Osage Valley Electric Crews are currently working on an outage affecting members in the areas between Archie, Garden City and Creighton. Crews will make repairs and restore power as quickly as possible.
December 5, Appleton City Landmarks Restoration will celebrateChristmas in the County with a Craft Show in the M.K.T, Depot. Your favorite crafters will be present 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 to open the Christmas season. Tammy Rapp & Julie Cooper will have an assortment of candies, Jina Hill with repurposed items, Christmas wreaths & arrangements plus other items, Tom Holt with his wood creations, Margie Siegismund's handmade rugs and Mary Miller's Sunrise Bakery pies, breads, noodles & candies. A. C. Landmarks will have the 2020 150th History book, the A.C. Journal Bits and Pieces books, plus other AC souvenir items.
Mayor Preston reports that according to the St. Clair County Health Department, COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise across the county as well as within our community. As of December 1, there are 79 positive cases inside Appleton City and 388 countywide. Because of this, and in keeping with the County Health Department’s guidelines, it was recommended that the Christmas in the Country festivities (including the parade, visit with Santa, and the Mayor’s Tree Lighting Ceremony) all be canceled for this year.
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 Ellett Memorial Hospital at 660-476-5219, OR AC Rural Health Clinic at 660-476-2121 TO ALERT STAFF PRIOR TO YOUR ARRIVAL! Ellett Memorial Hospital recommends washing your hands often, wearing a mask as much as possible, stay home if you don’t feel well and practice social distancing!
Darrell Pohlman will host his annual Christmas display (weather permitting) from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sundays from December 2 through December 23. The display can be seen at 513 W. 7th St. in Appleton City.
Something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to READ. Appleton City School Library will be holding a Scholastic Book Fair December 4, 3:30-6:30, December 5, 9:00-12:00, and December 8-11 from 3:30-6:30. Come out and support the school library and find a special book to wrap up for Christmas. Extra measures have been taken to provide the safest book fair possible and they ask that you please wear a mask and social distance as necessary. The back door of the Library (across from the playground) will be open for you to come in and shop.
AC Rural Health Clinic now has flu shots: FLUZONE Quadrivalent High Dose is an inactivated influenza vaccine recommended for 65 and older and is indicated for active immunization against influenza disease dose caused by influenza virus subtypes A and type B (H1N1) (H3N2) contained in the vaccine. FLUZONE Quadrivalent is for patients ages 4 month-65 yrs., and is an inactivated influenza vaccine indicated for active immunization against influenza disease caused by influenza virus sub types A & B, (H1N1)(H3N2). Contraindication is for persons allergic to egg proteins. These are the recommendations for the 2020- 21 season. Flu shots can be given without an appointment or provider visit from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call the clinic at 660-475-2121 with any questions. The cost for FLUZONE 4mo-65 yrs. is $52.75 and Fluzone for 65+ is $128.25. Please bring your Medicare or insurance card with you and they will file for insurance benefits.
The Appleton City R-2 School District will accept declarations of candidacy from any person interested in running for a position on the School Board in the April 6, 2021 election. Persons interested may file at the Superintendent’s office located at 408 W. 4th St., Appleton City, MO 64724.
Filing will begin on December 15, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. and will continue during the district’s regular business hours, which are Tuesday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Filing will not occur on days that the school district’s offices are closed due to inclement weather. Filing will also not occur on the following holidays when the school district’s offices are closed: December 23, 2020 through January 4, 2021 for Christmas Break. Filing will resume on January 5, 2021, 8:00 a.m. and end on January 19, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. There are 2 positions available with three-year terms.
It has been suggested to mail Christmas greetings as a community to our local military while they serve our country. To do this, a list of names andmailing addresses are needed. Please call 660-476-5857 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. or acmolampkin@yahoo.com with the information. Please list the subject of the email as AC Military.
