Immediate Opening:
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

The YWCA St. Joseph is seeking a part-time (20 hours/week) administrative assistant for the Women’s Resources Department to work with Encore+ and JUMP programs.

Primary duties and responsibilities:
** Provide basic clerical support and data management services.
** Assist with program outreach, education, and special events.
** Maintain working relationship with primary partner agencies: Social Welfare Board and St. Joseph Youth Alliance.
** Provide screening reminders, follow-up and data entry of intake information for Encore+ program participants.
** Assist with transportation arrangements for program participants.

Applicants should have:
** High school diploma or equivalent; business training preferred.
** Office experience preferred.
** Strong computer and organization skills.
** Ability to work with a team – including staff and volunteers.
** Valid driver’s license and insured vehicle.
** Ability to, on occasion, work flexible hours including evening/weekend.

Competitive salary and fringe benefits.
Apply by December 12, 2014

Send resume to: YWCA, 304 N. 8th St., St. Joseph, MO 64501
Attention: Jean Brown, Executive Director

Equal Opportunity & Affirmative Action Employer Male/Female/Disability/Veteran/Minority/Age

The YWCA St. Joseph is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.

Visit our website at www.ywcasj.org.

MARYVILLE, Mo. – For the third consecutive year, Northwest Missouri State University achieved all five benchmarks within the state of Missouri’s performance-based funding model. As a result, Northwest will receive 100 percent of the funding appropriated to the University within the state’s FY16 budget.

“We are proud at Northwest of maintaining our high achievement set out within the state’s performance measures model,” Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski said. “As one of only a handful of state institutions to perform at the highest of levels during the years of the performance-funding model’s existence, we are thankful for the commitment and unparalleled focus on student success exhibited by our Board of Regents, students, faculty, staff and so many significant partners.”

Jasinski continued, “We have core strengths. We are performing. We have much progress in place, and our strategic plan is guiding us. Our strategic horizon is exhilarating and we embrace the future with much enthusiasm.”

Beginning in 2013, Missouri’s public two- and four-year institutions are funded using a model based on specific performance measures across five categories. Last year, Northwest joined the University of Missouri-Columbia, Missouri State University and Southeast Missouri State University as the only four-year institutions in the state to achieve all five benchmarks in each of the funding model’s first two years.

Northwest’s performance measures are: freshman-to-sophomore retention rate; six-year cohort graduation rates; improvements in assessments of general education; percent of total Education and General expenditures expended on the core mission; and the percent of full-time, first-time, degree or certificate-seeking undergraduate students receiving institutional grant aid.

With an enrollment of more than 6,700 students, Northwest is a coeducational, primarily residential four-year university that offers a broad range of undergraduate and selected graduate programs. This fall, Northwest is ranked as the top moderately selective regional university in Missouri on U.S. News and World Report’s list of “2015 Best Colleges.”

The University boasts a 59 percent graduation rate, which is about 20 percent higher than the national average. In addition, 98 percent of Northwest bachelor’s degree earners and 99 percent of master’s degree earners secure employment or continue their education within six months of graduation, according to the most recent data.

Furthermore, its vibrant and diverse learning community offers more than 150 student organizations, and textbooks and a laptop are included in tuition, which is among the lowest in the state, saving students an estimated $7,200 over four years. Northwest also offers 1,200 student employment positions, allowing students to build professional skills through its internationally benchmarked student employment program.

The man Authorities found in a drainage ditch early Monday afternoon has been identified as 33-year-old Michael J. Silvy of St. Joseph who went missing early last month.

Silvy was first reported missing on November 11th near the area of East Lake and I-229 not far from where his body was later found.

Police Department Captain Jeff Wilson said Silvy had reportedly walked away from a party and did not have a phone or transportation.

Silvy’s body was found by a Buchanan County crew of prisoners working to clean up trash along I-229 near East Lake Boulevard Monday around 1 p.m.

Because of the location of the body, a confined space recovery was conducted to remove the remains.

While an investigation into Silvy’s death is ongoing Wilson said they do not anticipate any foul play at this point.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The ramps from southbound Interstate 29 to eastbound U.S. Hwy 36 and from westbound U.S. Hwy 36 to southbound I-29 will be closed Wednesday, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation. A concrete replacement project will close the ramps to all traffic from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014. Motorists will need to use an alternate route during the closure.

