Missouri Governor Mike Parsons Postpones April 7th Municipal Elections due to Covid -19 Virus

MARCH 18, 2020

JEFFERSON CITY — Pursuant to Governor Mike Parson’s Executive Order 20-02 declaring a state of emergency in response to COVID-19 and a request from Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, Governor Parson today signed Executive Order 20-03 ordering all Missouri municipal elections previously scheduled for April 7, 2020, to be postponed to June 2, 2020.

The Executive Order declares that ballots already printed for the April 7 election may be used at the postponed date of June 2. Voters who have attained the age of 18 by April 7 will be allowed to cast a ballot. 

“Given the growing concern surrounding COVID-19 and the large number of people elections attract, postponing Missouri’s municipal elections is a necessary step to help combat the spread of the virus and protect the health and safety of Missouri voters,” Governor Parson said. “Postponing an election is not easy, but we are all in this together. We are thankful to Secretary Ashcroft and our 116 election authorities for their leadership, cooperation, and commitment to doing what is best for their communities during this time.”

“I deeply appreciate Governor Parson’s quick approval and am thankful to the local election authorities – your county clerks and boards of election – who have worked through developing health concerns to find a unified and secure means of implementing our next election,” Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said. “Missouri has 116 separate election authorities, almost all who are elected in their own right, and we have come together to help protect Missouri voters. These are difficult times, but I am grateful for how we have responded, worked together and come to a resolution that helps every single Missouri voter.”

Section 44.100, RSMo, provides that during a state of emergency, the Governor is authorized to “waive or suspend the operation of any statutory requirement or administrative rule prescribing procedures for conducting state business, where strict compliance with such requirements and rules would prevent, hinder, or delay necessary action by the department of health and senior services to respond to a declared emergency or increased health threat to the population.”

The Executive Order requires local election authorities to publish notice of the June 2 election as required in Section 115.127.2, RSMo. In addition, the Executive Order states:

• The closing date to register to vote in this election remains March 11.
• The deadline for filing as a write-in candidate for office remains March 27 at 5 p.m.
• The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot (Section 115.279, RSMo) shall be May 20.
• A public test of voting equipment shall be completed no later than June 1.
• In-person absentee ballots may be cast until 5 p.m. on June 1.
• The deadline by which absentee ballots must be received by the election authority (Section 115.293.1, RSMo) shall be 7 p.m. on June 2.
• Military and overseas voters must request a ballot from an election authority by 5 p.m. on May 29, and the deadline for local election authorities to make ballots available to such voters is April 18. Military and overseas ballots must be received by the election authority by June 5.
• Local election authorities are also directed to post information on their website, use social media if available, issue press release, conduct public appearances, and directly contact stakeholders such as candidates.

Some good advice...

From the Bates County Commission

To the Citizens of Bates County:

Effective today, Wednesday, March 18, 2020 at 12:00pm the Bates County Administration Building will be closed to the public until further notice. This is an effort to help protect the public by reducing the chances of contact with the COVID-19 virus.

County Offices will still be able to meet most needs through alternative methods. The public will need to call the specific County office they have business with for direction on how to conduct business. Options may include by phone, fax, email, drop box, and curb service. Below is a list of phone numbers to reach your county offices.

Commissioners: 660.679.3371
Clerk (Marlene Wainscott): 660.679.3371
Treasurer (Jim Platt): 660.679.3341
Assessor (Roger Pruden): 660.679.3157
Recorder (Danyelle Baker): 660.679.3611
Surveyor (Bill Lethcho): 660.679.4031
Your elected officials care about your health and safety. Please be patient while we work together through this trying time.

Thank You,
Bates County Commissioners

Subjects in custody following mailbox thefts

On 3-18-2020 at around 4:00 AM, officers from the Belton Police Department were dispatched to the neighborhood of Kentucky View on a report of parties going through mailboxes. Officers arrived and located a black Chevrolet truck leaving the area. A check of the license plate revealed the truck to be stolen out of Johnson County Kansas. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle but it fled northbound on I-49 at low speeds. A Belton officer was able to deploy a tire deflation device as the vehicle exited I-49 at 155th St. The truck continued on and came to a stop a short time later on E 153rd Terr. Two male parties ran from the vehicle. The passenger was taken into custody almost immediately but the driver escaped apprehension.

