Letters to the Editor: SB190

 In regards to SB190 comments made by the clerk that were put in the September 11th minutes of the County Commissioners Report, published in the paper on October 16, 2024.

The comment that, “The Assessor is not willing to help with the Senior Tax Credit”, is not true, along with the comment that I have not shown any interest  in coming up with a plan for Senate Bill 190/756.

The Assessor, Collector and the Commissioners have been having discussion how SB190 would possibly be implemented before it even became law.

The language of SB190 has not been clear and there has been confusion across the state. The Commissioners, Collector and myself have looked for clarification on how to proceed with SB190. I am interested in working with the Commissioners and the Collector to implement the Senior Tax Credit, however, more clarification is needed before a plan can be executed.

The Bates County Commissioners are tasked with the job of putting an ordinance in place for SB190. It will also be the responsibility of the Commissioners to review every application and approve. The implementation of SB190/756 will be decided amongst the offices (Commissioners, Collector and Assessor). The Collectors office will set the levy and the Assessors office will be part of the implementation process of SB190/756.

I believe the Minutes of the Commissioners report should be accurate information based on facts discussed in the meetings and not the clerk or note takers opinion or hearsay that the clerk claims someone else heard at another time.                                                           

  Carl Bettels, Bates County Assessor

Bates County real estate transfers and marriage licenses

 

Secretary Of Veterans Affairs to Lange, Jeffrey H Str 28-42-29 //Nw

Fillpot, Zachary C to King, Kyle Douglas Str 6-38-33 //Ne

Hough, William A to Hough, W. Ryan Str 35-39-29 //Ne

First United Methodist Church Of Adrian, Mo to Ray, Helen Elizabeth Trust 07-13-2016 Str 33-42-31 //Ne

Brown, Crasandracae L. to Fuller, Robert Lt 49 Adrian, Original Town Of+

Menego, Tom to Menego, Joshua Bl 11 Walton’s Addn

Sumner, Jamie to Michael, Anthony Lt 5 Bl 2 William’s Addn+

Ours Family Revocable Trust 12-28-2017 to Breiner, Zackery D Str 21-40-31 //Ne

Reed, Marcus Glen (Trustee) to Reed Land & Cattle Co LLC Str 13-39-29+

Nitsche Family Trust 6-10-2009 to Hale, Ronald C. Str 26-40-31 //Nw

Berry, David to Berry, David Str 13-42-32 //Nw

Trustees Of The First Methodist Church (Adrian, Mo) to First United Methodist Church Of Adrian, Mo Str 33-42-31 //Ne

Oehmler, Susan to Oehmler, Susan Family Trust Str 29-40-32 //Se

Russell, Dennis to Fuller, Mary Str 21-40-32 //Nw

Pyeatt, Dwain to Pyeatt, L. Diane Str 9-41-30

Wilson, Thomas A Sr to Wilson, Thomas A Sr Lt 3 Bl 3 William’s Second Addn

Mcintire, Yvonne to Mcintire, Yvonne Frieda (Trustee) Str 15-39-30

Lancaster, Dorine L to Sandstone Hills Holdings, LLC Lt 2 Bl 10 Amsterdam, Original Town Of+

Lancaster, Dorine L to Sandstone Hills Holdings Str 20-41-33 //Ne

Ball, Lyle to Nissen, Hunter Lt 2 Bl 10 William’s Addn+

Cstump Electrical LLC to Stump, Seth Lt 2 Bl 2 Thompsons Addn

Rodriguez, Valerie to Parris, Joseph Lt 1 Conklin’s First Addn+

Citizens Bank Of Amsterdam to Amsterdam Properties, LLC Lt 6 Bl 3 Amsterdam, Original Town Of+

