Swap meet in Adrian next weekend

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Obituary - Rachel Carlene Kastl

Rachel Carlene Kastl, age 92, Blue Mound, Kansas passed away Thursday, March 19, 2026.  She was born on February 14, 1934 in Blue Mound, Kansas the daughter of Carl and Lorene "Peach" Hohenstein Horton.  Carlene's early years were spent traveling as her dad worked on the pipeline.  She attended six different schools her first grade year.  Later the family came back to Blue Mound and she attended Washington Country School.  She graduated from Blue Mound High School in 1951.  Music was a very important part of Carlene's life.  She sang at showers, weddings, and at the Blue Mound Federated Church, where she was a member.

  One of her favorite songs was Over the Rainbow.  After high school, she worked as a book keeper for Joe Rei Service Station, then for Hallmark Cards, and Farmers State Bank.  She was united in marriage to her high school sweetheart, Ralph Kastl on July 31, 1955.  She worked at the Blue Mound Post Office and helped at Ralph's Service, which is still in operation.  Carlene was a member of the Order of Eastern Star, helped with the Easter Egg Hunt, was active with Ralph in the MG Club, and loved collecting gnomes.  

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Ralph, and a brother, Paul Horton.  Carlene is survived by three children, Randy Kast(Joyce), Tony Kastl(Kim), and Tammy Harvey(Marty), six grandchildren, Blake, Jacob, Laura, Marissa, Jayla, and Shelley, and twelve great grandchildren who called her "GiGi".   

Funeral service will be 11 am Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at the Blue Mound Bible Church.  Burial will be in Sunny Slope Cemetery.  Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 pm Monday , March 23, at the Schneider Funeral Home, Mound City Chapel.  Memorial contributions are suggested to Blue Moon Youth Center or Phoenix Hospice.  Online condolences can be left at www.schneiderfunerals.com.  

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Obituary - Danny Grover Breckenridge

Danny Grover Breckenridge, 78, was born on April 19th,1947 in Butler, 
Missouri. He was the second son of Lester and Goldie Breckenridge. Danny grew up in Rich Hill from where he graduated high school in 1965.

After graduation, he enlisted in the army, eager to serve his country. After basic training he married his high school sweetheart, Willa Sue Tourtillott in 1966. Shortly thereafter he was stationed in Vietnam. Danny served two tours of duty in Vietnam as a helicopter crew chief. While in Vietnam,

Danny distinguished himself by earning many awards and accolades, including 30 Air Medals and being awarded the Bronze star. After Vietnam the couple had a son, John Brian (Pete). Danny and family also spent two stints of 3 years each in Germany where they made many friends. Danny spent one unaccompanied tour in Korea. Danny continued his military career, eventually becoming Master Sergeant in 1982. He subsequently retired from the military in 1985.

He and Willa Sue moved back to Rich Hill and have lived there ever since. Danny felt the urge to continue to a new career where he used his skills from the military to become a driver for CFI. He loved talking on the CB, going by Big Red. He drove over-the-road for CFI for sixteen years earning the Million Mile distinction. Dan enjoyed hunting, especially deer camp in the fall. He also enjoyed camping and fishing with his family and friends.

Danny passed away on March 16th at the Kansas City, VA hospital, after a short but complicated illness. Danny is preceded in death by his mother and father, brother Tom (Vivian) and sister Sherry (Terry Heffernan). Danny is survived by wife Willa Sue, son Pete, grandson William (Macie), four Great-Grandchildren, Korben, Killian, Cale and Charlie. He is also survived by four siblings, Jim (Peggy), Dude (Jeanna), Tim (Della) and Susie Breckenridge, as well as many nieces and nephews

A Celebration of Life was held March 21, 2026 at Heuser Funeral Home & Cremation Services

Contributions to the Wounded Warrior Project

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Lady Bears Wrestling Continues to Grow at State

This past weekend, the Butler Youth Wrestling girls team competed in the 2026 Missouri State Championships, bringing a record number of competitors and continuing to showcase the rapid growth of girls wrestling in Missouri. Butler was well represented, and the Lady Bears showed up ready to compete.

While the day brought its share of ups and downs, every wrestler found success in some way. Of the eight girls Butler took to state, four earned a spot on the podium, highlighting both the talent and progress of this growing program. Emmalee Nieder led the way with a runner-up finish in the 12U 170-pound division, while Myka Morrill also claimed a runner-up finish in the 10U 70-pound class. Melanie Varns earned a third-place finish in the 10U 60-pound division, and Blakely Erisman added a fifth-place finish in the 10U 70-pound class.

While the Lady Bears did not bring home a state champion this time, the overall performance reflected a program that continues to grow, improve, and compete at a high level. More importantly, each athlete who stepped onto the mat played a role in the continued rise of girls wrestling, both in Butler and across the state.

Combined with the boys team’s performance, the Butler Youth Wrestling Club had an outstanding showing overall, finishing the 2026 Missouri State Championships with nine medalists, four finalists, two champions, and two runner-ups.

This article is sponsored by C&S Graphics! Go follow them on FB today!

Results and Photos submitted by Coigny

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New Bears Take on Old Bears

The Butler Lady Bears are building something—and it’s not just a team.

