 For the first
time in history, the first-day head count at Holden High School
topped the 500-student mark, as 501 students entered the doors
of HHS last Thursday.
At press time, there are 513 students enrolled in the high school. The
501 first-day students tops last year’s mark by 19 and
is 55 more than the 446 total who were present the first day
of school in 2003.
In totals for the R-III district, the first-day head count was
1,485, a total of 56 more than last year and 104 more than the
first day in 2003.
Overcrowding, according to district officials, is a large
part of the reasoning behind the district asking voters to approve
a $5 million bond issue at the November 7 election to renovate
the present high school and add additional classrooms and facilities.
A community meeting will be held Wednesday, August 30 at 7 p.m.
in the HHS cafeteria to explain the school’s proposal to
all interested parties.
According to district officials, the high school is 43 years
old and designed for a maximum occupancy of 350 students. Because
of the more than 500 students this year and more expected in
the years to follow, they explain students must go back and forth
between the main school and mobile temporary units for some classes. At
any time of the day, there are 25 to 33 percent of the student
body out of the main building and according to the district,
this makes for a serious security problem.
Officials added there is only one science room able to conduct
laboratory activities and all students are asked to share lockers.
If passed, the bond issue would provide 19 new academic classrooms,
one new activity classroom, a new cafeteria and new kitchen along
with an expanded library to not only meet, but surpass MSIP standards.
There will also be a connecting inside hall so students may go
to agriculture, art and some social studies classes without having
to go outside.
Also, high school representatives are concerned because of the
age of the building. They say electrical and technology systems
are antiquated and need to be modernized.
District officials are hoping there will be a large crowd at
the high school Wednesday night to discuss the issues facing
the district, students and their parents.
By Steve Sullins
Editor
United States
Congressman Ike Skelton headed a list of dignitaries on hand
for the official presentation of the $8,500 grant presented to
the Rural Health Care Foundation of Western Johnson County Friday
at the Wester Johnson County Medical Clinic.
The money was granted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for
the purpose of purchasing and installing a backup generator at
the clinic.
Also gathering for the festive occasion were Jenny Rolf from
U.S. Senator Kit Bond’s office, E.D. Harris from U.S. Senator
Jim Talent’s office, USDA Rural Development Area Director
Kelly Gregory, USDA Higginsville representative Mark Simmons,
and Missouri State Representative Mike McGhee. Missouri State
Representative David Pearce was scheduled to be at the ceremony
but due to a commitment was unable to attend.
Others at the event were Kingsville Mayor Lloyd Stever, Dwight
Anstine of the F & C Bank and the healthcare foundation,
Steve Flick, president of Flick Seed and force behind the clinic’s
formation, and clinic staff members Debbie Robledo and
Kristi Smith.
During the celebration, Congressman Skelton said he was thrilled
to be in Kingsville and thanked the USDA for helping people remember
that rural areas are the heart and soul of America.
Mayor Stever thanked Flick for having the vision to see the need
for rural medical service in Johnson County and Flick stated
that he is proud to come from a small town and fortunate to have
the resources to make dreams happen.
According to clinic officials, the backup generator will be critical
to the continued function of the clinic in emergency situations.
The recent
heat wave has taken a toll on the Community Activity Center.
In addition to extremely high electric bills, problems with the
air conditioning system and the floor have affected the local
center.
During HOPE’s monthly meeting, John Roberts, executive
director, told the board they continue to have intermittent problems
with the air conditioning system.
“The units have been serviced by E & Q Heating and Cooling and they
reported several facts that have contributed to the problem,” Roberts
said. The problems include the cooling fins damaged by hail and 100 plus degree
days which stress the units’ ability to cool. Another problem,
he added, is individuals continually turning the thermostat up and down to
extremes which further stresses the unit.
