ST. ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – More routes throughout Northwest Missouri are closed due to flooding, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation. With more rain predicted, motorists are advised to consult the Traveler Information Map at http://www.modot.org/ for the most up-to-date information on all road closures. MoDOT encourages everyone to pay attention to barricades and Turn Around! Don’t Drown!

The following routes are closed until further notice:

Andrew County

Route 48 on the east side of Rosendale (One Hundred and Two River)
Route C on the east side of Rosendale (One Hundred and Two River0
Atchison County:

U.S. Route 59 between U.S. Route 136 (south of Tarkio) and Route TT (Tarkio River)
Buchanan County

NEW – Route H between Agency and Johnson Road (Platte River)
Chariton County

Route E East of Rothville between Slater Avenue and Depot Avenue (East Yellow Creek)
Gentry County

Route H between U.S. Route 136 and Route E (Grand River)
Holt County

Route N between Route C and Juniper Drive (Squaw Creek)
Linn County

Route C east of Purdin between Hawk Drive and Grand Drive (Long Branch)
Nodaway County:

Route 246 west of Sheridan between Noble Road and Olympic Road (Honey Creek)
Route 46 between Empire Road and Festival Road (Florida Creek)
Route 46 between Route PP and Route 113 (Sand Creek)
Route DD between the west city limits of Skidmore and Canyon Road (Nodaway River)
Route JJ between Fortune Road and Galaxy Road (culvert washout)
Route U between Arkoe and Keystone Road (One Hundred and Two River)

Interstate 29 Northbound Now Open

OREGON, Mo. – All lanes of Interstate 29 northbound are now open at mile marker 70 in Holt County, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation. Law enforcement personnel responding to a crash involving a tractor trailer at that location closed the road earlier this evening.

FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
625 PM CDT THU JUN 11 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PLEASANT HILL HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR…
  EASTERN WORTH COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MISSOURI…
  HARRISON COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL MISSOURI…
  NORTHEASTERN GENTRY COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MISSOURI…

* UNTIL 1030 PM CDT

* AT 624 PM CDT…NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE
  WARNED AREA.

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE…
  BETHANY…EAGLEVILLE…GILMAN CITY…NEW HAMPTON AND RIDGEWAY.

THIS WILL IMPACT

I-35 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 83 AND 114.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY.

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
SOUTH-CENTRAL INTO NORTHEAST KANSAS NORTHWEST MISSOURI

* EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON FROM 520 PM UNTIL MIDNIGHT
CDT.

Counties impacted include: Atchison, Doniphan, Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami, Wyandotte [KS] and Buchanan, Caldwell, Clay, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb, Jackson, Platte, Ray [MO]

* PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE…
ISOLATED VERY LARGE HAIL EVENTS TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER POSSIBLE
ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH POSSIBLE

SUMMARY…THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND
INTENSITY ALONG A COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE WATCH AREA. WHILE A
BRIEF TORNADO IS POSSIBLE…LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING OUTFLOW WINDS
WILL BE THE PRIMARY HAZARDS.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 55
STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 20 MILES NORTHEAST OF
SAINT JOSEPH MISSOURI TO 30 MILES SOUTHEAST OF EMPORIA KANSAS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

REMEMBER…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY
DO PRODUCE TORNADOES.

The Chillicothe Police Department said it will be conducting traffic checks based information from residents received over social media.

The department said due to feedback on its Facebook page officers are going to be monitoring certain areas for vehicles speeding and failing to stop at stop signs.

Those areas include:
Third Street from Washington Street to Grandview
Dickinson Avenue from Bryan to Third Street
Hickory Street from Third Street to Cowgill Street.
Fair Street from Bryan to Dorney Drive.
Areas of all city parks during activities that increase traffic and pedestrian traffic.

“We will be changing areas of concentration as new complaints are received,” the department stated.

The department is encouraging residents to give their feedback on its Facebook page and suggest any other areas that need to see increased enforcement.

Rainfall chances are continuing into the weekend but Buchanan County officials said they are not worried about flooding coming from area lakes at this point in time.

County Commissioner Ron Hook said both Lake Contrary and Sugar Lake have seen dry conditions since 2012

“They are holding as much water as they need to as this point. They can definitely take on a lot more,” Hook said. “Probably three or four or five feet more would be very much appreciated by the people that frequent the lakes and live around the lakes.”

Hook said the water is very much appreciated for the lakes.

Since June 1 the National Weather Service is reporting 3.31″ of rainfall has fallen in the St. Joseph area.  Normally, we would only have had around 1.62″ at this point in time.

