KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Ryan has continuously showed up for residents in Miami County over the past two years. Following his previous coverage of the Osawatomie data center — Mo Brings Plenty, famed Yellowstone actor, agreed to sit down with Gamboa to share his voice. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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In a visit to his ranch with KSHB 41 Miami County Reporter Ryan Gamboa, Yellowstone actor Mo Brings Plenty, shared his motivation for fighting a data center project down the road from his home.
"The frequencies, sounds it's going to put out, it's definitely going to impact them," Brings Plenty shared while attending to his horses.
The longtime Miami County resident lives a quiet, social media free life on his ranch near Paola, Kansas.
He's best known for his self-titled role in the CBS series Yellowstone, "Mo Brings Plenty" is Chief Thomas Rainwater's right-hand man. Brings Plenty continues that role in the series spin-off "Marshals."
When he's not filming or promoting indigenous people's cultures, you can find him in that very corral tending to his horses where KSHB 41 met with him.
That rural western lifestyle, Brings Plenty says is under attack with the demand of Artificial Intelligence and data centers.
"It honestly impacts me a lot. It's just not about me," Brings Plenty said. "If we're talking about Osawatomie or anyone down any river — other communities, rural housing, ranches, farms along the Marais Des Cygnes River, it's everyone that's going to be affected."
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Brings Plenty's ranch is a handful of miles north from a proposed hyper-scale data center project in Osawatomie, Kansas.
Miami County, Kansas has approximately 44,000 residents, and Osawatomie, hovers above 4,000.
In December 2025, the city of Osawatomie entered into a pre-development agreement with Alcove Development, based out of Lawrence to survey and examine approximately 115-acres of state-acquired land, which it was previously marketed.
Gamboa has covered the data center project every step of the way.
The pre-development agreement gives Alcove Development the lone rights to determine if the land is adequate for the project for up to 3-years, with a 6-month "Option Period" before Alcove would begin making payments on the land.
On May 29, 2026, Alcove Development issued a press release stating the project would "move forward" at a greater size than originally anticipated, growing to 283-acres.
RELATED | Osawatomie under boil water advisory, new water plant still 4 years away
The release touted millions in property tax revenue generation for the city, county, and local school district.
"Like Sitting Bull once said, you can’t eat money, you can’t drink money, so you better take care of what’s edible and what you drink," Brings Plenty said.
Mo Brings Plenty's push back on the data center revolves the Lakota Nation's values.
"In my people’s culture, the Lakota Nation, we believe in seven generations, we are responsible for the next six generations that are coming. We have to think about them, and what type of environment and what type of world we are leaving behind for them," he said. "That’s what’s important to me, it’s about the spiritual destiny, it’s about the destiny of my soul at the end of the day."
RELATED | Osawatomie gets funding for a new water treatment plant
KSHB 41 Miami County Reporter Ryan Gamboa covered the May 28 Osawatomie City Council meeting, where hundreds poured into the downtown auditorium to voice their opposition to the project, when it wasn't on the agenda.
To many's surprise, Brings Plenty was in the audience and received a standing ovation when approaching to podium during public comment.
"If these data centers are so safe, then why are the people that are investing in them putting them so far away from themselves?" Brings Plenty stated to the council at the last meeting.
RELATED | 'High' legionella levels in Osawatomie State Hospital water from May 2025
Again, on Thursday night neighbors in Osawatomie packed the city council meeting, sharing their opposition to the project. The data center project was not on the agenda.
The city allowed residents to speak for one hour.
"What promises can you guarantee me, my life is not going to be ruined, either by eminent domain or having to live next to this mess," Nelson Worley, who lives near the proposed site stated during public comment.
"Here we are wanting to put one a massive one next to a hospital, let me be clear and active psychiatric hospital. The nation needs to know about this," added Ian Day another resident opposed to the project.
Day and Worley weren't the only ones to voice their opposition, others issued statements regarding the tax incentives offered in the project, zoning issues, and even others from out of the area pleading with the council to hear the voices of residents.
Brings Plenty also spoke, and asked the residents to bring their children to the next meeting.
Alcove Development will be in attendance to give a presentation on the project and take questions from the public.
"It's about the children," he told Gamboa. "I don’t just think about the people of today, but the people that are yet to come."
Last week, Gamboa sat down with Osawatomie Mayor Nick Hampson to discuss his views on the project. It's the first and only time Hampson has given an interview, or addressed the data center proposal.
Hampson told KSHB 41, he was concerned with language in the press release, stating the project would "move forward."
"To me it means that we’re forward in the project to start doing the negotiations and to see what kind of benefits this project can have to the city, what type of mitigation we can do for the noise and sound levels that comes from these data centers, the water usage, tax abatements, just everything," Hampson explained.
The city confirmed on Thursday night, they have still not received a development application for the project.
Alcove Development told KSHB 41 last week, it intends to submit one.
