JULY
July 5 – Camden Point has hosted another successful and enjoyable community event recently with the Camden Point Freedom Festival; The Sixth Circuit Judicial Commission was accepting applications for the newly created position of Circuit Judge for the sixth division of the Sixth Judicial Circuit; The Platte County Sheriff’s Office offered wheel locks for high-theft vehicles; The governing body of Park University elected Col. Scott Gorman, Ph.D., and Carl Weilert to serve three-year terms on the board of trustees.
July 12 – Platte City residents took to Rising Star Park on Tuesday, July 4 for a day of fun in the sun, followed by a night of fireworks at the Platte County School District campus in Platte City; Renyshia Handson and Aaliyah Kidd were charged with a shooting at a restaurant in Northmoor; Rodeo Wednesday was scheduled to kick off off the Platte County Fair; Platte County Recorder Chris Wright issued a warning about letters some residents have been receiving stating they will get property deeds for them, for a fee; Road work closed lanes on Interstate 29 and forced a complete closure near Dearborn on Highway Z.
July 19 – The rainy weather early this week cleared up just in time for setup of the 160th annual Platte County Fair; Columnist Bill Graham wondered if the Northland was in the ballpark for new Royals stadium; The Platte County Fair is approaching and local families are preparing their livestock for showing. The Lejuene family raise and show poultry; The members of the new Platte County public safety committee have been finalized – Greg Plumb, Pat Cockrill, Mark Ferguson, April Baxter, Kenneth Brown, Jim DePriest, Roger Lewis and James McCall were appointed; The Platte County Commission announced the retirement of the county counselor Robert Shaw after more than 30 years of service.
July 26 – The demolition derby at the 160th annual Platte County Fair in Tracy was, as always, a crowd pleaser, with two nights of derby action; The City of Parkville’s attempt to revise its ethics code to bring it in line with state requirements, essentially dissolving the city’s existing ethics commission, died after a split vote; Jim Hanway, HVAC instructor at Northland Career Center was named Teacher of the Year for 2023; Grace Prose, a third-grade teacher in the Platte County R-3 School District, received a $620 grant through WGU Missouri’s “Fund My Classroom” initiative.
AUGUST
Aug. 2 – Several popup severe storms featuring heavy rainfall and high winds taxed electrical services in Platte County; Platte County High School freshman Delaney Wassmann publishes her first novel; The Platte City Police Department invited the community to participate in its 13th Annual Cops and Kids Event; The Platte County Public Safety Committee held its first meeting last week and elected its officials.
Aug. 9 – In addition to exhibits by area law enforcement, the highlight of the annual Cops and Kids event at Platte City Middle School was the arrival of a KCPD helicopter; District Commissioner Dagmar Wood advocated for the Platte County Commission to make moves to implement Missouri Senate Bill 190, which would freeze tax increases for Missouri seniors on their primary residences; The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri filed a lawsuit on behalf of a former Platte County High School student challenging the district’s actions that the ACLU claims discriminated against her based on her transgender status, her sex designated at birth, and her clinical diagnosis of gender dysphoria; Google Fiber announced it was coming to Riverside in 2024; One of the many ways the Veterans of Foreign Wars 4055 brought local veterans and members of the community together was their open house barbecue.
Aug. 16 – Jonathan Heath-Taylor, a 25-year-old man shot by a Leavenworth, Kan. officer in Platte County died; The Platte County Sheriff’s Office issued a notice about rural burglaries and a reminder to secure property; The annual Platte County Steam Engine Show was held at the Platte County Fairgrounds in Tracy and featured tractors old and new, as well as antique vehicles, live music, kids activities, a tractor parade and more; The Park Hill School District was looking into an educational model known as “restorative practices” to create a more inclusive school environment; The recent Pigs Fly 5K race in Edgerton raised more than $2,000 to support the Niman Ranch Next Generation Foundation, which awards scholarships and grants to young farmers.
Aug. 23 – It was a hot time at Parkville Days, held in downtown Parkville with heat indexes well above 110 degrees; The City of Parkville relocated its long-awaited veterans memorial due to a technicality located within grant paperwork prohibiting building a memorial at the planned site; The Platte County Commission has approved an agreement with the University of Missouri Extension to house its materials at a southern Platte County Park – Green Hills of Platte Wildlife Preserve; The Black Ancestors Awareness Campaign of Weston invited local residents to join master carpenter Cliff Wieser to discuss a historic tree’s beauty and resilience.
