Bates County News

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

Butler Haunted House

 


Ladies Night Out November 23rd

 


Butler Veteran's Day Ceremony

 The American Legion of Butler presents a Veterans Day Ceremony on the Butler Square on Wednesday, November 11th at 11 am. The Master of Ceremony will be Ron Nissen and the guest speaker is Veteran and Pastor Jacob Wren of the Butler First Christian Church of Butler. Family, friends  and the public are invited to  Share the November 11th  Veteran’s Day Ceremony .

The event will start at the Dough Boy Statue on the Square, the purpose is to recognize those that have lost their lives serving our country. 

The presentation will then move to the North East Corner of the Courthouse Lawn and those attending will gather under the United States Flag. At this time Marsha Youngblood of Rockin Chair Quilts of Butler will present approximately 10 Quilts of Valor to selected Veteran’s present by the “ Honor Quilters ” organization.  

This Butler Veterans’ Day Ceremony will be held on the Butler Square at 11 am Wednesday November 11th . 




Veteran's Day Radio Tribute Please share with your Vet

 Join the staff and management of 92.1 as we share a moving Veterans Day Tribute with our listeners.

This moving tribute will hold the listener spellbound as the narrator tells the story of  why and how the Star Spangled Banner was written and what moved Francis Scott Key to write the words that we take for granted as we sing this song as our United States National Anthem.

We hope you join 92.1 as we pay tribute to those that gave all for our freedom and the rights we enjoy as an American Citizen.

Join us at 9 am and again at 5 pm on Veterans Day November 11th from the studios of 92.1 . 



Delbert Watts, 92, Butler

 From the Schowengerdt Funeral Chapel and Crematory . . . Delbert Watts, age 92 of Butler died Sunday, October 25 at Medicalodge. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Friday, October 30 at the Schowengerdt Funeral Chapel. Visitation prior to services from 9:30 - 11 a.m. Friday at the Schowengerdt Chapel. Burial in Oak Hill Cemetery. Contributions to the Boy Scouts of America Troop 238. Online condolences www.schowengerdtchapel.com Delbert is survived by his wife, Marian Watts of Butler; one son, Tim Watts and wife Pam of Butler; one daughter-in-law, Ronda Watts of Warrensburg; four grandchildren, Jenny Reid, Jacob Watts (Amy), Ashlie Brevard (James) and Dane Watts (Coco); nine great-grandchildren, Walker and Candance Watts, Julian and Jaxton Brevard, Ezekiel, Leonie and Selena Watts, Morgan Naylor (James) and Mason Reid (Jessyka); and one greatgreat-granddaughter, Hallie Naylor. That’s Delbert Watts with funeral services 11 a.m. Friday, October 30 at the Schowengerdt Funeral Chapel in Butler.




Tuesday, October 27, 2026

Missouri Department of Conservation

 JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Conservation Commission gave final approval to regulation changes from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) at its Oct. 23 open meeting in Cape Girardeau that would require users of its unstaffed firearms shooting ranges to have a valid small-game-hunting permit to use the ranges. The new permit requirement will  become effective starting in March 2027.

MDC offers free recreational firearms shooting on more than 35 unstaffed shooting ranges around the state. The ranges were designed decades ago primarily for hunters with most traditional use being in the spring and fall in preparation for various hunting seasons.

According to MDC, range use has increased significantly in recent years with more home/self-defense firearms practice and increasing use of modern sporting rifles. Increased use has also resulted in increasing damage to shooting range signs, booths, and other infrastructure from some shooters, along with increasing litter from some shooters in the form of spent shells, targets, and other items not being collected and properly disposed of.  

To help reduce range damage and misuse, MDC will require users of its unstaffed firearms shooting ranges to have a valid small game permit starting in March 2027. Existing age and disability exemptions will remain. The proposed regulation changes would apply only to MDC owned unstaffed firearms shooting ranges, not partner ranges or MDC’s five staffed shooting ranges.

For residents, the allowable permit options start at $11.50 for an annual small game permit. For non-residents, daily small game permits are $16 and annual small game permits are $108.50.

