Missouri Western will continue a recent tradition allowing graduating students deliver commencement speeches this weekend.

Western will hold two graduation ceremonies on Saturday.

During the first one, engineering technology graduate Nicole Kerr of Australia will deliver the commencement address. That will be at 11 am.

A physical education graduates from Kansas City will deliver the afternoon commencement speech. Quincy Hawkins will deliver the speech during the 3pm session.

Appropriately 500 students will graduate during the two sessions. Both will be Saturday in the M.O. Looney Complex.  The MWSU Alumni Association will host a free reception for graduates and their families after the ceremony in the Looney small gym.

Graduates of the following programs will participate in the morning ceremony:
Craig School of Business
Criminal Justice, Legal Studies, Social Work
Engineering Technology
Nursing/Physical Therapy Assistants
Psychology
Masters in Nursing/Health Care Leadership
Masters of Applied Science – Engineering Technology, Human Factors\

Graduates of the following programs will participate in the afternoon ceremony:
Art
Biology
Chemistry
Communication Studies, Theatre and Cinema
Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics
Economics, Political Science, Sociology
Education
English, Foreign Languages, Journalism
Health, Physical Education, Recreation
History, Philosophy, Geography
Music
Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies
Masters of Applied Arts – Digital Media, Written Communication
Masters of Applied Science – Assessment, Chemistry, Information Tech Management

Other commencement-related activities include an ROTC commissioning ceremony at 3 p.m. Friday, May 10 in Kemper Recital Hall, Spratt Hall 101, and pinning ceremonies at 8:30 a.m. Saturday in the Fulkerson Center for nursing graduates and in Kemper Recital Hall for physical therapist assistant graduates.

A record number of students graduated over the weekend at Northwest Missouri State University.

708 students graduated in two ceremonies Saturday in Maryville.  549 of those were undergraduate degrees and 153 were graduate degrees.

The top undergraduate majors of the spring class were business management, elementary education, psychology and sociology, and agricultural business.

According to the most recent data, about 95 percent of Northwest graduates find employment or continue their education within six months of graduation.

This weekend, approximately 500 students will graduate at Missouri Western in St Joseph. Two sessions will be held at 11 am and 3 pm Saturday at the M.O. Looney Complex.

A St Joseph Police Department worker faces charges for distributing hydrocodone and illegal use of Electronic Benefit Transfer cards.

49-year-old Kathleen P. Blakely-Polk was charged in an eight-count indictment unsealed this week and announced Friday.

She worked at the booking desk in the Law Enforcement Center during the time of the alleged violations.

The federal indictment charges her with five counts of illegally using EBT cards and three counts of distributing hydrocodone. The indictment alleges that Blakely-Polk used federal benefits in an unauthorized manner, specifically, SNAP benefits, which is formally known as the Food Stamp Program.

St Joseph Police insist that crimes contained in a federal indictment happened during a civilian booking officer’s off hours, and did not occur at the Law Enforcement Center.  Captain Matt Rock says she is currently on unpaid leave pending a termination hearing.

In 1998, the USDA (through the Missouri Division of Social Services) converted from a traditional paper food stamp coupon system to the EBT card system. Instead of being issued food stamp coupons, SNAP recipients were issued EBT cards that could be used at participating retailers.

EBT cards are linked to a recipient’s benefit account, and credited with the recipient’s allocated benefits on a monthly basis.

The Citywide annual Rabies Vaccination clinics start Monday in St Joseph.

The clinics, sponsored by St Joseph Animal Control along with Friends of the Shelter, are scheduled five times across the city the next couple weeks.

All dogs and cats three months of age or older are required to be vaccinated against rabies and registered with the City. Registration tags are valid for one year or when the vaccination expires.

Vaccinations are $5 per animal, $15 for pets not yet spayed or neutered. Combination vaccinations are available for an additional $10. 

All pets must be under adult supervision. Dogs must be leashed, and cats must be in  pet carriers.  For more information, call 271-4877.

Clinic dates:

May 6, 2012 Lindbergh Elementary School, 2813 St. Joseph Avenue

May 7, 2012 Hosea Elementary School, 6401 Gordon Street

May 9, 2012 First Church of the Nazarene, 2102 South 22nd Street

May 14, 2012 Skaith Elementary School, 4701 Schoolside Lane

May 16, 2012 Mark Twain Elementary School, 801 South 31st Street

Someone is $240,000 richer today after winning a Show-Me-Cash grand prize off a ticket sold in St. Joseph.

