Conservation groups celebrating Idaho state insect through the month of September

KIFI on September 4, 2025

Sam Ross

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– The Portneuf Pollinator Partnership and Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust are highlighting the Monarch Butterfly, Idaho’s official state insect, in September when the bugs make their migratory trip through Southeast Idaho to winter in California.

Monarch Butterflies are important parts of Idaho’s ecosystem, acting as pollinators for native plant species and agriculture. However, Monarch populations west of the Rocky Mountains have declined as much as 95% over the past 20 years due to pesticide use, urban expansion, and climate change.

Local conservation groups are partnering to bring awareness to the importance of the insects and help people make Idaho more livable for Monarch populations.

“We want to do everything that we can to help protect this species and help them thrive,” said Carly Flandro, community conservation, communications, and marketing coordinator for the Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust. “Every person in Idaho can do that in really simple ways: in their own yard, they can plant milkweed, and milkweed is a really important species because it’s the host plant for monarch caterpillars. It’s the only plant that monarchs lay their eggs on, so it’s essential to their survival.”

The Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust and Portneuf Pollinator Partnership will set up at the Portneuf Valley Farmers Market on Saturday, September 6, where they will hand out free packets of native milkweed seeds for people to plant Monarch way stations in their own yards.

The conservation groups will be at the farmers market at Lookout Point in Pocatello from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, you can visit the Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust website.

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SEICAA making fundraising push to support essential local programs through the end of the year

KIFI on September 4, 2025

Sam Ross

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– The Southeastern Idaho Community Action Agency (SIECAA) is making a final fundraising push through their ‘Hand Up’ donation campaign through the last few months of 2025.

SEICAA is a non-profit organization with dozens of local programs for people in need, including affordable housing, energy bill assistance, free clothing closets, Meals on Wheels, and more.

Through their Hands Up campaign, SEICAA is asking people to help them raise $50,000 by the end of the year to support their many programs.

“We truly believe that the hard-working people of southeast Idaho just need a little hand up right now,” said Joe Borich, CEO of SEICAA. “This campaign is going to serve all of our programs, and this is going to be able to help all of those people and this money that is raised is going to go directly back into the communities.”

SEICAA has currently raised $11,000 of their $50,000 goal. To donate to the campaign or for more information, you can visit the SEICAA website.

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Family of woman killed in Highway 63 crash sues Jeep manufacturer, driver for wrongful death

KMIZ on September 4, 2025

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The family of a woman killed in a crash on Highway 63 claims the manufacturer of Jeep failed to install safety features that could have prevented the deadly collision.

The family of Ashley Apel filed the wrongful death lawsuit in Boone County court on Wednesday against FCA USA and Stellantis. The lawsuit claims the crash was caused by defective equipment in the Jeep that hit Apel’s vehicle.

The petition accuses FCA and Stellantis of strict liability and negligence in Apel’s death, as well as negligence by Garrett Hunt, of Higbee, the driver of the Jeep.

Apel was one  one of the three people who died in the Jan. 23 crash that occurred near Breedlove Drive. The vehicle was stopped in traffic because of another crash when a Jeep rear-ended it, killing her. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report.

Summons were issued for the defendants on Wednesday. Apel was a teacher at the Moberly School District. Other teachers were also injured in the crash, the school district said earlier this year.

Hunt is also facing criminal charges for his role in the crash, including illegally using an electronic device in a crash that resulted in a death and two misdemeanors: Reckless driving and illegally using an electronic device in a crash where someone was seriously injured. A hearing is scheduled in that case for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14.

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Gatewood announces candidacy for Missouri House

News-Press NOW on September 4, 2025

News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Marine Corps veteran and retired St. Joseph police detective Paul Gatewood has announced his candidacy for the District 10 seat in the Missouri House of Representatives.

Gatewood will appear on the Republican ballot. He will bid to replace the current District 10 representative, Bill Falkner. Falkner faces term limits and will leave the House after the next session.