The Conservation Commission gave initial approval to the proposed permit recommendation at its May 29 open meeting in Washington. MDC then invited online public comments July 16 through Aug. 14.

Missouri hunters are required to have completed a certified hunter education program to get firearms hunting permits, unless exempt. Hunter education teaches shooting safety, ethics, and etiquette.

According to MDC, requiring a small game permit to use MDC unstaffed firearms shooting ranges would ensure that users have completed hunter education to help improve safety for themselves and other range users, visitors, neighbors, and MDC infrastructure. It also gives conservation agents another tool to improve public safety at MDC ranges.

MDC noted that many shooting range users won’t be affected by the new permit requirement because they already purchase a small game hunting permit or they’re exempt from needing one.

MDC offers multiple options for range users in need of hunter education. Learn more at mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/hunter-education.

Small game permits can be purchased at permit vendors, on the MDC website, at MDC offices, and through the MDC Mo Hunting app. Learn more at mdc.mo.gov/permits.

Find more information on MDC shooting ranges at mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/activities/shooting.





Boil Water Advisory

 The Public Water District of Bates County needs to issue a Boil Water Advisory for customers living in the Burdette Community located North of North West County Road 13002 until the end of day ,Thursday ,the 29th .

Monday, October 26, 2026

Missouri Conservation Commission

 JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Conservation Commission gave final approval to a regulation change from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) at its Oct. 23 open meeting in Cape Girardeau that would require nonresident deer hunters to purchase a Nonresident Public Land Deer Hunting Permit for $165 to be able to pursue, take, possess, and transport deer on public land in Missouri such as conservation areas and other state and federal public lands. This permit will be required  in addition to regular nonresident deer hunting permits. The change will become effective for the 2027 deer season.

Additionally, this permit will be required for nonresidents hunting small game with a nonresident archery permit on public land.

The Commission gave initial approval to the change at its May open meeting. MDC then welcomed public comments during July and August.

More than 90 percent of land in Missouri is privately owned. This permit will not be required to hunt private land.

MDC research shows that nonresident participation in Missouri’s deer season has increased considerably in recent years and an increasing number of resident hunters have expressed concern about how it is impacting their hunts, particularly on public land.

Isabelle noted that the regulation change is designed to address those concerns and help alleviate the increasing nonresident deer hunting pressure in the state.

According to MDC data, there were approximately 20,000 nonresident deer hunters who hunted in Missouri 20 years ago. That number was about four percent of the state’s nearly 475,000 total deer hunters. By 2025, that number had more than doubled to about 42,000 nonresident deer hunters in Missouri, accounting for about nine percent of the state’s total deer hunters.




 

Work x26 Exhibit

 Worx26 is proud to host an exhibit of works by local and regional artists  at 26 North Delaware in the heart of Butler.

The exhibition will run from Friday, November 6 through Sunday, November 15, 2026, featuring the across a wide range of media..

The exhibit will be open on Fridays from 4pm until 7pm, Saturdays 10am until 7pm and Sundays from noon until 4pm.

 

There will be a reception Friday, November 6 from 4pm until 7pm. Follow Worx26 on Facebook at workx26. 



MDC reports young hunters harvested 11,878 deer during early youth portion of firearms deer season

 


Top harvest counties were Howell, Franklin, and Texas.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows that young hunters ages 6 through 15 harvested 11,878 deer during Missouri’s early youth portion of the 2026 deer hunting season, Oct. 24 and 25.

Top counties were Howell with 303 deer harvested, Franklin with 276, and Texas with 226. Of the deer harvested, 7,234 were antlered bucks, 3,721 were does, and 923 were button bucks.

Get more harvest information on the 2026 early youth portion at extra.mdc.mo.gov/widgets/harvest_table/.

Youth hunters have harvested an average of about 14,600 deer during the early youth portion in recent years. Get more information on past seasons at mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer/deer-reports/deer-harvest-summaries.

According to MDC, above-average temperatures affected this year’s harvest total.

