A benefit fund has been established to help pay for medical and household expenses for the survivor of a double shooting that took place Saturday near Faucett.

Donations can be dropped off at Nodaway Valley Bank located at 4001 N. Belt Highway in St. Joseph for the Amanda Simpson Benefit Fund.

33-year-old Amanda sustained serious facial injuries after being shot in the face with a handgun at her home located in the 12000 block of Southeast State, Hwy A early Saturday morning.

Family reported that Amanda had to have reconstructive surgery on her jaw but is recovering.

36-year-old Andrew Clary was also shot and killed in the shooting.

Amanda’s ex-husband, Daron Simpson has been charged with second degree murder in connection with Clary’s death.

Funds raised from the Amanda Simpson Benefit will go towards medical and household expenses to support Amanda during this time.

Click Here for Support the Simpson Family Flyer

 

A Platte County jury has convicted a Kansas City man of sexually abusing two young girls while in a relationship with their mother.

Robert F. Seaton, 45, was found guilty of statutory rape, statutory sodomy and child molestation following a two-day jury trial in Platte County. He faces up to 70 years in prison and must receive a sentence of no less than 60 years.

Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said, “The Defendant sentenced these girls to a lifetime of dealing with what he did to them. This verdict and recommended sentence ensures that he will spend the rest of his life facing the consequences of his evil deeds.”

Prosecutors proved at trial Seaton sexually abused the oldest victim around age 13 and the youngest from age eight until she was 11.

One of the victims testified Seaton blew crack cocaine smoke into her mouth prior to sexually abusing her. After this abuse, she stayed away from the home for several months.

The youngest victim testified Seaton would threaten if she told anyone about the abuse, he would hurt her mother. Eventually both victims did tell their mother about the abuse. She did not believe either one of them or take any steps to protect them from Seaton.

Zahnd said, “The victims’ mother failed to listen and failed to protect her own children. Thankfully, these Platte County jurors did listen and did protect these victims.”

In November 2013, the victim told her grandmother about the abuse and the grandmother contacted law enforcement. A follow-up forensic interview was conducted by Children’s Advocacy Center at Synergy Services with the youngest victim who revealed Seaton had sexually abused her for years.

The jury found Seaton guilty of statutory rape, two counts of statutory sodomy and child molestation and recommended Seaton be sentenced up to a total of 70 years in prison. Under Missouri sentencing laws the minimum Seaton can be sentenced to is 60 years. Seaton is scheduled to be sentenced by Circuit Judge James Van Amburg on March 26, 2015.

During the sentencing phase, one of the victims testified, “My heart and soul have encouraged me to see this man prosecuted for what he did to me. Not only for myself, but for other young girls that he might come across later in life, and also as a warning to other molesters.”

 

A Tuesday afternoon burglary in Chillicothe has law enforcement officials asking the public for help.

The Chillicothe Police Department and the Livingston County Sheriff’s Department are working a join investigation after a burglary took place n the 100 block of Parkview Circle in Chillicothe early Tuesday afternoon.

Neighbors observed a white male in his late 20′ or early 30’s with sandy blonde hair wearing a gray shirt and khaki colored slacks at the residence.

Neighbors reported that the male was operating a newer charcoal gray in color vehicle believed to be a BMW with tinted windows, and black rimmed wheels.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Chillicothe Police Department at 660-646-2121 or the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office at 660-646-0515. The department said any and all tips are appreciated.

According to explorer Dick Spink and Earhart author/researcher Carol Dow, a plate and a dust shield recovered from Milli Atoll may change history. Was Amelia Earhart captured by the Japanese after she crashed?

Seattle, WA (PRWEB) January 28, 2015 – Now, for the first time, the knowledge of what happened to Amelia Earhart may be about to change. An explorer from Bow, Washington, by the name of Dick Spink, recently discovered two artifacts from the reefs of the Marshall Islands (a small aluminum cover plate and a circular metal dust cover from a landing-gear wheel assembly). Spink believes both artifacts came from the Earhart airplane when she and her navigator vanished July 2, 1937, during an attempted around-the-world flight. For 77 years the artifacts may have appeared to simply be junk lying on the reefs of Milli Atoll.

