A 32-year-old St. Joseph man appeared in Circuit Court Monday for arraignment on two counts of 2nd degree assault stemming from a shooting incident in May.

Owen Lee Roberts is accused of shooting two people on May 15. On Monday he entered a plea of not guilty during a hearing before Judge Patrick Robb.

According to court documents, one of the victims was hit in the stomach area and the other in the face and head.

The incident happened in the garage of Roberts’ home at Franklin Street and Prospect Ave. Police said at the time that both victims were seriously injured. They released Roberts’ name as a person of interest in the case. The arrest warrant was served July 8. A judge set bail at $100,000 cash.

Roberts waived his preliminary hearing August 23. He remains in custody pending a trial-setting October 17.

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 Sept. 19 – 25 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 (888-275-6636) or visit MoDOT’s website.

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.

Atchison County

Interstate 29 – Northbound at the Rock Port exit ramp (Exit 110) for pavement repair, Sept. 19 – 21

Buchanan County

Route E – CLOSED from Route H to County Road 337 west of Gower for a culvert replacement, Sept. 19 – 20, 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

U.S. Route 36 – At the BNSF Railroad Bridge, just west of the I-229 in St. Joseph, for maintenance, Sept. 19 – 21. Will include an overnight lane closure.

U.S. Route 36 – One mile east of Route AC for bridge project, Sept. 19 – 23

Route YY (Mitchell Ave.) and U.S. Route 169 (Belt Highway) – Signal and sidewalk work, Sept. 19 – 23

Route AC – At the U.S. Route 36 Overpass Bridge for maintenance, Sept. 21 – 22. Includes an overnight lane closure.

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.

Carroll County

Route B – Pothole patching, Sept. 19

Route MM – Pothole patching, Sept. 20

Route UU – Pothole patching, Sept. 21

Clinton County

Route VV – From Route N to U.S. Route 169 for a resurfacing project, Sept. 19 – 22. Includes a 9-foot width restriction. A pilot car will direct traffic through the work zone.

Daviess County

Route UU – Two miles south of Route B for culvert repair, Sept. 20

U.S. Route 69 – Drainage work, Sept. 20 – 23

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 6 – CLOSED at Ogle Road for permit work, Sept. 20, 8 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Gentry County

Route FF – Pothole patching, Sept. 19

Route M – CLOSED from Route UU to County Road 452 for a culvert replacement,Sept. 20, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Grundy County

Route J – CLOSED at County Road 90 North for a culvert replacement, Sept. 20, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Access to County Road 90 North will be closed during this time.

Route C – CLOSED from NW 70^th Avenue to NW 60^th Avenue near Spickard for a culvert replacement, Sept. 21, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Harrison County

Route D – Pothole patching, Sept. 19

I-35 – Northbound driving lane closed at Exit 106 (Eagleville) for bridge maintenance, Sept. 19 – 20

Route 13 – At Little Pole Cat Creek Bridge for maintenance, Sept. 19 – 22

I-35 – Northbound driving lane closed at Exit 99 (Route A) for bridge maintenance,Sept. 21 – 22

Route CC – Culvert repairs, Sept. 21 – 23

Holt County

Route 111 – CLOSED from Route 118 to U.S. Route 159 for a chip sealing operation, Sept. 19 – 20, 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily

Route E – CLOSED from U.S. Route 59 to U.S. Route 159 for a chip sealing operation, Sept, 20, 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Linn County

Route 139 – CLOSED from Arctic Road to Balboa Road near Meadville for a culvert replacement, Sept. 19, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

U.S. Route 36 – Eastbound from Mimosa Drive to Monaco Drive near Bucklin for drainage work, Sept. 19

U.S. Route 36 – From Route 139 to the Macon County line for pothole patching,Sept. 19 – 20

Route 5 – CLOSED from Santa Fe Avenue to Wells Street in Marceline for a culvert replacement, Sept. 20, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Route TT – CLOSED from Iguana Road to Grant Road south of Brookfield for a culvert replacement, Sept. 21, 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Routes B, M and 139 – Pothole patching, Sept. 21 – 23

Livingston County

U.S. Route 65 – From County Road 226 to the Grundy County line for pavement repair, Sept. 19 – 23,

U.S. Route 36 – From U.S. Route 65 to Route 139 for pothole patching, Sept. 20 – 23

Mercer County

U.S. Route 65 – From Route D to Route C for shoulder work, Sept. 19 – 23

Nodaway County

Route U – CLOSED at the One Hundred and Two River Bridge for a bridge deck replacement project. The bridge will be closed through mid-October.

Route U – CLOSED for a chip sealing operation, Sept, 21 – 23, 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily

Putnam County

Route Y – CLOSED at the Blackbird Creek Bridge northeast of Unionville for maintenance, Sept. 19, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Route 139 – Pothole patching, Sept. 19 – 23

JEFFERSON CITY -Aspiring Missouri art students are invited to get out their art supplies and create artwork illustrating the theme “Above the Clouds” for the 2017 International Aviation Art Contest.

