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Up and running, walking

A little bit of mud never hurt anybody. The once-flooded Riverwalk has been open off and on for the past few weeks, and on Saturday, walkers were out in full force.

Cycling event for kids rolls up to Civic Center Park

Children pedaled around Civic Center Park during the final stage of the Kids’ Tour of St. Joseph Saturday morning. With temperatures cool and comfortable, 59 young bicycle riders completed the fourth stage of the tour, held over the summer as a way to introduce kids to cycling. Although Saturday’s turnout was not the highest of the summer, organizers and volunteers were happy nonetheless.

In brief, Sept. 5, 2010

Bankruptcies, Sept. 5, 2010

Payday loans at center of debate

With some of the most lenient laws regulating payday loan businesses, Missouri is crawling with them. St. Joseph has 28 from which to choose. Critics say the businesses are practicing “predatory” lending, feeding off the underprivileged. Proponents say they’re simply offering a service to those who can’t get a loan anywhere else.

‘A time to spend with family’

BIG LAKE, Mo. — Trees with moss and watermarks about six feet high surrounded the Big Lake State Park campgrounds on Friday. If campsites appeared less crowded than during previous Labor Day weekends, it was understandable. Officials said the flooding within the Big Lake area “completely devastated” the state park when the Union Township levee failed June 17. Campgrounds were turned into dirt-covered areas, devoid of grass.

Homeless student count on the rise

St. Joseph School District enrollment numbers are down, but the number of homeless students has increased. Deb Cook, McKinney Vento and Title I coordinator, said the district currently has 106 homeless students. That’s almost double the number of homeless students the district recorded at this time last year.

Printing the past to the present

On a nice day, the door to Artcrafts Engraving Co. is open. The breeze drifts up dozens of stairs that creak under visitors’ footsteps. At the top of the climb, the nostalgia sets in. One can only imagine that the appearance of the business hasn’t changed much since it opened in 1912. Short of a computer and copy machine tucked within beautiful woodwork and among antique desks and paperwork artifacts, there isn’t a glimmer of a modern-day operation.

Business briefs, Sept. 5, 2010

Israeli firm drops bid to acquire Albaugh

Albaugh Inc.’s manufacturing plant in St. Joseph will not become part of an Israeli agrochemical company. The Makhteshim Agan Group, based in Israel, will not pursue the acquisition of Albaugh, an Iowa-based chemical company with a production facility in St. Joseph. Both companies announced the termination of the acquisition process this week.

Remember to wear seat belts this month

Seat-belt usage remains an issue that Northwest Missouri motorists need to keep at the forefront, law enforcement officials said. Not wearing seat belts dramatically increases the likelihood of someone being seriously injured in an accident. “If you’re only driving 30 miles per hour, it can have serious consequences,” said Sgt. Sheldon Lyon, a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper. “Riding in a car at that speed without using a seat belt means that if your vehicle hits a stationary object, you could be seriously hurt. The physics are the same as stepping off the third floor of a building. And who in their right mind would want to do that?”

Community Hospital-Fairfax dedicated

FAIRFAX, Mo. — Built in the middle of a cornfield on the north side of Fairfax, a new, modern hospital was dedicated on Friday. More than 400 people joined Congressman Sam Graves at the Community Hospital-Fairfax ceremony and toured the new facility. The 18-bed hospital will open its doors to patients on Sept. 13 as the final pieces of furniture from the old hospital on Main Street are put into place.

Dems bring up 2005 vote

The battle of the 34th District Missouri Senate took a turn on Friday that could spawn a thousand football analogies. With the preseason for the Kansas City Chiefs ending, a press release from the Missouri Democratic Party is claiming State Rep. Dr. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, wanted to strip the figurative ball from St. Joseph when it came to the team’s training camp.

Woman sentenced in robbery

A record of domestic abuse and a troubled relationship did not provide a solid enough defense to keep a St. Joseph woman out of prison. Tonya R. Norberto, 29, showed little emotion as Judge Randall Jackson reprimanded her Friday for aiding three males in a home robbery where one woman was held at gunpoint. Her involvement in the crime caused her to receive a sentence of five years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.

In brief, Sept. 4, 2010

NRA endorses Roy Blunt

The National Rifle Association announced Friday its endorsement of Republican Congressman Roy Blunt for the U.S. Senate during its first public announcement on the race. At the fifth of a six-stop tour of Missouri, the chief executive officer of the NRA, Wayne LaPierre, said his organization will stand behind the election of Mr. Blunt because he is a “champion of the Second Amendment.” Mr. Blunt is a lifetime member of the NRA.

The bicycle race that never was

Race organizers warned early this year that if the Tour of Missouri was cancelled, it would never return. As another top-notch professional bicycle race in Colorado takes Missouri’s spot on the calendar, it looks like they might have been correct. The Tour of Missouri 2010 route was never announced, but the seven-day race was scheduled to end this weekend and likely would have included a stop in St. Joseph. The city played host in 2008 and 2009, and had submitted to host a leg in the 2010 edition. But the race was canceled as funding never materialized. A professional stage race in Colorado will take its place beginning August 2011.

Unemployment at 9.6 percent

WASHINGTON — Private employers hired more workers over the past three months than first thought, a glimmer of hope for the weak economy ahead of the Labor Day weekend. But the unemployment rate rose because not enough jobs were created to absorb the growing number of people looking for work.

In the courts, Sept. 3, 2010

Doing the right thing at work

Manners are an intricate part of the business world. A handful of local business professionals took part in a business etiquette luncheon Thursday at the St. Joseph Area Chamber of Commerce. The luncheon was particularly encouraged for “Generation Y” or others new to the professional business world.

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