St. Joseph, Mo. – Walk-in appointments will be taken next week at the Calvin Center in St. Joseph for Medicare Part D Enrollment.

Eligible Medicare beneficiaries interested in enrolling or making changes to their prescription-drug coverage plan under the federal health insurance program can do so beginning October 19th at the InterServ Calvin Center located at 1412 North 3rd Street.

Brett King, Dir. of Resources Development with InterServ said Medicare Part D enrollment or those wishing to make changes to their current plans can do so between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays beginning October 19 with no appointment necessary.

The open enrollment period for Medicare Part D closes on December 4th.

All beneficiaries and/or those who intend to enroll need to bring the following items with them:
• General Information (Name, Address, Telephone #, DOB)
• Medicare Card
• Prescription Drug Card (if necessary)
• List of prescription drugs, dosage, number of pills taken each day.
• Emergency contact and phone number.

During the enrollment period, seniors who are new to Medicare because they are just reaching age 65 may enroll in a Part D plan within three months of their 65th birthday. People living with disabilities who qualify for Medicare may enroll in a Part D plan within three months of their 25th month of disability. Those beneficiaries can change their Part D enrollment status at any time.

To determine whether you are a beneficiary of Medicare Part D or for any other Medicare-counseling questions, call CLAIM at 1-800-390-3330 or visit the website (www.missouriclaim.org). For information concerning the open enrollment process at the Calvin Center, call (816) 279-7779, ext. 0.

The Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District will convene at Missouri Western State University Tuesday to hear oral arguments in three cases including one regarding a fine for violating the City of St. Joseph’s 2014 Smoke-Free Indoor Air Ordinance.

A three-judge panel consisting of Western District Judges Joseph Ellis and Gary Witt and Missouri Supreme Court Judge Zel Fischer will hear oral arguments in the cases.

DeWayne A. Leer, one of the owners of Uncle D’s Sports Bar & Grill is appealing a municipal court decision not to dismiss a fine for allowing smoking inside Uncle D’s on Aug, 21 2014. According to the case summary, DeWayne said the trial court erred in not dismissing the charges for several reasons.  One of those is that the, “2014 Ordinance does not bear equally on all persons coming naturally within its class of ‘public places’ and ‘places of employment,’ but instead grants a special right and privilege to a special subclass of those places that does not have a special relationship to smoking indoors.”

The Court will sit at Missouri Western on Tuesday, October 13, 2015. Arguments will begin at 9:30 a.m., and will once again be held at the Kemper Recital Hall located inside Spratt Hall on campus.

Other cases involve appeals for a conviction on the use of a child in a sexual performance and a driving while intoxicated conviction.

CLICK HERE to read full case summaries

 

The American Red Cross of Northwest Missouri is collecting donations to aid in relief efforts in the Carolinas after flooding caused extensive damage to the region.

An envelope drop can be found in Saturday’s News-Press. Donations can also be made at the Northwest Missouri office located at 401 N. 12th St. or by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

As of Friday morning the Northwest Missouri office had deployed two area volunteer to aid in relief efforts in the Carolinas.

The Red Cross said although the bulk of historic rain has ended in the Carolinas, high waters are still a very dangerous reality. Central and eastern parts of South Carolina experienced the worst flooding, with rainfall totals generally ranging between one and two feet – the equivalent of several months of rain in a few days. In Columbia, the water system is operational, however, water main breaks continue to cause low water pressure to the area. Boil-water advisory remains in effect. Major flooding continues on portions of the Edisto, Black and Waccamaw Rivers in South Carolina, and coastal flood advisories remain in effect at some locations from North Carolina to Florida.

Additional rains are expected this weekend, and new evacuations are underway in some neighborhoods as officials monitor the situation.

As flood waters begin to recede in some areas, the American Red Cross continues its massive relief operation in South Carolina – making sure people have shelter, food and a shoulder to lean on.

“The Red Cross is there, and we’re there for the long haul,” said Rebecca Jordan, executive director of the Red Cross of Central South Carolina. “It (the flood) is impacting more communities, and we want to be there with a safety net to catch them and help them through it – not only today and tomorrow but in the months to come.”

Half a dozen schools in the St. Joseph School District were awarded funding Friday to help with innovative classroom experiences.

Bobbie Cronk, School District Foundation Board Member took part in the 2015 Apple Seed Grant Prize Patrol.

“It’s a lot of fun being able to go into the buildings and award the grants,” Cronk said. “We arrive on a bus with noise makers and members of the community join us, this morning we had school district board members, members of the city council, community leaders, school supporters, it was a great way for us to show support for our teachers.”

First on the list this morning was Bode Middle School was awarded a grant for a ‘What Cooking?’ program.  Next, the Apple Seed Grant Prize Patrol headed over to the Alternative Resource Center to award ‘Boomwhachers Rhythem Band’, Pickett Elementary received funding for ‘Down with Dyslexia,” Benton High School was the fourth stop with its ‘Writing Marathon & Tools of the Historian’ program, Humboldt Elementary took home some funding also for its ‘Take Home Books’ program, and Lindbergh Elementary was the last stop earning funding for ‘Using Expanding Expression.’

