Road issue results in suggestion to run for township board

Weekly report  from the Bates County Commission

November 3, 2025 The Bates County Commission met with Presiding Commissioner Jim Wheatley, Northern Commissioner John Gray and Southern Commissioner Trent Nelson present.
John made a motion to accept Julie Highley’s Opioid Application Proposal. Trent seconded the motion. All were in favor. Motion carried. No opposition. Jim added that they will attach an approval letter on each application.
John also made a motion to accept a verbal bid from Scott Hall with Heritage Tractor for an extended warranty. Mr. Hall is going to contact Bill Stephan with the Bridge Department and discuss the warranty and the details. Trent seconded. All were in favor. Motion carried. No opposition.

November 5, 2025 The Bates County Commission met with Presiding Commissioner Jim Wheatley, Northern Commissioner John Gray and Southern Commissioner Trent Nelson present.
Kevin Nitsche came in to discuss the road he lives on, located in Mount Pleasant Township. He explained that there is no ditch and the drainage issue is causing road damage. Kevin stated he has previous experience with moving dirt and gravel and said that it looked like to him that, “they just put all the gravel in the ditch.” Jim stated that he also has dealt with an issue like this before, where it looks like all the gravel is in the ditch, but he explained that the gravel is, in fact, added to the road but the traffic that drives these roads drive “50 to 60 miles per hour and push the gravel off to roads. If people would drive like they should with one wheel in the center of the road and the other wheel on the side of the road it would help spread the gravel evenly across the road instead of throwing it off the road.”
Kevin asked about the county fixing it, but John let him know that this is not a county issue, but he is more than happy to give the Township a call and see about them putting some more gravel on his road. Jim mentioned that there is someone employed with the township that has been working on various places to get things fixed but warned Kevin that said worker has “messed up some roads and has got some backlash for it but he is working towards getting the roads fixed up.”
Kevin mentioned that he wanted to take his trencher and fix the ditch himself and open the ditch that way the water can drain. Trent questioned Kevin, asking if he knew if there were any electrical wires that ran through the ditch or anything of importance. Kevin let him know that there are fiber optic wire and reassured Trent that he knew where it was located. Jim told Kevin that they now have a Road Retriever, but they do not have anyone to run it right now. Jim told Kevin, “we got this machine for the townships to rent out, all we wanted from them was a small fee to help cover costs.” And explained that none of them wanted to do that. Kevin immediately offered to help when he is available. Trent took his number and stated, “it would be nice to have someone on call if we need them.” John then told Kevin that he would speak with Bill Stephan with Road and Bridge Crew and see if they would need Kevin to jump in and help with anything.
Kevin was very thankful to the Commissioners for listening to him and stressed that he was not complaining, he just didn’t know who to contact about this situation, so John gave him a list of people on the board so that way he knew who to contact regarding any further issues in the township.
Jim encouraged Kevin to run to join the board in his township.
Bill Stephan with Road and Bridge came in and furthermore discussed the Heritage Tractor Warranty.
Trent asked Bill how long it takes him and his crew to get 4,000 hours on a tractor, to which Bill explained, “about 600 to 700 a year.” They were discussing these details to determine the best warranty that would fit what they needed. Trent stated, “I am good with comprehensive four-, five-, or six-year warranty.” To which John agreed and explained, “Bill is going to know what’s best more than anything, with his hours and what will work best for him, and I will follow his lead on this one.” Jim asked Bill if he thought that the comprehensive warranty was the best and Bill replied, “Yes, what we work on is wiring, DEF, and emissions. We haven’t spent any money on the engine and the powertrain, so if we are going to do the warranty, we need to go with the comprehensive for full machine.”
Trent made the motion to go with the 60 Month/3,000 Hour Comprehensive Warranty for the new tractor they will purchase next year. John seconded the motion. All voted in favor. Motion carried. No opposition.
One of them will call and check out the warranty that they have on the Mower Max as well since they are having issues with hydraulics. Bill explained that right now it has been under the one-year warranty, so everything that has gone wrong has still been under warranty but he was unsure if there was any type of warranty on it once the free one-year was up. They then discussed prices and listed things that will be a deciding factor after they get more information on the warranty.
2026 Holidays were approved.
A Memorandum was made allowing only trained and Certified Service/Support Dogs in ALL County Facilities.
John made the motion. Trent seconded the motion. All voted in favor. Motion carried. No opposition.
Jami Page brought to the Commissioners attention that there are certain areas on the Court House that is lacking security footage. John responded that he had talked over this before and he had hoped that this issue was resolved last summer but he would investigate this once more.
Jami suggested that this be something they take into consideration for Budget Purpose Costs for next year’s budget.

Warmer temps inbound

 Cold snap is over, folks!

Warmer temps dig in today with the southerly winds.

Clouds will clear for mostly sunny skies by this afternoon.

SATURDAY will hit about 76 degrees before 50% rain chances move in toward the end of the weekend.

Shower chances linger through Monday.

This post is sponsored by Premier Contractor Services, LLC. Call them at 660-464-2067 or message them on Facebook @Premier Contractor Services. Experts available for all types of construction, large & small. Tell them you saw them on the WeatherSpot!

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A rare piece of local history: "Saved from the Flames"

 

MANY MOONS AGO, long before DoorDash or even McDonalds, getting piping hot meals to those working in fields around the turn of the 20th century presented a problem and a Threshers Cook Shack was the solution.