Law Enforcement officials have another weapon in hand to inform and keep the public safe, one that you may have already been using for years.

“We recently started this year tweeting,” said  Don Hughes, Kansas State Highway Patrol Public Resource Officer.

Kansas has troopers all across the state that are now on their phones tweeting daily.

“We knew we wanted to stay within the focus of the patrol and talk about issues that were important to the traveling public, for the motoring public where we could help them get around traffic incidents, where we could help them avoid or be prepared for weather conditions and road conditions and we join in with KDOT in doing that,” said Hughes

It’s a tool the Missouri State Highway Patrol plans to add to its on resources next year.  MSHP Sgt. Jake Long said plans are in the works.

“The committee that we’ve put together to look into this I know that they’ve talked to other state agencies, I know that they’ve talked to Kansas in particular just to see what they’re doing, how they’re doing it just to gather ideas and information so we can proceed in a logical and efficient manner,” said Long.

How the public is informed will change dramatically as more troopers begin to utilize social media, particularly Twitter.

“If we had a wreck, a bad accident, a roadway was blocked, a spill something of hazardous material or something or a roadway was going to be shutdown,” said Long. “Before we would have to try to get it to the media outlets but a lot of people they’re not watching TV constantly or they may not have their radio on but who do you know who’s not carrying around a cellphone or a tablet? If you can put that information out for instance just in a tweet people can get it instantaneously and it can impact more people and faster.”

Instead of going directly through the media to inform the public the Highway Patrol is now going directly to you.  It’s a move that Kansas said has cut down on the amount of time involved in dealing with Media Relations.

“Each one of us are in charge of different Troops and my troop happens to be the Topeka area which incorporates Doniphan County, Brown County, 12 counties around the Topeka/Shawnee county area and I said Ben I don’t think I have the time we’re short-handed I don’t have the help and he showed me how I could use this to stop returning so many phone calls and it’s really been a bonus to me,” said Hughes. “I like to be able to get the opportunity to address questions not only from the media but from the public and that gives us an avenue for both we still take the time to meet like I’m doing with you today.”

However, not every Trooper will be Tweeting.

“I don’t think you’ll see it so much from the trooper that’s on the road every day that’s out there tweeting,” said Long. “It will be people more like in my job, public information education, getting information out in a timely manner, and even educational postings or tweets whatever the case may be.”

Before you start seeing Troopers Tweeting in Northwest Missouri Long said a lot of training is needed.

“There’s a lot of us and I’m right on that border of the computer age you know we’re just learning it,” said Lon.g “It’s going to require some training but I think it’s going to be a good thing.”

#tweetingtroopers is not something Hughes ever thought he would refer to himself as.

“It’s pretty hard to say tweeting troopers manly,” said Hughes.

However, social media is a direction almost all Law Enforcement departments are heading towards if not already utilizing.

“Several conferences I’ve been to it has been the talk,” said Hughes. “We have been lucky enough to be at the forefront of that and we have been asked to speak.”

The Allied Arts Council is asking for art work entries for the Trails West!® 2015 marketing materials.

The council is now accepting entries for its  Trails West!® artwork competition through January 30, 2015.

The winning artist receives a $500.00 cash award. The winning artwork should embody the spirit of the Trails West!® 2015 theme: “heART for the City.” It becomes the visual identification, or “logo,” for Trails West!® and the property of the Allied Arts Council of St. Joseph Missouri, Inc. The 2015 festival marks the 23rd anniversary of the Trails West!® festival.

The winning artwork will be featured on festival buttons, merchandise and promotional materials including posters, brochures and billboards.

Entries must be received in the Council office by 5:00 p.m. on January 30, 2015. Judging of entries will take place in February. Entrants will be notified when judging is completed. Winning artwork and artist will be announced to the media at a later date.

Click Here for Art Competition Rules 2015

 

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State University Department of Fine and Performing Arts continues its 2014-2015 main stage series this month with “The Secret Garden,” the touching coming-of-age story based on the classic novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Performances in the Studio Theatre at the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts are 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13-15, Nov. 20-22 and Dec. 4-6, and at 2 p.m. on the Sundays of Nov. 16, Nov. 23 and Dec. 7.

