That's about par!

 

The Harrisonville Golf Team took 1st place on Friday at the Butler Golf tournament. Archie Whirlwind's own Bryson Wilkins placed 2nd individually and Colby Wilkins placed 6th.

Courtesy Archie Schools

Hey kids! Have some fun with the Bates County Health Center

 

Audrey Clayton brings home some silver



Congratulations to Freshman Audrey Clayton for receiving a silver (II) on her vocal solo at MSHSAA state music contest. Eagle proud and thanks for supporting music in our school!

Courtesy Miami R-1 Schools

Yet another Butler High School record broken

Congratulations to Butler Bear Renner Martin for shattering his own 800 record this week by 6 seconds. His record now stands at 2:14.25. Nicely done Renner!

Courtesy Butler Bear XC & track

Archie Students of the Month

 

This month we are proud to recognize and congratulate Emma Sutton and Jonathan Dean as our middle and high school students of the month! They have demonstrated exceptional perseverance. by demonstrating determination while facing challenges while maintaining a positive attitude and a strong work ethic to over come adversity. They continue to push forward with resilience. Their ability to stay focused and motivated sets a powerful example for their classmates.

Courtesy Archie Schools

BCMH offering free sports physicals in July

FREE SPORTS PHYSICALS are back at BCMH! If your student needs a MSHSAA physical for junior high or high school sports, we’ve got you covered! Save the date:

Saturday, July 12, 2025
BCMH Lobby, Butler, MO
Boys: 8AM – 10PM | Girls: 10AM – 12PM

FREE sports physicals for Bates County students entering grades 6-12
Parents must attend & bring a completed MSHSAA physical form
Download the form here: https://bcmhospital.com/free-sports-physicals-7-12-2025/

BONUS: FREE HEART SCREENINGS on June 21!
A sports physical doesn’t check for hidden heart conditions, but My HeartCheck does! Sign up for a free heart screening on June 21 at www.MyHeartCheck.org.

Get your athlete ready for the season—don’t miss these FREE events!

Obituary - Gordon E. Anderson

Gordon E. Anderson, 87, of Pleasant Hill, MO, passed away on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at his home. A private graveside service will be held at Freeman Cemetery in Freeman, MO. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Croix Hospice.

Gordon was born December 19, 1937, to Rex and Eula (Terry) Anderson in Freeman, MO. He was a Harrisonville High School graduate - class of 1955.

Gordon was a long time member of the Carpenter Union Local 1127. He worked all over the KC area on large construction projects including the Kansas City Airport & Air Traffic Control Tower, Sport Stadiums, Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun and numerous other construction projects.

He married the love of his life, Rieta Riggs August 13, 1955 at the home of his in-laws at Pleasant Hill, MO.

Gordon was a member of the Midwest Barrel Racing Association and the National Barrel Horse Association. As a young child, he worked beside his grandpa Ed around horses. He continued working with horses his entire life. He bought and sold horses, trained horses, had racehorses and barrel horses. He enjoyed hauling and competing with his family at barrel races. As a young man, he was also a bull rider. He enjoyed his grandsons and the smartest dog in the world - Bear.

Gordon is preceded in death by his wife, Rieta Anderson and his parents. He is survived by his dog & best friend, Bear; his daughters: Rieta "Kaye" Manning and Sheila "Susie" Bridges (Randy); his two grandsons: J.D. (Kara) Manning and Brady (Abbey) Manning; 6 great-grandchildren; his sister, Norma Rutledge, of Olive Branch, MS; his brother, Lyle (Patty) Anderson, of Harrisonville; brother-in-law, Rex (Star) Riggs, of Harrisonville, MO; and sister-in-law, Sharon (Gary) Spencer, of Udall, KS; and several nieces and nephews.

Solar energy becoming a 'hot' topic in Bates County

 

A few years back controversy was 'a brewin as some Bates county residents had signed land leases for a proposed wind energy farm that was to be located in an area generally east of Passaic. 

But it all fell through and is gone with the wind, so to speak. It turned out that federal funding for wind programs in Missouri dried up, among other issues, which  put a stop to it all- for the time being.

Now, additional solar panel farms such as the one located in northwest Butler, are being proposed and some residents have ruffled feathers, while a few others plan to collect regular paychecks from leasing land for such.

And for those collecting the checks, there's nothing to stop them.

As Bates county has no zoning to prevent wind and solar farms, several land leases have already been signed with plans to bring them to fruition by 2028 or so. Two in particular are located near Amsterdam, as the area is convenient for connection to the grid that now is used by the LaCygne Evergy power plant.

Yes, there appears to be a few other solar farms on the radar in Bates county and it's all beginning to get unwanted attention, as was addressed by Northern Commissioner John Gray yesterday.

Mid America Live was contacted by Presiding Commissioner Jim Wheatley today regarding the matter and was informed that "The commission is planning to hold several public forums" to further address the issue and get additional public feedback. He went on to add that county owned property will not be leased for such purposes.

Some counties in Missouri have taken action including Madison County which banned certain types of wind and solar installations. In Kansas, the counties of Butler, Harvey, Franklin, Osage, and Reno have restrictions or outright bans in place.

As all this is reminiscent of the hog farm debate a few years back, more about solar farms in Bates county is bound to be a conversation topper for some in coming days.