point of view

They were quite the pair — she, a beautiful young girl with a bright, white smile; he, a homeless veteran with a scraggly beard & weathered face. Their friendship started out slow. The girl began saying "hi" to Tony as she traveled to & from her workplace. Soon enough they were having small conversations & then regular talks & periodic lunches. "Tony tells me about his war stories, loved ones, & who should win the Super Bowl." "I tell Tony about my problems, loved ones, & how I don't really care who should win the Super Bowl." From an outsider's point of view, it seemed the young girl was offering the old, lonely man an ear. But the friendship was reciprocal. Recently, the girl went through a difficult period emotionally, & Tony reportedly helped her navigate those tough personal choices. One day she was walking around feeling sorry for herself when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to find Tony giving her a concerned look. He had something for her, he said. "From his army jacket, he pulls out a watch head. Tony takes my hand & gently places the broken antique in my palm." He went on to say: "I don't have much but I wanted you to know that you have done what many others would not simply by being my friend." The girl said she realized that when you extend yourself to those in need: "You get back not only what you gave, but infinitely more," she wrote.

Monday - City offices closed in recognition of Memorial Day

Tuesday, 6pm - Parks & Recreation Board

Thursday, 10am - Housing Authority

Friday, 6-9pm - Lyrics on the Lawn, Summer Music Series

Parks & Recreation - Review of financials, staff, directors, & annual report, Clay County Parks MOU, ES parks naming policy, board recognition, open discussion.

Lyrics on the Lawn - Join us this summer on the Hall of Waters Lawn for an unforgettable series of free, family-friendly concerts brought to you by DEP. Kick off the series with the All Stars Band, bringing you a mix of your favorite hits & vibrant performances to start the summer right.

Celebrating this week's work anniversaries - John Conrick II, PT Firefighter EMT - 20 years; Peter Schloss, Municipal Prosecutor - 9 years; Destiny Pate, Group Fitness Instructor, Joelle Barker & Marco Martin, Recreation Program Supervisor 1 year.

The Fire Department gave a retirement party for Scott O'Dell who retired after 37 years of service. The FD knows how to gave a proper send-off with very kind words said to express what Scott has meant to the officers he has served with over the years.

Highlighting 5 characteristics of city department heads (Chad Birdsong, Chief Greg Dull, Vonda Floyd, Jesse Hall, Chief Joe Maddick, Melinda Mehaffy, Clint Reno & Nate Williams): Outside the box thinkers, creative, thrown problems, issues, puzzles, & pickles & are expected to formulate practical, thoughtful, & complete solutions for those quandaries. Altruistic - stopping at nothing to get it absolutely perfect. Motivate to solve problems, to do so with an undying perseverance. Natural born project managers - understand the beginning & the end; have experienced risks & delighted in rewards. Thrive on R&D - driven to find the answers. R&D is their wheelhouse. They are fixers. Embody engineering, mathematics, & pragmatic solutions; broad thinkers, see the bigger picture & also see the details.

• Missouri Department of Revenue is asking local police departments to enforce failure to register vehicles either operating with expired temporary tags or out-of-state registration. The DOR is owed more than $78M in delinquent state, local & penalty fees. If found guilty of felonious tax evasion, owner risk losing their right to vote & to own a firearm.
• Pizza & Planning session had good attendance last week, which increases the ability to have good participation in planning our future during the coming year.
• Clay County is preparing for a smooth transition to offer Tax Relief Credit Program for Seniors. The Property tax credit will apply to property owners age 62 & over. The County will be making software changes to accommodate this new program, using January 2024 as the base year. Applications will be accepted January-March 2025 to enroll in the program.

Such good food!!! The poppy dressing for my chicken salad was amazing! My husband had the turkey blt & it was good too!! Definitely worth a day trip to go back again. Cute shop too!! Foodies should not sleep on Willow Spring Mercantile. This shop sells fine wine, craft beer, spirits, & all sorts of other goodies, including gourmet snacks & coffee. There's even a quaint bistro on the lower level if you need a lunch break.