Author: News-Press NOW

Charles Christian

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — As the details of Operation Relentless Pursuit continue to unfold, a longtime Buchanan County deputy will head up local efforts.

Investigator Billy Paul Miller, who has spent over 35 years in law enforcement, will be the designated investigator for the coordinated law enforcement effort created through Governor Mike Kehoe’s Executive Order 25-02, signed in January of this year.

Specifically, the initiative seeks to locate and apprehend fugitives who are “subject to felony arrests,” according to the Missouri Secretary of State’s website.

Investigator Miller said he and a partner have already started combing through warrants and seeking those who are wanted felons in the area.

“There are violent offenders out there,” Miller said. “That includes a lot of people who have violated probation or parole. . . and others who have not shown up to court.”

The benefit of the executive order is, it provides funding which allows counties and jurisdictions to free up officers to specifically pursue wanted felons. Captain Shawn Collie said this is much more efficient than in the past.

“Fugitives have been something we’ve worked on over the years,” Collie said, “But in the past, we’ve never really had people designated just for fugitives. So, we had to put these aside at times to address more immediate crimes. That’s where Relentless Pursuit comes in.”

Both Miller and Collie said this order has created a stronger sense of partnership statewide, which is especially important when a fugitive flees from one jurisdiction to another.

“Knowing that this is a statewide program gives us more opportunities to target fugitives as a priority when we contact another jurisdiction,” Collie said. “We know there are other designated investigators in other jurisdictions who are keying in specifically on fugitives.”

A stated goal of the Executive Order is to “facilitate the sharing of intelligence and operational plans with relevant agencies,” according to the Missouri Secretary of State’s office. Investigator Miller said this can really speed up the process of catching those who are fleeing from justice.

“Once we identify a fugitive that we are going after, we will use all available resources to go after them,” Miller said. “This includes highway patrol resources, databases, local agencies and even employers.”

Miller added they will also do “leg work,” such as surveillance and door to door operations in order to get fugitives into custody. Overall, the additional resources and enhanced networking the program creates can ultimately lead to more arrests of violent criminals who have fled from justice or have fled from their court appearances, resulting in greater community safety, according to Captain Collier.

In a press release sent out on Friday, May 9, Gov. Kehoe reported, “In it’s first four weeks of operations across Missouri, Operation Relentless Pursuit (ORP) has arrested or assisted in the arrest of 148 fugitives wanted for outstanding felony warrants…The 148 arrests resulted in clearing 251 outstanding arrest warrants.”

Visit our website for more in-depth reporting on Operation Relentless Pursuit.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — City leaders provided an update on the progress of a new animal shelter on South Belt Highway during Thursday’s budget work session.

Officials with the St. Joseph Health Department confirmed that internal demolition work is slated to begin next week. Construction crews with E.L. Crawford Construction are expected to ramp up exterior construction in July on the $5 million facility.

The tentative completion date for the shelter is now being eyed for 2026.

“Hopefully by this time next year or maybe just like mid-summer, we might be completed with the project and moving into a new animal shelter,” Assistant Health Director Kendra Bundy said.

The new shelter is designed with an additional 5,000 square feet of space, moving from the current 8,000-square-foot facility at 701 S.W. Lower Lake Road to an area by the St. Joseph Recycling Center at 3405 S. Belt Highway.

The proposed shelter is being designed with a vet clinic as part of the concept as well, a smaller suite capable of providing surgeries and other services carried out by shelter staff.

“I don’t know if it’s going to open as soon as the shelter will be. We’re still looking at what we needed for that,” Health Department Director Debra Bradley said during the meeting. “The Friends of the Animal Shelter has been instrumental in helping us with that.”

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Chris Fortune

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — As warmer weather arrives, so do efforts to revive a recreational lake on the south side of St. Joseph. 

A Buchanan County project to dredge Lake Contrary is gaining traction, with weed spraying estimated to begin at the end of the month. The county contracted an Oklahoma company for the job. 

“They’ll allow the chemical that goes on there to work its magic, and it’s going to kill the root ball,” Buchanan County Commissioner Ron Hook said. “Everything all the way down. It’s aquatic safe.”

Clearing the weeds is a crucial step toward dredging to prevent weeds from clogging dredging equipment. At a public meeting last August hosted by the county, officials discussed a plan to use an aquatic herbicide called Clearcast. 

It’s just the beginning of an effort to restore what was once a community asset. St. Joseph resident Steven Ball remembers visiting the lake with his family to swim, ride jet skis and go swimming. 

He said the water was not very deep back then, but still, he can’t believe how much the lake has changed since then.

“I can’t bring my kids down here now to go swimming or to have a picnic or to build sandcastles or do whatever, you know, there’s nothing here anymore,” he said.

Lake activities are more difficult to participate in as weeds protrude multiple feet above the lakebed.  Another Lake Contrary resident of nearly 30 years also remembers a livelier lake.

“We used to come boating down here a lot,” Dave Polley said. “I remember a lot of boats coming down here, but you don’t see that much anymore. And people used to go swimming down here a lot, but not that much anymore.”

