Ahmad Safi
Public Safety Reporter

Contact Ahmad via e-mail
Call Ahmad at 816-271-8592.

New county inspector takes on variety of tasks
by Ahmad Safi
Saturday, July 4, 2009

Animal control, sewer inspections, surprise visits to food establishments — on Wednesday it fell to one man.
Buchanan County ended a long-standing contract with the city of St. Joseph to care for health safety issues of residents living outside city limits. County commissioners hope the split will eventually save the county money and improve county oversight.
But the consolidation of services has come with several changes and hurdles.

Commissioner questions inspection
by Ahmad Safi
Saturday, July 4, 2009

One main goal Buchanan County commissioners have for their new inspector is to build better rapport and offer food safety classes to restaurant owners.

Jobless rate up nearly 1%
by Ahmad Safi
Wednesday, July 1, 2009

The total number of people without a job in St. Joseph returned to the 8 percent mark in May after dipping the month prior for the first time in 2009, the government said Tuesday.

Captain D’s closes on Belt
by Ahmad Safi
Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The Captain D’s Seafood franchise ended in St. Joseph with the closing Friday of the restaurant at 2709 N. Belt Highway. The restaurant is expected to reopen under a new brand and new owner.

First Ward House to reopen
by Ahmad Safi
Saturday, June 27, 2009

First Ward House, a storied saloon/restaurant on St. Joseph Avenue that attracted increasingly younger crowds until it closed earlier this year, has been bought by a local ethnic restaurateur.

Contractor chosen for Chiefs’ training facility
by Ahmad Safi
Friday, June 26, 2009

Missouri Western State University officials formally chose Kansas-based Crossland Construction Co. Thursday as the general contractor for the new Kansas City Chiefs’ summer training camp facility.

Union leaders concerned over Chiefs bid
by Ahmad Safi
Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Union leaders are concerned that a Kansas-based company chosen to construct the new Kansas City Chiefs’ training camp facility will use out-of-town tradesmen over local workers. Officials representing nearly 1,200 skilled union workers met in St. Joseph Tuesday for their monthly meeting, where the discussion centered around disappointment over a local company not winning the bid. Missouri Western State University officials say they would have liked to use local labor, but they were bound by state statute to use the lowest bidder. State tax credits will pay for construction.

Parolees face challenges paying child support
by Ahmad Safi
Sunday, June 21, 2009

Feeding his crack habit in a known drug house when law officers kicked in the door about two years ago, Kenton McGaughy was swooped up, convicted of possession and sent to prison. He was paroled in March. Today, he’s escaped the cold walls of a state penitentiary, but there is no escape from paying child support — of which owes more than $27,000. He’s paying it down with a $9-an-hour job as a short-order cook. Re-entry officials say ex-convicts like Mr. McGaughy emerge from prison facing menial employment, lowered earning power and a policy that may whisk them back to prison for debts built while behind bars. That contrasts with a tough prosecutor in St. Joseph who is unapologetic about recovering child support.

Lights go out on tens of thousands
by Ahmad Safi by Marshall White
Thursday, June 18, 2009

A power outage hit St. Joseph Wednesday morning, spreading north into areas near Maryville, Mo., and south toward Gower. Kansas City Power & Light said the outage that started shortly before 10 a.m. affected about 48,800 customers in Andrew, Buchanan, Clinton and DeKalb counties.
Power for most residents was out for between one hour to 90 minutes.

Runoff hoped to be minimal
by Ahmad Safi
Wednesday, June 17, 2009

A hazmat crew bulked makeshift dikes and dams near the Missouri River on Tuesday as they awaited lab results of water and soil samples from a chemical fire at a chemical warehouse.

Near road's end, GM dealership asks why
by Ahmad Safi
Tuesday, June 16, 2009

MARYVILLE, Mo. — Father and son once believed in the General Motors brand. Now their dealership is on its hit list. The struggling automaker has told Boyles Motors Inc. to sell its last new Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac or GMC vehicle by October 2010. A 37-year bond between the small dealership and GM will officially end. Boyles Motors is one of about 1,300 so-called “underperforming, low-volume dealerships” in the United States. The bankrupt auto giant has shed those GM dealerships as part of its survival strategy to become more nimble.

