LEADER
EB boys dominate first home meet of the 2024 track season | PAGE A7
Thurs., March 28, 2024 |
INSIDE One Section | 12 pages
Mayor Forum in Plattsburg Candidates gathered on Monday for a forum sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. || PAGE A3
East Buchanan adds wrestling
CLINTON COUNT Y $1.00 | “Covers Clinton County Like Dew ”
Plattsburg, Lathrop and Gower, Mo.
COMMUNITY
Lathrop Fire Chief David Eads to Retire by brett adkison leader editor
After a half-century with the Lathrop Fire Protection District—including more than three decades as the fire chief—David Eads is calling it a career.
Eads will retire on April 1, exactly 52 years to the day he joined the department in 1972. He was named the chief in 1991, helping lead the department through a period of major growth.
David said he hates to give it up but added that it’s time. He said he’ll miss the people the most. “I think everybody in town has my phone number, anyway,” he joked. “A lot of times I get a call,
‘David, I can’t breathe very good, can you come over and check me out?’ And I’ll say, ‘Well, you can’t breathe, call 911 and I’ll be over, but don’t let me come over to tell you to call 911 because every minute
THE WAX MUSEUM
A new sport will be making its high school debut in Gower in the very near future. || PAGE A12
counts.’” He estimates that he’s responded to more than 20,000 calls in his career, and he’s had a hand in 21 life saves—instances where a person is saved ||Continued on A2
SCHOOLS
Amber Kriley hired as next Principal at Plattsburg by brett adkison leader editor
Sheriff ’s Calls for Service See what calls for service the Clinton County Sheriff ’s Department recently fielded through dispatch. || PAGE A3
Community........A5 Opinion..............A4 Legals.........A9-A11 Sports................A7
East Buchanan Elementary students depict famous Missourians
THE LEADER Est. 1895
Fourth graders at East Buchanan Elementary School performed the building’s annual Wax Museum, celebrating Missourians who helped put the Show-Me State on the map. (Above) Charlie Curp as Buck O’Neil on Friday at EBES. (Left) Hadley Snyder portrays Susan Blow, an educator who operated the first successful public kindergarten. For more, see page A8.
Winner of 100+ awards from the Missouri press assoc.
The Clinton County R-III School District didn’t need to look far to find its next middle school principal. The district announced last week that Amber Kriley, a teacher with the East Buchanan School District, will be the principal at Clinton County Middle School beginning with the 2024-2025 school year. Kriley—an East Buchanan graduate (2005) who has taught eighth grade science there since 2014—previously taught at CCMS for a year (2013-2014) and is the wife of Plattsburg High School athletic trainer Blaise Kriley. She said that, in spending a year at CCR-III, she knew it was a special place, as the district welcomed her in and gave her a place to learn and grow. “When the principal position opened, I knew I wanted to return and continue to grow and lead in Clinton County,” Kriley said. “This was an opportunity to work with great staff and administration. I received my administration degree over 10 years ago and have been using my current experience to grow my administrative skill set. Working with Dr. Steggall and her
brett adkison | the leader
||Continued on A8
APRIL 2 ELECTION
Honeycutt Media 102 e. Maple St. Plattsburg, Mo., 64477 (UPS 435580000) 816.539.2111 email: leader@clintoncountyleader.com
VOL. 129, NO. 22
Major questions, positions to be decided in election by brett adkison leader editor
Residents in both Plattsburg and Lathrop will be deciding on more than just the leaders of their cities and schools next Tuesday, April 2, at the election polls. Both communities will see important questions on the ballot, too.
For Plattsburg, that includes a 17-cent levy (per $100 assessed value) for the operation of streetlights, outdoor lighting and storm sirens. This tax isn’t entirely new to the city; residents previously approved the same tax at four-year intervals specifically for streetlight funding. A successful
vote would repeal the existing tax and add outdoor lighting and storm sirens under its umbrella. The City of Plattsburg is also proposing a $12 million bond for major improvements to the town’s water and sewer systems, though city officials hope not all of that bond will be
needed. Specifically, the aim of the project is to improve Plattsburg’s aging sewer lines and reduce the infiltration of storm runoff in the wastewater system. This additional water is needlessly treated by the city, costing Plattsburg more money and overwhelming the treatment
plant. Without reducing inflow and infiltration, city leaders worry that the Department of Natural Resources could require Plattsburg to take more expensive steps, such as expanding or rebuilding the water treatment plant. ||Continued on A2