As fishing returns to Krug Park officials are urging visitors to take a different approach when feeding ducks and geese.

In a news release earlier this week, the City of St. Joseph began asking people visiting Krug not to throw food from the railing. Officials said the goal it to try to train the water fowl not to try to nab the bait on hooks cast into the pond.

“We’re trying to pick some areas that we think some younger kids might fish more, and trying to discourage feeding the ducks and the geese in those areas just so we don’t have any hook accidents,” said Jeff Atkins, Assistant Parks Dir.

Atkins said they city is still encouraging people to come out to feed the water fowl, but not necessarily with bread.

“What we are trying to do is to maybe encourage people to feed the ducks and geese something that might be a little more healthy to them,” Atkins said. “The vegetables would be better for them then the bread would be by far.”

Instead of bread the city suggested, peas, unsweetened instant oats, birdseed, small torn pieces of lettuce, duck pellets or canned, frozen or fresh corn.

“Feeding the bird these things helps them stay healthy and feeding them right at the waters edge, will hopefully help them learn not to chase after the hooks that anglers will be casting into the water,” said Julie Noel, City Special Event and Communications Coordinator.

Fish have been stocked at Krug Park and Corby Pond.  Atkins said it’s the first time people have been able to fish at Krug since 1969.  It was originally halted due to trash left behind by fishers.  Atkins is urging people to try to help keep the park clean.

 

It’s been a week to recognize those taking emergency calls.

Every year during the second week of April, telecommunications personnel in the public safety community are honored for their work. Those who work in the Communications Center in Buchanan County were also recognized this week.  Sheriff Bill Puett said the operators are a vital part to emergency response.

“The telecommunicators do such a great job of calming folks and getting them the resources that they need,” Puett said. “Whether it’s medical services, or law enforcement services or fire services, they do it all.”

Genny Norton is a day-shift supervisor in the Communications Center.  She said in March they answered 4,600 911 calls.

“We are the primary 911 center for our county.  We take all emergency calls and non-emergency calls for police, fire and sheriff.  We assess what they need and get them going in the right direction,” Norton said.

24 operators and management personnel work in the communications center which is staffed around the clock, seven days a week. Norton said they deal with a wide variety of calls.

“It can range from having a missing child, to even the other day we had a man that was missing with dementia. It could be that a house is on fire or that somebody has fallen.  It could be that their car is broken into or their car was stolen.  They could be calling because they’re complaining because a car has been parked on the street too long,” Norton said. “It could be that they just don’t know who else to call and so they’ll call us.”

Norton said the recognition for comm center employees has been uplifting this week.

“It’s very heartwarming.  It makes you really feel appreciated.  A lot of times, you know we’re not seen by the public. A lot of times when people call us it’s on the worst day of their life,” Norton said. “It’s been nice this week that everything has been very uplifting.”

The 2017 National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week runs until Saturday.  For more information on the week, CLICK HERE.

Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill answered questions from the audience during a town hall Thursday at Missouri Western State University.

Over 150 people filled Western’s Leah Spratt Hall to hear from the democratic senator.  Questions asked ranged from the healthcare debate, proposed budget cuts impacting local communities, LGBT rights, the Keystone Pipeline and McCaskill’s vote against Neil Gorsuch for the U.S. Supreme Court.  McCaskill said she is holding town halls all over the state in mostly areas that voted strongly against her party in the presidential election.

“I’m going to places that are not big democratic counties.  Every place I’m stopping, President Trump won by a wide margin, but that doesn’t mean I can’t show up.  If they want to chew on me, if they want to criticize me, if they want conflict, they’re entitled to that.  I work for them,” McCaskill said. “The people in the state who supported him the most are the people who are getting the short end of the stick, and I want to fight for them.”

The Senator said she know’s she’s the underdog going into the 2018 election.

“I’m used to being the underdog, I’m comfortable being the underdog.  I’ll work as hard as I know how to relate to and communicate with Missourians,” McCaskill said. “I am the last state-wide democrat with the exception of Nichole Galloway who is the auditor.”

McCaskill said she plans to hold many more town halls all over the state.

The Buchanan County Prosecutor’s Office is holding several events in light of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.

This year’s NCVRW runs April 2nd to the 8th.  Jenn Moden is a paralegal for the prosecutors office and an organizer for events surrounding the week in Buchanan County. She said this year’s theme is strength, resilience and justice.

“Every year in April the office for victim’s of crime hold a tribute to our victims’ that we’ve lost in our communities and the people who work with victims,” Moden said. “Strength, resilience and justice just reflects the vision in the future that all victims are strengthened by the response they receive, organizations are resilient in the responses to the challenges, and communities are able to seek collective justice in healing.”

Moden said the prosecutor’s office is always collaborating with a organizations in St. Joseph to assist victims.

“Whether it be immediate services in emergency situations or throughout the whole process of the case that they’re having to be faced with,” Moden said. “It’s a huge collaboration effort on everybody’s part.  It’s not just one individual working with victims. We want to make sure that they get they help that they deserve.”

