St. Joseph motorists may have noticed Missouri Department of Transportation snow plows out on the roads Thursday even though there is no major snow in the forecast yet.

MoDOT Northwest Region District Maintenance and Traffic Engineer Tonya Lohman said the department has been doing winter drills for several years to help new employees learn their routes.

“Those new employees are given the opportunity to go and ride the routes that they’re going to be on for doing snow removal,” Lohman said. “That way they can kind of see where the turnaround spots are, they can see narrow bridges, they can see where we have guardrail, they can see if someone has built one of those big monument mailboxes that they need to watch out for and just all those kind of things so they can kind of be prepared when they’re out there.”

Lohman said each snow event is different and therefore treated differently.

“I like to kind of compare it to a classroom of kids. The teacher shows up and all the kids don’t learn the same. You’ve got the kids that learn by listening, you’ve got the kids that learn by viewing… so just like that classroom of students, every storm comes in and it’s different,” Lohman said. “We have to base our strategy off of what a meteorologist is doing, looking at weather maps and making their predictions… what time, what wind speed, what ground temperature. We use that information to say, ‘Are we going to pretreat? Are we going to start at 7 a.m.? Are we go ahead call people in early at 2 a.m. because we think it’s going to hit before rush hour.’”

Earl Puett is a Maintenance Crew Leader at the St. Joseph metro building. Puett said one of the worst winter events he’s experienced in his 19 years on the job was in 2007.

“It seemed like we worked 12 or 14 hours a day, every day and we had a lot of drifting and winds wouldn’t lay down,” Puett said. “The next one I remember was two years later… we had a terrible ice storm, dropped a lot of limbs around town, power lines. That was really tough getting through.”

There may be some long hours and cold weather, but Puett said he enjoys his job.

“I like to plow snow, I’ve always enjoyed plowing snow,” Puett said. “I like knowing I’m out here trying to get the road back to a condition for everybody to drive around and get around on safely too.”

MoDOT offers multiple resources for travelers year-round including a Traveler Information Map on their website and MoDOT apps for your phone.

St. Joseph Police are investigating after a convenience store was robbed Wednesday night by someone wearing a bear mask.

According to police, a suspect entered the Speedy’s at 2728 Messanie St. shortly before midnight, displayed a gun and demanded money. The suspect was dressed in what was described as a bear mask with a white sheet draped over their body.

The suspect left with an unknown amount of cash.

Anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at (816) 238-TIPS.

The position of Humane Educator includes a variety of responsibilities such as answering phones, being able to give interviews to the media while holding a cat or a dog and showing up to a school with a dog to present the No More Bullying program.

Those are just a few of the things that Jenna Keyes does as part of her job as Humane Educator with the St. Joseph Animal Shelter.

This week, Keyes, along with her dog Barney, is presenting the No More Bullying Program at Pickett Elementary School to third and fifth graders.

Keyes said the No More Bullying Program was established by Wayside Waifs in Kansas City and the shelter brought it to St. Joseph last year.

“It talks about not bullying people as well as not bullying animals. It teaches the kids a little bit about animal safety along the way too and core values like responsibility, compassion, being humane, importance of self-control along with integrity, so we hit on some really big topics,” Keyes said. “It’s a great time to interact with the kids, there’s a dog in the classroom that they get to interact with and use some of these skills that they’re learning in class with the animals, as well as hopefully with their friends in class too.”

Third grade teacher Bobbie Walker said students seem to enjoy the program and are learning things along the way.

“They love it, they love Barney, he’s their favorite,” Walker said. “But even throughout the day, after the lesson’s over, when we do things, they’ll say, ‘That’s being responsible’ or ‘That’s showing compassion.’ It’s really incorporating a lot of those skills that the counselor teaches them, those character traits like responsibility, compassion.”

Third grader Adalyn’s favorite part of the program is Barney, who showed up to class on Halloween dressed as a shark.

A complaint has been filed with the Missouri Secretary of State and Missouri Ethics Commission against the St. Joseph School District regarding election laws and the tax levy up for vote on the November ballot.

According to a news release, Chris Green, a small business owner and former educator filed the complaint.

The complaint alleges that the School District is “wasting taxpayer dollars to advocate for passage of a significant tax increase on the November 7, 2017 ballot.”

In the news release, it is stated that the complaint focuses on “the fact that the St. Joseph School District is paying for direct mail pieces targeting registered voters. These mailers do not merely inform the public, they are attempting to persuade voters to support Proposition 1.”

The St. Joseph School District released the following statement:

The District has a responsibility to share information about the tax proposal. The district and its employees recognize the limits and have been very careful to ensure that Missouri law is followed.

Voters are entitled to know the facts. When they are being asked to consider a tax increase, it would be irresponsible of the district if voters were not informed about why the money is needed and how it will be spent.

The St. Joseph School District understands that voters will not just give it a blank check. That is why the District has explained how it intends to spend the money. The District is not telling voters how to vote, and trusts voters to decide for themselves whether the District’s plans for the additional money are wise.

If the proposition is approved by voters it would generate $11.5 million each year.

As previously reported, the two groups that launched campaigns on both sides of the proposition include the Committee to Move St. Joseph Forward and Support A Better SJSD.

As all the superheroes, ghosts and princesses head out for Halloween, there are some safety tips to keep in mind so everyone experiences all treats and no tricks. 

According to St. Joseph Safety and Health Council Executive Director Sheldon Lyon, safety starts with the costume.

“As parents, it’s important that we get a costume that’s appropriate for our kids, that’s comfortable. Make sure that whatever costume they have, kids can see well while they’re out, they don’t fall down or maybe they can’t see a car that’s approaching,” Lyon said. “It’s always a good idea, too, to take a flashlight or some type of reflective material so the traffic that is out is able to see you.” 

Anyone out driving during trick-or-treating hours should be extra cautious and keep an eye out for costumed pedestrians.

“Watch out for these young children that are going to be out and about,” Lyon said. “We’re probably going to see them in areas we don’t normally see them, coming out of that driveway suddenly, maybe. So just be on your guard, slow down, drive a little bit slower in those neighborhoods than you normally would.” 

Lyon said when children get home from trick-or-treating, it’s important to examine the candy. 

“We want store bought candy,” Lyon said. “I know there are people out there that like to make the homemade treats but I would stay away from those. If anything looks suspicious, the saying, ‘When in doubt, throw it out,’ is very appropriate.”   

Trick-or-treaters may also want to bundle up as the forecast is calling for temperatures in the upper 30s in the late afternoon and evening.