“Politics was never in the forecast for me,” Gatewood said. “However, I am increasingly concerned about what kind of future my children and grandchildren are inheriting. I want to ensure that Missouri remains a place of opportunity and prosperity under the guidance of traditional American values.”

Currently, Gatewood serves as the Evidence Unit Manager for the SJPD. He said he staunchly opposes any efforts to “defund the police,” and promises to work hard to ensure police departments and sheriffs’ offices across the state are well-equipped.

In addition to coaching youth sports, Gatewood has also volunteered as chairman of the Joint Veterans Committee and serves on the St. Joseph Museums Board.

“Being involved in local activities is both a pleasure and a calling,” he said. “I believe those who are blessed are to bless others—and I have been so blessed to be a father of eight wonderful children and a grandfather of nine grandkids.”

Thus far, the 10th District race has drawn plenty of interest. Earlier this year, Republican Skylar Smith and Democrat LaTonya Williams announced their candidacies.

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University of Missouri breaks ground on two new MURR additions

KMIZ on September 4, 2025

Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

University of Missouri leaders gathered Thursday to announce the groundbreaking for two new additions to the University of Missouri Research Reactor facility.

The UM Board of Curators approved the additions in its April 2024 meeting.

The first addition will include 11,200 square feet and house three production lines for making FDA-approved lutetium-177. The second addition will be 17,900 square feet and provide space for storage and support functions for the API production lines.

Lutetium-177 is an active pharmaceutical ingredient used in cancer-fighting drugs. University officials say these new additions will greatly increase the number of medical doses available for patients around the world.

“The University of Missouri is the only producer of Lutetium-177 in the nation, and we are treating hundreds of thousands of patients per year,” MURR Executive Director Matt Sanford.

Mike Mangano, president of ABK Biomedical a MURR partner, spoke at the ground-breaking ceremony about the impacts already being seen in clinical trials of the drugs being made at the facility.

“Our third patient just had a liver transplant last week and so we have at least three patients that are completely cured of cancer,” Mangano said.

The drugs being made at the MURR facility aren’t just for liver cancer. MURR is the only source in the United States for four medical radioisotopes used to treat more than a dozen types of cancers

“We use it for all kinds of cancers, particularly for our company, bone cancer has been one of those. We’re doing a lot of work now in pancreatic cancer in these areas,” Steve Ellebracht, of IsoTherapeutics, said.

Dale Klein, a former commissioner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said the new additions will help define the future of nuclear science.

“Future engineers, radio chemists, medical researchers and regulatory leaders. Every time a student stands at the console of the reactor or works in the labs, they’re taking part in a tradition of excellence that spans decades,” Klein said.

UM System President Mun Choi said that the university projects the new additions will bring thousands of jobs to the region.

“With our current capabilities and facilities we have about 300 people that work at that facility 24/7. So we want to have a facility that is double the size plus combined that with manufacturing jobs that we’re able to attract with clinical studies that can be done,” Choi said. “Manufacturing plants, logistics distribution center, hospitals that have more capabilities for first-of-a-kind clinical trial that will bring in more economic development to this region.”

Choi said the two new additions discussed at Thursday’s ceremony are industry funded and will cost about $50 million. The university expects them to open within the next two years, according to Choi.

The university is also continuing to plan and design of its MURR Next Gen facility on Discovery Parkway in Columbia, securing $40 million to build another radioisotope facility with that development.

“We’re going to have a tour of the of the manufacturing plant in Korea later this year, which will help us help inform how best to make the design of that reactor,” Choi said.

The university plans to have the MURR Next Gen facility finished within the next eight years. Choi explained their biggest roadblock right now is funding the project. The University is in the thick of raising the funds for the $1 billion bill that comes with the build.

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Indio PD discusses drugs in the community after fentanyl pills found in routine traffic stop

KESQ on September 4, 2025

Kendall Flynn

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – The Indio Police Department has conducted two large drug bust operations within the last week, something they say is necessary for keeping the narcotics and other drugs away from their community. 

