ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The following is a listing of general highway maintenance and construction work in the Northwest Missouri region planned for the week of Nov. 13 – 19 from the Missouri Department of Transportation. In addition to the work listed below, there may be pothole patching, bridge maintenance, striping, brush cutting, mowing, guardrail repairs and other road work conducted throughout the region. Many of these will be moving operations and could include lane closures with delays. All scheduled maintenance and construction projects are subject to change.

MoDOT reminds the public to stay alert, watch for road work, buckle up, slow down, and drive with extreme caution through work zones and in changing weather conditions.

For more information about a project, please contact MoDOT at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (888-275-6636) or visit modot.org/northwest. You can also follow MoDOT’s Northwest Missouri District on Twitter @ModotNorthwest and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MoDOTNWDistrict.

Andrew County

U.S. Route 71 – Pothole patching from Route B to Route U (Nodaway County), Nov. 13 – 14

Atchison County

U.S. Route 136 – CLOSED at the East Fork of the Little Tarkio Creek for a bridge replacement project. The road may reopen this week.

Route 111 – Bridge maintenance at the bridge over Interstate 29, Nov. 13 – 14

U.S. Route 59 – Shoulder work, Nov. 13 – 17

Routes C, M, N and YY – CLOSED in two-mile sections for a resurfacing project. Contractors will begin on Route YY and progress south across the four routes, Nov. 13 – 17, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Buchanan County

I-29 – On and off ramps CLOSED at Exit 35 (Route DD, Faucett) for paving. Only one ramp will be closed at any time, beginning with the southbound off ramp, Nov. 13. The ramp closures are scheduled to start at approximately 7:30 a.m.

I-229 – CLOSED for sign installation at the ramp from southbound I-229 to eastbound U.S. Route 36, Nov. 15, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Caldwell County

Route D – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from SW Broadway to SW Mirabile Road, Nov. 13 – 14, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily

DeKalb County

Route EE – Milling and pothole patching, Nov. 13 – 16

Gentry County

Route Z – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from Route A to Route D, Nov. 17, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Grundy County

Route AA – Shoulder work from U.S. Route 65 to one-quarter mile west of U.S. Route 65, Nov. 13 – 17

Route Y – Pothole patching from Route 6 to Route B, Nov. 13 – 17

Harrison County

U.S. Route 69 – CLOSED for a culvert replacement one-quarter mile south of Spur U.S. Route 69, Nov. 13, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route D – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from 300^th Street to 290^th Street, Nov. 13, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route D – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from 270^th Street to 280^th Street, Nov. 14, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route T – CLOSED for a culvert replacement one mile south of Blythedale, Nov. 14, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

U.S. Route 69 – CLOSED for a culvert replacement one-quarter mile north of Route Z, Nov. 15, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route D – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from 265^th Street to Route F, Nov. 15, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

U.S. Route 69 – CLOSED for a culvert replacement one mile north of Route A, Nov. 16, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route F – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from Route D to 130^th Avenue, Nov. 16, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route HH – Pothole patching, Nov. 16

Holt County

Route 118 – The ramp from Route 118 to southbound I-29 is CLOSED for the Davis Creek Bridge replacement project through mid-December.

I-29 – Bridge replacement project at the Davis Creek Bridge near Exit 84. I-29 will be narrowed to one lane in each direction. This includes a 12-foot width restriction. The lane closures will remain in place through mid-December.

I-29 – Pavement repair southbound from mile marker 99 (Corning Exit) to mile marker 84 (Mound City), Nov. 13 – 18

Linn County

Routes B, M, V and WW – Pothole patching, Nov. 13 – 17

Livingston County

U.S. Route 36 – Pavement repair westbound from U.S. Route 65 to the Grand River Bridge, Nov. 14 – 17. A lane closure will be in place around the clock.

Mercer County

U.S. Route 136 − CLOSED for a bridge replacement project at the Muddy Creek Bridge. The road will be closed through February 2018.

Nodaway County

U.S. Route 71 – Pothole patching from Route B (Andrew County) to Route U, Nov. 13 – 14

U.S. Route 71 – Signal and intersection work at Main Street in Maryville. Most work will be off the roadway, but there may be some lane closures with flaggers at the intersection, Nov. 13 – 19

Route N – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from 310^th Street to Route U, Nov. 15, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route WW – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from 350^th Street to Fortune Road, Nov. 16, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route 46 – CLOSED for bridge maintenance at the Nodaway River Bridge just west of Route 113. The route will be closed daily at the bridge between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. but only after the bridge over the East Fork of the Little Tarkio Creek on U.S. Route 136 reopens, which is expected sometime next week.

