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JANUARY
Jan. 14 – Plans to build a proposed detention center were scrapped when the development group’s lawyer withdrew an application to Independence’s Community Development Department. The plan to build the center, which would have gone on a vacant 46-acre site on the east side of Blue Ridge Boulevard, was nixed because residents in the neighborhood had strong objections that a jail would have a negative impact on public safety.
Jan. 21 – The Blue Springs High School Golden Regiment Marching Band made history when it performed in the Inaugural Parade for President Barack Obama on the day he became the nation’s 44th president. The band, which was one of 47 marching bands invited, was the only high school marching band from Missouri that was invited.
Jan. 22 – Danial M. Rinehart was accused of repeatedly impregnating his daughter and then neglecting the infants to the point that they died. Rinehart, who grew up in Blue Springs and had lived in Independence, was charged with second-degree murder, endangering the welfare of a child, statutory rape, two counts of incest and two counts of accessory abandonment of a corpse. His trial is scheduled for April 19, 2010.
FEBRUARY
Feb. 3 – School bond issues passed in Blue Springs and Grain Valley. Blue Springs will make improvements and additions at most buildings. Grain Valley will begin construction of a middle school.
Feb. 6 – Independence City Manager Robert Heacock was suspended for 10 days following his arrest on charges of driving while intoxicated. Heacock said took a leave to seek treatment for what he said is an alcohol problem. The suspension cost Heacock about $7,800 in his base pay. He had been arrested Jan. 28 in Lee’s Summit.
Feb. 10 – Millicent Daugherty died at 79. “I will say that Millicent was the backbone of the Bingham Academy of the Arts,” said longtime friend Ron Clemons.
Feb. 13 – The developers of Parkway West and Parkway Place sought $11.1 million in damages from the city of Blue Springs and Council Member Ron Fowler. The dispute is over a 1 percent sales tax to pay for improvement in the area.
Feb. 16 – The city of Independence approved plans for a gated community at the site of the old Medical Center of Independence. It will be marketed to active seniors.
Feb. 20 – After months of searching, the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce has a new executive director. Lara Vermillion has been named to the post and will start in mid-March.
Feb. 25 – The economy continued to take a toll on local government. Five months into its fiscal year, Blue Springs has seen a 10 percent drop in sales taxes, a drop of about $250,000. The city has a budget of $51 million.
JANUARY
Jan. 14 – Plans to build a proposed detention center were scrapped when the development group’s lawyer withdrew an application to Independence’s Community Development Department. The plan to build the center, which would have gone on a vacant 46-acre site on the east side of Blue Ridge Boulevard, was nixed because residents in the neighborhood had strong objections that a jail would have a negative impact on public safety.
Jan. 21 – The Blue Springs High School Golden Regiment Marching Band made history when it performed in the Inaugural Parade for President Barack Obama on the day he became the nation’s 44th president. The band, which was one of 47 marching bands invited, was the only high school marching band from Missouri that was invited.
Jan. 22 – Danial M. Rinehart was accused of repeatedly impregnating his daughter and then neglecting the infants to the point that they died. Rinehart, who grew up in Blue Springs and had lived in Independence, was charged with second-degree murder, endangering the welfare of a child, statutory rape, two counts of incest and two counts of accessory abandonment of a corpse. His trial is scheduled for April 19, 2010.
FEBRUARY
Feb. 3 – School bond issues passed in Blue Springs and Grain Valley. Blue Springs will make improvements and additions at most buildings. Grain Valley will begin construction of a middle school.
Feb. 6 – Independence City Manager Robert Heacock was suspended for 10 days following his arrest on charges of driving while intoxicated. Heacock said took a leave to seek treatment for what he said is an alcohol problem. The suspension cost Heacock about $7,800 in his base pay. He had been arrested Jan. 28 in Lee’s Summit.
Feb. 10 – Millicent Daugherty died at 79. “I will say that Millicent was the backbone of the Bingham Academy of the Arts,” said longtime friend Ron Clemons.
Feb. 13 – The developers of Parkway West and Parkway Place sought $11.1 million in damages from the city of Blue Springs and Council Member Ron Fowler. The dispute is over a 1 percent sales tax to pay for improvement in the area.
