The Leader has partnered with Fries Ag & Turf for a Labor Day Giveaway! This is your chance to win a brand new Husqvarna LC221FHE Self Propelled Walk Behind mower. Enter in any/all of the following ways - 

1. Come in and enter in person at Fries (valid for two entries)
2. Like Fries Ag & Turf Facebook page and share contest post/flyer (one entry)

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Your chances to win are better than ever!

* Deadline for entry submissions in September 29th at 5PM *
Good luck and Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Karla Middleton, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jimmie Middleton, and Deborah Ostrander, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Ostrander, both of Gower, will be two of the dancers and twirlers from the Sue Rose Dance Studio who will be the entertainment on Friday night ... Following the program, there will be a free dance with music by Bud Jones and His Music Makers.

"Jamos huba tanta patria en un corazon, Nicaragua, una revolucion por la paz". Translated, they mean "Never has there been so much patriotism in one heart, Nicaragua, a revolution for peace". 

Nicaurauga is a country struggling for peace and on July 19th, they celebrated the tenth anniversary of their revolution.

While Rachel Belt and others in the same workcamp were down there, they didn't feel uptight or uncomfortable about being in a war zone. The Nicaraguans were very protective of their visitors and loving, not full of hatred and violence as they are portrayed.
The medical and construction group consisted of

• four year medical student
• four nurses
• three ministers
• Irish hatchery manager
• two college students

Their theme was, "SOWING SEEDS OF PEACE". They built a latrine for the citizens of Mulukuku and helped with the construction of a day care center. The optometrist saw 240 people and prescribed glasses. They left the 760 remaining glasses for the town's doctor to use and distribute. 

The group saw no actual action of war, but they saw a lot of effects the war had on the land and the people. Crosses and skeletons of cars lined the roads where people had been ambushed and killed. There was a fright in the peoples' eyes. Some of their friends or family had been killed before their eyes. Yet, there was a determination to win the war against the United States.

They were so poor, yet so eager to make them feel at home. The citizens of Mulukuku gladly gave their homes and food to them. They even gave them a latrine that was for their use only. The people looked past the fact that the US government was causing their suffering. 

Some of the most beautiful land in the world can be found in Nicaragua. The people are so full of love for their fellow man and country. The citizens of the United States just can't see the beauty of this war-torn country because their government won't let them see it.

The twelve people who shared in this experience would gladly do it all again. That land is truly a land that can say "I JAMAS HUBO TANTA PATRIA EN UN CORAZON!" 

Rachel Belt is a 1988 Lathrop High School graduate and is now a Freshman at Warrensburg State College.

She is the daughter of Alison Belt of Lathrop. She accompanied her father, Rev. David Belt to Nicaragua. He is a former minister of the Lathrop Methodist Church.

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​Lady Mules Volleyball takes the court - The 2009 Lathrop Lady Mules volleyball team (left to right) Front Row: Kristen B, Tayler Fisher, Danielle Fly, Lindsey Webster, Alyssa Scobee, Alex Goodwin, Butler, Bethany Erwin, Sam Williams. Middle Row: Darriean Schell, Karie S, Amanda Tucker, Ashley Beers, Alex Holstead, Alex Williams, Carmen Stone. Back Row: Brett Butler, Hailee Nail, McKenzie Groves, Bridgett Hoppins, Tricia Balke, Bell, Tia Davis.

To stay up to date on all things football, be sure to subscribe to the Leader and follow us on twitter @LeaderMOSports!

