the Bergmans that the city will do its best to address the problem. In old business, the council
was provided updates on four current projects – Gregory Drive, new doors for Gower City Hall, the water line project and the SS4A and MODOT TAP grants. The doors for city hall are being manufactured ||Continued on A2
CRUISING PLATTSBURG
leader editor
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One Section | 12 pages
Looking into Bethel Cemetery Overgrown and abandoned, researching the history of the Bethel Cemetery near Lathrop. || PAGE A6
Weekly Sheriff ’s Dept. Report See what activity the Clinton County Sheriff ’s Department handled last week. || PAGE A3
by brett adkison
The City of Plattsburg recently procured enough automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to keep one in each of its police vehicles, shaving valuable times off responses when residents suffer heart episodes. The city’s police department already had one LifePak 500 AED in its inventory, but was able to purchase four more units, and new batteries and electrodes for all five, for around $1,000. City Administrator Chase Waggoner said they were able to find great deals; production of the LifePak 500 ended in 2007, but the unit remains popular for its long work life. He said purchasing just one low-end modern unit would cost $1,000, itself. Waggoner, who is a licensed EMT and served as a fire and ambulance chief before becoming a city administrator, said he’s a big believer in early access to AEDs and their ability to save lives in the event of cardiac arrest. “According to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the average survival rate of a cardiac arrest is only seven percent,” he said. “However, those statistics jump up to 38 percent if a shock is delivered by an AED. If there is a tool on the marketplace that can increase a citizen’s chances of survival from a sudden onset cardiac event from one in 14 to better than one in 3, that is an amazing investment we can make for our community.” He said, in the long term, the city would eventually like to phase out the LifePak with
INSIDE
2023 Clinton County Fair Honoring the livestock winners in the 2023 Clinton County Fair earlier this summer. || PAGE A7 The Jefferson Highway Association recently presented community leaders in Plattsburg with their Outstanding Community Award. Front Row (left to right): Jefferson Highway Association Vice President Frank Justus, Mayor James Kennedy, Kay Marshall, CCHS President Leslie Shaver, Charnette Norton, Tracy Pincus, Mary Jo Day, Kay Green, Maria Justus. Back Row: Alan and Martha Burton, Terry and Lynn Wood, Tanya Rawlings, Mike Shaver, Keith Clements.
Jefferson Highway Assoc. names Plattsburg its Community of the Year By Steve Tinnen | Publisher Emeritus It’s hard to imagine now the significance of the historic Jefferson Highway in the history of Plattsburg, and how the notable route once carried travelers down Main Street from as far away as New Orleans to the south and Winnipeg in Canada. Thanks to the Clinton County Historical Society and other contributors, the evidence is right here for all to see. There are Jefferson Highway signs posted on light poles downtown, including an informational sign suspended on the post of Plattsburg Apartments (Laclede Hotel) next to Blondie Brews. Construction of the Jefferson Highway began in 1916 and once complete, it was the first road in the country that connected our southern countrymen with the frozen tundra to the north. On Saturday, July 15, Plattsburg received an award from the Jefferson Highway Association for promoting and preserving the history and heritage of the Jefferson Highway. This award happened in large part because Terry Wood and his wife, Lynn, worked with the Clinton County Historical Society to raise the prominence of the not-so-well-known segment of our history. The path to ultimately earn this recognition took more twists and turns than an old Texico road map. It
Community........A5 Opinion..............A4 Legals...............A8 County Fair........A7
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started two years ago with an innocent drive up Main Street by Mr. Wood, which eventually took him past the home of John and Patti George. He noticed a Jefferson Highway sign erected at the Georges’ driveway. Yes, that drive up north Main Street was part of the Jefferson Highway. From that point forward,
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102 e. Maple St. Plattsburg, Mo., 64477 (UPS 435580000) 816.539.2111 email: leader@clintoncountyleader.com
VOL. 128, NO. 38