Obituary - Lynda Marie Norcross

Lynda Marie Norcross, 70, of Clinton, Missouri passed away Wednesday morning, July 17, 2024 at her home. She was born November 30, 1953 in Kansas City, Mo., the daughter of Alan Dunkeson and Drusilla (McKay) Dunkeson.

She was a 1972 graduate of Odessa High School, Odessa, Mo.; the Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College, receiving her Associate of Applied Science degree in 1984; and the Warrensburg Area Vocational Technical School Licensed Practical Nursing program in 1999. Lynda was the school nurse for the Knob Noster High School for 19 years, retiring in 2020. Prior to that she was a teacher’s aid with the Clinton School District from 1990 to 1997. She was a member of the Jesus Christ Clinton Restoration Branch, and the Daughters of the American Revolution since 2012.

She enjoyed gardening, rooting on the Chiefs, going to the Samaritan Center and the Dairy Queen with her beloved dog, Ritzi and granddaughter, Taylor.

Surviving are two daughters, Drusilla Cox, Clinton, Mo., and Corey Norcross, Clinton, Mo.; three grandchildren, Taylor Kirk, Clinton, Mo., Alexis Cox, Lee’s Summit, Mo., and Katelyn Sutton, Clinton, Mo.; her “mom”, Shirley Flarharty, Odessa, Mo.; siblings, Sam Flarharty, Higginsville, Mo., Gene Flarharty, Independence, Mo., Pam Weber, Aurora, Mo., Sheila Smith, Osceola, Mo., Shawna Griffin, Warsaw, Mo., Daphne Flarharty, Shawnee Mission, Kansas and Matt Flarharty, Odessa, Mo.; numerous nieces and nephews; and her “angels”, Karen Blair, Brenda Moore and Rebecca Hardin.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Alan and Drusilla Dunkeson and her “dad”, Dallas Flarharty.

Funeral services will be at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, July 20, 2024 at the Bradley & Hadley Funeral Home, Clinton. The family will receive friends from noon to 1:00 p.m., just prior to the funeral service. Interment will be in the Englewood Cemetery. Mrs. Norcross will lie in state from noon to 8:00 p.m., Friday, at the funeral home. Condolences may be left online at www.bradleyhadley.com.

Public service announcement from the Butler License Office

Due to the worldwide Windows outage the Butler License Office will be closing for the day July 19th 2024. We hope to resume operations on Monday July 22nd.

Wife stabs husband in rural Warsaw

On July 18 at 10:41 PM, Benton County Central Dispatch was notified of a stabbing that had just occurred at 33035 KK Highway, a rural Warsaw address. Deputies arrived to find Douglas E. Roberts, 55, a resident of the address, sitting on his wife, Pamela E. Roberts, 55, also of the residence.

Douglas stated his wife Pamela stabbed him in the back two times with a large camping knife after he returned from walking by the lake with his dog. Douglas stated his wife was enraged about him being gone for so long.

Pamela was taken into custody without incident. She appeared to have no injuries and made several statements about being in disbelief that she had actually stabbed her husband. Both parties had been consuming alcohol.

Pamela was taken to the Benton County Jail and placed on a 24-hour hold pending charges and Douglas was life flighted to an area hospital due to the severity and location of his injuries.

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.

Obituary - Margaret Wyvonne West

Margaret Wyvonne West, 68, of Rich Hill, MO passed away on Sunday, June 30, 2024 at her home in Rich Hill, MO. Margaret “Wyvonne” was born in Kansas City, MO on November 13, 1955, to her parents, Kenneth Theo and Icie Christine (Bowen) Foster. She attended school in Peculiar, MO and later got her GED. She worked various odds and ends jobs in her lifetime; a firework shop in Clinton, a dishwasher, a waitress at a bar, etc. Wyvonne’s main role was being the homemaker in her home. Her girls described their home to always be clean because mom kept it clean, she made their beds every day and dinner cooked every night, even if that meant tacos on a slice of bread, that’s what they got and they better eat it.

