Author: News-Press NOW

Jenna Wilson

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Missouri Department of Conservation’s announcement of the indefinite closure of the Pigeon Hill shooting range has sparked controversy among community members. 

The Department announced the closure following an incident involving improper gun use at the range. 

St. Joseph residents say that while safety is an important concern, the closure of the range creates a significant inconvenience for many gun users across the northwest region. 

“I don’t see why they shut it down completely,” said resident Tony Casias. “Because a lot of people actually hunt and they like to go target practice, even our police.”

The shooting range in St. Joseph is among numerous unstaffed facilities throughout Missouri, prompting some to believe that the lack of supervision may encourage illegal activities at the location.

Staff at Bull’s Eye Trading Guns and Range in St. Joseph said that despite some backlash from the community over the closure, safety should remain the top priority. 

“I can understand peoples’ concern about it being shut down because it’s one less place for serious shooters to shoot locally,” said Bull’s Eye Shop Manager James Wymore. “But at the same time, if the person standing next to you isn’t serious about gun safety, it’s probably a good idea to just shut it down completely.”

Missouri Department of Conservation Media Specialist Erin Woodiel provided an updated statement to News-Press NOW about the future of the Pigeon Hill shooting range. 

“As of right now, we are going to still have the Pigeon Hill range as an option for educational programming within MDC, but we do not have plans at this time to reopen it for public use. We will evaluate as time goes on, but currently, we don’t have any concrete plans in place. We want to make sure everyone is following our rules to make it a safe place for everyone. When that doesn’t happen, we have to make such calls.”

Officials are reminding the community to use this situation as a reminder to always practice safety when operating a firearm. 

“You have to always be aware of where you’re pointing that firearm,” Wymore said. “It’s a lethal weapon. It is also a tool but it’s only as safe as the person holding it.”

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Crystal Olney

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The appointments of two administrators for the 2025-26 academic year were approved by the St. Joseph School District Board of Education.

Shawna Gilliland will take on the role of principal of Benton High School for the upcoming school year.

Gilliland has 24 years of experience in education and most recently served as assistant principal at Central High School for the past two years. That position followed a year as an administrative intern and 21 years as a Central mathematics teacher.

Along with a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Missouri Western State University, Gilliland has a Master’s in Mathematics Education and a Specialist in Education Administration from Northwest Missouri State University. She is National Board Certified in Mathematics and was named the 2024-25 Northwest Region Assistant Principal of the Year.

Brad Spinner was appointed to assistant principal at Central beginning in August.

Spinner brings 25 years of education experience to the role. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis in Mathematics from Oklahoma State University. He was a teacher in Texas for four years, before moving to St. Joseph in 2004, and has spent the last 21 years teaching and coaching at Lafayette High School. He also has served as the Lafayette activities director for three years.

The new administrators will assume their positions on Tuesday, July 1.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Customers in St. Joseph and surrounding communities will now see increased water rates reflected on their monthly bills following approval by state regulators in May.

Effective May 28, a customer in St. Joe using 4,600 gallons a month will now pay $62.53 a month on average, an increase of approximately $9 a month, or $108 annually. This amount will vary based on how much a customer uses.

The increase comes after the Missouri Public Service Commission approved an agreement with Missouri American Water on May 7 to increase annual water and sewer revenues by $143 million. The company initially requested a 34% increase that would have raised rates by roughly $18 a month.

Customers will receive information about the new rates on their Missouri American Water bill. Information will also be available on the company’s website under Customer Service Billing, Water and Wastewater Rates.

Missouri American Water offers customers bill payment assistance programs including a payment installment plan and budget billing options available on the customer MyWater portal at missouriamwater.com. Income-eligible customers may also apply for assistance through the company’s Help to Others (H2O) Program.

The increase was made to help cover part of $1.5 billion in completed or planned system improvements across the state from January 2023 to May 2026. Overall investments include the replacement or installation of approximately 250 miles of aging water and wastewater pipes to help reduce main breaks and sewer overflows.

Additional projects include upgrading of treatment plants, fire hydrants, storage tanks, wells, pumping and lift stations across the state.

In March, the company began the process of replacing nearly 41,000 feet of aging water pipe, or roughly 7.5 miles, in St. Joseph. St. Joseph’s infrastructure project also includes enhancements to the Faraon and Randolph Water Boosters, a critical component of the water system that impacts water pressure and service reliability for residents and the effectiveness of 3,500 fire hydrants across St. Joseph.

