ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Several routes have reopened but new routes are now closed due to flooding across Northwest Missouri. The Missouri Department of Transportation provides a Traveler Information Map at www.modot.org/northwestwhich lists all road closures and planned roadwork. Motorists are advised to check the map before heading out to plan alternate routes, as needed. MoDOT encourages everyone to pay attention to barricades and Turn Around! Don’t Drown!

NOW CLOSED:

Andrew County

• Route B between County Road 141 and Railroad Street in Bolckow (One Hundred and Two River)
• Route C at Route 48 and between Sylvan Street and County Road 177 (One Hundred and Two River)
• Route 48 on both sides of Rosendale (One Hundred and Two River)

Buchanan County

• Route C between U.S. Route 36 and Easton Saxton Road (Platte River)

Gentry County

• Route H between U.S. Route 136 and Route E (West Fork Grand River)

Grundy County

• Route A between NW 28^th Avenue and NW 18^th Avenue (Weldon River)
• Route N between Route NN and NE 20^th Street (No Creek)

Harrison County

• Route AA one mile west of U.S. Route 69 (Big Creek)

Livingston County

• Route C between County Road 420 and Route DD (Shoal Creek)

Nodaway County

• Route U between Main Street and Katydid Road at Arkoe (One Hundred and Two River)

BaconFest is kicking off a second year in St. Joseph with this year’s theme of Pork Wars: The Bacon Awakens.

“We are excited to bring BaconFest to St. Joe for its second year” says James Fisher, Baconfest St. Joe coordinator. “This year we are challenging our booths, as well as the attendees to incorporate the theme into their activities.”

The 2015 event is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 26 at the St. Joseph Civic Arena. Participants will be able to try numerous bacon creations from appetizers, to entrees to desserts, take part or watch a bacon eating contest and various other activities.

BaconFest St. Joe will again benefit the Dream Factory of Northwest Missouri.

“Last year we sent our application in and you know I was hoping,” said Rite Hook, Dream Factory area coordinator. “This kind of helps get our name out there.”

The Dream Factory uses donations to help grant dreams of critically and chronically ill children between the age of 3 to 18.  Hook said in the northwest area six to nine dreams are granted each year.  Last year during BaconFest the Dream Factory presented a dream to a Central High School Freshman girl named Stevie dealing with a connective tissue disorder.  Stevie’s dream was to go to Hawaii.

“We receive referrals from doctor’s offices, family members, friends of somebody who’s had a dream,” Hook said.

BaconFest Tickets go on sale Monday, August 3.  Ticket prices go up on August 17 and then again on Sept. 1

Vendors are also still being sought to fill booth space to provide bacon creation samples for attendees.

Ticket locations include all four Apple Market Grocery Stores in St. Joseph and Savannah, Atchison Chamber of Commerce, Student Body in Maryville, Merz Farm Equipment in Falls City, Nebraska, Eagle Communications (KKJO, KSJQ, KFEQ and KESJ) in St. Joseph or online at http://stjoseph.bigdealsmedia.net/

 

Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 63. Southwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Friday
Sunny, with a high near 89. West wind 3 to 8 mph.

Friday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. West southwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable after midnight.

Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 88. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the morning.

Saturday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 69.

Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 88.

Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 70.

Monday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 91.

Monday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tuesday
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tuesday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Wednesday
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

High waters are forcing Buchanan County to close roads once more.

Buchanan County Emergency Management Director Bill Brinton said several roads will be closed through the weekend due to flooding along the Platte River.

Those roads include:

Saxton Easton Road
Mitchell Road
Kemmer Road
Rock Creek Road
Horn Road
115th Road

It’s the sixth time county roads have closed due to flooding along the Platte River so far this year.

The Livingston County Sheriff is warning residents about an unusual scam.

A local resident reported receiving a letter giving public information about the death benefit amount paid by Social Security. The letter requested a written reply from the recipient to include the name, address, date of birth, and possibly other information for both that person and a spouse.

In return this business claims they will send a gift card to a retailer in our area.

The letter apparently did not disclose the name of a legitimate business this was mailed from. Sheriff Steve Cox suggested anyone receiving such mailing to be very cautious as it may very well be a scam and/or attempt of identity theft.

A St. Joseph woman suffered moderate injuries after a crash northwest of Union Star Wednesday morning.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says Sara Dryer lost control of her SUV on a mud-covered Missouri Route-M.

