By Jenna Wilson After more than seven years serving as the executive director at Pivotal Point Transitional Housing, Melissa Frakes has announced her plans to retire later this year. Pivotal Point Transitional Housing helps families and individuals overcome homelessness. Under her leadership, the organization has transformed into one that offers hope and positively impacts the
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By NewsPress Now The long-serving leader of a nonprofit that promotes the interests of eight government and community organizations will now work directly for just one. Tama Wagner was named earlier this month as chief assistant for strategic initiatives, a member of the president’s cabinet at Missouri Western State University. In this role, the university
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By Chris Fortune A potential multi-million-dollar project to revive a South St. Joseph landmark may not prevent the same issues that led to its decay from rising again. Buchanan County is considering a project to dredge Lake Contrary, and it would carry an estimated $7-9 million price tag. Many residents in St. Joseph, especially those
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By Chris Fortune As the Buchanan County Commissioners continue to secure permits for a potential dredging project, many residents are supportive of the plan. Longtime residents of St. Joseph remember Lake Contrary as a community asset where they could go to the beach and spend time with friends on the water. The nostalgia and a
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By Riley Funk Outages and unreliable service can present challenges for those who rely on consistent internet for work or school, but local businesses and community hubs can help bridge the gap when interruptions happen. Several public spots, like the Downtown branch of the St. Joseph Public Library, offer free Wi-Fi for guests. Jen Wildhagen,
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By NewsPress Now Marriage applications Daniel William Bennett IV, 32, and Keri Renee Ellis, 34, both of St. Joseph. Colby Chad Burns, 25, and McKenize Jo Woosley, 23, both of Amazonia, Missouri. James E. Artis Bey, 48, and Mercedes Ashly Nicole Lona, 31, both of St. Joseph. Armando Jose Mendoza Jr., 27, and Megan Lynn
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By NewsPress Now April 19 — Vidao LLC to Kelsie Heckel, Country Squire 3rd Plat Tract 7 LT 2 Blk 35. April 19 — Kelsie Heckel to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc., Country Squire 3rd Plat Tract 7 LT 2 Blk 35 $152,000. April 19 — Brian Munsell, Emily Musell to Brian Munsell & Emily
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By NewsPress Now Arrests reported from April 18 to April 22 Samuel D. Cornell, 34, no address provided, city charges for obstruction of police duties and trespass. Daniel J. Fitzmier, 31, 23858 St. Highway C. Highway, warrant for failure to appear in court. Michael David Orr., 50, 1911 Savannah Ave., warrant for failure to appear
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By NewsPress Now Thefts reported from April 15 to April 22 302 N. 3rd St., burglary at residence/home. 5009 Cheyenne Rd., items stolen at highway/road/alley. 1013 Riverview Dr., items stolen at parking lot/garage. 2018 S. Belt Highway, items stolen at parking lot/garage. 1602 Brookside Dr., vehicle theft at residence/home. 1112 Ashland Ave., vehicle theft at
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By Riley Funk Two area country clubs are finding success after new leadership helped revitalize their facilities in much-needed ways. Moila Country Club was facing a tough situation on multiple fronts in 2020. GreatLIFE KC was transitioning out of managing the course, and the COVID-19 pandemic presented new challenges. Moila’s golf course closed in 2020
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By Marcus Clem With state oversight looming, classroom attendance rates are raising questions about the future of the St. Joseph School District. The worsening problem of local school attendance is a crisis of troubling timing because while the warmth of spring usually causes kids to show up at higher rates, the opposite is happening now.
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By Marcus Clem With state oversight looming, classroom attendance rates are raising questions about the future of the St. Joseph School District. The worsening problem of local school attendance is a crisis of troubling timing because while the warmth of spring usually causes kids to show up at higher rates, the opposite is happening now.
