Authorities searching Wolf River under bridge. Photo by Nadia Thacker
Doniphan County authorities have reopened 255th Road at K-7 north of Sparks after it was closed in a search to try to find a missing man.
Around 3:30 p.m. Monday an alert was issued regarding the closure until further notice. Authorities with the Doniphan County Sheriff’s Office were seen in the area searching the Wolf River. Two boats were seen on the water and law enforcement vehicles were on scene. An official with the Sheriff’s Office said authorities are currently working with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI).
According to a news release, KBI was asked to assist the Doniphan County Sheriff’s Office in a search for a missing man. Shortly before 9 a.m. the Doniphan County Sheriff’s Office received information that led them to begin searching for a St. Joseph man. The vehicle of the missing man was located shortly after. The KBI was asked to assist in the search at approximately 10 a.m. Monday. The investigation progressed to a search of the Wolf River in Doniphan County. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism is assisting KBI agents and Doniphan County Sheriff’s deputies at the river. KBI said the investigation is ongoing. Nothing further will be released at this time.
St. Joseph, Mo. — Kurt McGuffin, Missouri Western State University’s director of athletics since 2011, has accepted the position of director of intercollegiate athletics at the University of Tennessee at Martin. His last day at Missouri Western will be June 27.
“Kurt has shown steadfast dedication to our student-athletes, coaches and the community,” said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western’s president. “He has a lot to show for his time here, including facility improvements, the addition of six sports and the athletic and academic success of our student-athletes.”
McGuffin became Missouri Western’s director of athletics on Oct. 31, 2011. The athletic department has produced six MIAA team championships in his time. Facility improvements have included a nearly $8 million total renovation of Spratt Memorial Stadium. Six new teams – men’s and women’s cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field – will begin competition in the 2017-2018 school year. McGuffin, along with the department of health, physical education and recreation, also developed a master of applied science degree in sport and fitness management. The program has allowed Griffon athletics to bring more than 20 graduate assistants to help with various programs. He was also instrumental in retaining Missouri Western as the summer training camp home of the Kansas City Chiefs.
“I want to thank Dr. Vartabedian and the rest of the Missouri Western community for the opportunity to serve as the Director of Athletics the last five-and-a-half years,” McGuffin said. “I will cherish the many memories and successes that we were able to share together. All of those could not have been possible without tremendous community support, the outstanding work of our athletic administrative staff, coaches and most of all our student-athletes.”
A national search for Missouri Western’s eighth athletic director will begin immediately. Dr. Jeanne Daffron, provost and vice president for academic affairs, will chair the search committee.
“We are moving forward quickly, but thoroughly,” Dr. Vartabedian said. “We want a seamless transition in leadership to continue Missouri Western’s success on the field and in the classroom.”
The St. Joseph Police Department is searching for a man after a child was hit by a vehicle Sunday evening on the south side of town.
Sgt. Steve McClintick said around 7:30 p.m. an 8-year-old girl reportedly crossed the street in the 6400 block of S. 24th to meet her mother and was hit by a passing car. The impact spun the child around and injured her foot. She was transported to the hospital for treatment of moderate injuries. The vehicle left the scene.
McClintick said a witness tried to follow the vehicle described as a late 70s or early 80s gold sedan for a short time until an officer came across it. He said when the officer tried to stop the vehicle, it fled police. McClintick said only a vague description, that the driver was possibly a black man was given.
As of early Monday morning no one was apprehended in the incident.
A topic at a Wednesday night work session was the expansion of the St. Joseph transit system.
St. Joseph City Manager Bruce Woody said the City of St. Joseph’s transit service goes back a hundred years starting with trolleys and it has seen some changes through the years. Woody said during the work session the discussion revolved around changes needing to be made to the current transit system.
“I think the only frustration we hear with any regularity from our riders is the length of time between bus rides, the length of time it takes to get all the way across town particularly if you have to change buses,” Woody said. “For the most part, the time between buses is about an hour. We refer to that in the industry as the headways, the distances between buses.”
