A former member of the St. Joseph school board now says the FBI offered to meet with the board about the bureau’s investigations into the district, and the district said no. Chris Danford made the explosive claim on her Facebook page on Monday.

“I have been asked to confirm someone else’s Face Book post regarding a proposed meeting between the St. Joseph School District Board of Education and the FBI,” Danford wrote. “Yes, I can confirm that the FBI did offer to meet with the superintendent and the board.”

“So, did this meeting between FBI agents and the Board happen? No.” according to the posting. “Who declined, you probably ask? I can only tell you the full board did not make that decision. I, for one, pushed over and over for this meeting to take place.” Superintendent Dr. Robert Newhart and the district’s lawyer did meet with the Bureau, and Newhart presented information from that meeting to the school board in August of 2016.

Danford said she pushed for reports from the district’s internal investigation to be released. The board voted 5-2 not to release the results of the $100,000 internal probe.

“I have heard that some current board members have publicly posted that there was no criminal activity in those reports,” Danford wrote on Facebook, an assertion she denies.

“Oh yes, there was,” she wrote. “Pages and pages documenting a variety of infractions. Those did not reach the $5,000 threshold for a federal felony (the FBI’s threshold) – however, that doesn’t dismiss the criminal activity and the bizarre system that ruled the district at the time.”

Danford also asserted a possible motive for withholding the reports. “Oh, I’ve been told the statute of limitations on these violations is 5 years – in other words, 2018. Is that the motive?,” she wrote on Facebook. “As far as I know, local law enforcement authorities have never seen the FBI files or those internal investigations.”

We spoke on Wednesday with Dr. Newhart.

In an interview, he said Danford is rehashing old complaints that Newhart said had already been thoroughly vetted by the Board of Education. Newhart added that we cannot continue to “hold the district hostage” because of prior practices and incidents.

“This has been vetted before the board, and that’s what publicly people need to know,” Newhart said. “Exclusively, extensively, it’s been vetted.”

What Danford referred to as “a variety of infractions,” were characterized by Newhart “inept leadership.”

“The question came down to were there minor misdemeanors, or sloppiness and inept leadership of prior administrators that are no longer working for the district,” he said.

He did agree with Danford that the statute of limitations was one factor in the district’s decision not to release reports from their internal investigations into the districts financial and personnel controversies. Newhart says releasing the reports would expose the district to liability.

So if the statute had expired, Newhart said neither he nor the board would have reason to withhold the reports from the public.

A crash in Dekalb County early Tuesday morning claimed the life of a 43-year-old Maysville man.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports Brian Miller failed to stop at a stop sign at SE Harris Road at Rogers Road at 4:45 am. His Ford F350 crashed broadside into a Chevrolet Silverado driven by a Cameron man.

Miller was ejected when his truck left the roadway and hit a fence. He pronounced deceased Cameron Regional Medical Center at 8am, according to the crash report. The other driver, 27-year-old John Wise of Cameron, was treated for minor injuries.

A heat advisory is in effect for the area through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Temperatures are forecast to reach the mid to upper 90s with heat indexes as high as 107.

Angie Springs is the Executive Director of the American Red Cross of Northwest Missouri. 

Springs said the Red Cross wants to ensure that everyone takes the proper precautions to be safe during the next couple days.

“According to the CDC, more than 600 people in the U.S. are killed by extreme heat every year and we just want to ensure that everyone takes precautions so this does not happen here,” Springs said.

Springs said with the forecast over the next couple days, the Red Cross has some reminders for how to prepare for the heat.

“Avoid being outside during the midsection of the day when it’s the hottest,” Springs said. “If you have to be outside, wear lightweight clothing, make sure that you stay hydrated.. That means drinking plenty of water. Avoid caffeinated beverages and alcoholic beverages as they do not hydrate you.”

Springs said to also be sure and check on the most vulnerable in your community including the elderly, young or anyone who may be sick, making sure they are staying hydrated and cool. Also, if you don’t have air conditioning, Springs suggests heading to someplace cool, such as the mall or the library during the hottest parts of the day. Springs said they also want to remind people to never leave children or pets alone in vehicles.

