Author: News-Press NOW

News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — United Way of Greater St. Joseph is looking for volunteers to help assemble meal kits for households in need.

Kids being out of school calls for an increase in the need for food in some households.

According to moveforhunger.org, “In 2023, just over 28 million children participated in the National School Lunch Program, making it ‘the nation’s second-largest’ food and nutrition assistance program behind SNAP.”

Volunteers are needed between 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 9, at the United Way of Greater St. Joseph, located at 118 S. 5th St.

The meal kits will be shared with local households.

Visit United Way’s website to sign up or call (816) 364-2381.

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Kyle Schmidt

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A summer youth program designed to help teach kids tennis as well as life skills outside of the sport, begins Monday, July 7.

The program is led by a junior at Central High School, Sara Gupta.

“We just want to help students become student athletes, essentially,” Gupta said. “Which have those main skills like teamwork, confidence, athleticism and just using tennis to help achieve those.”

Gupta will lead the program for the first time after her older sister, Alisha, started the program and led it for two years.

The program is for kids ages 11-14 and was created after Alisha noticed the kids dropping out of school weren’t part of any teams or clubs.

“She really wanted to start early during middle school,” program director of youth volunteer corps Misty Coyle said. “So, 11 to 14 years old and get them ready for high school by giving them some pillars of strength.”

The program runs from Monday, July 7, through Monday, July 24, on Mondays through Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“We have games, activities and actually this year, I am fortunate enough to find a psychology student from Missouri Western to help with mental health,” Gupta said. “Just incorporating all aspects of that with tennis and fun activities.”

Gupta said a lot of students in the past have gone on to play tennis in high school, and hopes they can use the skills learned outside as well.

Supplies, rackets and everything for students in the program are provided from sponsorships and other businesses supporting Youth Alliance.

Tennis for Success will be a “pay if you can” program, thanks in large part to fundraising efforts.

To sign up visit the Youth Volunteer Corps website.

“Tennis has been my passion from the age of nine or 10,” Gupta said. “It’s been something to look forward to, something to have to be active and I have been fortunate to be on the tennis team and see it grow and that’s really important to me.”

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The City of St. Joseph is preparing for its annual fireworks display to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday.

The city will be setting up and preparing for the town’s festivities throughout the day. To safely set up the pyrotechnics, part of North Point Drive will be blocked off.

The city will have safety officials from the fire department in the event of a fire breaking out, along with members of the police and parks department to assist with crowd control.

“The city’s had different departments involved already, (along with the) County, of course,” park director Jeff Adkins said. “They’ve given their approval for the shooting site. They will be on site during the fireworks show, just in case there is any problems with the fireworks themselves or to help with crowd control.”

The fireworks show will start sometime around 9:45 p.m. at North Point Drive

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Soles for Christ has announced it is accepting donations and volunteers for its annual distribution.

Soles for Christ is asking for new shoe donations for school-aged children to be dropped off at 1203 N. Sixth St.

The deadline for drop-offs is Thursday, Aug. 7.

Volunteers are also needed for four days in August to help with the program’s set up, takedown, and distribution days- set for Monday, Aug. 11, and Tuesday, Aug. 12, at the Scottish Rite Temple, located at 515 N. Sixth St.

Those days include:

1 to 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 8, for set up

8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 11, for Distribution Day one (which includes building and line monitoring; sock distribution; registering families via laptop/paper; sizing and fitting children for shoes; shoe room attendants; runners)

8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 12, for Distribution Day two (which includes building and line monitoring; sock distribution; registering families via laptop/paper; sizing and fitting children for shoes; shoe room attendants; runners)

1 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 13, for tear down

Volunteers must be at least 18 years old for distribution days, and are welcome to sign up for as many days or shifts as they would like.

T-shirts are also available for purchase for $20 to $24 and may be picked up from the AFL-CIO starting Tuesday, Aug. 5. The last day to order is Monday, July 21.

