 Johnson County
Democratic candidates C. Kay Dolan and Monica Penrose have asked
the circuit court of Johnson County to grant them a statutory recount
in the auditor and prosecuting attorney races as well as a new election
in the auditor’s contest.
The petition was filed by Kansas City attorney Pat McInerney
on behalf of the two candidates in the court last Wednesday,
who lost their races by very narrow margins.
In the race for Johnson County Auditor, Dolan received 7,428
or 49.98 percent of the vote and Republican Teresa A. Collins
received 7,432 votes, or a percentage of 50.01. The difference
was four votes, or .03 percent of the vote cast. Dolan
has asked for not only a recount of the votes, but a new
election because of alleged voting irregularities at the Pittsville
precinct, north of Holden.
In the race for prosecuting attorney, Penrose received 7,433
or 49.84 percent of the vote, while Republican Lynn Stoppy Brackin
received 7,479 or 50.15 percent, a difference of 46 votes, or
.31 percent.
The petition filed in the circiut court states that during election
day November 7, the Pittsville polling location ran out of optical
scan ballots and informed Johnson County Clerk Gilbert Powers
of that fact. It continues to say that there were approximately
200 people at the polling location at the time and potential
voters were not advised whether or when they would be able to
cast their ballots, what process would be used, or what was to
be done with the numbered post-it notes they were given.
The petition also alleges that potential voters were not advised
whether they would be allowed to vote after the 7 p.m. poll closing. Election
officials on location failed to notify voters that they would
be allowed to vote if they were in line at 7 p.m.
Also included in the petition was the allegation that election
judges failed to mark the end of the line at 7 p.m. or to advise
voters to remain at the polling location.
Affadavits included in the petition alleged that an unknown number
of potential voters left the polling location because they were
informed by election judges that there were no more ballots for
voting.
Interviewed earlier this week, Powers stated that both candidates
fall within the less than one percent voting margin category
and are authorized a recount just by requesting.
As to the petition asking for a new election in the auditors’s
race, he responded, “I’m confident that this situation
will be resolved by the court to the benefit of all concerned.”
He did say that if the court ordered a new election, it would
not be able to take place for 10 to 12 weeks, as the same timeline
for regular elections would apply in that case as well. He
stated that he couldn’t speak to the specifics of the petition,
but stated that he had until December 21, 15 days, to respond
to the petition.
Powers added that the November election was the third largest
ever in Johnson County and workers at the county’s polling
place did a commendable job handling approximately 15,000 voters. He
explained that there were more than 400 voters in the last hour
and one-half at the Pittsville polling place, and yet the voting
was completed by 7:15.
He continued to say that there was only one of the many ballots
at the polling place which they ran out of, and replacements
were received very quickly. At any time, voters were able
to use the electronic voting machines for any ballot.
When asked if the county has considered splitting the Pittsville
precinct, Powers stated that they have looked into that possibility,
but finding rural buildings capable of handling an election is
not easy. He sated that the building at Pittsville is nice,
but has inadequate parking.
He also said that he didn’t know if any polling place in
the county could have handled that many voters at one time. He
concluded by saying that he felt his election judges did a great
job at the polling location.
When asked for comment, auditor-elect Teresa Collins stated, “It
was a close race and I fully expected a recount to be asked for. She
is within her right to ask for a recount, but not necessarily
a whole new election. I respect the process and will honor
the outcome. In the meantime, I’m actively preparing
to take office at the first of the year.”
Dolan stated that upon the advice of her attorney, she did not
have a statement. Although comments were solicited from
Lynn Stoppy Brackin, Monica Penrose and attorney Pat McInerney,
none were received by the Holden Image prior to deadline.
By Steve Sullins
Editor
The Holden
R-III School Board received the district’s
2005-2006 School Accountability Report Card from the state of
Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
(DESE) at their regular meeting held Monday night in the intermediate
school library.
The report was broken down and presented by the district’s
director of instruction Donna Fizer.
Holden’s graduation rate continued a recent trend of being
higher than state standards, graduating 86.9 percent of district
students eligible in 2006 as compared to the states 81.7 percent.
In other areas of interest within the report, the district’s
ethnic breakdown includes 97.3 percent white, .8 percent Indian,
.5 percent Hispanic, 1.3 percent black, and .1 percent Asian. Attendance
for Holden schools was also higher than the state at 94.8 percent.