Springs said heat exhaustion symptoms can include moist, pale or flushed skin, heavy sweating, a headache, nausea or dizziness.

“If you recognize that you have those symptoms or someone around you does, you need to go someplace that is cooler, remove or loosen any tight clothing and apply a cool, wet cloth to the skin,” Spring said. “Drink small amounts of cool water so you can cool down slowly.”

Springs said if anyone is experiencing heat exhaustion or heat stroke, they should seek medical attention. For more information, go to redcross.org.

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 July 10 – 16 from the Missouri Department of Transportation. In addition to the work listed below, there may be pothole patching, bridge maintenance, striping, brush cutting, 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.

 

Atchison County

Interstate 29 – At the Miller Creek Bridge for maintenance, July 10

U.S. Route 59 – Pothole patching, July 10 – 11

U.S. Route 136 – At the I-29 Overpass Bridge for maintenance, July 11 – 14

Route B – Pothole patching, July 12 – 14

Buchanan County

22^nd Street Overpass Bridge over U.S. Route 36 – Bridge maintenance, July 10

U.S. Route 36 – Milling and pothole patching, July 10 – 13

Route 371 – From Route CC to Route 752 for pavement repair, July 10 – 13. One lane will remain closed overnight. A temporary traffic signal has been installed to direct traffic through the work zone.

U.S. Route 36 – One mile east of Route AC for a bridge project, July 10 – 14

Route 6 – From I-29 to Woodbine Road for a sidewalk improvement and resurfacing project, July 10 – 15

Agency Road Bridge over U.S. Route 36 – CLOSED for bridge maintenance. The road will be closed overnight beginning Wednesday, July 12 at 7 a.m. and will reopen Thursday, July 13 at 12 p.m.

Caldwell County

Route D – From Route 116 to Route HH for pothole patching, July 13

Route E – Pothole patching, July 14

Carroll County

Route 139 – At the Hurricane Creek Bridge for maintenance, July 10 – 11

Route D – From U.S. Route 36 (Livingston County) to Route C for pothole patching, July 10– 14

Route 139 – From Route NN to Route HH for drainage work, July 12 – 13

Route 41 – At the Wakenda Chute Bridge for maintenance, July 12 – 13

Chariton County

U.S. Route 24 and Route 129 – Pothole patching, July 10 – 14

U.S. Route 24 – From Route 5 to the Randolph County line for guardrail installation, July 10 – 15

Daviess County

U.S. Route 69 – Shoulder work, July 10 – 12

Route M – From Route 13 to the Caldwell County line for pothole patching, July 10 – 12

Route T and UU – Drainage work, July 10 – 14

U.S. Route 69 – From Pence Road (DeKalb County) to I-35 for a resurfacing project, July 10 – 15. Includes a 10-foot width restriction.

Route YY – Pothole patching, July 11 – 14

DeKalb County

U.S. Route 69 – From Pence Road to I-35 (Daviess County) for a resurfacing project, July 10 – 15. Includes a 10-foot width restriction.

Route 6 – One-half mile west of Route 33 for culvert repair, July 11

Gentry County

Route J – CLOSED from 580^th Road to 290^th Street for a culvert replacement, July 10, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

U.S. Route 136 – From the U.S. Route 136 and U.S. Route 169 junction to the Harrison County line for shoulder work, July 11 – 12

U.S. Route 169 – From the U.S. Route 136 and U.S. Route 169 junction to Route M for shoulder work, July 12 – 13

Route FF – CLOSED from Route C to 587^th Road for a culvert replacement, July 14, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Grundy County

Routes A and B – Pothole patching, July 10 – 14

Harrison County

Route N – At the I-35 Overpass Bridge for maintenance, July 10 – 13

Holt County

U.S. Route 59 – From the city limits of Oregon to the city limits of Mound City for shoulder work, July 10 – 14