Officer Benjamin Moran, also a K9 handler to drug and patrol dog Hoki, said drug have been a large issue in Indio.

“It’s grabbing people, and they’re just getting stuck on that,” Moran said. “And so, we routinely go out to overdoses. We’ve gone out to overdose deaths. You see it on our streets everywhere.”

Tuesday night during a traffic enforcement stop K-9 “Hoki” alerted Officer Moran to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. A ziploc bag containing 246 m30 fentanyl pills we’re located. M30 fentanyl pills are counterfeits, meaning they are made to look like 30 mg oxycodone pills.

Moran and Hoki find narcotics like this on a weekly basis, and he said every traffic stop is necessary to prevent the substance from spreading into the community.

“Our officers are consistently finding drugs, narcotics and other dangerous items in vehicles on what we call or people call routine traffic stops,” Moran said. “Officers have to be proactive to stop this as well.” 

However, Moran said local officers can only do so much without further legislation to stop the crimes from repeating.

“Officers need to be proactive and hit the streets, but additionally, our jails need to house these people,” Moran said. “Our legislatures need to make it more of a crime because if these people aren’t wanting help we can only do our job and take them to the solution, right?”

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear from officers about the concerns with this operations and what the community needs to know.

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Newsom says Trump’s military deployment in Los Angeles cost $120M

KESQ on September 4, 2025

City News Service

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – Taxpayers will cover the $120 million bill for President Donald Trump’s illegal move to federalize the National Guard and put the U.S. Marines on the streets of Los Angeles, Gov. Gavin Newsom claimed today.

With 300 National Guard members still deployed to Los Angeles under what Newsom calls “the guise of protecting federal facilities,” the receipt on what it cost taxpayers adds up to nearly $120 million, according to the governor.

 A U.S. appeals court paused a lower court ruling Thursday that restricted Trump’s use of troops to support federal law enforcement and immigration raids in Los Angeles. The move allows the status quo to continue while the Trump administration appeals the lower court ruling.

The deployment of more than 4,200 National Guard soldiers and 700 Marines cost $71 million for food and other basic necessities, $37 million in payroll, more than $4 million in logistics supplies, $3.5 million in travel and $1.5 million in demobilization costs, which adds up to an estimated $118 million, according to the governor’s office.   

“Let us not forget what this political theater is costing us all — millions of taxpayer dollars down the drain, an atrophy to the readiness of guardsmembers across the nation and unnecessary hardships to the families supporting those troops,” Newsom said in a statement. “Talk about waste, fraud and abuse. We ask other states to do the math themselves.”  

The deployment was ruled illegal by a federal judge Tuesday following a lawsuit brought by Newsom and a resulting three-day trial in San Francisco federal court.

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer determined that the June deployment was in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars most uses of U.S. troops on U.S. soil. The Trump administration filed a notice of appeal Wednesday with the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals.

Breyer’s ruling was based on an 1878 law that prevents federal troops from being used for regular law enforcement activities. The Trump administration has argued that the troops were there to protect federal officers and property and they were not performing local policing duties.  

“The ruling makes clear: Trump is breaking the law by trying to create a national police force with himself as its chief,” according to the governor.

Last month, Newsom’s office filed a federal Freedom of Information Act requesting all documents and records to identify the total expenses incurred to activate the Marines and federalize the National Guard since June 7. While the federal government has not responded to the request, Newsom said, the California National Guard developed the calculations at the request of the governor.

The governor contends that the entire deployment process was rushed, soldiers early on were forced to sleep on the floors and in the open air, use facilities with no functioning plumbing and were often fighting boredom and low morale.

To come to Los Angeles, guardsmembers were pulled off of specialized assignments — including firefighting teams and drug interdiction efforts at ports of entry along the border, Newsom said.

Trump has said he wants to keep guardsmembers in Los Angeles through November. On Tuesday, California filed a request for a preliminary injunction to block the administration’s order to extend the National Guard’s deployment through Election Day.

