Monthly Archive

Re-elect’s Mayor Kenneth Reece and East Ward Councilman and Mayor Pro-Tem Doug Musick and newly elected Kevin Shannon of Drexel’s West Ward were sworn in during the City Council meeting last Monday by City Clerk Kara Smith. Approving several building permits was the first matter of business for the reorganized council. Courtesy photo

More than 500,000 Missouri Gas Energy (MGE) natural gas customers will see their natural gas rates drop under a filing that took effect on April 17, 2009. This filing reflects estimated changes in the wholesale cost of natural gas for the 2009 summer season.
MGE residential customers currently pay approximately $0.77 per Ccf (per hundred cubic feet) of natural gas. Under this filing, the rate will drop to approximately $0.54 per Ccf, a decrease of $0.23 per Ccf.

The delegation of members, administration, board members and advisory board members who attended the official chartering of Drexel FFA into the Missouri State FFA Association last Thursday night in Columbia, MO during the Missouri 81st State FFA Convention are pictured above. Drexel FFA had the largest delegation of community support at the convention out of the seven new chapters that were chartered last Thursday.

With a large crowd in attendance and after making a few added changes to the agenda, Drexel’s City Council opened all bids for the Community Center door, basketball court area, as well as the center’s roof at last Monday night’s meeting. The door bids were put to the side as the door has been fixed rather than replaced. Council approved the bid from David Kimbrough and Ron Neal on the basketball court area and Roger Fink’s bid for metal roofing.

Alcoa, the world’s leading producer and manager of primary aluminum, has generously donated recycling bins for the purpose of collecting recyclables and to make recycling more convenient for you. These bins will be distributed to participants at the scheduled mobile rotational recycling centers in Cass County through the MARC Solid Waste Management District and the Cass County Sustainability Committee.
The first.....
Read the complete story in the April 23rd edition.

Virginia Lee Gorman, 79, of Drexel, MO, crossed over April 13, 2009 at St. Joseph Hospital in Kansas City, Mo.
Mrs. Gorman was born October 22, 1929 in Kansas City, MO, daughter of Lee A. and Clara M. Owen.
Visitation was from 6-8 p.m. Friday, April 17, 2009 at the Mullinax Chapel in Drexel. Funeral services were at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 18, at the chapel, with burial following in Sharon Cemetery, Drexel. Written messages may be sent to the family at www.mullinaxfh.com. (Arr.: Mullinax Funeral Home.)

Shirley L. Fink, 96, of Amsterdam, MO, passed away Sunday, April 12, 2009 at Adrian Manor in Adrian, MO.
Shirley was born November 9, 1912 in Drexel, MO, the daughter of Charles Arthur and Bertha May (Enloe) Smith.
Graveside services and interment were held Tuesday, April 14, 10:00 a.m. at the Crescent Hill Cemetery, Adrian, MO. Rev. Paul Burhart officiated. Casketbearers were Allen Fink, Bryon Gifford, DeWayne Gifford, Justin Davis, Rodney Davis, and Troy Minor.
Arrangements were under the direction of the Atkinson Funeral Home, Adrian, MO.

Gilmer Orvis Patterson, 78, of Adrian, MO, passed away Monday, April 13, 2009 at Adrian Manor in Adrian, Missouri.
Gilmer was born February 12, 1931 in Cleveland, MO, the son of Clarence Joseph and Lucille Berdinne (Ellis) Patterson.
Memorial services were held Saturday, April 18, 2:00 p.m. at the Victory Assembly of God in Adrian. Pastor Lance Loughridge, Victory Assembly of God, Adrian, officiated. Cremation. Contributions may be made to the Adrian Lions Club or the Victory Assembly of God Church.
Services were under the direction of the Atkinson Funeral Home, Adrian, MO.

Ivan O. Beeman, 73, of Harrisonville, MO, died Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at the Kansas City Hospice House in Kansas City, MO. Ivan was born March 1, 1936 in Adrian, MO, the son of Ray and Ivan L. (Fink) Beeman.
Funeral services were held Saturday, April 18, 2009 at the Atkinson Chapel in Harrisonville, officiated by Rev. Adam Harmon, First Christian Church, Harrisonville.
Arrangements were under the direction of Atkinson Funeral Home, Harrisonville, MO. Online condolences may be made to www.atkinsonfuneralhome.com.

