Featured – Page 193 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Fischer to become Missouri chief justice

Posted on June 30, 2017June 30, 2017

A northwest Missouri man will become the state’s next Supreme Court chief justice.

By order of the Court, Supreme Court of Missouri Judge Zel M. Fischer will become Missouri’s next chief justice July 1. His term as chief justice will run through June 30, 2019. He succeeds Judge Patricia Breckenridge, who remains on the Court.

Fischer grew up in Watson, the most northwestern city in Missouri and was educated in the Rock Port public schools. He received his bachelor of arts degree, majoring in both philosophy and political science, in 1985 from William Jewell College in Liberty and his law degree, with distinction, in 1988 from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. He then clerked for Supreme Court of Missouri Judge Andrew Jackson Higgins, who had completed his own two-year term as chief justice just a year before.

After completing his clerkship, Fischer worked in the private practice of law in northwest Missouri from 1989 to 2006, when he was elected associate circuit judge in Atchison County. In October 2008, he was appointed to the Supreme Court, where he led an effort for trial judges throughout the state to have advanced education and training to preside over cases involving
complex science or technology issues.

Fischer and his wife, Julie, live in rural northwest Missouri and have four children.

Gentry County woman seriously injured in crash with culvert

Posted on June 30, 2017June 30, 2017

A Gentry County woman was seriously injured in a crash due to rain washing out a culvert early Thursday.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 58-year-old Connie J. Holcomb of Darlington was driving east on CR 405 about four miles southeast of Darlington at 4:05 a.m. Heavy rain had washed out a culvert on the roadway and Holcomb’s vehicle hit the culvert.

Holcomb was transported to Mosaic Life Care for treatment of serious injuries. She was wearing a seatbelt.

A short break from rain and storms after this morning

Posted on June 30, 2017

Thunderstorms with light to moderate rain will continue this morning across the area. This will only continue or aggravate ongoing flooding across the area as many locations received 4 to 10+ inches of rain over the past two days. Flooding is occurring along many area rivers, creeks, and streams and there have been numerous reports of roads closed due to water over roadways. When travelling in Missouri you can check traveler.modot.org/map for area road closures. If you do encounter water over a roadway, do not try to cross it! Remember, turn around, don’t drown! Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10 a.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 81. North northwest wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 62. Northwest wind 3 to 7 mph.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming west northwest 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 65. Light and variable wind becoming south around 5 mph after midnight.

Sunday: A slight chance of showers after 1 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. South wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Sunday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 68. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Monday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Monday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Independence Day: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Tuesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 69.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 88.

Flooding closes highways in NW Missouri

Posted on June 29, 2017June 29, 2017

Wednesday night’s storms and continuing rain Thursday saturated the ground in northwest Missouri. Rivers and streams are full and with nowhere else to go, the accumulating water has collected on some highways, prompting their closure.

Crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation, working with law enforcement and regional emergency services are monitoring many areas for rising waters. Authorities warn that more roads could flood without warning. Motorists are reminded to stay alert and to not drive through any water over the roadway. It only takes six inches of water or less to lose control of your vehicle and possibly be swept into rising floodwaters. Any time there is water over the roadway, there may be unseen damage to the road surface below. Do not drive through water over a roadway or around construction barricades.

As waters recede and MoDOT crews are able to asses that there is no damage to the road surface from the floodwaters, they will reopen routes to traffic.

To keep up with the latest road closures for flooding, incidents and roadwork, the Missouri Department of Transportation provides a Traveler Information Map here.

Here are the latest closures from MoDOT.

Andrew County
Route 48 on the east side of Rosendale (One Hundred and Two River)
Chariton County
Route E in Rothville (Yellow Creek)
Daviess County
Route AA north of Route Z (Grand River and Sampson Creek)
Route B east of Coffey (Hickory Creek and Big Muddy Creek)
Route K north of Route P between Grate Avenue and Hope Avenue (Pilot Grove Creek)
Route T between Abbey Road and 130^th Street (Sampson Creek)
Route UU between Routes B and P
Route Z between Route AA and the Gentry County line (Grand River)
Gentry County
Route A between Route T and 440^th Street (Grand River)
Route F between U.S. Route 169 and 472^nd Road (Grand River)
Route H from Carmack Junction south to Route E (Grand River)
Harrison County
U.S. Route 136 from U.S. Route 169 to Route W in Bethany
Route AA between U.S. Route 69 and Interstate 35 (Big Creek)
Route ZZ between West 115 Avenue and West 385^th Street (Sampson Creek)
Nodaway County
Route U at Arkoe (One Hundred and Two River)
Route VV between Route AH and Mercury Road (Platte River)
Worth County
Route J between Route Z and Goldenrod Trail

Police investigate shot allegedly fired from stolen vehicle

Posted on June 29, 2017June 29, 2017

The St. Joseph Police Department is investigating after a woman reported a shot being fired while trying to recover her stolen vehicle.

Commander Eric Protzman said officers responded to the area of 14th and Lafayette streets around 2:30 a.m. Thursday and spoke with a woman who said she saw her stolen vehicle and when she tried to get it back, a shot was fired from inside the vehicle. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was described as a silver Hyundai Santa Fe. At least two people were believed to have been inside.

Protzman said the vehicle was reportedly taken Monday and never returned to the owner. As of 12:30 p.m. Thursday the vehicle had not yet been recovered.