Feb. 16 – The city of Independence approved plans for a gated community at the site of the old Medical Center of Independence. It will be marketed to active seniors.
Feb. 20 – After months of searching, the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce has a new executive director. Lara Vermillion has been named to the post and will start in mid-March.
Feb. 25 – The economy continued to take a toll on local government. Five months into its fiscal year, Blue Springs has seen a 10 percent drop in sales taxes, a drop of about $250,000. The city has a budget of $51 million.
Feb. 28 – Blue Springs High School senior Kailtin July scored a perfect 36 on the ACT, a popular college-admissions test. She plans to attend Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo. Only five college-bound seniors in the state scored a 36 this year.
MARCH
March 2 – The Independence School District started its Go Green Recycling Initiative in partnership with Deffenbaugh Industries. The initiative provided at least one recycling bin at every school facility in the district.
March 3 – The Examiner became a morning newspaper after more than 110 years of delivering the paper in the afternoon. The paper has been the voice of Eastern Jackson County since 1898. The switch was announced in February.
March 5 – The Community Services League started its fundraising campaign for a new central headquarters at the now-vacant 404 N. Noland Road building. The capital campaign aimed to raise $2.5 million for the future 14,000-square-foot facility.
March 7 – Jeffery P. Johnson, 19, was shot and killed near Benton Park in central Independence. John Fuimaono, 19, admitted to interfering with a criminal investigation by hiding a .44-caliber revolver that was used to gun down Johnson. David A. Miller Jr., Edgar Herrera, Mauricio Lopez and Rolle M. Hanks were each charged in the shooting that left Johnson dead and left Tony Mills wounded. The case is still pending.
March 16 – Blue Springs Mayor Carson Ross broke a tie on the City Council regarding a development on Adams Dairy Parkway known as Parkway Place and Parkway West. Council Member Ron Fowler asked the council to reconsider the $20 million development after he had abstained his vote at a January meeting. The January vote was 3-2 in favor of the taxing district, but four votes were needed for a six-member council to have a majority. The developers had sued Fowler and the city, alleging violations of due process. That lawsuit was dropped.
March 24 – Jackson County and Independence leaders marked the tearing down of the walls surrounding the historic Truman Courthouse in a ceremony. The renovations, which included the addition of new parking spaces on the Independence Square, were completed in time for the annual Santa-Cali-Gon Days festival in September.
APRIL
April 6 – Independence officials continued to negotiate with representatives of an ownership group for the hockey franchise that will eventually serve as an anchor tenant in the new Independence Events Center.
April 10 – A federal grand jury indicted a former Jackson County sheriff’s deputy, Steven W. Burgess, who reportedly sodomized a teenage girl while on duty. He later pleaded guilty in federal court. Under the plea agreement, he is expected to be sentenced to 14 years in prison without parole.
April 20 – Missouri Department of Transportation signs now proclaim Blue Springs to be the home of “American Idol” winner David Cook. The signs are on Interstate 70.
MAY
May 6 – Former President Bill Clinton accepted the 2009 Harry S. Truman Public Service Award. It is given to those showing outstanding public service.
May 6 – The first case of the 2009 H1N1 virus, or swine flu, was reported in Eastern Jackson County. Later in the month, a case was reported at Luff Elementary School in the Independence School District as well as one at Lucy Franklin Elementary School in the Blue Springs School District. Although no schools were closed, additional cleaning was done to prevent outbreaks.
May 11 – More than 200 people attended “Happy Birthday, Harry!,” which honored Harry S. Truman’s 125th birthday.
May 20 – Dennis Skillicorn was executed by lethal injection for the 1994 murder of Richard Drummond. Drummond, a business man from Excelsior Springs, had stopped to help Skillicorn and two other men when their car broke down on Interstate 70 in Callaway Country.
May 21 – Oak Grove Superintendent James Haley resigned. Freddie Doherty was hired to replace Haley.
May 28 – Brent Henderson, an eighth grader at Moreland Ridge Middle School, was knocked out of the fifth round of the 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
JUNE
June 12 – The Sonic Drive-In on Woods Chapel Road in Blue Springs was the site of a commercial shoot that featured “two guys” in a vehicle. The humorous commercials feature two people inside a vehicle who are eating Sonic food and making wisecracks.
