BCMH celebrating social worker month!

Bates County Memorial Hospital Celebrating all of the meaningful ways our social workers benefit our patients and community this month! Elisabeth McCord, MSW serves our inpatients in Case Management and Brionna Smith, LCSW sees patients at High Street Family Care Clinic. Follow along this month as we highlight the important services they provide. Remember to thank a Social Worker this month!

Obituary - Alicia Osborn

Alicia Osborn, child of God and beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt, and daughter, passed away February 28, 2024. She leaves a legacy of love, kindness, and unwavering strength. 

Alicia was a devoted wife to her husband, Jarod Osborn, and loving mother to their three children - Henry, Annabelle, and Abigail. Finding contentment in the rhythms of farm life, they created a home filled with laughter, joy, and endless memories. 

Alicia was a true artist and avid DIYer, finding joy and fulfillment in every stroke of her paintbrush and every piece of crafted beauty she brought to life.  She infused her role as teacher with her creativity, fostering a homeschooling environment where learning was not confined to textbooks but blossomed through exploration, imagination, and hands-on experiences. Her children flourished under her guidance, imbued with a love for knowledge and a thirst for discovery that will endure a lifetime.

Her creative spirit, nurturing soul, and steadfast dedication to her family and community will be deeply missed by all who knew her, including: parents (Tom Diebold and Linda Matthews), step-mother (Leah Gensheimer), mother-in-law (Patty Osborn), siblings (Ryan Diebold, Arika Mullies, Jason Diebold, Liz Diebold, Kasey Diebold, and Matt Horn), nieces and nephews, extended family, and friends. Her determination and perseverance will forever guide those she loved to walk life's path with unyielding faith, love, compassion, and hope. 

A celebration of life will be held 12pm on March 8th at Grace Baptist Church, 500 E Pearl St, Harrisonville, MO. May we come together to honor Alicia, share stories, and find comfort among the community she so deeply loved.

El Dorado Springs School District canceled on Friday

In an attempt to allow students, faculty, and community members the opportunity to go and support our high school girls basketball team as they compete in the Final Four at the University of Missouri this upcoming Friday and Saturday, we have made the decision to cancel school for Friday, March 8, 2024. This day will not have to be made up. 

Class 3 Final Four Tickets are now for sale. Tickets will have to be purchased for each day (Day 3 and Day 4).
https://www.mshsaa.org/Tickets.aspx

Obituary - Mary Alice Vinson

Mary Alice Vinson was born August 18, 1935, the daughter of Clarence & Ivy Vinson in East St. Louis, IL. She died on January 2, 2024. She was one of five children - three brothers and a sister. At the age of four, she and her three brothers were placed, in the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home in St. Louis, MO.

At the age of eight, she was adopted as an only child by William and Lena Welborn of Harrisonville, MO. Mary Alice received many blessings in her life and was thankful for the opportunity of being raised in a Christian home and for many years of piano lessons. She started playing hymns for Sunday School at age eleven and continued to play piano and organ in churches for years.

A mutual love of gospel music brought Mary Alice’s future husband, who sang, into her life at age sixteen. On July 5th, 1952, she was united in marriage to John E. Beckerdite of the Harrisonville/Archie community. They lived in Cass County, MO most of their married life except for eleven and a half years in Colorado.

They were blessed with four children, and Mary Alice is survived by Ron Beckerdite and wife, Marvina, of Neosho, MO, Rhonda Bennett and husband, Cliff of Harrisonville, MO, Brenda Ellis and husband, Michael, of Kansas City, MO and Don Beckerdite and wife, Joeva, of Raymore, MO. She was also blessed with 11 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and- five great-great grandchildren. Mary Alice was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years, John E. Beckerdite. She was preceded in death by two brothers, Clarence and Garry Vinson, one sister, Thelma Vinson Matthes, and one half-brother, Earl Smith. One remaining brother, Eugene Vinson and one half-brother, Irvin Smith, survive her.

A member of Faith Baptist Church in Raymore, MO, Mary Alice acknowledged that music had always been an important part of her family’s life. She thanked God for the blessing and opportunity to testify of God’s love through playing the piano and organ. God Is So Good!

Celebration of Life Service will be held 11:00 a.m. Saturday, March 9, 2024 at South Fork Baptist Church, Drexel, Missouri.

Cremation with inurnment at Freeman Cemetery, Freeman, Missouri following a family lunch at the church after the Celebration of Life Service.

Memorial contributions may be made to One Community Hospice and sent in care of Dickey Funeral Home, PO Box 432, Harrisonville, Missouri 64701.

