Narcotics suspected in Vernon county traffic stop

Sunday morning at approximately 3:00 a.m., detectives with the Nevada Police Department were working Interstate 49, proactively interdicting illegal activity entering our community, specifically the possession and distribution of illegal narcotics.

During this time, Nevada Police conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling on I-49 and made contact with the sole occupant. During the investigation, detectives deployed K-9 Edo to conduct a free-air sniff of the vehicle. K-9 Edo gave a positive alert to the presence of narcotics.

As a result of the investigation, detectives seized what is believed to be methamphetamine that was being transported into our community. The driver was taken into custody and transported to the Vernon County Jail, where they were placed on a 24-hour investigative hold for Delivery of a Controlled Substance.

The case will be referred to the Vernon County Prosecuting Attorney for the filing of formal charges once certified laboratory results are obtained on the seized narcotics.

This is another testament to the dedication and proactive efforts of the officers and detectives of the Nevada Police Department. Our officers remain committed to identifying and intercepting illegal narcotics before they reach our community and will continue working diligently to keep Nevada a safe place to live.

This is a clear message to individuals who pass through or come to our community with criminal intentions: our officers are on patrol, alert, and proactive. We will continue to intercept this type of criminal behavior and hold those responsible accountable under the law.

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Bates County Presiding Commissioner race: Mary Dubray

Mary Dubray (D) will face either Jim Wheatley (R) or Chris Gach (R) in the November 3rd general election following the outcome of the August 4th primary election.

Mary DuBray Age: 51 

Why are you running for this office? 

The people of Bates County deserve elected officials they can trust. It’s painfully clear when you look at recent events that the current presiding commissioner cannot be relied upon to do his job. You can also look at how the commission as a whole dealt with the solar farm situation and see the future of our county was not a priority and neither was letting the public know what was happening. 

What are your qualifications?

 I have a degree in Management. I have worked in data management for the bulk of my career. I know how to run a global team. I have experience in running a company. I know how to communicate. I have the ability to fill out forms and meet deadlines. I can do research on complex topics that I don’t know anything about so that I can become an expert in that area. I’m extremely good at taking a hard to understand concept and explaining it to regular folks in a way that makes sense. I am able to and willing to communicate even when it’s a controversial topic.

If elected, what are your priorities?

 My number one priority is to restore public trust in the commission. I would do this by making regular posts on social media about what is happening with the commission. The public should not be waiting weeks for the county clerk to put out meeting minutes to know what is happening. They should be hearing directly from the commissioners and especially from the presiding commissioner what is happening in real time. I believe that many of the issues we are having currently could have been avoided if there was a line of communication open between the commission and the public in real time. My second priority is to protect Bates County. It has become painfully clear recently that the current commission is not interested in protecting our land and resources and people from outside dangers. It’s imperative that we do everything we can to prevent solar farm expansion. We can also never allow a data center in our county. While I adamantly oppose full zoning, I am aware that there are other zoning restrictions we could put in place that would protect us from future corporations taking over our home. 

What is the most important thing voters need to know about you? 

I am trustworthy! I will never sell out the people of this county for personal gain. I will never neglect to do my job. I will have full transparency in this position. I will open lines of communication between the commission and the public. While this is a part-time position, I would consider it a full-time job and I would be open for conversations anytime it’s necessary.

Voting information available here https://batescounty.net/elections-information/
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Bates County Presiding Commissioner race: Chris Gach

Chris Gach (R) will face incumbent Jim Wheatley (R) in the august 4 primary election. The winner will then run against Mary Dubray (D) in the general election November 3rd. The following are responses to questions given to all candidates:

What is your current or past occupation?  

I have recently retired from the Missouri State Highway Patrol after serving for just over 30 years.  I was assigned to the Bates County Zone for approximately 25 years. For the last ten years of my assignment in Bates County I served as the Zone Commander. During the last five years of my career I was assigned to Troop A Headquarters in Lee’s Summit as the Property Control Supervisor.   

Why are you running for this office?  

I truly enjoyed the public service aspect of my career in law enforcement and want to continue serving others in Bates County now that I have retired.  I enjoy working with others to achieve goals that benefit all of us and feel like this job gives me the opportunity to do so.   

What are your qualifications for this position?  

