Gower Rate Increase?
Increases at the landfill could trickle down to Gower’s trash rates. || PAGE A2
LEADER CLINTON COUNT Y
“The People Have The Right To Know”
Thursday, December 19, 2024 | Plattsburg • Lathrop • Gower • Cameron | FREE |
“Covers Clinton County Like Dew”
HATS IN THE RING
Area candidates file for election
by brett adkison leader editor
While the filing period for the 2025 April Municipal Election has been open for a week, prospective candidates haven’t been flooding onto the ballot. As of Monday, nobody had filed for the open seats on either the Cameron City Council or Lathrop City
of Education has two seats with three-year terms on the ballot. Those are currently held by Andy Lockridge and Staci Earley. Both Lockridge and Earley have filed for reelection, while challenger Michael Barlow has also filed. There are two seats with three-year terms up on the Lathrop R-II Board of Edu-
cation. The incumbents for those two seats, Jenice Minnis and Adam Swearingin, have filed for re-election. The Plattsburg City Council has seen plenty of competition early on, especially in Ward II, where incumbent Sue Malone has filed for re-election and will be challenged by Bruce Lair ||Continued on A2
KCI CHAMPIONS
submitted photo
Cameron PD safely removes possible jumper The Cameron Police Department was able to safely bring a man down from a thirdstory window downtown on Tuesday morning. According to a press release from the department, officers were alerted to a disturbance in the parking lot of the police department around 10:29 a.m. on Tuesday morning. The man then ran from the parking lot to the 200 block of N. Chestnut Street. Officers arrived to the area and could hear
Council. The Cameron City Council has just one seat up for election this round (that of Karen Hamlet) while the Lathrop City Council has three seats on the ballot— those held by Mayor Jennifer Morrison, South Ward Alderman Coetta Whiteley and North Ward Alderman Gerald Snodgrass. The Cameron R-I Board
items being thrown down the entrance steps of an apartment building. Soon after, the man emerged from a window on the third floor. The Cameron Police Negotiations Team, Cameron Ambulance and Cameron Fire were called to the scene. According to the release, the man was taken into custody after a brief negotiation and was transported to the hospital for evaluation. The Missouri State Highway Patrol also assisted in the incident.
PUBLIC BACKLASH The East Buchanan Bulldogs kept their undefeated basketball season going through the KCI Conference Tournament, flying through the field and winning the championship over Mid-Buchanan on Saturday at EBHS. For more from the tournament, see page A6 of this edition. (Above) East Buchanan senior Dylan Davidson jockeys with a Mid-Buchanan player for a rebound on Saturday at EBHS. brett adkison | the clinton county leader
THE LIGHTS ON PARK STREET
Christmas display in Lathrop is an annual hit with onlookers by brett adkison leader editor
Cameron citizens weren’t too shy to express displeasure with the city council and town leadership Monday night at the public town hall meeting to discuss solutions for a crumbling city hall. Shawna Conley gave a fiery speech that drew applause on two occasions from the crowd of over 50 attendees. See this and more videos from the event on our Facebook page. For Jamey Honeycutt’s take on the meeting, see page A4 of this edition.
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There’s more than 3,000 miles between the North Pole and the community of Lathrop, but thanks to one local Christmas display, residents can feel like they’re standing just outside of Santa’s Workshop. For more than 30 years,
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Steve McGregor has been collecting and building his Christmas decorations, and since 2019, that display has taken shape as the North Pole Walking Trail, which wraps entirely around his home on the northern-most block of Park Street. “I ended up getting so much stuff that I can’t pile it
up in the front yard for everybody to see,” said McGregor. “So we decided to make a trail around the house.” In fact, the display now sprawls onto three properties, including his son’s, whose family lives directly behind Steve and wife, Glenda. It takes plenty of work. Steve takes an entire week
Center Donates Ton of Toys
Wreaths Across America
The Lathrop Chiropractic Center once again came through for kids in need this year.
Those who gave the ultimate sacrifice weren’t forgotten this holiday season in Lathrop.
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off ahead of Thanksgiving to craft the display. His son, Michael, and grandson, Ethan, help tremendously, as does Glenda; Steve said he’ll set stuff up, but she’s one who straightens it up. Steve hasn’t kept track of the number of decorations he has, or the countless ||Continued on A2
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VOL. 130, NO. 7