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City of Santa Barbara Welcomes Michael Arnoldus as New Human Resources Director

KEYT on September 4, 2025

News Channel 3-12

Below is a press release from the City of Santa Barbara regarding its new Human Resources Director, Michael Arnoldus

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The City of Santa Barbara is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Arnoldus as its new Human Resources Director. Arnoldus brings more than two decades of public sector HR leadership to the role and will officially begin his tenure on September 22, 2025.

Arnoldus most recently served as Human Resources Manager for the City of Santa Monica, where he led strategic initiatives in recruitment, organizational design, and employee benefits. Prior to that, he spent 12 years as Director of Employment Services for the Ventura County Community College District, overseeing comprehensive HR operations and workforce programs. He has also held previous human resources roles with the Los Angeles Unified School District and the City of Los Angeles.

“Michael’s deep experience in public sector human resources, combined with his collaborative leadership style, makes him an excellent fit for Santa Barbara,” said City Administrator Kelly McAdoo. “We’re excited to welcome him to our executive team and his strategic mindset and commitment to service excellence will help us continue to grow as an employer of choice.”

Arnoldus holds a master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology from California State University, Long Beach, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University, Fullerton. He also served on the Board of Directors for the Cooperative Organization for the Development of Employee Selection Procedures from 2008 to 2020, including terms as President and Vice President.

“It is an honor to serve as Human Resources Director for the City of Santa Barbara, and I look forward to collaborating with City leadership, employees, and labor partners to continue building a strong and resilient workforce that serves our community with excellence,” said Arnoldus.

As Human Resources Director, Arnoldus will oversee the City’s HR programs, including recruitment and selection, classification and compensation, employee and labor relations, training and development, and benefits administration. He will also serve as a key member of the City’s executive management team, helping to align workforce strategy with organizational goals.

For more information about the City of Santa Barbara Human Resources Department and employment opportunities, visit Human Resources (SantaBarbaraCA.gov/HR).

Traducción al Español:

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – La Ciudad de Santa Bárbara se complace en anunciar el nombramiento de Michael Arnoldus como su nuevo director de Recursos Humanos (Human Resources Director). Arnoldus aporta más de dos décadas de experiencia en liderazgo de recursos humanos en el sector público y asumirá oficialmente sus funciones el 22 de septiembre de 2025.

Más recientemente, Arnoldus se desempeñó como gerente de Recursos Humanos de la Ciudad de Santa Mónica, donde lideró iniciativas estratégicas en reclutamiento, diseño organizacional y beneficios para empleados. Antes de ello, trabajó durante 12 años como director de Servicios de Empleo del Distrito de Colegios Comunitarios del Condado de Ventura, supervisando operaciones integrales de recursos humanos y programas de desarrollo laboral. También ocupó cargos previos en recursos humanos en el Distrito Escolar Unificado de Los Ángeles y en la Ciudad de Los Ángeles.

“La amplia experiencia de Michael en recursos humanos del sector público, junto con su estilo de liderazgo colaborativo, lo convierten en una excelente incorporación para Santa Bárbara”, expresó Kelly McAdoo, administradora municipal (City Administrator). “Estamos muy entusiasmados de darle la bienvenida a nuestro equipo ejecutivo; su visión estratégica y compromiso con la excelencia en el servicio nos permitirán seguir creciendo como un empleador preferido.”

Arnoldus cuenta con una maestría en psicología industrial y organizacional de la Universidad Estatal de California en Long Beach, así como una licenciatura en psicología de la Universidad Estatal de California en Fullerton. Además, formó parte de la Junta Directiva de la Organización Cooperativa para el Desarrollo de Procedimientos de Selección de Empleados de 2008 a 2020, donde ejerció como presidente y vicepresidente.

“Es un honor desempeñarme como director de Recursos Humanos de la Ciudad de Santa Bárbara, y espero con entusiasmo colaborar con el liderazgo municipal, el personal y los socios sindicales para seguir fortaleciendo una fuerza laboral sólida y resiliente que sirva a nuestra comunidad con excelencia”, señaló Arnoldus.

