Month: November 2025

Carter Ostermiller

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — Driving drowsy behind the wheel can be just as dangerous as driving intoxicated, but it’s often not as cautioned.

According to the U.S. Department of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), “after 17 consecutive hours awake, impairment is estimated to be equivalent to having a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .05.”

Earlier Wednesday morning, a tractor-trailer crash occurred on the I-29 interstate. 

“Appears to have went to sleep. The wheel drifted. Hit the guardrail. Came across the roadway, hit the other guardrail, and came back to rest in the roadway,” Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett said.

Luckily, no injuries were reported, but according to the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department, the cause of the crash was due to the driver being asleep.

“Driving sleepier, drowsy actually mimics impaired driving. So their reaction time is delayed. All of those things are just as dangerous as being intoxicated or impaired,” Buchanan County Captain Michael Hess said.

The sheriff’s department recommends the best thing to do is to get a good night’s sleep or to pull over if the drowsy feeling is overwhelming.

Other solutions, compared to drowsy driving, can be to drive with a friend, have caffeine in moderation and plan ahead.

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Praji Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — InterServ is keeping a long-standing tradition going by handing out turkeys and a bag of sides Thanksgiving sides to community members.

This year, InterServ handed out 150 vouchers a few weeks prior. Those who received signed vouchers were able to pick up food packages Wednesday.

Jan Stone, InterServ’s individual and family services manager, said the tradition dates back many years, and it’s even more meaningful now, as the need in the community grows. 

“We do rely heavily on donors, and we have a wonderful donor who has donated the turkeys. And then we have funding throughout the year that people donate and that we kind of put back,” Stone said.  

The giveaway ran from 1 to 3:45 p.m. While Stone said she doesn’t expect anything to be left over,  anything not given out will go straight back into the food pantry’s regular stock for local families who need it.    

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News-Press NOW

By Zac Scott

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — With winter approaching, the St. Joseph School Department is searching for more bus drivers.

First Student School Bus Driver Jennifer Johnson has been transporting students for more than half a decade.

Johnson said, being the first person students see on their way to school gives her a chance to change their day for the better.

“I feel like us being a smiling face that they get to see every single morning and afternoon, a consistency  I feel like the kids really need in their lives, and so being able to help be consistent with some of the kids is just I really… I think that’s very important,” said Johnson

School bus drivers like Johnson assist local parents with transporting their students under different circumstances.

“Not all the parents have vehicles to get them to and from school. So, if we don’t have enough drivers, they’re just not going to get to school,” said Johnson.

First Student Location Manager Mark Alexander directs buses to give drivers the safest way to get students to school and back.

Alexander said school bus drivers are essential to the community, not because of who they transport, but what they transport students to.

“We are a part of this community, and not only do our children and grandchildren ride this bus,” said Alexander. We provide transportation for children to get them to school, to gain that education, to be successful, and to become great contributors to our own community.”

There is a stigma about school bus drivers being an underappreciated job. Alexander believes keeping students safe on their way to school will shut down the stigma.

“Individuals believe that a bus driver is a very thankless job and that they don’t want to drive a school bus because of the children,” said Alexander. You know what? Children are, children, right? And they’re going to be who they are. It just depends upon how you manage that bus, to keep your children in line and keep them safe.”

First Student is willing to work with anyone willing to transport the future of St. Joseph, safely, back and forth from school.

More information about job openings is on the First Student website.

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