Here is a recap of news that happened between January through June in Platte County. Among the bigger news early in the year was the official groundbreaking of the new single terminal at Kansas City International Airport, more than two years after the issue was passed at the ballot box in November 2016.
JANUARY
Jan. 2 — A Parkville family got a holiday surprise from the Parkville Police Department by providing a single mom and her children with a new car, provided by donations to the community assistance fund; presiding commissioner Ron Schieber, prosecutor Eric Zahnd, county clerk Nancy Armstrong, auditor Kevin Robinson and county collector Sheila Palmer were sworn in by Platte County Circuit Court presiding judge James Van Amburg.
Jan. 9 — Weston resident and retired bank president Jeff Elsea blasted the Platte County Commissioners for their rushed work on a potential law enforcement sales tax as well as their handling of the Zona Rosa bond default; Political action group Citizens for a Better Parkville launched a “Wikileaks” style website critical of the City of Parkville; Commissioners also released their 2019 draft budget, which included a lengthy description of the situation at Zona Rosa.
Jan. 16 — The old Platte City QuikTrip was demolished after the new store opened just behind the old; Members of the public spoke up about their concerns about the future of the Platte County Parks and Recreation sales tax before commissioners approved the county budget; Ignite Medical Resort on Barry Road opened to offer patients a luxury recovery experience; Platte City narrowed its search for a new chief of police to seven finalists.
Jan. 23 — Interim chief of police Lynda Hacker-Bristow – on loan from the Platte County Sheriff’s Office – was named as one of the seven finalists for the position; Harper Haus Music opened its doors in Platte City; The Platte City Board of Aldermen approved a ballot measure asking residents to issue $6 million in bonds for capitol improvements; County Commissioners forged ahead with a half-cent sales tax proposal to fund construction of a new county jail facility.
Jan. 30 — A man was found dead off Highway 45 near after a cold night; Accused murderer Grayden Denham’s capital trial for quadruple homicide in Edgerton was delayed until 2020; Parkville man Scott Hinkle was accused of beating his girlfriend until her lung collapsed; The City of Platte City hired SFA Architecture to create a plan for the future of the former Rising Star school; A crash involving several tractor-trailers and a dozen cars closed Interstate 29 for several hours after a winter storm.
FEBRUARY
Feb. 6 — Park Hill South student Dayton Linder was arrested for making a terroristic threat for threatening to shoot up the high school; The United States Attorney’s Office declined to file charges against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent who allegedly assaulted an attorney near KCI; Debbie Pack authors a book featuring Stanley the English Bulldog; Parkville aldermen approved a controversial CID at the Creekside development at Interstate 435 and Highway 45; A proposed bed and breakfast operation near Camden Point drew both support and opposition.
Feb. 13 — A North Platte School District parent filed a complaint with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education over the treatment of her autistic daughter at the elementary school; Six of the eight airlines at Kansas City International Airport came to an agreement on funding for the new one-terminal KCI; American Shaman CBD opened in Platte City; Trustees of the Village of Iatan hoped to garner support to help rebuild a bridge closed during the Flood of 1993.
Feb. 20 — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson visited a bridge at Interstate 29 at Waukomis Drive in support of his Focus on Bridges initiative; Payless ShoeSource announced it was closing all locations, including its Platte County location in Shops at Boardwalk; Platte City resident Linda Henderson died in a 47-car accident on Interstate 70 near Oak Grove, while her husband James Henderson suffered serious injuries; The Platte County Commission contracted UHY Advisors as out outside financial consultant.
Feb. 27 — Sanquan Brooks fled across state lines and held the Platte County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team at bay at an apartment complex in Platte City; Joe Wellington, chief of police in Gower, was named the new chief of police for Platte City; The Parkville Tax Increment Financing Committee approved a tax incentive plan for the Creekside development, on a split vote; A Kansas City man was killed in a shooting at The Denton Apartments off Interstate 29.
MARCH
March 6 — Construction was set to begin on the new single-terminal KCI after the Kansas City Council approved the airport plan; Joe Wellington was sworn in as Platte City’s new chief of police; The Platte County Commission scheduled six public meetings on their detention center tax proposal; The plethora of weather-related school closures forces Park Hill and other districts to adjust their calendars.
March 13 — Riverside officials visited Jefferson City to voice their concerns on proposals that could loosen recommendations on gambling and slot machines; The City of Weston scheduled a public forum to address the findings of a citizen survey regarding a potential city administrator; The groundbreaking ceremony for the new one-terminal KCI was set for the end of the month; The new Kansas City director of parks and recreation is a Northland native.
March 20 — Weston City Hall was forced to relocate to the city police station due to rising flood waters from the Missouri River; The state audit of Ferrelview found lack of oversight and other financial concerns; The Platte County Board of Education added make-up days to the school year due to the number of weather closures; The Old Tiffany Springs Road bridge replacement project got under way, forcing the closure of the interstate for a weekend.