The local event, put together by the AFL-CIO, provides a new pair of shoes for school-aged children ahead of the school year.

The goal of the program is to boost self-esteem and enthusiasm in kids entering preschool (ages four and up) through 12th grade.

The program serves children attending public, parochial and homeschooled children in Andrew, Buchanan, Clinton and DeKalb counties in Missouri, and Doniphan County in Kansas.

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News-Press NOW

COUNTRY CLUB, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Two people were injured in a Country Club, Missouri crash Thursday night.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports the accident occurred around 6:47 p.m. at the intersection of Southbound Business 29 and US-59 in Country Club.

A 31-year-old St. Joseph woman driving east on 59 failed to stop at a stop sign, hitting a car occupied by two people from Mound City, Missouri — a 32-year-old man and 34-year-old woman.

The Mound City man, who was driving, suffered serious injuries, and the woman riding with him moderate injuries.

First responders took both to Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph.

The St. Joseph woman avoided injury.

Troopers report everyone involved was wearing a seatbelt.

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Kyle Schmidt

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — In less than a year, 650,000 people are expected to travel into the Kansas City area to watch countries around the world compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

St. Joseph, sitting just 55 miles away from downtown Kansas City, is expected to see an influx of visitors and is beginning to prepare.

“We are purely in an idea phase of what are the things we should be doing, what are other destinations doing that are similar to us,” director of communications/ marketing with St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau, Christian Mengel, said. “A lot of conversations surrounding watch parties, festivals and viewing areas and more are being discussed to figure out what would be the best experience for current residents.”

Mengel said conferences and conventions geared toward international tourism marketing, as well as conversations with international travel writers, have shared consistent feedback.

International travelers are looking for three things. They will want to travel somewhere with something uniquely American, has a hidden gem or a place with road trip possibilities.

“St. Joseph is perfect in that sense,” Mengel said. ” In that, in the Kansas City region, we check all those boxes.”

St. Joseph is currently being advertised in Kansas City International Airport as well as on buses driving around the city. Ad sizes in Visit Kansas City’s visitor guides have grown for St. Joseph as well to draw more eyes from out of country visitors.

“If we target Kansas City at that time, specifically as, ‘Hey, this is something to do while you’re in Kansas City or while you’re in the area for the World Cup,'” Mengel said. “It makes it so much more accessible for them to find out that it’s just a 45-minute trip up the road.”

The Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art has planned a major exhibit of juried exhibition of the American landscape.

“We’re going to put out a national call for entries,” Executive Director of the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art Eric Fuson said. “We’ll have some purchase awards so they’ll be able to purchase some of the works that are the top ones to put in the permanent collection.”

The exhibit will begin on Friday, May 15, 2026, and will run through August 2026.

Kansas City is currently making sure the hotels are prepared, as well as the residents and attractions. For the areas around, like St. Joseph, Mackenzie Wolters, communications manager for Visit KC, said they expect people to stay in St. Joseph.

A notable St. Joseph project currently being worked on is two state-of-the-art hotels and a new conference center on Frederick Ave. The city hopes this project will be finished ahead of the World Cup, but said, “It will be tight.”

“You might see people who are here in Kansas City for a match and then in between the next match, they might go up to St. Joseph to explore the Pony Express Museum or to explore more up there,” Wolters said. “We want to make sure our museum attractions all across the region are prepared for people to be exploring.”

Wolters said international travelers are interested in the “wild west vibe,” like the Jesse James experience and the Pony Express.

“We want everyone across the region to stay in their communities and be their most authentic selves,” Wolters said. “We want people, when visitors come to the area, to have great people who are great hosts.”

More information regarding specific plans for St. Joseph will come out in the future. Kansas City will know which teams will play their games in Arrowhead Stadium in December.

“Brush up on the best museum, the best restaurant to recommend to all of the visitors that we are expecting,” Wolters said. “Just be authentic, be yourself.”

