Author: News-Press NOW

Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW). — Throughout the weekdays in the summer, Second Harvest will have cafe sites available for kids in need to receive nutritious lunches.

The lunches are provided to all kids 18 and under.

“I believe this is our third or fourth summer that not only (Nodaway) Valley Bank has sponsored a day for our employees to come help, but also volunteer to hand these (lunches) out,” Vice President of Nodaway Valley Bank and volunteer Brett Steiner said. “Today was kind of a slower day. But with summer school still in, it’ll pick up by the end of the year.”

The list of the cafe sites that will be providing meals and the times they are operating can be found on Second Harvest’s website.

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News-Press NOW

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Cole County judge awarded Ryan Ferguson nearly $44 million in his lawsuit against an insurer that hasn’t yet paid out his settlement with several Columbia police detectives.

Judge Cotton Walker on Monday awarded Ferguson $43.8 million. A Cole County jury sided with Ferguson in November when he sued Travelers Insurance to collect the rest of his nearly $11 million settlement with the detectives who helped convict him of the 2001 murder of Kent Heitholt.

Walker’s decision added several million dollars of interest to the amount the jury ordered in November. Walker ordered Travelers to pay $41.6 million for claims of bad faith and another $2.14 million for vexatious refusal — an insurer’s unreasonable denial or delay in paying a valid claim. Ferguson’s attorneys will collect $305,250 in attorneys’ fees through the judgment.

Ferguson’s attorney, Kathleen Zellner, told ABC 17 News that she and Ferguson were pleased with the decision. Zellner says she delivered the news to Ferguson on Monday.

“He was thrilled.  It was close, not entirely comparable to when I got to tell him that, the appellate court overturned his conviction and he was going to be released. But this is a close second, Zellner said. “I’m thrilled for him and his family. I’ve represented him since 200,9 so this has been a long, long journey.†

Combined with the money Ferguson collected from the 2017 settlement, Zellner said the case is the largest individual award for a wrongful conviction in U.S. history.

“For me personally, it’s confirmation that our legal system does work. Sometimes, it takes a long time, but if you persevere and if you’re on the right side of the case and the evidence does work,  and this case is an example of that because we had to push through setbacks along the way,†Zellner said.  “We never gave up hope in exonerating him and then in getting compensation for the wrongdoing and then  holding the insurance company liable.†

The six police detectives will also get a percentage of the final award, Zellner said. The group of former police officers became plaintiffs in Ferguson’s lawsuit to show the stress caused by Travelers’ refusal to cover the city and its workers in the case. The insurance provider covered the city’s law enforcement liability from 2006-11, a period in which Ferguson was in prison for the killing.

“We have we have an agreement with them [six former police officers]  and so they’ll get a percentage of it,†Zellner said. “That was based on us having their cooperation and then we basically represented them in the sense that we presented their case to the jury, that they were deprived of coverage.  And we had an excellent officer testify about the type of strain that it took on her life. So it was definitely a collaboration because  the officers had been put in a difficult position when the coverage was denied.†

An appeals court vacated Ferguson’s conviction in 2013 after Zellner found that prosecutors failed to disclose some witness statements to the defense.

ABC 17 News reached out to CPD for comment but was told the department does not comment on litigation. ABC 17 News has also reached out to Travelers Insurance and the City of Columbia for comment.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A popular Indian restaurant in St. Joseph will be temporarily closed for the next few days due to minor damage from a fire sprinkler that went off Tuesday.

A manager for Clay Oven Indian Cuisine said the restaurant plans to reopen in two or three days once the interior has been full cleaned and inspected. The restaurant is located at 1209 North Belt Highway next to Anytime Fitness.

The restaurant’s sprinkler system was activated due to a minor fire/smoke that occurred Tuesday evening, however, little to no damage was caused by the fire.

Restaurant staff are thankful water damage was limited and won’t lead to any extended closures. The restaurant serves a wide range of authentic Indian cuisines for the community.

Customers are encouraged to follow Clay Oven’s Facebook page for the latest info.

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Jenna Wilson

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Missouri State Troopers are preparing to roll out additional “ghost graphic†vehicles just in time for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

As News-Press NOW reported last month, the reflective graphics on these patrol cars allow troopers to discreetly monitor aggressive or reckless driving on the roadways.