June 25 – It’s all in the name. The Missouri Mavericks. It was one of more than 1,000 names submitted by the public in a “name that team” contest sponsored by The Examiner. Jim Collings of Platte City won the contest, winning a $2,000 shopping spree at Independence Center.
June 27 – Former Kansas City Chiefs player Richard Baldinger slammed into a vehicle on U.S. 40 that killed Marilyn L. Walters, 61, of Grain Valley. Baldinger later was charged with misdemeanor careless driving and pleaded guilty to the charge. A judge sentenced him to community service and placed him on two years probation.
JULY
July 1 – Mark Enderlie has taken over as superintendent of the Fort Osage School District. He was previously superintendent in Fulton, Mo.
July 6 – Independence opened a section of Jackson Drive from 37th Terrace to R.D. Mize Road, and plans are already in place for work on Jackson north to Holke Road.
July 7 – The state closed the bridge on the Missouri River that carries northbound traffic on Missouri 291. Officials said emergency repairs were needed. All traffic was put on the newer of the two spans there, the one just to the west that normally carries just soundbound traffic. The repairs were completed in the fall.
July 8 – Independence School District officials continued to mull the idea of a fourth high school, but that’s just one of many ideas for a possible $85 million bond issue. The district, taking advantage of one-time federal stimulus funds, ultimately went to the voters with plans for two new elementaries, improvements to other schools and refinancing some debt. The voters approved that package in November.
July 15 – It’s official: Blue Springs, with 55,698 residents, is the 10th largest city in Missouri. The city has grown from 25,936 in 1980.
July 16 – Glenn Binger passed away at age 78. The former state representative was remembered for his patriotism and long-time involvement in civic affairs.
July 18 – In an effort reminiscent of the 2008 “Extreme School Makeover,” the Independence School District held “Project Shine,” in which volunteers spent two days spiffing up five schools over two days.
July 22 – A man wielding a two-foot hatchet has been at the center of a string of recent robberies. He has robbed two sandwich shops and two motels in four days.
July 27 – The Blue Springs Planning Commission approved plans for an Olive Garden. It will join restaurants on Coronado Drive west of Adams Dairy Parkway.
July 29 – The Independence home where Oscar-winning actress and dancer Ginger Rogers was born is up for sale – but not getting much attention. A real estate agent said even the asking price of $20,000 wasn’t working.
AUGUST
Aug. 4 – Independence voters overwhelmingly defeated a sales tax increase that would have funded additional police officers, equipment, facilities and technology. City officials reiterated that public safety remained the No. 1 concern in Independence.
Aug. 6 – Eleven school districts in Jackson County sued the county, alleging the assessment practices on personal, residential and commercial properties resulted in significant financial losses. Jackson County asked the Circuit Court to drop the lawsuit, arguing it would cause an “illegal tax increase.” Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Michael Manners ruled against the schools.
Aug. 10 – About 300 people crammed into the Blue Springs South branch of the Mid-Continent Public Library for an opportunity to ask questions and receive information from U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill’s office on health care reform.
Aug. 15 – Independence resident Steven A. Bertling, 26, was attacked and killed while playing basketball in the early morning hours at 11400 E. 24th St. Two Blue Springs residents Joseph P. Delgado, 20, and Jacob W. Shaffer, 18; and Independence residents Justin M. Trotter, 21, and Michael W. Russi, 18, were charged in connection with Bertling’s death. The case is still pending.
Aug. 28 – A new Missouri law went into effect prohibiting residents 21 years old and younger from sending, reading or writing an electronic message while driving.
SEPTEMBER
Sept. 2 – Trammell Crow, the master developer hired to design the Missouri Innovation Park, left the project due to economic conditions. Developers would eventually find another master developer and push the project forward.
Sept. 11 – The eighth year anniversary of the terrorist attracts was recognized throughout the country. In Blue Springs, resident Jill Hyson recounts her story about being a nurse at the Pentagon that morning, helping save the life of another during the attack.
Sept. 15 – Blue Springs students were named National Merit Semi-finalists. Eleven high school students in Eastern Jackson County are named.
