We have a brand new updated website! Click here to check it out!

16 Ritz cracker products recalled over salmonella risk

Mondelez Global says it’s voluntarily recalling some of its Ritz Cracker products over potential risk of salmonella.

The Hanover, New Jersey-based company says it’s recalling 16 varieties of Ritz Cracker Sandwiches and Ritz Bits products in the U.S. The products contain whey powder, which its supplier has recalled due to the potential presence of salmonella.

Mondelez says no illnesses have been reported yet. Symptoms of salmonella include fever, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. It can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in the young, elderly or those with weakened immune systems.

Boat accident survivors join hundreds at Branson memorial

 

BRANSON, Mo. (AP) — The 17 people killed when a tourist boat sank in a Missouri lake were remembered Sunday during a service attended by hundreds of people in the tourism community of Branson.

Photo courtesy GoFundMe

A church bell at Williams Chapel at College of the Ozarks chimed 17 times for those who died Thursday at Table Rock Lake.

More than a dozen survivors of the tragedy, along with their family and friends, filled the front pews of the church to organ music. Although a patrolman guarded their privacy, he allowed one attendee, Carmen Lawson, to deliver pink and red roses after the service to a family that lost nine loved ones.

“It was such a tragedy,” said Lawson, 61, of Branson, who delivered the flowers. “I feel for the family.”

Branson Mayor Karen Best recalled the desperate family members who turned to City Hall for information about their loved ones.

“We started putting faces with names. Those who were once strangers to us quickly became family,” Best said. “They were a part of our community. And we did what families do. We held hands, we wept and we prayed together.”

She praised the people who tried to save others from drowning, calling them “heroes who did everything in their power to save lives.”

The service was held at the college near the site of the accident, which happened as winds approached hurricane strength. The city and college hosted the remembrance for the victims.

“Today we are all family,” said College of the Ozarks President Jerry C. Davis. “We are here to comfort those who have been affected by this tragedy in so many, many ways.”

Online fundraisers had raised more than $400,000 for the Indiana family’s funeral expenses by Sunday afternoon.

GoFundMe spokeswoman Katherine Cichy says it’s verified one campaign that’s raising money. Ingrid Coleman Douglas says a second campaign is also legitimate.

Others killed were from Missouri, Arkansas and Illinois.

During the closing benediction, Nixa Fire Chaplain Steve Martin said of the victims that while “most of them are visitors … they are not strangers to us.”
—————
BRANSON, Mo. (AP) — The 17 people killed when a tourist boat sank in a Missouri lake were remembered Sunday during a service attended by around 200 people in the tourism community of Branson.

Photo courtesy GoFundMe

A church bell at Williams Chapel at College of the Ozarks chimed 17 times for those who died Thursday at Table Rock Lake.

“Today we honor the 17 lives that were lost,” said Branson Mayor Karen Best. “We honor the 14 survivors. And we honor the many heroes who did everything in their power to save lives.”

The service was held at the college near the site of the accident, which happened as winds approached hurricane strength. The city and college hosted the remembrance for the victims.

Nine of the people who died were part of one Indiana family. Online fundraisers had raised more than $400,000 for their funeral expenses by Sunday afternoon.

Two GoFundMe campaigns are underway for the Coleman family, who lost three generations in the duck boat accident.

GoFundMe spokeswoman Katherine Cichy says it’s verified one campaign that’s raising money. Ingrid Coleman Douglas tells The Indianapolis Star a second campaign is also legitimate.

Others killed were from Missouri, Arkansas and Illinois.

————

BRANSON, Mo. (AP) – A memorial service is scheduled for the people killed when a tourist boat sank in a Missouri lake.

The service will be held Sunday afternoon at the College of the Ozarks, near Table Rock Lake, where the duck boat sank Thursday, killing 17 people. The accident happened as winds approached hurricane strength.

Nine of the people who died were part of one Indiana family. Online fundraisers have raised nearly $400,000 for their funeral expenses.

Two GoFundMe campaigns are underway for the Coleman family, who lost three generations in the duck boat accident.

GoFundMe spokeswoman Katherine Cichy says it’s verified one campaign that’s raising money. Ingrid Coleman Douglas tells The Indianapolis Star a second campaign is also legitimate.

Others killed were from Missouri, Arkansas and Illinois.

