2011 Star-Journal News Index [The Daily Star-Journal, Warrensburg, Mo.]

Jan. 05--WARRENSBURG -- The first and second quarters of 2011 brought a blizzard and tornadoes, and the third quarter brought deadly flooding that took a Highway Patrol trooper's life, and crop-killing heat.

Other news included the public donating instruments to support the Chilhowee band, completion of most renovations at Warrensburg City Hall and more than $20,000 being raised to fight cancer through Relay for Life.

A look back at the third quarter of 2011 follows...

JULY

July 1: Without giving a reason, after a nine-year relationship, Warrensburg City Council fired City Manager Jeff Hancock.

-- The Warrensburg Parks Board agreed to consider a public breast-feeding policy.

July 5: The Missouri Department of Transportation announced plans to start nighttime resurfacing of Maguire Street in preparation for turning over the section of highway to Warrensburg.

July 6: An evaluation of Warrensburg police dog Nick suggested epilepsy.

-- The Missouri Economic Development Corp. chose Johnson County Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Tracy Brantner as president.

July 7: The County Commission, contrary to state law that requires an announcement after three days, waited 11 days to announce the firing of Emergency Services Director Steve Moody.

July 8: Ray Diekmeier retired and Diana Hoemann took his place as executive director at Care Connection for Aging Services.

July 11: Warrensburg city officials moved into renovated City Hall offices.

July 12: Loren Albert Page, 20, Holden, faced first-degree, involuntary manslaughter after the traffic death of passenger Randy F. Harbison, 20, Holden.

-- Warrensburg police decided to exchange the police dog, Nick, ill with epilepsy, for a new dog.

July 13: Heiman grain elevator and feed mill burned quickly and completely in an early-morning fire July 12. Owner Jerome Heiman said he planned to rebuild.

July 14: Holden'sStumble Inn owner, Charles Heaper, accused the City Council of nepotism for refusing to vote on letting him to sell liquor by the drink.

July 15: The archdiocese removed Sacred Heart priest James "Jim" Urbanic, due to allegations of sexual misconduct from years earlier in another parish.

July 18: The Missouri Veterans Home system faced a funding shortfall that could, if unchecked, force the Warrensburg facility to close in 2013.

-- The Gold defeated the Blue, 29-14, in the annual Lions Club All Star football game for high school students at the University of Central Missouri.

-- The South defeated the North in 13-3 in the annual Lions Club All Star baseball game for high school students at UCM, with Holden'sDavid Carter winning the MVP title for the South.

July 19: Relay for Life raised almost $21,000 at the University of Central Missouri's Wellness Center.

-- A new group to fight homelessness took the name Johnson County Cares.

July 20: U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler said social service cuts likely would follow the Cut, Cap, Balance bill she supported, but CCB went DOA, as President Obama said he would veto the measure.

July 21: Howard School fundraising remained limited while the building continued to fall into disrepair. Howard is one of two Freedman schools extant in Missouri.

July 22: Sen. David Pearce said the funding threat to veterans homes is serious, but the state would find funds to keep the homes operating in 2013.

July 25: Western Missouri Medical Center reported June as a "horrendous" month fiscally for the hospital.

July 26: The Western Missouri Medical Center board fired President and CEO Craig Marks.

July 27: Although the hospital's patient building addition exterior appears close to completion, full occupancy is not expected until December 2012.

-- Warrensburg replaced the police dog, Nick, with a new dog, Jerry.

July 28: Warrensburg School District finished the 2010-'11 fiscal year by building rather than depleting reserves, something not expected to continue.

-- The County Commission named Gloria Michalski to head Emergency Management.

July 29: The Parks Board adopted a breast-feeding policy.

AUGUST

Aug. 1: Green film atop post-dredged Lion's Lake acts as protection against evaporation, David Flick of Terra Technologies said.

Aug. 2: The new county jail operated more than $170,000 in the red.

Aug. 3: Obama signed a bill to raise the national debt ceiling, with Sen. Roy Blunt voting yes and Hartzler voting no.

-- The state required the county to raise most business property assessments by 30 percent.

Aug. 4: Missouri River floodwater claimed the life of Fred F. Guthrie, 46, a Knob Noster graduate who became a highway patrolman and decorated hero.

Aug. 5: Sheriff Chuck Heiss said the jail had begun renting space to house inmates from elsewhere.

Aug. 8: A Knob Noster woman, Robyn L. Bailey, 26, faced first-degree involuntary manslaughter, child endangerment and drug charges after her son, Justin Bailey, 1 month, died in an October 2009 apartment fire. She placed his car seat carrier on top of the kitchen stove, which ignited the seat.

Aug. 9: A hit-and-run driver struck and left James Chapman, 23, Warrensburg, on a respirator. Chapman said he hoped police would find the driver.

Aug. 10: UCM again appeared to have reached record fall enrollment.

Aug. 11: Hartzler listened and spoke to the public at a Warrensburg town hall meeting.

-- Holden Mayor Mike Wakeman broke a tie to grant a resort license for liquor sales to the Stumble Inn.

Aug. 12: The Kids Closet Connection and YES united to provide a communitywide, indoor "garage sale" of used, name-brand toys and clothes in time for back-to-school shoppers.

