Law enforcement officials are investigating after a shooting Saturday in Buchanan County.
Sources told the Post that the shooting left one man from Doniphan County, Kan. dead and a woman in serious condition.
According to the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded at 1:53 Saturday to the double shooting.
A suspect is in custody. This investigation continues.
A press conference is slated for 1 p.m. Anticipate more information being released at that time.
Read updated story here
A groundbreaking ceremony kicked off renovation and other construction projects for Mosaic Life Care in downtown St. Joseph Friday.
The ceremony was held at the German-American Bank Building located at 624 Felix St. Besides the renovation there, three other properties are a part of the downtown development: a building adjacent to the German-American Bank Building currently with storefronts identified as 620 and 618 Felix St., as well as parking lot areas on the northeast and southwest corners of Seventh and Edmond streets.
According to Mosaic Life Care, the German-American Bank Building was constructed in 1889 and is on the National Historic Register. Renovation of the building and parking areas to accommodate up to 200 caregivers, is expected to take approximately two years, and will embrace and protect the architectural and historic features of the building, while adding modern amenities inside. When complete, the development project investment could equal up to $20 million.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation plans to offer a free basic reloading class to teach people how to load bullets for their firearms.
In a news release the MDC said that because factory ammunition costs have risen, it may be worth the time and effort to learn how to reload your own rifle ammunition.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will have staff on hand to teach two Basic Reloading: Metallic Cartridges classes on the following dates:
The agency said the class will teach the basics of reloading safety and techniques. Classroom lessons will be mentored by an experienced ammunition reloader. Participants will learn the basics of safety, techniques, equipment and much more.
“Whether your goals include squeezing out additional accuracy or shooting more for less money, this class will give you the foundation needed to start making safe cartridges right away,” said MDC Outdoor Skills Specialist Brian Flowers. “Our Discover Nature programs are designed to help Missourians explore nature and master outdoor skills together.”
This program is open to adults age 18 or over. There is no cost for the program, but pre-registration is required. All equipment is provided.
To register for either class, or for more information, contact Flowers atBrian.Flowers@mdc.mo.gov, or 573-815-7901, ext. 3388.
The E. Sydney Stephens Central Regional Office and Conservation Research Center is conveniently located off of US Highway 63 just west of the Discovery Parkway exit on the south side of East Gans Road.
Runge Nature Center is located on Hwy 179 in Jefferson City approximately .5 mile north of Hwy 50. Building hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday with extended hours until 8 p.m. on Thursdays. The building is closed on Sunday and Monday. The outdoor trails are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
For more information about this and other Discover Nature programs, go online to mdc.mo.gov
Tonight Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. West southwest wind 6 to 9 mph becoming northwest in the evening.
Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 55. West wind 8 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. West southwest wind 6 to 10 mph.
Sunday Mostly sunny, with a high near 54. Breezy, with a west northwest wind 11 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
Sunday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31.
Monday Mostly sunny, with a high near 51.
Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 31.
Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 54.
Tuesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 32.
Wednesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 58.
Wednesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 35.
Thursday Partly sunny, with a high near 49.
The St. Joseph School District Board of Education met behind closed doors again Friday morning.
The meeting lasted more than two hours but the results were quickly released to the public.
The Board passed a resolution to authorize attorney Duane Martin of Columbia to talk with attorney Joseph Hatley with the firm of Spencer Fane regarding an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment by Chief Financial Officer Beau Musser.
Musser claimed 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.
Musser filed suit in May 2014 against the district, Superintendent Dr. Fred Czerwonka, Human Resources Director Doug Flowers, and School Board Member Dennis Snethen.
According to the lawsuit, Musser was called into a meeting on March 28 with Dr. Czerwonka and Human Resources Director Flowers. Musser asserts in court documents that he was informed by Dr. Czerwonka he was being placed on administrative leave based on false claims of sexual harassment.
The board also released votes taken during Tuesday’s closed session where Superintendent Fred Czerwonka and Chief Operating Officer Rick Hartigan were placed on paid administrative leave.
