Author: News-Press NOW

Danielle Bailey

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Communities recovering from disasters and devastating events this year received many helping hands from the Red Cross in Kansas City and Northwest Missouri.

Greater Kansas City and Northwest Missouri Red Cross volunteers worked alongside community partners to provide help to families affected by tornadoes, severe weather, floods and house fires. They provided key aid to those affected by the tornadoes that hit St. Louis and other areas last spring.

The Red Cross expects the need for help to grow during the holidays. Home fire responses spike nearly 20% during the holidays because of increased fire risks from cooking and heating.

In a typical November and December in the Missouri and Arkansas region, nearly 2,000 people turn to the Red Cross for help after home fires.

As disasters become more frequent, families rely on the Red Cross for support — and they are ready to heed the call.

“Disasters don’t take holidays — and neither do our volunteers,” said JoAnn Woody, executive director, Red Cross of Greater Kansas City and Northwest Missouri in a press release.

Donations make it possible for volunteers to bring support to families in need. To make a donation and read stories about people the Red Cross aided, visit redcross.org/MOYearInReview. To sign up to volunteer, visit redcross.org/volunteer. You can also give back by donating blood and platelets.

Other ways responders helped local communities

Saved lives nationwide and in the Greater Kansas City and Northwest Missouri area through over 23,150 local blood and platelet donations

Installed 870 free smoke alarms in nearly 440 homes through the Home Fire Campaign

Sent holiday cards and care packages to active-duty service members and veterans

Hosted Resiliency and Coping with Deployment workshops

Helped over 23,300 community members learn lifesaving skills through training in first aid, CPR and AED

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Carter Ostermiller

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — A Cole County judge ruled in favor of the Missouri Right to Education’s Director, Spencer Toder, in his lawsuit challenging the Secretary of State’s ballot language.

The lawsuit proposed an issue with the ballot language for the amendment, which seeks to “make high-quality public education – adequate, thorough, and uniform – a fundamental right in the Missouri Constitution.”

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins’ language says the amendment would “potentially eliminate existing state scholarship programs that provide direct aid to students with disabilities and low-income families” and “prevent the state from supporting educational choices other than free public schools.”

The court sided with Toder because the state was unable to provide evidence that the amendment would result in negative outcomes for “students with disabilities and low-income families.”

“Education right now is at war, and this issue was winning a battle, you know, but there’s going to be a whole lot more. And so we need more individuals to be loud about advocating to protect public education, or it’s going to be too late,” said LaTonya Williams, the St. Joseph School District Board of Education president.

The ruling will order the state to adopt clear language that accurately reflects the initiative’s purpose, ensuring every child in Missouri has a right to a high-quality public education.

The ballot summary will be returned to Hoskins for rewriting before Dec. 8.

To read the lawsuit update, visit the MoEducation.Org lawsuit update page.

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News-Press NOW

By: Gabrielle Teiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) — It’s not uncommon for Missouri drivers to have to maneuver cones, reduce speeds, drive through narrow lanes, or have construction crews standing feet away from the road, with nearly 600 active work zones on highways across the state under the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Even with signs telling drivers to slow down in work zones, some still drive through them at triple-digit speeds. While some frequent drivers may know where to slow down to avoid getting a ticket from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, troopers are much harder to spot when they’re flying 1,200 feet above you.

As the $2.8 billion Improve I-70 Project, widening Interstate 70 to three lanes in each direction from St. Louis to Kansas City, ramps up, more work zones are popping up along the interstate, leading to traffic backups, speed reduction zones and crashes.

Speeding through work zones creates a risk for the speeder, but also for highway workers and other drivers. According to MoDOT, 11% of work zone crashes involved speeding. Over the last five years, at least 5,000 people have been injured in work zone crashes, according to the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission.

Data from MHTC shows 89% of drivers in the Improve I-70 work zone in Callaway County were going at least 5 mph or more over the work zone speed limit of 55 mph.

