Scattered power outages; high winds continue

Winds rip roof off in Rich Hill

High winds continue to rip through the area with multiple reports of limbs down however around 6 am it was reported that a roof was torn from a home inside the city limits of Rich Hill, no injuries reported.

Otherwise road conditions around Bates county "aren't too bad" according to one traveler however, anyone headed north will encounter slightly more snow but crews are working quickly to remedy the situation. From Butler to Harrisonville I-49 is reported to be clear.

Winds continue to be a factor, take your time while driving.

Winter Weather Advisory issued

This WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY was just issued to include the counties in lavendar. If you watched my morning forecast, this isn't much surprise - I expect the snow on the back side of this system to reach ALL of our counties.

* WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations up to one and a
half inch. Winds gusting as high as 45 to 60 mph will result in
reduced visibilities of a half mile or less at times.

* WHERE...Portions of southeast Kansas and central, southwest, and
west central Missouri.

* WHEN...From 3 AM to 9 AM CST Wednesday.

* IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions, especially on elevated roadways. The hazardous conditions could impact the Wednesday morning commute. Strong winds could cause tree damage and a few power outages.

Urgent from the City of Butler

URGENT NOTICE: All residents south of the Butler Waste Water Treatment Plant. There is a possible contamination of water in the mound branch. This does NOT affect the drinking water. Crews are actively working on the situation. Once again, this does not affect the drinking water.

Several Butler students will advance to State Musical Festival

BHS music students traveled to Stockton HS for District Solo and Small Ensemble Music Festival on Monday, March 3. Those receiving exemplary scores have earned the right to move on to the State Musical festival and include:

SAB Trio: Madison Kennedy, Bethany Swarnes, and Zion Plotner
SSA Sextet: Lola Blaser, Kelsey Jackson, Morgan Stump, Olivia Blaser, Lilly Teaney, Kensley Schowengerdt
Windsday Grissom, vocal solo
Zion Plotner, flute solo
Zion Plotner, vocal solo
Madison Kennedy, vocal solo
Other participants are as follows:
Abby Catron, piano solo - Outstanding
Addison Hawks, vocal solo - Outstanding
Bethany Swarnes, vocal solo - Outstanding
SATB Double Quartet vocal ensemble: Lola Blaser, Bethany Swarnes, Madison Kennedy, Kensley Schowengerdt, Jesse Carter, Zion Plotner, Dylan Triebel, and Ayden Broege - Outstanding
Kensley Schowengerdt, vocal solo - Outstanding
Kerstin Webb, flute solo - Outstanding
Lola Blaser, vocal solo - Outstanding
Misc. Vocal Ensemble: Jesse Carter, Carter Kelso, Kelsey Jackson, Morgan Stump, and Jordan Porter - Outstanding
Morgan Stump, vocal solo - Satisfactory
Olivia Blaser, vocal solo - Outstanding
Peyton Hudson, baritone saxophone solo - Outstanding

Congrats to all of our musicians on a successful day!

-Courtesy Butler High School

Names released in tragic fire that claimed the lives of two Butler children

 

An explosion around 11:30 pm Saturday night resulted in a raging fire at 917 E. Pine street in Butler leaving the parents of two small children desperately trying to save them- but their efforts were in vain as the fire quickly spread throughout the structure.

Parents Jamie and Rachel Huff and 15 month old daughter Arya were able to escape shortly after the fire began, leaving Jamie to make desperate efforts to reach his 2 year old son Aiden and a friends son, 2 year old Hunter, who were trapped in the opposite end of the mobile home.

Huff, along with a neighbor attempted to break a window and use a garden hose to gain access, but the fire had gained too much momentum leaving him with extensive burns and other injuries.

While the fire was quickly brought under control as multiple agencies arrived on scene, as the smoke cleared, reality set in regarding what lied ahead in recovering the bodies.

Huff said he had just purchased a small heater and it was in the room where the boys slept. While the heater is as the center of the investigation, the state fire marshal is still looking at exactly what caused the fire and accompanying explosion.

A neighbor was quoted as saying she remembered the children playing outside and "it's incomprehensible that this kind of tragedy can happen", a sentiment shared by most everyone throughout the community.

As our community mourns the loss, a GoFundMe account has been set up to help defray expenses; also the Carpenter's Cup in Butler is accepting donations as well.

From the Bates County Museum:

The museum will be collecting donations for the Huff family tonight at the Fat Tuesday event. We will have a donation station set up just for donations to the family. We will be matching every dollar that is donated tonight. The event starts at 6:30, admission is $25/adult $10/kid (admission is to cover cost of event and separate from donations.)

More information will be posted as it becomes available from the state fire marshal.

Agenda for Bates County Commission meeting tomorrow

 

Celebrate Agriculture: Thank a Farmer Week

 

  Recently at the Missouri Capitol, MO State Representatives Sherri Gallick and Dane Diehl presented Bates County Farm Bureau members with a resolution for “Thank a Farmer Week”.  The resolution highlighted the impact that farmers and ranchers have in providing the food, feed, fuel and fiber that serve consumers in Missouri and around the globe.  Pictured are (L to R) Missouri Farm Bureau District 4 State Board Member, Sharon Arnold; MO State Representative, Sherri Gallick; Bates County Farm Bureau Promotion and Education Committee Chair, Mary Fischer; State Representative Dane Diehl and Bates County Farm Bureau President, Kevin Fischer.

Bates County, Missouri – Missouri Farm Bureau and county Farm Bureaus throughout the state are joining forces to celebrate the importance of agriculture from March 2-8 during Celebrate Agriculture: Thank a Farmer Week!

According to the Missouri Department of Agriculture, “A 2021 study of the economic contribution of Missouri agriculture and forestry showed that agriculture is a $93.7 billion industry.” Missouri agriculture employs almost 460,000 people. The state is ranked in the top 10 for 12 commodities including, number of farms, goats, beef cattle, poultry, hay, rice and cotton. With all that they produce, it is remarkable that farm and ranch families account for less than two percent of the U.S. population. Across the United States, there are two million farms with 3.4 million farm operators. This number includes owners, their families, hired workers, tenants and renters or sharecroppers. Many farms today find multiple generations working together to produce food and fiber.

Recently at the Missouri Capitol, MO State Representatives Sherri Gallick and Dane Diehl presented Bates County Farm Bureau members with a resolution for “Thank a Farmer Week”. The resolution highlighted the impact that farmers and ranchers have in providing the food, feed, fuel and fiber that serve consumers in Missouri and around the globe. Other Bates County Farm Bureau plans for “Thank a Farmer Week” include providing educational tote bags, filled with an accurate agriculture book and classroom materials, to county 3rd grade teachers. Also “Thank a Farmer” goodie bags will be distributed to local farmers.

Bates County Farm Bureau Promotion and Education Chair, Mary Fischer, says. “Celebrate Agriculture: Thank a Farmer Week is a great time to recognize the contributions made by farmers. Agriculture is vital to our daily lives and our community. Since 98% percent of the population doesn’t farm, it is easy to take for granted the importance of our farmers.