Brubaker, Ezra S to Brubaker, Jeremiah (Co-Trustee) Str 23-38-32 //Sw

Brubaker, Ezra S to Brubaker, Jeremiah (Co-Trustee) Str 23-38-32

West Central Investments Group to Cahill, Maren Lt 3 Bl 1 Scott’s Addn

Bearden Law to Stump, Charles Lt 1 Bl 25 Butler, Original Town Of+

Cameron, Sandra L to Brown, Lane Str 29-39-30 //Sw

Reed, Marcus Glen (Trustee) to Reed, Sharon Trust Fbo Glenn H. Reed Str 13-39-29+

Ray, Helen Elizabeth Trust 07-13-2016 to Erickson, Lucinda R Str 27-42-31 //Se

Marriage license

Bolin, Christopher Michael and Hartsell, Stacy Lynn

Mcguire, Jacob Chance and Thompson, Rebecca Louise

Cannon, Dennis Alan and Perdue, Mary Maxine

Wolford, Tanner Chase and Wisdom, Rusty Leeann

Mcmillin, Chad Mathew and Claypool, Ashley Dawn

Gabrini, Skylar Michael Eugene and Moore, Jaelynn Nichole

Williamson, James Harvey and Lesmeister, Kathy Ann

Newport, Dalton James and Rusow, Hannah Isabelle

Letters to the Editor: Appleton City Street Festivals

 

Carrie Emerson and Kitty Likes work at the City Hall in Appleton City.  They have had the opportunity to interact and visit with locals.  During their time at City Hall, they have witnessed a decline in our community’s opportunities to get involved, gather, and socialize.  Our community is fading and is at risk of eventually dying out if we don’t act.  

When those before us were carrying the mantel of organizing community events we had the fair every summer which included a carnival, there was an Easter egg hunt in the park sponsored by the Optimist Club, and there were always bake sales and other fundraisers for the clubs at school. As the generation before us has passed on or retired from organizing these events, many have tried to pick up and continue it on, but they have struggled. Most of us work full time, and finding the time or energy to take on the extra responsibility is hard or they think someone will do it. 

Carrie and Kitty realizing the enormity of the endeavor and sought to find other people to help with the planning.  Current committee members include Carrie Emerson, Kitty Likes, Cindy Wade, Annie Johnson, Ashley Carter, and Jessica McCann.  We also have the support of Mandie Litton who has taken on the task of coming up with free activities and games for the kids. 

We also wanted to provide opportunities for our small businesses, local vendors, student organizations, and other community organizations to make some money for their groups, or others to bring information about their organizations and the services they can provide to the families in our community.  

We have worked diligently to find sponsors to offset the cost of bringing these activities to our community.  Sponsors are recognized on a banner that is displayed at the festival. We have also started sponsor highlights on our Facebook page-AC Saturday Street Festivals.

To date we are partnering with the Appleton City Rural Fire Department who provide food in the evenings to help them raise money to update their equipment, AC Landmark Restoration on the upcoming Christmas in the Country event on December 7, 2024, and Second Saturdays, giving all the groups more options.  

Our desire is to bring the community, committees, and groups together to bring more to our town. 

AC Saturday Street Festivals would like to partner with other groups in the community to provide the opportunity for the community to come together to provide entertainment and activities for the families in our community at least once a month.   

We would like to work with others to bring a carnival back to town.  We are working on bringing the circus back to town on a rotating basis every 2 years.   But all this takes time, commitment, and hard work.  

Many hands make light work. In other words, the more people who will work together to make these things happen for our community it will be a lighter workload for all.  

Upcoming dates for festivals are November 16, 2024, and December 7th, 2024. We are working to finalize dates for 2025.  

If you feel called to help, if you want to partner with the festival committee to bring more to our community, if you want to be a vendor at upcoming festivals, if your organization wants to have a fundraiser, if you want to bring an informational booth, or if you want to become a sponsor for the festival please contact us through our Facebook page AC Saturday Street Festivals, email us at acsaturdaystreetfestivals@gmail.com, email or call Carrie Emerson at 660-464-4182, Kitty Likes at by_kitty@yahoo.com, Cindy Wade at 660-492-3806, Ashley Carter at 417-309-3803 or Jessica McCann 816-894-5804.

