KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A St. Joseph, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court Wednesday for role in a large-scale conspiracy that distributed more than 15 kilograms of methamphetamine in St. Joseph and across a four-state region.

Shannon Wayne Martinez, also known as “Big Homie,” 39, of St. Joseph, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Martinez to pay a money judgment of $444,000, which reflects the amount of methamphetamine for which Martinez was responsible (6.8 kilograms, or 240 ounces) at a street price of $1,850 per ounce. In total, the conspiracy was responsible for distributing nearly $1 million worth of methamphetamine.

In 2010, the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration initiated an investigation into a drug-trafficking organization distributing methamphetamine in northwest Missouri, northeast Kansas, southern Iowa and Nebraska.

On Nov. 17, 2015, Martinez pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and to participating in a money-laundering conspiracy. Martinez admitted that he procured pound quantities of methamphetamine from sources in Kansas City, Mo., which he then distributed to co-conspirators.

Martinez was the head of a drug-trafficking organization that included co-defendants in the St. Joseph area. Martinez and others used Rick’s Upholstery Shop in St. Joseph, owned by co-defendant Ricky Alan Angst, 59, of Amazonia, Mo., as a front for drug trafficking. Angst has pleaded guilty to maintaining a drug premises and awaits sentencing.

Martinez is among 24 defendants charged in a Nov. 15, 2013, federal indictment, all of whom have either pleaded guilty or been convicted at trial.

(Story corrected) – A crash in Clinton County Wednesday morning killed one man and sent four other people to the hospital.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 55-year-old Michael Parman of Lathrop was killed in the three-vehicle wreck around 6:30 a.m.  The Patrol said Parman was driving a 2003 Hyundai Accent westbound on Route-PP traveling downhill and 35-year-old Michael Sell of Holt was driving a 2000 Ford F150 eastbound up the hill on Route-PP with a vehicle behind Sell, driven by 28-year-old Rachel Tatro of Lathrop.  (Correction) the report said Sell crossed the center line and hit Parman ‘s vehicle.  Parman was not reported to have been wearing his seat-belt.  He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sell and his two passengers, a 5-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy were taken with minor injuries to Liberty Hospital.  Tatro was also taken with minor injuries to Liberty Hospital.

Renovations are underway at the swimming pool in the Looney Complex at Missouri Western State University. Crews are currently giving the pool deck and shell a new surface.

After that they’ll work out a new, direct entrance to the pool area from outside, and the locker rooms will get an upgrade.

Missouri Western’s Assistant Director of PR and Marketing Kent Heier tells us the pool will not be ready this summer, but should reopen before the city pools close.

“What’ll be nice is that we’ll be reopening in August,” Mr Heier said in an interview, “so just shortly before the municipal pools close for the season we will be reopening, and so people will have that recreational opportunity continuing through the off season.”

The pool will be open year-round, subject to reserved times for private events, school district practice and programming from the City of St Joseph.

The project came together thanks to partial funding from Buchanan County, which paid out $20,000 to jump start the repairs. The St Joseph School District has paid $22,000 to secure the pool for physical education and swim-team practices. The City of St Joseph will supplement the operational expenses of the pool. An accounting is expected in about a year to see just how much the city will contribute based on costs and revenues. Officials say the city’s share is capped at about $61,000.

The county money ensures that every resident of the county will have access to what is now a public swimming pool. But Mr. Heier says there will be fees.

“There will be fees for the general public using the pool,” he says. “Those fees are currently being discussed and will be set before the pool reopens in August.”

Heier says the fees will be similar to those being paid by patrons of the city’s neighborhood pools.

A competency examination has been ordered for a St Joseph man accused of assaulting a police officer.

During a court appearance Tuesday, Judge Keith Marquart ruled that Marcus Paden is unable to understand the charge against him, and assist in his defense. Judge Marquart ordered a competency examination to determine if Mr. Paden is competent to stand trial.

He’s charged with 2nd Degree Assault of a Law Enforcement Officer, a Class-C felony.

In court documents, investigators say Mr. Paden punched Sergeant Steve Smith in the head and face several times during an incident May 3 on Gene Field Road. Sergeant Smith was treated for serious injuries.

Bail was set at $35,000.

After being closed for a year the City of St. Joseph plans to reopen the Southwest Parkway over Garfield Avenue later this month.

City Engineer Brady McKinley said a grand re-opening ceremony is scheduled for May 23 for the replacement bridge.

“The council will have a ribbon cutting at 5 p.m. on the 23rd before their council meeting,” McKinley said. “Right on schedule.”

The original bridge was demolished in April of 2015, it was built in 1929.  McKinley said construction on the new bridge is mostly complete except for some minor details that are being touched up.

“They will be putting up the chain-link fence on the bridge along the pedestrian trail, starting the railings down the trail system on each end, there’s a lot of safety fencing and stuff that needs to go up on the back of the walls,” McKinley said. “Otherwise there’s just a few touch-ups.  Once they get complete we’ll be ready to open.”

As we previously reported, the new bridge also includes a 10-foot hike and bike trail that will connect to the city’s current trail system.

The bridge replacement was part of a CIP project that cost $2,846,117.98.

The city of St. Joseph’s summer bus program will kick off another year after more than 1800 children used the transit program last summer.

“Last summer we introduced a summer youth pass. We called it ‘My Summer Ride,'” said Mary Gaston, General Manager for St. Joseph Transit. “From the last day of school in May until school went back in August the pass was good for unlimited rides.”

Gaston said the program is coming back again this summer. Passes are currently on sale for $30 and are valid from May 12 to Aug. 13.

“We were getting calls back in March asking if we were going to have the pass again,” she said.

The pass comes with some additional perks too. This year it includes a free ticket to a Mustangs home game, one free open gym pass to the St. Joseph REC Center, One admission to the Remington Nature Center, One free swim at the Aquatic Park, and $5 off youth swim sessions or sport session at the YMCA.

“Summertime kids have more flexible schedules, they do have places they want to go, especially that teenager group. The ones who are old enough to manage themselves on transit, find out where the bus stop is and that kind of stuff but they’re not driving yet,” Gaston said. “Using the bus to get around to wherever they’re going. Wither they’re going to swimming or to the library or wherever they’re going.”

The passes are for children age 6-18 but anyone under age 9 is required to be accompanied by a rider who is at least 12-years-old.  Gaston said the hope is to get children involved in utilizing the transit system.

Tickets are being sold at St. Joseph Transit located at 702 S. 5th St., City Hall, and HyVee at the Service Desk.

Two people were transported to the hospital Tuesday after a crash blocked traffic at Frederick and Village Dr.

The St. Joseph Police Department and Buchanan County EMS responded to calls of an injury accident at about 9:45 a.m. at Frederick and Village Drive.

Police said the Black Honda was eastbound on Frederick and the Red car was attempting to turn left into the mall on a flashing yellow arrow and collided with the Honda.

Both drivers, a man in his 70s and a woman in her 30s were transported to Mosaic Life Care for treatment of what police described as minor injuries.

The man was issued a ticket for improper turn.