The Hopkins Guys will be live in concert Friday, August 14th at the Roxy at 7:00 pm. Members will be Phil Forney, Jerry Forney, Robbie Forney, Ricky Cross, Rick Titus, Dennis White, and J.R. Gladman. Proceeds will be used to pay for the restoration of the neon sign. Hopkins businesses have been helping to raise money to restore the sign. Concessions will be available.
The Nodaway County Commission, at its regular meeting Tuesday morning, adopted the data center moratorium that had been proposed without changes from the draft version distributed to members of the public. The vote was unanimous. The period will be for six months and can be terminated early by the Commission or extended for another six months. The measure applies to construction and does not affect permitting or surveying.
Last week, an attorney for Scale Microgrids, who is developing the proposed data center, Allee Armitage, attended the meeting, which blindsided the participants. Donna Tompkins, who was speaking for Susie Schafer, who could not be at the meeting, said that Ms. Schafer was disappointed that Ms. Armitage was not identified last week, and if she had known who it was, she would have invited her over for coffee and shown her around the place. This week, Spencer Culver, another attorney for Scale, attended the meeting. “My purpose is to see what is going on and listen to peoples’ concerns,” said Mr. Culver.
Nodaway County Commission meetings are open to the public, except for closed sessions that are specifically permitted by law. “We did not know who she was until she introduced herself,” said Commissioner Scott Walk. “We wanted to share our concerns, and we didn’t get to do that,” said Tim Schafer. Attendees are required to sign in, list who they are working for, and if they plan to speak along with their contact info.
Mike Wilson said that the company was already attracted to the area, so that there was no point in issuing Chapter 100 bonds, given that its purpose is to attract new businesses.
Mr. Schafer said that people didn’t have to take their word for it regarding their concerns about data centers. “Go up to Council Bluffs and see a real big one for yourselves,” he said.
Holly Caviness said that she thought a six-month moratorium was inadequate and that the companies working with Scale Microgrids needed to be vetted for their past projects. She noted that six months was not enough time to implement zoning.
Asked a question about sound, commissioners said that the sound study Scale is doing would apply both to the generator as well as the facility itself.
Jeff From told the commissioners they might find it will take more than six months to get the answers they are looking for. He called for independent research. Commissioner Walk said that the studies the company does have to hold up in court like anything else. “If they do a study, and it doesn’t turn out the way they say it is going to, they can be held liable in court like anything else,” said Mr. Walk. “It’s their reputation that’s on the line.”
Commissioner Walk said they were doing the best they could. “We’re still looking for an economic development specialist and a tech specialist with experience with data centers to walk us through these things,” said Mr. Walk.
Mike Wilson said that the 70,000 per day being quoted is the minimum and that the daily usage for a data center would be more like 500,000 gallons per day for water usage. “In August and September when the water is really low, we’re not going to have enough water in Bolckow,” said Mr. Wilson. “And once Evergy’s plant is up and running, what about our air quality,” added Donna Tompkins. She noted that the air quality index in the area was already borderline.
Kim Swyers said that the focus on studies misses the fact that low-frequency sound emissions can’t be monitored. “These affect livestock,” she said. She said it would cause neurological and cardiovascular problems in humans and lead to more erosion and flooding. “And if the lithium that’s there ever catches fire, our fire departments can’t put it out.”
In addition, Ms. Swyers said there would be traffic problems at the site during construction with trucks constantly coming in and out. “And they’re going to drill for water if they have to,” she said.
Holly Caviness said that this was a bubble that was going to burst. “What happens if we take up Chapter 100 and they don’t hold up their end of the bargain,” she asked.
On Tuesday, Business Insider reported that Intel is planning layoffs within its data center group. They attributed the story to the Oregonian. The company has laid off at least 15% of its factory workers, or 5,000 employees, across four US states during recent years. In addition, Intel announced more than 15,000 job cuts as part of an effort to achieve $10 billion in cost savings in 2025. Business Insider also reported that Amazon has cut 14,000 jobs amid what it said was AI restructuring. In December 2025, Chubb cut up to 20% of its workforce in favor of AI, multiple news outlets reported at the time.
And unlike some other projects, the end user for the proposed data center south of Maryville is unknown at this time. Even Spencer Culver, the attorney for Scale, said he didn’t know who the end user for the facility was going to be.
At the end of the discussion, the commissioners voted to adopt the moratorium. “I feel that there are a lot of questions about this project that we have a right to have answered,” said Commissioner Scott Walk.
