St. Joseph Habitat for Humanity plans to hold a garage sale at its former location in an effort to get rid of old inventory.

As we previously reported, the ReStore moved in December to its new location in the old Vatterott College building off of Frederick Ave.

Habitat said it still has many items to get rid of still sitting in its old location.  So a three day sale will take place February 2nd through the 4th. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. The sale will be at the ReStore’s old location at 827 S. 9th St.

According to a news release, “Everything must go. Cash & carry.”

Items at the sale include furniture, lamps, hardware, doors and Windows, lighting, trim, craft items and more.

For more information call the ReStore at (816) 279-5607.

(Missourinet with Post Staff contributions) – Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway (D) said a monthly report shows that 44% of the 333 local governments with financial reports due last month failed to meet last month’s deadline.

“I’m disappointed by the dismal success rate demonstrated by so many local governments who are failing to provide even the most basic information about their own financial management,” Galloway said. “These reporting requirements are not new and they are not complicated. When local governments can’t provide this essential information, they are failing to meet fundamental obligations to transparency and accountability in government.”

Cities, towns and villages in Missouri are required to file annual financial reports with the State Auditor within six months of the end of their fiscal year. The reports must include basic financial information, such as starting and ending account balances, the amount of money received and spent over the year, and property tax rates charged to citizens. State law has required this information be submitted to the State Auditor’s Office since at least 1965.

This requirement is not to be confused with new reporting requirements enacted in 2015 as part of municipal court reform efforts, which are currently on hold pending legal review and action.

Galloway’s report includes filing statuses for the 259 cities, 5 towns and 69 villages whose financial reports were due by the end of December 2016. Of the 333 municipal governments included in this reporting period, 185 filed a completed annual financial report on time and 148 did not, for a success rate of 56%. The City of St. Joseph had not filed its annual financial report according to the the list. A representative with the City of St. Joseph said the city had completed but did not turn the report in in a timely manner.  The issue has since been resolved.

The report also includes information on other local governments that submitted financial reports or related documents to the State Auditor’s Office. Reports received are searchable online. The full report on Municipal Court and Revenue Filings for December is available online here.

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 Jan. 30 – Feb. 5 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. With the possibility of winter weather, scheduled maintenance and construction projects may be postponed.

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 or visit modot.org/northwest/.

Atchison County

• Route 275 – Shoulder work, Jan. 30 – Feb. 3

Buchanan County

• Route 6 – Pothole patching, Jan. 30 – Feb. 3
• Route 116 – From Rushville to DeKalb for sealing, Jan. 30 – Feb. 3

Caldwell County

• U.S. Route 36 – CLOSED at the Route 13 overpass for bridge maintenance, Jan. 30 – Feb. 3 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Traffic will be directed up and over the ramps at Hamilton during the closure.

Clinton County

• Route 116 – From U.S. Route 169 to the Buchanan County line for sealing, Jan. 30 – Feb. 3

Gentry County

• U.S. Route 136 – From the Nodaway County line to the city limits of Stanberry for crack sealing, Jan. 30 – Feb. 3

Harrison County

• Interstate 35 – From mile marker 84 (Route H) to mile marker 114 (Iowa state line) for sealing, Jan. 30 – Feb. 3

Holt County

• Route 111 – From the city limits of Big Lake to the city limits of Craig for shoulder repair, Jan. 30 – Feb. 3

Linn County

• U.S. Route 36 – From Route 139 to Route 11 for pothole patching, Jan. 30 – Feb. 3

Mercer County

• U.S. Route 65 – From the city limits of Princeton to the Grundy County line for sealing, Jan. 30 – Feb. 3

Nodaway County

• U.S. Route 136 – From the One Hundred and Two River Bridge to Route 46 for shoulder work, Jan. 30 – Feb. 3
• U.S. Route 136 – From Route J to the Gentry County line for sealing, Jan. 23 – 27

Worth County

• Route 46 – From U.S. Route 169 to Route C for sealing, Jan. 30 – Feb. 3

The St. Joseph Public Library wants residents to tell their stories for an audio history project.