Officers have deployed these vehicles on a rolling basis ahead of major holidays in the past.

“Low-profile vehicles, that’s exactly what these are, and they’re a necessary enforcement tool for us,” said Sgt. Shane Hux of the Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop H.

Across Missouri, 10 vehicles with ghost graphics were deployed and put into service ahead of the Memorial Day weekend.

According to MSHP, 10 additional vehicles will go into service before the Fourth of July weekend. Nine have already been deployed to the nine patrol troops across the state, and the remaining vehicles will be assigned to areas experiencing high numbers of complaints about reckless driving and crashes.

“We have one assigned for Troop H, to Andrew and Buchanan counties,” said Sgt. Shane Hux. “That’s where we’re seeing a high influx of traffic as well as an increase in traffic crashes.”

State troopers say they frequently witness drivers speeding past while distracted by their phones. The low-visibility vehicles have been helping troopers catch violators more effectively.

“It gives an officer the opportunity to witness other violations because the public becomes accustomed to our standard patrol vehicles,” Hux said. “For example, when our first Dodge Chargers came out, they had very distinctive rear tail lights. So at night, people quickly learned to recognize them. It’s beneficial for us to mix things up for the motoring public.”

While some residents have mixed opinions about the addition of these vehicles, MSHP emphasizes that the goal is to protect public safety.

“More than 1,000 people lose their lives every year in Missouri due to motor vehicle crashes,” Hux said. “If these vehicles can reduce that number even slightly, that’s a good sign.”

MSHP Troop H expects to have another ‘ghost graphic’ vehicle added to the area by the Fourth of July.

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Kyle Schmidt

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Whimsical Walk with the Arts is the title of this year’s Sculpture Walk.

Executive director of the St. Joseph Allied Arts Council, Jessica Agnew, said sculpture walks typically don’t always have a title or theme attached.

“We wanted to do a loose theme to celebrate the new discovery center coming Downtown,” Agnew said. “For inspire U being here, that is a great activity for families to go to, so why not incorporate a sculpture walk with that?”

The Sculpture Walk starts at 6:30 p.m., where the walk will begin outside of inspire U, located at 521 Felix St.

Throughout the walk, 12 new sculptures are on display, as well as two others from years prior.

“The People’s Choice Award, ‘When the Clouds Break” is going to stay with us for one more year,” Agnew said. “Then we have a cute one called Sunrise Serenade, it’s been with us for a couple of years, we just love it so much, so we have that coming back.

The People’s Choice Award goes to the most voted on sculpture in the walk. Brochures for voting can be found on the Allied Arts Council’s website at: stjoearts.org/our-impact/public-art/sculpture-walk/overview.html.

One of the artists this year made two sculptures for the walk.

Gedion Nyanhongo is originally from Zimbabwe and brings stones from his home country and transforms them into art for the walk.

“The inspiration came out of the stone,” Nyanhongo said. “Normally, I use the natural form of this stone to see what’s beyond just being a stone. It has a hint by its natural form to show or tell what it wants to be.”

The sculpture “Watch Out” is handcrafted from cobalt stone and resembles the spirit of wisdom.”I left this stone very natural to respect the nature itself without totally dictating what it should be,” Nyanhongo said.

The sculptures are for sale and can be purchased by contacting the Allied Arts Council at 816-233-0231.

“What I love about the sculptures downtown is that no matter if you consider yourself an artist or not, you’re going to have a thought about it,” Agnew said. “Might be a positive, might be funny, might be whatever, it cultivates some sort of emotional path for you and it sparks conversation.”

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — In participating in the National effort to “Dump the Pump” on Thursday, June 19, the St. Joseph Transit is encouraging residents to utilize its services.

National “Dump the Pump” day is the third Thursday in June, and not only encourages people to ride public transportation, but also to save money- highlighting the resource when gas prices may be high, or money may be tight.

Residents are able to ride free on all routes, all day, as often as they like.

Information about routes and schedules can be found at www.stjosephmo.gov/310/St-Joseph-Transit-Go-St-Joe.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph Downtown Library is partnering with the Community Blood Center and the Kansas City Royals to save lives, offering incentives along the way.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, June 23, St. Joseph residents can make an appointment or stop by the Downtown Library, located at 927 Felix St., to donate.

