A campaign this weekend is focusing on the dangers of drug-impaired driving.

Law enforcement around the state, along with the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety, is focusing on drug-impaired driving April 19-20.

Jon Nelson is with the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety and Traffic Division and is Assistant to the State Highway Safety and Traffic Engineer.

Nelson said this is the second year they are putting on the campaign centered around the 4/20 timeline.

“This 4/20 date is significant in the marijuana community, specifically, but, like alcohol and other drugs, marijuana can significantly impair and inhibit a person’s ability to drive and operate a motor vehicle safely. Anytime we see drivers that are under the influence of a substance, it not only puts that driver at risk and the people in their vehicle, but also all of the others on the road,” Nelson said. “We want to make sure that… people understand that even though legalization of marijuana is becoming more widespread, it’s never acceptable to drive under the influence of marijuana or any other drug.”  

Nelson said law enforcement has seen an overall increase in the prevalence of drugs in drivers in some impaired crashes. 

According to the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety, preliminary data from 2018 indicate, 78 people were killed and 142 more were seriously injured in Missouri traffic crashes that involved at least one drug-impaired driver.

St. Joseph Police Department Sgt. Larry Stobbs said there are misconceptions surrounding Missouri passing the medical marijuana laws.

“The reality is, if you smoke marijuana and then drive a car, you are just as impaired as you would be if you were driving under the influence of alcohol,” Stobbs said. “The impairment may be a little different between the two, but… if you’re under the influence, it doesn’t matter whether you’re impaired by marijuana or some other type of drug or if you’re impaired by alcohol, you’re still subject to the same laws.”

Stobbs said the real life consequences of being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs can include losing your license, paying court and attorney costs, increased car insurance rates and increased charges if you injure or kill someone in a crash.

“It’s almost been 20 years ago, we had one of our police dispatch supervisors that was killed on her way to work by an impaired driver. The last I knew, that individual that struck and killed her is still sitting in prison because he was convicted of second degree murder. I’m sure that if you’d go back to that gentleman and go, ‘Would you have rather paid $10 for a cab ride someplace or would you rather spend 20 years in prison?’ We all know what the answer to that would be,” Stobbs said. “I know back 20 years ago when I spoke to him, he didn’t have any intentions of hurting anybody, he never thought he was going to be in an accident. That’s the thing that people need to stop and realize, is that when you’re impaired, you’re not at your 100% best.”

To learn more about the drug-impaired driving enforcement campaign, go to savemolives.com.

By SARAH THOMACK
St. Joseph Post

Chick-fil-A in St. Joseph served enough chicken on April 6th to make an almost $8,000 donation to help area flood victims.

A giant check presentation was held Thursday morning at the Chick-fil-A located at 5303 North Belt Highway in St. Joseph.

Chick-fil-A St. Joseph owner Ruthie Seitz said they donated 50% of all sales between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 6, to United Way of Greater St. Joseph’s Flood Relief Fund. 

“Our hearts go out to those who have been impacted by the flooding, who have been displaced, who have lost family homes and we have a team member that is with us whose family farm has been underwater for awhile now,” Seitz said. “Just being able to help in some small way, those people try to get back some of what they have lost is just what we were hoping to do.”

Chick-fil-A Team Member Mary (who asked that her last name not be used) was one of those affected by the flood. She said her boyfriend has property at Big Lake and the family farm in extreme northwest Missouri, which has been through the floods of ‘84, ‘93 and 2011, once again is underwater.

“This year was just so much more devastating because of when it came, it came earlier. So when it’s drying out, we’re still dealing with the spring rains instead of having a nice July drought. So it’s made it harder… to get things cleaned up.”

Mary, according to Seitz, has kept a positive attitude through all the cleaning up and rebuilding, including helping others with flood cleanup.

Mary told St. Joseph Post, Chick-fil-A not only is helping flooding victims by donating funds from April 6th, but they have been understanding as she deals with her own flood cleanup.

“Everybody here is fabulous to work with because what they’ve kind of let me do is just say, ‘Hey, I think I’m going to need this week off,’ and they let me take off to go,” Mary said. “It really meant a lot (the fundraiser), I was very proud. I saw a lot of my friends who are flood victims here that Saturday and they were very happy, very appreciative of all of it.”

United Way of Greater St. Joseph President Kylee Strough said the money will be added to the United Way’s Flood Relief Fund.

