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Obituaries March 25th

Willa D. Jacobs
1929 – 2019

Willa “Willie” Dean Jacobs, 89, of St. Joseph, passed away Saturday, March 23, 2019.

Willa was born August 2, 1929 to LeRoy and Alice DeVault.

Willa married Bob Jacobs on August 7, 1972.

Willa was born and raised in Savannah and was a Savannah High School graduate. She worked for over 44 years at St. Joseph Light & Power Company.

She is preceded in death by her husband, parents, brother Kenneth DeVault, and infant sister Leah.

Willa is survived by numerous nieces and nephews.

Per her wishes, Mrs. Jacobs was cremated under the direction of Heaton-Bowman-Smith & Sidenfaden Chapel in St. Joseph. There will be no services.

KCP&L warns residents returning to once-flooded homes to be careful

By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

Widespread flooding knocked power out for hundreds, if not thousands, of Kansas City Power and Light customers in northwest Missouri.

Now, the concern shifts to safely restoring electricity.

Royal Turner with KCP&L cautions residents to be careful after the water recedes and they return home.

“I know people are going to be wanting to get in their homes and do things and clean up,” Turner says. “Just be patient, because we want to do things that are not only safe for our employees, when we do that, but is safe for the residents. We want to make sure that their home is safe before we reconnect.”

Turner says KCP&L is anxious to return to flooded areas once the water recedes and see how much damage flooding did to the utility’s infrastructure.

KCP&L had to cut off power as floodwaters claimed more and more ground last week. The cities of Craig and Watson lost power as flooding spread. Each area will be evaluated before power is restored, according to Turner.

Click here for the latest on KCP&L power outages.

To report emergencies or outages, call 1-888-LIGHT-KC (544-4852)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As Missouri River level goes down, releases from Gavins Point Dam go up

By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

Gavins Point Dam/US Army Corps of Engineers photo

Water releases from Gavins Point Dam are being increased as the Missouri River recedes.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had increased releases from Gavins Point to 90,000 cubic feet per second around the middle of the month to relieve flooding pressure from Nebraska, raising the level of the Missouri River downstream. It began gradually reducing releases as flooding concerns eased in Nebraska, but never reduced the releases to the 20,000 mark the Corps had set for itself.

Releases from Gavins Point have been at 24,000 cfs since March 20th.

The Corps this weekend announced it would increase releases to 27,000 cfs.

The Corps reports the mountain snowpack remains average and the plains snow melt in the upper basin of the Missouri River is beginning.

“We are beginning to see the plains snow melt in the upper basin with runoff into all of the upper storage reservoirs. We are monitoring these conditions and while there will at times be a rapid rise in pool elevations, we have 14.4 maf or 88 percent of the flood storage capacity available to capture runoff,” John Remus, chief of the Corps’ Missouri River Water Management Division, said in a written statement released by the Corps.

An updated basin runoff forecast will be released on April 1, according to the Corps.

 

 

As the Missouri River recedes, worries continue about future flooding

By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

Missouri State Emergency Management Agency photo of northwest Missouri flooding.

Even as the Missouri River recedes from historic to near-historic levels, forecasters at the National Weather Service worry about future flooding.

Weather Service hydrologist Kevin Low with the Missouri Basin River Forecast Center in Pleasant Hill is keeping an eye on larger than normal snowmelt in the northern Missouri basin.

“As I’ve been stating the past couple of days, we do expect renewed flooding along the Missouri River downstream of Gavins Point due to snowmelt inflows from the Big Sioux, the Vermillion, and the James (Rivers),” Low says during a conference call hosted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Low expects minor flooding between Omaha and Brownville, Nebraska in early April due to excess northern snowmelt. He expects Rulo, Nebraska and St. Joseph to remain in at least minor flood stage through the beginning of April.

The National Weather Service reports the Missouri River at St. Joseph dropped to 27.95 feet by 7:30 this morning. NWS projects the river will drop out of major flood stage this evening, reaching 26.9 feet by around 7 o’clock.

Low expects larger than normal snowmelt to raise the level of those three northern Missouri basin rivers to record heights. Whether that will translate to record crests on the Missouri downstream is hard to predict.

