Author: News-Press NOW

Leah Rainwater

MARYVILLE, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Youth ages 15 and under are invited to enjoy a day of fishing alongside first responders who serve Nodaway County.

This is the second year the Nodaway County Sheriff’s Office has put on ‘Fish with a First Responder’.

The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 10 at Nodaway Lake. Registration is free and youth will register on-site upon arrival.

Registered youth will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win prizes.

Fishing poles will be given out to attendees on a first come-first serve basis. Tackle will also be provided. The Nodaway County Cattlemen’s Association is providing the beef for burgers, which will be provided at no cost to those who come out.

Click here to follow the original article.

Chris Fortune

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Robidoux Row Museum is giving elementary school kids a history lesson on an event that helped shape the United States today. 

Rock Port Elementary students visited the museum to hear about westward expansion and build upon what they recently learned in class. 

“We spent a lot of time learning about the Oregon Trail and the Santa Fe Trail, the Pony Express, just everything about moving west from the colonies and extending the United States,” fifth grade teacher Danyal Coon said.

Coon found Robidoux Row Museum after researching what learning opportunities were available in the area.

“I knew that they had some great museums in St. Joe, and so this one popped up in my search, and I got to talking to the people that worked here, and it sounded like it would be a great place for students to come learn more about westward expansion,” she said.

Exhibits in the museum give visitors the chance to learn about westward expansion through firsthand accounts of those who traveled west.

“Part of the purchase of Northwest Missouri was actually facilitated by Joseph Robidoux and some of his relations with the Native Americans,” Museum Coordinator Michael Thomas said. “So I think some of that history should be brought to light.”

Some teachers at Rock Port Elementary said, it’s important to provide visual aids for their lesson on the history of western expansion.

“I think it’s important for them to get hands-on experiences because those last a lot longer in your memory than just reading books about it, which is great too, but when you compare the two together, that’s what really sticks,” fifth grade teacher Ciara Hunter said.

The Rock Port Elementary tour wrapped up a busy week at the Robidoux Row Museum, which included a total of four tours.

“I thought I was going to have a sedentary position working in the museum, and it’s been very active,” Thomas said. “The museum has been very lively since it opened up (again in March).”

Click here to follow the original article.

Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Starting Wednesday, May 14, residents will use a new entrance to drop off items at the St. Joseph Recycling Center on 3405 S. Belt Highway.

This change is planned to be permanent and comes to accommodate the construction of the city’s new Animal Shelter on the property.

Traffic will continue to enter the facility from the Belt Highway, but vehicles will drive down the center aisle between the buildings to access the recycling bins, rather than traveling through the gate at the south end of the property.

Signage and traffic cones will help direct drivers to the new entrance.

Residents will also see a different configuration of the collection bins. Per usual, staff will be on hand to collect and sort items.

Vehicles will continue to exit the drop=off area along the aisle of the north side of the facility.

A groundbreaking for the new Animal Shelter is expected in early summer and construction is scheduled to be complete in June 2026.

The Recycling Center is open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Residents are instructed not to leave items at the center outside of normal operating hours.

Click here to follow the original article.

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.

Click here to follow the original article.

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.”

Click here to follow the original article.

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.”

Click here to follow the original article.

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.

Click here to follow the original article.

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.

Click here to follow the original article.

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€

Click here to follow the original article.

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.

Click here to follow the original article.