This free art competition is available to all Missouri students ages 6 to 17.

Student artists can create drawings illustrating the wonder of what the aviation world can see above the clouds. The U.S. portion of the art contest is sanctioned by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), managed by the NASAO Center for Aviation Research and Education and sponsored by many other national aviation organizations.

All artwork must be done by hand and can be in any of the following media: watercolor, acrylic, oil paint, indelible marker pens, felt-tip pens, soft ball-point pens, indelible ink, Crayola or any similar indelible medium. Entries are judged in three age classes for creative use of the theme “Above the Clouds.” Entries from Missouri youth will be evaluated by Missouri Department of Transportation employees. The winners will advance to national and possibly international levels of the contest.

All artwork for the state competition must be postmarked and received by Friday, Jan. 20, 2017.

Missouri students submitting artwork should mail them to the Missouri Department of Transportation, Attn: Teresa Hall, PO Box 270, Jefferson City, MO 65102.

For more information, call (573) 751-2589 or visit the NASAO’s website.

In an effort to help keep children safe, this week is designated as National Child Passenger Safety Week. 

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, three out of four safety seats are improperly installed. In 2015, four children were killed and 61 suffered injuries as occupants in motor vehicle crashes in Missouri. Thirteen percent of these children killed or injured were not restrained in a car seat or safety belt.

State law requires all children under eight to be in an appropriate child safety or booster seat until they are at least 80 pounds or at least 4’9″ tall.

Traffic Safety Coordinator for the St. Joseph Safety Council Sue Lober said Child Passenger Safety Week aims to educate parents, grandparents, caregivers or anyone that has a car seat in their car. 

“We want them to know how to use it properly, how to install it properly,” Lober said. “We give that week a little bit more focus. We have two car seat events scheduled that week so if anyone wants to have their car seat checked to see if it is in correctly, they have two opportunities.” 

The two car seat check opportunities in St. Joseph will be on Thursday and Saturday. A check from noon until 2 p.m. on Thursday will be at Habitat for Humanity, 3131 Frederick in the front parking lot. From 10 a.m. until noon on Saturday, free checks will be offered at Lowe’s Home Improvement Center. 

“You’ll have a certified child passenger safety technician look at your carseat and see, number one, is it in properly, number two, is it expired, because they do expire, some people don’t realize that,” Lober said. “We’ll look to see if there’s any recalls against that seat and then make sure it’s the proper seat for your child, so height and weight of the child will be taken into consideration.” 

The car seat safety events are being sponsored by the Every Mile Matter Traffic Safety Coalition, a collaboration of local law enforcement, state and non-profit agencies, local businesses and individuals who have joined forces to address traffic safety issues in an effort to reduce the numbers of crashes and traffic related injuries and deaths in Buchanan County. 

To find a certified technician in the area, click here. 

For more information, contact Sue Lober at the Safety Council at (816) 233-3330 or go to savemolives.com.

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University announced its 2016-17 Distinguished Lecture Series. 

According to a news release, the schedule features The Onion’s co-founder, the first openly transgender employee of an Orthodox Jewish institution and a Roman Catholic nun.

The series begins Wednesday, Oct. 12, with co-founding editor of The Onion Scott Dikkers.

The Onion’s longest-serving editor-in-chief is the godfather of its unique comedic vision and best-selling author whose work has won the Thurber Prize for American Humor, a Peabody and more than 30 Webby Awards. 

“To have someone of Dikkers’ stature here, and especially so shortly before the General Election, presented an opportunity we simply couldn’t pass up, especially when he offered to take time during the afternoon to conduct a master’s class for our creative writing students,” Kenton Wilcox, the chair of the Distinguished Lecture Series Committee and an English instructor at the University said.

The series also includes Dr. Joy Ladin, the first openly transgender employee of an Orthodox Jewish university, and Sister Helen Prejean, an American advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.

Ladin will speak on Tuesday, Oct. 25. Her memoir, “Through the Door of Life: A Jewish Journey Between Genders,” was a finalist for a National Jewish Book Award, and she was named to the 2012 Forward 50 list of influential or courageous American Jews. 

Sister Helen Prejean will speak Wednesday, Feb. 15. From 1985 to 1995 she served on the board of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty and was chairperson of the Board from 1993 to 1995.

Her book, “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty,” was No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller List for 31 weeks. In 1996, the book was developed into a major motion picture starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. 

All lectures are free and open to the public and begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Charles Johnson Theater at the Olive DeLuce Fine Arts Building on the Northwest campus.

To view 2017 times and dates CLICK HERE.
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(Sept. 2016) – The Museum Association of St. Joseph will celebrate America’s heritage and culture by offering free admission for a day.

Museum Day Live!, created by Smithsonian Magazine, is in its 10th year and 40,000 institutions are expected to participate including St. Joseph. 

Some members of the Museum Association of St. Joseph will provide guided tours while others will feature special exhibits or programs and activities.

Museum Day takes place on Saturday, September 24th.

