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Allied Arts Council to present Candidates Forum on the Arts

The Allied Arts Council and its member agencies will present a Candidates Forum on the Arts at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art later this month.

The forum is free and open to the public and will focus on the role of arts and culture in the community.

Candidates running for Mayor and City Council in St. Joseph will present their positions to the voters in a question and answer format moderated by 680 KFEQ’s Barry Birr. Birr said the forum offers a chance to learn more about your candidates for public office.

“Even if you’re not overly concerned about, say, funding for the arts, you’re still going to hear your candidates think and talk on stage, they’re going to be answering questions so that you’ll see them in action, you’ll hear how they think about things, so you’ll learn about whether this one or that one seems to speak more for you or not,” Birr said. “And if you are concerned about the arts, either directly or indirectly, you should get a lot of information about that at this forum.”

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the opportunity for question submissions.

“They will have an opportunity to write their questions down on 3×5 index cards,” Birr said. “People will collect those cards and they’ll bring the cards up to me and if they decide that these questions are pertinent and if I decide that the questions are pertinent, those will go into the mix.”

The forum starts at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 23rd at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art. The Allied Arts Council will host an informal reception for the audience and the candidates following the forum.

For more information or to RSVP by January 19, call (816) 233-0231.

2 arrested in Missouri in theft of car with infant inside

Showalter-photo Greene Co.

OZARK, Mo— Authorities say two people have been arrested on suspicion of stealing a car with a 5-month-old baby inside from a southwest Missouri convenience store.

The Greene County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. James Craigmyle said the arrests were made Monday in the town of Ozark.  Among those booked into jail was 37-year-old Waite Showalter, according to the sheriff’s office online booking report.

The child’s aunt told police she went into a Rogersville convenience store for just a couple of minutes last week and left her niece in her Chevrolet Impala. When she returned the car was gone.

An Amber Alert was issued and within 45 minutes, someone spotted a car matching the description near Ozark. By the time deputies arrived the car thief was gone but the baby was found in the back seat. She was unharmed.

Slick roads possible this morning before warming up to 40s

Areas of dense fog, with temperatures at or below freezing, may result in slippery travel conditions this morning. Otherwise, temperatures will warm into the 40s and lower 50s today with warm conditions again on Wednesday. Cold weather returns for the weekend with light snow possible Thursday. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 48. South southeast wind 6 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.

Tonight: Increasing clouds, with a low around 36. South wind 11 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. Light south wind increasing to 11 to 16 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph.

Wednesday Night: A chance of showers before 8 p.m., then a chance of drizzle between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m., then rain likely after 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29. South wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Thursday: Rain likely before 7 a.m., then a chance of drizzle between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., then a chance of snow after 8 a.m. Patchy blowing snow between noon and 4 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 29. Blustery, with a north northwest wind 15 to 20 mph increasing to 21 to 26 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Thursday Night: A chance of snow before 7 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 8. Blustery. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 25.

Friday Night: A chance of snow before 8 p.m., then a chance of snow showers between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 9. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 17.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 2.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 21.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 7.

M.L.King Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 22.

 

Trump Pledges to Work with Sen. Roberts for an On-Time Farm Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – After multiple meetings with President Donald J. Trump on issues of importance to rural America, U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today joined the President onstage at the American Farm Bureau’s 99th annual convention in Nashville, Tenn.

An issue continually championed by Chairman Roberts, President Trump made his first public statement in support of crop insurance.

“Here today is Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts,” said President Trump. “I’m looking forward to working with Congress to pass the Farm Bill on time, so that it delivers for all of you, and I support a bill that includes crop insurance.”

President Trump hailed Chairman Roberts for his focus on farmers and ranchers, saying Roberts “loves the farmers,” and always asks, “what about the farmers?” in meetings.

“Farmers and ranchers are the lifeblood of our rural communities and backbone of our country,” said Roberts. “It’s refreshing to see a President take such personal interest in the rural American constituency. President Trump has listened to my concerns on numerous occasions, as evidenced by today’s speech, and those concerns have certainly not fallen on deaf ears. I look forward to working with President Trump as we write the upcoming Farm Bill.”

To a standing ovation, President Trump also touted the rolling back of numerous regulations, most notably the Environmental Protection Agency’s infamous ‘Waters of the U.S.’ (WOTUS) rule, which Chairman Roberts has fought against since its inception.

