As was expected, Holden mayor Mike Wakeman formally tendered his resignation to the Holden City Council last Tuesday night at the regular January meeting of the city’s governing body.
The action was taken after Wakeman decided to give up his bid to overturn the 2007 Johnson County Circuit Court decision to remove him from office.  His appeal had been turned down by the Missouri Western District Court of Appeals who had also refused a motion to transfer his case to the Missouri Supreme Court.
Wakeman and his attorney Karl Timmerman decided that the monetary costs were too high to continue.      The mayor was originally been ordered to vacate his seat by then Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon when it was determined that Wakeman had broken the state’s nepotism statutes by appointing his brother-in-law Larry Miller to the position of fire chief.
He rescinded the appointment and later resigned, but was reappointed by the City Council to fill his seat until the April 2008 election.  The people of Holden then re-elected him mayor even though he had not filed to run.  He received approximately 100 write-in votes.
Wakeman said that he was proud to have served the citizens of Holden for nearly three years and looked forward to serving the city in some capacity in the future.
Taking over the city’s reins for the present is Mayor Pro Tem Butch Shore.
According to city clerk Sheila Spies, the city can move in several different directions to fill the vacancy caused by Wakeman’s resignation.
She said the city could:
1. Leave Shore in the position until the term expires in April 2010.
2.  The city council could appoint a new mayor for the remainder of the term.
3.  The city could call a special election, but it’s too late to happen in the April 2009 election.
By Steve Sullins
Editor

At their regular January meeting last Tuesday night, the Holden City Council voted to remove Ward I councilmember Ernest Taylor from office due to his non-attendance at council meetings.
The vote was taken after a public hearing was held prior to the meeting.  Taylor did not attend the hearing.
According to city clerk Sheila Spies, the only regular meeting Taylor attended was April 2008 when he was sworn in.  He also has not performed any councilman duties since that time.
The city has tried to contact Taylor by mail and in person several times to discuss the matter but were unable to reach him.  The hearing offered him a chance to show why he should not be removed from the council.
In other business, the city’s financial system received a “clean audit finding.”  Representing his firm Gillum and Gillum, CPA, LLC, John Gillum told the council that the city’s financial statements, “referred to present fairly, in all material respects, the respective financial position...”
In the management letter portion of the audit, the firm did suggest the council remain aware of a segregation of duties situation.  They said, “The city’s accounting, collection, depositing and reporting functions are performed by two individuals which does not always allow for adequate segregation of duties.  We realize that the addition of office staff may not be justified due to the size of the city’s operations.”
The finding was only a significant deficience and not a material weakness.
In a discussion of antennas on the water tower, the council voted to have all antennas removed because no contracts are in force.  After they have been removed, the city can then renegotiate new contracts if needed.
In his communications, Mayor Wakeman reminded everyone that the closing date for filing for city office in the April election was January 20 at close of business.
Resolutions and ordinances:
1.  The council passed a final reading of a bill giving a 30-day grace period for business licenses to be purchased.  December 31, 2008 was deadline, but businesses who have e not gotten their licenses have 30 days from that date.
2.  A final reading was passed making 19th Street from Market to Lexington a school zone with a 15 miles per hour speed limit.
3.  The council passed a final reading allowing the city to put a 5 percent tax on non-public utilities on the April ballot.  City clerk Sheila Spies stresses that this is not a new tax, but one that is already coming out of phone bills.  This issue simply gives the city an avenue to collect the tax from the companies who have been deducting it.  She also said there would be a public hearing scheduled prior to the April election to inform the Holden citizens further on the matter.
By Steve Sullins
Editor



