St. Joseph Police are investigating an overnight armed robbery.

According to Sgt. Brett Kelley, at 12:24 a.m. Tuesday at the U.S. Oil at 22nd and Messanie, a night employee was walking to their vehicle when they were approached by the suspect who pointed a gun at the employee and demanded the night deposit. The suspect then left with the night deposit in what was described as an orange truck or SUV. The male suspect was wearing a mask.

There were no injuries. Anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at (816) 238-TIPS.

The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office is searching for suspects after a burglary early Monday morning.

According to the LCSO, around 2 a.m., someone entered a building in the 2000 block of Route V in northern Livingston County and stole various tools, chainsaws, and a 2012 John Deere Gator, model RSX850i UTV from the building. The suspects reportedly returned about 45 minutes later and found the property owner was home and quickly fled the area. The suspects were last seen eastbound on Liv 204.

Anyone with information is asked to call the LCSO at (660) 646-0515, dispatch at (660) 646-2121, or submit a TIP online at www.livcoso.org.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The following is a listing of general highway maintenance and construction work in the Northwest Missouri region planned for the week of June 25 – July 1 from the Missouri Department of Transportation.

In addition to the work listed below, there may be pothole patching, mowing, shoulder work, bridge maintenance, striping, brush cutting, guardrail repairs, litter pick up and other road work conducted throughout the region. Many of these will be moving operations and could include lane closures with delays. All scheduled maintenance and construction projects are subject to change.

MoDOT reminds the public to stay alert, watch for road work, buckle up, slow down, and drive with extreme caution through work zones and in changing weather conditions.

For more information about a project, please contact MoDOT at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (888-275-6636) or visit modot.org/northwest. You can also follow MoDOT’s Northwest Missouri District on Twitter @ModotNorthwest and on Facebook.

Interstate 29 – Bridge deck replacement project at the Nodaway River Bridge. Traffic is head-to-head in the northbound lanes. This traffic pattern will be in place through August and includes a 13-foot width restriction.

U.S. Route 71 – Guardrail, rumble strips and striping from Route 48 to Route A (Nodaway County), June 25 – 29

Atchison County

I-29 – Pavement repair from mile marker 124 near the Iowa state line to mile marker 111 near Route 111, June 25 – 29

U.S. Route 275 – Resurfacing project from the Iowa state line to U.S. Route 136, June 25 – 29

Buchanan County

U.S. Route 169 (Belt Highway) – Milling and pothole patching near Route 6 (Frederick Avenue), June 25

Route 752 – Pavement repair from King Hill Avenue to 6th Street, June 26 – 27

Route FF – Pavement repair at U.S. Route 169, June 27 – 28

Caldwell County

Route 13 – Pothole patching from Route P to SE Quarry Drive, June 25 – 26

Route U – Pothole patching, June 27 – 29

Carroll County

U.S. Route 65 – Sealing and resurfacing project from the Missouri River to the city limits of Chillicothe, June 25 – 30. This project includes a 12-foot width restriction.

Chariton County

Route 5 – CLOSED for bridge maintenance at the Puzzle Creek Bridge from U.S. Route 24 to just north of Route WW, June 25 – 28, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Clinton County

Route 116 – CLOSED for a bridge replacement project at the McGuire Creek Bridge. The road will be closed through July. A signed detour is in place.

Route C – Resurfacing and shoulder project from Route 116 to Route CC, June 21 – 22. A pilot car and a flagger will direct traffic through the work zone.

Daviess County

Route 13 – CLOSED for a bridge replacement project at the Honey Creek Bridge. The road will be closed through September. A signed detour is in place.

DeKalb County

U.S. Route 36 – Pavement resurfacing and realignment project at the Route 33 North/Route M junction. One lane in each direction will remain closed as the temporary crossovers are removed. This includes a 14-foot width restriction.

Grundy County

U.S. Route 65 – Sealing project from the north city limits of Chillicothe to the Iowa state line, June 25 – 30. This includes a 12-foot width restriction.

Harrison County

Route AA/H – CLOSED for a bridge deck replacement at the I-35 overpass. The bridge will be closed through July. One lane of I-35 may be closed in each direction during the project.

I-35 – Resurfacing project from the Iowa state line to Route N at Eagleville, June 25 – 30. This includes a 16-foot width restriction and will include overnight lane closures.

I-35 – Sweeping and flushing bridges, June 25 – 29

Holt County

I-29 – Bridge deck replacement at the Nodaway River Bridge. Traffic is head-to-head in the northbound lanes. This traffic pattern will be in place through August and includes a 13-foot width restriction.

I-29 – Resurfacing project from Route W to Route 118, June 25 – 29

Route Y – Bridge maintenance at the I-29 overpass, June 26 – 27

Route T – Bridge maintenance at the Mill Creek Bridge, June 28 – 29

Linn County

U.S. Route 36 – Bridge maintenance at the Turkey Creek Bridge and Turkey Creek Overflow Bridge, June 25 – 26

U.S. Route 36 – Shoulder improvements and guardrail work from just east of Route 11 to Route 5, June 25 – 29. This project includes a 16-foot width restriction.

U.S. Route 36 – Bridge maintenance at the Locust Creek Bridge, June 27 – 28

U.S. Route 36 – Bridge maintenance at the Higgins Drain Ditch, June 28 – 29

Livingston County

U.S. Route 65 – Sealing and resurfacing project from the north city limits of Chillicothe to the Iowa state line, June 25 – 30. This includes a 12-foot width restriction.

Mercer County

Routes C and JJ – Pothole patching, June 25 – 29

U.S. Route 65 – Sealing project from the north city limits of Chillicothe to the Iowa state line, June 25 – 30. This includes a 12-foot width restriction.

Nodaway County

U.S. Route 71 – Guardrail, rumble strips and striping from Route A to just north of Route 48 (Andrew County), June 25 – 29

U.S. Route 136 – Shoulder improvements from east of the city limits of Maryville to Route 46 in Ravenwood, June 25 – 29

Putnam County

U.S. Route 136 – CLOSED for a bridge replacement project at the West Locust Creek Bridge. The road will be closed through September. A signed detour is in place.

U.S. Route 136 – CLOSED for a bridge replacement project at the Elm Branch Bridge. The road will be closed through September. A signed detour is in place.

Route H, N and CC – Pothole patching, June 25 – 29

Worth County

Route YY – CLOSED for a resurfacing project, June 25, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route K – Pothole patching, June 26 – 29

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Dozens of children, teachers, staff, parents and local leaders gathered Thursday morning to celebrate the opening of a unique classroom space outside the Horace Mann Laboratory School on the Northwest Missouri State University campus.

Children crowded onto the Pentagode M – a 16-foot climbing tower that stands as a centerpiece of the classroom – while University and community leaders gathered to cut a nature-inspired ribbon of leaves and other natural materials created by children in Horace Mann’s summer school program.

“We have progress and momentum at Northwest Missouri State University and you’re standing in part of that right here today,” Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski told the crowd gathered for the celebration. He added that the transformation of the landscape adjacent to Everett W. Brown Education Hall is “a good description of innovation and agility” at the University as well as an example of its emphasis on collaboration.

Northwest received a $93,336 grant last year from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to assist the University with constructing the outdoor classroom. With that award, the DNR, Land and Water Conservation Fund agreed to fund half of the total project costs, and Northwest funded the remainder of the project, which totaled about $187,000.

The finished outdoor classroom provides a recreational space unlike any other in Maryville or the northwest Missouri region. It is designed as a next-generation space that goes beyond a single sport or activity, and it aligns with Horace Mann’s emphasis on curriculum-driven outdoor education, health and wellness, and environmental stewardship.

Additionally, it enhances Northwest’s ability to train aspiring educators who benefit from the clinical teaching environment at Horace Mann and the Phyllis and Richard Leet Center for Children and Families. Northwest’s School of Education emphasizes innovative teaching practices and creating learning experiences that stimulate each child’s creative learning abilities and problem-solving skills.

“Our role at Northwest has long been to prepare educators for the nation’s schools, regional schools, and local schools,” Dr. Tim Wall, the dean of Northwest’s School of Education said. “What better way to learn to teach than to practice teaching in ways that we haven’t been taught to teach. It’s more than a playground; it constructs our ability to reach into the future.”

Distinct learning spaces within the outdoor classroom focus on nature art, outdoor music and messy materials while blending natural materials. It includes a stage for creative play, a place for art, and a gathering area. Other features include a slide, swings, Adirondack chairs, a basketball hoop and a 1/10th mile walking-running path. Rain barrels and polished tree stumps, among other features, encourage sustainable stewardship of the space. Native grasses and flower gardens separate learning spaces and align with the natural beauty of the Northwest campus, which also serves as the Missouri Arboretum.

All of the outdoor classroom’s features also adhere to the Americans with Disabilities Act, ensuring all individuals may enjoy the park.

The outdoor classroom is located directly north of Everett W. Brown Education Hall and is available for use by community members when it is not in use by Horace Mann students and staff.

The St. Joseph Police Department works to invest in youth with programs throughout the year and is hoping to implement a mentorship program soon.

“We’re really trying to invest in our youth and that’s something that we see as the future of our community,” said St. Joseph Police Chief Chris Connally. “We’re in our strategic planning process, we had a lot of feedback with interest in seeing that involvement as well. We feel like the more we can have an impact, the more we can development a relationship, the stronger that makes the community and, particularly at-risk kids, hopefully we can have a positive influence and help them go a positive direction.”

A recent event the department put on was a picnic at the Bartlett Center and upcoming events include the yearly Cops Care Camp and a new Junior Police Academy.

Connally said they are in the planning stages of implementing a mentoring program for older at risk youth.

“We’re already planning on seeing how we can interact with the 15 to 18 year-olds, hope to get them exposed to career opportunities that are available in the community, work with them on everything from interview skills to… how to tie a tie, things to that nature,” Connally said. “Some of our kids in the community don’t always get that mentoring… so if we can do that, and we can help some of them be more successful or create a relationship when they have a challenge in their life, that they can come to us and we can refer them somewhere or help them directly, I think that’s something we really need in the community.”

For more information about the St. Joseph Police Department’s youth programs or school resource officers, click here, or visit the department’s Facebook page.

An opportunity to meet and talk with the mayor of St. Joseph and councilmembers takes place next week.

The City Talk is an open forum for comments and questions to St. Joseph Mayor Bill McMurray, councilmember Kent O’Dell and other councilmembers.

The June City Talk meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 25, at The Downtown Abbey, located at 1202 Felix Street.

For more information, contact the public information and communications division at (816) 271-4610.