“My Administration is in the process of rolling back a rule that hit our farmers and ranchers very, very hard – the terrible ‘Waters of the U.S.’ rule,” said President Trump. “We ditched the rule.”

Click here to watch President Trump’s full remarks, including the signing of two executive orders to expand broadband access in rural America.

 

 

Mo. man pleads guilty to 2015 homicide in KC park

Gordon-photo Jackson Co.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – A 22-year-old Kansas City man was sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to his role in a homicide at a Kansas City park.

The Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said in a news release Monday that Davonte D. Gordon pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action and was sentenced to prison.

He was charged in the September 2015 shooting death of 20-year-old Kameron Gay at Peace Park in midtown Kansas City.

Police investigating after man injured in weekend shooting

St. Joseph Police are investigating after a man was shot Saturday evening.

According to Capt. Jeff Wilson with the police department, officers responded at 7:30 p.m. Saturday to a report of a shooting in the 900 block of South 15th Street.

Wilson said a 22-year-old male was shot in the leg and transported to Mosaic Life Care where he was treated and released.

No one is in custody at this time but police are still investigating the incident.

Seat belts and texting while driving highlighted in transportation task force report

State Rep. Kevin Corlew (R-Kansas City) speaks on the Missouri House floor in February 2017. Photo courtesy of Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications.

(Missourinet) – Missouri’s transportation system task force is recommending a primary seat belt law, which would allow police officers to enforce the law as a stand-alone offense.

Committee chairman State Rep. Kevin Corlew, R-Kansas City, unveiled the recommendations to the Capitol Press Corps on the opening day of the 2018 session.

“We were ranked 50th or last in terms of a safety report by the National Safety Council,” Corlew says. “And that was in large part about some of the legislation that dealt with driver behavior.”

The report says there were 947 traffic fatalities on Missouri roads in 2016, and that sixty percent of victims were not wearing seat belts.

The task force says a primary seat belt law is aimed at saving lives. Chairman Corlew tells reporters it’s important to keep Missouri highways as safe as possible for every motorist.

“One of the things that we found in our hearings was that a primary seat belt law increases seat belt use by about seven percent,” says Corlew.

Corlew was joined at the Jefferson City press conference by House Transportation Committee chairman State Rep. Bill Reiboldt, R-Neosho, who says 64 percent of Missourians killed on the road in 2017 were not wearing seat belts.

The task force is also recommending a ban on texting while driving.

The report reads, in part: “Preliminary 2016 data also indicates cell phones were involved in 2,379 crashes, a 23-percent increase since 2014. People are 23 times more likely to be in a critical incident when a driver texts and drives.”

The Missouri State Highway Patrol has testified that driver inattention is the leading cause of traffic crashes in the Show-Me State.

The task force is also recommending a ten-cent gasoline tax increase and a 12-cent diesel tax increase.

Missouri’s fuel tax hasn’t been increased since 1996.

Faucett woman seriously injured in crash due to icy road

A Faucett woman was seriously injured after losing control of her vehicle on an ice covered road Sunday morning.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 49-year-old Tina M. Masterson was driving a Chevrolet S-10 east on Route DD at Cherry Street in Faucett at 10:19 a.m. Masterson lost control of her vehicle on the ice covered roadway, crossed the center line, traveled off the north side of the road and hit an embankment. The vehicle overturned once and came to rest on its wheels.

Masterson was transported to Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph for treatment of serious injuries.

Temperatures could reach 40s and 50s through Wednesday

Temperatures will be on the rebound the next few days as southerly winds return to the area, with mid-50s possible by Wednesday. This will be short lived as a strong cold front will move through the region on Thursday, which will bring the next chance of precipitation to the area. Following its departure, cold air will filter into the lower Missouri Valley just in time for the weekend. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: Areas of fog before 11 a.m. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 46. Light and variable wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. South wind 3 to 6 mph.

Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 47. South southeast wind 6 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36. South wind around 11 mph.

Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 53. South wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Wednesday Night: Rain likely, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Thursday: A chance of rain before 7 a.m., then a chance of snow between 7 a.m. and noon. Cloudy, with a high near 29. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 10.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 28.

Friday Night: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 10. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 18.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 3.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 23.

 

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