What isn’t hard to predict, according to Low, is that there will be more flooding.

“I just want to let folks know that we’re not over with the flood season, yet, and these projections for what the Big Sioux and the James will do at the end of the month do not include any rainfall that might occur between now and then,” Low says. “It just includes the snowmelt.”

Low says that is the unknown in all of this is:  how much rain the area will receive this spring.

“I believe that the public should be very concerned about the mainstem below Gavins Point for the next month, at least,” according to Low.

Snowmelt had been proceeding rapidly until temperatures dropped up north, slowing the rate of melting.

 

Man in custody after shots fired

One man is in custody after shots were fired Sunday night in St. Joseph.

According to the St. Joseph Police Department, shortly before 7:30 p.m. Sunday, a call came in reporting shots fired in the 100 block of South 17th Street. Police say three to four rounds were fired inside a residence during a domestic argument.

Officers established a perimeter around the residence and the man walked out to surrender peacefully to police.

There were no injuries.

Missourians can now apply for Real ID licenses

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri has started offering licenses and identifications that comply with stricter federal identification requirements under the Real ID Act.

The Missouri Department of Revenue says there’s no immediate need to rush to apply when they become available Monday. The current state-issued license and ID card can be used to board domestic flights until October 2020. That’s when licenses that comply with tougher proof-of-identity requirements will be needed at airports. They’re also needed to get into federal facilities and military bases.

Some Missouri lawmakers worried about privacy pushed back against compliance for years. But a Missouri law that took effect in 2017 gives residents the option to get compliant driver’s licenses or other ID cards. The Real ID Act was passed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Planned road work for northwest Missouri, March 25 – 31

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Flooding has closed several routes across Northwest Missouri and a harsh winter has riddled the area with potholes. Crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation will be on roadways across the region managing flooded, closed roadways, making repairs the flooding caused, and patching potholes on as many routes as time, material and weather allow.

In addition to the work mentioned above, construction season and bridge and road maintenance is planned for the roadways listed below. Some of the work listed below will only be completed when floodwaters recede. There may also be moving operations in progress that are not listed below.

Andrew County

Route O – CLOSED at the Platte River Bridge for a bridge replacement project. The bridge will be closed until the end of September, weather permitting.

Interstate 29 – Bridge maintenance at the Nodaway River Bridge, March 25 – 28

Buchanan County

Route Y – Bridge maintenance at the Bee Creek Branch Bridge, March 25 – 28

U.S. Route 36 – Joint repair between Route C/Z and Route 31 south, March 25 – 29. One lane each direction of U.S. Route 36 will remain open throughout the work. A 14-foot width restriction is in place.

Route 752 – Joint repair over I-229, March 25 – 29. One lane at a time will be closed throughout the work. A 17-foot width restriction is in place.

Carroll County

U.S. Route 65 – Bridge maintenance at the Missouri River Overflow Bridge, March 25 – 29

U.S. Route 65 – Bridge maintenance at the Wakenda Creek Bridge, March 25 – 29

Chariton County

U.S. Route 24 – Bridge maintenance at the Long Creek Bridge and Chariton River Bridge near Keytesville, The bridges will be narrowed to one lane with a 15-foot width restriction until May 31.

Route D – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from Mussel Fork Avenue to Tonka Lane, March 25 – 26, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily

Route D – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from Tonka Lane to Route DD, March 27 – 29, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily

Clinton County

Route NN – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from NW 328th Street to Route Y, March 27, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Harrison County

I-35 – Pothole patching from mile marker 106 (near Eagleville) to mile marker 84 (Route AA/H), March 25 – 29. This will include a 12-foot width restriction.

Holt County

I-29 – Bridge maintenance southbound at the Kimsey Creek Bridge, March 25 – 28.

Mercer County

Route M – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from Route W to Route Z, March 25, 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Route Z – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from U.S. Route 136 to Route M, March 25, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Nodaway County

Route 46 – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from Route 113 to Route AB, March 25, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route A – Drainage work at Route H, March 26

Route 46 – Drainage work from Echo Road to 270th Street, March 26

Route A – Drainage work at Hallmark Road, March 27

Route AC – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from 246th Street to 135th Street, March 29, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Route E – Culvert repair at 150th Street, March 29, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Access to 150th Street will be CLOSED during this time.