“This is the first time that somebody has offered hard evidence from the Marshall Islands that can be traced to Earhart’s Electra,” said Carol Linn Dow, a Texas pilot and Earhart author. Dow added, “There’s no evidence of any U.S. or Japanese aircraft being shot down or disabled in that part of Milli Atoll. So where would these artifacts have come from? In all likelihood, it came off Earhart’s plane.”

After listening to countless stories from the Marshallese about what happened at Milli Atoll, Dick Spink shot video on the actual crash site of Earhart’s airplane and he completed four very important interviews with the people of the Marshall Islands.

According to Spink, the story the Marshall Islanders tell is that Amelia Earhart’s airplane crashed at Milli Atoll. Amelia Earhart and her navigator were taken to Tokowa and given food and water. Several days later Japanese soldiers arrived and took them prisoner. The airplane was winched off a reef at Milli Atoll and onto the back of a barge where it was towed to a tramp steamer, the Koshu Maru, standing by offshore.

What eventually happened to the airplane is unknown. Some researchers say it was taken to the island of Saipan and destroyed in World War II. Other researchers believe it was taken to the Japanese aircraft factories in Tokyo. Based on Spink’s findings, a few parts may have fallen off the Electra at Milli while it was being towed to the Koshu Maru. Spink said, “that may be all we will ever be able to find of the Earhart airplane … just a few scattered parts on the reefs of Milli Atoll.”

Explorer Dick Spink and book author Carol Dow teamed up to create “Amelia Earhart Mystery,” a DVD they believe will have a lasting impression on the Earhart story. The filming was done entirely in the Marshall Islands and at North Sound Aviation, Sedro-Woolley, Washington. It was made under the auspices and with the permission of the people and the government of the Marshall Islands. The DVD documents the actual clearing on the reef where the Japanese hauled the wrecked Electra to the Koshu Maru standing by offshore. Interviews with community leaders and the artifacts found are also included. No other research groups, including Tighar, have laid claims to having reports from eye witnesses who saw the crash and later witnessed Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, on board the Koshu Maru at the port of Jabor, Marshall Islands. According to Marshallese native, Shikaro Lajuan, who’s father actually witnessed the crash of Earhart’s airplane on the reefs, it was at Jabor where Noonan’s infected wounds from the crash were dressed by a Japanese medic. The Japanese medic, Bilimon Amran, settled in the Marshall Islands after the war and became a respected member of the community.

The most popular and the most often used excuse explaining the disappearance of Amelia Earhart has been the theories dubbed with the title of “crashed and sank.” Dow said, “They took the easiest way out. Ninety five percent of these people (with exceptions) who write books and make movies know nothing about airplanes and the problems of radio navigation or the events that took place in the Marshall Islands. They just dropped her off in the ocean, and that’s the end of it. The easy way out. What a travesty of justice this is.”

According to Felix Girard, Executive Producer of Mystery, “the discoveries in the Marshall Islands are new, they are exciting, and now for the first time the public has something they can really bite their teeth on. We originally thought the public would bite into the post loss transmissions and Almon Gray’s Affidavit as it appears in Carol Dow’s book, ‘The Lost Flight of Amelia Earhart’. Nonetheless, the current effort appears to be even better yet. Perhaps now we really have the chance to boost the story of Amelia Earhart with the new discoveries from the crash that took place at Milli Atoll in the Marshall Islands.”

The one hour Amelia Earhart Mystery DVD ($7.99) is available from http://www.AmeliaEarhartMovie.com orhttp://AmeliaEarhartMystery.com

This article was originally distributed by PRWeb. This site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith.

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University Upward Bound, an initiative designed to help local students finish high school and commit to higher education, has accepted 20 students to join the program.

