Hume Senior Spotlight focused on Kayla Long

Join us in celebrating Hume Hornet Kayla Long and her exciting future ahead

After graduation, Kayla plans to attend Ozark Technical College, where she will pursue a bachelor’s degree in Respiratory Care.

Beyond her academic and career accomplishments, Kayla has made a meaningful impact in her school and community. As an active member of Active Minds, she has helped promote mental health awareness. She has also shown strong dedication to service through volunteering at the local food pantry and Seeds and Sprouts

.

Kayla’s compassion and commitment to helping others will take her far in the healthcare field.

#MidAmericaLive

Blackhawks bring home precious medals

Five Adrian Blackhawks came home with silver and bronze medals this week

Congratulations to the hard-working, talented performers: Adalyn Bridges, Leah Ford, Avaleigh Saathoff, Jozie Fly and Erin Welliver!

Adalynn Bridges, Alto Saxophone solo- BRONZE

Flute Trio, Leah Ford, Avaleigh Saathoff and Jozie Fly- SILVER

Erin Welliver, Trumpet Solo- SILVER

Leah Ford, Flute Solo- SILVER

#MidAmericaLive

Fleeing subject in Bates county now in custody

A subject who fled from a vehicle pursuit just North of Rich Hill, MO this week was taken into custody overnight as an intense, area-wide search ensued.

More details expected from the Bates County Sheriff's office soon.


#MidAmericaLive

Large crowd attends Bringing Light to Agent Orange ceremony

There were over 350 in attendance at The Wall That Heals Bringing Light to Agent Orange Ceremony held Friday evening in Butler. Thank you to Matthew Cunningham for your beautiful prayer, Doc Golden for speaking about Agent Orange, and Don Rice for playing TAPS.

Note- A Quilt of Valor ceremony will be held at 3 pm today, please plan to attend. Navigate to the Bates County Memorial Hospital on Nursery street in Butler and look for signs.

#MidAmericaLive

Miami Students of the Month

Miami R-1 March Students of the Month: Truman Dunsmore-Walker, Lawson Nieder, and Alden Lityma. Not Pictured: Bronc Johnston

Congratulations Eagles and keep up the good work!

#MidAmericaLive

Miami R-1 Senior Spotlight, Riley Talley

.

.


#MidAmericaLive

Special meeting held to discuss zoning in West Point township

On April 28th, a special meeting was held by the West Point township board so local residents could debate the possibility of zoning, as townships have the option to add zoning independent of the county

The meeting, held at the Amsterdam Community building, was called on the heels of word that a 4,000 acre, 650 megawatt solar panel farm is going to begin construction just south of Amsterdam in July, prompting concerns over blight, pollution and fires, to name a few.

As the meeting progressed, discussions branched to other concerns however, the board worked to stay on track with zoning questions and upon conclusion of the meeting, the following points were made clear:

1. To approve zoning, it must be put on a Bates county ballot and a zoning decision will be exclusive to voters in West Point township.

2. To begin the ballot process, a petition is required that will need to be signed by a minimum of 5% of vetted registered West point township voters. It is reported that a petition is currently being circulated which will be turned over to the township board and eventually passed to the Bates County Clerk for validation.

3. There will be costs associated with putting a zoning question on the ballot. Those will include attorney fees and election fees required by the Bates County Clerk's office. At this time, those costs are unknown but will be revealed further along in the process. To note, proper ballot language is critical, which further necessitates the need for an attorney.

4. Specifically what is to be included in zoning must be decided upon. For example, will zoning only address new solar projects and expansions to existing solar projects? Data centers? There were concerns expressed that zoning could include many other things however, it appears those mentioned above will remain at the top of the list. Hence, the decision can be made to only put solar farms and data centers in the zoning proposal.

A few key points were brought out in the meeting:

1. Zoning will not affect (or stop) the current solar project(s). It would only have a bearing on future projects or possibly existing project expansions. Some will argue that a "good lawyer" can get around grandfather status but it is extremely unlikely.

2. It was said in the meeting that ordinances could be used instead of zoning however, in most cases these two things go hand in hand and at present, more information is being sought regarding if this is truly an option.

3. A question arose as to why the Bates County Commission has not already been working on similar county-wide zoning. The answer to that lies partially in the fact that such projects are relatively new in our region making foresight somewhat difficult. Just as in the case of the township, it would ultimately take action by the people of Bates County to present a qualified petition to get the ball rolling. 

4. Some at the meeting said they were never made aware the 650 megawatt project was coming and felt that someone should have notified them. Here's how it all transpired:

A deal was made directly between the solar company and the landowner and in some cases a non-disclosure agreement may have been signed; following that, the company in this case, did notify some adjacent landowners as part of their 'Good Neighbor' program; and during this time the company had been working with the Bates County Commission regarding easements, roads and other requirements. 

That said, no other notification to the public is legally or otherwise required. We will note that the Mid America Live website contains well over 25 news releases and references by the Bates County Commission directly related to the solar projects dating back to at least 2022. Most all the same articles were published in the News-Review newspaper and were made available through other media outlets including the Bates County Clerk Facebook page.

At this juncture, the West Point township board awaits the petition before taking further action. It also appears that more research and discussion is being done by members of the West Point community  as well.

Mid America Live will continue to follow this story and provide updates as they become available.

#MidAmericaLive

Alert from the Bates County Sheriff's Office, subject at large

BCSO Alert: BCSO and MSHP are attempting to locate a subject who fled from a vehicle pursuit just North of Rich Hill, MO on Interstate 49. Subject is wearing a white or gray tank top, red and gray ball cap, gym shorts, and converse. Male subject is medium build, bald headed, no facial hair, and approximately 5'7. Call BCSO if you see the subject, DO NOT APPROACH.


#MidAmericaLive