The Little Apple news

 

The Little Apple, Vol 33 no 12, March 19, 2025

AC Manor invites the community to classes for Certified Medication Assistant and Certified Nursing Assistant classes. The Certified Medication Assistant class is a 16 hours course with an additional course of 4 hours for insulin administration. The Certified Nursing Assistant Class is a 4 months course. The Certified Nursing Assistant class requires a high school diploma or GED. This class also requires some background safety checks (Family Care Registry). Anyone from the community interested in taking these classes please contact AC Manor and ask for Cynthia Bowen. Once they have an idea of how many people from the community are interested, they will schedule the classes and let those interested know when they are planning on having the class and if there will be any cost to them. AC Manor phone number is 660-476-2128.

Appleton City Manor will have a spring clean yard sale 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday March 21 and 8:00 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 22 at 600 N. Ohio Street, Appleton City, MO. There will be couches, love seats, recliners, lamps, beds, dresser, night stands, pictures, etc…too many items to mention. A silent auction will be held for two 75” TV’s that work great! Everything must go. All money goes to the resident fund for events.

Immaculate Conception Church Lenten Fish Fry Dinners will be served March 21 and April 4 from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. in St. Mary’s School Hall, Montrose. They plan to serve dine-in and carry out. The menu is fried fish, Suzy Q’s, cole saw, corn bread, cookies and a drink. Adults eat for $12, children under 10 for $6. They are serving the best fish around!

St. Clair Co. Quilt Guild’s second Quilters and Crafters Day Out is 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. March 22 at the Lowry City Community Center, 406 W. 4th St. There will be vendors, a bazaar, trunk shows, fabric cake walk, an Opportunity Quilt, silent auction, food court and more. Admission is free

The Appleton City 2024-2025 Kindergarten Enrollment and Screenings will be held April 9. Call the Elementary Office, 660-476-2161, for an appointment. If your child will be 5 before August 1, now is the time to begin thinking about Kindergarten enrollment requirements. The following items are required for enrollment: immunization records, state issued birth certificate, social security card and proof of residence. Your child can receive the immunizations that are needed to attend Kindergarten anytime on or after his/her fourth birthday. You do not need to wait until age five. They encourage you to have your child fully immunized now and bring the immunization record to school on the day of Kindergarten screening.

If you have questions regarding required immunizations, please feel free to contact Nikki Piepmeier, School Nurse, at 660-476-2161, option #7.

The Appleton City UPS Customer Service Desk will be permanently closed as of April 6, 2025. Pre-packaged, pre-labeled shipments of an appropriate size may be inserted into the nearby drop box. Packages for pickup will be routed to the nearest UPS Access Point location. Packages requiring shipping labels or additional packing supplies may be dropped off or serviced at a nearby UPS full-service retail shipping location.

The First Christian Church of AC will be offering game nights on the fourth Sunday of each month at 5:00 p.m. starting March 23. Come join in the fun as they play a wide variety of games from Bingo to some of the newest games on the market. Everyone welcome! Light refreshments available.

Golden Apples will meet at Forest Park building Thursday March 21 at 5:00 p.m. for baked chicken, mashed potato and gravy main dish and pies and cake. Please bring your favorite side dish to accompany baked chicken. Bingo will follow the meal.

Montrose VFW Post 8820 offers the 2025 Poker Run on April 26. Pre-register now until April 7. $25 due at registration. $10 extra hand. Registration on the day of is 11:30 a.m. till 1:00 p.m. First car leaves out at noon. Proceeds go to building repairs. Contact Jason Brashears 660-492-9894 to pre-register or go to the Montrose VFW 8820 Facebook page.

The AC First Christian Church invites area men to the 2025 Men's Conference, "I Am My Brother's Keeper", Saturday, May 3, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided. Come be blessed!

Children’s Center Casino Night is scheduled for April 5 at the Adrian Optimist Building. A catered dinner will be from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. Casino and mouse races from 7:00 – 9:30. A raffle and auction will take place after the casino. The cost is $35 per person. Tickets will be available at the door. Proceeds benefit Children’s Center serving child abuse victims and their families in Bates, Henry and St. Clair Counties.

The AC Spring City Wide Garage Sale dates will be April 25 and 26. Information regarding permits will be posted at a later date.

