Controversy over on-air comments will not keep radio star Rush Limbaugh out of the Hall of Famous Missourians. Democrats in the Missouri House demand that House Speaker Steve Tilley cancel Limbaugh’s induction. Tilley, a Republican, says that’s not going to happen. Tilley says other members of the Hall of Famous Missourians have said controversial things during their careers.

In a letter from the House Minority Caucus, Democrats say the induction would be especially offensive and inappropropriate because Limbaugh called a law student a slut for speaking out in favor of mandatory insurance coverage for contraception. Limbaugh has apologized. Tilley says the Hall honors Missourians for being famous, not universally loved.

 

Clean Air Saint Joe says a citywide ban on smoking at indoor public places is not a rights issue or case of government being your big brother. Sara Summers says it’s not even about telling smokers they can’t smoke. She says it’s a matter of protecting public safety.

Summers says according to the Surgeon General no level of secondhand smoke is safe. Summers says she hopes to meet with City Councilmembers one on one, and have a work session with the Council in mid-May about protecting the public from secondhand smoke.

Operators of the Missouri River mainstem reservoir system say the region is in good shape for the coming spring runoff season. The Army Corps of Engineers announced Tuesday that the system has available more than its full capacity of flood control storage.

Criticism of storage policies and environmental projects ran rampant over the last year in the wake of record flooding in the Missouri River Basin.

The Corps says spring pulses from Gavins Point Dam in March and May are not planned this year due in part to last year’s extensive flooding.

The increased releases are intended to benefit the endangered pallid sturgeon. The 2003 Amended Biological Opinion of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The opinion identified the pulses as part of the Reasonable and Prudent Alternative to avoid jeopardizing the continued existence of the endangered pallid sturgeon as required by the Endangered Species Act.

But officials say they’re ready for the upcoming flooding season.

“It’s good news,” said Jody Farhat, Chief of the Water Management Division. “Our goal following the Flood of 2011 was to evacuate all of the flood waters and prepare the reservoir system for the 2012 runoff season. We’ve met that goal and have slightly more than the full capacity of the system available.”

During the fall and winter of each year, the Corps completes the evacuation of stored flood water as part of its flood risk reduction efforts. The mild winter allowed the Corps to make higher than normal releases throughout the winter. Gavins Point releases have been set on 22,000 cfs since mid-December. Normal winter release rates are near 17,000 cfs.

System storage fell as low as 56.1 million acre feet (MAF) in late January, 0.7 MAF below the base of the annual flood control pool. However, higher than normal reservoir inflows during the month of February filled up some of the additional storage prior to March 1, the typical start of the runoff season. Runoff above Sioux City totaled 1.6 MAF in February, 153 percent of normal. This was due in part to a combination of high base flows from three consecutive years of above normal runoff and also warm temperatures which melted much of the river ice, freeing up water that usually flows into the reservoirs in March.

On March 1, system storage was 56.5 MAF, 300,000 acre feet below the base of the annual flood control zone. The annual flood control zone is the desired operating zone for the system because it allows the Corps to serve all eight congressionally authorized purposes: flood control, navigation, water supply, irrigation, hydropower, recreation, water quality control, and fish and wildlife.

“Based on what we’re seeing today, runoff from the plains and mountain snowpack is expected to be near normal this year, however conditions can change dramatically as they did last spring” said Farhat. “The most important thing for people living along the river to be aware of is the potential for rainfall driven flood events.” Historically, localiz ed rainfall driven flood events occur somewhere along the river almost every year, Farhat said.

Final plans for the Whitehead Creek Stormwater Separation project will be unveiled to the public Thursday night.

The city will hold a public meeting and open house to reveal the final design and project information.

Once finished, the project will allow the city to separate storm and waste water. That separation could reduce the amount of water treated by two million gallons a day.

The project will put St Joseph in compliance with Missouri’s Department of Natural Resources requirements. Construction is set to begin later this year.

The public meeting starts at 5:30 Thursday night at the Fairview Golf Course Club House on Pacific Street.

 

 

The effects of dramatic cuts in state funding are being felt at Missouri Western State University. The school announced Tuesday it will not renew the contract of Dr. Esther Peralez, vice president for student affairs.

Effective immediately, Dr. Jeanne Daffron, provost and vice president for academic affairs, will work closely with Dr. Judy Grimes, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students, to lead the division.

In a news release, University President Dr. Robert A. Vartabedian wished Peralez well.

“We appreciate Esther’s service to the students of Missouri Western, and wish her well in the future,” Dr. Vartabedian said.

“Because of the current financial climate, we will not immediately fill the position. I am grateful that Dr. Daffron and Dr. Grimes have agreed to lead the division of student affairs.”

Prior to the creation of the position of vice president for student affairs and the arrival of Dr. Perález in January 2010, Dr. Daffron led the division of academic and student affairs. Dr. Daffron will establish office hours in the division of student affairs office in the Blum Student Union.

Dr. Daffron has been provost and vice president for academic affairs at Western since September 2009. She previously served a number of administrative positions at the university, including the positions of interim vice president, interim graduate dean, associate provost, dean of the College of Professional Studies and chair of the department of nursing. She started at Western in 1977 as a faculty member in the department of nursing.

Dr. Daffron received an associate’s degree in nursing and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Western, a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Northwest Missouri State University, a master of public administration degree with an emphasis in health policy and planning from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a doctorate in nursing from Texas Women’s University.

Dr. Grimes has been at Western since 1996, previously serving as dean of student services, director of student success programs and director of the freshman year experience before taking her current position in 2010. Prior to coming to Western, she served as director of the Applied Language Institute, a joint program of the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Metropolitan Community Colleges. Dr. Grimes also spent 11 years at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, ending as director of bilingual education and foreign language education.

Dr. Grimes received a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from the University of Texas-Austin, and a master’s degree and doctorate in higher education from the University of Missouri-Columbia, with additional concentrations in linguistics (language acquisition), reading and adult education. She received her Missouri teaching certification in Spanish through Missouri Western.

The division of student affairs includes health and wellness services, student academic support services, student development and student services.

 

For only the second time in 175 years, Missouri’s criminal laws are being updated and rewritten. Lawmakers will study a 1,000-page bill assembled by lawyers and lawmakers.

Senator Jolie Justus of Kansas City says half the lawyers were prosecutors and half were defense attorneys, so finding agreement was not easy. Justus says the goal is to eliminate outmoded laws, make the laws gender-neutral, and make sure that felony classifications are appropriate for the crimes. Justus says she does not expect the legislature to complete this work in one session. 

The second annual Buchanan County Rural Crime Summit is scheduled March 8th at the American Legion Post 359 at 4826 Frederick.

Experts in rural crime from the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol will offer residents of Northwest Missouri the latest crime prevention information, along with current crime trends and methods of operation.

Sheriff’s Captain Bill Albertson tells us they’ll focus on several areas of interest, including cattle theft, home security, and a look at the investigative process, so victims will know what to expect.

Johnson County, Kansas Detective Brett Wilson will offer a look at his department’s new program called TRACE, which stands for Theft Reports of Agricultural and Construction Equipment.

The program alerts residents by e-mail when thefts have occurred.

The summit is from from 9am to 1pm Thursday with registration starting at 8:30 am. Breakfast and lunch will be served.

Captain Albertson says space is running out, and urges you to make reservations soon at 816-236-8894 or by email at walbertson@co.buchanan.mo.us