The St. Joseph Police Department is investigating a home invasion that took place early Tuesday morning.

Capt. Jeff Wilson said police responded around 2:50 a.m. to the 1500 block of Jules. A man and a woman were inside the home at the time of the incident.  Wilson said the man reported that he got up to check out a loud noise and found two men wearing dark clothing inside his home. The suspects were allegedly armed with handguns and took misc. personal items from both victims. No injuries were reported.

Wilson said they have individuals believed to be persons of interest in the case. As of 9:30 a.m. police did not have anyone in custody.

(News release) – Three long-time principals will be leaving the St. Joseph School District at the end of the 2016 – 2017 school year: Lafayette High School Principal Dr. Tyran Sumy, Hyde Elementary Principal Jeaneen Boyer, and Oak Grove Elementary School Principal Mike Otto.

“All three principals are excellent educators and have made large contributions to their schools and the district,” said Superintendent Dr. Robert Newhart. “We are proud of the years they have put in. We will miss them greatly, and we wish them the best in their future endeavors. These will be hard shoes to fill.”

Dr. Tyran Sumy, Principal of Lafayette High School, will retire after 21 years with the district, 26 years as an administrator, and 33 years as an educator. Dr. Sumy also taught courses at William Woods University from 2007 to 2013.

Jeaneen Boyer, principal at Hyde Elementary, has been an educator for 31 years. She began teaching in Kansas City Kansas at Central Elementary, where she taught fourth grade, then came to Hosea Elementary in 1990, where she taught fourth and fifth grade. In 1995, she became the principal of Hall Elementary, and in 2004, she became the principal of Hyde Elementary.

Mike Otto, principal at Oak Grove Elementary, has been an educator for 31 years, beginning as a physical education and special education teacher in 1986. He taught in the Park Hill School District for seven years before becoming a principal there. He has been a principal for 17 years, ten years at Park Hill and seven years for the St. Joseph School District. Otto became principal of Coleman Elementary in 2010 moved to Oak Grove when the school opened in 2014. He was also a professor for seven years at Park University, and continues to teach adjunct classes at Ottawa University.

To view the news release on the retirements in full CLICK HERE

The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public for help identify a person of interest in a burglary investigation.

Sheriff Steve Cox said the department is assisting Chillicothe Police on the case. He said the surveillance photos provided show a person of interest in connection with a recent business burglary in Chillicothe.  The time stamp on the photos indicate they were taken Sunday shortly after midnight.

Cox said anyone with information on who this person is is asked to call the Chillicothe Police at 660-646-2121 or the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office at 660-646-0515.

“Any and all TIPS are appreciated,” Cox said.

The St. Joseph Police Department has posted a video on Facebook asking the public for assistance in locating a vehicle.

The video shows a white 2000’s model GMC Sierra truck hitting the concrete wall on the northwest side of City Hall, 1100 Frederick. Officer Brendan McGinnis said the incident took place last Wednesday around noon.

The St. Joseph Police Department’s Traffic Unit is asking for assistance in locating the truck shown in the video. The truck should have damage on the front passenger side, missing headlight, and damage to the hood. If the truck is located or seen call the Traffic Unit, Officer McGinnis at 816-271-4882.

(3:03 p.m.) – The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office said one person is in custody in connection with a shooting investigation that took place Sunday morning.

According to Sheriff Bill Puett, deputies responded to a large underage drinking party in the 100 block of Mount Zion Road shortly after 2 a.m. in reference to a 20-year-old St. Joseph man who had sustained a gunshot wound to the leg.

Puett said at this time the victim is recovering in a Kansas City hospital with what appears to be a non-life threatening wound.

A 17-year-old Wathena, Kan. boy was taken into custody in connection with the investigation.

Authorities from the sheriff’s patrol and Criminal Investigation division as well as the Drug Strike Force, St. Joseph Police Department, Wathena Police Department and Brown County Sheriff’s Office are investigating.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
(12:33 p.m.) – The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department is investigating an overnight shooting.
Sheriff Bill Puett said more information will be released later today.

As we learn more we will update this story.

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. 23 – 29 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.

 

Buchanan County

Route 6 – Pothole patching, Jan. 23 – 27

Route 116 – From Rushville to DeKalb for sealing, Jan. 23 – 27

Caldwell County

U.S. Route 36 – CLOSED at the Route 13 overpass for bridge maintenance, Jan. 23 – 27, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Traffic will be directed up and over the ramps at Hamilton during the closure.

