Author: News-Press NOW

TaMya Bracy

SAVANNAH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) – With the Savannah Aquatic Center closing down after its final season of being open, both Savannah officials and community members are working to defy the odds and keep hopes high with a new pool.

The Andrew County Aquatics Initiative, a campaigning platform looking to build a new swimming pool in Savannah, is pursuing a $500,000 Land and Water Conservation matching grant from the Missouri State Parks.

The original and existing facility, which was built 61 years ago, was funded by the same grant.

Diane Gould, the pool manager at the current pool location, said even though they will be building a new facility, officials want to keep it in the same location due to nostalgia.

“Our community has had this spot as our summer hangout for so long,” Gould said. “We’d like to kind of keep hold on to that.  It also is accessible to all the kids in town by foot, by bike, and we wanted to make sure that the most as many kids as possible can access it and have a good time here.”

Gould said the pool has been raising money for the last few weeks, and it is already receiving many donations.

“It’s only been a couple of weeks and we are close to $35,000,” Gould said. “We got a really generous donation from Analisa Duncan, who is always a big supporter in our community.  But other than that, it’s really been from a lot of mom and pops and just residents who are wanting to see this happen.”

The pool is hosting an event on Saturday, Sept. 6 to raise more money. Gould said she is hopeful that by the end of Saturday, they will raise $50,000.

“We’re going to spring forth from that guns blazing, and keep finding people who want to make sure that the kids in this town continue to have a place to be in the summer for the next 61 years,” Gould said.

Currently, the pool doesn’t have an idea of what their new facility will look like, but they are hoping to get opinions from the community. Gould said the main priority is for the pool to be sustainable.

“We are going to be able to maintain it and have scheduled repairs and maintenance taken care of,” she said. “We want to make sure that whatever we do stays nice for years.”

Gould also said kids in the community are heartbroken knowing they won’t have a community pool to swim in next year.

“I just sit and think about, ‘What are they going to do if they don’t have this place and how is that going to impact those kids individually as well as the community?'” Gould said.  “So I think I want the kids to know that there are adults in this town who want for them, desperately.  And we’re going to do everything that we can and work as hard as we can to make sure that they get it,” she said.

High school senior Carlton Crumb is on the swim team and he uses the pool for practice. He thinks it’s awesome that the pool is raising money.

“I hope that does happen. I hope we do get a new pool so kids just like me can learn how to swim,” Crumb said. Though that is a foundational ability. And then as well as be on the swim team and  make new friends and build those friendships that will last a lifetime,” he said.

The pool is looking to raise $50,000 by the end of Saturday.

For more information, on where you can donate you can visit their website.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — City councilmembers will not convene for the next regularly scheduled meeting this September due to a statewide conference in St. Charles, Missouri.

A city council meeting scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 15, has been canceled due to multiple members of City Council and city staff planning to attend the annual Missouri Municipal League Conference.

The conference is being held in St. Charles, Missouri, from Sept. 15 to Sept. 17.

A resolution to cancel the meeting was formally introduced and approved by councilmembers at the July 7 meeting.

The next regularly scheduled City Council meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 29.

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News-Press NOW

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) –

The Missouri NAACP is suing Gov. Mike Kehoe to stop a special session on congressional redistricting, arguing that the move is unconstitutional and racially motivated.

The NAACP and two Missourians, including a Columbia woman, filed the lawsuit Wednesday afternoon in Cole County. The group is seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent lawmakers from moving forward.

“The last census was 2020, and maps were redrawn in 2022. We don’t do it again until the next census,” said Rod Chapel, attorney and president of the NAACP Missouri State Conference. “By asking lawmakers to come back and redraw violates the Missouri Constitution.”

Kehoe called lawmakers back to Jefferson City last week to redraw the state’s congressional districts in an effort to retain GOP control of the U.S. House. State House lawmakers gaveled in Wednesday afternoon and set a Thursday hearing on the proposed map.

The new map primarily alters the 5th Congressional District, stretching it out of Kansas City and into parts of mid-Missouri. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat from Kansas City, currently represents the district. He is one of two Democrats in Missouri’s congressional delegation, while Republicans hold the other six seats.

Chapel said the redistricting push carries racial undertones.

“Nationwide, we are seeing a movement where Black and brown voices are being silenced,” Chapel told ABC 17 News.  “Communities perceived as Black and brown, Kansas City and St. Louis, are being subjected to their votes being taken away, their political power being taken away so that a few political fat cats can have the things that they want.”

NAACP-v-KehoeDownload

The lawsuit said Missouri would suffer “irreparable harm” if the special session was allowed to proceed, the standard needed to get a judge to issue a temporary restraining order to stop the session. Lawmakers are paid daily for their time at the Capitol, and citizens would need to travel to and from the Capitol in order to participate in hearings, which Chapel said would cost the state time and money for a session that may be unconstitutional.