The Museum Minute: Lightning does strike twice

 

Courtesy of the Bates County Museum 802 Elks Drive, Butler Mo 64730 (660) 679-0134

Herrman’s Historical Happenings week of October 30

1878 The editor of the Bates Co Advocate newspaper calls, in print, the editor of the Bates Co Democrat newspaper “The champion falsifier of Southwest Missouri”.

1880 Fares on the railroad are: Butler to Adrian, 40 cents; Butler to Rich Hill 50 cents; Butler to Archie 60 cents and to Harrisonville, $1.10.

1884 A debate, for position of Bates Co Prosecuting Attorney, takes nearly 3 hours. W.O. Atkeson and W.O. Jackson verbally duke it out before a packed crowd.

1938 New towns that have popped up in Bates Co are: Brazelton near Archie; Huntsville, east of Butler on 52; and Laceyville, west of Adrian on 18 highway.

1947 Mildred Adams is killed by a bolt of lightning while walking from the cornfield to the house. The previous owners of the property died in a house fire caused by a bolt of lightning in 1946. 10 miles west of Adrian.

1992 The Adrian Blackhawks football team defeats the Rich Hill Tigers 21-0, running their season to 9-0, and clinches the WEMO conference for the first time.

What’s Up by LeRoy Cook

 

Any Takers For Joplin Airport?

The normal Fliars Club breakfast flyout and SkyDive KC operations last Saturday morning were interrupted by a mishap, as the runway was closed by an airplane sitting on its belly instead of the wheels. The Beech Twin Bonanza landed normally, but the left main landing gear collapsed during the rollout. Fortunately, these incidents don’t cause injuries, just inconvenience and expense. Veteran airplane retrieval person Tom Spencer came riding to the rescue and had the field open after a couple of hours.

Other less-eventful visitors were a Cessna 182 a Cessna Skyhawk, a Piper Warrior and a Beech Bonanza V35. Locally, Jon Laughlin was flying his beautifully-refurbished Piper Cherokee 180C, and Jeremie Platt and I flew our respective Grumman and Cessna planes to Paola, returning after taking temporary refuge at Harrisonville’s nice new concrete runway.

If you’re not inclined to take on the job of Butler Airport’s airport manager position, now open, you might check out the Joplin Airport’s posting. They are looking for something qualified to run their airport, which has airline and corporate flights, along with a control tower and FBO, encompassing nearly 1000 acres of land. Starting salary is $67,860, and you must agree to be on call 24 hours a day in case of emergency.

Nevada airport is reportedly due to re-open November 12th, after a summer-long closure while the auxiliary runway 13/31 was reconstructed. Hopefully, Butler’s planned lighting maintenance upgrade won’t tie us up as long as our neighbors have had to endure.

FAA press releases touting the benefits of the removal of Flight Instructor expiration dates are entirely one-sided. As of December 1, 2024, CFI certificate holders will no longer have their new ID cards come with a two-year life expectancy. But, that doesn’t mean they can instruct forever; rather, it just means the FAA won’t bother printing up a new certificate after one makes application and meets the renewal criteria. CFI’s still have to be sufficiently active, or attend a renewal course, to avoid losing their privileges, and they still have to fill out paperwork and keep track of their due date. The change just saves the government a rather-bloated claim of $5.6 million.

Last week, we asked for someone to tell us what Charles Lindbergh is known for being the first to do when he hopped over the Atlantic Ocean in 1927. Lots of other people had flown across the Atlantic before Lindy. But no one had flown from New York to Paris non-stop, and publisher Raymond Ortig offered a $25,000 prize for it, which Lindbergh won. For next week, tell us, what is a Powered Lift aircraft? You can send answers to kochhaus1@gmail.com.

