Osage Valley Electric Cooperative Power Outage Update

We are experiencing small outages across our system at this time. Crews are responding as fast and as safely as possible. Power will be restored as soon as possible.

Should you come across any downed poles/lines please stay away and call 660-679-3131 to report the concern.

- Courtesy of Osage Valley Electric Cooperative

Power outages reported in Harrisonville

Harrisonville Public Works staff have closed multiple roads due to downed trees and power lines.

Wall Street is closed between Oakland and Commercial Streets, after high winds blew over a tree that landed on power lines.

Jefferson Parkway is closed near the National Guard Armory (between North Park and Activity Alley), after high winds knocked over a power pole.

These closures are expected to last an extended amount of time.
We appreciate your patience during this time.

Several power outages in Adrian

Several are without power at this time in Adrian due to the wind! Crews are working to restore power at this time! 

Thank you for your patience. 

Grass fire in Passaic

The Adrian Fire Department is on scene of a grass fire on the east side of I-49 just north of Passaic at this time.

Crews have the fire under control and will be on scene for a undisclosed amount of time.

Obituary - Allen Dale "AJ" Soverns, Jr.

Allen Dale “AJ” Soverns, Jr., age 40, resident of Fort Scott, KS, died Thursday, March 30, 2023, at his home. He was born April 8, 1982, in Kansas City, KS, the son of Allen Sr. and Colleen Vaughan Soverns. 

He married Angie Hall on July 11, 2020, in Fort Scott. AJ enjoyed working outside in the yard, mowing and gardening. He liked music, playing video games, watching movies, dogs, and cats.

Survivors include his wife Angie of the home; his mother, Colleen Pellett; a son Kiel Hall; daughters Rayne Soverns, Zoie Joles, and Rylee Joles; a sister Amy Majors (Trevor); nieces Alyson Howser (Brock), Bryttny Hall, Alexia Hall and Maize Hall; nephews Luke Majors, and Bentley Hall, and several others; as well as many cousins. He was preceded in death by his father.

There was cremation. The family will announce services at a later date. Services are under the direction of the Cheney Witt Chapel. In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to the AJ Soverns Memorial Fund and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main St., Fort Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

Talk of turbines in Bates county is looking to become reality

In early February, Mid America Live posted a story titled Is Proposed Wind Farm Just Hot Air? and at that time, details were sketchy as to whether or not the project would become a reality; but it appears it is indeed gaining momentum and has been in the works for at least 5 years.

The initial information came via the Butler airport commission as they had received a letter from the FAA asking for comment as the proposed wind farm would have wind turbines located near the runway and in all, most would be located in an area generally east of Passaic, just northeast of the airport property.

Mid America Live has made multiple attempts to contact Harvest Ridge Wind Project LLC in Lenexa, Kansas with no response, seeking some type of status of the project that is said to encompass some 53 wind turbines covering about 40,000 acres total in Bates County. It was however, confirmed through the Bates county Commissioner’s office that yes, there was forward movement and it was emphasized that much work would lie ahead for them regarding right-of-way easements and more  as the wind farm comes to fruition. 

With that, it was also noted the Commission is obligated to fulfill those needs without hesitation as there is no county zoning or similar roadblocks that would keep the project from moving forward. 

Mid America Live has obtained records from the Bates county Recorder of Deeds office that indicates yes, some 109 “Memorandum of Wind Energy Lease” documents have been signed, stamped and notarized through the Recorder’s office dating back to November of 2017 with the most recent in January of 2023. A closer look at those documents reveal that many would be just be providing right-of-way easements for buried cable, access roads or similar; not all would have a standing turbine per se. Note that a few of those leases (a handful or so) were indeed for placement of temporary wind study towers which have since been removed.       

Short of making contact with Harvest Ridge, Mid America Live did some Googling and found two more business names associated with the project, Skyview Wind Project and Autumn Waltze Wind Project. While the connection to the latter is still unknown, it does appear that Skyview is listed as a ‘branch’ of Harvest Ridge. While all three entities do appear in various places on the 109 leases found at the recorder’s office, most all are accompanied with a notary signature by a Martha Long, which to date, we have not been able to contact. We do believe however, she is affiliated with Harvest Ridge Wind Project, LLC who has an office at 16105 W. 113th street, Lenexa, Kansas and we will continue to attempt to make contact with her for a status update on the project.

This leaves the lingering question: Does Harvest Ridge have enough land leases signed to actually begin installing the 700 foot high (estimated) turbines? Without hard facts from Harvest Ridge, one could speculate that with 109 leases for 53 turbines (considering many leases would simply cover say a small easement for buried cable, etc.) are they getting close?

Mid America Live will continue attempt to make contact with all parties involved and updates will be provided accordingly. 

Best of luck Dara!

We Would like to congratulate Butler Freshman FFA Student Dara Ramage for winning the FFA Creed Speaking at districts! 

Dara is the daughter of Donald and Denise Ramage! She will be competing at state level on April 20th -21st. 

Best of luck Dara! 

Obituary - Frank Ray Wilson

Frank (Butch) Ray Wilson, 81, of Olathe, Kansas, passed away on Monday, March 13, 2023 at Olathe Medical Center. A memorial visitation will be held from 1:00-3:00pm on Saturday, May 13, 2023 at the Atkinson Funeral Home in Harrisonville, MO.

Frank was born on June 6, 1941 in Jackson County, Missouri to the late Willard and Rhoda (Galloway) Wilson. Frank worked for over 40 years in the quartz crystal production industry starting in Overland Park, KS in 1959. This career took Frank to California where he lived from 1978-1993. After returning to Olathe, KS, he began working with Ultra Tech, which lead to international travel. Frank traveled to many countries including China, Costa Rica, and New Zealand. He even taught himself to speak Mandarin, but could never quite learn to enjoy Chinese cuisine.

When Frank was not at work his passions included trout fishing, playing cards with his grandkids, and being on the softball field. He was an active member of ASA, USA, and NAFA Softball Associations. He spent over 40 years as a softball umpire for league, travel, and high school softball. 

As Umpire in Chief, he was responsible for supervising, training, and scheduling the umpires. He took great pride and joy from his involvement in the softball world. His monumental work and accomplishments lead to him being the first person ever to be inducted into the Girls Fastpitch Program Hall of Fame.

Frank always cherished his time with family and will always be remembered for being proud of his children and grandchildren. He will be greatly missed by all that were fortunate enough to know him.

Frank is survived by his daughter, Ann Marie Melton; his son, Ken R. Wilson; his stepson, Keith A. Ridgway; his sisters: Frances Campbell and Maxine Leath; along with several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.