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St. Joseph Health Dept. free flu clinic to be held next week

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The City of St. Joseph Health Department will conduct its annual free flu clinic on Wednesday, October 10.

The clinic will be held at the REC Center, 2701 SW Parkway. It will begin at 8:30 a.m. and run until noon or as long as supplies last.

Buchanan County residents age 18 and older, and who are not pregnant, are encouraged to participate. Patrons are asked to wear a shirt that allows access to the shoulder area, where the vaccine is administered.

According to the City of St. Joseph Health Department, the flu vaccine is free to all participants. Those who have privately provided health insurance, Medicare or Missouri HealthNet are asked to present their card at clinic registration. No out of pocket expense will be charged by the St. Joseph Health Department for flu vaccine.

The Health Department is only offering drive-up service to those with mobility issues. The REC Center will remain open during the flu clinic hours. No services will be provided at the Health Department, 904 S. 10th St., on the day of the flu clinic but will resume on Thursday, October 11th.

The Health Department administers the quadrivalent flu vaccine which is designed to protect against four different flu viruses; two influenza A viruses and two influenza B viruses.

For more information regarding the flu clinic, call (816) 271-4725.

Lawson man charged with restraining children with zip ties

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LAWSON, Mo. (AP) — A western Missouri man has been charged with restraining children with zip ties and keeping them in a cardboard box overnight.

Wyant -photo Ray Co.

Thirty-two-year-old Gary Wyant, of Lawson, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 11 felony counts of child abuse and two counts of evidence tampering. Wyant has been released on bond. His attorney didn’t immediately return a phone message.

The probable cause affidavit says authorities began investigating in May after one child talked to a teacher.

Ray County Prosecuting Attorney Camille Johnston says police identified at least four victims, some of whom claim Wyant zip-tied their hands and feet before putting them in a box. The affidavit says Wyant also used a paddle dubbed “The Enforcer.”

Johnston says there is “zero tolerance in regards to this.”

Missouri Western presidential search committee to hold first meeting

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President of Missouri Western State University Dr. Robert A. Vartabedian. Photo courtesy Missouri Western.

The search committee to select the next president of Missouri Western State University will hold its first meeting next week.

The committee is seeking to replace Dr. Robert Vartabedian, who has announced his plans to retire on July 1, 2019, after 11 years as Missouri Western’s president.

According to a press release, the meeting is open to the public and will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9, in the Blum Student Union Private Dining Room.

The search committee is comprised of Board of Governors members, students, faculty, staff, administrators and community members. The 23 members include:

Board of Governors: Dave Liechti, Al Purcell, Debbie Smith, Student Governor Paul Granberry III

Students: Austen Hall

Faculty: Dr. Mike Cadden, Dr. Jennifer Hegeman, Dr. Mark Mills, Dr. Dan Shepherd

Administrators: Josh Looney, Carey McMillian, Latoya Muhammad, Dr. Bob Willenbrink

Staff: Kathy Kelly, Fred Nesslage

Community Members: Drew Brown, Pete Gray, Todd Meierhoffer, Charlie Shields, Kylee Strough, Julee Thompson, Bob Wollenman and Seth Wright

Meetings of the presidential search committee will be posted as public meetings, but portions of meetings may be closed under exemptions authorized by the Missouri Sunshine law.

Chance of rain and storms with temps in the 70s

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Strong storms are possible starting in northwest MO/northeast KS this evening, then moving southeast, reaching the KC Metro to the Kirksville area closer to midnight. Hail, strong winds, and localized flash flooding are possible tonight, with the flooding concerns lingering through late Sat. morning. Remember, if you come across a flooded road “Turn Around Don’t Drown.” Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. South wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tonight: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 54. South wind 7 to 10 mph becoming north after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.

Saturday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 58. North wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 52. Northeast wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Sunday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 68. East northeast wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Sunday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 63. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Columbus Day: Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 1 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 78. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Monday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Tuesday: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 75. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Tuesday Night: Showers likely, mainly before 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Wednesday: A chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 63.

RiverFest will celebrate Riverfront Park and its historical significance

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Riverfront Rescue clean up 2014. Photo courtesy Madison Davis

Highlighting the Riverfront Park area in downtown St. Joseph and its historical significance is the goal of an event this weekend.

Tim Doyle is the pastor at Restoration Church in downtown St. Joseph and is part of the effort to clean up and shine a spotlight on the Riverfront Park area that has been neglected.

“The casino moved north and that park has sat abandoned since the ’90s. When we first started going down there, there was still flood mud from the flood of ‘93, it’s been that long, and it wasn’t even being mowed and maintained,” Doyle said. “So here we have this beautiful river walk trail that heads up to Remington Nature Center, but at the southern anchor was this place that had just kind of gotten scary and in the absence of a plan, not only did it fall into disrepair, but other things were going on that really did not speak well of our city.”

Doyle said about four years ago is when the process started of cleaning up and mowing the area.

“Over the years, we’ve just begun to see this transformation. Now, granted, it’s nothing like I wish it were, but it’s certainly a less scary place for people to come,” Doyle said. “While we’ve been there doing that work, it’s just been amazing to me that we meet people from all over the country. They come to that place to see where the Oregon and California trails began and that’s the significance of that spot of history.”

Doyle said the upcoming RiverFest event this weekend at the park will feature music, food, activities for kids and more. Also members from the Oregon and California Trails Association will be there to share stories of the history of the Riverfront area.

“It’s going to be a free event, just a fun time to go down and celebrate St. Joseph’s history,” Doyle said.