By RICHARD HETTINGER
On Monday, April 20th a scheduled game at Miami was played at Drexel because of a wet field at Miami. Alec Young pitched a brilliant 4 hit shutout with superb fielding behind him. Drexel Bobcats ended with 9 hits, 8 runs and no errors, Miami Eagles 4 hits, 0 runs and 4 errors.

By RICHARD HETTINGER
The Miami Eagles came to town and challenged our Lady Cats but not for long as Drexel scored 11 times in the first inning to put the game on ice. Katie Hocker, with a nice back up from her fielders, pitched a nice game allowing only 2 runs in a 15 to 2 win.
Every starter scored at least one run. Mallari touched home 3 times, Jessica, Katie, Courtney and Eliza all scored twice. Marissa, Chelsea, Jessi and Tara each were able to tally one run. Chelsea, Courtney and Mallari led the team in hitting with two hits each.

Nine year old Samantha Cawby of Drexel, Missouri came to the Annual Easter Egg Hunt in H.T. Smith Park on Saturday with her sister and mom. What she didn’t know was she was going to leave $100 dollars richer! That’s right, Samantha found the Golden Egg hidden in
the grasses gaining her a crisp new Franklin and bragging rights! Samantha is the daughter of JoAnn Cawby
of Drexel and is a 4th grader at Drexel R-IV.
Children near and far gathered at the park for the Annual Easter Egg Hunt. It is estimated that nearly 12,000 eggs were donated by the Drexel community for the event.

The Drexel R-IV School District was recognized for receiving Accreditation with Distinction in Performance by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education during a banquet March 19 at the University of Central Missouri. Pictured, left to right, Tony Stansberry, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Area Supervisor; Dr.

The Drexel R-IV School Board of Education held a Special Meeting last Wednesday, April 8th, at 6:30 p.m. in the ITV/Conference Room. Members present were: President Christyne Hellebuyck, vice-president Vic Shipley, treasurer Kim Hocker, and members Chuck Martin, Ronnie Jacobs, Brad Lancaster and Brenda Hadley. Dr. Judy Stivers, Superintendent of Schools, principals Jeff Levy and Robbie Shepherd, and Linda Moles, secretary to the board, were also in attendance. Visitors were: Chris Collins, Katie Hocker and Alec Young.

Submitted by D. ALBURTY, Secretary
An excellent lunch was catered on March 31st at the Drexel Community Center, hosted by Citizens Bank, for the Drexel Community Betterment Corporation’s monthly meeting. Lunch included homemade bbq burgers and brats with plenty of sides by Tyler Black & Co. Those present were: Lisa Gammon, Craig Arnold, Lynette Harris, Carol Pranulis, Ann Packingham, Vic Shipley, Patsy Stewart, Tyler Black, Dave Alburty, Marc Finke, Jim Welborn, Peggy Moles, Kara Smith, Anita Brown, Joe Ziegler, and briefly, Bill Marsh.

Samantha, Tearsten, and Tanna Keister FINALLY welcomed their new baby brother home. Karter Wayne Keister was born March 9th at St. Lukes Hospital in Kansas City. He weighed 5 lbs. 9 oz. and was 18” long. Proud parents are Kelly and Jessie (Fink) Keister of rural Adrian. Maternal grandparents are Bill Fink of Drexel and Vita and the late Ben Freeman. Maternal great grandparents are Frank and Shirley Fink of Drexel. Paternal grandmother is Linda Casey of Adrian and Paternal great grandmother is Wilma Gier of Adrian.

Tom and Kim Ziegler of Maryville, MO are the parents of a new son named Lucas Bryan. He was born Saturday, March 28th at Heartland Hospital in St. Joseph, MO.
Lucas, known as “Luke Skywalker” to his big brothers Logan, age six, and Layne, age three, weighed seven pounds, seven ounces and was twenty-one inches long.
Proud grandparents include Ken and Wanda Bell of Harrisonville, MO and Joe and Donna Ziegler of Drexel, MO. Charles and Rose Marsh of Drexel, MO are Luke’s great-grandparents.

