There have been numerous events that have taken place in our community this year. The St. Joseph Post is recapping the ones that made our top 10 list.
10. Resounding defeat of the transportation sales tax
August 6 – A proposed transportation sales tax has been defeated in Missouri again.
Voters rejected proposed Constitutional Amendment 7 to impose a three-quarters cent sales tax that was projected to raise at least $540 million annually over the next decade. It would have funded more than 800 state projects.
Among those was the widening of Interstate 70 to three lanes in each direction between Kansas City and St. Louis, and contributions to an effort to bring street cars back to Kansas City.
The measure drew opposition both from tax-hike opponents and from those concerned about using a general sales tax to finance highways instead of traditional user fees. For nearly a century, Missouri roads have been funded primarily by taxes on fuel and vehicles.
It’s been about two decades since Missouri raised its fuel taxes. Voters also defeated a transportation tax plan in 2002.
9. Chillicothe Police forced to shoot rogue monkey
May 2 – Chillicothe police were forced to shoot and kill a rogue monkey after his owner failed five time to shoot the animal with a tranquilizer gun.
Authorities had warned the public that the White Faced Capuchin Monkey had escaped from its owner and was roaming around Chillicothe.
Police say the primate escaped from its cage and then achieved its freedom by squeezing through a vent. There were subsequent monkey sightings all around Chillicothe, and one school was placed on lockdown, according to broadcast reports.
A resident told KCTV-5 he’d had a close run in with the animal.
“I look over and seen this monkey going through the yard, and it took off running and the cops took off after it,” he told the reporters. KCTV-5 reported that the monkey belonged to a local businessman who is licensed by the USDA to breed and sell the monkeys. According to the police chief, businessman Bill Johnston has about 30 monkeys on his property.
The caper came to an end when Johnston tried to shoot the escapee with a tranquilizer gun. According to a news release from the Chillicothe Police Department, he tried and failed to tranquilize the monkey approximately five times before he authorized officers to put the monkey down.
There were several Inmate deaths this year in the Western Correctional Center in Cameron and several in the Buchanan County Jail. All of the deaths have been investigated by authorities.
July 2 – Two more inmates at the Western Missouri Correctional Center died in custody Monday night. According to news releases from the Missouri Department of Corrections, both died of apparent natural causes.
Gregory Eaton and Frank Troya are at least the fourth and fifth detainees to die in custody at the prison in Cameron, Missouri in the last four weeks. On Sunday, Nicholas Legrand, another inmate at the facility, was pronounced dead at Heartland Regional Medical Center.
Eaton, 60, was serving two, eight-year sentences on DWI charges, one as a chronic offender in St Charles County, and the other from St Louis County. He was received in the Department of Corrections on June 6, 2009. Officials say he passed away at 10:32 p.m. on Monday at the Western Missouri Correctional Center.
Troya, 58, was serving a ten-year sentence as a chronic DWI offender out of Clay County. He entered the department on December 20, 2011. Troya died at 6:45 p.m. on Monday at the infirmary at the Jefferson City Correctional Center.
Communications Director David Owen of the Missouri Department of Corrections says you can’t read a lot into what appears to be an unusually high number of inmate deaths lately.
“You really have to look at the case-by-case situation of the offenders that have passed away,” Owen says. “It really has to do with their medical condition, how they came into the institution, how long they’ve been incarcerated, and what kind of medical conditions they had.”
“Typically all offender records or conditions are closed pursuant to state statutes.”
Owen says if there is an incident, or an unexpected death, the department will conduct an autopsy. If the department suspects foul play was involved, an investigation will be started by the departments Inspector General’s Office. Those investigations are also closed.
“Once they’re completed we try to give that to the county prosecutor’s office, and they move forward with charges if they would like to,” Owen said.
At the Crossroads Correctional Center, also in Cameron, one inmate death is being investigated as a homicide. Larry Miller was pronounced dead at age 33 on June 9 at 6:33am. Dekalb County Coroner Heath Turner tells us Miller’s death is suspicious.
“It’s being investigated as a homicide until we prove otherwise,” Turner said in an interview. “We’re waiting for a formal autopsy report from the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office, which conducted the autopsy.”
Oct. – An inmate of the Buchanan County Jail was found unresponsive during a routine cell check.
A deputy assigned to the jail pod where the inmate was housed immediately called for help.
Medical staff and Buchanan County Ambulance service provided medical care to the inmate, who was later identified as 46-year-old Roger Pankau, but were unsuccessful in reviving him.
