NEWS
CLASSIFIEDS
AUTO
HOMES
JOBS
Joe Blumberg - City Government Reporter

Photo of Joe Blumberg
Contact Joe via e-mail
Call Joe at 816-271-8551.
RSS Feed of Joe's stories
Appeals court hears Lawson case at Northwest
by Joe Blumberg
Tuesday, March 10, 2009

MARYVILLE, Mo. — A state appeals court heard arguments Monday in a civil case involving Bonnie Sue Lawson during its first formal visit to Northwest Missouri State University.

Assessor hoping for tax freeze
by Joe Blumberg
Saturday, March 7, 2009

Odd years technically mean reassessments for property taxes. Reassessments usually mean tax increases for owners.

Writer pledges the truth on Jesse James
by Joe Blumberg
Saturday, March 7, 2009

Have no fear. Johnnie V is here.
Mr. V, a writer for American Road magazine, is working on a feature about the St. Joseph Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Jesse James Northwest Missouri Driving Tour. Mr. V swore an oath at the Buchanan County Courthouse this week “to tell the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, regarding the life, times and treacherous death of Jesse James.”
Best of luck to the veracious Mr. V, says Gary Chilcote, director of the Patee House Museum and Jesse James Home and a retired News-Press and Gazette reporter.

County Eyes Stimulus Dollars To Cut Energy Costs
by Joe Blumberg
Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Buchanan County is hoping for a portion of the federal stimulus money to help cut energy costs in county structures.

County eyes stimulus to cut energy costs
by Joe Blumberg
Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Buchanan County hopes to lure millions of dollars in federal stimulus money to improve energy efficiency at all county facilities.

Lawsuit alleges paraprofessional harmed student
by Joe Blumberg
Tuesday, March 3, 2009

A personal-injury lawsuit accuses a former St. Joseph School District employee of bursting the eardrum of a mentally disabled student with a basketball pump. The former employee on Monday denied the allegation. “It was an unfortunate situation that happened,” said Doug Flowers, the school district’s director of human resources. “We acted immediately on the situation on the personnel side and with the family.”

Abandoned radioactive material found in barn
by Joe Blumberg
Friday, Feb. 27, 2009

Environmental agencies may have found and “secured” a small amount of radioactive material allegedly abandoned by a St. Joseph radiologist who died a week ago.
The Environmental Protection Agency said the public shouldn’t be alarmed. The material was found in a barn near Union Star, Mo., and the nearest home was a half-mile away, said David Bryan, spokesman for the EPA’s Region 7 office.
“At this point we don’t see any hazard and we’ve taken all precautions necessary to handle this type of material,” Mr. Bryan said.

Home builder in legal trouble
by Joe Blumberg
Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009

Legal problems continue piling up for home builder Michael P. Macey.

Meth cook will stew in prison
by Joe Blumberg
Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009

A convicted methamphetamine cook who forced the evacuation of a neighborhood and school will serve 15 years in prison.

Zorn gets life sentence for murder of infant
by Joe Blumberg
Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009

Steven Zorn received a life sentence in prison Monday for the January 2008 death of 1-month-old Cora Jean Lockhart.
Buchanan County Judge Pat Robb could’ve sentenced Mr. Zorn to as little as 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree felony murder, meaning a death resulted in the course of committing an assault on the child. But Mr. Robb parsed no words and found no distinction in Mr. Zorn’s favor.
“This is the reason we build prisons,” Mr. Robb said immediately before announcing the sentence.

Pastor accused of sex abuse
by Joe Blumberg
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009

A John Doe is suing the Huffman Memorial United Methodist Church and its regional and state organizations for alleged sexual abuse by a lay pastor in the early 1970s.

County pledges $1.5M for camp
by Joe Blumberg
Friday, Feb. 20, 2009

The first St. Joseph commitment for the Kansas City Chiefs training camp rolled in Thursday from the Buchanan County Commission.
Also on Thursday, Missouri Western State University officials said they have a new proposed location for the facility. It wouldn’t impact a nature trail and would provide better visibility and connections to existing facilities, Western officials said.
The county pledged $1.5 million over three years from its economic development fund. Commissioners asked, if possible, to use county crews for any in-kind dirt work or road work to offset any of the cash

Brothers sentenced in series of armed robberies
by Joe Blumberg
Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009

Two St. Joseph brothers will serve at least 12 and 25 years, respectively, for a series of armed holdups last September.