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Charles Christian

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The passage of the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” by the U.S. House of Representatives has been met with mixed reactions nationally and locally.

In St. Joseph, about a dozen people interviewed for their initial reactions a few hours after the bill passed echoed both the praises and concerns expressed by members of the House of Representatives in their debates about the financial package.

One St. Joseph resident, who did not want to share her name, a Medicare recipient, said she is concerned about cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.

“My mother is also on Medicaid, and she is in her eighties,” she said. “I don’t think we could get by without it.”

Lynn, who did not share her last name, is a retired nurse in St. Joseph, said she is glad the bill passed and does not share the concerns about cuts to Medicaid.

“They were scaring people about Medicaid and everything,” Lynn said. “I’m a retired nurse, and I believe we need to get those who can work off of Medicaid.”

Nyls Ferguson said he supports the bill because he believes there will be benefits for senior adults and many working Americans.

“I think the fact that it doesn’t tax social security is great,” Ferguson said. “Also, removing tax for those who work overtime is good, because many have to work overtime just to get by, and that will relieve some of their burden.”

All local U.S. Representatives, as well as Senators from Missouri and Kansas, voted to support the bill, which will now go to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature.

The final version of the bill passed the House by a margin of 218-214.

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — To provide local students with school supplies, United Way of Greater St. Joseph and Mosaic Life Care are partnering for the 17th Annual “STUFF THE BUS” school supplies drive.

The event will be held throughout the day on Friday, August 1, to Saturday, August 2, at the North Belt Walmart, located at 4201 N. Belt Hwy, and the South Belt Walmart, located at 3022 S. Belt Hwy.

Anyone interested in volunteering can find additional information on United Way’s Facebook page.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — In a press release sent out on Thursday, the St. Joseph Police Department announced it would transition to encrypted radio traffic early in July.

This change is for all law enforcement communications and is designed to protect the safety of both officers and the community, according to the press release.

The decision came after consideration of the evolving public safety landscape and the need to “maintain the integrity of law enforcement operations while ensuring compliance of all rules and best practices relating to criminal justice information systems.”

The shift allows the department to respond to emergencies without the concern of private information being intercepted by unauthorized individuals.

“The safety of our officers and citizens we serve is our top priority,” said SJPD Police Chief Paul Luster. “This move to encrypted radio traffic will help us protect sensitive operational details from being compromised, ensuring we can continue to serve our community effectively and safely.”

In addition to improving officer safety, the transition to encrypted communications will safeguard the privacy of citizens.

According to the press release, “the information shared over law enforcement radio networks often includes sensitive details regarding ongoing investigations, emergency response situations, and personal data.”

Sergeant Jeremy Peters said, “If somebody is having a mental health crisis and they’re reluctant to call for help, the last thing that they want is for their name, their address, or any of their personal details to be shared over the radio. Knowing that it’s probably going to be broadcast over social media there’s some type of stigma that they’re afraid of being attached to. And we don’t want anybody to be discouraged from calling for help.”

SJPD said, while this encryption does limit public access to real-time radio traffic, the department will continue to share information with the public through traditional channels, including: press releases, social media and regular community engagement efforts.

Sergeant Jeremy Peters stated, “Just know that we’re out here, we’re trying to do the best job that we can for the community. I would encourage people to come out and be apart of the neighborhood groups. If there isn’t one that you’re aware of, we can help get one founded. We also have message boards for people to communicate directly to the police department.” Find out more by visiting the Saint Joseph Crime Prevention Page here.

The department said open lines of communication will be maintained to ensure the public remains informed during critical incidents.

“We understand the importance of keeping the public informed, and while we must protect the security of our law enforcement officers and operations, we are committed to ensuring that the community remains engaged and informed,” said Chief Luster.

The press release also detailed, the SJPD is confident this change will contribute to a safer environment for both law enforcement officers and residents served.

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