By Sarah Thomack
St. Joseph Post

There were some new faces around the tables for breakfast at Edison Elementary School in St. Joseph Tuesday morning.

Several Missouri Western State University football players and officers from the St. Joseph Police Department joined 6th grade boys from Edison to kick off a mentoring program.

“In education, a lot of times, mainly what you see is female teachers and so our boys don’t really get that opportunity to connect with a lot of male teachers or male role models through the day,” said Angie Hernandez, the Family Involvement Coordinator at Edison. “So we wanted to make sure to pair our boys with that because it also opens their eyes to different positive male role models that are out in our community. When this is over with, our hope is they will see their mentor out and about and this is a connection and a relationship that will start today and will grow from now on that these boys will take with them for the rest of their life.”

Edison partnered with the United Way of Greater St. Joseph which helped organize and connect the people needed to get the program started this year.

“Coach Steve asked the whole football team if anyone was free Tuesday mornings.. I was one of the guys that raised my hand,” said Evan Clark, a freshman on the Missouri Western football team. “Growing up, some kids have it tough and you don’t know what a small thing like having breakfast with someone who could be a potential role model can do for you, so I’m here to help out, especially if I can actually fulfill that for some kids.”

Officer Jason Hill with the SJPD said the weekly breakfast gives the officers the opportunity to make connections with students.

“They’re able to see police in a more positive role when we come here and get to talk to them, as opposed to showing up when their house gets broken into or the domestic violence situations where the kids have to be witness to that, they get to see us here hopefully as friends,” Hill said.

The players and officers will each have breakfast with their group of students once a week for the rest of the school year. The first Tuesday breakfast was spent playing “get-to-know-you” games incorporating Jenga, Yahtzee and more. 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Three Cameron residents are among five defendants who have pleaded guilty to their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

Benjamin W. Clark, 26, of Cameron, pleaded guilty Monday before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Matt J. Whitworth to the charge contained in a Nov. 16, 2017, federal indictment.

Clark is the fifth defendant to plead guilty to participating in the drug-trafficking conspiracy. Co-defendant Jalie J. Brinlee, 28, of Cameron, pleaded guilty on Jan. 4, 2019. Co-defendants Felicia C. Ward, 23, of Cameron; Robert J. Keegan, 26, of Harrisonville, Mo.; and Frank E. Hundley, 34, of Kansas City, Mo.; pleaded guilty on Dec. 28, 2018. Brinlee and Keegan also pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

All five of the co-defendants admitted they participated in a conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine from January to May 24, 2017. Clark and Brinlee purchased methamphetamine from various suppliers and distributed it to customers in Cameron, Kansas City and elsewhere.

On May 12, 2017, Keegan was stopped by law enforcement and was found in possession of a Hi-point .40-caliber handgun and a duffel bag containing approximately 3.8 kilograms of methamphetamine.

On May 24, 2017, a trooper with the Missouri State Highway Patrol stopped Ward, who was carrying a Glock 9mm handgun in her purse. Ward had retrieved the handgun from the vehicle where Clark and Brinlee were located, and Brinlee admitted to possessing the firearm prior to transferring it to Ward. Also found in Ward’s purse was approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine, which Brinlee also admitted to possessing at the time of the traffic stop.

Under the terms of their plea agreements, Clark, Brinlee and Keegan each will be sentenced to 18 years in federal prison without parole. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Edwards. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Belton, Mo., Police Department, the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the Jackson County Drug Task Force.

– News Release | United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri –

The Missouri Department of Transportation is launching its pothole patching efforts early this year due to the recent extreme weather.

Assistant District Maintenance and Traffic Engineer with MoDOT Jennifer Sardigal said potholes are caused by water, snow or ice that gets into the pavement.

“The asphalt is porous, so the asphalt becomes soft with the increased amount of ice and snow and water. So when the colder temperatures arrive, then the water freezes… and when water freezes it expands, which breaks the pavement,” Sardigal said. “Once the pavement is broken, all the traffic hitting the pothole area will cause it to break up even more so that leaves gaps in the pavement.”

