JEFFERSON CITY – Hundreds of thousands of Missourians are registered to participate in the state’s second statewide earthquake drill on Feb. 7. Missouri is participating in the “Great Central U.S. ShakeOut,” a nine-state regional earthquake drill. Registration continues this week.

More than 1.7 million people in the Midwest will “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” at the same time – 10:15 a.m. Officials say the drill is the best way to prepare, and it only takes 60 seconds.

“I am happy to see so many Missourians participating in this important drill,” said Missouri State Emergency Management Agency Director Paul Parmenter.

“Unlike other disasters, an earthquake occurs without warning, so it’s vital to know what to do ahead of time.”

Last year almost 500,000 Missourians participated in the first ShakeOut earthquake drill. By January 30, 2012, more than 390,000 Missourians had registered to participate in this year’s drill. Anyone can register for the ShakeOut at www.shakeout.org/centralus, where you will receive all the information you need for a successful drill.

Missouri is one of nine states in the New Madrid Seismic Zone that will participate in this drill on the 200th anniversary of the largest earthquake in state history. The Great New Madrid Earthquake that occurred on February 7, 1812 devastated much of southeast Missouri, briefly reversed the course of the Mississippi River and was felt as far away as the East Coast.

During the ShakeOut, participants will “Drop, Cover and Hold On” for 60 seconds. Experts say this is the best way to protect yourself during an earthquake, since in the U.S. the primary threat for injury or loss of life is falling debris and toppling objects, like bookcases and heavy electronics, not a structural collapse.

At exactly 10:15 a.m. on Feb. 7, Missourians and people around the central U.S. will:
· DROP to the ground
· take COVER by getting under a sturdy desk or table
· HOLD ON to it until the shaking stops

The New Madrid Seismic Zone, centered in southeast Missouri, is the nation’s most active earthquake zone east of the Rocky Mountains.

At least three of the largest earthquakes in the continental United States occurred in the region from 1811-12.

The largest of the quakes was centered in New Madrid and occurred on Feb. 7, 1812. The earthquakes were followed by aftershocks that continued for more than two years. More than 2,000 shocks were felt at least 180 miles away from their epicenters.

Much more information on the ShakeOut and earthquake preparedness is available from the State Emergency Management Agency. Go to www.sema.dps.mo.gov and select Earthquakes in the “How do I prepare for” section for:

· A three-minute video showing Missouri fourth graders taking part in a ShakeOut “Drop, Cover, Hold On” drill.
· A slide show highlighting earthquake history and preparedness in Missouri.
· A ShakeOut drill manual with instructions for four different levels of drill participation.
· Many more details on Missouri’s earthquake history, geology, and preparedness activities.

US-59 is closed between Tarkio and Fairfax for a bridge replacement project that’s expected to take about two months to complete.

That’s already increasing traffic on other roads in Atchison County, Missouri. Officials are hoping you’ll exercise caution and slow down along roads that may not typically see a lot of vehicles.

MoDOT crews hope to finish the project by about April 5.

Occupy St Joe on hand Saturday morning, January 28,  at The Community Foundation’s annual breakfast at the Holiday Inn in downtown St Joseph protesting the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center.

The Midland Empire Chapter of the American Red Cross is providing shelter and other assistance to eleven families displaced by a fire at the Brittany Village Apartments in St Joseph. The fire at about 5 a.m. Sunday displaced 23 people.

Fire inspectors believe the fire was deliberately set, and are forwarding information to the St Joseph Police Department. The fire was contained mostly to a laundry room, but caused extensive smoke damage. The damage total was estimated at $300,000.

Red Cross officials say they opened a reception center to shelter, feed and begin casework to meet emergency needs of the families.

They were provided breakfast and cots to rest as volunteers met with the families. New housing is being secured and families were being provided financial assistance.

A disaster action team of six Red Cross volunteers was deployed to assist the displaced families.

All Red Cross disaster assistance is provided through donors by the public. This event is the largest to strike in the St. Joseph area in 2012.

If you would like to help people affected by disasters here and countless crises around the world, you can make a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Send contributions to the local American Red Cross chapter, 401 North 12th Street, St. Joseph, MO 64501.

Three prominent Missouri Republican donors are pouring big money into the campaign supporting embattled Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

The three are Stanley M. Herzog of St. Joseph-based Herzog Contracting, David C. Humphreys and his sister Sarah Atkins, both of Tamko Building Products in Joplin. Each donated $250,000 to help Walker fight a recall effort later this spring.

Their combined $750,000 represent more than one fourth of the $2.39 million that Walker has reported raising.

