The FBI and local authorities are investigating the robbery of a bank in Jamesport Wednesday.  Surveillance photography shows a man in motorcycle gear and a black trench coat. (Click the photos below to enlarge)

Officials say the Home Exchange Bank at 220 S. Broadway in Jamesport was robbed at about 2pm.

A spokeswoman for the FBI says the suspect is a white male, 5’8″ to 5’10” tall, and about twenty to thirty years old.  He wore a moto-cross style helmet with a visor and sunglasses.  There is a silver or white image on the topside of the helmet that resembles two V’s.

He is shown holding something in his hand, which officials say “could be perceived as a weapon.”

The man fled bank on foot in an unknown direction with an undisclosed amount of cash.  Andrew county officials said he might have continued his getaway on a motorcycle.

It didn’t take long for the ACLU to challenge the Missouri’s prayer amendment in court. The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit over a section that says the religious rights of inmates are limited to federal law. The ACLU says the state can’t remove protections in a way that affects just one group. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of two inmates in the Missouri Department of Corrections.

Voters approved the public prayer amendment Tuesday by wide margins, 88 percent in Buchanan County and 83 percent statewide.

Severe weather warnings popped up throughout the region Wednesday evening from Omaha to Northwest Missouri and northeastern Kansas.

Dispatchers received reports of a tree limb blocking the roadway on US 169 highway a mile and a half east of Route-E.

Fire rescue and ambulance units were sent to the 4200 block of Pickett Road in St Joseph.

Officials say a motorist suffered non life threatening injuries after a free fell on an SUV. There were scattered tree damage reports elsewhere in St Joseph.

Crews were sent to the 2800 block of South 36th, where a tree fell on a mobile home.   There were no injuries there.

Winds of more than 60 mph bent some large tree limbs in St Joe, as the gust front moved through.

This video depicts some scary looking clouds and high winds from a balcony in Uptown St Joseph at 6:40 pm.

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An Omaha, Nebraska woman was killed in a rollover crash on I-29 south of Faucett Wednesday morning that blocked traffic on the interstate for hours.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol report identifies the victim as 77-year-old Louise Edington. Next of kin have been notified.

Investigators believe a second motorist, Clifton Sorrells of Trenton, Missouri tried to pass the Nissan Edington was riding in but lost control of his vehicle.

Sorrells’ Kia clipped the Nissan and both vehicles left the highway, hitting the cable barrier. Four people in the Nissan, all from Omaha, were injured in the crash. A St Joseph woman in Sorrells’ car was also hurt. Sorrells was not injured.

All five victims were taken by ambulance to Heartland Regional Medical Center in St Joseph, where Edington passed away.

The other victims were identified by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Jasper Jordan, 59, was the driver of the Nissan. His injuries were described as minor.  Also injured were Kassandra Jordan, 19, and Mollie McGee, 76, of Omaha.  Their injuries were described as minor in an online crash report from the patrol.

Kelly Holtman, 41, of St Joseph, also suffered minor injuries.

Traffic was diverted off the interstate for more than three hours.  Traffic began flowing again by about 12:30 p.m.

Livingston County authorities now say they have found a second occupant of a vehicle involved in a fatality accident Wednesday morning, and he was none too happy at the prospect.

Sheriff Steve Cox put out word Wednesday that a second victim may have been injured in a crash near Wheeling in which a vehicle driven erratically in a pasture ejected the driver and rolled on top of him.

But as investigators compared notes, it was determined that the second occupant was likely the same man who allegedly stole a state trooper’s patrol car as officers were notifying the next of kin.

A crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol indicates the initial accident happened Wednesday morning at about 1:15 am in a pasture near Highways B and BB.

Wheeling First Responders, Chillicothe Department of Emergency Services, The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office and Missouri State Highway Patrol responded.

Cox says as officers were notifying the next of kin, another man gained access to a state trooper’s patrol vehicle and allegedly drove it toward one of the troopers, who drew his sidearm.

Cox says officers arrested Wesley David Coke, 36, of Linneus for the alleged Tampering with a Motor Vehicle and Driving While Intoxicated.

Mr. Coke remains incarcerated in the Livingston County Jail at this time pending the filing of formal charges.  Cox released this booking photograph of Coke.

The swimming beach at Watkins Mill State park near Lawson is temporarily closed for water quality issues.

The Missouri Natural Resources Department announced Wednesday afternoon the beach was closed following the results of water samples taken Monday.

The beach will remain closed until the samples return to Missouri standards. Samples will be taken again next Monday.

The beach at the Lewis and Clark State Park remain closed for maintenance unrelated to water quality.

 

A cost-share program established by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon approved more than 3,700 applications for water projects throughout the state.

The program, which closed for applications on Monday, was opened to provide assistance to farmers in need of water during this summers drought.

The Governor signed an executive order on July 23rd to make funding available for the program. To be eligible, the projects had to provide immediate and material relief. On the same day, the Governor signed a separate order declaring a State of Emergency.

“Agriculture is the backbone of Missouri’s economy, and we are working quickly to provide emergency relief for farmers and producers who are facing critical water shortages as a result of this historic drought,” Gov. Nixon said. “This emergency program is helping our livestock producers and farmers protect their livelihood and uphold a vital pillar of our economy.”

3,712 applications were approved in the program. It covers 90 percent of the cost of a project, such as digging or deepening a well or connecting a farm to rural water. The producer must pay the remaining 10 percent. The state would match up to $20,000.

Funding came from unallocated reserve funds provided by the State Soil & Water Districts Commission and through House Bill 8. That bill gives the Governor the authority to direct funding during a declared emergency.

 

 

A bank in Jamesport was robbed Wednesday afternoon.

The Daviess County Sheriff’s office has confirmed a suspect robbed the Home Exchange Bank around 2:00 pm.

The suspect got away and is described as a male wearing a motorcycle helmet and a trench coat, possibly in his 20’s or 30’s  and 5’8″ to 5’10.”  The Missouri Highway Patrol Description states he was wearing motocross gloves.  The helmet did not have a face shield and he was wearing dark sunglasses.

Police say the man may be armed with a pistol. Authorities are investigating the incident as an armed robbery.

The suspect left the area on a motorcycle and authorities are unsure what direction he may have went.

Jamesport is in Daviess County, about 10 miles from Gallitan.

Here’s one way to cool off.

Missouri Western State University and the city of St. Joseph have formed the St. Joseph Curling Club to introduce northwest Missouri to this Winter Olympics sport. The club will have its first “Learn to Curl” events on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 10 and 11, at the Bode Ice Arena at a cost of $15.

Space is limited to 16 people per time slot. Call the Bode Ice Arena at 816-271-5506 to reserve a spot.

“Curling is an incredibly fun, strategic and social game that can be played by anyone at any age and in almost any physical condition,including people with disabilities,” said Dr. Britt Johnson, assistant professor of physical education. “It is a sport that’s incredibly popular in Canada, Great Britain and Sweden, and we hope it will grow in popularity here.”

Curling involves players sliding stones weighing approximately 42 pounds across ice toward a target. Two sweepers then influence the path and distance of the slide by sweeping in front of the sliding stone. Missouri Western’s department of health, physical education and recreation recently acquired stones, brooms and other equipment needed to play the sport.

There are three time slots available each day of the “Learn to Curl” events: 7:30, 8 and 8:30 p.m. on Friday, and 3, 3:30 and 4 p.m. on Saturday. The sessions will consist of 30 minutes of off-ice training, which will cover the rules, equipment and strategy of the sport, followed by one hour of on-ice training, including techniques for both delivering the stone and sweeping the stone.

Those who come on Friday can choose to come back Saturday for another hour of time on the ice for $10.

Participants should dress in tennis shoes and warm clothing that allows easy movement. All other equipment will be provided.

St. Joseph Avenue will get some much-needed improvements thanks to a federal grant.

The Community Alliance of Saint Joseph, with the help of the City of St. Joseph and others, secured $600,000 in FHWA’s Discretionary Grant Program funds.

 

The Transportation, Community and System Preservation Program funds will be used to create dedicated bike lanes, widen sidewalks and calm traffic on a 1.5 mile section of St. Joseph Avenue (U.S. Highway 59).

“Making improvements to take back our street from being focused solely upon the automobile, at the expense of the homes along the street, our children and business community, to a facility that adds value to the neighborhood is an attractive alternative,” said City Manager Bruce Woody in a letter in support of the grant application.

“St. Joseph Avenue is the collective community space and should enhance the unique history and culture of the Northside.”

The Northside Livability Initiative will improve the infrastructure from roughly Robidoux Middle School on the north, to Highland Avenue on the south. The street is traveled on by about 14,000 cars a day.

The Community Alliance of Saint Joseph and the City of St. Joseph wrote the grant proposal with the guidance of the Ferguson Group in Washington, D.C. With earmarks being taken out of federal budgets, more emphasis is being put on grants for federal spending in local communities.

We zeroed in on a transportation grant that fit very specific conditions,” said Steve Johnston, Director of the Community Alliance of Saint Joseph.

The grant is an 80/20 match, meaning that the City will have to contribute $150,000.