Mock crash set for Thursday in Butler

Butler High School will be hosting a Mock Crash on Thursday, April 9 for juniors and seniors only.
The purpose of this event is to educate teens about the tragic consequences of traffic crashes and to reinforce the importance of:

Wearing seatbelts
Staying focused behind the wheel
Never driving after consuming drugs or alcohol
Location: Fulton Street
Time: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Please be advised: Fulton Street will be blocked off at the student parking lot to allow for setup of the crash scene, and Life Flight Eagle will be landing on Fetters Drive during the event.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we provide this important educational opportunity for our students and community.

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Harrisonville Board of Aldermen meeting this week

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Obituary - Judy Ann Rocco

Judy Ann Rocco (Gilman), 72, of Eolia, MO, previously of Nevada, MO, passed away on April 3, 2026, after a sudden illness.

Judy was born on March 13, 1954, to June (Pettibon) and George Gilman, in Nevada, MO, where she spent most of her life. She later became a stay-at-home mom. She spent many years of her life caring and loving for her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was very devoted to her family.

In 1981, Judy and her daughter, Amy, met Dan while he was in town for a work assignment. They were married in 1981 and later welcomed two daughters, Miranda and Ashley. Judy loved spending time at the casinos, thrifting and going to garage sales. She was obsessed with all things Christmas. She had a minimum of three trees up every year, and she loved to shower her family with gifts. She also had a green thumb and enjoyed taking care of her plants.

Judy is preceded in death by her husband, Dan, her parents, George and June, sister, Connie, brothers, Don and Doug. She is survived by daughters, Amy, Miranda and Ashley, sister, Janie, brothers, David and Darryl, grandchildren, Thomas (sp Amber), Lauren (sp Ryan), Austin, Andrew, Ava, Eliza, Braxton (sp Cayden), Aricka, George (gf Grace), and great-grandchildren, Charlie, Clarence, Scarlett and Beckett.

We will miss her always and forever.

Services will be held at Ferry Funeral Home on Thursday, April 9, 2026 at 11:00 a.m.

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Obituary - Ida Kaufman

Ida Kaufman, 73 of Merwin, Missouri passed away April 2, 2026 at her home in Merwin. A visitation will be held 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm Thursday, April 9, 2026 at Mullinax Funeral Home, Drexel (816-657-4400). Funeral services will be held 2:00 pm Thursday, April 9, 2026, also at the funeral home. Burial will follow in West Point Cemetery, Amsterdam, Missouri. Memorial contributions are suggested to Bates County Toys for Tykes. Messages of condolence may be left for the family at www.mulllinaxfuneralhome.com.

A complete obituary is pending at this time.
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Missouri courts issue warning about fake traffic ticket text messages

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Judiciary today issued a warning
about fake text messages, about allegedly outstanding traffic tickets,
designed to trick people into clicking on a link that might expose them
to viruses or other malware.
Read more online at https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=233093

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Henry County receives Blue Shield designation

The Henry County Sheriff’s Office has received official word from the Missouri Department of Public Safety that we have earned the Missouri Blue Shield designation for 2026.
Last year marked the beginning of something special for Henry County through the Missouri Blue Shield initiative.
Because of the commitment from each of our communities—𝑼𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉, 𝑫𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒆, 𝑾𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒐𝒓, 𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒏, 𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒐𝒏—𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑯𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒚 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒚 as a whole, we’ve been able to strengthen our office in meaningful ways. From enhanced investigative technology to improved equipment and continued investment in our people, this has been a true partnership effort.
Through this initiative, we were able to receive a $50,000 grant last year that directly supported these improvements. We look forward to applying again this year once grant opportunities become available, continuing to reinvest in our office and the communities we serve.
We are looking forward to building on that momentum in 2026 as we continue to grow, improve, and serve—together.
The Missouri Blue Shield Program was created by Governor Kehoe in January 2025 through Executive Order 25-03. In 2025, 201 Missouri communities earned the Blue Shield designation, recognizing local governments’ significant efforts to reduce crime and foster law enforcement – community partnerships to strengthen public safety. The opportunity to earn the Blue Shield designation for 2026 opened on February 4, 2026. Communities that earned the Blue Shield designation in 2025 had to reapply this year to be approved once again.
“The Blue Shield program has shown what’s possible when communities commit to prioritizing law enforcement and public safety,” 𝑮𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒐𝒓 𝑲𝒆𝒉𝒐𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅. “After awarding $50,000 grants to more than 200 communities last year, we’re continuing that work by welcoming new communities and renewing Blue Shield designations for counties, towns, and cities that remain committed to the program.”
“Strengthening public safety and committing to joint law enforcement community – citizen safety efforts is what the Blue Shield Program is all about and the Department of Public Safety is honored to work with communities Henry County, that have answered the Blue Shield challenge,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝑱𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔, 𝑫𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝑺𝒂𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒚 (𝑫𝑷𝑺). “Last year, the essential equipment provided by Blue Shield grants included 388 mobile data terminals, 351 body cameras, 151 license plate readers (LPR), 102 ballistic vests, 91 interoperable radios and 56 vehicles. We look forward to getting additional important equipment and training to our partners in local law enforcement.”
𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒇 𝑨𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒏 𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒅:
“We are very proud of our team and the partnerships we have across every community we serve—working hand in hand every day to keep Henry County safe. Public safety is a team effort, and that extends beyond our county lines. We’re proud to be part of the Midwest Missouri Career Criminal and Drug Task Force, working together to target repeat offenders, and the Western Missouri Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which continues its mission to protect children and hold offenders accountable. Those partnerships matter, and they’re producing real results for our communities.”
We would like to extend a sincere thank you to our communities, our partners, and our team members who make this work possible every day.

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Get Hooked on the 2026 4-H Sportfishing SLAM!

Ready to reel in a challenge? The 4-H Sportfishing SLAM invites Missouri youth to catch a variety of fish species while building skills in habitats, bait selection, and conservation.

FREE TO ENTER

Earn bragging rights and level up your fishing know-how

Think you can complete the SLAM? Cast your line and learn more on the Sportfishing SLAM website! https://extension.missouri.edu/.../4-h-sportfishing-slam

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A Quick Note About Walking Pickups at the Community Food Pantry of Butler

At the pantry, our goal is always to make sure every neighbor receives the food they need in a way that’s safe, manageable, and respectful. We also want to be good stewards of our volunteers’ time and the resources we have on hand.

A full shop from our pantry typically weighs 50–60 lbs. For neighbors traveling on foot, that amount can be extremely difficult to carry—and in the past, we’ve had situations where food had to be left behind because it was simply too heavy to transport. When that happens, it creates extra work for our staff and volunteers and means food isn’t getting to where it’s needed most.

To keep things safe and accessible, we offer a Walking Package for neighbors who come without transportation. This option provides a generous selection of items while keeping the total weight around 20–30 lbs, making it much more manageable to carry home.

If you prefer to receive a full shop but don’t have a vehicle, you still have options:

Bring a wagon, cart, or similar item to help haul your groceries

Call us to set up a proxy pickup—a friend or family member with transportation can pick up your full shop on your behalf

We appreciate everyone’s understanding as we work to serve our community safely, efficiently, and with care. Our priority is always to support our neighbors in the best way possible, and this policy helps us do exactly that.

If you have questions or wish to donate some reusable totes and bags to help our neighbors who pick up on foot, please feel free to reach out. We’re here to help.

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