Above normal temperatures today will give way to increasing chances for showers and storms overnight. Some storms may contain small hail across western Missouri and eastern Kansas. A strong cold front will then move through the region during the day on Wednesday. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service.

Today: Sunny, with a high near 77. South wind 9 to 13 mph. 

Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. South wind around 8 mph becoming east northeast after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday: Showers likely, mainly before 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57. North wind 10 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Wednesday Night: Patchy frost after 5 a.m. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 35. North wind 3 to 8 mph.

Thursday: Patchy frost before 8 a.m. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 59. Light and variable wind becoming east around 6 mph in the morning.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. 

Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77.

Saturday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 57. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 78.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63.

Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 81.

A St. Joseph man is considered a person of interest in threats made against students in numerous states.

Officer Ron Reardon with the Riverside Ohio Police Department said on September 29 in Ohio many students in the age range of 11 and 13 were receiving direct threats on their Facebook and Twitter accounts in relation to a social media account “Aint Clownin Around.”

“We found out on Sept. 30, on the day that they threats were supposed to take place. I think the post said that the killing and the kidnapping of students and teachers were going to occur at 2:30 on Friday, Sept. 30th which gave us about four hours to prepare for that time frame,” Reardon said. “So we made emergency contacts with Facebook and Suddenlink Communications out there in Missouri. They were very helpful and very quick with the responses which allowed us to obtain email address, IP addresses and finally the address where it’s all located.”

Reardon said once they discovered that the IP Address was located to the St. Joseph area he began working with the St. Joseph Police Department.

Last week, officers with the St. Joseph Police Department arrested a 27-year-old St. Joseph man in connection with the investigation of similar threats made against the St. Joseph School District during the same time period as the threats made in Ohio.

Reardon said the man arrested is being investigated as a person of interest in connection with similar threats made in at least three counties in Ohio, as well as jurisdictions in New Jersey, and Georgia.

“Some of what I’ve read on the news clippings is some of them immediately deemed them not credible, the ones that I did read that are investigating I will be forwarding everything I have so they can expedite the process of doing what they need to do with this individual,” Reardon said.

Officer Reardon told the St. Joseph Post he is still in the process of investigating the case to submit a case to the prosecutor’s officer in Ohio for consideration of charges.

“We’re making sure that we have all of the elements covered before we submit it to the prosecutor’s office,” Reardon said. “I just received the interviews and some additional information from St. Joseph today. It’s kind of hard when you’re working across lines.”

The St. Joseph Police Department said last week it submitted the case to the Buchanan County Prosecuting Attorney’s office for consideration of charges. As of Monday charges have not been filed.

Reardon said it’s still unclear if the threats were legitimate.

“I do know when they surrounded the house and made entry they did find loaded assault weapons with a bunch of ammo in the house,” Reardon said. “That’s the problem with him being in Missouri and us being in Ohio is I have to review the sit-down interviews that the detective over there had with this individual to determine for myself if I think they were credible or not.”

Reardon said the man arrested does have a lengthy criminal background but as charges have not been filed he cannot reveal it at this point.

Scattered showers and isolated storms are expected across the region today as a weak storm system passes overhead. No severe weather is expected at this time. Dry weather will then return on Tuesday before a strong cold front moves through the area on Wednesday. Here’s your seven-day forecast from the National Weather Service.

Columbus Day: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 8 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. South wind 6 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. 

Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. South southeast wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. 

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 77. South wind 8 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. 

Tuesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. South wind 6 to 8 mph becoming west southwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely before 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. North wind 8 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 38.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 58.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46.

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 66.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 57.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 78.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 76.

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 Oct. 10 – 16 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.

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/.

Andrew County

Route 48 – CLOSED at the Platte River Bridge near Whitesville for a bridge replacement project. The road will be closed through mid-November.

