The St. Joseph Police Department has announced sobriety checkpoints will be held sometime during the months of March and April.

In a news release, Sgt. Chris McBane said the Northwest Missouri DWI Task Force will be conducting checkpoints in Buchanan County sometime during those months.

“We appreciate the cooperation of motorists that find themselves passing through a checkpoint,” McBane said. “Our goal is to take impaired drivers off the road making them safer.”

Drivers who find themselves in a checkpoint are asked to pay extra attention to the posted signs and officers working.

“The goal is to reduce drunk/impaired driving,” McBane said. “We encourage the use of a designated driver or a taxi cab if you are going out.  Please remember driver sober and always wear your seat belt.”

The Missouri State Auditor’s Office has released a 2016 report on criminal activity seizures showing thousands seized in Buchanan County.

According to the auditor’s office, state law requires prosecuting attorneys and the Attorney General to report seizures made under the Criminal Activity Forfeiture Act (CAFA) to the State Auditor and the Director of the Department of Public Safety.  Last year, 116 seizures in the state were reported under CAFA.  The overall dollar value for property seized in 2016 was $6,253,326.  Of that total $482,142 was returned, $2,745,658 was transferred to a federal agency, and $97,067 was transferred to the state.

According to the report released Tuesday, in Buchanan County the 2016 estimated value of seizures reported was $15,164.  The report said $6,412 was transferred to the state, $6,110 was listed as pending and $2,642 was not reported as being dispositioned. The report did not show any money returned.  A total of seven seizures were listed as being reported in 2016 in Buchanan County under CAFA.

To view the report in full CLICK HERE.

The St. Joseph School District has announced Chris Early to take on the role as principal at Lafayette High School.

Early has been serving as Lafayette’s assistant principal since 2013. He will replace Dr. Tyran Sumy. Dr. Sumy announced her retirement earlier this year after more than 20 years with the district.

“This is bittersweet for me and I am sad to leave Lafayette, but I feel Mr. Early is very qualified for this position,” said Dr. Sumy. “He is the type of person who will take Lafayette to the next level.”

Early built his resume as a leader in education at Lafayette. His experience – which spans nearly 20 years – includes instructional coach, communication arts department chair and communications arts instructor. His teaching career began in the East Buchanan C-1 School District where he spent two years as a communication arts instructor.

Early has a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Northwest Missouri State University, a K-12 Gifted Education Certification from the University of Missouri and a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education in English from Missouri Western State University. He is currently enrolled in the Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis Doctoral Program through the University of Missouri/Northwest Missouri State University.

Early will begin his new role as Lafayette’s principal during the 2017-18 school year. His contract was approved during executive session at the Board of Education meeting on Monday, February 27, 2017.

The St. Joseph School District Board of Education on Monday accepted the resignation of a board member, and announced they will accept applications to fill the seat for the next two weeks.

As we reported earlier, Chris Danford resigned her position on board Feb. 16. The board formally accepted that resignation Monday.

Superintendent Dr. Robert Newhart says there has been some misinformation circulating on social media about how the board will fill the seat. Some residents are citing the wrong statute.

“We are following statute, we are following board policy,” Newhart said. “That precedent actually was set back in April of ’15 when you had to fill a previous position as well.”

The district’s legal counsel Joe Hatley pointed out that the law requires the board to fill the seat.  “There is one statute in Missouri that does call for a special election whenever there is a board vacancy, but that only applies to the Kansas City School District,” Hatley said.

But he says St. Joseph, and most of the rest of the state, are governed by a different statute. “That statute requires that vacancies be filled by appointment, by the board, as soon as practicable,” he said. “The statute doesn’t specify the process. It leaves each individual school district to develop its own process and impelent that.”

“You all have done that through board policy BBE. That’s what you’re getting ready to embark upon.”

Newhart announced a two-week window during which those interested in serving on the board can apply for the vacant seat. You must deliver a hard copy to the Board Secretary at 925 Felix in downtown St. Joseph by March 13.

“What this will entail is a hard copy letter of intent, stating qualifications, stating reasons for wanting the position, with three letters of reference, by March 13th at 4:30 p.m. in hard copy form,” Newhart said.