Upward Bound, a federally funded education program created by the Higher Education Act of 1965, got its start at Northwest in 1987. The program annually serves 80 high school students from seven high schools in northwest Missouri: King City, Maryville, Northeast Nodaway, Rock Port, Stanberry, Tarkio and West Nodaway. Upward Bound is open to students who are in their freshman year of high school up to recent high school graduates.

“Once accepted into the program our goal is to help all Upward Bound students obtain their dream of a college degree,” said Tanya Riley, Upward Bound coordinator of counseling. “Even after they exit the program we continue to track them for six years after their expected high school graduation date and provide assistance whenever possible.”

Although their membership began this month, the selected students have displayed a commitment to Northwest Upward Bound since October by participating in visitor days and attending field tutoring at their local schools.

Students selected into the Upward Bound program are listed below with their high schools.

· David Angelo, Tarkio

· Dalton Carrol, Maryville

· Taylor Coffelt, Northeast Nodaway

· Salina Deardorff, Northeast Nodaway

· Adam Ebrecht, Maryville

· Jake Law, King City

· Megan Hamilton, King City

· Makinna McDermott, King City

· Maria Morris, Maryville

· Hope Ogle, West Nodaway

· Harrison Parkhurst, Maryville

· Vanessa Purcell, Stanberry

· Emily Redden, Northeast Nodaway

· Mystie Robinson, Rock Port

· Payton Schomburg, Rock Port

· Selena Somerville, Tarkio

· Brendon Smith, Stanberry

· Delanie Vinzant, Maryville

· Brayden Welch, Northeast Nodaway

· Jordan Wiederholt, Maryville

Upward Bound students gather on the Northwest campus once a month during the school year to participate in workshops, college visits and other learning opportunities. A field tutor also meets with students weekly at their home school.

Apart from the school year, Upward Bound students participate in a six-week summer residential component at Northwest during which they live in a residence hall and participate in a cultural enrichment trip. This summer, the group will travel to Chicago.

Students also attend Saturday Academies where tutors help them learn basic study skills that aid them in their coursework. Tutors monitor students’ academic progress as they advance toward graduation, and on select Saturdays, students, tutors and counselors meet for half-day workshops to discuss career planning, college prep, financial literacy and study skills.

The Upward Bound program provides instruction in math, laboratory science, composition, literature and foreign languages. It also helps with reading, writing, study skills and other areas necessary for success in education beyond high school. Academic, financial and personal counseling are also available and are provided when necessary. By offering various academic programs and cultural experiences, the program helps expose students to the vast opportunities that lie outside beyond their northwest Missouri communities.

For more information, contact Northwest Upward Bound at upbound@nwmissouri.edu or 660.562.1630.

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University President Dr. John Jasinski has been appointed to serve a two-year term on the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Council of State Representatives through Dec. 31, 2016.

While AASCU provides advocacy, leadership and service in support of nearly 420 public colleges and universities in the United States, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, its Council of State Representatives is charged with formulating and recommending a public policy agenda to the association. The Council of State Representatives, which is comprised of both elected and appointed representatives, assists staff in carrying out the agenda through contacts with stakeholders and members.

Jasinski serves on the AASCU Committee on Professional Development, having served as chair previously, and is a member of AASCU’s Rural Coalition and Membership Retention and Recruitment committees.

Jasinski, who began his presidency at Northwest in 2009, also serves as chair of the Council on Public Higher Education, the organization consisting of CEOs from Missouri’s public four-year universities.

This Afternoon Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. Breezy, with a south wind 11 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Tonight Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. Breezy, with a west southwest wind 8 to 13 mph becoming north northwest 17 to 22 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph.

Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 45. Breezy, with a north northwest wind 13 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 22. North northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 40. North northeast wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable.

Friday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28.

Saturday Rain and snow likely. Cloudy, with a high near 41. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Saturday Night Snow likely. Cloudy, with a low around 27. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Sunday A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 30. Blustery. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 6.

Monday Mostly sunny, with a high near 21.

Monday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 13.

Tuesday Mostly cloudy, with a high near 32.