All 866 families in the AFL-CIO Adopt-a-Family program will have a Christmas this year.

The last family was adopted Tuesday by an 82-year-old lady from Tennessee who was visiting family in St. Joseph according to AFL-CIO Community Services Dir. Penny Adams.

“We still had plenty of families left by Monday that we didn’t know would get adopted,” said Adams. “This week we had a lot of people come in and start adopting.”

Adams said that out of the 866 families there were a total of 2784 individuals who will have a Christmas this year all made possible by 437 adopters and numerous other donations.

“It’s like my shoulders don’t hurt any longer,” said Adams. “I know you hear this every year from us but if you’re in our shoes we just never know if everyone will get adopted.”

Adams said it had been fairly slow until this week when many adopters started coming in.

With everyone adopted, the AFL-CIO plans to close its door by noon Christmas Eve.

Christmas is being marked with record breaking gas prices according to AAA after national gasoline prices have fallen for 89 consecutive days.

Tuesday the National Average for a gallon of regular unleaded was $2.37 a drop of .43 in a month. It’s the lowest level it’s been since May of 2009. This time last year gas you would have been paying an average of $3.25 to travel across the U.S.

But if you’re traveling in Missouri you can expect to pay less than the National Average with the State hovering around $2.05 a gallon. Diesel has also dropped to around $3.01 a gallon.

In Saint Joseph gas prices according to AAA are averaging $2.00 a gallon but a tour around town shows most stations are selling at $1.99 or lower.

The St. Joseph Post found gas going for $1.95 a gallon at the Speedy’s Convenience Store located at 1011 S. Belt Highway as of 11 a.m. and $1.95 a gallon at the Road Star On The Go located at 2014 S. Belt Highway.

Analysts said the low pump prices are a reflection of global oversupply of oil mostly from surging U.S. production and a decision by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries not to cut supply along with a lack of demand.

A Kansas City, Kansas man has been charged with the November 1 murder of Francisco Vargas III in Platte County. Zakary F. Mergy, 27, is accused of acting alone or with others in shooting Vargas to death at Vargas’ house on Twin Springs Road.

Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said charges were filed December 22 following an investigation by the Platte County Sheriff’s Department.

According to court documents, on November 1, a family member of Vargas found him lying face down on the floor of his residence in a large pool of blood. Platte County Sheriff’s Department deputies later determined Vargas had been shot several times.

A neighbor reported seeing a gray vehicle at Vargas’ residence on the day he was shot. Investigators later determined that a 2008 gray Dodge Charger reportedly seen at the house was registered to a relative of Mergy.

Court documents indicate Mergy was interviewed on multiple occasions regarding Vargas’ death. Mergy allegedly admitted he knew Vargas was killed with a Springfield .40 caliber XDM handgun. Mergy allegedly told investigators that he was given the gun by someone following the murder and that he wrapped the gun in several plastic bags before burying it in his mother’s back yard.

Investigators recovered a Springfield .40 caliber XDM handgun from Mergy’s mother’s back yard. Court documents indicate that the Kansas City Regional Crime Lab determined the cartridge cases and bullets recovered at the crime scene were from that gun. DNA test results on the gun, trigger and magazine showed Mergy as the major contributor.

During the execution of a search warrant at Mergy’s residence, investigators found a jar that a witness said he had seen at Vargas’ residence two days before Vargas’ murder.

Mergy was arrested in Kansas City, Kansas and is being held on a $500,000 cash bond. He is charged with second degree murder and armed criminal action. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.

The case is being investigated by the Platte County Sheriff’s Department, with the assistance of the Kansas City Regional Crime Laboratory. It is being prosecuted by Zahnd and Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Mark Gibson and Joe Vanover.

The charges against Mergy are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The Friends of the St. Joseph Public Library is selling books culled from the library shelves and donations that may be unique. They may have a connection to local history or events and mostly they are old enough for a close scrutiny.  The sale will be at the Downtown Library lobby, 927 Felix Street from January 5 through January 31.

The books cover a variety of subjects and include novels, poetry books and nonfiction books. We will be selling a few railroad videotapes that were donated. All of the items are waiting for someone to claim them and there are sure to be some bargains.  The books are $5.00 each.

The Friends of the St. Joseph Public Library is a non-profit 501c3 organization with a mission to support the St. Joseph Public Library.  The organization focuses public attention on library services and programs, raises funds and acts as an advocate for libraries and literacy in our community.

The Downtown Library is open Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 9:00 am to 8:00 pm; Thursday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm; and Friday & Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.  The lobby is accessible by an elevator which is located inside the ground floor School District Office entrance to the west of the front of the building.  For more information call the Downtown Library at 232-7729.

A public farewell was held Friday to say goodbye to baby Anthony who died at only seven-months-old Saturday from malnutrition.