The company servicing the units had several suggestions for the
board to alleviate the problems. According to Roberts,
the company said when a unit stops cooling, it should be turned
off and then back on in 15 minutes to give the unit time to recycle
and relieve the head pressure. They emphasized the thermostat
should not be turned up and down, and the last suggestion was
to replace the coils which is prohibitively expensive, added
Roberts. The repair team added that once temperatures get
back to reasonable summer numbers, the units should be fine but
the 100-plus degree days may result in continued problems.
In other CAC maintenance business, the board was informed that
high temperatures have caused expansion of the CAC floor resulting
in it buckling.
“In mid-July when one of the air conditioning units went out, the
floor buckled and the rubber-like backing of the floor tiles along one stretch
of the south court fell off. When they fell, the pieces overlapped. When
the air conditioning was fixed and the expansion abated, the floor went back
down but it settled over the overlapped pieces causing ridges. Volunteers
popped the tile up and glued the backing onto them and reassembled the floor,” reported
Roberts.
By Dana Neubert
News Staff
The Holden
History Book Committee announces that the final deadline for
any stories will be November 1, 2006.
Holden is fast approaching its 150th birthday, a milestone event. In
conjunction with the town’s sesquicentennial, the committee
is hard at work compiling the community’s heritage in a
permanent, hardback, quality book.
The history can only be complete if all families’ histories
are included. At this time, Sandy Roberts, committee member,
states they have several hundred family stories already sent
to the publisher.
“The committee has tried hard to get the word out to the community and
believe their efforts have been rewarded by the good response from Holden’s
families but know there are those procrastinating. We don’t want
anyone left out and we want them to know the time has come for them to submit
their story.”
All households, both old and new families, both previous and
present residents, businesses, organizations, and churches are
invited to be included in this book, free of charge.
All that is necessary is to write a 300-word story. Include
a photo, black and white or color, to go with the story. Brochures
are available throughout the business community and from any
book committee members, that show examples of how to write a
story. The brochures also give details on where to mail
or drop off stories. One place people can take stories
is to the Holden Branch Trails Regional Library, 207 South Main,
Holden.
Again, pictures and stories will be included in the book absolutely
free and will be an important part of this special publication
for anyone who ever called Holden home. But people must
submit their family history by November 1, 2006.
For more information, contact committee chairperson Sandy Roberts
at 816-850-8671, or any of the other book committee members.
Quick and
professional action by the Holden City Fire Department and mutual
aid partners from Johnson County extinguished a fire at Heiman
Grain last week in a situation which had the potential to be
much more serious than it turned out to be.
According to Holden Fire Chief Larry Miller, the department received
a call at approximately 9 a.m. Wednesday of smoke coming from
the second floor at Heiman’s grain elevator.
After response, the fire fighters found a fire smoldering in
an overhead grain bin. Due to the fact there was only one
way in and out, the firemen had to first set up “safeties” so
they could escape the area if needed.
“The feed and grain was really packed in there,” explained Miller. “We
couldn’t just open the door and dump it down to the first floor because
when it hit the air it would flame up. So we had to take it out in carts,
then put it out on the ground.”
According to Miller, the fire, which took all day to totally
extinguish, had the potential to flame up or explode at
any time due to the mixture of grains and the dust.
On hand to aid the city fire fighters were crews from Johnson
County’s Eastern District at Centerview, and Western District
#2. Miller stated that a crew from the Warrensburg city
department was also on standby if needed.
Holden city firemen involved in the operation included Mike Wakeman,
Mark Wakeman, Dennis Tinder, Glen Ralston, Justin Parsons, Larry
Miller, Dominic Malena, Eric Lay, Wesley Freeman and Mike Gudde
who served as incident commander.
By Steve Sullins
Editor
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Holden area
residents Patricia Cross and Kirk Deadmon received some devastating
news last month when they found out that Cross had been diagnosed
with stage three cervical cancer.
The couple, who have lived in Holden for four years, have no health
insurance and have been denied treatment because of that fact.
Deadmon, who is Cross’s boyfriend of 14 years, has set up
a fund at the F & C Bank to raise the needed money for Cross
to begin treatment.