“We gave out grants to fund writing marathons, to fund instruments in school, to fund special programs that will help children who have difficulty reading, really a variety of different programs,” Cronk said.

She said the community helps to fund the Apple Seed Grants to help innovative projects to aid in student learning.

“We are giving about $15,000 this year,” Cronk said. “It will fund six projects out of about 30 applicants.”

The winners are chosen by a committee formed from school district officials, business leaders, community members and the district’s teacher of the year that evaluates the projects.

 

An early morning rollover accident with injuries sent officers, fire-rescue personnel and paramedics to a location along I-229 near Highland Avenue.

According to initial radio traffic, three people were trapped in the vehicle and a fourth was able to get out.

When rescue personnel arrived, one person was still pinned.  Some of the injuries appeared to be serious, based on early assessments from paramedics.

The accident was reported shortly after 4 a.m. just north of Highland Ave, off the west side of the southbound lanes of I-229.  By about 4:45 a.m. the victims had been extricated and were transported to the hospital.

A small fire caused a temporary closure Thursday at a St. Joseph entertainment store.

According to Battalion Chief Russell Moore with the St. Joseph Fire Department crews responded around 12:30 p.m. to Hastings Entertainment located at 605 N. Belt Highway.

Moore said an electrical box in the back shorted out and caused a small fire.

“I believe there had been a transformer issue earlier that knocked the power out to all the shops right here,” Moore said. “Their power came back on but when it did the electrical started popping and cracking and they noticed that the room was filling up with smoke.”

The store was closed to customers.  Moore said before it can reopen power will have to be restored.  Crews with Kansas City Power and Light were on scene working to do just that.

A Wathena man has been charged after an August accident sent a St. Joseph man to the hospital with serious injuries.

30-year-old Steven Whittaker was charged Tuesday in Buchanan County with a felony for second-degree assault for operating a vehicle while intoxicated resulting in injury.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol Tyler Hoffman of St. Joseph was life-flighted to KU Medical Center for treatment of serious injuries after the Aug. 28 crash in Agency, Mo.

The Highway Patrol said Whittaker’s vehicle crossed the center-line along Route-FF and hit Hoffman’s vehicle head-on. Whittaker’s vehicle then rolled over. Whittaker was also taken by ambulance to Mosaic Life Care with moderate injuries.

Do you know what to do when you come upon flashing yellow arrows at an intersection?*

The Missouri Department of Transportation wants to make sure, so they’re holding a public outreach session on Friday in St Joseph.

Traffic engineers from MoDOT will be on hand to discuss this new type of signal. As part of MoDOT’s outreach efforts to help the motoring public understand the signals prior to their implementation, engineers will have informational booths on Friday, October 9, at the Joyce Raye Patterson Senior Citizen Center from 9 a.m. to noon, and at the East Hills Mall from 1 to 5 p.m.

A half-mile section of Route 6 (Frederick Avenue) between U.S. Route 169 (Belt Highway) and Interstate 29 has four signals that will soon be changed. Traffic engineers with the Missouri Department of Transportation plan to install flashing yellow arrow signals where Frederick intersects with Village Drive, Woodbine Road and both northbound and southbound ramps at I-29.

The traffic patterns at each intersection will not change, but the indicators directing motorists through the intersection will be slightly altered. Instead of left-turning traffic yielding to oncoming traffic when they see a solid, green ball indicator, they’ll now see a yellow flashing arrow. These new signals have been shown to increase safety, reduce crashes, and address congestion and delay.

*(A flashing yellow arrow means turns are permitted, but you must first yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians and then proceed with caution.)

Hundreds of adults in Buchanan County turned out Wednesday for an influenza shot.

“It’s an opportunity for us to get out into the public,” said Stephanie Malita, Public Information Officer with the St. Joseph Health Dept.

The Health Dept. held it’s annual flu clinic at Green Valley Baptist Church. The clinic was open to Buchanan County residents 18 and older, and who are not pregnant. Malita said vaccine for children six months and older is offered at the health department. As of 10 a.m. around 200 vaccinations had already been given.

“We actually got started a little bit early because people where here early and we were ready,” said Malita.

This year’s vaccine is a closer match for the H3N2 strain associated with worse illness and higher mortality from the 2014-2015 flu season. According to the latest surveillance data, the same H3N2 strain continues to circulate.

“We’re hoping that by giving this vaccine this year we’ll be giving people the protection they need,” said Malita. “If you get your shot now you’re going to have protection through the flu season.”

She said the vaccine is good for six to nine months and that a spike in the virus is typically seen in January and February.

“With the Holidays coming up it’s a good idea to get vaccinated,” Malita said. “When people come they don’t always just bring luggage, they bring germs too.”

The department was closed Wednesday for around 35 staff members to aid in the clinic, several St. Joseph firefighters also assisted. Services at the Health Dept. resume Thursday, October 8th.

Traffic was being redirected along I-29 after a crash in the southbound lanes near the King City exit.

That accident was reported shortly before 8am on southbound I-29 at mile marker 50.6.

The crash involved a semi and was blocking both lanes of traffic on the interstate.

MoDOT tells us the crash delayed plans to shut down the southbound off-ramp from I-29 to Frederick, which was originally scheduled to begin at 8am.