Flood warning and flash flood watch in effect

Posted on June 29, 2017June 29, 2017

Another round of very strong storms is possible this afternoon and tonight across much of the area with the potential for large hail, widespread damaging winds and a few tornadoes. While the highest threat for severe storms will be during the late afternoon and evening, numerous rounds of storms through the day could produce areas of heavy rain particularly across areas shaded in green. Some parts of northern Missouri saw anywhere from 2″ to 8″ of rain last night and these areas could easily see additional flooding with any additional rainfall that falls today. The National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill Mo has issued a flood warning for the following rivers in Missouri:

Platte River near Agency affecting Buchanan County.
Platte River At Sharps Station affecting Platte County.
Platte River near Platte City affecting Platte County.

The National Weather Service in Kansas City/Pleasant Hill has issued a Flash Flood Watch through Friday morning for portions of Kansas and Missouri, including the following areas, in Kansas: Atchison KS, Doniphan, Johnson KS, Leavenworth, and Wyandotte. In Missouri: Adair, Andrew, Atchison MO, Buchanan, Caldwell, Carroll, Chariton, Clay, Clinton, Daviess, De Kalb, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Holt, Jackson, Linn MO, Livingston, Macon, Mercer, Nodaway, Platte, Randolph, Ray, Sullivan, and Worth.

Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 4 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. South wind 8 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.

Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north northwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.

Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8 a.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 81. North northwest wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 62. North northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming west northwest around 6 mph in the afternoon.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 64.

Sunday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Monday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 84. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Monday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Independence Day: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Tuesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.

Many tax credits not going to those intended according to Missouri Rep.

Posted on June 28, 2017

Rep. Paul Curtman, R-Union. Courtesy Missourinet

(Missourinet/Alisa Nelson) – State Rep. Paul Curtman, R-Union, says of the roughly $500 million in tax credits given away annually in Missouri, many are not going to those the credits are meant for. He says there’s a lot of waste, fraud and abuse in the state’s tax credit programs. One example, he says, is transferrable tax credits. Curtman opposes them because he says they can be sold by special interests for profit.

“If somebody has a $50 million tax credit but they only have a $20 million tax liability, well then they have a $30 million tax credit that’s left over. What they’ll do, is they’ll go and take that and sell it on a brokerage system to somebody else who wants tax credits. I just do not think that’s good public policy in our state or any government for that matter,” Curtman tells Columbia radio station KSSZ. “It creates broader gaps and holes in our general revenue.”

He also says the paper trail of Missouri’s tax credits has flaws.

“You’re wondering how in the world are some people getting tax credits when we don’t even necessarily know who they or how it is that they qualify for it because there’s no paperwork for it,” says Curtman.

He says Missouri can scale back on tax credits if there’s enough will power by the state legislature but he expects a clash with special interests that want to get their hands on them.

Governor Eric Greitens, R, told Missouri lawmakers in mid-January that almost $2 billion has been promised to special interests in tax credits since 2010. Greitens said “revenue is being drained by special interest tax credits and the faster-than-projected growth in health care expenditures, driven in part by the national impact of Obamacare.”

Authorities locate individual after Missouri River search

Posted on June 28, 2017June 28, 2017

Authorities still on scene Wednesday morning at the Pony Express Bridge. Photo by Nadia Thacker

A subject has been located after multiple agencies searched the Missouri River overnight near the Pony Express Bridge.

Commander Eric Protzman with the St. Joseph Police Department said St. Joseph authorities were alerted around 1:15 a.m. Wednesday that Doniphan County authorities were in pursuit of a 4-wheeler on 36 highway on the east side of the overpass and believed the individual had jumped into the river.

The St. Joseph Fire Department brought in boats to assist in the search. Around 4:30 a.m. police were notified the male had made it to Mosaic Life Care for treatment of unknown injuries.

Protzman said the Doniphan County Sheriff’s Office is handling the case.

According to an individual who claims to be a family member, the male is a juvenile and is in stable condition at Children’s Mercy Hospital.

Chance of rain and storms through Friday morning

Posted on June 28, 2017

Severe thunderstorms will be possible tonight with the best chance for severe weather occurring across northern Missouri. Morning thunderstorms will be possible across the area but these should not be severe. The morning storms should keep the area cloudy enough to keep thunderstorms from developing this afternoon. However, if skies clear out this afternoon there will be the chance for a few severe storms capable of large hail and damaging winds and even an isolated tornado across northern Missouri. The main round of storms looks to affect the area tonight into the overnight as a line of storms are expected to drop south out of Iowa into northern Missouri and eastern Kansas. The main threat with this line of storms will be for damaging winds. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11 a.m, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 89. Heat index values as high as 95. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 9 to 14 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. South wind 11 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. South wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Thursday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 1 a.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. South wind 8 to 10 mph becoming west northwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Friday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 82. Northwest wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 83.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 64.

Sunday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Monday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Monday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Independence Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85.

Woman injured in Alabama rollover crash (Video)

Posted on June 27, 2017

Rollover crash on Alabama. Photo by Nadia Thacker

A woman was transported to the hospital Tuesday after a rollover crash on Alabama St.

Officer Patrick Zeamer with the St. Joseph Police Department said a woman in her mid-60s reported having a medical condition and passed out behind the wheel while she was heading west on Alabama Street.

“We believe she might have passed out and had a medical condition. Went off the roadway, striking a light pole and a road sign, overturning her vehicle,” Zeamer said “The fire department arrived on scene without having to cut anything off the car. They were able to get her out through the windows on a backboard and take her out that way.”

Zeamer said the woman was conscious when authorities arrived. She was transported to Mosaic Life Care for evaluation of what was described as minor injuries. Zeamer said the crash is currently under investigation.

While crews were on scene the road was shut down briefly around 2:15 p.m. It has since reopened.