The City of Rich Hill is currently accepting applications

The City of Rich Hill is currently accepting applications for a full-time Public Works Supervisor for the maintenance of the parks, cemetery, and streets.

The applicants must be able to operate light and heavy equipment, perform administrative and managerial duties, manual labor associated with the job requirements and other job functions as required.

Job duties include, but are not limited to:

• Operate and maintain backhoe, skid steer, bucket truck, chipper truck, dump truck and other equipment as required

• Push snow with blade on streets in inclement weather

• Perform duties as sexton of the Greenlawn Cemetery

• Minor maintenance at City Hall

• Preparation and duties at the 4th of July Celebration

• Must be able to bend, squat, twist, kneel and reach both to ground level and overhead; lift and carry up to 50 pounds

• Ability to work effectively with supervisors, employees and the public

• Subject to call out on emergencies as needed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

• Required to attend the monthly Board of Aldermen Meeting and Special Meetings as requested

• Direct purchasing and inventory of materials and equipment

Qualifications include US Citizen, High School Diploma or G.E.D. equivalency, ability to pass a background check, drug screening test and have a valid Missouri Driver’s License.

A CDL drivers license is preferred but not required. Pay will depend on qualifications and experience. Applications can be found at www.richhillmo.com or at City Hall, 120 N. 7th St, Rich Hill, MO. EOE

Community Blood Center Declares First Blood Emergency of 2023

BCMH will hold a blood drive on Wednesday, April 5 from noon - 5:00 pm in the Education Center, located at the east end of the hospital, 615 W. Nursery, Butler, Mo 64730.

Make appointments online at https://donate.savealifenow.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/79089

Butler High School is also having a blood drive this Wednesday, March 8th. Contact is Robin Colburn.

Community Blood Center Declares First Blood Emergency of 2023 Blood donations dip even lower as patient needs remain high

(KANSAS CITY) Today Community Blood Center (CBC) declared the first blood emergency of 2023. The blood emergency is due to several evolving factors including cold and flu season, a high number of lapsed blood donors and a decrease in first-time donors. In January, CBC received 2,000 fewer blood donations than the year prior and blood donations are below hospital and patient needs.

The number of blood donations still are not back to pre-pandemic levels. Compounding the problem is a continued lag in first-time and youth donors, which remain about half of pre-pandemic levels. And while remote workers are returning to in-person work, office and community blood drives and visits to CBC Donor Centers are significantly down. People working from home had an easier time donating in our donor centers, but we’re seeing a dramatic decrease at our centers.

“Each winter, we struggle to get folks to donate blood and this year is no exception. We need more people to make blood donations, host blood drives and spread the word about the need for donations,” said Patsy Shipley, Vice President at Community Blood Center. “Additionally, the need for new donors is greater than ever. If you’ve never donated before, we invite you to experience the rewarding act of blood donation. You’ll make a difference in the life of a patient as well as those who love them. It’s so rewarding, you will want to come back and bring a friend.”

In addition to whole blood donors, platelet donors are urgently needed. With a shelf life of just 7 days, CBC relies on dedicated platelet donors to help patients undergoing chemotherapy, those with bleeding disorders, new mothers, and more.

Blood donors can give every 56 days, and platelet donors can give twice per month. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently lifted eligibility restrictions for individuals who lived in Europe during certain periods of time. To view current eligibility guidelines, visit savealifenow.org or call 800.688.0900. The need is constant, but the supply is not. Visit savealifenow.org to schedule an appointment to donate, or call 877-468-6844.

About Community Blood Center of Greater Kansas City (CBC)

Founded in 1958, Community Blood Center (CBC) provides over 90% of the blood used by hospitals throughout the Greater Kansas City metropolitan area, as well as eastern Kansas and western Missouri. CBC provides nearly 200,000 blood products each year to over 60 area hospitals and relies on volunteer donors each day to meet the need for lifesaving gifts of blood. CBC operates 365/24/7 to deliver safe, high quality products to meet transfusion needs for routine care and emergencies.

CBC is a Division of New York Blood Center, Inc. (a family of operating Divisions known as New York Blood Center Enterprises). For more information, visit savealifenow.org. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Clinton Man Found Guilty of Forcible Rape

Joseph Matthew Albin, 53, also known as “Nikki Blades” of Clinton, Missouri has been found guilty of Forcible Rape. He was further found to be a persistent and predatory sex offender as well as a persistent felony offender.

Prosecuting Attorney, LaChrisha Gray, filed the case against Albin in December 2021. The case, however, stems from events that occurred in 2009.

In 2009, Albin had a 16 year old female girl at his home that he shared with several others to assist him in the care of several smaller children overnight.

At some point in the night, the girl awoke to Albin touching her and having sexual intercourse with her. Albin also held her down and covered her mouth throughout the course of the event. The young girl suffered an injury as a result of this incident.

In 2021, while investigating and preparing another pending matter against the defendant, Prosecutor Gray and detectives with the Clinton Police Department discovered that this matter had not ever been filed.

Albin, who, in 2009, was on parole, had his parole revoked shortly after this incident and returned to the Missouri Department of Corrections. Due to that and changes within operating systems, the investigation had mistakenly been closed and thus not pursued.

