(UPDATE) – Power to the signals at the intersection of U.S. Route 169 (Belt Highway) and U.S. Route 36 will be shut off Wednesday, Sept. 26 so contractor crews from Amino Brothers Co., Inc. can upgrade the signal cabinet and the signal heads at the interchange. The work, originally scheduled for Tuesday, has been delayed one day due to rain in the forecast.

St. Joseph Police officers will be directing traffic through the interchange while the power is off.

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ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Improvements to the signals at the intersection of U.S. Route 169 (Belt Highway) and U.S. Route 36 are currently going on which will bring the signals into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, in order to finish the ADA work, the power to the signals will be shut off Tuesday, Sept. 25, so contractor crews from Amino Brothers Co., Inc. can install new video detections systems and upgrade the signal cabinet at the interchange.

MoDOT has partnered with the City of St. Joseph Police Department to direct traffic through the interchange while the power is off. The power to the signals is scheduled to be cut off at approximately 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 25, and could remain off until 3 p.m. that afternoon. Motorist should expect delays and may wish to use an alternate route during that time.

Drivers are urged to use extreme caution and follow the directions of all signs and officers directing traffic at the interchange.

The project is partially funded through the Transportation Alternatives Program with the Missouri Department of Transportation providing the remaining funding. The project will bring improvements to this and other intersections in the area to ensure they comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These improvements help pedestrians in St. Joseph enjoy safer walking for recreation or while frequenting local businesses.

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

The Center for Student Involvement at Missouri Western State University presents the Standing in Your Truth Lecture Series with Michael Brown Sr. next week.

Michael Brown Jr. was fatally shot by a police officer in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. His death sparked a week of protests. According to a press release, Brown Sr. will share the true story of his experience of his son’s death, and reveal who Michael Brown Jr. was beyond the often demonizing media portrayals. He will speak to his joys as a parent, his loss, and his own guilt, with the ultimate goal of making sure that this doesn’t happen to anyone else. He will present a father’s perspective on social justice, conflict resolution, community engagement and confronting racism.

Brown Sr. hopes to work with the communities he speaks in to set up a chapter of “Chosen for Change,” an organization that educates youth to help one another instead of hurt one another, teaches them success and survival skills, and shows them how to be respectful of themselves and others.

The Standing in Your Truth Lecture Series with Michael Brown Sr. will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, in the Kemper Recital Hall, Spratt Hall room 101. The presentation is free and open to the public.

The Allied Arts Council has announced that the Trails West!® festival will be suspended after its 26th year.

According to a press release, the Council decided it was time to explore new opportunities due to the change in how people consume their art and the number of outdoor arts experiences that are now available. Over the years, additional artistic options have come to St. Joseph, such as Sounds of Summer, the Jazz Festival and Imagine Eleven at Coleman Hawkins Park.

Teresa Fankhauser, executive director of the Allied Arts Council, said multiple factors were discussed with the decision to indefinitely suspend the Festival.

“The rising costs of performers and infrastructure fees, coupled with a greater number of opportunities to experience and participate in the arts are the underlying factors leading to the decision,” Fankhauser said.

The three-day festival, held annually since 1993 at Civic Center Park, was the largest arts festival in northwest Missouri, with more than 45,000 attendees at its peak and with an annual economic impact of over $1 million a year.

In 1993, the City of St. Joseph asked the Allied Arts Council to produce a festival to celebrate St. Joseph’s  sesquicentennial. Founding chair Karen Graves had a vision to create a festival to celebrate the arts and St. Joseph’s unique cultural heritage. For 26 years, Trails West!® has continued that mission. Festivals have a lifespan, and although the Council is sad for the festival to close, the city can look back, celebrate and cherish the memories the festival created.

The Allied Arts Council has appointed a committee of AAC members, TW! steering committee members and community leaders to study issues and look at other opportunities where arts needs aren’t being met in St. Joseph.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) recently awarded 38 grants totaling $302,346 to Missouri communities through its Tree Resource Improvement and Maintenance (TRIM) grant program.

According to the MDC, TRIM grants offer cost-share funding for government agencies, public schools and nonprofit groups to manage, improve or conserve trees on public lands.

St. Joseph Parks, Recreation, and Civic Facility received a $1,700 grant for Removal and Northwest Missouri State University received a $10,000 grant for Pruning and Removal.

“Trees make life better for our cities and towns every day,” said MDC Community Forestry Program Supervisor Russell Hinnah. “TRIM grants help communities with tree inventory, pruning, planting, and programs that help keep our neighborhood trees healthy and thriving.”

Trees work in Missouri communities by providing an amazing number of benefits — from cleaning the air and water to reducing stress and helping children concentrate. As with other natural resources, it takes active involvement to keep community trees thriving.

“Tree inventories are an important way for communities to manage and plan for the future,” said Hinnah. “You have to know not only where the trees are, but how to care for them. An inventory allows a community to thoughtfully plan work rather than responding to the latest disaster.”

A tree inventory is particularly important to prepare for invasive pests such as emerald ash borers (EAB). Several communities are conducting inventories this year that will help with management of EAB.

For more information on TRIM grants, visit MDC’s website at mdc.mo.gov/trim.

Middle schools and high schools in the St. Joseph School District will have a 2-hour early out on Thursday due to heat.

According to the District, Elementary schools will remain in session for the full day as scheduled.

Hillyard Technical Center and Webster Learning Center will follow the same schedule as Wednesday. All SJSD preschool schedules will remain unchanged and after school activities will follow MSHSAA guidelines