Buchanan County

Interstate 29, U.S. Route 36 and 169 for sweeping and flushing bridges, Oct. 10 – 14

I-229 – CLOSED ramp from southbound I-229 to southbound U.S. Route 759 for maintenance, Oct. 10 – 16

U.S. Route 36 – One mile east of Route AC for a bridge project, Oct. 10 – 16

Route 116 – From County Line Road to Route E for pothole patching, Oct. 11

Caldwell County

Route 13 – CLOSED at the Log Creek Bridge near Kingston for a bridge deck replacement project. The bridge will be closed through November.

Route 13 – From Route F to the Ray county line for shoulder work, Oct. 11 – 14

Clinton County

Route O – At the Roberts Branch Bridge east of Grayson for maintenance, Oct. 11 – 13

Route 116 – From Route A to the city limits of Lathrop for pothole patching, Oct. 12

Daviess County

Route DD – At the South Big Creek Bridge for maintenance, Oct. 11

Route B – At the I-35 Overpass Bridge for maintenance, Oct. 11

Route 190 – CLOSED from Prairie Avenue to Reel Avenue for a culvert replacement, Oct. 11, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route O – CLOSED from Route 6 to Prairie Avenue for a culvert replacement, Oct. 12, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

DeKalb County

U.S. Route 36 – Traffic will be head-to-head at the overpass over I-35 for a bridge replacement project. During this project, no left turns from U.S. Route 36 onto I-35 will be permitted, as the medians between east and westbound U.S. Route 36 will be closed. Please follow the signed detour route. This project will continue through mid-December.

I-35 – One lane may be closed under the U.S. Route 36 overpass for a bridge deck replacement project. During this project, traffic exiting I-35 will not be permitted to turn left onto U.S. Route 36, as the medians between east and westbound U.S. Route 36 will be closed. Please follow the signed detour route. This project will continue through mid-December.

Route O – CLOSED from Route 33 to Route J for culvert replacements, Oct. 11 – 14, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Gentry County

Route AA – CLOSED from Route E to Route V for pavement improvements, Oct. 11 – 12, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route AA – CLOSED FROM Route Z to Route V for pavement improvements, Oct. 13 – 14, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Grundy County

Route J – Pothole patching, Oct. 11

Route 6 – At the Muddy Creek and Little Medicine Creek bridges for maintenance,Oct. 12 – 13

Route 6 – From Route 146 to the Daviess County line for shoulder work, Oct. 12 – 14

Harrison County

I-35 – From mile marker 97 to mile marker 94 north of Bethany for maintenance,Oct. 11

Route B – From Route A to Route O for pothole patching, Oct. 11 – 12

Route O – From Route N to Route UU for pothole patching, Oct. 14

Linn County

Route M – From Route C to Route O (Sullivan County) for pothole patching, Oct. 11

Route PP – From Route C to the end of state maintenance for pothole patching,Oct. 11

Route 129 – At the Railroad Overpass Bridge in Bucklin for maintenance, Oct. 11

Route B – From Route 5 to Route B for pothole patching, Oct. 14

Livingston County

U.S. Route 65 – From Route K to the Grundy County line for pavement repair, Oct. 11

Nodaway County

Route U – CLOSED at the One Hundred and Two River Bridge for a bridge deck replacement project. The bridge may reopen as early as Monday, Oct. 10.

Route PP – CLOSED from 240^th Street to Route 46 for a culvert replacement, Oct. 12, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Putnam County

U.S. Route 136 – Pothole patching, Oct. 11

Sullivan County

Route M – From Route C (Linn County) to Route O for pothole patching, Oct. 11

The City of St. Joseph Health Department will be giving out flu shots in a drive-up only clinic this week.

Thursday the Health Department will be holding its annual clinic at Krug Park, located at the intersection of St. Joseph Ave., Karnes Road and Northwest Parkway.  The clinic is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. and run until noon or until supplies run out.  The city said Buchanan County residents 18 and older and who are not pregnant are encourages to participate.

“Patrons are asked to wear a shirt that allows access to the shoulder area, where the vaccine is administered,” the Health Department said in a news release.

The flu vaccine is free, however those with privately provided health insurance, medicare, or Missouri HealthNet are being asked to bring their card at clinic registration.

