Local program gives kids an equal opportunity

News-Press NOW on January 29, 2026

Zach Blanke

ST. JOSEPH, MO (KQTV) — A homeschool sports organization looks to give kids around the area a chance at participating in different sports programs.

St. Joseph Defenders Athletic Director Josh Castor leads the way for the program

“I think sports are important, and we are here to provide that opportunity for homeschool kids to play sports,” said Castor.

Matt McCurley is the head coach for the boys varsity basketball team and is a big proponent of spreading the word and trying to get as many kids involved as possible.

McCurley also wants it to be known that the competition is just as real as sports played in schools.

“It’s a very fun, Christian-based affiliation for kids to just come out here and compete and have fun,” said McCurley. “It’s competitive. Sometimes people think that homeschool might be a couple (of) notches below the high school level, but it’s really not.”

The Defenders are set to play their next home game at 8 p.m. on Feb. 9 at the Eastside Baptist Church.

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SLO County Receives $21 Million Grant to Build New Comprehensive Mental Health Facility

KEYT on January 29, 2026

Dave Alley

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – San Luis Obispo County has been awarded more than $21 million from a state grant that it will use to help develop a new comprehensive mental health facility in Paso Robles.

Totaling $21,639,180, the grant is a portion of funding from Proposition 1 that was passed by California voters in 2024 to help address and improve mental health services and treatment.

“We are very excited to be awarded these competitive grant funds,” said Star Graber, San Luis Obispo County Behavioral Health Director. “This expansion allows us to respond more promptly to mental health crises and promote health equity across San Luis Obispo County ensuring that North County community members and others can access critical services in our county.”

The new facility will be located at 416 South Spring Street in what is currently a vacant building.

“The building, was originally a medical facility,” said Nick Drews, San Luis Obispo County Health Agency Director. “It was run by CHC (Community Health Centers of the Central Coast). CHC closed the facility and moved and opened another facility. There’s not a whole lot that we need to do in terms of upgrading it, which is wonderful. It really saves us a lot of money. The building’s also located on our Paso Robles campus. The benefit of the building is it’s right next door to our Public Health Services, our Mental Health and Behavioral Health Services and Social Services, they’re all in the same footprint, and so you really couldn’t find a better location for it in the North County.”

According to a county release, preliminary plans for the project include:

A new 16-bed Psychiatric Health Facility to increase intensive behavioral health services foryouth and adults within a secure environment (12 beds for adults and 4 beds for youth).

The first adult crisis residential treatment program in SLO County which will offer short-term support to community members navigating through a mental health crisis (8 beds foradults).

The first children and youth crisis residential treatment program in the San Luis Obispo(and Santa Barbara region) designed to bridge the gap between acute inpatient care andreintegration into the community via outpatient care (2-4 beds for youth).

The county pointed out the new facility will serve as a secondary site for those requiring multiple day, in-house psychiatric treatment.

There are currently 16 beds at the county’s Psychiatric Health Facility located at the HealthAgency campus in San Luis Obispo, but the need is for much more.

“Right now we don’t have enough beds,” said Drews. “We just don’t. We just do not have enough facilities within our county and within the state to take care of the needs and the more that we can put in, I think the better off everyone’s really going to be. The ability to create more of these facilities, we’re going to be able to provide more services locally. The benefit of providing a service locally is not only is it beneficial in terms of not having to travel, but we can stay closer within our case management system. 

“You’re not coordinating with another county, sending somebody out of the county, bringing them back in. We’re able to connect with all our infrastructure internally to make sure that we’re providing the right level of services, so it helps with communication and medical service by keeping someone local.”

One of the highlights of the new facility will be its youth crisis residential treatment program, which will also allow younger individuals to remain much closer to home while undergoing treatment.

“Having everything here back here in their environment, we can work with the families, we can work with the schools, those kinds of things, and get a ready to transition them back into, the safer, lower level of care,” said Graber. “We really want that continuity of care so that they can continue to progress in the journey of recovery, and it’s especially important for the families who may or may not be able to go their travel there, sometimes four, or five or six hours away. This will be, benefit not only to them personally, but also to the county budget and our system of care to have people here.”

San Luis Obispo County is also working with Santa Barbara County to provide access for younger individuals there who need treatment.

Similar to those in San Luis Obispo County, younger individuals in Santa Barbara County must also travel out of the area to seek treatment.

“If we do happen to have an opening, it can be a joint, regional kind of relationship back and forth,” said Graber. “We really plan this grant out to have filled the gaps in all of our region.”

