CARTHAGE, Mo. — The Jasper County Health Department is reporting the deaths of 2 Jasper County residents due to COVID-19.
This brings the total deaths for the county to 153.
The residents include one male in his 60’s, and one female in her 80’s
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – The Kansas House passed a bill Thursday morning that aims to help Kansas kids know what to do when encountering a gun.
It would require the Kansas State Board of Education to create curriculum guidelines for a gun safety education program. Local school boards would have the option to teach it in their district.
It could start as early as kindergarten, and be based on the National Rifle Association’s Eddie Eagle GunSafe program. Older students could be offered the training, or the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism’s hunter education program.
Supporters said this could help prevent accidents.
“Doing something that would help further our Kansas community across the state, no matter what your constituency is, with training on how to properly engage a firearm as a child,” Wichita Representative Patrick Penn said of the bill last week when it was passed out of committee.
Penn was a leader behind the effort to make sure this bill got a vote on the floor.
“Very simply the concept is, stop, don’t touch, run away, tell an adult, that’s pretty much the standard, so if people can’t get behind that, okay,” Penn said.
The bill passed 75 to 47. Some critics said a private organization’s program shouldn’t be involved in schools, and others said schools have enough on their plate already.
“I do not vote ‘no’ against gun safety, nor do I vote ‘no’ against teaching youth gun safety,” said Neodesha Representative Joe Newland. “I vote ‘no’ because we have too many students failing or close to failing in our schools, some of that is because we’re unable to have enough classroom time. Gun safety education should be handled in our FFA, our 4H, or gun clubs, where a student could join and take gun safety classes,” he said.
The bill now heads to the Senate.
JOPLIN, Mo. — Freeman Health System is working with a local blood center to help raise reserves this Thursday.
A single blood donation can save up to three lives. Many patients depend on blood transfusions, and Freeman Health System uses more than 500 pints of blood each month. Community Blood Center of the Ozarks is the sole provider of blood and plasma products to Freeman, as well as more than 35 other hospitals in our area.
In response to the continued need for blood donations, Freeman is hosting another extended blood drive from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Thursday, March 18. Longer hours are designed to accommodate donor schedules.
Donors 17 or older who weigh at least 110 pounds and have not given blood in the past eight weeks are encouraged to participate. Donors receive a t-shirt.
Please eat well and drink plenty of water before your appointment. Masks are required for donors and staff. If you don’t have a mask, one will be provided.
To schedule your appointment call 417.227.5006 or you can go to cbco.org/donate-blood. Or schedule by using this link: donate.cbco.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/125060
Joplin, MO. — Several local senior centers are planning to safely reopen following the downward trend in COVID-19 cases in the area.
The Area Agency on Aging Region Ten (AAAX) announces their plan to have a soft opening for all seven senior centers (Barton County, Carthage, Webb City, Carl Junction, Joplin, Neosho, and McDonald county) starting on May 3. Jennifer Shotwell, AAAX CEO, states, “After being closed for more than a year, we have started to see a continued decline in COVID-19 cases. In addition, more and more residents are being vaccinated as vaccination clinics pop up across our four counties. I feel confident that we can safely open the centers with minimal restrictions.” Nutrition Program Director, Brittany Caine, is taking the lead on outlining our reopening plan for all seven centers.
Each center will have activities on specific days of the week. Monday and Friday have been designated for clients to play pool. Tuesday and Thursday have been designated for bingo and lunch service. Wednesday has been designated for cards/games and exercise classes. We will ask that clients call ahead to sign up for all activities, except for pool. Currently, we will not have pool players schedule ahead. However, we will not have any pool tournaments at this time, but this may change in the future. All clients entering the senior center will be asked to wear a mask and maintain physical distancing in order to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. Volunteers will be asked to oversee the activities and to help maintain cleanliness by washing any tables or chairs that are used for activities. Volunteers will also resume delivering to Meals on Wheels recipients at all centers.
As time goes on and cases continue to decline, we may bring back other activities and have them on more days per week. Bear with us as we get used to this new “normal.”