Governor signs jobs legislation
by Ahmad Safi
Saturday, June 13, 2009

St. Joseph is poised to be more of a national player in animal sciences with help from Missouri’s new economic development bill, Gov. Jay Nixon said during a visit Friday.
Touting a jobs bill that creates tax breaks and incentives for thousands of Missouri businesses, Mr. Nixon said the legislation will spur thousands of new jobs in high-tech fields and entice the unemployed into school to fill those jobs.

Locally owned eateries learn from inspections
by Ahmad Safi
Saturday, June 13, 2009

Betty is known for her biscuits and gravy. Connie cooks up fattening catfish that calls in hungry grain haulers and farmers.
Both women manage South Side eateries in St. Joseph that elicit memories of grandma’s kitchen: feel-good, home-style cooking from scratch.
And with their old-fashioned food comes cleanliness. Both diners have done well on surprise kitchen inspections by health inspectors.

Former prisoners facing tough job market in recession
by Ahmad Safi
Thursday, June 11, 2009

After 25 years in prison for kidnapping and armed robbery, Kenneth Clay came to St. Joseph two years ago. He had a job in two days. In today’s recession-racked economy, re-entry officials say that’s rare. A newly released convict’s job quest is hindered by few job prospects, distrust of felons and a lack of real-world skills — all challenges that widen an ever-revolving door to re-offend or violate probation and return to prison.

Chemical plant lays off 37 workers
by Ahmad Safi
Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Blaming unfair trade practices from China, crop chemical company Albaugh Inc. laid off 37 workers at its St. Joseph facility Monday.
Albaugh eliminated its weekend production shift that makes glyphosate — a popular herbicide that the company says is being unfairly subsidized by the Chinese government or is being priced by Chinese companies at below fair market value.
Stuart Feldstein, vice president in Akneny, Iowa, said Albaugh is one of two manufacturers in the United States that makes glyphosate.

First Bank of Missouri to build new facility in South Side
by Ahmad Safi
Tuesday, June 9, 2009

First Bank of Missouri has began construction on a new South Side branch to replace its aging facility and alleviate traffic hazards.

Summer sweetness
by Ahmad Safi
Monday, June 8, 2009

For the last six years, milk drinkers standing at dairy cases in the St. Joseph and Kansas City areas sent Leroy Shatto a message: Give us old-fashioned milk without the fat.
Skim milk in glass bottles has become one of Shatto Milk Co.’s top sellers since it launched its farm-fresh brand in 2003. Mr. Shatto, a dairy farmer in Osborn, Mo., saw the trend and upped skim milk orders to grocery stores. The health-conscious city folk had spoken.
But a problem quickly developed: what to do with all the leftover cream (the fatty part of milk).

Still riding in a son’s memory
by Ahmad Safi
Sunday, June 7, 2009

Each time Janis Consolver mounts her yellow Harley-Davidson Fat Boy, she goes for a ride with her son. After his fatal motorcycle accident in 2002, she decided she would learn to ride in his honor.

Recovery seen in jobless numbers
by Ahmad Safi
Thursday, June 4, 2009

The unemployment rate in St. Joseph dropped in April for the first time in 2009, indicating that early signs of economic recovery may begin to be felt in the labor market.
Preliminary government data released Wednesday show the jobless rate in St. Joseph was 7 percent in April, a surprising 1.5 percent improvement from March when the jobless rate hit its highest in nearly 15 years.

Internship program aligns youths, in-demand jobs
by Ahmad Safi
Tuesday, May 26, 2009

At 6-foot-6, 21-year-old Steven Jones looks every part a football offensive lineman.
In high school, he hefted construction materials in his hometown of Palmyra, Mo. In college in St. Joseph, though, his dreams have turned to the wood-paneled offices and white collars of the business world.
But Mr. Jones’ break into a local company — like so many youths — coincides with an economic downturn. This month, he applied for eight summer jobs. He’s received no callbacks. Prospects were equally sparse last summer, he said.
“Most want work experience that I don’t have,” said Mr. Jones, a senior at Missouri Western State University.

One kick at a time
by Ahmad Safi
Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Inspiring low-income Head Start kids to kick off the couch this summer was the message at Bartlett Park on Monday.
Chris Listau, a 6-foot-7-inch inspiration in cleats and soccer uniform, worked through simple drills with 13 high-spirited children between 3 and 5 years old.
A lifelong soccer enthusiast, Mr. Listau said soccer is one sport that doesn’t require a lot of costly equipment and is easy to play when the children’s parents are at work this summer.

