Author: Editor
Leading cause of death among teens continues to be traffic accidents
(Missourinet) – In 2016, more than 3,500 teens were killed in car crashes nationwide, including in Missouri. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports about a quarter of the teen drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking alcohol.
This week is National Teen Driver Safety Week and Matt Nasworthy, a spokesperson for AAA, says car crashes remain the leading cause of death for teens across the country.
“As an age group, teen drivers get involved in more crashes than anyone else on the road,” Nasworthy says.
Although distracted driving is dangerous for anyone, regardless of age, Nasworthy says it appears to be a bigger problem for teens. The distraction doesn’t always involve a cell phone.
“We see that almost six out of 10 of their crashes are caused by distraction…and the number one distraction for teen drivers is having other teen passengers in the car,” Nasworthy says.
Teenage passengers are being encouraged to help the driver keep their focus on the road.
“What we want teens to do is to make sure they’re not getting involved in unnecessary conversations, not pulling the driver’s attention away from the road to look at something else, or text or answer a phone,” Nasworthy says.
A passenger can also assist the teen driver by handling the controls of the radio and the air conditioner or heat.
Kuehl returns to St. Joseph for chamber event
Economics and politics will be addressed by Chris Kuehl, the co-founder of Armada Corporate Intelligence who is returning to St. Joseph for a presentation later this month.
Kuehl will be speaking at the Economic Summit Luncheon hosted by the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce. The event will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel, 102 S. Third St., on Thursday, Oct. 26. His presentation will be about “What Changes Will Affect You & Your Business in 2018.” He previously spoke at last year’s Fall Chairman’s Breakfast. The chamber said because Kuehl was so popular at last year’s event, he is returning to give an update on his perspective now that President Trump is nearing the end of his first year in the Oval Office.
According to a news release from the chamber, Kuehl’s company provides strategy foundation, competitive intelligence, business analysis and economic forecasting for corporate clients. He also is the editor and primary writer for several publications including:
- Business Intelligence Briefs – a daily distributed through Chambers of Commerce throughout the U.S. focused on economic and business issues
- Strategic Intelligence Briefs – a daily distributed through World Trade Centers and international business organizations focused on global economic and business trends.
He also is a frequent commentator for the media – locally and nationally. He is a regular economic/business analyst for KMBZ radio, KSHB-TV and has been extensively quoted in national newspapers, magazines and trade publications. He holds a master’s degree in Soviet and East European Studies, a master’s degree in East Asian Studies and a Ph.D. in Political Economics from the University of Kansas. He has been on the faculty of universities in the U.S., Hungary, Estonia, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan.
Besides Kuehl’s address, Chamber Economic Development staff will give an overview of activity from the year with new jobs planned and capital investments being made by St. Joseph companies.
The Economic Summit Luncheon is presented by Innovation Stockyard. Cost is $25 for Chamber members and $35 for general admission. Register online at saintjoseph.com or by calling (816) 232-4461 by Oct. 20.
Fish-or-Treat to be held in St. Joseph
Fishing with a Halloween angle will be held in St. Joseph later this month.
The Missouri Department of Conservation will host a free Fish-or-Treat event on Saturday, Oct. 28 from 9 a.m. to noon at Everyday Pond on the Missouri Western State University campus in St. Joseph. MDC said, visitors are welcome to come in costume (or not) for fishing, games, and prizes.
MDC said staff members will be on hand to assist with fishing skills such as casting with a rod and reel or handling fish that are caught. Loaner fishing gear will also be available.
“Participants can make a test run in Halloween costumes, do some fishing, and perhaps land a treat,” the MDC said in a news release.
Everyday pond is on James McCarthy Drive, a quarter mile south of Faraon Street. For more information about Fish-or-Treat, call 816-271-3100.
Some Congress members tout state’s use of coal, some utilities move toward renewables
(Missourinet) – Leading Missouri Congressional members applauded President Trump’s decision last week to try and dismantle the Obama era Clean Power Plan.
After Environmental Protection Agency Director Scott Pruitt signaled the action by declaring that the “war on coal” is over, Republican U.S. Senator Roy Blunt praised the move and noted that the state derives 80% of its electricity from coal.
Third District Republican Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer said he was “incredibly pleased” with the administration’s announcement to scrap the regulation, while acknowledging that 85% of the state’s electricity is generated by coal combustion.
But those statements on percentages could be high after a surge in the use of renewable energy over the past few-years led to the retirement of numerous coal fired plants. Sierra Club Missouri Chapter Director John Hickey pegs the percentage a bit lower.
