Miami R-1 March Students of the Month: Truman Dunsmore-Walker, Lawson Nieder, and Alden Lityma. Not Pictured: Bronc Johnston
Congratulations Eagles and keep up the good work!
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Saturday, May 2, 2026
Miami Students of the Month
Miami R-1 March Students of the Month: Truman Dunsmore-Walker, Lawson Nieder, and Alden Lityma. Not Pictured: Bronc Johnston
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Friday, May 1, 2026
Special meeting held to discuss zoning in West Point township
On April 28th, a special meeting was held by the West Point township board so local residents could debate the possibility of zoning, as townships have the option to add zoning independent of the county
The meeting, held at the Amsterdam Community building, was called on the heels of word that a 4,000 acre, 650 megawatt solar panel farm is going to begin construction just south of Amsterdam in July, prompting concerns over blight, pollution and fires, to name a few.
As the meeting progressed, discussions branched to other concerns however, the board worked to stay on track with zoning questions and upon conclusion of the meeting, the following points were made clear:
1. To approve zoning, it must be put on a Bates county ballot and a zoning decision will be exclusive to voters in West Point township.
2. To begin the ballot process, a petition is required that will need to be signed by a minimum of 5% of vetted registered West point township voters. It is reported that a petition is currently being circulated which will be turned over to the township board and eventually passed to the Bates County Clerk for validation.
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3. There will be costs associated with putting a zoning question on the ballot. Those will include attorney fees and election fees required by the Bates County Clerk's office. At this time, those costs are unknown but will be revealed further along in the process. To note, proper ballot language is critical, which further necessitates the need for an attorney.
4. Specifically what is to be included in zoning must be decided upon. For example, will zoning only address new solar projects and expansions to existing solar projects? Data centers? There were concerns expressed that zoning could include many other things however, it appears those mentioned above will remain at the top of the list. Hence, the decision can be made to only put solar farms and data centers in the zoning proposal.
A few key points were brought out in the meeting:
1. Zoning will not affect (or stop) the current solar project(s). It would only have a bearing on future projects or possibly existing project expansions. Some will argue that a "good lawyer" can get around grandfather status but it is extremely unlikely.
2. It was said in the meeting that ordinances could be used instead of zoning however, in most cases these two things go hand in hand and at present, more information is being sought regarding if this is truly an option.
3. A question arose as to why the Bates County Commission has not already been working on similar county-wide zoning. The answer to that lies partially in the fact that such projects are relatively new in our region making foresight somewhat difficult. Just as in the case of the township, it would ultimately take action by the people of Bates County to present a qualified petition to get the ball rolling.
4. Some at the meeting said they were never made aware the 650 megawatt project was coming and felt that someone should have notified them. Here's how it all transpired:
A deal was made directly between the solar company and the landowner and in some cases a non-disclosure agreement may have been signed; following that, the company in this case, did notify some adjacent landowners as part of their 'Good Neighbor' program; and during this time the company had been working with the Bates County Commission regarding easements, roads and other requirements.
That said, no other notification to the public is legally or otherwise required. We will note that the Mid America Live website contains well over 25 news releases and references by the Bates County Commission directly related to the solar projects dating back to at least 2022. Most all the same articles were published in the News-Review newspaper and were made available through other media outlets including the Bates County Clerk Facebook page.
At this juncture, the West Point township board awaits the petition before taking further action. It also appears that more research and discussion is being done by members of the West Point community as well.
Mid America Live will continue to follow this story and provide updates as they become available.
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Alert from the Bates County Sheriff's Office, subject at large
BCSO Alert: BCSO and MSHP are attempting to locate a subject who fled from a vehicle pursuit just North of Rich Hill, MO on Interstate 49. Subject is wearing a white or gray tank top, red and gray ball cap, gym shorts, and converse. Male subject is medium build, bald headed, no facial hair, and approximately 5'7. Call BCSO if you see the subject, DO NOT APPROACH.
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Bears break another record
Third Butler junior high school record of the day! This time it’s Erica Wilburs in the 1600m run! She has been chasing that record for two year, and today she smashed it by over 10 seconds with a time of 5:46.91! This beats the previous record of 5:57.00 held by Megan Phillips and set way back in 2005!
This is the SEVENTH new school record set this year!
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Storms likely around the first of the week
It's Friday! Cool start today in the 30's and it will be 40's for Saturday morning. A cold front drags through this afternoon which might yield a few sprinkles, but I think they'll be on the KS side if anything. The weekend continues to look dry for almost all of us - Sunday evening storms return to NE Missouri and here is the severe weather outlook. Monday through Wednesday looks stormy again, and I'm paying attention to Monday afternoon heating once again to impact what we might deal with Monday evening. Hope you have an awesome weekend!
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Obituary - Patricia Minor
Patricia was born November 12, 1956, in Kansas City, Kansas, the daughter of Marvin and Glenda Gunderson. She was a devoted homemaker who found joy in quilting, crafting, and many creative hobbies. Patricia was united in marriage to Terry Lynn Minor on May 1, 1993, at Butler Christian Church, and they shared 32 years together.
Above all, Patricia was a strong believer in her faith. She remained positive and steadfast throughout her health struggles, a reflection of her strength and trust in the Lord.
She is survived by her loving husband, Terry Lynn Minor of the home; her son, Travis Minor and wife Christy of Pleasant Hill, Missouri; and her cherished grandsons, Aiden Minor, Evan Minor, and Owen Minor. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Debbie Minor of Branson, Missouri; Deidre (Dee) and Perry Franks of Miami, Oklahoma; Carla Bray of Burlington Junction, Missouri; along with many cousins, nieces, nephews, and dear friends and brothers and sisters in Christ.
Patricia was preceded in death by her parents; her stepfather; her son, Christopher Minor; her brother, Michael Gunderson and his wife Margaret; her sister, Diana Werner and her husband Rick; and her grandparents.
Cremation with a Celebration of Life Visitation will be held 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Friday, May 1, 2026 at Dickey Funeral Home in Harrisonville, Missouri.
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