Woody said an idea was pitched to the city council about alleviating some of the frustrations.
“At the work session they supported the notion of adding additional buses and staff to be able to decrease those headways during the peak hours of the morning and the late evening when people are going predominantly to and from work.”
Woody said it will cost an estimated $2.6 million to buy an additional seven buses and there would also be an increase of operating costs. If everything is approved to move forward with the changes, it could be an 18 to 24 month wait after the buses are ordered.
An area attorney is speaking out about issues he has with the use of polygraph tests.
Earlier this week, in an interview with 680 KFEQ’s Barry Birr, Lawyer David Graham of Overland Park, talked about problems he sees with lie detector tests.
“My problem with the polygraph examination is, it is non-scientific, or some would call it pseudo scientific,” Graham said. “The reality is, there is no scientific basis to it what-so-ever, for the purposes of telling whether or not someone is lying.”
He said a polygraph is okay to monitor if someone’s blood pressure increases, or decrease or if their heart-rate jumps, or heats up.
“But whether the lines on the polygraph computer correlate to whether a person is telling the truth or not, there’s no link. There’s no scientific basis to it what-so-ever,” Graham said. “The reason that’s important is that the U.S. Government relies on polygraph testing for pre-employment hiring.”
Security screening at the Clinton Engineer Works. Lie detector test circa 1945. Via Wikipedia Commons
While most private businesses are barred from using lie detector test for hiring, Graham said the government is exempt. He said the polygraph is essentially an interrogation tool.
“If you can convince someone that they have failed the polygraph, or that they have lied on a certain question, and you need them to come clean so then you can give them the examine again; so that they can pass it, so that then you can give them the job. They may give you a confession. They may confess to something they would not have otherwise confessed to,” Graham said. “This is why the police use it so much.”
While Graham said the polygraph isn’t admissible in court, if an individual confesses during the test, that is allowed in court.
“The results of the so-called test are not admissible but if he makes an admission, then that is admissible,” Graham said. “The person will say, ‘You had trouble with this question, which tells me you know something you aren’t disclosing.’ Then the person says, ‘Well, I didn’t do it, but I know who did it.’…That may be seen as evidence of guilt and those statements can be used against that person in court.”
Graham said he feels strongly about the use of the polygraph as an attorney, due to the potential for misuse.
“I see how it can be misused by police, I can see how resources could get wasted by police if the polygraph operator says, ‘this guy knows something,’ but he doesn’t,” Graham said.
Graham said at one time he supported the lie detector test but changed his opinion after stumbling across the website, https://antipolygraph.org/
Heavy rain from thunderstorms Thursday night and Friday morning dropped 1 to 3”+ rain amounts across the area. This primed the pump for flash flooding potential this evening and overnight as soils will have a hard time soaking any more rainfall, leading to rapid runoff and flash flooding. If you encounter flooding, turn around, don’t drown. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:
Today: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 2 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 69. Light northeast wind increasing to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 57. North northeast wind 10 to 18 mph becoming east after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. South wind 7 to 13 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 46. West wind 6 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 68. West northwest wind 7 to 11 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 50.
Monday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 70. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Monday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 66.
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 67.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 49.
Governor Eric Greitens. Photo courtesy Missourinet.
(Missourinet) – Republican Governor Eric Greitens has called a special legislative session to ask the General Assembly to take action on a proposal that would give the Public Service Commission the right to negotiate power rates for two southeast Missouri plants.
In a press release Thursday from Greitens, he said:
“We are fighting to bring more jobs to the people of Missouri. Some career politicians failed to do their jobs and then went home. That’s wrong. We’re cancelling their summer vacations and calling a special session to get this done.”
During an emotional floor speech last Thursday, State Rep. Don Rone, R-Portageville, who’s sponsoring the legislation, said his bill would help restore about 400 jobs at the Noranda aluminum plant that closed last year and create 200 jobs at a new steel mill in the Bootheel. He describes the two projects as “shovel-ready.”