Atkins donated on Jan. 13, with her brother following suit on Jan. 14, and Herzog on Jan. 17.

The Humphreys family has been among Missouri’s top GOP donors for years. David Humphreys had been the biggest donor to Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, a Republican who had been expected to run for governor this fall until controversy broke over his acquaintance with a former stripper and his acknowledgement that he used to frequent the East Side strip club where she worked in the 1990s.

Humphreys demanded his donations to Kinder be returned and called for Kinder to drop his candidacy — and resign his current office. Kinder kept Humphreys’ money and his office but did drop his gubernatorial bid. Humphreys now has donated to the Lieutenant Governor campaign of Sen. Brad Lager, R-Savannah, Kinder’s GOP rival.

Labor groups and teachers have collected one million signatures in Wisconsin in an effort to recall Walker, a Republican who pushed through some tough austerity measures last year, including some that limited public union bargaining rights.

A detention hearing is scheduled Monday in Broward County, Florida for a truck driver accused of killing a St Joseph woman by shoving her out of his moving semi.

Kecia King, 46, died January 22 after she was found badly injured along I-29 near the Pickett Road overpass in St Joe.

Two days later, prosecutors filed charges of involuntary manslaughter against Kent Harris, 49, of Greenville, Mississippi.

He was arrested that day in Deerfield Beech, Florida. Bond is set at $100,000.

The suspect used to drive for Triumph Foods in St Joseph. At the time of King’s death, he was employed by Best Mark Trucking in Strong City, Kansas.

At a hearing Monday, a judge in Florida will ask Harris if he will voluntarily return to Missouri to face charges here. If he agrees, Harris could be arraigned in Buchanan County within a week or two . If not, an extensive process involving the governors of both states will lead to an extradition hearing within a couple of months.

Court documents assert that Harris met up with King at a local nightclub on Saturday, January 21. A witness reports seeing them leave together in Harris’es truck. King was found that night, badly injured, along the interstate, and died the following day at Heartland Regional Medical Center.

An autopsy determined she died of severe head trauma.

A Faribault, Minnesota woman escaped with moderate injuries after an end-over-end rollover crash on I-35 in Harrison County Friday morning.

According to an online report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 23-year-old Allison Heimerman was northbound on the interstate when her Mercury Sable entered the median and hit an embankment.

Investigators say the vehicle overturned, end-over-end, and came to rest on its wheels. The vehicle was totalled.

Heimerman was wearing a safety belt.

She was taken by ambulance to the Harrison County Community Hospital in Bethany.

The accident happened at 6:15 a.m. Friday on I-35 at mile marker 113, seven miles north of Eagleville.

The Raytown School District has cancelled all classes Monday because of a widespread flu outbreak. The Raytown School District has 18 schools and an enrollment of about 8,800 students.

Attendance at Little Blue Elementary was 65% on Friday, significantly lower than the typical 93% attendance.

Staff members in the district have also been affected.

School officials will spend the day Monday cleaning and disinfecting all of the schools and school buses in the district.

Police have arrested two men in connection with the death of a Platte City woman whose body was found in a Merriam, Kansas hotel room Friday.

Jason Munjak was booked into the Johnson County Jail for first-degree murder in the death of 37-year-old Toby Rock, a mother of five from Topeka whose last known address was in Platte City.

Rock’s body was found in an upstairs room by cleaning staff at the Homestead Suites in Merriam on Jan. 20.

A second man was arrested Thursday afternoon on unrelated charges, and could be charged in the case.

Munjak, 36, is also from Topeka.

Prison records show Munjak absconded from parole in Wyandotte County last November. He has two prior drug convictions.

Munjak was being held in the Johnson County jail. Bond was set at $1 million.

Two former Clinton County deputies are charged with stealing prescription medication from jail inmates.

Aaron Abbott and Kevin Bunch were relieved of their duties last fall, after less than two months with the department.

They were charged with taking pills from inmates’ medication packets.

Court records show those medications included hydrocodone, Vicodin, Valium, and Xanax.

Each deputy faces one count of fraudulently attempting to obtain a controlled substance, a class D felony. An affidavit of probable cause filed with the court indicates both men have admitted stealing the pills.

An offender notified the Sheriff’s Department that the meds were missing in September. By November 10, the pair were served with criminal warrants.

In Court Friday, Abbott waived his right to a preliminary hearing. Judge Daren Adkins scheduled arraignment in Circuit Court on February 7. Adkins was filling in for Associate Judge Paul Luckenbill, who recused himself.

A court hearing is scheduled for Bunch on Tuesday, January 31.