Decision ‘24: Ballot measures to consider

 

We are just a few days from what many are saying is the “most important election of our lifetime” and while you may know who you are voting for, but regarding the amendments and propositions, hopefully we can shed light on what you are voting for as well. From the Missouri Secretary of State, here is the fair ballot language for each on the November 5th Bates county ballot:

Amendment 2 A “yes” vote will amend the Missouri Constitution to permit licensed sports wagering regulated by the Missouri Gaming Commission and restrict sports betting to individuals physically located in the state and over the age of 21.  The amendment includes a 10% wagering tax on revenues received to be appropriated for educational institutions in Missouri. A “no” vote will not amend the Missouri Constitution regarding licensed regulated sports wagering. If passed, this measure will have no impact on taxes.

Amendment 3 A “yes” vote establishes a constitutional right to make decisions about reproductive health care, including abortion and contraceptives, with any governmental interference of that right presumed invalid; removes Missouri’s ban on abortion; allows regulation of reproductive health care to improve or maintain the health of the patient; requires the government not to discriminate, in government programs, funding, and other activities, against persons providing or obtaining reproductive health care; and allows abortion to be restricted or banned after Fetal Viability except to protect the life or health of the woman. A “no” vote will continue the statutory prohibition of abortion in Missouri. If passed, this measure may reduce local taxes while the impact to state taxes is unknown.     

 Amendment 5 A “yes” vote will amend the Missouri Constitution to allow the Missouri Gaming Commission to issue an additional gambling boat license to operate an excursion gambling boat on the Osage River, between the Missouri River and the Bagnell Dam. All state revenue derived from the issuance of the gambling boat license shall be appropriated to early-childhood literacy programs in public institutions of elementary education. A “no” vote will not amend the Missouri Constitution regarding gambling boat licensure. If passed, this measure will have no impact on taxes.

Amendment 6 A “yes” vote will amend the Missouri Constitution to levy costs and fees to support salaries and benefits for current and former sheriffs, prosecuting attorneys, and circuit attorneys to ensure all Missourians have access to the courts of justice. A “no” vote will not amend the Missouri Constitution to levy costs and fees related to current or former sheriffs, prosecuting attorneys and circuit attorneys. If passed, this measure will have no impact on taxes.

Amendment 7 A “yes” vote will amend the Missouri Constitution to specify that only United States citizens are entitled to vote, voters shall only have a single vote for each candidate or issue, restrict any type of ranking of candidates for a particular office and require the person receiving the greatest number of votes at the primary election as a party candidate for an office shall be the only candidate for that party at the general election, and require the person receiving the greatest number of votes for each office at the general election shall be declared the winner.  This provision does not apply to any nonpartisan municipal election held in a city that had an ordinance in effect as of November 5, 2024, that requires a preliminary election at which more than one candidate advances to a subsequent election. A “no” vote will not amend the Missouri Constitution to make any changes to how voters vote in primary and general elections. If passed, this measure will have no impact on taxes.

Proposition A A “yes” vote will amend Missouri statutes to increase the state minimum wage beginning January 1, 2025 to $13.75 per hour and increase the hourly rate $1.25, to $15.00 per hour beginning January 2026. Annually the minimum wage will be adjusted based on the Consumer Price Index.  The law will require employers with fifteen or more employees to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every thirty hours worked. The amendment will exempt governmental entities, political subdivisions, school districts and education institutions from the minimum wage increase. A “no” vote will not amend Missouri law to make changes to the state minimum wage law. If passed, this measure will have no impact on taxes.

It is your right AND duty to vote! According to Bates County Clerk Jami Page, early and absentee voting is at an all time high; with that, overall turnout on November 5 is expected of the highest ever as well. Live election coverage will be available on FM 92.1 and Mid America Live beginning at 7 pm, November 5th.

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Happy Retirement Irl Jackson

Today, we celebrated Irl Jackson's retirement with a party and gifts to mark his 19 years of dedicated service to BCMH in Housekeeping and Laundry.

Thank you, Irl, for your hard work, dedication, and cheerful spirit, and for making our hospital a better place for everyone.

Enjoy every moment of your retirement and ALL the fishing adventures—you’ve earned it!