Month: October 2025

Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — St. Joseph’s sports landscape is set to welcome a premier Division II basketball tournament to the Civic Arena for the first time beginning in 2027.

League officials with the Great Lakes Valley Conference announced Wednesday it will be moving the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship Tournaments to St. Joseph, Missouri, for a three-year period from 2027 to 2029.

The tournament has been held for the last three years at Lindenwood University’s Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Missouri. The 2026 contest will be held at University of St. Louis’ Mark Twain Building before relocating to St. Joseph.

“We are looking forward to showcasing the talents of the student-athletes from 16 teams to a new neutral site venue for the GLVC,” GLVC Commissioner Jim Naumovich said in a press release Wednesday. “The St. Joseph community and the Sports Commission have a long history of supporting post-season basketball events and we believe playing in Civic Arena with the local fan interest will be a significant championship enhancement for all the participating teams.”

The announcement marks another significant agreement for the city, which has hosted multiple NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championships, including the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Elite Eight & National Championship in 2024.

Capable of accommodating 3,800 fans in the spectator seating area, St. Joseph’s Civic Arena has undergone a complete transformation in recent years with close to $12 million in renovations, from new seating, lighting and scoreboards to restrooms, locker rooms, HVAC and paint work.

All 14 GLVC tournament games will be streamed live on the GLVC Sports Network according to a press release from league officials. Games can be viewed on GLVCSN.com or GLVCSN apps available on Android and iOS mobile devices, as well as platforms on Roku, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV.

“We are absolutely thrilled for the opportunity to partner with the GLVC and their confidence in us to help create a championship experience here in St. Joseph,” said Brett Esely, the Executive Director of the St. Joseph Sports Commission. “We’ve had the good fortune of hosting many high magnitude events over the past few years and feel our expertise in this area will be a great fit as the new home of the GLVC Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championships moving forward!”

The Great Lakes Valley Conference member institutions include:

Drury University Panthers – Springfield, Missouri

University of Illinois-Springfield Prairie Stars – Springfield, Illinois

University of Indianapolis Greyhounds – Indianapolis, Indiana

Lewis University Flyers – Romeoville, Illinois

Lincoln University Blue Tigers – Jefferson City, Missouri

Maryville University Saints – Town and Country, Missouri

McKendree University Bearcats – Lebanon, Illinois

Missouri S & T Miners – Rolla, Missouri

University of Missouri-St. Louis Tritons – St. Louis, Missouri

Quincy University Hawks – Quincy, Illinois

Rockhurst University Hawks – Kansas City, Missouri

Southwest Baptist University Bearcats – Bolivar, Missouri

Truman State University Bulldogs – Kirksville, Missouri

Upper Iowa University Peacocks – Fayette, Iowa

William Jewell College Cardinals – Liberty, Missouri

Future championship dates include:

March 4 to March 7, 2027

March 2 to March 5, 2028

March 1 to March 4, 2029

Click here to follow the original article.

News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph School District Board of Education will hold a district reorganization public hearing to discuss options for its facility reconsolidation.

After multiple options were presented to convert SJSD into a two-high school model, the administration is now focusing on two:

Lafayette and Central High Schools

Benton/Hyde and Central model

Other alternative options considered in reconsolidation discussions were a Benton and Lafayette model and a one-school Central model.

SJSD ruled out the Benton/Lafayette model due to insufficient capacity, the requirement of major conditions and parking concerns.

The total optimum capacity of the Benton/Lafayette model would be 2,134, compared to the total of 2,878 high school students in the district.

For the one-school Central model, the high school’s total maximum capacity is 1,732, which would not support the 2,878 high school students. Its solo use would require major additions and would be considered the largest high school in the state, with almost 500 more students than Blue Springs High School.

According to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, SJSD’s K-12 enrollment rate was 10,156 during the 2023-2024 school year. The number is down from 10,732 during the 2019-2020 school year.

The infographic explains the options discussed and how SJSD came to their “possible action” decisions. Courtesy of SJSD.

According to the SJSD School Board Policy Manual, the board may permanently or temporarily close, consolidate or reorganize a school for any of the reasons below:

Efficiency- enrollment has declined, or the space in the facilities isn’t being used efficiently.

Physical condition of building- if the physical condition makes continued operation of the site cost-prohibitive or continued occupancy is unsafe.

Alternative use of school facilities- the board may close a school to use its facilities for other programmatic or educational purposes.

Change in education focuses- closure, consolidation or reorganization may be necessary to address educational needs, such as implementing new curricula or programs.

When it comes to SJSD’s process for school closings, consolidations and reorganizations, the BOE will convene a hearing, or a series of hearings, to get public comment.

During the public comment period, the BOE will allow three minutes for each speaker; no individual will be permitted to speak more than once during this period, discussion will be limited to facilities and district reorganization and all speakers must provide their names and address before speaking.

The district reorganization public hearing will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 13, at Benton High School.

Click here to follow the original article.

Payton Counts

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The federal government has been shut down for more than a week, which means essential workers like TSA agents, National Weather Service employees and air traffic controllers are still on the job, but without pay.

On Tuesday, Oct. 7, multiple reports indicated some air traffic control rooms were forced to close due to staffing issues, leading to flight delays.

CNN reported operations in Nashville were shut down for up to five hours after an increased number of controllers called out sick. The Memphis Regional Air Route Traffic Control Center helped manage the situation.

Sean Northern, a chief private pilot, explained what that can mean for everyday flying and planning.

“Our objective is to go to Austin, Texas, but if we can’t get into Austin, Texas, for whatever reason, we always plan for a backup.”

Delays can occur for a variety of reasons, including weather, low ceilings, computer issues and airplane maintenance. The FAA does maintain an active website showing which airports are experiencing delays and the reasons behind them.

Statewide and regionally, there have been no reports of delays due to air traffic controller staffing.

Mike Parks, the airport manager of Columbia Regional Airport (COU), said on Wednesday, Oct. 8, that operations there remain normal.

“Currently, we have flights out of Columbia that go to Chicago, Dallas and Denver,” Parks said. “At this point in time, we have not seen any impacts, locally for our flights out of Columbia.”

Kansas City International Airport (KMCI) also reports it has not experienced any disruptions.

Kansas City Public Information Officer Jackson Overstreet provided a statement on Tuesday, Oct. 8, regarding operations at KMCI.

“Aviation staff are committed to ensuring the continued safety of any passengers that fly through during the shutdown’s duration. Aviation leadership are in conversation with federal partners over staffing and how that may impact air travel,” Overstreet said in a statement. “So far, the FAA has not expressed concerns with employees not showing up for work, but due to unknown length of the shutdown, MCI is preparing for any possibilities.”

According to the statement, KMCI and the Kansas City Downtown Airport are currently not experiencing any impacts on day-to-day operations. Travelers are encouraged to monitor flight statuses on the airline’s website or www.flykc.com.

Those taking a flight are advised to arrive at the airport at least two hours early for domestic flights and three hours early for international flights.

During the government shutdown, AAA officials recommend arriving even earlier.

“…You may want to extend that out to maybe, you know, three or four hours before domestic flights,” said Nick Chabarria, public affairs senior specialist for AAA.

If the government shutdown continues, there could be growing impacts for both travelers and those who work in the aviation industry.

Click here to follow the original article.