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. 16 – 22 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.

Buchanan County

• Route 6 – At Woodbine Road for utility work, Jan. 16 – 20
• Route 116 – From Rushville to DeKalb for sealing, Jan. 17 – 20

Caldwell County

• U.S. Route 36 – CLOSED at the Route 13 overpass for bridge maintenance, Jan. 17 – 20, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Traffic will be directed up and over the ramps at Hamilton during the closure.

Grundy County

• U.S. Route 65 – From the city limits of Trenton to the Livingston County line for pavement repair, Jan. 17 – 20
• Route 6 – From the city limits of Trenton to the Daviess County line for pavement repair, Nov. 17 – 20
• Route 146 – From Route 6 to the Grundy County line for pothole patching, Nov. 17 – 20

Holt County

• Route 111 – From the city limits of Big Lake to the city limits of Craig for shoulder repair, Jan. 17 – 20
• Route A – CLOSED at the Nodaway River Bridge from Elm Street to Diamond Trail (Nodaway County) for maintenance, Jan. 18, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Mercer County

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

Nodaway County

• Route A – CLOSED at the Nodaway River Bridge from Elm Street (Holt County) to Diamond Trail for maintenance, Jan. 18, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Worth County

• Route 46 – From U.S. Route 169 to Route C for sealing, Jan. 17 – 20

The Downtown Children’s Library is introducing two programs for aspiring young movie makers. 

“Stop! Animate and Film It!” is a program for youth in grades 3-6 exploring stop motion animation. In the program, groups will work together brainstorming and filming to make short films using the LEGO Movie Maker on the iPad. Program sessions will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursdays beginning January 26 and running through February 23.

The other program, “Roll Cameras!” is geared toward youth grades 5-8. This program will incorporate acting, editing, brainstorming with groups, creating a storyboard and filming short ads for the library. Program sessions begin at 4 p.m. on Mondays January 23 through March 6. 

Jen Wildhagen is the Children’s Department Manager at the Downtown Branch of the St. Joseph Public Library. Wildhagen said she attended a workshop to explore making promotional movies for library tutorials.

“When we started playing with these apps, I saw the potential for use with children and letting them explore a different medium than they’re accustomed to,” Wildhagen said. “We offer so many different kinds of programs at the library that kids absolutely love but this is something that we’ve never had the opportunity to offer and it’s such a cutting edge kind of idea that kids can be making their own movies and learn about editing and lighting and placement. It’s really exciting for them to be able to use that part of their creativity in such a unique way.”

Wildhagen said participants need to be able to attend all sessions and they will most likely offer more sessions later in the year for anyone unable to attend the first round. The final session of each program will be an Awards Night, featuring showings of the finished projects and announcing winners of different categories. 

The library recently received an LSTA Technology Mini-Grant from the Missouri State Library providing funding to purchase iPads and other movie making equipment. 

For more information on either program or to sign up, contact the library at (816) 232-3812 or click here.

Students interested in attending Central High School are encouraged to sign up for a prospective visit day.

The school is holding the event Friday, Jan. 27 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. for prospective students. Interested students are asked to RSVP by Jan. 25 to Kelsi Meyer at (816) 671-4080 or kelsi.meyer@sjsd.k12.mo.us.

The school said it invites all the parochial and private schools in the area.

Students will receive information on all of Central’s programs and offerings including: International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, clubs and organizations and additional course information. 

All incoming Central students, public and private, will also be invited to a Future Indians event in the spring, but this event provides a smaller setting for students to get their questions answered.

“We really want to reach out to the students who might not have experience at Central or in the public school system,” said Kelsi Meyer, Central Counselor. “The biggest thing is to make them feel comfortable and give them space to answer all of the questions they or their parents have. There is a large selection of classes and programs that we offer, as well as clubs and activities, and we want to lay out all the opportunities so they will know what they are doing when they go to register.”

The tentative itinerary is as follows:

9:30: Welcome and Introductions
9:35: Introduce Counselors and Tour Guides
9:40: Building tours – given by past private school students who had made the transition to CHS
10:10: Registration process explained
10:25: Math requirements and curriculum
10:40: Any additional questions/ snacks/ freebies

The National Weather Service implemented an Ice Storm Warning for most of the region Saturday shortly before 4 a.m extending to 6 a.m. Monday.

