Livingston County Sheriff Steve Cox says he has hired two new deputies.

Deputy Dave Bagley began working at the LCSO on February 09, 2015 and is a 2014 graduate of the Basic Law Enforcement Academy at Moberly Area Career Center. Deputy Bagley grew up in Linn County, Missouri and his family has a history as serving in Law Enforcement. Dave attributes his sense of right and wrong to his religious faith. Dave enjoys helping others and in his off time likes to spend time with friends and play Church softball.

Deputy Chris Mueller began working at the LCSO on March 17, 2015. Deputy Mueller is a 1997 graduate of the Missouri Sheriffs’ Association Training Academy and has been involved in law enforcement since graduation. Deputy Mueller worked for the LCSO from April 01, 2011 to September 23, 2014 when he accepted employment with the Chillicothe Police Department until reapplying at the LCSO in March.

Deputy Mueller is originally from Bolivar Missouri and is married to Billi Jo Mueller. Chris enjoys helping people and family activities.

MARYVILLE, Mo. – More than 1,200 students from 55 northwest Missouri high schools took part in an Agricultural content at Northwest Missouri State University.

They competed March 31 and April 1 in Northwest District Agriculture Career Development Events hosted by Northwest’s Department of Agricultural Sciences.

The annual contest is coordinated and facilitated by members of the Northwest agricultural sciences faculty, staff and students. Events take place on the Northwest campus, the R.T. Wright University Farm, the Maryville Community Center and the Ed Phillips Memorial Arena.

“The success of this huge undertaking is due to the excellent work of Northwest faculty and staff, district agriculture teachers, Northwest students and members of the Maryville community,” said Eric Weuve, program coordinator for agricultural education and an instructor in Northwest’s Department of Agricultural Sciences.

The top-ranking teams in each category are listed below. A complete listing of team and individual results can be found by clicking here.

· Ag Mechanics: Hamilton

· Ag Sales: Trenton

· Agronomy: Hamilton

· Dairy Cattle: Princeton

· Dairy Foods: North Nodaway

· Entomology: Mid Buchanan

· Farm Management: Lathrop

· Floriculture: Savannah

· Forestry: North Harrison

· Horse: Princeton

· Livestock: Princeton

· Meats: Princeton

· Nursery/Landscape: Hamilton

· Poultry: Princeton

· Soils: Mid Buchanan

· Sweepstakes (single teacher department): Hamilton

· Sweepstakes (multi-teacher department): Savannah

St Joseph voters turned out in small numbers to decide a big question, and in the end approved an effort to implement a use tax on out-of-state purchases.

Out of 4,143 votes cast, 2,332 voted “yes,” and 1,811 voted “no.”  (56.29% to 43.71%)

The tax is equal to the current local sales tax in St Joseph.

Officials estimate the tax will generate about $700,000 per year for road repairs and maintenance.

 

(Update) Lieutenant Shawn Collie of the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force says three men detained after a search of a home in the Midtown area will be released pending further investigation.

Charges could be filed soon after the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force searched a home in the 1800 block of Olive Street Monday night. Lieutenant Shawn Collie says his team seized suspected methamphetamine and marijuana.

He says a firearm was also seized.

Lieutenant Collie says they met with the homeowners, who gave them permission to search the house.

Three males were taken into custody pending further investigation, although, so far, no formal criminal charges have been filed. Lieutenant Collie says they are waiting for the results of laboratory testing on the substances they seized, but he expected to confer with the Prosecuting Attorney’s office Tuesday.

The St Joseph Lions Clubs will honor the cream of the crop of high school seniors on Wednesday.

This marks the 63rd year for the annual Lion’s Club Scholastic Honors Banquet. Host Club President Jon Ecker says it’s a way to congratulate, and hopefully motivate the top 10% graduating seniors as they move on in life.

“Each high school principal and school counselor will read from a list of names, and then each student will come up to the front to receive a certificate,” Ecker said.

“After the ceremony we will have a motivational speaker.”

This year’s speaker will be Dan Danford of the Family Investment Center.  The gathering is being held at the Fulkerson Center at Missouri Western State University starting at noon Wednesday.

Karen Pecora of the St Joseph School District says 89 high school seniors from the five local high schools will be honored this year.

Despite the pocketbook issues on the ballot Tuesday, low voter turnout is expected at polling places throughout Northwest Missouri.

Voters in St Joseph will decide whether to implement a use tax on out-of-state purchases equal to the current local sales tax rate of 2.875%.   Supporters say the ballot measure seeks to close a loophole that allows businesses that buy out of state to avoid paying sales taxes.

Buchanan County Clerk Mary Baack-Garvey predicts only about 10-to-12 percent of voters to cast ballots in St Joe.

Country Club Village voters will whether to add another half-cent to their sales tax in a measure brought on by a recent audit.   The audit prompted the Board of Trustees to return fuel tax funds and revenues from the existing half-cent sales tax back into the road-repair fund.  The board hopes to fix the shortfall in their general fund with the new tax, which would raise in about $52,000 per year.

In the Mid-Buchanan School District, voters are being asked for a fourth time, to pass a school bond issue. The funds would pay for school improvements including a utility gym, and a safe-room shelter already partially funded by a grant from FEMA.

Voters in the Tri-County Ambulance District are being asked to okay a half-cent sales tax to help pay for increasing medical costs, new equipment and pay raises for paramedics.

Voters in southern Holt County are being asked to approve bonds to finance construction and maintenance of a new swimming pool.  The Southern Holt Pool is 50 years old and will be closed after this summer.

A motorist careened off St Joe Avenue and into a house Monday night, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol says high speed contributed to the crash.  According to the crash report, Tolby Thompson, 20, of St Joseph was driving north on the Avenue at about 11:18 at a high rate of speed. Investigators say he tried to pass another vehicle in the center turn lane and lost control of his car.

The Pontiac Grand Prix left the roadway and struck the cable support for a utility pole. The vehicle overturned multiple times, striking a fence post, a shed and the front porch of a house near Maxwell Road.

Thompson suffered moderate injuries. His passenger, Bryce Cadwallader, 21, of St Joseph was seriously hurt. Both were transported by private vehicle to Mosaic Life Care.