Category: Local News
I-29 remains closed north of St. Joseph and is likely to remain closed for awhile
By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
I-29 north of St. Joseph remains closed and likely will remain closed for quite some time.
Missouri Department of Transportation Area Engineer Adam Watson says Missouri closed the interstate at Highway 71, because there was nowhere for the heavy traffic I-29 carries to go once it reached the state line. Watson says Iowa transportation officials are working hard to repair the damage done by floodwaters.
“They were anticipating that by Memorial Day or quicker they would be able to open up I-29 into Iowa in which case we would open up I-29 completely, because there would be somewhere to go through to,” Watson tells St. Joseph Post.
Missouri is working to repair damage leading to the two bridges across the Missouri River into Nebraska. Watson says if Iowa cannot get repairs to I-29 done as quickly as they hope, those bridges into Nebraska would allow Missouri to re-open at least a portion of the interstate.
I-29 carries approximately 12,000 cars and trucks daily, with an emphasis on trucks. Heavy semi tractor-trailers use I-29 as their primary north-south route in the Midwest. With I-29 closed in northwest Missouri and southeast Iowa, those trucks have been diverted to other highways.
MoDOT advises travelers wishing to go north to use I-35 to I-80, back across to I-29 or at least take U.S. Highway 71 just north of St. Joseph. MoDOT has closed I-29 at the Highway 71 intersection.
But, truck drivers have taken a number of different routes and large trucks hauling rock and other material used to repair flood-damaged roads are traveling throughout northwest Missouri as well as northeast Kansas.
Watson gives a short answer to the question of whether MoDOT worries diverted interstate traffic is damaging other roadways.
“We’re not worried about it. We know that it is.”
Watson says it is hard to quantify how much damage has been done to other roads by traffic normally traveling I-29.
“We’ve already seen routes that we were intending to do a preventative maintenance treatment on, something to seal cracks to keep it going for a couple more years before we do a more serious rehabilitation,” Watson says. “We’ve already seen roads where we’ve said, yeah, that preventative maintenance treatment is not even an option any more, we are well into rehabilitation or rebuilding parts of these roads.”
Watson says Iowa transportation officials hope to repair I-29 in time for Memorial Day weekend traffic.
MoDOT maintains a website on the flood damage in northwest Missouri, you can access it by clicking here.
Roads to close in western Buchanan County to install new tubes
Two roads in western Buchanan County will be closed as road crews install new tubes.
Buchanan County Emergency Management Director Bill Brinton says Southeast 45th Road from Southeast H Highway to Southeast Babcock Road will be closed from 8am to 3pm Thursday.
Southeast 40th Road from Southeast H Highway to Southeast Pigeon Hill Road will be closed from 8am to 3pm Friday.
On-and-off rain and storms expected through Wednesday
On-and-off showers and thunderstorms are expected through Wednesday night, bringing multiple chances for flash flooding and strong to severe storms. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:
Today: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 1 p.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4 p.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 61. East northeast wind 6 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tonight: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Low around 59. East northeast wind 9 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Wednesday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some storms could be severe, with heavy rain. High near 72. East southeast wind 10 to 14 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Wednesday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 2 a.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 a.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Cloudy, with a low around 48. South southwest wind 8 to 13 mph becoming north northwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Thursday: A chance of showers, mainly before 8 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55. North northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 63.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 44.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 69.
Saturday Night: A chance of showers between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 68.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 47.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 71.
Buchanan County Jail Activity (5/4-5/6/19)
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.
Animal Control and Rescue offers low cost rabies vaccination clinics
There will be several opportunities this month in St. Joseph to get your pet vaccinated against rabies.
Kappy Hodges with the Friends of the St. Joseph Animal Shelter said Animal Control and Rescue is sponsoring low cost vaccination clinics this week and next week.
“You can get your rabies vaccinations for your pets and your combination shots for much less than they usually cost,” Hodges said. “When they do these vaccination clinics, they’ll also do the microchips which only cost $10 that the Animal Control folks can put in for you. You can get your dog park tag because you’re right there getting all your vaccinations and those are the kinds of things you have to show, you have to show that your dog is vaccinated and also spayed or neutered.”
The following clinics will each be held from 6 to 8 p.m. –
Monday, May 6, at Lindbergh Elementary School, 2812 St. Joseph Ave.