UPDATE: Two arrested after two crashes at Frederick and Noyes

Intersection of Frederick and Noyes. Photo by Melissa Gregory

(UPDATE 10:50 p.m.) Two drivers were arrested after two separate crashes at the intersection of Frederick and Noyes Sunday evening.

According to the St. Joseph Police Department, the first crash around 8:30 p.m. involved two vehicles and resulted in minor injuries. One of the drivers was taken into custody for investigative charges of DWI.

While emergency crews and police were still on scene, shortly after 9 p.m., a hit and run took place in the intersection. There were no injuries and a driver was taken into custody for investigative charges of DWI.

Police say the area has been cleared and the intersection is back open to normal traffic.

===

The intersection of Frederick and Noyes is partially closed due to a two vehicle crash Sunday evening.

According to a witness, two cars were involved in a crash around 8:30 p.m. As of 9:15 p.m., the intersection was still partially closed.

Shortly after 9 p.m., a separate hit and run took place in the intersection as emergency crews were still in the area working on the first crash.

We will update this post as we learn more information.

 

Suspect arrested in Kan. convicted of possessing cache of homemade pipe bombs

MINNEAPOLIS, MN. (AP) — A man has been found guilty of illegally possessing a cache of homemade pipe bombs discovered on a family hunting property last year.

Reinbold -photo Otter Tail County Jail

Investigators allege 41-year-old Eric James Reinbold, Oklee, Minnesota, also kept a notebook outlining plans for violently overthrowing the government.

Jurors convicted Reinbold on Friday of possessing an unregistered destructive device. Sentencing is set for Nov. 16.

Last fall, Reinbold’s relatives reported finding a tote bag that contained about a half-dozen pipe bombs, other material for homemade explosives and a receipt in Reinbold’s name from a website that sells fuses.

Federal prosecutors charged him in January. That was months after he was arrested in Kansas with cash, camping gear and a passport just days after authorities swept his rural northern Minnesota home.

Planned road work for northwest Missouri, July 23 – 29

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The following is a listing of general highway maintenance and construction work in the Northwest Missouri region planned for the week of July 23 – 29 from the Missouri Department of Transportation.

In addition to the work listed below, there may be pothole patching, mowing, shoulder work, bridge maintenance, striping, brush cutting, guardrail repairs, litter pick up and other road work conducted throughout the region. Many of these will be moving operations and could include lane closures with delays. All scheduled maintenance and construction projects are subject to change.

MoDOT reminds the public to stay alert, watch for road work, buckle up, slow down, and drive with extreme caution through work zones and in changing weather conditions.

For more information about a project, please contact MoDOT at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (888-275-6636) or visit modot.org/northwest. You can also follow MoDOT’s Northwest Missouri District on Twitter @ModotNorthwest and on Facebook.

Andrew County

Interstate 29 – Bridge deck replacement project at the Nodaway River Bridge. Traffic is head-to-head in the northbound lanes. This traffic pattern will be in place through August and includes a 13-foot width restriction.

U.S. Route 71 – Striping from Route 48 to Route A (Nodaway County), July 23 – 27

Atchison County

U.S. Route 275 – Resurfacing project from the Iowa state line to U.S. Route 136, July 23 – 27

Route B – Pothole patching from U.S. Route 59 to Route F, July 23 – 27

Routes F and O – Pothole patching, July 23 – 27

Buchanan County

U.S. Route 169 – Pedestrian crossing improvement projects at Route AC and Pickett Road intersection, Commons Road (near Menards and Bucky’s) and South Belt Wal-Mart, July 23 – 27

Route E – Chip seal from Route H to U.S. Route 169, July 23 – 24

Route NN – Pothole patching from Route 31 to Route VV, July 23 – 24

Route 45 – Pothole patching from U.S. Route 59 to Platte County line, July 23 – 27

Route P – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from Davis Road to Route UU, July 24, 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Route P – CLOSED for concrete replacement from County Road 135 to Thornton Road, July 25, 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Carroll County

Route NN – Pothole patching from Route 139 to end of route, July 23 – 24

Route B – Pothole patching from U.S. Route 24 to U.S. Route 65, July 25 – 26

Route UU – Pothole patching Route M to U.S. Route 65, July 27

Clay County

Route C – Resurfacing and shoulder project from Route CC to Route 116 (Clinton County), July 23 – 27. A pilot car and flaggers will direct traffic through the work zone.

