ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The following is a listing of general highway maintenance and construction work in the Northwest Missouri region planned for the week of Sept. 26 – Oct. 2 from the Missouri Department of Transportation. In addition to the work listed below, there may be pothole patching, bridge maintenance, striping, brush cutting, guardrail repairs and other road work conducted throughout the region. Many of these will be moving operations and could include lane closures with delays.

MoDOT reminds the public to stay alert, watch for road work, buckle up, slow down, and drive with extreme caution through work zones and in changing weather conditions.

For more information about a project, please contact MoDOT at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (888) 275-6636 or visit modot.org/northwest.

Andrew County

• Route 48 – CLOSED at the Platte River Bridge near Whitesville for a bridge replacement project. The road will be closed through mid-November.
• U.S. Route 169 and Route 48 – Striping, Sept. 26 – 30

Atchison County

• Route N – CLOSED from 290^th Street to 310^th Street for a culvert replacement, Sept. 26 – 27, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily
• U.S. Route 136 – At the Rock Creek Bridge for maintenance, Sept. 26 – 27 Includes a 12-foot width restriction.
• Interstate 29 – At the Nishnabotna River Bridge for maintenance, Sept. 28 – 30

Buchanan County

• Route AC – At the U.S. Route 36 Overpass Bridge for maintenance,Sept. 26 – 27
• I-229 – Sweeping and flushing bridges, Sept. 26 – 29
• U.S. Route 36 – One mile east of Route AC for a bridge project, Sept. 26 – 30
• U.S. Route 36 and U.S. Route 169 – Striping, Sept. 26 – 30
• Route 116 – From Route 371 to Route Y for shoulder work, Sept. 26 – 30
• Route DD – At the I-29 Bridge for maintenance, Sept. 26 – 30
• Route H – From the city limits of Gower to Route E for pothole patching,Sept. 27
• Route DD – At the East Fork of Bee Creek Bridge for maintenance, Sept. 28 – 30

Caldwell County

• Route 13 – CLOSED at the Log Creek Bridge near Kingston for a bridge deck replacement project. The bridge will be closed through November.
• Route 13 – From Route U to Route 116 for pothole patching, Sept. 26 – 27
• Route 116 – From Route D to Braymer for pothole patching, Sept. 28 – 29

Carroll County

• Route UU – Pothole patching, Sept. 26
• Route OO – Pothole patching, Sept. 27
• Route EE – Pothole patching, Sept. 28 – 29

Clinton County

• Route PP – From SE Haynesville Road to SE Moore Road for pothole patching, Sept. 26
• Route DD – In the city limits of Gower for pothole patching, Sept. 28
• Route F – CLOSED from U.S. Route 169 to 214^th Street for pothole patching, Sept. 29, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Daviess County

• U.S. Route 69 – From just north of Cameron to the Winston exit for drainage work, Sept. 27 – 30

DeKalb County

• U.S. Route 36 – Traffic will be head-to-head at the overpass over I-35 for a bridge replacement project. During this project, no left turns from U.S. Route 36 onto I-35 will be permitted, as the medians between east and westbound U.S. Route 36 will be closed. Please follow the signed detour route. This project will continue through mid-December.
• I-35 – One lane may be closed under the U.S. Route 36 overpass for a bridge deck replacement project. During this project, traffic exiting I-35 will not be permitted to turn left onto U.S. Route 36, as the medians between east and westbound U.S. Route 36 will be closed. Please follow the signed detour route. This project will continue through mid-December.

Gentry County

• Route Z – CLOSED from Old Havana Trail to Route D for a culvert replacement, Sept. 27, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Grundy County

• Route J and Z – Pothole patching, Sept. 28 – 29

Harrison County

• U.S. Route 69 – From Eagleville to the Iowa state line for pothole patching, Sept. 26 – 27
• Route 13 – At the Little Pole Cat Creek Bridge for maintenance, Sept. 26 – 29
• Route M – CLOSED from Route EE to 210^th Place for a culvert replacement, Sept. 28, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Holt County

• Route 111 – CLOSED from Route 118 to U.S. Route 159 for a chip sealing operation, Sept. 19 – 20, 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily
• Route E – CLOSED from U.S. Route 59 to U.S. Route 159 for a chip sealing operation, Sept, 20, 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Linn County

• Route TT – From Iguana Road to Grand Road for drainage work, Sept. 26
• U.S. Route 36 – From U.S. Route 65 (Livingston County) to Route 139 for pothole patching, Sept. 26 – 30
• Route C – From Route M to Route 11 for drainage work, Sept. 27 – 28
• Route U – At Kayak Road for drainage work, Sept. 29
• U.S. Route 36 – From Route 139 to the Macon County line for pothole patching, Sept. 29 – 30

Livingston County

• U.S. Route 65 – From County Road 226 to the Grundy County line for pavement repair, Sept. 26 – 30
• U.S. Route 36 – From U.S. Route 65 to Route 139 (Linn County) for pothole patching, Sept. 26 – 30

