A northwest Missouri teenager has drowned after wading into deep water in the 102 River.
The Missouri Highway Patrol reports 16-year-old Lindsey Allee of Maryville was not able to swim after getting into the water.
According to the patrol, Allee entered the 102 about a quarter mile west of Barnard early Thursday afternoon. The Midwest Regional Dive Team out of Clarinda, Iowa arrived at the scene and recovered the body in about nine feet of water, upstream from the Route M bridge, two hours later.
Nodaway County Coroner Vince Shelby pronounced Allee dead at the scene.
Agriculture Sec. Sonny Perdue speaks at an EPA hearing./EPA photo by Eric Vance
A big win for the greater Kansas City area, one which could benefit the entire four-state region.
The United States Department of Agriculture has announced it will move its Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture from Washington, D.C. to Kansas City.
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue says it’s a natural fit for the two USDA branches.
“The Kansas City region has proven itself to be a hub for all things agriculture and it is a booming city in America’s heartland,” Perdue tells reporters during a conference call. “There’s already a significant presence of USDA and federal government employees in the region, including the Kansas City Ag Bank, Federal Reserve.”
The USDA estimates it will save $300 million over a 15-year period by moving from DC to Kansas City. More than $26 million in incentives have been offered USDA to make the move. The savings will be plowed back into research, according to the USDA.
Perdue says USDA hopes to complete the move by the end of September.
Northern Missouri Congressman Sam Graves is pleased with the decision.
“Oh, I was very happy about it,” Graves tells St. Joseph Post. “This is something that we’ve been working on for some time and then Kansas City was announced as one of three (finalists) and obviously there was a lot more excitement and, now, being picked; it’s a great fit. It’s good for the agency, because it’s going to make it more efficient. It brings those agencies closer to the people that they obviously serve and so I think it’s just a great win for everyone.”
Graves expects Missouri to reap benefits from the decision, but adds Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa should benefit as well.
“A lot of people commute to Kansas City for work and you can go five and six counties deep outside the Kansas City area and it’s going to have a big impact, because there’s just a lot of jobs and they’re good paying jobs,” Graves says. “To get them out of Washington, D.C. and into the heartland, it’s going to make them a lot more efficient.”
The USDA announced in August it would move the two agencies, the only two of its branches wholly located in Washington, D.C. The Department of Agriculture heard from 136 locations and narrowed those applying to three finalists: Kansas City, the state of Indiana, and the research triangle in North Carolina.
U.S. Agriculture Sec. Sonny Perdue /USDA Photo by Preston Keres
Kansas City pulls off a coup, winning an intense competition to land two branches of the United States Department of Agriculture.
United States Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced this morning the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute for Food and Agricultural Policy (NIFA) will move from their current location in Washington, D.C. to Kansas City.
“Following a rigorous site selection process, the Kansas City Region provides a win win – maximizing our mission function by putting taxpayer savings into programmatic outputs and providing affordability, easy commutes, and extraordinary living for our employees,” Secretary Perdue said in a written statement released by the USDA. “The Kansas City Region has proven itself to be hub for all things agriculture and is a booming city in America’s heartland. There is already a significant presence of USDA and federal government employees in the region, including the Kansas City ‘Ag Bank’ Federal Reserve. This agriculture talent pool, in addition to multiple land-grant and research universities within driving distance, provides access to a stable labor force for the future. The Kansas City Region will allow ERS and NIFA to increase efficiencies and effectiveness and bring important resources and manpower closer to all of our customers.”
The USDA estimates it will save $300 million over a 15-year period by moving the agencies to the Midwest. The savings can be used for additional research. State and local governments have offered the USDA $26 million in incentives to move to Kansas City.
The two agencies employ about 500 people.
“We are thrilled that Secretary Perdue chose to relocate ERS and NIFA to the heartland. We appreciate all the hard work and commitment from Secretary Perdue, President Trump’s Administration, and the large Kansas City coalition in making this happen,” Gov. Mike Parson said in a written statement released by his office. “Missouri agriculture has unrivaled diversity, access to cutting-edge research at our land grant universities, and a thriving agribusiness environment. By choosing a location close to their farmer-constituent base, these offices will remain rooted in agriculture and, as a result, will be better able to make decisions that serve American agriculture well.”
Congressman Sam Graves, who lobbied for the re-location to Kansas City, also applauded the decision.
“It just makes sense to move these USDA agencies out of Washington, D.C. to the Midwest—the heart of farm country,” Graves said in a written statement. “This move underscores the quality of life that we have here and the economic value that the Midwest brings to the table. This will be a great boost for our economy and help bring USDA research closer to the people it serves while saving the taxpayers an incredible amount of money in the process.”