Less water and more plants have taken away from the lake life. Cattails and other vegetation continue to grow quickly in the area.

“It’s almost desolate out here,” Ball said. “You don’t see nothing going on. It’s a tragedy.”

The contractor completed their survey of the lake, the land and the plants at Lake Contrary earlier this year. They believe all the plants that are alive will be easier to target and ready to spray by the end of May.

“We’re going to put out to all the public that live around this area the day that (the spraying is) going to be done when when we get it so they can do whatever they want to feel that they are safe,” Hook said.

Buchanan County would like to stay in the $6 million range to dredge the lake. Ball believes the project will boost the local economy and inject life into the community.

“It’s going to be a task, of course, but it’s going to put people to work too,” he said. “It’s going to create jobs to do this.”

Hook said the dredging project is important to him because he believes an area the size of Buchanan County needs to have a recreational lake.

One of the final hurdles to overcome before dredging is gaining the final permit from the Army Corps of Engineers. The decision on whether or not to provide a permit is expected any day.

“The county set aside some money to get it done, and we’re ready to move on it,” Hook said. “So just continued prayers.”

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Kirsten Stokes

ST. JOSEPH, MO (News-Press NOW) — As Catholics and others alike react to the historic announcement of the first American pope, some St. Joseph residents shared their thoughts on this once-in-a-lifetime moment.

“You just always hope that they do the best in this position and that its fruitful and beneficial to those that need it,” said Chelsea Teater, a resident of St. Joseph.

While mountain biking, a Kansas City resident, who goes by the first name Paul, said he believes this will be a great opportunity for America to bring back unity to the world.

“The idea that we finally have the first American pope, I think is going to revitalize our country and hopefully revitalize Christianity all across the world…I think this is the message the pope will share all across the world.”

Resident Penny Atterberry had just learned about the announcement when asked for her perspective, but said she is hopeful it will bring more safety for travelers.

“Sometimes people look down on Americans when we travel, so hopefully this will make it better for us,” Atterberry said.

News-Press NOW will continue to update this story.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Public safety funding for fiscal year 2026 took center stage at City Hall on Thursday evening as budget planning shifted to St. Joseph’s police, fire and health departments for day three of discussions.

Councilmembers and city leaders returned from a one-day break Thursday for the third of four planned budget work sessions, which are set to conclude on Tuesday.

As mentioned previously, overall Public Safety funding will experience a recorded budget decrease of roughly $16.6 million for FY26 as the result of planned budget policy changes such as the elimination of fund transfers, particularly for the Public Safety and the Police Tax funds.

This change resulted in marked decreases in budgeted revenues and expenditures by fund to align with this new policy. Ultimately, the budgeted amounts by function are consistent with prior years.

St. Joseph Fire Department: $19.4 million budgeted (27% decrease)

St. Joseph Police Department: $25.1 million budgeted (26% decrease)

Early this week, City Manager Mike Schumacher voiced his desire to see increased funding for additional fire department training in fiscal year 2026. The department recorded an all-time high in training hours in 2025 as it successfully filled open positions.

Additional funding could be used for courses like confined space training, a vital component used to equip firefighters with the knowledge and skills to safely enter and rescue individuals from confined spaces.

“It’s been 23 years since I’ve had that kind of training. And I want to bring that back and take some pride in our tech rescue,” Interim Fire Chief Jamie McVicker said.

The department will also see an increase of $100,000 in funding for machinery and other equipment, along with delivery of a previously-purchased ladder truck.

A key topic of discussion centered around construction of a new $4.7 million southside fire station, which is budgeted for next fiscal year. The department recently reached an agreement with the architect firm SEH to begin conceptual work on the new Fire Station 10 on the south side at three identified locations.

A follow-up work session will be held next Monday, May 12, from 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. to identify a final location for the fire station, which is funded by the Capital Improvement Program sales tax.

Fire Department planned initiatives:

Present a fleet replacement proposal to plan for the spread of financial burden while continuing to replace the aging fleet.

Serve on a federal task force to identify best practice for FD response to homelessness.

Begin to create specifications for a new ladder truck to serve the west side as part of the CIP plan (3-year build-time).

Pursue a partnership with MWSU or NCMC in the creation of a fire academy for local recruitment.

As the meeting shifted to the St. Joseph police budget, Chief Paul Luster noted the department has 17 open positions at this time, but 11 of those individuals are currently going through the hiring process now, including at the police academy. 

New software purchases, fleet enhancements and additional resources for a new crime analyst position created last year are three areas in 2026 that Luster pointed to as priorities. 

“Making sure that that that person has the right tools to do their job. Our hope is that position makes us more efficient. We’ll be able to to track criminal patterns, hotspots, if you will, in the city and deploy our resources more efficiently,” Luster said. “There’s a lot of robust software out there that that helps you do that. So very excited about that.”

Police Department planned initiatives

Initiated a large-scale project to procure body-worn cameras and to replace vehicle and interview room cameras.

Continue to move forward with our mission to become accredited with the Missouri Police Chief’s Association.

Remain focused on plans to replace the aging fleet and provide members with the most functional patrol vehicles.