Mercer County

• U.S. Route 65 – From U.S. Route 136 to the Iowa state line for shoulder work, Sept. 26 – 30

Nodaway County

• Route U – CLOSED at the One Hundred and Two River Bridge for a bridge deck replacement project. The bridge will be closed through mid-October.
• Route J – From 340^th Street to Route M for pothole patching, Sept. 27
• Route T – Pothole patching, Sept. 28
• Route ZZ – Pothole patching, Sept. 28 – 30

Putnam County

• Route 139 – Pothole patching, Sept. 26
• Route UU – Pothole patching, Sept. 27 – 28

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – As the season changes from summer to fall, the most successful baseball team on the field in the MINK League is turning its attention to helping students in the classroom.

The St. Joseph Mustangs are gearing up for the eighth year of their annual reading program for elementary students.

The free program, open to all elementary age students, has grown each year. In 2015, the Mustangs’ visited more than 20 schools, and reached over 3,000 children throughout northwest Missouri with the book totals exceeding 50,000.

“It’s great to see so many kids get excited about reading and learning,” Mustangs general manager Ky Turner said. “We love being an outlet for family fun at Phil Welch Stadium throughout the summer, and this is an extension of the organization with this program. We have great schools and teachers here in St. Joe and the surrounding communities, and we’re excited to partner with them.”

The Mustangs’ Reading Program comes with many incentives that include tickets to the 2017 opening night at Phil Welch Stadium, as well as prizes from East Hills Shopping Center, Aspen Leaf Frozen Yogurt, Cici’s Pizza, Worlds of Fun, Legoland Discovery Center and much more. The class that reads the most books at each school will also win a pizza party courtesy of Little Caesars Pizza.

The program is up to each teacher and school if they would like to participate, and the Mustangs are currently offering an assembly for schools that feature the team’s mascot, Rally, and a custom book written by the Mustangs’ staff.

All teacher sheets must be turned in to the Mustangs by March 10, 2017.

For more information, click here.

The Friends of the St. Joseph Animal Shelter is considering plans for a new animal shelter. 

They recently kicked off a new campaign to start raising funds for a new and modern shelter. 

Kappy Hodges with the Friends of the Animal Shelter said some of the reasons they began the campaign include the current location being prone to flooding, it not being in a visible or easily accessible area and the need for an updated facility. Hodges said they would like to build a new facility that would move away from the older barracks type style and she has taken notes from other modern facilities she’s visited. 

“They want pets to have more of the kind of environment they’ll have when they’re living out at someone’s home or in the world,” Hodges said. “Their kennels typically have glass or plexiglass of some kind, so there’s not that cacophony of super loud barking and stuff like that. That keeps the pet calmer and less stressed. You can see the pet better when you don’t have to look through chain link. I’ve been to a couple of these modern shelters and they are just amazing.” 

Hodges said the first step is to find a piece of land that is five acres or more. The exact cost of the project won’t be known until after the land is acquired, but Hodges said it will most likely cost a couple million dollars. They hope to have a new shelter finished or close to finished within five years. 

For more information about Friends of the St. Joseph Animal Shelter or to make a donation, go to petforu.com.

Northwest Missouri State University is hosting its fourth annual disaster response field training exercise and is looking for volunteers.

The Missouri Hope 2016 Disaster Response Field Training Exercise is an intensive three-day domestic disaster relief training exercise that is required for students studying majors or minors in emergency disaster management (EDM). It takes place Oct. 7-9 at Mozingo Outdoor Education Recreation Area (MOERA) and the Mozingo Youth Camp.

According to a press release, volunteers of all ages are needed to play the roles of disaster victims and spontaneous volunteer community members as well as apply moulage and assist behind-the-scenes. Individuals interested in volunteering should register online.

Missouri Hope is a full immersion field training exercise sponsored each fall by Northwest’s Consortium for Humanitarian Service and Education. Partner agencies include Maryville Public Safety, Nodaway and Buchanan County Emergency Management, Nodaway County Ambulance District, LifeFlight and LifeNet Air Ambulances, SEMA Region H Marine Hazmat Team, the 1-129th Field Artillery Battalion Missouri Army National Guard and the 139th Airlift Wing of the Missouri National Guard. The exercise also attracts students from colleges and universities throughout the country.

Participation in the hands-on disaster response training is available to all Northwest students, regardless of major or minor. Students do not need to receive academic credit to participate, but credit may be earned by any student who desires it.

The domestic disaster response exercise challenges students to overcome fears and hone skills as emergency responders. Students work together with teams in mass casualty situations, high-angle rescues and water rescue operations.

Participants are expected to attend the entire exercise. Participants are assigned to disaster response teams and will rotate leader and follower roles.

For more information about Missouri Hope 2016 and volunteering as a role player, contact Dr. Peter Adam at padam@nwmissouri.edu. For more information about Northwest’s emergency and disaster management program, contact John Carr at jcarr@nwmissouri.edu or click here.