46th Lathrop Antique Car, Tractor and Engine Show || PAGE A12
LEADER CLINTON COUNT Y
“The People Have The Right To Know” FREE | “Covers Clinton County Like Dew”
Thursday, June 20, 2024 | Plattsburg • Lathrop • Gower • Cameron |
CLINTON COUNTY
Commission Approves Lathrop Meat Processing Plant by brett adkison leader editor
The Clinton County Commissioners approved a request from Murphy Land and Cattle last week for rezoning and permitting that will allow for construction
of a beef processing plant east of Lathrop, but not before easing some of the restrictions that had been recommended by the county’s zoning board. Clinton County Presiding Commissioner Patrick
Clark and Second District Commissioner Richard Riddell voted Thursday, June 13, to approve the industrial rezoning and special use permit for about 45 acres of land located on 248th Street near Interstate 35. The land
is located approximately half a mile south of the intersection of 116 Highway and I-35, and about two miles east of the town of Lathrop. Once fully operational, the proposed plant could process upwards of 40 head
of cattle each day while creating more than 50 new jobs. First District Commissioner Jay Bettis was unable to attend the meeting. A week earlier, the county’s zoning board approved similar recommenda-
tions to the commissioners in front of a packed crowd at the Clinton County Courthouse in Plattsburg. The board also recommended restrictions on the special use permit, including: a limit of ||Continued on A6
FREEDOM FOR ALL
CAMERON
Cameron City Hall closed as crews test for mold content by jamey honeycutt leader publisher
Cameron City Hall was dark late Monday afternoon. Attendees would normally be filing in for a city council meeting but this Monday only a worker from JR Roofing was on site. The meeting had been moved to the public safety building, fittingly, out of health concerns over mold developed after years of a leaking roof. Concerns were raised last week when it came to light that those roof leaks and other challenges faced by the 23-year-old building had become dangerously unhealthy. Monday evening at council, in his report, City Manager Steve Rasmussen addressed concerns over the building and plans to ultimately repair it. “If we find out that the building is completely safe (after test results are returned), we can move back into the building next week and then we’ll have a month or two to put out the bids to fix the building,” said Rasmussen. “On the other hand, if it does not appear safe to move into that building, we are talking about moving into a more semi-permanent location. That would perhaps be three construction trailers across the street on the south side of city hall in the parking lot.” ||Continued on A2
Historical Society hosts Juneteenth celebration
Clinton County’s newest celebration of freedom continues to grow, as the lawn at the Riley-Carmack Museum in Plattsburg was packed Saturday for the Clinton County Historical Society’s Juneteenth Celebration. The afternoon included great food, fellowship, jazz music and talks with multiple speakers, including presentations from members of the KC Buffalo Soldiers (right). Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States and was officially recognized as a federal holiday beginning in 2021. brett adkison | the leader
CAMERON R-1 SCHOOLS
Battle Over Questionable Books Continues by jamey honeycutt leader publisher
Cameron City Hall is currently closed as crews test for mold in the building and city leaders decide how to proceed should city hall be shut down for an extended period of time.
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The Cameron R-I Board of Education chamber was packed to capacity Tuesday night, and despite numerous policy changes and budget discussions, the most anticipated item on the agenda was the communications portion, when citizens and teachers got to square off over library policy in the district.
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For opponents of the filthy language, violent and perverse sexual behavior, the changes are coming far too slowly. As far as some teachers and staff are concerned, they feel betrayed by Superintendent Matt Robinson for allegedly ignoring their requests to reconsider some books. By limiting their input in the process as promised, many see the restriction poli-
cies as promoting misogyny and racism. The conversation began with Heath Gilbert and Dan Landi addressing the board with their quarterly review of the book policy. The district has limited discussion on the topic to once every three months and this week’s meeting marked the first discussion since the Missouri Librarians Association penned
Gower Council OKs New Budget
This Week’s Sheriff ’s Report
The City of gower has set its financial sights on the 2024-2024 fiscal year, as the current year comes to a close.
See which calls for service came through the Clinton County Sheriff ’s Dispatch for the previous week.
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an open letter to the Cameron R-1 School Board strongly suggesting they let librarians decide what content should be in local libraries. First up, Gilbert spoke of the court case Bethel v. Frazier, where it was determined that it was the obligation of the school to protect students from sexual innuendo. Gilbert questioned why the ||Continued on A8
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VOL. 129, NO. 35