Inspectors quietly do the job
by Ahmad Safi by Clinton Thomas
Monday, May 18, 2009

Some people will always do the right thing — inspector or no inspector. For others, the “bubble gum and duct tape” method is the way of the world. They’ll do anything to get the job done cheap.
That’s why the city of St. Joseph employs inspectors in four trades: plumbing, mechanical, building and electrical.

Stimulus funds soften school cuts
by Ahmad Safi
Sunday, May 17, 2009

Federal stimulus money may save some of the 98 jobs lost by the St. Joseph School District after voters rejected a 63-cent school levy in April.
The district will receive about $5 million over two years from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which district and school officials have earmarked for helping poor students in several elementary schools and improving services for the district’s about 1,500 special-needs students.
Already, two staff positions in special education have been saved for two years, but officials say it’s unclear how many more jobs can be saved.

Triumph, health clinic reach agreement
by Ahmad Safi
Thursday, May 14, 2009

The nation’s oldest free clinic has inked a deal with one of St. Joseph’s largest employers to care for its uninsured employees.
Triumph Foods is paying $59 for each clinic visit by a sick employee and to screen potential employees who may require medical treatment. The agreement aims to address a glut of uninsured Triumph employees that the Social Welfare Board says it’s seen since the pork processing plant opened in January 2006.

Many Hispanics worry after alleged murder plot
by Ahmad Safi
Sunday, May 10, 2009

Unwanted interest in Hispanics, brought on by an alleged contract killing, has jarred a minority population trying to assimilate in St. Joseph.
The consensus among many Hispanics has been to reserve judgment until the full facts of the alleged murder-for-hire plot become known. For now, they want to help the victim’s father get the body back to Mexico as police draw down their investigation, with charges against four men this past week.
Some Hispanic residents say they remain bewildered that a well-regarded businessman in the community could apparently orchestrate a hit on such a well-liked young man. Police and prosecutors say Antonio Onate, 44, paid $2,000 to have Antonio Jose Maravilla-Vargas, 23, killed.

Man relished new experiences
by Ahmad Safi
Friday, May 8, 2009

Born into a large, hardscrabble Pennsylvania Dutch family, John Zook lived in the era of hand-propelled washing machines and gas lamps.

4 arrests in murder inquiry
by Ahmad Safi
Thursday, May 7, 2009

An apparent love triangle among a restaurant owner, his wife and a 23-year-old guitarist she knew in the church choir may have led to a gruesome contract killing in rural Andrew County on Saturday.
St. Patrick Church choir director Louis Dominguez said rumors of the two in a romantic relationship swirled, but he did not believe them. Authorities said the husband, Antonio Onate, 44, allegedly paid $2,000 to kill Antonio Jose Maravilla-Vargas.
On Wednesday, law officers arrested Enrique Hernandez-Hernandez, 25, at his home in the 600 block of South 10th Street. Like Mr. Onate, he is charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bond.
Two men and a woman were also taken into custody for questioning Wednesday during a SWAT team operation on the South Side.

Contract killing suspected in cashier's slaying
by Ahmad Safi
Wednesday, May 6, 2009

A St. Joseph restaurant owner is accused of paying $2,000 to kill a 23-year-old cashier whose body was found Saturday on an Andrew County gravel road. Antonio Onate, 44, was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder for allegedly ordering the contract kill after he had a disagreement with Antonio Jose Maravilla-Vargas, Friends said Mr. Maravilla-Vargas was an amateur musician/DJ who played during special events at Mr. Onate’s restaurant, La Mesa Mexican Restaurant.

Health department hopes to take inspections online
by Ahmad Safi
Saturday, May 2, 2009

Health records for St. Joseph’s largest Chinese buffet speak dread: an allegation the owner tried to bribe an inspector, rats in the kitchen, cross-contaminated foods in the cooler, dirty utensils in the dining room, an entire buffet at an unsafe temperature.
The St. Joseph-Buchanan County Health Department file is fat. There have been about 40 surprise inspections in the last three years. But on Friday afternoon, its numerous health code violations didn’t seem to faze a steady stream of patrons walking into New Super China Buffet, 617 N. Belt Highway.

Class-action suit filed against tannery
by Ahmad Safi
Friday, May 1, 2009

A class-action lawsuit has been filed against a St. Joseph tannery on behalf of all residents in Andrew, Buchanan, Clinton and DeKalb counties.