“I think it’s down in the mid 70s now because we’ve had so many retirements lately.”
Hickey says municipal utilities in Columbia and Springfield are now purchasing wind energy at 20%-to-25% cheaper than they can generate coal.
Joel Alexander of City Utilities (CU) in Springfield says the sharp drop in the cost of renewables has been nothing short of stunning.
“I think if you told any utility with a generating capacity 10 years ago that you’d be looking at renewables at a cost that they are now, we would have just said no, that’s just not going to happen,” said Alexander. “But things change and things change drastically.”
Springfield’s CU still derives the largest share of its energy from two coal fired plants that generate 500 megawatts of power. However, one of the facilities will be retiring with the addition of 200 megawatts the city is in the process of bringing online from a wind farm in Oklahoma. Springfield currently generates 359 megawatts of power from existing wind farms.
According to Alexander, CU’s JTEC2 power plant which came online in 2011 is likely the last coal-fired power plant the utility will build. He says economics have limited the fossil fuel’s future.
“It’s going to take a huge difference in the cost between coal and natural gas at this point to really look at bringing coal back, for us anyway.”
The city of Columbia has also aggressively moved toward renewable energy. Mayor Brian Treece affiliated with the group Climate Mayors shortly after President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris accords earlier this year.
He notes the city recently signed a contract with a wind supplier at the cost of two-cents per kilowatt, which is cheaper than any form of power it produces itself.
“Our whole sale cost of producing our own energy, whether we use coal or bio-mass is three-cents,” said Treece. “So this really is about economic competitiveness as much as it is about protecting the environment.”
Treece also points out that Columbia sets its own goals for use of renewable energy.
“We were the first city in the state of Missouri to have a renewable energy mandate. We now acquire 15 percent of our energy from renewable sources, like solar and wind. That number is supposed to increase to 25 percent by 2023.”
Meanwhile, Springfield has reached a higher plateau with wind now supplying 33% of the city’s electricity.
Alexander, of Springfield CU, says it’s been on track to meet Clean Power Plan standards because it accepted the regulations and quickly figured out the changes it needed to make.
“When the Clean Power Plan was first announced and discussed, we did some changes and we made some decisions that needed to be made.”
According to Alexander, unlike in Columbia, Springfield CU has no mandate to meet carbon emissions or renewable energy use. He says, instead, expanded reliance on wind energy has been brought on by several factors, including customer demand and favorable opportunities.
“At the end of the day, when that light switch comes on and whatever you need for the electricity source, we think it’s at a very attractive price point. And we’re doing that with about 30% renewables in our portfolio.”
Springfield and Columbia are by municipal utilities. Ameren Missouri, the state’s largest investor utility, announced a billion-dollar investment in wind power in late September. In 2014, Kansas City Power & Light stated that its investment in wind energy would save customers $1 billion over 20 years.
While the state, on balance, still has a heavy reliance on coal fired energy, the Sierra Club’s John Hickey points out the coal industry itself is practically nonexistent.
“You know there’s only one tiny coal mine operating in the state of Missouri,” Hickey said. “It has a dozen or two workers.”
The last operating coal mine in Missouri, Hume II, is located near the western Missouri town of Hume.
Spinning demonstration to be held at downtown library
A yarn spinning demonstration will be held next weekend at the St. Joseph Downtown Library.
According to the St. Joseph Public Library, Jane Burton is a spinner of wool yarns and will demonstrate her craft Saturday. The program is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the library located at 927 Felix St.
The library said Burton will give illustrations of different spinning traditions, talk about raw wool, dyeing and have examples of items made from spun yarns.
No registration is needed and all ages can attend. For information contact the library at (816) 232-7729.
Western students to use science to explode pumpkins
Student organizations at Missouri Western State University plan to use science in a pumpkin blast.
According to a news release, the Alchemy Club and the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Club at will host an event called Pumpkin Blast at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, starting in Agenstein Hall, room 324. Western said the event is free and open to the public.
The event will begin with chemistry demonstrations inside, followed by exploding pumpkins and other explosive activities outside.
Farmers sought for MU strip trial program
Credit: Photo courtesy of John Lory/MU
(News release) – Farmers are being sought to participate in the 2017-2018 University of Missouri Extension Strip Trial Program, which helps farmers and crop advisers compare on-farm management decisions and practices.
