Month: October 2025

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Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Millions of Americans could lose access to essential food assistance in November as the federal shutdown drags on. That number includes more than 700,000 Missourians.

The Food and Nutrition Service has directed state agencies to pause the distribution of November 2025 SNAP benefits, which are fully funded by the federal government. However, the Missouri Department of Social Services said it will continue to accept and process new SNAP applications, reported changes, and mid-certifications as normal, according to its website.

Agriculture Secretary, Brooke Rollins, said the food stamp program will run out in two weeks.

“So you’re talking about millions and millions of vulnerable families, of hungry families that are not going to have access to these programs because of this shutdown,” Rollins said in a CNN reporting.

SNAP, the nation’s largest anti-hunger program, has a contingency fund of roughly $6 billion, short of the $8 billion needed to cover November benefits. The USDA’s shutdown plan states that multi-year contingency funds are available to help provide benefits during a funding lapse.

According to MDSS, Missouri households receive $1.7 billion in food assistance annually, with an average of 717,668 monthly recipients.

About 35% of Columbia residents live in low-income households. This group includes many working individuals whose earnings are above the poverty line but still not enough to cover basic needs, leaving them reliant on social services for support.

About 14% of Columbia residents live in extreme poverty, meaning their household income is less than half of the federal poverty line, according to a 2021 report from the City of Columbia.

Cheryl Landry, a Columbia resident of 15 years, said the shutdown is already affecting her. Landry is on several federal government assistance programs.

“I’m a senior citizen, I’m a cancer patient and by cutting all these personnel, especially the CDC and the Department of Health, they’re taking away hope from cancer patients,” Landry said.

Landry said on top of the added stress, the cut to SNAP is worrisome to think about.

I’m worried about that,” Landry said. “I literally won’t be able to live if I lose my SNAP benefits. They don’t care they’re billionaires and from the look of them, they’re not missing a meal.”

For now, Landry said she plans to rely on food she has stored in her pantry and freezer, which should last about a month and a half, before turning to her church and family for help.

Another Columbia resident, Jekheisia Cole, said the shutdown has put a strain on her household as well.

“Financially, it’s affecting us. Organizations that can normally help are unable to help, so that affects us. My mother is disabled, so a lot of the places that normally help aren’t given the help,” Cole said. “So, it’s harder on everyone because I look out for her and as a result, the state, or normally the government will look out for her but there’s nobody to do that now so it’ a little harder.”

Feeding Missouri’s Director of Advocacy and Communication Kim Buckman previously told ABC 17 News that families would start to feel disruptions

“The concern is, if it stretches into November, when the USDA can’t obligate new funds, that’s when families could start to feel the disruptions. That’s when food banks will start to see more demand and overflow,” Buckman said.

According to the City of Columbia’s 2025 Fiscal Year Budgeting report, there are 2,131 families in poverty in the city, 3,068 in Boone County, and 131,020 families in the state.

Jennifer Shedosky, a Columbia resident who works in the medical field, said she is already seeing patients worry about their future.

“I see a lot of people being confused about their health care and not having a place to go. Many workers are unable to answer the question of people that have issues that need to be dealt with today,” Shedosky said.

She added that the potential loss of food assistance could be devastating.

“I think that’s horrific. There’s people struggling hard enough as it is. We’ve barely made it out of COVID and now we’ve got all of this hitting us, and I think it’s a lot of broken promises on the part of our government leaving people suffering,” Shedosky said.

According to the Department of Social Services, the USDA will continue to share updates with Missouri as new information emerges.

Meanwhile, residents are simply hoping the shutdown ends soon.

“My hope is that Trump gets off his high horse and treats us like we’re humans instead of you know a number. We’re humans, we’re not numbers,” Cole said.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A Community Safety Fair, courtesy of the City of St. Joseph, will be offered for residents in the College Hill Park neighborhood over the weekend.

The new safety initiative aims to lower crime, improve the appearance of the neighborhood and the livability for residents.

The first area chosen in the new initiative is the College Hill Park neighborhood with boundaries of North 9th Street and Mount Mora Road on the west and east, and Lincoln Street and Frederick Avenue on the north and south.

