Motorists are advised to avoid unnecessary travel on Friday because of escalated snowfall rates that at times could reach one inch per hour across parts of Missouri.

According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, roads are being impacted and visibility will be reduced, especially during the afternoon and into the evening commute.

The St. Joseph Police Department issued a Nixle alert shortly after 11:30 a.m. saying due to poor weather conditions and slick roads, they advise motorists to drive with caution and avoid driving at all unless absolutely necessary.

According to the National Weather Service, snow is expected most of the day on Friday. Total accumulations of 2 to 4 inches is forecast, with some locations getting even more snow. The storm will also bring sleet and freezing rain in the southern part of the state.

You can check road conditions on MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map at http://traveler.modot.org/map/  The map is also available as an app on your mobile device through Android Google Play and Apple iTunes, search MoDOT Traveler Information.

MoDOT also provides road condition information through its Customer Service Center. Dial 888-ASK-MODOT (888-275-6636) to speak with a customer service representative 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

St. Joseph Mayor Bill McMurray gave his first State of the City address Friday morning at the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce Public Affairs Coffee event.

The Mayor started out by saying the State of the City is worthwhile.

“The city worthwhile, is worth your while and here’s what I’d like you to do to make it worth your while. Borrowing some phrases from Imagine St. Joseph, I’d like you to invest in people, create a better place and I’d like you to grow prosperity,” McMurray said. “That’s what we’re going to be about in the next 20 years and I think the council, the staff, the city and the community, we’ve all started already on these things.”

The mayor went on to expand on the three ideas, saying one of the things the city council did to invest in people was to raise public safety salaries. He said the economy in St. Joseph is doing well, which is a way of investing in people, as the unemployment rate in St. Joseph is 2.5 percent and St. Joseph has the third highest average wage in the state.

In speaking on creating a better place, McMurray commended the St. Joseph Police Department for being one of about eight police departments in the state that is a state certified department. He said crime in several areas, including Part One crimes and motor vehicle theft, was down in 2018 compared to 2017.

“Crime prevention is not just a police problem, crime prevention is a community problem and our community has started, has always actually, but has started to do even more in that area,” McMurray said.

He mentioned the Blue Ribbon Crime Commission bringing law enforcement and community members together and the growth of the police department’s community policing initiatives in neighborhoods.

The mayor mentioned community appearance as part of creating a better place. He said the council approved $100,000 more for vacant structure stabilization and there has been discussion about a rental inspection program and plans for developing the riverfront.

On the topic of growing prosperity, McMurray mentioned the construction of Corporate Drive connecting to the Highway 36 interchange that will spur economic development. He also commended the 139th Airlift Wing and its plans for expansion over the next ten years.

Mayor McMurray ended the State of the City address by reiterating the three points and challenging St. Joseph to be bold in plans for the future.

WASHINGTON, DC – The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) this week announced $10.2 million in Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives (STSFA) grants to seven states to test new ways to finance highway and bridge projects.

The program’s goal is to allow states to test user-based alternatives to support the Highway Trust Fund, which relies primarily on the federal gas tax.

“These grants provide states with the opportunity to explore innovative new ways to help pay for infrastructure improvements and maintenance,” said Deputy Federal Highway Administrator Brandye L. Hendrickson.

The STSFA grants fund projects to test the design, implementation, and acceptance of user-based alternative revenue tools.  FHWA officials selected proposals from seven states – California, Delaware, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Utah.

The seven projects will investigate and evaluate various mileage-based and road-user charges, including for trucks and automated vehicles, and the implementation and operation of the technologies at a regional level.

This is the third innovation grant MoDOT has received from the FHWA to study the future of transportation funding under the STSFA program. This week’s grant of $1.72 million follows an initial grant of $250,000 in 2017, and a second grant of $2.88 million in 2018.

MoDOT intends to use the federal grant funding to continue to work with the Missouri Department of Revenue DOR to improve the efficiency and accuracy of its data systems associated with Missouri’s registration fee system for personal vehicles. Missouri’s proposal is that the registration fee would be based on the basis of the fuel efficiency of the vehicle—measured in miles per gallon—rather than the outdated metric of “taxable horsepower” which is no longer calculated or published by vehicle manufacturers.

STSFA was established under the “Fixing America’s Surface Transportation” (FAST) Act.

– Missouri Department of Transportation press release –

By Sarah Thomack
St. Joseph Post

(This event was rescheduled due to weather. It will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28th at the Nodaway County Administration Building.)

An opportunity for makers and entrepreneurs to learn how to take their hobby to the next level is coming up in Maryville.

Maryville Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lily White said they are putting together a seminar called, “From Maker to Made.”

White said the event came about because the Chamber noticed at area craft shows and through other events how many local people are makers.

“They’re making incredible things… selling earrings, makeup bags and homemade woodcraft projects, as far as whole furniture sets and they are incredibly talented, but they’re all doing it in their spare time and it’s a passion that they have,” White said. “So we are going to try to find a way to not only help teach them, but learn from them what they need from our community to better assist them, so some of them might actually be able to make this into their career.”

White said they are working with Nodaway County Economic Development, Northwest Missouri Enterprise Facilitation, the Regional Council of Governments and more to present the inaugural seminar next week.

“What we’re going to do at that one is going to be a little bit broad, but we’re going to start talking about wholesaling to different boutiques and different small businesses and then also scaling to sell online, so we can really teach these individuals that already have this awesome skill set, to get their product out further and market themselves,” White said. “We’re hoping that it spins off into larger seminars and more ways for us to help them.”

The “From Maker to Made” event takes place at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 19th at the Nodaway County Administration Building. For more information, go to maryvillechamber.com.

(UPDATE Thursday 9:35 a.m.) – St. Joseph Police have identified the pedestrian who died after being hit by a vehicle on Highway 36 Wednesday afternoon.

According to Capt. Jeff Wilson with the department, 29-year-old Kyle Juhl of Wathena got out of his vehicle on the highway to help another driver experiencing a medical issue. Juhl was hit by another vehicle and died a short time later.

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(UPDATE Wednesday 10 p.m.) Police confirm the pedestrian hit by a vehicle on Highway 36 Wednesday afternoon has died.

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A pedestrian was hit Wednesday afternoon on Highway 36.

According to Capt. Jeff Wilson with the St. Joseph Police Department, around 2:20 p.m. the driver of a vehicle on 36 Highway just west of the Belt Highway was experiencing a medical issue. A person in another vehicle stopped to help and was hit by a third vehicle on Highway 36.

The pedestrian and the person with the medical issue were both taken to the hospital.

Updates will be posted when more information is released.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former teacher in Cameron has been indicted by a federal grand jury for using three minor victims to produce child pornography.

William Derek Williams, 39, was charged in a four-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday. Williams formerly was a high school language arts teacher and more recently a part-time high school multimedia teacher at the time of the alleged offense.

The federal indictment charges Williams with three counts of producing child pornography, involving three different minor victims, from Jan. 1, 2013, to Sept. 6, 2018. Williams is also charged with one count of possessing child pornography on Sept. 8, 2018.

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. Attorney David Luna. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Clinton County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

– News release from the Office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri –