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 Aug. 29 – Sept. 4 from the Missouri Department of Transportation.

In addition to the work listed below, there may be pothole patching, bridge deck washing, 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 will halt temporary lane closures throughout the state to accommodate an increase in traffic due to the Labor Day holiday. Most temporary lane closures will stop at noon on Friday, Sept. 2, and resume again Tuesday morning, Sept. 6. Some long-term closures and head-to-head traffic will remain in place.

 

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.

Route 48 – From U.S. Route 71 to U.S. Route 169 (Gentry County) for a sealing project, Aug. 29 – Sept. 2

Route M – CLOSED from County Road 221 to County Road 232 for a culvert replacement, Aug. 31, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 

 

Atchison County

Interstate 29 – Northbound from mile marker 123 to the Iowa state line for pavement repair, Aug. 29 – Sept. 1. This includes a 15-foot width restriction.

I-29 – Southbound from mile marker 111 (near the Rock Port Welcome Center) to mile marker 110 for pavement repair, Aug. 29 – Sept. 1. This includes a 15-foot width restriction.

 

Buchanan County

U.S. Routes 36 and 169 – Pavement repair, Aug. 29 – Sept. 1

Route YY (Mitchell Ave.) and U.S. Route 169 (Belt Highway) – Signing and striping with intermittent lane closures, Aug. 29 – Sept. 2

U.S. Route 36 – One mile west of Route AC for grading work, Aug. 29 – Sept. 2

 

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 A – From U.S. Route 36 to the Ray County line for pothole patching, Aug. 30 – 31

 

Carroll County

Route D – From Route W to Route 10 for pothole patching, Aug. 29

Route DD – From the Ray County line to Route D for pothole patching, Aug. 30

Route E – Pothole patching, Aug. 31 – Sept. 2

 

Daviess County

Route N – CLOSED from U.S. Route 69 to 162nd Street for a culvert replacement,Aug. 29, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route FF – Pothole patching, Aug. 29

Route 13 – Just north of Route 6 for shoulder work, Aug. 29 – Sept. 2

Route VV – Pothole patching, Aug. 29 – Sept. 2

Route J – Pothole patching, Aug. 31 – Sept. 1

 

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.

Routes 33, J, N and O – Pothole patching, Aug. 29 – Sept. 2

Route D – CLOSED from NW Berlin Road to Route Z for a culvert replacement,Aug. 30, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Route EE – Entrance to Wamsley Road CLOSED for drainage work, Aug. 30, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

 

Gentry County

Routes EE and ZZ – Pothole patching, Aug. 29 – 31

Route 48 – From U.S. Route 169 to from U.S. Route 71 (Andrew County) for a sealing project, Aug. 29 – Sept. 2

Route AA – CLOSED from Route V to 430th Street for a culvert replacement, Sept. 1, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

 

Grundy County

Route K – CLOSED from Route E to SE Maga Lane for culvert replacement, Aug. 29, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Route Z – From U.S. Route 65 to Route 6 for pothole patching, Aug. 29

Route B – At the Muddy Creek Bridge for maintenance, Aug. 29 – 30. Includes a 13-foot width restriction.

Route N – CLOSED at the No Creek Bridge for maintenance, Aug. 31 – Sept. 1, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Route 6 – Shoulder repair, Aug. 31 – Sept. 2

Route T – CLOSED for a culvert replacement, Sept. 1, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 

Harrison County

Route ZZ – Pothole patching, Aug. 30 – 31

I-35 – At the Route 13 Overpass Bridge for slope maintenance, Aug. 30 – 31

I-35 – At the Route H Overpass Bridge for slope maintenance, Sept. 1 – 2

I-35 – Southbound shoulder closed from mile marker 8 (near Route 13 exit) to mile marker 88 for culvert repairs, Sept. 1 – 2

Route D – From U.S. Route 136 to Route M for pothole patching, Sept. 1 – 2

 

Holt County

Route 118 – From Route 111 to U.S. Route 59 in Mound City for a resurfacing project, Aug. 29 – Sept. 2. A flagger will direct traffic through the work zone.

Route B – At the Hickory Creek Bridge for maintenance, Aug. 29 – Sept. 2

Routes J, P, AH and TT – Pothole patching, Aug. 29 – Sept. 2

 

Linn County

Route M – From Park Street to Route C for pothole patching, Aug. 29 – 31

U.S. Route 36 – From Route 11 to the Macon County line for pavement repair,Aug. 29 – Sept. 1

U.S. Route 36 – Westbound from Route 130 to Higgins Ditch for pavement repair,Sept. 1

 

Livingston County

U.S. Route 36 – From Route C to Route CC for pothole patching, Aug. 29 – Sept 2

Route A – CLOSED from Route Y to County Road 514 for a culvert replacement,Sept. 1, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Route U – CLOSED from Route 190 to County Road 516 for a culvert replacement, Sept. 1, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

 

Mercer County

U.S. Route 65 – Shoulder repair, Aug. 29 – Sept. 2

Routes C, D, M and Y – Pothole patching, Aug. 29 – Sept. 2

 

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 September.

U.S. Route 71 – Northbound single-lane closure at the White Cloud Creek Bridge, just north of the Andrew County line, for a bridge deck replacement project. This includes a 12-foot width restriction. The project will continue through September.

 

Putnam County

Routes F, Y, AA, UU, and YY – Pothole patching, Aug. 29 – Sept. 2

 

Worth County

Route 46 – At the Marlowe Brook Bridge for maintenance, Aug. 29 – Sept. 1

Route 46 – From U.S. Route 169 to Route 69 for pothole patching, Aug. 29 – Sept. 2

 

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 www.modot.org/northwest.

The Robidoux Resident Theatre is offering a chance for a “2nd Act.” 

Cheryl Wood is a coordinator with the Theatre. She said the new program gives adults 55 and older the opportunity to pursue their interest in theatre. 

“In the first act of our lives we’re developing our careers, we’re raising our families, we’re going to school,” Wood said. “Then when we reach our retirement age or close to it, it’s our second act, time for us, time to think about our own interests and things we want to do.” 

Wood said if one of those interests is theatre, they are offering a couple of workshops for different skill levels. 

“There are people that have always wanted to be on stage or they wanted to know what happens backstage, how do they get those props, where do those costumes come from,” Wood said. “So we’re wanting to provide an opportunity for people to do that in as non-threatening of a way as possible.” 

The “Stepping into Theatre” workshop can teach anyone who has no prior theatrical experience the basics. According to Wood, the workshop will include tours of the theatre, vocal warm-ups, improvisation and will end with a showcase for the public. 

The “Curtain Up!” workshop is for anyone with some theatrical experience that may want to fine tune their skills. 

Both workshops will meet for 90 minutes each week for 8 weeks and the 9th week is reserved for a showcase. 

The Theatre will also offer an opportunity for “Second Act Players,” a troupe for more experienced actors and technicians. They will rehearse one-act plays, storytelling and more and construct transportable sets, props and costumes. They will also perform multiple times for the public at schools, libraries and more. 

Classes will begin meeting in September. For more information click here or call the Theatre Office at (816) 232-1778.

The former Chief Financial Officer whose lawsuit sparked the stipend controversy in the St. Joseph School District says the experience was a net positive.

Beau Musser says he is now working as a consultant, a “CFO for hire,” and has a pair of clients that are paying him a lot more than the school district did.

“One is a company in Kansas by the name of M Con Construction, an up-and-coming underground utility contractor, and so I’m currently in the process of implementing a professional construction accounting system there,” he says, “and then I’m also basically a part-time, contract CFO for MERIL, a not-for-profit here in St Joe.”

Musser’s lawsuit brought to light decades of stipends paid to administrators in the district, some of which were legitimate, but many which were criticized in a state audit report of the district. The auditor said those stipends could total more $40 million dollars. Members of the school board said that they were unaware of many of those stipends. Many of them were never approved by the board, or were approved weeks after they were made public.

All of that stirred up some bad blood in the district, but Musser tells us the episode gave him a reputation for integrity, which he says is serving him well.

“You know people now, can look and see the integrity that I showed at the St Joe School District,” Musser said. “They know that I can be trusted.”

“In fact both of my clients, one of the main reasons why they hired me was the integrity, and the professionalism, that I showed while I at the St Joe School District.”

When Musser resigned from the school district, the district’s top administration was reorganized, doing away with the position of CFO.

We’ll find out soon if a judge in St. Louis will allow prosecutors from western Missouri to intervene in a lawsuit filed to get a medical marijuana initiative back on the ballot in Missouri.

A dozen Missouri prosecutors, including Buchanan County Prosecuting Attorney Dwight Scroggins, hope to block the measure because they say it would violate federal law.

The plaintiffs, including a St. Louis woman and the group New Approach Missouri, say that about 2,200 signatures collected in St. Louis during their petition drive were improperly rejected by state election officials.

But in an interview, Scroggins says that really doesn’t matter.

“The number of signatures is not relevant to anything because it totally misses the point,” Scroggins said. “The point is Missouri cannot pass a Constitutional Amendment or a law, either one, that contradicts or is violation of federal law.”

Two states currently allow recreational marijuana use and sales. But Scroggins says the laws in Colorado and Washington have not been fully tested by the courts, and when they are, Scroggins says they will be struck down.

“The question is ‘are they Constitutionally allowed to?’ ” Scroggins says. “I don’t think that question has been answered in those other states.”

“I sincerely believe that when that question is answered it will be no, they are not allowed to do that in contravention of federal law.”

To illustrate his reasoning, Scroggins offered an analogy. Women have the right to vote in the United States. Scroggins says Missouri does NOT have the right to deny women’s suffrage.

