200 Attend Rally Against Proposed $6 Billion Data Center

Around 200 people attended a rally against the proposed data center in Pumpkin Center at Salem Church, which is located one quarter of a mile from where the proposed project will be. Tim Schafer, who has farmed in the area for the last 40 years and lives one and a half miles away from where the proposed center would be, emceed the event. 

Mr. Schafer said the water concerns were the biggest issue with him. He noted that the facility could use anywhere from 300,000 gallons of wastewater per day to up to 1,000,000, which he said would drop the level of Mozingo Lake and ruin tourism for the area. "Nobody wants to come to a mud puddle," he said. 

He said that the noise from the plant would affect his livestock, citing research that finds that it has negative affects on cattle for up to two miles. A May 2023 study from Annals of Animal Science highlighted literature regarding the effects of chronic or intermittent sound on cattle's production system. After a certain point, physiological processes of cattle are disrupted which negatively affects their behavior, including feeding. Exposure of dairy cattle to 80-100 decibels of noise twice per day reduces milk yield and may even result in milk discharge. Cattle are more sensitive to noise than humans, and exposure to loud noises affects their behavior, coordination, milk yield, and fertility. 

Mr. Schafer said that the light issue was such that people didn't need night lights when sleeping. He cited pollution concerns such as PFAS chemicals. ChemTrust, a website that publishes information about harmful chemicals, pointed out that environmental advocates have been raising concerns about the use of "forever chemicals" in data centers. In a web post from October 16th, 2025, the ChemTrust site says, "A type of PFAS called F-gases may be used in data centers for cooling. F-gases are a type of fluorinated gas commonly used in cooling fluids in refrigeration and air conditioning. Data centers require powerful cooling systems, and F-gases may be used for this purpose. They can then leach into the environment around the facility." 

The ChemTrust article notes that F-gases break down into TFA, a type of PFAS chemical which is being assessed by the EU for toxicity for reproduction. Forever chemicals are also used to produce semiconductors that are used in data centers. And Mr. Schafer said he didn't buy the closed-loop model, noting that water can still evaporate and pollute the air that way. 

The proposed data center is being built next to an Evergy power plant. However, the center would produce its own electricity via a natural gas powered facility. The Evergy plant has been in the works for years and is a separate project. The data center project is being managed by Scale Microgrids, based in New Jersey. They have purchase five-year options on 900 acres of land. 

Mr. Schafer opened the floor to questions, where he answered basic questions about the facility as well as some new concerns. One person noted that more and more people are not buying meat from the store anymore and are hunting their own food given that prices are getting so high. They noted that the noise and light could drive wildlife away.

Nodaway County Commissioner Scott Walk took the floor and defended the county commission's actions in response to the proposed data center. The commission met in closed session with an attorney to discuss what they can and can't do regarding a moratorium on data centers and other large projects. Maryville recently passed such a moratorium; however, it has zoning, while the county does not. While he said that Camden County's measure against data centers is unenforceable, he said the goal of the commission was to get an enforceable moratorium passed as soon as possible. "We want to do this the right way," he said. 

Nancy Zeiliff of Skidmore noted that representatives of the company introduced themselves to the commissioners on December 16th. "You've had five months to do research on this," she said. Mr. Walk said they have been in negotiations with landowners and with the local Rural Water District. He said that all regulations would go through the state, including pollutants and discharges. He said that the Rural Water District is doing a water feasibility study by an independent organization. 

If Nodaway County were to go to zoning, it would have to go to a vote. A zoning and planning board would then be appointed, and it could take months or years to draw up a zoning map and regulations. Worth County attempted to pass zoning and planning in the 1990's, but nothing ever came of it. Polk Township tried to pass zoning, but it also went by the wayside. 

Mr. Walk said that he was not for or against the proposed data center, and that he was still trying to get information. "I don't even know what the site plan is," he said. He said he was frustrated by the lack of information coming from the company. 

One person said they were blindsided by the massive proposal coming to light five months after the fact. "We voted for you to research these things," they said.

