The hit-making boys of Florida Georgia Line don’t get the musical respect they deserve.
Discuss. I mean, we can disagree but you’d be wrong.
Speaking of music, I woke up this morning with the 1976 hit tune Shannon in my head. I can’t tell you why the human mind does things like this. I was not intoxicated nor otherwise impaired in any way as far as I can tell.
If you lived through the 70s–and can remember the decade–you know the song I’m talking about. If you don’t, go to YouTube and enter Shannon by Henry Gross.
I can remember two of my older sisters talking (arguing?) in the mid-70s over whether the song was about a girl or a dog. If you’re not listening closely to all the lyrics–which Gross delivers in an amazing falsetto voice, by the way–it’s easy to assume the song is about a girl who is no longer with us. But no. The song is about a dog.
Shannon was written about the death of Beach Boys member Carl Wilson’s Irish Setter of the same name. While touring with the Beach Boys in 1975, Henry Gross visited Wilson’s home in Los Angeles and in conversation said he owned an Irish Setter called Shannon. Wilson replied that he had also had an Irish Setter named Shannon that had recently been killed by a car. So there’s the back story. Though the song doesn’t mention Shannon’s death came via car.
Anyway, the single went gold, reaching No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1976.
Also anyway, I plan to go full falsetto and sing Shannon sometime on Landmark Live. You prolly won’t wanna miss that episode.
We have a new development at the City of Parkville, where city officials are embroiled in trying to defend against a civil lawsuit that accuses the city of about 40 Sunshine Law violations. The city has already spent nearly $130,000 in tax money on legal fees in the Jason Maki vs. City of Parkville open records lawsuit, and the case isn’t close to wrapping up.
With ongoing legal action against them, have the city folks learned any lessons? Taught themselves to be a little more transparent, a little more open? Maybe not.
This week we learned city officials seem to have gone full secret agent man on some topics. In city documents acquired through Sunshine requests, it is revealed that city officials are using code words to describe certain planned projects. A person could interpret this to be a not-so-subtle attempt to be less than transparent and forthcoming. Minutes from one of the city’s sub-committee meetings show city officials are using code words like: Project Raptor, Project Charger, Project Treat, Project Stitch, Project Zoom, and Project Needle.
The minutes of the sub-committee meeting only refer to the projects by those code names, nothing more specific. I kid you not. I chuckled when I read them. It’s like we’re living in an Austin Powers movie.
So the city that’s getting its pants sued off for alleged open records violations and lack of transparent government uses code words. I love you, City of Parkville. You’re an endless fountain of news and commentary.
Suggestions for future City of Parkville code names:
Project Hard Lemonade: When Mayor Nan’s weekend bout to get lit.
Project Stealth: Code for ‘let’s take this discussion to our private servers.’
Project Poorly Kept Secret: A VIP-type lounge tucked away in the Cool Vintage Watches store. Members only. Booze.
Project After Dark: When the mayor spices her communications with F bombs.
Project Bill Grigsby: A downtown festival featuring bottomless martinis.
Project Dagmar: Identifying constituents considered to be bat crap crazy.
Project Whoa Whoa Whoa Whoa Whoa Whoa: A Nan Ban on travel to Platte City.
Last week we broke the news that Platte County will be receiving $20.4 million in the latest round of Federal COVID Relief Act funds. Local cities will also be receiving some free funding due to the recently passed legislation. It’s not clear just yet what kind of restrictions, if any, the feds are attaching to how this money can be spent. Check with your local elected officials to ask what their plans are for this funding.
According to the National League of Cities, here are amounts many of our area cities will be receiving:
Kansas City: $195,471,847.
Camden Point: $100,934.
Dearborn: $96,330.
Edgerton: $113,459.
Farley: $55,440.
Ferrelview: $146,981.
Houston Lake: $45,494.
Iatan: $10,130.
Lake Waukomis: $160,795.
Northmoor: $67,228.
Parkville: $1,319,152.
Platte City: $912,649.
Platte Woods: $74,596.
Ridgely: $19,523.
Riverside: $645,577.
Tracy: $62,071.
Weatherby Lake: $381,821.
Weston: $334,300.
(Talk in code with Ivan Foley via email to ivan@plattecountylandmark.com)