The hottest free-agent in NFL history is reportedly heading to Denver. Numerous news agencies report all-pro quarterback Peyton Manning has instructed his agent to ink a new five year deal with the Broncos. The contract will be worth about $90 million.

Manning, 35, ended his 14-year career with the Colts about two weeks ago after a neck injur ended his 2011 season.

Manning says “nobody loves playing quarterback more than I do, and I still want to play.”

He has been given the green light to continue playing after extensive evaluation by physicians.

Manning’s decision leaves the future of Broncos QB Tim Tebow in doubt.

While Tebow led the team to some thrilling comeback victories, an 8-8 record and the American Football Conference West title, he was not an accurate passer and was more inclined to run the ball. Many observers expect Denver to trade Tebow.

Buchanan County Judge Weldon Judah today ordered the County Clerk to issue new ballots for the April 3rd school district initiative.

The original ballots contained a clerical error, showing the total amount of the proposed bond issue at $31.9 million dollars instead of the correct amount, which is $42 million.

Supporters of the bond issue filed a petition Monday seeking a court order to fix the ballot language.

County Clerk Mary Baack-Garvey tells us the biggest chore for her office will be making sure absentee voters get new ballots in time for the election.

Baack-Garvey says they got busy Monday morning with an effort to prepare and print new absentee ballots for more than 500 voters who have already submitted their votes on the erroneous ballots.

She hoped to have those ballots in the mail Monday, provided the court order reaches her office in time.

The Clerk’s office will prepare new ballots for use at polling places April 3rd.

Central Nebraska got hit by at least two, and as many as five tornadoes Sunday night. One large twister south of North Platte caused damage to at least two houses. The National Weather Service has confirmed that at least two tornadoes did touch down.

Power outages and multiple reports of down power lines are being reported throughout the area.

Two people were hospitalized.

There are also reports of damage to the Bailey Train Yard in North Platte, where fifteen train cars were overturned.

Leprechauns came out of the woodwork Saturday for the annual St Patrick’s Day Parade through downtown St Joseph. Featuring a religious figure of indeterminate denomination, a stuffed Dalmation in a tiny fire truck, two horses and a yacht, the parade drew kids of all ages and Irish of all nationalities.

There were 158 people accredited to take part in Saturday’s Buchanan County Republican Caucus, yet 164 votes were tallied during the gathering’s first order of business. Officials say the totals were not challenged at the time and that the difference would not have changed the outcome.

Part of the problem had to do with the size and layout of the Circuit Courtroom used for the event. Many attendees sat in the balcony typically reserved for visitors.

Buchanan County GOP Executive Committee Chairman Bob Ott says two people from two different political camps were chosen to count the votes, but after several tries, the pair could not reconcile their vote totals.

So the decision was made to count each section of the room separately. The two vote-counters each came up with the same number this time, and the vote was recorded.

Ott beat out Larry Flichpaugh by a vote of 99 to 65 in the vote for caucus chairman.

Ott points out that the margin was large enough that the six votes did not affect the outcome. He also says no one objected to the vote-count at the time it was formally recorded.

The next order of business was to select a slate of 28 delegates and 28 alternates who will attend the Congressional District Convention in Chillicothe next month.

Ott says there were a few planks suggested for inclusion into the statewide platform during the state convention in June. Those suggestions will be taken up during the district convention. But because of all the time spent during the early vote tabulations, the caucus ran out of time, and under party rules, it came to a close.

Rick Santorum and Tea Party supporters arrived early to the Buchanan County Republican caucus Saturday.  Two hours before the start of the gathering, the lawn and sidewalk leading to the entrance at the County Courthouse were lined with dozens of Santorum campaign signs. By 9 a.m. Saturday, there were more than fifty people in line to sign in for the event.

There were a few Ron Paul and Mitt Romney supporters in attendance, and some of them were chosen as delegates.

US Attorney Beth Phillips announced today 30 people were named in a federal indictment for conspiracy to distribute more than $1 million of methamphetamine in Northwest Missouri.

Many of those named are from St Joseph and Northwest Missouri.

The federal indictment alleges that all of the defendants participated in a conspiracy to distribute at least 15 kilograms of methamphetamine from Jan. 1, 2009, to March 14, 2012.

Multiple agencies assisted in the investigation including the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force, The Sheriff’s Departments of Buchanan, Holt and Nodaway Counties, St Joseph City Police , The Missouri Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

Thirteen of the defendants are residents of St. Joseph, Mo.: Russell William Anderson, 50, Tamara Beth Angel, 33, Brandy Leighann Bennett, 33, Bradley Shawn Blacketer, 34, Chad Ryan Brant, 29, Brett Alan Devooght, 46, Audrey J. Lingle, 32, James Brian Sipes, 32, Deacon Tony Juanita Suritte, 36, Jonathan Michael Cornell, 31, Katie Nicole Sansone-Utterback, 24, Samantha Ann Worley, 20, and Caleb Loren Velvick, 29. This superseding indictment replaces an earlier indictment in which Blacketer was the sole defendant.

