Junior quarterback Peyton Soria signals a touchdown Saturday afternoon as running back Jackson Creason’s fourth-quarter touchdown made it 33-12 to ice the game for the Tigers in their win over Warrensburg. (Photo by Bryce Mereness)
See the Tuesday, August 23 issue of The Standard for full game coverage!
-Bryce Mereness
It won’t be long and visitors to downtown Excelsior Springs will have a beautiful mural to view once work is completed at the Carolyn Schutte Pocket Park.
According to Downtown Excelsior Partnership Executive Director Lyndsey Baxter, the DEP has recently commissioned local artist Jacob Duncan to paint a mural in the park.
“The Downtown Excelsior Partnership has received a certificate of appropriateness approval from the Excelsior Springs Historic Preservation Commission regarding the proposed mural for the Carolyn Schutte Pocket Park,” Baxter said.
The mural, which will be painted on the exterior of Bross & Spidle Funeral Home and is located on the side of the building, is based on the concept of water.
“The design of the mural has been sourced from photographs of actual Excelsior Springs landmarks, most notably featuring graphic depictions of architectural elements from the Hall of Waters, Regent Springs and Siloam Spring Pavilion,” said Baxter.
Local artist Kevin Morgan is credited with the many photos that inspired Duncan in the development of the mural image. Duncan’s artwork is not entirely new to the downtown area. The Excelsior resident also painted a mural located on the west wall of Ventana Gourmet Grill.
According to Baxter, Duncan has a proposed completion date for the mural in late September. He began work last week.
Stephen (Steve) Robert Hanson, age 69, of Roseville, Michigan, formerly of Excelsior Springs, Missouri, died unexpectedly Thursday August 18, 2016, in his home. He was born in Janesville, Wisconsin on April 3, 1947, the son of La Verne and Mary Ellen (McCabe) Hanson and was a 1965 graduate of Joseph A. Craig High School, in Janesville. Shortly after graduating he enlisted in the United States Air Force in July 1965, serving very proudly in the Vietnam War as a Jet Engine Mechanic with the 3rd FLD Maintenance Squadron and attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant then, honorably leaving the Air Force in July 1969. Steve married the love of his life, Jane Ann Moore, on June 22, 1967, in Topeka, Kansas. After leaving the Air Force, they moved to the Kansas City, Missouri area, finally settling in Excelsior Springs in 1973, where they raised their four children. His wife preceded him in death on July 24, 2014. Steve was employed at Ford Motor Company in Claycomo for 33 years, until his retirement in 2005.
Steve loved his friends and coworkers from the Ford Motor Co. He was active in, and believed mightily in, the United Auto Workers Union (UAW) – Local 249. Steve loved to make new friends. As a proud Vietnam War Veteran, he never missed a chance to talk to, take care of, and reminisce with other veterans. He was a member and ardent supporter of the National League of POW/MIA. His military service and fondness for helping others led him to serve as a reservist for the Excelsior Springs Police Department, and the Missouri National Guard from late 1970 to mid-1980. Inspired by his love of people and his strong faith, Steve was an active member of First United Methodist Church of Excelsior Springs as a Sunday School teacher with his wife, Jane, as well as serving as caretaker when needed.
Rising early most every day, he could be found down at his favorite spot, the Mill Inn Restaurant, enjoying an extended breakfast with his buddies. His caring, approachable, and friendly way, resulted in him gathering friends wherever he went. He was a loving husband, father, friend, and person and his hearty laugh and smile will be missed by many.