“It’s a huge safety issue for not only the public, but also the construction workers in those zones,” said Master Sgt. Dustin Metzner with the Highway Patrol’s Aircraft Division.

At least 745 people have died on Missouri roads this year, which is more than two deaths on average per day. Excessive speed was a factor in 36% of deadly crashes, according to SaveMOLives.

Drivers may be used to seeing troopers on the side of the roads, but sometimes they’re also flying above the work zone using the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Aircraft Division.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Aircraft Division has been using planes for traffic and speed enforcement since the late 1950s. So far this year, the patrol has conducted at least 42 traffic enforcement flights in Mid-Missouri. The work zones go through counties including Boone, Callaway, Cole, Cooper, Phelps, Pulaski and Saline.

“When we have the aircraft up overhead, it lets us not be seen in a sense,” said Cpl. Geoffrey Beaulieu with the Highway Patrol’s Troop F. “Once people see the police, they tend to really slow down and cause a lot of congestion on the highway, especially the constructions like this one.”

The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Aircraft Division fleet includes three helicopters, five single-engine Cessna planes and one twin-engine Beechcraft King Air 250.

Many other states around the country also use aircraft to enforce speed limits and traffic violations, such as California, Colorado, Ohio and Wisconsin.

How the process works

The process for aerial speed enforcement is simple. ABC 17 News went up in the air with the Patrol to see how the process works firsthand, flying over the Improve I-70 work zone in western Callaway County.

Before they can start speed enforcement from the sky, troopers and MoDOT must lay blocks on the road to measure the speed. “The blocks are laid out on the highway, measured with a certified tape measure by pilots one eighth of a mile apart,” Metzner said.

Speed blocks are placed 660 feet (0.125 mile) apart in the Improve I-70 construction zone in Western Callaway County.

The pilot uses a certified stopwatch, also set to an eighth of a mile, to time how long it takes a car to get from right before the first block to past the second block. The stopwatch will then calculate the car’s speed using the formula time over distance equals speed.

A certified stopwatch is used to calculate speed from the Missouri State Highway Patrol plane.

The troopers do a run-through before starting the speed enforcement to make sure the blocks are accurately spaced and the stopwatch is correctly calculated.

If the pilot is not 100% certain they started the watch at the right time, they will not tell the ground trooper to pull over the driver.

“We’re always on the side of caution and benefit the violators,” said Metzner. “If we measure their distance less than an eighth of a mile on the watch, it’s going to erroneously give us a faster speed than what they’re actually going.”

The patrol will not pull over a driver if there is any uncertainty. For example, if the pilot sees a speeding white car, but then three more white cars pull up next to it while the pilot isn’t looking, they will not radio the ground trooper because they cannot testify which white car was the speeder.

“That’s where you really got to pay attention, because we are responsible for identifying the car and saying that it was speeding,” Metzner said.

The pilot radios a trooper on the ground and tells the trooper what they see.

“As it gets closer, they’ll just keep us updated from the point of letting us know what kind of vehicle it is, what color, and once we get behind it, they let us know that it’s the right vehicle,” Beaulieu said.

A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper receives communication from the plane about a speeding driver.

The trooper on the ground then pulls the speeder over and writes the driver a ticket on behalf of the trooper on the ground and up in the air.

A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper pulls over a driver speeding in a work zone.

The troopers reset and repeat the process again and again. There are typically three or four ground troopers working with the plane to enforce speed.

Metzner says the western Callaway County work zone can be a difficult area for troopers on the ground to safely enforce speed on their own.

“If they are in there and they see somebody speeding, they almost always have to wait ’til they’re outside of the construction zone to then find a shoulder wide enough or maybe an exit to stop that vehicle to get them safely off the narrow lanes in the narrow shoulder to safely conduct the traffic stop,” Metzner said. “That’s where it’s super successful on our behalf when we’re airborne, it’s not affecting traffic down there because we’re airborne overhead, and then we can watch that vehicle as it exits out the construction zone or safely exits on an overpass exit and get them stopped in a safe area, for the safety of the trooper and the public.”

