Downtown event inspires collaboration between St. Joseph youth and local government

News-Press NOW on November 18, 2025

Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The City of St. Joseph is seeking the input of local youth in an effort to promote civic engagement and explore new ways to problem solve in local government.

Leaders from various city departments and students from more than a dozen local schools took part in a revamped “Student in Government” event on Monday, an opportunity for students to engage with city leaders and those from other schools.

This year’s event took on a new approach, shifting from the previous venue at City Hall to Mosaic Life Care’s emPowerU facility Downtown, where students brainstormed ideas on community needs and offered potential solutions as a cohesive unit.

“We’re learning about how we can make our community better,” Genevieve, a student at St. Joseph Cathedral School, said. “Were seeing by 2040 what we can do to make St. Joseph a better place that people want to go to.”

Genevie was one of nearly 90 students who participated in the event, along with students from all five St. Joseph high schools and all nine middle schools.

Some of the issues highlighted by students included trash on the streets, homelessness, modernizing businesses and using more modern forms of social media.

City Manager Mike Schumacher said utilizing more current forms of social media like Snapchat and Instagram is something that city can improve on.

“The gap (between age groups) can be bridged. As you guys probably know better than I do there are software platforms that will split between all the socials,” Schumacher said. “What I took away from those comments was, ‘OK, we need to do a better job of hitting all the different social media platforms. By doing that we’re getting our message out as far and wide as we possibly can.'”

Schumacher also explained that while some of the ideas proposed may not be able to come to fruition, it is important to have the input and feedback from the younger audience — potentially future city leaders — who can shape the direction of St. Joseph.

“If you don’t listen to these student councils and these kids, I think it translates to you’ve given up,” Schumacher said. “We have not given up. It will take this entire community to address some of the issues put out there, one step at a time. There is no magic bullet to address illegal drug use or the type of violations and issues that certain populations create.”

“That’s a national issue. It’s not just here in St. Joe, every city across America is facing it. That doesn’t mean that we don’t do our best to address locally, but it will take one community working together to make an impact.”

Leaders from the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce like CEO Natalie Hawn were also in attendance to give remarks and insight to students as part of the event.

The hope going forward is to work with school administers to have sessions more frequently, including potentially meeting with students before or after school and at lunch breaks.

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Missouri prepares for sports betting as abuse toward athletes rises

KMIZ on November 18, 2025

Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

When former Cardinals manager Mike Schildt announced his abrupt retirement at the end of the 2025 MLB season, it came as a bit of a shock. 

The 57-year-old had just guided the San Diego Padres to a 90-72 record and was coming off his third consecutive 90-plus win season. While several factors contributed to his retirement, one of the reasons he cited was death threats from sports bettors. 

Schildt is one of countless coaches and players who have been subjected to abusive messages online due to lost bets and busted parlays, as legal sports betting continues to spread across the United States. The abuse isn’t limited to professional athletes and coaches; it has also spread to the college ranks.  

On Dec. 1, sports betting will be up and running in Missouri, and while it is expected to bring in millions of dollars in tax revenue to the state, the University of Missouri is closely monitoring how it will impact student-athletes. 

The NCAA reported that 1-in-3 high-profile athletes receive abusive messages from sports bettors. 

Pam Brunzina, MU’s faculty athletics representative to the NCAA and SEC, said concerns intensified once the NCAA allowed student-athletes to bet on professional sports. According to Brunzina, the NCAA remains highly focused on game integrity, but the dangers extend far beyond point-shaving.

Even though placing prop bets on Missouri collegiate teams is not allowed under state law, Brunzina says there have already been isolated incidents of Mizzou athletes being harassed due to sports wagering.

“The NCAA actually did a study on that the past couple of years, looking at harassment of student athletes, particularly around the basketball tournaments, and it can be pretty ugly,” Brunzina said. “I think it’s important for all of us to remember that when we are watching the student athletes compete, that they are young people out there doing their best. Even if we have a bet that’s dependent on their performance, we need to remember that they are trying their hardest and to have some perspective.”