Steve is survived by his four children: Michael Hanson of Saint Joseph, Missouri; Dawnel (Benjamin) Hanson-Keel of Clinton Township, Michigan; Matthew Hanson of Kearney, Missouri; and Stephen R. Hanson of Liberty, Missouri. Grandchildren: Michael, Hailey, and Taevyn Hanson; Cody (Amanda) McCracken and Coulter Hanson; Benjamin, Hannah, and Hunter Keel; Mallory, Joshua, and Meghan Hanson; and Liv and Logan Hanson. Great-grandchildren: Wren and Tucker Hanson. Brothers: Thomas (Kathy) Hanson of Wellington, Florida, and E.J. Hanson of La Crosse, Wisconsin. Sisters: JoEllen (Patrick) Gavin of Delavan, Wisconsin, Debra (Al) Rebman of Appleton, Wisconsin, LuAnn (Chuck) Roth of Onalaska, Wisconsin; and many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Jane Ann, and grandson, Isaac Max Benton Morgan.
A memorial visitation will be held from 2-3:30 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016 at Bross & Spidle Funeral Home, Excelsior Springs, MO.
In lieu of flowers, donations may also be made to The National League for POW/MIA Families.
Dorothy Wilson, 76, of Excelsior Springs, Missouri went to be with our Lord on Sunday, Aug. 21, 2016 at Excelsior Springs Nursing and Rehab. Dorothy was born June 17, 1940, she is survived by her children, Rick Williams, Tonya Williams, Raymond Robertson and Destiny Wilson as well as her grandkids and great-grandkids. She is loved and will be missed.
August 26, 2016 – Research indicates that Baby Boomers are turning 65 at a rate of 10,000 a day, a trend that will continue through the year 2030.
In contrast, Milllennials outnumber Baby Boomers by several million and with those numbers, the City of Excelsior Springs is watching a new trend.
City of Excelsior Springs Planning and Zoning Director Shannon McGuire commented.
“There’s a good chance citizens have heard or read stories about this demographic trend, or have noticed changes in their neighborhood,” McGuire said. “What does this mean for cities? Excelsior Springs is undertaking the challenge to answer this question for our city.”
Excelsior Springs City Council is asking residents to complete a survey and help implement a project called “Community for All Ages” that’s designed to meet different demographic needs.
City councilwoman Sharon Powell said the city wants to provide its citizens with the highest quality of life from cradle to grave, for all generations, and for each person’s lifespan.
To read the rest of this story, see the Friday, August 21 issue of the Standard
August 26, 2016 – Steve Jewell has left his mark, stone by stone, throughout the Kansas City Metro – and beyond.
And Jewell is proud of what he’s accomplished in 43 years of stonemasonry.
“You can’t drive a mile without seeing something I done in this town,” he says.
Jewell is from Excelsior Springs and grew up here, but the town he’s referring to stretches far beyond the city limits.
“I’ve done work from California to St. Louis to the Anaheim Hills in Orange County, north as far as St. Joseph, south to Neosho,” he says.
He’s 62 and will retire – semi-retire is probably more accurate – once his first Social Security check arrives. It was supposed to come in July, but was delayed a month. The check will make it official, but Jewell plans to limit his work to friends, family and a few select customers in Excelsior Springs he’s done work for previously.
“I’ve been turning down work left and right,” he says. “I’ve had to change my way of thinking.”
Jewell has performed a tough, physical job in all kinds of weather since starting in 1973, the year after he graduated Excelsior Springs High School. At ESHS, he made his mark as a basketball player, ranking eighth in the metro area in scoring.
Not knowing what he wanted to do, he briefly tried college.
“I went to Maple Woods when it was just a bunch of trailers out there,” says Jewell, who dropped out to head for Vail, Colorado.
It was in Vail that he and a friend, Randy Waller, heard there were high-paying construction jobs.
To read the rest of this story, see the Friday, August 26 issue of the Standard
August 26, 2016 – The Superior Well Office Steering Committee will sponsor a “Diamonds in the Rough” tour of historic homes and buildings in Excelsior Springs on Saturday, Sept. 10.
The tour of six buildings will take place from 1 to 6 p.m. Tour-goers can choose the order in which they visit the homes and buildings, organizers say, and will be provided with a map.
“Diamonds in the Rough” will raise funds for the restoration of the Superior Well Office located at the corner of Superior and Roosevelt streets on the east side of downtown.
The Superior building is the last surviving ticket office in Excelsior Springs, a city that had many of them during the mineral water boom.