A trial was held March 1, 2023 with Judge Jacqueline Cook presiding. Prosecutor Gray presented and argued the matter on behalf of the State of Missouri. Albin was represented by counsel. On March 2, 2023, Judge Cook announced that the Court had found Albin guilty as charged.

According to Prosecutor Gray, with the sentencing enhancements of predatory and persistent sex offender, Albin must be sentenced to imprisonment for life.

Prosecutor Gray stated, “Bringing closure and justice to the victim of this heinous act, no matter how late, was worth all of the effort.”

Obituary - Randy D. Newkirk

Randy D. Newkirk age 57 of Harrisonville, Missouri departed this life Thursday, March 2, 2023 at Menorah Medical Center, Overland Park, Kansas surrounded with family and love.

The family will receive friends Thursday, March 9, 2023 at the Dickey Funeral Home, Harrisonville, Missouri from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Funeral services will be held Friday, March 10, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. A complete obituary will be posted here as soon as that information becomes available.

Attention City Residents of Butler and Adrian

As many of you have seen, we are running some of our municipalities with an automated truck. 

Please help your friendly trash man "Little Spud" by considering the following points when placing your trash at the curb.

Place trash at least 3 feet from mailbox, vehicles, electric pole, fire hydrant, etc.

Do not place trash cans under power lines, phone lines, or overhead branches

Trash cans must be placed near edge of road

Please place all items including cardboard, in the trash can. If you have more than the can will hold, please place extra bags or boxes next to can. Breaking down cardboard will save space.

Keep your town looking nice by returning the trash can to your garage or side of the house once it's been emptied

Thanks,
Lee McLain
Owner/President

Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare Announces March Employee of the Month

We are pleased to announce that Erin Stilson is the March Employee of the Month. Stilson has been an employee of GVMH since November 2011 and currently works as a Registered Nurse in the Cancer Center.

Her nomination stated that Stilson is a very thoughtful and caring person who is always willing to help others. She is extremely positive, always has a smile on her face and strives to make patients feel special, especially on their birthday. 

Stilson creates an environment that is fun and productive. Her coworkers enjoy having her on their team.

As the Employee of the Month, Stilson received a GVMH gift and her name will be engraved on a plaque to be permanently displayed in the hospital. She is also one of 12 finalists for the 2022-2023 Employee of the Year award.

Bates County Deputies and Horses received training certifications from the National Mounted Police Services

Bates County Deputies and Horses received training certifications from the National Mounted Police Services. The two Deputies and the Sheriff attended a two day training event held in Lone Jack Missouri hosted by Sitter Downs Arena on March 4th and 5th. The training was designed to De-spook and build confidence with the horse and its rider in a multitude of real world environments that a rider and horse may experience while performing mounted police duties.

The two day event included distraction training like aggressive dogs, loud noises including sirens, an obstacle course that challenged the horse with things that touched, brushed and obstructed the horse. The horses and riders had to build confidence and trust with each other to walk through fire, cross bridges that had smoke coming up through the boards, walk through horizontal/vertical rings of fire and through plastic curtains all the while hearing loud pops and sirens.

Along with de-spooking and confidence training the teams were trained in tactical horse formations and how to safely use horses for crowd control along with tactical extraction of emergency vehicles or high value assets from large crowds. The training received by the Deputies and Sheriff does not stop at the end of the clinic. The education and techniques learned through this clinic will be brought back to Bates County to be taught to the all volunteer Sheriff’s Posse. Plans are already in place for the Deputies to team up with one of our local horse training experts Tom Williams to use his experience, expertise and facility outside of Adrian to facilitate this same training to our Sheriff’s Posse.

This training compliments the experience these horses have with search and rescue. Two of these horses were activated and put to test when a local 80 year old was injured in the woods and first responders could not find the gentleman. A large-scale search began with multiple agencies in an attempt to locate the injured man. The horses, who have better hearing than humans, were able to hear the man yell from the woods. The riders who were trained to observe the horses behavior observed the horses ears point in the direction of the injured man. Having confidence in the horses they were able to walk through the woods and locate the man then relay their location to other first responders for assistance.

As you can see from some of the videos the scenarios were a little on the extreme side (we hope they don’t have to experience all that at one time in the real world) but the idea was to throw everything and the kitchen sink at them to show them they can do it and not die. Members of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse attended the clinic with future plans to work with the Bates County Mounted Posse in the future to help both organizations build on their programs to better serve the citizens of each of our respective communities.

“This training program was top notch and we all agreed that we have learned so much this weekend. We learned multiple things about the anatomy and psychological aspects of our horses that we didn’t know. We exposed them to many “scary” things to put them to the test and to make sure they are the right horse for the job”. Says Sheriff Anderson. “But another aspect of this training is that we are building relationships with other entities who share the same vision that we do, to serve our communities better and more efficiently. Our program has already saved one life and we want to be trained and ready for when the call goes out again.”

Cool & Unsettled Weather Beginning Tuesday

A dry cold front will move through the area today bringing cooler weather starting tomorrow. 

Cool and unsettled conditions are then expected through the rest of the week with several chances for rain Tuesday through Friday with highs generally in the 40s.