Author: News-Press NOW

News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A woman will spend 15 years in prison for her role in a man’s 2024 murder.

Melanie Myers, 24, of Independence, Missouri, appeared in front of Circuit Judge Daniel Kellogg on Monday and entered a guilty plea to a felony charge of attempted first-degree robbery in the Nov. 10, 2024, death of Dustin Allen Graham. Myers initially was charged with second-degree murder in Graham’s death, but that count was dismissed by prosecutors.

According to a probable cause statement filed in the case, Myers arranged a meeting with Graham as part of an attempted robbery and drove with him in his vehicle to the 1900 block of Jules Street at about noon on Nov. 10. In a parking lot there, a co-defendant, Brian M. Helm, partially blocked Graham’s vehicle with his own truck. Helm then allegedly approached Graham, who was still in the driver seat of his vehicle, and fired a shot that hit Graham on the left side just below his armpit, court records said.

Graham attempted to drive away but only made it a block before stopping, the probable cause statement said. He was taken to Mosaic Life Care where he was pronounced dead.

Helm faces multiple charges, including second-degree murder, armed criminal action, attempted robbery and unlawful use of a weapon in Graham’s death. His case is scheduled for a trial setting at 8:30 a.m. on April 29, in front of Circuit Court Judge Kate Schaefer.

Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A well-known St. Joseph staple will see renovations in about one week.

Construction began on the beloved Pony Express statue in 1938, with the statue opening to the public in the 1940s.

But with outdoor monuments comes the need for upkeep due to weather wear and tear.

“We were explained to, by the experts, that the milling process that they used to get them (the statues) were so much more aggressive than what we do today, when they’re doing the polishing and the engraving and weathering and stuff …” said Jeff Atkins, the city’s parks and recreation director. “The process, ’cause it was so aggressive, caused micro-cracking throughout the surface of the granite.”

Now, the 45-ton granite slab holding the bronze Pony Express statue will be taken down on Monday, April 14 and will be replaced with a 23-ton granite slab on Tuesday, April 15.

Atkins said the city wants to retain the piece, as it means a lot to not only residents but also tourists.

“The Europeans are just totally enthused about our Pony Express story and they’ll come here just for that,” Atkins said. “It just makes me feel good to be a part of getting fixed.”

Atkins said the project will cost about $360,000, which will come from American Rescue Plan Act funds.

The westbound lane of Francis Street will be closed down during the duration of the construction period, as it will allow for equipment access and staging.

News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A summer camp for kids interested in gaming is being offered by Missouri Western State University’s Esports program.

The second annual Griffon Esports Summer Camp runs from Tuesday to Friday, May 27 to 30. The camp is hosted by the university’s department of health, sport & exercise science and is for kids 10 to 17. It offers gaming, education and skill development.

The four-day camp runs from 2 to 6 p.m. daily and costs $150 for the full four days for each camper. Individual day registration for $45 a day will open on Monday, April 14.

Registration can be found at missouriwestern.edu/esports/griffon-summer-camp/. 

The camp will include workshops on game development, streaming and user experience design. There also will be competitive tournaments featuring “Fortnite,” “Rocket League,” “Smash Bros,” “Valorant” and “Mario Kart.”

Ashley Luthans

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A community blood drive is set to take place at the Downtown Library next week.

On Friday, April 11, the Community Blood Center and Downtown Library will team up to collect much-needed donations from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

To make an appointment, visit savealifenow.org/group and enter group code: EI3N.

Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — City leaders received promising news on the strength of its financial position and reporting practices based on results from a recently released audit.

St. Joseph received a “clean” audit for fiscal year 2024, meaning the city’s financial statements were fairly presented and reporting practices showed no material deficiencies or misstatements. Most importantly, the city was in compliance with all finance-related laws and regulations.

“The audit was incredibly strong. There were no notes of significant deficiency,” City Manager Mike Schumacher said. “You don’t want any big flashing red lights or problems in it. And that’s what we got.”

Auditors with Hood & Associates CPAs specifically reviewed the city’s basic financial statements, police and pension fund and compliance over expenditures of federal awards/grants during the six-month long audit process.

The city’s balance sheet shows it’s in a strong position to meet its short-term financial responsibilities within the next 12 months. Assets totaled $141.5 million against $27.5 million in liabilities, leaving the city’s fund balance at $113 million.

“Government expenses this year were about $97 million, total business expenses were just over $45 million. The total revenue for the city combined was approximately $170 million,” said Mark Stair, senior audit manager with Hood & Associates CPAs, during the work session. “That leads to a change in net position of $68 million. So that’s an increase, which is the direction you want to be going.”

Assistant City Manager Dawn Lanning said the city has significantly improved its long term budgeting in recent years to develop a stronger financial picture moving forward, while at the same time boosting coordination between departments to improve policies and procedures for accurate budgeting.

All in all, the city reported total assets of $739 million against liabilities of $369 million, creating a strong net position around $390 million when factoring in deferred expenses. 

“That not only tells our team but our community that we’re being a good steward of the money. That ensures that we have that financial stability that we need,” Lanning said. “Something we’re really focusing on is looking at our capital assets and long term planning for maintenance and replacement for those things.”

The audit did offer some recommendations for the city, including boosting the number of employees that are cross-trained to ensure certain operations and tasks can be covered when needed, a process the city has already made strides in.

“That’s our goal is to make sure that that growth is also communicated out through all the departments and throughout the entire city, because it takes all of us, one team, to be able to accomplish that mission.

Ashley Luthans

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A new discount clothing store had its grand opening in St. Joseph on Tuesday morning.

Savvy Styles, located at 6962 King Hill Ave., sells new and used clothing for people of all ages for cheaper than the retail price.