It takes a good amount of coordination to do aerial traffic enforcement. Metzner says the weather has to be good, a pilot, a plane and ground troopers have to be available and the speed blocks have to be set up.

A lot of the time, the construction zones are wrapped up and done by the time you get that done,” said Metzner. “We don’t do a ton of airborne construction zone enforcement because the logistics of it are pretty tough a lot of times.”

Troopers also look for other road violations like following too close, lane violations, reckless driving and cutting into traffic.

Since the start of 2025, MSHP has conducted at least 94 traffic enforcement flights across the state, with 42 of those happening in Mid-Missouri, according to flight reports provided the Missouri State Highway Patrol under a records request.

Data from flight reports for traffic enforcement in Callaway County

Date of flight
Total time enforcing traffic
Speeding tickets given
Speeding warnings given
6-10 mph over speed limit
11-20 mph over speed limit
21+ mph over speed limit

July 23
N/A
9
1
0
0
10

Aug. 12
1.3 hours
7
1
0
2
6

Aug. 27
N/A
9
1
0
0
10

Sept. 4
2 hours
11
9
0
9
11

Oct. 9
N/A
3
8
1
11
0

Oct. 21
2 hours
12
1
0
0
13

Oct. 30
2 hours
7
2
0
2
7

Nov. 7
2.5 hours
1
12
0
13
0

Nov. 8
1.5 hours
7
1
0
0
8

TOTALS
11.3 hours
66
36
1 driver
37 drivers
65 drivers

Statewide, aerial enforcement this year has resulted in about 782 speeding tickets and 192 speeding warnings. Most of the speeding drivers ticketed were going at least 21 miles over the work zone speed limit, which is typically 55 mph.

Per flight, an average of about 19 tickets and warnings were issued. The patrol also looks for other moving violations such as careless and imprudent driving, following too close, passing lane violations, warrants and DWIs. More than 600 other road violation warnings were given, according to the reports.

According to the Highway Patrol, each time the patrol’s Cessna 182 planes fly, it costs about $130 in fuel and maintenance per hour.

mshp air tix

The Callaway County courts prosecute thousands of misdemeanors every year — most of them traffic tickets.

Callaway County Prosecuting Attorney Sandra Colhour says aircraft-assisted speeding tickets are treated just like the traditional speeding ticket.

“They’re not uncommon for us, and they’re not unusual for us,” said Colhour. “We’ve been filing and charging those speeding tickets, those speeding offenses with aircraft-assisted tickets for years and years and years.”

Colhour says most people recognize they were speeding and pay the fine, but drivers have the right to go to trial to fight it. The only big difference in how the trial proceeds is that two subpoenas must be issued for an aerial enforcement ticket, one for the trooper on the ground and one for the pilot.

“We ask very basic questions about the reliability of the process, what that trooper in the air observed, and then talk to the trooper on the ground about pulling the motorist over, and present the case that way, really not a lot of difference,” Colhour said.

Despite how drivers may feel about being watched for speeding, Colhour believes aerial enforcement is fair.

“Fairness is really a bedrock of the criminal justice system, and the great thing about aerial enforcement is that the process can be trusted,” Colhour said. “Those troopers are well trained, the equipment they use is reliable, they are trustworthy witnesses, so by and large, the process is not complicated, and it’s fair to motorists.”

In Missouri, there are specific laws and penalties for driving recklessly through a work zone. If a driver hits or kills a worker, they can be fined up to $10,000 and lose their license for a year. According to MoDOT, since 2000, at least 16 MoDOT employees have been killed in work zones.

“Nobody really wants to get a speeding ticket; none of us like getting a speeding ticket,” Colhour said. “While you don’t want to be the one getting a ticket, I think most people are fairly glad that the patrol is out there, enforcing speed limits in those zones because they can be dangerous places.”

According to the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, in 2024, 23 people were killed and around 90 were seriously hurt in work zone crashes. Protective MoDOT vehicles designed to slow down or move over drivers were hit at least 35 times.