Wyvonne was united in marriage to Donald Gene West on November 13, 1971 and born from this marriage were their three daughters; Sonya Sue, Tracy Lynn and Mary Christine. She loved her family and enjoyed spending time with her kids, grandkids and great grandkids and all of her brothers and sisters. She took a trip with Donnie and her girls out to Virginia Beach to visit her sister Esther, a trip to Mexico in 2009 that her grandchildren will never forget, and a few to Disney World in Florida. Wherever Wyvonne was, she was always the life of the party. Her and Donnie were known for their Halloween parties they would throw back in the 70’s-80’s. If the family was hosting a party present day, you’d find her dancing and singing as loud as she could; she never skipped out on a David Alan Coe tune. She was an all-around lover of music. She enjoyed the show “American Idol” and once said that every song Jelly Roll sang she felt like he was singing about her life. She was quite the collector of a variety of items, one being four leaf clovers. The four leaf clover was of significance to her and her daughters; a little item that they connected over.

Wyvonne was not a member or attendee of any church, but she believed in the Lord and loved Him with all her heart. Any time she attended church with various members of the family, you would often see her with her hands raised, tears shed and praising Him. If an altar call was made to be prayed for, she always went down.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Kenneth and Icie Foster; husband, Donnie; brother, Clarence; sister, Esther, son-in-law, Raymond, brother-in-laws, Brian and Art and nephews, Bill & Corey.

Wyvonne is survived by her three daughters: Sonya Smith and husband Johnny; Tracy Bosch and fiancé Joe and Mary West; her grandchildren, Dustin Anderson and fiancé KiAna, Brittany Smith and fiancé Brandon, Zachary Smith, Bailey Smith, Dereck Bosch, Hannah Bosch and Chase Stallbaumer, Brandon Armstrong and Jurney West; her great grandchildren, Ava Bosch, Ivory Anderson, Odin Anderson, Sawyer Recinos, Jonas Recinos and Reagan Stallbaumer; long time companion, Terry Shelton; her siblings, Chris Foster, Kenneth Foster, Lillian DeTienne, Anna Fillpot and husband Bobby, Lester Foster and wife Sandy, Ruby Foster, Marion Foster and Julie, Roma Demster, Penny Knight; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”

We have all the faith that Wyvonne is resting and having a good ole time with the Lord, her parents and siblings. She will be deeply loved and missed.

Until we meet again

To the La Cygne Kansas community,

Now that I have had a little while to get settled in, I wanted to take a moment and introduce myself as the new Chief of Police.

My law enforcement career began in 2015 with the Wamego Police Department where I was a Part-Time Police Officer and Records Clerk. I then was hired by the Paola Police Department in 2017 where I served as a Patrol Officer, Patrol Sergeant, and lastly as Detective, amongst numerous internal roles such as: less-than-lethal instructors, ethics instructor, and training officer.

My journey has led me here to La Cygne with aspirations of building a transparent, ethical, and professional department, through community policing and emphasizing outward mindset principles. Establishing these principles and equipping our officers with the proper training, tools, and resources we can all work together to prosper and grow.

You may have noticed an increase in traffic stops or police presence in general. My philosophy in community policing is to not reduce enforcement action but rather to increase it, with efforts to change behavior through education and communication, versus monetary penalties. Changing driving behavior will reduce wrecks, insurance costs, and make our streets safer for all.

I want to extend an open-door invitation for any complaints or concerns you may have, so we can work together to solve them. If you are unable to come in, our Facebook messenger can also be utilized to address these matters.

Lastly, thank you for welcoming me into your community!
Zachary Mathies
Chief of Police

Obituary - Roger Gene Pogue

Roger Gene Pogue, age 80, passed away peacefully on Friday, July 12, 2024 at his home in Clinton, Missouri. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, July 23, 2024 at the Vansant-Mills Chapel in Clinton, Missouri with visitation from 10:00-11:00 AM prior to the service. 

A private family inurnment will take place in Englewood Cemetery, Clinton, Missouri. Memorial contributions can be made to the Pediatric Palace or the Clinton School District Lunch Program and may be left in care of the funeral home. Fond memories and condolences may be left online at www.vansant-millsfuneralhome.com.

Roger Gene Pogue was born July 23, 1943 at General Hospital in Clinton, Missouri. He was the son of Loyd and Maggie (McMillian) Pogue. Gene was a graduate of the Clinton High School Class of 1961. On April 7, 1963 Gene married his wife of 61 years, Linda Kay (Stewart) Pogue. He farmed the family farm after high school until he was elected County Clerk in 1986. He was a member of the Missouri National Guard, served as County President for the Henry County Farm Bureau, was a member of and actively involved in the Agricultural Appreciation Program. He also collaborated with the Clinton Chamber of Commerce to establish the first Farmers Appreciation Dinner.