This will be the last year that DbarJ Quilts etc will have the Elva Huffman Essay Contest. All essays must explain the purpose of your group, how you would use a quilt to earn money for your purpose, and when your event will be happening. All essays need to be received by March 30, as they will be deciding the winner on April 2, which was Elva's birthday. You can mail the essay to DbarJ Quilt etc, PO Box 48, Rockville MO 64780, or email it to joyce@dbarjquilts.com. If you want more info call 660-598-2222 or 660-679-1809.

Ellett Memorial Hospital Appleton City offers outpatient specialist services for March, 2025. Call 660-476-2111 for appointments. Mar 19 – Upper GI, Colonoscopy-Dr. Namin, Mar 20– Podiatry- Dr. Pace, Mar 25- Rheumatology-Dr. John, Mar 26 Ortho – Dr. Gray, Mar 26 – Ophthalmology-Dr. Soni, Mar 27-Neurology-Dr. Shoaib.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

March 20 Spring begins

March 21 Immaculate Conception Church Lenten Fish Fry Dinner 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. in St. Mary’s School Hall

March 22 St. Clair County Quilt Guild Quilters and Crafters Day Out 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at the Lowry City Community Center

Besides budget, chicken chat makes for busy night at Butler city council

All council members present for the March 18 session

A public hearing was held prior to approval of the '25-'26 budget which drew no questions or comments from those present as the final numbers were presented- the budget as approved is $16,302,001.00 with projected expenses of  $15,598,865.00 leaving a 'cushion' of  $703,136.00 for the city of Butler over the next year.

A tight budget appears to be the consensus for other towns in our area and putting money where it needs to go first remains a priority. Things mostly unseen such as the wastewater treatment plant on the south edge of town may not a top concern with most residents but keeping the plant in compliance with DNR is a high priority as violations can be costly. As pointed out in the meeting power outages for long periods will keep the plant from running (but the incoming waste does not stop running) and having a reliable generator a must. 

With that, approval was given to replace the generator with a newer, more reliable unit which may leave some to ask about needs that are visible such as streets and sidewalks. Generally, the busiest thoroughfares with the most damage get priority with plans to make major street improvements every 2 to 3 years and budgeted accordingly. It's all about finding balance, as there is only a fixed amount of money and some things such as street improvements must be scheduled well in advance.

Last week the council sent a request to the Safety Board to review a request to raise the number of chickens allowed per residence in Butler from 6 to 12. The board approved the change which then came back to the council for a vote, which was approved with only one no vote coming from Councilwoman Liggins.

However, after the vote a discussion was held regarding proper housing for chickens and was discovered the current ordinance should be amended and likely will require a fenced yard along with a coop with a fenced run inside the yard. More on this will be discussed in the upcoming April 1 council meeting.

A report was given by Butler police officer Todd Hecox regarding plans to add a K9 for the purpose of drug searches. Currently, Butler has to sequester a dog and handler from the Bates County Sheriff's Office and during conflicting times, the dog is not always available.

Hecox outlined a plan that includes a special cage to be placed in one of the police vehicles, living arrangements and other basic needs  as well as purchasing the dog with necessary training. The total bill will be a little over $20,000 to which he noted that various grants are available that will help immensely. He also noted that Family Center has graciously offered to donate two bags of dog food per month; additional donations from others are pending.

It was noted that the Butler Police Association has been rekindled and public response has been good when it comes to donations and support for the K9 program in particular. With that, Hecox said he plans to have the public help name the new dog and more about how this will done to be revealed soon. 

Revising/updating city codes remains a priority and this topic will be discussed more in the April 1 session. That said, anyone with concerns should attend meetings to be sure they understand why codes are changed/added as well as it is an opportunity to provide your input. If nothing else, chat with your ward councilperson.

Regarding tiny homes, the debate continues as the city is getting closer to establishing codes for such. There will be a planning meeting to discuss the matter at length next Tuesday, March 25th at 5:30 and the public is highly encouraged to attend as noted above.

The Butler city wide cleanup will be held May 5th through 9th so plan on getting unwanted items to the curb. More information regarding items that can be picked up will be provided soon.

The Butler city council meets on the first and third Tuesdays, 7 pm, upstairs at city hall. An elevator is available for those with special needs.

