Editorials

St. Joseph put its best foot forward this month at the 2025 MSHSAA Girls Volleyball State Championship. The tournament brought 20 teams to a freshly painted Civic Arena in Downtown St. Joseph. In recent years, the city has invested considerable funding into this 45-year-old facility, replacing the scoreboard and making or planning upgrades to seating,

The St. Joseph Board of Education needs to make a decision about the future of public high schools. This decision needs to be based on what’s best for children – not just today but two or three decades from now. The board is under no obligation to appease the Facebook groups or bend to the

Harry S. Truman is remembered for his role in ending World War II and charting the postwar course of containing Communism. But the 33rd president has another, increasingly rare distinction.

You can call Downtown St. Joseph a work in progress. You can call it a phoenix rising from the ashes. But you can’t describe Downtown St. Joseph as the city’s central business district.

State Sen. Rusty Black found himself in the right place at the right time when he was appointed chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Cocooned in Washington, political elites aren’t ready for the answer. In the middle of America, your average blue-collar worker, teacher or retiree doesn’t see a Republican shutdown or a Democratic shutdown.

Are public schools in their current shape because of declining enrollment, or is enrollment falling because of the condition of the schools?

At this point, we don’t know how often license plate readers are used or if the technology even belonged to the SJPD in this particular case. The vehicle was tracked in Andrew County.

Groundhog Day occurs every February, but November might be the month that leaves voters with a creeping sense of deja vu.

At 7:46 a.m. (Central time), Americans paused on Thursday to remember the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. From New York City to St. Joseph, ceremonies struck the right tone of somber reflection and “never-again” defiance.

But St. Joseph has something – something significant – that most small or mid-sized communities can’t claim. St. Joseph is home to a School of Medicine – unique learning model specifically tailored for the health care needs of rural communities.

A wise voice once said that the opposite of love isn’t hate. It’s apathy. If that’s true, then perhaps the St. Joseph Board of Education can find something redeeming in a “special” meeting called to discuss a potential change in board leadership. Getting people off the couch is half the battle, even if the 90-minute

For Missouri landowners, Grain Belt Express appeared to be an unstoppable force.

It’s about time we ended tax credits for EVs and let automakers figure out a way to make them less expensive.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — In a radio interview, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas threw cold water on the excitement leading up to Chiefs training camp this time of year. “The Chiefs have made it clear they aren’t returning to St. Joseph for training camp,” Lucas told KCMO talk radio. This was an odd

At the most recent St. Joseph School District Board of Education meeting, another alternative to shaving the district’s high schools down to two was presented.

These are difficult days for higher education. The Trump administration wages war on elite universities and takes the economically reckless stance of restricting international students. When budgets get tight, state governments fail to support public colleges and universities. As costs rise, families re-evaluate the value of a college degree. Facing a “demographic cliff,” institutions compete

When asked about dredging Lake Contrary, Buchanan County Presiding Commissioner Scott Nelson made an interesting comment to a News-Press NOW reporter.

Just days before his retirement, Superintendent Gabe Edgar is scheduled to present a long-range plan to the St. Joseph Board of Education. If approved, this plan would eventually leave the St. Joseph School District with just two high schools. Benton becomes a middle school, while Central and Lafayette remain the city’s two public high schools

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — You could see the logic of Gov. Mike Kehoe’s decision to expand the agenda of a special legislative session beyond the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals. Throw in disaster relief for St. Louis tornado victims and $50 million for University of Missouri research and there’s something for the entire

In the weeks leading up to Memorial Day, U.S. Rep. Sam Graves issued “straight talk” newsletters on his support for law enforcement and his opposition to government waste. He praised the “big, beautiful tax cut bill,” called for a more secure border and requested investigation into cancer cases at a local school. There’s no harm

The road to government waste is paved with good intentions. No one ever says, ‘let’s build a giant hole and bury $6 million in taxpayer money.” At least not out loud. The waste part only becomes apparent after years of cost overruns and a limited return on investment. It turns out the bridge really does

Following a thumping at the polls, the St. Joseph School District is all ears. There’s no harm in asking what went wrong after 53% of voters rejected a $157 million bond proposal to build a new high school south of U.S. Highway 36. The district, in a survey posted on social media, seeks feedback on

As the Air Guard goes, so goes St. Joseph. This isn’t mere hyperbole. The 139th Airlift Wing has grown into a top 5 employer in St. Joseph with a $215 million economic impact in fiscal year 2024. With so much talk of job creation, it’s easy to forget the Wing’s primary mission is delivery of military