The Nodaway County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Site will be open Saturday, August 8th, 2026 from 8 am to noon. The collection site is located at the Nodaway County Maintenance Barn, 1516 E. Halsey Street, Maryville.
Brochures are available online at the Northwest Missouri Regional Council website. The event is open to residents from Atchison, Gentry, Holt, Nodaway, and Worth Counties, ID is required. There is no fee to drop off. It is free for residents only. No commercial or business waste can be accepted.
Examples include bleach, ammonia, cleaners, other household chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, brake fluid, transmission fluid, household waxes, Ni-Cad, lithium, and lead acid batteries, compact fluorescent light bulbs, fluorescent tubes, antifreeze, oil-base paint, and varnish, No latex paint accepted; latex paint can be dried and put into the trash.
Keep materials in the original container, Do not mix household hazardous wastes together.
Missouri’s annual Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, August 7, and runs through midnight on Sunday, August 9. During this time, certain purchases such as school supplies, computers, clothing, and other qualifying items as defined by statute are exempt from all state and local sales tax.
During this period, state and local sales tax will not be charged on the following items:
—Clothing that does not have a taxable value exceeding $100 per item. Eligible clothing items include any article of apparel intended to be worn on or about the body, including footwear. Cloth and other materials used to make school uniforms or other school clothing are also included. Not included are watches, watchbands, jewelry, handbags, handkerchiefs, umbrellas, scarves, ties, headbands, or belt buckles;
—School supplies, not exceeding $50 per purchase, that are used in a standard classroom for educational purposes. School supplies include, but are not limited to, textbooks, notebooks, paper, writing instruments, crayons, art supplies, rulers, book bags, backpacks, chalk, maps, globes, handheld calculators. Not included are watches, radios, CD players, headphones, sporting equipment, portable or desktop telephones, copiers or other office equipment, furniture, or fixtures;
—Computer software and graphing calculators with a taxable value not exceeding $350 and $150 respectively per item;
—Retail sales of personal computers and computer peripheral devices that do not exceed $1,500 per item. A personal computer can be a laptop, desktop, or tower computer system which consists of a central processing unit, random access memory, a storage drive, a display monitor, and a keyboard. Peripheral devices include items such as a disk drive, memory module, compact disk drive, daughterboard, digitizer, microphone, modem, motherboard, mouse, multimedia speaker, printer, scanner, single-user hardware, single-user operating system, soundcard, or video card.
Anyone who makes a qualified purchase may participate in the holiday. You do not have to be a Missouri resident or student to participate and save.
The Worth County Care & Rehab Center is undergoing extensive renovations this summer, the board learned at their regular meeting Wednesday. Painting is ongoing right now, with workers running ahead of schedule. Soon, workers will put in new flooring. The pop machine has been moved to the employee break room. Work on the flooring is estimated to start on July 27th.
For June, the facility brought in $210,399 in revenues and had expenses of $165,970 for a profit of $44,429. Year to date, the facility has had $2,572,848 in revenues, $2,309,006 in expenses, and a profit of $263,841. This does not include $292,754 in tax revenue for this year. The facility is spending tax revenue on upkeep.
The resident census has been between 28 and 30 residents.
Six tables that the facility had recently purchased had bubbles in them. The company will replace them for free.
Tammy Summa donated a laptop at Friday’s City Council meeting that the city can use to keep records after the present board and clerk are gone.
The County Commission came and graded the roads.
The council discussed someone dumping sewage in their yard, causing a health and odor problem. They will document the violation and refer it to the Tri-County Health Department.
Clerk Melissa Percell reported that she had gotten in the city’s financial report to the State Auditor.
The council purchased insurance for property owned by the city through Amber Hart. It will cover $1,000 for the sign, $15,000 for the gazebo, $50,000 for the siren, $15,000 for the band stand, and $50,000 in liability coverage. The city will pay $561 per year.
Work continued on the Hazardous Mitigation plan that each town has to submit in order to receive FEMA disaster relief. The city will draft various ordinances as part of its plan.
The city put together a list of emergency numbers to call. The Mayor and/or Clerk will activate a phone tree during emergencies. Residents will check in on family members and neighbors. The city will report urgent needs to 911 and will request a welfare check through the Sheriff’s Office if someone cannot be contacted and there is concern for their safety.
Board members and residents will assist with the village phone tree when activated, check on assigned neighbors, especially elderly residents and whose who have requested assistance when it can be done safely.
The Recovery Plan involves work that can be done once it is safe to do so. It will involve verifying resident safety, reporting hazards, documenting damage for state and federal authorities, and sharing recovery updates with residents.
