Flood damage to the Saint Jo Frontier Casino was one of the topics at a meeting Wednesday of the Missouri Gaming Commission. Executive Director Roger Stottlemyer briefed the commission on the status of the casino, closed since June by flooding from the Missouri River.

Plans still call for the casino to reopen in early October. Some of the nearly 300 employees are helping to repair the gift shop and restaurant that were damaged by flooding. The parking lot has also been flooded for weeks. Casino officials say the company is losing $40,000 a day as the closing continues.

City crews will cruise the neighborhoods of St Joseph starting Thursday to pick up the refuse from recent storms here.

In a news release, city officials say damage was significant and widespread. They will make just one pass down each street, so you are urged to cut your broken limbs to four-foot lengths and move it to the curb by Wednesday at 5 p.m.

They will not remove shrubs, leaves, other plant material, or other, non-storm debris.

 

 

The Saint Joseph School District is waiting for guidance from its state organization before implementing a controversial new law. The law prohibits teachers from using websites such as Facebook for communication with students.

Assistant to the Superintendent Steve Huff says Saint Joseph adopted its own social media rules years ago and won’t be changing them just yet.

 

The Missouri National Education Association says it’s working with the sponsor of the bill, State Senator Jane Cunningham of Chesterfield, on possible changes. The legislature passed the bill this year and the Governor signed it into law.

 

A 48-year-old Rushville man is now in fair condition at Heartland after weekend surgery for injuries sustained in a head on collision with a country vehicle near Rushville Friday night.

Authorities say a Buchanan County vehicle driven by Mark Donaldson of St Joe crossed the center line on a curve on old US-59 highway and clipped a Chevy Malibu driven by Richard Faris.

Both drivers were taken to Heartland Regional Medical Center for treatment. Although the Missouri State Highway Patrol report says both drivers suffered minor injuries, Faris required surgery for broken bones in his chest and hip. A spokeswoman for Heartland says he is now in fair condition.

 

 Saint Joseph school superintendent Melody Smith has been honored for her support of the military and their families. General Stephen Cotter of the Missouri National Guard presented the Patriot Award and the Above and Beyond Award to the superintendent at last night’s school board meeting.

The Above and Beyond Award is given on a limited basis to those who go beyond the legal requirements for supporting military families. The Patriot Award was awarded after Smith was nominated by the spouses of two soldiers deployed overseas.

The nomination says “the impact of her actions has been fundamental to opening up dialogue in schools and classrooms for the needs and differences in the lives of military children and their families’ circumstances.”

 Three suspects were arrested in connection with what police say may have been a home invasion early this morning in Saint Joseph. Officers say when a resident stepped out of his unit at the Robidoux Apartments at 1:45 this morning, three men in the hallway dashed into his apartment and locked the door.

Police were called, and after about ten minutes the suspects surrendered and were taken into custody. There were no injuries. The incident is still under investigation.  

Health officials are reminding residents and others in Doniphan County, Kansas to avoid any contact with floodwater.

Standing, stagnant floodwater is always a danger zone for a variety of bacteria and other dangerous contaminants, but now the water from two out of three tests in Elwood have returned positive results for blue-green algae.

Technically a bacterium (cyanobacteria), blue-green algae can cause a variety of health problems in a variety of ways.

Ingesting it can cause intestinal problems, breathing problems, and skin rashes.

Individuals can protect themselves, their family, and their pets by avoiding contact with water containing visible amounts of blue-green algae.

If you come in contact with a blue-green algae bloom, you may experience eye, throat, nose or skin irritation and gastrointestinal problems, such as vomiting or diarrhea.

Symptoms typically appear a few hours after exposure, but occasionally people feel ill several days after exposure.

Contact a physician if you experience muscle cramps, respiratory difficulties, nausea or vomiting following contact with water that contains blue-green algae.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has more information on blue-green algae on its Web site here.  You can also find information on the web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

Federal officials are worried that only about 300 Northwest Missouri flood victims have registered for disaster assistance. Cynthia Cowell of the Small Business Administration says registration is the first step to getting SBA help for homeowners, renters, and businesses.

Cowell says flood victims might also qualify for grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA. She urges anyone with flood losses in Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Holt, Lafayette, and Platte counties to register for help.

Patricia Whitt of FEMA emphasizes that the first step and maybe the most important step in the recovery process is to register with FEMA, even if you have flood insurance. 

You can register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling FEMA’s tollfree line at 1.800.621.FEMA.  

Two well-known men from St Joseph were killed in unusual traffic accidents over the weekend.

Late Friday night, Robert Eidmann,43,was killed in a head-on collision on Mitchell Avenue. Investigators believe Eidmann’s scooter crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a car. A passenger in the car suffered minor injuries. Eidmann is the former owner of St Joseph Honda and a former account executive at Eagle Radio.

On Saturday afternoon, police say two bicyclists collided at 26th and Union Street. One of them, Robert Bailey Jr, 52, fell to the pavement and hit his head. Bailey was not wearing a helmet, and later died from head trauma. Both cyclists were members of a local bicycle club, and were engaged in a “pub crawl” at the time of the accident. Police cannot confirm the widespread belief that the men had left the Trails West! festival just prior to the accident.