Senate candidate Todd Akin laid the tracks Thursday to his campaign in St Joseph.

Akin, who calls himself the exact opposite of Claire McCaskill, announced his campaign just two days before visiting St Joseph and Kansas City.  He made stops in other parts of the state Wednesday.

Just one day into his campaign, his opponent in the Republican Primary, Former State Treasurer Sarah Steelman, called Akin and other U.S. house Republicans “Toothless dragons.”  House republicans did not cut enough spending recently, according to Steelman.

Akin responded Thursday by challenging her to a debate.

“A lot of people like to take different little shots in politics and maybe one of the things to do just to get to the bottom of it; you want to talk about different issues? Let’s just have a debate,” Akin said.

Akin is self-descried as a conservative who believes in limited government.

“I’ve taken the tough votes, regardless of what the political pressures were, to stay on a tract that I believe is limited government,” Akin said.

During the press conference, he was able to keep good composure even after his banner fell from behind him.  Watch for more.

A sophomore student from St Louis died Wednesday after he was pulled from a pool on theMissouri Western campus.

22 year old DeRico Morris died hours after he was taken to Heartland Hospital.  He was unresponsive when a lifeguard pulled him from the pool in the Looney Complex.

“It’s just a tragedy,” said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Western’s president. “We are all saddened by today’s events and offer our condolences to the young man’s family and will do all we can to help them in this difficult time.”

The sophomore had not declared a major.  He worked on campus as a student supervisor for the housing and residential life summer operations.

“DeRico had an outgoing personality and was described by those who worked with him as respectful, loyal and family-oriented,” said Dr. Esther Perález, student affairs vice president.  “He was a tremendous asset to the Western community.”

A small group of people were in the pool just before 2:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.  The lifeguard became concerned when he noticed Morris at the bottom of the deep end of the pool, which is 12 feet deep, Western spokesperson Kent Heier said.

The lifeguard pulled Morris from the pool and administered CPR while others called 911.

Counselors have met with students who knew Morris, and will be helping students get through the tragedy.

The pool will reopen Monday.

The third annual Bike to Work Day brings incentives to commuters who ditch the car and ride the bike to work Friday.

The national event started several years ago and St Joseph joined the effort to get residents to take the healthier step to work by riding a bike. 65 percent of trips less than a mile are still taken by car, according to organizers.

Organizers saw an increase of 137 percent of ridership during Bike to Work Day last year compared to the year before.  The weather forecast may keep some riders from participating, Organizer Kelsy Marr said.

“Were calling for some pretty severe weather,” Marr said.  “I hope that it’s not going to be as bad as its forecasted and we can get some more riders out there.”

Prizes are available for riders who submit a dated photo.  The photo can be either mailed are e-mailed to organizers.  You’re asked to include your name, contact information and your workplace.

Sending your Photo

Email: [email protected]

Mail: 1100 Frederick Ave. Room 204, St. Joseph, MO 64501.

Special Promotions for Participants

• $50 gift card to East Hills Mall (1st Prize)
• $25 gift card to Hy-Vee(2nd Prize)
• $10 gift cad to Hy-Vee(3rd Prize)
• FREE Coffee & Bagel coupons provided by Panera Bread
• FREE Hy-Vee salad bar coupons for everyone who sends in a picture
• FREE bus rides for anyone traveling (in St. Joseph) with a bike on the day of the event
• Companies with the most submitted photos from employees will win a $100 gift card to Hy-Vee for their next catering event

Enter your date stamped photo of you and your bicycle for a chance to win.

A Missouri Western student died Wednesday after being pulled from a pool unresponsive on the university’s campus.

Emergency officials responded to a 911 call at the Looney Complex when a lifeguard spotted a swimmer who was underwater for what was described as an “unusually long time,” Western spokesperson Kent Heier said.

First responders arrived on the campus shortly before 2:00pm Wednesday afternoon.  A male student was pulled from the water and the lifeguard initiated CPR.  The student was taken by ambulance to Heartland where he later died.

“It’s just a tragedy,” said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Western’s president. “We are all saddened by today’s events and offer our condolences to the young man’s family and will do all we can to help them in this difficult time. Our staff is also prepared to help those in the campus community who knew him as a student and friend.”

Highway Patrol officers assisted in the investigation.  Western will release the students name sometime Thursday once the family has time to notify relatives.

The pool is typically open to Western students, staff and to the public throughout the year.  For now, the pool is closed and will remain closed until sometime tomorrow.

Northwest Missouri State University students are working to renovate the St Francis Hospital Cancer Treatment Center in Maryville.

The students were enrolled in the merchandising of furnishings and accessories course during the spring trimester and spent the time planning out the renovations and taking in donations from the community.

The students gained approval for the renovation from the St Francis Hospital Foundation, professor Jean Memken said.

“Through this project, the students have been able to not only learn about various ways to make an environment more peaceful and conducive to healing, but they have had a chance to do a little fund-raising in the community,” Memken said.

Teri Harr, nurse liaison for the breast cancer program at St. Francis, called the project exciting and said it gives her goose bumps to see the students’ passion for the project.

“I think it says a lot for our community that the university and the community and the hospital can come together to work on a project to help our cancer patients,” Harr said. “I think that is a phenomenal thing. I never imagined we’d have design boards and they’d come out here and actually do the physical work, which I think is a great learning experience for them, too.”

Currently the facility is designed to meet the needs of up to 25 patients who visit multiple times per week for treatments that may last up to six hours. During their planning, students interviewed staff, patients and cancer survivors about how they thought the facility could be improved. The students eventually drew up plans calling for an environment that is more vibrant, comfortable and timeless.

“We had to keep in mind that the materials had to be easy to clean and durable,” said Alison Jones, a senior merchandising major from Omaha.

The students also secured donations of goods and help to improve the existing furniture.

The project is estimated to cost between $30,000 and $35,000. Expenses include redoing the floors, ceilings, walls as well as purchasing new chairs and making improvements to the bathroom so it is handicapped-accessible. The renovation work could begin sometime this summer

“It’s good to know a lot of people will benefit from it,” said Emily Homan, a junior merchandising major from Lee’s Summit. “It’s not just redoing one person’s house. It’s redoing something that will help the whole community.”