The new facility is expected to open sometime in either 2028 or 2029.

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New massage therapy school opens in Yuma

KYMA on January 29, 2026

Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Yuma healthcare services are expanding! A local family founded and opened a new massage therapy school.

The Arizona School of Myotherapy offers a two-semester course with lectures and hands-on training from seven professional faculty members. It also offers a variety of courses like business management, anatomy and kinesiology, and clinical practice.

They say it’s great to bring this tech school to our community with the nationwide demand for massage therapists continuing to rise.

“The beauty of it…they don’t have to travel. We’re the only school in a 170 mile radius. On top of that, our program is a lot more affordable than our competitors in the Phoenix, San Diego area,” said Arizona School of Myotherapy co owner Matthew Avila.

The school will have their grand opening for the community Friday, February 27 and their first day of classes Monday, March 30. Space is limited, so you can sign up online.

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Rexburg Police warn of rising ‘sextortion’ scams targeting local youth

KIFI on January 29, 2026

Par Kermani

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) — The Rexburg Police Department is sounding the alarm over a sharp increase in “sextortion” cases, a digital blackmail scheme that investigators say is increasingly targeting high school and college-aged victims in the area.

Detective John Bone is a digital forensics investigator with the department and is concerned with the number of cases he has seen and the mental health impact it is making on community members.

“The bad guys are using those pictures to intimidate the person to send them money,” Bone said. “We’re seeing an uptick in that in the area, and we want to make sure our citizens are knowledgeable about it”.

Police say the scam typically begins on social media apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. The scammers will often create fraudulent profiles to “catfish” young adults, luring them into sharing explicit photos before blackmailing the individual into giving them money.

Once the photos are sent, the scammers demand payment, often starting around $100 under the threat of sending the images to the victim’s family, friends, or employers.

“My biggest thing is if someone’s demanding money, just stop all communications.” Bone said “There’s opportunities where you can disconnect and turn your profile off. They will threaten they’re going to send it to people that you know or send it to employers. In my experience, I haven’t necessarily seen that actually happen.”

Among young adults, Bone says males are targeted more than females.

“It’s typically people impersonating females and then catfishing or luring these young males into these types of relationships where they think it’s nice and safe. In reality, it’s just to expose them and to extort them.” Bone warns.

The department issued a warning through their social media feed, but was particularly concerned about the mental health toll these cases take on young people. Bone emphasized that the situation, while stressful, is not life-ruining and that help is available.

“We’ve unfortunately seen people take their own lives because they believe this sextortion is going to ruin everything,” Bowen said. “In reality, we can help you, we can document it, and we can get past this. It’s just a bump in the road.”

Police are urging anyone targeted by these scammers to stop all communication immediately and not send any money, as payments often lead to further demands. Also Block the individual and deactivate the social media account to cut off the scammer’s access to the victim’s contact list. And finally Report the incident to local law enforcement.

For parents and youth seeking more information, the department recommends utilizing resources from the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Idaho task force. For more information, click HERE.

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Colorado Springs Fire Department Chief talks safety following another crash at Station 7

KRDO on January 29, 2026

Celeste Springer

Writing by KRDO13 producer Jaunell Vallejo contributed to this report.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — A fire station responsible for responding to emergencies has also found itself in the middle of them.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) says a truck wiped out a sign, among other things, just outside Station 7 over the weekend. It’s the second time in recent history that a vehicle has crashed near the building, CSFD says.

Station 7 sits at the busy intersection of Academy Boulevard and Palmer Park Boulevard. CSFD says it was built in the late 1960s when traffic in the area was far lighter than it is today.

Firefighters say that as traffic has increased, so have crashes, including one involving vehicles striking buildings near the station.

“It seems like we’ve had a pretty big uptick of that, of people running into houses, running into commercial buildings, running into fire stations,” said Chief Randy Royal. “I just implore our public to be thinking out there when they’re driving.”

Chief Royal says crashes at Station 7 have happened often enough that the department built a protective wall in front of the building.

He says there are plans to remodel Station 7 in the future, with possible plans to relocate the station to a different site.

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Pole Pedal Paddle design contest winner chosen as online early-bird registration opens for 50th anniversary race

KTVZ on January 29, 2026

KTVZ

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation and SELCO Community Credit Union are kicking off the 50th year of the SELCO Pole Pedal Paddle with Wednesday’s announcement of the winning design for the annual artwork contest and the opening of online early-bird registration. 

The SELCO Pole Pedal Paddle is the largest annual fundraiser for MBSEF, a Central Oregon nonprofit that creates opportunities through competitive snow sports programs to support athletes in achieving their individual athletic, academic, and personal goals.  