The NCAA rolled out a video campaign during the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments in March, urging fans to curb harassment and calling on states to ban prop bets tied to student-athletes. 

The NCAA also partnered with Venmo over the summer to curb abusive or unwanted interactions on the platform after some bettors sent student-athletes harassing payment requests tied to lost wagers.

The 2025 study marked the second year the NCAA commissioned a study on online harassment targeting college athletes, coaches and officials. The review, conducted by Signify Group, examined seven championship events and tracked social media activity connected to 5,555 athletes, 625 coaches, 466 teams and 26 official NCAA accounts during the 2024-25 academic year.

Signify found that 31 individuals were responsible for the most severe cases of abuse, with eight of them tied to sports betting, according to the NCAA. The study also determined that seven messages rose to the level of being forwarded to law enforcement.

Brunzina added that because athletes are receiving Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) money, many view them as fair game to be targeted online.

“I do think that for some people there is maybe just a shift in mentality of viewing them, the student athletes, more as professional athletes and maybe having a little bit different attitude or expectation of them and forgetting that they are college students, performing at a really high level,” Brunzina said.  “But they aren’t really professionals.”

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Robert Torres arrested for assault with a deadly weapon at San Luis Obispo transit center

KEYT on November 18, 2025

Caleb Nguyen

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – San Luis Obispo Police Department officers arrested Robert Torres, 45, after he used a metal pipe to assault another transient man at 8:00 a.m. Saturday.

Torres beat the 57-year-old victim unprovoked several times using the four-foot pipe at the City transit center, before he fled on an RTA bus, according to the SLOPD.

SLOPD officers collaborated with RTA and identified Torres, tracing him to Pismo Beach before confirming his identity and arresting him at 11:00 a.m. Saturday.

SLOPD officers then arrested Torres for felony assault with a deadly weapon and booked him into the SLO County Jail with no bail.

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Close call: Sounds awaken Tumalo family, who escape late-night house fire but are left displaced

KTVZ on November 18, 2025

KTVZ

(Update: Adding video)

TUMALO, Ore. (KTVZ) — A Tumalo family of five and their pets escaped their burning manufactured home late late Monday night, but were displaced by the blaze that officials traced to a woodstove pipe’s radiant heat.

Bend Fire & Rescue crews were dispatched at 11:46 p.m. to the fire in a home behind Three Sisters Adventist School, off Tumalo Road, Deputy Fire Marshal Melissa Steele said.

A resident reported being awakened to what sounded like a “hailstorm,” Steele said. She didn’t see any fire inside the home, but when she went outside, she found flames coming from beneath the eaves and roof near the woodstove stovepipe, the fire official said.

The home’s smoke alarms did not sound because there was no smoke in the home, Steele added.

But due to their quick action, five residents, including three children, and several pets were able to quickly escape the home, she said.

Steele said the fire was ignited from the radiant heat of the woodstove pipe that was too close to the wooden facia board of the eaves. The stove pipe melted the vinyl rain gutter and ignited the eaves, which spread to the attic.

The fire was contained and did not spread to the interior of the home, Steele said, but water and roof damage maded the home uninhabitable. 

The building loss was estimated at $65,000 and content losses at $25,000.

“We want to remind residents that having a home fire escape plan can be crucial in being able to escape quickly and safely from a house fire,” Steele said in a news release. “Always have a plan for your family and pets.

For help information in creating, practicing and implementing a home fire escape plan with your family, contact Bend Fire & Rescue.

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Man accused of breaking into several vehicles on MU’s campus, stealing car from Boonville

KMIZ on November 18, 2025

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An 18-year-old man was charged with several crimes after he allegedly broke into several cars on the University of Missouri’s campus.

Larron Brown was charged with first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle, five counts of second-degree burglary, two counts of misdemeanor stealing and five counts of first-degree property damage.  He is being held at the Boone County Jail on a $50,000 bond

The probable cause statement says police at 11:30 p.m. Saturday night were called to Mark Twain Hall for a report of a theft. One of the victims claimed they only parked the car in the past few hours and one of the back windows was busted out and $20 and small items were stolen, the statement says.

