The fifth annual JoeStock Music Festival opens Friday afternoon at Coleman Hawkins Park in downtown Saint Joseph. More than 33 musical acts will perform through the Labor Day weekend.

The festival features internationally respected artists, regional performers, and amateur artists showcasing their talents in rock, alternative, pop, jazz, country, folk, metal, and experimental music. Admission is free.

Here’s the festival  schedule:

DAY 1: Friday, August 29, 2014
03:00 pm- OPEN
03:45- Robo Hops
04:30- Joe’s Garage
05:15- Stephanie Glenn
06:00- Benton Rolling Alumni Band
06:45- Jeff Hudson
07:30- Grindstone Creek
08:30- Stephanie Gummelt
09:15- The Re Agents
10:15- Jamazon Cloud
DAY 2: Saturday, August 30, 2014
10:30 am- OPEN
11:00- Sara Mathews
12:00 pm- Jennifer George
01:00- Tom Meehan
02:00- Tony Hernandez
03:00- Supernaut
04:00- DBox
05:00- Daniel “Berg” Bergonzoni
06:00- The Coterie07:00- Cody Hudson
08:00- The Devil & The Southern Fellowship
09:00- Burnstyles
10:00- Hubcap Bandits
DAY 3: Sunday, August 31st, 2014
10:30 am- OPEN
11:00- Jerry Rodriguez
11:45- The Embers
12:30 PM- Forced Anthem
01:15- Sparrowsong
02:00- The Phil Jackson Group
02:45- Tad Hopkins & Ronnie Weir
03:30- Nite Grooves
04:15- Mid Life Crysis
05:15- Britt Small
06:15- The Iris Project
07:15- Jeff Lux
08:15- Hall of Fame Jam Band

Nor-Am Ice and Cold Storage, LLC, a leading public refrigerated warehouse is expanding.  The family-operated business will add 72,000 square feet and 10 new, full-time jobs at its Stockyards Expressway location, totaling an $8.5 million investment in its facility.

“This expansion presents a great opportunity for our current employees to advance in their careers, as well as a chance for us to welcome new employees to the Nor-Am family, while continuing to offer best-in-class service to our existing and potential customers,” said Scott Albers, Vice President of Operations at Nor-Am.

Local contractor Al J. Mueller Construction will do the work, and a majority of sub-contractors on the project are also expected to be local.

The City of St. Joseph and Buchanan County worked to help this expansion project occur. Buchanan County provided an interest-free, forgivable loan for new employee training and in-kind assistance at the Nor-Am property. The city is expected to adopt an Enhanced Enterprise Zone resolution for real property tax abatement on Sept. 2. KCP&L and the State of Missouri, Missouri Works program also assisted with incentives.

Highland Avenue, from Dewey Avenue to Huntoon Road, will be closed for street repair Tuesday, August 26, through the end of the work day Wednesday, August 27, weather permitting.

Eastbound traffic will detour south on Dewey, west on Chestnut, north on Huntoon, back to Highland Avenue.

Westbound traffic will detour south on Huntoon, east on Chestnut, north on Dewey, back to Highland Avenue.

It’s an early out for students in the Saint Joseph School District Monday. Because of excessive heat and high humidity, all students were to be dismissed two hours early.

It’s the third consecutive school-day shortened by the heat wave. Classes in the Saint Joseph School District dismissed early last Thursday and Friday.

For the second day in a row, and the second time in this very young school year, officials with the St Joseph School District have opted to cut the school day short.

Officials will send students home two hours early Friday.

Andrew County authorities are preparing for the extradition of an accused sex offender arrested this week in Minnesota.

Sheriff Bryan Atkins says officers and deputies in Cloquet, Minnesota arrested James Michael Swett of Savannah. Atkins says Swett has been on the run since mid-June, when a warrant was issued charging him with 50 different child sex crimes.

Atkins says the investigation continues in Minnesota regarding his arrest. Extradition arrangements are pending.

Atkins says Swett’s arrest was the result of a tip to his deputies, which was forwarded to police in Cloquet. Sheriff Atkins credits quick action by Cloquet police and the Carlton County, Minnesota Sheriff’s Office for the quick and incident-free arrest.

Mr Swett is being held in the Carlton County, Minnesota Jail.

Maintenance at the St Joseph REC Center will require the city to close the facility for a long weekend starting next week.

Officials say the floor of the large gym is being re-finished. That process requires the building to be closed prior to, during and after the application of the finish. They need to close the building and run the exhaust system for several days to removed the chemical odor. After that, the new2 floor surface requires several days for the finish to properly dry and harden.

The REC Center will close beginning at 1pm Thursday, August 28 through Monday, September 1. The Center will re-open at 6am September 2, but the large gym will remain closed for another four days. Officials say it should reopen on September 6.

A trial date has been set in the wrongful-termination and defamation lawsuit filed against the St. Joseph School District by its former CFO Beau Musser.  During a hearing Thursday morning, Buchanan County Circuit Judge Randall Jackson scheduled the trial September 21, 2015, and set a status hearing September 8, 2015.

Musser filed suit in May against the district, Superintendent Dr. Fred Czerwonka, Human Resources Director Doug Flowers, and School Board Member Dennis Snethen.

Musser claims he was placed on leave for continuing to question the practice of handing out stipends to administrators without the knowledge or approval of the school board.

There are now four law firms representing the defendants. The firm originally hired by the school district’s liability insurance carrier asked to withdraw from the case two weeks ago. The firm Mickes Goldman O’Toole, LLC pulled out of the case, citing a potential conflict of interests.

According to court records and the lawyers, the school district is now represented by Steven J. Book of the Kansas City law firm Guin Mundorf, LLC. Dr. Czerwonka is represented by Sarah Tankard of the firm McGonagle, Spencer & Gahagan, also of Kansas City. Mr Flowers is now represented by Ryan Fry of the Blue Springs, Missouri law firm Oswald Roam Rew & Fry LLC. Mr Snethen is represented by Robb Denney and Travis Wymore of the Kansas City firm Withers, Brant, Igoe & Mullennix, P.C.

In an announcement from the school district, officials offered this:
The St. Joseph School District will be represented by Shellie L. Guin, Guin Mundorf, LLC.
Dr. Fred Czerwonka will be represented by Christopher S. Gahagan, Gahagan & King, LLC.
Doug Flowers will be represented by Ryan T. Fry, Oswald Roam Rew & Fry LLC.
Dennis Snethen will be represented by Travis A. Wymore, Withers, Brant, Igoe & Mullennix, PC.