John P Tretbar and Dan Michaels have been on loan to the Zimmer Radio Group in Joplin since Friday. Here are some photographs from the scene of the worst-ever single tornado ever, an EF-5 “Hammer From The Sky.”
For one week, the six radio stations of the Zimmer Radio Group in Joplin, Missouri have dropped their formats, instead airing non-stop, community-based tornado and recovery programming, including calls from listeners, pleas for help, offers of help, and on-going news coverage of the single deadliest tornado ever in the United States.
The community has rallied behind this effort. Their coverage, and the city’s gratitude, have been pervasive.
On Sunday, at 5:41 p.m., all six stations went silent, observing a city-wide minute of silence exactly one week after an EF-5 tornado ripped through the city.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how radio broadcasts silence. Pictured is Chad Elliott, Operations Manager at Zimmer.
St Joseph Post will load mug shots of new detainees at the Buchanan County Jail. Check back here for updates.
Kidd, Andre E. Jr. Bond Denied Possesion w/intent to Deliver/Distribute Marjuana
Klepees, Nicholas $25,000 Resisting Arrest
Turner, Daniel $25,000 Bond Forgery
Briggs, Derek $1000 Bond Non-Support
Mitchell, Jeremy $500 Bond Non-Support
Hardy, Jack R. $250 Bond Non-Support
The Missouri Public Service Commission has voted to phase-in an electric rate increase for L&P service territory customers of KCP&L-Greater Missouri Operations Company. The phase-in will cover a three year period. The Commission’s vote was 4-1.
The Commission was concerned over the impact that a 21 percent increase in electric rates would have on the company’s L&P service territory customers.
“The Commission believes that its allocation of Iatan 2 power to the L&P service territory will bring long-term rate stability to the area,” said PSC Chairman Kevin Gunn. “However to lessen the financial impact, the Commission ordered a three year phase-in.”
Under the phase-in, the first year increase will be approximately $22.1 million-the amount originally sought by the company in its rate case filing in June 2010. The Commission said today that the remaining increase, plus carrying costs, will be phased-in in equal amounts over the next two year period.
Under the first year of the phase-in, an L&P residential customer using 1,130 kWh in the summer and 780 kWh in the winter, will see electric rates increase by about $12.82 a month.
The 10,000 Garden Challenge is headed to Kansas City, Mo. The Missouri Department of Agriculture will visit the Farmers’ Community Market at Brookside, Saturday, May 28 to register gardens, share gardening advice and encourage Missourians to participate in the Challenge.
The 10,000 Garden Challenge is an initiative to register 10,000 Missouri gardens to promote agriculture, gardening, health and nutrition. Department staff will be at the Border Star Montessori School on Wornall Rd. in the Brookside area of Kansas City from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. to add to the more than 3,200 gardens already registered on the AgriMissouri website, http://www.agrimissouri.com.
“The response to the 10,000 Garden Challenge has been outstanding, from individuals and community groups registering their gardens and in terms of support from those in the horticulture industry,” said Director of Agriculture Dr. Jon Hagler. “We are excited to take the Challenge to towns throughout Missouri, and to spend time with the people setting an example for the rest of the state by rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands in the soil.”
The Challenge website, http://www.agrimissouri.com, allows individuals, community organizations and school groups to register their gardens. The site also provides classroom activities and lesson plans for teachers, gardening tips and advice and a registry of Missouri’s public gardens.
MODOT plans work on Interstate 29 south of Saint Joseph on Tuesday. Crews will make pavement repairs in the southbound driving lane between Route O and Pigeon Creek. On Wednesday the work will be between Route DD and Bee Creek in various locations in the southbound lanes. During this work the southbound driving lane will be closed overnight in the work areas.
Kansas is on track to set a record for storm-related insurance claims.
Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger says the month of April set a single-month record of more than 502-million dollars in claims.
That represents about 66-thousand insurance claims.
The total so far this year, which does not include last weekend’s severe weather, is more than 531-million dollars. That would already be the fourth-highest single-year total since they started keeping those records.
Two Saint Joseph men were assaulted by two other men near 9th and Patee this morning. The victims say they were hit with a hammer in the attack at about 3 am. Police say one of the victims was taken to Heartland for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The other refused medical treatment. The attack is still under investigation.
A train car leaking hydrochloric acid will probably continue leaking all night along a side rail near Lewis And Clark Village, but officials say its situated in an area where it doesn’t pose a danger to the public and will be monitored by a haz-mat team and officials from Burlington Northern Railroad.
The leaking tanker was spotted by another train at about 6:30 Thursday evening. The initial response was to shut down US-59 highway and Missouri Highway 45, and order an evacuation of a quarter mile area around the intersection of the two highways.
Buchanan County Emergency Management Director Bill Brinton says there are only about two houses in the mostly rural area of southern Buchanan County. When crews checked on them, there was nobody home. He was not sure if they were gone, or had self-evacuated. There were no injuries.
A hazardous materials team from Olathe, Kansas was summoned. The Region-H Emergency Management Team, the Rushville Fire Department, Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office and Heartland Ambulance responded to the incident.
Officials thought they had the situation under control, and actually reopened the two highways, but when the leaks persisted they shut down the interchange again and resumed their emergency posture.
Brinton says a southbound Burlington Northern train spotted the leak on a northbound train at about 6:30 p.m. A tank car full of hydrochloric acid developed a rust hole about the size of a dollar. Crews pulled the leaking car off to a side rail.
Click here for the latest from Emergency Management Director Bill Brinton.
[audio:http://www.stjosephpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/BRINTON-on-HCL-Spill2-1105263.mp3|titles=BRINTON on HCL Spill2 110526]Some area roads are closed due to flooding today. As always, you can find what roads are closed thanks to the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Interactive Travelers Information Map.
Road closures for flooding, accidents and also planned construction are all the map at MoDOT’s website.
Click Here for the map.