Click Here to view votes taken at Jan. 20th closed board meeting
In attendance at that meeting were Brad Haggard, Dan Colgan, Lori Prussman, Chris Danford and Kappy Hodges.
Danford mad the original motion to place Czerwonka on administrative leave with pay, pending further investigation which was seconded by Hodges. The voted carried 4-1 with Colgan casting the only no vote.
A vote to place Hartigan on leave with pay pending further investigation was moved by Prussman with Hodges seconding. The original vote was passed unanimously, until Colgan made a motion to reconsider that vote in which he was the only no vote.
Prussman then moved to appoint Jake Long Acting Superintendent which was seconded by Danford and approved unanimously by the board.
Texas man has pleaded guilty in federal court to a mail fraud scheme in which he embezzled more than $930,000 from Herzog Contracting Corporation in St. Joseph, Mo.
48-year-old Daniel Reif of Weatherford, Texas, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015, to one count of mail fraud and one count of filing a false income tax return.
By pleading guilty, Reif admitted that he engaged in a scheme to defraud Herzog from January 2006 through Aug. 26, 2011. The government’s evidence establishes the amount embezzled by Reif totaled at least $931,256.
Herzog, which constructs railroads, highways, bridges, and airports, has a regional office in Irving, Texas. Reif began working for Herzog in the Irving office in August 2005. Reif was the manager of signals for Herzog and responsible for procuring materials and services from vendors in order to fulfill the needs of existing jobs; he was also responsible for oversight of the installation and performance of those services and materials. Reif was authorized to approve payments to vendors under his supervision and responsibility.
Reif founded his own company, Railway Signal Solutions, LLC (RSS), in February 2005. Reif began ordering project materials and services from supply vendors through RSS, then re-selling those products and services to Herzog at inflated prices. The RSS invoices made it appear as though the materials and services were being provided directly by RSS, an alleged independent supply vendor.
Reif, on behalf of RSS, paid the original, true vendors with a personal credit card or cashier’s check. Reif then, through RSS, invoiced Herzog for a higher price. The difference between the true price and Reif’s inflated price varied from 10 percent to over 100 percent. After RSS invoiced Herzog, Reif actually authorized payment of the inflated invoices himself.
Over the course of Reif’s scheme, RSS invoiced Herzog a total amount of at least $3,883,306, and Herzog paid RSS a total of at least $3,657,896.
The plea agreement cites one instance of a $292,241 check from Herzog made payable to RSS that was mailed on March 10, 2010. The check was sent as payment for two invoices, one of which was sent by RSS to Herzog for a signal material package in the amount of $246,856. Reif, through his company RSS, had paid $152,686 for this same part, thus marking up the part by $94,170 and defrauding Herzog that same amount.
Reif also admitted that he filed a false federal income tax return on April 19, 2009, for the year 2008. According to the plea agreement, Reif claimed $990,159 in business expenses, although $498,301 of his business expenses had already been reimbursed by Herzog, his employer. The return materially understated his taxable income, resulting in a tax loss to the government of $192,230.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Reig will be sentenced to 36 to 38 months in federal prison without parole and must pay restitution in an amount to be determined by the court. Reif must forfeit to the government $105,000 seized from his TD Ameritrade account and a 2010 Tige boat and trailer; Reif also must make a $225,000 payment on or before the date of sentencing. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is asking questions of a Missouri non-profit hospital that reportedly sues large numbers of low-income people over treatment bills instead of working with patients to offer reasonable payment plans for medical care.
“Non-profit hospitals are obligated under law to have a financial assistance policy and alert those who can’t afford care of any assistance they qualify to receive,” Grassley said. “Occasionally, a hospital seems to go out of its way to avoid helping the poorest patients. When these cases come up, the hospitals should explain their practices and how they comply with the spirit and the letter of the law. It’s a matter of accountability for the tax breaks they receive.”
Grassley wrote to Mosaic Life Care of St. Joseph, Mo., after the investigative reporting outlet ProPublica and National Public Radio reported aggressive billing from the hospital of low-income patients, including thousands of lawsuits and paycheck garnishments.