Clinton County

Route C – Resurfacing and shoulder project from Route 116 to Route CC (Clay County), July 23 – 27. A pilot car and flaggers will direct traffic through the work zone.

Route K – Pothole patching from Route Y to Route NN, July 25 – 27

Daviess County

Route 13 – CLOSED for a bridge replacement project at the Honey Creek Bridge. The road will be closed through September. A signed detour is in place.

I-35 – Concrete replacement project in the northbound passing lane at the 75.2 mile south of Pattonsburg, June 23

Route E – Pothole patching from U.S. Route 69 to the DeKalb County line, July 23 – 25

Route 6 – Pothole patching from Route P to U.S. Route 69, July 26 – 27

Route K – Pothole patching from Route P to Gilman City, July 26 – 27

DeKalb County

U.S. Route 36 – Resurfacing project from Grindstone Creek to just east of U.S. Route 69, July 23 – 28. Below is the planned scheduled of milling, resurfacing, and ramp closures:

  • Monday, July 23 –Resurfacing the westbound driving lane near Ensign Trace. Access to Ensign Trace on the north side of U.S. Route 36 will be closed.
  • Tuesday, July 24 – Resurfacing the eastbound passing lane near Ensign Trace. The median crossover between the eastbound and westbound lanes of U.S. Route 36 at Ensign Trace will be closed.
  • Wednesday, July 25 and Thursday, July 26 – Resurfacing passing lanes of U.S. Route 36. No ramp or median crossover closures planned.
  • Friday, July 27 – Resurfacing the westbound passing lane near Ensign Trace. The median crossover between the eastbound and westbound lanes of U.S. Route 36 at Ensign Trace will be closed.

Route A – Shoulder work from Maysville to Fairport, July 23 – 26

Gentry County

Route N – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from 280th Street to 270th Street, July 24, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route N – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from 270th Street to Dawson Line Road, July 25, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route N – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from Kent Lane to County Line Road, July 26, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Harrison County

Route AA/H – CLOSED for a bridge deck replacement at the I-35 overpass. The bridge will be closed through July. One lane of I-35 may be closed in each direction during the project.

I-35 – Resurfacing project from the Iowa state line to Route N at Eagleville, July 23 – 28. This includes a 16-foot width restriction and will include overnight lane closures.

Route U – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from County Road 110 to the Iowa state line, July 23 – 26, 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily

Holt County

I-29 – Bridge deck replacement at the Nodaway River Bridge. Traffic is head-to-head in the northbound lanes. This traffic pattern will be in place through August and includes a 13-foot width restriction.

Mercer County

Route JJ – CLOSED for bridge maintenance at the West Honey Creek Bridge, July 23, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

U.S. Route 65 – Sealing project from the north city limits of Chillicothe to the Iowa state line, July 23 – 28. This includes a 12-foot width restriction.

Route JJ – CLOSED for bridge maintenance at the East Honey Creek Bridge, July 24, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route D – CLOSED for bridge maintenance at the Sandy Creek Bridge, July 26, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Nodaway County

Route ZZ – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from Route V to Eagle Road, July 23 – 24, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily

U.S. Route 71 – Striping from Route A to just north of Route 48 (Andrew County), July 23 – 27

Route A – Pothole patching from U.S. Route 71 to Route 113, July 23 – 27

Route AB – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from 220th Street to U.S. Route 71, July 26, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route FF – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from 220th Street to Hallmark Road, July 27, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Putnam County

U.S. Route 136 – CLOSED for a bridge replacement project at the West Locust Creek Bridge. The road will be closed through September. A signed detour is in place.

U.S. Route 136 – CLOSED for a bridge replacement project at the Elm Branch Bridge. The road will be closed through September. A signed detour is in place.

Route K – Pothole patching, July 23 – 24

Route M – CLOSED for bridge maintenance at the Medicine Creek Bridge, July 25, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Missouri may see elk hunt in next 2 years

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – Missouri Department of Conservation officials say residents may see a limited elk hunt in 2020 if the state’s elk herd continues to grow.

Department wildlife biologist Aaron Hildreth tells the Springfield News-Leader that there are about 170 adult elks living in the Peck Ranch Conservation Area.

Hildreth says a limited hunting season could be used to stop the herd from getting too large if three criteria are met. There needs to be at least 200 elks, the elk herd has a growth rate of at least 10 percent for three consecutive years and there’s a ratio of 25 bull elk for every 100 females to ensure herd growth.