The Area Agency on Aging Region Ten has been serving the senior population of Barton, Jasper, Newton, and McDonald counties since 1978. The Agency is a non-profit, charitable organization with a 501(c)(3) designation. Region Ten’s purpose is to provide services, programs, and information that will assist older persons in maintaining independence and dignity in their lives. Services through this agency are available to persons 60 years of age or older who live in our service area. Priority is given to those individuals with the greatest economic and social need. Information and family caregiver services are provided to people of all ages.
(NEXSTAR) — The Internal Revenue Service will delay the April 15 tax deadline until mid-May, according to a report from Bloomberg.
The agency is still working to determine a specific deadline date, , the report said. As of Wednesday, the IRS has not publicly commented about the delay.
President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan included stimulus checks, changes to the child tax credit, and exemptions for people who received unemployment in 2020. Due to those changes, many experts believed the IRS would have to delay the filing deadline.
This is the second consecutive year the IRS has delayed the federal tax filing deadline. Last February, the deadline to file and pay 2019 federal income taxes was extended to July 15.
IRS: Stimulus payments are on the way
Officials at the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service said Friday that processing of the new round of stimulus payments has already begun, with the aim of having the first payments start showing up in bank accounts this weekend.
The relief bill provides for payments to qualifying individuals of up to $1,400, with payments of $5,600 to a qualifying family of four.
“The payments will be delivered automatically to taxpayers even as the IRS continues delivering regular tax refunds,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in a statement.
It is estimated that 85% of Americans will be eligible for the payments, and the goal is to have millions of the payments disbursed in the next few weeks.
The relief measure, which passed on party-line votes in both the House and Senate, contains the third round of economic impact payments. The first round passed last spring provided up to $1,200 per individual, and a second round of payments in December provided up to $600 per individual.
The latest package passed with no votes from Republicans, who objected to the size of the measure and argued it was not necessary given signs that the economy is beginning to recover.
Then-President Donald Trump called the payments in the $900 billion relief bill passed in December too small and Biden agreed, pushing the total for an individual up to $1,400 in the new package.
The latest round of relief payments will provide households with $1,400 for each adult, child and adult dependent, such as college students or elderly relatives. Adult dependents were not eligible to receive payments in the previous two rounds of payments.
The payments start declining for an individual once adjusted gross income exceeds $75,000 and go to zero once income hits $80,000. The payment starts declining for married couples when income exceeds $150,000 and goes to zero at $160,000.
Officials said that beginning on Monday, people can check the “Get My Payment” tool on the IRS.gov website to track their own payments.
Taxpayers who have provided bank information with the IRS will receive the direct-deposit payments, while others will get paper checks or debit cards mailed to them.
Officials said in the interest of speeding up the relief payments, the IRS will use the latest tax return available, either the 2019 return filed last year or the 2020 return that is due by April 15.
If a person’s job situation changed last year because of the pandemic, which led to millions of people losing jobs or being forced to work reduced hours, officials said that the IRS will adjust the size of the new impact payments after the 2020 return has been filed and provide a supplemental payment if that is called for. Officials said those adjustments will be made automatically by the IRS for people who have already filed their 2020 returns.
Officials said they wanted to handle the payments this way rather than waiting for the 2020 tax return to be filed in the interest of speeding payments to taxpayers.
(KSNF/KODE) — A Tornado Watch is in effect for counties in southwest Missouri, northeast Oklahoma, and northwest Arkansas.
A WATCH means atmospheric conditions are favorable for tornadoes to develop.
Remember, it takes many ingredients in the atmosphere to come together so a tornado is possible for the counties in RED.
Download our mobile app for both Apple and Google Play to get an alert when a severe storm is near you.
Stay weather aware this St. Patrick’s Day!
PARSONS, Kans. — A helpful tipster is being credited with assisting in the capture of a felon out of Parsons, authorities say.
