The initial levee break which closed U.S. Route 59 in southern Buchanan County the first time./Photo courtesy of the Kansas Highway Patrol
It will cost a lot to replace the levees damaged by this year’s flood.
It will also take a lot of time.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released an estimate of the cost of repairing 100 damaged levees along the Platte River and the Missouri River.
“Right now, we’re estimating at $1.15 billion,” Tom Brady with the Northwest District of the Corps of Engineers tells those on a conference call. “That number will change, because there are many levees we haven’t had access to.”
Brady emphasizes that is only a preliminary estimate.
“A lot of those estimates are based on desktop recon, because we’re not able to get to some of those levees that are under water,” Brady says. “So, we don’t have a full magnitude of the damage. And, so until we get ground truth, we really can’t give you a good targeted amount.”
Brady says that price tag is likely to go higher when floodwaters recede and inspectors can actually view the damage. Also, more requests for repairs are likely to be field by the Corps.
Brady does hold out the possibility that costs could go down.
“Because when we see the damage on the ground, we may find that we are able to cut back on some of our estimates,” Brady says. “We won’t know until we can get engineers out on those 850 miles of levees.”
The Corps also estimates it will take at least a couple of years to fully restore the levees damaged by this year’s flood.
Presentation on snakes at Herp-O-Rama 2018. Photo by Sarah Thomack.
Making snakes and other creatures less intimidating through education is one of the goals of a yearly Remington Nature Center event.
This will be the eighth year of the Herp-O-Rama event. Naturalist Shelly Cox said the event began when staff saw a need for more education about herpetology in the area.
“We got together and decided to plan a fun event that’s designed to be educational, but not intimidating, we want people to learn, but not be afraid,” Cox said.
The Herp-O-Rama event takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Remington Nature Center and includes live snakes, turtles and salamanders, a scavenger hunt, crafts and more.
Missouri Western State College Professor of Economics Reza Hamzaee/Photo by Brent Martin
A Missouri Western State University economics professor applauds the Trump Administration for taking a strong stand against China on trade, but doubts its tactic will work.
Professor Reza Hamzaee says the United States has needed to get serious with China for some time, because China doesn’t play fair with its trading partners.
“They have had tariffs on American products, which are already expensive when it is converted to Yuan, their currency,” Hamzaee tells St. Joseph Post during an interview in his office. “So, it’s very hard to sell American products in the first place and then putting high tariffs is not a fair game.”
Hamzaee lays out a case against Chinese trade practices.
He says China manipulates its currency, making its products cheaper when sold abroad, undercutting domestic competition. It might give a little when a country complains, but China continues to play with the value of the Yuan in violation of international trade norms.
Intellectual property has long been a sticking point between the two countries. The United States accuses China of stealing its intellectual property and using it to manufacture cheap electronics, such as computers, which it sells in the U.S.
U.S. officials further complain China keeps such tight controls on what can be imported into the country, it makes it difficult for American businesses to sell products to Chinese consumers.
While Hamzaee says the complaints are for the most part legitimate, he doesn’t believe President Trump’s threatened tariffs will prove effective. He says increasing tariffs on Chinese imports will do little to change Chinese trade policies, but will increase prices for American consumers, businesses, and farmers.
“He is taking a wrong approach, a wrong style of tackling a right issue,” according to Hamzaee.
Much is at stake.
The United States imported $539 billion from China last year. China purchases from the United States as well, but mostly confines those purchases to agricultural goods, such as soybeans. China imported $9 billion in soybeans from China last year. In fact, Hamzaee says agricultural goods are the United States’ only net surplus in trade with China. China does import some American transportation equipment, computers, and electronics.
Hamzaee does believe something has to give.
“I think it will be resolved, partially resolved, during the next few months, in my opinion, not necessarily to an ideal situation.”
Hamzaee says the Trump Administration would be better off by returning to negotiations with China, and might well benefit from having other countries participate.
The trade dispute between the two largest economies is expected to be a matter of discussion during the G20 summit now underway in Japan.