With the assistance of the Grandview Police Department and the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, a perimeter was set up and a canine officer from the Cass County Sheriff’s Office was called to the scene. The Cass County canine located the driver in the 6100 block of E 152 Terr where he was taken into custody. The driver was treated at the scene for a dog bite and then transported to the Belton Jail. Mail from multiple residences was located in the stolen truck and recovered. Both subjects are being held in the Belton Jail on investigative holds. Their identities are not being released pending charges.

News From Hoot Owl Heating and Cooling LLC In Butler

These are uncertain times but rest assured we will be here to keep your homes HVAC systems running! We are taking steps to ensure the safety of our customers and community.... we will not be doing maintenance calls at this time! Office hours will be modified for at least a couple weeks. We will still be available by phone 24/7. Thank you and God bless

Hoot Owl Heating and Cooling LLC

Ian Wise 

Obituary - Donna J. Cruse

Donna J. Cruse, age 78, passed away Friday, March 13, 2020 at St. Luke's Hospital-North Kansas City, MO. Funeral services will be held Saturday, March 21, 2020 and will be livestreamed for the public at 3:00PM from the Vansant-Mills Facebook page. 

Due to the current government restrictions pertaining to social gatherings of groups of over 10 people, these services will not be open to the public. 

The family suggests memorial contributions to St. Jude's and may be mailed to Vansant-Mills Funeral Home, 314 W. Jefferson St., Clinton, MO 64735. Condolences and fond memories may be left online at www.vansant-millsfuneralhome.com.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Vansant-Mills Funeral Home, Clinton, Missouri.

Medal of Honor ceremony postponed

The decision has been made to postpone the Medal of Honor ceremony for Civil War CMOH recipient Sergeant Freeman Davis that was scheduled for this coming Sunday. 

A make up date will be announced as soon as possible.

Appleton City: More changes, closures

Appleton City area news is brought to you courtesy of the Industrial Development Committee

If you have been in close contact with a person known to have Coronavirus or if you have recently traveled to an area with ongoing spread of Coronavirus, as well as experiencing fever, cough, or trouble breathing and need MEDICAL ATTENTION. Please call 660-476-5219, TO ALERT STAFF PRIOR TO YOUR ARRIVAL! Ellett Memorial Hospital recommends: Clean your hands often! Wash them often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. IF YOU ARE SICK: You should wear a facemask when you are around other people (e.g., sharing a room or vehicle) and before you enter a healthcare provider’s office. If you are not able to wear a facemask (for example, because it causes trouble breathing), then you should do your best to cover your coughs and sneezes, and people who are caring for you should wear a facemask if they enter your room. If you are NOT sick: You do not need to wear a facemask unless you are caring for someone who is sick (and they are not able to wear a facemask). EMH is taking all appropriate and necessary precautions for the safety and well-being of our community. In compliance with their infectious disease protocols, they will remain vigilant and continue to follow CDC and MO Department of Health guidelines.

The Appleton City Library will be closed due to COVID-19 until further notice.

Due to the COVID-19 virus, St. Clair County Bank’s lobby is closed until further notice. The drive up window is available and open from 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Monday – Friday and 8:00 a.m. – noon on Saturday.

Food Fair has announced that there will be no weekly ads beginning March 18. The warehouse cannot guarantee deliveries of some items. If customers cannot shop normally, curbside pickup is available 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Call them at 660-476-2131 and they will gather your groceries and either have them up front or bring them to your car. They still offer deliveries on Mondays and Thursdays in the local area for $3. Just call the above number. There is a cut off time of 2:00 p.m. to call in your order. Food Fair would like to thank their customers for their patience and understanding. You can get more information on their Facebook page: food fair supermarket appleton city

The Golden Apples will discontinue meeting for Wednesday lunches until further notice. They urge everyone to stay home as much as possible during this critical time.

Immaculate Conception Church, Montrose, will serve a modified Lenten Fish Dinner March 27 from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. (or until food runs out). As long as they can get the food needed, they will still have their last dinner on March 27, but in a modified fashion. They will be doing orders to go only. Order, pay, and receive your to go meals in your car, so you can take them home to eat with your families. Meals will contain fish, fries, cole slaw, green beans, corn bread, and a cookie. Condiments will also be included. $10 for adults and $5 for children under 10.

The A.C. Spring City Wide Garage Sale dates will be April 3 – 4. Permits are $5 and can be purchased at City Hall until March 31. Permits to set up in the A.C. Park which covers both days are $25 for the pole shelter, $15 for the stage, $10 for lawn permits and are also available at City Hall on a first come, first served basis. Maps will be available at Food Fair, Powell’s True Value & Casey’s beginning Thursday afternoon. House of Joy Ministry will be at the City Park Saturday from 3:00-5:00 to pick up donations. For questions, please call Dianne Foster at 476-2390.

The annual AC Easter Egg hunt will be 9:00 a.m. Saturday April 4 at the City Park next to Casey’s. Ages newborn-11 are welcome! The ACHS FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America) is hosting the event with assistance from Optimist Club.

The Appleton City FBLA chapter will have a chicken dinner fundraiser on Sunday, April 5, 2020 from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in the High School Commons Area to raise money for FBLA State and National contest expenses. Robert Perryman will be cooking his famous chicken. You may purchase tickets from any FBLA member for this event. Tickets are: $10.00 for adults, $ 6.00 for children age 12 and under, with children under 2 eating for free. You will also be able to purchase tickets at the door on the day of the event, but please purchase them ahead of time to allow them to prepare for attendance. Donations are also welcome to support the students in the event you cannot come out and eat with them. They currently have 10 students competing in the State FBLA competition in Springfield, MO on April 19 – 21. They will be staying in Springfield for the duration of the event. The students have been working very hard on their events and are excited to move forward from Districts to State competition. They are hopeful that they will move from the State Competition to the National Competition in Salt Lake City, Utah in June of this year. Please come out for this event and support the students in their efforts to succeed at competition. If you have any questions, please contact the school’s FBLA advisor, Trisha Freemyer, at the school. Thank you in advance for your continued support of the students in their endeavors. They appreciate all that you in the community do for them as they travel on our journey to excellence.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Mar 19 Spring begins

Mar 27 Fish Fry-Day at St. Mary’s School basement (Montrose) 5:00 -7:30 p.m.

April 2 Kindergarten screening at Hudson School

April 7 Election Day

In conjunction with the Appleton City Sesquicentennial Celebration and also the congregation’s sesquicentennial, Trinity Lutheran Church will be sponsoring a quilt show at the church and inviting area quilters to participate. The Quilt Show will be Friday and Saturday, June 12-13 during the Sesquicentennial. Included in the show will be hand-quilted, machine-quilted, embroidered, appliquéd, and baby quilts, and wall hangings. If your quilt, either old or newer, has an interesting story with it, also plan on sharing that with the public. The show pre-registration begins now and ends April 30. At this time, 1 item can be registered per entry. After April 30, depending on responses, the registration may be opened up again to include more available spaces at the show. A $25 prize will be awarded in each category and a $50 “People’s Choice” Award. Call or text Kathy Rodick at 417-309-0471 with your name, address, phone number, and entry category, and a packet will be sent to be completed and brought with you to the show set-up on Thursday, June 11.

Appleton City School Kindergarten Round—Up Enrollment/Screening Day will tentatively be April 9. If your child will be 5 before August 1, now is the time to begin thinking about Kindergarten enrollment requirements. The following items are required for enrollment: immunization records, state issued birth certificate, social security card and proof of residence. Call Malia Mount at the school at 660-476-2161 to make an appointment or for more information. Did you know that your child can receive the immunizations that are needed to attend Kindergarten anytime on or after his/her fourth birthday? You do not need to wait until age five. They encourage you to have your child fully immunized now and bring the immunization record to school on the day of Kindergarten screening. If you have questions regarding required immunizations, please feel free to contact Nikki Piepmeier, School Nurse, at 660-476-2601, option #7.

Hudson R-IX Elementary will hold their annual preschool & kindergarten screening on Thursday, April 2. Please call (660) 476-5467 to set up an appointment. You will need your child’s social security card, birth certificate and current immunization record. If you call and the school office is closed, please leave a message and they will get back to you.