On Tuesday, March 9th, 2021, the Parsons Police Department received an email tip regarding the possible location and vehicle description for the 32-year-old convicted felon and parolee, Vincent Lee Collins. Collins was confirmed to have an active arrest warrant out of Neosho County, Kansas for Burglary with Forced Entry into a home. He also had a Kansas Department of Corrections warrant.
Parsons PD detective Commander Kyle Wiford followed up on this tip two days later on the 11th. Wiford located a vehicle matching the description given by the tipster at the 1200 block of Crawford Ave. in Parsons. This information was relayed to Corporal Jordan Tomlinson who later apprehended Collins at the aforementioned residence without incident.
“We thank the tipster for the information that led to the speedy arrest of this convicted felon, who has continued to incur new criminal charges in our neighboring county. Hopefully, this arrest will assist our partners in Neosho County with their investigations into the burglaries Collins was suspected in. Tomlinson is applauded for his quick and professional actions that took Collins into custody without any incident.”
Commander Kyle Wiford, Parsons PD
With March being Storm Preparedness Month, knowing where your closest public storm shelter is can be crucial when severe weather hits.
If you are in an area that is under a severe storm weather warning or tornado warning, it is advised to find shelter. If you do not have your own storm shelter, making use of a nearby public shelter may be the next option.
In Missouri, Joplin Schools offers various storm shelters within their schools for the public’s use. As Joplin Schools writes: “The following Community Safe Rooms are available to the community during a Tornado Warning, and/or when the tornado sirens have sounded. If Community Safe Rooms open before a Tornado Warning, or before tornado sirens sound, notification will be posted on the district’s Facebook page.”
They also provide a map showing the locations of the 14 schools available with safe room storm shelters. These locations include:
Cecil Floyd Elementary
2201 W. 24th St.
Beacon School
202 Malloy Cr., Duenweg
Eastmorland Elementary
1131 Highview Ave.
Irving Elementary
2901 S. McClelland Blvd.
Jefferson Elementary
130 McKinley Ave.
Joplin High School
2104 Indiana Ave.
Junge Stadium
800 Junge Blvd.
Kelsey Norman Elementary
1323 E. 28th St.
McKinley Elementary
610 S. Forest Ave.
Royal Heights Elementary
2100 Rolla St.
Soaring Heights Elementary
4604 E. 20th St.
Stapleton Elementary
101 E. 41st. St.
West Central Elementary
1001 W. 7th St.
Neosho
South Elementary — 1111 Wornall St. Blvd.
Carver Elementary — 12350 Norway Rd.
Neosho High School — 511 S Neosho Blvd.
Crowder College
Davidson Hall — 601 Laclede Ave.
Granby area
East Newton High School — 22876 Hwy. 86
Seneca
Seneca Intermediate School — 1815 St. Eugene St.
Diamond
Between middle and elementary school — 401 S. Main
Stella
East of the Veterans’ Memorial located on Ozark Street
Pineville
Pineville Elementary School — 8th and Highway W.
Southwest City
Southwest City Elementary School — 411 Academy Street
Anderson
McDonald County High School — 100 Mustang Lane
Freeman Health also provides a comprehensive list of FEMA approved storm shelters throughout the state of Missouri.
Baxter Springs
Middle School – 104 Military Ave.
Central School – 1501 Park Ave.
Lincoln Elementary School – 801 Lincoln Ave.
Columbus
Calvary Baptist Church – 605 E. Sycamore St.
Park School – 724 Garfield Ave.
Galena
Liberty Grade School – 624 E 8th St.
Spring Grove School – 1900 Galena Ave.
Galena High School – 602 E 8th St.
Riverton
Spring River Mental Health & Wellness Center – 6610 SE. Quakervalle Rd.
Roseland
Roseland City Hall/ Community Storm Shelter – 101 W. Roseland Blvd.
Weir
Weir Elementary School – 303 S. Humbert St.
West Mineral
West Mineral Fire Station – 106 Patterson St.
Ellsmore
North side of the road – 2nd and Main
Gas City
Fees Park – 201 N. Morrill
Behind City Hall – 205 N. Stanley
Community Center – 624 W. Pine
North End of Barley Lane
2nd and Humphrey St.