Kingsville City Council met last Tuesday night in regular session and three people put their names on the ballot to run for the  seats of two aldermen and the position of mayor that will be vacant in April.
Herb Brockhaus and Pastor John McRoy filed for the aldermen seats and current mayor Lloyd Stever will once again be running for the mayor’s position.  All three are two-year positions and the election will be held in April, 2009.
In old business,  Tony Lerda of O&M Enterprises told the council that bids for the new water tower will open January 28 and will be accepted at O&M Enterprises.  “It was supposed to open sooner but there were some questions about the city’s tax exemption status and we postponed asking for bids,” said Lerda.  He added there have been a lot of interested parties on the new project and expects to have a good response once bidding is opened.  Mayor Stever stated their engineer will take all of the bids and research them thoroughly and present his recommendation to the council at the next meeting.
In other old business from Deputy Brian Hobbs, an update was given on the dogs running at large problem in the city of Kingsville.  He explained the costs of taking animals to the shelter in Warrensburg, saying it cost $89 to leave an animal there.  “But, then it’s up to them what they do with the animal.  We have no further responsibility after paying them and delivering the animal to them,” said Hobbs.  City attorney Natalie Peterson told the council there was a state statute that dogs picked up by the city were to be held for seven days and if not claimed, they were to be euthanized.  “We are required to hold the animal for 10 days if there is a threat of rabies,” added Peterson.  Hobbs questioned the council, asking if it was their decision to abide by the state statute on this issue.  The council voted to hold the dogs for seven days and on the eighth day, it could be euthanized if a home could not be found.  Hobbs also reported there was still one wild, mean dog running at large in town and he had been unsuccessful in trying to catch the animal.  Peterson asked if he had a live trap to aid in the capture of the dog but Hobbs said he did not.
In other attorney news, Peterson told the council she checked into the issue of having a fifth alderman serve on the council, per their request, and said there is no provision for an odd number and that’s how the statute is worded.
In new business, Mayor Stever read a letter from William Brenner stating that the central dispatch fees for 911 services will be terminated between the user and the county due to the passage of the new tax for the 911 program.  The city will no longer have to pay for the 911 services as they have in the past, the mayor added.
In other old business, Mayor Stever reported the new flagpole was installed, the lighting was finished and the project is complete.
In transportation news, Brockhaus asked the council for permission to sell an old dump truck owned by the city as it is rarely used and the insurance costs are significant on the truck.  After some discussion, the council decided it would be best to wait until the spring sale at the sale barn and take the truck there to try to sell it.
In traffic news, Mayor Stever said he was contacted about vehicles speeding through town, exceeding the designated speed limit.  The council discussed a number of trash trucks that travel through Kingsville several times each day on their way to  Pleasant Hill.  Deputy Hobbs agreed to find the owner of the trash service and contact them regarding the speeding trucks.
In sewer, water operations and building permits, there was nothing new to report, according to Brockhaus.
The regular meeting of the Kingsville City Council closed to reopen February 10.
By Dana Raker
Staff Writer



Holden area elementary school children, grades pre-K through fifth grade are preparing to offer a BackSnack program for children who may need food over the weekends when they cannot receive hot meals at school.
The children are partnering with Harvesters, a Kansas City-based food bank, to fill the backpacks and distribute them to children who meet the requirements for participation in the program, according to elementary principal Robyn Sisk.  “We are also partnering with the Octagon Club who have been a big help in getting the project off the ground,” said Sisk.  “We expect to begin the program in February and believe we will receive a food drop every two weeks.”
The Octagon Club is actually participating in the packing of the backpacks for the children, she added.  “We are trying to address the issue of weekend hunger,” Sisk said.  “A lot of people have stepped up to help us make this a reality.  Everyone believes in this program and seem willing to help.  Andrea Evans is the sponsor for the Octagon Club and counselors Susan Andree and Lisa Schmidli have also been a tremendous help.”
The backpacks are filled with kid-friendly food, according to Sisk, such as peanut butter, cereal, crackers, poptarts, soups, microwave macaroni and cheese, beans and franks and more.  All have pop tops for easy opening by young students.
“There is a great need in this community,” commented Sisk.  “I feel there are a lot of children who can benefit from this program.  Our local food pantries have been hit hard and there is a definite need for this kind of program.  Many families are finding it difficult to provide for their children with this tough economy.”
Harvesters provides food that meets USDA nutrition guidelines, training and program oversight.  Partnering organizations provide the backpacks and the volunteers to pick up food from Harvesters sanitize and pack the backpacks and distribute them to eligible children each Friday.  Participating children return the empty backpacks on Monday to start the whole process over again.
Schools participating in the BackSnack program report improvements in attendance, behavior and self-esteem.  Children are better prepared to focus and participate in school and the long-term result is children who are better prepared to become contributing members of the community, according to Harvesters.
By Dana Raker
News Staff