“Unfortunately, the abnormally warm fall we’ve been experiencing so far continued through last weekend,” said MDC Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle. “Although not as warm as the early antlerless portion, highs in the 80s during the early youth portion undoubtedly suppressed daytime deer movement.”

Isabelle notes that cooler temperatures are in in the forecast for early November -- peak time for Missouri’s archery deer hunters.

Deer hunting in Missouri continues through Jan. 15. Archery season opened Sept. 15 and runs through Nov. 13. It reopens Nov. 25 and runs through Jan. 15, 2027. The November Firearms Portion runs Nov. 14-24. The Late Youth Portion runs Nov. 27 - 29 followed by the Late Antlerless Portion Dec. 5 – 13 in select counties. The Alternative Methods Portion Dec. 26 through Jan. 5, 2027.

Get more information on Missouri deer hunting from MDC’s 2026 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available where hunting permits are sold and online at  mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer.




Thursday, October 22, 2026

Custom Container Living Butler / Now Hiring

 

Custom Container Living, Butler building more than homes. Custom Container building careers!

Join their team manufacturing custom homes, commercial buildings, and innovative workspaces, all right here in Butler.  Four-day workweek, competitive pay, paid holidays, paid time off, health insurance, and more!  Custom Container Living seeking to hire a Carpenter, Industrial and Finish Painter, Finish Carpenter and Rough and Finish MEP.

Less commuting. More time at home. 816-964-0982 or visit Custom Container Living, Butler to learn more…. Building futures, right here at home!



Karen Robinson, 87, Kansas City

 

Karen Lucile (Crosslin) Robinson, 87, of Kansas City, Missouri, passed away on October 18, 2026, at Brookdale – Rosehill Senior Living Community in Shawnee, Kansas.  A visitation will be held from 10:00 am to 11:00 am at Country Club Christian Church, 6101 Ward Pkwy, Kansas City, MO 64113.  Memorial services will follow at 11:00 am Tuesday, also at the Church.  Graveside services will be held at 2:00 pm Tuesday, October 27, 2026, at Sharon Cemetery, Drexel, Missouri.  Services under the direction of Mullinax Funeral Home, Drexel (816-657-4400).  Memorial contributions are suggested to Country Club Christian Church - Outreach, 6101 Ward Parkway, Kansas City, MO 64113 or the Cameron Development Center, PO Box 81, Cameron, MO 64429.  Messages of condolence may be left for the family at www.mullinaxfuneralhome.com.

Karen was born July 23, 1939, the only child of Sophia A. (Mothersbaugh) and Raymond T. Crosslin. 

She grew up in Sedalia, MO, and attended Washington Elementary School and graduated from Smith-Cotton High School in 1956.  She was involved in orchestra, debate and forensics, and Jobs Daughters.  Her first job was dipping ice cream at Tullis Hall Dairy in Sedalia, and she always enjoyed attending the state fair.

After graduating from Smith Cotton High School, she enrolled in Central Missouri State at Warrensburg, MO. She joined Delta Zeta sorority, studied hard, enjoyed school, and met Robert Robinson. They were married in 1959.

Karen and Robbie, transferred to the University of Missouri – Columbia where they both graduated.  Karen received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with a minor in Speech.  

Karen followed Robbie to Cameron, MO, for his first professional job with the Department of Health.  They were active in the Cameron’s Jaycees and were integral in building Cameron’s first public library.

Karen founded a school for disabled children at the First Christian Church in Cameron.  The school evolved into the Cameron Development Center.  Karen received recognition from the Center in 2000 for her early vision and compassion.  Karen had written that the school was one of her most treasured accomplishments.

Karen, Robbie and family relocated to Jefferson City, MO, in 1968 where they raised their children for 22 years.  Karen was instrumental in launching Jefferson City’s first Head Start program, where she led the program for several years.

Karen started a pre-school at the First Christian Church in Jefferson City in conjunction with the local YMCA, originally called Y-Tots. Two of Karen’s grandchildren later attended the pre-school.  

