Help.
Guys, I’ve been informed I’ll be watching at least one Hallmark Christmas movie this year. And it is scheduled to air this weekend. It’s called “She’s Making a List.”
Asking for your thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.
It can’t be as bad as that Christmas movie made in Weston a few years back. Can it? Please say no.
It’s the time for local holiday celebrations. Platte City’s annual Holiday Lighting shindig kicked it off in a big way last Wednesday, with activities and food that drew many folks on a cold night. I asked Jamie Kacz, executive director of the sponsoring Platte City Chamber of Commerce, if she was happy with the number of attendees, which crowded its way into the fire station for complimentary hot dogs and more, formed a long line for carriage rides and for a visit with Santa, as well as gathered in impressive numbers in front of the courthouse for community performances and the flipping of the switch for downtown lights. “Absolutely. We had an incredible turnout, the largest we’ve seen in years. The community really came out in full force and we’re beyond excited,” she said.
This week, it’s Parkville’s turn for some holiday fun. The annual Christmas On the River celebration is Friday evening in the historic downtown area of that river city. See a story in this week’s edition for details. One of the highlights will be fireworks shot over the Missouri River around 9 p.m. Highly recommend catching that scene if you’ve never done so.
Costco vs. Trump’s tariffs. Who you cheering for?
The AP reports Costco has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the legality of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump under emergency powers. Costco is seeking a full refund of tariffs it has already paid and protection from an impending deadline that could jeopardize its claims, according to the lawsuit.
Costco’s complaint, filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade, argues that Trump exceeded his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) when he imposed sweeping tariffs earlier this year. The case follows similar legal challenges that have resulted in lower court rulings against the administration. Costco argued it faces an urgent timeline because as of Dec. 15, under customs law, importers may lose their ability to recover refunds even if the tariffs are later found unlawful. The Supreme Court has heard arguments on the topic of Trump tariff powers but has not yet announced a ruling.
According to national reporting, the Costco lawsuit targets multiple executive orders issued by Trump starting in February that imposed tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China based on declared emergencies over drug trafficking and trade deficits. One order imposed a 10% baseline tariff on nearly all U.S. imports and additional “reciprocal” tariffs ranging from 11% to 50% on 57 countries.
In addition to Costo, other companies have also filed similar lawsuits. Some of the other companies include Kawasaki Motors, Revlon and Yokohama Tire.
Wait. The president told us that it’s the foreign countries who pay the tariffs. So why would Costco think it deserves a refund on tariffs paid by the foreign countries?? Gonna need some clarification. Starting to think the president might not always be shooting us straight on stuff, you guys, but I’m sure that’s just me.
As explained in a recent column, the Platte County Senior Tax Credit program isn’t exactly playing out like it was originally described to the public, in that it was consistently referred to as a property tax “freeze” for senior citizens by the county in the early stages. In fact, in a news release from Platte County issued in September of 2024 that announced applications are available on the county’s website, the county described it as the “real property tax freeze credit.”
I don’t spend much time on the county’s website but I’ve been told at some point, perhaps as recently as three or four weeks ago, the county removed all references to the word “freeze” when referencing the tax credit program on its site. Probably after a lot of senior citizens were telling them that “hey, my property taxes didn’t freeze, we were told it was a freeze.”
Now to be fair to the county, elsewhere in that September of 2024 news release that used the phrase “real property tax freeze credit” was a sentence that read this way: “It is important to note that certain levies, such as those funding debt levies, are exempt from this program. As a result, seniors may still experience slight increases in their tax bills due to these specific levies.”
However, later in that same news release is this wording: The Platte County Senior Citizens Real Property Tax Freeze Credit “enables senior citizens to apply annually for a tax credit essentially to freeze the real property taxes on their home.”
Clear as mud. It’s easy to understand why many seniors were not so pleasantly surprised to see their tax bills go up.
Anyway, State Rep. Mike Jones and Platte County Presiding Commissioner Scott Fricker had an interesting public exchange of differing opinions about the county’s senior tax credit program on our Facebook page at Platte County Landmark. Go check it out.
If you’re looking to get involved with some pizza money futures plays in college basketball, here are a few that caught my eye for your consideration. Michigan 7.5 to 1 (could have gotten this at 20-1 a few weeks ago, we’ve waited too long to get the best number). UConn 13 to 1. St. John’s 25 to 1. Florida 22 to 1. If you want to have some fun with a real longshot take a look at UCLA, currently at 80-1. I haven’t played any college basketball futures yet, I normally wait until late January after we’ve had more time to see the teams in action.
(More of a Sam’s Club guy than a Costco guy, but he’s on Costco’s side in the tariff war. Email ivan@plattecountylandmark.com)