“(It) is really designed to serve people in the 17-county area that we service and help people with needs that will be unmet by other resources,” Strough said. “That can include people who were directly impacted by flooding, maybe their primary residence was impacted, but we’re also beginning to get calls about people who are having to drive an extra hundred miles everyday to work because of flooded out roads and bridges in their regular route and things like that.”

Strough tells St. Joseph Post, the funds will be made available for case workers and social service agencies to apply on behalf of individuals and families to receive support.

“We’ll never be able to make people whole after a flood, it’s devastating to the families that were impacted, and we recognize that, but if there’s something that we can do to help fill in gaps, that’s where United Way wants to be.”

For more information on United Way’s Flood relief efforts and how to donate funds or supplies for cleanup, click here.

Strough said some of the most needed cleaning supply items are Clorox, vinegar and ShockWave disinfectant.

By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

A United States Senator from Kansas is frustrated that a disaster aid package, which would provide assistance to flood victims, has stalled in Congress.

But, Sen. Jerry Moran says presidential politics might help.

Moran, a Republican, says Midwestern flooding which has caused at least three billion dollars in damage has gotten the attention of many in Washington, especially those with aspirations for the White House.

“There are people now who are paying attention to this legislation that makes it more likely that we can get it done,” Moran tells St. Joseph Post. “And, again, in a presidential year, Republicans and Democrats, those who want to be president and those who are president, need to be paying attention to the Midwest.”

Moran points out presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, attended a Senate public hearing on flood damage held in Iowa, where she was campaigning. Gillibrand is a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee which held the hearing in Glenwood, Iowa, just across the river from Omaha.

Moran attended the hearing after touring flood damage in northeast Kansas.

Moran contends the Corps doesn’t prioritize flood control in its management of the Missouri River. Also, Moran believes the Corps cares a bit more about the northern Missouri River basin at the expense of the southern portion.

“From Gavin’s Point up on the South Dakota border south, it seems that that’s not a priority,” Moran says. “The lakes and reservoirs that hold the water are in South and North Dakota. Those are clearly important, but when we appropriate money for flood control in the Missouri River basin, places like Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas cannot be forgotten.”

Moran says it appears more pressure is being applied to the Corps to change the master manual which guides how it manages the Missouri River.

Moran says flooding, which has caused at least three billion dollars in damage, might not be over this year.

“Last time we had major floods like this they occurred in the summer months. What that means is that we have a lot of water already here and yet spring rains and snow melt are yet to occur and we need to make certain the Corps is doing everything they can in managing the reservoirs and controlling the release of water to get water downstream before more water comes in the next weeks and months.”

The hearing focused on how the Corps of Engineers manages the river and whether the master manual which guides operation of the Missouri River upstream dams should be changed in wake of the 1993, 2011, and 2019 floods.

 

 

By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials came under heavy criticism for its management of the Missouri River during a US Senate hearing held in Iowa today.

Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst, who farms near Tarkio, attended the meeting and says the Corps is always careful how it answers questions about its river management, saying it follows the 2004 Missouri River Master Manual. Hurst says the follow-up question is:  does the manual need to be changed?

“The mayor of Hamburg was there and a couple of people; one person from Iowa, a lawyer who represents the levee districts and then a farmer from just north of where I live in Fremont County, Iowa and all of us said, yeah we’ve got to do that,” Hurst tells St. Joseph Post. “So, yes, absolutely it was recommended by all of us.”

Widespread flooding along the Missouri River this year has caused at least $3 billion in damage. Nebraska, hit hard when an upstream dam failed on the Niobrara River, reported $1.4 billion in damage to the federal government while Iowa reported $1.6 billion. Missouri has yet to deliver its official damage estimate to the federal government, not has Kansas.

The United States Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held an official hearing at Glenwood, Iowa, just outside Omaha, very close to where the Missouri River left its banks and swamped much of southwest Iowa, shutting down Interstate 29.

The Corps of Engineers has come under harsh criticism for its management of extra water coming into the Missouri River basin, but Corps officials say they handled excess water as best they could under the circumstances. Much of the extra water came in below the six upstream Missouri River dams used to control flows into the Missouri River.

Missouri officials have been hesitant to heap too much criticism on the Omaha and Kanas City Corps of Engineers offices, stating the offices are guided by that Missouri River Master Manual revised in 2004.

Hurst says Washington seems to finally be getting the message that something must change on management of the Missouri River.

“Yeah, I think we’re making progress,” Hurst says. “It’s a shame it’s taken so much loss to get to where we are, but we are making progress.”

 

By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

An attempt to quickly approve disaster assistance for victims of the Missouri River flooding has stalled in Congress after a partisan fight broke out over hurricane recovery assistance to Puerto Rico.

US Senator Roy Blunt says he’s frustrated, but likely not as frustrated as others in Congress.

“We’re probably not in as difficult a position as states that had a disaster late last year or even earlier this year,” Blunt tells St. Joseph Post. “We’re going to get in the disaster package when there is one. I wish we were in it already, but there’s a chance by the time we get in that package we’ll have a greater sense of the actual damage done.”

Blunt says damage assessment in Missouri lags behind assessments completed in Nebraska and Iowa.

Some Democrats in the Senate have held up passage of disaster assistance, complaining the federal government hasn’t done enough to help Puerto Rico fully recover from Hurricane Maria in 2017. Blunt suggests some of those Senate Democrats running for president are angling to look good to certain voting blocks in their pursuit of the White House.

Congress is struggling to decide how much and what kind of assistance it should provide farmers affected by flooding this year.

Blunt says he and other farm state senators are pushing to amend the proposed disaster assistance package to cover the loss of stored grain.

“That’s not really covered under any package and you and I have seen all those pictures and have probably both seen in person these grain bins that were affected by the flood and you have tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of grain lost, sometimes in just one bin,” according to Blunt.

Blunt does expect Congress to approve disaster aid, eventually.

“There will be a disaster aid bill and, hopefully, we’ll get all the politics rung out of this and get down to the real need that people expect the government to be able to respond to.”

 

 

 

By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

A state senator representing northwest Missouri will be part of a panel reviewing whether a “hyperloop” between Kansas City and St. Louis is feasible.

Senator Tony Luetkemeyer of Parkville has been appointed to serve on the Blue Ribbon Panel on Hyperloop.

“This is new, cutting-edge technology,” Luetkemeyer tells St. Joseph Post. “Missouri, if we were to get the project, would be the first state in the country to have this type of technology deployed. And so, I’m excited to get to explore the issue further and to be part of that process.”

The so-called hyperloop is a different type of transportation. Passengers would ride in pods enclosed in a tube levitating along a magnetically-charged rail at amazing speeds along I-70, perhaps as fast as 700 miles an hour.

The company Virgin Hyperloop One is testing the technology in Nevada.

Missouri is being considered, because I-70 between Kansas City and St. Louis is relatively flat and the I-70 corridor has enough right of way access to build the hyperloop.

Several questions must be answered before Luetkemeyer gives his endorsement, with the state senator stating safety is his top concern, closely followed by security. He says a hyperloop would immediately become a prime target for terrorists.

Also, Luetkemeyer wants to explore the economic feasibility of the proposal by Virgin Hyperloop One.

“What is it that they are wanting in order to come to Missouri?” Luetkemeyer asks. “Will there be a sufficient economic benefit to the state to justify any types of incentive programs that they might need in order to pick Missouri?”

Luetkemeyer cautions against dismissing the concept as science fiction.

“You think back in the mid-1960s, we were sending a man to the moon,” Luetkemeyer points out. “The notion that we went from where we were technologically to having a man on the moon in a relatively short period of time, that seemed very fanciful and something that was out of fantasy, but we obviously made that a reality.”

 

 

By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

Tarkio College, closed since 1992, hopes to re-emerge; this time as a technical college.

A long process to revive the college in extreme northwest Missouri seems to be moving closer to becoming reality after the Tarkio College Alumni Association bought the campus from Heartland Educational Institute and then transferred it to Tarkio College Corporation.

Tarkio College Interim President John Davis says the college initially sought state approval for a four-year liberal arts school.

“And, what they discovered was that there really was not a need for another four-year institution, but rather there was an extremely high need for a career and technical type program in our area,” Davis tells St. Joseph Post.

An application is pending before the Missouri Department of Higher Education. After the department suggested the different approach, the application was modified and Tarkio College re-applied as a career and technical school, offering courses in plumbing, wind energy, and computer technology. Davis says the college eventually hopes to expand its offerings, granting associate degrees in a number of fields.

