MARYVILLE, Mo. – Designated the state of Missouri’s arboretum in 1993, the Northwest Missouri State University campus is home to some of the oldest and most majestic trees in the region – and now it’s accredited.

According to a press release, the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and the Morton Arboretum recently granted the Missouri Arboretum at Northwest a Level II accreditation for achieving standards and professional practices outlined by its global initiative. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program recognizes arboreta at various levels of development, capacity and professionalism.

“The trees provide welcome shade on hot summer days and a break from the strong, cold winds of winter,” said Pat Ward, an arborist who joined Northwest’s staff as arboretum director in February. “In the spring, the flowering trees brighten the day and in the fall, the leaf color is breathtaking. The importance of these trees has not gone unnoticed.”

For decades, the Missouri Arboretum has served as an outdoor classroom where students have learned plant identification, proper tree care, growth patterns and types of reproduction as well as the impacts of plant material on the environment.

“Some of our trees are more than 100 years old and we have a number of trees growing outside the normal range for their species,” Ward said. “Our accreditation with ArbNet opens new doors for us as it facilitates the sharing of knowledge, experience, resources and even plant material with other arboreta.”

Ward said the accreditation supports the goals of Northwest’s Arboretum Committee to add to the University’s tree collection and increase education programs and research opportunities for students as well as the general public.

Before Northwest’s founding in 1905, 85 acres of the 330-acre campus were part of a tree farm and nursery established by Thomas Gaunt in 1857. As the University set its own roots, fast-growing, short-lived trees and slow-growing, long-lived trees were planted. The Gaunt home, built during the 1870s, now serves as a residence for the University president and his family.

The Northwest campus, which also has earned a designation as a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation, is home to more than 1,800 trees and more than 150 species cultivated from throughout the world. Three trails – the Gaunt Trail, Tower Trail and Chautauqua Trail – also traverse the campus to help visitors learn about the trees and get an up-close view of them.

To learn more about the Missouri Arboretum, visit nwmissouri.edu/arboretum.

The purpose of an event in Osborn this weekend is to help knock out childhood cancer.

Osborn City Clerk Jody Barlow said gates open for the Fight for the Fearless event at 5 p.m. and fights start at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Osborn City Park.

“It’s a free will donation at the gate… At the event you’ll get to see live, professional boxers spar as well as some amateur fighters,” Barlow said. “Some of the professional fighters will be paired with local celebrities to get it on and help knock out childhood cancer.”

Proceeds from the event go to the Rose Lowenstein Foundation. The mission of the Foundation is to raise awareness of childhood cancer and to assist deserving area families affected by childhood cancer. A portion of the proceeds will also go to the Taylor Finley Memorial scholarship and an Osborn family who has a child battling cancer.

For more information on the Fight for the Fearless event, go to roselowensteinfoundation.org.

According to the American Red Cross, there continues to be an emergency need for donations of all blood types, especially type O, to address a severe blood shortage.

According to a press release, Red Cross blood donations are being distributed to hospitals faster than they are coming in, and right now there is less than a five-day blood supply on hand. The Red Cross strives to keep a five-day supply of blood to meet the needs of patients and to be prepared for emergencies that require significant volumes of donated blood products.

There is a particular need for type O blood, which plays an important role in ongoing patient care and emergencies. Type O positive is the most transfused blood type and can be given to patients with any Rh-positive blood type. Type O negative is the universal blood type and can
be given to any patient. It’s what emergency room personnel reach for when there is no time to determine the blood type of patients in the most serious situations.

Anyone who donates blood or platelets anytime July 30th through Aug. 30th will receive a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card via email.

For more information, visit RedCross.org.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities in the area July 25-Aug. 15:

In St. Joseph:

8/10/2018: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m., American Family Insurance – In Memory of All Cancer Victims, 2335 N. Belt Hwy Suite C

In Leavenworth, Kansas:

7/26/2018: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Fairfield Inn and Suites, 1101 N. 4th Street
8/14/2018: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., The Guidance Center, 500 Limit St.

In Platte City:

7/25/2018: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Platte County Community Center North, 3101 Running Horse Road

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Bridge joint repairs will close the eastbound driving lane of U.S. Route 36 in St. Joseph as well as the eastbound ramps at 9th and 10th Streets on Wednesday and Thursday.

Crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation will close the lane and ramps between 7:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. If the crew is able to complete the work in one day, the ramps and lane will be open Thursday. Motorists should use an alternate route during the closure.

All work is weather permitting and could be rescheduled. MoDOT encourages all travelers to slow down, buckle up, eliminate distractions, pay attention and drive safely so everyone is able to Arrive Alive.

For more information call 1-888-ASK-MODOT (888-275-6636) or visit modot.org/northwest.

The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce was recently recognized as one of the top 10 chambers for membership retention.

Kristi Bailey with the St. Joseph Chamber said they were notified by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives that they were recognized for having placed in the top 10 for membership retention in their division for Fiscal Year 2017.

“That’s really a point of pride for us. What membership retention is, is basically how many… of our members stay members year after year,” Bailey said. “Sometimes you might think it’s easy to get someone to join up for a chamber membership, but it’s not always easy to keep members. So we were very excited to place in the top 10 for our size chamber because it means that what we’ve been doing has been working.”

Chamber President and CEO R. Patt Lilly said businesses join the chamber for different reasons.

“(They join) to increase foot traffic in their doors, to support economic development, to have a larger voice in legislative advocacy efforts, but why they stay is important,” Lilly said. “We’ve seen high retention rates, because members recognize that not only do they receive benefits like educational and networking opportunities, but being a part of the Chamber is a way to support their community.”

Other chambers in the division to receive the top 10 recognition include the Greater Green Bay, Wisc., Chamber and the Toledo, Ohio, Regional Chamber of Commerce, among others.

For more information about the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce go to saintjoseph.com.

A 19-year-old was injured in a shooting Monday in St. Joseph.

According to the St. Joseph Police Department, several calls came in reporting a shooting around 6:40 p.m. in the area of 800 South 14th. Officers arrived to find the 19-year-old man with a gunshot wound. He was immediately transported to the hospital. According to police, he is in critical condition.

Police have no other information at this time and no arrests have been made.

The incident is still under investigation and anyone with information is asked to call the Detective Unit at (816) 271-5336.