Jack R. Burks, Superintendent of Plattsburg Recognized School District R-III, announces the following teachers as members of the Faculty for the coming school term:

• Jack Burks, Superintendent
• Mrs. Jack Edson, Sec'y to Superintendent
• John H. Moyer, High School Principal
• Mrs. Kelsay Scearce, High School Secretary
• James Kirkpatrick, Industrial Arts
• John McIntyre, Gen. Science, Biology, Physics
• Ray Wilson, Language Arts I, II and IV
• Mrs. Don Pelzel, Language Arts III, Speech and Dramatics
• Mrs. Frank White, Language Arts I, II, and III, Publications
• Don Pelzel, Am. and World History and Audio-Visual Aids
• Gaylen Golden, Economics and Sociology, World History, Citizenship
• Tom Moss, Citizenship, Spanish I, II and III
• Jerry Myers, Functional Math, Math Analysis, Algebra II
• Ken Fortney, Algebra I, Geometry, P.E., Track and Basketball
• Ivan Worley, P.E., Drivers Ed., Football, Wrestling
• Mrs. Margaret Bodle, Home Economics
• Ted McLain, Business, Typing, Bookkeeping
• Mrs. Charles Shoemaker, Typing, Shorthand, Clerical Practice
• Ms. Wanda Smith, Girls P.E.
• Dave Kiesling, Art I, II, III and IV and 7th and 8th
• Jack Gregory, Vocal and Instrumental Music
• Clifton Porter, 7th and 8th Science
• Mrs. Kenneth Corn, 7th and 8th English
• Duane Dorrell, 7th and 8th Social Studies, Assistant Coach in football and basketball
• Mrs. James Swope, 7th and 8th Math
• Mrs. Larry Fisher, Title I Reading
• Mrs. Max Neil, Librarian
• Mrs. E. F. Rogers, Title I Reading

Ellis Elementary -

• O.W. Farwell, Principal
  
• Mrs. Dave Kiesling, Elementary Secretary
  
• Mrs. Phillip Plummer, Mrs. Bill Stocklas, Mrs. Wayne Guess: First Primary
  
• Mrs. Alvin Hanks, Mrs. Wayne Shaver, Mrs. Harry Missey: 2nd Primary
• Mrs. Franklyn Kay, Mrs. Virginia Silvius, Mrs. William Block: 3rd Primary
  
• Mrs. Jim Long, Mrs. Jim Taylor, Mrs. O.W. Farwell: 4th Grade
  
• Mrs. Myron Conrad, Mrs. Paul Boydston, Mrs. Bill Mitchell: 5th Grade
  
• Mrs. Ernest Hintz, Mrs. Ivan Logan, Mrs. Michael Brennan: 6th Grade
  
• Mrs. James Stipe, Music
  
• Mrs. E. C. Harris, Reading
  
• Mrs. Thomas Moss, Kindergarten
  
• Mrs. Twilla Steele, Art
  
• Mrs. Jack Burks, Teachers Clerk 
  

Conservation Agent, Mitch Hoover explains some hunter safety tips to some of those who attended the classes last Friday at the Clinton County Courthouse. 60 interested people showed up to the Hunter Education Class which was sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Hoover was also assisted by Agent Dennis Ritter

2009 PHS Tigers. Front row (L to R): Ryan Zeller, Quentin Kennady, Cody Gilpin, Steve Watts, J.D. Soil, Jordan Hartzell, Dominique Davis, Luke Healy, Brandon Feits, Jordan ..., Fabian Valverde, and Kole Mozingo. Middle row: Phillip Watson, Ryan Guyett, Donivan Hill, Jacob Ward, Chad Elder, Trevor Jones, Thomas Brown, Keaton Jenson, Alex Becker, Michael Reeves, Tyler Hogle, Brian Garrett, Sam Griffing, Reggie Feits, and Evan Owsley. Back row: Jesse Gibson, Ian Jesse, Josh Roberson, Terry Small, Josh Fernandez, Jacob Hogle, Jordan Filbeck, Austin Reeves, Damon Lanham, Baron Williams, Chris Millsap, Morgan Martz, Andrew Dickerson, Joey Pelham, and Kodi ... Not pictured: Kevin Douglas, Joey Wilcox, Jeff Kirby, Rikki Ramirez, Michael Pierson, and Robert Goodwin.