Hildreth says the herd may reach the 200-elk goal sometime in the next two years

Kansas man jailed in apartment complex stabbing

SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an aggravated assault and have a suspect in custody.

DECLERK-photo Shawnee Co.

Just after 5p.m. Saturday, police responded to a report that an aggravated assault victim had arrived at a Topeka hospital, according to St. Jason Cooper.

Officers learned the man was assaulted with a knife in the 5200 block of SW West Drive in Topeka. The victim had non-life threatening injuries, according to Cooper.

Officers located a crime scene at a single apartment within the complex just west of 10th and Fairlawn.

Several witnesses and one suspect were taken into custody at the scene in connection with the investigation.

Late Saturday, police arrested Gwyndell Declerck Jr, 31, for crimes relating to the stabbing.. He was booked into Department of Corrections.

 

 

U.S. Attorney to speak at upcoming Women’s Leadership Group

A monthly meeting offers the opportunity for women in business to network and discuss issues that affect them in the workplace.

The Women’s Leadership Group meeting is put on by the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce along with the Northwest Missouri State University Small Business and Technology Development Center.

The free event is offered on the fourth Monday of each month and features a different topic each time.

St. Joseph Chamber Director of Communications and Marketing Kristi Bailey said, this month, U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore will be speaking on the topic of human trafficking in the region.

“While, you might not think that’s a huge topic for business, it really can be. One, most of the women there are probably mothers or aunts or sisters of people with children, but also, we, as a business community, need to be on the lookout for signs of human trafficking as that problem grows throughout the country,” Bailey said. “A lot of times, people like utility workers, people that go into people’s homes, maybe termite inspectors, things like that, they might, if educated properly, be able to pick up on a signal and alert police of this problem.”

Bailey said the event includes time to ask questions, have discussion and network.

The next Women’s Leadership Group meets from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday, July 23rd, at CoJoe, located at 518 Felix Street. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lunch. For more information, click here.

Survivor recounts Branson boat accident that killed 17

BRANSON, Mo. (AP) — “Grab the baby!”

Those were the last words Tia Coleman recalls her sister-in-law yelling before the tourist boat they were on sank into a Missouri lake, killing 17 people, including nine of Coleman’s family members.

First responders on the scene of the lake accident Thursday evening -photo courtesy KYTV

A huge wave hit, scattering passengers on the vessel known as a duck boat into Table Rock Lake near Branson, Coleman said, recounting the ordeal from a hospital bed. When the Indianapolis woman came up for air, she was alone. She prayed.

“I said, ‘Jesus please keep me, just keep me so I can get to my children,'” Coleman told television station KOLR.

She spotted a rescue boat and swam as fast as she could.

Coleman’s husband and three children, ages 9, 7 and 1; her 45-year-old sister-in-law and 2-year-old nephew; her mother-in-law and father-in-law and her husband’s uncle all died Thursday night in the deadliest accident of its kind in nearly two decades. Others killed included a Missouri couple who had just celebrated a birthday; another Missouri couple who was on what was planned as their last extended vacation; an Illinois woman who died while saving her granddaughter’s life; an Arkansas father and son; and a retired pastor who was the boat’s operator.

State and federal investigators were trying to determine what went sent the vessel, originally built for military use in World War II, to its demise. An initial assessment blamed thunderstorms and winds that approached hurricane strength, but it wasn’t clear why the amphibious vehicle even ventured into the water.

Coleman said the crew told passengers they were going into the water first, before the land-based part of their tour, because of the incoming storm. The area had been under a severe thunderstorm watch for hours and a severe thunderstorm warning for more than 30 minutes before the boat sank.

Suzanne Smagala with Ripley Entertainment, which owns Ride the Ducks in Branson, said it was the company’s only accident in more than 40 years of operation. The company hasn’t commented on Coleman’s account of the tour, which usually begins with a tour of downtown Branson, known for its country shows and entertainment, before the vessel enters the lake for a short ride on the water.

Company President Jim Pattison Jr. said the boat captain had 16 years of experience, and the business monitors weather.

Twenty-nine passengers and two crew members were aboard. Fourteen people survived, including two adults who remained hospitalized Saturday. Coleman and her 13-year-old nephew were the only of the 11 members of her family who boarded the boat to make it out alive.

