Obituary - William Robert Upchurch

William Robert Upchurch, age 80, of Raymore, Missouri, passed away on Wednesday, August 16, 2023 at the Kansas City Hospice House.

Services will be held on Wednesday, August 23, 2023 at Cullen Funeral Home, 612 W. Foxwood Dr. Raymore, Missouri 64083. Visitation will begin at 2:00 p.m. followed by a memorial service at 3:00 p.m.

William “Bill” was born in Harrisburg, Illinois on November 12, 1942 to Kenneth and Mildred (Brewner) Upchurch. After graduating high school Bill continued his education. Bill enlisted in the United States Air Force where he served 22 years and retired with an honorable discharge on August 1, 1985. During his time in the Air Force, Bill was decorated with numerous medals and badges; Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with “V” Device and Four Devices, Vietnam Service Medal with Four devices, Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm, Security Police Qualification Badge, National Defense Service Medal, Air Force Longevity Service Ribbon with Four Devices, Air Force Overseas Service Long Tour Ribbon, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, and Air Force Good Conduct Medal with six oak leaf clusters. After his retirement from the Air Force, he continued working for the Federal Government for another 20+ years at the General Services Administration (GSA) where he retired a second time.

He was married to Ellen (Ulery) on August 17, 1973. Bill never met a stranger. He enjoyed traveling (often to quilt shops with Ellie), woodworking, tinkering around the house, yard work and giving back to the community. He was a man of strong Baptist faith as a member of the Big Creek Baptist Church in Pleasant Hill, Missouri. He was also a member of the Eastern Star, True Kindred, Masons Jewel Lodge, American Legion Post #488, and the Belton Host Lions Club.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth and Mildred Upchurch; brother, Donald Upchurch; and sister, Barbara “Bunny” McDowell.

Here to cherish his memory are his loving wife of fifty years, Ellie Upchurch; two daughters, Tracy Wynne (Brian Nichelson) and Claudia Upchurch; brother, Jerry Upchurch (Pat); and five grandchildren, Ashley Keller, Samantha Shelton (Andy), Michael Wynne, Jr., Marshal Howard, and Amanda Armendariz (Michael).

Memorial donations may be given to the Kansas City Hospice House, 12000 Wornall Rd., Kansas City, Missouri 64145.

Arrangements: Cullen Funeral Home, Raymore, Missouri 816.322.5278

Obituary - Cecil Allen Robinson

Cecil Allen Robinson, 87, of Harrisonville, Missouri, went to meet his maker on Tuesday, August 15, 2023 at his home. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, August 19, 2023 at 11:00 AM at the Atkinson Funeral Home in Harrisonville, MO, followed by interment in Freeman Cemetery in Freeman, MO. The family will receive friends Saturday 10:00-11:00 AM at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.

He was born to Cecil and Helen (Weeks) Robinson on April 29, 1936 in Blaine, Kansas. Cecil went to grade school in Trask, MO in a one-room schoolhouse, and went to high school in Mountain View, MO. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Grandview, MO for 50 years, serving as an ordained deacon and driving a bus for Children’s Church. He later moved his membership to Harrisonville Faith Baptist Church. Cecil was united in marriage to Stella Mae Zimmerman on November 3, 1956 in Grandview, MO. He was employed as a lead man on the header line at AGCO in Independence, MO, where he retired on September 1, 1996.

He was dedicated to the Boy Scout Program, spending time at Boy Scouts summer camp, serving as counselor and attending weekly meetings. Both of his sons and one of his grandsons became Eagle Scouts. Cecil loved fly fishing, going on annual fishing trips with his daughter and grandchildren. He also enjoyed deer hunting with his 2 sons. He and Stella had a lot of fun traveling across the states, visiting as many historical places as they could in their 5th wheel.

Cecil is survived by his three children, Steven Robinson (Heather), of Olathe, KS, David Robinson, of Grandview, MO, and Laura Smith (Kirk), of Olathe, KS; his sister, Marian; four grandchildren and two great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; his loving wife, Stella, on July 17, 2019; four brothers and one sister.

Cecil was a loving son, husband, father and grandfather. We will all miss his spirited sense of humor.

Nevada Police Department arrests absconded sex offender

In early August Nevada Police received information from the Missouri State Highway Patrol that a subject on the sex offender registry who had absconded may be living in Nevada.

Nevada Police started following up on the information and was able to develop a lead on the subject's whereabouts. On August 17th Nevada Police went to the area where they believed the subject was staying at.

