So here it is the first week of March, and I’m looking ahead to all we’ve got going on here at Citizen headquarters this month and... well, I need a nap.
Actually, it’s all pretty exciting.
This week, we’re covering the West Platte Bluejays boys basketball team as it heads for Columbia with a perfect 29-0 record. The Jays need two more wins to notch an undefeated state championship, a rare feat that hasn’t happened in Platte County high school sports since the last of the Platte County football team’s back-to-back-to-back undefeated state football championships in 2002.
While finishing a season undefeated is an incredible accomplishment in any sport at any level, I would have to say that doing it in basketball just might trump football, simply because a basketball team will play more than twice as many games.
At any rate, Citizen assistant editor Jason Lawrence has his bag packed and is heading to CoMo for a few days to bring you Bluejays coverage you just can’t find anywhere else. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @JLawrence23.
And that’s not all.
In the coming weeks, we will bring you complete April 2 General Municipal and School Board Election preview coverage, The Citizen’s annual Spring Sports Outlook March 20 and our Spring Home Improvement Guide March 27.
Fasten your seatbelts, Platte County.
NEW PARK HILL A.D.? Ever since longtime Park Hill football coach Greg Reynolds announced he was stepping down to pursue other opportunities and Park Hill athletic director Bill Sobbe said he was retiring, we’ve been wondering: will Reynolds be the next Trojans A.D.?
Apparently not.
The Citizen’s Matt Pepper is reporting that Trojans wrestling coach Bill Erneste will take over the A.D. post. Is he going to remain wrestling coach?
Stay tuned.
HOW PERCEPTIVE I had to laugh the other night when I saw some TV coverage of Mitt Romney emerging from seclusion. In an interview featuring Mitt and his wife, Ann said she and her husband had gotten over the hurt of losing last November’s election.
“Our lives are going to be fine,” she said. “But it’s the country we’re worried about.”
And why might that be, Mrs. Romney? Oh yeah, almost forgot — you have $500 million to comfort you while the 99 percentile which make up the “country” doesn’t.
And you wonder how your husband lost the election?
STATE OF PLATTE CITY Last week, Platte City Mayor Frank Offutt gave a State of the City address to the Platte City Lions Club. The Mayor invited me to attend, but, alas, I could not make it.
I have, however, had a look at the Power Point presentation he gave at the meeting. It covers much of the same ground the State of the City report provided to us by Platte City City Administrator DJ Gehrt for our annual progress edition, “Spotlight: Platte County” last week. That said, I plan on doing a full report on it as soon as I get the chance to follow up with the mayor.
In the meantime, here’s a few things from Offutt’s address for Platte City residents to nibble on.
The City’s 2013 budget is $6.2 million, which will be funded by $6.3 million in revenues, $2.2 million of which comes from sales tax. The City’s debt totals $7.5 million and it has fund balances of $10 million.
And, like I have alerted you about in this space recently, a major land acquisition/development deal east of Interstate 29 looms on the horizon. More on this later.
Thanks for reading.