I don’t feel like a list of accomplishments would necessarily qualify someone for this position.  I believe what qualifies me to serve as the next Presiding Commissioner of Bates County is that I built a career based on public service, leadership, and accountability.  During my career, I displayed the ability to make sound decisions, manage people and resources, problem solve, and work with the general public.  I understand the importance of listening to people, working with other elected officials, and making decisions that benefit all of us, not just a select few.  

If elected, what are your priorities? 

My priorities are to be fiscally responsible with taxpayer dollars, build a working relationship with the Road and Bridge supervisor, and work with other office holders to make county government as efficient as possible.  I believe most citizens of our county are affected by four different things: agriculture, small business, churches, and schools.  These four things make us who we are as a county.  I think it’s important to support and encourage reasonable growth in all four of these areas.

What is the most important thing voters need to know about you? 

  I want people to know that I’ve spent the majority of my adult life serving the public.  I’m not seeking to become the next Presiding Commissioner of Bates County because I have any hidden agendas or personal vendettas against anyone.  I take pride in knowing that during the course of my career in law enforcement, I treated people with respect and fairness.  I believe I possess the knowledge, skills, and experience to help our county grow while preserving the values that make us who we are.

Voting information here https://batescounty.net/elections-information/

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Bates County Presiding Commissioner race: Jim Wheatley

Incumbent Jim Wheatley (R) will face Chris Gach (R) in the august 4 primary election. The winner will then run against Mary Dubray in the general election November 3rd. The following are responses to questions given to all candidates:

What is your current or past occupation?

Bates County Presiding Commissioner.

Why are you running for this office?

The keep serving the people of Bates County and keep the County moving forward. To make certain the County has the funds to sustain going forward and not have to "cut" any personnel. To continue working to get the three bridges replaced that need to be replaced. To continue to work to provide the services the people in Bates County deserve.

What are your qualifications for this position?  

11 years as current Bates County Presiding Commissioner.

4 years Active-Duty Air Force, Security Police

27 years Air Force Reserve, Fire Protection

19 years as Reserve Fire Chief at Peterson AFB, Richards Gebaur/Whiteman AFB, Scott AFB where I brought fire fighting teams to Combat Readiness status.

I have 40 years of law enforcement experience in Bates County.

I have HAZMAT training to the Senior Response Officer, SRO, and Incident Command, IC, levels.

Emergency First Responder trained, because of this I understand the needs and requirements of all emergency services.

I have an Associate in Arts degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice.

If elected, what are your priorities?

Continue to help provide services the public needs. Work with the elected officials to maintain a sound budget for the county and continue to build reserve funds to build a solid financial foundation to protect the county.

What is the most important thing voters need to know about you? 

I work for them, the people of Bates County, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. "This is not just a Two Day a Week Job".

Voting information here https://batescounty.net/elections-information/

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Recipe of the Week

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What’s Up by LeRoy Cook

A Very Tough Flying Boat

Our last-week flying weather in the lower midwest was favored by open skies and hot south winds, escaping the Canadian wildfire smoke that covered the northern states with low visibility.  Mid-Missouri did suffer from heavy thunderstorms and flooding rains. From the air, crops here in the border counties look pretty stressed; too much rain early, soggy stands and now risky moisture prospects. 

Traffic continued light in the summer doldrums; a few Cessna trainers and a 1948 Cessna 170 came in, the latter from Grain Valley airport via Olathe. Locally, Randy Shannon had his Luscombe 8A out and the Koehn Skyhawk flew several hours. 

Some clarification might be in order regarding last week’s City Council notes. “Hiring” an airport manager might be a little too prosperous-sounding, since there’s no salary connected with the position. Commercial pilot and flight instructor Jay McClintock has agreed to assume the largely-ceremonial title, which traditionally has been only compensated for with hangar space and a few other perks. We all welcome Jay and will help him any way we can.

The U.S Air Force has announced that the new B-21 Raider stealth bomber, designed to replace the B-2 Spirit, will have a manned crew aboard; there was speculation that it was “crew optional” and could be operated remotely. The value of having humans operating the systems has been recognized and the B-21 will fly with two in the cockpit. It continues under testing at Edwards AFB in the California desert.

