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Thursday, September 10, 2026
Commission confirms no data centers in Bates County for now
Minutes from recent Bates County Commission meetings
August 31, 2026 The Bates County Commission met with Presiding Commissioner Jim Wheatley, Northern Commissioner John Gray and Southern Commissioner Trent Nelson present.
Chris Gach was present at all meetings that took place.
Kent Page, with Road and Bridge, came in to discuss a bridge project in the works. He informed the Commission that he had spoken with Christian, with Viebrock, and learned that they are unable to do the bridge until November. As they discussed more on the subject, Kent decided to call Christian. Christian had pointed out they he had just sent an email to the Commission, so John checked their email, printed it out and shared it with the other two Commissioners. They discussed the rebar that is needed, footings, and the other materials they need for the project. Kent explained that he does not have enough information to go off to know exactly what needs to be done. Christian then stated that its super Important for Zach, with Great River, to come and check out the project site and get the answers that Kent needs.
The Commission informed Christian that they cannot wait until November to build this bridge, as they have a certain time frame they are trying to work in for the landowner around this bridge. Kent felt that it would make the most sense to have Zach join the gathering of Road and Bridge and Viebrock. The Commission agreed, so Kent called Zach and asked if he was available to meet on September 1st, 2026. Zach said he would be there and hopeful to be able to discuss more once the current bridge is taken out.
Kent Page, with Road and Bridge, stayed for the meeting with Scott Hall, with Heritage Tractor. They discussed the new tractor and mower that they will soon be receiving. Jim had to sign a couple of things and Scott gave Kent the invoice for the mower, reminding him that there would be another invoice for the tractor.
Gayle Beachner came in and spoke with the Commission over a report that the Commission has been advised to keep closed. She stated that she has a report that she is almost finished with that will be sent to the Ethics Commission, as well as a report being sent to the Attorney General.
She stated she came in to give the Commission another chance to release the report, as her attorney advised her to do. Then Jim explained to her what their attorney advised them to do and why they are taking the route they are taking. Jim told her that she needs to do what she feels like she should, but they will not be releasing the report.
Jim asked John if he would like to discuss the meeting they attended that pertained to Data Centers. Jim felt like the Community might like to hear from John about what they learned. They attended the meeting with Mark Alford's Office with a panel of 7 different representatives that spoke over different parts of information as an FYI. John explained that they spoke over data centers being around since the 90’s and had never been an issue before. They also spoke over the noise complaints, money, transmission lines, pollution, water waste, and SMR (Small Modular Reactors).
John felt as if it was a good presentation that did not seem one-sided. He felt every representative was open-minded and unbiased and was available for questions even after the meeting was finished.
Trent asked Jim and John if they spoke over any new proposals for a data center to which both John and Jim stated there was not a data center proposal for Bates County, or anywhere for that matter.
They stated that the meeting was recorded and will be available at some point.
Trent made a motion to purchase Soft Match Credit Savings from Pettis County at $0.65 to the dollar. John seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion carried. No opposition.
Rick Watson, Quinn Gallegher and Preston Elder, with Magic Insurance, came and sat with the Commission to propose a self-funded Insurance Plan. Preston mentioned that he seen in the meeting minutes that the County had renewed their Insurance and asked what they are looking for in an Insurance perspective. John explained that Rick answered most of the questions when he dropped by last week and went on to inform him that the county did renew their Insurance. Jim asked Preston if they had ever thought about property and casualty, and Preston informed him they already do both.
Preston gave a backstory to the company and the years this company has been around, informing the Commission of their dedication and knowledge they have gained over the years. He then asked how the renewal process went with United Healthcare. John explained why they went with NonStop with United Healthcare. John told Preston that they tried to keep an insurance policy that was affordable to the county, as well as affordable deductibles and fees for the employee, as the employees are the top priority. Preston felt that it was a rich benefit for the county employees and asked what that looked like. Jim started explaining to Preston that the county employees got to a point where they felt the Commission was just picking the cheapest insurance, so the Commission started asking the Elected Officials to join in and state their thoughts and opinions. Jim stated that he feels it has been an eye opener to the elected Officials, showing them what they deal with when choosing the insurance. Preston asked how many employees. Jim told him there are 106.
Preston asked the Commission if they can see the data and claims through United Healthcare to which the Commission stated they do not and informed him that they are not allowed to see any information pertaining to the employees. Preston explained that the carrier can see all the information leading to raised rates and things like that. Magic is able to look at that information and tell the County where they are seeing most of the money spent and come up with something that can benefit the employees as well as the County. Trent then asked about a threshold and what happens when that is passed. Preston explained that when that specific threshold was met, they would cover the amount after. Trent stated he felt the meeting was educational and seemed promising.
Preston told the Commission to follow-up in early spring of next year if they were interested!
September 2, 2026 The Bates County Commission met with Presiding Commissioner Jim Wheatley, Northern Commissioner John Gray and Southern Commissioner Trent Nelson present.
Chris Gach was present at all meetings that took place.
Matt Groepel, with Contractor Solutions, stopped by to speak with Commission about safety training for Road and Bridge. He asked the Commission to pass his information along to the Supervisor so he could reach out and arrange something if they were interested.
They also talked about the bridge that Road and Bridge will be building and told the Commission to get in touch, as he would like to come and watch the build take place. The Commission agreed and they shook hands.
Dean Fischer, with Pleasant Gap Township, came in and spoke with the Commission about CART Funding. He had looked at their mileage and thought they were short on their CART money they received. John looked and seen that the roads he was talking about were still verified roads, therefore he was paid for them. John explained that he saw where none of those roads had been closed, so they were receiving CART money for them.
