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Category: Local News

Pedestrian killed on heavily traveled I-29

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image courtesy KC SCOUT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say a pedestrian has been killed along Interstate 29 in Kansas City, causing a rush-hour backup that led airport officials to warn travelers to seek alternative routes.

The deadly crash happened shortly before 6 a.m. Tuesday, temporarily closing both northbound lanes of the highway. Kansas City International Airport warned of the closure on Twitter because the highway carriers a large volume of travelers.

The area north of the Missouri River where the crash happened is filled with hotels, restaurants and shops. It’s been a problem area in the Kansas City metro. Between March 2017 and March 2018, there were 263 crashes there.

Missouri Western works to calm tensions after MAGA hat video

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ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Western State University has held a listening session in an effort to calm tensions after a video began circulating online of a black student shouting at someone wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat.

About 50 people attended the session Monday on the Missouri Western campus to discuss what happened last Friday. A video of the incident posted by the student newspaper shows the woman saying that the hat is “a symbol of white supremacy.” When a police officer tries to quiet the student, she asks, “Do you know what that hat symbolizes?”

The school also talked to the woman and the high school student who wore the hat while helping decorate for a prom his school was holding at Missouri Western. He wasn’t seen on the video.

Remington Nature Center re-opens, Riverfront Trail still closed

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Remington Nature Center/Missouri Division of Tourism photo

After extensive clean-up, the Remington Nature Center re-opened Monday under normal hours of operation.

Flooding from the rise of the Missouri River closed the center for the past two weeks.

Even as the floodwaters receded, debris remained. Crews worked both outside and inside the center to prepare it to re-open to the public. It is operating under its normal business day of 10am to 5pm.

The Riverfront Trail remains closed at this time.

Hamburg, Iowa begins recovery efforts, but it is unlikely everyone will return (SLIDESHOW)

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By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

A main thoroughfare in Hamburg, submerged in floodwaters.

Missouri River floodwaters are receding slowly from the small southwest Iowa town of Hamburg and a former mayor doesn’t expect everyone to return.

Terry Holliman owns the NAPA Auto Store, flooded when the Missouri River broke through the Hamburg levee March 18th and inundated about two-thirds of the city.

“It’s a big financial loss for most people that can least afford it,” Holliman tells St. Joseph Post.

Holliman says the poorest residents took the brunt of this flood.

“The lower areas are the lower income families, the ones that can least afford a loss,” Holliman says, surveying the damage, adding, “It’s going to be hard on everybody.”

Levees held in the past, keeping the flooded Missouri River at bay.

Not this year.

Holliman estimates the floodwaters rose to a crest two feet higher than in 2011. The levee couldn’t hold back the flood. It breached around three in the morning March 18th, prompting officials to go door-to-door, knocking on doors, ordering people to leave their homes. At best, residents had eight hours to evacuate, according to Holliman.

Holliman says while the long recovery process is underway, not everyone who called Hamburg home plans to pick up where they were before the levee breached.

“So, we have a lot of recovery, a lot of rebuild (ahead). A lot of people will simply not come back to town, because of the loss of homes,” Holliman says. “We’ll probably lose, easily, 200 people I would say.”

Hamburg is a city with a population of slightly more than one thousand.

As for the attitude toward the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Holliman says Hamburg residents have believed for some time the Corps has failed to manage the Missouri to prevent flooding.

“The dams and the levees were built in the 50s for flood protection. They’ve now switched that. They no longer are about flood protection, they’re about environmental and recreational,” according to Holliman. “They sat there during the winter with their dams full, knowing they’re going to have runoff from snowmelt and no place to put it, except down the river.”

Congressional members have made the same complaint. Corps officials in Omaha and Kansas City say the management of the Missouri River system with its six upstream dams has changed a bit since widespread flooding, notably the devastating 1993 flood. Still, some in Congress complain the Corps doesn’t prioritize flood prevention highly enough.

Temps near 57 with chance of rain on the way

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We’re still over a month away before we’re statistically in the clear from freezing. But for the next week, there are no freezing temperatures in the forecast. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 57. Southwest wind 7 to 10 mph becoming north northwest in the morning.

Tonight: A chance of showers, mainly after 4 a.m. Increasing clouds, with a low around 44. Calm wind becoming east southeast around 6 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 62. South southeast wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday Night: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 47. East southeast wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Thursday: A chance of showers before 1 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 58. East wind around 8 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 43.

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 66.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51.

Saturday: A chance of showers after 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 73. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Saturday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Sunday: A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 68. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Sunday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.

Polls open for Buchanan County General Municipal Election

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By SARAH THOMACK
St. Joseph Post

Tuesday’s General Municipal Election ballot is short, but Buchanan County Clerk Mary Baack-Garvey is predicting a 40% turnout at the polls.

“I think people are going to show up, it’s going to be a nice day and I just think this election is pretty darn important and I think they’re going to show up and cast their votes,” Baack-Garvey said.

