Post Staff – Page 511 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Mild temps for now; rain returns this weekend

Posted on March 9, 2016

Warm dry conditions are expected until this weekend, when rain re-enters the forecast. Here’s the latest from the National Weather Service.

Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 61. North northeast wind 7 to 10 mph.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. North northeast wind around 6 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. East northeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the afternoon.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 41. Southeast wind 3 to 6 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. Southeast wind 6 to 11 mph.

Friday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Saturday: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 64. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Saturday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Sunday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 73.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 49.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 74.

City announces detour on Faraon St.

Posted on March 9, 2016

Beginning Wednesday, March 9, weather permitting, Faraon street, just west of 30th Street, will be closed for sewer repairs. The work is expected to be completed by Wednesday, March 16.

All truck traffic will detour north on 36th Street at Faraon to Frederick, then west on Frederick to North 22nd Street, then south on North 22nd Street, back to Faraon.

A secondary detour route will be in place at North 30th Street and Faraon for local traffic only.

Please exercise caution while in work zones to ensure your safety and that of crews working. Thank you for your patience during this construction period.

(news release)

(UPDATE) Filibuster ends; lawmakers give first-round approval to “religious freedom” bill

Posted on March 9, 2016March 9, 2016

(UPDATE) Senate Democrats ended their filibuster this morning after 39 hours. Sources say a bill allowing people with religious objections to opt out of taking part or facilitating same-sex marriages.

The measure received first-round approval in a vote Wednesday morning.

Democrats were trying to block a measure dubbed a “religious freedom” bill. Opponents of the measure call it “anti LGBT legislation.”

If passed, it would allow voters to decide whether to amend the state constitution.

The bill sponsor, Republican Bob Onder, doesn’t think state and local governments should penalize religious organizations, clergy and businesses for refusing to conduct or facilitate same sex marriage ceremonies. He’s proposing a constitutional amendment to allow Missouri voters to decide. He denied accusations of bigotry.

“By the time you add all these groups together, you have about three million Americans,” Onder said from the dais. “And, just to attribute to all those folks, minus me, some sort of bigoted motivation, Senator, I don’t think is fair.”

Democrat Jason Holsman opposes the measure. “It’s altogether plausible that people who don’t have those same motivations to deny the services will come together with an intellectual effort to try and justify that denial,” Holsman said.

“They may say ‘it’s not that I think that gay people should be discriminated against, but if they’re going to be discriminated against, but if they’re going to be discriminated against, then let’s do it in the most legal way possible.”

The bill would bar penalties including fines or the elimination of tax-exempt status. If the Legislature approves Onder’s bill, Missourians would likely vote on the issue in either August or November.

(MissouriNet contributed to this report)

Suspect arrested in gas station robbery

Posted on March 9, 2016March 9, 2016

A suspect has been arrested in connection with an incident at a Fast-Gas convenience store in Buchanan County on Sunday night, March 6.

Authorities say the suspect entered the Platte Valley Conoco at U.S. Highway 36 and 85th Road. As he was paying for an item, the suspect reached into the cash register, took cash, and fled in a red Jeep Cherokee driven by another individual. (click here)

The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office put out surveillance photography depicting the suspect and the vehicle, in hopes of identifying the suspect. That effort has apparently paid off. On Tuesday, the department announced they had located and arrested the suspect.

His name was not released, pending the possible filing of criminal charges. Officials say the case will be submitted to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Officer for consideration of possible charges.

In a statement, Sheriff Mike Strong offered his thanks for help provided by the community.

Savannah man accused in girlfriend’s death waives preliminary hearing

Posted on March 8, 2016March 8, 2016

The man accused of shooting his girlfriend on New Year’s Day at the Amazonia Ball Park waived his right to a preliminary hearing in court Tuesday.

Jay Patrick Bowman, 21 is charged with the shooting death of Stephanie Bradberry, 24 of Savannah. Bowman is charged with felonies for first-degree murder or in the alternative second-degree murder, armed criminal action, first degree domestic assault, unlawful use of a weapon, and misdemeanors for possession of marijuana and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia.

According to online court documents, Bowman appeared in Andrew County Court Tuesday with his Attorney Patrick Peters and waived his right to a preliminary hearing. The court certified the case to circuit court and an arraignment has been set for March 31 before Judge Patrick Robb.

Bowman remains in custody in the Andrew County Jail.

Bond denied for man charged with UMB Bank robbery

Posted on March 8, 2016

A St. Joseph man is being held without bond after being accused of robbing a local bank over the weekend.

Terry Hager, 48 made his first court appearance Tuesday on a charge of felony first-degree robbery after a stickup Saturday at the UMBA Bank at 1211 N. Belt. Hager appeared by video conference from the Buchanan County Law Enforcement Center. Judge Keith Marquart denied bond for Hager because the court said it finds the defendant to be a danger to the community. Bond had previously been set at $150,000 cash only.

According to court documents, Hager was out on a federal parole violation for a prior federal conviction for bank robbery at the time of his arrest.

A preliminary hearing in this case has been set for March 25.

Lanning takes over as CAP Ex. Dir.

Posted on March 8, 2016

Whitney Lanning CAP Ex. Dir. — Whitney Lanning
CAP Ex. Dir.

Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph’s Board of Directors has officially announced Whitney Lanning as the agency’s new executive director.

Lanning has served as interim Ex. Dir. since October of 2015 after former Ex. Dir. Steve Wenger resigned.

Prior to filling the role of interim, Lanning served as the Early Childhood Programs Director, overseeing the agency’s largest grant for Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

“CAP St. Joe has an amazing group of talented and dedicated staff and a rich history of serving those in need,” Lanning said. “I am excited for the opportunity to work with our staff and Board of Directors to further the agency’s mission of helping people and changing lives.”

CAP provides programs and services aimed at ending poverty in the northwest region of Missouri.

Minor injuries in Nodaway County crash involving batteries

Posted on March 8, 2016March 8, 2016

Two people received only minor injuries after a crash Tuesday morning in Nodaway County which shut down the highway for several hours.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Edward Seipel, 57 of Maryville was driving a 2008 commercial truck westbound on US 71 turning northbound into a private driveway. Aubrey Grier, 33 of Gower was driving another commercial truck westbound on US 71 around 7:15 a.m. when he ran into the rear of Seipel’s truck. This caused Seipel’s truck to spin to a stop off of the north side of 71; Grier’s truck went across the east bound lane and off of the south side of the roadway and overturned onto its side. Grier’s truck was hauling batteries and lost the majority of its cargo.

Crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation assisted the Missouri State Highway Patrol with traffic control around the crash. The roadway was shutdown for several hours until just before noon.

MoDOT said haz-mat crews were called in to assist due to the hazardous materials.

Seipel and Grier were reported to have received minor injuries during the crash but both refused medical treatment at the scene.

MoDOT launches pothole patrol

Posted on March 8, 2016March 9, 2016

Pothole Via Wikipedia Commons — Pothole
Via Wikipedia Commons

The Missouri Department of Transportation is kicking off an enhanced pothole repair initiative starting Tuesday throughout the state. Through the rest of the month of March, maintenance crews are committed to repairing a pothole with asphalt as quickly as possible of it being reported.

MoDOT will aggressively respond and patch potholes to keep highways smooth and safe for Missouri motorists.

“We want to get asphalt in the hole as quickly as possible. If you report it in the morning, our goal is to repair it before you drive the same road the next business day,” said MoDOT State Maintenance Engineer Becky Allmeroth. “We know our aging infrastructure is prone to potholes this time of year, and we are making efforts to keep our roads as safe and smooth as possible.”

Motorists can report the location of potholes using the following tools:
· Call our 24/7 Customer Service Center at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (888-275-6636)
· Use our Report a Road Concern form on the web at www.modot.org
· Use your smart phone/tablet with a mobile friendly form at www.modot.org/roadconcern
· By email to comments@modot.mo.gov

MoDOT spends approximately $15 million a year on pothole patching with the majority of that during the month of March.

“On any given day in March, it would not be unusual to have 300 pothole patching crews on our state roadways,” said Allmeroth. “Please watch out for them and move over a lane to give them room to work.”

Potholes form when temperatures warm up during the day, but continue to be cold at night. This is the main cause of potholes in highways and why they are prevalent during spring season. The rain and snow from winter leave moisture that seep into the cracks and joints in the pavement. When temperatures drop, the water freezes and expands the pavement. This expansion causes the pavement to bulge and crack. When cars drive over the bulging pavement, it eventually causes chunks of pavement to pop out.

Toddlers survive fatal crash

Posted on March 8, 2016

Two young children, ages one and three, survived a single-vehicle crash in Russell County, Kansas early Monday morning in which the driver was killed.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says Rebecca Jean Johnson of Natoma was killed when she lost control of her vehicle on US highway 281 north of Russell.

A crash report indicates the vehicle ran off side right side of roadway, struck box culvert and came to rest on it’s wheels.

The youngsters were taken to a hospital in Wichita for treatment of possible injuries.