St. Joseph, Mo. —March 18, 2015— Economic realities mean the end of a partnership that offered drivers’ education at Missouri Western State University.
In 1999, the St Joseph School District and Missouri Western became partners in offering drivers’ education during the summer. The St. Joseph School District covered the salaries of the instructors. Missouri Western provided classrooms, driving practice areas and administration of the program, including registration of students and supervision of instructors. A local dealership graciously provided cars for the hands-on portion of the drivers’ education courses.
Initially, tuition was free, with a $25 charge beginning in 2002 to cover insurance expenses. Due to increasing expenses, including insurance and the leasing of cars from a local dealership, the cost of drivers’ education at Missouri Western increased to $75 by 2014.
For 2015, the school district is unable to provide funds for drivers’ education instructors due to state guidelines that will not allow districts to be reimbursed for courses that charge a fee. In addition, no local car dealer is currently able to provide cars for drivers’ education. Even if a leasing program could be secured, without the school district funds, the cost per student for drivers’ education would be about $350 if 100 students paid this fee. After careful consideration, the decision has been made to suspend drivers’ education courses at Missouri Western due to these economic realities.
“The University has explored every opportunity to continue offering drivers’ education courses, but unfortunately, it is no longer economically feasible,” said Dr. Gordon Mapley, dean of the Western Institute. “We know this is a loss to the community.”
Parents and students desiring drivers’ education should seek qualified private instructors or an approved regional drivers’ education school.
The Cameron Police Department has issued an Endangered SILVER Advisory for a missing adult incident that occurred at Tecumseh, Michigan at 08:30 AM on March 17, 2015.
The endangered SILVER advisory missing adult is:
Hugo Hamil Umphrey, a white, male, age 76, hgt 6′, 185 lbs, gray hair, hazel eyes, fair complexion
Diagnosed Medical Condition(s): Alzheimer’s and Diabetes
Vehicle Information:
Dark Blue 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer bearing Michigan, BQV4530 last seen in Tecumseh, MI en route to Cameron, MO via an unknown route of travel
Brief circumstances regarding the Endangered Silver Person incident:
Umphrey advised family in Cameron, MO that he would be arriving in Cameron, MO to attend a funeral at approximately 6:30 PM on March 17, 2015. The subject has no GPS or cell phone and is believed to be off his medications.
Anyone seeing the missing person, suspect, associate, or vehicle, or anyone having any information related to the endangered missing person should immediately dial 911 to contact the nearest law enforcement agency or call the Cameron Police Department at (816)632-6521.
The St. Joseph Public Library is celebrating its 125th year serving the citizens of St. Joseph.
To kick off the year of celebration, the St. Joseph Public Library Foundation is hosting a Fundraising Birthday Party Event at the East Hills Library on April 17 from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
The Library said the event is an adult program with a suggested donation at the door of $5.00. Wine, hors d’oeuvres and birthday cake will be served. The Foundation is raffling off a signed copy of Old Saint Jo: Gateway to the West by Sheridan Logan. The Friends of the St. Joseph Public Library are holding a mini book sale and hosting a themed book basket silent auction. Proclamations will be read at 6:00 p.m. and Librarian Will Stuck will talk about sharing stories.
On April 18, 1890 the citizens of St. Joseph voted to establish a tax-supported public library. The initiative was so popular that it passed with a margin of six to one. In 1890, the St. Joseph Public Library opened with 5,510 books, mostly donated by the St. Joseph Library Association which was a subscription library established in 1887.
That first building was at 6th and Charles, but it wasn’t long before it was outgrown and the library moved to a building at 10th & Sylvanie Streets that later became the Heaton-Bowman Funeral Home. The library outgrew its second home and opened at 927 Felix
Downtown Lobby 1902 Courtesy SJPL
Street in March 1902. It has been called the Central Library, the Main Library and today we call it the Downtown Library. One of the unique things about the Downtown Library is that it was built by the St. Joseph School District as a joint School District Administration Building and Public Library. The building still houses both the School District Administration and St. Joseph Public Library, though we have always been and continue to be, two separate entities. We have been tenants for nearly 120 years and our rent consists of paying our portion of the utilities in the building.
The Carnegie Library opened in December 1902 and was built with funds donated by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation on land that was donated by John Donovan. It’s one of the earliest branch libraries in Missouri right here in St. Joseph.
Carnegie Library Early 1900s Courtesy SJPL
Speaking of libraries funded by the Carnegie Foundation, the Washington Park Library was opened in June 1910. Not many communities were honored with receiving funds from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation for multiple branch libraries but St. Joseph was. Washington Park is in a lovely park and boasts two meeting rooms available for public use. St. Joseph is blessed with two historic Carnegie libraries that are vital to the neighborhoods in which they are located. St. Joseph is unique in that both of our Carnegie library buildings are still open as a libraries.
A little known fact about the library is that we once had three other branches. The Wyatt Park Branch was at 2633 Lafayette and was open from January 1925 to April 1933. The Francis Street Branch was at 704 Francis Street, only three blocks from the Downtown Library, and was only open from February 1925 to June 1926. The South Park Branch was at 1802 Commercial and was open from September 1927 to April 1933.
