The Center for Entrepreneurship at Missouri Western State University is now accepting nominations for two awards that will be presented during Entrepreneurship Week March 19-23.

According to a press release from Missouri Western, the awards will recognize individuals for their professional achievements and their civic contributions to the community.

Regional entrepreneurs will receive the Emerging Entrepreneur and Entrepreneur of the Year Awards at the week’s capstone luncheon Friday, March 23. Nomination forms should be completed and returned to Annette Weeks by Feb. 28. For more information, click here.

Entrepreneurship Week is a series of free workshops and events for local business professionals, aspiring entrepreneurs, small business owners, college and high school students, and anyone curious about the skills needed to run a small business.

All of the sessions are open to students and the public. There is a $15 cost for the capstone lunch Friday; all other events are free. For more information or to register, visit the Center for Entrepreneurship website or call (816) 271-4283.

Hillcrest Transitional Housing of Buchanan County has announced a name change to Pivotal Point Transitional Housing.

“We are the same organization with the same people providing the same mission. We just changed our name,” stated Melissa Frakes, Pivotal Point’s executive director.

“The name change was the culmination of a long and prayerful process,” added Clark Hampton, Chairman of the Board for Pivotal Point. “We are very grateful for the help that the Kansas City-based Hillcrest organization provided over seven years ago to help initially establish our local mission. Both our local board and the Kansas City-based board engaged in a lengthy strategic planning process. As a result of that, we decided we could best fulfill our mission of transitioning homeless families and individuals in St. Joseph by remaining 100 percent local,” Clark added.

Pivotal Point Transitional Housing is located at 3000 Parkway A and offers homeless families, singles and young adults a disciplined educational program within a caring, supportive environment. Pivotal Point’s primary objective is to move clients from homelessness to self-sufficiency within 90 days by addressing the total life situation of the homeless families they serve. 

Frakes said the name Pivotal Point is significant to what the organization does.

“When our potential residents come to us, they are at that pivotal point in their life, where they have an opportunity to take a whole different direction of where their life is going and to get them back on track. Our goal is to help them become more financially secure by helping them with life skills and budgeting and providing them a place to live for the time that they’re in our program,” Frakes said. “So they really are at a pivotal point in their lives when they come to us and they can make a complete change in their life and so we feel very fortunate that, through the help of many people, Pivotal Point really came to us as our new name.”  

For more information about Pivotal Point Transitional Housing, click here.

Two people were killed in a crash in Andrew County Tuesday night.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 62-year-old George E. Walker of Wheatland was driving a 1998 Peterbilt north on I-29 about 13 miles north of St. Joseph around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. The semi traveled off the west side of the road, down an embankment, hit a creek bank and came to rest on its wheels.

Walker and a passenger, 68-year-old Rose E. Walker, also of Wheatland, were pronounced deceased at the scene at 7:15 a.m. Wednesday.

According to the crash report, neither was wearing a seatbelt.

Nominations are being accepted for awards to be given at the Women of Excellence Luncheon in June.

YWCA St. Joseph Executive Director Jean Brown said the annual Women of Excellence Awards Luncheon is a successful event due to quality nominations that come from the community.

“In all of (the) awards, we are looking for women or an employer who have made a difference where they are working or volunteering… but not only that, that they have helped to bring other women along with them in that path of excellence,” Brown said.

The categories are Woman in the Workplace, Woman in Volunteerism, Woman in Support Services, Emerging Leader (under age 40) and Employer of Excellence. Nominations are also made by high school counselors for the Future Leader award for a high school senior.

Brown said the luncheon is put on each year to recognize and celebrate the many women who make a difference in the community.

“Over the past 16 years, we’ve had the opportunity to recognize and celebrate over 700 women and I think that is just significant in our community that we lift those women up and bring to public attention all the things they are doing in their workplace or in their place of volunteer service.”

Nominations will be accepted until March 16.

The 17th Annual Women of Excellence Awards Luncheon will be held 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 21st at the Civic Arena in St. Joseph.

For more information and nomination forms, click here.

The St. Joseph School District is canceling school Wednesday due to weather conditions and sickness in the district.

According to the district, activities and practices may continue as scheduled – families will receive further communication from activity sponsors.

For a list of closings and postponements in the area, click here.