Month: October 2025

Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The City of St. Joseph Parks and Recreation held a public meeting last week regarding the John Lucas Enhancement Project.

Among the topics discussed were improvements to the deck area of the park, updated curbs, railing, playground upgrades and resurfaced basketball courts.

“We sometimes almost have tunnel vision when we’re looking at these types of projects,” Parks Director Jeff Atkins said. “That’s why we like to have the public sessions, to kind of broaden our vision a little bit, cover the things that were missing.”

In showing designs of potential playgrounds, Atkins added that input is wanted from people of all ages.

“To get the opinion of a 5 or 6 year old when you’re designing playgrounds, that’s awesome, right,” Atkins said. “I’m a grandpa. I don’t know what kids want to play on. I think I do, but when you hear it from a kid, that’s when it’s really important.”

Some of the renovations and improvements will be dependent on a $500,000 Land and Water Conservation grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

The grant will be submitted in November but official approval will not be confirmed until November 2026. If approved, construction would not break ground until 2027.

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Alec Pascuzzi

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph Civic Arena is set to become home to another major sporting event.

In 2027, the men’s and women’s Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships (GLVC) will be held at the Civic Arena through 2029.

This is a major step forward for the St. Joseph Sports Commission from a sporting standpoint. But also for the city of St Joseph from an economic point of view.

“You have multiple teams, people coming from multiple states coming in to spend money and spend a lot of money because it is those overnight, hotel dollars that leads to restaurants, that leads to, ‘Hey, this is a once in a lifetime event for us. Let’s make the most of it and do something special’,” said Christian Mengel, director of communications at the St. Joseph Sports Commission.

More information regarding the 2027-2029 GLVC Conference Championships can be found on the St. Joseph Sports Commission’s website.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Local residents will see the first in a new series of magazine-like newsletters delivered to their mailboxes starting this year.

The new 24-page publication, titled “City Connect”, provides residents with the latest information on everything from city operations and services to ongoing construction projects at places like Krug Park.

Copies are currently being printed and bundled in preparation for delivery in the first half of November.

“It’ll go to every mailbox in St. Joe, residential and business. We’re going to make sure and communicate with every single resident and business owner here in St. Joe,” City Manager Mike Schumacher said.

Residents will see two newsletters delivered each year in the spring and fall. No subscriptions or payments are required.

The new initiative is being spearheaded by the city’s Communications and Community Engagement Department, part of a revamped effort to boost communications following feedback from a wide-ranging community survey issued earlier this year.

“One of the greatest things about this effort was each director came up with the content on their page and then kind of pulled their team together (and said) ‘What do you think our customers want to hear more about?'” City Manager Mike Schumacher said. “We look forward to feedback on it.” 

From the latest construction and bridge projects to operations in the city’s major departments, the newsletter gives residents the chance to learn about a number of services and engage with the latest activities.

“A lot of it is talking about the services that we offer. Not everyone knows everything the City of St. Joe offers to this community,” Schumacher said.

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Praji Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Lindbergh Elementary is “turning the page” with encouraging good attendance from students.

The school’s PTA purchased a book vending machine to reward students who show up at least 95% of the time with a new book.

The vending machine will also be used for various other purposes throughout the school year.  

“This is a way to help promote literacy and get more books into their hands every month. They get called down and are given a token so they can use it,” said Ryleigh Nurski, a reading interventionist.

Students can also earn a token on their birthdays, giving them another chance to pick out a brand-new book while helping boost attendance in classrooms.  

“This is the first month that we’ve done it, so we haven’t seen a huge change yet, but we have noticed the kids talking about it, so we are hoping we see a boost in attendance,” Nurski said.  

She added, the program is a win for everyone — families don’t have to spend extra money, and every student still gets the chance to take home a new book.  

“They are all super excited to get to use it. We have lots of kids that haven’t ever used a vending machine before, so they are always excited to use it and get a brand new book,” Nurski said.   

Principal Gary Murphy said the idea behind the machine came from conversations with parents about keeping students more engaged and motivated.  

He said he hopes the vending machine helps students build a love for reading — something he believes is key to being ready for college and future careers.  

“Students and adults both will stop to watch the machine work, and they will be like ‘How does it go? What do you push?’ And students get excited when they walk away with a book which came out of the machine,” Murphy said.  

Murphy said every student at Lindbergh will have a chance to use the machine, whether it’s for their birthday or perfect attendance and credited the PTA for making it all possible through funds raised outside the school budget. 

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Kyle Schmidt

ST. JOSEPH, Mo (News-Press NOW) — Over a week before Missouri Western State University football squared off against Pittsburg State, Ju’Lius Byers was in the middle of his physical therapy when he was met with a surprise.

Byers, who affectionately goes by “JuJu,” was made the honorary captain for the Griffons and signed a national letter of intent during a pregame press conference.

“I feel pretty good,” JuJu said. “Being honorary captain, it’s going to be cool.”

Welcomed by MoWest President Elizabeth Kennedy, Athletic Director Andy Carter and Head Football Coach Tyler Fenwick, Byers had a special Saturday planned as a Griffon.

His family watched as he signed the letter of intent and answered questions in a press conference.

“Feels great, I love my family, they all support me,” Byers said. “They have been praying and they were with me in the hospital.”

One family member, his grandma, Carolyn Winters, shared her reaction to the injury and how she feels now.

“My heart was broken,” Winters said. “My heart is still broken in different ways now that I see his progress. It’s a good hurt.”

Byers walked around Ability KC with a neck brace the first time News-Press NOW saw him. Just over a week later, he walked around MoWest without the brace.

“Feeling good, just some stiffness or moving,” Byers said. “I got a soft one for temporary reasons.”

Outside of signing his letter of intent and his own press conference, Byers got a tour of the locker room and the athletic facilities.

On the field, Byers walked out as a captain and was handed the coin to flip for the teams. Pittsburg State, as the visiting team, called tails.

Byers’ flip landed heads, to which Grant Finley, defensive end for the Griffons, turned to Byers and said, “Great toss.”

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