The Bushman Planetarium inside Agenstein Hall will host a public showing of “Journey to the Stars” next week.

According to a press release from Missouri Western State University, the showing will give viewers the opportunity to witness the life and death of stars in our sky, including our own sun. It features extraordinary images captured by telescopes on Earth and in space, combined with stunning never-before-seen images of physics-based simulations. It is narrated by Whoopi Goldberg.

“Journey to the Stars” will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17.

Planetarium tickets must be purchased in advance, either online at missouriwestern.edu/planetarium or in person at Agenstein Hall, room 140 during regular business hours (8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday).

The Bushman Planetarium features a Digistar 4 projection system and a dome that is tilted slightly, rather than directly overhead, making viewing easier. A 17-channel stereo sound system enhances the viewing experience.

A man has been charged after a shooting on Washington Street last week injured one person.

According to St. Joseph police, 40-year-old Yury V. Alberti was charged with second degree felony assault.

As previously reported, on January 4th, officers were dispatched to the 6200 block of Washington St. on a report of shots fired.  On scene, officers did not locate any evidence, but several minutes later, it was reported that a person was at Mosaic Life Care with a gunshot wound. After speaking with them, it was determined a shooting did occur on Washington St.

Bond is set at $15,000. An arraignment for Alberti is scheduled for Tuesday.

The Missouri Department of Economic Development’s November job report shows St. Joseph is experiencing growth in employment and wages.

According to a press release from the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce, St. Joseph’s civilian labor force was up 1.6 percent from November 2017. That is a higher increase than all other Missouri cities.

St. Joseph has long been the third largest exporter in the state, behind St. Louis and Kansas City, and now, according to the report, has earned the number three ranking in employment growth and wages.

St. Joseph’s average hourly wage is $22.20, which only falls behind St. Louis and Kansas City. St. Joseph’s weekly earnings are $805.86, which equates about $42,000 a year.

“St. Joseph has added hundreds of jobs in the past couple of years with higher wages, which is reflected in this report,” said R. Patt Lilly, President and CEO of the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce. “Besides attracting new business, the Chamber also works with existing companies in St. Joseph to grow their number of employees and increase their wages.”

St. Joseph’s unemployment rate in the November report was 2.7 percent, which is lower than the U.S. rate (3.7 percent), the Missouri rate (3.1 percent) and several other Missouri communities.

“While our unemployment is low, there are a large number of high-paying jobs available for those willing to be trained,” Lilly said. “The Chamber continues to work with local education institutions and business to bring additional skills training and certifications to enhance our workforce and build on the growing economy.”

To read the report, click here.

The second annual Mini Maker Faire in St. Joseph is searching for makers.

The Big Muddy Mini Maker Faire is described as part science fair, part county fair and part something new.

The Heartland Foundation is the presenting sponsor of the event on March 2nd.

“We had some exciting things going on last year, we had an outdoor human-sized hamster wheel that participants could participate in and at the same time run a blender to create drinks for them to consume,” Julie Gaddie, Heartland Foundation president said. “We had different kinds of energy creations where inventors had taken sound and energy together to create something unique. We had a lot of traditional woodworking and pottery but presented in a way that was really interactive for the participants so they could really get their hands in there and see what that’s really like.”

Gaddie said they are accepting applications from makers of all kinds to be a part of this year’s Faire.

“We look for makers who can provide an interactive, exciting experience for our participants and attendees to come and see what kind of creative work is going on across this entire region in the world of tinkering,” Gaddie said. “This is the space where we take what people are doing in a creative, traditional world – artists, potters – and we highlight those, but we also take it one step (further) and we match that with people who are working inside of energy, time, how to use electricity, how to create energy out of different components. We see what happens when those people work in the same space together and it’s electrifying, it’s an exciting experience that we’ve gotten a lot of great feedback on from our first time around.”

The Big Muddy Mini Maker Faire will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 2nd, at the Restoration Natatorium in St. Joseph.

For more information, click here or call (816) 271-7571.

Two men have been charged with felony assault after one person was injured in a shooting on January 2nd.

As previously reported, the shooting occurred sometime after midnight in the 1100 block of South 18th.

One person was injured and transported to Mosaic Life Care for treatment of what police say appeared to be serious injuries.

Thirty-four-year-old James D. Mueller has been charged with first degree felony domestic assault and 25-year-old Damian M. Woolery has been charged with second degree felony domestic assault.

Bond has been denied for both and an arraignment is scheduled for Friday.