Tuesday, May 7, at Hosea Elementary School, 6401 Gordon Street
Thursday, May 9, at First Church of the Nazarene, 2102 South 22nd Street
Tuesday, May 14, at Skaith Elementary School, 4701 Schoolside Lane
Thursday, May 16, Mark Twain Elementary School, 801 S. 31st Street
For more information, visit the Friends of the Animal Shelter of St. Joseph’s Facebook page.
Obituaries May 6th
Danny Ray Welter
1944 – 2019
Danny Welter, 74, of Savannah, Missouri, passed away on Thursday, May 2, 2019 at his residence.
Danny was born on May 23, 1944 in St. Joseph, to the late Alfred and Gloria Welter. He was a graduate of Savannah High School. He was married to Pootie Welter for 17 years and from this union they had three children. In his career, he retired from Mead Products, was a truck driver and enjoyed farming. He was an avid deer hunter and had a love for restoring Allis Chalmers tractors. He could always be seen with his constant companion, his dog, Comanche.
In addition to his parents, Mr. Welter was preceded in death by his son; Danny Ray Welter Jr. and sisters; Gloria Douglas and Jeanette Griggs.
Danny is survived by his son; Lonnie (Lori) Welter, daughter; Kelli (Jeff) Linch, nieces; Megan Douglas and April (Corry) Bowers.
The family will receive friends from 10:00 to 11:00 AM, Monday at the Heaton-Bowman-Smith Savannah Chapel followed by a graveside service and interment at Ashland Cemetery.
The family suggests memorial contributions be made to either Mosaic Hospice or the St. Joseph Animal Shelter.
Wayne Cook
1956 – 2019
Wayne Cook, 63, of St. Joseph, passed away May 4, 2019.
Wayne was born on March 23, 1956, in Kansas City, Missouri to the late Walter & Barbara (Russell) Cook Bougher. He was a bus driver for the City of St. Joseph.
Surviving family includes: daughters, Briana Cook (Chris Morgan), Melissa Martin (Joseph Donaldson); brothers, David Donelson (Nora Guzewicz) and Ken Cook; six grandchildren.
Per his wishes, Mr. Cook has been cremated.
Visitation: 5:00 – 7:00 PM, Wednesday, May 8, 2019 at Heaton-Bowman-Smith Chapel in St. Joseph.
Shelley R. Dunaway
1954 – 2019
Shelley R. Dunaway, 64, of Hiawatha, died May 3, 2019, at KU Medical Center, Kansas City, KS.
Funeral arrangements are pending at Chapel Oaks Funeral Home, Hiawatha
City Council to discuss endorsing Imagine St. Joseph 2040 plan
Investing in people is a goal of the Imagine St. Joseph 2040 plan which the City Council plans to endorse at Monday’s meeting.
Last year, the Chamber of Commerce, United Way and over 1,000 residents in the community worked on the Imagine St. Joseph 2040 plan.
According to St. Joseph City Council member Madison Davis, the council will discuss its updated strategic and action plan at Monday night’s meeting, as it relates to the 2040 plan. The three main objectives of the 2040 plan, are to Invest in People, Create a Better Place and Grow Prosperity.
Davis said the council has aligned its strategic focus areas with those same goals.
“Investing in people, the main objectives that we put as a part of it were – we need to find out ways to reduce crime, to reduce homelessness and to demonstrate support for workforce development,” Davis said. “So those are our three main things that we can do, as a council, to invest in our people, in our community.”
Davis said Riverfront development and more are part of the goal of creating a better place.
“Promote community enhancements… and the property maintenance in our community, design and implement the beautification of our parkway system and the parks and then promote neighborhood associations, watches and cleanups,” Davis said. “The grow prosperity – we need to look at ways to attract better paying jobs, so the use of economic development tools. Then endorse the 2040 plan and that’s something that we’re doing with the strategic plan on Monday night.”
The St. Joseph City Council will hold their regular meeting at 7 p.m. Monday.
For more information on the 2040 plan, go to imaginestjoseph2040.com.
Repairs underway to re-open traffic between northwest Missouri and Nebraska
By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Emergency contracts have been let by the Missouri Department of Transportation in an effort to get traffic moving from northwest Missouri into Nebraska once again.
MoDOT Area Engineer Adam Watson says three contracts are being issued to repair flood damage which closed the Rulo bridge to traffic at Route 159 and the Brownville bridge at Route 136.
