St. Joseph News-Press from St. Joseph, Missouri • B1

MIDLAND Local briefs PING! OUR online poll and YOUR answers How important is agriculture to the economy? Very important Somewhat important Not at all Total votes: 342 New question: Are you excited for the Raiders to move to Las Vegas? Find NBC programs on KNPG Suddenlink has announced that effective Tuesday, April 4, KSHB- NBC (previously Channels 8 and 108) no longer is available on the local cable televi- sion system. As a result, KSHB no longer appears on the daily TV pro- gramming grid in the News-Press. Suddenlink customers can view all NBC network pro- gramming on St. NBC 21 KNPG (Channels 2 and 102 on cable). KNPG also can be found at Channel 21 on DirecTV, Channel 41 on Dish and over-the-air at Channel 21.1.

District to hold kindergarten parent meeting The St. Joseph School District is holding meetings for parents of potential kinder- garten students Tuesday, April 11. Every elemen- tary school in the district will host its own meeting. Any parent of a child who will turn 5 before Aug. 1, 2017, is encour- aged to attend.

The meetings will give parents a chance to begin the enrollment process, meet school staff, tour buildings and learn more about how to prepare for their rst day of school. For more information, parents should call their potential elemen- tary school or the admin- istrative of ce at 271-4000. B1 WEDNESDAY APRIL 5, 2017 power of poetry Down South in Dixie, (Break the heart of me) They hung my black young lover To a crossroads tree. Down South in Dixie (Bruised body high in air) I asked the white Lord Jesus What was the use of prayer. Way Down South in Dixie (Break the heart of me) Love is a naked shadow On a gnarled and naked I never knew poetry had power un- til I heard the above piece of work.

for a Dark by Langston Hughes, a poem song as sung by Nina Simone and by Alan Ginsburg. Before then, I know poetry had power. It was the cutesy sing-song stuff teach- ers had you recite in grade school. Catchy phrasing that stuck in your head but stick in your soul like this new poetry. This new poetry spoke of the conditions of minorities, the underprivileged and the downtrodden in a way that no other medium could convey.

Long before Grandmaster Flash put out a street rap called Message, which spoke of the ills in the inner city, Gil-Scott-Heron and the Last Poets put anger to rhyme. Rhyme poems like Revolution Will not be Tele- in and People What Gon spoke to a burgeon- ing black consciousness in the 1960s. Nikki Giovanni is born of that passion. The Tennessee- born poet, activist and educa- tor is a living legend who was a huge part of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movement in the 1960s. Her poems like poem for the Assassination of Robert F.

and Black took on the issues of race and gender in a power- ful and inspirational way. Poetry seems more impor- tant during time of uncer- tainty and unrest. always necessary, but it might be even more necessary today. Best-selling author, speaker and poet Roger Housden said in a recent ngton Post es- say that poetry calls forth our deep being. both necessary and dangerous.

It opens our eyes and our doors and wel- comes us to a bigger world. is a way of rescuing the world from oblivion by the practice of attention. It is our attention that honors and gives value to living things, that gives them proper name and particularlity; that retrieves them from the obscurity of the Housden wrote. April is National Poetry Month. Started by the Acad- emy of American Poets in 1996, it has become the largest liter- ary celebration in the world.

Schools, publishers, libraries and poets themselves celebrate the place in culture. Missouri Western State University will do its part in helping citizens and students celebrate National Poetry Month tomorrow when Giovanni will be on campus to not only judge a poetry event but also speak on the craft. The event, called Mo- chila Presents: In the Shadow of Nikki will take place at 7 p.m. tomor- row inside Missouri Western State Potter Hall theater. It is free and open to the public.

