The St. Joseph School District released a statement late Tuesday to announce that Beau Musser has been requested to return to work at the St. Joseph School District.

In an email released Tuesday the District said “Musser has been directed to report to work as the Chief Financial Officer of the St. Joseph School District on November 17.”

As we previously reported, Musser was placed on leave when he reported on hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of administrative stipends and payments to consultants that had not been approved by the St. Joseph School District Board of Education. Some of those expenditures were approved after the fact by the board.

When he reported the stipends to a pair of school board members, Musser told the St. Joseph Post the district retaliated. He said he was accused of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment and then placed on administrative leave.

Musser filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the district, Superintendent Dr. Fred Czerwonka, Human Resources Director Doug Flowers, and board member Dennis Snethen. The lawyer handpicked to defend the lawsuit recently withdrew from the case, citing a conflict of interests.

The district said that it has retained OMNI Employment Mangement Services, an HR consulting firm, to assist Musser and staff with his transition back into the office.

Musser began his career with the district as the Chief Financial Officer during the 2013-14 school year.

Additionally the email state that “the St. Joseph Board of Education passed a resolution to hire the Kansas City law firm of Spencer Fane Britt & Browne to explore policies and procedures involving school district personnel allegations.”

The board also passed a resolution for the firm to explore policies and procedures involving personnel allegations, including whether Superintendent Dr. Fred Czerwonka and Director of Human Resources Doug Flowers unlawfully retaliated against Musser. 

Click Here for BOE Resolution passed by the St. Joseph School District to reinstate Musser.

Click Here to see the district’s email in full

 

The preliminary voter turnout results in Buchanan County show a low number of people heading to the polls.

The 11 a.m. precinct report From Buchanan County Clerk Mary Baack-Garvey shows only around 14.1-Percent of 54,323 registered voters have cast a ballot.

By 3 p.m. that number wasn’t much higher. It only increased about 9-percent with a voter turnout of only 23.7-percent being reported.

Baack-Garvey said Monday she was hoping for a 40-Percent turnout.

Republican Supervisor Glen Drake at the National Guard Armory Precinct said voter turnout has been steady.

“I think the weather is good and there are some interesting propositions on the ballot,” said Drake. “People have been coming in at a steady rate.”

At 3 p.m. the Armory was reporting it had a 26.6-percent turnout with 812 ballots cast

Voter Janelle Wanek said she came out to vote on a number of issues.

“I thought the Judges and the amendments were very important and the Senator race,” said Wanek.

Polls will close at 7 p.m.

For a list of precincts and to see ballots Click Here.

Stay tuned with St. Joseph Post, 680 KFEQ for live updates when the results start coming in as well as constant updates on KJO 105.5 and Q Country 92.7

Students at Hyde Elementary school celebrated their work towards a healthier lifestyle Tuesday morning.

The students have been involved in Mosaic Life Care’s 4th Grade Challenge, a partnership with the St. Joseph School District.

“Caregivers and community volunteers teach local 4th graders about the importance of proper nutrition, adequate exercise and healthy habits such as being smoke free,” said Mosiac Spokeswoman Tracey Clark.

According to Mosiac Statistics show that when children reach the elementary school age they begin to make choices and adopt habits that will last for their entire lives.

The 4th Grade Challenge began as a partnership with the district in 2008 and now runs in all St. Joseph public elementary school as well as some area schools like Savannah, Amazonia, and Helena.

Kids at Hyde celebrated their work Tuesday in keeping track of their health including nutrition, exercise, and wearing their seat belts.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recently awarded four Northwest Missouri State University students with Kids Eat Right grants to present health education programs to local teens and adults.

Dietetic students Regina Devenport, Melinda Kelsey, Krysta McGinnis and Alyssa Slater applied for the grants and received $200 each. They were among just 50 students, interns and registered dietitians throughout the nation to receive the grants.

“The four students that applied are excellent students. It took a lot of gumption to get going,” said Karen From, instructor of nutrition and dietetics at Northwest and director of the University’s Didactic Program in Dietetics.

To receive the grant, the students were required to plan and present two educational programs each. The programs were presented to teens or adults and followed the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ “Healthy Schools. It’s a Team Effort” program.