Akin to a small mobile home, the shack was pulled behind huge harvest machines used in the late 1800's through the 1930's or so to feed those doing crop harvest- not to be confused with 'chuck wagons' that insured three hots a day for cowboys doing cattle drives.  Actually, a Thresher's Cook Shack was a bit bigger and fancier, large enough to accommodate at least two stoves and a crew of ladies who toiled, day in and day out, making sure everyone had something to eat because time was of the essence when it came to getting crops out of the fields.

You could guess that as time went on, most all of these cook shacks were left to rot or cut up for firewood, making them very hard to find 100 years later however, the above pictured unit was found mostly intact, right here in Bates County, near Butler on Wright road. Former Bates County Museum Curator Nita Thompson, with husband Doug had driven by it many times and Nita was determined to acquire it for the museum but kept hitting roadblocks- until one day it appeared the shack was going to meet a fiery demise. 

On a particular Sunday, local resident Etha Black was leaving her daughter's house and noticed an old shed near the cook shack was on fire and it appeared fire would also consume the shack in short order. Etha remembered the Thompson's interest in the shack and thus began a frenzy of phone calls which led Doug Thompson, President of the Historical Society, scurrying to the location to make an appeal to the owner, Jerry Foster. It turns out that Foster wasn't fully aware of the historical value of the shack and gladly offered it to the museum.

Only problem is, while that two chatted, the fire was growing. A corner of the shack began to burn and being in the middle of a field, there was no water hose. But there was a puddle nearby- the two managed to find an old dishpan and feverishly doused the flames. Thus this remarkable local piece of history was saved but more importantly, according to research by Nita, it may be the only one in Missouri and possibly in the United States as well? 

Whew, that was a close one. National history was saved right here in Bates County. With a dishpan.

Now the only problem was to get it to the museum. Not an easy task, according to Doug who spent countless hours crawling under it to prepare the axles and reinstall the wheels that were removed long ago, left to rot in the mud and weeds. Fortunately, Tom Nichols, owner of Nichols Welding came to the rescue by repairing the wheels and helping to get the shack 'ready to roll' to its new home at the Bates County Museum where it has sat some time waiting for a makeover since 2009.

Fast forward roughly a decade and a half- the Bates County Historical Society is happy to say the work is complete and the shack as seen in the above photo has been fully restored to its original luster and is proudly on permanent display on the museum grounds thanks to the hard work of many volunteer hours. 

To celebrate the completion of the cook shack restoration, this Friday November 14th everyone is invited to the museum located at 802 Elks Drive in Butler, Mo to take a closer look, tour the museum and enjoy refreshments from 4 to 8 pm. More information is available on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/share/1ATyZrVmMe/

Obituary - Merrilee Mickelson

With deep love and gratitude, we honor the life of Merrilee June Mickelson, who passed peacefully on Sunday, November 9, 2025, at the remarkable age of 100. Merrilee's life was a tapestry of devotion to her family, unwavering kindness, and a quiet resilience that guided her through a century of change, growth, and meaningful experiences. A funeral service will be held on Thursday, November 13, 2025, at 11:00 AM at Atkinson Funeral Home in Harrisonville, MO, with a visitation beginning at 10:00 AM. Interment will follow at Freeman Cemetery in Freeman, MO.

A complete obituary will be posted when it is available.

BCMH celebrating Nurse Practitioners Week

 It’s Nurse Practitioner Week, and we’re proud to celebrate our Family Care Clinic NPs who provide expert, compassionate care to our communities every day.

Whether it’s a routine checkup, managing a chronic condition, or helping patients through life’s unexpected moments, our NPs combine clinical expertise with a personal touch that makes a difference.

Thank you to these exceptional providers for the care you bring to every patient encounter!

Our Family Care Clinic NPs:

• Laura Thiem, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, CNE – Adrian Family Care Clinic

• Lori King, FNP-C – Rich Hill Family Care Clinic

• Lauren Miller, FNP-BC – Nursery Street and High Street Family Care Clinics

Happy Birthday Willie!

Willie Wiredhand is the cartoon mascot of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), created in 1950 and still in use by co-op electricity companies. His figure consists of a lightbulb socket head, a wire torso, and a two-pronged power plug for his hips and legs. Willie was created as a rival for the corporate Reddy Kilowatt, which led to a lawsuit in 1956 alleging trademark infringement; the case was resolved in the NRECA's favor and Willie was granted his own trademark in 1957. The character has appeared in a wide range of advertising and merchandise, with a lull in popularity after the 1970s followed by a 2000s revival.

Thank you for being instrumental in the lighting of rural America!

The Museum Minute: Polly takes a plot

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

Herrman’s Historical Happenings week of November 12

1881 A train bridge is washed out near Rockville and trains are rerouted through Rich Hill, Butler & Adrian. Some 30 a day.

1896 A traveling tight rope walker walks high above the Hume square.

1933 27 year old Polly, family parrot, dies and is buried in the family plot at Oak Hill Cemetery, Butler. She had a wide vocabulary.

1951 Get your new Studebaker car at Powell-Gaddy Motors, U.S. 17 north, Butler.

1951 The Creme-Maid drive in is now open just north of Kahn Chevrolet in Butler (later Harry's Dari King and now Quick Dine III).

1992 Jason Mott, of Rockville, is in the 100 voice FFA chorus and has been chosen to sing at the National FFA convention in Kansas City for the second time.

1993 At the Ranch Rodeo finals in Carthage, Bob King of Amoret along with Monty Hawks of Metz and Larry Mitchell of Butler are among top finishers of competitors from 5 states.

1999 It's harvest time on the A.F. Yarick farm west of Rich Hill, the product is cotton, on a 160 acre plot.