Aug. 15: Landon Gross, 10, and sister Victoria Gross, 8, put on a concert that raised funds to buy treated mosquito nets to protect sleeping children in Africa.

Aug. 16: A new law designed to combat sexual predators appeared to limit electronic communication between teachers and students.

Aug. 17: Hundreds of people provided thousands of dollars in donations to charities at a Warrensburg event, Launch Mission G19:1.

Aug. 18: A fundraiser for the Johnson County Regional Health Clinic raised about $2,400</money>.

Aug. 19: Warrensburg schools remained mired in a remediation program mandated by the federal government because some "subgroups" of students did not meet arbitrary academic progress rules, but at the same time the district received scores leading to Accreditation With Distinction from the state for overall education quality.

-- The health department worried that less money for vaccinations could cause more sickness within the population.

Aug. 22: Johnson County Board of Services began efforts to move employees from seniority-based to market-based pay.

-- Advocates reported they could not open a homeless shelter by October.

Aug. 23: Warrensburg City Council lowered operating and park levies.

-- Johnson County Cares reported the city's homeless count of 75 seemed low, thinking 125 sounded right.

Aug. 24: Angelina Hall, 5, became the first student off the first bus on the first day at the new Maple Grove Elementary School in Warrensburg.

Aug. 25: An area woman sold a document autographed by Abraham Lincoln and William H. Seward for "roughly $2,500" to a traveling collectibles show in Warrensburg.

Aug. 26: Surprising enrollment growth, reaching a record of 300, led Warrensburg School District to add two kindergarten teachers after the start of the school year.

-- New maps placed more county properties in a flood plain, raising insurance issues.

-- After nearly 33 years with the post office, David Kesinger announced he would retire in Warrensburg on Sept. 1.

Aug. 29: Western Missouri Medical Center left the levy the same for the 10th year in a row.

Aug. 30: Board members heard hospital construction is on schedule.

Aug. 31: Social media and jobs became main reasons Gov. Jay Nixon might call a special session.

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 1: Nixon called a special session.

Sept. 2: The first known carjacking in Holden history ended with a suspect, Justin D. Parker, being arrested about 90 minutes later in Kansas City.

-- Johnson County borrowed from one fund to support another.

Sept. 6: The Missouri Highway Patrol reviewed records at Warrensburg City Hall for reasons never made clear.

Sept. 7: Someone robbed First Community Bank, 612 N. Maguire St.

Sept. 8: Holden moved toward doubling the water reconnection fee to $50 to deal with deadbeats.

-- The Show Me Justice Film Festival drew entries from 21 countries and six continents.

Sept. 9: Prior to the 10th anniversary, Warrensburg residents discussed Sept. 11, 2001.

Sept. 12: Warrensburg police and firefighters conducted a ceremony in remembrance of first responders who lost their lives Sept. 11, 2001.

Sept. 13: State law allowed Chilhowee and Water District 2 officials to negotiate a public contract in private.

Sept. 14: Shirley Williams alleged in a lawsuit that daughter Darlene Sue Smith-Babcock died due to negligence while in jail and prison custody.

-- Holden Superintendent Mike Ringen announced he would retire at the end of the school year.

-- The area's first mouse races to benefit the American Heart Association raised $4,000.

Sept. 15: Law enforcers in Texas arrested David R. Burke, 40, suspected of robbing First Community Bank in Warrensburg and other banks.

-- The Missouri Senate decided to change the "Facebook law" by leaving policy decisions -- about how to police the use of social media by teachers -- to each school district.

Sept. 16: The Senate passed, but the House fretted, about a jobs bill package.

-- UCM posted an official record enrollment of 11,749.

Sept. 19: The Johnson County Fairgrounds board warned lack of income and volunteers could force the fairgrounds to close in 2012, but the next day members said they would not do so.

Sept. 20: Mayor Baird Brock said the council could opt for a city manager selection process that includes public input.

Sept. 21: Heiss said he is not to blame for his department's fiscal problems.

-- Warrensburg School Board heard 20 percent of students received either a free or reduced-price lunch.

-- Charlene Atkins received a Presidential Award for Excellence nomination.

Sept. 22: Three weeks into the special session, Pearce and Rep. Denny Hoskins said jobs bill passage seemed likely.

Sept. 23: Heat killed the grape crop at Montserrat Vineyards.

Sept. 26: People donated instruments to assist Chilhowee School District, which lacked money to make purchases.

-- Artist Rita Blitt donated "Fantasy," a sculpture, to UCM.

Sept. 27: The Warrensburg hospital board named John Smolen president and chief executive officer.

-- For a tax scam, a federal judge sentenced the former manager of El Vaquero restaurant in Warrensburg, Ismael Onate, to 18 months in prison.

Sept. 28: Johnson County Ambulance District bought land at Knob Noster to build an ambulance facility.

-- Warrensburg resident Peggy Brown gave the City Council reasons not to pursue a trap/kill policy for feral cats.

Sept. 29: Gunfire hit three people on U.S. 50 after an altercation at a Knob Noster bar.

Sept. 30: The prospect of a large-scale chicken farm coming to a rural site, where there is no zoning, near Warrensburg, upset neighbors.

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