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By Marcus Clem St. Joseph’s hometown university will, like most of its peers, increase the cost of education as it responds to national and local pressures on its finances, officials decided Thursday. The Missouri Western Board of Governors met to, among other matters, approve the budget for Fiscal Year 2025, which begins July 1. As
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By Chris Fortune The annual Crime Victim Memorial gave families the opportunity to honor their loved ones and bond with others who have shared a similar experience. During National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, the Buchanan County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office held a memorial ceremony at the Remington Nature Center. “They can come (here) besides going to
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By Jazmine Knight A nonprofit aimed at rehabilitating houses in need of fixing up for first-time buyers celebrated the ribbon-cutting of its first completed property. Housing Improvement Initiative recently celebrated its first project, a property at 417 A St., going on the market. The three-bedroom, one-bathroom house was originally purchased in 2023 with various structural
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By Marcus Clem In backing President Joe Biden’s request for military aid for Ukraine after months of delays, Congress saw Democrats unified, but regional Republicans had different policy preferences. U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, the Republican who represents St. Joseph and all of northern Missouri, voted in favor of H.R. 8035, worth more than $61 billion
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By Riley Funk The QuikTrip project is rolling forward in St. Joseph, with construction set to begin this summer. A representative for the convenience store told News-Press NOW that things are going according to plan. “We are on track to open the location with no delays. The start of the construction will take place in
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By Riley Funk The city is hoping a more active presence online and on social media will increase awareness and bring in new applicants for boards and committees. There will be eight board or committee vacancies in June and another in July. Those interested in applying for boards can fill out a form on the
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By Marcus Clem A leading nonprofit on policy for Show Me State public education agencies has an ongoing role in the governance of local schools, and also helps elected board members govern themselves. Kim Miller is now serving as the official delegate for the Missouri School Boards Association. As one of several hundred delegates, each
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By Kyle Schmidt Those looking for a career in law enforcement will have a chance to find out if it’s right for them, as the police department is hosting new-hire testing dates this month. The St. Joseph Police Department hosted its first testing date on Monday morning, and will host additional testing on April 24
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By Riley Funk Many parks facilities will soon see various renovations, including restroom upgrades, to modernize and enhance accessibility for visitors. The project will use $420,275 in Capital Improvements Program sales tax funds and $381,127 in parks sales tax funding to complete the work, making the total project cost $801,402. The CIP funding will go
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By Kendra Simpson At approximately 2 a.m. Sunday morning, there was a structure fire in the area of 1300 Francis Street. Approximately 24 residents lived in the building. According to the St. Joseph Fire Department, three were taken to Mosaic, and one is known to have critical injuries. News Press NOW will continue to update
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By Charles Christian St. Joseph Christian School is undergoing an expansion project — one expected to cost more than $9 million — that will bring several building upgrades, including a new gymnasium. The project is called Nehemiah 2.0, and in addition to a new gym, it will add five classrooms, locker rooms, a commons, a
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By Chris Fortune Visits to the local clinic will be more efficient after upgrades to its record-keeping. The St. Joseph Health Department clinic’s transition to electronic medical records began this week. Typically, each visitor received a new paper chart when they came to the clinic, which presented issues with continuity of care if a patient
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By Marcus Clem Local students Patrick Rivas-Giorgi, Michael Tang and Claire Phillips are well accustomed to high academic achievements by now, but to be a part of a group of only 100 graduating seniors recognized as elite in Missouri is a new honor. Rivas-Giorgi and Tang, who go to Central High School, and Phillips, who
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By Kirsten Stokes The YWCA is raising funds and accepting reservations for its annual event to honor impactful women in the community. The 23rd annual Women of Excellence Awards Luncheon, themed S.E.T for Success: Support, Engage, Thrive, will take place at 11:30 a.m. on June 6 at the Civic Arena. The event will feature guest
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By Charles Christian As underage drinking remains a prevalent issue across the U.S., local experts are urging parents to have open conversations with their kids about the potential dangers. According to the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health, about one in five middle school students report having had at least one drink in
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By NewsPress Now (StatePoint) Shopping for groceries can be like navigating a maze: so many choices in every aisle, food packages covered in marketing claims and little direction on what is truly healthy and what isn’t. People want to make healthy choices for themselves and their families, but how can they when the information available
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By NewsPress Now An outage that began Tuesday persists for some United Fiber customers, who are now going on four days of service interruptions. United Fiber CEO Jim Bagley posted a new update Friday, apologizing multiple times for the inconvenience. “We are working diligently to get you back up and running,” Bagley said. He said
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By Marcus Clem Kim and Steven Dragoo have been sentenced to serve 14 days each in jail for a misdemeanor offense on Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol. According to court filings, Judge Beryl A. Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia passed a sentence that will require the Dragoos
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