“The program is intended to educate the school and community about the importance of healthy eating and physical activity for academic success,” said Kelsey, who also is employed at Northwest as a graphic designer and became involved in the dietetics program last year. “I have a strong passion and interest in learning about dietetics.”

Northwest’s dietetics program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education and supplies its students with the knowledge necessary to support them in the dietetics profession. The program also encourages and arranges for students to gain work experience and identify with a variety of professional role models in the nutrition and food service profession. Northwest’s program also is experiencing major growth, having increases it enrollment from 25 student in 2009 to 75 this fall.

After successfully completing the requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree and the Didactic Program in Dietetics, students apply for a dietetic internship. To be accepted into a dietetics internship, students should have a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average, more than 300 documented volunteer hours, foods and nutrition work experience, and excellent references.

“We encourage our students to get out in the community and on campus to acquire real-life dietetics experiences,” From said.

For more information about Northwest’s dietetic program, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/hhs/programs/dietetics.htm.

Iowa Congressman Steve King predicts the Republicans will win back the majority in the Senate and finally break the gridlock in Washington. He says Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has stalled the legislative process by refusing to schedule votes, which will not happen under the leadership of Senator Mitch McConnell.  680 KFEQ’s Barry Birr has that story:

A St. Joseph music teacher is taking home an award for the arts.

Frank D. Thomas is the choral music educator and director for the St. Joseph Community Chorus. He is being awarded the 2015 Missouri Arts Award.

According to the Allied Arts Council Thomas had worked hard to instill his love of music into the college students he has taught, volunteer singers he directs and the audience.

Thomas has spent 38-years as a director of Choral activities at Missouri Western State University.

In 1980 Thomas founded the volunteer St. Joseph Community Chorus and directed the ensemble until he retired in 2009. As part of the chorus’s outreach, he directed the “History Alive Through Music” program at elementary schools. In 2013 his successor unexpectedly moved away, he came back to direct the chorus through 2015 until a replacement could be found.
He is an active member of Music Educators National Conference and the Missouri Music Educators Association, and has been vice president of the American Choral Directors Association. He has received many local and state awards, most recently the 2014 St. Joseph Allied Arts Council’s Mayor’s Award for Extraordinary Lifetime Achievement in the Arts.

Thomas will be presented with the 2015 Missouri Arts Award in the Capitol Rotunda in Jefferson City on February 11, 2015.

2014 Buchanan County Precinct List

Click Here for Precinct List with Cross Streets for Directions

1 St Peter Lutheran Church, 3524 St. Joseph Ave 1st 10th Western  Ballot
2 Savannah Ave Baptist Church, 1825 Savannah Ave 1st 10th Western Ballot
3 Central Assembly of God, 1222 N 18th Street 1st 10th Western Ballot
4 St Joseph City Hall, 1100 Frederick Ave 2nd 10th Western Ballot
5 Wyatt Park Christian Church, 2623 Mitchell Ave 2nd 10th/11th Western Ballot 1, Ballot 2
6 Brookdale Student Ministry, 3015 Felix Street 1st/2nd/5th 10th East/West Ballot
7 Pony Express Museum, 914 Penn Street 2nd 10th Western Ballot
8 Copeland Baptist Church, 2009 Walnut Street 3rd 11th Western Ballot
9 Huffman United Methodist Church, 2802 Renick St 3rd/5th 10th/11th Eastern Ballot 1, Ballot 2
10 The Connection at Hyde Valley, 202 W Hyde Park Ave 3rd 11th Western Ballot
11 The Keys Christian Fellowship, 6002 S 9th Street 3rd 11th Western Ballot
12 Faith United Church, 3025 Karnes Road 1st 9th/10th East/West Ballot 1, Ballot 2
13 Ashland United Methodist Church, 2711 Ashland Ave 1st/5th 9th/10th East/West Ballot 1, Ballot 2
14 Wesley United Methodist Church, 3409 Ajax Road 5th 11th Eastern Ballot
15 Bible Baptist Temple, 5401 Mitchell Ave 5th 9th/11th Eastern Ballot 1, Ballot 2
16 Missouri National Guard, 301 N Woodbine Road 4th 9th Eastern Ballot
17 Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 4503 Frederick Blvd 4th 9th/10th Eastern Ballot 1, Ballot 2
18 Agency Methodist Church, 10740 SE State Route FF 9th/11th Eastern Ballot 1, Ballot 2, Ballot 3, Ballot 4
19 DeKalb Community Center, 105 Locust St 11th Western Ballot
20 Willowbrook Community Center, 4020 SE State Route H 9th/11th Western Ballot 1, Ballot 2
21 Faucett Lions Club, 617 SE Grand DD 11th East/West Ballot
22 St Joseph Catholic Church, 109 N Shortridge St 9th Eastern Ballot
23 Frazier Baptist Church, 13601 SE State Route E 9th/11th Eastern Ballot 1, Ballot 2
24 Rushville Masonic Lodge, 201 Market St 11th Western Ballot
25 Clair United Methodist Church, 2 SE 68th Road 9th Eastern Ballot
26 Grace Evangelical Church, 5103 S 50th Road 9th/11th Eastern Ballot 1, Ballot 2