Along with police and fire, a $4.7 million budget for the St. Joseph Health Department — a projected 9.5% decrease from last year — was also up for further discussion, including achievements and funding talks for general health services and animal control.

Animal Control, which now goes by Animal Services, implemented widespread technology and platform upgrades this past year, including Pet Hub high-tech digital licensing tags, an online licensing platform for pets to increase accessibility and a progressive field services program offering free microchips in the field and increasing efforts to reunite dogs with their owners in the field. 

Upgrades will continue in fiscal year 2026, including a transition to a new software platform to increase the quality of records and to reduce waste and improve operations.

Budget discussions will wrap up on Tuesday with the meeting centered exclusively on St. Joseph’s Public Works and Transportation Department, the largest of the city’s funded departments for fiscal year 2026. 

A finalized budget is expected to go before City Council for first reading on May 27 followed by a final vote on June 9.

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News-Press NOW

VATICAN CITY (News-Press NOW) — Robert Francis Prevost is the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church.

Prevost, from Chicago, Illinois, will take the name ‘Leo XIV’.

Prevost earned his bachelor’s in mathematics from Villanova University in Pennsylvania and went on to receive his diploma in theology from the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago.

He was later sent to Rome to study canon law at the Pontifical Saint Thomas Aquinas University and was ordained as a priest in June 1982. Later in his career, he taught canon law in the seminary in Trujillo, Peru.

While it is often said cardinal electors would always shy away from choosing a pope from the US due to America’s outsized global political influence, Prevost’s long experience in Peru may have mitigated those fears among the electors.

“He’s somebody that, even though he’s from the West, would be very attentive to the needs of a global church,†said Elise Allen, CNN’s Vatican analyst. “You’re talking about somebody who spent over half of his ecclesial career abroad as a missionary in Peru.â€

Allen added that he is seen as an apt leader in Vatican circles because “he’s able to accomplish things without necessarily being authoritarian about the way he did things.â€

“Prevost is somebody who is seen as an exceptional leader. From very young, he was appointed to leadership roles,†Allen said. “He’s seen as somebody who is calm and balanced, who is even-handed, and who is very clear on what he thinks needs to be done… but he’s not overly forceful in trying to make that happen.â€

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Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Hillyard Technical Center will host a plant sale to support the Future Farmers of America (FFA).

The sale will go from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, May 9 and starting at 7 a.m. on Saturday, May 10 and until plants are sold out.

The sale is cash only and will be in the back of Hillyard Technical Center’s building, located at 3434 Faraon St.

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Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Persisterhood of St. Joseph will dedicate eight newly-planted oak trees along St. Joseph’s Northwest Parkway at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 10.

Persisterhood’s “tree guru”, Dr. Elizabeth Sawin, will lead the dedication of the new trees and a tree walk following, to point out trees planted in prior years.

Trees are dedicated in memory or honor of loved ones and/or social justice causes.

“We’ve planted 92 trees since 2017, thanks to Betty’s (Elizabeth’s) persistence and the generosity of community members,” said Jane Frick, Persisterhood, co-leader. “We want to make St. Joseph a greener place for generations to come and have pledged to reach out goal of 100 new trees along the parkway during 2025 when we hold our fall tree walk and dedication in October.”

In April, St. Joseph Persisterhood received a 2025 Sustainable Environment Award form the city’s Sustainable Environment Committee (SEAC) for its tree planting project.

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Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Members of local law enforcement agencies will gather to honor and remember personnel killed in the line of duty in Northwest Missouri.

A special service will be held during the 2025 National Police Week, which will be celebrated Sunday, May 11 through Saturday, May 17.

The service will begin at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14 at the Northwest Missouri Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Civic Center Park on the south side of City Hall, located at 1100 Frederick Ave.

The event is sponsored by Northwest Missouri FOP Lodge #3. Members of the St. joseph Police Department, Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop H and other Northwest Missouri agencies will participate in the ceremony.

Families of fallen heroes and members of the public who wish to show support for those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the community are invited to attend.

Lexi Dekraai Ussary, the daughter of St. Joseph police officer Dan Dekraai, who died following a training exercise in 2010, will speak at the service.

In the event of inclement weather, the service will be moved inside City Hall.

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The 2025 NCAA Division II Men’s Golf Central/Midwest Regional is officially underway.

Golfers from multiple colleges across Missouri will be participating, including Missouri Western’s Jeffery Johnston, who went to high school at Bishop LeBlond.

“It’s a good course to watch golf on, just good natural settings,” St. Joseph Sports Commission director Brett Esley said. “I think this is a community that has a great golf tradition. Folks that love golf like to watch these events, but there’s also some local intrigue, with guys like Jeffrey Johnston from Missouri Western.

“He plays (at the) Saint Joseph Country Club, has a lot of family, friends and followers of his here. Couple all that together and we’ve got a really good championship environment for golf this week.”

The championship will be ongoing until Saturday, May 10. The top three teams and the top two student-athletes not with a team from each regional will advance to the finals at the PGA national resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, from May 19-23. 

Updated scores and rankings for the regionals can be found at Scoreboard

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