Rone told House colleagues his constituents need work and that they’re looking for a way out of poverty.
“I serve some of the finest people you ever want to be with,” Rone said. “But they are all so poor. They are all so poor.”
Rone’s measure had tough opposition in the Senate from three members who could pull out every stalling trick in the book to try and prevent its passage. Last week, Rone exploded on the House floor when he described his recent interactions with Senators Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, and Gary Romine, R-Farmington. He called them “heartless,” “selfish,” and “egotistical.”
They have argued about other utility legislation that they say help the greedy and hurt the consumers.
The special session will begin on Monday and will be paid for by Missouri taxpayers.
Other bills that legislators wanted addressed during a special session include lobbyist gift restrictions to lawmakers, the creation of a statewide prescription drug monitoring program and banning wage requirements on construction projects for things like schools and jails.
An outbreak of severe storms and tornadoes is expected over parts of central and southern Kansas this evening. This activity will weaken somewhat as it approaches parts of eastern Kansas and western Missouri late this evening and overnight, but will still remain capable of producing strong wind and possibly very large hail, as well as torrential rains of one to two inches in spots. The tornado threat will not be as high as it will be further west, but a few tornadoes are still possible especially across eastern Kansas. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:
Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. North northwest wind 6 to 9 mph becoming east northeast in the afternoon.
Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 10 p.m. Low around 57. East northeast wind 13 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Friday: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 72. East southeast wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
Friday Night: Showers and thunderstorms. Low around 58. East wind 7 to 9 mph becoming north after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 8 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68. West wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 48.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 68.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 50.
Monday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 2 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 70. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Monday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Tuesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 69. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Tuesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
(Update) – Three people are now facing charges after baseball equipment, concession items and a utility vehicle were taken from Eagles Baseball Field earlier this week.
Kallista Allen, 26, Michah Boykin 24 and Allen Roach, 19 all of St. Joseph are each charged in Buchanan County with a class-A misdemeanor of stealing.
According to court documents, Allen is accused of convincing Boykin and Roach to break into the concession stand at 2303 Marion Road and steal items.
“She came up with the idea to use her dog as an aid to break in. She gave them her dog and they walked it over to the concession stand, that was closed and locked,” said Det. Doug Loehner. “While inside the building they stole items from the concession stand, candy, soda, and Gatorade and miscellaneous baseball equipment. The stolen items were loaded on to a 2007 John Deere Gator that was also stolen.”
Loehner said the two men later helped her carry the stolen items upstairs to her apartment. Police have reported that most of the stolen items including the Gator were recovered.
Allen is due in court Friday for an arraignment. Bail is set at $10,000. A court date and bail were not yet listed Wednesday afternoon for Boykin and Roach.
Severe weather will again be possible today across northern Missouri and northeastern Kansas. Although there will be scattered thunderstorms around the area this morning they will not be severe. The timing of the severe weather threat will be this afternoon between 2-6 p.m. The severe weather threats will be for large hail, damaging winds, and even the chance for a few tornadoes. Conditions will also be windy today with winds out of the south between 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. A wind advisory is in effect from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:
Today: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Breezy, with a south wind 15 to 20 mph increasing to 23 to 28 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 41 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. Breezy, with a west southwest wind 17 to 22 mph decreasing to 7 to 12 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. Northwest wind around 7 mph becoming east northeast in the afternoon.
Thursday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. East northeast wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a high near 71. East wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Friday Night: Showers and thunderstorms. Low around 59. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Saturday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 69.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 51.
Monday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Monday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Tuesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
regarding the closure until further notice. Authorities with the Doniphan County Sheriff’s Office were seen in the area searching the Wolf River. Two boats were seen on the water and law enforcement vehicles were on scene. An official with the Sheriff’s Office said authorities are currently working with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI).