Jury convicts man for enticement over Web
by Joe Blumberg
Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009

A jury convicted a successful young engineer Tuesday of enticing a minor on the Internet and attempting to commit statutory sodomy with a 13-year-old girl.

Gutter case confounds owner
by Joe Blumberg
Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009

Mark Weber paid Allright Guttering & Roofing $377 to fix his gutters in October. It started raining 35 minutes later, and water leaked through the same holes, he said. Mr. Weber went straight to the bank and stopped payment on the check.

Review finds history of questionable spending
by Joe Blumberg
Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009

Hundreds of thousands of dollars that voters intended for economic development have instead paid for miscellaneous Buchanan County expenses such as tire repairs, uniform rentals, random drug tests and electricity bills, according to county records.

Cox maintains innocence in Akin death
by Joe Blumberg
Friday, Feb. 6, 2009

The word of a dead man could weigh heavily in a murder case set for trial in September.

Defenders seek $7M in funds
by Joe Blumberg
Friday, Feb. 6, 2009

If you cannot afford an attorney, the state will provide one for you. But what happens when the state can’t afford to provide an attorney?

Politics-as-usual plods along
by Joe Blumberg
Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2009

A remnant of horse-and-buggy days will survive at least one decade of the 21st century. Buchanan County’s politically divided control of county road “barns” allows the Western and Eastern district commissioners to each have unilateral oversight of half the county’s road and bridge operations. This puts everything from the adoption of new technology to hiring decisions to road prioritization under the control of one elected official. Eastern District Commissioner Dan Hausman has added several new initiatives to his barn, and one of his campaign hopes was to reconsider the system after longtime Western District Commissioner Harold “Bud” Crockett left office.

City entities meet with federal lobbyists
by Joe Blumberg
Friday, Jan. 30, 2009

Cue three songs at once in the game of musical chairs that is St. Joseph’s federal lobbying effort.
The city’s leading entities met Thursday morning with the Ferguson Group, their lobbyists in Washington. These meetings normally would begin the goal-setting for the next year’s round of earmarks.
But this year the group also faces the fact that last year’s earmarks haven’t been funded, and members tried to get a handle on how the ballooning federal stimulus package could provide money for local projects.

County finishes $35 million budget
by Joe Blumberg
Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009

Buchanan County approved its 2009 budget Wednesday with a commitment to improved planning and a realization that the heavy lifting for this year may yet to be complete.
The County Commission approved the $34.5 million budget in a public hearing in front of about 35 county employees and officeholders. Of particular interest to them were the decisions to continue free health insurance policies, to not give raises this year and to likely leave some jobs unfilled.

Judge rejects guilty plea for alleged driver
by Joe Blumberg
Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2009

A judge on Monday morning rejected the guilty plea of the alleged getaway driver for the robbery and throat slashing of a convenience store clerk.
Letah Gerdes, 40, of Atchison, Kan., testified that she thought she was driving Sean Cave to the store “to get some beer.” She said she didn’t know the possibility of a crime being committed until after he got back in the car.
The case could proceed to trial if Ms. Gerdes is unable to clarify her alleged role or knowledge of the crime to satisfy the robbery charge. The prosecution said it plans to file additional charges if the case goes to trial.

Judge rejects getaway driver's guilty plea
by Joe Blumberg
Monday, Jan. 26, 2009

A judge on Monday morning rejected the guilty plea of the alleged getaway driver for a violent convenience store robbery last year in Winthrop, Mo.

Here’s where the money went
by Joe Blumberg
Monday, Jan. 26, 2009

The common story around the Buchanan County Courthouse goes like this: The county commission had no rationale and squandered $10.5 million from the sale of land for The Shoppes at North Village.
In fact, the county spent all that money and more. According to News-Press archives and county finances, the county overextended itself on commitments for the Shoppes money by about $2 million. The county used other funding sources to cover two projects that the Shoppes was originally intended to cover, when comparing original commitments to actual county expenditures.

