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Rain and patchy fog today

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weather-3-30Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: Showers likely, mainly between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Patchy fog before 11 a.m. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 49. East wind 7 to 14 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Tonight: A slight chance of showers before 1 a.m. Cloudy, with a low around 39. North northwest wind 8 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. North wind around 8 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. East northeast wind around 9 mph.

Saturday: A chance of showers before 9 a.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., then a chance of showers after 11 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58. East wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 4 a.m., then showers between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m., then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 5 a.m. Low around 48. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Sunday: Showers likely before 1 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 61. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46.

Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 63.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46.

Tuesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Tuesday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Wednesday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 62. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Suspect accused of attacking stranger from out of town arraigned on assault charge

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Benjamin Lee
Benjamin Lee
A man accused of attacking a woman he didn’t know at a local store was arraigned in Buchanan County Circuit Court Wednesday.

According to court filings, Benjamin Lee allegedly attacked a woman at the Menard’s store March 3, and had to be restrained by other customers.

St. Joseph police say they have store video that confirms witness accounts of the attack.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Lee assaulted the victim without provocation. He’s accused of strangling her, then putting her head between his legs and pulling on her chin. He then allegedly grabbed her by the inside of her mouth and began dragging her.

The victim says she is not from this area, and does not know Lee. She was hospitalized and, according to the affidavit was “extremely upset and distraught” by the incident.

Lee appeared Wednesday morning with his attorney Tim Warren before Circuit Judge David Bolander. He waived formal reading of the complaint information and the case was scheduled for trial-setting May 5. He is charged with a class-b felony count of first-degree assault. If convicted, he faces a prison term of from five to fifteen years.

Obituaries March 25-26

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Dale Eugene Miller
1937-2017

4916339Dale Eugene Miller was born Saturday, July 10th, 1937; and passed away Saturday, March 25th, 2017.
Place of Death St. Joseph, Missouri. Visitation Wednesday, March 29th, 2017, 6:00pm – 8:00pm. Located at the Becker-Dyer-Stanton Funeral Home. Service held Thursday, March 30th, 2017, 10:00am. Officiating Rev. Al Schirmacher. Located at the Becker-Dyer-Stanton Funeral Home. Interment located at Moray Cemetery.
 
Dale L Chartier
1946-2017

4915926Dale L Chartier was born Sunday, February 3rd, 1946; and passed away Saturday, March 25th, 2017. Visitation Tuesday, March 28th, 2017, 6:30pm – 8:30pm. Located at the Becker-Dyer-Stanton Funeral Home. Service held Wednesday, March 29th, 2017, 10:00am. Officiating Rev. Jennifer Obermueller. Located at the St. John’s Lutheran Church Lancaster. Interment located at the Lancaster Cemetery.
 
Nora Jean Wohlgemuth (Winzer)
1936-2017

4918316Nora Jean Wohlgemuth (Winzer) was born Saturday, August 29th, 1936; and passed awaySaturday, March 25th, 2017 in Atchison, Kansas. Visitation Friday, March 31st, 2017, 10:00am – 11:00am. Located at the First Christian Church. Service held Friday, March 31st, 2017, 11:00am. Officiating Matt Broxterman. Located at the First Christian Church. Interment located at the Sunset Memory Gardens-Atchison.
 
 
 
Katherine Lee Green
1918-2017

green-katherine-obitpicKatherine Lee Green, 98, St. Joseph, Missouri passed away Sunday, March 26, 2017.
She was born March 31, 1918 in Clearmont, Missouri to Everett and Mamie (Cox) Gray, they preceded her in death.
Katherine married Harry Franklin Green, also of Clearmont, in 1943. He preceded her in death October of 1979.
She graduated from Northwest Missouri State in Maryville and later received her Masters Degree at Colorado State College in Greeley, Colorado. She was a guidance counselor at Central High School, Bode Middle School and also taught English, Speech and Drama at Farragut and Leon in Iowa. She was also an active member of PEO and The Bode Book Club. After the Columbine High School tragedy in 1999, Katherine came out of retirement and traveled to Columbine, Colorado to assist with the counseling of the children.
Katherine enjoyed traveling, music and theatre and loved children, helping them in any way she could. The family would like to extend a special thanks to Freudenthal Home Health Care and Crossroads Hospice for their loving care.
She was also preceded in death by her sister, Virginia Heyen.
Survivors include son, Bob Green, Kansas City, Missouri; nephew, Joe Heyen, Kansas City, Missouri and niece, Ann Heyen, Portland, Oregon.
The family will gather with friends 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Friday, Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory. Farewell Services 10:00 A.M. Saturday, Ashland United Methodist Church. Interment Nodaway Memorial Gardens, Maryville, Missouri. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Noyes Home in honor of Katherine. Online guest book and obituary at www.meierhoffer.com.