Officials say 745 people have lost their lives on state roads this year, which is more than two deaths on average per day.

“As we know, living through I-70 construction zones can be inherently dangerous,” Colhour said.

Driving 5 mph over the speed limit in Missouri is an infraction, typically with a fine. Driving 6 to 19 mph over the speed limit is a Class C misdemeanor, carrying up to 15 days in jail and a maximum penalty of $750. Speeding 20 mph or more over the limit is a Class B misdemeanor, which can land drivers six months in jail and a maximum fine of $1,000.

Jail time is rare for speeding offenses.

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Facing a two-score deficit in the second half of Thursday’s 8-man State Championship, Worth County never wavered.

Like the iconic words of N.Y. Yankees legend Yogi Berra, the Tigers showed, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

After Rock Port junior WR Jack Meyerkorth hauled in his second touchdown to start the second half, it appeared to be an uphill climb for Worth County. Down 26-14 in the early minutes of the second half, coach Jon Adwell and his Tigers battled back.

They responded with a big scoring play courtesy of fullback Jude Archer, who made it a one possession game in the process. It was one of the many explosive runs by Archer, who carried the ball 13 times for 152 yards and three touchdowns on the night, including an additional 40-yards receiving.

The two teams would trade blows until a costly fumble by Rock Port running back Brock Holmes was recovered by linebacker Sawyer Thurman. In the blink of an eye, the Tigers were in position to take the lead as they trailed 38-34.

One play later, running back Brayden Stevens cashed in with a 16-yard touchdown to give Worth County their first lead of the night with 2:12 left in the third quarter.

From then on they never surrendered the lead, despite a high-octane Blue Jays offense keeping it close, including an 18-yard burst to the endzone by Holmes to help cut the deficit to one score. Holmes finished the night with 36 carries for 165 yards and four touchdowns.

Up by two, a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Hayden Sanders to junior tight end Caleb New helped seal the 56-46 win, securing the school’s first 8-Man State Championship since 2017 at Missouri Western.

“It feels great (to win a championship). We were here my sophomore year and we ended up losing,” Stevens said. “We wanted to come back and this is the year we finally got it done.”

In his post-game press conference, Adwell said blocking from junior tight end Bo Collins was key in opening up the offense to pull ahead of the Blue Jays.

With tonight’s victory, Adwell wins the elusive first championship in his Tiger coaching tenure, one that his players wanted to give him more than anything else.

“In the short years that I’ve been here he’s been the true definition of a head coach,” Collins said.” He loved every one of us and we love him. It was very important to all us to step up and get the state title.”

The MSHSAA State High School football championships will continue Friday and Saturday at Spratt Stadium at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph. A full schedule can be found here.

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By: Darren Doyle

COSBY, Mo. (KQTV) — The Christmas in Cosby annual celebration took place Thursday evening at the town’s Fire Hall thanks to efforts by its community alliance.

Cosby area residents were treated to hot cocoa, meetings with Santa and Mrs. Claus and food from Gina’s Cafe.

Musician Jason Riley played live Christmas tunes throughout the night while the community reconnected for the holiday season.

Making sure events like these continue to take place is one of the top priorities for the Cosby Community Alliance, according to member Nathan Bunse. 

“Obviously, it’s just a good time for the community to get together and to just get together for the Christmas season,” Bunse said. “We just really want things for the community, so the community can get together and remain a strong community, and just for people to get together and to have camaraderie.”

Along with numerous crafts, activities and giveaways, Orrick Acres provided traditional manger animals for its tree lighting, which took place across the street from the hall. Patrons of the event were able to greet a camel, a donkey and two sheep. 

Being able to provide the animals for the event brought joy to Penny Orrick, president of Orrick Acres.

“I’ve loved animals my whole life, which is what’s gotten me into sharing my animals with others, and especially the small-town communities,” Orrick said. “They’re very welcoming, and it’s just that I actually don’t live too far from here, so that makes it nice. It’s kind of like my own hometown.”