Local health department vigilant on swine flu
by Ahmad Safi
Wednesday, April 29, 2009

As President Barack Obama’s plane touched down in Mexico two weeks ago, Abelardo Vargas was getting into Mexico City on a bus, en route to a flight back to the United States. The St. Joseph man was homeward bound. Drug violence, not a deadly virus, was on his native country’s collective conscience. Now, through media reports, he sees the world turn its collective eye on Mexico — some even with contempt.

Heavy spring rains cause minor flooding in eight counties
by Ahmad Safi by Marshall White
Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Heavy spring rains pushed some rivers and streams out of their banks Monday, causing minor flooding along low-water crossings and farms.
Emergency personnel closed roads in eight Northwest Missouri counties. The National Weather Service reported rain levels between 2 to 3 inches from the thunderstorms that whipped through the region starting Sunday evening.
The Platte River swelled on Monday at Poochie and Pam Johnson’s farm in rural Buchanan County. A dirt levee broke and made an island around their home near 85th Street and Cook Road. The property was only accessible by boat and pickup.

Leadership program targets at-risk youths
by Ahmad Safi
Monday, April 27, 2009

About a year ago, Roy Wedlow, a burly city police officer, listened to sob stories from tainted men at a prison re-entry forum.
One by one, former inmates took the stage and enumerated the difficulties in being reaccepted by society. It was then that Mr. Wedlow scratched two words onto a piece of paper: preventive entry.
That day at the Bartlett Center in St. Joseph’s Midtown, Mr. Wedlow conceived a program that would target at-risk youth. The idea is to prevent them from entering the penal system in the first place.

Literacy volunteers needed
by Ahmad Safi
Saturday, April 25, 2009

Job worries and an increase in non-English speakers has created a waiting list for people who want to learn to read and write, the St. Joseph Area Literacy Coalition said Friday at its 19th-annual luncheon.

Families deal with illness, uncertainty
by Ahmad Safi
Thursday, April 23, 2009

Ken Price cannot go back in time to control the environment in his early days living in Cameron. At some point he developed a brain tumor.
Twelve years later the tumor is gone, and he is trying to control his environment in St. Joseph. At the Word of Life Church, he works around even-tempered people. Part of the side-effect to his brain surgery is a temper that can suddenly flare.
“I work with great people who don’t put me in a threatening environment because I’d probably go off and I won’t be responsible for what happens,” said Mr. Price, a 58-year-old former technical writer.

The macabre side of real estate
by Ahmad Safi
Monday, April 20, 2009

There is a quaint little home on the corner of Third and Cherry streets — a charming little fixer-upper perched above street level with a nice view over all that passes. The quiet on the street contrasts with the home’s violent past. Five years ago, two Kansas City men burst through the back door and murdered a couple in bed. It was a case of mistaken identity. When new owners moved in last October, they had no idea what had happened. On moving day, a neighbor tried to inform them. The couple didn’t want to know. Later, a taxi driver would detail the whole story.

Housing officials hoping for better bids
by Ahmad Safi
Monday, April 20, 2009

Housing officials are making a second go on a contentious government-funded building that will oversee low-income housing in St. Joseph. The St. Joseph Housing Authority says its revamped plans trim back so-called “wish-list items” and will likely bring construction bids closer to the $1.9 million original estimate. Last week, they met with about five general contractors to discuss the new plans at a pre-bid meeting. The revised architectural designs come after a nearly $1.2 million overrun on bids, based on the original building plan.

Food stamp recipients see benefit increase
by Ahmad Safi
Wednesday, April 15, 2009

About 19,000 poor residents in Buchanan County have gotten a hefty increase in their monthly food stamps from the federal economic stimulus.

Police watching cartel activity
by Ahmad Safi
Tuesday, April 14, 2009

A new Department of Justice report suggests Mexican drug cartels extend a far-reaching presence into two Missouri cities, but St. Joseph is not one of them.
Local drug enforcement agents say that seems odd. Mexican drug-trafficking organizations have quietly brought nearly all cocaine and marijuana and most methamphetamine into the St. Joseph drug market, said Capt. Mike Donaldson, supervisor of the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force.
He suspects St. Joseph’s proximity to distribution networks in Kansas City was a factor for being left out of a report by the National Drug Intelligence Center.