In the students eligible for free or reduced-priced lunches,
Holden’s percentage was considerably lower than Missouri’s
with a 33.7 percent to 41.8 percent difference. One area
of concern was Holden’s dropout rate of 4.7 percent compared
to the state’s 4 percent.
In the postgraduate section, Holden R-III sent 50 percent of
its 2006 graduates to a four or two-year college, while the state
average is 64.9 percent.
The report card also showed that 99 percent of Holden’s
classes were taught by highly qualified teachers, while state
standards were at 95.3 percent. However, average
teacher salaries for Holden instructors lagged behind the
state, $38,126 to $42,077.
By Steve Sullins
Editor
Holden
R-III District Director of Auxiliary Services Larry Arnone provided
the school board with an update on the track project at their
meeting Monday night. He said that the project
was nearing completion with the rubber surfacing as well as the
striping being completed. He also stated that the wrought
iron entry-way fencing is planned to be completed over the Christmas
break if weather permits. In other fencing, the chain
link is completed on the east side of the track, while the four-bar
fencing circling the track has also been installed. Primer
and paint are the next item to complete that fence.
The last item on the track agenda is landscaping and seeding,
which will be completed as soon as possible in the spring.
Arnone also praised his bus drivers for their “excellent
job driving in the poor road conditions due to the recent snow
and ice.” He told them they did a “great job” during
their recent monthly meeting.
During the new business part of the meeting, superintendent of
schools Scott Slava recommended the board not join the West Central
Health Consortium because of negative feedback from teachers
and staff members. Although a good idea in theory, he stated
that it couldn’t match many of the staff’s present
plans for economic reasons.
Teacher representative Tonni Cannon stated that many teachers
stated the fact that there was no HMO, high deductibles and higher
co-pays as the deciding factors to reject the proposal. She
said, “ Conceptually it’s a good idea, but it just
affected too many pocketbooks.”
The board accepted Slava’s recommendation to stay with
the present plan.
In a HHS construction and renovation proposal, Wade Lininger,
representative of Sam A. Winn & Associates Architects PC,
proposed some minor changes to the renovation design.
One which drew opposition from Mike Watterson was the deletion
of the concession stand facing the sports complex to give more
room for expansion of the band and choir room. Watterson
stated that doing away with the concession stand was a problem
as many people felt that was one of the selling points of the
plan. He stated, “A lot of people will be unhappy
if it’s not there.”
Slava felt that modernizing the present concession stand and
giving added space to the present music area was the best plan
since the music room would be used three or four hours per day,
while the concession stand would be utilized about 18 times per
year.
Board president Jeff Miller asked if Lininger could rework the
plan to see if the district could stay within budget and still
have the concession stand with the expanded music area. Lininger
stated he would look at the figures and see what he could do
and get back to the board.
In a final item, the board set filing dates for the April 3 election
of school board members to be between December 12 and January
16, 2007. The three-year terms of Susan Feeback and
Jim Wallace will be the seats contested in the election. Candidates
may file at the district office.
By Steve Sullins
Editor
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The Holden
R-III School District Board of Education has instructed its municipal
bond underwriter, L.J. Hart & Company of St.
Louis, MO, to make the $5 million general obligation bond issue
available to local individuals and institutional investors.
“We appreciate the strong vote of confidence we received from local patrons
at the election and want the bonds to be available to them,” stated
Jeff Miller, board president.
These new money general obligation bonds were approved by the voters
at the November 7 election for additions and renovations to Holden
High School, and to complete other remodeling and repair improvements
to the existing facilities.
“Since interest rates are attractive now and might increase in the future,
the board of education wants to lock in rates as quickly as possible,” explained
superintendent of schools Scott Slave. “At the same time, we want
all local investors who are interested in these bonds to have an opportunity
to purchase them, and we want to alert them in advance of our plans.”
The board selected the negotiated sale of the bonds in order to
capture current market conditions to be certain that local individual
investors and banks receive an opportunity to purchase the bonds,
and because the proposed interest rates are fair based upon current
conditions in the municipal bond market.
Slava stated that the district will compare proposed interest rates
with the national bond indexes, other Missouri issues and those
of other states with a similar rating quality sold at competitive
and negotiated sales to be certain that rates for the district’s
bonds are favorable.
According to L.J. Hart & Company, the bonds are scheduled to
mature from March 1, 2013 through March 1, 2026 with interest rates
expected to range from 3.625 percent to 4.2 percent. The
interest income from the bonds is exempt from federal and state
of Missouri income taxes and the bonds are available in $5,000
denominations.
