Month: April 2025

Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Egg prices continue to soar in consumer grocery stores across the country, even as wholesale prices decline and bird flu cases are not being found.

The decline in bird flu cases is a positive development, but farms have needed time to sanitize barns and repopulate their flocks.

“The raw product is increased, but then also you’ve got the just a general increase,” Northwest Missouri State agriculture economy professor Billy Brooks said. “It very well could be that stores are looking at this like ‘okay not only has the raw ingredient cost went up, but then we’ve also got to increase the cost of getting those eggs from the facility all the way to the grocery store.'”

The Associated Press reported wholesale prices for eggs didn’t start seeing a decrease until mid-March, leaving little time for the average prices to reset. Additionally grocery stores may not have had the chance to adjust their prices.

In the last month, egg sale records reached new highs, with an average cost of eggs being about $6.23 per dozen, according to Federal Reserve Economic Data.

Local businesses, like the Seventh Street Cafe Downtown, have had to adjust to the new prices by making changes in the way the shop.

“I do some of my shopping at Sam’s (Club) for produce just so that I can pick it,” Seventh Street Cafe Owner Brennon Calvin said. “I noticed that a lot of the times I’d be there, the eggs were gone. You could buy the smaller (cartons), but if you were trying to get the bulk, you couldn’t get the five dozen packs. Because of that, I’ve been buying them in bulk to make sure that I don’t run out when I do need them.”

The average cost of eggs per dozen is currently $4.24 in Missouri and $4.41 in Kansas.

Any relief from the lower batches of bird flu will likely be halted until after Easter on April 20.

Jenna Wilson

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Plans are moving forward for a new fire station on the South Side of St. Joseph. 

Earlier this year, the St. Joseph City Council approved an agreement with Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc., to begin design planning on the new location for Fire Station No. 10, which will cost $4.29 million. 

The St. Joseph Fire Department has narrowed down its choices to three locations for the new station. 

“The architect’s going to help us look at different plots of the identified locations to see what the firehouse would look like and fit and what we could get in that plot,†said Jamey McVicker, SJFD interim fire chief. “That will help us determine where we want to go.†

Officials aren’t disclosing the specific locations under consideration, but they’ve indicated that they’re narrowing in on a particular site, with response time being a key factor influencing where the new station will be placed. 

“Past administration has set us on a good path of our goal of being within every house in our district within four to five minutes,†McVicker said.  

The current Fire Station 10, located at 101 Illinois Ave, is more than a century old and showing significant signs of deterioration, with plaster peeling from both the walls and ceilings. 

While staffing will remain the same, some upgrades with the new fire station include many amenities crews are looking forward to, including a climate-controlled workout facility, sauna for detoxification after fires and larger apparatus bays. 

“It’ll be a huge relief for the city in helping utility bills go down,†firefighter Justin Roarty said. “The way these stations were built, they’re hard to do, hard to control climate-wise wise so they get really hot in the summer and really cold in the winter.†

Mollie Botts said she’s looking forward to the benefits of more privacy as a female firefighter, which can be challenging with how the current station was built. 

“I think all of us will notice the big difference, especially knowing the new station is being designed for engines and not horses like this one was,†Botts said. “Having to share an open bedroom can be a challenge for someone who’s never had to deal with that before, so we’re all anticipating it.†

The department has discussed repurposing the current Fire Station 10, but a final decision on its future use has not yet been made.

Kirsten Stokes

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) â€” The Shakespeare Chateau Guild is highlighting six historic locations for an up-close look at some of St. Joseph’s finest examples of stained glass.

The locations will be featured on a tour, St. Joseph’s Architectural Jewelry: a tour of extraordinary stained glass, from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 27. According to Isobel McGowan, owner and innkeeper of the Shakespeare Chateau Inn Bed & Breakfast, the event invites participants to experience the city’s rich architectural legacy through its vibrant stained-glass windows. 

“Pardon the pun, but it’s to enlighten people on how beautiful and exquisite stained glass, especially historic stained glass, truly is,†McGowan said. “Much of it dates back to the 1880s and 1890s, and it’s really extraordinary.†

The self-guided tour will begin at the Shakespeare Chateau. Participants will receive a booklet with brief histories and highlights of each location.  

The chateau itself boasts the largest number of original stained-glass windows in a Gilded Age mansion anywhere in North America. In recent years, McGowan has worked closely with the Guild to support its nonprofit mission and help preserve the architectural and cultural heritage of St. Joseph. 

The tour will feature six locations — three historic churches and three Gilded Age mansions — each showcasing unique examples of stained glass. Stops include the Robidoux House, the Nunning House, First Presbyterian Church, Christ Episcopal Church and Zion United Church of Christ. 

Robin Goodwin, a coordinator of the event, said the process has been a rewarding effort rooted in community collaboration. 

“We’ve received a lot of help, especially from the Historic Foundation who heads the Jewels home tour in the fall,†Goodwin said. “Those have been wildly successful, and we expect this to be successful as well.  

Advance tickets are $20 and available on the Shakespeare Guild website at shakespearechateauguild.org. In addition, each location will have replicas of the featured stained-glass windows, which can be purchased at $20 each. For more information, call (816) 388-0070.  

Proceeds from the tour will benefit ongoing preservation efforts and future Guild projects that celebrate the architectural gems of St. Joseph. 

“We have a bunch of local sponsors who are helping us out, which is awesome,” Goodwin said. “If anybody would like to help out, we are looking for more volunteers. If you want to be a part of the tour, we would love to have you.”

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