Voters will cast a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ vote on the proposed 61-cent tax levy and they will be deciding on who will fill two open seats on the St. Joseph School District Board of Education.

Baack-Garvey said voters need a form of ID to get checked in to vote at their polling place.

“If they’re unsure as to where they need to go to vote, they should call our office and we will direct them to the correct polling location,” Baack-Garvey said. “Any questions that they have, I advise they should call us.”

Visit the Buchanan County Clerk’s Office website or call (816) 271-1412.

Polls are open from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Sen. Blunt agrees Mueller report should be released with portions blacked out

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By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

Sen. Roy Blunt

United States Sen. Roy Blunt says the report released by special counsel Robert Mueller should allow Congress to put accusations the Trump campaign colluded with Russia behind it, so it can concentrate on other issues.

A summary of the report released by the attorney general says it found no evidence the president’s campaign conspired with Russia during the 2016 election.

“I think that it was a significant thing for the administration, for the president, and for the country,” Blunt, a Republican, tells St. Joseph Post. “No matter how much the other side doesn’t want to get that issue behind us, I think the Mueller report will largely put that issue behind us and we need to be talking about things like the economy, people’s families, and what we can do to create more opportunity in the country.”

Attorney General William Barr says he plans to release a redacted version of the report to Congress by the middle of the month. According to the Justice Department, the Mueller report is 400 pages long, not including references. In a four-page summary of the report, Barr stated it contained no evidence the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia during the president’s campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton. Barr also concluded the president did not commit obstruction.

Barr says Mueller is working with the Justice Department to black out portions of the report before it is released to members of Congress. The portions redacted would be deemed to compromise national security, interfere with ongoing investigations, and infringe on personal privacy of those not accused of a crime.

Blunt agrees with the attorney general that portions of the report needs to be blacked out before release.

“There’d be substantial amounts of it that would and should be redacted,” Blunt says. “It would impact who you talked to and how you talked to them as well as how we know some of the things we know about Russia and the world generally.”

Blunt says it is proper to protect the identity of those interviewed, but not found to have committed any crime.

“If there is other information there, I think the long-term view of the Justice Department has been, no, it’s not our job to talk about bad things people may have done that were not criminal, not part of the justice system. Just because you know it doesn’t mean you’re supposed to talk about it,” according to Blunt.

Blunt serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee and hopes it wraps up its investigation soon.

 

Rep. Shields sponsoring bill to create certified teacher externships

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First-term State Representative Brenda Shields said some of her priorities include workforce development and teacher externships.

Along with serving on the budget committee, Shields, who represents Buchanan County and parts of Platte County, is Vice Chair of the Education Appropriations Committee. Shields said the committee is responsible for the K-12 and higher education budgets.

Shields has introduced House Bill 462 to create certified teacher externships through the Department of Economic Development and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education working together. Shields explains the difference between an internship and an externship is that an internship is typically for college students looking for experience in their desired field while an externship gives qualified teachers the opportunity to go out and learn about jobs and bring that experience back to their classroom.

“These are not teacher externships where a teacher goes into the business for a day, interviews a few people and writes a paper. These are going to be externships that are going to be equal to college credit,” Shields said. “It’s going to be about a four week externship for these teachers that they’re going to actually go in and spend time in these businesses. When I say they are certified, DESE and the Department of Economic Development are going to create the guidelines, businesses are going to create the externships, they’re going to be approved by DESE once they’re made.”

Shields adds, as part of the bill, teachers who complete an externship would be able to receive those hours of credit on the teacher’s salary schedule to receive additional pay for completing a teacher externship.

Shields said House Bill 462 will be third read on Monday and before being sent to the Senate.

 

SJSD partnership with community college seeks to provide more education, training options

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By SARAH THOMACK
St. Joseph Post

A new partnership will bring more education and training options for St. Joseph residents to help meet the needs of the local workforce.

According to a press release, the Kansas City-based Metropolitan Community College (MCC) Board of Trustees approved a partnership with the St. Joseph School District to offer expanded education and training opportunities in St. Joseph.

“The St. Joseph community has asked MCC to support two-year adult career and technical education in the area,” said MCC Chancellor Kimberly Beatty, in a written statement. “We are excited to be partners in meeting workforce needs for the community.”

Kristi Bailey with the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce said the classes will be at Hillyard Technical Center. MCC will be taking over all the adult education programs and will be able to expand what’s currently available and add more courses. Through a partnership agreement with Missouri Western State University, MCC will also be able to create a path to bachelor’s degrees.

Bailey tells the St. Joseph Post, this partnership will bring more educational options to St. Joseph.

“For those kids graduating from high school and they don’t know exactly what they want to do yet, they will be able to get a community college education here in St. Joseph while they figure things out – if they want to go straight into the workforce into a technical field or if they want to continue to take classes to get a four year degree at Missouri Western,” Bailey said.