“I don’t think there’s anybody out there who believes that even if they got enough signatures, even if they got it on the ballot, even if it passed, I don’t think there’s anybody out there who believes that Missouri would be able to exclude women from voting, because it violates federal law. This is exactly the same situation.”

Earlier this month, Scroggins and 11 other county prosecutors announced they would file to intervene in the lawsuit Dundon versus Kander. The plaintiffs Shelia Dundon and the group New Approach Missouri, are challenging the Secretary of State’s rejection of signatures in their petition drive to get a marijuana measure on the ballot. Scroggins and the other prosecutors hope to convince the judge to reject the lawsuit and the petition drive.

“It doesn’t make any difference how many signatures you get, and it doesn’t make any difference whether something passes by popular vote, if it violates federal law, you’re not allowed to do it,” Scroggins said. “And, using, possessing or distributing marijuana violates federal law, and therefore Missouri is not allowed to pass a law to the contrary.”

A number of hearings are pending in the case, which could be decided as soon as September 6, according to online court records.

The Sound of Speed Airshow is this weekend at Rosecrans Memorial Airport in St. Joseph. You can expect intermittent traffic jams along U.S. Highway 36 and Airport Road, a lot of aircraft activity overhead, and a few sonic booms each day.

A dozen or more static aircraft will be on display on the ground, including the A-10 “Warthog” fighter jet, The Northrop T-38 Talon supersonic jet trainer and the AH-64 Apache helicopter.

The show will include performances both days from about twenty acts, including the Shockwave Jet Truck and some aerobatics from the Shetterly Squadron and the Franklin Airshow’s “Dracula.”

A concert Saturday will feature American Idol winner David Cook and country singer Danika Portz.

Saturday
Gates open at 11am
Airshow 2-5pm
Concert 5:30-7:30pm

Sunday
Gates open at 8am
Airshow1-4pm

You can get ticket information online here. (or visit the air show’s Web site here.)

 

Data released shows because of requirements, ACT test takers increased and scores declined for the St. Joseph School District.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released the data for April 2016 of eleventh grade students.

According to a press release from the district, the results show the composite score went from 20.1 for the district in 2015 to 18.8 composite score for 2016.

“In the past, the district received scores from students who voluntarily took the test,” Dr. Marlie Williams, Assistant Superintendent of Academic Services said. “Last spring, all students in their junior year took the test. We now have an accurate gauge of college and career readiness for all our students and will be able to identify ways to improve so that our students are ready for the post secondary choices they make.”

Due to the statewide changes that dictate all juniors take the ACT test, the SJSD now has a baseline that is a reflection of all students, whether they are college or career bound.

In 2015, 479 students took the test (before the statewide requirement); in 2016, 740 students took the test (after the statewide mandate). Out of all SJSD juniors, 94.6% of students took the test.

“We have a focus on academics and this is one of our target areas,” Williams said. “Each school made sure to communicate how important it was for students to be in school the day of the ACT test. While the data shows room for improvement, this information helps our schools create a road map to meet the needs of our students and begin the work to see growth in this area.”

ACT Scores were down for 2016 in the United States due to an increased percentage of students who were tested, according to a press statement from ACT.

“This year’s ACT-tested class is more representative of the student population than any we’ve ever had,” said ACT Chief Executive Officer Marten Roorda. “We have likely added many more underrepresented students who may not have been preparing to go to college. In a situation such as this, it’s not at all surprising that overall achievement levels went down. Research clearly shows that scores initially decrease when states adopt the ACT for all students, but access and opportunities increase.”

One of the aerobatic acts on tap for this weekend’s Sound of Speed Airshow is the so-called “Shetterly Squadron,” a family of fliers with a passion, and a talent, for flight.

We spoke with Joe Shetterly, one-third of the “Shetterly Squadron.” Joe will join his father Greg and his brother Jeff Shetterly at the airshow at Rosecrans Airport this weekend.

“One of the folks that is very visually appealing to folks is when we take the three airplanes, that are very distinct in size, and shape, and sound, and color, and fly them in close formation,” Shetterly said in an interview. “We’ll be making multiple passes in front of the crowd in these airplanes that you normally would not see flying together, and certainly not very close together.”

Joe tells us his family perform at about 30 air shows each year, all together, but that all three only get together for about ten shows per year.

“We’ll fly solo and formation aerobatic routines,” he says, “and we’ll display both the capabilities of the pilots, and our long history of aviation experience, as well as the capabilities of the very diverse group of airplanes that we fly.”

The Sound of Speed Airshow takes off Saturday. The gates open at 11am, and the airshow runs from 2-5pm. Saturday will also feature a muscial concert featuring American Idol winner David Cook and country singer Danika Portz. The gates open on Sunday at 8am, with the airshow scheduled from 1-4pm.

St. Joseph Police say a body was recovered out of the Missouri River in Atchison, Kansas.

In a news release, Captain Jeff Wilson of the St. Joseph Police Department says the body of “a male subject” was discovered by kayakers earlier today.

Wilson says the identity of the body has yet to be determined. An autopsy will be conducted.