“We started this as a healing farewell service,” said Todd Meierhoff, President of Meierhoffer Funeral Home and Crematory. “The family was adamant that we open this up.”

Around two dozen people turned out for the ceremony to say goodbye to baby Anthony.

His mother, 22-year-old Macayla Jo Armstrong of St Joseph has been charged with abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death, a class A felony.

Meierhoffer Funeral Home and members of the public have assisted the family with burial costs.

“We knew immediately not only from a staff but as an organization that this was a circumstance that was very unusual and we wanted to help this family,” said Meierhoffer. “There’s an extended family which people have to understand there are grandparents there’s aunts and uncles loving people that love this child and like all of us, when there is a death or a disaster or a tragedy we try to come together and we try to help each other, unfortunately this was a situations that occurred and our family and organization wanted to help out to assist this family under the circumstances.”

Family members, firefighters and several members of the public attended the ceremony.

One of the individuals in attendance was Ruth Costello, owner of Grace House – a nonprofit store located at 2638 Lafayette Street in St. Joseph that assists individuals who can’t afford to purchase many of their own items with necessities at no cost.

“The mom had been to the store about a year ago,” Costello said. “I didn’t know what happened. The grandparents came in the day before yesterday looking for clothing to burry him in so we were blessed that we had new stuff that had not been used. New blankets to wrap him in, and a little hat that they fell in love with. It was like you have to come. You know, he matters and the fact that god gave him life I think we should honor that.”

Costello said it’s not just a loss for the family, but for the entire community.

“The community needs to realize that when a child is born he’s part of us and we’ve lost somebody,” she said. “We don’t know what he could have become we don’t know who he would have married, what he would have done in school, all we can do is thank god that he’s in heaven.”

Meierhoffer said grief counseling is being provided.

“we have licensed councilors for death and grief,” he said. “It’s open to the public anyone who needs assistance can simply call us and there’s no charge for that.”

Baby Anthony is survived by a Sister, grandparents and several aunts and uncles.

His mother, Macayla is scheduled for a probable cause hearing January 9, if found guilty she could get a minimum sentence of 10-years in prison or a max of 30-to-life.

(Release from Mosaic Life Care)
Saint Joseph, MO — Recent articles have examined Mosaic’s ownership of Northwest Financial Services and its debt collection process. Specifically, the articles look at examples of individuals who had their wages garnished due to overdue medical debt.

“The issues of medical debt and wage garnishment are very serious,” said Tama Wagner, Chief Brand Officer for Mosaic Life Care. “We are currently reviewing both our billing and collection practices to find solutions that benefit our community without sacrificing the quality of care.”

Mosaic has a multitude of resources available for families in need, as shown through the $65 million in charity care Mosaic has contributed over the past five years. Additionally, Mosaic has provided approximately $155 million in uncompensated or unreimbursed care, bringing the total amount to $215 million in community care to families in our community. Mosaic is asking that anyone who is having trouble paying a medical bill contact Mosaic to learn more about financial assistance.

Wage garnishment is only a last resort of the debt collection process. Mosaic handles over 1,000,000 accounts each year. Less than 1.5% of these accounts ever end in garnishment. These accounts are an average of 800 days old. Moreover, patients have received an average of 26 calls and 6 letters before legal action is taken.

For more information on financial assistance or how Mosaic is addressing these issues, please visit https://www.mymosaiclifecare.org/ContactUS. You may also reach us at 816-271-6000.

A Platte City man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for creating child pornography involving a 16-year-old girl after he plied her with drugs and alcohol.

30–year-old Bruce Rothrock received the sentence in Platte County Circuit Court on December 18 after earlier pleading guilty to statutory rape, statutory sodomy, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, and distributing a controlled substance to a minor.

Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said, “This defendant groomed and manipulated his victim for months. He then used drugs and alcohol to facilitate his crimes. He is a predator in the truest sense of the word, and he is going right where he belongs.”

Rothrock met the victim when the two worked together at a local business. She became part of a group of young people, all in their teens and early twenties, who would “hang out” at then-29-year-old Rothrock’s residence. While she was there, Rothrock would give her drugs and alcohol.

The victim testified that in the beginning, Rothrock was like a “big brother.” Soon, Rothrock began complementing the victim’s appearance and telling her that boys her own age were not good enough for her. After a few months, the relationship turned sexual, and Rothrock took intimate pictures of the victim.

The victim’s mother discovered the inappropriate pictures on the victim’s cell phone and reported them to the police. The ensuing investigation revealed that Rothrock had been having sex with the child victim for some time.

In tearful testimony at sentencing, the victim’s mother described how her daughter had changed while she was secretly involved with Rothrock. Prior to knowing Rothrock, the victim had been a successful student involved in many clubs and activities. After she began associating with Rothrock, the victim’s grades took a nosedive, and she withdrew from her family and activities.

