The northwest Missouri Red Cross has kicked off their annual fundraising drive.

Executive Director of the American Red Cross of Northwest Missouri Angie Springs said the Heroes Campaign runs through April.

“We recruit anywhere from 60 to 100 Heroes and Heroes Teams that set out during the month of March and April to raise money for the Northwest Missouri Chapter,” Springs said. “This is the only local non-disaster driven fundraiser that we utilize every year so it’s very vital to our services.”

Springs said the annual fundraising drive is important to the services the Red Cross provides in northwest Missouri.

“It goes to help provide that support for us to be immediate responders during times of disaster, so when there’s a single-family house fire at 2 a.m. on Christmas morning, we’re able to be there,” Springs said. “It also helps us provide our vital services to Armed Forces where we are the direct link between service members and their families. It also enables us to teach lifesaving CPR and First Aid as well as collect vital blood units that are needed coast to coast across the nation and right here in our communities.”

Springs said the overall goal this year is to raise $150,000. To donate or find out more information, click here.

A St. Joseph man was killed in a crash early Saturday morning on I-29.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 55-year-old Jesus J. Faudoa-Morales was driving a Ford Explorer south on I-29 in Holt County at 4:18 a.m. Saturday. Around mile marker 75, five miles north of Oregon, the vehicle skidded, went off the west side of the road, returned to the road and skidded off the east side of the road into the median. The vehicle overturned onto the northbound lanes of I-29. Faudoa-Morales was ejected through the driver’s window.

He was pronounced deceased at the scene at 5 a.m. by Holt County Coroner Susan Lentz.

According to the crash report, Faudoa-Morales was not wearing a seatbelt.

Maryville, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University recently competed against cities in seven Midwest states to win Ripple Glass’ inaugural Glass Recycling Program of the Year Award.

According to a press release, as the award’s first recipient, Northwest will receive a semi-truck load of Owen’s Corning fiberglass insulation, a $10,000 retail value, which will be used for energy conservation projects.

Northwest grew its glass recycling program from 59.60 tons in 2016 to 63.39 tons in 2017. Additionally, Northwest is preparing its recycling and pellet plant to serve as a regional recycling drop-off location.

A panel of independent judges scored Northwest’s application against a group of competing programs that also offer glass recycling programs.

“Northwest scored highly because of their dedication to providing recycling solutions to their community,” said Lauren Henry, regional program manager for Ripple Glass. “In order to meet the continuing need, the recycling plant staff refreshed the collection site on campus and expanded its infrastructure to accommodate intake from the community.”

Northwest’s recycling program has been recognized three times by the Missouri State Recycling Program. The University’s recycling annually generates revenues of more than $25,000 and helps Northwest avoid paying more than $17,000 in landfill fees while diverting about 361 tons from the local landfill.

(Missourinet) – The Missouri State Highway Patrol is having a troop-wide special enforcement operation this weekend to focus on drivers who might go overboard celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.

Other Missouri law enforcement agencies are also boosting patrols this weekend.

Those spending the weekend on Missouri’s waterways can also expect to see troopers keeping an eye on water activities. Patrol Sgt. Scott White tells Missourinet law enforcement officers have the same goal – to keep people safe.

“There’s not necessarily an emphasis on the major roadways,” says White. “It’s troop-wide. It’s every one of those roadways that officers are going to keep an eye on.”

White says getting a ticket for drunk driving is the least of your worries.

“If you do get cited for it, if you do get arrested, you’re looking at fines, you’re looking at higher insurance, you’re looking at possible jail time. In addition to that, you’re going to get your driver’s license suspended or revoked or a number of things. It’s very inconvenient and it’s expensive,” he says. “The costs are just compounded. You have the attorney fees. You have the fines. You have the driver’s license fees. You have the time off of work to go into court.”

During last year’s St. Patty’s weekend enforcement, the patrol handled two fatality crashes statewide. He says the most important part to remember is that drunk drivers can easily kill someone.

“People have to understand that driving is the first privilege we earn in our lives that allows us to kill another human being without any intent whatsoever. That’s what people have to remember is that every one of these DWI arrests, every one of these DWI crashes that we work are completely preventable. They do not have to happen,” he says.

White also says about 66% of the people killed in Missouri vehicle crashes this year were not wearing their seatbelts.

A St. Joseph man is in custody after shots were fired in the North Belt Walmart parking lot earlier this week.

As previously reported, several calls came in around 7:40 p.m. Wednesday, reporting shots fired from a vehicle in the parking lot. Officers found several shell casings and also several vehicles in the the parking lot that had been hit. No one was injured.

According to St. Joseph Police, 18-year-old Darnell J. Price was taken into custody Thursday afternoon and charged with unlawful use of a weapon, a felony.

Price is being held without bond in the Buchanan County Jail. An arraignment is scheduled for March 20.

BETHANY, Mo. – A bridge maintenance project will close 280th Street at Interstate 35 in Harrison County next week.

Local maintenance crews will close 280th Street at the interstate bridge for routine maintenance work. The full closure of 280th Street will begin at approximately 8 a.m. Monday, March 19th, and will continue through approximately 3 p.m. March 22nd. During this road closure, motorists will need to use an alternate route.

MoDOT encourages all motorists to slow down, buckle up, eliminate distractions and drive safely to ensure everyone is able to Arrive Alive.

For more information on this and other MoDOT projects, call 1-888-ASK-MODOT (888-275-6636) or visit modot.org/northwest and view the online Traveler Information Map.

The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce will host a candidate forum Friday.

The forum will feature candidates for City Council and the mayoral race and will be broadcast live on AM 680 KFEQ from Missouri Western State University’s Fulkerson Center beginning at 7:30 a.m. Friday and running until 9 a.m.

You can also listen online during that time.

What started out as a school assembly Wednesday morning, ended in hugs and tears of happiness for two Mark Twain Elementary School students.

Army Sgt. First Class Lesley Slade recently returned to the United States after being gone for about nine months on her fifth deployment in Iraq. However, Slade and her husband did not tell their daughters when she would be back in town.

A school assembly was held Wednesday morning and various guests including local police officers talked about the subject of respect to a gym full of students. Lesley Slade hid backstage for most of the assembly before walking out to surprise her daughters Ashley, 10, and Maleah, 11.

“It was really hard to keep a secret from my girls because I always like to tell them everything,” Slade said. “I wanted to surprise them, especially since I knew I was coming back when they were still in school, so I wanted them to feel like they were as happy as I was and that they could share it with the whole entire school.”

Maleah, who was emotional when she saw her mom, said she had no idea her mom was back in town.

“Whenever she goes into deployment, I always get super sad because she’s going to be gone for awhile, and whenever she comes back I always get super happy.”

Slade said she hopes that was her last deployment. She added they are planning a family trip to Disneyland when school is out for the summer.

St. Joseph Police are investigating after multiple shots fired calls overnight.

As previously reported, the first incident took place in the North Belt Walmart parking lot Wednesday night.

According to Sgt. Brad Kerns, several calls came in around 7:40 p.m. reporting shots fired. Officers found several shell casings and vehicles in the the parking lot that had been hit. No one was injured.

Police are still investigating and reviewing surveillance footage.

At 1:45 a.m. Thursday, shots fired were reported in the 400 block of East Colorado Avenue. According to Sgt. Wayne Byrom, officers recovered shell casings and a house was hit by gunfire. No one was injured.

Just a few minutes later at 1:53 a.m., shots fired were reported in the 1100 block of Powell Street. No injuries were reported but a house was hit and officers found shell casings. Police are still investigating and Sgt. Byrom said they don’t know yet if the incidents are related.