A St Joseph mother appeared in court Tuesday via video conferencing to face charges of child endangerment in connection with the death of her baby son.

Prosecutors say Sasha Joann Lizar left young Carter Eugene Lizar in bad company, for days at a time, at a meth house. While there, investigators say a man shook the baby so violently that he suffered substantial brain trauma from which he died on his first birthday.

Ms Lazar is charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a Class-C felony which carries a penalty upon conviction of 2-7 years in prison.

During Tuesday’s hearing, the defendant told Associate Judge Keith Marquart she would apply for a public defender.

A St Joseph man, Roy Miller, faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted in Carter’s death. Mr Miller is charged with child abuse resulting in death, a class-A felony.

Judge Marquart on Tuesday scheduled a preliminary hearing docket call September 25 and a counsel-status hearing September 11 for both defendants.

Ms Lizar remains in custody, unable to post $25,000 bail. Mr Miller’s bail was set at $100,000.

St. Joseph, Mo. — A closing reception is planned for a sculpture exhibit by a internationally known sculptor at Missouri Western State University.

The Department of Art and the School of Fine Arts at Western will host a closing reception for an exhibit of sculptor Brent Collins from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, in the Potter Hall Gallery. The reception is free and open to the public.

Brent Collins: Wood Sculptures is on display in the Potter Gallery through Sept. 4. Collins is an internationally known sculptor who earlier this year announced his intention to give his entire artist’s estate to Missouri Western as part of the Centennial Capital Campaign.

Collins’ work has been displayed all over the world, including the University of Michigan, H&R Block Headquarters, the American Association for the Advancement of Science headquarters in Washington, D.C. and the UNESCO World Conference on Science in Budapest, Hungary.

“My work communicates the beauty of mathematics in clarified visual form,” Collins says.

The Potter Art Gallery is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and admission is free.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled September 25 for a man accused of child abuse resulting in death, a charge that could land him in prison for life.

Roy Kenneth Miller Jr is accused of causing substantial brain trauma to the victim by shaking him.

Officials say Carter Eugene Lizar died from those injuries on his first birthday.

Mr Miller told a judge during the video hearing he would apply for a public defender. A counsel-status hearing is scheduled September 11, ahead of the preliminary hearing September 25.

Mr Miller remains behind bars, unable to post $100,000 bail.

Abuse of a child resulting in death is a class-A felony, which carries upon conviction a prison sentence of not less than ten years and not to exceed thirty years, or life imprisonment.

The child’s mother, Sasha Lizar is charged with child endangerment. Police say she left young Carter for several days in a dangerous environment where methamphetamine was being used and in the custody of subjects who had used meth. Court documents also accuse Ms Lizar of using the drug while caring for the child.

A funeral is planned Wednesday at 5pm at the Rupp Funeral Home in St Joseph.

An enforcement operation in Northwest Missouri last weekend led to 142 citations and warnings. Missouri State Highway Patrol Captain James E. McDonald announced the results of the operation in conjunction with the I-80/I-35 Border-to-Border traffic safety initiative.

The operation was held from August 28-30, 2015, on Interstate 35 within Troop H. During the enforcement operation seven officers patrolled Interstate 35 strictly enforcing all traffic laws with a special emphasis on those violations that contribute to traffic crashes.

As a result of the enforcement operation, there were 61 traffic citations issued and 81 warnings given. There were no traffic fatalities during the enforcement operation within Troop H.

Authorities may have located a stolen vehicle, but it’s not something the owner will be happy to hear.

Volunteer firefighters from Rushville and the surrounding area were dispatched shortly after 5am to the report of a car fire. Based on the license plate number reported to dispatchers, the green Jeep Wrangler was reported stolen.

The vehicle was reported fully involved in flames shortly after 5am Tuesday near 116-highway and 8th Street in Rushville.

A Gallatin man escaped with minor injuries in a rollover crash in Daviess County Monday evening.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report says 30-year-old Dustin Teel lost control of his pickup along Missouri-13 highway south of Gallatin shortly after 5:30pm Monday.

The vehicle left the roadway, hit an embankment and overturned.

Mr Teel was transported by ambulance to Wright Memorial Hospital in Trenton, Missouri for treatment of minor injuries.

St. Joseph, Mo. — Missouri Western State University started its first day of classes Monday with what the school is calling possibly the best prepared class from an academic standpoint in the school’s history.

“We are seeing an increase in students enrolling at Missouri Western who would typically enroll at more selective universities,” said Howard McCauley, dean of enrollment management. “More high-achieving students are choosing Missouri Western based on our high academic quality and affordable cost.”

The average ACT score for incoming full-time freshmen this year is a school record 22, up nearly a half a point from last year. In addition, there is an increase of 8.8 percent in students enrolling with a 23-26 ACT. The number of incoming freshmen with high school grade point averages of 4.0 or higher is up more than 26 percent.

The academic preparation of the incoming freshmen is also reflected in the number of students eligible for competitive scholarships. The number of students eligible for the President’s Scholarship (26 ACT, 3.5 GPA) is up 8.8 percent from last year, and the number eligible for the Governors’ Scholarship (23 ACT, 3.3 GPA) is up 1.6 percent.

There is also growth in Missouri Western’s Honors Program, which offers high-achieving students the opportunity to enhance their college experience through guest speakers, conferences, study abroad, in-depth research and other activities. Enrollment in the Honors program is up about 23 percent over last year.

Preliminary enrollment figures also indicate that graduate student enrollment is at a record level, exceeding last spring’s enrollment of 210.

“More and more working professionals who want to advance their careers are discovering the opportunity we provide to achieve excellence through high-quality classroom instruction and practical applied learning in the workplace,” said Dr. Ben Caldwell, dean of the Graduate School. The Master of Science in Nursing and Master of Information Management programs in particular showed strong growth this fall, Dr. Caldwell said.

Enrollment will be finalized after the official census date four weeks into the semester.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Route 371 in Buchanan County will close Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 7 a.m., for a culvert replacement.

Local crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation plan to close Route 371 between Moore Road and Bush Road around the clock until 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11, weather permitting. Motorists will need to use an alternate route during the closure.