Tickets are $8 per person and may be purchased at the Student Services Center, located on the first floor of the Administration Building, by phone at 660.562.1212, or at the door beginning one hour before the show.

In the play, adapted from the novel by Jerry R. Montoya, Mary Lennox is orphaned and becomes the ward of an uncle in England she has never met. As she adjusts to her new life at the secluded Misselthwaite Manor, Mary discovers a secret garden. If she can uncover the mysterious circumstances behind the garden, she might be able to save her sickly young cousin and melt the heart of her emotionally distant uncle.

The Northwest production is directed by Dr. Joe Kreizinger, associate professor of theatre.

“The idea of self-fulfilling prophecy plays a major role in this show,” Kreizinger said. “If you believe you can’t be successful, you more than likely won’t be, but if you dream instead of the possibilities and potential, and have faith in yourself and others, great things can indeed happen.”

The cast features Megan Friend, a senior speech and theater education major from Omaha, Neb., as Mary Lennox, and Jake Thomsen, a junior speech and theater education major from Elkhorn, Neb., plays Colin Craven.

The remainder of the cast consists of Fred Vogel, a junior speech and theater education major from Lincoln, Neb.; Mike Brown, a senior speech and theater education major from Independence, Mo.; Brady Reed, a freshman theater major from Springfield, Ill.; Ashley Reynolds, a sophomore theater performance major from St. Charles, Mo.; Andrea Boswell, a junior theater major from Corning, Iowa; Ben Ficenec, a freshman wildlife ecology and conservation major from Ralston, Neb.; and Shawn Murphy, a freshman theater performance major from Redfield, Iowa.

Kaylee Winer, a sophomore theater technical and design major from Belton, Mo., is the stage manager. Bethanie Swiney, a senior speech and theater education major from Fulton, Mo., is the assistant director.

“This is an experienced and talented cast who, like the characters they portray, truly care about one another,” Kreizinger said. “They are thinkers and doers, the dream of directors. Their collaboration has been unusually strong, as has been the case with the lighting, sound, scenery, and costume staffs.”

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol 15 people died in car crashes during this year’s Thanksgiving driving period.

The driving period started Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 6 p.m. and ran through Sunday, Nov. 30 at 11:59 p.m.

Troopers investigated 319 traffic crashes in Missouri during that time frame which included 109 injury accidents.

92 people were arrested for drinking while intoxicated.

There were also 15 fatalities, that’s four more than last Thanksgiving.

Nine of the fatalities occurred in the Troop D, Springfield area; three fatalities occurred in the Troop C, Weldon Spring area; one fatality occurred in each of the Troop A, Lee’s Summit, Troop E, Poplar Bluff, and Troop I, Rolla, areas.

Five fatalities occurred on Wednesday, November 26, 2014. Deanna K. Davidson, 24, of East Prairie, MO, died when the vehicle she was driving ran off the roadway, struck a ditch, and overturned. A passenger in Davidson’s vehicle sustained minor injuries in the crash. Neither Davidson nor her passenger were wearing seat belts. Mississippi County Coroner Terry Parker pronounced Davidson dead at the scene. The crash occurred in Mississippi County on Route B south of Country Road 416.

Logan A. Middleton, 19, of Nixa, MO, Lance D. Porterfield, 19, of Sparta, MO, Landon C. Potts, 17, of Nixa, MO, and Cody R. Uber, 19, of Nixa, MO, all died when the vehicle Potts was driving southbound on Pleasant View Road traveled off the left side of the roadway and struck a tree. Four additional passengers were injured in the crash. Two passengers sustained minor injuries; two sustained serious injuries. Middleton, Porterfield, Potts, and Uber were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash. Three of the four additional passengers were wearing seat belts. Stone County Coroner John Cunningham pronounced all four fatalities at the scene. The crash occurred in Stone County on Pleasant View Road west of Highlandville, MO.

