Triumph Foods has made another large meat donation to the Second Harvest Community Food Bank.

According to Second Harvest, earlier this week Triumph donated 21,000 lbs of ribs, loins, pork steaks and other pork cuts to the food bank.  It’s the third large donation from Triumph this year.  In June the company donated 20,000 lbs to the food bank to aid in hunger in northwest Missouri and in September 36,000 lbs of meat was donated to Second Harvest of southern Louisiana to aid in flood relief efforts.

Second Harvest said the latest donation is enough food to help provide over 16,600 meals across the 19 counties the agency serves in northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas.

“We are constantly working to identify how to provide more protein to families in need throughout the region,” said Chad Higdon, Ex. Dir. at Second Harvest.  “Our partnership with Triumph Foods helps with our fight against hunger, and when we receive a generous contribution of high quality protein we can provide assistance to the many struggling families in the region.”

The Doniphan County Sheriff’s Office is collecting donations to help families in need in the county this Christmas.

Donations are being collected through Friday, Dec. 12 at the sheriff’s office located at 219 S. Main St. in Troy, Kan.

Deputy Raymond Hall said the sheriff’s office has around 26 families including around 120 children in need of help this Christmas.

New or slightly used toys, books, gloves, hats, scarves or coats are being collected.  Hall said monetary donations are also being taken at the front desk to be used to purchase items that are still needed when it comes time to deliver the gifts.  As of Friday, around $400 has been raised.

“We will be delivering those items to families in need in Doniphan County for the holidays,” the sheriff’s office stated in a news release.  “If you would like to nominate a family in need please contact us and will need to get some information about the sizes and other information of those families.”

Hall said to call the sheriff’s office if someone wants to give but needs someone to come by to pick up the donation. Applications for families in need are also available at schools as well.

Hall said deputies and staff members with the sheriff’s office plan to deliver the gifts to the families sometime during the week before Christmas.

Christmas Trees and assorted gifts will be raffled off Saturday to benefit the Andrew County Museum.

Saturday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. the museum, located at 202 E. Duncan Dr. in Savannah plans to host an event it’s calling Christmas Memories.  Participants will have the chance to bid on more than 20 decorated trees and a number of other items including restaurant gift card baskets, home decor, a basket of MU items, hair care items, an oil change, and more.

Chances can be purchased at $1 for one, $5 for six, or $10 for fifteen.  They can be purchased until 7:30 p.m. Saturday night.  Anyone who can’t attend the event can still purchase tickets.  An official with the museum said there is no need to be present to win.  The museum opens Saturday at 10 a.m.

Funds raised from the event will go to benefit the museum. For more information call (816) 324-4720.

A southeastern Nebraska jury on Friday returned guilty verdicts against a man accused of murdering his cousin. The Richardson County jury found Desiderio Hernandez guilty on all counts.

Hernandez was charged with first-degree murder, using a firearm to commit a felony and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. As, we reported earlier, the charges stem from an incident at a Falls City home in August of 2015 in which Joseph Debella, Jr., 31, was fatally shot.

The 35-year-old defendant then fled to Horton, Kansas, where he was arrested after an hours-long standoff with police.

Hernandez remains behind bars awaiting sentencing early next year.

A murder suspect tried to fire his lawyer Friday, in Buchanan County court, called the judge “dude” and said the judge was breaking the law. His case has now been delayed for a court-ordered evaluation of his mental competency.

Justin Appleberry, 23, is charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of 75-year-old Louis Nold at the home they used to share in the 3400 block of McQueen Road on the night of Oct. 31.

He was scheduled for a preliminary hearing docket call Friday before Associate Judge Keith Marquart. The hearing began when Assistant Public Defender Karen Klingbeil asked the judge for a continuance so Appleberry could be evaluated by a private agency to determine if he is competent to stand trial. But she was interrupted by Mr. Appleberry, who said he wanted to fire Klingbeil. The judge said Appleberry didn’t have the authority to do that.

That’s when Appleberry offered a handwritten note to the judge, saying the judge had made him sign a document without an attorney present. The case is early in the proceedings, and the only document offered by officials that Appleberry would have signed was his application for a court-appointed lawyer.

“You’re the one who broke the law, dude,” Appleberry told Judge Marquart.

When Klingbeil tried to quiet him down, she told the judge she thinks an evaluation is needed.

“Yeah, well, I don’t care what you think anymore,” Appleberry said.

After several stern rebukes to everyone involved in the case, Judge Marquart agreed with Prosecuting Attorney Dwight Scroggins and ordered a formal evaluation, to determine if Appleberry understands the nature of the proceedings against him and can aid in his own defense.

Marquart told the public defender that a private examination of competency could be misinterpreted, and could lead to problems on appeal since the court might never have a chance to review the findings of that exam. The case is now on hold until the results of the examination are received by the court.

As we reported earlier, investigators say in court documents that Appleberry was identified by a witness, that he made a statement to authorities, and that he made reference to killing other people.

A man has been charged after a drug bust Thursday on I-29 in Andrew County.

Jemale Randle, 26 of Illinois is charged in Andrew County with two felonies for trafficking, two felonies for distribution or attempt, and two felonies for possession of a controlled substance.

According to court documents, Thursday a Trooper with the Missouri State Highway Patrol stopped a vehicle shortly before 9 a.m. on I-29 at the 52 mile marker.

“The 2015 Jeep Compass bearing Washington registration was stopped for cutting in on overtaken vehicle while traveling south,” said Sgt. M. Wilhoit. “A consent search of the vehicle revealed 12 vacuum sealed bags of marijuana inside a black Nike bag, and 4 individual vacuum sealed bags of cocaine hidden inside a black speaker located next to the duffel bags.”

Randle is currently being held in the Andrew County Jail on $100,00 bail.  A court date has not yet been listed on online court documents.