At that point. Mr. Schafer said, "This isn't a public hanging. I might have done more sooner, but I respect Mr. Walk for getting up and defending himself. I've done two weeks of research, and it's a pretty easy no for me."

Mr. Walk asked the audience if they could think of anything good that would come from the proposed data center. Nobody would come up with anything. He said that he had spoken to a commissioner from Loudon County (VA), which has 200 data centers in the county, some of which have been around for 25 years. Mr. Walk asked them if there were clusters of illness, which might be expected from such facilities. The commissioner told him there were none. "If they were there, he would have said something," said Mr. Walk. 

"I believe we have a path forward," said Mr. Walk. "If I can get proof of a health issue with this data center, then I'm 100% against it." 

A recent study done by EmPower Analytics Group published on February 27th that included Michael Cork of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health took a look at the Vantage Data Center facility, a specific facility within Loudon County. It was commissioned by the Piedmont Environmental Council, a conservation group based in Virginia that is opposed to data centers, seeing them as harmful to the lands and waters of the Virginia Piedmont, which it is trying to protect. 

The EmPower study found that the facility's permitted emissions alone result in between $53 million and $99 million per year in health-related damages, driven primarily by an estimated 3.4 to 6.5 additional premature deaths per year across the region, along with hospital admissions, asthma-related outcomes, and lost productivity. Over five years, the damages would mount to $265-495 million and $1.59 to $2.97 billion over 30 years. It would mean 17-33 premature deaths over five years and 102-195 deaths over 30 years. 

One person cited a KSHB report on May 21st regarding a data center in Liberty that was approved by that city for $1.4 billion in bonds and $200 million in tax abatements over the next 25 years for a MetroBloks data center development that will take up 30 acres. Like the proposed Nodaway County center, this one had widespread opposition with residents questioning what they saw as the lack of transparency from the city. 

In return for the abatement, the facility will have the same size water line as other commercial properties, limiting the water flow. There are water usage limits; excess usage will mean higher rates for the facility as well as reduced water flow. Evergy agreed not to pass on increased costs to other customers. If the project goes beyond a certain amount of electrical usage, it will be assessed a Large Load Power Service tariff. Electric utilities are now allowed to do this under Senate Bill 4, which was signed into law by Governor Mike Kehoe last year.

Nodaway County has not had negotiations with the company regarding a tax abatement. 

Aaron Luke, who grew up near Arkoe and who worked in data centers, shared some of his insights. He said they like to say that they have a closed-loop system, but, "That's in a perfect world." In reality, Mr. Luke said that the pipes used to bring water to the facilities break, leak, and lose water like any other pipes. Regarding the light issues, Mr. Luke said that the lights from the data centers were so bright that people were having to close their curtains just to keep it out. He said that the best way to stop data centers from entering Nodaway County would be to connect with other communities which have successfully stopped them. "Fill Highway 71 with No Data Center signs," he said.

Mr. Luke cited the example of Tonganoxie (KS). In 2017, residents of Tonganoxie (KS) were blindsided by an announcement that Tyson Foods would build a $320 million 300-acre poultry processing complex. Grassroots groups formed within days, framing their opposition based on water usage, groundwater contamination, odor and air pollution, truck traffic, property value decline, and loss of rural character. Commissioners withdrew their support from the project and the state pulled back incentives. The project was never built.

But the residents of Tonganoxie were not against all development. Four years later, the city approved a 10-year 100% tax abatement to Hill's Pet Nutrition with little fanfare or opposition. There were key differences. Hill's Pet Nutrition was based close to home, in Topeka, while Tyson is a multinational corporation. Residents did not see the Hill's project as altering the character of the community in the same way that the Tyson project would have. City officials were much more transparent about the process. 

Mr. Luke said that data centers meant a loss of freedom and privacy. For instance, license plate readers could read peoples' license plates and feed them to law enforcement agencies for surveillance purposes. He said someone could click on a John Deere website and start getting ads from John Deere and the data could be sold to local dealers. He said that data centers were constantly upgrading their equipment, having to change everything out every five years, which leads to massive waste. And he noted recyclers charged thousands for high-tech goods. "And then they fly them to the third world and dump them there, and kids come and rip out the copper wires to sell," he said.