Perdue announced last year the Trump Administration planned to move the agencies out of Washington. Nearly 140 locations from 35 states expressed interest with the USDA narrowing the list to three finalists, including Kansas City. The other two were the state of Indiana and Research Triangle Park in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Graves, Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler and Congressman Emmanuel Cleaver, joined in a letter touting Kansas City as a prime spot for relocation.
“While there are many potential relocation options, we believe Kansas City provides the perfect balance between the various needs of the USDA,” the member of Congress wrote Perdue. “With the department’s Risk Management Agency and the Food Safety Administration already located in the Kansas City area, USDA understands the importance of having its core functions outside of the Washington Metro area and the unique benefits of operating in the Kansas City region.”
Economic Research provides data which the USDA uses to decide policy. The Institute of Food and Agriculture awards more than a billion dollars’ worth of competitive grants on sustainable agriculture.
United States Senators in both Missouri and Kansas also campaigned on behalf of Kansas City, including Sen. Pat Roberts, the chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee.
“I am excited to hear USDA selected Kansas City as the new location for the Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Agricultural research is a critical function of USDA, and I am committed to ensuring we continue to support and strengthen the research mission that our US producers rely on. Kansas City is an obvious choice, as many other USDA agencies in the area partner closely with stakeholders,” Sen. Roberts said in a written statement included in a joint news release issued by all four senators. “The vital research that will occur at the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility (NBAF) and already occurs throughout the KC Animal Health Corridor makes Kansas City a natural fit. I am pleased that USDA recognizes the rich resources the heartland provides.”
“Today’s announcement is great news for the Kansas City region and our state,” Sen. Roy Blunt stated. “These agencies will bring hundreds of good-paying jobs to the area and enhance Missouri’s role as a national leader in ag research. Secretary Perdue made the right choice in selecting Kansas City, which is a great place to live and work. The challenges and opportunities have never been greater than they will be in the next 25 years. These research agencies do great work, and will be at the cutting edge of agriculture and well located for assistance and examples as they do their job.”
“After months of advocating to Secretary Perdue that NIFA and ERS ought to be relocated to the Kansas City area, I’m thrilled that USDA has selected Kansas City to house these critical research agencies,” Sen. Jerry Moran stated. “The animal health corridor, stretching from Manhattan, Kansas to Columbia, Missouri, is the largest concentration of animal health companies in the world, and Kansas is also the home of the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility – and today’s decision further bolsters Kansas City’s status as a national leader in the ag industry. It is always positive when our government can operate outside of Washington and closer to the people it serves, and I am certain that the decision to relocate NIFA and ERS to Kansas City is a good one. I look forward to helping welcome these USDA agencies and employees to Kansas City.”
“This is outstanding news for the Kansas City region. We’re home to some of the hardest working farmers in the country, so this is a fantastic decision by the USDA,” Sen. Josh Hawley stated. “As the new home of the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Missouri and Kansas will continue to lead in the research and development of American agricultural policy for the 21st century. We are grateful for the job opportunities and renewed partnership this move creates for our state.”
A teenager has pleaded guilty in Andrew County Circuit Court to making terroristic threats through a social media post in which he claimed he would commit a mass shooting at an area school.
The Andrew County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says 17-year-old Andrew Lemon, a Lafayette High School student, has been placed on four years of probation. He also has been ordered to serve 120 days of shock time in jail.
Lemon on April 28th sent messages to five friends on Snapchat, claiming he planned mass shootings at several schools, including Benton, Central, Lafayette, and Savannah High Schools as well as Truman Middle School.
The threat prompted school officials and law enforcement to have a number of area schools go into lock down. Extra security guards were posted at schools.
Prosecutors accused Lemon of using racial slurs against black students and threatening that he would commit a mass shooting at either Savannah, Lafayette, Benton High Schools, or Truman Middle School. The threat, deemed credible by police, caused those schools to go into a soft lock down and add security. Central High School, Bode Middle School, and Truman Middle School also went into a soft lock down as a precaution.
Officers with the Country Club Village Police Department took Lemon into custody after St. Joseph police officers detained him in the Lafayette High School Vice Principal’s office.
In the statement of probable cause, Andrew County prosecutors state Lemon reluctantly confessed to sending the message and stated he did not intend to carry out the threat.
No one was injured at any of the schools. The soft lock down at area school was lifted Monday afternoon.
Renewed flooding crippled efforts by road crews to recover from the initial flooding.
Area Engineer Adam Watson with the Northwest District of the Missouri Department of Transportation says MoDOT had issued emergency contracts to repair flood damage to reopen U.S. 136 and U.S. 159 between northwest Missouri and southeast Nebraska.