Here’s the rest of Wednesday’s news release:

“The Pole Pedal Paddle has been a cornerstone of Central Oregon’s outdoor culture for half a century,” said Kevin Perkey, executive director of MBSEF, which organizes the Pole Pedal Paddle. “This year’s winning design pays tribute not only to the race’s grassroots beginnings but also the long-standing legacy built by athletes and event staff who continue to be the heart and backbone of this iconic event.” 

DESIGN CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED 

The winning submission was created collaboratively by designers Angie Tabaczynski and Nikole Beck of Nikolar Art. Their design will be the official artwork for the 2026 SELCO Pole Pedal Paddle, which is scheduled for Saturday, May 16. 

The retro-inspired design features Mt. Bachelor alongside equipment representing three of the event’s seven iconic legs — ski poles, a bicycle, and a canoe with a paddle — paying homage to the race’s early years through vintage styling and a throwback color palette. 

“It’s been five years of trying for the big win, and I told myself, ‘I’m not going to give up until we do it,’” said Beck, a 45-year-old Oregon native who has lived in Redmond for five years.

“It was an honor to be in the top eight finalists, but this was the fifth year and we did it!” she said. “That cobalt blue was an inspiration and the one thing I wanted to pull from the original design. I wanted the feeling of the design to be retro, but with some modern vibes as well.” 

Nikolar Art is a women-owned, passion-driven small business, and a close, creative partnership between longtime family friends Beck and Tabaczynski. Beck leads the artistic vision and design work, while Tabaczynski — who also runs her own photography business — supports the process through digitization of Beck’s hand-drawn art and management of the business. 

“I’m not really a skier or a runner,” Beck said. “I’m more of a float-the-river or go-for-a-walk type of person. But this contest feels like a creative artist’s way of winning the Pole Pedal Paddle.” 

As contest winners, Tabaczynski and Beck will receive $500, a commemorative mug, and official SELCO Pole Pedal Paddle apparel featuring their winning design. Their artwork will also appear on event posters, merchandise, and other promotional materials. 

The design contest remains one of the event’s longest-running traditions. Submissions are evaluated on creativity, uniqueness, and print suitability by public voters, MBSEF staff, and SELCO representatives.

This year, the selection committee narrowed submissions to eight finalists, which were then opened to public voting. More than 1,700 votes were cast, underscoring the strong community enthusiasm surrounding the event. 

For more information on the race, and how it supports MBSEF, visit pppbend.com or call 541-388-0002. 

ONLINE REGISTRATION NOW OPEN 

Online registration for this year’s SELCO Pole Pedal Paddle is now open with early-bird pricing. Set for May 16, the Pole Pedal Paddle features race legs that include alpine and cross-country skiing, cycling, running, and paddling.  

Held each May, the SELCO Pole Pedal Paddle is organized by Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation staff for the benefit of the Bend-based nonprofit. The annual race has been a tradition in Central Oregon for 50 years and annually attracts thousands of competitors from throughout the Northwest and beyond.  

Available through April 12, discounted early bird registration ranges from $57 per person for 12-and-under teams to $130 for elite athletes. After the early bird period, prices will range from $66 to $150, respectively. Participants can register as individuals, pairs, or teams.  

For more information or to register for the SELCO Pole Pedal Paddle, visit www.pppbend.com. 

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Pivotal Point Housing receives large donation from Kirkland’s Home after closure in North Shoppes

News-Press NOW on January 29, 2026

Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A local nonprofit received a special parting gift this week from a former North Shoppes business that recently closed its doors.

Pivotal Point Transitional Housing announced via social media Wednesday it received a large donation in the form of a truckload of store items from Kirkland’s Home, this coming after the North Shoppes business closed its doors.

“Kirkland’s gifted us with a (literal) truckload of amazing decor to redecorate our apartments and youth home. Our hearts are so full!” a Facebook post from Pivotal Point stated. “We appreciate Kirkland’s generous donation and we are so incredibly thankful to the Lord for this wonderful blessing.”

Pivotal Point Transitional Housing is a Christ-centered nonprofit seeking to help homeless individuals, families and youth achieve self-sufficiency with the assistance of 90-day, rent- and utility-free furnished housing. The nonprofit also operates a thift shoppe on Frederick Avenue.

Kirkland’s Home, a Tennessee-based store founded in 1966, announced last October it would close as many as 25 U.S. locations by January 2026 due to lease expirations.

Kirkland’s and its parent company Brand House Collective were acquired last fall as part of a merger agreement with Bed Bath & Beyond, part of a comeback effort after the company filed for bankruptcy in 2023 and closed all of its stores, including St. Joseph.

The St. Joseph Kirkland’s store was one of multiple locations not included in Bed Bath and Beyond’s conversion plan.

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8 people hospitalized after crash in Mecca, child in critical condition

KESQ on January 29, 2026

Jesus Reyes

MECCA, Calif. (KESQ) – 8 people were taken to the hospital after a collision in Mecca on Wednesday afternoon.

The crash was reported just after 3:30 p.m. on 66th Avenue and Buchanan Street.

The crash was initially reported by authorities as a head-on collision; however, the California Highway Patrol clarified after releasing details on Thursday.

According to CHP, it was a three-vehicle crash where a silver Toyota 4 Runner collided into the rear of a silver Chevrolet Silverado, which subsequently collided into the rear of a white Chevrolet Silverado.

Authorities at the scene told News Channel 3 that a four-year-old child was airlifted to Loma Linda in critical condition. Three other people were transported with injuries ranging from moderate to major. Four people suffered minor injuries. All injured people were in the Silverado.

66th Avenue was briefly closed, but was back open by 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates.

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Medicaid cuts, declining reimbursements lead to layoffs at Teton Valley Health Care

KIFI on January 29, 2026

Maile Sipraseuth

DRIGGS, Idaho — Medicaid cuts and declining reimbursements are having a direct impact in Teton Valley, where Teton Valley Health Care has laid off some staff and closed a clinic amid ongoing financial challenges.

The hospital is one of the largest employers in the valley, but Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer of Teton Valley Health Care, Leianne Everett, says it is facing pressures similar to rural hospitals across the country. A major factor is a high percentage of patients covered by Medicare and Medicaid, along with reimbursement rates that do not fully cover the cost of care.

“Like many other rural health care facilities, we are in a situation where our reimbursements are declining. Fifty-two percent of our patients do come with Medicare or Medicaid as their coverage, which means that 52% of our population, we are not covering our cost on supplying those services to those patients. So, it has created a reliance upon our cash reserves,” Everett said. “And then recently just based on the critical access hospital reimbursement mechanism it was determined by CMS that we owed them $1.2 million.”

Everett, who is the CEO but also has served as the hospital’s CFO since 2023, said leadership has relied on data to determine whether vacant positions should be replaced or eliminated as part of these efforts.

As part of these cuts, the hospital also shut down its infusion clinic.

“In an attempt to look at how we can have enough money to pay the bills we’re encountering on a monthly basis, we were looking at our service lines,” Everett said. “The ability to order those expensive drugs, administer them, and then wait for reimbursement was not sustainable for us in our current situation. That’s why the decision was made.”

Everett says most of the major changes have already taken place. Moving forward, the hospital will continue evaluating individual service lines to determine whether they are financially sustainable.

If a service is not covering its costs, Everett said the hospital may explore options such as negotiating new contracts or making other adjustments to remain financially viable.

“I think that we do have a lot of county support. We’re in a county that’s growing. I think that together with the community support, we’ll be able to figure out how to retain services. I am confident that we will not be closing our doors as a result of this. We’re just going to have to restructure and figure out how to how to respond to the current market conditions,” Everett said.

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New Prineville medical spa focuses on natural results and patient-first care

KTVZ on January 28, 2026

Harley Coldiron

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) — A new medical spa, Prineville Aesthetics, has opened its doors in downtown Prineville, specializing in Botox, skin rejuvenation, and reducing signs of aging.

Founded by local resident Taylor Stockton, DNP, FNP-C, and Destiny Fewell, RN, Prineville Aesthetics aims to bring big-city aesthetic standards to the small town. The spa focuses on offering high-quality services in a welcoming environment, emphasizing natural-looking results and patient-first care.

Stockton, who is a nationally trained aesthetic nurse practitioner, ensures that every detail meets high standards of medical care and ethical practice. Her role includes overseeing protocols, products, and staff training, creating a safe and effective space for clients. Destiny Fewell serves as the face of Prineville Aesthetics, providing compassionate care and artistry to each appointment.

Together, they emphasize a philosophy of honest guidance and individualized treatment for their clients. Prineville Aesthetics is conveniently located downtown and operates by appointment only from Monday to Saturday, making it accessible for those seeking aesthetic treatments without traveling long distances.

Prineville Aesthetics is now open for business, ready to serve clients in the community and help elevate local standards of aesthetic care.

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