Sullivan County

Route 139 – CLOSED at the Newtown Branch Bridge for a bridge replacement project. The contractor plans to have work completed mid-March, weather permitting. For more information, click here.

Route PP – CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE at the East Medicine Creek Bridge after a regularly scheduled inspection revealed critical deterioration to the structure. The bridge is currently scheduled for replacement in fiscal year 2020.

Route 129 – Driveway entrance repair one mile south of Route H, March 25

Route 6 – Driveway entrance repair one mile east of Route 6, March 26

Route D – Drainage work from Maryland Road north 2 ½ miles, March 26 – 29

Worth County

Route YY – CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE at the Middle Fork of the Grand River after a regularly scheduled inspection revealed critical deterioration to the structure. The bridge is currently scheduled for replacement in fiscal year 2021. For more information, visit the project’s web page.

MoDOT asks the public to stay alert, watch for road work, buckle up, slow down, and drive with extreme caution through work zones and in changing weather conditions.

For more information about a project, please contact MoDOT at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (888-275-6636) or visit modot.org/northwest. You can also follow MoDOT’s Northwest Missouri District on Twitter @ModotNorthwest and on Facebook.

Mostly cloudy with temps in the low 50s today

Today will start out cloudy and cool before warming up into the lower 50s with a few peaks of sunshine in the afternoon. Temperatures will start to climb Tuesday and really get going on Wednesday with a high of 70°F possible over western Missouri and upper 60s over central Missouri. The warmer temperatures will continue into Thursday, but the chance of rain will start to increase, especially over northern Missouri. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. North northeast wind 8 to 11 mph.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. Northeast wind 3 to 7 mph.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. South southeast wind around 6 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 42. South southeast wind around 8 mph.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 71. Breezy, with a south wind 9 to 14 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph.

Wednesday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 53. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Thursday Night: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a low around 51. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Friday: Showers. High near 59. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Friday Night: Showers. Low around 38. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Saturday: Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 30.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 51.

Obituaries March 24th

Gary Dean McClanahan
1960 – 2019

Visitation
Saturday, March 30th, 2019 10:00am – 11:00am
Ridgley Christian Church

Service Information
Saturday, March 30th, 2019 11:00am
Ridgley Christian Church
Address 19995 S Ridgley Rd in Edgerton Missouri

 

Marvin L. Thieme
1939 – 2019

Marvin L. Thieme, 79, of Wetmore, died Thursday, March 21, 2019 at his home.

He was born September 16, 1939 at Wetmore, the son of Clarence and Helena Brandt Thieme. He graduated from Wetmore High School in 1957 and attended Washburn University. He served in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Marvin retired in 1993 as an Area Maintenance Supervisor for the Kansas Department of Transportation, having worked a total of thirty-five years.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Survivors include a son, Alan Thieme and wife Heather, Liberty, MO; a daughter, Michelle Henry and husband David, Topeka; one sister, Marjorie Lanier, Wetmore and three grandchildren, Mykaela Appelhanz and Joslyn and Aidan Thieme .

A Memorial Service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 28th at the Chapel Oaks Funeral Home in Holton. Inurnment will follow in the Wetmore Cemetery.

 

Billy Lee Matlock
1936 – 2019

Billy Lee Matlock, 83, of St. Joseph, passed away Saturday, March 23, 2019 at his home.

Billy was born March 1, 1936 to Irvin and Fern (Cross) Matlock in Cameron, Missouri.

Billy married Betty Mills on February 25,1955 in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Billy served in the U.S. Army from 1959 to 1960. Afterwards, Billy worked most of his years at Sherwood Medical and retired from Cryovac. Billy loved working with his hands. He was a master carpenter. He loved his cars and trucks, too many to remember. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather who will be missed.

Billy is preceded in death by his father Irvin Matlock, mother Fern Scott, and his stepfather Bill Hontz.

Billy is survived by his wife Betty, of the home; daughters Rosvetta (John) Sandusky, Lee Ann (Mike) Smiley, grandchildren; Sherry Fisher, Lisa (Joey) Findley, Derek (Brooke) Smiley, Miranda (Eric) Anderson. Great-grandsons Bryson, Clayton, Drake, Brylen and Memphis and his brother Jack (Vicki) Hontz.

