By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

Repair of the broken Missouri River basin levee system is underway, but an Army Corps of Engineers’ official says it will be years before levees return to pre-flood condition.

Deputy District Engineer Ted Streckfuss in the Corps Omaha office says contracts have been let for preliminary repairs of three levee breaches near Hamburg, Iowa with a fourth set to be let next week. Streckfuss says it’s important to make the repairs, because the Missouri River is out of its banks and is cutting a different channel.

“It’s very important that the Corps of Engineers focuses attention on filling those breaches to retrain the river and then from there begin the process of rehabilitating the levees in order to get them to back to a state where they can provide some level of protection to the communities and the ag interests behind those levee systems,” Streckfuss tells St. Joseph Post.

Flooding this year broke 16 federal levees and damaged nine others in the Corps’ Omaha district. Floodwaters overtopped and breached four non-federal levees.

The Corps is concentrating on Hamburg for a number of reasons, but one in particular is the effect of the flood on Interstate 29. Breached levees allowed floodwaters not only to flow over I-29, but to heavily damage the interstate.

“I-29 has been impacted by the flood,” Streckfuss says. “We’re looking to, again, fill those breaches, begin the process of preventing water from flowing behind the levees and trying to get the system operational again.”

Flooding just across the state line in Iowa prompted the Missouri Department of Transportation to close I-29 just north of St. Joseph. It remains closed at the 57-mile marker with only local traffic allowed on the interstate in northwest Missouri. I-29 handles as many as 12,000 travelers each day. MoDOT advises travelers in Kansas City to take I-35 north to I-80 and back over the I-29. St. Joseph area traffic is advised to use U.S. Route 71 north into Iowa.

Flooding damaged pavement leading to Missouri River bridges at Rulo and Brownville, Nebraska. MoDOT is working to repair U.S. 159 and 136 so that I-29 can be partially re-opened in northwest Missouri with a means to cross the Missouri River into Nebraska.

Streckfuss says the flood did extensive damage to the system.

“The scope and extent of the damages, very likely in the billions of dollars, will take time in order to completely effect repair,” Streckfuss says. “All we can do is triage the damages, begin the process of rehabilitating those levee systems back into a position where they’re providing levels of protection.”

Streckfuss says the Corps will take immediate steps to shore up the system, then look to make permanent repairs, but the cost of repairing the levee system will be so high Streckfuss says it is likely Congress will need to approve an emergency appropriation to pay for the repairs.

By SARAH THOMACK
St. Joseph Post

Results from a yearly study by Feeding America help Second Harvest Community Food Bank and others know how to better serve food insecure families.

“It is probably one of the most important studies that we utilize here at the food bank, it drives a lot of our decisions,” said Michelle Fagerstone, Chief Development Officer at Second Harvest.

Fagerstone said Second Harvest, along with over 200 other food banks, belong to Feeding America, a national hunger relief organization. The organization’s study, released recently, called Map the Meal Gap, shows over 40 million people were food insecure in the United States in 2017.

“If we go directly just to Second Harvest and our service territory, our new numbers state that there are over 46,000 people in our 19 counties that are food insecure and that’s a 13.4% rate,” Fagerstone said.

According to Fagerstone, food insecurity is defined as “the state of being without reliable access to sufficient quantity of affordable nutritious food.”

There was a change in the numbers from 2016 to 2017. Fagerstone said, according to the study, in 2016, it was estimated 49,000 people were food insecure in the Second Harvest service area compared to the over 46,000 in the most recent 2017 study.

“Part of that could be because the economy is doing much better. The unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been in many, many years, so people have the cash flow to be able to purchase that nutritious food on a regular basis, so they’re not falling into that food insecurity category,” Fagerstone said. “The other thing is, we have to look at the fact that the population might have also declined.”

According to a press release from Second Harvest, despite the drop locally, the study revealed that 97% of counties include families facing hunger who are likely ineligible for federal nutrition assistance and have to rely on food banks to help put meals on their tables. While many families and individuals the Feeding America network serves qualify for SNAP, there remains a gap between people over the federal poverty line, who do not qualify for federal food assistance based on their meager earnings, and families with enough income to meet their food needs.

Fagerstone said Second Harvest looks at the Map the Meal Gap numbers on a yearly basis per county and the break down into the number of meals lacking in an area.

“We set a goal of reaching at least 50% of that gap, we break that, then, down into pounds and we look at the pounds per county that needs to be distributed to reach 50% of that meal gap,” Fagerstone said. “That’s when we start strategizing about where do we need to take a Fresh Mobile Pantry and distribute fresh produce and lean proteins, what partner agencies do we need to build capacity with so that they can distribute more food to those that are food insecure in their area.”

For more information about Second Harvest Community Food Bank, go to shcfb.org.

The City of St. Joseph has released its Food Safety Inspections for the month of April 2019.

 

PHIL WELCH STADIUM

2600 SW Parkway

No observations.

 

TIENDA La ESTRELLA

1201 Frederick Ave

No observations.

 

SMOKERZ OUTLET – S&Z VENTURES

1601 Frederick

Observations:

Equipment, Food-Contact Surfaces, Nonfood-Contact Surfaces, and Utensils*

-Dirty pop nozzles

-All food contact surfaces and equipment that contacts food must clean, free of debris, and sanitized after each use

-Clean and sanitize every night

*According to the report, issues noted in this section were corrected.

 

CVS PHARMACY

930 N Belt Hwy

No observations.

 

CVS PHARMACY

1301 S Belt Hwy

No observations.

 

DAIRY QUEEN

3202 St Joseph Ave

Observations:

Potentially Hazardous Food (Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food), Hot and Cold Holding.*

-Chili and hot dogs in hot holding unit are held at 125.0 degrees

-Foods that require Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food must be maintained at 135F or hotter, if not, food must be discarded and denatured

-Reheat to 165.0 and hold at 135.0 degrees

*According to the report, issues noted in this section were corrected.

 

GIT N SPLIT

2615 St Joseph Ave

Observations:

Equipment, Food-Contact Surfaces, Nonfood-Contact Surfaces, and Utensils.*

-Dirty pop and ice tea nozzles

-All food contact surfaces and equipment that contacts food must clean, free of debris, and sanitized after each use

-Clean and sanitize daily.

*According to the report, issues noted in this section were corrected.

 

QUICK STOP

2607 Frederick Ave

Observations:

Equipment, Food-Contact Surfaces, Nonfood-Contact Surfaces, and Utensils*

-Dirty ice machine

-All food contact surfaces and equipment that contacts food must clean, free of debris, and sanitized after each use

-Clean and sanitize weekly

*According to a follow-up inspection report, all violations were corrected

 

SUBWAY

501 N Belt Hwy

Observations:

Equipment, Food-Contact Surfaces, Nonfood-Contact Surfaces, and Utensils.

-Nonfood-contact surfaces of equipment shall be kept free of an accumulation of dust, dirt, food residue, and other debris.

 

ST JOE CRUMBLY BURGER

2701 Frederick Ave

No observations.

 

NORTYS BAR & GRILL INC

1123 Frederick Ave

No observations.

 

McDONALDS

3504 N Belt Hwy

No observations.

 

McDONALDS

601 N Belt Hwy

Observations:

Cleaning, Frequency and Restrictions

-Clean walls, floors, ceiling on a regular basis.

-1. Walk in freezer floor needs to be scraped and clean.

 

Cooling, Heating, and Holding Capacities

-Equipment for cooling and heating food, and holding cold and hot food, shall be sufficient in number and capacity to provide food temperatures as specified under Chapter 3: Can not be used until repaired or replaced

-1. Freezer temperature is about 24.0, maintenance is checking it out.

 

AMERICAN LEGION

2414 S 4th

Observations:

Cleaning, Frequency and Restrictions

-Walk in cooler floor is dirty -Clean walls, floors, ceiling on a regular basis.

-Clean cooler more frequently

 

Repairing

-Men’s restroom floor is chipped

-The physical facilities shall be maintained in good repair at all times to insure they are cleanable and not a source of possible contamination

-Restore floor to a smooth and cleanable condition

 

McDONALDS

3417 S Belt Hwy

Observations:

Time as a Public Health Control.

-Using time as your control for bacterial growth you must have a written procedure on site as well as providing one to the health authority. Product must be clearly labeled with time and date, can not hold longer than 4 hours, after using time as your control product used must be discarded

 

Food Storage

-Must be kept covered except when in use to protect against possible contamination

 

Equipment, Food-Contact Surfaces, Nonfood-Contact Surfaces, and Utensils.

-Nonfood-contact surfaces of equipment shall be kept free of an accumulation of dust, dirt, food residue, and other debris

 

Wiping Cloths, Use Limitation

-Keep wiping clothes in sanitizer when not in use

 

Cleaning, Frequency and Restrictions

-Dirty Walls/Floors/Ceiling/ because of infrequent cleaning

-Clean walls, floors, ceiling on a regular basis.

 

Repairing, Damaged floor/floor tiles/holes in walls/missing ceiling tiles

-The physical facilities shall be maintained in good repair at all times to insure they are cleanable and not a source of possible contamination

 

Receptacles

-Need to be cleaned to help with pest control and odors.

 

Cleaning, Frequency and Restrictions

-Restrooms, Lots of urine on the floor

-The physical facilities shall be cleaned as often as necessary to keep them clean

 

PRICE CHOPPER, PRICE CHOPPER DELI

No observations.

 

FROG HOP BAR & C-STORE

2001 Messanie

No observations.

 

LE PEEP

919 N Woodbine

No observations.

 

BRIOCHE

114 N 7th

No observations.

 

GREEN HILLS FIFTH AVE, GREEN HILLS DELI

No observations.

 

GREEN HILLS FIFTH AVE

1004 Fifth Ave

No observations.

 

CABBAGE ROLL

2641 Lafayette

No observations.

 

EL MAGUEY

4225 Commonwealth

Observations:

Manual and Mechanical Warewashing Equipment, Chemical Sanitization Temperature, pH, Concentration, and Hardness*

-Dishwasher is not sanitizing dishes

-Chlorine 50-100ppm but not >200ppm Quaternary 200ppm but not >400ppm

-Must not be used until it is fixed

*According to a follow-up inspection report, all violations were corrected

 

WAFFLE HOUSE

4223 Commonwealth Ct

Observations:

Cleaning Ventilation Systems, Nuisance and Discharge Prohibition

-Intake and exhaust air ducts shall be cleaned and filters changed so they are not a source of contamination by dust, dirt, and other materials. If vented to the outside, ventilation systems may not create a public health hazard or nuisance or unlawful discharge

 

Repairing, Damaged floor/floor tiles/holes in walls/missing ceiling tiles

-The physical facilities shall be maintained in good repair at all times to insure they are cleanable and not a source of possible contamination

 

PRONTO CAFE

2513 Frederick

Observations:

Thawing.

-Macaroni and cheese thawed at room temperature

-Food must be thawed in walk-in-cooler or submerged in cold running water, or in microwave, NEVER at ROOM TEMPERATURE!!

-Thaw in cold running water

 

TEXAS ROADHOUSE

925 N Belt

No observations.

 

MOSAIC LIFE CARE

5325 Faraon

No observations.

 

SODEXO-BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM

3902 Genefield Rd

No observations.

 

COUNTRY CAFE EXPRESS

802 Mitchell

No observations.

 

FAST GAS PRODUCTION – Fresh Fare

1702A St Joseph Ave

No observations.

 

TACO BANDIDO

1601 St Joseph Ave

Observations:

Equipment, Food-Contact Surfaces, Nonfood-Contact Surfaces, and Utensils.

-Ceiling in walk in cooler is moist due to condensation water

-Nonfood-contact surfaces of equipment shall be kept free of an accumulation of dust, dirt, food residue, and other debris.

-Reroute condensation water to drain outside to keep walk in cooler ceiling dry and prevent contamination of food.

 

BUFFALO WILD WINGS GRILL & BAR

5403 N Belt Hwy

Observations:

Repairing, Damaged floor/floor tiles/holes in walls/missing ceiling tiles

-The physical facilities shall be maintained in good repair at all times to insure they are cleanable and not a source of possible contamination

 

Covering Receptacles

-Dumpster lid not closed or inside trash containers not covered

-Dumpster must have a tight-fitting lids or doors if kept outside the food establishment for pest control and odors

 

System Maintained in Good Repair.

-There should be no leaks, clogged/slow drains, properly installed

 

OLIVE GARDEN

5312 N Belt Hwy

No observations.

 

THE CAFE BELLE EPOQUE

1141 Frederick

Observations:

Washing,Rinsing,Sanitizing Procedures*

-Incorrect setup of 3 compartment sink

-Proper order for washing wares in a 3 compartment sink is WASH, RINSE, SANITIZE

*According to the report, issues noted in this section were corrected.

 

54TH STREET GRILL & BAR

5103 N Belt Hwy

Observations:

Food Storage*

-Must be kept covered except when in use to protect against possible contamination

*Food uncovered

 

CHILI’S GRILL & BAR

5105 N Belt Hwy

No observations.

 

ALDI

4132 N Belt Hwy

No observations.

 

CULVERS BUTTER BURGER

3910 N Belt Hwy

Observations:

Backflow Prevention Device, When Required.

-System/Equipment can not be used until it is repaired or replaced

 

Equipment, Food-Contact Surfaces, Nonfood-Contact Surfaces, and Utensils*

-Nonfood-contact surfaces of equipment shall be kept free of an accumulation of dust, dirt, food residue, and other debris.

*Dirty non-food contact surface

 

Repairing, Damaged floor/floor tiles/holes in walls/missing ceiling tiles

-The physical facilities shall be maintained in good repair at all times to insure they are cleanable and not a source of possible contamination

 

CHICK-FIL-A

5303 N Belt Hwy

No observations.

By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

A levee system built to hold back Missouri River floodwater has been destroyed by this year’s flooding and a levee association official says levees don’t just need to be repaired, but improved.

Missouri Levee and Drainage District Association chair Tom Waters of Orrick says the task ahead is a costly one.

“These are multi-million dollar repairs that are going to take place,” Waters tells St. Joseph Post. “In 2011, in Holt County, there was a $50 million repair and a $60 million repair. These levee districts don’t have that kind of money to do this so that’s where the federal government has to step in.”

Waters worries, though, that other pressing issues will siphon money away from levee repairs. He points out that money was secured to repair levees after the 2011 flood, until Hurricane Sandy hit the next year and disaster funding was shifted to help recovery in New Jersey.

Waters expects that for now the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers will simply try to prop up the levee system.

“What will happen is they’ll get some temporary protection put in there. A levee that was maybe a 100-year levee might get a 25-year protection temporarily to try to hold some of those rises in the river,” Waters says. “But, no, totally repaired and back to where they were pre-flood, it’s going to be a long time.”

The destruction of the Missouri River basin levee system is evident.

The Omaha district of the Corps of Engineers reports 54 broken levees along 350 miles of the Missouri River. That doesn’t even count non-federal levees breached in the Kansas City district.

“So, I think that’s 10 or 11 levees in that reach between St. Joe and Kansas City that are sitting wide open,” according to Waters. “So, all these areas where the levees are sitting wide open, it doesn’t take much of a rise in the river to start flooding again.”

Federal levees protecting St. Joseph and Elwood held.

Waters says the levees don’t just need to be repaired, the entire system needs to be strengthened.

“We’re operating the system in a manner it wasn’t designed to be operated in and so we’re going to have to make some improvements to the flood control infrastructure or we’re going to continue to see this.”

By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

A 17-year-old Lafayette High School student has been charged with making terroristic threats, after posting on social media he intended to commit a mass shooting at an area school.

The threat caused several area schools to go into lock down and post extra security guards Monday.

The Andrew County Prosecutor’s Office formally filed charges against Andrew W. Lemon of Country Club Village this afternoon.

The office accuses Lemon of using racial slurs against black students and threatening on Snapchat that he would commit a mass shooting at either Savannah, Lafayette, Benton High Schools, or Truman Middle School. The threat, deemed credible by police, caused those schools to go into a soft lock down and add security. Central High School, Bode Middle School, and Truman Middle School also went into a soft lock down Monday as a precaution.

Officers with the Country Club Village Police Department took Lemon into custody after St. Joseph police officers detained him in the Lafayette High School Vice Principal’s office.

In the statement of probable cause, Andrew County prosecutors state Lemon reluctantly confessed to sending the message and stated he did not intend to carry out the threat.

No one was injured at any of the schools. The soft lock down at area school was lifted Monday afternoon.

 

By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

Money could be coming from the state to help northwest Missouri recover from devastating flooding this year.

A proposed state budget, approved by the Missouri Senate, has set aside $8 million to help with recovery from the flood.

Senate Appropriations Committee chair, Sen. Dan Hegeman of Cosby, says the $8-million allocation is in anticipation of Congress passing disaster aid, which would require a local match. Hegeman says the money could be used not only for the state’s needs, but for local needs, either by counties, levee districts, or even special road districts.

Money would be set aside not just for northwest Missouri, but for central Missouri, which suffered damage from Missouri River flooding in March. Southeast Missouri would be included in the state relief, according to Hegeman.

“The Mississippi has also had some flooding problems in the past few years,” Hegeman says. “So, they’ve got some communities over there that are looking at some mitigation efforts they would certainly like to look at as well as we do with our levees that need to be replaced.”

Hegeman says the allocation in the Senate version of the state budget is meant to be flexible.

“This $8 million is meant to be fairly broad in its scope and appeal, meant for SEMA (State Emergency Management Agency) to be able to shift and use it wherever they see the need, both for restoration and mitigation,” Hegeman says.

At present, the $8 million set aside for flood relief and mitigation is only included in the $30 billion state budget approved by the Senate. Hegeman says he cannot imagine the House not going along with the allocation. Budget negotiations between the two chambers should begin soon. The House has voted to send the budget bills to conference to iron out differences between the two versions.

By  BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

A St. Joseph high school student was arrested by Country Club Village police today on suspicion that he posted threats of violence on social media, causing seven area schools to post extra police officers and go into what is called a “soft” lock down.

St. Joseph Police Sergeant James Langston says six St. Joseph public schools as well as the Savannah High School went into a soft lock down as a precautionary measure after the department deemed a threat made over social media credible. He says the Computer Crimes Unit tracked the suspect down to Country Club Village.

“Once we identified and located the adult student suspect, he was taken into custody by the Country Club Village Police Department and was transported to the Andrew County jail, pending charges,” Langston tells St. Joseph Post.

Langston says he could face some serious charges.

“Terroristic threats is a charge that we believe this fits and assault could be, but I believe that he was booked in for investigation at this point of making terroristic threats,” Langston says.

All three St. Joseph public high schools posted extra security:  Benton, Central, and Lafayette High Schools as well as Savannah High School. Threats also prompted similar action at Bode and Truman Middle Schools in St. Joseph. Mark Twain Elementary School also went into soft lock down after police found the threat credible.

Langston declines to describe the threat.

“All I can say at this point and feel comfortable discussing is that it was a threat to commit violence at several schools within the school district and Savannah,” Langston says.

It did not go beyond a threat. No student not staff were injured.

A soft lock down, put in place as a precautionary measure, has been lifted for all affected schools in the St. Joseph School District.

School district officials placed six schools under a soft lock down at 9:30 this morning. The action took place at the three pubic high schools:  Benton, Central, and Lafayette. Bode, Truman, and Mark Twain were also affected. The action was taken after a student reported threatening language posted on social media.

The district lifted the soft lock down early this afternoon.

A news release from the St. Joseph School District stated the district is working with law enforcement on an investigation of the incident. The district reported all students and staff were safe during the soft lock down.

 

 

UPDATE: The lockdown was lifted shortly before 1 p.m.

=====

A soft lockdown is in place Monday morning at six St. Joseph schools as a precautionary measure.

According to the St. Joseph School District, as of 9:53 a.m. Monday, Benton, Central, Lafayette, Bode, Truman and Mark Twain are on a soft lockdown as a precautionary measure after a student reported threatening language that was posted on social media.

The district says they are working with law enforcement to investigate the credibility of the post and the precautionary lockdown will remain in place during the investigation. The district said all students and staff are safe and there will be an update as soon as the lockdown is lifted.

By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

Of all the twists during the flooding this year, one that stands out is that the recurrent flooding of the Missouri River might well be killing two local recreational lakes.

That is because as floodwaters recede, they leave behind silt, which is filling in both Lake Contrary and Sugar Lake.

Western District Buchanan County Commissioner Ron Hook says both lakes have been silting in since the 1993 flood, with the 2011 and 2019 floods really harming the lakes. Both must be dredged, according to Hook, but dredging is expensive.

“So, the bottom of the lake is obviously rising so there is very little water level in there due to all the flooding and the federal government and the state are just not helping out on anything and they expect the counties to take care of all that,” Hook tells St. Joseph Post. “We just don’t have the funding. We don’t have the money.”

Hook worries about the viability of both Lake Contrary and Sugar Lake.

“Lake Contrary is just an iconic lake from way back when they had the amusement park down there,” Hook says. “People that live along there just don’t want to see that lake disappear into a wetland.”

Hook says since Contrary Creek no longer feeds Lake Contrary, it relies on rainwater and seepage from the Missouri River, with too little water flowing into lake and too much silt being dumped into it.