Waggoner, who is a licensed EMT and served as a fire and ambulance chief before becoming a city administrator, said he’s a big believer in early access to AEDs and their ability to save lives in the event of cardiac arrest.

“According to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the average survival rate of a cardiac arrest is only seven percent,” he said. “However, those statistics jump up to 38 percent if a shock is delivered by an AED. If there is a tool on the marketplace that can increase a citizen’s chances of survival from a sudden onset cardiac event from one in 14 to better than one in 3, that is an amazing investment we can make for our community.”

He said, in the long term, the city would eventually like to phase out the LifePak with by jim bonebrake leader reporter ||Continued on A2 by brett adkison leader editor

It’s hard to imagine now the significance of the historic Jefferson Highway in the history of Plattsburg, and how the notable route once carried travelers down Main Street from as far away as New Orleans to the south and Winnipeg in Canada.

Thanks to the Clinton County Historical Society and other contributors, the evidence is right here for all to see. There are Jefferson Highway signs posted on light poles downtown, including an informational sign suspended on the post of Plattsburg Apartments (Laclede Hotel) next to Blondie Brews.

Construction of the Jefferson Highway began in 1916 and once complete, it was the first road in the country that connected our southern countrymen with the frozen tundra to the north.

On Saturday, July 15, Plattsburg received an award from the Jefferson Highway Association for promoting and preserving the history and heritage of the Jefferson Highway. This award happened in large part because Terry Wood and his wife, Lynn, worked with the Clinton County Historical Society to raise the prominence of the not-so-well-known segment of our history.