According to the National Weather Service:

A BAND OF FREEZING RAIN LIFTED NORTH ACROSS EASTERN KANSAS AND
NORTHERN MISSOURI OVERNIGHT. GIVEN THE SUB-FREEZING SURFACE
TEMPERATURES…IT TOOK VERY LITTLE TIME FOR THIS BAND OF FREEZING
RAIN TO QUICKLY START ACCUMULATING ICE. WHILE THIS BAND OF RAIN
WAS RATHER DISCREET…IT MOVED NORTH OF THE CURRENT ICE STORM
WARNING…THEREFORE WE HAVE GONE AHEAD AND ISSUED THE NORTHERN
SEGMENT OF THE ICE STORM WARNING. LIKELY WE WONT HAVE MUCH… IF
ANY…ICE ACCUMULATION DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS AS THE FOCUS FOR
PRECIPITATION MOVES SOUTH FOR DAY…BUT WE CONTINUE TO EXPECT A
BROAD AREA OF FREEZING RAIN RESULTING IN SIGNIFICANT ICE
ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS THE REGION LATE TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY.
ADDITIONALLY…THE FREEZING RAIN MAY LINGER ACROSS FAR NORTHERN
MISSOURI…AROUND HIGHWAY 36 AND POINTS NORTH…THROUGH MUCH OF
SUNDAY NIGHT. THEREFORE WE HAVE PUSHED OUT THE EXPIRATION TIME
FOR THE NORTHERN SEGMENT TO 6 AM MONDAY.

…ICE STORM WARNING NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST MONDAY…

* TIMING…FREEZING RAIN WILL LET UP FOR MUCH OF THE DAYLIGHT
HOURS…THOUGH PERIODS OF LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE MAY OCCUR
THROUGH THE DAY. ANOTHER ROUND OF FREEZING RAIN AND SIGNIFICANT
ICE ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY…RESULTING
IN THE HEAVIEST PERIODS OF ICE ACCUMULATION. ICING MAY PERSIST
WELL INTO SUNDAY NIGHT.

* ICE ACCUMULATIONS…TOTAL ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF ONE-QUARTER TO
AROUND ONE HALF OF AN INCH.

* MAIN IMPACT…MAJOR IMPACTS TO TRAVEL ARE LIKELY AS ICE
ACCUMULATES ON AREA ROADWAYS. BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES WILL BE
MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO ICE ACCRETION. ICE ACCUMULATION ON TREES
AND POWERLINES MAY RESULT IN SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

AN ICE STORM WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF ICE ACCUMULATIONS
WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS OR IMPOSSIBLE. TRAVEL IS STRONGLY
DISCOURAGED. COMMERCE WILL LIKELY BE SEVERELY IMPACTED. IF YOU
MUST TRAVEL, KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT, FOOD, AND WATER IN YOUR
VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY. ICE ACCUMULATIONS AND WINDS WILL
LIKELY LEAD TO SNAPPED POWER LINES AND FALLING TREE BRANCHES THAT
ADD TO THE DANGER.

Areas impacted:
ATCHISON KS-DONIPHAN-ATCHISON MO-NODAWAY-WORTH-GENTRY-HARRISON-
MERCER-PUTNAM-SCHUYLER-HOLT-ANDREW-DE KALB-DAVIESS-GRUNDY-
SULLIVAN-ADAIR-BUCHANAN-CLINTON-CALDWELL-LIVINGSTON-LINN MO-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF ATCHISON, WATHENA, ELWOOD, TROY,
HIGHLAND, TARKIO, ROCKPORT, FAIRFAX, MARYVILLE, GRANT CITY,
ALBANY, STANBERRY, KING CITY, BETHANY, PRINCETON, MERCER,
UNIONVILLE, LANCASTER, QUEEN CITY, GREENTOP, DOWNING, GLENWOOD,
MOUND CITY, OREGON, MAITLAND, FOREST CITY, CRAIG, SAVANNAH,
COUNTRY CLUB VILLA, MAYSVILLE, STEWARTSVILLE, OSBORN, UNION STAR,
CLARKSDALE, GALLATIN, JAMESPORT, TRENTON, MILAN, GREEN CITY,
KIRKSVILLE, ST. JOSEPH AIRPORT, ST. JOSEPH, CAMERON, PLATTSBURG,
LATHROP, HAMILTON, BRAYMER, POLO, BRECKENRIDGE, CHILLICOTHE,
BROOKFIELD, AND MARCELINE
347 AM CST SAT JAN 14 2017

United Way Success by 6 plans to hold a training on “Transforming Aggressive Behaviors” Friday for parents and caregivers.