Per his wishes, Mr. Matlock has been cremated under the direction of Heaton-Bowman-Smith & Sidenfaden Chapel in St. Joseph. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers the family request donations to Habitat for Humanity of Greater St. Joseph.

 

Don Smith
1927 – 2019

Don Smith, 91, St. Joseph, Missouri, passed away Thursday, March 21, 2019.

Donald Eugene Smith was born in St. Joseph on May 10, 1927. He graduated from Central High School in 1945, and then served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Missouri until 1946. Don was an Amoco oil dealer for 37 years, owning and operating several successful gas stations across St. Joseph. He served on the Amoco District, Regional and National Advisory Councils. He was President of the Mid-America Gasoline Dealers Association – St. Joseph District and served on the Board of Directors for the Mid-America Gasoline Dealers Association – Kansas City.
He was active in many community organizations, including the East Side Rotary Club, Moila Charity Lodge #331 and Country Club, the Legion of Honor, the Scottish Rite, and American Legion Post #59. Don was an Eagle Scout and Assistant Scout Master. Don also served on the Board of Directors of Provident Savings and Loan from 1980 to 1992.
Don loved to work in the yard, golf, be at the lake and travel. But most of all, he loved his family. He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.

Don married his high school sweetheart, Virginia Blanchard in 1947, and they had four children. Virginia passed away in 1979. Don later married Mary Ann Stamper, who passed away in 2010. Don also was preceded in death his parents, Clarence and Marguerite Smith; his brother, Ken Smith and two sons, Geoff and Scott.

He is survived by his daughter, Linda Sweeney (Joe) of St. Joseph; son, Gregg Smith (Vicki) of Kansas City; stepdaughters, Sheri Lowers (Bob) of Overland Park, and Chrystee Carpenter (John) of Overland Park. He also is survived by nine grandchildren and step grandchildren; Tristan Smith (Jen), Quentin Smith (Amy), McKennon Smith, Anna Heisen (Nick), Daniel Smith, Michael Sweeney (Kandus), Laura McCarthy (Bill), Matt Carpenter and Ryan Lowers, as well as 11 great-grandchildren.

Farewell services will take place at 10:00 A.M. on Tuesday, March 26, at Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory. Interment will be at Memorial Park Cemetery. The family will gather with friends from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. Monday, March 25, at Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory. The family requests those wishing to make donations do so to a charity of the donor’s choice.

 

Wilma M. Beaufort
1926 – 2019

Wilma M. Beaufort, 92, Brunswick, Maine, formerly of St. Joseph, Missouri, passed away peacefully Friday, March 22, 2019, at her home.

She was born August 27, 1926 in Loveland, Colorado. For 55 years she was married to the love of her life, William F. “Bill” Beaufort, who preceded her in death. Wilma retired from Mead Products. More than anything, she loved being with her family.

She was also preceded in death by her daughter, Joyce Beaufort-Miller; 2 sisters and a brother.
Survivors include her children, Carol Black, Theresa Wood (Bill), Danny Beaufort (Brenda), Mary Beaufort; 6 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; 2 great-great-grandchildren; several nieces, nephews and many family friends.

Mass of Christian Burial 10:00 A.M. Friday, St. Patrick Catholic Church. Interment Mount Olivet Cemetery. The family will gather with friends 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Thursday, Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory. Flowers are appreciated and for those wishing to make a contribution, the family requests they be made to Mosaic Life Care Hospice.

 

Barbara A. Teske
1942 – 2019

Barbara A. Teske, 76, of Onaga, died Saturday March 23, 2019 at the Eastridge Nursing Facility in Centralia.

She was born May 8, 1942 at Clarinda, Iowa, the daughter of Reinhard M. and Martha (Schormann) Eggerling. Her father was a Lutheran school teacher and the family lived in several different communities. In addition to Clarinda, they lived in Fenton, Iowa, Sidney and Blue Hill, Nebraska, Duluth, Kansas, and Farmers Retreat, Indiana.