Watson emphasizes these contracts will make emergency, not permanent repairs.
“We’re not making it perfect by any means,” Watson tells St. Joseph Post. “The shoulders will still need more work. There will be more ditching and drainage work that’s going to be required. There’s going to be paving work that is going to be required. None of that is involved in these contracts. These contracts are, what do I have to do to make the road safe for cars to travel over it?”
Missouri River flooding overflowed homes, communities, and farmland in northwest Missouri. It also did great damage to roads and bridges, forcing MoDOT to close Interstate 29 to traffic just north of St. Joseph. Flooding destroyed I-29 pavement just across the state line in Iowa, disrupting the traffic flow north to Omaha, forcing 12,000 cars and trucks to find alternative routes north.
Re-opening the routes to Nebraska could allow I-29 to re-open farther north if repairs in Iowa drag on.
The flood did not damage either the Rulo or the Brownville bridge. It did, however, tear up pavement on the Missouri side, leading to the bridges.
MoDOT hopes to re-open the Rulo bridge by the first of June and the Brownville bridge by July first.
Phillips Hardy was awarded a $3 ½ million contract to remove debris and make emergency repairs to the pavement on US Route 159 in Holt County from a mile east of Route P near Fortescue to the Missouri River Bridge. The projected completion date is on or before June 1st.
Phillips Hardy also won another $3 ½ million emergency contract to repair damaged pavement on US Route 136 in Atchison County from I-29 to the Missouri River Bridge at Brownville, Nebraska.
Repairs on 136 will take longer.
Floodwaters destroyed a bridge between I-29 and the Brownville bridge. Watson says there will have to be a detour around that smaller bridge over the Little Tarkio Creek.
“Right now, I think we’re looking at (Routes) 111 and 118 to get cars around that damaged bridge,” Watson says. “I think 111 still has water over parts of it today. So, that’s going to be a process for us.”
A third contract let to Phillips Hardy for approximately $1.2 million will repair the Little Tarkio Creek bridge with a completion date around the middle of July.
Watson describes the damage to that bridge as severe.
“The pictures show it sagging and concrete shouldn’t sag,” Watson says. “So, it was pretty telling.”
For more on the flood damage to northwest Missouri roads and bridges, click here for the special MoDOT web page.
Missouri legislature begins budget negotiations under the watchful eye of the clock
By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
A deadline looms as negotiators from the Missouri Senate and House sit down to iron out differences in the two chambers’ approaches to the $30 billion state budget.
Sen. Dan Hegeman of Cosby chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee and says a rebound in state revenue should help negotiations.
State revenues are 2% ahead of last year, a huge turnaround from when money flowing into the state coffers plummeted 18% below the previous year.
Hegeman says his committee recommends fully funding the formula for public schools, providing an increase to the core higher education budget, and even spending money on early childhood education.
“One of the bigger things, though, is the governor’s recommendation that we invest in infrastructure needs as well as workforce development,” Hegeman tells St. Joseph Post. “And we are really pleased we were able to go with much of the governor’s recommendation on that.”
Gov. Mike Parson recommended issuing $351 million in bonds to repair 250 deteriorating bridges throughout Missouri. It has met with resistance in the legislature.
The governor’s bonding proposal will likely be the main sticking point between Senate and House budget negotiators. The House has resisted the governor’s call to issue infrastructure bonds. The Senate proposes spending $50 million in General Funds upfront, then borrowing $301 million to be paid back over seven years. The governor had proposed 15-year bonds.
Hegeman is hopeful the $50 million upfront and the shorter payoff period, which should save $75 million in interest, will entice the House to agree to the infrastructure package.
“Still do the bulk of the 250 bridges with both of those efforts and that will free up money on the state transportation plan for new projects to come on,” Hegeman says.
Hegeman expects disagreement as negotiators from the two chambers sit down for talks this week at the Capitol.
“We’ve certainly got some areas for consideration and discussion,” according to Hegeman. “Now, the transportation package will be one of them. The package for higher education will be another. Ours is vastly different than what the governor and the House came up with as well. So, those will be a couple of areas that we’ll have discussions on.”
Negotiators meet under a strict deadline. They must agree to a compromise, which will go to both the Senate and the House for passage. The General Assembly must pass a budget and send it to Gov. Parson by adjournment Friday.