Putnam County

Route U – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from 150^th Street to 160^th Street, Nov. 13, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Routes 129, N, Y and YY – Pothole patching, Nov. 13 – 17

Sullivan County

Routes K, TT, W, WW and ZZ – Pothole patching, Nov. 13 – 17

Northwest Missouri State University’s Madraliers will host their 44th annual Yuletide Feaste in December.

The event includes a banquet with performances by Recorder Consort, the Royale Brass Quintet and The Royal Theatrical Players.

“The annual tradition of the Yuletide Feaste is a tremendous opportunity for the students, faculty and citizens of the surrounding community to come together and celebrate the holiday season,” Dr. Brian Lanier, the Madraliers conductor and a Northwest professor of music, said. “The student performers are able to sing, act and play for the audience in a beautiful setting reminiscent of a banquet hall from the Renaissance.”

At the Yuletide Feaste, guests celebrate and rediscover Christmas through the evening’s programs and festivities, highly stylized after old England. The menu, performances and decorations are reminiscent of 16th century Tudor England.

The Feaste will take place at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, and Saturday, Dec. 9, in the J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom.

Tickets are $31.50 and may be purchased by check or cash in Room 101 of the Olive DeLuce Fine Arts Building. Credit card orders may be placed online at www.nwmissouri.edu/finearts/music/yuletide.htm.

Attendance is limited to 320 guests each evening, and all tickets are reserved. No tickets will be sold at the door.

For more information about the Yuletide Feaste, contact the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at (660) 562-1326.

A “Howliday” shopping event on Sunday will raise funds for the Friends of the St. Joseph Animal Shelter.

Kappy Hodges with the Friends of the Animal Shelter said the 6th Annual Howliday Shopping Event includes pet-themed vendors along with other vendors such as Mary Kay, Pampered Chef and more displaying their holiday gifts.

“What I like about the Howliday Shopping Event is they make the cute little Friends of the Animal Shelter t-shirts where they have Santa hats on the logo animals,” Hodges said. “I think this year there’s reindeer antlers on the dog and holly wrapped around the cat so you can buy one of those shirts and that’s really fun.”

The Howliday Shopping Event takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 12th, at the Green Acres Building in St. Joseph.

For more information, visit the Friends of the St. Joseph Animal Shelter Facebook page.

The Missouri Department of Transportation reminds motorists to move over for any vehicle with flashing lights on the highway during Traffic Incident Response Awareness Week.

Every minute of every day emergency responders across Missouri work tirelessly to help save lives at the scene of traffic incidents.  Across the country every year hundreds of emergency responders representing fire, law enforcement, emergency medical services, towing and transportation agencies are struck and either injured or killed while responding.

According to a press release, the Federal Highway Administration has declared Nov. 13-19, 2017, as the second annual national Traffic Incident Response Awareness Week.

MoDOT’s emergency response crews work to keep our state’s transportation system moving every day. In an average month, MoDOT emergency crews respond to 5,000 traffic incidents.

“MoDOT and its partners in law enforcement, fire, EMS and the tow industry work together to clear incidents but we need the help of motorists,” said MoDOT Chief Engineer Ed Hassinger. “Move over when you see responders on the road and give them extra space to work. Please respect the lives of responders who safeguard you when you are in a crash.”

Missouri’s Move Over law requires drivers to change lanes when approaching MoDOT vehicles, law enforcement vehicles and any other emergency vehicle with lights flashing. If drivers can’t change lanes safely, they must slow down as they pass the emergency vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported a 7.2% increase in roadway fatalities in 2015 over the previous year. In 2016, another 6% jump was reported. Traffic incidents are the number one cause of death for police officers and EMS responders nationwide.

For more information on the Traffic Incident Response Awareness Week, please visit the national website or visit MoDOT’s website at modot.org.

Maryville, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University recently was awarded a $93,336 grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, bringing the University another step closer to constructing a new outdoor classroom for its Horace Mann Laboratory School.

According to a press release, with the grant award, the Missouri DNR Land and Water Conservation Fund will fund half of the total project costs, and Northwest will fund the remainder of the project, which will total about $187,000.

The outdoor classroom will be located inside a newly fenced area directly north of Everett W. Brown Education Hall, which houses Horace Mann and the Phyllis and Richard Leet Center for Children and Families. Northwest anticipates completing the project in fall 2018.