Mr. Schafer said that one concern was the supply of rock in the area. "These places deplete the rock quarries," he said, fearing that it would take haulers an hour to go get new rock. "They chose this area because they think we're ignorant and all they have to do is shake money at us."

Nodaway County Declares State of Emergency Following Storms

The Nodaway County Commission, at their regular meeting Thursday, declared a state of emergency for the county due to the heavy rainfall that fell in the county from Saturday to Monday. Some places had as much as eight inches of rain fall over those three days. Independence Township was among the hardest hit, with gravel getting washed out, water cutting through roads, and tubes plugging or getting washed out. They had two approaches and a culvert get washed out. Water cut into a road just north of Gaynor from Route E, making it difficult to access without jolting. In Hughes Township, some of the bigger tubes were clogged with debris. Some places held up better than others; roads that were crowned properly did better than the ones that were flat.

Nodaway County Emergency Management Director Christy Forney met with the commissioners to start the process. For the county to qualify, it had to have at least $103,000 worth of damage from a storm. Commissioner Chris Burns estimated that the damage just from gravel being washed off was around $375,000. The declaration includes Maryville. In Maryville, Peach Creek threatened to wash out structures and a tube on east 16th Street which had been a small issue was now a big issue. The county will apply for $1 million in disaster relief. The figure is subject to change as further disaster reports come in.

There were some state roads affected as well. Route 246 west of Sheridan saw Honey Creek jump the road Tuesday, leading to that road's closure; it was subsequently reopened. Water was also over the road on Route NN west of Parnell. 

It will take the state a week or two to respond, followed by FEMA, which could take a while. Funding is allocated based on documentation of damage along with alignment with the county's emergency response plan, which is updated every five years. All counties must have this to get disaster relief funding; Nodaway County has such a plan. County employees and township personnel will document damage that they find and forward it to the county in order to get funding. 

Scott Wilson, a backup water operator for Bolckow, came to talk about the proposed $6 billion data center south of Maryville. He said that he was concerned that the facility processing that much water would add strain on his town's water capacity when it starts using 600,000 gallons of wastewater a day. He noted that when Maryville put in Mozingo Lake, it eased the strain on his town's water resources. He said that the area is already stretched thin for water resources without a gigantic data center locating. Currently, he noted that Barnard already uses 10,000 gallons of water a day and Fillmore uses around 9,700 gallons a day. 

Representatives from Hughes Township and Enel, the wind farm that is located there, came to work out with the county who is responsible for what. Sage Jones of Enel produced an agreement made between the company and a previous board which the current board was not aware of. There were issues with the township saying that certain roads were the wind farm's responsibility and vice versa. The county does routine maintenance; Hughes Township does field entrance tubes if they already existed before the project and were installed properly. The wind farm maintains tubes on its access roads that it uses to access the windmills. The representatives agreed to be in communication so they can be on the same page regarding who is responsible for what. There are 32 miles of access roads that Enel uses to access its windmills. 

Presiding Commissioner Bill Walker will not seek reelection this year. Commissioner Chris Burns is running unopposed for his seat, barring a third-party or a write-in bid. Upon Mr. Burns assuming the Presiding Commissioner's seat, Governor Mike Kehoe will appoint a replacement to serve out Mr. Burns' remaining two years. 

Douglas Gabbert to Speak at Worth County Alumni Reunion

Douglas Gabbert will speak at the Worth County Alumni Reunion that will be held on Sunday, June 28th, 2026. The dinner will start at 12:30 in the Worth County School Cafeteria and will be followed by the program. 

Mr. Gabbert graduated from Worth County in the bicentennial year of 1976. He was introduced to honeybees by a Florida friend of the family shortly after graduation. After two years at Northwest, he took up the life of migratory beekeeper. He wintered in Florida and migrated to Missouri, North Dakota, or Iowa during the summers until he joined the Army in 1986.