While in the area, officers were able to locate the subject in the 1700 block of N. Washington Street. Further follow up by officers revealed the subject had absconded and not registered since May of 2020. Through additional investigation, it was determined the subject had been in Nevada for only a few months until his capture.

Nevada Police took custody of the subject and he was transported to the Vernon County Jail for holding.

On August 18, 2023, Nevada Police followed up with the St. Francois County Circuit Court and discovered the subject had an additional Probation Violation warrant for his arrest that had been issued in May 2022. The subject has been identified as follows:

Joe M. Harrison, age 59 of Bismarck, Missouri.
On August 17, 2023, the following charges were filed against Joe Harrison through the Vernon County Associate Court: One (1) Count of Fail to Register as a Sex Offender – E Felony. Harrison is being held in the Vernon County Jail in lieu of a $25,000 cash only bond.

Citizens are encouraged to contact the police if they have any information that would be helpful to combat crime.

To report criminal activities call 911, contact the Nevada Police Department at (417) 448-5100 or use the Nevada Police Department’s Tip Hotline (417) 667-8477. Any and all information can be kept confidential if requested.

BREAKING: Charles Reece sentenced to 120 days MOSOP

Former Butler high school teacher Charles O. Reece was sentenced today in Cass county court after pleading guilty to four counts of second-degree statutory rape and two counts of sexual contact with a student in incidents that occurred during 2018 and 2019.

Following hearing statements by Defendant attorney Scott Friedrich and Plaintiff attorney Lynn Ewing, Judge Michael Wagner upheld the plea agreement by both parties and sentenced Reece to 120 days in the Missouri Department of Corrections Sexual Offender Treatment Unit.

 Mid America Live was present during sentencing and will provide additional details soon.

BREAKING: Council opts to not renew contract with Butler City Administrator Mike West

 

Through information obtained via a FOIA request of minutes of the closed session of the Butler city council meeting on August 15, 2023 it was revealed that the city of Butler will not be renewing a contract with city administrator Mike West following a 4-3 vote. 

More information forthcoming.

Deepwater man escapes serious injured in Benton County motorcycle wreck

On Thursday August 17th around 12:35 p.m. the Missouri State Highway Patrol in Benton County along with Benton County Sheriff's Deputies responded to a motorcycle accident on Old Balltown Ave. just south of Route H in rural Benton County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says the accident occurred when the southbound 2003 Yamaha driven by 24 year old Hunter C. Green of Deepwater, Missouri lost control and laid the motorcycle down in th roadway.

Hunter C. Green sustained moderate injuries however he refused medical attention at the scene of the accident.

View crash report below:

https://www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov/HP68/AccidentDetailsAction?ACC_RPT_NUM=230444854

Pittsburg Kansas man arrested for sexual exploitation of a child

On July 7, 2023, the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force out of Wichita, Kansas received information indicating an unknown suspect had downloaded and shared child pornographic images from the Internet. An investigation was initiated by the ICAC Task Force and it was determined the images were being uploaded from an address in the City of Pittsburg.

On July 19, 2023, Pittsburg Police Department took over the investigation. On August 16, 2023, detectives and officers from the Pittsburg Police Department arrested 47 year-old Gilbert A. Smith Jr. at his Pittsburg residence for sexual exploitation of a child, specifically related to the possession of sexually explicit images of children under the age of eighteen. 

Mr. Smith was taken into custody without incident and was transported to the Crawford County Jail where he was booked in and is being held without bond.

The investigation into this incident is ongoing at this time. Anyone having information related to this incident, or other incidents, is urged to contact the Pittsburg Police Department at 620-231-1700, or at our tip line, 620-231-TIPS (8477). Callers may remain anonymous.

Disclaimer: Arrest records are public information. Any indication of an arrest does not mean the individual identified has been convicted of a crime. All persons arrested are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Proposed Dance...

Proposed Dance

There is some talk of having a dance on September 30. This dance would be open to the community but is being considered to allow class reunion members an opportunity to socialize and catch up. 

The Butler Alumni Association will now be holding their Alumni Association meetings on the same weekend as Homecoming each year. It is hoped that class reunions will be held on this weekend, so alumni can take in the Homecoming festivities on Friday with the parade and football game. 

The yearly Alumni Meeting will be held on Saturday with the proposed dance on Saturday night. The proposed band is Honky Tonk Dream featuring Jake Duvall. 

The doors would open a couple of hours before the music. Those interested in hosting the dance would like to know what the response would be for this dance. 

Please click the link below by August 18th and tell us if you would be interested in coming to a dance. Thanks for helping out!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1kBexR09bafToDk_vl-2BwE-Jig3hQdT7veBFL3RtBdg/edit