As of about 4:30 p.m. Thursday, forecasters at the National Weather Service were predicting a quarter inch to three quarters of an inch of ice accumulations across the region through Sunday night. Light precipitation is expected to begin Friday morning, with periods of freezing rain continuing through Sunday afternoon or evening.

Ice accumulation on trees and powerlines may result in scattered power outages. Forecasters predict major impacts to travel, as ice accumulates on roadways, bridges and overpasses.

Here are some forecasts for cities across the region:
St. Joseph: .25 to .50″
Jefferson City: .71″
Kansas City: .59″
St. Louis: .46″
Salina: .62″
Garden City: .65″
Lincoln: .09″
Omaha: .05″

St. Joseph Police Chief Chris Connally says total crime reports last year were up two percent over the year before, but some categories reached their lowest levels in years.

Connally says crime reports for the first six months of the year were up 7%, but in the second half of last year, total crime reports were down by nearly 3%. He says this is true in many individual crime categories as well.

There were 11,405 crimes reported, compared to 11,172 in 2015, according to the St. Joseph Police Department’s annual crime analysis report.

Roberies, rapes and aggravated assaults were up, but arsons, burglaries and stealing reports were down. Moter vehicle thefts went up from 486 in 2015 to 612 last year.

Total violent crime was down slightly, while total non-violent crime reports increased.

There were seven murders reported last year, which is the same number as was reported a year earlier.

Chief Connally says his officers only worked one fatality traffic accident last year, which he called the lowest level in a decade and a half.

Connally is careful to point out that these statistics don’t tell the whole story.

“Any time that we’re talking about crime statistics, any time we’re talking about any of these numbers, we do need to remember that these numbers represent somebody in our community, somebody who has experienced a loss,” Chief Connally said. “I don’t like to sound too casual when we discuss these things because each and every one of these crimes that are reported represents somebody who in some way, whether it’s property or injury or in some way has experienced a negative consequence.”

Connally says his department is about to change the way it analyzes crime data.

“What will be interesting is, at some point this year, we’re going look at switching over to the National Incident-Based Reporting system,” he says. “We’ll have to work on normalizing some of the numbers.”

“It’s really just another way of looking at it.”

The current system treats as one crime an incident that might involve several separate criminal acts. For instance, a robbery and murder would be counted as a murder. Thus, Connally acknowledges, some of those combination crimes might be under-reported. The NIBRS system counts each crime separately.

“When it comes to reports to the police, everything’s under-reported, except probably murder,” Connally said.

“If you look at crime victimization studies, you’ll find there’s a lot higher numbers there, in some cases over a third higher in a lot of categories.”

With an ice storm expected this weekend officials are gearing up to battle slick pavements and possible power outages.

The National Weather Service has issued an ice storm warning for northwest Missouri.  Warning is in effect from 9 a.m. Friday to midnight Sunday.

The Missouri Department of Transportation began pre-treating roads in the Northwest District Wednesday morning.

“Since it’s going to be freezing rain coming in first we decided to start to go out and start pre-treating our roads.  Get some sort of salt solution on them before the event actually starts happening,” said Marty Liles, MoDOT Northwest District Maintenance & Traffic Engineer. “We actually spray that on the road and the water evaporates off of that and what’s left behind is a salt residue. That buys us some time so whenever that ice actually starts happening it allows us to get to those roads and start getting some salt down.  It actually starts the melting process.”

Liles said all state roadways in the Northwest District should have been pre-treated before the storm hits.

“In our portion of the state we’re looking at anywhere from a quarter to three tenths of ice but as your get further into the middle part of the state, Kansas City and through that I-70 corridor there’s a half to three quarters of ice predicted,” Liles said. “People ought to heed the warnings.”

Keven Schneider, Interim Superintendent of Streets for the City of St. Joseph said crews began getting chains ready for the trucks Thursday.

“Making sure we have a good supply of the older style tire chains that we used to use.  Because on ice they’re about the best thing that you can have,” Schneider said. “In those big heavy trucks they don’t stop on a dime in the best conditions.  Those streets that we’re recommending people stay off of are the very streets that we have to be out on.  So the slickness is a big, big worry that we have.”

Schneider said they are still watching the forecast to determine how to battle the incoming storm.

Bill Brinton, Buchanan County’s Emergency Manager is asking people to plan ahead and prepare to stay inside this weekend.

“People need to be cognoscente.  They have responsibility also about the weather and trying to keep themselves safe so that our emergency responders don’t have to come out and save them in the event that they get themselves stuck in some really bad weather,” Brinton said.

He said Kansas City Power and Light has trimmed many trees around powerlines in St. Joseph city limits.  However, Brinton said people still need to prepare in case power goes out.

“There’s not going to be a lot of wind which is a good thing,” Brinton said. “But there’s always the possibility of power failures so people need to keep some blankets around and make sure they can stay warm for a few hours.”

Brinton said in the county, crews will not be out with trucks on roads until daylight hours.

“Our guys don’t go out after dark.  As most people know our roads, a lot of them are gravel,” Brinton said. “We don’t have street lights and we don’t have curbs.  So our guys will not go out until Sunday morning.  Lots of times on gravel roads there’s really nothing you can do.  The temperatures are supposed to be in mid 40s by Monday so it will all dissipate pretty quickly.”

MoDOT has issued a winter weather advisory for reduced travel in Missouri.  People are urged to avoid travel starting Thursday night through Sunday.