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Chris Seufert argued for a 13-year sentence, citing the impact of the crimes on the victim as well as Rothrock’s discharge from the Marines for possession of cocaine. Seufert also pointed out that Rothrock had an estranged wife and lived with another woman when he began to seduce the victim.

Criminal defense attorney Paul Morrison argued for probation and time served.

Judge James Van Amburg ultimately sentenced Rothrock to 12 years in prison for his crimes.

Zahnd said, “Judge Van Amburg sent a message with this sentence. In Platte County, we have no tolerance for those who sexually exploit our children”

This case investigated by the Platte City Police Department with assistance from the Heart of America Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory.

The winning grand prize number has been verified for the Shop St. Joseph program. Stanley Randall, a retired Mead employee, got the lucky ticket at Apple Market on Mitchell Avenue.

“I go there about every day or two,” said Mr. Randall, who lives nearby. “I never thought I’d win. I didn’t think I could win if I had all the tickets.”

When asked what he’d do with his winnings, he said he buy his kids and grandkids some extra presents.

“I’ll spend $10 on each one of them, that’d make ‘em mad, wouldn’t it?,” he joked.

Mr. Randall worked at Mead from 1967 to 2002 when he became disabled and retired.

Mr. Randall will have his check presented at 1 p.m. at Apple Market, 2300 Mitchell Ave.

The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce wishes Mr. Randall well and would like to thank all of the participating merchants, as well as the thousands of people who participated in Shop St. Joseph this year. About 600,000 tickets were distributed, which was about 100,000 more than last year.

“We are pleased that Shop St. Joseph went so well this year, with so many more tickets being distributed,” said Natalie Redmond, Vice President of Membership for the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce. “Those tickets help show the dollars being spent in the St. Joseph economy this retail shopping season.”

The second-chance prize numbers will be released as soon as possible following the 1 p.m. press conference.

The winning grand prize number has been verified for the Shop St. Joseph program. Stanley Randall, a retired Mead employee, got the lucky ticket at Apple Market on Mitchell Avenue.

“I go there about every day or two,” said Mr. Randall, who lives nearby. “I never thought I’d win. I didn’t think I could win if I had all the tickets.”

When asked what he’d do with his winnings, he said he buy his kids and grandkids some extra presents.

“I’ll spend $10 on each one of them, that’d make ‘em mad, wouldn’t it?,” he joked.

Mr. Randall worked at Mead from 1967 to 2002 when he became disabled and retired.

Mr. Randall will have his check presented at 1 p.m. at Apple Market, 2300 Mitchell Ave.

The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce wishes Mr. Randall well and would like to thank all of the participating merchants, as well as the thousands of people who participated in Shop St. Joseph this year. About 600,000 tickets were distributed, which was about 100,000 more than last year.

“We are pleased that Shop St. Joseph went so well this year, with so many more tickets being distributed,” said Natalie Redmond, Vice President of Membership for the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce. “Those tickets help show the dollars being spent in the St. Joseph economy this retail shopping season.”

The second-chance prize numbers will be released as soon as possible following the 1 p.m. press conference.

A community farewell will be held for seven-month-old Anthony Douglas Armstrong who died Saturday.

According to a news release from Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory the Community Healing Farewell will take place Friday, Dec. 19 at 1 p.m. at the funeral home’s Interment Memorial Park Cemetery, located at 5005 Frederick Ave.

“When an unexpected, tragic death strikes the community, it affects us all,” Todd Meierhoffer, President of Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory said in the release. “As a community we must come together to honor Anthony’s life and begin the healing process which is vitally important.”

Anthony’s mother, Macayla Armstrong was charged Monday with Abuse or Neglect of a Child Resulting in Death, a class-A felony.

According to a court affidavit, the defendant failed to provide reasonable and necessary care to maintain the physical health of the child. Officials said Armstrong failed to provide healthy and sanitary living conditions, food, nourishment and medical care and that neglect resulted in the death of the child by malnutrition.

According to Anthony’s obituary he is survived by: mother, Macayla Jo Armstrong, of the home; sister, Alycia Marie Armstrong, of the home; maternal grandparents, Terry and Tracy Armstrong, Wathena, Kansas; uncles, Tyler and Dameyn Armstrong, St. Joseph, Missouri; aunt, Samantha Thomas, St. Joseph, Missouri; great uncle, Richard Bialek, North Platte, Nebraska; great aunt, Iva May Ransom, Council Bluffs, Iowa; cousin, Alexis Ransom, Council Bluffs, Iowa; and many extended family and friends.

The family requests donations to be made to Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory. Online guest book and obituary at www.meierhoffer.com.