As efforts to create and deploy sandbags ramp up throughout Northwest Missouri and Northeast Kansas, the Red Cross is there. Kevin Kirby of the Midland Empire Chapter tells us volunteers have been busy making sandwiches and deploying bottled water.
Category: Local News
(UPDATE) I-29 Reopens After Truck Overturn
Northbound I-29 has reopened south of St Joseph, after an accident south of I-229 closed the highway for about six hours. A cattle truck overturned at about 5am forcing a detour for many motorists via Route 371.
Pork Checkoff Introduces Carbon Footprint Calculator
The Pork Checkoff announces the release of a new software tool for pork producers – the Live Swine Carbon Footprint Calculator. Developed with the technical expertise of the University of Arkansas’ Applied Sustainability Center, the user-friendly application allows producers to input their on-farm data from the sow or grow-finish side of production to compute the carbon footprint of an entire barn of pigs from breeding to market.
Roy Henry, a pork producer from Longford, Kansas, and member of the National Pork Board, says – the calculator will create a benchmark of a barn’s carbon footprint that producers can use to help make production decisions to improve efficiencies and achieve a lower overall footprint. Henry says – this tool truly offers us an innovation that can help guide our management practices.
Randy Spronk, a producer from Edgerton, Minnesota, who serves on the Checkoff’s environmental committee, was one of the first to test the carbon footprint calculator. He was impressed by its ease of use and straightforward output. According to Spronk, – with your production data available to enter into the calculator, it only takes a few minutes to determine your barn’s carbon footprint and to visually see what the biggest contributors to it are. From there, you can begin thinking how you might make changes to increase on-farm efficiencies and reduce your baseline footprint.
USDA Reports Child Rearing Costs
The Department of Agriculture says a middle-income family with a child born in 2010 can expect to spend nearly 227-thousand dollars for food, shelter, and other necessities to raise that child over the next 17 years. That figure goes up to nearly 289 thousand if projected inflation costs are factored in. This represents a 2 percent increase from 2009. Expenses for transportation, child care, education, and health care saw the largest percentage increases related to child rearing from 2009. There were very small changes in housing, food, clothing, and miscellaneous expenses on a child since 2009.
The report by USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion notes that family income affects child rearing costs. A family earning less than 57,600 dollars per year can expect to spend a total of 163,440 in 2010 dollars on a child from birth through high school. Similarly, parents with an income between 57,600 and 99,730 can expect to spend 226,920; and a family earning more than 99,730 can expect to spend 377,040 dollars.
The report notes geographic variations in the cost of raising a child, with expenses the highest for families living in the urban Northeast, followed by the urban West and urban Midwest. Families living in the urban South and rural areas have the lowest child-rearing expenses.
Todd Graves to investigate clergy abuse
The Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese has announced a five-point plan to address sexual misconduct by clergy. The diocese implemented the first part of the process by hiring former U.S. Attorney Todd Graves to investigate allegations of a priest charged with child pornography possession.
Graves, who created state and federal task forces to investigate cyber crimes against children, will also lead a review of the diocese’s sexual misconduct policies and ethical code.
Graves says the review could last between 30 and 45 days. Graves made protecting children a priority as a federal prosecutor.
(UPDATE) Elwood-Gladden Levee Ready To Go
The Elwood-Gladden levee preparations continued last week, and the levee district board president says it should be ready to go.
Board president Craig Sheppard says volunteers were able to shore up a low spot along the levee with sandbags Friday morning.
Sheppard says soil work continues on a series of sand boils that developed last year. That work is expected to be complete by Saturday.
Sheppard also says they have completed work on a new haul road to for trucks carrying sand to the levee should the need arise.
Holt, Atchison Counties Continue Prepping for Flood
For alerts from Atchison County, sign up here: Atchison County EMA/911 web page.
Counties in northwest Missouri will spend more time bagging and placing sandbags.
In Atchison County, they placed sand bags over a levee concern Thursday that did not seem to pose any problems at the time, but could in the coming days, Emergency Management Coordinator Rhonda Wiley said.
Atchison County officials are working to stockpile sandbags, work that is planned for prison inmates from Maryville. Prisoners have been helping in Atchison County for more than week with their sandbagging efforts.
There is a donation account available in Atchison County where residents can donate to help in the fight against flooding. The account is at the Citizens Bank and Trust in Rockport. Call them at 660-744-7333.