Clinton County R-III Board President Sam Martin responded quickly after news circulated recently that the son of Jennifer Turley, a fellow member on the board of education, had been enrolled in school at Kearney, and that she and her husband, Dr. H.M. Turley, had purchased a home in that school district. Martin sent an email Thursday, August 15, requesting that Turley resign her seat on the board. Martin said that he consulted with the district’s legal council and they recommended that he send the email, which specifically cited that Turley could not claim dual residency while also continuing her services on the board. It has been confirmed by CCR-III officials that Mrs. Turley enrolled her son in the Kearney School District and provided an address within that district for residency. Kearney does not accept tuition and all students must be residents. A person is unable to “claim residency” in two different locations. Mrs. Turley has claimed residency in Plattsburg to be able to serve on the board and has also claimed residency in Kearney for her son to enroll in the Kearney School District. This is a direct violation of board policy. The quick email notice caught ​Mrs. Turley by surprise. She said that she and her husband purchased the home in Kearney on August 9, since residency is a requirement of the Kearney School District. She had just attended a special session meeting of the CCR-III school board on Tuesday evening, August 13. During that meeting, the Board listened to a presentation by a representative of NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) for a testing program that gathers data that measurers academic growth per student, and an update from Hollis and Miller Architects on the construction of a new stadium complex. Nothing was mentioned during the open session or in the closed session. When she reached out to other school board members, after receiving the email from President Martin, those members were unaware of the email requesting her resignation. “I would have thought a phone call to talk about the situation would have been more appropriate,” said Turley, who was elected for a second time to the board this past spring. “I’m a property owner, taxpayer, and resident in this school district. I don’t know how this process works, which is why I thought it would be appropriate to discuss as a board. I understand the responsibility of a board member and do not want to put the school or the board in a bad position. I intend on resigning prior to the August 27 board meeting.” The following information is from the CCR-III board policy about the resignation of board members: The board member who resigns will file a letter of resignation with the board secretary. The board secretary will forward it to the board and list the issue on the agenda for the next board meeting. The board will declare a vacancy exists when the resignation letter is officially presented to the board at a board meeting. The board will then follow board policy BBE to appoint a replacement by a majority vote. The earliest she could resign would be at the next school board meeting that has been moved to August 27 at 6 p.m. from the regularly-scheduled August 21 session. This was done because the needed tax information would not have been ready on August 21 and to accommodate Dr. Steggall’s teaching a class at William Woods.

​We had so much fun giving away tickets the first time around that we decided to step up our game! The next drawing will have TWO winners. The grand-prize winner will receive two tickets on the fifty-yard line and a gold parking pass (courtesy of the Leader's Steve Tinnen). The runner-up will receive five tickets in section 124 as well as a parking pass (courtesy of the Mule Stop).

Charles Killgore and Earl Cecil, chairmen of the Golf committee of the Plattsburg Country Club, present Dr. P. T. Luckenbill with the Championship Trophy.

Once again Dr. P.T. Luckenbill has regained the crown of Club Champion in the annual Plattsburg Country Club Golf Tournament with a total score of 148. Sunday provided a beautiful day for the contestants to participate in this annual event. The second place contenders found Earl Cecil, Paul Monger, and Jon Conrad tied with a total score of 154. The winner was decided in a sudden death playoff, with Jon Conrad dropping out on the second hole and Paul Monger on the third, with Earl Cecil the winner. Being a coach for a number of years gave him an advantage of playing under pressure. "A" flight was captured by Dr. M. D. Conrad, and second place by Superintendent Gene Johnson. Raymond Bowers won first in "B" flight and Joe Rea second. 

