The the monthly chamber of commerce meeting Thursday, Holden Chief of Police Ed Bone told the chamber of commerce there has been a problem with residential and commercial break-ins.

While explaining ways to combat this problem, he said one of the best and least expensive deterrents is an audible alarm. If the door is tampered with, the alarm sounds and scares them away. He said people spend a lot of money on cameras and that’s good, but for an inexpensive system, an audible alarm works well. "Most of the people doing these burglaries are dope addicts. The reason for these break-ins is meth (methamphetamine). Missouri ranks second in the United States for meth use and these people have to support their habit. We are getting cooperation from the state on identifying drug houses. We’ll work to bust them and put them in jail. These people don’t care what they do. They want their drugs. My advice is to get that audible alarm. I guarantee you this department will respond. If it’s a false alarm, that’s okay."

The chief also addressed identity theft. "If you’ve ever purchased a car, bought a home, or applied for credit, your information is on the internet. Be careful who you give your information to. Common sense should prevail."

In other business, Chief Bone recounted a recent meeting with Integrity Correctional Centers (ICC) President Bernie Zarda who stated his belief that annexing ICC’s primary area and entering into an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the City of Holden would be beneficial to the city. The agreement would mean revenue for the city. "It’s a great deal of money," Chief Bone emphasized. In addition, ICC has offered a safety program in which they would provide security,  placing cameras on Second Street and in the city park that could be monitored by one person. Bone said, "The potential for city growth is tremendous."

In reference to a proposed sex offender half-way house, Chief Bone said he was against it, but "The long and short of it is, what can you do to stop it?" He added, "I don’t know how an eight-man police force can handle that."

In other business, it was reported the economic development committee is working closely with the city council on signage at city entry points. Dennis Mason, chamber president, reminded the fair committee that they are running out of time and need to report on their progress.

Mason also recommended the Chamber of Commerce banquet be moved from the Monday after Thanksgiving to sometime in January, citing the holiday period as being too busy for the banquet.

He reminded the members that chamber after hours will be at  Jamie’s Place on February 12 at 5:30 pm. The next general meeting will be Thursday March 1 at Harmony House.

By Terri Vinck
News Staff

 

In his response to a “Writ of Recount” received late last week from circuit judge John R. O’Malley directing procedures to be used in the recount of ballots in the Johnson County prosecutor and auditor races, Johnson County Clerk Gilbert Powers has proposed that the recount begin Tuesday, February 13.

Johnson County auditor candidate C. Kay Dolan and Johnson County prosecutor candidate Monica Penrose had filed petitions for recounts.  Dolan was defeated by Teresa Collins by four votes and Penrose was defeated by Lynn Stoppy Brackin by 46 votes in the election held November 7.

According to the writ, the recount will be supervised by the county clerk and will be limited to the races for auditor and prosecutor.  It also states that the recounts will be completed separately; one race being completed before the remaining race begins. 

Recounts will be conducted at the Johnson County, MO, Courthouse, where the court has been assured that there is “sufficiently adequate space for the activity.”

When asked how long he anticipated the recounts would take, Powers stated that a rough estimate, where the count was “non-problematic,” would be eight to 10 working days.

The writ directs that the recount will begin on a weekday and continue daily until completion, with the exception of Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.  A daily schedule shows that recounts will begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 5 p.m.

There are provisions for three 15-minute breaks and a one hour and 15-minute lunch period during the day.

The recount shall proceed by precinct, with absentee ballots being considered a separate precinct.  Each of the three recount teams shall review the ballots cast in a precinct, record and tally the votes cast.  At the conclusion of the recount, the county clerk will submit to the parties and the court the number of votes cast in each precinct and the number of total votes in each race.

Each of the three recount teams will consist of four persons, two from the contestants’ list and two from the contestee’s list.

The teams include:  Team 1 - Dale Hagerman, Shirley Jones, Gary Grigsby and Donald Nimmer.  Team 2 - John Wilferth, Jim Tivis, Michael Bersin and Delores Hudson.  Team 3 - Laurie Larson, Martha Diehl, Dennis Norcross and Marlene Stewart.

There are also provisions allowing a ballot to be challenged for incompleteness, ambiguity or other defects.  Those challenged ballots will be submitted to the court for determination, with the court’s decision being final.

According to Powers, since both Collins and Stoppy Brackin are presently serving in their elected county offices, if either of their elections were overturned, the court would then have to issue an order to have them removed from that office.

By Steve Sullins
Editor

 
Petticoat Pioneers To Present Program

“Petticoat Pioneers” will be presented at the Holden Branch of Trails Regional Library located at 207 S. Main Street in Holden on Tuesday, February 13 at 7 p.m.

The program has been developed as a living history presentation spanning the periods from 1812 to the 1880s.  Using music, props, and clothing appropriate to the time period of the lecture, the speakers will set the stage for the historical course of action that led to many of the rights that women enjoy today. 

Arrangements for the program were made by the programming team at Trails Regional Library.  The program is free and open to the public.  Refreshments will be served.