Linn County

Route FF – CLOSED from Gurney Road to Grover Road for a culvert replacement, July 10, 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Route FF – CLOSED from Gurney Road to Glade Road for a culvert replacement, July 10, 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

U.S. Route 36 – From Route 139 to U.S. Route 36 (Livingston County) for pavement repair, July 10 – 13

U.S. Route 36 – From Route F to Route 5 for shoulder work, July 10 – 13

Route FF – CLOSED from Glade Road to Gold Road for a culvert replacement, July 11, 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Livingston County

U.S. Route 36 – From U.S. Route 36 to Route 139 (Linn County) for pavement repair, July 10 – 13

Route D – From U.S. Route 36 to Route C (Carroll County) for pothole patching, July 10 – 14

Mercer County

U.S. Route 136 – At the Weldon Fork of the Grand River Bridge for maintenance, July 10 – 11

Route D – From U.S. Route 136 to Route A for pothole patching, July 10 – 14

Route BB – CLOSED at the Weldon Fork Creek Bridge for maintenance, July 12 – 13, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Nodaway County

Route MM – CLOSED from U.S. Route 136 to 270^th Street for a culvert replacement, July 10, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route 148 and U.S. Route 136 – Shoulder repair, July 10 – 14

Route VV – CLOSED from Mahogany Street to Meadow Road for a culvert replacement, July 11, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route WW – CLOSED from 360^th Street to 370^th Street for a culvert replacement, July 12, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Putnam County

Route 5 and U.S. Route 136 – Shoulder repair, July 10 – 14

Routes W and 149 – Pothole patching, July 10 – 14

Route C – Drainage work, July 10 – 14

Sullivan County

Route 5 – From Route MM to the city limits of Browning for slide repair, July 10 – 15

Route 6 – From the city limits of Milan to the city limits of Green City for slide repair, July 10 – 15

Route C – From Route 5 to Route 129 for a resurfacing project, July 10 – 15. Includes a 10-foot restriction.

Route EE – CLOSED at the Medicine Creek Bridge for maintenance, July 14, 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Worth County

Route 246 – CLOSED at the Platte River Bridge for a bridge replacement project. The bridge will be closed through September.

Routes B, C, E and Z – Drainage work, July 10 – 14

Route M – CLOSED from Umpire Avenue to Urchin Lane for a culvert replacement, July 12, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

A specialist with Mosaic Life Care for tick-borne illnesses has seen a slight increase from last year in suspected tick-related infections.

Dr. Scott Folk is the Medical Director of Adult Infectious Diseases with the hospital. He said while he has seen a slight increase from 2016, this year appears to be on par with what he would normally expect to see.

“Based on my observation this is a more typical year. This is kind of in keeping with what I would normally expect based on the last 10 plus years,” Dr. Folk said.

He estimates he has seen around eight or 10 individuals, since mid-May with possible tick-borne infections. While the number was slightly lower in 2016, Dr. Folk said on average he would expect to see around 10 to 15 individuals for possible tick-related infections. However, he said he usually examines individuals with more severe reactions.

“I’m sure that there are other patients who aren’t as severely ill, who present to their medical provider with perhaps a smaller number of symptoms, who have been evaluated and treated in the office of their family physician,” Dr. Folk said.

The most common ticks found in northwest Missouri include the Lone Star Tick and the American Dog Tick which do not transmit Lyme disease. Dr. Folk said the Blacklegged Tick which does transmit Lyme disease is rarely found in northwest Missouri which is why cases of Lyme disease are lower in the area. However, the two types of ticks most found in the area can transmit other illnesses.

“Such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Rickettsiosis and what we found here, the Heartland virus,” Dr. Folk said. “The range of ticks in the U.S. seems to be increasing and certainly new tick-borne diseases have been discovered and I think undiscovered at this point in time.”