Washington Park under Construction Courtesy SJPL
Renovations were done to the libraries at different times throughout the years, the most recent happening between 2001 and 2004 when the Carnegie, Downtown and Washington Park branches all underwent major renovations and repair. The purpose was to restore the buildings to their early 20th century beauty while equipping them for the 21st century.
Our newest branch opened in September 2004 and is the East Hills Library. It’s a building that looks and operates like a modern library, inside and out. This branch also has meeting rooms, one of which is a theater-style meeting room with 89 seats, a small stage, screen, sound and video equipment and looping technology for the hearing impaired.
When the St. Joseph Public Library opened in 1890 it offered books, newspapers and magazines for patrons. Today, we still have books, newspaper and magazines but they can be read in print, or on microfilm, or on the computer or a personal device. Books come in print, large print, hardback, paperback, electronic and audio that can either be on CD, an all-in-one-digital book or downloadable audio. You can also check out a movie or music from any of our branches. You can attend a meeting, watch a movie, hear about a topic of interest, make crafts or learn about local history and that’s just a rundown of our regular adult programming at the library. Check out our calendar on our website at sjpl.lib.mo.us to find out about the almost daily programming that happens at the library for all ages.
Need to file your taxes but don’t have a computer? Come to the library. Need to hop on a wireless connection to send a quick email? Stop on by. Do you need to improve your computer skills? Yes, the public library is the place to get help.
The public library is still, and we believe, always will be, an essential part of our community and a place for you – our citizens to come and visit. The St. Joseph Public Library is going strong after 125 years and we’d love for you to come and help us celebrate that fact on April 17th.
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(St. Joseph, MO) — In honor of National Ag Day, the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce will host the 11th annual Farm City Breakfast on Friday, March 20. This is one of the Chamber’s fastest-growing events, with more than 600 people expected to attend.
The St. Joseph Agribusiness Committee, a sub-committee of the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce, plans the event each year with the help of local sponsors. The breakfast is held to recognize the significant contribution of agriculture to the area economy. Attendees are a blend of rural and urban business professionals associated with agriculture.
This year the guest speaker will be Mitch Holthus, who just completed his 21st season as the voice of the Kansas City Chiefs. St. Joseph is home to the Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp and Holthus is the one who created the phrase “Chiefs Kingdom.” In addition to being recognized as one of the NFL’s premiere play-by-play talents, Holthus also provides coverage for Fox Sports and ESPN of Missouri Valley Conference and Big 12 conference basketball.
The event will be from 7 to 9 a.m., Friday, March 20, at Word of Life Church, 3902 N. Riverside Road. Tickets are available online at www.saintjoseph.com or at the Chamber office, 3003 Frederick Ave., through Wednesday, March 18. Tickets also will be available at the door. Cost is $12 per ticket. Proceeds benefit AFA agriculture scholarships. LifeLine Foods is the presenting sponsor for the Farm City Breakfast.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri turkey hunters can expect a good spring season overall according to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). The spring turkey hunting season starts with a youth-only weekend April 11-12 for young hunters ages 6-15. The regular spring season runs April 20 through May 10.
“Hunters should generally expect similar opportunities as those during the past several seasons,” said MDC Turkey Biologist Jason Isabelle. “Two-year-old gobblers won’t be as abundant as they were in 2014 in most areas due to lower poult production in 2013, but carry-over from previous years should provide some great hunting.”
Isabelle noted that MDC offers turkey hunting opportunities on more than 500 conservation areas and the state’s diverse landscapes mean turkey numbers often vary by region.
“With good poult production from 2014, jake numbers should be up in northern Missouri this spring, but harvesting an adult gobbler will continue to be a bit more challenging given the decline in bird numbers that the region experienced during the mid-to-late 2000s,” he said.
“Turkey numbers in the Ozarks have been relatively stable for the past several years and the eastern Ozarks has had some of the state’s best turkey production,” Isabelle said. “With good poult production in recent years, we’ve started to see turkey number increase in several southern Missouri counties. Good gobbler numbers and an abundance of public land make this region a good choice for hunters. The western Ozarks and border region further west are likely to have some of the top harvest counties in the state this year.”
He added that prospects are also good for the River Breaks region, which lies just south of the Missouri River and west of the Mississippi River from Osage County east to Jefferson County and south to Cape Girardeau County. “This region encompasses some of the state’s best turkey habitat, and its counties consistently rank among the highest in spring turkey harvest,” he said.
Three St. Joseph School District principals and assistant principals were recognized at the Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals (MAESP) conference this week.
Briedwell named SJSD Principal of the Year
Dr. Jasmine Briedwell, principal at Lake Contrary Elementary, was awarded National Distinguished Principal for Missouri. Terri Deayon, principal at Edison Elementary, was recognized as Outstanding New Principal. This is her second year as principal at Edison. John Davison, assistant principal at Colgan Alternative Resource Center, was recognized as Outstanding Assistant Principal.
The Missouri Distinguished Principals program honors outstanding elementary and middle-level administrators who ensure that Missouri’s children acquire a sound foundation for lifelong learning and achievement. By promoting excellent leadership, quality education and professional growth, this award celebrates principals and exemplifies their outstanding achievements as a school principal.