Reference Librarian Jennifer Sanders-Tutt said this is the first time the library has started a project like this.

“I had seen and heard a lot of other communities and libraries especially, collecting oral histories in an effort to preserve and archive oral history for future generations, a different way of preserving history,” Sanders-Tutt said. “I thought that was something that would be perfect for St. Joe, something that St. Joseph really needed, so I kind of got the ball rolling on it.”

Sanders-Tutt said they’re looking for people who have lived the most St. Joseph history.

“By that I mean, they were born here, they grew up here, they’ve lived their entire lives here, they’ve worked here,” Sanders-Tutt said. “Eventually I’d like to expand it out to certain special topics, but right now, just mainly focusing on how people’s life stories kind of intermingle with St. Joseph’s history.”

The stories will be put into the library’s archive and will serve as a resource for local historians. The audio will also be put online for the public to access.

Sanders-Tutt said this is a project that they hope to continue for a long time to come.

“I think every story gives a new perspective to history that we haven’t seen, every story gives context where you might just have facts,” Sanders-Tutt said. “So everyone has something valuable to share and to contribute to St. Joseph’s history.”

For more information contact Jennifer Sanders-Tutt at (816) 232-8151 or jstutt@sjplnow.com or visit the St. Joseph Public Library’s Facebook page.

A new program will offer customized training sessions for businesses in northwest Missouri.

Rebecca Lobina said she is taking on a role in Client-Based Training with Northwest Missouri State University in addition to her position as the Associate Regional Director for the Small Business and Technology Development Center.

“Client-Based Training is essentially customized training for businesses and organizations.  It’s not a canned program,” Lobina said. “We go to the client, we find out what their needs are and we can customize a program that specifically meets their needs.”

Lobina said the first step is meeting with the client and finding out what the gaps in their workforce are then they put together a proposed outline for training based on what their needs are.

“We would reach out and find speakers to present on those topics.  Some of those presenters may be individuals from the University.  The University is fortunate to have many people who are professors there who also have what we call real-world experience,” Lobina said. “When you’re talking about training businesses it’s nice if it’s somebody who has that experience.”

Lobina said she is currently working with several clients.  Anyone with questions can contact her at the Small Business and Technology Development Center (816) 364-4105.

 

The Friends of the St. Joseph Animal Shelter encourages anyone looking to adopt a pet to consider teaching an old dog new tricks.

Kappy Hodges with the Friends of the St. Joseph Animal Shelter said older dogs are often overlooked when it’s time for adoption.

“When people go in to adopt, they tend to be looking for really a younger dog and that’s not always the best fit for your family,” Hodges said. “What really works better, what makes better long term adoptions and more satisfied families that include a fur dog is the good fit.”

Hodges said oftentimes it’s much easier to adopt an older dog.

“Even if you don’t know the background of this dog, when you look at this dog, you know what size it’s going to be, you can tell what energy level it’s got, you can see how much hair it’s going to have, you can walk it around and see how it does on a leash and if it has some manners,” Hodges said. “Senior dogs are just so much easier to work with. All you have to do is kind of buff up the house training that they’ve probably been through at some point in their lives already and kind of get them into the rhythm of your lifestyle and your house and how it goes there.”

Hodges said some tips for people thinking about adopting an older dog to help make it a smooth transition for the pet and owner include giving the pet some space so it can get to know its place in a new house.

“You’ll need to get him a collar with a tag on it that says your phone number and what you’re calling him so if he happens to stray off, someone can find and get him back to you right away, he may not know the area,” Hodges said. “You’re going to want to take your newly adopted dog to the vet for a checkup, just make sure… there’s nothing that you didn’t notice. It’s good to set up a predictable routine for the dog because routine is reassuring to pets.”

Hodges said she encourages anyone looking into adopting a pet to consider older dogs at the shelter.