“Contractor had to pull out of those areas, because they re-flooded,” Watson tells St. Joseph Post. “So, it brought that work to a standstill. It also slowed down some of the assessments of the original damage. The water had never receded enough for us to assess all of the damage. So those areas we’ve still never gotten to.”
Major roads had been reopened after water receded from the mid-March floods. Then, flooding returned at the end of May, closing roadways and bridges throughout northwest Missouri, greatly disrupting traffic.
Interstate 29 remains closed to through traffic. Flooding has shut the interstate down in southwest Iowa. Local traffic can drive I-29, through traffic is being re-routed north of St. Joseph at U.S. 71.
Watson says MoDOT is at the mercy of Iowa and Mother Nature.
“We don’t want to be the bad neighbors that send people up there where there’s nowhere to go,” Watson says. “I really want to encourage people who are going to northwest Missouri. Still, northwest Missouri is still open for business. It’s just an interstate is for traffic traveling through and right now, there’s no through.”
MoDOT had let emergency contracts to make repairs to U.S. 136 and U.S. 159 in northwest Missouri to allow travel between northwest Missouri and southeast Nebraska. The contractors had to pull out when renewed flooding made road work impossible.
“We’re still waiting to assess the damage from the second event. (U.S.) 136, we had several scours, deep holes, as well as on (U.S.) 159, and we had started filling those and even had gotten one hole filled before the contractor had to pull out. But, we’re waiting to reassess, as the water goes down, how much more damage,” according to Watson.
Initial flood damage to northwest Missouri roads and bridges was pegged at approximately $20 million. That is sure to go up once floodwaters from the second event recede enough to actually inspect the damage.
MoDOT has reopened Route 45 in southern Buchanan County from U.S. Route 59 into Platte County. Route 59, a major route into Kansas, remains closed between Rushville and Atchison, Kansas.
St. Joseph Parks officials say the center reopened after floodwaters receded enough for the pumps which run the center air conditioner to operate.
Missouri River floodwaters forced the center to close May 30th. It was the second time this year that floodwaters forced the closing of the center north of downtown St. Joseph along the Missouri River.
Drone campus August 22, 2018. (Photo Todd Weddle | Northwest Missouri State University)
Gov. Mike Parson has appointed Deborah Roach of Grant City to the Northwest Missouri State University Board of Regents.
Roach is an interim appointment and can serve immediately. She will face confirmation by the Missouri Senate next year.
Roach, a Democrat, replaces John Richmond (D) of Albany. If confirmed by the Senate, Roach will serve until the end of January 2025.
Roach has been with the United States Postal Service for nearly 20 years. She is officer-in-charge of the Grant City Post Office and postmaster at Sheridan. She is executive vice president of the Missouri Chapter of the United Postmasters and Managers of America and was Missouri Postmaster of the Year in 2013.
Roach also serves as Grant City mayor, now in her 10th year. She served nine years on the city council.
Northwest has a nine-member Board of Regents.
Dr. Patrick B. Harr (R), of Maryville, serves as Board chair, and Dr. Marilou Joyner (D), of Kansas City, is vice chair. Jason Klindt (R), of Kearney; John Moore (I), of Raymore; Richard N. Smith (R), of Coffey; George Speckman (I), of St. Joseph; and Roxanna Swaney (R), of Liberty; round out the Board. The seat of the Board’s student regent is vacant.
Gov. Mike Parson says a ruling by a St. Louis judge in the ongoing dispute between the state and Planned Parenthood resolves nothing.
St. Louis Circuit Judge Michael Stelzer has ruled the state cannot simply allow the license for the St. Louis Planned Parenthood clinic to lapse. He’s given the state a June 21st deadline to decide whether to issue a license.
Parson says the judge sidestepped his responsibility.
“I don’t know what the accomplishment of that was or what his reasoning was for it, but I think, one, he should have made the judgment, the ruling on does he need to hear it or does he not? Does it go to the courts or does it go to the administrative side of it? I think that’s what everybody was expecting. I have no idea why he came up with a decision like that,” Parson tells reporters during a stop in St. Joseph.
Parson sees no reason for the judge to issue the deadline.
“To me, he has a job to rule in a case,” Parson says. “I don’t think postponing it really was the right thing to do.”
Stelzer extended a preliminary injunction requested by Planned Parenthood to keep the state from allowing its license to lapse. The Missouri Department of Health, citing concerns for patient safety, failed to renew the license of Missouri’s only abortion clinic at the end of May. Stelzer has ordered the department to decide on Planned Parenthood’s renewal application by June 21st, ruling the state cannot simply allow the license to lapse without taking any action.
Parson says there is one question Planned Parenthood needs to answer: what are the safety measures at its St. Louis clinic?