 

Today Mostly sunny, with a high near 56. West northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.

Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 35. Southwest wind 3 to 5 mph.

Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 66. South southwest wind 5 to 15 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph.

Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 37. Northwest wind 8 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.

Thursday Sunny, with a high near 51. Northwest wind 13 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.

Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 29.

Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 54.

Friday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40.

Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 50. Breezy.

Saturday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 28.

Sunday Mostly sunny, with a high near 51.

Sunday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35.

Monday Mostly sunny, with a high near 55.

Neal Davis, director of student achievement at Northwest Missouri State University’s Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics and Computing, has been elected to the National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools’ (NCSSS) Board of Directors.

“Neal is a very intelligent leader who sees both the big picture and important details in any situation,” Missouri Academy Dean Dr. Cleo Samudzi said. “I have no doubt that the NCSSS, the Missouri Academy and Northwest will greatly benefit from Neal’s participation as an NCSSS board member.”

NCSSS is an alliance of specialized high schools in the United States that fosters, supports and promotes the efforts of STEM-focused schools to attract and academically prepare students for leadership in mathematics, science, engineering and technology. It supports unique professional development programs for STEM teachers and unique learning experiences for students.

Formerly known as the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology, NCSSS was established in 1988 to provide a forum for member schools to exchange information and program ideas and evolve alliances among them. More than 90 institutions, representing more than 40,000 students and 1,600 educators, are affiliated with NCSSS, of which the Missouri Academy joined in 2001.

Davis began his work as the Missouri Academy’s director of student achievement in 2011 and is responsible for monitoring the academic performance of all Missouri Academy students as well as advising them about the college application process.

Missouri Western State University’s Convocation on Critical Issues will feature Rice History Professor Douglas Brinkley as he talks about his work on “Cronkite,” a New York Times bestselling Biography.

“A lot of fun and funny stories about Walter Cronkite’s career because he had such an amazing sense of humor and he would hate it if I came back to hist home turf and was boring and dull,” said Dr. Brinkley.

Brinkley’s book talks about Cronkite’s life.  He said it took him about five years to conduct all of his research.  With access to the anchorman’s private papers as well as interviews with family and friends Brinkley said he was able to compile an extensive biography.

“Amazing things like his reporter’s notebook from Vietnam when he made his famous broadcast against the war,” said Brinkley. “Or his notes from when he was dealing with Neil Armstrong going to the moon.”

Brinkley said he had met with Cronkite on a number of occasions before his death.

“I would have lunch with him occasionally,” said Brinkley. “When I started my book he had stages of Alzheimer’s…So I wrote my book using mainly just 200 and some interviews of other people.”

He said he interviewed numerous friends and family members.

“Everyone from Bob Woodward, to Barbara Walters to Jimmy Carter to Gerald Ford,” said Brinkley.

Brinkley will take on the topic of “The Most Trusted Man in America: Celebrating the Life and Journalistic Integrity of Walter Cronkite.” He will speak at 10 a.m. Nov. 4 in Western’s Looney Complex on what would have been the legendary newsman’s 98th birthday.

The Convocation is free and open to the public.