The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Tuesday awarded a $12.9 million contract for the construction of a 3-mile setback of Missouri River Levee Unit L-575 opposite Nebraska City, Nebraska near Percival, Iowa.

The contract was awarded to Weston Solutions, Inc.  It includes an option for another 3/4-mile setback levee to the south of Highway 2 that will be awarded when necessary real estate actions have been completed by the levee sponsor.

The entire setback alignment will stretch from river mile 565 to river mil 561.5 on the Iowa side of the Missouri River in Fremont County. It will be offset from the original levee by up to several thousand feet.

This particular stretch of levee suffered excessive damage and seepage during the Flood of 2011.

“Because of the miles and miles of seepage we were seeing, we know that there’s a lot of damage to the subgrade of that levee,” said Bryan Flere, Omaha District’s levee safety coordinator.

“Because of extensive damage, an inline fix would be more expensive than the setback.”

Roughly 500,000 cubic yards of material will be used in the construction of the new setback alignment. The entire project is scheduled to be completed in 2012.

The new setback will return this portion of L-575 to its pre-flood status and level of flood risk reduction.

Kansas health officials are warning of an increase in rabies cases after 13 animals tested positive for the disease since the first of the year.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) reminds you to have your animals vaccinated against rabies by a veterinarian.

The 13 rabid animals included four skunks, two bats, two horses, two cows, one cat, one coyote and one raccoon. None of the domestic animals were vaccinated against rabies.

“We have a significantly higher number of confirmed rabid animals this year, 13, compared to just four during the same time in 2011,” said KDHE State Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Ingrid Garrison. Since 2007, there has been an average of 68 cases of rabid animals a year in Kansas.

Vaccines are available for dogs, cats, ferrets, horses, cattle and sheep. “People understand the importance of vaccinating dogs and cats against rabies but often forget about vaccinating horses,” said Dr. Garrison.

“Although vaccination of all cattle and sheep is not practical, we encourage vaccination of valuable breeding stock and show animals.”

Animals need to have periodic boosters of vaccine to maintain proper protection. Your city or county may have ordinances that require proof of rabies vaccination for your pet.

The risk for human exposure to rabies is real but preventable.

Animal rabies is common in Kansas, and skunks are the animals most likely to have the disease. However, skunks can pass the virus to other animals, such as dogs, cats, cattle and horses.

Prevention of human rabies depends on several different factors.

Those factors include the vaccination of domestic animals, eliminating human exposures to stray and wild animals, and providing exposed persons with prompt post-exposure rabies treatment.

KDHE offers these tips to prevent rabies:

· Have your veterinarian vaccinate all dogs, cats, ferrets, horses and valuable breeding stock and show animals (cattle and sheep) against rabies.

· If bitten by an animal, seek medical attention and report the bite to your local public health department or animal control department immediately.

· If your animal is bitten, contact your veterinarian or local health department for advice.

· If you wake up in a room with a bat present, even if there is no evidence of a bite or scratch, seek medical attention.

· Do not handle or feed wild animals. Never adopt wild animals or bring them into your home.

· Do not try to nurse sick wild animals back to health. Call animal control or an animal rescue agency for assistance.

· Teach children never to handle unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, even if they appear friendly.

For more information about rabies, contact your veterinarian, local health department or the Kansas Department of Health and Environment at 1-877-427-7317.

Gas prices continue to rise in St Joe, across Missouri and Kansas, and across the U.S.A.

In St Joe the rise was short-lived.

One local chain in St Joseph raised their pump prices a dime to $3.75 a gallon early Thursday. But by Friday morning, they had cut their price a dime, to $3.65.

One store in Wathena was charging $3.85.

The national average Thursday morning was over $3.92 a gallon according to AAA. That’s up a penny from the day before, up four cents for the week and 21 cents higher than a month ago.

A year ago the national average was over $3.59 a gallon.

Charges of statutory sodomy have been filed against a 71-yr-old St Joseph man.

According to court documents, Larry Gawatz is accused of fondling the genitals and exposing himself to a child under the age of seven.

Prosecutors say Gawatz has a history of sexual abuse.

Arraignment was scheduled Friday, March 30. Meanwhile, Gawatz is being held under $35,000 bond. A judge ordered him to have no further contact with the victim.

A Saint Joseph farmer is a winner in a national program to highlight contributions farmers make to their communities every day. Mark Grier chose the Easton Volunteer Fire Department as his favorite non-profit to receive a $25-hundred check in the America’s Farmers Grow Communities program.

The money comes from the Monsanto Fund. A check presentation ceremony is planned for April 3rd at 7 pm at the Easton City Hall.

An explosion and fire in a home in midtown St Joseph claimed the life of a 64-year-old man early Sunday morning. But, a firewall in the duplex shared by the victim and his 86-year-old father may have saved the older man’s life and his home.

Officials now identify the victim as 64-year-old Larry Pettit. Inspector Steve Henrichson says Pettit tried to set fire to the duplex and then exit through the front door, but the vapors exploded.

Neighbors heard an explosion shortly after 4:30 a.m. Sunday in the 2400 block of El Tivoli Drive, near 22nd Street and US-36 highway.

The duplex was fully involved in flames by the time firefighters arrived. A search and rescue operation was called off when the roof collapsed. Firefighters with the St Joseph Fire Department fell into a defensive posture to put out the fire.

A city crew with a backhoe was called in to pull out some of the remaining roof structures.

Officials are analyzing samples taken from the scene to determine what flammable liquid was used.

Henrichson says the father and son shared the duplex, which was subdivided by a firewall.

“A lot of times we hear contractors say they don’t want to install these, that it’s cost prohibitive, but here’s a perfect example of how it helped,” Hendrichson said.

“The house on the one side is completely destroyed, and the other side suffered some damage at the roof line, but a few thousand dollars and it can be fixed, and be completely liveable, and not have a problem.”

. The father was believed to have suffered some smoke inhalation, and was shaken up over the ordeal, but was not hospitalized. The names of the victims had not been released by mid-day Sunday.

Atchison officials say they are converting a city park into a community garden. 

The Atchison City Park board is opening a new community garden at Morrow Park. 

Residents have until April 6^th to sign up for a 10 foot by 20 foot plot. If there are more people than garden plots, the city will hold a random lottery drawling.

The plots cost $25 and tools and water are provided.

For more information call 913-367-5561.