The free training will be offered Jan. 20 from 6 p.m. to  p.m. at McCarthy Baptist Church located at 2710 S. Belt. Highway.

Jill Molli, a certified conscious discipline trainer will present the training that provides strategies to deal with discipline issues.  The United Way said at the training participants will gain skills and knowledge to transform aggressive and defiant children into cooperative members of their home.

For more information or to register go to stjosephunitedway.org or call the agency at (816) 364-2381.

(News release) – Eight members of a violent St. Joseph, Mo., gang have been charged in a RICO indictment that alleges they committed murder, five attempted murders, drug trafficking and armed robberies, among other crimes, as part of a criminal enterprise.

Victor Matias-Torres, also known as “Papo” and “King Fenese,” 35, Luis Alfredo Villegas-Rosa, also known as “Puerto Rico,” and “Rico,” 28, his brother, Luis Gabriel Villegas-Rosa, also known as “Conan,” 35, Angel Antonio Martinez-Torres, also known as “Tony,” 37, Angel Rios-Rosa, also known as “Gato,” 30, Jose Morales-Delgado, also known as “Beto,” 32, Luis Calderon-Oliveras, 26, and Ismael Marquez, 29, all of St. Joseph, were charged in a 34-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017. The indictment was unsealed and made public today upon the arrests and initial court appearances of Luis Gabriel Villegas-Rosa and Morales-Delgado. Several defendants are already in custody in separate state cases.

The racketeering indictment alleges that all eight of the defendants were involved in a conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). According to the indictment, the criminal enterprise, which began in 2010, was led by Matias-Torres, formerly a high-ranking member of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation. Matias-Torres’s gang allegedly engaged in acts of violence, including murder and attempted murder, armed assault, armed robbery, extortion and witness intimidation. The gang allegedly trafficked in heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana.

Although the gang was based in St. Joseph, the indictment says, it also operated in Kansas, Iowa and Massachusetts, among other places, and recruited many of its members and associates from Puerto Rico. (Matias-Torres, the Villegas-Rosa brothers, Martinez-Torres, Rios-Rosa, Morales-Delgado, Calderon-Oliveras and Marquez are all citizens of the United States.)

According to the federal indictment, Matias-Torres directed the illicit operations of the gang and carried out much of the criminal activity himself. Matias-Torres, the indictment says, was a member of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation, which he joined in Philadelphia, Penn., in 2003, then rose to the leadership position of First Crown for the region. Matias-Torres moved to St. Joseph in 2010. Although members of the St. Joseph gang were often referred to as Latin Kings, the enterprise was not formally affiliated with the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation.

The indictment alleges that members of the enterprise enriched themselves and funded their operations with the proceeds of drug trafficking, robbery, burglary and extortion. They allegedly targeted rival drug dealers for robbery, not only to obtain the robbery proceeds, but to eliminate and deter competition in the drug trade and, at times, to extort a financial stake in future drug sales from the rival by offering “protection.” Members of the enterprise allegedly also extorted money from innocent victims by offering “protection” from future robberies and acts of violence.

Matias-Torres’s gang operated under a loose code of conduct, the indictment says, which included a requirement that Matias-Torres pre-approve certain criminal activity and that he receive a portion of the proceeds of the illegal activity, whether or not he participated. According to the indictment, members who did not follow the rules or who were perceived as disloyal to the enterprise, were confronted with acts of violence.

Leaders and members of the enterprise, according to the indictment, promoted a climate of fear in the community through repeated waves of gunfire, beatings and destruction of property, among other crimes of violence and intimidation.

Murder of John O. Baynham, Jr.

The indictment alleges that Luis Alfredo Villegas-Rosa murdered John O. Baynham, Jr., on Feb. 5, 2015, in St. Joseph, in aid of racketeering (Villegas-Rosa was convicted of the murder in a separate state case). The indictment also charges Villegas-Rosa with one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and one count of murder resulting from the use of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.