Karen loved her family and showed them the value of honesty and hard work.  She actively supported the children’s interests in sports, Scouts, and church youth groups as a leader, volunteer, and car-pool organizer.  

Karen faithfully loved Robbie and supported his career and interests for 63 years.  They had the opportunity to travel to many places including Hawaii, the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe and the Middle East.   Karen especially enjoyed their vacations in Barbados with family and friends.

Karen and Robbie supported the Micah Ministry in Kansas City, helping distribute clothing and necessities for over 15 years.

Karen enjoyed living at Kingswood where she had many friends and participated in many activities including playing cards and the book club.  Karen’s last act of charity was in August 2026, leading a school supplies drive at Kingswood for the Academy of Integrated Arts, a charter school in Kansas City.

Karen was preceded in death by Robbie and her parents. She is survived by her children, Dawn Dolliver (Matt), Lance Robinson (Becky), and Cory Robinson; grandchildren, Aubrie White (Brandon), Andrew Dolliver (Hannah), Bari Robinson, and Spencer Robinson. She also leaves behind six great-grandchildren, Caleb, Quinn Anne, Daniel and Hallie White, James Michael and Piper Dolliver, and his sister Martha Hunt (Harland).

Please celebrate a Life well Lived!




Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Press Release Crash Reports

 Missouri Press and Broadcasters Sue Highway Patrol Over Blacked-Out Crash Reports

 

Associations ask court to restore nearly 30 years of public access to traffic and boating crash records

 

Jefferson City, Mo. (October 19, 2026) — The Missouri Press Association (MPA) and the Missouri Broadcasters Association (MBA) have filed a petition in Cole County Circuit Court against the Missouri State Highway Patrol, saying the agency is illegally blacking out basic information in crash reports that Missourians have been able to see for decades. The two associations are joined by Gray Local Media, Inc., Warden Publishing Company, and managing editor Roxie Murphy.

 

For nearly 30 years, the Patrol posted traffic and boating crash reports online without redactions, and its own website once told the public that “all information on crash reports is considered an ‘open record’ and cannot be withheld from the public.”



Sometime in 2024, that changed. The Patrol began redacting names and other details — even the names of people killed in crashes — both in its online database and in responses to records requests. Under the Missouri Sunshine Law, the state’s open records law, these incident reports “shall be open records.”

 

Crash reports help communities learn who was hurt or killed, let families and neighbors get accurate information, and help the public spot dangerous roads and intersections. Journalists have long used unredacted reports to verify the identities of people who died on Missouri roads and to report on public safety and vehicle safety. Without them, it is far harder to hold public agencies accountable or to tell Missourians what is happening in their own communities.

 

The petition asks the court to order the Patrol to provide full, unredacted crash reports and to restore complete public online access, and it seeks civil penalties and attorney’s fees.

 

“Missourians have had the right to see these records for decades, and that right did not expire when the MSHP unilaterally changed its policy,” said Chad Stebbins, Executive Director of the Missouri Press Association. “We are standing up for all Missourians who deserve to know and understand the safety issues surrounding roads they travel every day. When the government blacks out the name of someone killed on a public road, it is the whole community that is kept in the dark.”

 

“People have been calling our member stations upset that they didn’t know that their neighbors or prominent community members were in a crash,” said Chad Mahoney, President and CEO of the Missouri Broadcasters Association. “Our stations serve people who deserve accurate, timely information about what happens on Missouri roads and waterways. We are asking the court to restore the access Missourians have always had.”

 



 

Charles Anthony Engeman, 57

Funeral Mass will be held Saturday October 24th, 10:00 am at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Montrose, Missouri.

A visitation/rosary will be held Friday, October 23rd, also at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church with rosary at 6pm, and visitation from 6:20 to 8pm, with Father Jason Koch officiating.
Interment will be at St. Ludger's Cemetery in Montrose.
Memorial contributions are suggested to the Matthew Engeman College fund.
Services are under the direction of the Hill & Son Funeral Home in Appleton City.


Nevada Holiday Open House

 


Butler Haunted House