The St Joseph School District is asking for input from parents on next year’s summer school program.
Parents can visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FSJNFMD to take the survey.
You can also find the survey on home page of the SJSD website https://www.sjsd.k12.mo.us/.
Michael Lee Crossland
1961-2016
Michael Lee Crossland was born Saturday, August 26th, 1961; and passed away Saturday, September 24th, 2016 in Atchison, Kansas. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Michael will have a naval burial at sea off the Port of San Diego, CA. A memorial service will be held at a later date.
Raea Jean McDowell
1954-2016
Raea Jean McDowell 62, of Saint Joseph, Missouri passed away Saturday September 24, 2016 at a health care center in St. Joseph, MO. She was born January 10, 1954 in St. Joseph, Missouri. She managed the Corner Pocket Lounge. She enjoyed crossword puzzles, trips to the casino, being with friends, but she was the happiest spending time with her grandchildren. Raea was preceded in death by her father, Albert “Spud” Wallace, mother, Joyce Embrey, two brothers, Daniel Embrey, and Roy “Butch” Embrey. Survivors include her four children: Jeremy McDowell, Crissy Murphy, Amanda McDowell all of St. Joseph, and Steven McDowell of Gladstone, MO, eleven grandchildren, Dylan, Talan, Austin, Chase, Joseph, Isaac, Aydan, Joslin, Robert, Owen, Griffan and one great grand child, Trace, two sisters, Joy (David) Boller, and Teresa (James) Crossfield, three brothers, Russell Wallace, Daryl Wallace, and Bryan Wallace.
The family will receive friends from 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm on Thursday September 29, 2016 with a memorial service to follow at 7:00 pm at the Rupp Funeral Home. She has been cremated under the direction of the Rupp Funeral Home. Memorials are requested to the Raea McDowell Memorial Fund in care of the Rupp Funeral Home. Online condolence and obituary at www.ruppfuneral.com.
Howard R. Gentry
1937-2016
Howard R. Gentry, 79, of Lenexa, died Sunday, September 25, 2016 at the Brookdale Nursing Home in Shawnee, KS.
He was born March 12, 1937 at Clayton, OK, the son of Bill and Elsie Carter Gentry. He graduated from Corona High School in Corona, CA in 1955 and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from Pepperdine University in California.
Howard joined the U.S. Air Force in 1955 and served through 1965. He was an In-flight Refueling Specialist, or Boomer. He later worked as a Safety Engineer for AETNA and Home Life Insurance companies.
He was a member of the Calvary Baptist Church in Lenexa, Dwight Cowles American Legion Post in Overland Park, Disabled American Veterans and the Vietnam Veterans Association.
Howard married Carol Bonjour in October of 1956. She survives, of the home.
Other survivors include three sons, Ed and his wife, Cindy, Larry and his wife, Darcie, and Donald and his wife, Michelle; eight grandchildren, Amanda, Chad, Brock, Pam, Michael, Donald, Jacob and Elisa, and six great-grandchildren, Damien, Irena, Charlotte, Cale, Dalton and Beau.
Cremation is planned. Graveside services with military honors will be 1:00 p.m. Saturday, October 1st at the Onaga Cemetery. Chapel Oaks Funeral Home in Onaga is in charge of arrangements.
Wilbur G. Jeffers
1942-2016
Wilbur G. Jeffers, 91, St. Joseph, Missouri passed away Monday, September 26, 2016 at a local healthcare facility.
He was born February 2, 1925 in Easton, Missouri.
Mr. Jeffers entered the U.S. Army in 1942 serving in the Army Engineers.
He married Colleen Granger in 1951. They celebrated 65 years of marriage this June.
He worked 44 years at Westab/Mead Products retiring in 1989 as Superintendent.
Wilbur enjoyed farming, fishing, and playing cards.
Mr. Jeffers was a member of Moila Shrine, St. Joseph Lodge #78, 32nd degree K.C.C.H Scottish Rite Mason, and a member of Patee Park Baptist Church.
He was preceded in death by his parents, George Leslie Jeffers and Thelma Jeffers; sister, Betty Crouch; and nephew, John Crouch.
Survivors include his wife, Colleen Jeffers; son, Gregory Jeffers (Sue); daughter, Sandra Cox (Richard);nephew, Neal Crouch (Bonnie); one niece, Patricia Crouch; six grandchildren, Ashley Miller (Brad), Aaron Bartram (Wally), April Jeffers, Eric Cox (Justina), Kenny Cox (Jennifer) and Khris Cox (Jesskah); 12 great grandchildren; two great nieces; and one great nephew.
Graveside Farewell Services and Inurnment 10:00 A.M. Thursday, Memorial Park Cemetery. The family will gather with friends 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Wednesday, Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory. The procession will leave from Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory. Online guest book and obituary at www.meierhoffer.com.
David Thomas Weaver
1950-2016
David Thomas Weaver was born Thursday, March 23rd, 1950; and passed away Monday, September 26th, 2016. Visitation Thursday, September 29th, 2016, 6:00pm – 7:00pm
LocationCarol Baptist Church. Services held Thursday, September 29th, 2016, 7:00pm; officiating Rev. Joseph Hansen. Located at the Carol Baptist Church. Interment located at the Leavenworth National Cemetery; 9:00 AM Friday, Sept. 30th, 2016.
A head-on collision in southwestern Kansas claimed the life of a man from Liberal, Kansas Tuesday morning.
The Kansas Highway Patrol says a Ford Taurus driven by Michael Riedel crossed the center line on U.S. Highway 54, 12 miles west of Liberal, at 7:21 a.m. The vehicle crashed into a semi in oncoming traffic. The 62-year-old Liberal man died in the crash.
The truck driver was also injured. The crash report identifies him as Guillermo Pimentel, 57, of Conroe, Texas.
St. Joseph School District Superintendent Dr. Robert Newhart says eventually “something has to give.” The Board of Education voted to postpone indefinitely consideration of the proposed lease-purchase financing for renovations at Noyes School to create an early-childhood education center.
It marked the first effort by the administration improve the finances for capital projects in the district since the operating levy expired about a year ago after the district received a scathing report from the State Auditor. It also could mark the beginning of a new effort to revive the district’s operating levy. District officials will re-think all of their options in coming weeks, and Newhart says nothing is off the table.
Dr. Newhart says he doesn’t feel the Noyes renovations were the reason the plan was shelved, but rather the way it was to be funded.
“No, I do not believe that the project itself is the issue for the postponement,” he said in an interview. “It’s more due to the financing piece, if that’s the correct way to go, or the best way to go. Then also there are other needs in the district, such as HVAC of the middle schools and high schools that need to be done as well.”
He says the board and district staff are concerned moving forward with overall operations after losing the 63-cent operating levy.
“Something has to give,” he says, “All this was part of a a corrective action plan which ultimately is going to require community engagement, and hopefully a new revenue piece, as well as trying to meet the facility needs that we have.”
Newhart is grappling with a number of high priorities. He says overall maintenance of the older buildings runs from $1 million to $1.5 million a year, and that occurs each year on a dwindling capital projects budget. He says the district needs to set up a financing plan that meets both short-term and long-term needs. Add that to his high priority capital projects.
“To prioritize this right now, you need additional space for reduced classroom sizes, the HVAC, particularly the high schools and the two middle schools that need to be addressed, and the pre-school issue.”
Newhart did not rule out the possibility of trying to revive the operating levy in the future.
“You’ve got to have a community engagement arm in the meantime to find out what the public can and will, or may not, support,” he says, “but I think that has to be discussed and talked about, yes.”
“Somewhere along the line here, when you’re deficit spending at approximately 3% annually, it’s not going to take too many years here where something has to give.”
Two subjects were taken into custody after a standoff at a house on Michigan Street Monday night.
According to Captain Jeff Wilson with the St. Joseph Police Department, officers responded to the 200 block of Michigan Street in reference to checking a house for two subjects possibly involved in a stolen vehicle case.
Wilson said after arriving, officers were eventually given permission to search the residence. Two subjects were located and taken into custody. Randy Vandorn, 31, has an active probation and parole warrant and is being held on $2,500 bond. John VanWicklin, 26, has an active probation and parole warrant and is being held on $50,000 bond. They are currently held on the warrants.
Wilson said detectives are continuing to investigate the stolen vehicle aspect.
Cool temperatures continue through the weekend.
Here’s the seven-day forecast from the National Weather Service.