An employee at Culver Hawkins Cenex confirmed this morning they found out today someone won the grand prize in yesterdays drawling.

The ticket, purchased at the Cenex on Highway 59, matched the winning numbers 1-13-21-25-33.

No on has come forward to claim the prize as of yet. Store employees say everyone was pretty excited to find out about the grand prize winner.

See the official unclaimed prize listing here.

A St Joseph elementary school principal will lead a northwest Missouri school district next year.

Edison Elementary school Principal Matt Martz will become the superintendent of Worth County R-III in Grant City.

“I’m very excited to be moving to the Superintendent’s position at Worth County,” Martz said. “While I know there are many challenges ahead, I believe I am prepared to meet them.”

Martz has served at Edison for the last two years and was the Principal at Skaith Elementary from 2001 until his move to Edison.

He was the St. Joseph School District PTA Council Principal of the year in 2006 and a Missouri Distinguished Principal of the Year in 2010. Before coming to the St Joe in 2001, he served the North Callaway R-I School District in Kingdom City, MO.

“I wish Matt great success,” said Dr. Melody Smith, SJSD Superintendent. “Matt has served our school district well.”

Conversation agents and the U.S Fish and Wildlife service are investigating the shooting of two bald eagles in northwest Missouri.

The shootings occurred in Clay and Caldwell county in January and February.

Conservation Agent Vincent Crawford found a dead eagle with a gunshot wound  near the Panther Creek low water crossing January 17th in Caldwell County. Crawford found the eagle after receiving a citizen tip.

A horseback rider found a dead eagle on Feb. 18 on the Jack Rabbit Bend Trail at Smithville Lake in Clay County.  An examination revealed that the eagle had been shot, but that it was in good health prior to the shooting.

Anyone with information can call the Missouri Operation Game Thief toll-free hotline, 800-392-1111. You do not need to leave their name, they do not have to appear in court, and they may be eligible for a cash reward.

The unlawful shooting of a bald eagle is a state and federal offense, which violates the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

The penalty under the Eagle Protection Act is a fine of up to $100,000 and not more than one year incarceration or both.  The penalty under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act is a fine of up to $15,000 and not more than six months incarceration or both.

An Army Chaplain who attended the Conception Abbey Seminary College in Northwest Missouri has received the Medal of Honor, more than 50 years after his death.

President Barack Obama posthumously awarded  Father Emil J Kapaun Thursday at the White-House. 

He was an Army Captain who served in Korea from Kansas and served with the 3d Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division.

 He died at the age of 51 while a prisoner of war in Korea.

“Kapaun’s selfless and heroic service during the Korean War is a remarkable example of what makes our nation great,” Said Missouri Representative Sam Graves.  “He was a man of God who calmly ministered to the wounded in the middle of a firefight, at grave risk to his life and his freedom.”

His nephew, Ray Kapaun, and family were at the White House to commemorate his example of selfless service and sacrifice. 

“This is the valor we honor today — an American soldier who didn’t fire a gun, but who wielded the mightiest weapon of all, a love for his brothers so pure that he was willing to die so that they might live. ” Said President Barack Obama.

You can watch the ceremony below:

 

Lawmakers claim legislation introduced today in the U.S. house would improve the management of the Missouri River.

That legislation was introduced by Congressman Sam Graves of northwest Missouri along with Missouri representatives Blaine Luetkemeyer, Vicky Harzler and Billy Long.

The bill would remove “fish and wildlife” from the Corps of Engineers purposes of river management. By removing “fish and wildlife,”  Graves says the Corps can focus more closely on projects related to navigation and flood management.

The bill is in response to the management of the Missouri River in 2011, when record flooding was recorded in Missouri and other Midwestern states.  Graves says we must take a serious look at the management of the river and make common-sense reforms that make residents the priority.

“The Corps should not have to waste precious resources on building wildlife habitats, a duty they are not suited for and should not have to fulfill.  Our bill will help reduce the likelihood of future flooding, which our families, farmers, and small businesses deserve.”

Currently, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for the management of the Missouri River, including flood control, navigation, water supply, water quality, hydro-power, irrigation, recreation, and fish and wildlife.