Missouri Conservation holds Marsh Madness

 

Get ready for MARSH MADNESS, that’s right I said Marsh. Come out March 29th from 8:30a to 3:00p at the Four Rivers Conservation Area. Get out and enjoy a day on the Marsh with your friends, family and the Missouri Conservation. As they entice your eyes, ears and even minds with an Eagle and Owl show, Shorebird Safari Hayride, Kids fishing derby and more. As you watch and learn about these birds and marsh’s you will be amazed. You’ll have the chance to learn about Conservation efforts here close to home.

Later in the day there will be lunch and Pup’s and Duck’s demonstration, along with Wetland/Waterfowl and Ducks Unlimited educational booths. This will be an experience you will not soon forget. So, soar on out on March 29th to the Four Rivers Conservation area located at 4347 S. 1625 Road Rich Hill MO. For more information about this event or others near you visit mdc.mo.gov or call 417-876-5226.

City of Harrisonville honors Fire Marshall Eric Myler

 

Congratulations to Fire Marshall Eric Myler on receiving his 25-year service award!

Myler actually began his tenure with the Harrisonville Fire Department in 1990, as a volunteer.

We are grateful for Eric's decades of service to the Harrisonville community. He is a model of humble service for all.

Courtesy City of Harrisonville

Obituary - Wesley Glen Matteson

 

Wesley Glen Matteson age 65 of East Lynne, Missouri departed this life Tuesday, March 18, 2025 at his home in East Lynne, Missouri. 

Cremation with a celebration of life service will be held 3:00 p.m. Friday, March 28, 2025 at Dickey Funeral Home, Harrisonville, Missouri. 

Visitation will be held 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Friday, March 28, 2025 at Dickey Funeral Home, Harrisonville, Missouri. 

A complete obituary will be posted once that information becomes available. 

Cass County Sheriff's Office recognizes long time employee

 

Meet Julia.

Next month will mark her 7-year anniversary at the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

Julia had spent time as a dispatcher elsewhere and trained to be one for the Sheriff’s Office.

However, the warrant clerk position opened up and Julia took over the role.

She works daily with all five divisions of the Cass County court, the jail and dispatchers.

Her updates are critical in making sure information is accurate for law enforcement agencies both in Missouri and out of state.

Julia’s close work with our dispatchers ensures they’re in the best position to help Keep Cass County Safe 24/7.

Courtesy Cass County Sheriff's Office

Elevated fire risk today and tomorrow, storms likely this weekend

Drexel man dies from injuries after vehicle hits building

 

Yesterday, March 18th, at 12:30 pm, the Louisburg Police Department, along with Louisburg Fire, EMS personnel, and the Miami County Sheriff's Office, responded to a report of a vehicle that had driven into a building at the 900 Blk of W Amity St in Louisburg.

Upon arrival, first responders discovered that a male subject driving a pickup truck W/B on K68, had driven his truck through the building in question, striking two (2) individuals in the process. The individuals that were struck were later identified as Drexel Firefighter Anthony Juarez and his wife Devin.

Both Anthony and Devin were transported to Overland Park Regional Medical Center for emergency medical care. Devin was treated at OPRMC and by all accounts will recover from her injuries.

However, it is with heavy-hearts, that we inform the Drexel community that at approximately 9:00 pm last night, Anthony succumbed to his many injuries. At the time of his passing, he was surrounded by his wife Devin, and loving family members.

Anthony Juarez spent the last nine (9) years honorably serving as a dedicated member of the Drexel Fire Department. Anthony was not only beloved by his fire department teammates, but he was also a beloved member of the Drexel community. Anthony and his band, “68 Overpass”, were frequent performers at our annual Pumpkin Fest, as well as other local venues.

Please keep the Juarez family in your prayers as they attempt to navigate this difficult circumstance in which they find themselves. In order to allow the family to grieve, we ask that you respect their privacy at this time.

I also ask that you keep the Drexel Fire Department members in your prayers, as they too are grieving this morning. We also pray for the first responders who handled the call in Louisburg, and for the OPRMC medical team that worked so valiantly to save Anthony’s life.

Fire Chief Booker and I would like to thank Undersheriff Matt Kelly and the Miami County Sheriff’s Office for providing and coordinating Peer Support for our firefighters.

The Drexel Fire Department will post memorial & funeral information on their page as soon as those details are made available to us.

-Chief Downey

Courtesy Drexel Fire Department