Before he finished his four-year enlistment, he met and married his wife Ellen, a Department of Defense school teacher who blessed him with two daughters. After several years in Germany, she was transferred to Panama City (Panama), where Douglas tended to his daughters while his wife worked. He returned to beekeeping, enabling his wife to end her service with the Department of Defense Schools, move back to the states, and concentrate on raising their daughters.

Seeking a lifestyle with less time away from his wife and children, Douglas went back to school to learn computer programming, a skill that in 2000 landed him his current job at Contemporary Machinery & Engineering Services in Flagler Beach (FL) where he automates machines for the railroad industry.

He is a member of the Cedarhurst Church of Christ in Jacksonville (FL) where he is on a rotation to preach the gospel once a month. He still dabbles in bees and dreams of raising a garden, stocking ponds, and having some livestock on his portion of the family farm near Oxford.

Worth County Care & Rehab Census at 32 Residents

The Worth County Care & Rehab Center learned at its board meeting that it has a census of 32 residents as of May 20th. The census has held steady for the last six months, with no less than 29 residents or more than 34 residents. 

The facility has a healthy surplus as the fiscal year winds down. The facility got a one-time $235,000 employee retention credit, which pushed their profit margin for April to $302,344. Without the credit, the facility still would have had a $65,000 surplus. The facility had 334 private pay days, 565 Medicaid days, and nine hospice days. The cost per resident last month was $205.78 per resident per day. This does not include capital projects. There are currently $428,965 in receivables.

Census numbers were even more stable in April. There were between 30 and 32 residents during April. There are three in outpatient therapy. The facility is fully staffed. All the issues from a recent state survey were corrected. The facility is about to put in a new fire system; it is awaiting final approval from the State Fire Marshal's office.

Seven members of a motorcycle group called, "Riders for Christ" came and visited the facility Saturday.

The facility is planning to put in a new floor in most parts of the facility. The tentative start date is in July. 

The facility is in the process of implementing a new fax service that will save it from $500 to $600 per month over a regular phone line. 

Board members got a rough draft of the 2026-27 budget. Board member Susan Tucker looked up Medicaid reimbursement rates. Worth County's rate is at $263.69 per day per patient, which is the second highest in the are out of ten. It is above the state average of $251.17. Around 62% of Worth County's revenue comes from Medicaid patients. Worth County's reimbursement rate used to be around $150, which would make it the lowest in the area today. Previously, the state's funding formula rewarded massive capital improvements, which allowed money to line the pockets of corporate chains which were expanding facilities. But four years ago, the state switched to a formula which rewards quality measures such as state survey results, patient care, and staffing. 

If the board approves a Cost-of-Living adjustment for employees, it will involve a 3.9% raise.

The facility's food costs have gone up $1,000 per month over last year due to inflation. The facility uses Graves Foods. The facility focuses on quality, as residents are very particular about their food. The facility has looked at other options, but one could only deliver at 3 am, which would have meant extra work for employees; another required a lot more volume. 

The next meeting will be June 24th at 6:00 pm. All meetings are open to the public.

Nodaway County Commission Agenda for May 21st, 2026

NODAWAY COUNTY COMMISSION AGENDA

POSTED: May 20, 2026 at 7:45 a.m.

Meeting Date & Time

May 21, 2026

8:00 a.m.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE COUNTY COMMISSION WILL CONDUCT A MEETING ON THE ABOVE DATE IN THE COMMISSIONERS ROOM OF THE NODAWAY COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING. NORMAL HOURS OF SAID MEETINGS WILL BE FROM 8:00 A.M. UNTIL NOON. THE AFTERNOONS OF SAID MEETINGS COULD BE SPENT CONDUCTING COUNTY BUSINESS BUT NOT LIMITED TO CHECKING ROADS, BRIDGES AND THE POSSIBILITY OF MEETING WITH OTHER COUNTIES.APPOINTMENTS CAN BE MADE THROUGH THE CLERK’S OFFICE IF FOR ANY REASON SOMEONE CANNOT MEET DURING THESE TIMES. THE NUMBER TO THE CLERK’S OFFICE IS LISTED BELOW. THIS BUSINESS AS WELL AS ANY OTHER BUSINESS WHICH MAY COME BEFORE THE COMMISSION IS AS FOLLOWS:

1. Call to order

2. Approval of agenda, minutes and/or additions and corrections

3. 8:00 to 8:30 Public Comments (please review note below)

4. Old Business

    A. Road and Bridge updates

    B. Other Business

5. New Business

    A. A/P approval

    B. 8:30 – Discussion over State of Emergency due to Road conditions

    C. 9:00 – 10:00 – Hughes Township and Enel representatives re: Road Concerns

    D. 11:00 – Closed Session per 610.021.1 RSMo Litigation

(1) Legal actions, causes of action or litigation involving a public governmental body and any confidential or privileged communications between a public governmental body or its representatives and its attorneys. However, any minutes, vote or settlement agreement relating to legal actions, causes of action or litigation involving a public governmental body or any agent or entity representing its interests or acting on its behalf or with its authority, including any insurance company acting on behalf of a public government body as its insured, shall be made public upon final disposition of the matter voted upon or upon the signing by the parties of the settlement agreement, unless, prior to final disposition, the settlement agreement is ordered closed by a court after a written finding that the adverse impact to a plaintiff or plaintiffs to the action clearly outweighs the public policy considerations of section 610.011, however, the amount of any moneys paid by, or on behalf of, the public governmental body shall be disclosed; provided, however, in matters involving the exercise of the power of eminent domain, the vote shall be announced or become public immediately following the action on the motion to authorize institution of such a legal action. Legal work product shall be considered a closed record;

    E. 12:00 – 1:00 – Adjourn for Lunch

    F. 1:00 - Road and Bridge Inspect BRO(65)

    G. 3:00 -- Adjourn

NOTES:

If you require any accommodations (E.G. interpreter, large print, reader, help with accessibility into the building, etc.) in order to attend this meeting, please notify MELINDA PATTON 660-582-2251, no later than 3:00 P.M. the day BEFORE the meeting. The Commission will allow public participation and will allow 3 minutes for patrons to speak but the time may not be yielded to another patron. The Commission may end time or extend time as they see fit. Please be respectful, patient of the ideas and comment of the other participants. Profanity and derogatory comments are not acceptable. The Commission may go into EXECUTIVE SESSION to discuss legal matters authorized by RSMO 610.021 and in compliance with RSMO 610.022.

Under 14 Tiger Softball Gashes Platte Valley

One of the two Under 14 Worth County softball teams dropped Platte Valley 22-4 Thursday, putting on a flurry of runs in the fourth to put the game away.

Gwyn Healy doubled to start the game, hitting a pop fly down the left field line that dropped in just fair. She took third on a wild pitch and scored when Jolee Hauber reached on an error. Hauber took second on a wild pitch and scored off Gabbey Maudlin’s single. Maudlin took second and third on wild pitches and scored when Keylee Smith reached on a dropped third strike. Keylee Smith later came around to score on a wild pitch. That made it 4-0.

Worth County added on in the second when Jolee Hauber walked and stole second. Gabbey Maudlin singled her home. Keylee Smith, Lexi Snead, and Ilene Combs walked to force in a run to make it 6-0. Addison Cadle grounded out to score a run to make it 7-0.

Myah Moffat came home on a wild pitch to cut the Platte Valley deficit down to 7-1.

Kyah Joslin walked on a 3-2 pitch, took second on a wild pitch, and stole third. Gwyn Healy reached on an error as Joslin scored to make it 8-1. Healy took second, third, and home on wild pitches to make it 9-1. Jolee Hauber walked and took second and third on wild pitches. Gabbey Maudlin grounded out to score her to make it 10-1.

Worth County unloaded on Platte Valley in the third. Addison Cadle walked, stole second, and took third on a passed ball. Teagan Saville was plunked. Cadle scored on a wild pitch as Saville took second. Saville took third on a wild pitch. Kyah Joslin walked and took second on a wild pitch. Gwyn Healy popped out to second as Saville tagged up and scored. Kyah Joslin scored on a wild pitch to make it 13-0. Jolee Hauber was plunked, stole second, and took third and home on wild pitches to make it 14-0.