Crews use a temporary cold asphalt mix to cover the potholes until warmer temperatures will allow them to use hot asphalt mix for a permanent fix.

“The cold mix is not going to adhere to the existing pavement like the hot mix will and hot mix is generally put down with oil, which causes a bond between the previous pavement and the new asphalt that is put in place.”

Sardigal said motorists are encouraged to report to MoDOT the location of a pothole on state-maintained routes. Anything that is an Interstate, U.S. Route or Missouri Route, including U.S. 169 or MO 6 in the St. Joseph area, is a state-maintained route.

To report a pothole, click here, call 1-888-ASK MODOT or go to the MoDOT Northwest District’s Facebook or Twitter page.

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Clay Club at Northwest Missouri State University recently raised funds to help two local food pantries.

According to a press release, the Clay Club, a group for students at Northwest who share an interest in working with clay, recently raised $443 for two local food pantries as well as its organizational needs.

The Clay Club raised the funds during its winter Empty Cups event and art sale in December. The two-day event annually invites the Northwest community to purchase a handmade ceramic cup and fill it with coffee, tea or lemonade. The art sale, which coincides with Empty Cups, features a variety of art created by students in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts.

The proceeds from Empty Cups are divided and donated to the Bearcat Food Pantry, the Maryville Ministry Center and the Clay Club. Proceeds from the art show and sale are used to send students to art conferences, host visiting artists and fund other special projects.

“I’ve been a part of Clay Club since I walked on campus as a student in 1992 and it was always just a group of people interested in clay who wanted to collaborate on projects,” Veronica Watkins, an art lecturer in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, said. “Connection with the community is important to us and bringing visibility to the ceramic arts.”

The Clay Club will host its spring Empty Cups event and art sale Thursday, April 25, and Friday, April 26.

By Sarah Thomack
St. Joseph Post

There is now a way to report tips to Crime Stoppers in St. Joseph online or through an app on your phone.

Dave Hart with the St. Joseph Police Department said the website p3tips.com and P3 Tips app officially launched Friday.

“We tried to set it up so that it’s very intuitive, very easy to use… so you just fill out all of the information that you know, all the information you’re willing to provide us,” Hart said. “Once you’ve completed all the information that you have, you just submit it. It does allow you to give us some pictures, video, audio files, they can all be submitted to Crime Stoppers.”

Hart said if anyone is interested in receiving an award for their tip, there is an option for that.

“One thing we really want to point out is, this is Crime Stoppers, it’s separate from the police department,” Hart said. “So if you do want a reward for providing information, you’ll want to use this to send in your tip, and then after you click submit you’re going to get a username and password. Save that username and password because that’s the only way you’ll be able to register for a reward.”

Hart said the username and password also gives the tipster and the police department a way to communicate anonymously.

“Before we never could do that, the tip would come in and we would just have that one (piece of) information,” Hart said. “Now, if you’re willing, we can chat back and forth, we have no idea who you are or any way to find out, but we can still share information back and forth, which is a huge benefit we’re really excited about.”

Hart said the (816) 238-TIPS number is still available to call, but the app and online platforms will hopefully make it easier for people to report tips.

“The more information we get put in here, the more value the tip has, the more likely we can do something with it,” Hart said. “So we encourage people, be as detailed and descriptive as you can be.”

Hart said the app does not replace 9-1-1. It is to only be used for information to help with an investigation.

Hart adds there are several agencies across the country that use the software and different locations can be selected within the app to report a tip in that area.

The City of St. Joseph has released its Food Safety Inspections for the month of January 2019.

 

AMNESIA TOO

2007 St Joseph Ave

Observations:

Hair Restraint Effectiveness.

-Employee has no proper hair restraint

-Employees shall wear hair restraints such as hats, hair coverings or nets, beard restraints, and clothing that covers body hair, that are designed and worn to effectively keep their hair from contacting exposed food; clean equipment, utensils, and linens; and unwrapped single-service and single-use articles.

-Proper hair restraint is required

 

Repairing

-Damaged kitchen floor, floor by the ice machine is damaged

-The physical facilities shall be maintained in good repair at all times to insure they are cleanable and not a source of possible contamination

-Replace tiles

 

HI HO BAR & GRILL BAR

1817 Frederick Ave

No observations.

 

GREEN HILLS – King Hill

7014A King Hill

No observations.

 

FELIX STREET SPECIALTIES LLC – Felix Street Gourmet

722 Felix

No observations.

 

FELIX STREET SPECIALTIES LLC – Room 108

722 Felix

No observations.

 

WALMART DELI/BAK NORTH

4201 N Belt Hwy

Observations:

Equipment, Food-Contact Surfaces, Nonfood-Contact Surfaces, and Utensils.

-Nonfood-contact surfaces of equipment shall be kept free of an accumulation of dust, dirt, food residue, and other debris.

 

FREDDY’S FROZEN CUSTARD

228 N Belt Hwy

No observations.

 

LONG JOHN SILVERS

6104 Lake Ave

Observations:

Toilet Rooms, Enclosed

-Both restroom doors not self-closing

-A toilet room located on the premises shall be completely enclosed and provided with a tight-fitting and self-closing door except that this requirement does not apply to a toilet room that is located outside a food establishment and does not open directly into the food establishment such as a toilet room that is provided by the management of a shopping mall

-This has been discussed before but not permanently fixed. Fee will be charged during each follow inspection until it is fixed

 

BRACY’S CAFE

501 Francis

No observations.

 

CAFÉ PONY ESPRESSO

114 S 8th

No observations.

 

EAGLES LODGE – Rental Halls/Catering

2004 N Belt Hwy

No observations.

 

MI FAMILIA

2420 Frederick

No observations.

 

FIRST WARD HOUSE LLC

2101 St Joseph Ave

Observations:

Equipment, Food-Contact Surfaces, Nonfood-Contact Surfaces, and Utensils*

-Slime mold in ice machine

-All food contact surfaces and equipment that contacts food must clean, free of debris, and sanitized after each use

-Clean and sanitize at least one time per week

*According to the report, issues noted in this section were corrected.

 

PAPPY’S GRILL & PUB

2501 Messanie

Observations:

Repairing

-Kitchen floor tiles are damaged and/or missing

-The physical facilities shall be maintained in good repair at all times to insure they are cleanable and not a source of possible contamination

-Replace damaged/missing tiles with durable tiles that will last longer than 6-12 months

 

POPS PLACE

238 Illinois

No observations.

 

PIZZA HUT

6942 King Hill Ave

No observations.

 

SOTELO MEXICAN RESTAURANT

2110 Francis

Observations:

Packaged and Unpackaged Food

– Separation, Packaging, and Segregation*.

-Raw eggs stored above ready to eat food -(A) Food shall be protected from cross contamination by: (1) Separating raw animal foods during storage, preparation, holding, and display from: (a) Raw ready-to-eat food including other raw animal food such as fish for sushi or molluscan shellfish, or other raw ready-to-eat food such as vegetables, and (b) Cooked ready-to-eat food;

-Raw eggs must be stored below ready to eat food. Raw poultry, raw ground meat, whole meats, raw fish and eggs, and ready to eat food in ascending order

*According to the report, issues noted in this section were corrected.

 

Potentially Hazardous Food (Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food), Hot and Cold Holding.*

-Refried beans in hot holding is not at correct temperature (84.0 degrees)

-Foods that require Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food must be maintained at 135F or hotter, if not, food must be discarded and denatured -Must reheat food before placing in hot holding. Reheat canned food to 135.0 degrees

*According to the report, issues noted in this section were corrected.

 

Food Storage

-Food in cooler is not covered

-Must be kept covered except when in use to protect against possible contamination

-All food must be covered and that includes cooked food, cut vegetables and fruits

 

ADAMS BAR & GRILL

1612 Commercial

Observations:

Potentially Hazardous Food (Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food), Hot and Cold Holding.

-Chili held at 114.0 degrees

-Foods that require Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food must be maintained at 135F or hotter, if not, food must be discarded and denatured

-Reheat to 165.0 and place in proper hot holding

 

Thawing.