Tour sites include: The Superior Well Ticket Office; the former Hope Funeral Home, Spring Street; homes at 104 Temple, 515 Benton and 427 Benton; and an apartment building at 101 South St.
“Some of these buildings are people’s homes,” said Marilyn Gerdes, a member of the steering committee.
Read the rest of this story and see the photos in the Friday, August 26 issue of The Standard.
August 26, 2016
Cameron momentarily tied the game with an RBI double in the top of the seventh inning on Tuesday, Aug. 23 at Excelsior Springs High School.
Tigers softball coach Dustin Danner then instructed his pitcher, Adrianna Smith, to step off the rubber and throw over to third base after time was back in. Makayla Brewer grabbed the throw over with her foot on the bag and the homeplate umpire extended his right arm in a fist saying “Runner missed third, she’s out… Ballgame!”
The Tigers sprinted off the field into a celebratory huddle before the postgame handshakes, celebrating a 1-0 start to the season.
“I actually didn’t really know what was going on,” Smith said. “I learned that when we have each other’s backs and we believe in each other we can do anything. It’s so awesome. It feels so good to start the season off with a win instead of a loss. It gives us something to believe in and something look forward to and push ourselves for.”
The tying run was wiped off of the board, giving Excelsior a 2-1 win against Cameron in the season-opener. Last year the Tigers started 0-5 before the first win of the year against St. Joseph Lafayette in the Cameron Invitational.
Read the rest of this story in the Friday, August 26 issue of the Standard
-Bryce Mereness
Personnel from Clay County Sheriff’s Department and Excelsior Springs Fire Department responded to a rear-end collision late Tuesday afternoon that left a passenger injured.
The accident on Highway 92 near Old Quarry Road at 5:23 p.m.appeared to have been caused by one vehicle stopping in the roadway and the second one striking it.
A complete accident report wasn’t available at press time.
However, a source said Scott Skiles of Richmond was the driver of a Ford Ranger that struck a Honda Prelude operated by Jerald Fowler of Hardin.
A passenger in the Honda was transported to the hospital. It’s not known if any citations were issued.
Donald Godsey, 77, Excelsior Springs, Missouri, passed away August 25, 2016. Visitation was held from 4-5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28 at Rock Falls Baptist Church, Orrick, Missouri. Funeral services were held at 1 p.m., Monday, Aug. 29 also at the church. Burial will be held at 1 p.m., on Wednesday, Aug. 31 at Burkshed Cemetery, Hindsville, Arizona. In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorial contributions to Excelsior Springs Home Health and Hospice or the Excelsior Springs Convalescent Activities Department.
Donald was born May 15, 1939 to Oliver and Ola Bell Godsey in Brookfield, Missouri. He was a graduate of Brookfield High School. He was a member of the US Air Force. Don retired from Sears. He was a member of Rock Falls Baptist Church where he served as a Deacon. Donald was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather.
He was preceded in death by his parents and siblings, Glen Eugene Godsey, Edyth Godsey Lyford, Jackie Lee Godsey and Patsy Ruth Godsey.
He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; children, Kathy (Brandi) Samborski, Kenneth (Billie) Godsey, Kerry (Terri) Godsey, Kevin (Janet) Godsey, Kristi (Scott) Sinclair and Tiffany Burns.
Grandchildren; Holly Samborski, Ryan (Dawn) Godsey, Kerrissa (Travis) Huffman, Aaron (McKenzie) Sinclair, Lindsy (Spencer) Green, Kelsey (Cole) Anderson, Anna Godsey, Mackenzie Sinclair, Cody Still, Baleigh Still, Tyler Godsey, Benjamin Godsey, Ethan Merryfield; Dakota Drumheller; four great grandchildren, Bentley and Bryce Anderson, Mia and Ireland Still; and several nieces and nephews.
Arrangements are through Bross & Spidle Funeral Home of Excelsior Springs.
Robina Kerr Scoma, 57, Olathe, Kansas, passed away August 25, 2016. Visitation will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 31 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 21515 West 101st Street, Lenexa, Kansas.
Funeral service will be held at 2 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 1 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 13109 State Hwy O, Excelsior Springs, Missouri with visitation one hour prior to service. Burial at Hillcrest Cemetery, Excelsior Springs. The family suggest in lieu of flowers memorial contributions to the family to use towards a memorial.
Arrangements are through Bross & Spidle Funeral Home of Excelsior Springs.
James R Cox, 62, of Lawson, Missouri, died Aug. 24, 2016.
Visitation was held on Aug. 27 from 10-11 a.m. at Lawson Baptist Church with services held afterward. Burial at Old Union Christian Union Cemetery. Arrangements are through Hidden Valley Funeral Home of Lawson.
Louis R. Jesse, 77, Excelsior Springs, Missouri, passed away August 26, 2016. Cremation. Arrangements are through Bross & Spidle Funeral Home of Excelsior Springs.
Vernon L. Howell, of Excelsior Springs, Missouri, passed away at his home Friday, Aug. 26, 2016.
Visitation will be held from 1-2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, at Hidden Valley Funeral Home, Excelsior Springs. Funeral service will be at 2:30 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial at Old Union Christian Union Cemetery.
Arrangements are through Hidden Valley Funeral Home, 5951 Hwy 10, Excelsior Springs.
Stephanie was born on February 16, 1986 and passed away on Sunday, August 21, 2016. Stephanie was a resident of Excelsior Springs, Missouri at the time of her passing. A gathering of friends was held from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Thursday, August 25, 2016, at the United Methodist Church in New Canton, Illinois. Interment will be held at a later date. Memorials are suggested to Alivia Lynn Gillispie c/o John & Connie Howard.
August 30, 2016 – Excelsior Springs elementary student Xavier Gilbert spent his eighth birthday at Children’s Mercy Hospital after being struck by a vehicle while crossing Isley Blvd. early Friday morning.
Eyewitness reports and an unofficial report provided by the Excelsior Springs Police Department noted that Gilbert ran from the south side of Isley Boulevard, attempting to cross to the north side when a 2004 Jeep Cherokee driven by William Cook struck him.
In Cook’s statement to ESPD he said he said he was driving eastbound on 10 Highway when Gilbert ran out in front of him. Cook said he didn’t have time to stop before striking the student.
The impact of Cook’s vehicle sent Gilbert into the opposite lane of traffic, where a vehicle headed westbound was able to stop within inches of striking him.
According to a family member, Gilbert sustained a fractured pelvis and several cuts and bruises.
Within minutes of the accident, ESPD was on scene along with Excelsior Springs Fire Department first responders and several employees of the Excelsior Springs School District.
Read the rest of this story in the Tuesday, August 30 issue of The Standard
August 30, 2016 – Presiding Commissioner Jerry Nolte cast the deciding vote Wednesday as Clay commissioners approved placing Prop L, a proposed 8-cent increase in the library levy, on the November ballot.
Nolte and Western Commissioner Gene Owen voted for the proposal; Eastern Commissioner Luann Ridgeway opposed it.
Owen has supported the levy increase since it was introduced. If approved, the additional 8 cents would increase the levy from 32 cents to 40 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
It would affect all property owners in Clay, Platte and those in parts of Jackson County who pay taxes to the Mid-Continent Public Library district.
North Kansas City and Kansas City, Missouri have their own libraries and would not be affected should the issue be approved.
Jackson County legislators – again, not including Kansas City – previously voted to place the library question on the ballot.
When the proposed tax increase initially was introduced, Ridgeway questioned its size, saying a 25-percent hike was excessive. Later, she used statutory grounds to oppose placing the question on the ballot, pointing to language in the proposal she said didn’t comply with a state statute that governs public library funding.
There wasn’t much doubt Wednesday about how Ridgeway and Owen would vote. Nolte’s vote was the question mark.