No services are being provided at the Health Department located on S 10th St. the day of the clinic but services will resume Friday.

For more information on the drive-up only Flu clinic CLICK HERE.

St. Joseph, Mo. — Fireworks will light-up Spratt Stadium Sunday night for the official kickoff to Missouri Western State University’s Homecoming week.

Western will celebrate Homecoming 2016 Oct. 9-15, culminating with the Griffon football game against Pittsburg State at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15. The theme this year is “Griffons Bring Home the Gold,” paying tribute the Olympics.

The public is invited to a fireworks display at 8:45 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9, on Craig Field at Spratt Memorial Stadium.

The Homecoming Committee also invites the community to help the Griffons save a life in the annual Missouri Western vs. Northwest Missouri State Homecoming Blood Drive Challenge. The Community Blood Center will be collecting blood from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 11, 12 and 13, in the Hoff Conference Rooms, Blum Student Union rooms 218-219.

An annual highlight of Homecoming Week is the Homecoming Parade at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in downtown St. Joseph. The parade floats will form at Union and Frederick Avenues and proceed west on Frederick to City Hall, where they will be joined by the Golden Griffon Marching Band and high school marching bands. The parade will turn left on to 9^th Street, then right on to Felix Street, right on to 5^th Street, and right on Jules Street back to City Hall.

Following the Parade, the Alumni Association sponsors Arts, Beats & Treats, starting at 10:30 a.m. in the Remington Atrium. The event features fun activities for children, including painting, make-and-take crafts, face painting, make your own snack mix, fun with magnets and more. Free t-shirts will be given away while they last, and a free tailgate lunch begins at11 a.m. in Lot H.

The week’s full schedule includes:

Sunday, Oct. 9

• Forever Griffons: Celebrating our Alumni from 1940-1975, 11:30 a.m., Spratt Memorial Stadium Hall of Fame Room, advance registration required. Junior College alumni and early college alumni — make plans to join us as we kick off Homecoming week. A tour of the newly renovated Spratt Memorial Stadium will follow lunch.
• Gold Run 5K, 2 to 4 p.m. in Lot H, Baker Fitness Center. Get a free t-shirt by participating in this Color Run, sponsored by the Missouri National Guard. Visitgomoguard.org to preregister.
• Cookout and DJ, 5-8 p.m., Lot H
• Opening ceremony (bonfire), 8 p.m. behind Baker Fitness Center
• Fireworks, 8:45 p.m., Craig Field at Spratt Memorial Stadium

Monday, Oct. 10

• Griffon Relay, 6:30 p.m., Glenn E. Marion Memorial Clock Tower

Tuesday, Oct. 11

• Homecoming Blood Drive Day 1, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Hoff Conference Rooms, Blum 218-219. Help save a life, and help the Griffons beat the Bearcats in the annual Missouri Western vs. Northwest Missouri State blood drive challenge.
• Griffon Olympic Feud, 6:30 p.m, Kemper Recital Hall, Spratt 101

Wednesday, Oct. 12

• Homecoming Blood Drive Day 2, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Hoff Conference Rooms, Blum 218-219
• Grecian Gala Dance Party, 7 p.m., Remington Atrium

Thursday, Oct. 13

• Homecoming Blood Drive Day 3, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Hoff Conference Rooms, Blum 218-219
• Battle Ball and Bongo Ball, 8:30 p.m., Looney Complex Small Gym and Arena

Friday, Oct. 14

• Alumni Golf Tournament, 10 a.m. shotgun start, Fairview Golf Club. Cost of $45 per person; advance registration is required.
• 34^th Annual Alumni Awards Banquet, 5:45 p.m. reception, 6:15 p.m. dinner and program, Fulkerson Center. Cost of $30 per person, advance registration required. Honorees include Jeff Mittie ’89, Wayne Chatham ’90, Ellen Sommer ’93, Shannon Swanson White ’06, Jerry ’71 and Linda Myers, Dr. Robert Bergland and Howard McCauley.
• Pep rally, 9 p.m. (after the volleyball game), Looney Complex Arena