Sesquicentennial Souvenirs would make great Christmas gifts for all ages. They can be purchased from committee members or at Community First Bank. Orders may be placed for pickup at the bank. Call or text Denice at 660-492-3180 or email acmolampkin@yahoo.com
In 1817 Benjamin Franklin said, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Income tax time is just around the corner and farmers need to start getting prepared. A good resource that can help is the free Farmer’s Tax Guides available at your local University of Missouri Extension center. This is a free publication and is very helpful in explaining tax related issues. Whether you file your own taxes or hire a professional tax preparer, you still need to understand the basic farm income tax principals. To request one of these free publications, stop by your local MU Extension Center and for farm tax questions, contact your local Agricultural Business Specialist, Raysha Tate tatere@missouri.edu, by calling the Extension Center at (417) 646-2419, or coming by the center on the first floor of the courthouse in Osceola.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Dec 4-11 Scholastic Book Fair at Appleton City School Library
Dec 5 Christmas in the Country craft show at the Depot
Dec 9 Senior Citizen Christmas Dinner at ACHS
First, it was noted that a bill for just over $9,900.00 was explained to council members- it was a $150.00 holiday bonus for city employees that was paid via gift cards. Due to how the cards were purchased and disbursed, the bill was consolidated into one lump sum.
Upon the move of councilman Jeff Hall to another ward, his vacant seat has been filled by Alan J. Mundey by unanimous vote. Also due to the move by Hall, the position of Mayor pro-tem has been filled by Doncella Liggins. Congrats to both.
There was a public hearing regarding the medical marijuana businesses in Butler. This is a rather complicated process, as the grow facility (Local Leaf) and the manufacturing facility (Revival98), although in the same building must have separation in terms of doing business. A conditional use permit will be issued. More details on the dispensary will be forthcoming.
Seats will be open in all four wards in 2021. Those wishing to file may do so beginning December 15th at city hall. However, due to city hall being closed to the public for covid concerns, call for details on how to file.
A long segment of the meeting was devoted to discussion of renewing the lease of the fairground property to the fair board and saddle club. A 30 year lease is on the table; however there is a lot to consider regarding grounds maintenance, ownership of the buildings and more. The city attorney is going to write up a draft of the contract which will be mulled at the upcoming meeting.
For the record, the solar farm does not belong to the city of Butler. The current owner is considering selling the farm and it was brought up that the city should have first option to buy the farm; however, city hall is scrambling to find any contract documents that might contain this information.
Cares Act money was made available to Bates County as reported June 17th of this year- and doling out the available $1.8 million is proving to be a bit tricky. The city would like to receive a portion to cover hazard pay for all city employees; however it looks like the police and fire department may be first on the list to receive any of it. A group of five in the county offices, including commissioners have final say on where the money goes however, they are under a constant audit to verify that the money is handed out per strict rules. From the city's perspective, they must first spend the money then ask the county for reimbursement that could lay the groundwork for an expensive catch-22 if the county does not reimburse due to a technicality. It was suggested that the council meet with the county for some kind of assurance. You can read the June story regarding the Cares Act money here https://batescountynewswire.blogspot.com/2020/06/work-in-progress-doling-out-18-million.html
A Facebook video allegedly showing blood and cow parts outdoors at the Kansas City Beef Company (former Thorco location) began another long discussion about concerns from neighbors near the facility. As we reported a public hearing held on November 20th by the planning commission, it appears the facility has been in operation since June, unknown by many, including some council members. This of course has sparked discussion about whether or not the plant is operating under the correct guidelines in terms of the city, state and other governance. To add to the confusion, Kansas City Beef has approached the planning commission asking for permission to slaughter at the facility (currently slaughter is off site) and in that, it was discovered there is an issue with zoning that would need to be resolved as well. At this time, it appears Kansas City Beef is operating within their legal bounds; a special meeting will be held December 8th regarding this issue and Mid America Live will provide more details about the meeting in upcoming days.
A short discussion was held regarding the removal of political signs still up in the area. An easy fix would be for property owners to simply drop them in the trash IF candidates don't do the right thing and do it first.