Cosby’s Community Alliance plans to make sure events like these, along with the Watermelon Festival, are mainstays for years to come. For more on their alliance and how to get involved, visit their Facebook.

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By: Darren Doyle

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — A unique opportunity to take in the lights at Holiday Park has come around again, with attendees being able to help a well-known national non-profit. 

The Tutu Trot will take place for its third year on Saturday. Dec. 20 at Holiday Park (Krug Park) in St. Joseph—registration fees for the event support Knot-4-Profit Collaboration’s support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

A passion for making sure every child gets the treatment they need to fight their cancer keeps Terra James and Kari Prewitt in the race to continue fundraising. 

 “When we run marathons, we get to go represent St Joe, and we get to stand up at the events, the pasta parties, whatever it is the night before, we get to talk about Natalie. We get to talk about St. Joe. So, it’s a really proud thing,” James shared. 

“(The Tutu Trot) is such a fun community event. Sometimes it’s chilly; the last couple of years, we’ve been pretty blessed with the weather. It’s just a fun family event, we’ve got a lot of different people that bring their entire family, and it’s just a good memory for them,” Prewitt said. 

For those who sign up or have signed up to take part in the Tutu Trot, organizers ask participants to park in the side lot near the entrance to Krug Park, not near houses or the park entrance. The suggested arrival time is around 4 to 4:15 pm on race day, with line-up at 4:30 pm. 

Hot cocoa will be served, and all participants will receive a festive tutu. Those who cross the finish line will then receive a Cherry Mash and a race-specific finishers’ medal. 

“Everybody loves to go through the Holiday Park, get their Cherry Mash at the end, keep that tradition, and we really wanted this event to be local,” said Terra James.

To sign up to take part in the Tutu Trot, visit the race’s sign-up website.

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Prajukta Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — Cameron Public Library welcomed the opening of a new children’s space for kids to utilize the resources on Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.  

Library Director JoElen Pratt said the idea was sparked because Cameron doesn’t have a large children’s museum or many hands-on activities for kids. Creating this designated area, she said, was a way to give families something more. 

 “The intent was to find a space where kids could come in and families could come in and just relax and enjoy more than books,” Pratt said.  

She added, kids learn best when they can touch, feel and experience things, and this new space gives them exactly that.  

It’s also a place for parents and kids to connect — whether its reading together or playing with the library’s electric life board.  

“Looking at the kids makes my heart feel so excited and warm. And it’s a space for anyone, whatever the intention and experience they want to have,” Pratt said.  

Parents visiting the library on opening day agreed. One mother said her kids already love coming to read, play with toys, and spend time exploring the space.  

Jaime Wilkins, who stopped by with her children, said she’s watched the library grow over the years and loves the direction it’s headed.  

“I love the new furniture that some of the chairs are stationary and some of them wobble. And so that’s really good for my sensory kids,” said Jaime Wilkins, a local parent.

Wilkins shared that she and her family visit the library frequently, and one of their favorite things to do is spend time at the sensory table.

“It helps my kids stay at a table and move up and around that much. I think they really did a good job on it, and it’s so nice to be here,” Wilkins said.  

Looking ahead, the Cameron Public Library is also preparing to celebrate a major milestone — its 50th anniversary in April 2026.

Pratt said they hope to continue building on this legacy of creating a welcoming, engaging space for families in the community.  

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Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The famed spiral-sliced ham is coming to St. Joseph.

The Honey Baked Ham Company, a nationwide retailer known for its signature recipe and holiday catering, has confirmed plans to open a franchise location in St. Joe, with a target opening date ahead of the 2026 holiday season.

The announcement ends the need for St. Joseph residents to make the hour-long drive to Kansas City to purchase the company’s products, which include glazed hams, turkeys, pre-cooked side dishes, and a full catering menu.

Eric Edwards, the company’s Director of Development, said St. Joseph stood out during a national search for new markets.

“As we were kind of creating our list of everything that we wanted to see in the community, St. Joe was pretty much checking every box,” Edwards said.