SPORTS

After falling behind by double digits in the third quarter, the Holden High School boys’ basketball team, led by senior Trevor Yancey’s 16 fourth-quarter points, battled back to lose by only two points to Harrisonville in the third-place contest of the  Pleasant Hill Invitation Basketball Tournament Friday night.
The boys were led in scoring in the game by Yancey who totaled 21 and senior Bryce Evans, who poured in 19 and was named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 19 points in the tourney.
“Offensively we’re scoring well,” head coach Dale Wescott stated.  “But although our defensive effort is good, we’re just not getting it done.  There were too many breakdowns against Harrisonville.  We also didn’t take care of the ball and had way too many lackadaisical turnovers.”
Holden finished the night with 19 turnovers.
Coach Wescott did say that a bright spot in the game was the play of sophomores Kyle Elkins, Jimmy Bryant and Danny Tanksley.  “They really sparked us and did a nice job. ” Elkins had nine points on the night while Bryant tallied five and Tanksley, two.
Other statistics included:  Yancey, 21 points, five assists and four steals; Evans, 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists; Deron Binkley, 10 points, six rebounds and two steals; Elkins, nine points and three rebounds; Crosby Coleman, six points; Bryant, five points; and Zak Anstine and Tanksley, two points apiece.
The boys were sent to the third-place game by a talented one-seeded Lee’s Summit Community Christian, 67-49, in the semifinal round.  The boys only shot 29 percent from the field and 52 percent from the line in the loss where Holden was down by 18 at halftime.
Binkley got in foul trouble in the first half, and had to sit most of the period.  In the second half, the Eagles played even, with the two teams scoring 28-28.
Statistics included:  Z. Anstine, 13 points, nine rebounds and two assists; Yance, 12 points, four rebounds and two steals; Evans, 11 points, eight rebounds and two steals; Elkins, five points and three steals; Tanksley, four points, Binkley, three points, eight rebounds and two assists and Crosby Coleman, one point and three rebounds.
In the first round game, Holden defeated Smithville, 68-61 in overtime.  Evans had a breakout game with 27 points  including 13 of 16 free throws and according to Coach Wescott it was the nicest win the team has had in a long time.
Other scoring included Z. Anstine, 14; Yancey, 10; Binkley, nine; David Lerda, six; and Tanksley, two.
The Eagles will take on Lexington in a home game Friday night where the courtwarming royalty will be crowned at halftime.
Coach Wescott’s players of the week include Evans, offense; Binkley, defense; and Bryant and Elkins, hustle.