The statement describes at least four other vehicles that had one of its back windows destroyed and several of those had items and money stolen. Video allegedly showed the vehicle Brown was driving, the statement says.

Brown was stopped by deputies near the corner of College Avenue and Paris Road on Sunday morning, the statement says. The vehicle driven by Brown was reported stolen from Boonville, the statement says.  

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WildLights at the Living Desert starts Nov. 25

KESQ on November 18, 2025

Jesus Reyes

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Wildlights, the popular holiday lights display, will return to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens starting Nov. 25.

Wildlights features millions of lights, including spectacular light displays, walk-through lighted exhibits, a 30-foot-tall Christmas tree, and the G-Scale model train, with 3,300 feet of track, decked out for the holidays. There’s also the opportunity to visit some of the Zoo’s African animals including rhinos, giraffes, zebras, and African painted dogs as well as a meet-and-greet with Santa Claus.

The event has been rated a Top 10 Event for six consecutive years by USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

Wildlights takes place on select nights at the zoo from November 25 to December 30, from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 pm. Tickets range from $22-25 for adults, $18-20 for children, and $20-22 for members.

Visit LivingDesert.org/WildLights for more information. 

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SJPD launches new social media series to build transparency within the community

News-Press NOW on November 18, 2025

TaMya Bracy

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The St. Joseph Police Department recently launched a social media initiative that is gaining positive community interaction.

The planning for the series came in August, but SJPD made its official announcement, where it would begin making posts on Nov. 3

The daily series highlights SJPD officers and staff, and gives the community an inside look at the department.

Sgt. Richard McGregory, SJPD’s public information officer, said the department started its social media series to be intentional and transparent.

“So we wanted to do a better job of telling our own story and letting people know that we are doing these things and showcasing them and then actually getting on video so they know exactly how we are trying to protect the community and how we are policing the community,” he said.

Each day of the week, SJPD has a different theme on its social media. There is the Monday Minute, Tip Tuesday, Watch Wednesday, Transparency Thursday and Feature Friday.

McGregory said the department has seen strong engagement on its posts, especially its feature posts.

“I mean, there’s just positive feedback just on, especially by people that know them (law enforcement) personally or people that may have had interactions with them on the job,” he said.

McGregory said trust grows when people feel connected.

“So when they (community members) call…When you have a call for service, you’re going to know maybe on a more personal level, these officers, when they respond, because you may have seen them on our social media site, you may have seen, you know, different things that they do within our department, different units that they may serve in our department,” he said.

McGregory said the social media series is a learning experience, and he calls for the public’s support.

“We’re going to give you guys some good content, and we’re not trying to take this lightly. This is something that we do want to strive and this is the start of a platform that’s going to be here to stay,” he said. “So we want to make sure we approach it the right way. And we’re going to be very transparent. We want your feedback, that’s going to affect what we put out.”

In January of 2026, SJPD will fully launch its social media across multiple platforms, such as Instagram, TikTok, X and more.

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Alford, Cleaver release statements on Epstein files vote; Senate approves resolution

KMIZ on November 18, 2025

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two congressmen representing parts of Missouri have released statements about their votes to release the Epstein files.

U.S. Rep. Mark Alford (R-Raytown) and U.S. Rep. Emanuel (D-Kansas City) were among the 427 House members to vote Tuesday afternoon to compel the Justice Department to release files related to the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein killed himself while in jail, and his death has sparked speculation about which powerful figures knew about his crimes.

“On my last day as a television news anchor and from the very beginning of the Epstein Files saga, I’ve said the only thing that matters is the truth,” Alford said in a news release. “Time and again, I have advocated for any files in the Justice Department’s possession to be responsibly released, while protecting victims’ identities. Transparency is not a partisan issue — it’s a moral one.

“The public has a right to know who enabled these heinous acts, and we must ensure the full scope of Epstein’s criminal network is exposed. The Epstein case has cast a long shadow over our institutions and fueled distrust among Americans. By releasing the files, we can begin to restore faith in our justice system.”