Twelve of the defendants are also residents of northwest Missouri: Brian Dean Keever, 41, Holly Lynn Nicholson, 41, and Rusty Ray Turner, 39, all of Skidmore, Mo.; Sabina Lea Corbin, 43, Diane Marie Cureton, 55, Jesse Jo Lee Stinnett, 31, and his brother, Joshua Dean Stinnett, 35, all of Maitland, Mo.; Michael Delmar McCalister, 45, Kenneth Joseph Wheeler, 40, and Robert S. Miller, 46, all of Craig, Mo.; Michelle Sue Hendrix, 42, of Country Club, Mo.; and Matthew Henry Grover, 38, of Mound City, Mo.

Also charged in the indictment are Steven Leroy Morris, 31, and Dustin Nathaniel Wertz, 35, both of Kansas City, Mo.; Shannon Renee Keyes, 19, of Gladstone, Mo.; Eleisha Leann Anderson, 36, of Kearney, Mo.; and Joshua Duane Dockweiler, 34, of Clarinda, Iowa.

The indictment also alleges that all of the defendants participated in a money-laundering conspiracy during that time by conducting financial transactions that involved the unlawful proceeds of the drug-trafficking conspiracy. According to the indictment, the methamphetamine distributed during the conspiracy has a street price of at least $2,000 per ounce, for a total street value of $1,070,000.

 During the conspiracy, law enforcement officers conducted at least 10 controlled methamphetamine purchases with at least eight different defendants. During this time, at least 11 arrests or searches of defendants or co-conspirators occurred where methamphetamine was recovered.

 

JEFFERSON CITY – Governor Jay Nixon on Friday vetoed two bills passed by the General Assembly which he says moves the state backward on workers’ and civil rights.

In a news release, Gov. Nixon said House Bill 1219 on employment discrimination is nearly identical to a bill he vetoed last year.

Nixon said the earlier bill would have undermined the Missouri Human Rights Act, and said the current bill contains what he called “the same fundamental flaws.” (Read the Veto Letter here)

“Rather than making it easier to discriminate against people with disabilities or cancer, or against women, older workers and minorities, we need to keep our focus on the economic policies that are moving us forward, such as the Missouri Works initiative.

Gov. Nixon also spoke about his veto of the worker’s comp bill,  Senate Bill 572.

“We also should not take a step back in protecting workers who are afflicted with serious or deadly diseases, as a result of their workplaces,” Gov. Nixon said. “Unfortunately, this bill weakens the important workplace protections that are part of our laws and regulations.”

“This bill moves us backward on protecting Missouri’s productive workers.”  (Read that Veto Letter here)

An online petition posted this week calls on the Attorney General to investigate dropped charges against two Nodaway County teenagers.

The online petition at www.change.org had 235 signatures Friday morning.

It calls for Attorney General Chris Koster to investigate why the charges were dropped against 17 Year old Jordan Zech and why 17 year old Matthew Barnett’s charges were downgraded to misdemeanor child endangerment.

The two were originally charged in January after an alleged sexual assault on a 13 and 14 year old girl. Zech was accused of filming the assaults.

Barnett was accused of sexually assaulting a 14 year old girl. All parties were reportedly drinking at the time. A probable cause statement noted the 14 year old did not remember having sex with Barnett.

Charges were dropped earlier this month when prosecuting Attorney Robert Rice said they had reviewed all the evidence, and that he was convinced dropping the charges was the right call.

The petition alleges that former State Representative Rex Barnett, grandfather of Matthew Barnett, may have influenced Sheriff Daren White and the prosecutor to drop the charges.

Prosecutor Rice was not available for comment today.

 

 

 

Central High School has received “a capstone achievement” for its arts education program: Kennedy Center recognition, one of the most prestigious arts education benchmarks in the country.

“I am so very proud of Central’s staff and students,” said Dr Marlie Williams, Central’s Principal. “Their talent is amazing!”

“The Kennedy Center award is a capstone achievement in a very good year for Central High School’s fine arts,” Williams said.

Kevin Griffin, secondary fine arts coordinator for SJSD, said the award reflects the collaboration of Central staff, administration, parents and students.

“This recognition puts Central’s arts education in the top tier nationally,” said Griffin. “It is an outstanding achievement.”

The award recognizes schools that have done an outstanding job of making the arts essential to the education of their students, said Griffin. The national and state level awards provide an important opportunity to honor schools and the role they play in providing a creative learning environment for outstanding student achievement.

The Kennedy Center award is presented to individual schools that have arts education programs that include two or more of the following components: teach music, art, theatre; providing imaginative learning environments; include parental involvement; promote learning about other cultures; and encourage community connections.

Central will receive its plaque March 20 at the Fine Arts Education Day in Jefferson City, MO. The Central Chamber Choir will perform, and Mr. Griffin and Darren Verbick, elementary fine arts coordinator, will accept the award.