Those who donate can also get a t-shirt and two tickets to a home game, while supplies last.

To set up an appointment, go to savealifenow.org/group and enter the Group Code: EI3N.

Those interested are encouraged to eat, drink and bring a photo ID to be able to donate.

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Jacob Meikel

ST. JOSEPH, MO (News-Press NOW) — On Tuesday, St. Joseph Christian announced the start of a new girl’s soccer program set to begin its inaugural season in the spring of 2026.

Current wrestling coach and former soccer coach at Lafayette Josh Walters was named the head coach of the new program as part of Tuesday’s announcement that took place in the school’s gymnasium. Walters had his ties to St. Joe Christian before taking this opportunity, as he has three children who attend the school. When asked about why the time felt right for him to take on this new challenge at a new school, he also cited the current uncertainty regarding the public schools in St. Joseph.

“With the way things are going with the community and the public schools, I really wanted this school, where all three of my kids go, to continue to grow and do well,” Walters said.

Walters was accompanied by SJCS superintendent and athletic director Nicki Carlson for Tuesday night’s announcement. After being introduced, Walters said at the podium “the Lord has opened many doors for me” over the last 10 years and “I know He has a plan for me here at St. Joe Christian.”

Even though Walters is set to coach the Lions girls soccer team in their first year as a program, Walters is still slated to be the head coach for the Lafayette boys and girls wrestling program for the 2025-26 season.

News-Press NOW will continue to update this story.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Crowds of eager residents gathered Tuesday to witness the start of a much-anticipated project to bring a new animal shelter to St. Joseph.

Shovels officially broke ground Tuesday on the first day of construction for the new $5 million shelter at 3405 S. Belt Highway, next to the St. Joseph Recycling Center, a project 10 years in the making.

St. Joseph Animal Services Manager Holly Bowie called it a surreal day for her, residents and countless animal supporters who have worked tirelessly to advocate and make the project a reality.

“It feels like this isn’t real because we’ve wanted it and needed it for so long. That’s kind of the first emotion is like, ‘This is actually happening,” Bowie said. “We’re just ecstatic.”

With construction now officially a go, Bowie said the goal is to have animal shelter staff move into the new facility in late June of 2026. She praised the nonprofit Friends of the Animal Shelter as being one of the catalysts for the project due to their unwavering support and tireless fundraising efforts over the last 10 years.

FOTAS raised nearly $1.7 million to pair with $3.3 million in Capital Improvements Program funding to finance design and construction.

“I think it was really important that we never gave up and I give a lot of credit to friends of the shelter for that because they drove the train for so long. They pushed for the capital campaign. I’m just really excited to have such a great group to work with,” said Bowie.

E.L. Crawford Construction of St. Joseph is now tasked with building the 13,000-square-foot facility, a significant upgrade of 5,000 additional square feet compared to the aging and outdated facility at 701 S.W. Lower Lake Road.

One request that shelter architect Ellison-Auxier was able to fulfill in its design work was adequate space to house dogs and cats separately to avoid stressing the felines. The new building will also have more areas to visit with adoptable animals.

“Having a new facility that’s got bigger spaces for our animals and being able to separate the animals that are maybe not as well versus the healthy, adoptable animals … versus the animals that have just come in and need monitoring,” said Meghan Casias, a longtime Animal Services volunteer and new board member. “Really, just improving the safety for our animals is a huge thing, not to mention just being more welcoming for our community.”

The proposed shelter is also being designed with a vet clinic as well, a smaller suite capable of providing surgeries and other services carried out by shelter staff, a much-needed addition for the community.

News-Press NOW will update this story.

Animal services volunteers, staff and other community members participate in a groundbreaking ceremony for a new $5 million animal shelter on Tuesday at 3405 S. Belt Highway. Cameron Montemayor | News-Press NOW

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW). — The St. Joseph Health and Safety Council announced it has received additional scholarships for children seeking to attend Safety Town. 

In a statement, Executive Director Frank Till said, “Thanks to the generous support of Spire Serves, we now have ten additional scholarships available for children interested in attending Safety Town.“

Parents interested in applying for these scholarships are encouraged to visit the St. Joseph Safety and Health Council website to submit their applications.

Scholarships will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to qualified applicants.

Safety Town will be ongoing until Thursday, July 10.

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