The Holden Planning and Zoning Commission made no decision on an application made by Dusty Anstine to have his parcel of land at 500 E. Tenth be rezoned from R-1 to C-1.
This is the third try for Anstine whose applications to rezone the property to R-3 and then R-2 were not approved.  He said that the developer who was interested in constructing four-plexes and duplexes on the land has backed out because of all the opposition by homeowners in the immediate area of the property.
Anstine further explained that he has interest from a local buyer for a commercial business on the land, but would not say who since the deal has not been finalized.
Mayor Mike Wakeman urged the new P&Z board which had only four members present to review the application and wait to make any decisions until the board and the city council had a chance to have a workshop with a land-use expert provided by the Johnson County Economic Development Commission.
He also cautioned the board that there job was not to decide whether a specific venture should be allowed to be on the land but to decide only if the land is feasible to be used for commercial.
Several families who live in the immediate area of the land who had voiced opposition to both the R-2 and R-3 applications were once again on hand and again voiced their opposition to the land being used for commercial.
Anstine told them that he had bent over backward trying to work with the citizens in the area to try to get the land developed first with four-plexes then a plan for six duplexes.  “All I hear is no, no, no,” Anstine stated.  “I asked you to tell us what we could do with the land.  I heard nothing.”
Mayor Wakeman added, “What I hear is mistrust on the part of some of the citizens that we would allow something shoddy to be put up on the land.  Both previous mayor Terry Hedglin and myself have tried to do our darndest to get ordinances in place so that when we build something, we build it right.  Our building codes and ordinances now are very good.  I live in this town and so do our council members.  We don’t want something shoddy to be built any more than you do.”
Local businessman and father of Anstine, Dwight Anstine added to that sentiment, “Dusty and I are very community minded.  We don’t want to build something that’s not good for the city.”
Prior to the hearing and meeting, the P&Z board elected Bev Chaney as their chairman.



Holden mayor Mike Wakeman informed the members of the city council at a special meeting held last Tuesday that Ward I councilwoman Veronica Burt has officially resigned her seat on the council.
He said that they received a signed resignation from her and it was now a closed issue.  He also said that he would be seeking a candidate to fill her vacant position.
Burt had not attended a meeting since February and at the August regular meeting Ward II councilman Jim Nipko had submitted a letter requesting that Burt be afforded a hearing to explain why she should not be removed from her council seat.  Wakeman suggested that they try to contact her again at her Knob Noster home and see if they could obtain a resignation.
In other council business, the group agreed to leave the city’s tax rate levy the same as last year - $.7262 per $100 of assessed valuation in the general fund, and $.1186 for debt service.  The levy was passed unanimously.
Ordinances were also passed re-enacting a conflict of interest bill, agreeing to a contract for renovation and painting of a city standpipe and a first reading of renewing the city’s insurance with the  Missouri Consolidated Healthcare Plan.
In a final item, the council agreed to a police motorcycle usage policy and to give the use of patrolman on motorcycles a 90-day trial.




Among the new students Holden High School welcomed back this year is a student a long way from home.
Melissa Mueller, a 16-year-old junior, is from Frankfurt, Germany and is a foreign exchange student staying in Holden with her host family Brandon and Melissa Badua and their children, Ariana, Jason and Erykah.
Mueller arrived from Germany after a 10 and one-half hour flight on August 1.  She will be staying through the first semester and will return home January 3.
She said she has always been interested in meeting new people and a lot of her friends back home became foreign exchange students and she didn’t want to  miss the opportunity.  “I have friends staying in all different states.  I wanted to improve my English, meet new people and experience something new,” said Mueller.
She said she enjoys Holden High School because it’s not too big or too small.  “I can find everything I need to here and I really like it.” she said.  “The school spirit in America is really different from Germany.  In Germany, we have six to eight classes a day and there are no football or softball games there.  We also don’t have all of the clubs you have here.  I’m thinking of joining the foreign language club.  It’s really fun here!”
She lists her favorite subjects as ceramics and lifetime sports.  “You all have a lot of different classes here, we don’t have anything like family classes where you can learn about cooking or how to handle your emotions back in Germany.  There is no cheerleading in Germany. The most popular activities in Germany are soccer, dancing, volleyball and basketball,” she added.
