Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Obituary - Dorothy F. Kenney
From the desk of Butler Fire Chief Jason Bennett
Regarding the recent storm warning on 03/29/2022: at 11:39 pm I was notified that the county of Bates was under a thunderstorm warning from 11:39 Tuesday to 12:15 am Wednesday morning.
At 11:44 pm Tuesday I was informed that the warning went from a thunderstorm warning to a tornado warning from 11:44 to 12:00 am. I then went out to monitor the storm myself and looking at our radar it showed the storm cell was around the Passaic area.
I went to the TT overpass to watch the storm for myself and in doing so I did not see any immediate threat to the citizens of Butler. I was in direct contact with the Pleasant Hill weather radar, and they could not confirm a tornado in our area just some radar indicated rotation.
The city of Adrian also was out watching and decided to not set their sirens off either. As per our operating procedures, It takes a radar indicated rotation and a confirmed sighting of a cloud lowering to sound the sirens in the city of Butler in order to not start a city-wide panic .
If visibility is limited to the point that cloud lowering is unable to be determined, yet there is radar indicated rotation sirens will be sounded. If ever in doubt we will err on the side of caution and sound the sirens.
Chief/EMD Jason Bennett
Obituary - Jackson Brock
Jack was a lifelong resident of Vernon County where he spent his final days watching his beloved cows and sitting with his little dog, Bebe.
Jack graduated high school from Nevada and completed his Master’s Degree at Pittsburg State University in 1966. After teaching for a short time, he joined the Missouri Department of Vocational Rehabilitation where he spent his career, retiring in 1996. Later, he helped found On My Own, Inc. where he served as executive Director until he retired again in 2006. In 1960, he married Sarah Drury and they celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary.
Jack was a hardworking, cheerful, and kind man with an infectious grin and a mischievous sense of humor. He loved his family, his cattle, and his many dogs. He was an avid quail hunter in his younger days.
He is survived by his wife, Sarah and three children: his daughter, Jackie Leapheart, and two sons, Jeffrey Brock, and John Brock. Also surviving are seven grandchildren, Jacob Shouse, Tyler, Shouse, Lawrence Shouse, Caitlin Crock, Annelies Brock, Cole Brock, and Evan Brock; and nine great-grandchildren.
The family will receive friends at a visitation to be held on Monday, April 4, 2022 from 7-8:00 p.m. at Ferry Funeral Home in Nevada.
Memorials are suggested in his name to the Parkinson’s Foundation c/o Ferry Funeral Home.
Regarding the decision not to activate storm sirens last night...
The timeline:
11:37 P.M. Adrian Fire and Emergency Management Departments were dispatched and made aware of a severe thunderstorm warning
11:42 P.M. Bates County Dispatch advised of an updated duration time for the severe thunderstorm warning
11:44 P.M. Adrian Fire and Emergency Management Departments were dispatched for a tornado warning for the northwestern part of Bates County. The storm was reported by the National Weather Service and the storm cell that prompted the tornado warning was reported to be located seven miles south of Adrian and was moving east at 45 MPH. The possibility of rotation in this cell was radar indicated and prompted the warning.
A recap from Chief Dizney:
The Adrian Fire and Emergency Management Departments along with multiple other agencies, including the Bates County Sheriff’s Department, Butler Fire Department, trained firefighter storm spotters who were in the field monitoring the storm, and multiple firefighters who were in station keeping a watchful eye on radar- all of which were taking measures to ensure public safety as this was a fast moving, fast developing storm. There were just two minutes between the warning of a severe thunderstorm which was upgraded to a tornado warning, so we acted upon the information we were given and took the appropriate actions based on the information we had.
The tornado warning sirens were not activated for the City of Adrian because the radar indicated storm cell that prompted the tornado warning was reported to be seven miles south of Adrian and moving “east” at 45 MPH. The warning indicated possible rotation aloft but there were no reports of any actual tornado sightings.
Editor's note: As Spring storm season is upon us, the public can rest assured that our local fire departments and first responders make themselves readily available and keep 'an eye to the sky' as they are trained in keeping public safety at the forefront in every case.
From the Bates County Sheriff's Office
Her email is jpage@batescountysheriff.com. We need this information to send to Textcaster so they can find out why everyone did not receive the warning text last night.
Obituary - Charles Ernest Wells
He married Gwendolyn Wells in Lake Mills, Iowa on September 12, 1959. He graduated from the University of Iowa. He worked for AT&T and later worked for Sprint.
He loved his children and grandchildren and enjoyed spending time with them. He is survived by his wife, Gwen and his three children: Tony Wells (Beth), Diane Adelsperger (Bob) and David Wells (Marcia), six grandsons: Andrew Adelsperger (Amelia), Daniel Wells, Seth Adelsperger (Arielle), Reagan Wells, Jonathan Wells and Brian Wells, two sisters: Marilee Adams and Jacqui Smith (Larry). He also had many loving nieces and nephews.