Local man caught with child porn
by Joe Blumberg
Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009

A St. Joseph man pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to downloading and distributing child pornography via a file-sharing program on his home computer.

County tired of annual budget scramble?
by Joe Blumberg
Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009

Buchanan County seems to always scramble for money at the last minute, and it always “finds” it.

Last McDonald’s robber gets 12 years in prison
by Joe Blumberg
Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009

Three young men who robbed a St. Joseph McDonald’s via the drive-thru window received 11, 12 and 20 years in prison, respectively.

Judge throws out suit against Montee
by Joe Blumberg
Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009

A judge has dismissed a St. Joseph Republican’s lawsuit over Susan Montee’s right to vote here.

Chiefs camp carries heftier price tag
by Joe Blumberg
Friday, Jan. 16, 2009

Large, nice and quick construction projects rarely come cheap.
St. Joseph’s costs for the Kansas City Chiefs’ training camp facility have grown by $2 million from what was earlier reported. It’s still a fraction of the contribution the community was prepared to offer in years past.
Missouri Western State University officials made their public pitch to the Buchanan County Commission on Thursday morning after reportedly meeting with certain City Council members earlier.

Whatever happened to ... ‘Community’ members move on
by Joe Blumberg
Friday, Jan. 16, 2009

Recipe for a lasting memory:
One part handmade knotty-wood restaurant decor
One part homemade breads and soups
Two parts long beards, hair and skirts
One part communal living
One part vanishing act

Bad apples, bad ankle, but still a happy bum
by Joe Blumberg
Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009

The squirrels around my house are fat.

Akin gets maximum term in nephew’s death
by Joe Blumberg
Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009

Kenneth Akin received the maximum prison sentence for his part in the October beating and eventual death of his nephew, Stephen Akin.

Westboro church sues city over funeral ordinance
by Joe Blumberg
Saturday, Jan. 10, 2009

The American Civil Liberties Union, on behalf of Westboro Baptist Church, filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the city of St. Joseph. At issue is the city’s funeral protest ordinance, enacted after Westboro picketed the August 2005 funeral of St. Joseph’s first soldier to die in Iraq, Spc. Edward Myers. Westboro, based in Topeka, Kan., protested numerous military funerals around the country, saying the deaths are divine punishment for America’s tolerance of homosexuality.

Former teacher sent to jail
by Joe Blumberg
Saturday, Jan. 10, 2009

Former St. Joseph school teacher Jan Reeder will serve eight months in the Buchanan County Jail for violating her probation. Ms. Reeder, who now goes by Jan Kauffman, was the 1994 St. Joseph School District “Teacher of the Year.” In November she admitted to again violating her probation by continuing a romantic relationship with Tyson Wilson, a former student who is in prison for drug and assault convictions.

Former teacher gets 8 months in jail
by Joe Blumberg
Friday, Jan. 9, 2009

Former St. Joseph school teacher Jan Reeder will serve 8 months in the Buchanan County Jail for violating her probation on an original drug charge.
Ms. Reeder, who now goes by Jan Kauffman, was the 1994 St. Joseph School District “Teacher of the Year.”

Guilty plea brings Zorn trial to abrupt end
by Joe Blumberg
Friday, Jan. 9, 2009

Steven Zorn pleaded guilty to second-degree felony murder in a sudden development Thursday morning, ending his jury trial in the death of 36-day-old Cora Jean Lockhart.
Mr. Zorn confirmed that he was upset because he had to get up with Cora Jean when she woke at 3 a.m. and wouldn’t take her bottle as normal.
Mr. Zorn now faces a prison sentence of 10 to 30 years or life, to be decided by Buchanan County Judge Pat Robb.

Zorn Pleads Guilty To Lesser Charge
by Joe Blumberg
Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009

Unexpected guilty plea accepted from Zorn in baby's death.