(Update 10:50 a.m.) – Two people living in a house near 11th and Garfield will have to find another place to live after a car rammed into their home Thursday morning.

“The vehicle was coming northbound on 11th street and for unknown reasons swerved to the right, went off the road and struck the house,” said Scott Gary, Traffic Officer for the St. Joseph Police Department. “In the process of hitting the house it also hit the gas main before the house.”

The residents inside were not injured. The crash knocked the home off of its foundation. The incident took place shortly after 10 a.m. in the 2300 block of 11th. The gas leak prompted police to close a two block stretch of 11th.  The road was reopened around 11:30 a.m.

A city building inspector posted a condemnation notice on the house, which authorities said sustained serious structural damage.

Gary said police are searching for the driver who fled the scene.  The driver’s injuries are currently unknown.

 

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(10:30 a.m.) – The St. Joseph Police Department is urging people to avoid the area of S 11th St. between Garfield Ave. and Hickory due to a gas leak.

Authorities sent out the alert shortly before 10:30 a.m. Thursday. Police said the gas leak was caused by a traffic crash.

We will update this post as more information becomes available.

An investigation continues into the cause of the fire that destroyed the historic Pioneer building in downtown St. Joseph last November.

Mary Robertson with the City of St. Joseph says inspectors have paused their work as demolition continues.

There is an area of interest they hope to inspect more closely. Once the demo company clears the area of interest the inspectors will resume their work.

Until then the fire remains “under investigaton,” Robertson said.

The building caught fire November 21, prompting a huge and lengthy response from the St. Joseph Fire Department. Madget Demolition of St. Joseph began preliminary demolition work December 12. Downtown roads were closed for several weeks in the area of 5th and Francis Streets, and businesses in the area were affected.

Both Fifth and Francis Streets were at least partially closed Wednesday to make room for heavy equipment.

JEFFERSON CITY – Motorists should avoid travel if possible in Missouri late Thursday night through Sunday due to incoming significant amounts of freezing rain, sleet and ice. Travel on Missouri’s roads should be avoided overnight Thursday into Friday through Sunday. Friday morning rush hour commutes will be impacted by the freezing rain across most of Missouri.

“MoDOT crews will be out ahead of the storm using a mixture of chemicals and abrasives including salt brine and salt,” said MoDOT State Maintenance Engineer Becky Allmeroth. “Ice is the most difficult storm to fight. With large areas of the state expected to get a half inch or more, it can cause downed power lines and potential roadway closures. Motorists should avoid travel this weekend if at all possible.”

Many universities and colleges across the state begin next Tuesday. Students are advised to avoid travel this weekend and consider travel after the ice storm is clear and conditions improve.

If a section of highway is shut down for extended periods, motorists should heed the warnings on the digital signs and exit the highway at the next available exit. To check road conditions including winter weather conditions and traffic speeds, please check MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map at http://traveler.modot.org/map/.

“All week, our crews have been gathering chain saws, chippers and other equipment that will be important when we have downed trees from the ice accumulation,” Allmeroth said. “If there are power outages, please treat dark signals as a four-way stop. Stay away from downed lines.”

She said that when roads get icy, to consider putting chains on vehicles if you have to travel. Also, use proper winter safety precautions and make sure you have a full tank of gas, extra blankets and gloves and provisions like water and snacks.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services had finalized the name change of Squaw Creek to Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge.

According to a news release announced on Wednesday, Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe has officially changed the name.

The refuge was established by Franklin D. Roosevelt by an Executive Order in 1935.  The wildlife service said the name Squaw Creek came from a stream originating about 30 miles north in Nodaway County.  It said that while the creek is an important part of refuge hydrology and related habitats, and is steeped in history and local lore, the word “squaw” is offensive in contemporary context and is no longer an acceptable name in the National Wildlife Refuge System.

“Our decision is consistent with more than two decades of work across the American landscape to end derogatory naming practices for geographical names, as well as the common names given to plants and animal species across North America,” the release stated. “It is important that federal lands within the National Wildlife Refuge System are respectful to all cultural and ethnic groups. Because the refuge was established through executive order, the Director has authority to rename the refuge. In addition to this renaming, our agency also recently changed the name of Halfbreed Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Montana to Grass Lake National Wildlife Refuge.”

The agency said the policy regarding the naming of national wildlife refuges also states that the Director “must give first preference to a geographic or geologic feature identifiable with the unit’s location, if the feature significantly affects the use or natural resources of the area.” The name Loess Bluffs reflects interest from key stakeholders who recognize the Loess Hills as an identifying feature of the area. This change affects only the refuge name, not the creek itself.

Overlooking the refuge from the east, the Loess Hills habitat, also referred to in historic records as ‘Loess Bluffs,’ is a geologic formation of fine silt deposited after the past glacial period. These unique hills stretch from about 30 miles south of St. Joseph, Missouri, to northern Iowa. Some of the last parcels of native plants, remnants of a once vast prairie, can be found on the refuge. Although this geologic formation is found elsewhere, the area of the deepest silt is found in the vicinity of the refuge. Based on this geologic feature, and in compliance with our policies, the refuge has been renamed Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge.

“Our staff have been going about the usual planning process to update various aspects of refuge infrastructure, due to normal wear and maintenance, over the last eight months,” said Refuge Area Supervisor Sabrina Chandler. “This includes creating work plans for updating signage and brochures, as well as supporting websites and other information that we provide to the public. So, now is a perfect time to implement the name change and avoid additional costs in the future.”

For more information about naming and renaming units CLICK HERE.