Chuck was an avid reader and loved learning about God’s creation. He enjoyed fishing, rock hunting, genealogy, walking, picking up pecans, and spending time with his family.
Charles was a life-long Christian, baptized as a teenager. His Christian faith was very important in his life and he instilled it in his family. He taught Sunday school for over 25 years. He was a member of several churches, most recently First Baptist Church in Clinton, MO.
The family is planning a service at Vansant-Mills Funeral Home at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the First Baptist Church (Clinton, MO) in support of the missions fund: “Acts one 8” and can be left in care of the funeral home.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Vansant-Mills Funeral Home in Clinton, Missouri.
Happy Retirement Paul
“I am extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve as the Superintendent of the Harrisonville School District and as an educator for 29 years in the state of Missouri. As I reflect on my career, one of my proudest moments was the community coming together to pass the levy to increase salaries for our exceptional staff and a bond issue to improve the safety and maintenance of our facilities,” said Mr. Mensching. “Throughout my career, the greatest memories that I have involve students. From the simple joy of high school students enjoying a pep assembly after a two-year hiatus, to the chance to hear about the exciting kindergarten field trips, or the celebrated success of a national proficiency award winner, I am constantly amazed at what our students can and will do. The best that we are, or hope to be, are found in our children. Thank you for the opportunity to serve them.”
During his past four years as Superintendent of the Harrisonville School District, Mr. Mensching spearheaded efforts which led to the following:
*Development and implementation of the district’s strategic plan (Blueprint)
*Passage of Props I+N, a 50 cent levy increase to provide staff salary increases, and a $22.7 million bond issue
*Bond construction including major renovations and additions at Cass Career Center, improved safety and security at multiple buildings, much-needed updates to HVAC and roofs across the district, and new elementary playgrounds
*Improved collaboration and communication with our community partners including the City of Harrisonville and the Harrisonville Chamber of Commerce
*Strong financial stewardship through declining enrollment, uncertain economic conditions, and state budget cuts
*Ensuring educational stability and student and staff safety throughout a pandemic
He was recognized by the Harrisonville Chamber of Commerce as the Individual of the Year in 2020 and by the Missouri School Public Relations Association as the Administrator of the Year in 2021.
He has served as a member of the Harrisonville Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; President of the Harrisonville Kiwanis Club; a member of the city’s Economic Development Board, Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee, Mayor’s Advisory Council, and Enhanced Enterprise Zone Committee, a member of the Cass County Superintendents’ Association; a member of the Greater Kansas City Superintendents’ Association, the Missouri Association of School Administrators, and the American Association of School Administrators; and a member of the Missouri School Business Officials.
Board President Tina Graef said, “Paul Mensching is a man of integrity and honesty, and the Harrisonville School District was lucky to have a person of his caliber leading our district for the last four years. He has provided much needed consistency and transparency and was able to bring our district together in a way we hadn’t experienced in many years as a direct result of his exemplary leadership. His vision from the very beginning was to improve the culture in our buildings, increase pay to attract and retain quality, dedicated educators, and most importantly, to ensure our children receive the best education possible in an environment that is safe and allows all of them to grow and flourish. Paul has accomplished these things and so many more, effectively getting buy-in and support of the staff and the community and truly setting this district and our kids up for success. To say these have been challenging times is an understatement, yet through it all, he never lost sight of the fact that our kids come first. Always. I am privileged and honored to have worked beside him and am proud of everything he has accomplished. From his first day to his last, he is the example of making it a great day to be a Wildcat.”
Mr. Mensching has had 29 years in education. Prior to Harrisonville, he served as the superintendent in the East Buchanan C-1 School District for 10 years. He also served as the high school principal at Ralls County R-2, a social studies teacher, basketball coach, and athletic director at Monroe City R-2, and a social studies teacher and assistant football and basketball coach at Mexico.
At the Board of Education meeting last night, the Board approved a transition plan which includes hiring EGL Association to lead the search for a new superintendent which will begin in the fall.
Graef said, “The Board of Education will be using the services of EGL Association to conduct the search for superintendent over the course of several months. Dr. Todd White, a former superintendent for the Harrisonville School District, will lead the search process for EGL Association, beginning in September of 2022. He will conduct surveys in the community and with staff to determine what the expectations are for the superintendent along with direction from the board. After this information is gathered, he will advertise for the position locally and nationally. After a period of open advertisement, he will bring all qualified applications to the board and assist in the process of selection. The board will then interview the chosen candidates. Once the new superintendent has been hired, Dr. White will work with the board and Mr. Mensching to ensure the comprehensive entry plan of the new superintendent, the staff, and the community is successful.”
Mensching said, “The backbone of a great educational system are our teachers and support staff working in conjunction with supportive parents and community members. While this harmony is sometimes difficult to achieve in today’s climate, we have been able to capture that experience in Harrisonville. In order to keep that collective spirit strong, we have to strategically move forward together. I believe the succession plan approved by the Board of Education will pave the way for continued growth and improvement of our district.”
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