Another survivor was 12-year-old Alicia Dennison, of Illinois, who says her grandmother, 64-year-old Leslie Dennison, saved her from drowning. Alicia’s father, Todd Dennison, told the Kansas City Star that his daughter recalled feeling her grandmother below her, pushing her upward after the boat capsized.

Another young survivor was 14-year-old Loren Smith of Osceola, Arkansas. She suffered a concussion, but her father, 53-year-old retired math teacher Steve Smith, and her 15-year-old brother, Lance, died.

Others killed included 65-year-old William Bright and his 63-year-old wife, Janice. The couple had recently celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary and had talked about Branson being one of their last big trips, recalled neighbor Barbara Beck.

The couple moved to Higginsville from Kansas City, Missouri, three years earlier to be closer to a daughter and grandchildren and quickly embraced small-town life.

William Bright’s final public Facebook posting noted the wedding anniversary and how happy he was with his wife, three kids and 16 grandchildren. Life, he wrote, had “been a lot of fun.”

Another Missouri couple killed in the accident were 69-year-old William Asher and 68-year-old Rosemarie Hamann. The St. Louis-area couple had been celebrating Hamman’s birthday earlier in the week. In a final Facebook photo postedby Hamann, he’s sticking his tongue out and she’s smiling.

“I can only imagine what they were going through. They were so in love. It’s just heartbreaking,” said friend Russ McKay, who said talked to Hamann the day before the accident.

McCay says Hamann told him the couple had just gone on a paddle boat and were planning to go again. He doesn’t know why they chose the duck boat instead.

Chance also brought the Colemans aboard the doomed vessel.

Tia Coleman said her family initially lined up for the wrong tour so they had to switch out their tickets for the 6:30 p.m. ride.

She says the crew showed passengers where the life jackets were but said, ‘Don’t worry about it, you won’t need it’,” Coleman said.

When swells crashed into the boat, they were told to stay seated, she says.

“When that boat is found all those life jackets are going to be on there” Coleman said. “Nobody pulled them off.”

The company’s website had been taken down by Saturday, save for a statement that its operations would remain shuttered to support the investigation and allow time for families and the community to grieve.

While the boat captain survived, its driver, 73-year-old Bob Williams, did not.

Branson Mayor Karen Best said Williams was a “great ambassador” for the city. Williams’ family in Rhode Island, where he’d lived for decades before retiring to Branson, remembered him as a deeply religious man who founded a local church.

“Pastor Bob was a prince of a man, loving, kind, and generous, whose loss to our family is incalculable,” said Williams’ son-in-law, Bishop Jeffery Williams, who now leads King’s Cathedral in Providence.

KBI: Chase ends with attempted-murder suspect in custody

KANSAS CITY– The suspect connected to a shooting which occurred Friday in Blue Mound, Kan., was arrested Saturday following a vehicle chase.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) special agents were working with Kansas City area police departments to locate a shooting suspect who was wanted for attempted murder, according to a media release.

An officer from the Leawood Police Department spotted the vehicle at approximately 6:20 p.m. in the area of Roe and College. The suspect did not stop for the officer and a pursuit began. 

Near I-435 and Wornall, the suspect identified as John Butler, 35, Lenexa, crashed his vehicle and exited on foot into a wooded area. KBI agents and officers pursued him on foot, and he was arrested a short time later.

Butler is jailed on numerous charges to include attempted murder. Nothing further will be released at this time.

—————

LINN COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is assisting the Linn County Sheriff’s Office with an investigation into a shooting.

Just after 1:30p.m. Friday, authorities responded to the report of a shooting at a residence at 604 E. Walnut Ave., in Blue Mound, Kan.

Image courtesy KBI

Upon arrival, a male shooting victim was located, and was transported by EMS to a Kansas City area hospital for treatment. He is expected to survive his injuries, according to the media release.

A shooting suspect was identified, and the investigation led the KBI’s High Risk Warrant Team, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, and the Mound City Police Department to conduct a tactical operation near the 500 block of Main in Mound City between approximatley 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. Friday.

The suspect was not apprehended as a result of this operation, and the search continued overnight.

 Anyone with information related to this shooting is asked to contact the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME or the Linn County Sheriff’s Office at 913-795-2665. 

Copyright Eagle Radio | FCC Public Files | EEO Public File