He explained the city was identified as a top-10 target market in the country for the company’s expansion.

According to Edwards, St. Joseph’s business-friendly environment, market growth, and community support were key factors in the decision.

“There are a lot of communities out there that I would say are business friendly,” Edwards noted. “But having a community that is truly accepting of new concepts coming in and wants new concepts coming in, wants to hire those people, and seems to be excited about it. It’s more rare than people realize.”

While a specific site for the franchise has not yet been determined, the company has a firm timeline.

The goal is to open the store in time for the 2026 holiday rush. If that target isn’t met, Edwards confirmed the company is committed to being open for the 2027 holiday season.

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A premier Power 4 matchup in women’s college basketball is set to tip off at St. Joseph’s Civic Arena this Sunday.

For the third consecutive year, the annual Bill Snyder Women’s Basketball Classic includes a showdown featuring the Kansas State Wildcats, this time against the Ole Miss Rebels. This will be just the second time the two teams have faced each other, with the last matchup taking place in December 1977, with Ole Miss winning 62-57 on a neutral court.

Kansas State is coming off a successful 28-win season in 2024-25, including their 19th NCAA Tournament appearance, qualifying to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in program history. Their win total marked the second-most in school history and tied for the second-most wins within a span of two seasons (54).

The St. Joseph Civic Arena is pictured on Wednesday in Downtown St. Joseph.

The Wildcats feature a roster with some new faces upfront after the loss of six seniors, including former Maryville standout Serena Sundell.

Spearheading K-State this year is junior guard Taryn Sides, who leads the team in points per game (15) and steals (2.0)

As for the rebels, they finished last season with a record of 22-11 and made the Sweet 16 for the second time in the last three years. They also field a relatively new roster with only three players returning from last year.

Leading the way for Ole Miss is senior Cotie McMahon who previously played at the Ohio State University. She leads the team in points (17.7), assists (3.1) and steals (2.1)

The Bill Snyder Classic will start 2 p.m. at Civic Arena, located at 100 N. 4th St. in Downtown St. Joseph. More information can be found at stjomosports.com/event/bill-snyder-womens-basketball-classic/.

Tickets for the event can be purchased at: https://events.hometownticketing.com/boxoffice/stjomosports/L2VtYmVkL2FsbA%3D%3D

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Faced with a sea of doubters in the challenging early stages of launching his own business years ago, local entrepreneur Brian Juhl remembers the profound impact of one man’s belief in his vision, and with that, his journey to success.

“When I started my business, everybody said I was crazy. But one guy, one successful local entrepreneur said, ‘No, that’s a good idea. You can do this.'” Juhl, a longtime St. Joseph resident and self-taught software engineer, said. “It changed my life.”

Now, as Juhl prepares to headquarter his rapidly-growing software company, called AICE, from a loose network of working spaces to St. Joseph’s new-age 7,000-square-foot co-working space, called The Launch Pad, he’s eager to see it provide career-altering support for fledgling companies like he once received.

The Downtown Felix Street parking/office building is shown at 801 Felix Street by Coleman Hawkins Park in Downtown St. Joseph.

Launched this week in the first floor space of Mosaic’s Downtown parking/office building at 801 Felix St., The Launch Pad aims to provide entrepreneurs with a range of tech-powered offices and conference spaces, technology and mentorship opportunities to grow, collaborate and realize their business dream.

“We have just over ten employees, maybe more now, but we have worked nomadically in coffee shops. That’s where we would always link up and and it gets old,” he said. “I have at least two employees who will be moving to St. Joe now to occupy space here at The Launch Pad. Having a home base is so important.”

Developing physical infrastructure for a business is an early challenge that many young and rural entrepreneurs face.

Despite AICE not having a centralized physical space until now, Juhl was able to develop the AI-powered software company that provides digital tools to help businesses get off the ground, integrating industry-leading programs like Canva and Zoom to provide marketing, content management, interactive videos and valuable analytics, among other services.

