By Anita Campbell
Enterprise Staff
As the year 2021 draws to a close, we at the Democrat flipped through the files of the big stories here in Henry County. As many citizens began the COVID vaccination protocol, there still were rising numbers of those affected by the deadly virus. According to the Henry County Health Department as of December 27, 2021, 66 residents have died due to COVID-19. There were 3,987 residents who tested COVID positive.
In January, the Clinton Police Department reported that their K3 Officer Jhon had died unexpectedly.
The dog had an undetected cardiac issue that resulted in a sudden heart attack. He was on duty at the time and the CPD took some comfort in knowing he was doing what he loved the most when he passed, just being a police dog. Jhon served with the CPD for four years and worked with two partners during his career, Sgt. Derek Foreman and Sgt. John Scott. He was a successful drug detection dog. He was awarded the Chief's Citation Award.
Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare (GVMH) welcomed Dr. Jeffrey McCollum as a family practice physician and Aaron Tjomsland, PA-C as a walk-in clinic provider at the Windsor Clinic in January.
The Henry County Commission opened bids for the bridge to be rebuilt at NE 301 Road. The low bid was $516,000 from Haile Excavating. The total amount the county will have spent on the bridge will run to about $600,000.
Eric Hankins of Clinton traveled to Washington, D. C. on January 6 to support President Trump. He was not part of the riot in the Capitol but went to listen to President Trump's speech. He didn't learn of the violence until he saw it on the news at the airport.
At 3:21 AM Tuesday, January 26, the Clinton Fire Department was dispatched to 211 N. Carter Street for a reported residential structure fire. The home was deemed a total loss. Fire crews were on the scene for approximately three hours.
The Clinton High School Girls Basketball team won the Clinton Invitational tournament title on January 29.
COVID Vaccine Distribution was held at the First Baptist Church in Clinton on Friday, February 5. It was reported that 1,781 shots were given.
Also in February, Madison Goucher was crowned as the Clinton High School Court-Mat Queen. Mason Huff was crowned as Court-Mat King. Brent Gray was crowned Prince and Cailey Spina was crowned Princess.
Madilynn Lippa of Montrose was named the Missouri state winner of the 2021 GROW-MARK essay contest for FFA members in February. The theme of this year's contest was "If you could invent a new technology to improve agriculture, what would it be?"
Noah Adams was selected to the WCMMEA District Jazz Honor Band. he will be eligible to audition to represent Clinton High School at the state level.
The Clinton Fire Department responded to 214 North 8th Street on March 9 at about 5:30 PM to a structure fire at an abandoned house.
The Missouri Highway Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control announced the arrest of Derek B. Roberts, 41 of Clinton on March 10 for possession of child pornography.
Members of the Clinton High School Honor Society volunteered several hours of their time on March 16 at the Henry County Museum. They helped spring clean at the DeLozier Building and the schoolhouse.
Also in March the Clinton Board of Education hired Brian Wishard as the 2021-2022 assistant superintendent. Wishard was an assistant superintendent for Student Services/Human Resources in the Warrensburg School District.
As of March 23 Missouri with a population of just over 6 million had over 10% of its population vaccinated fully (first and second dose). South Dakota, New Mexico and Alaska had the highest vaccination rate per 100 people in the states.
In April, James Mahlon White became the publisher of The Clinton Democrat. General manager is Tyler Simons. The newspaper is now printed each Wednesday in full color. The Democrat's new website is clintondailydemocrat.com.
In May, the Clinton School District announced that Jennifer Corson would be the new principal of Clinton Middle School beginning with the 2021-2022 school year. Jennifer has been an educator for 16 years. She spent her first eight years in the classroom as a middle school ELA and math teacher and has spent the last eight years as an administrator where she currently served as the Leeton R-X Middle/High School Principal.
The 148th Clinton High School graduation was held in May at the CHS gymnasium. Those graduating Summa Cum Laude included: Alana Alexander, Emma Gover, Hannah Harrelson, Katie Mitchell and Mackenzie Russell.
Principal Jerrod Steffens certified that all 137 seniors were eligible for graduation. The presentation of the diplomas concluded the ceremony.
The Henry County Health Center provided Shawnee R-III School District and the Calhoun School District R-VIII with new Automated External Defibrillator (AED) systems for each location. The purpose of an AED is to help those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest.
The Clinton School District announced that Frankie Jackson would be taking the position as Head Boys Basketball Coach for the coming school year. Jackson will also work in the district's Information Technology (IT) department. Coach Jackson spent the last three seasons as the head boys basketball coach at Butler High School.
The Henry County Museum lifted the veil on the World War I Exhibit in May. The exhibit emphasized Missouri's contribution to World War I.
The CHS 4 x 400 relay team won 7th place in the Missouri State Championship on Saturday, May 29 in Jefferson City. The CHS Cardinal relay team consisting of Sales, Wetzel, McCormack and Abernathy had already broken the school record by running a 3:29.61 taing first at the MRVC meet. They had been ranked #1 in Missouri Class 3 all season. J. Pl Abernathy, the fastest runner on the team, hurt his leg in the 400m race at Sectionals in Odessa and Coach Johnson had to call up an alternate for the relay team. Brant Bremer replaced Abernathy and helped his team win second at Sectionals and then move on to State where they medaled by taking seventh.