Events are planned throughout the week in St. Joseph for NCVRW.  The schedule is as follows:

Monday, April 3- 6 p.m. Zumba and Pound Night

• Instructors: Missy Carvell and Jamie Davis
•  Please bring hygiene items for the YWCA or monetary donation to purchase pinwheels for the Pinwheel Campaign
• Turning Point Church: 5211 Frederick Blvd, St. Joseph, Missouri

Wednesday, April 5- 5:30 p.m. Crime Victim Memorial Balloon Release

•  Riverfront Park by the Remington Nature Center
•  Music, speaking and remembering our victims’

Friday, April 7- 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Crime Victims’ Breakfast

• RSVP

Saturday, April 8- 7:00PM Chance to Dance

•  Central High School: 2602 Edmond, St. Joseph, Missouri
• Annual Fundraiser presented by the Dance Arts Center for the benefit of the Northwest Missouri Children’s Advocacy Center

A northwest Missouri K-9 is now a little safer after a gift of a bullet/stab resistant vest.

Cipo is a patrol canine for the Missouri State Highway Patrol and works alongside Sgt. Mark Wilhoit in Troop H.  Sgt. Jake Angle said Cipo is trained in handler protection, narcotics detection and tracking.

“In the course of those duties in any given day he’s put in harms way. Tracking fugitives, searching cars and protecting Mark while he’s out doing his duties every day,” Angle said.

Donna and Jim Wilson with the Going To the Dogs Foundation donated a bullet/stab resistant vest to the patrol for Cipo Thursday morning. Donna said the vest costs around $1,000 and only weighs about 5 to 7 lbs.  She said they have been trying to donate vests to K-9 dogs in numerous law enforcement agencies.  Since last year the agency has donated around 10 vests.

“My goal is the Missouri State Highway Patrol has 10 canines throughout the entire state of Missouri,” Donna said. “My goal is that every canine will get a vest.”

Earlier this month, a K-9 was shot and killed on duty in Wichita, Kan.  Donna said she’s hoping the vests can help to prevent that from happening to other canines.

“It broke my heart and believe me that’s going to be a city that I’m going to reach out to,” Donna said. “What we need from the public is we just ask for your support so we can continue our mission to make sure that vests are put on these dogs.”

Sgt. Angle said they consider Cipo to be an officer on duty.

“Anytime we can add another level of protection for one of our officers it’s a benefit,” Sgt. Angle said. “With this generous donation today it’s just another level of protection we have for our canines and we can’t express our appreciation enough.”

For more information on the Going to the Dogs Foundation CLICK HERE.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said it patrols major highways in the northwest part of the state that are often used to transport contraband.

Several large drug busts were made on I-29 over the past several weeks in Andrew County.  Sgt. Jake Angle with the Missouri State Highway Patrol said at least three large marijuana seizures were made in the past two weeks.

“We don’t see it coming from any one source,” Angle said. “The southern border, a lot of times we see contraband coming up from there.  But also from the states now that are legalizing marijuana we’re seeing some marijuana coming out of those states and being transported across the country.”

Angle said most of the recent seizures have been traveling through Missouri to other locations.

“It’s part of our job to uncover criminal activity.  In Troop H we have a criminal interdiction team that works specifically at that. Looking for wanted fugitives, people carrying contraband, things like that,” Angle said. “Lately we’ve been very productive on Interstate 29 but that’s what we do day in and day out.”

Angle said he does not believe the recent seizures are tied together. He said other area highways, including I-35 and US-36 can have the same problems.

“Anytime you’re working around a major corridor, a major interstate, highway…Any roadway like this that passes through the country, goes beyond and through Missouri, unfortunately those are used by people to carry all kinds of contraband,” Angle said. “Drugs, weapons, whatever the case may be.”

He said the best thing officers can do to combat the issue is to to make stops for traffic violations.

“They try to conduct a complete traffic stop concept.  Which means they’re looking for any indicators, they’re talking to people, looking inside their car.  You’d be surprised sometimes the information the officers out there can garner from doing that traffic stop,” Angle said. “It may lead them to doing that request to search the vehicle.”

(9:54 a.m.) – Two people were injured in a crash Thursday morning on South Belt Highway.

Officer Scott Gary with the St. Joseph Police Department said a Mitsubishi was southbound on the Belt Highway and blew through a red light, crashing into a Toyota trying to turn left at Pear St.  The intersection was shutdown around 9:20 a.m. while crews were on scene. It has since reopened. The drivers of both vehicles around the age of 19 and 50, both St. Joseph residents were transported to Mosaic Life Care for treatment of what was described as minor injuries.

Gary said a ticket will likely be issued for running a red light.

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(9:30 a.m.) – A crash on South Belt Highway is impacting traffic.

Around 9:20 a.m. police issued an advisory warning drivers to avoid the intersection of S. Belt at Pear street due to a traffic incident.

Authorities had the intersection blocked off while crews were on scene. An ambulance and several police vehicles were in the area.

As we learn more information we will update this story.