The Chamber was involved in the years-long process to make this partnership a reality, including providing results from a St. Joseph Workforce Survey and other data. Bailey said they also meet weekly with different businesses to discuss issues and find out how the chamber can help. Recurring conversations revolved around the workforce and not being to find the workers needed to fill open positions.

“The chamber has been working with educational groups and lots of different groups for about four years to try to get the right people at the table and make sure they were aware of what our businesses need and so it has been a long process but a good one,” Bailey said.

The transition will begin during the 2019-20 school year. The partnership between the SJSD and MCC is pending final approval from the SJSD Board of Education.

For more information, go to saintjoseph.com.

Obituaries April 1st

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Marilyn Joyce Callighan (Moore)
1937 – 2019

Marilyn Joyce (Moore) Callighan, 82, of Chillicothe, MO died on Saturday, March 30, 2019 at the Liberty Hospital, Liberty MO surrounded by her loving family.

Funeral Services will be 11:00 am on Wednesday, April 3, 2019 at the Heritage Funeral Home, Chillicothe, MO with burial to follow in the Meadville Cemetery, Meadville, MO. The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 pm on Tuesday, April 2, 2019 at the funeral home. Memorial contributions are suggested to the NWTF-Scott Callighan Memorial or Liberty Hospital Tree House and may be sent in care of the Becker-Dyer-Stanton Funeral Home, 800 Kansas Ave, Atchison, KS 66002 Condolences to the family may be left online at www.beckerdyer.com

Marilyn was born on January 25, 1937 in Hatfield, MO the daughter of Kenneth M. and Lucile (Campbell) Moore. She attended Ridgeway Grade School, high school in Palmyra, MO then graduating from South Harrison High School, Bethany, MO in 1955. She had worked as a cook for the South Shelby School District and was a homemaker and mother of seven children. She attended the Trinity United Methodist Church, Brookfield, MO. Marilyn enjoyed sewing, craft work, growing flowers, gardening, baking and was an avid reader. She especially enjoyed her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Marilyn was married to Jay Dee Callighan on June 9, 1955 at the Methodist Church in Palmyra, MO. He preceded her in death on Dec. 5, 2006. Survivors include three sons, Jay Dee (Gloria) Callighan, Paris, MO, Kenny (Tena) Callighan, Salisbury, MO, and Michael (Amy) Callighan, Norfolk, VA, four daughters, Deborah K (Jim) Bennett, Meadville, MO, Patricia A. (Bryan) Becker, Atchison, KS, Peggy (Steve) Beachum, Norfolk, VA and Cindy Swinarsky, Virginia Beach, VA, a brother, Robert “Bob” (Dee) Moore, Tulsa, OK, and two sisters, Elizabeth (Ed) Carter, Cumberland, IA, and Carol Coulson, Bethany, Mo, Sister-in-law, Jean Moore, Lee Summit, MO, twelve grandchildren, fourteen great grandchildren, and several nieces, nephews. Her parents, husband Jay Dee, brother Richard “Dick” Moore, brother-in law, Roger Coulson, and two grandsons, Brandon Bennett and Scott Callighan preceded her in death.

 

Hattie Marie Shaver (Jacobsen)
1927 – 2019

Hattie Marie Shaver, 92, of Lancaster, KS passed away Friday, March 29, 2019, at her home in Lancaster.

A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be 2:00 pm on Thursday, April 4, 2019 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Lancaster.Family will receive friends for one hour prior to the services at the church. Memorial contributions are suggested to the ALS Foundation or to St. John’s Lutheran Church, Lancaster and may be sent in care of the Becker-Dyer-Stanton Funeral Home, 800 Kansas Ave., Atchison, KS 66002. Words of sympathy and remembrance may be left online at www.beckerdyer.com.

Hattie Marie Jacobsen was born on January 5, 1927 in Atchison, the daughter of Hans and Marie (Tadsen) Jacobsen. Hattie was a 1944 graduate of Atchison High School and she had attended Concordia Teacher’s College in Seward, NE. Hattie taught school at Weinman District #61, south of Atchison and later she worked for 23 years at the Lancaster grade school as a cook serving meals to the children. Hattie was an active member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lancaster and was a member of the Women of ELCA group. Hattie enjoyed cooking and sewing.

Hattie and Victor Shaver were united in marriage on November 13, 1946 at the Trinity Lutheran Church parsonage in Atchison. Victor preceded Hattie in death on May 21, 2003. Her parents; sons, an infant son (1949), Daniel (1980), Thomas (2013); daughter, Vicki Hauschild (2016); brother, Carl Jacobsen (1980); sister, Bridgitta Roberts (2011).

Survivors include two sons, David Shaver, Lancaster, Paul (Ruth) Shaver, Sabetha, KS; daughter, Dianne (Bill) Pagel, Tallahassee, FL; son-in-law, Virgil Hauschild, Lancaster; daughter-in-law, Martha Shaver, Topeka, KS; sister, Julianna McQueen, Columbus, OH; nine grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.

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