The Kansas City Chiefs mascot KC Wolf made an appearance in Montrose during the parade as the town commemorated 150 years since its creation in June.
A Clinton teen took home the title of Miss Missouri's Outstanding Teen in June at the Missouri Military Academy. After a week of preliminary competition in fitness, talent and interviews, the judges crowned Ashley Berry. The Clinton High School student is the daughter of Mark and Amy Berry of Clinton. She danced to an en pointe ballet for her talent.
Seven young men were recognized for attaining Eagle Scout status on June 27 at the Northeast Baptist church. They were Alex Clippard and Cory Garrison from Troop 430 and Nick Simmons, Nick Talbot, Kaleb Russell, Kyler Ryun and William Zimmer from Troop 225. They earned the highest achievement of rank attainable in the boys Scouts of America.
In July, Kennedy Early was crowned as the Queen of the Henry County Fair. Lauren Bailedy was crowned Pre-Queen and Brynn Manning was crowned Junior Queen.
Winestock 2021 at Primitive Olde Crow drew crowds of people on July 24 in spite of being the hottest day of the year. The free event, sponsored by Primitive Olde Crow and Winery at 32 SE Hwy. AA in Clinton, provided entertainment from 1 to 11 PM including bands and individuals, a bounce house for kids and of course wine, pizza and many other items on sale inside the bar and retail store.
In August, Clinton commemorated Missouri's Bicentennial. The popular Cruise Night event on the square was held one week early to accommodate the occasion. There were events all day Sunday which included a parade and fireworks.
Missouri was admitted as the 24th state on August 10, 1821. Part of the issue surrounding the state's admittance was the question of slavery. It led to what is now known as the Missouri Compromise.
In an effort to honor veterans of the past and present, Hawthorn Bank and Meadow Lake Country Club put their heads together and held the First Annual Veterans Charity Golf Scramble on Saturday, August 14, at the Country Club.
The Henry County Prosecuting Attorney's office announces that on August 12, 2021, Ahmad-Jamal Josiah Pelzer, age 26 of Clinton, was sentenced to serve a term of twenty-five years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for his conviction of one county of statutory sodomy in the first degree of a child less than twelve, 23 counts of possession of child pornography, and one county of the class A felony of sexual exploitation of a minor.
Clinton Public School District, the largest in Henry County, opened to approximately 1,800 students on August 25 with a lot of physical changes at campuses, and with some concern about the surge in the coronavirus.
Construction projects have been ongoing this summer using funds from a no-tax increase bond issue that passed on June 2, 2020 and CARES Federal Funds related to COVID-19 are providing enhancements at the Technical School. The projects are providing safety, improvements of existing classrooms, resurfacing and repairing of driveways and parking lots, improved learning environments through heating and air system upgrades, remodeling of restroom and locker room areas, and renovating and improving bleacher seating at athletic facilities.
“The front entrance to Clinton Intermediate School is being made safer and secure, said District Superintendent Destry Brown. “Old offices are being turned into classrooms, and replaced with new offices. There will be a new kitchen and cafeteria after roofing insulation material arrives at the site.”
Henry Elementary School is getting a new secure entrance, but the architecture of the building has allowed it to be completed without adding on to the building. Entrance to the school is now through the new office. Old office space is being turned into classrooms and office space for support staff. Henry Elementary School’s parking lot on the north of the building and the driveway south of the building are also being improved.
Superintendent Brown reported that improvements are being made at Clinton High School driveways, the asphalt and ceilings, and painting is about completed.
“Construction at the Clinton Technical School caused power and phone service outages at the Administration offices on July 30, and some of the staff were sent home for the day,” said Superintendent Brown. “That building houses the district phones and our server is there. The meter on the inside of the building is being replaced so it can better track electricity use...the district will replace the rest of the HVAC units in the Technical School to improve air flow.”
The Clinton Senior Center resumed indoor dining on September 13. The center welcomed adults 60 and older to dine indoors. The center was open for activities and meals from 9 AM to 3:30 PM Monday through Friday. Lunch is served from 11 AM to 1 PM. There were fewer tables than before and seating was limited because of social distancing protocols. Guests were requested to answer health questions about COVID exposure or symptoms and to sign a COVID waiver.
On September 16, Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft visited the Henry County Library. The library has undergone some significant upgrades and revisions over the last two years, and Ashcroft, having heard about that, decided he needed a tour.
The Clinton High School football coach announced in September that Cardinal Football is playing a Junior Varsity only schedule this year with a team primarily made up of freshman and sophomore players. Football will play varsity again starting next year.
As long as students at a school building have their positive Covid numbers under 5 percent, the mask mandate is removed and mask wearing is optional.