With upwards of 25,000 AICE accounts created to date — both on web browsers and mobile apps — the program has taken off, including high ratings on both the Apple Store (5 out of 5) and Google Play (4.8 out of 5).

“As an entrepreneur you’re doing so many different things. So our software is designed to help those who are in that phase. I got started building online businesses when I was in high school and this came out of all of the tools I wished I had,” Juhl, a graduate of St. Joseph Christian, said. “We serve insurance, real estate, basically anything where someone is selling products.”

A new conference room is shown inside The Launch Pad at 801 Felix St. in Downtown St. Joseph.

The Launch Pad is the result of key collaborative efforts between the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce, Mosaic Life Care and groups like the Show-Me Network and Missouri Technology Corporation, which has provided a three-year grant to develop and manage the space.

Setting up not far from Juhl in The Launch Pad is local businessman Lute Atieh, co-founder of Fly-Tech Pilot Academy, Parkway Distillery and a business development consultant who plans to help mentor entrepreneurs at the facility, a critical aspect of the project.

As part of The Launch Pad’s extensive programming schedule, vital for business growth among young entrepreneurs, the facility will host 20-plus community and business events annually, offer more than 100 mentorship hours and support the creation or retention of at least 10 local jobs each year.

“We’ve really needed this for a long time. It’s not just a co-working space so you can work anywhere. This is the community, the events, the training,” Atieh said. “The very first one we’re doing in December is basically the intro to vibe coding, whether you have an idea or a business or you work in a business, you can come learn how to code using AI without any coding experience.”

Whether it’s critical tech-based fields like cybersecurity, AI or non-tech startups, The Launch Pad is built with enough space to support close to 50 start-ups, including fulltime space or occasion usage of meeting and conference space for entrepreneurs.

A lunch and meeting space is shown in November inside the The Launch Pad at 801 Felix St. in Downtown St. Joseph.

Atieh and Juhl both agree the center will help foster innovation by providing technology and bringing together motivated and like-minded innovators — some with completely different focuses — into a collaborative space where ideas can be shared and developed.

“For some it could just be connecting them to the right people. Somebody’s here and they need an e-commerce website. Great. Who do we have as the tenant here? Oh. Website guy introduction. It makes it efficient,” Atieh said.

With AICE moving fulltime to the Launch Pad, the result has been new business activity and events coming to St. Joseph as opposed to other locations they initially contemplated like Kansas City, a trend they hope will continue.

In a challenging career field where many hardworking hours are spent alone, the space does more than help nurture ideas or concepts into success, it promotes positive culture-building as well.

“Being around Lute, when we would discuss things it would give me ideas in my own business. So how awesome is that for any other entrepreneur out there who’s feeling isolated, now I have a place to go and pick the brains of people who’ve done it successfully,” Juhl said. “There’s so many entrepreneurs in this town that are working near each other but don’t know what each other’s working on.”

Interested users can now tour The Launch Pad, explore workspace options and connect with staff aboutmembership packages. A new podcast studio is also being developed, a near-vital component of companies today with the growing popularity of podcasts worldwide.

A set of cubicles and private offices (back right) are shown in November inside The Launch Pad at 801 Felix St. in Downtown St. Joseph.

After this week’s soft opening, a grand opening ceremony is scheduled to occur in January according to Chamber CEO Natalie Hawn.

Hawn is eager see the Launch Pad expand its outreach to regional resources to help support up-and-coming businesses as well.

“December is kind of when we get our feet underneath us. And then we really plan a hard launch in January. We’ll release kind of a six month plan for programing,” she said. “I’ve had mentors in my career and I think small businesses, a lot of times, the ones that are successful are the ones that have access to resources, people and investors that believe in their dream.”

Those interested in learning more can contact Kristie Arthur by email at arthur@saintjoseph.com, by phone at (816) 364-4113 or submit an interest form at stjlaunchpad.com.

More information on The Launch Pad can be found at its new website at stjlaunchpad.com

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