Daviess County

Route 13 – From Route 6 to Route HH for sealing, Jan. 23 – 27

Gentry County

Route Z – Sealing, Jan. 23 – 27

Grundy County

U.S. Route 65 – From the city limits of Trenton to the Livingston County line for pavement repair, Jan. 23 – 27

Route 6 – From the city limits of Trenton to the Daviess County line for pavement repair, Jan. 23 – 27

Harrison County

Interstate 35 – Northbound from mile marker 92 near Bethany to mile marker 99 near Route A for sealing, Jan. 23 – 27

Holt County

Route 111 – From the city limits of Big Lake to the city limits of Craig for shoulder repair, Jan. 23 – 27

Linn County

U.S. Route 36 – From Route F to Route 5 for pavement repair and pothole patching, Jan. 23 – 26

Mercer County

Route P – CLOSED at the Brushy Creek Bridge for a bridge replacement. The road will be closed until February 2017.

Nodaway County

U.S. Route 136 – From the One Hundred and Two River Bridge to Route 46 for shoulder work, Jan. 23 – 27

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. 23 – 27

Chemistry experiments, creatures and mazes will all be part of Super Science Saturday next weekend. 

The annual event presented by the St. Joseph Museum and Missouri Western State University will feature new opportunities including building pinhole cameras for watching a solar eclipse and activities about the science of fitness and nutrition. 

Kathy Reno with the St. Joseph Museum said the purpose of the day is to get children of all ages excited about math and science. 

“Giving children chances to actually get their hands on it and do it themselves and find out it’s a lot of fun, it’s not intimidating, you can see cause and effect for yourself,” Reno said. “It’s a way to really get kids thinking, ‘This is fun and exciting and I might want to study this further.’” 

Reno said this year, since the solar eclipse will be taking place in August, there will be some eclipse related activities. 

“One of the things they’ll be doing is having the planetarium shows, but they’re going to be shorter and free and focus on things like astronomy,” Reno said. “Daniel Benz of Benton, their science instructor, is going to help the children make pinhole cameras that they can watch the eclipse with, just kind of teach them why it’s important to have that camera, you don’t want to see it without that.” 

Super Science Saturday takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, January 28, in the Remington/Agenstein Hall on the Missouri Western campus. Admission is $3 for adults and students and free entry for children under five.

For more information, call (816) 232-8471 or visit the St. Joseph Museum website.

Handing out coats and extending the number of hot meals provided at the Open Door Food Kitchen all started after an area business man took a drive through downtown St. Joseph.

“We just noticed that there were a lot of people standing in line waiting to eat at Open Door that didn’t have coats,” said Brad Derr, owner of Derr Equipment Case IH in Savannah. “They weren’t going to the places that had them so we felt the need to just get it right to them.”

So Derr said, he and his two boys, Garrett and Culter started a program to try to get clothing and coats into the hands of the homeless.

“It started out just to clean out my closets and turned into a rather large situation and we’re getting donations from all over the place,” Derr said. “Over 300 coats given away in about five times in the past three weeks.  I can tell you 60 percent of the time the faces on the street are new.”

They have been taking in donations at their family business located at 11001 Hwy 71 in Savannah.  Derr said he’s been overwhelmed by the number of donations.  They started a Facebook Page titled “Help the Homeless of Northwest Missouri.”  In a post on Facebook, Derr said as of January 5 they had already raised $1,892.18 in cash over a three week time span.  

“I have purchased $1,774.68 in goods. I have $117.50 in the fund,” he said. “One of my donors gave me their tithing with a warning I had better do right with it since this was the lords money. They had heard what we were doing & felt the need to make this donation. So with the thought of an unusual lightening strike in the winter directly on my head, I have paid all the sales tax out of my pocket. That means that not one cent has been spent or will ever be spent on anything other than goods for the homeless.”

In addition to manning a booth for Derr Equipment at the Ag & Rural Lifestyle Show scheduled for January 27- 28 at the Civic Arena, Derr said they will also be manning a donated booth to collect coats.   Clothing donations can be dropped off upstairs, cash donations to help with the effort should be left at the ticket window.

While talking with the homeless in downtown, Derr said he realized the Open Door Food Kitchen doesn’t offer a hot meal on Sundays.

“They were suggesting they needed a hot meal on Sunday, where they get a sack lunch on Sunday,” he said.  “We were given permission by Open Door Food Kitchen to start a breakfast brunch on Sundays.  Every Sunday of the year.”

He said the will start hot meals February 5th, Superbowl Sunday at 11 a.m.

He said they have a church group manning one Sunday a month every month, and that he plans to man two Sundays a month himself.  He said cash donations, volunteers, travel size hygiene products and kits, shoes, socks, and other clothing items are needed.

For more information CLICK HERE for a link to the Help the Homeless of Northwest Missouri Facebook Page.