Welcome to the city of St Joseph's weekly digital newsletter. City Link is your source for timely and relevant information from your local government.
Thursday, April 15, 2021
CARES Act and American Rescue Act Funds

The city of St. Joseph has been awarded CARES Act Funds and American Rescue Act Funds to assist with the recovery efforts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each type of funding has requirements and restrictions for those who can apply for the assistance. For questions or concerns about the funding or application process, please contact the Planning and Community Development Department at 271-4827.
Dangers of Youth Vaping

Youth use of e-cigarettes, also known as vaping, remains a public health crisis. More than 3.6 million U.S. youth are using e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among both middle and high school students. Compared to 2019, 1.8 million fewer U.S. youth are currently using e-cigarettes. However, due to alarming increases since 2011, the number of current youth e-cigarette users remains concerningly high.

E-cigarettes come in a variety of shapes and sizes and may not look like a tobacco product, which can make them hard to spot. Some devices popular among teens are as small as a USB flash drive and even look like one.
 
Certain products emit very low amounts of aerosol or “vapor,” which makes them easier to use discreetly than combustible cigarettes. Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, the same highly addictive drug in cigarettes. Some e-cigarettes may contain as much nicotine as a pack of 20 regular cigarettes

There is an urgent need to share quitting resources with teens who are addicted to e-cigarettes. Ways to quit:

What's New at Remington Nature Center

In May 2020, the Remington Nature Center received a $5,000 CARES Act grant through the Missouri Humanities Council to re-design the Children’s Area into a Live Animal Room, primarily showcasing the snakes currently at the facility. As part of the renovation, the room was re-painted, new tanks were purchased, and new shelves were constructed by Josh Swindler and installed by parks maintenance staff. Staff was also able to use a 240-gallon aquarium donated to the nature center in 2019 from another city department.

One of the nature center staff members, Lauren Koester, is a very talented artist and she is painting small vignettes throughout the room which depicts reptiles and amphibians native to Missouri. Now, not only will all but one of our snakes be on display for everyone to enjoy and learn about, the room will also feature Yellow-bellied slider turtles and Pacman frogs. Staff plans to have the room open for visitors next month.

Once the live animal display is complete, staff will turn their attention to an area currently known as the Artifact Room. In 2019, many of the Native American items, which were on loan for display, were returned to the owner at their request. Since this is the location of the bison display, the decision has been made to turn this area into the Prairie Room. One wall will be painted as a life-size mural depicting the native prairie plants which were common in this area before it was settled. It will also include various animal mounts and plant specimens to further illustrate what this area looked like before the founding of St. Joseph. The opening for this area is yet to be determined.
Strategies to Prevent Overdose Deaths

Opioid overdose continues to be a major public health problem in the United States. It has contributed significantly...read more
Show Me Your Roots Tree Planting

Join the Parks, Recreation and Civic Facilities Department on Saturday, April 24, from 2-4pm at Hyde Park to celebrate Missouri's Bicentennial! To commemorate the milestone for the state, come out to help plant two native trees in the park. One of the trees to be planted is an oak sapling from the Mark Twain liberty tree from right here in Missouri. There will be activities for people of all ages spread out safely throughout the park and an ice cream truck will also be making a stop by. This event is part of the efforts of the Missouri Parks and Recreation Association (MPRA) to plant 200 native trees across the state in April.
(816) 271-5300