One fire department in northwest Missouri is getting hands-on training when it comes to battling propane fires.

The Chillicothe Fire Department recently completed construction of a propane live fire prop. Fire Chief Darrell Wright said the prop will give firefighters from Chillicothe and all across north Missouri hands-on training in a live fire situations involving propane.

“There’s a lot of it in our area so we definitely want to be prepared should the need arise and the only way to be prepared is to train on it,” Wright said.

MFA Oil Company Foundation and Ferrellgas provided funds and labor for the project. Wright said the prop has an emergency switch just in case, which is located about 30 feet from the actual tank.

“We’ll start some live fires but we’ll always have a classroom to start with,” Wright said. “We’ll go in and simulate turning the tank off and working with it.”

Many homes in the area use propane for heating and cooking. Wright said training on the new prop will be essential in situations where firefighters get called out for a house fire at a home that uses propane.

“Sometimes we have houses that get on fire that get close to the tank and heat the tank up, sometimes we have bobtail trucks that could be involved in an accident, there are all kinds of scenarios out on the farm where propane is leaking, or a line ruptures. We have all kinds of scenarios in the farming community that can have propane,” Wright said.

Wright said the propane live fire prop will be available for firefighters from all across north Missouri to get hands-on training.

Travelers have hit the road for the Memorial Day weekend and the Missouri State Highway Patrol has done the same.

Sgt. Jake Angle with Troop H said last year over the holiday weekend in Missouri there were 969 traffic crashes, 8 fatalities and 411 people injured. There were also 105 DWI arrests. He said troopers are out trying to keep those numbers down.

“Operation C.A.R.E. going on, combined accident reduction effort, and that’s where every available trooper will be out on the road for high visibility and strict enforcement just to put all of our manpower out there so we can try to keep traffic crashes down and also to offer our services to the public,” Angle said.

The counting day period for the Memorial Day weekend runs May 27 through May 30. It’s the first counting period of the year.

“We want to make sure we have a good presence out there. Just to remind people that we’re out there and we’re out there for a reason. Not just for strict enforcement but just to make sure if they have a problem out there on the roadway we’re there to assist them,” Angle said.

Also, troopers are participating in a special enforcement operation along I-29

“We’ll have a trooper every 20 miles and also we’ll have troopers taking part in extra enforcement along some of the US Highways, some of the bigger highways not just the interstates,” Angle said.

He reminds travelers to buckle up.

“The most important thing they can do any time they’re getting inside a motor vehicle is to put that seat belt on,” Angle said. “I don’t care if you’re going across town or all the way across the state the first thing you need to do when you get inside a motor vehicle is to put that seat belt on.”

And of course, he said if your weekend plans include drinking make sure you have a designated driver.

The City of St. Joseph’s Liberty Tree has fallen.

Julie Noel, St. Joseph Special Events & Communications Coordinator said the city was notified Saturday that the historical tree near the entrance of Hyde Park had come down.

“It’s a symbol,” Noel said. “Back in the revolutionary days a bunch of people congregated underneath a liberty tree after the Boston Tea Party and the British decided to cut that tree down to thwart that movement but really it just rallied it.”

She said every city can only have one Liberty Tree which has to be at least 200-years-old or more.

“It has a lot of significance for the city because it was designated as the Liberty Tree for the bicentennial celebration in 1976,” Noel said.

The Parks Department is working to remove the Burr Oak from the Hyde Park Entrance

“At the time it was designated as the Liberty Tree it was the largest tree of its kind in the United States,” Noel said.

She said she is not sure what caused the tree to fall but that is could have been from old age.

New overtime rules announced Wednesday by the Obama administration could have a negative impact on local businesses according to the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce.

Under the new rules the annual salary threshold at which companies can deny overtime pay will be doubled from $23,660 to nearly $47,500.

That would make 4.2 million more salaried workers eligible for overtime pay. The rules are meant to decrease the number of workers who can be classified as managers and forced to work long hours at a flat hourly rate. The White House estimates that the rule change will raise pay by $1.2 billion a year over the next decade.

Pat Lilly, President and CEO with the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce said the new rules will impact small business owners most.