MDC reminds snaggers that paddlefish season begins March 15th

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Imagine catching a giant, prehistoric fish whose ancestors swam during the time of dinosaurs. That is a reality for thousands of paddlefish snaggers during Missouri’s annual spring paddlefish season. Missouri’s official state aquatic animal, the paddlefish is highly valued as a sport fish.

The season for the state’s major paddlefish waters -- Lake of the Ozarks, Harry S. Truman Reservoir, and Table Rock Lake – along with most other waters in the state runs March 15 through April 30. The season for the Mississippi River is March 15 through May 15 with a fall season of Sept. 15 through Dec. 15.

Paddlefish -- named for their large, paddle-shaped snouts -- are an ancient species that can grow to seven feet and weigh more than 100 pounds. Paddlefish swim slowly through water with their mouths wide open, collecting tiny crustaceans and insects in their elaborate, closely set gill rakers. The paddle-shaped snout functions as an electrosensory organ that allows it to sense plankton as it swims through water.

Because the giant fish eat tiny crustaceans and insects, they do not bite on traditional fishing hooks. The are usually caught through the practice of snagging where anglers drag large triple-sided hooks through the water to “snag” a fish in the body with the hooks.

A fishing permit is required for snagging and other allowed methods, unless exempt. The daily limit is two paddlefish, and the possession limit is four. No person shall continue to snag after taking a daily limit of two paddlefish.

The statewide minimum length limit is 32 inches -- measured from eye to fork of tail – with a minimum length limit of 34 inches for Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock Lake, Harry S. Truman Reservoir, and their tributaries.

All paddlefish under the legal minimum length must be returned to the water unharmed immediately after being caught. MDC offers these tips for returning undersized fish:Use landing nets, not gaffs, which can kill young fish.

Wet hands before handling fish and avoid excessive handling.
Never put fingers in the gills or eyes. Remove hooks carefully and get undersized fish back into the water as quickly as possible. Cleaning paddlefish while on the water, dumping the carcass overboard, and returning to shore with fillets and/or eggs is illegal. 

Extracted paddlefish eggs may not be possessed while on waters of the state or adjacent banks and may not be transported. Paddlefish eggs may not be bought, sold, or offered for sale. These regulations are necessary to confirm length-limit requirements and to address the illegal caviar trade.

Snaggers and others are allowed to haul paddlefish carcasses out by boat to deeper water for disposal under the following conditions:The head, tail, etc. must remain intact so the fish could be measured if contacted by a conservation agent.

Extracted eggs must remain where the fish is cleaned and cannot be transported to deeper water for disposal. Paddlefish fillets cannot be possessed or transported on the water.

Learn more about paddlefish, snagging regulations, snagging reports, and more at mdc.mo.gov/fishing/species/paddlefish.

Warm & Breezy, Chances of rain tonight

Warm and breezy again this morning. Clouds move in through the morning ahead of colder air tonight. There is a chance for some showers and isolated thunderstorms this afternoon and evening mainly east of I-35 across interior MO.

Way to go Chris!

Chris Lang, FACHE, CEO of Cass Regional Medical Center, was elected to serve on the Missouri Hospital Association Board of Trustees. His term began January 1st. MHA's board provides governance for the association and assists in policy development on behalf of the state's 140 member hospitals.

"Chris has a deep understanding of the state and its health care systems," said Jon D. Doolittle, MHA President and CEO. "His long-term service to MHA and the state hospitals will help guide our thinking on issues as diverse as the health care workforce, rural health and hospital finance."

Lang has served as CEO of Cass Regional Medical Center since 2003. Prior to joining the medical center, he served as Executive Director of Ancillary and Surgical Services at Phelps County Regional Medical Center in Rolla, Mo., and in several hospital leadership roles in Missouri and Wisconsin. 

He served as a member of the MHA Board of Trustees from 2015 to 2020 and has served on numerous MHA and America College of Healthcare Executives committees.

El Dorado Springs lady bulldogs final four bound

A special congratulations to the El Dorado Springs Lady Bulldogs Basketball team (27-3) who defeated previously undefeated Lathrop Lady Mules (27-1) on Friday evening with a final score of 61-51 to move onto the final four in the state.

Being back in the final four is nothing new for the lady bulldogs as they have been here a lot in recent years.

El Dorado will now face Centralia who is 25-4 on the year and coming off a win against South Shelby 51-38. The two teams will play on March 8th at 4:00pm in Columbia.

Best of luck Lady Bulldogs!