Participating for the Drexel High School Girls at the Midway Combo Meet was junior Meagan Lane, sophomore Nicole Vlieger, and freshmen Kayla Kaufman and Emily Collins. Meagan Lane took 4th place in the Shot Put with a throw of 27’11 ½’’. Kayla Kaufman took 6th place in the Long Jump with a jump of 13’ ½’’. Nicole Vlieger participated in the High Jump with a jump of 4’0’’. And Emily Collins participated in the Shot Put with a throw of 20’7 ½’’ and the Discus with a throw of 57’2 ½’’.
Participating for....
Read the complete story in the April 16th edition.

The Drexel High School Boys Track Team participated in the Midway Invitational on April 7th. The team placed 14 out of 15 teams scoring 11 points.
The events that placed were: Austin Allen in the 110 M hurdles (18.65) placed 5th. Justin Wheeler (5:34 in the 1600 M run) and Alec Young (58.75 in the 400 M) each placed 6th). Bret Moles (13.5) and Garrett McLellan (13.77) participated in the 100 M dash. McLellan also participated in the 400 M dash (61.16). Bret Moles (25.72) and Luke Bartholomew (30.9) both participated in the 200 M dash. The 4 X 400 M relay.....

The Drexel JH and HS boys traveled to Midway on April 9th for the high school and junior high combo meet. It was a very cold and windy night ending early as the rain and lighting came. The high school boys were not able to complete their meet due to the weather. The results for their events were: 100 M dash - Garrett McLellan (12.50) Luke Bartholomew (14.25); 1600 M run - Justin Wheeler finished 4th (5:29); 400 M run - Garrett McLellan (67.5); Shot Put - Cody Hargreaves ( ) Tony Otto ( ) Lonnie West ( ); Disc - Cody Hargreaves ( ) Tony Otto ( ) Lonnie West...

By RICHARD HETTINGER
With short notice, the Bobcats braved the cold and headed to Adrian for a make-up game Wednesday, April 8th.

By RICHARD HETTINGER
The Lady Cats traveled to Adrian April 9th to play their opening game against a talented group of Lady Blackhawks.
The girls faired well even though they were beaten by the final score of 10-3. Katie Hocker, Chelsea Bauer and Marissa Bauer scored the only runs for our hometown team.
Adrian’s pitcher did a very good job and the Lady Cats had a little trouble hitting her fast pitches.
“Marissa Bauer and Tara Freeman were the defensive standouts at 3rd and 2nd bases respectively,” commented Coach Meerkatz.
Other girls....

The public is invited to attend the dedication of the Burnt District Monument which commemorates the stories of the women, children, elderly and families who suffered and lost so much during the Civil War on the Missouri – Kansas border. The event is set for Sunday, April 26 at 1:30 p.m.

Students at Drexel High School will be raising the curtain on the musical comedy “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” Thursday, April 23rd, at 7:00 p.m. at the south gym stage. The cast features six actors playing the parts of Charles M. Schultz’s characters from the award winning comic strip, “Peanuts.” It was both an Off-Broadway and Broadway smash. The music and lyrics of Clark Glesner were first written in 1967.

For the first time in nearly 40 years, we have been told, the Annual Easter Egg Hunt in Drexel has changed the time of the hunt. Traditionally, the hunt began at 10:00 a.m., however this year the time has been moved to 11:30 a.m. “We want all the kids around to be able to attend the event,” says Bill Marsh, caretaker of the event for several years. “It came to our attention that many kids were not going to be able to attend due to soccer game scheduling. We decided the best thing to do was to just change the time.

Drexel voters went to the polls Tuesday making big decisions. Decisions that decided the fate of Drexel’s next mayor and whether or not to enter into a 20 year contract with Tri-County Water Supply, another step toward improving the water quality. Below are the preliminary results from the election.
CASS COUNTY
MUNICIPAL ELECTION
April 6, 2009
Registered Voters 50925
Cards Cast 5751
Num. Report Precinct 48
Num. Reporting 100%

MIDWAY R-1
DIRECTORS
Total 536
Precincts Reporting 100%
Total Votes 536

Enthusiasm and support for the newly implemented Rotational Mobile Recycling Program in Cass County was evident with the nearly five tons of recyclable materials collected in the first month of operation. Frequent comments such as, “I’m so glad you’re here!” and “We’ve needed this for so long,” provided further evidence of Cass Countians’ enthusiasm for the new recycling program.