Zorn pleads guilty to second-degree murder
by Joe Blumberg
Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009

In a sudden development Thursday morning, accused murderer Stephen Zorn pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and ended his trial, which was scheduled to last the rest of this week at the Buchanan County Courthouse.

Murder trial continues
by Joe Blumberg
Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009

Steven Zorn left no doubt in a police interview that he caused the injuries resulting in the death of 36-day-old Cora Jean Lockhart.

Mother testifies in Zorn trial
by Joe Blumberg
Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009

The prosecution played a 911 tape and presented the mother of infant Cora Jean Lockhart on Wednesday morning in the Steven Zorn murder trial.
Cora Jean died a year ago today.

Attorneys argue details as murder trial opens
by Joe Blumberg
Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009

Steven Zorn is accused of killing an infant who was not only his girlfriend’s daughter, but also his niece. That and several disturbing details of the death came to light during the prosecution’s opening trial statement. A jury trial began Tuesday to weigh a first-degree murder charge against Mr. Zorn for the death of 36-day-old Cora Jean Lockhart one year ago today. The defense indicated in its opening statement that it doesn’t dispute the baby’s cause of death, but rather whether Mr. Zorn knowingly killed Cora Jean and whether he deliberated in his mind before killing her.

Humans in the courtroom
by Joe Blumberg
Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009

Much is said about the "human drama" that comes with the court system. Let's leave the drama out of this blog and stick to the humans.

Infant murder trial to begin
by Joe Blumberg
Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009

Steven Zorn for the last 364 days has worn an orange jail uniform. This week, he wears a suit.

Salvia case tests court system
by Joe Blumberg
Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009

A bizarre drug and a bizarre investigation produced a bizarre bust in the case of a drug dealer who collects sales tax.
The sign on the wall in Paradise Gifts advertised salvia for sale. The merchandise was on a shelf behind the counter in bags and containers clearly marked salvia divinorum, with price tags ranging from $25.99 to $99.99, according to court records and testimony.
When a Drug Strike Force officer — in uniform — asked the clerk if the store sold salvia, the clerk said yes and handed the officer a bag containing several smaller bags of the merchandise.

On his own terms
by Joe Blumberg
Thursday, Jan. 1, 2009

A long line formed through the Buchanan County Courthouse as Bud Crockett’s retirement party began.
But the line curved right past the County Commission’s office. People were there to pay property taxes, not to say goodbye to Mr. Crockett.
At some point in the life of a politician — usually on their last election day — those taxpayers become a problem. They can see the officeholder as a tax-and-spender instead of a conduit of the people.
That never was a problem in the case of H.D. “Bud” Crockett.

Oaths usher in county officeholders
by Joe Blumberg
Thursday, Jan. 1, 2009

Depending on how they perform in office, future days may be for swearing at. But Wednesday was for swearing in.
Five elected Buchanan County officials took their oaths of office for four-year terms that began Wednesday morning. About 80 supporters, co-workers and relatives packed the courtroom for the proceedings.
J

Woman gets 7 years for meth lab
by Joe Blumberg
Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2008

A woman was sentenced to seven years in prison Monday for her part in a meth lab that caught fire during a north St. Joseph drug raid.

Tax time = tax line
by Joe Blumberg
Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2008

The annual ritual of irony reaches its fever pitch this week.
People who waited to pay now must wait to pay. And nothing brightens a mood quite like standing in a long line to hand over money.
Property taxes in Buchanan County and most everywhere else in America are due by the end of the year — 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, locally.

Former administrator pleads guilty
by Joe Blumberg
Sunday, Dec. 28, 2008

Two years of federal investigation ended in September with a guilty plea by former Buchanan County Public Administrator Bonnie Sue Lawson.

Task turns to getting back stolen benefits
by Joe Blumberg
Saturday, Dec. 27, 2008

Robert lived in a nursing home. His only source for something special — maybe a birthday gift, clothes, a different meal — was $30 a month in leftover Social Security benefits.
People like Robert were supposed to be able to get that money through then-Buchanan County Public Administrator Bonnie Sue Lawson. Instead, the FBI so far has confirmed that Ms. Lawson stole Social Security benefits from 140 clients totaling $133,987.