Aug. 30 – Cliff Wieser and Angela Hagenbach demonstrated how to count the rings of life in a piece of wood at the Weston United Methodist Church for a presentation on woodworking and the long life of a particular North American black walnut tree in Weston; The Park Hill School District is moving forward with its Park Hill 2034 long-range planning project, with an update presented to the Board of Education; Parkville okayed the development plan for the 12th Park Hill elementary school, located near Meadows of Creekside in western Parkville; Joshua Clark, the 18-year-old accused of threatening a shooting at Platte County High School, pleaded guilty to making a terroristic threat; Trek 4 Patriots to brought vendors to English Landing Park.
SEPTEMBER
Sept. 6 – Residents in opposition to a plan by the City of Kansas City to build a new Todd Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant partially in unincorporated Platte County turned out in force to a contentious public forum; Fantastic Fido’s dog training, grooming, enrichment daycare, and boarding business opened in Platte City; Columnist Bill Graham warns of the dangers of ‘Warehouse fatigue’ in fast-developing Platte County.
Sept. 13 – The Edgerton Pioneer Days festival was held in Edgerton, featuring kids activities, vendors, live entertainment and more; The City of Platte City Planning and Zoning Commission held a meeting to discuss the Nelly Hills preliminary plat; A public hearing was held last week to discuss updating compensation for Riverside elected officials for the first time in more than 20 years; Platte County Parks annual Ready, Set, Glow nighttime trail walking event was held at Prairie Creek Greenway; The Parkville Board of Aldermen held a work session to discuss plans for the replacement of the farmers market structure in English Landing Park.
Sept. 20 – Platte County Commissioners met with Kansas City Water engineers to discuss the new wastewater treatment facility for the Todd Creek and Second Creek watershed; Commissioners heard from Evergy officials on progress on power reliability issues in Platte City; The Kansas City Symphony’s Mobile Music Box Concert, performed by a small ensemble of symphony musicians, came to Platte City; Eighth grader Jack Dillingham was impressed by the design of the new Platte Purchase Middle School; The Kansas Department of Transportation planned to close the Centennial Bridge for inspections.
Sept. 27 – Former Platte City mayor Frank Offutt and his sisters wanted to make a contribution to the recent Platte County Steam and Gas Engine Show and gifted them with a 1944 John Deere ‘Long Hood’ Model B tractor for the show’s fund raiser in memory of their father, George Dennis Offutt; Work continued to prepare the Platte County Resource Center for conversion into the new Platte County Sheriff’s Office; The Riverside Board of Aldermen was still mulling over proposed changes to elected official salaries, which have remained stagnant for nearly 30 years; Pavement repairs and milling operations on Interstate 435 in Clay and Platte counties required several ramp closures.
OCTOBER
Oct. 4 – Platte City held its fall festival on Main Street, featuring vendors, food and an appearance by KC Wolf; Parkville’s Sugar and Spice catering business relocated to North Kansas City; The lake at Lake Waukomis was closed to all activities due to a Kansas City sewer system leak; The Platte County Sheriff’s Office was praised this week by one county commissioner for bringing nearly $400,000 in grant-funded programs to the commission for approval.
Oct. 11 – Weston’s Applefest drew large crowds to historic downtown Weston; A Platte County girl – Myla Bailey – is making a name for herself in rodeo, with a handful of wins last week in Kansas; Platte County deputies arrested an individual in Platte City on multiple outstanding warrants during a traffic stop. The individual is a convicted felon and several firearms were also recovered during the traffic stop; Lake Waukomis reopened to residents after a sewer leak forced its closure last week.
Oct. 18 – The Riverside Chamber of Commerce presented The Carved Experience at Renner Brenner Park; The Platte City Police Department was investigating an alleged sexual assault that occurred in Riverview Park; Platte County High School held its homecoming parade in Platte City; Paranormal investigators searched for the truth in a Leavenworth, Kan. ghost hunting program; The Platte County Commission approved cybersecurity measures to keep the county’s emergency radio systems safe from attack.