Prior to going out in wooded and grassy areas, Dr. Folk recommends wearing long pants and long-sleeves and pulling socks over pant-legs to prevent ticks from being able to find skin. He also recommends using tick repellent that contains 20 or 30 percent DEET in it. While it’s a good idea to take preventative measures against ticks year-round, Dr. Folk said to be especially vigilant in northwest Missouri in spring and late summer.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, tick-borne diseases can result in mild symptoms treatable at home to severe infections requiring hospitalization. CLICK HERE to learn more about symptoms and when to see a doctor for a tick bite.

AFL-CIO Community Services is seeking donations for its yearly shoe distribution in August.

According to AFL-CIO Executive Director Penny Adams, Soles for Christ is a program that provides new tennis shoes to children starting the school year.

“The goal of the program is to boost the kid’s self-esteem and excitement for the new school year,” Adams said. “It has a side effect that was never intended when it was started but the side effect is it helps the families financially, not having to purchase new shoes for their kids.”

Adams said the program began in 2003 and served 210 children and last year, 1,106 kids received shoes.

Adams said people can drop off shoe donations at their agency at 1203 North 6th Street in St. Joseph. They’re open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Adams said shoe donations should be dropped off by August 9th and they also will accept monetary donations.

Families that need shoes can come in during one of the distribution days and bring a form of ID for each child that’s receiving shoes.

“That could be a school ID or a report card, a birth certificate, medical records, anything that shows the child’s age,” Adams said. “The parents need to bring proof of residency because this program only serves kids in Andrew, Buchanan and Doniphan County, so they could bring a utility bill or a mortgage receipt, something like that.”

Distribution days will be Monday, August 14th, and Tuesday, August 15th.

For more information, contact AFL-CIO Community Services at (816) 364-1131.

(News release)  – A St. Joseph, Mo., mother and daughter pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to their roles in a $1.5 million tax fraud scheme as well as individual tax fraud.

Dawn Langlais (formerly Ankrom-Brown), 59, and her daughter, Jennifer Sturgis, 38, both of St. Joseph, pleaded guilty in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to the charges contained in a July 20, 2016, federal indictment.

Langlais pleaded guilty to failing to pay over employee payroll taxes to the IRS. Sturgis pleaded guilty to making false statements on a tax return.

From 2001 through early 2010, Langlais assisted in the operation of Homeward Bound Health Services, Inc., a home health provider located in St. Joseph. In 2010, Homeward Bound’s name was changed to Silver Linings, Inc., and nominee owners were put in place who signed the checks but made no business decisions. Langlais continued to assist in the operation of Silver Linings, which closed in 2013.

Langlais employed her daughter, Sturgis, and other relatives at Homeward Bound and Silver Linings.

Homeward Bound and Silver Linings withheld and collected federal income taxes, Social Security taxes, and Medicare taxes from employees and then kept those withheld taxes instead of paying them over to the IRS. The total criminal tax loss attributed to Homeward Bound and Silver Linings for failure to pay employment taxes due and owing from 2001 to 2012 is $1,459,727.

Homeward Bound and Silver Linings also withheld from employee paychecks and kept child support payments, employee IRA contributions, and medical and dental insurance payments. The theft of these payments had negative collateral consequences for their employees.

By pleading guilty, Langlais and Sturgis admitted they received income from Homeward Bound and Silver Linings, which they failed to report on their individual federal income tax forms, and as a result, underpaid their federal income taxes.

Langlais willfully failed to make an income tax return or pay personal income taxes from 2010 to 2012, for a total personal tax loss of $56,860. Sturgis was married and filed joint individual income tax returns from 2007 to 2012. Her unreported income from 2010 to 2012 was at least $150,193, resulting in a federal individual income tax loss of at least $26,523. Her unreported income from 2007 to 2009 was at least $420,418, resulting in a federal individual income tax loss of at least $102,437, and a state individual income tax loss of $19,387, for a total personal tax loss of $148,347, including relevant conduct.

Additionally, from 2009 to 2012, Sturgis claimed personal federal income tax refunds, knowing that Homeward Bound and Silver Linings had not paid any income taxes to the IRS.