“We can see that on a plain textual argument from the Missouri Constitution, that what’s happening here is inappropriate,” Chapel said.

Other states, like California, have pushed back against President Trump with redistricting efforts of their own. However, Chapel says one of the key differences is that Missouri has a travel advisory for minority residents and visitors, which the NAACP first issued in 2017 and has never rescinded. An example he gave is former Attorney General Andrew Bailey refusing to release racial disparity data, despite it being required by law.  He says that Missouri’s redistricting efforts are a clear attempt to take political power from black communities in St. Louis and Kansas City. 

“It tells folks who are Black, brown, and frankly, of any persuasion, that if you’re here in Missouri, you can be treated differently,” Chapel said. “The criminal justice system has a whole different set of outcomes for you.”

Some citizens joined the NAACP’s push against the session, including St. Louis resident Juanuta Storey, who drove over 100 miles to the Capitol to protest.

“I don’t care what party you are affiliated with when your rights are taken away, there’s no longer a democracy,” Storey said. “We just want our rights. And I think if we can all agree on that, just the simple right to vote. That’s all I’m asking for. Keep my right to vote, keep it fair, keep the elections fair.”

Storey said she sees the fight over redistricting as part of a broader erosion of democratic values.

“We’ve become the divided states of America, and it’s sad,” she said. “We are the United States of America. United we are stronger.”

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — United Way of Greater St. Joseph began its 2025 campaign on Thursday morning with a kickoff breakfast.

The event, held at The Metropolitan in Downtown St. Joseph, kicked off with a campaign video featuring the Juhl family and their son Jetson, who was born with multiple brain differences.

In addition to the campaign video, the 2025 campaign co-chairs, Michael and Jennifer Holden, discussed this year’s goals and the money raised so far by other organizations.

“You walk in and you see a room that’s full crowded,” Michael said. “It shows the support of our community. They are willing to give and it allows United Way to give out to our partner agencies.”

As of Thursday, Sept. 4, the total amount raised is $970,506.40 for the 2025 campaign.

“$970 (thousand) is a great number,” Jennifer said. “With numbers still coming in from those companies, I would not be shocked if we kicked off the campaign off with a million.”

For more information on the 2025 campaign and for ways to get involved, visit the United Way of Greater St. Joseph’s website at www.stjosephunitedway.org.

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Rebecca Evans

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Looking for something fun, free and family-friendly to do this weekend? From karaoke night to StroudStock, and free museum day, there’s something for everyone.

First up, this Friday, head over to Mokaska Coffee Company for a special karaoke night. From 7 to 8:30pm, the mic is open. Whether you’re ready to belt your heart out or just want to grab a drink to cheer on your friends, everyone’s welcome.  

Next up, StroudStock is taking over Civic Center Park from 1 to 9pm Saturday. This free community event is packed with live music,  plus a local vendor fair, a kids zone with inflatables and face painting, as well as a touch-a-truck experience with real emergency vehicles.

And it won’t cost you a dime. Plus, there’ll be a heartfelt first responder tribute, honoring the local heroes who keep our community safe.

Saturday is also free museum day. That means you can explore some of St. Joseph’s most fascinating museums completely free of charge.

Participating museums include the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, Andrew County Museum, Mount Mora Cemetery, Pony Express Museum, Robidoux Row, and the Walter Cronkite Memorial, all open from 10am to 4pm. You can also visit the Black Archives Museum, Doll Museum, Remington Nature Center, Glore Psychiatric Museum, and the St. Joseph Museum which will be open a bit later 10am-5pm. 

So there you have it, live music, fire trucks, face paint, and free museum hopping, all happening this weekend. It’s the perfect chance to make some memories without breaking the bank. 

Tune in every Thursday for more ways to see St. Joseph.

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News-Press NOW

ANDREW COUNTY, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Two people suffered serious injuries in a crash in northern Andrew County Wednesday.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports the crash occurred around 3:31 p.m. at the intersection of U.S. Highway 71 and Route B, about two-and-a-half miles west of Bolckow, Missouri.

A 24-year-old St. Joseph man driving west on Route B tried to cross 71, but failed to yield to a 23-year-old Maryville woman driving north.

She hit his car’s driver side.

First responders took both to Mosaic Life Care for serious injuries.

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TaMya Bracy

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph Communication Center has received about a $1 million grant from the Missouri 9-1-1 service board to purchase new equipment.

The communication center serves both St. Joseph and Buchanan county law enforcement, MoWest law enforcement, the fire department and other surrounding emergency responders.

Chase Cotter, a St. Joseph Police Department captain, said the grant will go towards improvements of the communication center technologies.

“The Next Generation 9-1-1 Grant we received will go towards improvements in software and hardware in our redundancies and how we take in 911 calls, as well as in GIS or geographical information systems updates,” Cotter said. “So basically, like call location services, we’ll get better locations of where someone is calling us from,” he said.