Oct. 25 – The City of Platte City announced the opening of the brand new city hall and police station located at 224 Marshall Rd. Residents were invited to attend an open house event; The Little Theatre of Weston planned to bring some new blood and a lot of boo to the Parkville Nature Sanctuary’s annual Ghost Stories Night.
NOVEMBER
Nov. 1 – It was a light election in Platte County, with a pair apiece of Kansas City and Parkville questions making up the November ballot; Probuilt Pool and Patio opened a new showroom in Riverside; The Platte County Commission continued to move forward with capital projects funded through federal COVID relief funds, such as the conversion of the Platte County Resource Center into the new Platte County Sheriff’s Office.
Nov. 8 – The City of Platte City hosted an open house for its new combined city hall and police station; In Parkville, a new use tax was approved by voters and the city imposed a tax on the sale of recreational marijuana; Dagmar Wood, currently serving as Platte County’s first district commissioner, announced her intention to run for Platte County assessor in 2024; Platte City pastor Michael Lazio recalls that joining the Marines was the best decision of his life.
Nov. 15 – Platte County residents opposed to the proposed location of the new Todd Creek Sewer Plant may see a glimmer of hope on the horizon as Platte County’s Kansas City council members take up their cause; Jill Rosbrugh became involved in the Kick Out Cancer fund raiser this year due to her two sons, a junior and a freshman, playing soccer on the Park Hill men’s soccer team; Adam Grell, after years of being a ‘golf nerd’ and living in Platte City, decided to open a new business called Virtual Links Golf.
Nov. 22 – An arrest was made and charges filed in the shooting that occurred at a Wendy’s in Platte City; Platte City prepared for its annual holiday lighting ceremony in downtown; The Platte County Public Safety Committee recommended construction of a $69 million addition to the existing jail in Platte City that would house more than 300 additional inmates; A Kansas City man who murdered his roommate in Jackson County and then dumped the body in Platte County was sentenced to 28 years; ‘Living in a Christmas Movie’ was how the Historic Weston Candlelight Homes Tour for 2023 was billed.
Nov. 29 – Terrion Gully-Henr, the suspect in the double shooting at the Platte City Wendy’s was in custody in Platte County; Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd reported prosecutions are down over the last year, but cautioned that it’s too soon to predict if this is part of a trend; PJ’s Coffee in Platte City recently hosted Platte County R-3 special education students for a fun, social event.
DECEMBER
Dec. 6 – Platte County Sheriff Mark Owen has announced that he will not be seeking reelection in 2024, opening the field for current second-in-command Erik Holland to seek the seat; Parkville held its annual Christmas on the River event in damp conditions in downtown Parkville; A new app to help first responders deal with the stresses of their jobs would soon be made available to Platte County employees; Former Park Hill School District superintendent Dr. Gayden Carruth died; Rebecca Spotz was convicted of acting together with a five-time felon to steal an 18-year-old’s ATM card at knifepoint; The Diamond at Creekside Apartments in Parkville opened and offered many amenities for those looking for modern living apartments.
Dec. 13 – The community celebrated during the Cookies with Santa event in downtown Platte City; Former Platte City director of public works Brad Wallace, armed with a weapon, held off police for several hours while barricaded inside a home near Tracy; James D. Jones II, who exposed himself and completed a sex act in public, was charged, and authorities asked that any other possible victims come forward; Terrion Gully-Henry was arraigned on additional charges of felony murder and armed criminal action in the Platte City Wendy’s shooting; Young goat farmer Mackenzie Hill made a name for herself showing her prize goats.
Dec. 20 – The Platte County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office provided an early Christmas for several children who have been victimized by crime; Bill Collins, who spearheads the effort to light up Main Street each year, has been lighting up Platte City in many different ways for 17 years; Federal partners joined Camden Point Mayor Gloria Boyer to celebrate the construction of a centralized, sanitary sewer collection system and wastewater treatment facility.
Dec. 27 – The City of Riverside sealed the deal with Live Nation to bring a 15,000-seat amphitheater to the Northland; The Weston Rotary Club has been a valued part of the local community since 1945; A Kansas City, Kan. woman died after she was involved in a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 435.