REPORT TO THE CITIZENS OF CLINTON COUNTY... Immediately following the most recent escape from the Clinton County Jail, the County Commissioners requested a meeting with Sheriff Roger Pollard to discuss policies regarding the handling of prisoners in and around the jail. The commission expressed it's concern over the two escapes since January 1st and while Sheriff Pollard stated that there was no excuse for either of the escapes, many changes have been implemented in the jail for handling prisoners and that more procedures will be added so that continued improvement will occur. The County Commissioners want to promote a professional and effective Sheriff's Department and work with the Sheriff's Department, But a "Get Tough" attitude is needed so that all officers will be more aware of potential problems. 

A 25 - year-old Minnesota man being held in the Clinton County Jail fled the courthouse late Wednesday afternoon on the way to a court hearing. He managed to elude serach teams late Wednesday night. Kelley L. Dalbec "was being taken upstairs from the jail to the courtroom by a jailer shortly after 4 p.m. On the landing he ran from the jailer ad went out a south door of the courthouse," Sheriff Roger Pollard said. The sheriff said Dalbec was not handcuffed at the time of the escape. "The jailer suffered a minor injury in the chase. But, Dalbec ran about one-half block east of the courthouse to a wooded area and managed to elude officers," Pollard said. The sheriff said he chased Dalbec down the bed of an abandoned railroad track to a creek. "We called in some additional help, including a tracking dog and a Highway Patrol helicopter search team," Pollard said. He said the dog and handler made several attempts to pick up Dalbec's trail but to no avail. Police officers from the rural county communities of Cameron, Lathrop, Gower and Plattsburg, along with troopers and reserve officers, assisted in the search. Pollard said Dalbec, who was brought into the jail about 2 p.m. on Aug 12 by the Highway patrol, "had been quiet and cooperative. He had made no telephone calls and mailed no letters. He had not had any contact with anyone outside the jail." Dalbec, according to the Patrol, was awaiting extradition to South Dakota. He was taken into custody by Trooper James Martin at the 52 mile marker on Interstate 35 in Clinton County on Aug 12. He was charged with interstate transportation of a stolen motor vehicle, a 1989-model motorcycle. He also faced misdemeanor charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and driving without an operator's licence, authorities said. Pollard said Dalbec was last seen wearing green-colored, Army-type fatigue pants and shirt. Under the shirt he also was wearing a black, sleeveless Harley-Davidson shirt. 
ESCAPEE CAPTURED THURSDAY NIGHT... Freedom from custody lasted less than 30 hours for a 25-year-old fugitive from the Clinton County Jail who was captured Thursday night while hitchhiking on Highway 33, about four miles northeast of here. As a result of the Wednesday afternoon escape, Sheriff Roger Pollard said his department has begun a policy of shackling all prisoners prior to court appearances. Kelley L. Dalbec was taken into custody about 9:30 p.m. by Pollard and a deputy. He was returned to the jail where he is being held on an additional $100,000 bond on an escape from custody charge. "He was hungry and looked pretty drug out," Pollard said. Prior to his escape, Dalbec was being held on a $7,500 bond and was charged with a felony, receiving stolen property. and a misdemeanor, possession of drug paraphernalia. He was arrested by the highway patrol on Aug. 12. At approximately 9:15 p.m. on the night of Aug. 17, the Sheriff's Department received a call from Clinton Manor Nursing Home employees stating a subject they believed to be the escapee had entered their building and requested to use the phone and requested water, which he drank ravenously. The Sheriff and Deputy DeGreek immediately responded ... and discovered this was in fact the party they had been searching for. Notifications were made, officers were called out from the State Highway Patrol, the serach dog was unavaiable and the Latrhop Reserve Police Officer James Schoonover and Deputy Roy Christian responded to the scene. The plan of attack was quickly organized. Then another call came in to the Sheriff's Department that the subject was possibly hitchhiking going north on 33 Highway at which time a two car unit, the lead car being Deputy Christian and the chase car being Deputy DeGreek and Sheriff Pollard proceeded north on 33 Highway. The lead car Deputy Christian spotted the party approximately two miles north of 116 on the east side of 33 Highway, hitchhiking going north. Positive identification was made, Deputy Christian proceeded past the subject as planned to prevent a night foot pursuit situation. The car with Deputy DeGreek and Sheriff proceeded north, spotted the subject and as they drove slightly past him the Sheriff yelled to the subject, "Hey man, do you want a ride" as planned. The suspect then thinking he was near freedom quickly approached the Sheriff's vehicle. Officer DeGreek and the Sheriff subdued the escapee and again had him in custody at 10:15 p.m., the day after the escape.

On Friday, August 14, a group of seven, high-level Chinese leaders, with genres ranging from business to government to think tanks, visited Clinton County. The focus of the trip was rural economic development. The group first visited and toured Shatto Dairy and then had lunch with representatives of the Economic Development Council of Clinton County, the City of Plattsburg and the Clinton County C omission. (Above, in no particular order) Kaili Cui, Yushan Guo, Jun Ji, Haishan Liang, Aiwu Yang, Lei Zhag, Jay Sailey, Charles Wang, Noelle Xie, Ronda VanDyke, D.J. Gerht, Randall Relford, Jim Hassler, Leroy Shatto, Jason Watkins, Brenda Grooms, Brad Grill, Jason Grill.

The "Body Blasters" group participated in the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on Sunday, August 9. Kaylin Mayse leads the Body Blast class that meets weekly in Plattsburg. Angela Wooten and Kaylin Mayse ran the 5K in 32:56:08 minutes, and Connie Tharp and Jincy Trotter ran the 5K in 35:14:83 minutes. From left to right are: Angela Wooten, Patti Niemann, Hope Covey, Jaime Wise, Pam Dodson, Kim Hobbs, Kaylin Mayse, Connie Tharp, Patricia Stiefer, Grace Hobbs, Ann Fisher, Jincy Trotter, and Lynn Noyes. The team did a great job and finished the race helping raise $1.1 million for breast cancer research.

Thursday evening two cars of a Santa Fe freight train were derailed at the south edge of Lathrop. The train was returning to Henrietta when two of the 21 cars turned over. No one was injured.

August 12
Stewartsville American Legion Post #508 will have a blood drive from 3-7 p.m.1200 Main St., Stewartsville in the commons area.


3rd Annual Gower Mayor’s Food Drive. Drop off at City Hall, American Family Ins. & The Daily Cafe until August 23rd.




Aug. 15-17
Missouri Music Festival, LLC.’s Largest Pasture Party - a tribute to Woodstock’s 50th anniversary. Live music, vendors, camping at 586 E. Hwy 116, Plattsburg.


August 15
Farmers’ Market “Mega Party” at Lawson City Park, from 4-7 p.m. Customer Appreciation Day with more than 25 vendors. Pony rides, free ice cream, cotton candy, bounce house and popcorn. Giveaways all afternoon.


Lawson Community blood drive from 1:30-6 p.m. at the Lawson Community Center, 103 S. Pennsylvania Rd., Lawson in the Multi-Purpose Room.


Clinton County R-3, first day of school.


August 17
Farmers’ Market at D-Tone Feed and Tires Store, 1006 W. South Street, Plattsburg