The participating Museum Association of St. Joseph members, their location, and their hours for Museum Day are:  

• Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, 2818 Frederick, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Pony Express National Museum, 914 Penn, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Remington Nature Center, 1502 MacArthur Drive, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Robidoux Row Museum, 3rd and Poulin, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• St. Joseph Museum, Black Archives Museum, and the Glore Psychiatric Museum, 3406 Frederick Ave., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• The Wyeth-Tootle Mansion, 11th and Charles, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  
• At the Walter Cronkite Memorial on the MWSU campus, 4525 Downs Drive, the public invited to visit between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  
• The Andrew County Museum, 202 E. Duncan Drive in Savannah, Missouri, will also participate and they will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Many of the participating museums will feature special exhibits or activities during Museum Day Live! in addition to their permanent exhibits.  An interactive treasure hunt within the collection will be available at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art throughout the day. An art instructor will help families create a “Leaf Print Family Masterpiece” on canvas to take home with them.  The class will take place from 1:30 to 3 p.m. and the fee is $20 per family.  In their main floor gallery the featured art exhibit will be “NINE:  Missouri Western Art Faculty Exhibit.”  On the lower level, the most recently acquired art pieces will be showcased in an exhibit called “Expanding the Collection: Recent Acquisitions.”  

At the Andrew County Museum, guests can explore several new temporary exhibits in the Duncan Gallery including “From the Vault” and “Many Layers:  The Art and Science of Dolls.”  

Guided tours of the history of mental health treatments will be given at 11 a.m. and at 1, 2, and 3 p.m. at the Glore Psychiatric Museum.

The Pony Express National Museum will have docents and junior docents to guide visitors from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  The “Buffalo Bill in St. Joseph” exhibit, scheduled to close in December will be available for tours. The exhibit includes original objects from Buffalo Bill’s personal and professional life that have a connection to St. Joseph and the Pony Express. The Pony School on the grounds will also be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Every half hour the “school marm” will accept new students so they can have the one-room school experience.  

At the Robidoux Row Museum, docents will be available as guests explore what life was like in St. Joseph during the 1840s.   

At 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., archaeology professor Dr. Jimmy Albright will present “Pots Speak to Archaeologists” in the conference room at the St. Joseph Museum.  

At the Wyeth-Tootle Mansion docents will be available to share the history of the Mansion and children can enjoy activities related to architecture.

For more information on participating sites and activities, visit www.stjomo.com/smithsonianday or call the St. Joseph Museums at 816-232-8471.

SAVANNAH, Mo. – Gov. Jay Nixon announced Friday a $1 million investment through Missouri Start Smart to expand access to quality early childhood education opportunities in Savannah.

According to a news release from Gov. Nixon’s office, the investment will ensure that more Missouri children start kindergarten ready to succeed in school and beyond.

“The first five years of a child’s development have an impact that lasts a lifetime,” Gov. Nixon said. “That’s why our Start Smart initiative is helping to make preschool more affordable and accessible throughout the state, including this $1 million investment here in Savannah.”

The Governor announced that, through the Missouri Start Smart initiative, the Missouri Department of Economic Development will authorize a $1 million Community Development Block Grant to the City of Savannah on behalf of the Savannah R-III School District to expand and improve its early childhood education program. The district will use the funds to construct a new, 7,088 square foot Early Childhood Education Center, to provide 80 child care slots to local families. The new center will be staffed by professional educators, and will also serve as a teaching accreditation location for education majors at Missouri Western State University and North Central Missouri College.

“We are honored that the Governor came to Savannah with this great news,” said Savannah Schools Superintendent David Brax. “We are extremely pleased to receive a Start Smart grant to build a preschool targeting low to moderate income students. The students of Savannah R-III will greatly benefit from their preschool experiences.”

To date, $23.1 million in Missouri Start Smart grants has been awarded for 24 projects across the state, which will serve up to 2,325 preschool age children.

Most recently, the Fiscal Year 2017 budget signed by the Governor includes his recommendation to fund early childhood education through Missouri’s school foundation formula, which will provide more than 2,500 children with access to high quality preschool.

A 24-year-old St. Joseph man was charged Friday with Unlawful Use of a Firearm after an incident Thursday afternoon near the Belt and Faraon.

Jeremiah Sweet was charged with a Class D Felony of Unlawful Use of a Firearm.  Bond is set at $50,000.

As previously reported, Detective Sgt. Jason Strong with the St. Joseph Police Department spotted a disturbance in a white SUV shortly after noon Thursday. When Sgt. Strong tried to pull the vehicle over, Sweet got out and fled.  A woman in the vehicle warned Strong that Sweet had a gun.  She had already been shot in the shoulder earlier.

According to Sergeant Roy Hoskins, Strong called for backup and Sweet was soon found hiding in a shed in the mobile home park and was arrested.

The woman, a 25-year-old St. Joe woman, was transported to Mosaic Life Care for treatment of a single gunshot wound to the clavicle.  Sgt. Hoskins said her injuries were not life threatening.