By Steve Sullins
Editor
  

The Holden Lady Eagles varsity basketball team fell in overtime to the Grain Valley Lady Eagles, 50-49, in the championship game of the Pleasant Hill Invitational Tournament Friday night.
This was a rematch of the two  squads as Holden defeated the Lady Eagles from the north in overtime earlier this season in the HHS gymnasium.
The loss gave the Holden girls the second place plaque and dropped their season record to 7-2.  Their two losses this year have been in overtime to Class 4 schools.
Leading the scoring for the Holden girls was sophomore Kelsey Carver with 19.  She averaged 17 for the three-game tournament and joined senior Calla Burden on the All-Tournament Team.
Holden was on top by eight at the end of the half, but only scored six points in the third quarter to drop behind by three.  They made up the difference in the third and had a chance to win in regulations, but Carver’s last-second three-pointer rimmed out.
In the overtime, the girls played hard and battled.  Lauren Geisler came up with a big rebound, stickback and two big free throws to pace the Lady Eagles in the extra period.  “She played her best two games this week,” praised Holden girls’s head basketball all coach Travis Fleming.  When she gets on the glass we are becoming a very tough team.”
With Holden up by one after Grain Valley hit two free throws. The Lady Eagles failed to convert on free throws on their end and   Grain Valley tossed in the winning bucket at the buzzer.
“I know the girls wanted to win, but we played strong and this experience should benefit us in the weeks to come,” Coach Fleming continued.  “We are getting closer to putting four quarters together.”
Besides Carvers 19 points, Geisler was also in double figures with 12.  Other scorers included Valerie Lambert, six; Burden, five; Stacey Calhoun, four; Jenna Brockhaus, two; and Kelsey Whitehead, one.
Holden 44 P. Hill 37
The Lady Eagles exacted some revenge on the Lady Chicks for their other loss in the opening game of the season by defeating Pleasant Hill in the semifinal round of the tourney.
“The girls really wanted a chance to avenge our early loss and I’m sure Pleasant Hill wanted to prove they should have been seeded higher given they had a win over the highest seeded team,” Fleming said.  “Going into the game we knew we would have to play strong interior defense and work hard to slow down their high-low offense.  Geisler did a great job battling inside and she and her teammates battled on the boards.  We got in early foul trouble with Lambert and Calhoun picking up two fouls early in the first quarter, but Kelsey Holmes and Lauren Adams came in and did a great job competing and kept us in the game.  We were forced to play a slower half court game due to foul trouble and I though the girls did a good job adjusting.  It wasn’t until midway through the fourth quarter that we were able to get our pressure set up and it fueled a big run that ultimately sealed the game for us.
“During that run, Carver got hot and punished Pleasant Hill scoring 10 points in what seemed to be consecutive trips.  She can really fill it up when she gets hot.  At her height she is tough to defend on the perimeter and her teammates were doing a good job of setting solid screens to create space for her.”
Carver led the way in the game with 18 points, while lambert scored 10 to join her in double figures.  Others scoring were Geisler, seven; Whitehead, four; Burden, two; Holmes, two; and Brockhaus, one.
Holden 60 L.S.C.C. 24
In the opening round of the Pleasant Hill Tournament, the Holden Lady Eagles crushed a Lady Eagle team from Lee’s Summit Community Christian by 36 points.  Nine Holden girls got in the scoring column in the game that saw them outscore Lee’s Summit 27-4 in the second half.
“It took us a while to get going,” the coach added.  “We did a good job of getting the ball inside, but we got called for several traveling violations.  The girls knew that they could score the ball, but just hurried and made mental mistakes.  At the half, the team did a good job of regrouping and played a strong second half.  I was pleased with our efforts in the second half.
Leading the team in scoring was Burden with 16, while Carver was right behind with 14.  Other scorers included Whitehead and Holmes with six apiece; Brockhaus, five; Adams and Calhoun, four each; Lambert, three and Geisler, two.
After a game with Knob Noster in the Holden gym Monday night, the girls get back into conference action on the road in Lexington tonight (Thursday).  Next week, they will participate in the Clinton Invitational Tournament.
By Steve Sullins
Editor



Unforced turnovers caused the Kingsville varsity girls’  basketball team to get behind Drexel early recently as the Lady Tigers went on to lose to the Lady Bobcats, 36-28.
“We got down by a 12-4 score at the end of the first quarter,” explained head Kingsville Lady Tiger coach Jacklyn Treece.  “By the end of the second quarter we decided it was time to play and got to within five late in the fourth quarter before we had to foul.”
Junior Alie Hawley led a balanced scoring attack with nine points and seven rebounds and freshman Kaylee Herring was close with six points and five rebounds.  Other statistics included Kayla Cox, five points and six rebounds; Jill Ring, four points and two rebounds; and Justinne Long, three points and three rebounds.
The girls, who are now 4-3 on the season, will participate in the Wellington Tournament this week.
By Steve Sullins
Editor

