The News-Shopper will now be the 'Mid America news-Review' newspaper

Coming May 7th!

Finally..... after 5 years as a 'hybrid' as the Missouri Press calls it, the News-Shopper is all grown up as we have officially combined it with the Rich Hill Mining Review to form one new regional newspaper.

First, we want it to be as familiar as possible starting with the name: We took bits from the news-Xpress, Mid America Live and the Rich Hill Mining Review to come up with the official name, the Mid America news-Review. Before we go any further, we would like to insure our Rich Hill Mining Review readers that we will continue to serve you well and hopefully exceed your expectations.

The Mid America news-Review is a fully legal, official publication as required by the Missouri Press Association. And starting next week, May 7th, it will be available for pick up all throughout the region at the same locations the News-Shopper is now. 

Likewise, all current subscribers of the Rich Hill Mining review, as well as those subscribed to the News-Shopper, will get a copy in the mail as usual. One of the many goals in this project is to help insure that subscribers get their paper in a timely manner and our new mailing method should certainly help with that. 

In terms of the Mid America Live website, we're going to touch it up a little but everything else will stay the same as we focus on the corridor roughly between Rich Hill and Harrisonville as well as continuing to push further East and West to better serve those in the fringes of Cass, Vernon, St. Clair, Henry, Linn and Miami counties.

Currently the News-Shopper and Mid America Live combined reach readers about 100,000 times a week and we believe it'll only get better from here.

All we can say is THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to our loyal advertisers and readers, it simply wouldn't work without you.

PS- The first edition of the Mid America news-Review coming next week will be a 32 page whopper that will include a very special insert along with some other goodies.

One more time, thank you!

Summary of Drexel R-IV Board of Education meeting April 21

The following is a Media Summary of agenda items discussed and/or acted on by the Drexel R-IV School

Board Member Oath of Office & Elections

The Secretary of the Board, Sara Borden administered the oath of office to Tim Eastwood and Callie LaBeth. Mr. Eastwood and Mrs. LaBeth were elected to a three-term term.

The Board of Education reelected Jennifer Thomas to serve as President of the Board, Tim Eastwood as Vice President, and Andy Gorsage as Treasurer. Sara Borden was elected to serve
as the Secretary of the Board of Education. Jennifer Thomas was appointed to serve as the district MSBA delegate.

Stadium Area Renovation

The Board of Education approved a TIPS quote from McConnell & Associates for the stadium plaza renovation project. Construction will begin the first week of June with completion projected by July 15th.

Board Policy – Staff Short Term Leave Policy

The Board was presented with a proposed revision to the short-term leave policy. This was the for review and the first reading.
The Board also held the first reading of the MSBA A policies recommendations.

Group Medical Insurance

The Board of Education voted to not renew the district’s contract with MEUHP.

The Board of Education selected the Bukaty Company as the district’s medical insurance broker.

The Board of Education voted to select Blue Cross/ Blue Shield as the district insurance carrier as recommended and negotiated by the Bukaty Company.

Personnel Resignations/Retirements

The Board of Education accepted the retirement notice of Royalyn Rolfs Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) teacher at the conclusion of the 2024-2025 school year.

The Board also accepted the resignation Darrah Munter as School Nurse at the conclusion of the
2024-2025 school year.

Personnel Employment

The Board voted to offer teaching contracts for the 2025-2026 to Kyle Littrell as a physical
education /Special Education teacher, and Rhonda Huber as an elementary language arts and
Title teacher.

The Board voted to offer work agreements to the following non-certified staff members:
Food Service: Britanni Nichols – Director
Lacey Wheeler – Food Service Lunch Accounts Coordinator
Amy Faulkner – Cook
District Office: Sara Borden - Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent
Sheila Eastwood – Business Manager
K-12 Building Secretary – Wanda Wilkins
Special Education Paraprofessional: Tracy Vunovich, Kim Jones, Laura Royster, Trisha
Good & Kacey Muhal
Title 1 Paraprofessional: Reagan Thomas
Extra Duty Assignments
The Board of Education approved many extra duty assignments. Several assignments have not been
filled. Attached are the extra duty assignments that have been offered for the 2025-2026 school year.
Respectfully,
Gary French
Approved Extra Duty Assignments
2025-2026
Assignment Individual
Athletic Director/Transportation Director Trenton Roach
Athletic Trainer – HS Football Brian Wood
HS Head Football Philip Dean
HS O/D Coordinator Football Kyle Littrel
HS Assistant Football Craig Richardson
HS Assistant Football Ted Kasper
JH Head Football Clint Bailey
JH Assistant Football David French
HS Head Volleyball Jennifer Duncan
JH Head Volleyball Amy Faulkner
JH Assistant Volleyball Jillian Thomas
HS Football Cheer Lacey Wheeler
HS Basketball Cheer Lacey Wheeler
JH Head Girls Basketball Craig Richardson
HS Head Boys Basketball Trenton Roach
HS Assistant Boys Basketball Adam Gilbert
JH Head Boys Basketball Brad Rolfs
JH Assistant Boys Basketball Trenton Roach
HS Head Girls Track Jenny Wheeler
HS Head Boys Track Gary Griffin
JH Head Track Jennifer Duncan
JH/HS Assistant Track Gary Griffin
HS Head Baseball Tim Eastwood
HS Assistant Baseball Jared Jacobs
Summer Weights – June/July Philip Dean
Summer Weights – June/July Trenton Roach
Football Field Painter Mike Wheeler
HS Scholar Bowl Julia Barabarick
Board Secretary Sara Borden
Student Council Holly Bennett
NHS Melissa Busch
Band and Vocal Music Jacob Eppel
Senior Class Melissa Busch
Junior Class Prom Melissa Busch
Jr. Class Concession FB/BB Karen Hrabovsky
Jr. Class Concession VB Elaine Hamilton
Technology Coord. Lindsey Douglas
A+ Coord. Lindsey Douglas
FBLA Holly Bennett
Drama Club Jacob Eppel, Melissa Busch
Federal Programs Lori Reed
SPED Director Lori Reed
Asst. SPED Director Heather Tucker
Elem. SPED Coord. Lori Reed
504 Coord. Lori Reed
Online Learning Coord. Jessica Boydston
PAT Coordinator Jill Thomas
Yearbook Melissa Busch
FFA/Vo-Ag Dakota Tucker