Today: Sunny, with a high near 74. Light and variable wind becoming west northwest 5 to 9 mph in the morning.
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 49. West northwest wind 3 to 5 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 68. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 48. North wind 3 to 7 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 69. North wind 3 to 7 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 48.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 72.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 50.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 72.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 52.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 74.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 55.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75.
A motorist escaped with minor injuries after a rollover crash along I-29 in Atchison County, Missouri Monday morning.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol says an SUV driven by 75-year-old James Peterson of Springfield, Nebraska left the interstate, hit and gravel crossover in the median and went airborne. The vehicle then hit the ground and rolled over onto the passenger side.
According to the crash report, Mr. Peterson was taken to Fairfax Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
A crash involving a school bus injured two people in Nodaway County Monday afternoon.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol says a St. Joseph man drove into the rear of the bus as it was unloading students on Route M east of Barnard at 3:16 p.m.
The crash report says 37-year-old Kevin Thomas suffered moderate injuries and was transported to Mosaic Life Care for treatment. A 12-year-old Conception Junction girl on the bus, Ashlyn Mires, suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene.
A virtual neighborhood watch is providing another way to keep the St. Joseph community safe.
Commander Mike Wilson with the St. Joseph Police Department said the virtual groups were started in the area about a year ago through the website Next Door.
“What it provides is in your neighborhood you can start your own virtual neighborhood watch group,” Wilson said. “You can put information out (such as), ‘Hey I need a babysitter’ or I have this or that, but also it’s used to communicate with your neighbors about things going on in your neighborhood that could be related to crime. Also we use it to put out general crime information in different neighborhoods, if there’s increased activity, maybe suspects prowling the neighborhoods or cars or things like that.”
Wilson said there are nine traditional watch groups in the area which often meet once a month. As of last week, there were 71 virtual groups in the area. Wilson said the virtual option is often more convenient and easier to be involved with than the traditional watch groups.
“I think a lot of people’s lives are busy so sometimes they don’t have time to maybe take a couple hours in the evening to make it to the traditional group,” Wilson said. “With this virtual group, it’s kind of like Facebook, you can sign on and look and see who’s posted what and things like that at your convenience, so it gives more opportunity, more of a day-to-day communication resource to use.”
This week, representatives from Next Door are in St. Joseph training district officers on on how to get engaged with the network. Wilson said while this changes the way neighborhood watch can work, he said he doesn’t think it will completely replace the traditional groups.
“It’s also still good for us to meet face-to-face,” Wilson said. “It’s one thing to know somebody’s profile, but who is that person? It’s always important to have that connection face-to-face with people. Sometimes we’re always so busy and we don’t take time to time to do that, to just sit and meet and talk to people, but there’s a lot of really good people who are in our neighborhoods, there’s a lot of good people where we work and I think that connection is really important.”
Wilson said, so far, the virtual groups seem to be helping get information out to neighborhoods and officers that they might not otherwise receive.
“Anything that you see in your neighborhoods and pass it on to us, it really helps us out,” Wilson said. “The community, the citizens, they’re our eyes and ears. We can look at our statistics and we can take reports, but sometimes people see things that sometimes they might not realize that it’s connected to something. So this takes us closer to (making) our community a safer place for everyone. With the watch groups and with the virtual groups, people that maybe see something or somebody suspicious in their neighborhood they can pass that information on. I think the big picture is hopefully that we’ll be able to connect more of these dots together before something becomes, like a major burglary spree, maybe we can stop it at the earlier stages.”
For more information about the virtual watch group or to sign up, go to nextdoor.com.
FAUCETT, Mo. – Northbound Interstate 29 will be closed later this week for routine bridge maintenance.
Crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation will reroute all northbound I-29 traffic to the on and off ramps at Route DD (Exit 35) from approximately 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 28, at Faucett for bridge repairs. Interstate traffic may encounter delays during this time.
In addition, Route DD will be closed over I-29. Northbound travelers will only be able to access the east side of Route DD and southbound travelers will only be able to go west on Route DD at Exit 35.
MoDOT encourages all motorists to slow down, buckle up, eliminate distractions and drive safely to ensure everyone is able to Arrive Alive.
For more information on this and other MoDOT projects, call 1-888-ASK-MODOT or visit modot.org/northwest
