Bioblitzers will become scientists for a day as they explore the diverse plants and animals around the park while providing helpful information to MDC naturalists.
KIRKWOOD, Mo.--Harness your passion for nature into a powerful tool to help the natural sciences. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is holding a Bioblitz event at Emmenegger Nature Park in Kirkwood on Saturday, May 18 from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Participants can come anytime during the 16-hour event and stay for as long as they choose.   It’s an opportunity to collect valuable data on the plants and animals found on the park’s grounds.
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​The Center for Workforce Development (CWD) at East Central College is hosting an event to recruit talented community members to assist the department with providing workforce training programs.
 
A talent fair will be held Tuesday, April 30 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Business and Industry Center, 42 Prairie Dell Plaza Drive in Union, located southeast of the main ECC Campus.
 
CWD is looking to hire part-time trainers to use their skills and abilities to teach short-term training programs for the region’s local business and industry. The department provides workforce training to local businesses in various time periods of days, weeks or months.
 
“There is a wealth of talent in our area that hasn’t been fully tapped”, says Joel Doepker, Vice President of External Relations. “In addition to current workers, there are retirees from our local manufacturers, banks, health care and other industries that have the skills, knowledge and experience to train the current workforce.”
 
A range of skills are needed in a variety of areas such as safety training, industrial maintenance, customer service training, welding, Microsoft Office and other possibilities. A degree or certificate isn’t required as experience is highly desired. The CWD staff will help design the training plans and provide teaching guidelines.
 
For more information contact Cindy Brinker at 636-649-5803 or training@eastcentral.edu.
 
 

By: Callie Weatherly
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Around 9:30 a.m., we left New York to head toward the Flight 93 Memorial, a memorial for one of the 9/11 planes that was set to hit in Washington D.C. but crashed in a field instead.  The drive to the memorial was long, so we made a pit stop for lunch around 12:45.
 
Once we arrived at the Flight 93 Memorial, we walked through a museum and saw where the actual plane crashed.
 
After a long drive, we arrived at the hotel a little bit after 7 p.m.  Until room checks, the students were allowed to have free time to swim or go eat dinner with friends.
 
Senior trip was fun, and we all made lots of memories.  However, all good things must come to an end. Tomorrow we head home.

​2nd Place Mixed Media, Lauralie Grater, Zen Sun
3rd Place Sculpture, Lauralie Grater, Gourd Mandala
3rd Place Digital Art, Dori McCarty, Back to the 90’s
HM Prints, Lauralie Grater, Remember Me
HM Design, Maddison Jaeggers, Untitled
HM Design, Natalie Buchheit, The Flower Within
3rd Place Fibers, Lauralie Grater, Paisley
HM Fibers, Paige Remillard, Little Bird

By: Callie Weatherly

After leaving the hotel, we made our way to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  Although, we made a few pit stops to see some things around the city, like a bull that supposedly gives you financial good luck if you rub it.
 
While going through New York, we also stopped to see the 9/11 memorial, the Brooklyn Bridge, China Town, and Little Italy.
 
After traveling through New York all morning, we were able to go to the afternoon activities we had picked for ourselves. Some of the activities included a tour of the 9/11 museum, a visit to Madison Square Garden, a tour of NBC studios, and a tour of the MET.
 
The evening events we picked for ourselves included the New York Yankees vs. the Royals game, a tour of the 9/11 museum, and a bus tour of the city.
 
Around 9:30, the groups met up to go to the top of the Empire State Building. Afterward, we got the choice of going to see Grand Central Station or going to Times Square.
 
We were busy, busy bees around New York, but it is time to travel to new places. Next stop, Pennsylvania. 

Girls, ages 11-15, should apply by May 15 for this chance to learn outdoor skills and safety in a fun, immersive environment.
DEFIANCE, Mo.--The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will be offering its ninth annual Discover Nature Girls Camp Monday, July 8 at the August A. Busch Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center in Defiance. This is a free, full-day camp aimed at introducing girls, ages 11–15, to a range of outdoors skills in a supportive learning environment. Girls should plan to arrive between 7:45 and 8 a.m. to check in and be picked up between 6:45 to 7:30 pm.​

By: Callie Weatherly
 
To start the day off, we drove to Philadelphia to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.
 
While in Philadelphia, we had lunch before heading to New York. As many would guess, the majority of us enjoyed a Philly Cheese Steak.
 
First thing in the Big Apple, we dropped off our luggage at the hotel and then went to see Top of the Rock.
 
Since some of the Broadway shows were at different times, one group went to shop around the city while the others got ready for their shows. The group that went to the earlier Broadway showing got to shop around after their show.
 