Mrs. Helen Boydston, who will be teaching this fall at the Plattsburg School, is currently enrolled in an eight-week consortium conducted by Project Communicate on the campus of Northwestern Missouri State College in Maryville. Fifty-one teachers from an 18 county area will receive 8 hours of graduate credit for their work in the language arts oriented program. One of the major aspects of the summer’s work is that of preparing a teaching unit which incorporates a multi-media approach. Project staff members as well as national figures in education act as advisers and consultants for the participants. Among visiting educators have been John Holt, author of “Why Children Fail”; Dr. Mary Columbro Rodgers, Trinity College in Washington, D.C., author of “New Design in the Teaching English”; Bill Martin, author of several elementary school texts; and Norton Taylor from the New York Times. The group visited William Rockhill Nelson Art Gallery in Kansas City and saw “George M” at the Starlight Theatre. Each participant is making a short, motion picture and a tape-slide presentation as a part of the unit he is preparing. A series of feature films including “Lord of the Flies”, “Citizen Cane”, “Billy Bud”, “David and Lisa”, and “The Golden Age of Comedy” have been incorporated in “an action approach to teaching English”. Project Communicate staff members in the Consortium from Maryville are Don Roberts, director; Bennat Mullen, past director; Doris Falen, English consultant; and Eileen Wyman, elementary consultant. Trenton staff are Lee Williams, English consultant; Virginia Shain, reading consultant; and Warren Stanton, media consultant. Savannah staff members include Spike Stamas, media consultant and Mary Jane Fields, elementary consultant. John Madouras, media consultant, and Craig Bester, English consultant are from Chillicothe.

“Paws on the Keyboard”, a computer class for fifth graders, was held July 31 through August 11. For those two weeks keyboarding techniques were taught and practiced. In addition, each tudent could experiment with programs on problem solving, economics, history, geography, math, reading, spelling, and science. Leah Colvin and Nathan Cosper were elected President of the United State in “2088: An Oval Office Odyssey.” Lawrence Nowland, Steven Minter, Jason Morris, Crystal McGart, Cassandra Beasley, Brandi Calloway, Tonya Macrander, Jenny Vaughn, RaDana Wilson, and Andy King are only a few who survived the hardship of “The Oregon Trail”. “Memory Castle” was explored by Warren Schoonover, Brent Gerling, Vernon Warner, Glen Smith, Mickey Elliott, Kevin Thompson, Michelle James, Jessica Bouse, Lauri Johnson, Ryan Hood, Deanett Ripley, and Brandi Stroud. Kyla McKown, Curtis Reed, Mandy Yoakum, Wendy Burris, Richard Cordova, and Kari Lopez found out “Learning is Fun” with Antonyms, Arith Tac Dough, and Hangmath. Misty Blankenship, Brian VanHorn, and Ryan House discovered math facts could help you survive the enemy in “Bomber”. “Fat Cat” awards for outstanding keyboarding skills went to Geoff Brennecka, Alyssa Dial, Laura Johnston, Leah Colvin, Latisha Monks, Brent Gerling, Sarah Canaday, C.J. Petticord, and Jenny Irons. The computer lab was held in the elementary library from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily. This program will be incorporated in the language arts curriculum throughout the school year. The students’ attendance, enthusiasm, and eagerness to learn made this program a huge success. Fifth grade teachers teaching the class were Pam Spidle, Barbara Hinderks, and Alison Belt.

At around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 4, a white male in a dark-colored ball cap and dark sunglasses entered Goppert Financial Bank in Lathrop and demanded money. The staff was held at gunpoint and an undisclosed amount of money was taken. The suspect then fled on foot running north. No one at the bank was hurt. The armed robber was in the bank less than 30 seconds. He is described as a white male, approximately 5’ 11” wearing blue jeans and a white Malibu Rum t-shirt. Road blocks were set up in several areas, including A Hwt. And 240th Street. Vehicles were checked coming in and out of Lathrop for more than an hour. Several vehicle descriptions were noted by witnesses and are being followed up on. The Cameron Police Department and Missouri Highway Patrol assisted Lathrop Police Department. Cameron also bought in their canine unit and an investigator from Buchanan County also assisted.
“He knew what he was doing,” said Lathrop Police Chief Leonard Eads. “The vault was open and he paid no attention to it. He was in and out.”
Chief Eads met with the FBI on Wednesday morning regarding the robbery. Speculation into the Lathrop robbery suggests it could be related (to) a string of robberies in St. Jospeh. Police there are investigating seven robberies in 11 weeks, the last one on July 21st at the Postal and Community Credit Union.