Barbara was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Clarinda and confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Blue Hill, and was a lifelong member of the LCMS. She started school in Sidney, attended grades fourth through ninth in Blue Hill, then graduated from Onaga High School in 1960.

As a senior in high school she worked for The Onaga Herald, gathering local news items. She worked as a teller at the First National Bank in Onaga from 1961 to 1964. In 1967 she began 37 years of working for USD #322 as a secretary to the Superintendent and Clerk of the Board. In 2000 she retired and then worked for nine years as an administrative assistant at Tessendorf-Chapel Oaks Funeral Home in Onaga.

She married O. Eugene Teske on June 12, 1960 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at Duluth. They were blessed with three children, Debra Mae Schmelzle (Greg), Olathe, Michael Ray Teske (Lisa), Palm Bay, Florida, and Roger Jay Teske (Jane) Fairview, Kansas. Gene preceded her in death on May 21, 2014.

They were farmers and lived in Onaga for fifteen years before moving to the home of Gene’s Grandparents, Otto and Amelia Teske, north of Onaga. Barbara moved back to Onaga in 2014.

She was a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at Duluth, serving as a Sunday school teacher for twenty-five years, Young Adult Choir, and served as secretary, treasurer and member of the Memorial Committee for the Congregation, and was bulletin typist. She was a member of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) as a local and zone officer. She served for eighteen years on the Kansas LWML Board of Directors in various capacities, including Chairman of the Christian Growth Committee, Assistant to the District President, and District Treasurer for four years. She also was on the Planning Committee for the LWML International Convention held in Kansas City. In 1993 she was elected to the Kansas District LCMS Board of Directors and served for three terms, serving on both the Education Committee and as Chairman of the Caring Ministries Committee. Barbara was a charter member of the Onaga Young Farm Wives and the Kansas Young Farm Wives. She served as the fourth District President of the KYFW in 1968 & 1969. The Onaga Young Farm Wives organized the first Fourth of July Celebration in 1968, which was eventually adopted by the Onaga Lions Club.

Barbara is survived by her children, six grandchildren Rachel (Lucas) Shivers, Manhattan, Emily (Galen) Anderson, Kansas City, Mo., Joel (Elana) Schmelzle, Seattle, WA, Kira (Christopher) Austin and Sydney Teske, of Kansas City, Mo., and Amber Douglas (Aramis), of Chattanooga, TN. She has two great-grandsons, James D. Shivers, and Owen Anderson, and two great-granddaughters, Nora Anderson, and Phoebe Ray Teske. Other survivors include her brother, Roger (Bobbie) Eggerling, Louisville, KY, and three sisters Elaine (Dale) Clements, Oro Valley, AZ, Marilyn (Dave) Williams, Dillsboro, IN, and Janet (John) Trent, Indianapolis, IN, five nieces and many other relatives and friends.

Service of Christian Burial will be 10:00 a.m. Saturday, March 30th at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at Duluth. Burial will follow in the Onaga Cemetery. Barbara will lie in state Friday at the Chapel Oaks Funeral Home in Onaga where a Prayer Service will be held at 6:30 p.m., followed by visitation until 8:00 p.m. Memorials are suggested to benefit St. Paul’s Benevolent Fund, The Kansas District LWML or Haskell Indian University at Lawrence, and may be sent in care of the funeral home, PO Box 312, Onaga, KS 66521.

Missouri River drops below 30 feet, evacuation orders lifted

By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

Levels on the Missouri River continue to go down and area residents are returning to their homes.

The National Weather Service reports the level on the Missouri River has receded to 29.58 feet at St. Joseph at 7am, after reaching what could be a record crest. Preliminary indications are the Missouri River edged just above the record crest of 32.1 feet Friday before beginning its steady decline. NWS expects the Missouri to drop below the major flood stage Monday evening, when the river is projected to drop to 26.6 feet.

An evacuation order issued by the city of St. Joseph and Buchanan County for residents protected by the L-455 levee was lifted earlier. The levee protects the southern part of the city, including Lake Contrary.

A notice issued by the St. Joseph Police Department indicates now the only streets closed due to flooding are Stockyards, Cedar and Waterworks.

Elwood, Kansas residents are being allowed to return home after a voluntary evacuation order virtually emptied the city and closed businesses there.

 

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