Her favorite thing about America is the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends.  “I can’t wait to celebrate Halloween and Christmas in America.  I want to see how American life really is,” stated Mueller.
After high school, Mueller thinks she might attend what we in America would consider college, but she doesn’t know what she wants to do with her future yet.  “I may become an au pair and travel to Australia or Spain.  I think I would like to come back to America some day and visit the friends I have made here,” she said.
Some differences between German and American schools, according to Mueller, is there is no dress code in German schools and they don’t have to have hallway passes when leaving their rooms.
She keeps in touch with her family by writing emails to them and has a cell phone so she can call them frequently.  “I have never been away from home for so long before and sometimes get a little homesick, but not too bad,” Mueller stated.
“I am learning a lot here.  I have more self-confidence and have become more independent as I feel I can do things on my own, and my English is getting better,” she said.
She feels fortunate to have the Baduas for a host family.  “I had really good luck getting them for my family and I love the kids.  They always keep me busy playing with them and help me not to get too homesick.  Back home in Germany, I am an only child and live near a very large city.  Here, we live in the country and have four dogs, numerous cats, ducks and chickens.  I have no pets back in Germany so this is definitely something new for me and I love it,” Mueller said.
“I’m enjoying the new experiences here in America and I am learning a lot,” she said.



Longtime Holden resident, businessman and community leader Charles “Chuck” Roberts passed away Tuesday, August 26, 2008.
Roberts had owned and operated Roberts Home and Auto, which had been in the same location for 32 years.  It was originally Western Auto when Roberts purchased the store in 1975.  The store was recently closed as Roberts retired.
Roberts had been a member of the Holden Chamber of Commerce and was very active in the Holden community for many years.  He was also a member of the Holden United Methodist Church, Holden Masonic Lodge #262 AF & AM, where he received his 50-year pin on September 20, 2006, Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, The American Legion, and Holden Optimist Club.
He had spent most of his youth in the Independence and Blue Springs area, graduating from Blue Springs High School.  He served in the United States Air Force between November of 1950 and completion of his tour of duty in 1954.  Roberts joined his father’s operation of a Western Auto store in Blue Springs and later moved to Holden to open his own store.  His son Phil became a partner in the business and remained with the store until its closing last December.
A Masonic service, conducted by Holden Masonic Lodge #262 AF & AM was conducted at 10:30 a.m. Friday, August 29, 2008 at the Holden United Methodist Church immediately followed by funeral services with Pastor Pat Kelley officiating.
Memorial contributions for Roberts are suggested to the Holden Masonic Lodge or Memorial Fund of the Holden United Methodist Church.
Mayor Mike Wakeman said of Roberts, “He was a dedicated businessman and a dedicated citizen to the city of Holden.  He would do anything for you; was very trustworthy and did wonderful things for the community.  He will be greatly missed.”
Holden businessman Scotty Walker, a friend of Roberts’ said, “Chuck was a great guy.  When I came to town he welcomed me to the community and gave me great advice and I still use that advice to this day.  He also found out I was a Mason and invited me to join the Holden Masons so I became an active member.  We’ll all miss Chuck.”
Roberts’ next door neighbor downtown was Linda Frasier of Country Creations and she said, “Chuck had a way of making everyone feel comfortable and at ease.  He would try to initiate conversations about topics he knew the other person was interested in.  For instance, he would often talk to me about horses.  Many times he would tell me about growing up on the farm and riding the work horses.  I think his friendly, outgoing way is probably what made him a success as well as a popular businessman.”
The community will miss him and extends condolences to his family.



Holden High School’s bruising running back Dennis Hutchings blistered the gridiron with 204 rushing yards to lead his Eagles to a crushing 40-7 victory over the Warsaw Wildcats Friday night at Warsaw.
Time and time again, the big senior would not go down when hit and amazingly racked up the 204 yards on only 13 carries to average a whopping 15.7 yards per carry.  He scored four touchdowns in the rout which was sweet revenge for the Eagles who have beaten the Wildcats only one time in their last five tries.
“This was a big win for us,” stated head Eagle football coach Rich Johnson.  “I don’t know that we’ve ever beaten Warsaw down there and to do it so convincingly was very satisfying.”
“Hutch had a great game,” the coach continued, “but we expect that from him every game.  I’ve told him that he needs to be well over 100 yards every game and that’s where he wants to be as well.”