Grand jury indicts six in immigrant smuggling investigation

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usdoj-small
Six men from Mexico were indicted Tuesday in a case of alleged alien smuggling. Adrian Guzman-Rojas, 19, a citizen of Mexico, was charged with one count of knowingly transporting Mexican citizens who were not lawfully in the United States.

In court documents, investigators alleged that on March 10, 2017, Guzman-Rojas was driving a 2012 Buick Enclave when the Kansas Highway Patrol stopped him on Interstate 70 near Ellsworth, Kan. It is alleged that five men in the car with Guzman-Rojas were Mexican citizens who previously had been deported and who had returned to the United States unlawfully.

Charged with one count each of illegally re-entering the United States are the following Mario Esqivel-Garduno, 38, Ernesto Galeno-Castillo, 36, Juan Gonzalez-Vicente, 20, Manuel Luna-Macin, 31, and Alejandro Villa-Maldonado, 27, all citizens of Mexico.

Investigators allege Guzman-Rojas was being paid by smugglers in Phoenix.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
*Unlawful transportation of undocumented aliens: Up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to$250,000.
*Un-lawful re-entry: Up to two years and a fine up to $250,000.

Indictment: suspect in $5 million embezzlement withdrew proceeds at casinos

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Scales-of-Justice1A Kansas woman was indicted Tuesday on federal charges of embezzling more than $5 million from a credit union that was declared insolvent and liquidated.

Nita Rae Nirschl, 64, Parsons, Kan., is charged in an 81-count indictment including 22 counts of embezzlement, 37 counts of money laundering, 18 counts of interstate transportation of stolen property and four counts of attempting to evade taxes.

The indictment alleges the crimes took place while Nirschl worked for the Parsons Pittsburg Credit Union based in Parsons. U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said the credit union was placed in conservatorship and liquidated in March 2014, following an audit that found it was insolvent. The audit revealed that from 2010 to December 2014 Nirschl embezzled more than $5 million from the credit union.

The indictment alleges she deposited money stolen from the credit union into her personal accounts. She withdrew the funds as cash from ATMs at Harrah’s North Kansas City casino, the Buffalo Run casino in Miami, Okla., the Stables casino in Miami, Okla., the Downstream casino in Quapaw, Okla., Harrah’s News Orleans casino and Harrah’s Lake Tahoe casino.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
*Embezzlement by a credit union employee: Up to 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million on each count.
*Money laundering: Up to 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.
*Interstate transportation of stolen property: Up to 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.
*Attempt to evade taxes: Up to five years and a fine up to $100,000.

Missouri man pleads guilty to supplying at least 5 kilos of meth to St. Joe

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USDOJ color
An Independence, Missouri man pleaded guilty on Monday to supplying at least five kilograms of methamphetamine for eventual sale in St. Joseph.

Federal prosecutors announced the conclusion of a case that originated with the Buchanan County Strike Force.

 

Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that Gregory Scott Huggins, II, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from Jan. 1 to Sept. 10, 2015.

Co-defendants Russell Wayne Helton, 36, and Tisha Anne Woods, 32, both of St. Joseph, have also pleaded guilty to their roles in the drug-trafficking conspiracy. Woods was sentenced on Aug. 11, 2016, to four years and nine months in federal prison without parole. Helton, who also pleaded guilty to using firearms in furtherance of the drug-trafficking conspiracy, awaits sentencing.

By pleading guilty today, Huggins, 31, admitted that he supplied methamphetamine to Helton and Woods, who distributed in the St. Joseph area. Conspirators distributed a total of at least five kilograms of methamphetamine during the conspiracy.

The investigation began on Sept. 10, 2015, when law enforcement officers took Helton into custody on a parole violation warrant. Helton was in possession of a Raven Arms .25-caliber handgun. Investigators searched his vehicle and found plastic baggies that contained methamphetamine. Another baggie, containing approximately 40 grams of methamphetamine, was taken from the passenger in Helton’s vehicle, who received it from Helton and was supposed to sell it for $1,400.

Helton told investigators he had been purchasing multiple-ounce quantities of methamphetamine every day for the past three weeks. Helton said he paid $800 per ounce for the methamphetamine and that he purchased $3,000-$7,000 worth of methamphetamine (approximately 3.5 kilograms) at a time.

Woods told officers she had been making trips to Independence with Helton at least three times a week to pick up methamphetamine from Huggins. Woods made at least 16 trips with Helton and picked up an estimated total of over five kilograms methamphetamine from Huggins. She admitted that the distribution of more than 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine could be associated with her.

Under federal statutes, Huggins is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. Helton is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole for the drug-trafficking conspiracy, plus a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole for the firearm, which must be served consecutively.