10 people were arrested Monday after a raid at a home located in the 3000 block of Jules.
Drug Strike Force Lt. Shawn Collie said investigators executed a methamphetamine related search warrant at a home located at 3021 Jules street.
Officers took 10 people into custody, three of which had outstanding warrants.
Items related to the drug investigation were seized during the raid but charges have not yet been filed.
“Obviously there’s 10 people in the residence so they have to sort through and figure out who belongs and who doesn’t and if items are seized who they belong to,” said Collie.
He said usually around three to six investigators will go out on a case, however after realizing there were 10 people in the home they had to call for back-up.
“Not necessarily because there was anything wrong, just because there were so many,” said Collie.
He said the spike in recent drug busts are not connected.
“A lot of times stuff comes in different spurts,” said Collie. “It could be the warmer weather and residents could be outside and looking around and seeing more stuff going on.”
Three more St. Joseph Residents have tossed their name into the hat for a chance to fill the St. Joseph School Board spot left by the resignation of Dr. Dan Colgan.
As of Tuesday morning Dennis Dornhoffer, William Church and Michael Dulcan had added their names to the list to be considered.
According to board secretary Debbie Consolver letters of intent were also received last week by Eric Bruder, Matthew Brock, Jeff Bird, Brian Cronk and David Mason bringing the total number of applicants for the board to choose from up to eight.
Applicants wanting to apply to be considered for school board have until 4 p.m. March 23rd to submit their letters of intent to the Superintendent’s Office.
Consolver said after the closing date the Board will review all of the applicants at the April 13th Board Meeting.
She said once the board has reviewed the applicants they will conduct interviews to determine the best match for the vacancy. The term will end April 11, 2016.
Consolver previously told the St. Joseph Post she expects the board to make its decision during the May 11th board meeting but said it is possible that a special meeting could be called to speed up the process. However, according to the district’s website the vote will be made in open session.
Individuals wanting to submit letters to the Board of Education can deliver or mail it to:
Debbie Consolver, Board Secretary
SJSD
925 Felix Street
St. Joseph, MO 64501
COOPER COUNTY, MO – The Missouri Department of Transportation has closed one westbound lane of Interstate 70 at mile marker 93 in Cooper County due to required bridge repairs. During a routine inspection of the bridge, a crack was found in one of the bridge’s steel beams and MoDOT crews must take immediate action to keep the bridge open to traffic.
“The damage that developed on the Lamine River bridge on I-70 is symptomatic of Missouri’s transportation funding problem,” said MoDOT Director Dave Nichols. “Without continuous investment in rehabilitation and replacement projects, this will keep happening, more and more frequently.”
Work will take place beginning March 16 and could last up to three days. One westbound lane will be closed until a temporary repair is in place, and motorists are advised to use caution and prepare for slow traffic in the area.
The bridge passes over the Lamine River, and is located about nine miles west of Boonville. The bridge is about 50 years old, and like many other bridges on Missouri’s state system, it is showing its age. Unfortunately, MoDOT’s shrinking construction budget means replacing this bridge, and others like it, is not a possibility.
“Without additional transportation funding, we’ll see more bridges with weight restrictions, and some will need to be closed indefinitely,” said Nichols. “When that happens, the economic vitality of our state and mobility of Missourians will be compromised.”
MoDOT is responsible for maintaining nearly 10,400 bridges, currently about 600 of them are in poor or serious condition. To replace them all is simply not possible, especially considering MoDOT’s construction budget will fall to $325 million by 2017. That’s far below the $485 million needed annually just to keep Missouri’s roads and bridges in the condition they are in today.
(Photo courtesy of Hiawatha World, Managing editor Joey May) (Photo left to right, Brown County Sheriff John Merchant, General Manager Hiawatha Ford, Lance Clark, Brown County Sheriff’s Office Public Resource Safety Officer J.D. Clary)
The Brown County Sheriff’s Office was recently awarded two (2) CPR training units consisting of two (2) four packs of infant baby Anne CPR manikins. The manikins were awarded by Lance Clark, General Manager of Hiawatha Ford as part of a grant program from the National Auto Dealers Association (NADA) Charitable Foundation.
The Manikins were accepted last week by Sheriff John Merchant and Public Resource Safety Officer, J. D. Clary. The NADA foundation has devoted a great part of its resources to this emergency CPR training program through its Medical Grants Program. New car dealers throughout the country have devoted much of their time and money to the development of projects that enrich the lives of people in their communities. Since the NADA Foundation’s Medical Grant program began in 1975, more than 4,600 CPR training units with a value of about $3 million have been donated to organizations in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Sheriff Merchant said that the award of the manikins is worth nearly $500.00.
“We cannot begin to express our gratitude for the generous donation of these manikins by Lance Clark of Hiawatha Ford on behalf of the NADA Charitable Foundation,” Merchant said. “We intend to put these manikins to good use as part of our Teen Lifesaver initiative.”
The manikins will be used to train nearly 400 high school students in Brown County.
“That’s 400 more certified lifesavers in our community,” said Merchant.