It could inspire others to make poetry a force once again. Alonzo Weston can be reached at alonzo.weston@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter: Street Smarts by Alonzo Weston Most revenue issues pass Bonds, levy increases for school districts decided Absentee requirements, costs of state races at issue in 2 proposed bills By CLINTON THOMAS News-Press Now Voters from school districts across Northwest Missouri made their de- cisions Tuesday on a mix of bond and taxing issues. In the North Platte R-I district, voters approved a $6.2 million bond with 539 votes (80 percent) to 136 votes (20 percent). The bond will pay for the By ALONZO WESTON News-Press Now Bloody teenage bod- ies told a story from the Lafayette High school driveway Tuesday morn- ing.

Some were bleeding on the ground. Some sat inside cars, unconscious from a head-on crash. Screaming relatives and screaming sirens rushed to the scene. The scene was staged and the teens were actors, but the message was real drunken and impaired driving has many casual- ties and victims. Several community organizations, including schools, re and police departments and emer- gency medical person- nel, hoped to convey that message through a docu- drama of an alcohol-re- lated collision and its re- verberating impact.

The accidents extend beyond the immediate victims to family and friends of those involved. Ken Schroeder, a school resource police cer, said the re-enactments have been done for the past several years for sophomores at local high schools. Schroeder said the group gets a lot of posi- tive feedback from stu- dents about the re-enact- ments. lot of them say things like, never thought about never thought about what could happen if we did really opened my so I do think making some improvements to the way kids are seeing things and actually stop- ping and thinking about it before they get into a car with somebody intoxicated or they drink themselves and Schroeder said. After the re-enactment, students went into the school theater where they watched videos of actual Drunken-driving scene gives students reality check Jessica Stewar News-Press Now Emergency personnel work on Lafayette High School senior Skyler Pribble during a docudrama Tuesday morning.

Students came out to watch the drunken driving re-enactment. For more election coverage, please see Pages A8, A9 Northwest to hold active-shooter drill By THOMAS HUITT-JOHNSON News-Press Now Northwest Missouri State is planning an active-shooter exercise this weekend to help stu- dents better understand what to do in certain cir- cumstances. Chief of Police Clar- ence Green said prepa- ration for situations like a shooter on campus is important. Green added this will be a great pro- fessional-based learn- ing experience because they also will have a live classroom. Students from jour- nalism and mass media departments will be cov- ering the event.

been doing these training for years, and always in- volved Green said. really ex- panded our journalism and our media depart- ment to do live inter- views, as well as to do Lawmakers consider election reform By MARK ZINN News-Press Now As a lull develops in be- tween elections, lawmakers in Jefferson City are consider- ing several measures aimed at reforming certain aspects of election system. State Rep. Pat Conway, D-St. Joseph, has sponsored two separate election-relat- ed pieces of legislation.

One looks to loosen requirements that are currently in place for absentee voting, but the measure has yet to be as- signed to committee and will likely fall at in the Republi- can-controlled legislature. Another would force the state to chip in for the costs of elections when state of- ceholders are on the ballot. Currently, local election au- thorities front the entire bill. The latter bill seems to have more legs than ab- sentee legislation: it passed out of committee last week in a landslide with bipartisan support. House Bill 777, sponsored by Rep.

Jim Neely, R-Cameron, Couple charged with neglect By MARSHALL WHITE News-Press Now SAVANNAH, Mo. An An- drew County couple appeared in court on neglect and endan- germent charges Tuesday after four children were found walk- ing on a state highway at night. Brian L. Eaton, 52, and Jenna L. Eaton, 28, appeared before Andrew County As- sociate Circuit Judge Michael Ordnung.

Both parents are free after each posted a $30,000 surety bond. The parents, both of whom are employed, can have no contact with the children and are under house arrest. They appeared Tues- day with their St. Joseph at- torney, James Nadolski. Jenna L.

Eaton Brian L. Eaton Please see Page B4 Please see Page B4 Please see Page B4 Please see Page B4 been doing these trainings for years, and always involved students. CLARENCE GREEN, Northwest Missouri State University Chief of Police Please see Page B3.