As of 9:30 a.m. the Missouri River at St. Joseph was at 13.16 ft according to the latest USGS observation.  Minor flood stage is 17 ft.  The river is forecasted to crest at 23.7 ft by Friday night.  That would place it in moderate flood stage.

“When it gets up to 19 or 20 feet that’s when it becomes a concern,” Hook said. “What happens then is we have a lot of pumping going on, we have a lot of fields that are being flooded out and farmers are trying to get the water off their fields so they can go in and finish planting or replant what’s been damaged by standing water.”

Hook said the lakes can hold a lot more water, but the concern in the county right now is for farmers and roadways.

“Right now it’s farmers that have water standing in the fields and then low-lying areas.  The county has a lot of roads that have water covering it,” Hook said.

Buchanan County Emergency Manager Bill Brinton said all county roads had been opened back up after floodwaters forced parts of several roads to close for several weeks.  As of 11 a.m. Thursday Brinton said he was not currently worried about those roads because we’ve had several days of dry conditions.  However, with more rain in the forecast this weekend he said the county will continue to monitor roadways and they may have to close routes again.

News Release KANSAS CITY, MO – Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph, one of the region’s oldest and most comprehensive social service providers, announced today that it has purchased the buildings at 1121 and 1123 South 10th Street in St. Joseph, Missouri.  The buildings will be used as the service center for northwest Missouri.  The social service agency expects to move into its permanent St. Joseph home in October.
Catholic Charities has offered hope-filled social services in the St. Joseph community throughout its 136-year history, officially opening a branch office in 1979. The purchase of the downtown buildings, located across the street from the Pony Express Museum, marks the first time that Catholic Charities has owned its own building in St. Joseph.
“The purchase of these buildings cements our ties to a region we have served for so long. Catholic Charities is committed to St. Joseph and Northwest Missouri, and we are here to stay,” said CEO Deacon Dan Powers.
The buildings, purchased for $127,000, are a former UMB Bank branch and its drive-up facility. The main building offers 7,500 square foot of space, which will be remodeled with a Welcome Center, offices and classroom space. The smaller building will be used for storage and shuttle parking.
Catholic Charities provides poverty-reduction assistance to nearly 5,000 St. Joseph households every year. Services include emergency assistance, housing, workforce development, adoptions and parenting support. The agency also offers one-on-one case management for individuals, families, veterans and former offenders.  
About a dozen staff members will continue working with clients at the Catholic Charities office at 902 Edmond Street until construction at 1123 South 10th Street is completed.

A St. Joseph father has also been charged after his 2-year-old son consumed Methamphetamine last month.

27-year-old Billy L. Riley Jr. of St. Joseph has been charged with a second degree misdemeanor for Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

As we previously reported, the child’s mother 24-year-old Natasha King of St. Joseph was charged last week with a misdemeanor for Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

According to court documents on May, 29 Riley had a container of liquid Methamphetamine laying on a table near where he was seated.  The child allegedly got in possession of the container and drank it.  The child was taken to the hospital six hours later after showing signs of intoxication.  At the hospital the boy tested positive for Meth.

Riley has prior convictions for stealing, unlawful use of a weapon, and assault.

He is being held in the Buchanan County Jail on $5,000 cash bail.

King is being held without bail.  Online court documents state the court found King to be a danger to the victim.  She has an arraignment set for Tuesday in the case.

The Livingston County Sheriff’s Department has arrested a man after he allegedly tried to head-butt a deputy over the weekend.

According to the department, Saturday just before midnight, Deputy Nicholas Leadbetter saw a vehicle going the wrong way on Cherry Street.  Leadbetter was able to stop the vehicle in a parking lot after the driver allegedly made an attempt to evade the deputy.

“Deputy Leadbetter noted the car was literally shaking from all the movement inside the vehicle and the driver began yelling/cursing the deputy when attempting to explain the reason for the stop,” said Steve Cox, Livingston County Sheriff. “The alleged intoxicated suspect would not comply with commands or attempts to calm the subject down. As the deputy was making the custodial arrest the suspect allegedly attempted to head butt the deputy and get away from being handcuffed but was unsuccessful.”

27-year-old Michael James Terry of Lebanon, MO. was subsequently arrested for alleged DWI, Driving while Suspended/Revoked, Resisting Arrest, and Driving Wrong Direction on Roadway.

Terry was transferred to the Daviess Dekalb County Regional Jail and remains in custody on a Livingston County arrest warrant for the alleged DWI and Resisting Arrest.

However, prior to being turned over to the jail Cox said the suspect is reported to have thanked Deputy Leadbetter for the manner in which he handled the situation.

“This incident appears to have been completed with a minimal amount of force required to complete the arrest,” Cox said. “The deputy would have been justified with the deployment of pepper spray or Taser but was able to safely complete the arrest without additional need for these tools.”