Under federal law, tax-exempt hospitals are required to provide a community benefit, which includes providing charity care to serve low-income patients. Congress tightened the law in 2010, enacting provisions Grassley co-authored that require a hospital to complete a community health needs assessment once every three years and adopt and publicize a financial assistance policy; prohibit billing those who qualify for financial assistance the top rates; and prohibit a hospital from taking extraordinary collection actions if the hospital has not made reasonable efforts to notify patients of its financial assistance policy.
The provisions also require the IRS to review the tax-exempt status of each hospital every three years; require Treasury and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to submit an annual report to Congress on the level of charity care, bad debt expenses and the unreimbursed costs of means-tested and non-means-tested government programs; and require Treasury and HHS to provide a report in five years on the trends on the items reported on an annual basis.
Grassley’s letter to Mosaic Life Care is available here.
Trenton ranks as the cheapest place to live in Missouri according to a new study by SmartAssest.
The financial advice technology company ranks Trenton as number one on the cheapest place to live in the State of Missouri and 134 Nationwide.
The rankings looked at property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, mortgage payments, and median family income which came in at $36,822.
The City of Trenton Posted on social media that “The study was good news for recruiting and retaining business in Trenton,” according to Community Development Director Ralph Boots.
SmartAsset’s Managing Editor, AJ Smith commented on the rankings, stating “Trenton had a strong showing in not only the state, coming in at number one, but also nationally where the city ranked 134 out of 4584 cities across the country. When it comes to affordability Trenton is definitely the place to go in Missouri!”
Other counties that made the top include Barnhart, Mexico, Greenwood, Charleston, Republic, Hannibal, Kearney. Buchanan County came in near the bottom of State rankings on the National Rankings at 1258 with a median income for families of $44,181.
Click here to see results.
East Hills Shopping Center plans to launch a Youth Supervision Policy starting Friday, January 23rd at 5 p.m.
According to a news release from the mall the policy is meant to restrain the “rising number of unsupervised youth hanging out.”
Under the new policy youth 16 and under will be required to be accompanied and remain with a parent or adult 21-years or older at all times after 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturdays. Youths and supervising adults will be required to provide proof of age to security guards located at each entrance throughout the shopping center.
“With new management in place, we are taking a proactive approach to ensure we are providing a safe and family friend environment for our customers,” said Caroline Thalasino, East Hill General Manager.
The release said the policy is being implemented in response to feedback from shoppers, local government, business leaders and other members of the community after disturbances occurring on the property over Friday and Saturday nights.
Failure to provide ID to security guards could result in the individual(s) being asked to leave the property. One adult is allowed to accompany up to five youth and must remain with them at all times. East Hills said the adult is also responsible for the actions taken by the youths they accompany.
For more information about the policy or for questions contact the East Hills Mall at (816) 279-5667
The St. Joseph School District Board of Education has voted to appoint Dr. Jake Long as acting Superintendent after the board voted Tuesday during a closed session to place Superintendent Dr. Fred Czerwonka and Chief Operating Officer Rick Hartigan on administrative leave.
In a news release sent out this morning the district confirmed that both Czerwonka and Hartigan have been placed on paid administrative leave pending further investigation.
Long has been the Student Services Director of Transportation and Safety since 2013.
“Because these are personnel matters that are the subject of an ongoing investigation, the Board will have no further comment on either action at this time,” the district said in the release.
Click Here for Board of Education Statement
Czerwonka started with the district in 2013 and Hartigan has been with the school district for more than 25 years.
The FBI started investigating the school district last year and the district has received several subpoenas for personnel records.
A source told the St. Joseph Post the board has 30 days from last Friday to respond to Audit findings and it is anticipated that the board will respond to the findings line by line.
The board met earlier this week in a closed door meeting with state auditors to review the report.
When the audit will be made public is still unknown, however it’s believed the findings are tied to information the public has already been made aware of.
CFO Beau Musser filed suit in May 2014 against the district, Superintendent Dr. Fred Czerwonka, Human Resources Director Doug Flowers, and School Board Member Dennis Snethen.
Musser claimed 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.
Musser was reinstated to his position last month.
