In the midst of the demolition of the former Ramada Inn, Whiskey Creek is reaching out to customers to let them know it’s still open.

In the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce’s Monday Morning Memo, Whiskey Creek Owner Jim Gardner said he thinks a lot of people are afraid to come into the restaurant because it looks like it’s about to be razed.

“But we are here, we are open and our staff is eager to serve you,” Gardner said. “We have wonderful, long term, hard-working employees that count on your support to get us through this demolition project.”

In the memo, Gardner said Whiskey Creek has a lease with several years remaining and can’t remodel or build a new store on the corner until the redevelopment plans are finalized. The new owners of the former Ramada Inn property are currently in the process of tearing down the hotel. Gardner said while they plan to bring in a new store eventually, right now they need the community’s support.

“We appreciate our guests and hope they will understand we are in a position not of our making, and hope they will continue to come in as the corner is being developed,” he said.

CLICK HERE to view the chamber’s memo.

MOUND CITY, Mo. – Plans are underway to replace the bridge on U.S. Route 59 over Davis Creek on the east side of Mound City.

The Missouri Department of Transportation will hold a community briefing from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23, at the Mound City R-1 Middle School to discuss and gather input regarding construction plans for the project. The meeting will be an open-house style format with no planned formal presentation. Designers and engineers from MoDOT will be on hand to answer questions and receive input.

The current bridge, built in 1929, carries approximately 730 vehicles per day and has exceeded its intended lifespan. Most of the state’s 10,376 bridges were designed and built to last 50 years. The project is currently scheduled to go out for bid in September 2017 and the bridge will be closed during its replacement.

For more information about this and other MoDOT projects, call 1-888-ASK-MODOT or visit modot.org/northwest.

The South Harrison School District is warning about a possible mumps exposure during a basketball tournament earlier this month.

The school district said it was notified Thursday that a person from the Putnam County School District in attendance at the South Harrison Basketball Tournament held Monday, Jan 9 through Thursday, Jan. 13 has been diagnosed with mumps.

The school said being properly immunized is the best protection. However, someone who is immunized may still catch the disease.  It said symptoms start to show 12 to 25 days after exposure.  Anyone who displays symptoms should see their healthcare provider.

CLICK HERE to see the letter from the school.

(News Release) – Erin McGrane, a musician, songwriter, actress and producer, will present an Artist INC seminar titled “What Works” in the Art Entrepreneurship Speaker Series at Missouri Western State University at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25 in Potter Hall, room 107. The presentation is free and open to the public.

The seminar explores the common ground of artists and entrepreneurs. Artists, like traditional small business owners, wear many hats – creator, fabricator, accountant, marketer, technologist and more. And many artists, like traditional small business owners, find this a daunting task.

Through their work with more than 500 artists, the Artist INC program has identified the common behaviors of successful artist entrepreneurs. In the What Works workshop, McGrane will share those behaviors and prepare artists to apply them to their own careers.

Erin McGrane has been an active performing artist in the Kansas City arts and music community for many years. She is a film, theatre and commercial actress; a musician and songwriter; and a co-host of the television program CinemaKC. Her current project is Victor & Penny, a nationally touring guitar and ukulele duo playing “antique pop,” early jazz and clever original songs with Blue Man Group guitarist Jeff Freling.

The next speaker in the Art Entrepreneurship series will be Eric Swangtsu, who will talk about how artists should approach galleries and how to navigate the graduate school admissions process at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 15 in Potter Hall, room 107.

A local artist has used social media to turn anonymous secrets from all around the world into works of art. The secrets range from murder to medical marijuana, from crises in faith to confessions from porn stars. Cristin Stevenson on Saturday unveils “The Secret Project” at the Glore Psychiatric Museum.

Stevenson collected the secrets anonymously, in a forum not noted for keeping secrets.

“I first asked on Facebook,” Stevenson said. “I posted a status and asked if anyone would feel comfortable sending me their secrets, and they did, and they’ve never stopped.

At this point I’ve probably got over a hundred.”

Stevenson said she’s created about 50 artworks for the exhibit at the Glore Psychiatric Museum.

“I think it’s a perfect place for it, because keeping these secrets inside of us is what can fester into mental illness,” she said. “A lot of times, these things that we’re ashamed of, that we’re holding in, will turn into mental illness. I think that’s a great place to have it, and raise awareness.”

Social media has made it possible for Stevenson to collect secrets from here in St. Joe and around the world, from friends and total strangers.

“I’ve had people from all around the world,” she said. “It started out as just friends, and then I would create the artwork and post all about it, and then the people would share it. And so I started getting e-mails, and on Instagram, and people setting up fake e-mails just to send me their secrets.”

The secrets cover a wide range of subjects, including “things that people are ashamed of, that they’ve never told anyone, things that not even their spouse knows about them.”

The official opening for “The Secret Project” was scheduled January 21 from 4-6pm at the Glore Psychiatric Museum, 3406 Frederick Ave. The exhibition will continue at least through the end of March. Click here to visit “PanArt – Artwork by Cristin Stevenson” on Facebook.