According to court records Pankau was charged Oct. 4 with first-degree sexual misconduct and was being held on $5,000 bond. A trail setting was scheduled for Oct. 29.
The sheriff’s office is investigating, although no foul play is suspected.
Dec.- According to the Sheriffs Office 57-year-old Steven Criswell was found unresponsive during a routine cell check at 12:25 a.m. Dec. 18.
“At this time we believe it to be some form of a natural cause,” said Deputy Sarah Hardin, Public Information Officer with the sheriff’s office.
Hardin said the Buchanan County Ambulance service provided medical care but was unable to revive Criswell.
“He was actually just sentenced to DOC for stealing,” Hardin said. “Usually when an inmate is sentenced to the Department of Corrections they will return to the Buchanan County Jail until a travel order comes over to the courthouse from the judge.”
Hardin said she believes his travel papers were set to arrive this morning to serve a 2-year sentence in the DOC.
7. Heartland Health becomes Moasiac Life Care
Nov. 12 – Heartland Health made the final transition into Mosaic Life Care Wednesday.
“In renaming the hospital our attempt is really to reinvent health-care and the way we care for people in St. Joseph,” said Tama Wagner, Mosaic Life Care Chief Brand Officer.
More than 100 people were in attendance at a ribbon cutting ceremony held in front of the Hospital Wednesday afternoon to mark the official name change.
All clinics, services and products throughout the organization’s service region of northwest Missouri, northeast Kansas, southeast Nebraska and Kansas City’s Northland will now operate under the name Mosaic Life Care.
6. Politics in County Club Village
Nov. 12 – “Poor” rating in State audit report
The Missouri State Auditor’s Office gave the village a rating of “poor.”
The report takes issue with the way some revenues were spent, with the lack of independent oversight of the accounting work of the Village Clerk, with some actions taken behind closed doors by the Board of Trustees, and problems with recent budgets.
The report chastises village officials for not spending state motor vehicle fees and sales tax revenue on street-related expenses.
There appears to be a problem with the way the village’s half-cent sales tax was implemented. The Auditor’s Office asserts that the village did not retain the original ballot language from Apriol 1999, when the sales tax was approved, “…so it is unclear what the voters actually approved.”
“Minutes from one board meeting indicate the sales tax was to be restricted for road improvements, but minutes from another meeting make no mention of such a restriction,” the report states, “and the ordinance signed by the Board does not contain a restriction.”
“The proposed ballot language published in the newspaper in January of 1999 does not mention a restriction, but the language published in March and April of 1999 says the tax is to be limited to street repairs.”
Only $213,000 of the nearly $750,000 (in motor vehicle fees from the state and sales tax revenue) was clearly spent on street-related expenses according to the report. The balance (over $530,000) appears to have been allocated in an unallowable and/or unreasonable manner.
Dec. 15 – Village Clerk escorted off premises.
The longtime clerk of Country Club Village was escorted out of the Village Hall Monday morning by Police Chief Richard Scott. Observers say Scott was acting under orders from Chairwoman Carolyn Clemens of the Village Board of Trustees
Clerk Julia Elder offered her resignation last Friday effective December 24, but officials say she was terminated immediately. Elder was told she was no longer welcome at the Village Hall, where official had changed the locks.
She was escorted to her desk, asked not to turn on her computer, and told to collect her personal belongings.
Board chairman Clemens accused Elder of “releasing privileged information” to members of the public. Sources tell St Joe Post that information involved a legal opinion offered by Village Attorney Ron Holiday pertaining to the upcoming sales tax vote in Country Club Village. Holiday reportedly told the board that under statute they cannot earmark funds from the sales tax to the police department.
But “releasing privileged information” might be a little strong. Two private residents of the Village say they received that opinion in E-mails from members of the board.
Elder insists she did nothing wrong with what was in fact public information.
“She stated that I had given privileged information away, and that I had incited the residents,” Elder said in an interview. “She was referring to a letter on the half-cent sales tax, I believe, that was written by attorney Ron Holiday. It went out to board members and it was in the packet.”
“I did not release the information. I only released specific things that were asked of me, and nobody asked me for that opinion letter. I didn’t release it.”
Elder says her resignation had to do with what she called “horrible mistreatment and blatant disrespect.”
5. Election of newcomers Ken Beck and Spanky O’Dell to St. Joseph City Council
April 21 – New at large council members Ken Beck and Spanky O’Dell took their oaths, as did the entire council, along with Municipal Judge John Boeh.