-Thawing meat at room temperature

-Food must be thawed in walk-in-cooler or submerged in cold running water, or in microwave, NEVER at ROOM TEMPERATURE!!

-Thaw food properly to prevent bacterial growth/toxin formation

*According to the report, issues noted in this section were corrected.

 

FORDS DRIVE IN

5028 Lake Ave

Observations:

Manual and Mechanical Warewashing Equipment, Chemical Sanitization Temperature, pH, Concentration, and Hardness*

-Sanitizer concentration in the bucket is too low

-Chlorine 50-100ppm but not >200ppm Quaternary 200ppm but not >400ppm -Low concentration of sanitizer will not destroy pathogens

*According to the report, issues noted in this section were corrected.

 

LEAN KITCHEN

3500 N Village Dr Ste 152

No observations.

 

ST JO FRONTIER CASINO

777 Winners Circle

Observations:

Cleaning Ventilation Systems, Nuisance and Discharge Prohibition

-Dirty air vents in kitchen

-Intake and exhaust air ducts shall be cleaned and filters changed so they are not a source of contamination by dust, dirt, and other materials. If vented to the outside, ventilation systems may not create a public health hazard or nuisance or unlawful discharge

-Clean regularly

 

PEPPERJAX GRILL

3702C Frederick Ave

Observations:

Wiping Cloths, Use Limitation

-Keep wiping clothes in sanitizer when not in use

 

TAQUERIA HUARACHERIA

3830 King Hill

Observations:

Food Storage

-Food in cooler and freezer is not covered

-Must be kept covered except when in use to protect against possible contamination

-Put food in containers and cover. Food that is still cooling must covered 4 hours after storing in the cooler

 

CHEDDARS CASUAL CAFE

5302 N Belt Hwy

No observations.

 

THREE WISHES BAKERY

3702 Frederick Ave

No observations.

 

CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL

5107 N Belt Hwy

Observations:

Food Storage

-Must be kept covered except when in use to protect against possible contamination

 

CHILI’S GRILL & BAR

5105 N Belt Hwy

No observations.

 

WALMART SOUTH BELT

3022 S Belt Hwy

No observations.

 

SCOOTER’S

2410 N. Belt Hwy

No observations.

 

54TH STREET GRILL & BAR

5103 N Belt Hwy

No observations.

 

MR BIG SHOTS INC

1811 Frederick Ave

Observations:

Repairing

-The physical facilities shall be maintained in good repair at all times to insure they are cleanable and not a source of possible contamination

 

IHOP

3804 N Belt Hwy

No observations.

Lodging Establishment Inspection Report:

DRURY HOTELS COMPANY LLC

4213 Frederick Blvd

-Rentokil Steritech (pest control) inspected on January 7, 2019. They found evidence of an infestation and they treated the room. The room is currently off market until it is fully treated.

NODAWAY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities have charge a northwest Missouri man with the murder of his father.

Just after 10:30 a.m. January 25, the Nodaway County 911 Center received a call requesting an ambulance for an 88-year-old man who was on the floor and unresponsive but breathing at 115 Oak Street in Burlington Junction, according to a media release from Sheriff Randy Strong.

The caller told the 911 operator he was the cause for his father being on the floor.

At the scene, deputies determined that this was an assault. The suspect was taken into custody. The victim was transported by ambulance to a local hospital where it was determined that his injuries were life threatening and he was transported to St. Luke’s Hospital.

The sheriff’s office applied for a search warrant for the home and conducted an investigation.

Nodaway County Prosecutor Robert Rice charged the suspect, Lawrence Wayne Davison, 64, Burlington Junction, with 1st Degree Assault and Elder Abuse.

On Wednesday afternoon, the victim died. An autopsy was performed and it was determined that the man died as a result of trauma to the head, according to Strong.

On Thursday, prosecuting attorney Robert Rice amended the charges to Murder in the 2nd Degree. Lawrence Wayne Davison remains in the Nodaway County Jail.