The Saint Joseph Safety and Health Council plans to rebuild Safety Town and is looking for sponsors to help raise funds. Safety Town is a miniature town complete with streets, sidewalks, buildings, and traffic signals to help children learn how to prevent accidents. The Safety Council seeks bids for naming rights to 10 buildings and 7 streets. Sealed bids will be accepted until July 31st.

After nearly a week of hoopla, from charity runs to driving the red carpet, the All Star Game finally got underway Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium. We swiped these photos from Gregg Lynn of K-Jo 105.5.

Refresh this post for updates.

Parents Without Partners, Inc. will be holding its international convention in St. Joseph, Missouri from July 11-14, 2012 at the Ramada Inn.

The International Non-Profit Educational Organization is devoted to the interest and welfare of single parents and their children.

The International Convention has a western theme.  Featured speakers Bev Maltsberger from the Buchanan County Extension Center; Sgt. Larry Stobbs from the St. Joseph Youth Alliance; Rebecca Travinchek from the University of Missouri Extension; Karen Woznick from US bank; Sgt. Greg Gilpin from the St. Joseph Police Department; and Mary Piatt an Independent Sales Director of Mary Kay.

Parents Without Partners officers and members from all over the United States will be attending this convention.  International conventions are held once a year to update and educate officers and members in the chapters, regional councils and zones.

Election of officers will be held on Thursday, July 12, 2012 and the annual meeting will be on Friday, July 13, 2012.  A dance will be held on Saturday, July 14, 2012 from 8:00-12:00 and the public is invited.

The St Joseph Visitors Bureau says the economic impact for this convention is estimated at $45,000.

Gov. Jay Nixon has requested that U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack designate all 114 counties in Missouri as primary agricultural disaster areas. The designation would permit assistance from the USDA’s Farm Service Agency to farmers in those counties that have suffered losses to crops and livestock as a result of the ongoing drought throughout the state.

 

Wednesday is the last day to register to vote in the August 7^th primary election. You can visit www.GoVoteMissouri.com to see different options for registering to vote, which may be done in person or by mail. A mailed voter registration application must be postmarked by the July 11th deadline to ensure you are eligible to cast a ballot for the primary election. Also, remember that updating voter registration information is necessary if you are a currently registered voter who moved or changed your name.

Voters can confirm they are registered at the correct address by using the “Check Your Voter Registration” tool at www.sos.mo.gov/elections/voterlookup/. Missourians who will be 18 years old by August 7th and have not yet registered to vote can request a voter registration card from the Office of the Secretary of State by visiting www.GoVoteMissouri.com and clicking on the “Register to Vote” tool.

So-called carriage agreements, the contracts under which local and network television is carried on cable TV, have been wreaking havoc in cable markets from coast to coast for months now.

On Tuesday, another casualty surfaced,  this time in the Kansas City market.

Time/Warner Cable has pulled the plug on Kansas City’s KMBC-TV and KWCE-TV because of a dispute over their carriage agreement.

In an online announcement, station management said they have been unable to reach a new agreement.

“As a result, unless there is a change in Time Warner’s position, carriage of KMBC-TV and KCWE-TV will no longer be available to you on Time Warner Systems,” according to the announcement.

Their prior agreement expired at 11:59 pm on Monday July 9, and by noon on Tuesday the stations were not being carried.  When we called the stations, a pre-recorded message said the office was closed.  Negotiations are said to be ongoing, but the stations will not return without an agreement.

“We cannot predict if or when discussions with Time Warner will resume or if or when KMBC-TV and KCWE-TV’s programming will be restored on Time Warner systems,” according to the announcement.

“In light of this impasse, we urge viewers to make alternative arrangements for receipt of our signal. Our signal remains available over the air for free and also on other cable systems, DIRECTV and DISH Network.  We apologize for this inconvenience and thank you for your loyal support.”

A spokesman for Suddenlink Cable in St Joseph said they have long-term carriage agreements in place with each of the Kansas City and St Joseph televisions currently carried on the Suddenlink system.

 

 

 

 

 

Pappy’s Grill and Pub in St Joseph will soon become a smoke-free environment. The restaurant, at 2501 Messanie, has been offering No Smoking nights, but starting Monday, July 16th, they will ban smoking inside. Owner Steven Margulies says he and his wife didn’t want to wait any longer.

“Michelle and I, obviously our health is important to us, we’re tired of going home smelling like ashtrays,” Margulies said in an interview.

“I respect people’s right to smoke. I also respect peoples right to not smoke. The people that request others to not smoke don’t really affect anybody. The ones that want to smoke, and feel they have a right to, affect people.”

Margulies says he’s looking into adding a smoking area in front of the restaurant along Messanie. He says barring any unusual obstacles from City Hall, he could have that area open by next month.

“We feel confident that we’re going to pick up a significant number of people who will not come in here because of the smoking situation here,” says owner Steven “Pappy” Margulies. “We’re hoping not to lose too many people who smoke and come in here for two reasons, one because the food’s good and two, because they can smoke.”

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The Platte County Prosecutor says the mayor of Tracy, Missouri violated the state’s constitutional ban on nepotism, and should be removed from office.

Prosecutor Eric Zahnd filed a civil suit against Mayor Rita Rhoads Monday.

Officials say Rhoads hired her son-in-law for some $100 worth of odd jobs at city expense.

Judge Owens Lee Hull Jr. on Monday enjoined Rhoads from engaging in any activity or exercising any authority as mayor of Tracy pending further court appearances.

She’s due in court for a docket call October 15.

According to court filings, Rhoads has refused to speak with detectives, and was seen last week at city hall shredding documents.

Preliminary autopsy results say extreme dehydration and heat exposure caused of a death of an 18-month-old girl whose body was found Sunday on a creek bank near Marshall, Missouri. Saline County Sheriff Wally George says the girl’s mother was hospitalized, and investigators haven’t been able to talk to her about what happened to her daughter.

The mother showed up disoriented at a stranger’s house near Marshall on Saturday night and said she recalled leaving her daughter near a creek. The woman’s car was found abandoned Thursday.

The City of Joplin may build a $70 million convention center and a $68 million performing arts complex. The works top the proposed projects city leaders are discussing as part of a master plan guiding recovery from the deadly May 2011 tornado.

Other proposed redevelopment projects include a $35 million senior housing complex and clusters of affordable housing. The May 22, 2011, tornado killed 162 people and damaged or destroyed about 7,500 homes or apartments.