From Italy comes a fortunate news report of an amphibious Canadair CL-415 “super scooper” fire-fighting airplane inadvertently plowing into a cable dangling from a fire-fighting helicopter, which was using a dangling bucket to dump water on the fire. The cable sawed the wing back to the main spar but stopped there and the ‘copter escaped with a breakaway, so tragedy was averted.

Well, this one wasn’t Boeing’s fault. Last month, a Lufthansa 787 airliner was being worked on at Frankfurt airport before leaving for Los Angeles when the nosegear collapsed, dropping the fuselage and nacelles onto the ramp and injuring 23 workers. An investigation revealed that the downlock pin that’s supposed to be installed when parked was found in a storage holder, not in the nosegear. An expensive mistake.

From last week, our head-scratching question was about the designer of the Israeli Air Force’s first fighter planes, put into service when the country was established in 1948. It was none other than Willy Messerschmidt, who created the Luftwaffe’s Me-109, copies of which were built in Czechoslovakia and used after World War 2 in many places. For next week, our question is “What’s the A-10 attack plane’s official name?” It’s not the “Warthog.” You can send your answers to kochhaus1@gmail.com.

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Bates County real estate transfers and marriage licenses

Heckadon, Perry to Coffman, Mason Str 21-40-31 //Nw

Herman, Wilbur N to Herman, Wilbur & Patricia Trust 12-12-2025 Str 4-39-31 //Sw

Herman, Wilbur N. to WP & L Farms Str 24-40-30+

Ellis, Joseph Eric to Stephenson, Bryan D Lt 9 Bl 1 Messenger Addn+

Blue Sky Auto Plaza to Rhyno Empire Lt 17 Bl 13 West Side Addn+

Norbury, Darell Shane to Terry, Joseph W Lt 4 Bl 17 Littles Addn+

Wilkin, Matthew to Edwards, Gregory A. Lt 14 Glenbrook Farms

Bohannon, Tyler to Bohannon, Shannon Lt 17 Bennetts Subd

Oberlander, Lexye to James, Doug Str 29-39-29 //Nw

Six, Cary R to Morgan, Curt H Str 8-41-31 //Ne

Lawrence, Cheryl L to Six, Cary R Str 28-42-31 //Nw

Gregory, Donna to Black, Alan Str 15-40-33 //Se

Wood, Donald A to Watts, Jacob Lt 3 Bl 4 Huston's 2nd Addn+

Tindle, Todd to BB Ranch Trust 06-25-2026 Str 5-41-29 //Sw

Wynne, Leo Jr. to MCJ Drinking Team, LLC Str 15-39-31+

Reno, Jerret J to Reno Family Trust 07-09-2026 Str 12-40-31 //Nw

Kiger, Mark A to Amaya, Ernesto J Bl 207 Town Company's Fifth Addn

Engel, Angela Shaffer to Engel, Angela Shaffer Str 27-40-32 //Ne

Thomas, Ashley to Thomas, Ashley Lt 9 Bl 7 Town Company's First Addn+

Arnold Trust 04/12/2016 to Jacobs, Donald R Str 18-42-32 //Nw

Millsap & Singer, P.C. to Click N' Close, Inc Lt 5 Bl 2 Peck's Addn+

Martin, Paul W Trust 01-10-2005 to McElwain, Dalton Str 29-40-32

Marriage license

Johnson, Clayton Russell and Ward, Shelby Renee

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The Museum Minute: Rain, rain, rain

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

Herrman’s Historical Happenings week of July 22

1844 Several days of continued rains have flooded most of Bates Co's lowlands.

1880 The editor of the Butler Daily Democrat notes Butler is full of strangers brought in by coal fever.

1886 John T. Leabo, accused of murdering his wife, is given a stay of execution until August 6th. Butler.

1927 Highway 71 is concrete from Kansas City to Harrisonville and graveled to Nevada except for a 1 mile stretch south of Rich Hill.

1927 The four day Rockville Festival begins.

1965 William Coke, night watchman for Harry Cherry's service station, in Butler, is robbed by two armed thugs.

1978 Bandits net $25 in change and 3 cartons of cigarettes during an overnight robbery of the Amsterdam Cafe.

2002 Lynne Blakeman replaces Kendra Welston as Executive Director of the Butler Chamber of Commerce.

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