Jim got out one of the big books and dove into looking a little deeper to get it squared away.
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Rich Hill's Briley Steuck hits milestone
WELCOME TO THE 500 CLUB, BRILEY!
500 CAREER KILLS!
Congratulations to Briley on reaching an incredible milestone during the match against Golden City High School!
Your hard work, dedication, and determination have paid off!
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Defensive Player of the Week: Derek Brown
Pleasanton Sophomore defensive lineman Derek Brown made his presence felt throughout the Blu-Jays' overtime victory. Brown finished with 8 total tackles, a fumble recovery, and half a sack.
The stat sheet only tells part of the story. Derek's relentless pressure disrupted the opposing offense throughout the game and became especially important late. His effort helped force crucial mistakes in overtime and gave the Blu-Jays opportunities to finish the game.
Congratulations to Derek Brown, our Defensive Player of the Week!
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Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Craig Johnson Pleads Guilty to Financial Fraud Involving an Alleged Cattle-Buying Scheme
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Butler, Mo., man has pleaded guilty to fraud charges.
Craig Johnson, 45, of Butler, Mo., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Fernando J. Gaitan, Jr. to multiple federal charges. This plea is one of many federal fraud cases pursued under the leadership of President Donald Trump and through the establishment of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
According to information presented in court, Johnson was hired at Community First Bank in 2022 as a Vice President and Loan Officer. While Johnson was employed with Community First Bank, Johnson was also a pastor with a church in El Dorado Springs, Mo. until he was removed in 2025.
Beginning in at least 2024, Johnson began to request “investments” from various individuals for the purpose of buying cattle which would be later sold for profit. The deal varied from person to person but involved Johnson purchasing cattle and selling the cattle for a profit within a short time frame. Johnson told individuals he needed help investing and requested they pay him funds. Johnson worked with some of the “investors” to take out a loan at Community First Bank through Johnson and give the proceeds to Johnson. Johnson did not tell anyone at Community First Bank that he was benefiting from the loan proceeds.
Johnson did not use the funds to purchase cattle but instead deposited the funds in an investment account where he repeatedly traded in small-capitalization and micro-cap securities ultimately losing all the funds. Johnson served as loan officer for approximately 29 loans and lines of credit at Community First Bank totaling approximately $4,476,156.22.
After receiving the victims’ funds, Johnson did not use the funds for proposed cattle sales. Instead, he used the victims’ funds to invest in high-risk stocks via his personal investment account. To further and conceal his scheme, Johnson used some of the victim’s funds to pay earlier investors in the scheme.
At various times between April 2024 and until Johnson’s termination in February 2026, Johnson used his position as a loan officer and/or his status in the community to defraud individuals and a financial institution of at least $9,395,882.22. Johnson used his position at Community First Bank to obtain loans using the identity of other people. In February 2026, at least three loans were created in various individuals’ names where they were not aware of or approved by these people. The three loans were created to pay off other loans Johnson created in the name of another person.
On Aug. 5, 2024, Johnson completed an application for a loan for $1,447,000 through a financial institution in Jefferson City, Mo. The purpose of the loan was to purchase cow and calf pairs and refinance two loans. On Aug. 13, 2024, the loan was approved for $1,447,150. Of the loan proceeds, $46,809.93 was used to pay off a loan at a bank. $198,714.46 was used to pay off another loan at a bank and $1,201,475.61 was provided in a check to Johnson and was supposed to be used to purchase 400 head of cattle.
On Aug. 14, 2024, the loan proceeds ($1,201,475.61) were deposited into a bank account. After the funds were deposited, there was not a large purchase of cattle as agreed upon in the loan. The funds instead were used to repay investors and for personal use.
On Aug. 7, 2025, Johnson completed an application for another loan for $1,500,000 through another financial institution. The purpose of the loan was to purchase 550 cow and calf pairs. On Aug. 13, 2025, the loan proceeds ($1,500,000) were deposited into Johnson’s account. Between Aug. 15, 2025, and Aug. 19, 2025, Johnson transferred $1,450,000 into his investment account.
On Aug. 19, 2025, Johnson completed an application for a third loan for $900,000. The purpose of the of the loan was to purchase 300 cow and calf pairs. The loan was approved for $900,150. The loan proceeds ($900,000) were deposited into Johnson’s bank account. Johnson transferred $900,000 into his personal investment account.
After receiving the loan proceeds for the second and third loans, Johnson provided a bill of sale dated Aug. 30, 2025, to a financial institution. The bill of sale appeared to show that Johnson purchased 850 cow and calf pairs for $2,825,000 from a livestock company in Evanston, Utah. The company did not sell 850 cow and calf pairs to Johnson in August 2025. The owner of the company stated the name on the bill of sale appeared to be his, but the signature was not.
Johnson did not use the combined funds from the three loans ($3,601,475.61) to purchase cattle as stated on the loan documentation but instead transferred the funds to his personal investment account and to make payments to previous victims who believed Johnson made good on their cattle deals.
Under federal statutes, Johnson is subject to the following sentences:
- Wire Fraud - up to 20 years in federal prison without parole
- Bank Fraud - up to 30 years in federal prison without parole
- Aggravated Identity Theft – a mandatory sentence of two years in federal prison consecutive to any other sentence
- False Statement to a Financial Institution - up to 30 years in federal prison without parole.
The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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Notice from the city of Appleton City
Storm Brush Disposal Notice
The City of Appleton City is currently accepting brush from the storm that occurred on Sunday, September 6, 2026. Residents may take brush to the brush pile located near the water tower.
We ask that all brush be placed neatly onto the existing pile to help keep the area organized and accessible for everyone.
Thank you for your cooperation.
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