Missouri Western State University’s Center for Entrepreneurship will offer free workshops during the second annual Entrepreneurship Week. 

The week, March 27-31, includes multiple workshops put on by Missouri Western faculty members for local business professionals, aspiring entrepreneurs, college and high school students and anyone interested in learning more about running a small business. 

Annette Weeks is the Director of Entrepreneurship at Missouri Western’s Craig School of Business. She said Entrepreneurship Week is one of Missouri Western’s ways of giving back to the community. 

“There’s 5,594 businesses licensed in St. Joseph, out of those, 80% of the establishments are nine employees or less,” Weeks said. “Twenty-one percent of the jobs are from the very small businesses so those are the ones we focus on. They’re not the ones that can afford to have an HR Department or afford to have a full time accounting department so those are the entrepreneurs that we want to assist.” 

Some of the workshops during the week include “How to Write a Business Plan,” “Artists as Entrepreneurs,” “Social Media Tools for Small Businesses,” and “Using Excel for Beginners.” 

James Adkins is a professor at the Craig School of Business and will be holding workshops on QuickBooks and more.

Entrepreneurship Week runs Monday through Friday on the Missouri Western campus with a Capstone Business Luncheon on Friday. Workshops are free and open to the public. Registration is required for the luncheon.

For more information or to register for any of the events, call the Center for Entrepreneurship office at (816) 271-4283 or click here.

Buchanan County has started to prepare for new voter photo identification requirements.

In November, two thirds of those voting in the general election decided Missourians will have to present a photo-ID to cast a ballot. Buchanan County Clerk, Mary Baack-Garvey said they are working to implement the new requirement. The measure goes into effect June 1, which means voters will be required to show an ID in an August election.

“Everybody needs to know they have to have photo ID to vote,” Baack-Garvey said. “I’ve got to assume nine out of 10 voters have got to have a driver’s license in their pocket. I think here in Buchanan County we’re going to be fine.”

If someone needs an ID, a driver’s license and supporting documentation, like a birth certificate would be paid for by the state. Those without photo ID could still vote if they sign a waiver and show a utility bill or paycheck.

“The state is really working hard to make sure that these people who do not have one, they’re able to get one,” Baack-Garvey said. “We will have flyers, phone numbers, websites. Anything that they would need to get their free ID.”

Baack-Garvey said the Clerk’s Office started preparing earlier this month.

“What we’re really going to train our judges to do, number one is saying, ‘Can I please see a form of photo ID.’ Instead of, ‘Can I see an ID,'” Baack-Garvey said. “We’re going to hopefully have flyers out, almost to hand out to every voter if they do not have a form. Those who already have a form of ID, they’re so used to showing their photo ID anyway.”

If someone doesn’t have a photo ID, Baack-Garvey said they will have to sign a provisional ballot.

“If you do not have one you’re still allowed to vote you just have to sign an extra form,” Baack-Garvey said. “Now with this new implementation of photo ID, if they have zero form of ID, not even a paycheck stub with their current address they would fall into the provisional ballot line.  So there’s two different provisional ballots that are going to be at polling places now.”

She said nothing will change for absentee voters.

Anyone with questions on the new requirement should call the Buchanan County Clerk’s Office at (816) 271-1412.

A structure fire on Highland Avenue early Saturday morning shut down traffic on St. Joseph Avenue briefly. St. Joseph Fire Department Battalion Chief Bob Bangerter said some people reported the building on fire east of the Avenue shortly before two a.m.

“It’s more of a lean-to, actually, from the old lumber yard back here,” Bangerter said. “We’ve had problems in the past with people living or squatting back there, but I don’t know if that had anything to do with it.”

“They didn’t have any evidence of it, but a few years ago we had a fire right behind this and there were some people living down there at the time,” he said.

Chief Bangerter said the first engine company to arrive at the scene put the fire out fairly quickly.

“The guys didn’t report anything unusual, basically a vacant building with no obvious source of the fire.” A fire inspector was called in to determine the cause of the blaze. Bangerter said there were no injuries.

Two people have been charged after a neighbor allegedly discovered them stealing copper from a home in rural Platte County.

A man and young woman have been charged with breaking into a home on Second Creek Road in rural Platte County on March 21. Deric R. Wagner, 32, of Platte City and Kerstyn K. Rust, 17, of Platte City, face second degree burglary charges.

Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd in a news release said the pair were charged following an investigation by the Platte County Sheriff’s Department.

According to court documents, deputies responded on a call of possible trespassers in the 2600 block of Second Creek Road. The deputies allegedly found Wagner and Rust inside a home, stealing copper.

Deputies also recovered license plates that had previously been reported as stolen from an address in the 14000 block of Winan Road in Platte County, Missouri.

“The suspicious activity was called in by a neighbor,” said Platte County Sheriff Mark Owen. “Citizens reporting activity that is suspicious or that doesn’t look right is what helps law enforcement do our job.”

Wagner and Rust are both currently being held at the Platte County Detention Center in lieu of a $10,000 bond. If convicted, they each face up to seven years in prison.

A Gallatin woman is on her way back to Buchanan County to face a burglary charge after the processing of DNA evidence.

Linda Sue Pennell, 34 was charged last week with a felony of second-degree burglary stemming from an incident that took place in 2014.

In 2015, Pennell was sentenced to six years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for her guilty plea to a felony of theft/stealing.  She is currently being held in the Chillicothe Correctional Center.

According to court documents filed in connection with the new charge, Pennell is accused of taking part in a burglary in August of 2014 at a home located in the 3000 block of Olive St. in St. Joseph.

“The window and back door of the residence was forced open by unknown means.  Blood from the suspect was found inside the residence where items of value were stolen,” said Officer Jeff Pearl with the St. Joseph Police Department. “The DNA obtained from the blood evidence was processed and was a match for Linda Sue Helton-Pennell.”

Pennell is due in court in Buchanan County March 31 for an arraignment.