March 27 — The groundbreaking for the $1.5 million one-terminal airport project was held; A high-speed chase on Interstate 29 let to the arrest of a man suspected in an armed robbery at North American Savings Bank; Flood waters started to recede in Platte County, but more flooding was in the spring forecast.
APRIL
April 3 — The identity of a man and child dead in a car fire in Ridgely was still unknown – officially, though both had been quickly identified by neighbors; The Platte City bond issue passed; The Platte County jail sales tax was defeated with a nearly two-thirds majority; Parkville Nan Johnston won re-election in Parkville after a bitter campaign against a PAC-supported opponent; A Kansas City man died while trying to cross Interstate 29 near Barry Road.
April 10 — Therapy dog Rasta and his handler Jennifer Vernon were honored by the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office for their assistance in helping victims of crime; Platte County Circuit Court presiding judge James Van Amburg denied a motion by the county commission’s special attorney to halt UMB Bank’s efforts to seek information about the Zona Rosa bonds from elected officials; Steven George was sworn in as the new mayor of Weston, ousting long-time public servant Cliff Harvey; An election do-over was in order for two seats on the Parkville Board of Aldermen after errors were made in the April 2 election.
April 17 — K-9 officers Aries and Ajax joined the Platte County Sheriff’s Office and were introduced to the county commissioners in open session; Platte City’s First Baptist Church broke ground on its new facility across from Platte Ridge Park; Kenneth Brock, who was walking across America to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project passed through Dearborn; The special election for two ward seats on the Parkville Board of Aldermen was set for May.
April 24 — Dearborn was designated as a Purple Heart City during a special ceremony; Park Hill teacher Victor Abundis announced his run against Rep. Sam Graves for the Missouri Sixth District seat in 2020; The former Finders Keepers antique store building in downtown Parkville was deemed blighted by the board of aldermen to pave the way for tax incentives for restoration.
MAY
May 1 — Weston Bend State Park hosted its annual Wings Over Weston event featuring education activities for children; Hayden Humes and Jakob Scroggins named winners of Platte-Clay Electric essay contest; The Park Hill Board of Education toured the new Walden Middle School in Kansas City; Park Hill High School graduate Micalla Rettinger was killed in a car crash in Iowa.
May 8 — Platte County’s population is the fastest-growing in the Kansas City metropolitan area, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau; A redevelopment plan was approved for the former Metro North Mall site; Platte County commissioners say they may be forced to double or triple existing property taxes, depending on the outcome of the lawsuit regarding the Zona Rosa bonds; Kansas City Chiefs Charvarius Ward and Byron Pringle paid a visit to Platte County Middle School.
May 15 — Weston business owners requested an audit of the Chamber of Commerce and called for a funding freeze; Sni Valley, Mo. Firefighters volunteered their time in Platte City to assist the family of Linda Henderson, who died in a crash in their district earlier in the year; Parkville resident Andrew Snyder, who made headlines for a revenge porn scheme against his former girlfriend, plastered his name and face on a billboard near her home; A Riverside park project came in almost $2 million over budget.
May 22 — Platte City received $67,000 in grant funding from the Platte County Outreach Grant program; Accused child molester Nathan Hershley was bound over for trial in Platte County Circuit Court; West Platte girls track and field won the state Class 2 championship; One man was injured in a shooting in Riverview Park after an alleged robbery; Memorial Day events were planned in Platte City and Weston.
May 29 — The Ferrelview Board of Trustees worked to address problems with residents who reconnect their own water after it is turned off; Judge James Van Amburg was expected to announce his verdict on the lawsuit between Platte County and UMB Bank over the Zona Rosa bonds; A public forum was scheduled for the future of the Rising Star school site in Platte City.
JUNE
June 5 — Platte County Circuit Court judge James Van Amburg ruled in the county’s favor regarding the obligation for the bond payments at Zona Rosa; A public survey was opened to gauge interest in a splash pad in Platte City; Flood waters rose again in Platte County, covering English Landing Park and forcing road closures around the county; The Platte City Summer Concert Series kicked off with Matt Snook.
June 12 — Father and son duo Troy and Tanner Todd opened Parkville’s Riverfront Pub and Eatery; The third suspect in a drug deal that ended in murder near Park Hill High School was sent to prison; Park Hill South sports dad Shawn Brougham set an example for his sons after growing up without a father figure; Terminal A at KCI started to come down with the assistance of large excavating machines.
June 19 — Maple Hill Animal Hospital hosted a fund raiser sale to benefit a Nebraska animal rescue affected by flooding; Quinton Lucas was elected mayor of Kansas City; Compass Elementary School principal Dr. Chad Searcey was placed on leave following a tweet on gun control; The assessment deadline was extended for some Platte County residents after a they received their bills late.
June 26 — Despite the flooding in Platte County, fair organizers announced the fair would go on without delay; Austin Pointer of Dearborn was charged with promoting child pornography; A portion of Platte City’s Main Street was cordoned off after bricks started to fall off the former Platte City Flowers and Platte County Citizen building; The Spirit of TWA came home when Ellie, a 1937 Lockheed Electra once owned by the airline’s founder flew into the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport.