More than fourteen months after being closed by a fire at the Missouri Theater complex, Cafe Pony Espresso is now once again open for business at 114 South Eighth Street in downtown St Joseph.

The coffee shop was one of a half dozen businesses and arts organizations shut down by the fire in February of 2011.

 

Most of the offices reopened in the weeks that followed, but two, Cafe Pony Espresso and A-to-Z’s Fresh Air Fare, sustained extensive smoke and water damage from the fire, which occurred in a storage area above the two businesses.

A-to-Z’s is expected to open July 1.

 

In observance of Earth Day, members of the 139th Airlift Wing joined students from Mark Twain Elementary School to plant mor than a dozen trees Friday.  (Click on each photograph to enlarge)

Captain Allen Bear, the wing’s Environmental Management Officer, and other members of the Air National Guard, joined crews from the St Joseph Parks Department and the 5th grade class at Twain Elementary to plant 14 trees at the St Joseph Aquatic Center on Noyes Blvd.

(U.S. Air Force photographs by Staff Sgt. Michael Crane/Missouri Air National Guard)

Missouri Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt on Friday garnered unanimous approval of a resolution honoring America’s men and women in uniform who have been injured or become ill in service.

McCaskill and Blunt’s bipartisan Senate resolution designates May 1, 2012, as National Silver Star Service Banner Day.

The day is set aside to recognize and thank service members and their families for their sacrifices.

 

 

“Our men and women in uniform and their families make tremendous sacrifices every day,” McCaskill said. “While we should always honor the heroic work of our military, our veterans and their families, it’s my hope the designation of a Silver Star Service Banner Day will remind everyone to take a moment and show their appreciation for these brave men and women.”

“We cannot do enough to honor the brave men and women who have served or made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedoms,” Blunt said. “I was proud to sponsor a resolution designating Silver Star Service Banner Day when I served in the U.S. House of Representatives, and I’m proud to cosponsor it in the U.S. Senate again this year.”

A Kansas City man now admits the relative he was providing Medicaid-funded health care to was in fact behind bars.

William Taylor pleaded no contest Thursday to theft and making false claims to Kansas Medicaid program.

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt says the 49-year-old Taylor submitted time sheets indicating he had provided Personal Care Attendant services to a relative, when his relative was actually incarcerated in the Johnson County Jail.

As part of the plea, Taylor must serve 30 days in jail and pay restitution in the amount of $2,689.83 to the Kansas Medicaid Program. Sentencing is set for May 23.

Two people are dead are a fiery three-vehicle, head-on crash early Friday morning west of Polo, Missouri on Route-116.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol now identifies the victims as 21-year-old Mathew Tucker of Lathrop and 28-year-old Keith Staus of Polo.

A  third motorist was treated for injuries described by authorities as minor.

Investigators say Tucker’s pickup truck crossed the center line and clipped one vehicle before ramming a 1989 Chevrolet driven by Staus vehicle head-on.  The Chevy rolled off the highway onto its top and caught fire.

The driver of the second vehicle Rory Hicks, 52, of Cowgill, swerved onto the shoulder in an to avoid impact that almost succeeded.  The left front of each vehicle collided, sending Hicks’ Mercury Marquis spinning around, but it remained on its wheels.

The crash closed Highway 111 between Boulder Road and Denver Road for nearly six hours.  According to MoDOT officials, the highway reopened just before 10:45 a.m. Friday.

Officials say these were the second and third traffic fatalities this month in Troop-H, where there have now been nine fatalities this year.

 

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Missouri Senate has approved a bill requiring people with multiple drunken driving convictions to undergo criminal background checks before getting their license reinstated.

Under current law, a driver with two or more DUI convictions must wait 10 years after the latest conviction to ask for a new license.

Senate Bill 893 would require proof that the person has not been convicted of a crime involving drugs or alcohol in that 10-year period.

Convicted drivers would have to submit two sets of fingerprints and pay the cost of the background checks.

The measure now goes to the House.

 

The St Joseph School District, and the District Foundation on Thursday honored long-time district employees and retirees during a ceremony at the Fulkerson Center at Missouri Western State University.

Marta Sansone was named Teacher of the Year.  Sanson is a social studies teacher at Robidoux Middle School.

Julie Halloran, a fourth-grade teacher at Lake Contrar, was named Innovator of the Year.  Debbie Elder, the administrative assistant at Coleman Elementary School was honored as Support Person of the Year honors.

Retirees and staff members with 30 years of service were also recognized at the banquet.  A total of 35 retirees were honored.  The district also honored Rebecca Mahlburg, Roger Day and Robin Vanhoozer for  thirty years of service with the district.