In 1986, Gene was elected as the Henry County Clerk and served 6 terms until 2010. During his 6 terms Gene had a significant impact on the community and county. He established a Youth Election Authority program and outreach to the local High Schools for youth involvement in the election process and voter registration. He also founded the Henry County Economic Development Council and was instrumental in establishing the rural water districts in Henry County. Gene lobbied state legislatures for the county employee retirement fund. He was instrumental in the establishment of the 911 system in rural counties. 

Gene was also responsible for securing funding for the Benson Center, Courthouse sidewalks and streetlamps. In addition, he applied for and was awarded millions of dollars in federal and state private grants to improve the lives of the people of Henry County. Working along with federal and state legislators and the MO Department of Transportation, he contributed to the extension of U HWY. 

Gene was a member of several associations including: Missouri Associate of County Clerks and Election Authorities, MO Community Betterment and MO Arts Council, served on the board and was President of the Missouri Association of Counties (MAC), a board member and President of the National Association of Counties, member of the Clinton Elks Lodge #1034 and Sunrise Optimist Club.

Gene played little league through Legion and Ban Johnson leagues in his youth, then transitioned to baseball/fast pitch softball until he was too old to keep swinging and running. He coached his son's Little Legue-Babe Ruth baseball teams until Todd went to High School. Family was very important to Gene. He loved to hear about what his kids and grandkids were doing and all their adventures. He loved learning about their lives, following their sports activities, and hearing about their school or careers. He was proud of all his kids and grandkids. He cherished family gatherings when everyone was together.

Proceeding Gene in death are his parents, Loyd and Maggie Pogue, and a brother, Ray Pogue.

Survivors include his wife Linda Pogue of the home, children; Todd Pogue (Janette) grandchildren, Andy Pogue and Alaina Lankford (Jack); daughter Terri Robinson (Rann) grandchildren, Haley Robinson Staggs (Jordan), great-grandson Kolsen, and Hannah, Zach & Kara, as well as his brother, Dale Pogue (Carol).

Arrangements have been entrusted to Vansant-Mills Funeral Home in Clinton, Missouri.

Lily's House in Adrian progressing forward

Transitional housing is a huge need for the residents of Lily’s House. Rental property availability is scarce and what is available is very expensive and hard for single mothers to afford. 

Many of them have felony records which makes them ineligible for some rental properties and also ineligible for some rental assistance programs. In 2022, we took our first step toward transitional housing by purchasing a property that is one block away from our Shelter. This property is six city lots which affords the opportunity to build additional houses as the resources become available!

Lily's House recently had a house donated by Ian and Erin Wise, that was moved from 10 miles away. This spring, we broke ground on our second transitional house. Midwest Lumber partnered with us by donating $20,000 worth of materials. 

We were able to secure a $75,000 grant towards this project, as well, from The Sunderland Foundation. The total cost of building this house is $225,000. We are still seeking the remaining funding for it. We currently have a resident needing a home for herself and her two children.

 
Being able to provide transitional housing will add one more phase of accountability for our graduates and it will set them up for further success. It will give them the opportunity to save more money, work on their credit history and develop more positive and beneficial relationships in the community. 

Our mission is to provide a safe family environment along with the tools, the time, the training and the support team to help them heal and thrive once they graduate from our program.

Mid America Live News will return to this home when its finish and we will update with a further story!

Ackerson sentenced to 20 years MDC

July 18, 2024,

Tre Robert Ackerson entered a guilty plea on July 18, 2024, in the Circuit Court of Barton County, Missouri. Mr. Ackerson pleaded guilty to the felony of murder in the 2nd degree for causing the death of Terry G. Harless. 

Mr. Harless was shot and killed on July 13, 2020, at his residence in Lamar, Missouri. The investigation was conducted by the Lamar Police Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Judge David Munton sentenced Ackerson to 20 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections, concurrent with his sentence imposed by the United States District Court on a separate criminal matter.

Barton County Prosecuting Attorney Mike Smalley