Adrian FBLA labors to ready Garrison Veterans Memorial

 From FBLA Adviser Kinda Williams

Today was a big day for our Adrian R-III FBLA members as they spent the day cleaning the Lt. Charles Garrison Veterans Memorial in preparation for their annual Memorial Day ceremony, which will take place on Saturday, May 24th at 10:00 am! They also were a part of honoring 50 veterans in a retired flag burning ceremony in front of their classmates with the help of the Adrian VFW Post 1935! Always proud of our members and students for respectfully honoring all veterans!

Adrian Chamber set for Small Business Saturday this weekend

 Here is the list of Adrian businesses that will be holding raffles this weekend for Small Business Saturday, May 3rd. Stop in, say Hi and Buy, put your name in the pot, and cross your fingers. We appreciate everyone supporting our local businesses!

Reminder from the Bates County Health Center

 We only have a few spots left. Call and get registered!

Major announcement coming tomorrow

Whew. We're worn out from working under a blanket of secrecy over the past few months and we're glad to say that our efforts are finally coming to fruition...

Tomorrow, Wednesday April 30th we will be making a major announcement regarding the News-Shopper and our news products overall. We believe these changes will better benefit our advertisers as well as our news consumers.

It's all about keeping up with the times and serving the community. Stand by!

When to Get Rid of Your Medicines—and the Best Way to Do It

Here are some tips for disposing of unneeded medications to keep everyone safer

Most people have a stash of old medications sitting in a drawer or cabinet, but keeping expired or unneeded medications can be risky. Some drugs lose their effectiveness over time, while others can become harmful. Keeping unneeded medicines also increases the chance of someone misusing them or taking them accidentally, which can lead to serious health risks.

Here’s what you need to know about getting rid of old medication to keep everyone safer.

When to Get Rid of Medicines

Expired or unneeded drugs can be dangerous, ineffective or lead to accidental misuse. It’s best to check your medicine cabinet regularly and get rid of anything that’s no longer safe to use. Get rid of a medicine when:

• It's past its expiration date. Medications can lose potency over time and some may even become harmful after they expire.
• Your doctor changes your prescription. Holding onto old prescriptions might seem harmless, but it increases the chance of taking the wrong medication later, which can cause health issues.
• The treatment is over. If you feel better and your doctor says you can stop taking a medicine, there's no reason to keep any extra medication that’s left.
• Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines are no longer needed. Unused cold medicine, pain relievers and other OTC drugs may not be safe to take after a certain time.

How to Dispose of Medicines Safely

Certain disposal methods help prevent misuse, protect others and keep harmful substances out of the environment. Here are some options for getting rid of unneeded medications:

• Drug take-back programs. The best way to get rid of old medicines is through take-back programs. Many pharmacies, hospitals and community organizations offer collection sites where you can safely drop off unwanted medications. This ensures they are disposed of properly and don’t end up in the wrong hands.
• Place in the trash. You can throw most medicines in the trash at home, but take extra precautions to do it safely. Before placing medicine in the trash, mix it with something unappealing, such as coffee grounds, cat litter or dirt, and place the mixture in a sealed bag or container. Immediately dispose of the trash – don’t leave it sitting around inside your house.
• Flushing medicines. Some medicines are especially dangerous if taken by someone other than the person prescribed. This includes certain pain medications and other high-risk drugs. Flushing medicine is one way to ensure it won’t be accessed by others who shouldn’t be taking it, but it should only be done when recommended as it can harm the environment.

Other Tips for Safe Medicine Use

Here are a few other things to keep in mind when it comes to safely managing medications:

• Store medicines properly. Keep medications in a cool, dry place, out of the reach of children and pets. Avoid storing medicine in bathrooms, where heat and moisture can affect them.
• Never share prescription medicines. Even if someone has similar symptoms, what works for you might not be safe for them. Always check with a doctor before taking any prescription drugs.
• Check medicines regularly. Every few months, go through your medicine cabinet and remove anything that is expired or no longer needed.

Reminder: City of Butler utility portal is available now

The new customer portal is available online at our website. Citizens can see hourly/daily and monthly usage. Sign up for alerts, notifications, email reminders and other options. You do not have to pay your bill online to sign up for the portal. If you already have an online account your current online id will work. You can access the new portal by going to the following.

https://butlermo.municipalonlinepayments.com/butlermo/