After Owen made the motion to approve and Ridgeway voted “no,” Nolte simply said “yes,” placing the levy question on Clay County ballots in November.
That vote may well have shielded Clay County from the legal entanglement and attorney fees that fell on Platte County.
On Aug. 25, the Mid-Continent Public Library district – also known as Consolidated Library District No. 3 – and Platte County commissioners filed opposing lawsuits in Platte County Circuit Court.
MCPL’s suit is a request for the court to compel Platte County to place Prop L on the ballot. Platte County’s response seeks a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, both efforts to block any action on MCPL’s request.
An initial hearing was scheduled to take place Monday at 9 a.m. before Thomas C. Fincham, a Platte County judge.
Platte Presiding Commissioner Ron Schieber, one of several speakers during Wednesday’s nearly two-hour Prop L discussion in Clay County, said his county opposed placing the library question on the ballot for statutory reasons.
“As a commission, we feel we can not put something that’s not statutory on the ballot,” Schieber said.
Read the rest of this story in the Tuesday, August 30 issue of the Standard
August 30, 2016 – The Tigers might have had to wait a few extra hours to get their game at Cameron started, but the extra waiting only seemed to make the team hungrier.
For the second week in a row, a game scheduled for Friday was played or completed on Saturday because of weather issues.
On the first play of this Saturday’s game, junior running back Landon Seely took a pitch from junior quarterback Peyton Soria with just one defender to beat. Seely made the guy miss and scampered 64 yard for a touchdown.
Seely’s big play set the tone for the game that turned into a 41-6 win for Excelsior Springs on Saturday morning at Cameron’s Dave Goodwin Field. Excelsior improved to 2-0, outscoring its opponents 74-18 in the process.
“It was all end zone,” Seely said. “There was one guy and I knew he couldn’t get me. That boosted our motivation so much at that point. The sideline was going crazy, everybody was going crazy.”
The Tigers repeated their quick score ability with another score two minutes later following a blocked punt by senior linebacker Connor Creason. The big play set up the Tigers on Cameron’s 23 yard line. Three plays later, Soria found senior receiver Dakota Rimmer alone in the corner of the end zone on a bootleg pass to extend the lead to 14-0.
It was the first of three touchdown passes for the junior, who started just his second game for Excelsior Springs.
Soria finished with 93 yards through the air on five-of six passing attempts.
“Our quarterback is playing really, really well right now,” Tigers coach Mark Faubion said. “He is making the proper reads. It was a textbook play. It’s something we spend a ton of time in practice on. He just read it out perfectly. Our line, we just have everything that we’re practicing, we have it down pretty well.”
The Tigers’ 2-0 record matches their win total from 2015. It is the first 2-0 start to the year since the 2012 team, which finished with a 7-3 record.
Read the rest of this story in the Tuesday, August 30 issue of the Standard!
-Bryce Mereness
Waneta Hatfield, 99, of Excelsior Springs, Missouri, died Aug. 27, 2016. Visitation was held on Wednesday, Aug. 31 from 9-10 a.m. with services held at 10 a.m. at Hidden Valley Funeral Home of Excelsior Springs. Burial at Hillcrest Cemetery. Arrangements are through Hidden Valley Funeral Home.
Sean Newton, a 43-year-old Excelsior Springs resident, died from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident early Saturday morning.
Newton was traveling southbound on 69 Highway at 9 a.m. Aug. 27 when his 2006 Honda motorcycle struck a 2014 freightliner. The freightliner, driven by Charles Henderson, 36, was crossing 69 Hwy. onto Rhodus Road when Newton’s motorcycle struck it.
The accident happened just north of Pour Boys convenience store. A detour of northbound 69 had been set up due to flooding from the evening before; traffic was rerouted onto Rhodus Road.
Newton was ejected from his motorcycle and taken to Liberty Hospital by Excelsior Springs EMS, according to Missouri Highway Patrol. The man succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
Clay County Sheriff’s Department, Excelsior Springs Police Department and Fishing River Fire and Rescue assisted at the accident scene.