Sept. 17 – A 24-year-old Jackson County woman died from the H1N1 virus. He was the first Jackson Countian and just the second Missourian to die from the strain of influenza also known as swine flu.
Sept. 18 – MoKAN Dock Dogs premiered at the Blue Springs Fall Fun Festival. It was a huge hit, drawing people from all over the Kansas City area – and beyond
Sept. 23 – Independence resident Mary Apple’s heart-shaped potato appeared on the Late Night with David Letterman show. President Obama took notice of it, too, on the show.
Sept. 28 – Twenty-seven people were arrested in what Independence police called the largest prostitution ring in the city’s history. Thirteen men were arrested for paying for sex and 14 women were arrested for accepting payment.
OCTOBER
Oct. 1 – Lafarge announced that it would temporarily shut down its mine, most of its mills and the kiln at its Sugar Creek plant, resulting in 35 layoffs. The plant has about 100 workers.
Oct. 6 – Blue Springs residents and officials celebrated the grand opening of Target on Adams Dairy Parkway. The project is part of a large retail development, Adams Dairy Landing.
Oct. 8 – The Salvation Army in Independence was forced to shut down its food pantry for several days because of a lack of items needed to stock the shelves. The pantry later reopened after donations poured in from the community.
Oct. 10 – Officials with Jackson County unveiled plans for a commuter rail system through the Kansas City metropolitan area. The system would use tracks already in place and include stops throughout Eastern Jackson County. Plans call for the system to be up and running in about two years.
Oct. 15 – Bryan Pratt, R-Blue Springs, announced his plans to seek the Republic nomination for the 8th District of the Missouri Senate. Currently representing the 54th District in the Missouri House of Representatives, he will seek the seat now held by Republican Matt Bartle.
Oct. 20 – Jordan Smith, a fifth grader at Maple Elementary, died from complications of H1N1 influenza. Jackson County confirmed his cause of death in December.
Oct. 27 – Slade Morlang, associate principal at Blue Springs High School, died unexpectedly. He had worked at the high school since 1996.
Oct. 29 – Makenzie R. Green, a junior at Grain valley High School, was found in St. Joseph, after being reported missing. Although initially thought to be abducted by her ex-boyfriend, no charges were ever filed. An Amber Alert was issued in the disappearance.
NOVEMBER
Nov. 3 – Two significant ballot issues for Eastern Jackson County passed easily on Election Day. The COMBAT tax, a quarter-cent sales tax collected countywide, passed 68 percent to 31 percent. The tax funds anti-drug and crime initiatives. The Independence School District’s $85 million bond measure that will build two elementary schools and additional classrooms at existing elementary schools passed 68 percent to 31 percent.
Nov. 7 – The Independence Events Center officially was unveiled to the public as hundreds got a peek inside the new $68 million facility. The events center was celebrated by city officials who spoke at the grand opening ceremony, with mayor Don Reimal saying “what a great day for Independence.”
Nov. 11 – Five members of the same family, four brothers and their father, were accused of child sex crimes that revealed allegations of rape, mock weddings and bestiality that happened in the late 1980s and 1990s on a family farm in rural Bates City. Charged were Burrell Mohler Sr., Burrell Mohler Jr., Roland Mohler, David Mohler, Jared Mohler and later a sixth man, Darrel Mohler.
DECEMBER
Dec. 1 – Six area school districts received the Distinction in Performance Award for their annual accreditation reviews from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. These included Blue Springs, Independence, Fort Osage, Lee’s Summit, Oak Grove and Grain Valley.
Dec. 9 – Blue Springs police charged Ryan S. Blevins with forgery after he allegedly deceived a Blue Springs woman by getting her to deposit a fake check in her bank account. Known as the “Raytown Romeo,” Blevins was placed on probation in 2003 for swindling 22 women out of approximately $90,000.
Dec. 17 – Former director of the Blue Springs Public Works Department Gordon Braun died unexpectedly. In addition to being department director and zoning administrator. He held the same position in Jackson County.
Dec. 18 – The Kansas City School District sued the Independence School District, claiming Independence owes $5.6 million in the transfer of seven schools that took place in July 2008.