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Rhoades. It was investigated by the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Culver’s raising funds for Heroes Campaign

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culversCulver’s is helping to raise funds for the American Red Cross Heroes Campaign.

The Red Cross of Northwest Missouri said 10 percent of sales made at the restaurant Wednesday will go towards the Heroes Campaign.  The Red Cross kicked off its 2017 Heroes Campaign earlier this month.  This year’s goal is to raise $137,250 by the end of the campaign’s centennial celebration slated for May 18 at Missouri Western State University.

Participants wanting to eat out and help raise funds for disaster assistance can do so Wednesday at Culver’s located at 3910 N. Belt Highway.  Red Cross volunteers will also be on hand greeting customers at times throughout the day.

Dock installed for the season near Remington

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Dock installed Tuesday on Missouri River near Remington Nature Center. Photo courtesy City of St. Joseph
Dock installed Tuesday on Missouri River near Remington Nature Center. Photo courtesy City of St. Joseph

The City of St. Joseph installed a floating dock on the Missouri River near Remington Nature Center Tuesday.

Assistant Parks Dir. Jeff Atkins said they try to have the dock on the river as close April 1 as possible.  He said barring flooding the dock will remain there until around Oct. 30.

“Once the river reaches an elevation of about 17 feet we have to go down and restrict access to the dock,” Atkins said. “If the river is projected to reach a level of 21 foot or greater for an extended period of time we go down and remove the dock from the river to prevent damage to the dock.”

The city purchased the dock in 2009 with a grant from the Missouri Department of Conservation.

“It does get a lot of use.  We don’t allow overnight motoring to the dock, we don’t allow fishing from the dock, we don’t allow sunbathing on the dock.  It’s basically there for people to use when they are putting the boats in and out at the boat ramp.  It gives them some place to park their boat,” Atkins said. “For the entire season it does get used on a fairly regular basis.”

Atkins said a crane aids in the installation and removal process.  He said within three hours the dock can be placed or removed.

Showers and thunderstorms continue

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weather-3-29Widespread rain this morning will drop rainfall amounts ranging from around a half inch across northern and central Missouri to as much as one to two inches across far western Missouri and eastern Kansas. After a brief break in the activity early this afternoon, additional storms are expected to develop late this afternoon and this evening. Some of these storms could be strong to severe particularly to the south of the Missouri River. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11 a.m. High near 53. Breezy, with an east wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.

Tonight: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 47. East northeast wind 9 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Thursday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a high near 52. North wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Thursday Night: A slight chance of showers before 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39. North northwest wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 53. North wind 7 to 9 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 59.

Saturday Night: Showers. Low around 47. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Sunday: Showers likely, mainly before 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday Night: A chance of showers after 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Monday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Monday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 64.

 

Furniture store won’t reopen downtown; repairs and restoration after fire next door “not financially feasible”

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The family that owns the Home Style Furniture store in downtown St. Joseph held an emotional news conference Tuesday to announce that a fire next door five months ago caused enough damage to their building that they will not be able to reopen the business.

As we’ve reported, the Hand family has been waiting quite a while to find out what their future holds.  Bob Hand said they recently received an analysis from a structural engineering firm.

“Due to the extreme heat from the fire, the large anount of water to suppress the fire, and the collapse of the adjacent building into our building’s firewall, our building has sustained significant exterior and interior damage,” Hand said. There was also damage to the building’s foundation. The cost to repair the 136-year-old building proved too much, even though Hand says the building was insured.

The announcement was an emotional one. “There’s nothing like our building,” said Deana Hand, “our kids they grew up here.”

“She’s 19, he’s 23, our oldest is 26,” she said, “we’ve been in business 21 years.”

The family spent considerable effort after the fire looking for a new location to reopen the business, but Bob Hand says they haven’t found one. “We stopped looking, because we wanted to focus our energy on staying here,” he said. “Although we knew the damages that were around us, we felt like ‘let’s focus on here.'”

“We have done some stuff, to look at other possibilities, other buildings, but right now, after receiving the information that we got, we need to take some time, we need to consider what all our possibilities are.”

Deana Hand says they still have about 5,000 square feet of furniture in storage. That furniture, mostly living room pieces, was delivered as the fire was still burning. She said they would love to reopen downtown, but there aren’t very many buildings there that offer what they had, including close parking, large amounts of storage space, and a loading dock.

“We love the downtown, but this building presented everything we needed,” said Bob Hand.

With all the fires and water main problems in the downtown area lately, he says someone, perhaps the city of the fire department, needs to make sure this doesn’t happen again. “Somebody needs to take the lead on going to, not just vacant buildings, but primarily vacant buildings, to go to any building that has a fire-supression system in it, and make sure it is up to code and functioning,” he said.

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