RiverFest begins at 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Riverfront Park off of Francis Street in downtown St. Joseph.

For more information on Riverfront Park and RiverFest, visit the Riverfront Rescue Facebook page or the event website at riverfest.site.

Cooler today with temps near 60

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Yesterday it felt like August, today will feel more like late October or early November. The best chance for rain today will be south of I-70. For Friday, there is potential for heavy rain across much of eastern KS and northern MO. While any rain is helpful to our drought situation, this may lead to localized flash flooding and river flooding. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 60. East northeast wind 10 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 10 p.m. Cloudy, with a low around 54. East southeast wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78. South wind 5 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 54. South wind 7 to 10 mph becoming north after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Saturday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 10 a.m., then showers between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1 p.m. High near 58. North wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 51. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Sunday: Showers. High near 68. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Sunday Night: Showers. Low around 64. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Columbus Day: Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 1 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 79. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Monday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 1 a.m., then showers likely. Low around 62. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Tuesday: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 76. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Tuesday Night: Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Wednesday: A chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Part of Lower Lake Road closed due to train derailment

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The area of 500 SW Lower Lake Road, west of Animal Control is closed until further notice due to a train derailment.

According to Sgt. Wayne Byrom with the St. Joseph Police Department, the derailment happened around 4 a.m. behind Bartlett Grain. Three train cars derailed, spilling grain and hitting power lines. Byrom said cleanup could take several hours but officials are working to get the roadway open as soon as possible.

There were no injuries reported.

St. Joseph man charged in connection with Subway burglary

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Mark A. Sowell

A St. Joseph man has been charged in connection with a burglary at a Subway last month.

According to Capt. Jeff Wilson with the St. Joseph Police Department, 36-year-old Mark A. Sowell has been charged with 2nd degree burglary in reference to a burglary on Sept. 26, at Subway located at 6101 Lake Ave. Wilson said detective’s investigations have linked Sowell to several other burglaries in St. Joseph.

According to a probable cause statement, Sowell was captured on video attempting to gain entry to the back door of the business overnight. Sowell attempted to disable a camera before putting on a black mask that covered most of his face. He got into the business by throwing rocks and breaking a window. Sowell attempted to break into a safe and then left the building. He was later arrested at another burglary scene.

According to the probable cause statement, Sowell has three prior failure to appear arrests and a criminal history of domestic violence and other assault type crimes.

Sowell is jailed on $15,000 bond. An arraignment is scheduled for Friday.

 

(Note: A previous version of this story listed Sonic as the business burglarized. Police confirmed the address is correct and the location is a Subway.)

Windy with temps near 90 today

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Today will feel more like August with high temperatures in the upper 80s to lower 90s and heat indices in the lower to mid 90s. This heat will be accompanied by wind gusts between 30 and 40 mph in the afternoon, so it would be a good idea to tie down or remove objects that are easily moved by higher winds. These higher winds will also lead to elevated fire weather concerns as any fire that does start may quickly get out of hand, so use caution if burning Wednesday afternoon. An approaching cold front will quickly cool the area down, but may bring a chance of some strong to severe thunderstorms over NW Missouri late Wednesday evening into Thursday morning. The main threat would be hail and wind as these storms progress south in a line along the cold front. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 11 to 16 mph increasing to 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 37 mph.

Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. Low around 55. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming north after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 a.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 61. Northeast wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Thursday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 8 p.m. Cloudy, with a low around 55. Southeast wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 8 a.m. Cloudy, with a high near 80. South southwest wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday Night: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 8 p.m. Low around 55. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.

Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8 a.m. High near 61. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Saturday Night: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2 a.m. Low around 52. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 69. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Sunday Night: Showers and thunderstorms. Low around 61. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Columbus Day: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a high near 77. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Monday Night: Showers and thunderstorms. Low around 58. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Tuesday: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 69. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Emergency alert test going out to mobile phones nationwide

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WASHINGTON (AP) — About 225 million electronic devices across the United States will wail and buzz Wednesday afternoon as the Federal Emergency Management Agency conducts an emergency alert test.

 

A tone will sound at 2:18 p.m. EDT, similar to that of an Amber Alert or flood watch warning, and the subject of the alert will read: “Presidential Alert” and text will say: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”

It is the first test of the national wireless emergency system by FEMA. The message will be broadcast by cell towers for 30 minutes, so it’s possible some people may get it at a different time. The alerts will sound as long as the device is turned on — even if it’s on mute or do not disturb, and it may also appear on smart watches, officials said.

A second alert on television broadcast and radio will go off at 2:20 p.m. EDT. The TV and radio alert has been tested for several years.

The system test is for a high-level “presidential” alert that would be used only in a nationwide emergency. It is being completed in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission. FEMA officials said Tuesday they would share test result data on how the testing went with mobile carriers to help ensure the system works well in a true emergency.

Phones with mobile carriers that participate in the wireless emergency alert system, which sends out information on hazardous weather, or missing children, will get the alert. FEMA officials estimate it will reach about 75 percent of all mobile phones in the country, including phones on all of the major carriers.

The wireless alert system launched in 2012. While users can opt out of messages on missing children and natural disasters, they can’t opt out of the presidential alerts, which are issued at the direction of the White House and activated by FEMA.

FEMA officials said the administration can only send such an alert for national emergencies or if the public were in peril, rules outlined in a 2006 law, and they say it can’t be used for any sort of personal message from the president.

A group of New Yorkers filed a lawsuit in federal court in New York arguing they should not be compelled to receive the alerts under their right to free speech.

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