If the big win against Warsaw wasn’t enough, Coach Johnson was also pleased at how his Eagles accomplished it.  “I think what was equally as impressive as the way we racked up yards was that we did it without turning the ball over.  Also, our quarterback Aaron Ferguson went eight for 12 passing for 122 yards and didn’t throw an interception in his first game behind center.”
The Eagles broke out on top drawing first blood in the game when Hutchings streaked into the end zone from 32 yards out after only two and one-half minutes had elapsed.  Senior Deron Binkley’s first extra point try of the season went awry and the Eagles led 6-0.
Unfortunately for Eagle fans, the lead didn’t last long as the Wildcats took the ensuing kickoff to Holden’s 34 yard line and on the very first play from scrimmage, Logan Smith, Warsaw’s talented quarterback, found his way to the end zone after almost being sacked in the backfield.  Their extra point try was good and the Eagles fell behind, 7-6.
After that point, however, yards would prove to become hard to come by for the Wildcats as they could only muster 36 more yards rushing and 15 passing the rest of the way.  They never got close to Holden’s goal line again in the contest.
With only one minute left in the first period, Hutchings struck again from six yards out for his second TD of the game.  He also ran over for the two-point extra point try to give the Eagles a 14-7 lead going into the second quarter.
In the second period, Hutchings scored his third of the game on a 22-yard run and Ferguson, playing in his first game as signal caller,  hooked up with wide receiver Zak Anstine for a 17-yard aerial strike.  At halftime the score was Holden 26, Warsaw 7.
On the Eagle’s first offensive series of the third quarter, it was Hutchings again, this time rambling for a 59-yard score.  Binkley’s kick was good and the Eagles led 33-7.  With barely over a minute left in the period, David Lerda got loose and raced to the endzone from 28-yards out to put the Eagles at their final score of 40-7.
It was all reserves in the fourth period as Coach Johnson alternated freshman quarterback Ryan Anderson and sophomore QB Dalton Smith.  The boys didn’t score, but put together a 51-yard drive to end the game.  They took over on their own 16 and pushed the sticks to Warsaw’s 33 when time ran out.  The drive was highlighted by a 20-yard pass from Anderson to fellow freshman Eric Stout.
Although the coach was pleased with his offensive production, he stated that he was disappointed in his offensive line.  “I don't think our O-line looked as good as they could.  We blocked high, didn’t use proper technique and didn’t stay on our blocks,” he continued.  “I blame myself - I’m the line coach - but we’ll fix the problem.”
Defensively, he said that the team played outstanding except for one play.  “After their 34-yard touchdown, we limited them to 51 yards the rest of the game.  I was especially pleased with the play of Jacob Reiman in every phase of the game.”
The coach also praised the rest of his linebacking corps including Hutchings, Lerda and James Gray.
“Our defensive backs played well too,” he added.  “they couldn’t throw the ball on us.  We were too physical.”
Leading tacklers on defense were:  Reiman, 13; David Carter, 11; Gray, six; Hutchings, five; Jacob Borgan, Max Lloyd and Kevin Kephart, four; Anstine, three; Andrew Wakeman and Lerda, two; and Crosby Coleman and Clayton Hill, one apiece.
On the special teams, the coach wasn’t happy, but said he wasn’t too disappointed either.  Things he feels the Eagles need to fix are coverage on kickoff returns and punt blocking.
Next week will be a true test for the Eagles as they take on an away game with Richmond Friday night.  It will be not only Holden’s first game in the Missouri River Valley Conference, but the first game ever played in the  new MRVC Eastern Division.
Richmond is coming off a loss to last year’s Class 2A state champion Lawson, but according to Coach Johnson, the Spartans turned the ball over five times and allowed a touchdown on a kickoff return.  They also had two glaring blown coverages on pass plays.
“What this means is that the scoreboard didn’t tell the whole story,” the coach said.  “Richmond’s going to be tough.  They have a great tailback in Jamal Robinson, a good fullback in Jordan Smith and a utility player named Arthur Bivins who is a player.
“In order to win, we’re going to have to block better and continue to limit turnovers.  Defensively we’ll have to tackle well.  Hopefully we’ll improve from week one to week two and get our first MRVC win.”
The game gets underway at 7 p.m. Friday at Richmond.