The accident happened at 8am Wednesday seven miles northwest of Union Star at County Road 212.

The vehicle left the roadway, struck a culvert and overturned. Ms Dryer was transported to Mosaic Life Care for treatment.

A hearing to decide if a teen charged with murder in Buchanan County will stand trial as an adult has been rescheduled.

A 16-year-old boy was charged with two counts of second degree murder in connection with the shooting deaths of James Johnson, 72 and Beverly Johnson, 76 last month at their home located at 8610 NE Hurlingen Road.

A certification hearing to determine if the defendant will be tried as an adult had been set for July 30 but has been continued to August 12, at 2 p.m.

Last month during a hearing Judge Daniel Kellogg identified the suspect on the court record, but until such time as he’s certified as an adult neither the St. Joseph Post nor Eagle Communications will name the teen. It’s our policy to not identify minors accused of crimes, unless they’re certified as adults.

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The U.S. Department of Education has awarded its Student Support Services grant to Northwest Missouri State University’s TRIO program, providing funding for the next five years.

The grant offers $292,340 annually through 2020, for a total of $1.46 million. The process to secure the grant funding is a competitive one as the number of programs to receive funding has been reduced in recent years.

“TRIO provides aggressive and intrusive services that deliver an equal opportunity for college access for students with academic, social, economic and cultural challenges,” said Cassie Tavorn, Northwest’s TRIO director. “This funding makes a very real and positive difference in the lives of qualified Northwest students.”

TRIO is a federally recognized educational outreach program designed for students with disadvantaged backgrounds. It serves as an umbrella organization for Northwest programs consisting of Student Support Services, Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math and Science. Collectively, the programs seek to motivate and support students to overcome class, social and cultural academic barriers to accessing and succeeding in higher education.

TRIO was founded in 1964 when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act, giving birth to Upward Bound as an experimental program. Today, more than 1,000 colleges, universities and community entities host more than 2,700 different TRIO programs, which serve about 790,000 students nationwide and help them become prepared, motivated and excited about attaining a college degree.

Student Support Services, which was launched at Northwest in 1988, includes a variety of student support programs dedicated to helping disadvantaged students meet their academic needs and successfully complete their undergraduate degrees. The office offers a variety of resources, including peer mentors who have intricate knowledge of what it takes to be academically successful during college and are available to meet with students in need of assistance.

For more information about TRIO programming at Northwest, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/trio/.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – As creeks and rivers rise across Northwest Missouri today, more roads have closed due to flooding. The Missouri Department of Transportation provides a Traveler Information Map at www.modot.org/northwest which lists all road closures and planned roadwork. Motorists are advised to check the map before heading out to plan alternate routes, as needed. MoDOT encourages everyone to pay attention to barricades and Turn Around! Don’t Drown!

NOW CLOSED:

Andrew County

• Route B between County Road 141 and Railroad Street in Bolckow (One Hundred and Two River)
• Route C at Route 48 and between Sylvan Street and County Road 177 (One Hundred and Two River)
• Route 48 on both sides of Rosendale (One Hundred and Two River)

Caldwell County

• Route A between Applewood Drive and Wishbone Drive (Shoal Creek)

DeKalb County

• Route W between Hedge Road and Hebron Road (Middle Fork Lost Creek)

Gentry County

• Route H between U.S. Route 136 and Route E (West Fork Grand River)

Harrison County

• Route M on the west side of Eagleville at the Big Creek Bridge (Big Creek)

Livingston County

• Route KK two miles east of Route K (Muddy Creek)

Nodaway County

• Route U between Main Street and Katydid Road at Arkoe (One Hundred and Two River)

Putnam County

• Route M two miles west of Powersville (Medicine Creek)
• Route 129 three miles north of Route Y (Shoal Creek)

Sullivan County

• Route PP between Berry Drive and Coach Drive (West Locust Creek)

A man convicted of robbery in Buchanan County has died in custody.

In a news release, the Missouri Department of Corrections said John Noon was pronounced dead at Mosaic Life Care in St Joseph on Monday, July 27 at 7:11 p.m. Mr Noon was 67 years old. He was confined at the Crossroads Correctional Center in Cameron.

A Buchanan County Judge sentenced Mr Noon in November of 2013 to serve ten years in prison for his guilty plea to a robbery charge.

His prison record shows he was received by the DOC on April 15, 2014.

Corrections officials say they do not suspect foul play, but an autopsy will be conducted.