A St. Joseph woman was sentenced to more than a decade behind bars Wednesday for hitting and killing a pedestrian on I-229 in April.

Jacey Grom, 25 was sentenced to serve 12 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of Corbin Watts.  Grom pleaded guilty to the charge June 30.

Investigators said Watts was hit by Grom’s vehicle while she was driving under the influence on the elevated portion of I-229 in downtown St. Joseph.

According to prosecutors her blood alcohol level tested at .134% at the time.

One area mother is urging residents to come out and donate blood to help save lives after her own daughter’s life was saved through blood donations.

The 2016 Media Blood Drive is being held at the East Hills Shopping Center by the Community Blood Center. The drive will be held today until 7 p.m.

Beth Taylor said in a news release that she is asking people to come out because without lifesaving blood her daughter Harlee who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at the age of six would not have been able to receive the blood transfusions she needed.

“Harlee remained in remission for three and a half years.  April 23, 2013 at the age of 10, we learned her cancer was back,” Taylor said. “She was diagnosed with relapsed ALL and began another two year and four month course of chemotherapy.  This round would prove to be much more difficult and required many more blood product transfusions than the first.”

Harlee spent an entire month the Children’s Mercy Hospital in the summer of 2013.  Taylor said this year (2016), Harlee will complete her course of treatment and have her last dose of chemotherapy.

“As a family, we are so grateful to her medical team and to all of the anonymous blood donors who helped Harlee with their donations of life,” Taylor said. “Please give blood at the 2016 Media Day Blood Drive.”

The Community Blood Center said the goal is to raise 175 blood donations.

An inmate in the Western Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in St. Joseph has died.

According to the Missouri Department of Correction, Donyell Gunn was pronounced dead at Mosaic Life Care Monday shortly before 10 p.m.  Gunn was reported to have died of natural causes.

The 40-year-old man was serving a life sentence for second-degree murder and armed criminal action out of St. Louis County.  He was received into the Missouri Department of Corrections in Nov. of 1995.

(Update 1:39 p.m.) – Trails West! has issued a correction in reference to discounts at long lines.

Originally, in a news release it was stated,

“Also new this year will be volunteers who monitor the food lines and will mark short lines with visible signals, then offer a discount at those stands for a short period of time. We are also offering $1 off your food purchase when lines are too long. (The $1 off will vary per item per vendor…the $1 will be taken off different items per vendor.)”

However, the committee wants to clarify that information with a correction as it said there was an error in the release that was sent out.  The paragraph has been corrected to read as such:

“Periodically during the Trails West celebration, a bright yellow parasol will be employed at various food vendors. At this time, and only for the period it is employed, the next three to five people in line at that particular vendor location will get a $1 discount. You have to be aware and vigilant in watching out for this parasol.

 There will be a sign near the Food Tent which will offer a key so you can find your favorite Foods more easily. We suggest you take a picture with your phone for easy reference.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

(Story updated with corrected paragraph) – Organizers of the Trails West! festival in St. Joseph announce there will be some new food options at the festival this weekend. They’re also offering discounts when the lines get too long.

In a news release, the Allied Arts Council said there will be 23 food vendors, and nearly one-third of those (30%) will be new.

Among other crowd pleasers, vendors will be selling Philly cheese steaks, corn dogs, kettle corn, noodle and rice bowls, cotton candy, award-winning BBQ, giant tenderloins and spiral fries. You will also find a burrito truck, a funnel cake truck, and plenty of fried food options at Trails West! this year.

Also new this year, periodically during the Trails West celebration, a bright yellow parasol will be employed at various food vendors. At this time, and only for the period it is employed, the next three to five people in line at that particular vendor location will get a $1 discount. Volunteers said you have to be aware and vigilant in watching out for this parasol.

There will be a sign near the Food Tent which will offer a key so you can find your favorite Foods more easily. Trails West! volunteers suggest you take a picture with your phone for easy reference.

The festival will also be featuring signs near the entrances that mark where each food vendor will be located so patrons can quickly see who’s at the event and where they can find them.

“We are really excited about the new features we’re bringing to the festival this year, said Co-Chairman Phil Brooks. “We know there are plenty of reasons people attend Trails West!, and we want to make sure the ones who show up in search of delicious foods will be able to find what they’re looking for right away.”

Admission to the festival is by souvenir button or 2016 Trails West! t-shirt. The buttons, good for admission to all three days of the festival are on sale now and are $8 in advance and $10 at the festival gates. All guests over the age of 10 need a button for admission.

Allied Arts Council officials offered this list of food vendors for the festival, scheduled August 19-21 at St. Joseph Civic Center Park.

Arctic Shaved Ice, LLC
BBQ’S Roll n Smoke
Burritos Lagos
Catering Company
ChickHoovenSwine BBQ
Chili Café & Yogurt
Cotton Candy Dreams
Dundees
FourWard Enterprises
Funnel Cake Truck & Sweet Treats
JoJo’s Cookie Kart
Just Nuts
K & C Concessions
Keck’s Longhorn Root Beer
Ma & Pa Kettle Corn
Made 2 Grill Vending
Mediterranean Cuisine
Murphy’s Smokin’ Meats
SnowFLakes Shaved Ice
Sweet Fun Consessions
Wok Hei Noodle House

This year’s annual Trails West!® Festival features history and future in St. Joseph. 

The theme for this weekend’s event is, “Yesterday’s Heritage, Tomorrow’s Dreams.”

Robbie Morton is one of the co-chairs of the Trails West!® Festival Committee. Morton said along with over 30 bands performing over the weekend, some “living legends” will also be there. 

“Actors here in St. Joseph or just people that want to get out and do it,” Morton said. “It’s character actors that are actually former St. Joseph people. So we have a lady who’s dressing up as her great-grandmother who was a seamstress in the 1840s to the mayor of St. Joseph and several of the more well-to-do and she’s going to be roving the grounds. You can walk up to her and talk to her and she will tell you her grandmother’s life story.” 

Over the weekend, bands performing include Here Come the Mummies, Sawyer Brown and John Waite. Trails West!® Committee Co-Chair Shana Meyer said the lineup also includes some up-and-coming performers including Farewell Angelina and Steve Moakler.

“The neat thing about Trails West is having these up-and-comers,” Meyer said. “A few years ago we had Taylor Swift when nobody knew who she was, last year Kelsea Ballerini, and she’s been all over the radio. So, Steve Moakler and Farewell Angelina are two names just to kind of tuck away and remember. You never know where they might be in a few years and you can always say you saw them in St. Joseph first.” 

Meyer said groups and activities on the Family Stage include a performance by Southside Strings on Saturday. 

“These are eight to eighteen-year-olds who study orchestra and they have many different genres,” Meyer said. “They do movie soundtracks, they do fiddle tunes, they do spirituals pieces, they do classical.” 

The festival will also include over 70 vendors with fine arts and food. 

“I think it’s just something for everyone,” Meyer said. “We’ve got all the different genres of music and then you’ve got the fine arts with photographers, ceramics, pencil drawing, oils, just something for everyone. I always just enjoy walking through and seeing what’s there.” 

Gates open for Trails West!® at 5 p.m. on Friday in Civic Center Park at 1100 Frederick Avenue in St. Joseph. For more information, go to the Trails West!® website or Facebook page.