The Tarkio College Alumni Association has been working for years to bring the college back to life. It finally secured enough money to buy the campus, at least most of the campus, from Heartland. The fieldhouse has been donated to the local high school. The alumni association transferred ownership to Tarkio College Corporation March 7th, which Davis says is more than a technical move. He says the transfer of ownership had to be taken for the college to apply for grants.

“The other issue, of course, would be just donors who would have an interest such as area industries or alumni. They would also have some concerns about donating to repair buildings that the institution doesn’t actually own,” according to Davis.

Davis says several buildings need repair.

Tarkio asked for permission from state officials to open in June, but that likely will not happen.

“We feel pretty confident that, at the latest, we would be able to do that in the fall, providing that we get certification from them.”

Tarkio College has a 60-acre campus and considers a 60-mile radius of Tarkio as its service area. Tarkio returned a modified application to the Department of Higher Education March 30^th and received a response from the state that the official review of the application began April 2^nd.

Tarkio College was founded in 1883. It declared bankruptcy and closed in 1992.

 

By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

Repair of northwest Missouri roads and bridges damaged by floodwaters is underway, where possible.

Missouri Department of Transportation Area Engineer Adam Watson says floodwaters haven’t receded enough in some spots to observe the damage. He says it appears the bridges over the Missouri River, US 159 at Rulo, Nebraska and US 136 at Brownville, Nebraska, have held up under the strain.

But Watson can’t say the same thing for the road leading to the Rulo bridge.

“The bridge is standing fine. It’s the approach pavement, the slabs of concrete in front of it; there’s nothing underneath those slabs of concrete,” Watson tells St. Joseph Post. “You can look through where there should be roadway and, you’re like, ooh yeah, that’s just a hole.”

Watson says bridges over Missouri River tributaries didn’t fare as well. Some are heavily damaged.

He says it is hard to estimate the damage at this point, but gives a preliminary repair price tag totaling in the tens of millions of dollars.

Watson says what damage MoDOT crews have observed so far isn’t any greater than during past floods, but admits even though the Missouri River has receded, floodwaters still hamper assessments.

“What was very frustrating is, and to some extent still is, the water level stays high for so long that we can’t get in and see it,” according to Watson. “So, I’ll be honest, the crews have been biting at the bit to see how much damage and how much debris they’re going to have to clean prior to even getting some routes open.”

Watson says assessment will continue as quickly as possible.

“So, we’re getting out now to look at them and we’ll continue it and as the water recedes, we’ll do more. The real question is how fast will the water recede?” Watson says, adding if the water rises again, it will obviously hamper recovery efforts.

Watson says the top priority of MoDOT now is to re-open roads to traffic, whether flood damage is fully repaired or not.

Watson says MoDOT crews need one thing from the public.

“Patience with us. We’ll get fixed as much as we can, get everything back open as soon as we can, but, some patience.”

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The following is a listing of general highway maintenance and construction work the Missouri Department of Transportation has planned in the Northwest Missouri region for the week of April 15 – 21.

Continued flooding may cause schedule changes in some of the planned work. There may also be moving operations throughout the region such as pothole patching, striping, signal work, etc., in addition to the work mentioned below:

Andrew County

• Route O – CLOSED at the Platte River Bridge for a bridge replacement project. The bridge will be closed until the end of September, weather permitting.
• Interstate 29 – Bridge maintenance at the Nodaway River Bridge, April 15 – 18
• Business Route 71 – Resurfacing project from Main Street in Savannah to just south of Interstate 29, April 15 – 18. The contractor will begin at the northern end of the project and work south in approximately two-mile sections. One lane, each direction will remain open at all times. This project will continue, Monday through Friday, through mid-May. A 14-foot width restriction will be in place around the lane closures.

Atchison County

• Route CC – CLOSED for a culvert replacement. The road will be closed until further notice.
• U.S. Route 59 – Shoulder work from U.S. Route 136 to the Tarkio River Bridge, April 15 – 19
• Route TT – Pothole patching, April 15 – 19
• Route Z – Pothole patching from Route 111 to Route W, April 15 – 19

Buchanan County

• U.S. Route 36 – CLOSED at the ramp from 8th Street to westbound U.S. Route 36 for overhead sign installation, April 15, 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. The contractor hopes to have the ramp reopened within a few hours.
• U.S. Route 59 – Pothole patching from Route 752 to U.S. Route 45, April 15 – 17
• U.S. Route 36 – Joint repair between Route C/Z and Route 31 south, April 15 – 19. One lane each direction of U.S. Route 36 will remain open throughout the work. A 14-foot width restriction is in place.
• Route 752 – Joint repair over I-229, April 15 – 19. One lane at a time will be closed throughout the work. A 17-foot width restriction is in place.