South End of Sout Morrill
Walnut and Daly
South Stanley and 3rd St.
Humboldt
Cannon Park – 9th and Charles
Water Plant – 2nd and Bridge
Swimming Pool – 801 Indiana
Lutheran Church – 910 Amos
City Hall – 725 Bridge
Iola
Bowlus (backdoor from the alley) –205 E. Madison
Lincoln School (south door, west side) – 700 N. Jefferson
McKinley School (east side) – 209 S. Kentucky
LaHarpe
South end of the park – 7th and Jackson
East side of the church – 9th and Jefferson
City Hall – 10th and Broadway
Moran
Behind the library – 319 N. Cedar
East side of ball fields – 511 W. Randolph.
Chanute
Tioga Hotel – Corner of Main St. & Lincoln Ave.
NCCC Gymnasium – 800 W. 14th St.
Lincoln School – 1000 W. Main St.
Erie
Erie Courthouse – 101 S. Main St.
Thayer
Thayer United Methodist Church – Corner of Labette & Okmulgee
Band Shell at Thayer City Park
St. Paul
St. Paul High School – 318 1st Street (K-47 Highway)
Parsons Municipal Building, basement
112 S. 17th St. (North/South Doors)
Fire Station #1, basement
1819 Washington
Guthridge School, safe room
1020 S. 31st St.
Lincoln School, safe room
1800 Dirr Ave.
Garfield School, safe room
300 S. 14th St.
Parsons High School, safe room
3030 Morton (East Side)
Arma
Northeast High School — 1003 E S. St.
Currently there is no public storm shelter available in Pittsburg. Instead, the City of Pittsburg website stated that in the instance of a tornado or severe weather to, “Remain calm and seek shelter immediately in an interior room, away from windows and exterior walls.”
The Kansas Division of Emergency Management released a statement in March 2020 addressing public shelters in the time of the Coronavirus. They state that your first priority should be protecting yourself from a potential tornado. Though they added that it is up to the discretion of the local officials whether a community shelter is offered or not and it is advised to check with officials to ensure they are open. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly said in the statement that citizens should not forget the imminent fear of a tornado, even amid COVID-19.
“… If you have to seek refuge in a community shelter, try to practice social distancing and other precautions as much as possible to minimize your risk,” Kelly said.
The City of Miami said in a statement on the city’s website that “The City of Miami does not maintain public storm shelters.”
JOPLIN, Mo. – Owned by a local mother and son, The Pallet Place, located at 1202 E 15th St. in Joplin, offers inexpensive everythings. The items come from popular, big-name retailers and are either overstock, seasonal or returned merchandise.
Each item is under $7, tax included, and the cost depends on the day of the week. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, every item is $7. On Monday and Tuesday, every item is $5. And on Wednesday and Thursday, every item is $3.
The Pallet Place adds new merchandise daily so you never know what you’re going to find. You can find designer brand items, items worth hundreds of dollars and hidden treasures – all you have to do is dig.
“It’s fun to dig and find something that is a treasure to you,” said co-owner Sherry Harrison.
From clothes, jewelry and home supplies to electronics, tools and books, the store has something for everyone.
Owners Sherry and Chris Harrison opened The Pallet Place, located next to Big R’s, in December of 2020. They are dedicated to offering “the best deals in town.”
“Anything you could imagine comes in. Anything from clothes, food, rice cookers, pillows, bedding, everything… And for 7, 5 or 3 dollars, you can’t beat it,” said Harrison.
The Pallet Place is now open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 12 to 6 p.m.
To stay up to date on the latest deals, visit The Pallet Place’s Facebook.
(KSNF/KODE) — A TORNADO WARNING has been issued for BARRY County, Missouri until 5:45pm.
1.75″ hail is also possible.
SEEK SHELTER NOW!
A storm capable of producing a tornado is near Seligman moving northeast towards:
SEEK SHELTER NOW!
Follow updates on our KSN/KODE Interactive Radar.