Oct. 28 – St. Joseph City Council members Ken Beck and Spanky O’Dell are asking their fellow citizens to consider a passing a use tax and a fuel tax to finally solve the streets problem. Beck says it’s clear that residents want better streets, by a wide margin. 680 KFEQ’s Barry Birr has that story:
Dec. 9 – City Council member Kent L. “Spanky” O’Dell will serve one year of probation and 25 hours of community service for his guilty plea to misdemeanor charges of Driving a Motor Vehicle with Excessive Blood Alcohol Content.
4. St. Joseph smoking ban fallout
April 8 – Smoking will soon be banned in most public places in St Joseph, where voters on Tuesday narrowly approved a clean-air initiative. Out of 16,200 people casting ballots, the margin was just 818 votes, or 5.5%. Voter turnout was 31.54%.
Sept. 5 – Mayor Bill Falkner says he’s heard a lot of complaints that the 3-month-old Saint Joseph smoking ordinance is not being enforced. Falkner says the city does not have the budget right now to add health inspectors. He adds, “I don’t know what more we could do unless they’re expecting Council to go out with badges and give tickets.”
Falkner says some bar owners have allowed customers to continue to smoke despite the new law. Other owners have started an initiative petition process to propose their own smoking ordinance, which Falkner says is the right way to do it.
3. Flooding along I-29 and rescue efforts made
Sept. 11 – There were at least 60 state highways across northern Missouri closed because of flooding Thursday morning, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation Traveler Information Map.
That’s more than double the number posted on the map Wednesday morning. Marty Liles of MODOT told reporters they continue to monitor the state’s roads, deploying flagging operations or barricades depending on conditions.
“As we continue to get some more rainfall, and as those floodwaters that were in the northern part of the state start heading south, we might see other routes that are affected as well,” Liles said.
Liles said each time big rain events happen there’s a certain amount of flooding that’s going to occur.
“Every day we go out there, after a rainfall event, and check those roadways, and close those down so we make sure we don’t have the travelling public going through those routes and into the flood routes.”
Sergeant Jacob Angle of Troop-H says the Missouri State Highway Patrol discourages anyone from proceeding if you see water over the roadway.
“Even if you think it’s just inches of water, it only takes inches of water to float a vehicle,” Angle said. “So if you see water over the roadway, don’t attempt to cross it.”
“You don’t think it’s very deep, and you get in it, the vehicle starts floating, you’re swept away, and it can be very rapid.”
That’s precisely what happened to several motorists near Mound City during the severe weather event Tuesday night. Squaw Creek flowed over its banks very quickly after the area received eight to ten inches of rainfall. Angle says the water on the highway was at least three feet deep. Three vehicles were swept into the median where the water was about twice that deep.
When rescue workers arrived, some of the occupants were perched on top of their vehicles. That’s when crews from Troop-H, MoDOT, the Conservation Department, St Joe Fire, and the Holt and Andrew County Sheriff’s offices took extreme measures. They used heavy construction equipment, and a boat, to navigate the fast-moving waters and pull eight victims to safety.
“Considering the area we were dealing with, and we had to get vehicles around the floodwater and navigate to get people there, traffic was backing up, you know we had a lot of variables to deal with,” Angle said.
“If you take all that into account, I would consider our response spot on, about as quick as it could have been,” he said.
“With that collaborative effort, we saved eight lives last night, in rapidly-rising flash-flood waters.”
2. Gas prices plummet
Dec. 23 – Gas prices in St. Joseph Fall to $1.95 per gallon.
Christmas is being marked with record breaking gas prices according to AAA after national gasoline prices have fallen for 89 consecutive days.
Tuesday the National Average for a gallon of regular unleaded was $2.37 a drop of .43 in a month. It’s the lowest level it’s been since May of 2009. This time last year gas you would have been paying an average of $3.25 to travel across the U.S.
Analysts said the low pump prices are a reflection of global oversupply of oil mostly from surging U.S. production and a decision by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries not to cut supply along with a lack of demand.
Dec. 26 – Gas prices are still$1.02 lower than this time last year according to AAA with Missouri’s average hovering around $1.98. In St. Joseph the current average is $1.97 a gallon for regular unleaded but many stations around town have been spotted selling at $1.99 as of 11 a.m.