Murder Conspiracy: Attack on Co-Conspirator #3

The indictment alleges that Morales-Delgado, Calderon-Oliveras and Marquez (as well as other members of the gang) conspired to murder an individual identified as “Co-Conspirator #3.” Marquez allegedly fired shots at Co-Conspirator #3 on Sept. 10, 2012, in Estherville, Iowa. Sometime after that, Morales-Delgado met with Matias-Torres. All four men are charged with participating in a conspiracy to murder in aid of racketeering. In addition to the murder conspiracy, Morales-Delgado, Calderon-Oliveras and Marquez are also charged together in one count of assault and attempted murder in aid of racketeering and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Murder Conspiracy: Attack on Rival #1

The indictment alleges that Matias-Torres and the Villegas-Rosa brothers, along with other members of the gang, conspired to murder an individual identified as “Rival #1.” Luis Alfredo Villegas-Rosa allegedly fired gunshots at Rival #1 on Sept. 15, 2013, in St. Joseph. In addition to the murder conspiracy, all three men are charged together with one count of assault and attempted murder in aid of racketeering and with discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Attempted Murder: Attack on Victim #1

The indictment alleges that Luis Gabriel Villegas-Rosa attempted to murder an individual identified as “Victim #1.” Luis Gabriel Villegas-Rosa is charged with one count of assault and attempted murder in aid of racketeering and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Matias-Torres is charged with one count of participating in a conspiracy to tamper with a victim and one count of victim tampering. Matias-Torres and others allegedly threatened Victim #1 in January 2016 to intimidate him into withholding information about the attack from federal law enforcement investigators. Matias-Torres is also charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact for assisting Luis Gabriel Villegas-Rosa in January 2016 in order to hinder and prevent his trial and punishment for the attack.

Attempted Murder: Attack on Rival #2

The indictment alleges that Martinez-Torres attempted to murder an individual identified as “Rival #2” on Sept. 27, 2014, in St. Joseph. Martinez-Torres is charged with one count of assault and attempted murder in aid of racketeering and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Attempted Murder: Attack on a Disloyal Member

The indictment alleges that Matias-Torres attempted to murder Angel Antonio Martinez-Torres on April 3, 2016, in St. Joseph in order to maintain his leadership position in the criminal enterprise. Matias-Torres is charged with one count of assault and attempted murder in aid of racketeering and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Drug-Trafficking Conspiracy

The indictment alleges that, since 2011, Matias-Torres, Luis Alfredo Villegas-Rosa, Martinez-Torres, Morales-Delgado and Marquez, along with other members of the enterprise, distributed more than one kilogram of heroin, five kilograms or more of cocaine, 280 grams or more of crack cocaine, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 50 kilograms or more of marijuana. They are charged together in one count of participating in a conspiracy to distribute narcotics. Matias-Torres and Martinez-Torris are each also charged with one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Business Robberies

The indictment alleges that Matias-Torres and other gang members robbed five local businesses.

Matias-Torres and Morales-Delgado are charged with conspiracy and the robbery of Best Way check-cashing establishment at 4915 King Hill Ave., on June 29, 2012. Matias-Torres is also charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence in relation to the robbery. Matias-Torres and Calderon-Oliveras are charged with conspiracy and the robbery of Sack-N-Save grocery store at 4913 Lake Ave., on Sept. 28, 2012.

Matias-Torres and Rios-Rosa are charged in three separate conspiracies to rob local check-cashing establishments: Money On Time at 2243 N. Belt Hwy., on Dec. 28, 2012; Check Into Cash at 3302 N. Belt Hwy., on Jan. 19, 2013; and King of Kash at 2308 N. Belt Hwy., on Jan. 25,2013. In addition to the conspiracies, Rios-Rosa is charged with robbing Check Into Cash and King of Kash.

Additional Firearms Charges

Matias-Torres is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Matias-Torres allegedly was in possession of a Jimenez Arm 9mm pistol on Feb. 9, 2016.

Villegas-Rosa is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Villegas-Rosa allegedly was in possession of a Taurus .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol on Feb. 5, 2015.

Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick C. Edwards, David Raskin and Emily A. Orsinger. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Joseph, Mo., Police Department and the Buchanan County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.