An inmate serving a life sentence in Cameron for first-degree murder died Wednesday.

The Missouri Department of Correction said Vernon Tatum, 66 was pronounced dead at the Cameron Regional Medical Center at 11:56 a.m.  Tatum had been confined at the Crossroads Correctional Center in Cameron.  The department said Tatum died of apparent natural causes.

Tatum was received into the MDC on June 21, 1982 and was serving a life sentence for first-degree murder from Jackson County.

Even with a family, and a full-time job one Missouri Western student is making history at the university to be the first student to pass two actuarial exams before graduation.

Western said Actuaries use mathematics, statistics and financial theory to assess risk. They calculate rates and dividends, and provide other statistical information for insurance companies.

Ian Watson, a native of British Columbia and a St. Joseph resident has already passed two exams while not only being a full-time student but also working full-time at Triumph Foods.  Watson also has a wife, two daughters and a son on the way.

“I have my mother-in-law and my father-in-law who help out as much as they can.  They watch my children when they can.  I have a very supportive wife who helps me out throughout the process,” Watson said.  “I work at Triumph Foods and they have even been very supportive. I used to be a production supervisor there and when I told them that I wanted to…I turned in my letter of resignation and I wanted to go back to school they were completely supportive and they said ‘okay’ and let me go to maintenance.”

Dr. Steve Klassen, Western Associate Professor of Mathematics said it’s the first time a Western student has passed two exams before graduation.

“At Missouri Western it’s very rare,” Klassen said. “We don’t have an actual actuary degree program and so students have to find a way to work that into their schedule.  I offer independent studies to assist students studying for those exams but they have to balance the studying for those actuary exams along with their usual studies and their other classes and to do that takes a fair amount of self-discipline.”

After he graduates from Western this spring, Watson said he hopes to land a job in the state of Missouri because his wife has a lot of family here in the St. Joseph area.  He said he has already had several interviews.

Missouri Western plans to feature Watson in its upcoming Missouri Western magazine in the spring edition which will come out in early May.

After more than half a century a local business is closing, a move the owner called “very sad for us.”

Dawn Marti has owned and operated Sansone Floral and Gifts ever since she bought the business five years ago. Ms Marti says she was hired as a part time florist by the Sansone family in 1984.

On March 31, she will stop selling flowers and floral arrangements, although the shop will remain open for the month of April so she can sell the remaining gifts, home decor and furniture. The gifts are already marked at one-half off. Marti says they will cut the prices on the furniture used for displays, which include some antiques. They will be “priced as marked.” Ms Marti says she will also allow customers to leave bids on the larger items.

The iconic, peach-colored building at Ashland and Gene Field has been offered for sale.

In an interview, Marti said she is going to retire, but still feels a sadness over losing contact with her customers.

“That is the hardest thing,” Marti said, “we are just going to miss them so, so much. That’s very sad for us.”

She has also offered an open letter to her customers:

“…We hope that the hard work and the passion that we have put into Sansone Floral has brought joy, comfort and happiness to all of those who have received flowers from our shop over the years. And we want to thank our longtime customers, who have let us help them celebrate the milestones. We enjoyed created the memories with flowers, and we only have you, our customers, to thank for that.”

“And we thank you for you loyal patronage. There are just no words to properly express our gratitude.”

Supporters of the house where the inventor of the Saltine cracker lived are in the home stretch of their efforts to rehabilitate the historic structure.  They are hoping to complete renovations soon, and are just a few donations short of raising the money needed to finish the job.

According to a post on social media, they have just a couple of days left on their challenge to raise the money on the Cracker House GoFundMe page (here).

The Frank L. Sommer home, affectionately known as “the Cracker House,” is located at 914 Main Street in St Joseph. Organizers of the effort say the “tuck pointing” is almost complete. The west side of the building is done as well as most of the east side. There is a little bit of tuckpointing to do on the north side and quite a bit on the south side as it is the most weathered.

They’ve raised more than $400 in the latest fundraising effort, but need a total of $1,500 to finish the job.

You can follow their progress at the GoFundMe site or on their Facebook page here.