A 20-year-old St. Joseph man appeared in court Tuesday on assault charges stemming from an incident May 18 that sent a man to the hospital. Tri Minn Tran is being held without bail on one count of 3rd degree assault, a class-e felony.

In court documents, police said Tran allegedly attacked a man sitting on a bench in the 2800 block of St. Joseph Ave. Det. Greg Ogdahl said in a court affidavit the defendant punched the victim in the face repeatedly and kicked him in the head.

In a court hearing Tuesday, Judge Daniel Kellogg scheduled the case for a preliminary hearing July 11 at 1:30 pm. Judge Kellogg was filling in for Associate Judge Rebecca Spencer, who is being treated for a health concern.

Local convention officials offer some good news and bad news for lodging during this summer’s total eclipse. Tell your out-of-town friends and family that local motel operators have some previously-booked rooms available, and they’ve shortened the minimum stay required to book those rooms from three days to two days.

But only “primitive” camping remains available at the various public camping sites being offered, which means no RV hookups, no running water, no electricity, and likely no Internet service.

Beth Conway of the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau on Monday said at least five motels in St. Joseph offer two-day stays that include the day of the eclipse, Aug. 21. The Stoney Creek Inn has released an additional 30 rooms that had been booked for another event. Rooms will also be available at The Holiday Inn Express, The Radisson, The Fairfield Inn, and Candlewood Suites, Conway said.

You should call the motels directly, rather than going online or calling a motel chains national 800 number.

St. Joseph is in the path of the “totality,” during which the moon will completely darken the sun for more than two minutes. Local planners expect a deluge of visitors from outside the area, and worry that they will be unprepared for the sheer numbers of people. You can expect to see massive public outreach over the next couple of months, on the subjects of preventing eye injuries, being prepared for a disruption of services, and preparing for overflow traffic on the city’s major thoroughfares.

A professor of astrophysics at MU will be the keynote speaker at the next eclipse information sessions scheduled by the CVB. Dr. Angela Speck will speak to gatherings at 9 am, 1 pm, and 6 pm on July 26. The sessions will be held at the Scottish Rite Temple at 515 N. Sixth St.

A bus loaded with more than 30 members of the local tourism industry is making stops around town Monday for the Show Me St. Joe tourism workshop.

The Convention and Visitors Bureau said the workshop’s focus is to create an awareness of what St. Joseph has to offer, foster community pride, teach the importance of tourism in Buchanan County and stress the significance of business and resident involvement in attracting visitors.

Participants are making stops at various museums throughout the day, including Patee House, Jesse James Home, Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, St. Joseph Museums and the Pony Express Museum.

According to the CVB, the workshop has been taking place for more than 15 years and had graduated over 2,000 participants from local museums, hotels, attractions, banks and restaurants and more.