You can also sign up for alerts from Atchison County Emergency Management officials. Officials will send email and text alerts. Sign up by visiting the Atchison County EMA/911 web page.
In Holt County, a birm is complete around the town of Craig and the towns water-plant. A sandbagged levee has been put in place around the water-plant in Forrest City as well.
Most Big Lake residents have evacuated, Holt County Commissioner Mark Sitherwood said. No utilities have been shut off so far in Holt County.
National Guard Liason officers are meeting with county officials daily. Troops won’t arrive until operations are underway.
Third Breach In Levee Near Hamburg, IA
Omaha, Neb. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that a partial levee breach occurred Thursday morning on Missouri River levee L-575, near Hamburg, Iowa. Early assessments have determined that this third partial breach is about 80 feet north of the previous 2 breaches.
As was the case with the previous two partial breaches, slough from the adjacent slopes filled the breach, minimizing flow over the levee in time for response by the local levee sponsor to close the breach. The sponsor is placing rip rap to help direct the flow away from repaired areas in the levee.
The levee, located at River Mile 552 in Atchison County, Mo. is in the Federal Program and is operated and maintained by the non-federal sponsor. It was constructed by the Corps.
The Corps is working closely with Iowa and Missouri Emergency Management Agencies, as well as the County Emergency Managers, the National Weather Service and Federal Emergency Management Agency Region VII to ensure the safety of all in these areas.
Governor Deploys National Guard For Flood Preparations
(News Release) — Gov. Jay Nixon on Wednesday signed Executive Order 11-18, which directs the Missouri National Guard to coordinate and supervise the state’s efforts in preparing for and responding to imminent flooding along the Missouri River and its tributaries.
Gov. Nixon surveyed the flooding situation in northwest Missouri last week and met with local officials about flood preparations in St. Joseph. The Governor also has been in regular communication with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the past two weeks.
“As we said last week, the risk of flooding is real and imminent,” Gov. Nixon said. “Our preparations at the state level have been thorough, and our ongoing response will be robust. The National Guard will work directly with local law enforcement and emergency management agencies to ensure that from west to east, Missourians and their property are protected.”
Two Colonels from the Missouri National Guard, Colonel Greg Mason and Colonel Wendul Hagler, will oversee two task forces that will coordinate flood preparation and response in the eastern and western portions of the state. Colonel Mason will lead Task Force Missouri, which will focus on the western portion of the state; while Colonel Hagler will lead Task Force Mississippi, which will focus on the east.
Additionally, Colonel Mike Pankau, commander of the 139th Airlift Wing, will lead a separate task force which will focus specifically on flood preparations at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base in St. Joseph and throughout Buchanan County.
“These proven leaders have the expertise and the experience to direct and execute this critical mission,” Gov. Nixon said. “I have met personally with Colonel Hagler, Colonel Mason and Colonel Pankau and they have already begun to coordinate these vital efforts. We will provide the tools and support they need at every stage of this fight.”
Releases from major dams along the Missouri River, including at Gavins Point, are already higher than they have ever been. By the middle of this month, the Corps of Engineers will be releasing 150,000 cubic feet of water per second from Gavins Point, which will be more than twice the amount the Corps has ever released before. This flooding will pose significant risk to Missourians and their property.
“We are prepared. We are ready. And we will fight this flood across Missouri,” Gov. Nixon said.
It’s Not Delivery, It’s A Digiorno Truck…On Fire.
Police and fire crews responded to the Walmart on the South Belt Highway in St Joseph over the noon hour on Wednesday. Officials say a Digiorno Pizza delivery truck caught fire in the loading dock. Customers were moved to the front of the store, and some left during the ensuing firefighting effort.
The fire is put off a lot of smoke, and that has many passersby concerned.
Inspector Jason Ziph of the St Joseph Fire Department says the truck’s engine caught fire, and soon the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames. Ziph says heat from the fire ignited the contents of a semi trailer parked next to it. Witnesses reported popping sounds coming from the second truck, but Ziph says it’s not clear if there was ammunition on the manifest.
One firefighter suffered a laceration on his hand that required stitches. Ziph says that firefighter is fine, and was expected to return to work on Thursday.
The fire was reported at 12:47 p.m. Wednesday at the Walmart at 3022 South Belt Highway.