There's millions of dollars at stake, according to Alcove's press release. Osawatomie's Northland property is has been marketed for commercial and industrial use for 20 years, according to the mayor. The city and Alcove have yet to negotiate any terms or protections for the project.
"This has potential for really good tax relief, I mean pretty good sized number tax relief, I would like to see debt reduction for our city, that’s the protections part of it," Hampson said last week. "I believe a project like this allows us to take care of some of these things (other projects) for our residents and for our whole community."
Money talks — but Mo Brings Plenty asks to see what benefits this project will bring to the community. He specifically wants to see a data center development that hasn't negatively impacted a town.
"I actually don’t want to hear anything; I need to see," Brings Plenty said. "think we need to put a halt to it and honestly see where one has been functioning and get the results of what’s going on and how it’s affected everything... If you try to go fast, it won’t last. Patience is everything."
Neighbors have continued to play the long-game, by submitting multiple petitions to limit the scope of the data center project, but none of those petitions have stuck.
Troy Harp, who lives adjacent to the property filed another petition, gaining 400 signatures to limit what the data center can be. Harp and his neighbors collected signatures all of last week — there's no indication yet if the signature will hold.
"The reason I am concerned is because that’s the same language all these communities here and then next thing you know they’re building the data center. It goes rapidly," Harp said in an interview last week. "I just know this project is not right for this town."
The concern goes beyond the environment, increased demand on utilities, and financial kickbacks for residents.
Mo Brings Plenty see's artificial intelligence as a loaded gun for the nation's youth and even adults.
It's not uncommon for Brings Plenty to have AI generated images and videos made about him, spewing rhetoric he says is untrue.
"We have to be conscious and aware; we’re putting loaded guns in people’s access to pushing buttons," he said.
The Facebook group Meanwhile in Osawatomie, which has led the online fight against the local data center proposal.
The group often posts AI generated posts and content to convey its opposition.
The posts also include images directed at city leaders, including the image below with a screen grab from a KSHB 41 interview.
The poster, Polly Inscore spoke during public comment on Thursday night telling the couple hundred in attendance, the city is lying to them about the benefits of the project. She also expressed her concerns about a personal matter outside the data center with the council.
"This is why Meanwhile in Osawatomie exists... Now it's to protect them (residents)," Inscore stated during public comment.
But, Brings Plenty has concerns of what AI will do to the nation's young people and the impacts of cyber-bullying and suicide.
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 22 million Americans attempted suicide in 2024, a 1.5 times increase from 2023. In 2024, 48,824 Americans died by suicide.
Suicide is also the second leading cause of death among the youth and young adults ages 15-34, according to AFSP.
"Look at our suicide rates in this country, and all due to online bullying, so what’s this, now are the statistics of suicide going to raise?" Brings Plenty said. "Anyone that loses a child is gonna know and how brutal and painful that is to live with that every single day."
In 2024, the Johnson County Sheriff's Department found Cole Brings Plenty, 27, an actor in "1923" and Mo's nephew, dead in a wooded area.
Douglas County, Kansas authorities were searching for Cole Brings Plenty in connection to a domestic dispute in March 2024.
While deputies never indicated a manner of death, the Johnson County County Sheriff's Office did not suspect foul play in his death.
A Johnson County Judge sealed all records related to Cole's death.
Mo Brings Plenty, stated Cole's death was a murder and he was like a son to him.
"They say give it time, I look at the murder of my own nephew, every day I miss my nephew, he’s like my son, I miss him every day," he said. "I think about him every day, there’s not a moment that goes by. So this is what we’re doing to the innocent children, we’re putting loaded guns in everybody’s hands? It’s gonna be online and they don’t have to face the victim that they’re bullying."
In an NPR report from September 2025, Matthew Raine and his wife Maria sounded the alarm to Congress regarding their son's suicide after interacting with an AI chatbot.
According to NPR, their son's conversations revealed he confided in the AI chatbot about his suicidal ideations and plans. The chat bot discouraged him to seek help from his parents, it also offered to write his suicide note.
"Testifying before Congress this fall was not in our life plan," said Matthew Raine with his wife, sitting behind him, stated to Congress from the NPR report. "We're here because we believe that Adam's death was avoidable and that by speaking out, we can prevent the same suffering for families across the country."
It's what Brings Plenty doesn't want to see happen to another child or person, due to the freedom AI gives individuals.
"I think about those families and I think about families that have not been affected by that, but eventually probably will be due to AI. It will happen, trust me, it will happen," added Brings Plenty. "Hate solves nothing, the only thing hate provides is defeat."
Despite the concerns about the impacts data centers will have on the community, Mo, hopes to use his platform for good, calling his platform, his neighbor's platform.
"I look up to them (community members speaking out). I stood up because of them, and I am in their corner," he added. "They’re my community members. We don’t live next door to each other, but I still consider them my neighbor. I am still with them."
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