A ribbon cutting was held Friday to mark the opening of the YMCA Children’s Learning Campus and Early Learning Laboratory at Oak Grove Elementary School.

The Y’s new Children’s Learning campus is located in a 6,000 square foot wing in the Oak Grove Elementary School.

“It was designed based on visits to 10 other early learning centers in New York, Missouri and Kansas,” said YMCA Executive Director Mark Cartledge.

The new learning center was created based on a partnership between the St. Joseph School District, Missouri Western State University and the YMCA.

“The partnership is built on the idea of making sure our children are absolutely ready for Kindergarten, and also making sure that Missouri Western students have some of the best field study available,” Cartledge said.

It’s the third YMCA Early Learning Center located in St. Joseph.  However, a duel curriculum with the St. Joseph School District is a different feature included with the new center.

“Once they reach preschool age of 4-years-old typically, where they would go into Kindergarten the following year they’re in a duel curriculum,” Cartledge said. “They actually spend three hours a day in the St. Joseph School District part-day preschool program that has a high school curriculum.”

72 children is the capacity for the new facility and there are still many openings.

The Clinic at Wal-Mart, operated by Heartland Clinic, will be closing on Friday, October 31, 2014. Their new hours until the closing date are Monday – Wednesday and Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. and closed on Thursday.

The future of health care is the patient-centered health home, which provides the highest quality of health care, with the most efficient cost. Heartland Health continues to fulfill its mission of delivering the right care, at the right time, in the right place, at the right cost with outcomes second to none. The patient/provider relationship is important. Seeing providers for one-time periodic illnesses, does not translate into effective continuity of care, nor the detection of possible preventive wellness interventions for the good of the patient well-being. We have primary care providers accepting new patients within our patient-centered health homes. To find a new provider, please call 800.447.1098.

In order to address changing, health-care delivery within our community, Heartland Health and Mosaic Life Care continues to develop key partnerships with other health-care providing agencies and institutions, as well as evaluate, plan and develop better patient access to services. Our Urgent Care, located at 1115 N. Belt Highway, is available for urgent needs, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday – Saturday and 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Sunday.

As these shifts occur to improve quality of delivery, the patient experience as well as to control costs, staffing needs also shift. Heartland Health as an employer of choice, values all caregivers. The Heartland Health Talent Agency works closely with all caregivers to help them achieve their education and workplace, goals and dreams. During this time of transition, the Talent Agency will be expanding their efforts, focused on helping to retain and expand, work and educational opportunities for caregivers.

Missouri State Treasurer Clint Zweifel stopped in at Carden Park Elementary School Friday afternoon to talk to students about saving for college.

Zweifel spoke to the fourth and fifth grade students about taking steps to save now so when they grow up they have the opportunity to make their dreams a reality.  He spoke about the state’s MOST program, Missouri’s 529 College Savings Plan which is sponsoring a poster content.  Two winners in the program will receive a $1,500 contribution in a MOST 529 savings account.

“My goal with Missouri MOST is to make sure we’re touching every child in this state, that we’re giving those parents and opportunity to learn how to save for college, giving them the tools to do so and helping them along in the process,” said Zweifel.

To win, students must draw a picture depicting what they want to be when they grow up.  For more information check out MissouriMost.org.

 

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon stopped in at Rosecrans Air National Guard base Friday and touted the release of $2 million for repair and improvements to levees along the Missouri River.

“Repairing and improving these levees is critical to the safety and economic vitality of this region, and thanks to the successful bipartisan effort to sustain my vetoes last week, the resources are available to help this project move forward,” Gov. Nixon said. “I appreciate the General Assembly for working across the aisle last week to protect our ability to make this important investment.”

The $2 million state funding released last week, coupled with local resources, will enable construction to begin in the 2015 construction season on replacement of control structures, a few relief wells and expanded under-seepage berms. This funding will serve as a portion of the local share for a larger construction project to improve the levees involving federal funding through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Design work on the larger levee improvement project has been completed, and the state investment will allow for the first significant construction on this project to get underway.

“I thank Sen. Schaaf, as well as the City of St. Joseph and Buchanan County, for making this project a top priority, and I am happy that the State can partner with the community to see it get underway,” the Governor said.

According to Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department Detective Captain Mark Brock a man who was about to be sentenced this morning in the Buchanan County Courthouse took off running.

Brock said a court security deputy fired her taser and struck him with her taser.

The man was taken back  into custody

An investigation is underway