Missouri American Water serves nearly 1.6 million Missourians and supplies drinking water to more than 31,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in St. Joseph.

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Chris Fortune

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A local artist’s work is being featured in the St. Joseph Museums as part of the celebration leading up to Juneteenth. 

A gallery featuring the work of Afrocentric Artist T’Asia Coker can be found in the Black Archives section of the Museum. The 23-year-old law student at Missouri Western State University remembers when she started sketching at the age of 13. 

“I was at my house, and I was so bored I was like, ‘Okay, I’m just going to try to draw,’ and then I really got in to sketching,” Coker said.

Then she found what she truly loved. 

“I liked sketching, but I just really love being able to express myself through color with different skin tones, complexions and backgrounds,” Coker said.

The inspiration came from the hair salon her mom has owned for nearly 12 years. 

“I just watched her do the hair of the people in my community and I get a lot of inspiration from them,” she said.

T’Asia’s mother, Kristina Buchanan, owns Karamel Natural Hair Care at 1702 Olive St. in St. Joseph. T’Asia’s first color art piece is still hanging inside the shop.

“We just always thought that she was amazing,” Buchanan said. “Her progression speaks more, I think, to her work ethic, her determination to keep perfecting her craft to always be the best that she can be, and I’m in awe of my daughter.”

What starts as a concept in T’Asia’s head changes as she begins to work on a piece. She enjoys painting women in front of mystical backgrounds. 

“I’m a fantasy person to my core, so I like seeing art that depicts that,” Coker said.

The opportunity to showcase her art in the St. Joseph Museums came from a February event where her mother displayed her work. A Black Archives Committee member was in attendance and suggested her art be displayed in the museum. 

“My mom was buying picture frames and, you know, getting everything labeled,” Coker said. “It came together really nice.”

Coker’s work is on display now through Monday, June 30, to highlight Black artists and celebrate Juneteenth.

“I’ve been watching her just do great things anyway, so every painting is my favorite,” Buchanan said. “This is the beginning for her.”

A calendar featuring T’Asia’s work will be on sale in September, and it will feature perforated pages so the art can be detached and kept. Copies of the calendar can be purchased at Karamel Natural Hair Care.

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Kyle Schmidt

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Tennis players will soon have a fresh playing surface to enjoy at the Noyes Sports Complex courts.

Parks Director Jeff Atkins, with St. Joseph’s Parks and Recreation department, said this project will take roughly three to four weeks to finish.

“It’s a good rule of thumb, every five to seven years at the very best, you have to go in and repair small cracks in courts and resurface them,” Atkins said. “If you don’t, they will continue to disintegrate and then you’ve got bigger and more expensive problems.”

On top of resurfacing, new led lights will go up around the tennis and horseshoe courts. These will take longer to finish than the resurfacing project but the courts will be open while the lights are being worked on.

“We are going to reuse the posts on the tennis courts where they are so we won’t have to do any new trenching,” Atkins said. “They’ll run new wiring under the existing card or through the existing conduits but we don’t have to dig anything up.”

The new lighting will be cleaner and brighter, as well as cheaper. He said the new lighting burns a lot cheaper and will save money in the long haul.

The project is being funded by the parks tax fund and a $23,900 contribution from the St. Joseph School District.

When the courts are relined, no pickle ball lines will be added because of United States Tennis Association tournaments being played at the complex.

“We’re lucky enough to get to host USTA tournaments here, and part of their regulations are their courts have to be tennis court(s) only,” Atkins said. “You can’t have any other type of markings on the courts.”

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Crystal Olney

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Motorists will need to seek alternates routes as the Missouri Department of Transportation is set to close ramps on Route 36 as part of an ongoing project.

Multiple ramps along the eastbound and westbound lanes of Route 36 (U.S. Highway 36) in St. Joseph will close overnight starting on Monday, June 16, through Tuesday, June 17.

The following ramps in Buchanan County will be impacted:

Ramps to and from Riverside Road (Route AC) on June 16

Ramps to and from Interstate 29 on June 16

Ramps to and from the Belt Highway (U.S. Route 169) on June 17

Ramps to and from 28th Street and Hill Top Road on June 17

Ramps to and from 22nd Street on June 17

The closures will take place intermittently between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. All schedules are weather permitting and subject to change.