Cheyenne Tuttle, the owner of the store, said she loves clothes and wanted to make them more affordable for St. Joseph residents.

“I would love to wear name-brand clothes, but I can’t afford them,” Tuttle said. “But here, I have name-brand clothes that are at least 50% to 75% off of whatever the price is. So it makes it a little bit more reasonable for people to be able to kind of dress nicely and affordably at the same time.”

Savvy Styles sells various clothing for men and women, from casual wear to prom dresses and everything in between. Sizes of clothing at the store range from 00 to plus-size.

Tuttle encourages the community to visit Savvy Styles and support small businesses in St. Joseph.

“Just being able to support your community rather than the big-box stores,” Tuttle said. “And I’m sure you’ll get a better discount here than you would at a box store.”

Savvy Styles will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Ashley Luthans

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A local concert series is returning to St. Joseph starting on June 1.

Imagine Eleven is a free summer concert series hosted at Coleman Hawkins Park, Seventh and Felix St., every Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m.

This year’s lineup includes:

Swift Kik – June 1

Phil Vandel Band – June 8

Instamatics – June 15

Maria the Mexican – June 22

Thunder Road: Tribute to Bruce Springsteen – June 29

Revelation Band: A Tribute to Journey – July 6

Vinyl Revival – July 13

Multiphonics – July 20

Trilemma – July 27

Lindley Creek – August 3

Soca Juke Box – August 10

Imagine Eleven is hosted by the Crossing Outreach Ministry of St. Joseph and proceeds will benefit The Nutrition Center.

More information about the concert series can be found at imagineeleven.com.

Kyle Schmidt

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Proposition 2, which would construct a new public high school in the city, drew polarizing opinions among locals on election day.

St. Joseph native and southside resident Gary Guyer was not in favor of Prop 2.

“We got three good high schools in St. Joseph, why do we need a brand new one?” Guyer said. “Just update the old ones we got, that’s the way I see it.”

Another voter and retired teacher of 33 years, Carol Pittman, said she hopes to see a new school.

“I think our students, our children deserve the best schools we can give them,” Pittman said. “My mother went to Central High School, which lets you know it’s been there a long time. Times change and we have to change with them.”

She believes it will be easier for students to study a variety of subjects with two high schools.

Las Vegas native Evan Banks had a similar opinion.

“I think it’s important that all students have access to the same opportunities,” Banks said. “Oftentimes, certain geographical realities prohibit students from having the same opportunities as others.”

Banks moved to St. Joseph in 2016, and coming from an area that was constantly building new schools, pride for an alma mater was viewed differently compared to locally.

“There isn’t a whole lot of attachment to mascots or school pride based on geography. (It) always seemed silly to me,” Banks said. “All that’s important to me is that kids are learning and learning in a safe environment.”

Torri Spencer doesn’t think a new school is necessary.

“They need to take care of the schools they’ve got,” she said.

“It’s not going to pass the first time, it’s probably not going to pass the second time, but they’ll just keep sticking it on the ballot until the people who don’t want it get tired of coming out and vote no,” Spencer said.

Each voter said he or she would find peace no matter the outcome of the election.

“Am I going to be at peace? I’ll probably be frustrated and irritated and a little disappointed,” Banks said. “But will I be spurred to do damage or harm another? No, that is definitely not the way.”

Chris Fortune

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Jennifer Kerns and Kim Miller secured seats on the St. Joseph School District Board of Education, according to unofficial election results.

Kerns is elected after coming just 28 votes shy in 2023, and incumbent Miller keeps her seat on the board. Voter turnout exceeded 24%, which came in higher than the 2024 school board race, which saw over 22% turnout.

“It feels great,” Kerns said. “I feel like everybody’s seen what I’ve done in the community and what I’ve done for the school as a whole. They supported me, and I love it.”

Both Kerns and Miller outlasted four other candidates, such as Ken Reeder, who hoped to return to the board, and Brian Kirk, Cassandra Veale, and James Mrkvicka, who sought election for the first time.

“I think all the candidates were great,” Kerns said. “I think all the candidates came out for the right reason. You know, I’m just glad that my supporters came out and voted for me.”

As a newly elected member of the school board, Kerns said she wants to give a voice to the community.

“I hope to bring that voice to the parents, I hope to bring that voice to advocate for the students,” she said. “And I hope to help the teachers and the staff and the community just to be that strong voice at the table. I’ve always been just more in the background, but now at the table.”

Unofficial election results from the Buchanan County Clerk’s Office show Jennifer Kerns receiving 23.12% of votes and Kim Miller receiving 20.99%.

News-Press NOW reached out to Kim Miller after she secured the second school board seat, but she was not available Thursday night.

Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Nearly a quarter of registered voters in St. Joseph cast a ballot Tuesday to decide the fate of a wide-ranging school bond issue and two Board of Education seats.

With all 22 precincts now reporting, preliminary data shows that 24.2% of registered voters turned out for Tuesday’s high-profile election. A total of 11,947 ballots were cast out of 49,306 registered voters.

The Central Christian Church polling location recorded the most ballots with 1,952, followed by St. Peter Lutheran Church with 948.

Voters on Tuesday defeated a 60-cent tax levy increase to finance the construction of a new $157 million high school south of Highway 36. Jennifer Kerns and incumbent Kim Miller were also elected to the St. Joseph School District Board of Education.

Turnout for April elections typically hovers between 15% and 20%, depending on the ballot measures.

Roughly 26.7% of registered voters turned out during the last St. Joseph School District bond measure in April 2021, a measure that was also defeated. A total of 12,000 residents voted on that measure.

“I have said this for years. April elections are just as important, if not more than a presidential,” Baack-Garvey said. “This affects you right here at home.”