Lady Bears Softball, under Head Coach Mandy Grainger Cox, hasn’t just been building single-season teams. They’ve been creating a culture. Mandy and the Lady Bears are building a program that Butler can be proud of.

Over the past few years, Butler has begun hosting an annual alumni softball game to kick off the season. This event has grown each year and has become a way to build community, pride, and an overall love for the game of softball in Butler.

This past week, the 2026 Lady Bears took on the Old Bears. When talking about what this game meant to the program, the school, and the town, Coach Mandy said, “The game is something bigger than all of us, and it is always an honor to take the field with those who came before us.”

And the Bears looked good.

While it was fun to see some of the Old Bears come out of retirement, the story was the 2026 team and the promise they showcased.

Kylee Dubray took to the circle for just the first inning, but she showed she is poised to have another dominant season in her junior year. She pitched with as much accuracy, control, and velocity as ever.

The evening also saw Taylor Hudson and several other Bears toe the rubber. The pitching looked consistent and exciting.

While the defense looked up to par, the offense of the Bears was even more impressive. From top to bottom, this team has hitters. They have power, they have placement hitters, and they have speed on the bases. The Bears could be a problem for a lot of teams this year.

If the Butler Lady Bears remain consistent this season, they could have a heck of a year. And that’s no surprise — not with the program and culture that has been built over the past few years in Butler.

As for the alumni game, the current Bears beat the Old Bears 13-7. The current team jumped out to a dominant lead early, and as the game progressed, the 2026 team began moving players around to give them opportunities to learn and develop. The Old Bears took advantage of their chances late and were able to put together a respectable scoring
output.

This article is sponsored by C&S Graphics. If you aren’t already, go follow them on Facebook!

Photos by Erin Dubray

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Outdoor burning highly discouraged

Area fire departments have answered several calls today regarding burning that has gotten out of control and in some cases, presented danger to nearby structures. 

It is highly recommended to wait to burn until we get some appreciable rain and things 'green up' a bit. Thank you!


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Fire destroys two structures in Rich Hill

On Friday, March 20th, the Rich Hill Fire Department was dispatched to a residential structure fire in the 100 block of West Hickory Street. Upon arrival, crews found two structures involved. RHFD requested mutual aid from the Butler and Hume Fire Departments. While both structures were a total loss, fire crews successfully prevented the fire from spreading to a third building on the property. Neither structure was occupied at the time, though one was undergoing renovations. As always we are thankful to have a strong working relationship with our neighboring departments. Story and photo courtesy Rich Hill Fire Department

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BREAKING: Missing man, missing money leaves investors with potential losses in the millions

BUTLER MO- What appeared to be an honest investment has left at least two local families approximately $270,000 in the hole, and worse yet, their 'broker' is nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, others may be out millions according to the latest information.

One victim, who asked not to be named, said he invested $100,000 with a Butler, Mo.  man who assured the victim a healthy return on his investment in a cattle/feedlot operation in Oklahoma. While the victim did receive three $10,000 payments (minus promised interest) all communication with the broker ceased on February 25th of this year, leaving him to only believe something is terribly wrong.

"Through everything, we asked a lot of questions about the investment, even withheld our investment check once because we had reservations- but he (alleged broker) kept assuring us everything was ok." The victim went on to say that the man he was working with was well known in the community to include acting as a preacher at a Butler, Mo. church.

The victim went on to say that he knows another party who lost about $200,000 in the same investment and speculates there are more who mortgaged their property or invested their nest egg- all with little or nothing in return.

The alleged broker in question, Craig Johnson 40, with a rural Butler Mo. address is nowhere to be found. Mid America Live did find Johnson on Facebook recently but that account now appears to be deleted. Asking around the area has drawn a lot of "We have no idea" answers when asked about his whereabouts.

"We wonder how many more there are like us" pondered the victim. "You have to think this was going on for a long time and there probably are more people who lost even more that we have."

Flipside, it all could have been legit. Maybe Johnson was in an accident or disappeared for another reason. However, there is no current information that might support those possibilities.

As of March 17, records on file in Bates County show that both Craig and wife Karen Johnson have been named in a lawsuit regarding default of three promissory notes on behalf of Plaintiff FSC Financial totaling approximately $3.5 million plus interest. According to the lengthy petition, the Johnson's are accused of "Selling or incumbering collateral without Plaintiff's consent" and "Provided false, misleading or incomplete information to the Plaintiff".

March 20th, separate summons in the above matter were issued to both Craig and Karen Johnson as the court awaits a response.

Records also indicate that Johnson's wife filed for divorce on March 9, 2026 in Bates County. A summons for Craig Johnson regarding this matter is yet to show a response from him as of March 20th.

Lastly, the victim we interviewed said they have no choice except to wait for now and in their case, fortunately the loss will be easier to manage than others who reportedly took out very large loans to invest with Johnson.

As the FBI continues their investigation into the whereabouts of Johnson, anyone with additional information regarding this case is asked to contact them through the FBI tips website here https://tips.fbi.gov/home

Mid America Live new will continue to follow this story and provide updates as they become available.

Copyright 2026 Mid America Live News 

 

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