 

OBITUARIES

FRANCIS C. ANDERSON
Francis Anderson, 90, of Independence, MO passed away Thursday, January 15, 2009 at Centerpoint Medical Center. 
A visitation was from 5-7 p.m., Sunday, January 18, 2009 at Speaks Suburban Chapel.  Services were at 10 a.m. Monday at the chapel with burial following at 12:30 p.m. in Fairview Cemetery in Holden, MO.
Francis was born October 1, 1918 in Holden, MO to Anton and Louise (Osner) Anderson.  After marrying Rosina Bernice Lambkin in 1951 they moved to Independence.  He worked as an inspector at Allis-Chalmers until his retirement in 1984.  He was a member and Elder of Edgewood RLDS Church where he served on the building committee.  Francis enjoyed complicated things and loved to plan and design new ways to do things and was a skilled carpenter.
Francis is survived by his children and their spouses: Kathy and Mike Wintermeyer, Rhonda and Eldon Buller, and Mark and Cathy Anderson; grandchildren: Steffen and Christy Wintermeyer, Rachel Wintermeyer, Tyler Wintermeyer, Gary and Yen Hamilton, Kellie Boone and Scott Schwab, Karrie Hamilton, Kenneth Anderson, Brad Anderson, Angela and Billy O’Dell, and Andy Buller; and eleven great-grandchildren.  He was preceded in death by his wife Bernice (Lambkin) Anderson, brother Alvin Anderson, and sister Metta Anderson.  Condolences may be left for the family at www.speakschapel.com  (Arr: Speaks Suburban Chapel, 816-373-3600)


SHERRY LYNN CLAPPER PERFETTO
Sherry Lynn Clapper Perfetto, age 54 of Knoxville, left on her final flight, Thursday, January 15, 2009 at the U.T. Medical Center.
She was a member of St. John Neumann Catholic Church.  Sherry was a flight attendant for 21 years with Piedmont Airlines and U.S. Airways.  She was very knowledgeable and was well respected by all who knew her.  She had a great love for animals and over the years actively supported many animal protection foundations.  Sherry was born in Harrisonville, MO and graduated in 1972 from Holden High School and then went on to the University of Missouri Kansas City.
She was preceded in death by her father, Jerry Clapper.
Left behind to cherish her memory, her husband Ronald Perfetto; twin daughters, Casey and Morgan, whom she loved beyond all boundaries.  She was an extraordinary caring, nurturing and loving mom; also surviving, mother Frances Clapper; sister, Linda McMillen and husband Jim; nephews, Jeff, all of Holden, MO and Joel of Olathe, KS; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Joel and Maura Perfetto; nephews, Tony, Erik, Ryan and Luke; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Alayne and Kent Kyle, nephews, Kurtis and Jake; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Antonio and Barbara Perfetto, all of Knoxville, TN.
The family would like to express gratitude to Dr. Wahid Hanna, Allison and Wendy and all his staff for the diligent, compassionate and loving care they gave over the years.  It made the journey more tolerable.
The family received friends on Sunday, January 18, in the Click Funeral Home Farragut Chapel with a Christian wake service following at 7 p.m.  A funeral Mass was celebrated at St. John Neumann Catholic Church at St. John’s Court, Farragut on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. with Father John Dowling as celebrant.  Interment followed in the Lakeview Cemetery in Lenoir City.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to St. John Neumann Catholic Church Building Fund, 645 St. John Court, Farragut, TN 37934.
Click Funeral Home Farragut Chapel, 11915 Kingston Pike is serving the Perfetto family.   


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