“We were told by St. Luke’s Hospital that they needed $11,000 down
before they would start the life-saving treatments Patricia needs,” said
Deadmon. St. Luke’s, he says, now requires ten percent down prior
to any treatments and the couple are scrambling for ways to raise the needed
funds.
Cross’s treatment would consist of five weeks of chemotherapy
and radiation. No surgery would be performed due to the stage
three diagnosis. “Surgery would be too dangerous and
could cause the cancer to spread,” added Deadmon.
The original diagnosis was made at Truman Medical Center but unfortunately
they don’t offer the treatment Cross desperately needs. The
couple was referred to St. Luke’s for further treatment,
but found out about the hospital’s new policy on treating
the uninsured.
“We have been in touch with the American Cancer Society, Cancer Care
and even Mayo Clinic. Mayo also refused to treat Patricia due to her
lack of insurance. We are also trying to get her on Medicare or Medicaid
but are waiting for paperwork to go through,” said Deadmon.
Even with Medicare or Medicaid, the couple was told their medical
bills would be excessive. Deadmon, who is on disability
and unable to work, is researching every avenue available to help
Cross.
“The doctors and nurses are very good at Truman Medical Center,” said
Cross. “Unfortunately, they can’t help me with the needed
treatments.”
The couple moved to Holden four years ago to be near Deadmon’s
brother. Cross is the mother of three children, two sons
and a daughter; and has six grandchildren. Support from family
and friends has been very helpful to the couple. “Friends
and relatives have come over and helped with housework and whatever
else needs done,” said Cross, who is virtually bedridden
due to symptoms from the cancer.
Cross’s sons live nearby and her daughter, who lives in Orlando,
is moving back to Holden to be near and help her mother during
this difficult time.
There is an urgency for Cross to receive treatment and she says, “Time
is critical.” Cross and her family have been under
a lot of stress since the diagnosis July 21, but they are pulling
together and supporting one another the best they can throughout
this painful situation.
“Even if we sold everything we owned, we still couldn’t come up
with that kind of money,” said Deadmon. “I have a lot of
ideas for making money with fundraisers for Patricia and if there is any money
left over after her treatment and return to good health, we want to use it
to help others who are in a similar situation without insurance.”
“I was shocked,” said Cross. “I didn’t know people
with cancer couldn’t get treatment.”
Cross was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance Friday night due
to complications, but is home again now.
This quiet, unassuming couple is relying on the goodness and kindness
of their neighbors and friends from the Holden area to help with
the donations for Cross. If anyone would like to donate,
they may contact the F & C Bank and contribute to the Patricia
Cross Fund.
When asked if she had anything she’d like to say about the
situation, Cross said, “I’d encourage all women to
get their regular pap tests; they are critical for your good health.”
By Dana Neubert
News Staff
The audit for
HOPE Coalition for the fiscal year of 2004 has been completed by
Westbrook & Company, HOPE’s Executive Director
John Roberts told the HOPE board at their regular board meeting
last Monday night.
The review of the current financial conditions has prompted changes/recommendations
for the organization. These include addressing the material
weaknesses such as cash receipts and disbursement and the accounting
system.
Other items suggested for consideration include a backup for computer
records, support and revenue, payroll, capitalization policy and
functional expenses, according to Roberts.
In Roberts’ opinion the board should adopt these recommendations. “We
need to keep better records,” he added.
The board decided to wait and approve the new procedures until
after executive session in which Roberts would provide more details.
In Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) business, Roberts was
informed that due to the reorganization of positions at state,
the review team was running behind and it could be another month
before HOPE would hear anything about their new application.
In other CAC business, Roberts reported on community and civic
events that have been held in the facility including a blood drive,
the F & C Bank anniversary celebration, an Assembly of God
meeting, a fundraiser for the Holden volleyball teams, and the
primary election. All events went well according to Roberts
with the exception of the Assembly of God meeting during which
the air conditioning failed at the CAC.
