You might remember Jim Crane.  He went to the University of Central Missouri.  He pitched for the Mules in the ’70s.

Now he’s buying the Houston Astros…for $680 million.

Astros owner Drayton McLane has reached an agreement to sell the team to a group led by Crane, pending approval from Major League Baseball.

McLane paid around $117 million for the team when he bought it in 1992.

The Saint Joseph City Council has given the green light to red light cameras.

In a 5 to 3 vote, the Council Tuesday approved using the cameras to reduce accidents at intersections where drivers often try to beat the lights.

The city will contract with American Traffic Solutions and the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission to operate the cameras.

Voting no were council members Pat Jones, PJ Kovac, and Barbara LaBass.
ATS will be paid out of the fines collected for red light violators.

Jay’s father could have scolded him for what he’d unearthed.  Most parents would say, “Put down that filthy thing!”  His father didn’t do that though, and because he didn’t, Jay went on to build a company and a museum about what he’d found…..

[audio:http://www.stjosephpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Osteology-Museum-2.mp3|titles=Osteology Museum 2]

St. Joseph Animal Control and Rescue received confirmation that a bat submitted to the State Laboratory tested positive for the rabies virus.  The bat had been impounded from  a residence on the east side of town.

Due to the possibility of a potential exposure to  domestic animals in the residence, the bat was submitted to the lab for testing.  This is  the first positive rabies case in St. Joseph this year.

Animal Control and Rescue Officials state that this should serve as a good reminder to  have your pets vaccinated against rabies.  If the pets in this case had not been  vaccinated for rabies they would have had to be either confined for six months or  euthanized immediately and sent to the laboratory for testing.

Animal Control and Rescue Officials advises the public to avoid contact with wildlife.  If a bat enters the residence it is recommended that the residents keep their domestic animals away from it and contact Animal Control and Rescue for removal.

Animal Control and Rescue, with the participation of local veterinarians and Friends of  the Shelter, began their annual city‐wide rabies vaccination clinics this past week.  There  are two additional clinics scheduled for this week; one at Skaith Elementary School on Tuesday, May 17th   and the last clinic at Mark Twain Elementary School on Thursday,  May 19th.  Both clinics are scheduled from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Click here to listen to this week’s Kansas Soybean Update with Chuck Rice, Distinguished Professor at Kansas State University.

Motorcycle use is on the rise in Missouri and those numbers tend to increase during warmer weather.  This is national Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. All motorists are  reminded to watch for motorcycles and to be extra alert to help keep motorcyclists safe, while motorcyclists are reminded to make themselves visible to other motorists. 

In 2008, there were 332,225 motorcycle operators  in Missouri. In 2010, that number had grown to 356,183. Fatalities have jumped around in that same period, going from 107 in 2008 to 84 in 2009 and 93 in 2010. Disabling injuries, however,  are on a steady decline with 750 in 2008 to a low of 591 in 2010. 

Motorcyclists are much more vulnerable than passenger vehicle occupants in crashes. Research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that per vehicle mile traveled, motorcyclists are about 37 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in traffic crashes. 

Very often, drivers of cars and trucks don’t see motorcycles, not until the last second, or sometimes not at all. Motorcycle operators have to anticipate the moves of other drivers and be extra cautious of road conditions and debris. 

Motorcycle experts recommend motorcyclists also complete some type of training before getting out on the road. There are 26 training locations in Missouri. You can find the one nearest you at www.mmsp.org.

A 17-year-old senior at Lafayette High School has won this year’s “I’m A Safe Driver” campaign, and drove off with a 2004 Mitsubishi Eclipse after an awards ceremony Saturday.

Carrera Howie plans to major in Psychology when she attends the University of North Carolina at Wilmington this fall,.  

“I never expected to win anything except maybe a T-shirt,” said Howie.  When pressured, she admitted that the “psychology” of the “I’m A Safe Driver” program is apparently working.  All of her driving skills she attributes to her father, John Howie, who said,  “I just told her that you’re never in that big a hurry.”    

The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety, the St. Joseph Police Department and Cecil Myers Mitsubishi team up for the program which is in its fourth year.  

Kansas City police will begin testing foot patrols in some of the city’s most crime-ridden areas.

Officials say 21 fookies, newly graduated from the police academy, will patrol the selected neighborhoods during a three-month test period starting August 1st.  Officials hope to better connect with neighborhood residents.

Foot patrols haven’t been practiced in Kansas City for decades.   Departments across the country including in Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle are giving them another look.

If it proves to be a success, the experiment will be be extended and may become permanent.

Officials say the officers will work in pairs from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

At least 143 KCP&L customers in the Country Club Village area lost power Sunday morning after a squirrel caused a short circuit.

A spokeswoman for the utility says the outage lasted from about 9:45 a.m. until 11:05 a.m.  The area affected was mostly residential, bounded by Blackwell Road to the north, Savannah Road to the west, Miller Road to the east and Cook Road to the south.