The ACHS senior class panels have been updated at Farmhouse Restaurant with this year’s special classes of 1950, 1955, 1960 and 1970. Respectively they are the 70 year class, 65 year class, 60 year class and the 50 year class. The Appleton City Museum is grateful to Eric and Vickie Christie for allowing the class panel for display this year. The Museum will officially open Friday, May 1 from 11:30-4:30 for the 2020 season. Every Friday afternoon someone will be at the Museum.

Ellett Memorial Hospital Appleton City offers outpatient specialist services for March 2020. Call 660-476-2111 for appointments: Mar 23 – Rheumatology–Dr. Latinis, Mar 25 – Orthopedics-Dr. Gray.

Appleton City Area Ministerial Alliance will hold Community Services as follows: Holy Thursday Service April 9, 7:00 p.m. at the First Christian Church with Pastor Alan Black; Good Friday Service April 19, 7:00 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church with Pastor Tony Reynolds; and Sunrise Service April 12, 6:30 a.m. at First Baptist Church with Pastor Ryan Campos. Everyone is welcome.

Once again DbarJ Quilts Etc will be sponsoring the Elva Gwinn Huffman Essay Contest for non-profit groups. Any non-profit group can write an

essay about their group, their good works, how they would use the quilt to help them raise money for their cause. It is best if you keep it to no more than 2 pages. Due date for the essays is March 31, 2020. They will be read and the quilt will be given out on April 2, which is Elva’s birthday. If you wish more information, you can call 660-598-2222 during business hours, M,W,TH,F 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Tuesday 12:00-5:00 p.m.

Brian “Super B” Knight t-shirts are being sold as a scholarship fundraiser sponsored by the Ellett Memorial Hospital. Shirts will have big emblem on the back and a small outline emblem on left chest. Colors are: red, midnight and charcoal. Sizes run from youth XS 4/6, Small 6/8, Medium 8/10, Large 2/14, and X Large 16/20. Adult sizes small – IV large. Cost is $20 with check made out to EMH Foundation. Call 660-476-2111 for info.

Proper management of sheep and goats is important to the profitability of this industry. Therefore MU Extension will be conducting a sheep and goat workshop to discuss management factors that will lead to optimum profitability of the operation. The sheep and goat workshop will be held at the Cedar County Library at 717 East Street, Stockton, Mo. 65785, 6:00 – 9:00 p. m. April 9 from MU Extension agriculture specialists will conduct the workshop and the topics covered will include: Nutritional Management, Parasite Management and Making a profit. There will be a meal served at this workshop. Cost of this workshop is $30 per person and fee payment along with registration needs to be completed by April 7 to the Cedar County MU Extension Center, 113 South Street, Stockton, Mo. 65785. You can also register online at https://extension2.missouri.edu/events/sheep-and-goat-production-workshop. For all other questions, contact the Cedar County MU Extension Center at (417) 276-3313.

Expanding an ag business? Starting an alternative ag enterprise? Looking for opportunities in agriculture? Come and find out about resources to help you be successful at the Ag Entrepreneurs: Resources for Success on April 1 at Centennial Hall at the Vernon County Fairgrounds. The Fairgrounds are located at 1488 E. Ashland in Nevada, MO. The event will be from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and will have speakers from University of Missouri Extension, Sustainable Agriculture Resource Development, Missouri Agriculture & Small Business Development Authority, Missouri Small Business Development Center, USDA Rural Development and Missouri Northern Pecans. The cost is $30 per person, with lunch included. Call in meeting reservation by March 27 to Vernon County Extension Center at 417-448-2560 or register on-line at https://extension2.missouri.edu/events/ag-entrepreneurs-resources-for-success. Let them know if you have any special needs.

“The Little Apple” was started by the A. C. Economic Development as way of informing residents of news and events sponsored by area businesses and organizations. Items of a clearly personal nature, such as birthdays, anniversaries, awards (not group sponsored), personal sales and the like are not accepted for publication. Please email articles for “The Little Apple” to dcp81@embarqmail.com by Tuesday evenings or bring them to Dr. Payton’s office to be included in that week’s edition. To receive “The Little Apple” free by e-mail, send your e-mail address to dcp81@embarqmail.com If you have changed your previous email address, you are asked to send the current address, so the list can be updated.