Gabbey Maudlin was hit by a pitch and Keylee Smith and Alexis Snead walked. Addison Cadle grounded out to score Maudlin. The floodgates opened after Teagan Saville doubled in two, Kyah Joslin reached on a dropped third strike, Gwyn Healy and Jolee Hauber doubled, and Gabbey Maudlin singled to cap off the 12-run inning.

 

 

Area Courthouse, Police, and Crime Reports for May 20th, 2026

On May 6th, Donald Sessums (56) of Lafayette (LA) failed to appear in Harrison County Associate Circuit Court on a charge of Careless & Imprudent Driving (Accident). A warrant was issued and bond set at $1,200, cash only.

On May 7th, Jason Latham (43) of Blockton failed to appear in Worth County Circuit Court on a charge of Driving While Revoked (Felony). A capias warrant was issued by Judge Corey Herron.

On May 12th, Xander Montgomery (23) of Maryville admitted to violating his probation. He was continued on probation and ordered to serve two days shock time in jail by Judge Robert Rice. The defendant is on probation for Assault.

On May 12th, Brittany Hicks (23) of Maryville admitted to violating her probation and pleaded guilty in Nodaway County Associate Circuit Court to a second DWI. Judge Robert Rice revoked her probation and sentenced her to 10 days in jail.

On May 12th, Kemper Clary (21) of Troy (KS) pleaded guilty in Nodaway County Associate Circuit Court to charges of DWI and Speeding. He was placed on two years probation and fined $70.50 plus costs by Judge Robert Rice.

On May 13th, Brayden Beattie (24) of Bedford pleaded guilty in Nodaway County Associate Circuit Court to a charge of Leaving the Scene. He was fined $250 plus costs by Judge Robert Rice.

On May 13th, Northwest Mo Info reported that the two Albany people in the murder/suicide in Albany were identified. They were Paula Kohrs (64) and Perry Kohrs (69) of Albany. Perry Kohrs died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

On May 14th, Daviess County Prosecutor Andrea Beth Gibson filed charges against Curtis Harness (44) of Minneapolis (MN) alleging DWI, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, No Valid License, Failure to Register, Vision Reducing Material on Windows, No Insurance, No Seat Belt, and Failure to Secure Child in Seat Belt. Bond was denied.

On May 14th, Gentry County Prosecutor Jessica Jones filed charges against Aaron Darrah (28) of Redding alleging Harassment (Felony). Bond was set at $10,000, cash or corporate surety.

On May 14th, Judge Robert Rice ordered the extradition of Justin Brodrick (45) of Maryville to Richardson County (NE) to face a charge of Possession of Controlled Substance (Felony).

On May 15th, Nodaway County Prosecutor Tina Dieter filed charges against Colby Roup (43) of Maryville alleging DWI (Felony), Resisting Arrest (Felony), Careless & Imprudent Driving (Accident), Leaving the Scene, and No Valid License.

On May 15th, Harrison County Prosecutor Michael Wulff filed charges against Andrew Trusty (52) of Bethany alleging two counts No Valid License (Felony). Bond was set at $2,000, posted by the defendant.

On the night of May 16th, a lightning strike destroyed a barn in Ringgold County that had been a landmark and had many pictures taken of it.

On May 18th, a Denver woman posted on Facebook that someone stole mail from her mailbox.

On May 18th, Michael McNish (37) of Maryville pleaded guilty in Nodaway County Circuit Court to a charge of Failure to Register as Sex Offender (Felony). He was placed on five years probation by Judge Corey Herron.

On May 18th, Daviess County Prosecutor Andrea Beth Gibson filed charges against Rithesh Samala (21) of Maryville alleging Stealing (Felony). An affidavit from the Daviess County Sheriff’s Department alleges the defendant scammed a victim out of over $22,400 by impersonating an FBI agent.

Charges listed are merely allegations. Evidence in support of the charges must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty it is to determine guilt or innocence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.