“Those dogs know what you have done for them, they have such an appreciation and a gratitude,” Hodges said. “It’s really quite a moving experience and I have to say there’s nothing like it and I really encourage people to consider an older dog or an adult dog when they are looking to add a member to their family.”

Some Friends of the St. Joseph Animal Shelter events coming up include half-off cats special on February 1st and half-off dogs on February 15th. The Friends will also be holding their 5K fundraiser in April. The 3rd Annual 5K Walk for the Paws will be held Saturday, April 8th. For more information, click here.  

MARYVILLE, Mo. (AP) — A federal lawsuit says Maryville police allegedly punched and electroshocked an autistic man seven times.

The Kansas City Star says the suit was filed Thursday by the parents of Christopher Kramer, who was an 18-year-old high school special education student when the incident occurred. A court has found Kramer to be an incapacitated and disabled person, which the suit says is because of his autism.

The suit alleges Kramer was found May 6 tying his shoe in the yard of a house. A Missouri Highway Patrol trooper who lived there called out to Kramer, who became frightened and ran. The trooper called Maryville police, whose officers tackled Kramer to the ground and shocked him multiple times using a Taser.

Kramer was later released and not charged.

Maryville Public Safety Director Keith Wood didn’t immediately return a message Friday from The Associated Press.

Missouri Western State University has suspended operations of Western Playhouse, the summer theatre company, due to recent state budget withholding.

Auditions scheduled in St. Joseph and Kansas City in February for this summer’s planned production of “West Side Story” are cancelled.

“Western Playhouse has been a tremendous artistic success for five seasons, with high-quality productions staged by talented cast and crew from around the nation,” said Dr. Gordon Mapley, dean of the Western Institute and Western Playhouse executive producer. “Unfortunately, we are unable to continue operations under the university’s current budget situation. We will evaluate the possibility of resuming the Playhouse if there are more favorable financial conditions in the future.”

Western Playhouse was founded in 2012 to enhance the St. Joseph arts scene with professional-quality summer productions. It also provided many Missouri Western students with their first professional theatre opportunities both on stage and behind the scenes.

“Each year, more than 20 Missouri Western students have been part of Western Playhouse, with many earning Actors Equity points toward their Equity card” Mapley added. “Many of our graduates have noted how their Western Playhouse experience has helped them advance in their professional careers.”

Over its five seasons, Western Playhouse produced nine shows, most recently “Fiddler on the Roof” in 2016.

“I’m proud of the work we did at Western Playhouse,” said Dr. Bob Willenbrink, founding dean of Missouri Western’s School of Fine Arts and Western Playhouse producing director. “We made it possible for St. Joseph audiences to see gifted professional actors from New York, Kansas City and elsewhere while nurturing young talents just embarking on their careers. I’m very grateful to those who made it possible.”

While Western Playhouse will not operate this year, Missouri Western’s School of Fine Arts will continue to be a strong presence in the local theatre scene through its Department of Theatre, Cinema and Dance’s Theatre Season. The department presents four productions per year. The spring semester shows are William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” Feb. 24-March 4 and “The Wedding Singer” April 21-29. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit mwsutix.com.

The St. Joseph Police Department is investigating after a driver in a stolen pickup truck crashed into a detective’s vehicle Thursday evening.

Sgt. Kevin Cummings said shortly after 5 p.m. they responded to the area of Ken Smith Auto Body in the 1600 block of Frederick after a caller reported someone prowling around the vehicles. Cummings said when officers responded two suspects got back into a stolen truck and took off.

That same truck was also reportedly involved in a high-speed chase with the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The vehicle was reported stolen Jan. 24 from the area of Karnes and Miller roads. Later, Thursday evening around the 2300 block of 759 highway the stolen pickup was spotted again. The driver of the stolen truck allegedly backed into the detective’s car in an effort to flee the area causing minor damage to the police vehicle.

No one is currently in custody in connection with the investigation. No suspect description was available. The stolen truck was described as a gray Ford F-150 with a super crew cab, running boards and a bug screen. As of Friday morning the truck had not been recovered.