Caldwell County

• U.S. Route 36 – Pavement repair eastbound at Center Road, April 15 – 17. This includes an overnight lane closure.
• U.S. Route 36 – Pavement repair westbound at Sale Barn Road, April 17 – 18. This includes an overnight lane closure.
• U.S. Route 36 – Pavement repair eastbound at Reservoir Road, April 18 – 19. This includes an overnight lane closure.

Carroll County

• U.S. Route 65 – Bridge maintenance at the Missouri River Overflow Bridge, April 15 – 19

Chariton County

• U.S. Route 24 – Bridge maintenance at the Long Creek Bridge and Chariton River Bridge near Keytesville. The bridges will be narrowed to one lane with a 15-foot width restriction through May 31.

Clinton County

• U.S. Route 69 – CLOSED for bridge rehabilitation at the I-35 overpass, April 15 – 19. For information, click here.

DeKalb County

• U.S. Route 169 – CLOSED at the Third Fork Platte River Bridge for a bridge replacement project. The contractor plans to have work completed by July, weather permitting. Motorists should follow detour signs along Routes 48 and M to navigate around the closure. For more information visit the project’s web page.

Gentry County

• U.S. Route 136 – Resurfacing project from just east of U.S. Route 169 to 0.5 miles west of Route C in Albany, April 15 – 19

Harrison County

• I-35 – Pavement repair from U.S. Route 136 to Route C at Pattonsburg, April 15 – 19. A 14-foot width restriction is in place.
• I-35 – Resurfacing project from Eagleville to the Iowa state line, April 15 – 19. A 14-foot width restriction is in place.

Holt County

• I-29 – Bridge maintenance three miles south of the Route W interchange, April 15 – 19

Linn County

• U.S. Route 36 – Pothole patching from the Macon County line to Route 139, April 15 – 16
• U.S. Route 36 – Pavement repair from Route 129 to Route 5, April 15 – 17. This includes an overnight lane closure.
• U.S. Route 36 – Pavement repair from Route 5 to Route F, April 17 – 18. This includes an overnight lane closure.

Livingston County

• U.S. Route 65 – Bridge maintenance at the Grand River Bridge, April 15 – 18
• U.S. Route 36 – Bridge maintenance at the Grand River Overflow Bridge, April 19
• Route C – CLOSED – Bridge maintenance at the Shoal Creek Drain Bridge. The bridge was closed after a regularly scheduled inspection revealed critical deterioration. Crews plan to reopen the bridge in late May once repairs are complete.

Nodaway County

• Route V – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from 290th Street to Fortune Road, April 15, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• U.S. Route 136 – Bridge maintenance at the Mozingo Creek Bridge, April 15 – 16.
• Route YY – Pothole patching, April 15 – 17
• U.S. Route 136 – Drainage work between 282nd Street and 290th Street, April 16 – 17
• Route 46 – CLOSED for pavement repair from Davis Street to Saunders Street in the city limits of Maryville, April 17, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Route NN – CLOSED at the Platte River Bridge for bridge deck repair, April 17 – 19, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.
• Route M – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from Mint Road to Neon Road, April 18, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Route J – Culvert repair from Route M to 370^th Street, April 19
• Route PP – Pothole patching, April 19

Putnam County

• U.S. Route 136 – Milling and resurfacing work at the West Locust Creek Bridge and the Elm Branch Bridge, April 15 – 16
• U.S. Route 136 – Drainage work, April 15 – 19

Sullivan County

• Route PP – CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE at the East Medicine Creek Bridge after a regularly scheduled inspection revealed critical deterioration to the structure. The bridge is currently scheduled for replacement in fiscal year 2020. For more information, click here.
• Route BB – CLOSED at the Rooks Branch Bridge for a bridge deck replacement project. The contractor plans to have work completed by mid-June.
• Route 139 – Resurfacing project from the city limits of Newtown to the city limits of Osgood, April 15 – 19. A 10-foot width restriction is in place.

Worth County

• Route YY – CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE at the Middle Fork of the Grand River after a regularly scheduled inspection revealed critical deterioration to the structure. The bridge is currently scheduled for replacement in fiscal year 2021. For more information, click here.