The Fair will take place from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25 in College Hill Park, located at 12th and Henry streets.

The Fair will also include the city’s police, fire, health, planning and community development and public works departments, along with the American Red Cross and the Family Guidance Center.

Dumpsters will be made available to get rid of unwanted items. Free smoke detectors and batteries will be made available, donated by Home Depot and Shelter Insurance Matt Cathey and John Anderson.

Information on health vaccines, WIC services and microchips for pets will also be available. An ice cream truck will also be on hand for visitors to enjoy. Residents will be able to talk with city staff in a non-enforcement setting.

The city’s public works department will help pick up items that College Hill Park residents are unable to transport to the dumpster site.

Those requesting assistance should email crimeprevention@stjosephmo.gov by 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24, and are asked to have items to be picked placed next to the curb in front of their homes by noon on Saturday, Oct. 25.

The College Hill Park neighborhood was selected as the first focus of the new initiative based on crime and code violation data.

Staff from the police department and codes division have walked through the area together to identify concerns and look for ways to address them.

An increased law enforcement presence has been added, parking enforcement has been stepped up and code officers have identified areas in need of cleaning and week abatement, along with any vacant buildings that should be secured or potentially moved toward demolition, according to a City of St. Joseph press release.

A second neighborhood will be chosen in the spring for the next phase of the initiative, while efforts in College Hill Park will remain ongoing. A second Community Safety Fair also will be planned in that area.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Parks officials are set to kick off the next step of a multi-million dollar renovation effort for the 50-year old Bode Ice Arena, starting from top to bottom.

A $588,000 roof and insulation replacement project, funded by Parks Sales Tax funds, is currently on schedule to begin in late November or early December at the popular facility, home for many ice skaters, hockey clubs and community activities.

Opened in 1975, the current roof has numerous areas with large holes and exposed insulation, causing leaks and other challenges for the 30,000-square-foot facility where climate controlled temperatures are critical.

Numerous holes are shown on the southwest corner of the roof inside Bode Ice Arena in St. Joseph.

“If we have the air temperature too high, the surface of the ice tends to want to sweat. It’s not really melting, but it’ll want to sweat,” said Jeff Atkins, St. Joseph Parks and Recreation Director. “Trying to control the humidity in here is a delicate balance and keeping the weather outside is a must. We’ll get all that addressed at the same time.”

In other cases, condensation can build up in the rafters and drip onto the ice, issues he and the department are eager to address with funding from the voter-approved Parks Sales Tax.

The project was initially scheduled as one of the last to occur around 2030, but recent increases in leakage and reshuffling of other projects allowed them to move it up without issue.

“Not only will we be getting a new roof, we’ll be getting an extra layer of insulation too. The (lobby) building will get an entire new roof. The (arena) will be an overlay,” Atkins said.

He said residents and users will still be able to access the arena during normal hours once construction begins. Construction is expected to last through the winter and conclude next spring.

With huge interior upgrades planned for the facility in either 2027 or 2028, including $4.4 million for a brand new ice arena floor and other improvements, Atkins said the timing made sense to carry out roof repairs in advance of both projects.

“This is the original floor has been here for 50 years now, and they’ve only got about a 25 to 30-year lifespan. So we’ve we’ve been on borrowed time,” Atkins said. “When the building is shut down for those two future remodels, we’re going to have a good secure roof on top of them because you hate to come in and do any, renovation work with a leaky roof.”

Unlike the roof replacement project, larger interior upgrades in the future will require the arena to be closed to the public. In addition to St. Joseph, the facility sees users from cities like Kansas City and Des Moines.

In a typical year, over 115,000 people visit the ice arena between July and May, according to city data.

“It’s a very popular facility, not only just to our citizens in Saint Joe,” Atkins said. “It’s just one of the many, many things that drastically needed attention. And without the parks tax, we would still be struggling trying to figure out how are we going to take care of these structures.”

Skaters enjoy an evening session at Bode Ice Arena in October in St. Joseph.

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