PLATTE COUNTY — A St. Joseph woman died in an accident just after 9 p.m. Wednesday in Platte County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Peterbilt semi driven by Carl E. Doty, Jr, 71, Missouri Valley, IA., crossed the median from southbound to northbound lanes of Interstate 29 at Route HH. As the driver attempted to make a U-turn to travel back northbound, a 2004 Cadillac driven by Herbert D. Humphrey, 67, St. Joseph, rear-ended the semi.

A passenger in the Cadillac, Cynthia J. Humphrey, 66, St. Joseph, was transported to Mosaic Life Care where she was pronounced dead at 10:43 p.m.

EMS transported Herbert Humphrey to Mosaic in serious condition, according to the MSHP. Doty was not injured. All three were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the MSHP.

An apartment house was destroyed, but no one was injured in a Wednesday morning fire.

According to St. Joseph Fire Department Fire Inspector Mindy Andrasevits, the fire at 122 North 13th St. was reported at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. Two people were at the five-unit apartment at the time of the fire but they, along with pets, were able to get out of the building safely.

Andrasevits said fire crews were on scene until 3:50 p.m. and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Andrasevits said the house is on the historic registry and was built in the 1800s.

For the 11th year, Habitat for Humanity and Lowe’s are engaging women nationwide to work together to build Habitat homes during this year’s National Women Build Week.  

According to a press release, in preparation for build week, May 5-13, St. Joseph Habitat for Humanity and Lowe’s will host a “how to” clinic to equip volunteers with knowledge and skills in construction and home interior, basic safety techniques and what to expect when building a Habitat home.

“We’re excited to partner with Lowe’s to educate, inspire and empower women to advocate and help Habitat homeowners love where they live through building or improving an affordable place they can call home,” said Cate Manley, Executive Director of St. Joseph Habitat for Humanity. “We want to engage women of all skill levels to join their friends, families and neighbors to build up their communities and volunteer where women will gain invaluable skills to bring back and use in their everyday life.”

The clinic, “How to Safely Use Hand and Power Tools” will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, at Lowe’s in St. Joseph at 3901 N. Belt Hwy.

For more information or to sign up for a clinic, contact St. Joseph Habitat for Humanity at (816) 279-2552.

National Women Build Week, a nationwide initiative created by Habitat for Humanity and Lowe’s in 2008, has brought together more than 117,000 all-women construction volunteers to build or repair homes with nearly 5,000 families over the past 10 years. This year, Lowe’s donated nearly $2 million to Habitat for Humanity to support the 2018 National Women Build Week, which is set to take place in 300 communities nationwide.

To learn more about National Women Build Week, visit Habitat.org/wb.

The St. Joseph School District has made several changes in leadership following resignations this week, leaving a number of administrative roles available.

According to a press release, the Board of Education accepted resignations from the following during Monday’s closed session:

• Chris Early, Lafayette High School principal
• Terri Deayon, Edison Elementary School principal
• Heather Beaulieu, Parkway Elementary principal

Early, Deayon and Beaulieu have all been offered administrative positions at other schools in Missouri.

The Board approved these appointments to fill the open principal positions:

• Dr. Ashly McGinnis, an assistant principal at Lafayette, has been selected to fill the principal role at Lafayette
• Dlo Duvall, who was recently named assistant principal at Lindbergh for the 2018‐19 school year, will now join Edison Elementary as principal
• Dr. Solon Haynes, Director of Student Services/Technology and Data Management, will fill the principal position at Parkway Elementary

These reassignments, along with other recent administrative resignations and retirements, leave the following positions open at this time:

• Lafayette High School, assistant principal
• Central High School, assistant principal (Paul Woolard recently resigned for a position at a school in the KC area)
• Bode Middle School, assistant principal (Janice Wing recently announced her retirement)
• Lindbergh Elementary School, assistant principal
• SJSD Director of Student Services/Technology and Data Management
• SJSD Director of Finance (Wes Metz recently accepted the CFO job in Lee’s Summit)

Visit the district’s website at sjsd.k12.mo.us to read more about these and other employment opportunities.

The City of St. Joseph Health Department Animal Control and Rescue has set the dates for this year’s citywide, low-cost rabies vaccination clinics.

According to a press release, the rabies clinics are held during the first two weeks of May at locations across St. Joseph in an effort to make the clinics easily accessible to the community. Local veterinarians volunteer their time to administer vaccines to pets. Animal Control and Rescue will issue city registration tags, administer microchips, and provide dog park registrations.

Clinics are sponsored and made possible by the City of St. Joseph Health Department, Friends of the Animal Shelter, Boehringer Ingelheim and local participating veterinarians.

The following clinics are scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m.:

Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at Lindbergh Elementary School, 2812 St. Joseph Ave.

Thursday, May 3, 2018 at First Church of the Nazarene, 2102 South 22nd St.

Monday, May 7, 2018 at Hosea Elementary School, 6401 Gordon St.

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 at Skaith Elementary School, 4701 Schoolside Lane

Thursday, May 10, 2018 at Mark Twain Elementary School, 801 South 31st St.

Rabies vaccines are offered at the clinics for $5 each. Combination vaccines are offered for an additional $10 fee, paid separately to the participating veterinarian. PetLink microchips are offered for a nominal fee of $10 each. These microchips are effective in reuniting pets with their owners in case of accidental separation. Pet owners can purchase an annual city license following the vaccination of their pets. Licenses cost $15 for a pet that is not altered or $5 for a spayed/neutered pet (pet owners are required to bring proof that their dog or cat has been spayed or neutered to the clinic). This year, Animal Control and Rescue will also sell tags for the Corby Off-Leash Dog Park. Tags are $5 per altered/vaccinated dog over four months of age. Unaltered animals are not allowed in the park.

Animal Control and Rescue is adding activities to the rabies clinics for 2018. Pawsitively Pet Parlor will offer free nail trimming to animals in attendance. Staff will also be adding a craft activity to engage local youth at the clinic.

In 2017, a total of 841 animals were vaccinated against the rabies virus and many also took advantage of the combination vaccine offered by local veterinarians.  

In case of inclement weather, visit the Friends of the Animal Shelter of St. Joseph Facebook page or contact the shelter at (816) 271-4877 to verify the status of the clinic.