Saturday, Oct. 15

• Superheroes and Princesses Breakfast, 8:15 a.m., American Red Cross, 401 N. 12^th Street. Children are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite superhero or princess. Donuts and milk will be served, and each child will have the opportunity to make their own Olympic torch.
• Homecoming Parade, 9:30 a.m., Downtown St. Joseph
• Arts, Beats & Treats, 10:30 a.m. (after the parade), Remington Atrium
• Black and Gold Renewal Tailgate, 11 a.m., Lot H. The Alumni Association Board of Directors hosts this free pre-game event. Included in the Black and Gold Renewal Tailgate is the first Black Alumni Network Reunion and the first Cheerleader Reunion.
• SGA Tailgate, Noon
• Homecoming football game vs. Pittsburg State, Craig Field at Spratt Stadium, 2 p.m.

Also during Homecoming Weekend, Oct. 14-16, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. will celebrate its 25^th anniversary on Missouri Western’s campus with a series of events.

The Griffon Olympian Court that will preside over the week’s activities includes: Alec Guy, Amy Insco, and Nathan Nold, all of St. Joseph; Brooke Bernhardt, of Macon, Missouri; Cooper Roberts, of Faucett, Missouri; Eli Dodge, of Stewartsville, Missouri; Kaitlin McLeod, of Independence, Missouri; Lauren Patton and Shannon Starr, both of Kansas City, Missouri; and Shelby Dier, of Holt, Missouri. The Gold, Silver and Bronze medalists of the Olympian Court will be named during the Friday night pep rally.

After 175 years, Andrew County will hold its first fall festival. 

During the weekend of October 14th, Andrew County will celebrate its 175th anniversary and begin what residents hope will become an annual tradition. 

Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce Director Mary Ingersoll said she thinks there’s a need in the community for an annual event like the fall festival. 

“I’ve been in the role of Executive Director at the Chamber since the beginning of the year, so the first thing my board asked me to do was go touch base with every Chamber member and find out what they think about the Chamber, what we should be doing,” Ingersoll said. “One of the biggest things that I heard over and over again was that folks in our community really miss the kind of events that they remember as children. A major reason why they stay in Savannah is because they have fond memories of their own childhood, so we really thought of this as a great opportunity to establish something that would be something for years to come that they would remember with their families.” 

The fall festival weekend coincides with homecoming weekend in Savannah. According to Ingersoll, the weekend will kick off with the Savannah Homecoming Parade followed by a tailgate, football game and fireworks. After all the homecoming festivities there will be a Moonlight Rock ‘n’ Ride. 

“So this is for bicycles,” Ingersoll said. “The idea is that you light up your bicycle with glow lights or glow sticks or Christmas lights or whatever means that you would like, and also light your self. So there’s a costume contest and a bike contest and then it’s a ride. So they’re going to ride through town, they’ll have a vehicle in front of them playing loud music for fun and the streets will be blocked so they won’t encounter any traffic but really fun, just a nighttime ride through town on your bicycle.” 

Saturday morning begins with breakfast from 6:30 to 10:30 followed by Family Fun Day on the Square until 4 p.m. 

“The Health Department is hosting a kid’s 1K fun run, the Splatterdash,” Ingersoll said. “So if you’ve seen or participated in a color run before, as you run through on the street, the volunteers are using colored cornstarch, essentially, they throw that into the air and it sticks onto your clothing.” 

There will also be a flea market and booths around the Square and activities including a pumpkin carving contest, 3-legged races and a car show. 

The weekend will conclude on Sunday with a community church service at 10:30 am. in Messick Park. 

For more information visit the Andrew County Fall Festival Facebook page.

Northwest Missouri State University has opened up a food pantry to students and employees who may be food insecure.

The University said it recently opened up the Pay it Forward Food Pantry to ensure its students and employees can be successful without going hungry.

The initiative, which a group of Northwest staff members discussed for nearly a year, is spearheaded by the University’s Office of Student Affairs. Northwest’s Pay It Forward Committee dates back to 2008 when Student Affairs established a loan program to assist students who are struggling financially and connect them with resources to be successful financially, socially and academically.