In financial news, Roberts told the board HOPE’s annual review
with one of their supporting partners, the Johnson County United
Way (JCUW), was held July 11 in Warrensburg. Roberts gave
a review on behalf of HOPE and all went well, he added.
In other JCUW news, it was reported by Roberts that Holden will
be a participant in this year’s Christmas Homes Tour, which
is a fundraiser for JCUW. The date for the tour will be Sunday,
December 3 and Roberts is coordinating this side of the county
with homeowners from Centerview and Warrensburg.
In other fundraising news, Roberts will be participating in a JCUW
fundraiser as a celebrity waiter at a dinner on September 9, he
said.
In an insurance update Roberts said, “At our last meeting,
it was determined the annual $10,297.55 insurance premium
for the CAC would be paid with money from the general fund. It
was also decided that $3,297.55 of this amount would be paid back
into the general fund by the CAC in 12 monthly installments of
$274.80. The CAC has paid the remaining insurance installments
from last year and is now on schedule for the current installment
plan.”
In Community Service Center (CSC) news, Roberts reported that a
periodic review of the HOPE Clothes Closet was conducted to gauge
the usage of the program as well as the revenue generated. Through
June of 2006, they recorded 3,177 people and generated revenue
of $3,724.64. These numbers exceed last year’s figures
and congratulations are in order for Pat Talley, Clothes Closet
coordinator, who is doing a fantastic job, added Roberts.
In other CSC news, it was reported by Roberts the new distribution
method for Harvesters was initiated last month and seemed to work
well.
In further CSC reports, Roberts informed the board that two industrial
grade fans had been purchased for the CSC due to the excessive
heat. He added the purchase of two more units
is being contemplated to be used for the Clothes Closet and Harvesters.
In community related news, Roberts told the board he attended a
meeting of the Christian Youth and Family Alliance (CYFA) on August
3 and was very encouraged by what he heard. “There
is a new board of directors for the group and their approach to
the group’s outreach is going to be structured. They
asked if HOPE might have some openings throughout the year for
gatherings of the organization,” said Roberts. He suggested
the board consider a minimum charge for the CAC facilities for
CYFA and the board was in agreement.
In continuing education news, Roberts told the board he met with
Jerry Crouse, professional school counselor, to discuss how HOPE
could assist with the GED program. Information was exchanged
to advance the GED program as an alternative to drop-outs.
In public relations news, Roberts reported he recently did an interview
with KSMU radio station in which he explained NAP credits, the
people HOPE serves, and gave information about the programs
they offer the community.
In health-related news, Roberts said, “I am still working
with Johnson County Community Health Services (JCCHS) in Warrensburg
to schedule a series of wellness fairs, immunization and screening
clinics at the CAC. We hope to have something scheduled for
October.”
Roberts also reported a pink tea is still on the agenda for sometime
in October at the CAC. It coincides with breast cancer awareness
month so they plan to have someone from JCCHS give information
on the topic. They also hope to have cancer survivors speak. Last
year, there were almost 100 women who attended the event, according
to Roberts.
In a final CAC report, Roberts told the board thank-you notes have
been sent out to Dave Mahnken for the work he did spreading the
gravel on the back CAC lot, and one to the city of Holden for installing
the culvert.
“The lot looks great and already has been a big help for some of our
programs and civic gatherings, as well. It will be a big plus for the
Holden Fall Fiesta, too,” Roberts said.
In executive session, the board accepted resignations from Aline
Kirchhoff, Harvesters coordinator and Pat Talley, Clothes Closet
coordinator. Both individuals said they would continue in their
positions until replacements were found.
“We will miss Pat and Aline tremendously. they are both great people
with caring hearts and fine managerial skills,” said Roberts. “Literally,
there are thousands of people in Western Johnson County whose lives have been
made better because of these two women. I think a legacy many of us would like
to leave when our work is finished is that we made a positive difference in
our community - that we eally helped. Pat and Aline have done that - it’s
been an honor to know and work with them.”
By Dana Neubert
News Staff
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