LEADER CLINTON COUNT Y
Thurs., March 21, 2024 |
Plattsburg, Lathrop and Gower, Mo.
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CITY OF PLATTSBURG
Chase Waggoner no longer with the city by brett adkison leader editor
For the second time in three years, the City of Plattsburg will be searching for another city administrator.
Mayor James Kennedy said Tuesday, March 19, that city officials and City Administrator Chase Waggoner had agreed to part ways, as city hall looks to move in a different direc-
PLATTSBURG
CCMS Principal Angie Courtney to resign
tion. Kennedy said that the council discussed the move over the course of several executive session meetings, and met with Waggoner on the matter, trying to determine what was best
for the town. Mayor Kennedy added that they wish nothing but the best for Waggoner and his family going forward. The Plattsburg City Council held an executive
session meeting on Monday evening, March 18. The Leader has requested the minutes from that meeting, but they weren’t legally available as of press ||Continued on A6
ON THE HUNT
INSIDE One Section | 20 pages
Finding Family History The Missouris Shoal Chapter of DAR is hosting a free genealogy workshop in Lathrop . || PAGE A6
Spring Sports Are Here Local baseball and track teams take to the field, as 2024 spring season gets underway. || PAGE A7
Sheriff ’s Calls for Service
by brett adkison leader editor
The Clinton County R-III School District will be looking to hire a new administrator ahead of the 2024-2025 school year. Clinton County Middle School Principal Angie Courtney will be resigning at the end of the school year. She has led the building for the last seven school years. “What an incredible time I’ve had here and a wonderful legacy to leave as I move forward to be able to spend those precious years with our two boys and my husband,” Courtney said of her departure. “Life is short, and we can always make money, but we can’t make more memories when one spends more time at work than at home. “It’s tough, as I truly love and care for my students and CCMS team, too. Life is a balancing act, for sure.” She joined the school district in 2017 after previously working for the Park Hill School District as a special education teacher. This was her first stint as a principal, having earned her specialist degree from William Woods University.
See what calls for service the Clinton County Sheriff ’s Department recently fielded through dispatch. || PAGE A3
Youngsters in Clinton County had an early opportunity to chase down those elusive Easter eggs this past Saturday, as Oakridge of Plattsburg held its annual Easter egg hunt. The morning even included a special appearance by the Easter Bunny! Watch next week’s Leader for more Easter egg hunts happening throughout the area, including the Lathrop Area Chamber of Commerce Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 30, 10 a.m. at the city park. brett adkison | the leader
Community........A5 Opinion..............A4 Legals......A12-A19 Sports................A7
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COURTHOUSE
County forgot to publish financial statements in 2023 by brett adkison leader editor
In this week’s edition of The Leader, readers will notice the 2022 Clinton County Financial Statement, which the county neglected to publish in 2023. On Tuesday, Clinton County Clerk David Woody—who was overseas last year, serving the United
States as a member of the 1135th Engineer Company—explained some of the mishap. Woody cited litigation around Missouri House Bill 1606, a 2022 bill that changed the requirements and deadlines for publishing county financial statements. The bill pushed back the deadline from March
to June, but was soon challenged in court. The bill was ultimately overturned in December 2023. Woody said the situation caused hiccups in the process, adding that his absence from the courthouse didn’t help matters. He returned in February and said Tuesday he felt the best way to rectify the situation was to ensure
the information was still published publicly. Clinton County Presiding Commissioner Patrick Clark on Tuesday also cited the overturned legislation, noting that it slipped the attention of the acting county clerk once the confusion subsided. He added the commissioners will be instituting fail safes to ensure
something like this doesn’t happen in the future. He also noted that the county is dedicated to transparency and informing the public, citing the 2023 financial statement (which was published in The Leader on Feb. 29) and the proper publishing for financial statements in the years prior.
Honeycutt Media 102 e. Maple St. Plattsburg, Mo., 64477 (UPS 435580000) 816.539.2111 email: leader@clintoncountyleader.com
VOL. 129, NO. 22