The work will be done by Vance Brothers Inc. working with MoDOT.

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Cameron Montemayor

MARYVILLE, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Maryville’s top administrator will officially remove the ‘interim’ from his title moving forward.

The city of Maryville announced Tuesday that City Councilmembers had unanimously approved the appointment of interim City Manager Ryan Heiland to the position fulltime, this coming after an executive session was held June 9.

Heiland has been with the city for the last 13 years and has served as interim city manager since March following the resignation of longtime city manager Greg McDanel, who accepted a city manager position in Seaside, California.

A graduate of Northwest Missouri State University with expertise in urban planning and municipal development, Heiland holds a Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in public policy from Drake University. He is also a certified planner.

Heiland began his career in local government in Phoenix, Arizona, before making the move to other communities in Arizona, Iowa and Missouri, acquiring a wealth of knowledge of municipal operations along the way.

“I’m honored to step into this role and thankful for the City Council’s support. Maryville is a great community, and I look forward to working with our team and residents to continue our momentum and enhance the quality of life for everyone,” Heiland said in a press release.

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Crystal Olney

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — There is still time to register for InterServ’s Miniature Golf Tournament happening this week.

The event starts at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 12, at Cool Crest Garden Golf, located at 1400 N. Belt Highway in St. Joseph.

Those interested in signing up will need to register in teams made up of four players. The cost per team is $120 and all age groups are welcome to participate, according to InterServ’s website.

The proceeds from the tournament will benefit the nonprofit’s programs for youth, families, seniors and individuals.

For more information about the event or to sign up with a team, visit faithfullyserving.org/events.

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — United Way of Greater St. Joseph and its donors are providing fans to people in need as the summer heat starts to take effect.

Residents will be able to start picking up fans at various locations across St. Joseph on Wednesday, June 11.

Anyone is able to get a fan from one of the local agencies. No proof of residency or form of identification is required in an effort to make the process as barrier free as possible, according to the United Way.

“We are limiting one fan per household, unless it’s a larger family, and then we can do one for every four family members,” said Social Services Director Emily Bravo at The Salvation Army.

For those in need, the following locations have fans available:

InterServ 5400 King Hill Ave.

The Salvation Army 602 Messanie St.

Northwest Missouri Community Services 1203 N. Sixth St.

United Way of Greater St. Joseph 118 S. Fifth St.

The fan giveaway is first come, first serve while supplies last.

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Jenna Wilson

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Juneteenth celebration events will kick off this weekend in St. Joseph, with a performance of ‘Our Town’ taking center stage.

The Juneteenth Celebration Committee is set to present a compelling production of Thornton Wilder’s ‘Our Town’ beginning Friday, June 13.

“This is the third play we’ve done for Juneteenth,” said Mike Wilson, a local director and playwright. “It’s a really interesting play because it uses a very minimalist stage — basically, a very bare stage.”

The play has been hailed as ‘the greatest American play ever written’ by renowned playwright Edward Albee. 

Set in a small town, the story follows a stage manager who guides the audience through the everyday lives of residents, traces a childhood friendship as it blossoms into marriage and reveals profound truths about the essence of life.

“The stage manager talks to the audience a lot and that’s not normal,” Wilson said. “Usually, actors don’t talk directly to the audience and she gives them a lot of facts and figures about the play.”

The production relies on pantomiming to tell the story through expressive bodily and facial movements rather than props.

“We don’t use any props, so when you see the women cooking breakfast, they’re doing it with no pots, no pans, nothing,” Wilson said. “It makes the audience use their imagination.”

Committee members prioritized assembling a mixed-race cast to mirror the Broadway revival of the play, which featured notable actors like Jim Parsons from ‘The Big Bang Theory’.

In honor of Juneteenth, community members are encouraged to attend the performance and reflect on this significant moment in history, commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people.

“This play has an interesting underlying message and that is, we don’t really appreciate life as we live it,” said Wilson. “It’s an important message and that’s one of the reasons it’s such an interesting play.”

The play will be performed at the Missouri Theater in Downtown St. Joseph at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 13, and Saturday, June 14, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 15. Tickets are $15.

To purchase tickets, visit https://www.stjosephmuseum.org/juneteenth and select the event.

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