St. Clair County Sheriffs Office: Osceola man arrested

Kevin Chapman

On Feb. 19, Kevin Chapman, 42, Osceola, was arrested in St. Clair County on a Cedar County warrant charging him with class A misdemeanor passing a bad check-less than $500. The warrant was issued in June 2012 and stems from an incident in December 2011. Bond is set at $350 cash only. 

Deepwater man arrested on Class C Felony

Johnnie Carroll

On Feb. 20, Johnnie Carroll, 72, Deepwater, was arrested in Osceola on a St. Clair County warrant charging him with class C felony possessing a controlled substance. The warrant was issued on Feb. 19 and stems from an incident on Feb. 11with Appleton City Police Department. Bond is set at $15,000 cash or surety.

Weekly report from Senator Ed Emery- The Results Are In

Public Perception

“We must look at the lens through which we see the world, as well as the world we see, and that the lens itself shapes how we interpret the world.” ― Stephen R. Covey

We have recorded and tallied responses from a total of 2,326 constituents who returned my recent survey. The most responses (2,294) were received in reply to the question of whether a student should be able to transfer to another district if one better fits their needs. Of those, 68 percent agreed that they should, with 38 percent disagreeing. The lowest number of replies (1,628) came from the question of how Missouri should fund any increase in Medicaid. Medicaid expansion was rejected by 68 percent against the 24 percent in favor, and, if expanded, funding by increasing taxes was preferred by 33 percent; 16 percent of respondents favored cuts in education funding; and 40 percent selected neither but without agreement on another approach. Possibly the reason for the low number of responses on Medicaid funding was the nearly 3 to 1 opposition to any expansion.

Most survey questions supplied five possible choices: strongly agree, somewhat agree, no opinion, somewhat disagree, and strongly disagree. Combining the for and against positions produced the following results:

· Eliminating the state income tax , 49 percent for and 39 percent against;
· Right-to-Work , 75 percent for and 21 percent against;
· Option to transfer to private school, 76 percent for and 18 percent against;
· Assigning a letter grade to school buildings, 72 percent for and 18 percent against; and
· Eliminating teacher tenure, 76 percent for and 22 percent against.

Much has been made of the 76 percent no vote on Amendment 3 last November, but survey results would suggest that was not a vote in support of tenure.

The other two questions asked whether Missouri entitlements were too high – 48 percent; too low – 15 percent; or about right – 37 percent; and who should be in control of choices regarding a child’s education? Parents, by 77 percent, were selected as the right place for control of education choices with local school boards coming in second at 16 percent. The full survey results will be posted soon on my Senate website. Thank you to all who took time to complete the survey and those who sent additional comments. The survey confirms that we do not all agree on everything, but there was significant agreement on some of the most controversial issues.

Thank you for reading this legislative report. You can contact my office at (573) 751-2108 if you have any questions. Thank you and we welcome your prayers for the proper application of state government.
bcl420

Ballard 4-H Chili Supper March 7

Ballard 4-H Club will be hosting its Annual Chili Supper on March 7, 2015. Dinner will be served at Ballard School from 5:30-7:30. Free Will Donations will be accepted at the door for chili, chili frito pie, chili dogs, or a baked potato with all the fixings, dessert, and a drink. Hope to see you there!

bcl420

This Date in History: Courthouse not complete without a clock

Courtesy of the Eddie Hermann archives and the Bates County Museum

February 20

1870-Among the many towns in Bates County, the latest is Altona that is booming. New buildings are started every week, and it's going to be a large town with everything anyone would need.

1876-Tom Montgomery boasts that he has the biggest cow in Bates county. She is only seven years of age and weighs 1,695 lbs. Who can beat it?

1881-A large crowd attends the grand masque ball at the Palace Hotel.

1895-W.B. Carrico, of Papinville, publicly declares war on tree stumps with his new style stump extractor.

1902-The Bates County Democrat newspaper reports, " the courthouse is up and all hope it will be topped out with a town clock."

1906-The Butler Hunting & Fishing Club is organized, Ed S. Clark president. They have leased the Cooper Lake, near Athol, south of Butler.

1927-The newly organized Harmony Mission Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution is confirmed by the National Society. It was organized December 12, 1926.

1940-Today is opening day of Mr.& Mrs. Chester Shelton's grocery store located in the old Ballard Bank Building, in Ballard. 20 inches of snow on the ground.

Clock face from the courthouse on display at the Bates County Museum. Note-square
hole was a door that allowed for maintenance and changing light bulbs that were
use to illuminate the clock at night

bcl420

Freezing rain in today's forecast

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Bates County and
surrounding areas for this afternoon/overnight. The advisory will be in effect from 4 pm this afternoon through 10 am tomorrow morning.

The forecast calls for freezing rain to switch over to snow during the overnight hours with 1-2 inches expected.
bcl420

Obituary - James "Bill" Ramage

James "Bill" Ramage, of Rich Hill, passed away on Tuesday, February 17th at Bates County Memorial Hospital in Butler. He was 91. Arrangements are under the direction of Heuser Funeral Home in Rich Hill. Funeral services are scheduled for 11:00 A.M. on Friday, February 20th at Heuser Funeral Home witn burial and military rites in the Green Lawn Cemetery in Rich Hill. The family will receive friends from 5:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. on Thursday, February 19th at the funeral home. The family suggests memorial contributions to Rich Hill Christian Church.
bcl420

St. Clair County Sheriffs Office: Walker man arrested

Levi Sieleman

On Feb. 18, Levi Sieleman, 33, Walker, was arrested on a St. Clair County warrant for failing to appear in court for a probation violation hearing on an original charge of non support. The warrant was issued on Jan. 8 and stems from an original incident in January 2013. Bond is set at $2,500 cash only.