Cotter also said the grant will help the communication center upgrade its servers and its call-taking hardware. 

“We are transitioning away from our old copper phone lines, which are no longer supported and have kind of deteriorated infrastructure,” Cotter said. “Going to voice over Internet protocol or VoIP phones, which are more reliable, can switch over and transfer calls easier, and it has redundancies in the form of broadband, internet and cell phone signals,” he said.

The new technology will help with more accurate call locations. Cotter said their accuracy will rise to about 95%.

“So if somebody were to call in, we could tell exactly down to the street address on the street number where they are at,” he said.

Overall, this grant will help better serve the community.

“Basically just to ensure we offer a reliable and accurate service to our citizens and get and have the ability to always ensure we take in phone calls from people that need them, and know the locations of people that are trying to call us that may not be able to see an address or say where they’re at,” he said.

The entire upgrade to the communication center will go into effect in 2026.

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Ancient Order of Hibernians donated a check in the form of $2,200 to the Samaritan Counseling Center to assist in its services to the community.

The money was raised at this past year’s Devin Delaney Memorial Irish Road Bowling Contest. The contest was made to honor and remember St. Joseph resident Devin Delaney, who passed away due to a seizure on Dec. 11, 2022.

In talking to Devin’s father, Dennis Delaney, he believes the donations are invaluable to the services provided by the Samaritan Counseling Center. He noted that Devin was a strong supporter of the center and always helped those struggling with mental health.

“That’s exactly why we raised the money,” Dennis said. “We are a nonprofit, but we support several organizations here in town. The Samaritan (Counseling) Center was one that was close to Devin’s heart.”

The donation will help assist in the services the Samaritan Counseling Center offers such as medical therapy.

“Anything that we provide for our patients, who don’t always have (the) money to pay for (health) services, helps,” Addiction Specialist Dr. Robert Corger said. “And certainly the awareness of this is also important for patients that have addiction.”

For more information on the Samaritan Counseling Center and how to donate, visit their website at: http://www.thecenterlistens.org/

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News-Press NOW

HARRISON COUNTY, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A 71-year-old Stover, Missouri man was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash just six miles north of Gilman City.

The crash occurred around 10:55 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 2, as the male, driving a 2008 Honda Gold Wing motorcycle, was going east on Route MM. He saw an animal in the roadway and went off the south side to avoid the animal.

The driver was partially ejected during the event, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report.

Both the motorcycle and driver skidded before coming to rest facing west off the south side of the roadway.

The motorcycle was totaled and the man was taken by LifeFlight to Mosaid Life Care in St. Joseph.

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Some local pharmacies and health care providers are working to determine their vaccination protocols after new federal regulations limit who can receive them.

The Food and Drug Administration approved updated COVID-19 vaccines for the upcoming fall and winter season. The regulations now state that Americans will be required to get a prescription to receive a COVID-19 vaccination unless they are 65 years or older or have underlying health conditions that put them at risk.

Healthy children under age 18 will be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine after consulting with their health care provider, according to ABC News.

In a statement sent to ABC 17 News Tuesday afternoon, MU Health Care said it is still finalizing any changes.

“We are still finalizing our vaccination protocols as we await guidance related to recent policy change,” the statement said.

Boone Health did not immediately provide a response.

ABC 17 News spoke with a pharmacist at the Walgreens located on East Broadway who said anyone under 65 or who does not have a health condition will not be eligible to receive the shot without a prescription.

The CVS Pharmacy on Bernadette Drive said children under 12 will need a prescription.

According to Kilgore’s pharmacist, Bill Morrissey, the pharmacy is still waiting on guidance and clarification.

Board President of the Missouri Immunization Coalition, Lynelle Phillips, said the United States is already having trouble with vaccination rates, and the new restrictions aren’t going to help.

“The other concern is, for instance, I have a husband who qualifies for the vaccine and will likely get it, and I don’t. So even if he gets the vaccine, if I go out and catch COVID while on campus or whatever and bring it home, then the vaccine is not 100%,” Phillips said.

According to Phillips, in public health, the goal is not only to vaccinate high-risk people, but also to make sure people they are in close contact with are vaccinated as well. The new restrictions are something she fears will no longer allow that to happen.

Phillips also said the restrictions could become problematic for pregnant women.

Physicians can prescribe to people who don’t fit a certain category based on the drug label, referred to as “off label.” However, Phillips said there’s a possibility of liability in those cases.

The new restrictions also mean some Americans may now face out-of-pocket costs when receiving the vaccine.

“The child vaccines are all covered by the vaccine for children program, but now COVID is not being recommended for children, so they won’t be covered, which means they’ll have to use private insurance to become vaccinated,” Phillips said. “I don’t know how insurance companies will feel about that. It’s the same for adults. People might have to pay out-of-pocket if they really want it, and we have enough trouble promoting the COVID vaccine as it is, let alone asking people to fork out cash for it.”

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