“Unfortunately what the implication is, is that employers who are now able to appropriately compensate employers with overtime as long as they are at a certain income level will now find themselves having to potentially increase wages substantially and/or finding another method to compensate their employees; potentially lowering base pay and making up the difference with overtime or perhaps even having to layoff employees,” Lilly said. “The worst part about the rule change in my opinion is that it will most likely have the greatest effect on small businesses and non-profit agencies.”

He said the St. Joseph Chamber has been vocal against these rules for some time.

“We have submitted information to the Department of Labor, we have worked with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to sign letters to the administration as well as Congress,” Lilly said. “We’re going to continue to fight this for as long as we possibly can just because of the unfairness it represents to employers.”

The new rules take effect Dec. 1.  Lilly said the St. Joseph Chamber plans to hold an event sometime during the month of June to talk about the new regulations.

“One of our Lunch & Learns will provide at least some initial opportunity for people to learn more about the rulings,” Lilly said.

He also suggests individuals check out the Department of Labor’s website to learn more.

(AP and POST)

 

The Brown County Sheriff’s Office is alerting the public of a possible child in danger ruse.

Sheriff John Merchant said on Friday around 6 p.m. in the area of US 73 and Sunflower a woman reported spotting a car seat alongside of the road with a purple blanket over the top which made it appear the child was still in the seat.

“When the person went to check on the seat, two people in dark blue jeans and ski masks exited the ditch,” Merchant said. “The concerned motorist got back in their vehicle and drove away and notified law enforcement immediately.”

Officers from Atchison and Brown County and Horton Police Department responded to investigate due to the proximity of county lines but no one was found.

Merchant said no other cases have been reported recently. However, he said he has heard of similar ruses being reported dating back to 2009.

“It’s been anything from gang initiations, carjackings to similar type of criminal activity,” Merchant said. “We don’t know if it’s somebody just playing a joke or prank but whatever it is it’s not funny and if those are responsible are caught there will be criminal charges brought against them.”

Anyone seeing anything of a similar nature is asked not to stop and to call 911 immediately.

Less than a week since its installment a symbolic string of lights has been stolen from a Peace Officer Memorial at Civic Center Park in downtown St. Joseph.

“They had to take a knife and cut, there’s more than a dozen zip ties,” said Mike Hardin President of the Northwest Missouri Fraternal Order of Police. “I don’t have any belief that they just wanted lights. I think they understood the symbolism of what the Blue Line means and what it meant there at that memorial.  I think they wanted to steal that symbolism more than just the lights themselves.”

He said the idea of the “Thin Blue Line” reflects the idea of a line between good and evil.

“As officers we really consider ourselves on the good side obviously and the people out there doing evil things are obviously on the opposite side,” Hardin said.

He said the lights were displayed for the first time Wednesday, during the annual candlelight service to honor the 17 individuals who have lost their lives in the line of duty in the Buchanan County area.  He said the lights had to be stolen sometime between Friday and Sunday. Hardin said he noticed the lights missing Sunday night around 9:30.

“It’s not about the little more than $100 dollars that we spent on the light, it’s more about the idea that someone took down the lights at a memorial that’s there to honor heroes,” Hardin said. “It’s hurtful to not only the officers but the families whose members are honored there.”

An official police report was filed Monday.  There is a live video stream from City Hall that shows the memorial.  However, at this time Hardin said he’s not sure if that footage is recorded.  Anyone with information can call the TIPS Hotline at (816) 238-TIPS.

 

The two men taken to the hospital after a shooting Sunday morning on the north end of town are in stable condition according to police.

The St. Joseph Police Department is still searching for a 32-year-old man as a possible suspect in a shooting investigation that took place Sunday around 9 a.m. in the area of Franklin St. and Prospect Ave.

As we previously reported, police said two other men, ages 43 and 59 were transported to Mosaic Life Care with gunshot wounds.

Capt. Jeff Wilson said Monday morning that at the last check the victims conditions were listed as stable.

He said little other information is being released at this time as the investigation is on-going.

Two men were taken to the hospital after a shooting Sunday morning on the north end of town.

The St. Joseph Police Department is searching for a possible suspect, a 32-year-old man

Sgt. Jill Voltmer said two men ages 43 and 59 were injured in the shooting that took place around 9 a.m. Little other information is being released at this time.

The investigation continues. As we learn more we will update.