When Corky Gammon, Office Manager for Rural Water District No. 4, Miami County, recently registered to attend the 42nd Annual Conference of the Kansas Rural Water Association held this last week in Wichita, she had no idea that she would be on stage and on camera in front hundreds of people accepting an award. But she was – as she was named “Rural Water Office Manager of the Year” in ceremonies last Wednesday evening in the Century II Convention Center.

By RICHARD HETTINGER
On April 1st I traveled to Sherwood to watch the Bobcats take on the Marksmen, all the while wondering if there would be a game or was this an April Fools joke! The reasoning for this was that every game had been canceled on the schedule up to this date. But sure enough when we arrived, the Bobcats and Marksmen were there, preparing to brave the cold weather and wet grounds.
Because of various circumstances, the Bobcats were able to field only 9 players, luckily having enough to play the game.

By RICHARD HETTINGER
The Drexel Golf Club opened up their season with a match in Archie on March 26, 2009. While golf is a very popular and competitive sport, it is not much of a spectator sport. It is virtually impossible for spectators to follow an individual in a complete round, let alone the whole team.
Golfers for the 2008-2009 season are: Kody Kaufman, Brett Freeman, Ashton Raffety, Justin Thomas, Chris Wilson, Keifer Shipley, Nathan Crim and Tony Otto. They are being coached by Eric Ireland.
“Kody Kaufman is a returning State qualifier..."

Next Tuesday voters will head to the polls to vote for Drexel’s next Mayor. Could it be incumbent Kenny Reece or Bob Miller? This week features both candidates, both vying for the leadership position.
The Star is providing readers with a rare inside look into the candidates, their views, and outlooks toward the future. Each were provided with questionnaires, and both returned with diverse answers. You decide Drexel... who will you vote for to become the next leader of Drexel?

Drexel School District would like to introduce you to the new Parents as Teachers Educator. Angela Kraft is Drexel’s Title 1 teacher. She has her Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education and is currently attending classes for her Master’s Degree in Administration. She has been a classroom teacher for the past 6 years. She is also the mother of a 7 year old son. We anticipate Angela will be a great addition to the Parents as Teachers program.

Making better health choices is the best way to live a longer, healthier life. That is the message from the Cass County Health Department during National Public Health Week, April 6-12.
Health officials are urging Cass County residents to make lifestyle choices that will improve their well-being and help prevent Missouri’s leading causes of premature death and disability - heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some types of cancer.
The theme for this year’s Public Health Week is Building the Foundation for a Healthy Missouri.

Cheryl A. Smith, 61 of Drexel, passed away Monday, March 30, 2009. As per Cheryl’s wishes, cremation has been accorded with no public services scheduled. Written messages may be sent to the family using the website www.mullinaxfh.com. Arrangements: Mullinax Funeral Home, Drexel, MO.

William A. Roberts, retired KCMO Fire Captain, passed away March 23, 2009 at McAllen, Texas.
Services were Monday, March 30th at 11:00 a.m. at the Langsford Funeral Home, Lee’s Summit, Mo. Visitation was Sunday, March 29th from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Langsford Funeral Home.
Memorial contributions may be made to American Lung Association.
Burial in Floral Hills East Cemetery, Lee’s Summit, Mo.
Arrangements by Langsford Funeral Home, 115 SW 3rd St., Lee’s Summit, Missouri 64063.

Ruth Evelyn Brown, 97, of Louisburg, KS passed away March 26, 2009 at Sweet Life of Rosehill, Shawnee, KS.
Funeral Services were at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 29, 2009 at Penwell – Gabel Louisburg Chapel. Visitation was one hour prior to service time Sunday at the Chapel. Burial in Freeman Cemetery.
Memorial Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.
To leave a message with the family you may visit www.penwellgabel.com Arr: Penwell- Gabel Louisburg Chapel 120 South Broadway Louisburg, KS 66053.

Dear Editor: 
  As city councilpersons, we strongly support the election of Bob Miller for the position of Mayor. Mr. Miller brings many skills and strengths which we believe will be of great value to the community of Drexel. 
• Mr. Miller owns a business in Drexel, which gives him a vested interest in the success of our city.
• His many years of involvement, gives him insight into the needs of Drexel.
• As a business owner, he knows first hand the importance of a budget and using wisdom when spending.