The Broadway shows we saw included “The Lion King,” “Wicked,” “Aladdin,” and “Pretty Woman.”
 
Tomorrow we will continue our journey through New York.

By: Callie Weatherly
 
Our day began at 6:15 with breakfast. By 6:40, we were gazing at the monuments of D.C.  Some monuments we saw were the Lincoln memorial, the Vietnam memorial, and the WWII memorial.
 
After looking at some of the many memorials, we headed toward the White House for our tour.  Around 9:30, we went in groups for lunch and to see different Smithsonian museums like the Museum of Natural History, the American History Museum, the Holocaust Museum, etc.
 
Around 3:30, we went to tour the Library of Congress. Following that we took pictures and looked around the outside of the Supreme Court.
 
Finally we were able to go back onto the bus, but before we could get ready for Peking Gourmet, we went to see the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial.  The Peking Gourmet dinner didn’t begin until 7:30, but it was worth the wait. We got to try a lot of new foods together.
 
As you can see, our day was packed full of great learning experiences. And we still have many more to come! Tomorrow, we hit the Big Apple, New York.

The  victim is identified as 51 year old Rose L. Mattingly from Villa Ridge which was killed from a gunshot. The delay in the release of this name is out of respect for the family as this office wanted to notify the next of kin prior to release.

Charges was issued against 51 year old Brian S. Hensley from Villa Ridge, Mo. for 2nd degree Murder and Armed Criminal Action bond is set at $500,000. cash only. This investigation is still active and further details will follow.
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​On April 15, 2019, at approximately 11:00pm, Franklin County Deputies  responded to the 100 block of Ajax Avenue, Villa Ridge, MO, for a reported deceased person.   Responding deputies discovered the body of an adult female who appeared to have sustained a single gunshot wound.  A perimeter was established around the residence and for the next several hours, Franklin County negotiators attempted to contact anybody inside the residence.  All attempts were unsuccessful.  However, investigators learned details which lead them to believe someone was inside.
After several hours of attempted negotiations, a deputy visually observed a male inside the residence.   The male was lying down and didn’t move at all for several minutes and only then slowly.  The deputy suspected the male might be another victim.  However, investigators were unsure if the male was involved with the deceased gunshot victim at all.
Due to the possibility the male might be another victim; deputies entered the residence and contacted the male.  It was determined he might be suffering from a drug overdose.  Emergency Medical Services responded for evaluation and transported him to a local area hospital where he was deemed to be fit for confinement. A 51 year old male from Villa Ridge was arrested for investigation into the death of the female.
Investigators are still determining the facts to this incident; however, there is nothing indicating that authorities should be searching for anybody else.  Information will be made available as it is learned.
 
Steve Pelton
Franklin County Sheriff

By: Callie Weatherly

We had breakfast at the hotel at 6:30 a.m. and left the hotel for Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, around 7:30 a.m.  The tour of Monticello didn’t begin until 8:50 a.m., however we arrived around 8 a.m. We were able to use the extra time to walk around the grounds and garden.

Throughout the tour, we were not able to take pictures, but we did see some amazing things like replicas of the artifacts Thomas Jefferson collected over the years. After the tour, we got back on the bus and headed to George Washington’s Mount Vernon.

Many seniors were heard saying they were “thankful we are on the bus for shorter amounts of time today.”

We stopped for lunch around 1 p.m. in Mount Vernon before heading to George Washington’s estate.  While at Mount Vernon, we did two tours— one of the house and one of the area of the grounds used for the movie National Treasure 2.

Next we traveled to D.C. Our first stop was at the Arlington Cemetery where we watched the changing of the guards and visited The Eternal Flame, J.F.K.’s burial site. 

At around 7:00 p.m., we went to dinner before checking into our hotel.  Today was a full day, but tomorrow will be fuller. We go to the White House!
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​On the morning of April 14, 2019 at about 2:54 AM, deputies responded to the 500 block of Summer Hill Lane south of Washington for a report of a domestic assault. On scene, the victim told deputies that she was involved in an argument with her boyfriend. During the argument her boyfriend, identified as Joshua M. Hicks, age 38 from Washington, grabbed her by the neck, took her to the floor and started strangling her. The victim was able to get free she fled the house with her daughter and called 911. Deputies found the suspect locked in a bedroom of the house. He initially refused to come out but later did, whereupon he was arrested without incident and transported to the Franklin County Adult Detention Facility. A warrant was issued  on Mr. Hicks for Domestic Assault 2nd degree. Bond was set at $40,000.
 
All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law
 
Steve Pelton
Franklin County Sheriff