Cleaver lamented House Republicans’ foot-dragging over releasing the files. He called on the Senate to immediately pass the bill, which came just a few hours later.

“The crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein and his associates were disgusting, deplorable, and devastatingly damaging to dozens, if not hundreds, of young and vulnerable girls across the country,” Cleaver said. “While it is deeply disappointing that the president and the Speaker of the House fought to prevent this bill from ever coming to the House floor, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers came together to force a vote that will bring us another step closer toward providing justice to the victims and transparency to the American people.”

Only one House member, Louisiana Republican Clay Higgins, voted against releasing the files.

President Donald Trump, whose relationship with Epstein has been a source of speculation, had initially opposed the release of the files, but he reversed course over the weekend with a vote in the House looming.

The measure now heads to the president’s desk.

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IID approves new power substation in La Quinta and Thousand Palms in major upgrade to local power growth

KESQ on November 18, 2025

Jesus Reyes

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KESQ) – The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) Board of Directors approved funding to build new power substations in Thousand Palms and La Quinta. It’s a move that IID officials said will help serve increased energy demand due to the area’s rapid residential and commercial growth.

The $23.2 million La Quinta project, known as the Avenue 58 Substation, will be located north of Avenue 58 and west of Monroe Street. Construction is anticipated to begin in the first quarter of 2027, with initial service connections expected to be ready by summer 2028.

Officials said 12 private developers will provide the complete funding for the expansion project, with the City of La Quinta and the County of Riverside participating financially in the event of any funding shortfall by a private developer. The developers will have three years to pay their proportional share.

IID officials said the substation will increase electrical service to about 4,000 more customers there and in adjoining areas. It comes after months of discussions over La Quinta’s electrical capacity, as substations serving the area are at or near their limits. News Channel 3’s Shay Lawson covered the issue in February.

The Thousand Palm project, referred to as the Cook Street Substation, is estimated to cost $39.6 million. The Cook Street Substation will be located just west of Cook Street, north of Interstate 10.

It will power approximately 8,000 residential and commercial customers. Construction is expected to begin in early 2027, with an in-service date anticipated by summer 2028.

IID officials said it’s a result of the District taking proactive, positive steps, engaging directly with committed Coachella Valley stakeholders.

“We have been working to facilitate creative solutions by working through the tough questions together, and this new substation is a testament to our successful collaborative efforts,” said IID General Manager Jamie Asbury.

IID said it’s one of more than 270 energy projects planned across the district’s service area over the next 15 years to deliver reliable and cost-effective power in support of the communities the District serves.

According to IID, the Cook Street Substation project will be paid through a unique agreement between the County of Riverside, the City of Rancho Mirage, the City of Palm Desert, the Berger Foundation, and two other private developers.

Each entity’s share will be proportionate to its capacity requirements and includes an initial payment of $11.8 million to procure equipment and resources to start the project. The Berger Foundation’s participation has been a key component to success as it is dedicating the site for the infrastructure upgrade.

“The work done to move this key project forward is the result of IID’s commitment to serve our growing Coachella Valley service area, and is a result of smart planning, cooperation, and mutual respect between regions,” said IID Director Karin Eugenio.

While IID’s contribution reflects the benefit to the District’s overall electrical system, and the utility will own, operate, and maintain the substation, the project will not increase costs to the District’s other ratepayers.

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One dead, two injured in wrong-way crash at KCI

News-Press NOW on November 18, 2025

Leah Rainwater

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KQTV) — One person is dead and two others suffered minor injuries in a wrong-way crash Tuesday morning, according to Kansas City media outlets.

Kansas City Police said the incident happened around 5:30 a.m. at 1 Kansas City Blvd., at the Kansas City International Airport (KCI).

According to investigators, a dark gray Honda was driving the wrong way on International Circle, just south of KCI’s terminal, when the Honda collided head-on with a dark gray Subaru.

The driver of the Honda was rushed to an area hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

Both the driver and passenger of the Subaru were taken to an area hospital with minor injuries.

KCPD said the crash investigation is ongoing.

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