“While working with our Pay it Forward students, we noticed an increase in the need for food and personal hygiene items,” said Sue Nickerson, the executive secretary for the Office of Student Affairs. “We felt that barriers such as food insecurity should not prohibit our students from achieving a college degree.”

The food pantry, located in the Material Distribution Center adjacent to the University Police Department, is accessible from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily and staffed by University Police. Northwest’s Pay It Forward Committee stocks and maintains the pantry shelves to ensure quality products are available.

The food pantry offers non-perishable foods, such as canned fruits and vegetables, boxed macaroni and cheese, and packaged goods. It also will offer personal hygiene items, such as soap, shampoo, toilet tissue, feminine products and toothpaste.

 

Heroes, Heroines and Humorists will share their stories at Mount Mora Cemetery later this month.

“Voices of the Past,” interpretive tours of Mount Mora Cemetery, is a yearly event put on since 2002. 

Suzanne Lehr is the Research Associate of the St. Joseph Museums. She said the walking tour takes visitors down Mausoleum Row to meet former residents of the area. 

“The characters come out as we walk along and we have a conversation,” Lehr said. “They tell a significant incident that was part of their life, perhaps an invention, perhaps someone talks about her son’s heroism, which we’ll hear about this year and that’s going to be extraordinary. I’m always excited about finales but this one, I think it will literally blow us away.” 

Lehr said over the 14 years of the tours, the voices of the past have never told the same stories twice. 

“We have a mix of really poignant stories and then some funny stories and we have women who were really heroines,” Lehr said. “Margot Reck was a famous WASP, a female who was allowed to fly bombers in World War II.” 

Other “Voices of the Past” include a slave who spoke with the Great Emancipator, an entrepreneur, a writer and more. 

Proceeds from “Voices of the Past” go toward the Mount Mora Restoration and Preservation Association and education programming at the St. Joseph Museums. 

Two tours will be held on Thursday, October 20th, and three tours on Friday, October 21st, beginning at the Wyeth-Tootle Mansion. 

For more information or to purchase tickets contact the St. Joseph Museum at (800) 530-8866 or go to their website.

Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill is pushing for a secure budget for the 139th Airlift Wing after a recent tour.

In a press release issued Friday McCaskill said she is pushing the Air Force to secure budget certainty for the 139th Airlift Wing in St. Joseph.

According to the release, because the 139th Airlift Wing has tactics development experts working in the same facility as intelligence analysts, changes to policy can be quickly assembled and disseminated to elements in the Active Duty, Air Force Reserve, and National Guard. Currently, the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center and C-130H Weapons Instructor courses—the only ones in the Air Force—are not explicitly programmed for in the budget and are funded year-to-year by either the Air National Guard or the Air Mobility Command, leaving the critically important programs without long-term certainty.

Under the plan proposed by the House of Representatives, McCaskill’s office said the Department of Defense is slated to run out of war funding halfway through the 2017 fiscal year.

“These unique courses, which are not found elsewhere in the Air Force, provide the opportunity for pilots and aircrews from the National Guard, Air Force Reserve, Active Duty and Coalition Partner Nations to train on the most advanced tactics on Mobility Air Force weapons systems,” McCaskill, a senior member of the Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees, wrote in a letter to Lt. Gen. L. Scott Rice, Director of the Air National Guard. “Without the stable budgeting and assigned personnel associated with programmatic funding, these courses will struggle to provide the high level of training our fliers deserve.”

This summer, as part of her Security & Defense Tour, McCaskill visited the 139th. McCaskill’s office said last month she raised budget uncertainty concerns she heard on her tour with top Pentagon officials, discussing the role of the base’s Advanced Airlift and Tactics Training Center and weapons instructor course in training fliers from the National Guard and Active Duty, as well as visiting pilots from international partner countries—and why that means it’s critical these courses get long-term funding for their long-term mission.

To read her letters CLICK HERE.