Friday and Saturday afternoons will produce heat indices well over 100 degrees in eastern Kansas and western Missouri. A few strong T-storms may move south out of Iowa, into northern Missouri Friday night. Gusty winds (40-50 mph) and small hail (up to quarter-size) will be the primary concerns. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 94. Heat index values as high as 105. South wind 11 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 73. South wind 6 to 9 mph.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Heat index values as high as 103. South wind 6 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 74. Light south wind.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 95. Light south wind.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 73.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 93.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 74.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 93.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 73.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 92.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Independence Day: Partly sunny, with a high near 90.
HARRISON COUNTY — One person was injured in an accident just after 9p.m. Thursday in Harrison County.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Hyundai driven by Denise C. Wilgus, 35, Gilman City, was westbound on Route H five miles west of Gilman City.
The vehicle traveled off the road and struck a ditch. NTA transported Wilgus to Cameron Regional Medical Center. She was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according the MSHP.
Here’s the latest booking activity from the Buchanan County Jail. All persons included in this post are innocent of crimes until proven guilty in a court of law. These are courtesy photos.
This information is provided by the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office and is not criminal history. The St Joseph Post assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, or completeness, of this information.
BELCHER RICHARD POSSESSION 3 DAYS IN JAIL
BROCK COLTON POSSESSION 2500 BOND
CALDERA MARGARITA POSSESSION 5000 BOND
CHANDLER DAVID NON SUPPORT 10000 BOND
CLARK JOHN ESCAPE NO BOND
CORNELIUS CAMERON POSSESSION NO BOND
DANA MICHAEL FUGITIVE FROM OUT OF STATE 25000 BOND
St. Joseph’s double-decker bridge, Interstate 229, has reopened earlier than expected.
The Missouri Department of Transportation reports I-229 reopened a day earlier than scheduled. I-229 runs along the Missouri River in downtown St. Joseph. MoDOT closed the interstate Monday for routine bridge maintenance, drain cleaning, and pavement marking.
I-229 had been closed southbound from Highland Avenue to U.S. Route 36 and northbound from Lake Boulevard to Highland Avenue.
Some ramps at the junction of I-229, U.S. Route 36, and Route 759 remain closed due to another project, according to MoDOT.
A body recovered in DeKalb County has been identified as that of Leah Dawson, missing for more than three weeks.
A number of law enforcement agencies, led by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, executed a search warrant on a house in Maysville Wednesday and recovered an unidentified body. Law officers also searched another Maysville location earlier in the month.
In a news release, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department says the preliminary results from an autopsy identified the body recovered as that of Dawson. It says the department continues to investigate the case.
The boyfriend of Leah Dawson, Kenneth Wykert, has been taken into custody in DeKalb County, but has not been charged in connection with her disappearance. He is being held on failing to register as a sex offender.
Summer. That’s the best description of the end of the work week and coming weekend as we get a bit of a break from the various rounds of rain that have been occurring across the Plains States recently. However, with that break from the rain will come some hot and humid conditions, with our first multi-day run of temperatures at, or above, 90 degrees thus far this year. Heat indices will range around 100 degrees through the weekend as a result; so anyone working or playing outside will want to keep themselves well hydrated. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 92. Heat index values as high as 100. South wind 7 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 74. South wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 95. Heat index values as high as 106. South southwest wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 75. South wind around 6 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 95. South wind 3 to 6 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 74.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 94.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 73.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 93.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 73.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 92.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 73.
UPDATE (1 p.m. Thursday): The human remains found on a property in DeKalb County Wednesday afternoon are believed to be those of a missing Maysville woman.
According to a press release from the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, preliminary autopsy results identified the body recovered as 23-year-old Leah Dawson who had been missing from the area since June 4th.
The Sheriff’s Office said it is continuing the investigation.
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Unidentified human remains were reportedly found on a property in DeKalb County Wednesday afternoon.
According to a press release from the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, at 4:45 p.m., a search warrant was executed at a property in reference to an investigation on 23-year-old Leah Dawson of Maysville, who has been missing since June 4th. During the search, unidentified human remains were found on the property, as well as other evidence.
The DeKalb County Coroner is working to identify the remains as an investigation continues.
The search was conducted by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office along with the Cameron and St. Joseph Police Departments, the Missouri State Highway Patrol Division of Drug and Crime Control and the Missouri Search and Rescue K-9 search group.
