Spring is a busy season...

A quick glance at the County Wide Calendar reveals a full schedule this weekend:

To see all local calendar events, click on the County Wide Calendar button at the top of our home page.

Election results - revised with vote count added

We will provide write-in candidate info as soon as it becomes available:

unofficial results:

Election information - please read...

To see the latest election results, go to our home page at www.BatesCountyLive.com and click the ELECTION 2011 button at the top of the page.

We will post the final results as a story when all votes are counted. Note that races marked as 100% reporting will be the final (unofficial) numbers.

Obituary - Betty Verline Lowe

Betty Verline Lowe, 82, Archie, MO, died Monday, April 4, 2011 at Research Medical Center in Kansas City, MO. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, April 7, 2011 at the First Baptist Church in Archie, MO. Visitation will be from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 6 at the Atkinson Chapel in Archie. Burial will be in Garden City Cemetery, Garden City, MO. Memorial contributions may be made to the church.

Betty was born October 27, 1928 in Utica, Montana, the daughter of Loren Verl and Mildred (Garrett) Hastings. She grew up in the Garden City, MO and Archie, MO area. She married Robert Lee Lowe.

She worked for UMKC as a librarian for 17 ½ years before retiring in 1993. She also had worked as a sales associate at Wal-Mart in Harrisonville, MO for eight years. She lived in Kansas City, MO before moving to Archie. She was a member of the First Baptist Church in Archie.

Betty was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Robert Lee in November, 1985, three brothers, Herb, Gayle and Allen Hastings and two grandchildren. She is survived by three sons, Robert Lowe, Jr. and wife, Eva and Danny Lowe and wife, Rita, all of Adrian, MO and Lawrence Lowe, Archie, MO; one daughter, Linda Tracy and husband, Dick, Wellington, MO; one brother, Cliff Hastings and wife, Sheila, Deer Lodge, Montana; one sister, Donna Reighard, Milan, MO; 12 grandchildren; 30 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great-grandchildren.

Higher gas prices- what next?

The proverbial pinch isn't only felt at the pump. Higher fuel prices have an immediate effect on most everything we touch. People eat out less, take less trips and more carefully plan their grocery shopping list. Thirsty SUV's find their way to the bargain lot while four cylinder cars and motorcycles suddenly increase in value. All the aforementioned is typically what happens when gas prices go up. After all, we've been through it before- so what makes this time any different?

If we're lucky, this time won't be any different. Quite possibly we'll see prices drift downward sometime after Labor Day.

However, unrest in the Middle East is the undisputed cause of the rise in oil prices and the situation seems to get worse by the minute. Many ask since there are problems in Libya, and Libya primarily supplies oil to Britain, then why does is affect our prices? First, the prices are being affected worldwide, not just here. And since oil is Libya's only tangible product, it would seem quite silly for them to blow up their own oil wells, making things even worse. We'll see.

As of this morning, Casey's stores in Butler were advertising the cheap stuff at $3.49 a gallon while Phillips 66 was at $3.54, according to GasBuddy.com.

So how bad do we have it? In Los Angeles today's prices range between $3.93 and $4.09. New York is a little better at around $3.80/gal. Thanks to heavy taxation, gasoline in Britain is over $7.00 a gallon. Australia $6.40 today on average. Comparatively, we don't have it so bad- but that doesn't help much.

So what does the future hold? Prices will probably be up for awhile, at least until things quiet down across the pond. You know, while we're cooling our heels, we could be drilling...

Oh well, as Americans, we'll get by no matter what. Just like we always have done.

Bates County Elks #2653 installs new officers

The installation ceremony for new officers of the Bates County Elks Lodge #2653 was held on Friday, April 1st.

Keith Ridgeway - Exalted Ruler 1yr.

Russell Chandler - Tiler

Jason Bennett - Chaplain

Polly Mitchell-Geer - Secretary
James Balducci - Esquire

Jim Morgan - Inner Guard

Brian Phillips - Lecturing Knight

John Carullo - 1 yr. Trustee
Terry Agnew - 2 yr. Trustee
Clint Schuman - 3 yr. Trustee
Nathan Agnew - Leading Knight
Allen Porter - Treasurer
Johnnie Hough - Loyal Knight

Other awards presented were:

Clint Schuman - Elk of the Year
Allen Porter - Officer of the Year
Melody Thornton - Citizen of the Year
Tracy Fisher, 13, of Butler was awarded a $200 savings bond in the Elks essay contest.
Taylor Fischer - 2nd  place in Missouri in the essay contest.

Butler city wide cleanup coming soon

Each spring and fall the City of Butler in cooperation with Bates County Disposal conducts a city wide cleanup of residential properties. This is a service offered to residents to give them a chance to discard items not taken during weekly trash pickup.

Bluegrass and gospel concert this Sunday

Direct from Branson, the Punches Family will share their music and testimony through bluegrass and gospel music this Sunday evening at the New Life Baptist Church in LaCygne. 


A carry in potluck dinner starts at 5 p.m. with the concert at 6 p.m. For more information call Allen at  913-757-2766 or Connie at 660-464-0118.


-submitted