Plans for the outdoor classroom call for a recreational space unlike any other in Maryville or the northwest Missouri region.

It will include curriculum-driven centers focused on nature art, outdoor music and messy materials; a stage for creative play, arts creation and integration; and a gathering space suited for outdoor class sessions. Other unique features will include a climbing structure, slide, swing and hammock as well as a 1/10th mile walking-running path. Rain barrels, gardening tools and child-sized wheelbarrows included in the project concept will encourage sustainable stewardship of the space. Native grasses will separate learning spaces and tie with the natural beauty of the Northwest campus, which also serves as the Missouri Arboretum.

“Playing and learning outdoors supports not only physical development but intellectual, emotional and behavioral as well,” Horace Mann Principal Sandy Seipel said. “We want Horace Mann children and Northwest students to have an outdoor learning space that increases curiosity, exploration and enthusiasm for the outdoors and for teacher candidates to think about ways to bring learning opportunities outside of the classroom. We are excited to have a beautiful outdoor learning space that stays true to Northwest’s natural surroundings and to help our children and Northwest students develop a sense of responsibility for nature and the environment.”

All of the outdoor classroom’s features will adhere to the Americans with Disabilities Act, ensuring all individuals may enjoy the park. The space also will be available for use by community members when it is not in use by Horace Mann students and staff.

For more information about Horace Mann, visit nwmissouri.edu/horacemann.

The City of St. Joseph Parks, Recreation and Civic Facilities Department will unveil temporary military history displays at the Remington Nature Center this weekend.

According to Remington Nature Center Manager Andrea McCoy, the displays feature over 200 artifacts from World War I, World War II, and the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

“These are very unique artifacts there to preserve the history of these people that fought for our freedom,” McCoy said. “We’re very proud of the display… it’s an impressive collection and we’re just so thrilled to have it.”

McCoy said all the artifacts are on private loan from an anonymous individual.

All active, reserve, and retired military as well as all police, fire, medical, and emergency personnel will be free of charge including one additional guest of their choice on Saturday, November 11, with a badge or ID.

The displays will be unveiled Saturday and will be available to view from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The display will be available to view through January 31st, 2018.

For additional information and any questions, contact Andrea McCoy at (816) 676-3204 or by email at amccoy@stjoemo.org

Missouri Western State University is thanking and honoring military veterans this weekend.

Veterans are invited to stop by the office of the Western Institute, Spratt Hall room 105, for some free Missouri Western gifts as a small token of appreciation for their service from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Friday.

The Griffons will host Northwest Missouri State University at 1 p.m. Saturday on Craig Field at Spratt Stadium. Fans in attendance will have the opportunity to help “Pack the Truck” by bringing supplies for deployed soldiers to the two Humvees that will be parked outside the gates. For a complete list of toiletries, entertainment items, snacks, drink mixes and more that can help, click here.

At the Kansas City Chiefs’ Salute to Service game on Oct. 30, the Missouri Western State University Foundation and Heroes United, a charity organization that serves the families of service members killed in the line of duty, presented scholarships to Missouri Western students Taylor and Landry Collins. Their father, Army Sergeant First Class Gary Collins, was killed in Iraq on Nov. 8, 2003. Taylor, Landry and their mother Kassie Collins, a 2008 alumna of Missouri Western, will be recognized at halftime of the football game Saturday.

 

FAUCETT, Mo. – The Route DD Bridge over I-29 is open as of Thursday evening.

Emery Sapp and Sons of Columbia, working with the Missouri Department of Transportation, closed the bridge to all traffic Aug. 25, for a bridge replacement project.

While the bridge over the interstate will open, there is still work to do. The contractor has tentatively scheduled ramp work for Monday, Nov. 13. They plan to close one ramp at a time for paving. The plan is to close the southbound off ramp first at approximately 7:30 a.m., followed in order by the southbound on ramp, northbound off ramp and finally the northbound on ramp. As with all planned work, schedules are subject to change.

There may be other work both on and off the roadway around the bridge and the ramps as the contractor completes the project. MoDOT encourages all motorists to slow down, buckle up, eliminate distractions and drive safely to ensure motorists and workers alike are able to Arrive Alive.

For more information about 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. In addition, MoDOT provides updated information on Twitter @MoDOTNorthwest and Facebook at www.facebook.com/MoDOTNWDistrict.