The program uses on-farm, field-scale research to give growers farm-specific data to guide decisions that can protect or improve the bottom line, said MU Extension nutrient management specialist John Lory.
MU Extension conducts the Strip Trial Program in collaboration with the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council, the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council and their checkoffs.
Farmers work with an MU Extension specialist or crop consultant of their choice and use their own equipment. Trials are long strips of land laid out side by side in a field with different management practices or treatments. Participants receive a personalized report on the results on their farm. They also have access to the results of other trials.
A farmer panel sets trial priorities each year. This year, the farmer panel prioritized cover crop management trials and nitrogen management trials.
One cover crop trial allows farmers to test if winter wheat can be planted successfully instead of cereal rye without lowering yields of corn or soybean.
In a new trial for 2018, farmers can test a cover crop of their choice to plant after soybean and before corn. This will help farmers and MU Extension collect real-world data on cover crop systems that might provide sufficient cover without compromising corn management after soybean. Farmers choose the type of cover crop and whether to drill or broadcast.
A third cover crop trial lets farmers test alternative termination dates for an existing cover crop. This is a great option for farmers who already have a cover crop planted and have questions about the risks and rewards with different timings for killing the cover crop, Lory said.
Researchers in the Strip Trial Program are willing to work with any farmer interested in testing delayed nitrogen applications, such as side-dressing nitrogen, or any nitrogen decision-support tool in corn, milo or wheat fields. MU specialists will be matched to individual farmers in northeastern and central Missouri.
A fifth trial examines crop response to phosphorous fertilizer. Farmers will have strips with and without phosphorous fertilizer to see where in the field yield benefits are seen.
Finally, 2018 will be the second year to test the effectiveness of ILeVO seed treatment on yield and nematode numbers.
Those interested in having a trial on their farm can contact their local MU Extension center or one of the contacts below.
“Our goal is to have a local extension person work with you to lay out the trial,” said Lory. “In all trials, we need to get the yield map for the field after harvest. All fields are surveyed with aerial photography at least once during the growing season. And for specialized trials, such as the phosphorus trial, there may be soil sampling done by the program.”
Farmers prioritize which trials are important and volunteer to have tests on their fields.
“This program is a great collaboration between MU Extension, the corn and soybean organizations, and farmers,” Lory said. “MU brings expertise to help farmers implement the trial and bring scientific rigor to the tests and the reported results for each trial. Ultimately, Missourians all benefit from this collaboration as we integrate lessons learned about cover crops and nutrients across multiple trials and multiple years.”
Lory said farmers participated in 55 trials in both 2016 and 2017. In 2018, the goal is at least 60 strip trials across Missouri.
For more information, contact Lory at loryj@missouri.edu, Greg Luce at luceg@missouri.edu or Darrick Steen at dsteen@mosoy.org.
Reservations for Witches Tea underway
Photo courtesy Jane Graves
The Albrecht-Kemper Museum Of Art is taking reservations for its Witches Tea luncheon on Halloween Eve.
According to a news release, participants will, “enjoy a foul feast of lurid lunch fare or nibbles of a nasty nosh slashed, skewered, and scrambled by the AKMA Gourmet Crooks (er…cooks) accompanied tea, cyanide cider, and devilish desserts.”
Costumes are encouraged and the museum plans to have mind-readers, prizes and surprises.
“This event is not for young ghouls,” the museum stated. “It is designed for their mummies.”
Cost is $25. The event will be held Oct. 30 with doors opening at 11 a.m. at the museum located at 2818 Frederick Ave. Call (816) 233-7003 or CLICK HERE for more information.
Thousands of area students to learn about careers at St. Joseph event
(News release) – More than 2,500 high school sophomores from 49 Northwest Missouri schools will learn about their possible careers at the ninth annual My Success Event Oct. 18 and 19 at Wyatt Park Baptist Church, 2902 N. Leonard Road.
St. Joseph and regional businesses depend on a skilled, educated and productive workforce. Growth opportunities for existing business and new potential companies looking to expand into the region place a high priority on the availability of a quality workforce. It’s also important to let students know what career options are available in our area.
The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce organizes the event, with participation from multiple local and regional partners. The event is presented by one of St. Joseph’s largest employers: Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc.
More than 70 businesses and many university, college and technical centers will be available to talk with students about possible careers and the education needed to work in those fields. The event, which is filled with interactive displays and experiences, runs from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each day.
More than 50 volunteers are utilized to assist with the event. For more information visit this website: http://themysuccessevent.com/