Como director de Recursos Humanos, Arnoldus supervisará los programas de recursos humanos de la Ciudad, incluyendo reclutamiento y selección, clasificación y compensación, relaciones laborales y con los empleados, capacitación y desarrollo, así como la administración de beneficios. También formará parte esencial del equipo ejecutivo de la Ciudad, contribuyendo a alinear la estrategia laboral con los objetivos organizacionales.

Para más información sobre el Departamento de Recursos Humanos de la Ciudad de Santa Bárbara y oportunidades de empleo, visite Recursos Humanos (SantaBarbaraCA.gov/HR).

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Savannah pursues grant for a new aquatic facility

News-Press NOW on September 4, 2025

TaMya Bracy

SAVANNAH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) – With the Savannah Aquatic Center closing down after its final season of being open, both Savannah officials and community members are working to defy the odds and keep hopes high with a new pool.

The Andrew County Aquatics Initiative, a campaigning platform looking to build a new swimming pool in Savannah, is pursuing a $500,000 Land and Water Conservation matching grant from the Missouri State Parks.

The original and existing facility, which was built 61 years ago, was funded by the same grant.

Diane Gould, the pool manager at the current pool location, said even though they will be building a new facility, officials want to keep it in the same location due to nostalgia.

“Our community has had this spot as our summer hangout for so long,” Gould said. “We’d like to kind of keep hold on to that.  It also is accessible to all the kids in town by foot, by bike, and we wanted to make sure that the most as many kids as possible can access it and have a good time here.”

Gould said the pool has been raising money for the last few weeks, and it is already receiving many donations.

“It’s only been a couple of weeks and we are close to $35,000,” Gould said. “We got a really generous donation from Analisa Duncan, who is always a big supporter in our community.  But other than that, it’s really been from a lot of mom and pops and just residents who are wanting to see this happen.”

The pool is hosting an event on Saturday, Sept. 6 to raise more money. Gould said she is hopeful that by the end of Saturday, they will raise $50,000.

“We’re going to spring forth from that guns blazing, and keep finding people who want to make sure that the kids in this town continue to have a place to be in the summer for the next 61 years,” Gould said.

Currently, the pool doesn’t have an idea of what their new facility will look like, but they are hoping to get opinions from the community. Gould said the main priority is for the pool to be sustainable.

“We are going to be able to maintain it and have scheduled repairs and maintenance taken care of,” she said. “We want to make sure that whatever we do stays nice for years.”

Gould also said kids in the community are heartbroken knowing they won’t have a community pool to swim in next year.

“I just sit and think about, ‘What are they going to do if they don’t have this place and how is that going to impact those kids individually as well as the community?'” Gould said.  “So I think I want the kids to know that there are adults in this town who want for them, desperately.  And we’re going to do everything that we can and work as hard as we can to make sure that they get it,” she said.

High school senior Carlton Crumb is on the swim team and he uses the pool for practice. He thinks it’s awesome that the pool is raising money.

“I hope that does happen. I hope we do get a new pool so kids just like me can learn how to swim,” Crumb said. Though that is a foundational ability. And then as well as be on the swim team and  make new friends and build those friendships that will last a lifetime,” he said.

The pool is looking to raise $50,000 by the end of Saturday.

For more information, on where you can donate you can visit their website.

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City Council cancels next meeting for Sept. 15

News-Press NOW on September 4, 2025

Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — City councilmembers will not convene for the next regularly scheduled meeting this September due to a statewide conference in St. Charles, Missouri.

A city council meeting scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 15, has been canceled due to multiple members of City Council and city staff planning to attend the annual Missouri Municipal League Conference.

The conference is being held in St. Charles, Missouri, from Sept. 15 to Sept. 17.

A resolution to cancel the meeting was formally introduced and approved by councilmembers at the July 7 meeting.

The next regularly scheduled City Council meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 29.

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