Two fatalities occurred on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 27, 2014. Wade A. Mathes, 39, of Augusta, MO, died when the vehicle he was driving was traveling too fast for the road conditions and failed to maintain a lane. The vehicle slid off the right side of the roadway and overturned. Mathes was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. A St. Charles County paramedic pronounced Mathes dead at the scene. The crash occurred in St. Charles County on eastbound U.S. Highway 94 west of Hinnah Lane.

John Anderson, 60, of Kansas City, MO, died when the vehicle he was driving ran off the left side of the roadway and struck a guardrail. Anderson was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle. Jackson County Medical Examiner Brianna Curtin pronounced Anderson dead at the scene. The crash occurred in Clay County on northbound Interstate 35 south of Brighton, MO.

Four fatalities occurred on Friday, November 28, 2014. Brian C. Barham, 40, of Stockton, MO, died when the right front tire of his vehicle blew out. The vehicle ran off the right side of the road, struck a tree, and overturned. Barham was not wearing a seat belt. Chief Deputy Coroner Thomas D.K. Heiber pronounced Barham dead. Nevada Fire Department, Deerfield Fire Department, and MoDOT personnel assisted at the scene. The crash occurred in Vernon County on U.S. Highway 54 west of Nevada, MO.

Scott J. Mueller, 50, of St. Charles, MO, died when he was traveling too fast for conditions and laid down his motorcycle, which exited the roadway into the median. Dr. S. Marquez at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis, MO, pronounced Mueller dead. The crash occurred in St. Charles County northbound U.S. Highway 61 at McHugh Road.

Lawrence Collins, 67, of Newburg, MO, died when the vehicle he was driving traveled off the right side of the roadway, struck a mailbox, then traveled down an embankment. The left front of the vehicle struck a culvert. The vehicle then overturned, struck a fence, and came to rest on its top. Collins was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Phelps County Deputy Coroner Lenox Jones pronounced Collins dead at the scene. The crash occurred in Phelps County on Missouri Route FF east of Edgar Spring, MO.

Mark A. Jolliff, 31, of Bourbon, MO, died after his vehicle struck the trailer of a commercial vehicle, which had stopped. The trailer was in the left lane. Jolliff’s vehicle then struck a third vehicle. It is unknown whether or not Jolliff was wearing a seat belt. A Missouri Baptist Hospital paramedic pronounced Jolliff dead at the scene. Neither driver of the other two vehicles were injured in the crash. The crash occurred in Franklin County on eastbound Interstate 44 at the 225-mile marker.

Four fatalities occurred on Saturday, November 29, 2014. Katie N. Hill, 79, of Walnut Grove, MO, died when the vehicle she was driving failed to negotiate a curve and Hill lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle then traveled off the roadway and overturned. Hill was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Polk County Coroner Roy Harms pronounced Hill dead at the scene. The crash occurred in Polk County on Missouri Highway 215 west of Morrisville, MO.

Patricia R. Stierwalt, 53, of Harrison, AR, died when the vehicle in which she was a passenger ran off the roadway. The driver overcorrected, resulting in the vehicle overturning. As the vehicle overturned, debris was set in motion and struck a second vehicle. Stierwalt was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Dr. Salim Rahman at Cox South Hospital pronounced Stierwalt dead at the hospital. The driver of Stierwalt’s vehicle was wearing a seat belt; he sustained moderate injuries in the crash. A passenger in the vehicle was not wearing a seat belt; she sustained moderate injuries in the crash. The crash occurred in Taney County on U.S. Highway 65 north of Branson, MO.

Andrea B. Obermann, 37, of Monett, MO, died when the vehicle in which she was a passenger ran off the roadway and struck a tree. Obermann was not wearing a seat belt. Lawrence County Coroner Dan Lakin pronounced Obermann dead at the scene. The driver of the vehicle was wearing a seat belt; he was not injured in the crash. The crash occurred in Lawrence County on County Road 2230 east of Monett, MO.

Darrell A. Kirkland, 52, of Walnut Shade, MO, died when the vehicle he was driving ran off the right side of the roadway and overturned. Kirkland was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Greene County Deputy Medical Examiner David Brown pronounced Kirkland dead at the scene. The crash occurred in Greene County on Missouri Route MM in Republic, MO.