When lack of insurance or low income prevents payment of medical bills, patients can find themselves tied up in a lawsuit.
In St. Joseph, those on the receiving end of that litigation complain of the treatment they’ve received from a collection agency for Heartland Health. The issue has led to a federal lawsuit claiming that Heartland is in violation of Fair Debt Collections Act.
Three former patients, though not involved in the pending federal lawsuit, know what it’s like to fight illness one day and fight a collection agency the next. They described the experience as stressful and frustrating.

Halfway across the world from a life of widespread fighting and violence, two Sudanese women approach the 10-year anniversary of their hard-fought move.
Originally from Sudan, Shadia, 21, and Gulya (pronounced Julia), 22, fled their home in Egypt as teenagers to escape racism and mistreatment. The sisters remain in the United States under refugee status with their eye on permanent citizenship.
Sitting in their living room as their own children and younger siblings run and play in all directions, Shadia and Gulya speak passionately about the things they’ve seen along the way, both in Egypt and as young women thrown into a foreign school
system and job market.

Abby Schulenberg’s closet is full of question marks, and she places the blame on her line of work.
Ms. Schulenberg, who works at Dress Barn at the Shoppes at North Village, is referring to the position of her clothes hangers, which all face exactly the same way. It’s a habit she picked up from her three-year tenure at the clothing store, along with folding her clothes as neatly as if they were going home with a customer.
“I think it’s a habit from working here all the time, and I end up doing it the same way at home,” she said with a laugh, holding up a special folding board with illustrated directions for the proper technique.

Ryan Burks’ takeaway is high, his bowling ball curves left down the lane and oftentimes, he leaves no pins in his wake.

Kurt Janicek is plotting his map, marking new bus routes and gathering all the information he can for the October debut of nighttime transportation. With the help of a Federal Transit Administration Grant, St. Joseph Public Transit will soon be able to provide a service called Job Access and Reverse Commute. The service will kick into action three overnight transit buses in specific areas of St. Joseph.
“This is designed to target large populations that live in low-income areas of the city and to get them access to second- and third-shift jobs,” said Mr. Janicek, resident transit manager.

Piles of dirt and mud, pools of leftover floodwater and a steady stream of workers and volunteers surround the St. Joseph Nature Center as it nears completion.
Unfortunately, it could not open in time for today’s Fourth of July celebrations.
Bill McKinney, city parks and recreation director, said the recent flooding at the riverfront location pushed back many of the outdoor projects, causing the nature center to remain closed to the public for an additional month. Even without the rain, the nature center would not have been open for the holiday weekend.

Carol Hansen is changing lives with her system of circles, numbering two to 20,000.

When the Pony Express delivered mail in 1860, they probably didn’t follow a police motorcade or carry GPS in their saddlebags.

As floodwater laps at the edges of highways and backyards and drowns outer roads and farmland, residents are doing what they can to battle back the rising tide. Flooding along the Grand River, along with other rivers and streams, forced the closing of U.S. Highway 36 five miles east of Chillicothe on Thursday. Some residential areas in the southwest part of Chillicothe also experienced flooding. Water over the road near Thompson River in the western part of Chillicothe prompted resident Ron Hughes to get his boat.
Mr. Hughes must use the boat to get through a quarter of a mile stretch of Third Street, where water prevents his truck from crossing. It’s an inconvenience, but one Mr. Hughes prefers over evacuation.

MARYVILLE, Mo. — A 23-year-old man received a six-year prison sentence Wednesday stemming from a 2007 motor vehicle collision that killed a 3-year-old girl.