The bonds are being sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Anyone
interested in learning more about the Series 2007 bonds can call
the district office at 732-5568 or L.J. Hart & Company at (800)
264-4477 to request that a prospectus be promptly mailed to them.
The bonds are to carry a “AA+” rating from Standard & Poor’s
Corporation due to the district’s participation in the State
of Missouri Direct Deposit Program coordinated through the Missouri
Health and Educational Facilities Authority.
If interest rates decline in the future, the district can capture
the full benefit because some of the bonds have an optional redemption
(call) provision on March 1, 2012 at no penalty. The financing
proceeds are anticipated to be available to the district by January
23, 2007.
A little middle
school girl did a very big thing recently when she saved her younger
brother from choking.
Tess Brown, an 11-year-old from Holden, was babysitting her little
brothers while her mother was at work. Her brother Brandon,
eight, started coughing and choking and couldn’t breathe,
according to Tess. She tried to give him a drink of water
but he couldn’t get it down. Frantic, she phoned her
mother who was on her way home from work but was stuck in slow
traffic.
“Mom told me to hit Brandon on the back to try to clear his airway, but
that didn’t work. She also told me to give him some more water,
but I told her he couldn’t take it. Then I thought of the Heimlich
Manuever and decided to try that. After doing the manuever on Brandon
he coughed and out came a 1/2 inch socket he had swallowed,” Tess said
excitedly.
After that, Brandon was fine. “I have done the Heimlich
Manuever on my dog when he choked on a chicken bone, but I never
thought I’d have to use it on a real person,” said
Tess.
When asked where she learned how to do the manuever, she said she
used to attend Day Plus and they taught it after school one day. “I’m
glad I was paying attention that day,” she added.
The whole ordeal was very scary for Tess and Brandon and for their
mother Laura who was hurrying home as fast as she could.
According to Tess, the family was installing a new floor and accidentally
left the socket on the floor and Brandon got hold of it. Tess
weighs only 53 pounds and her brother Brandon, although three years
younger, outweighs her.
It was quite an accomplishment and Tess is a hero in her mother’s
eyes and the eyes of many others.
“Tess saved Brandon’s life, I don’t think he could have made
it until I got home,” said their mother Laura. “After I
showed Tess what was obstructing his airway and told her she was phenomenal
for saving her brother’s life, she burst into tears after the stress
of it all hit her,” said Laura.
Tess was in the middle of doing her homework when all the excitement
started with Brandon and went back and even finished it after the
traumatic event. “Tess kept a cool head and did all
the right things,” added Laura.
Tess lives with Laura and Brandon and her other siblings Billy
and Eleanor east of Holden.
“This is my second year babysitting and I’m just so glad I could
help him and hope I never have to do it again,” Tess said.
By Dana Neubert
News Staff
The 20th annual
Christmas Store was held December 8 and 9 at the First United Methodist
Church in Holden.
There was a good turnout for the store according to co-chairperson
Terry Callahan. “We
served 91 families this year,” she stated.
The Christmas Store is supported by donations of funds and merchandise from a
variety of area churches, schools, organizations and individuals. They
help make Christmas happy for needy families in the community by providing gifts
and food at a nominal fee.
The store was co-sponsored this year by the First United Methodist Church, The
Holden Optimist Club and the Holden Octagon Club.
Police Department Plans Kops
For Kids
The Holden Police Department will be sponsoring Kops For Kids this year on Sunday,
Dec. 17.
Families who have children ages infant to 12 may apply at the Holden Police Department
or city hall. If you have questions, please call the department at 850-4154 or
city hall, 732-4811.
Garden Club
To Sponsor Contest
The Holden Garden Club will be sponsoring the Christmas decorating contest
again this year.
Judging will be done between December 15 and December 24.
Categories to be awarded prizes are: first, second and third prizes
for general residential decorations; first and second for religious
display; and first, best window decorations. Business window
decorations will be given an honorable mention recognition.
Libraries To
Offer Four New Databases
All branches of Trails Regional Library now offer four new databases
from Facts on File on their website. The four new databases are: American
Indian History Online, African-American History Online, American Women’s
History Online, and Science Online.
The databases include access to years of culture and history through
events and topic entries, biographies, images, maps and charts,
legends, primary sources and timeline entries. This service
is provided is free.
Paper Requests
Church Information
Is your church holding special holiday services, programs or cantatas for the
Christmas season?
Let the public know by contacting Dana at the Holden Image, 732-5552, fax at
732-4696 or e-mail at holdenimage@earthlink.net.
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