This became effective for October 26, the day following the meeting on October 25, during the school board meeting held in the performing arts center at the high school in Clinton.
Parker Mills, president of the board for the district, opened the meeting and the board went to that detail as their first item of business.
“The motion passed 6-0,” said Mills.
Superintendent Destry Brown recommended the 5 percent figure, and wrote the figure into the agenda as an action item.
“I built our wording with reference to the plan in the Warrensburg School District,” said Brown. “They are going with a 3 percent figure.”
According to school district figures, every school is below 5 percent allowing almost all students to attend without wearing a mask.
Students who have been exposed to another student who tested positive for Covid, may still attend if they participate in the “Test to Stay” program.
These students, following a negative for Covid testing, must wear a mask and are allowed to attend class.
However if they are in a sport, they must test negative just prior to the game or activity in order to participate.
The only people wearing masks during the board meeting were the board members and just a few in the crowd.
Opposition to past Covid decisions of the school board, was the point of podium speaker Michael Rosiere on November 22 at the school board meeting, held in the middle school library in Clinton.
Asking for and receiving permission to speak for five minutes, rather than three, Rosiere politely and firmly stated his beliefs to the elected members.
“I believe mask wearing should always be optional,” said Rosiere. “This age group (school age children) have the least risk of serious illness (from Covid).”
Vaccines are now available for almost all children.
Voters in the City of Clinton approved the limited sales tax for the purpose of renovating and repairing the outdoor Artesian Park pool, on Tuesday, November 2. There were no long lines at the voting center (the Clinton Benson Center) for most of the day. This was the only voting location available for this special election.
One poll worker described it as “a trickle” of people that came in to vote. A single voter did show up at one minute before the polls closed at 7 p.m. to vote (and did vote).
The breakdown: there were 50 absentee ballots cast for the park tax issue, 33 of those were “yes” to 17 “no”.
Of the remaining 578 votes cast, 343 were “yes” to 235 “no”. The total voter turnout for this election was 12.45%, of the 5,067 eligible registered voters in city limits. Please remember that this passed park tax is limited and will only run for 5 years. It would require voter approval at the 5 year sunset to continue after that.
Four members of the Clinton High School FFA Chapter competed on a national level in November where they were ultimately named the best in the nation.
The CHS Horse Judging Team, consisting of Alana Alexander, Riley Heerdink, Camryn Kemper and Caroline Wagoner, competed against the best of the best at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis in November. To get to this national stage, these students began preparing for contests in the summer of 2020. Since then, they have remained undefeated in every horse judging contest they have competed in. When they were named state champions last spring, they punched their ticket to the national competition.
The national competition began with a virtual team activity in September, which consisted of five equine science practicums and a breed & tack identification exam. During last week’s in-person portion of the national contest, students judged eight classes (five performance classes and three halter classes) and presented four sets of oral reasons. Team member Alana Alexander placed 7th in the nation and was 5th in oral reasons. Riley Heerdink placed 8th in the nation and was 3rd in halter and 3rd in oral reasons. As a team these students ranked first, making them the 2021 undefeated national champions!
Two Clinton Youth Football teams won the West Central Championships. On Saturday, Nov. 6 the Cardinal 4th grade team beat P. Hill 6-0 and the 5th grade team beat P. Hill 12-6. Coach Dana Banks commented, “Today these boys (4th grade) played an undefeated and really tough Pleasant Hill Football team. They played with a ton of grit and came away with the win. This group of players finished the season 8-0 while outscoring their opponents 249-0. To go 8 straight games at any level of football, and not allow a single point, is some-thing that’s rarely accomplished and very special to witness." Coach Banks went on to say, " I want to thank all the fans that made the trip to support us not only this game, but all sea-son long, and you always brought the noise. "
The Cardinal 5th Grade team also worked hard all season, getting better every game on their way to their second West Central Youth Football Championship in the last three years, beating a tough Pleasant Hill team 12-6 to claim the title! The Clinton fans would have to say it was Cardinal Day at Rooster Stadium.
In December, the Clinton High School FFA Chapter was excited to announce that students will soon have the opportunity to learn what it takes to raise and maintain livestock at school.
The proposed school farm will sit on 5 acres to the south of the high school. As of now, the plans are to raise, breed, show, and sell livestock. The school will start with one horse to breed, and a few steers for students to feed out, show this summer, and sell for profit that will fund next year's steer purchase. The school farm has the potential to become a larger scale livestock production operation in the future.
"Starting this facility is a dream of mine. My goal is to provide students with the opportunity to learn about raising livestock right here at school. This farm is going to teach kids things that no textbook can. I have many students who do not have the space or ability to have livestock at home, so having a place where they can have these experiences and learn these skills at school is vital to their future in the agriculture industry," says Tanner Robertson, FFA advisor.
Also in December Amy Gifford was named the Editor in Chief of The Clinton Daily Democrat. James Mahlon White is the publisher.
As we approach 2022, we at the Democrat wish you a Happy New Year and ask you to keep reading The Clinton Democrat, your local news source.