“Are they meeting the requirements like every other facility in the state? It doesn’t matter whether there is one or numerous people who are doing this. They still have to abide by the laws of the state of Missouri and they have to abide by the regulatory side of it,” according to Parson.
Parson says once those are satisfied, their doors can open.
“We’ll see what the end of it is. We’re going to keep pulling forward. As long as they cooperate with us and they make the changes, we’re willing to renew that license,” Parson says. “This is limbo right now; didn’t change anything. So, again, I don’t think the judge accomplished anything.”
Gov. Mike Parson addresses a gathering at St. Joseph City Hall prior to the signing of HB 821 with (l-r) St. Joseph Mayor Bill McMurray, Rep. Sheila Solon, and Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer./Photo by Brent Martin
Missouri’s governor made the trip from Jefferson City to St. Joseph to sign legislation aimed at getting the plywood off vacant buildings and spurring renovation of historic homes and businesses in the city.
The St. Joseph Land Bank is modeled after similar non-profit entities in Kansas City and St. Louis.
State Rep. Shelia Solon of St. Joseph sponsored House Bill 821 and Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer carried it in the Senate.
Both accompanied Gov. Mike Parson recently when he came to St. Joseph to observe flood damage. The two pulled the governor aside and made a pitch: why not come to St. Joseph to sign HB 821 into law.
Parson says the two, “started telling me how important this bill was to St. Joe and to the people and what it was going to do and, as Tony said, more tools for the tool box to make the town better.”
They kept at it, adding, “’We really want you to come up here and we really want you to sign this.’ And I said, okay, okay, I got it. I said let’s let the water go down a little bit and I’ll come back.”
Gov. Parson jokes about the pen Rep. Solon gave him to sign her copy of the bill./Photo by Brent Martin
Parson jokes that it’s good to come to St. Joseph for something other than to observe flooded northwest Missouri. He says the state remains concerned about the flood, but hopeful now that floodwaters are receding.
HB 821 creates the St. Joseph Land Bank. The Land Bank can buy abandoned property and re-sale the property to individuals or groups which promise to renovate them. If a buyer cannot be found, the property can be put to public use.
St. Joseph has 4,891 vacant or abandoned buildings. Owners cannot be located for 478 of them. The city spends $300,000 annually in upkeep of vacant homes and businesses.
Parson praises St. Joseph area legislators who pushed for the bill aimed at resurrecting some of the old, historic buildings which have fallen into disrepair.
“Really to get this bill done this year with so many other moving parts that were happening, it’s pretty remarkable, I’ll just tell you that,” Parson says. “And you don’t get that done if you don’t have good leadership.”
An example of homes the Land Bank could help renovate./Photo by Brent Martin
Creation of a local land bank was a top priority of St. Joseph city government. Several city councilmembers and county officials attended the bill signing ceremony held in the city council chambers at city hall.
“My first session, to be able to work with the legislators, both in the House and the Senate, to accomplish real meaningful things and today we’re going to get the opportunity to sign something that’s going to be very beneficial to your community and hopefully in the near future you’re going to see lots of positive changes because of this and hopefully you ask me back someday when we (will) see some of these accomplishments are made.”
A Missouri Congresswoman says Congress is anxious to see how the Department of Agriculture implements changes in the Farm Bill.
Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, says she wants to see how the USDA handles changes made to benefit the dairy industry.
“The dairy industry is really hurting and we tried to change a lot of the Farm Bill programs for their insurance program to be worth their while in participating and to provide them that revenue they need to keep them viable,” Hartzler tells KFEQ Farm Director Melissa Gregory.
Hartzler says the Agriculture Committee has been holding hearings with USDA officials, getting updates on implementation of changes to the Farm Bill.
Hartzler is excited about other changes proposed by the USDA.
Missouri has a real shot at landing two USDA divisions, bringing nearly 700 high-paying jobs and a lot of prestige to the region.
The USDA announced earlier it plans to re-locate the Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture away from Washington, D.C.
Three finalists have been chosen out of the 136 potential sites in 35 states: the greater Kansas City area, the Raleigh/Durham area of North Carolina, and locations in Indiana. USDA plans to make the move by the end of the year.
Hartzler is excited about the possibilities.
“I have advocated that they come to Kansas City,” Hartzler says. “I know they got a lot of applications and was really excited to hear that we made the finals of the top three that they are going to look at, and, actually, St. Louis is one of the alternates. So, between those two, Missouri has a really good chance of being the center for agriculture service in this country.”
Economic Research provides data which the USDA uses to decide policy. The Institute of Food and Agriculture awards more than a billion dollars’ worth of competitive grants on sustainable agriculture.