1. On going St. Joseph School District troubles
May 13 – Lawsuit accuses School District of offering hush money to stop stipend snooping
The Chief Financial Officer of the St Joseph School District has filed a lawsuit against the district, claiming he was placed on leave for blowing the whistle on the district’s stipend mess.
The lawsuit was delivered by messenger to the civil clerk in the Buchanan County Courthouse Tuesday .
CFO Beau Musser claims in court documents he was placed on administrative leave during a meeting in March in which he was offered nearly $40,000 to quit his job and stop snooping into the stipends.
May 14 – St Joseph School District Will Not Foot The Bill For Legal Defense
The St Joseph School District will not have to pay for the legal defense in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed this week. Neither will Superintendent Dr. Fred Czerwonka, Human Resources Director Doug Flowers, or school board member Dennis Snethen, who are also named as defendants.
Former Chief Financial Officer Beau Musser filed suit Tuesday in Buchanan County Circuit Court, demanding he be reinstated to his job, and seeking damages for slander and defamation of character.
June 18 – School District denies whistle-blower allegations and offers a few of its own
The Saint Joseph School District and three officials being sued by the district’s former chief financial officer deny that he lost his job for blowing the whistle on stipends.
In an answer filed electronically on Friday, June 13, attorney Thomas Mickes offers what he calls the other side of the story. The defendants deny all of the contentious allegations in Beau Musser’s lawsuit, and level a few allegations of their own.
“Maybe for the first time there’s some balance to the discussion, and the board and the other defendants have an opportunity to present their side of the story,” Mickes said in an interview, “and, I hope people will withhold their judgment until they see all the facts.”
Aug. 6 – School district’s legal counsel bows out
The law firm assigned to the St Joseph School District by its insurance carrier is withdrawing as the district’s legal counsel.
The district announced Wednesday it had received notice the law firm Mickes Goldman O’Toole, LLC will be withdrawing their representation of the district. According to the announcement, a potential conflict of interest was the reason given by the firm in withdrawing from the wrongful termination lawsuit filed by Chief Financial Officer Beau Musser.
The lawsuit named as defendants the St. Joseph School District, Superintendent Dr. Fred Czerwonka, Human Resources Director Doug Flowers, and School Board Member Dennis Snethen.
Aug. 11 – Law firm hired for FBI probe
The St Joseph Board of Education voted Sunday to retain a law firm to represent the board in matters regarding the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Attorney Steve Briggs, who represents the school district on more routine matters, says the the firm of Wyrsch Hobbs & Mirakian will be retained to represent the board “as a unit,” and not necessarily the individual members of the board. The firm will not represent the defendants in the lawsuit filed by former Chief Financial Officer Beau Musser.
Aug. 21 – Trial scheduled in CFO lawsuit
A trial date has been set in the wrongful-termination and defamation lawsuit filed against the St. Joseph School District by its former CFO Beau Musser. During a hearing Thursday morning, Buchanan County Circuit Judge Randall Jackson scheduled the trial September 21, 2015, and set a status hearing September 8, 2015.
Musser filed suit in May against the district, Superintendent Dr. Fred Czerwonka, Human Resources Director Doug Flowers, and School Board Member Dennis Snethen.
Sept. 19 – Musser gets NEA’s “Integrity & Courage” award
The St Joseph branch of the National Education Association has honored the St Joe School District’s Chief Financial Officer for integrity and courage. Beau Musser’s lawsuit against the St Joseph School District is still pending, but actions taken over the last couple of week’s indicate the district is angling to settle.
Sept. 30 – District agrees to provide information to a board member for a price
The St Joseph School District is trying to charge a school board member for her request for information under the state’s Sunshine Law.
Board Member Chris Danford, a vocal critic of district spending, has consistently demanded transparency in financial actions taken by the district. Danford recently asked the district for information on spending and contracting in seven areas.
On September 26, Danford received a letter from the school district’s lawyer Steve Briggs saying she would have to pay for the information.
Nov. 4 – Musser officially asked to come back to work
The St. Joseph School District released a statement late Tuesday to announce that Beau Musser has been requested to return to work at the St. Joseph School District.
In an email released Tuesday the District said “Musser has been directed to report to work as the Chief Financial Officer of the St. Joseph School District on November 17.”
Nov. 20 – School district receives Subpoena from district court
The St. Joseph School District received a subpoena Thursday to produce records to the United State District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
The school district said in a news release that the request is for personnel records, SJSD tuition reimbursement program documents, SJSD teacher certification reimbursement program documents as well as other documents.
It’s the third federal subpoena the district has received so far this year.