Rural school issues get mixed bag
by Ahmad Safi
Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Voters across rural Northwest Missouri nixed three of the six school ballot issues in Tuesday’s election. The outcomes affect schools in Nodaway, Gentry, Grundy, Atchison (Mo.), and Clay counties. School districts across the region asked voters to increase tax levies or take out bonds to fix or expand school buildings at a time of record low constructions costs and in anticipation of state education cuts. They got a mixed bag in Tuesday’s election.

Council approves clubhouse funds
by Ahmad Safi
Tuesday, April 7, 2009

The St. Joseph City Council approved a plan Monday night to build a new recreation center as part of a complete makeover to the Fairview Golf Course clubhouse.

The digital age of medicine
by Ahmad Safi
Monday, April 6, 2009

These days, the computer that William Rippe uses in the examination room at Heartland Regional Medical Center gets as much use as his stethoscope.
With each clack on the keyboard, the 57-year-old physician steadily enters a pile of paper records into an electronic system that arranges medical histories, lab results, prescriptions and other patient data.
For the past two months, patient information at Heartland has fed into the Lewis and Clark Information Exchange — a regional electronic health network for Northwest Missouri and Northeast Kansas.

Out-of-town bids to be taken for public building
by Ahmad Safi
Sunday, April 5, 2009

The St. Joseph Housing Authority admits to loading fluff into its original designs for a new administrative building, including an outside water fountain, a bank-type security system, African slate flooring and a high-end fire suppression system.
But when estimates rolled in last month from local contractors, who were the only ones allowed to bid, housing commissioners suffered sticker shock. The lowest bid came in at $1.2 million over the original $1.9 million estimated cost.

Convenience stores attract higher scrutiny
by Ahmad Safi
Saturday, April 4, 2009

Gas stations and convenience stores in St. Joseph are selling more hot foods, creating so-called “mini-restaurants” without employees receiving adequate food safety training, the city’s Health Department says.
Later this year, health inspectors will double surprise visits at all convenience stores, from the once-yearly health inspections that have been adequate until now.
“It’s just becoming more and more that they’re trying to sell everything because they’re not making it off the gas,” said Rick Messa, an inspector with the St. Joseph-Buchanan County Health Department.

Lions Club lauds students’ academic achievements
by Ahmad Safi
Friday, April 3, 2009

One hundred of St. Joseph’s brightest high school students were lauded Thursday, including 11 teenagers studying from six other countries. The high school seniors are in the top 10 percent of their graduating class. They were recognized by the Lions Club of St. Joseph, which has sponsored the Scholastic Honors Luncheon since 1962 to recognize students for academic rather than athletic achievements.

Community members mull strategies against poverty
by Ahmad Safi
Friday, April 3, 2009

As world leaders met on Thursday in London to talk about $1.1 trillion in loans for poor countries, community members in St. Joseph deliberated about the future of the working poor in Buchanan County.

Cold weather shelter permanently closes
by Ahmad Safi
Thursday, April 2, 2009

Everybody at the emergency shelter is running from something: the cold, homelessness, an addiction. This is one of the last stops. But at 7 a.m. Wednesday, the temporary home for chronically homeless men permanently closed. State cuts and a nearly $50,000 operational strain to run the winter shelter for three months a year have shuttered its doors

Past incidents surface involving 2 officers
by Ahmad Safi
Saturday, March 28, 2009

Two police officers involved in a New Year’s Day pursuit in which a suspect was hit several times have each had prior excessive force complaints from suspects they arrested.

Hayden remembered as ‘the most caring kid’
by Ahmad Safi
Friday, March 27, 2009

The first sign Hayden Wion was sick was at age 2, when he got two black eyes. The hospital put him on a helicopter. The doctors in Kansas City knew what it was before his parents drove in. In 2007, he was one of nearly 700 children in the U.S. diagnosed with neuroblastoma — a mysterious and rare cancer most common among young children. Three days before Christmas, doctors told his parents that his chance of survival was 30 percent to 40 percent.

Video of police incident released
by Ahmad Safi
Thursday, March 26, 2009

Two St. Joseph police officers pummelled and kicked a suspect after he rammed a police cruiser, a police videotape released Wednesday shows. According to video from the dashboard camera of one of the police cruisers, the suspect, Ivan Ball, appears to be punched several times in the face by Officer B.J. Fisher, and is then pulled out of the vehicle. While on the ground, the suspect appears to be kicked once by Officer Aaron Beene as the encounter goes off-camera. In reports, Mr. Beene says he used knee kicks on Mr. Ball to bring him under control.