Author: News-Press NOW

Leah Rainwater

PLATTE COUNTY, Mo. (KQTV) — Former Platte County Commissioner John Elliott announced his candidacy for Missouri State Representative in District 13, seeking the seat vacated by Rep. Sean Pouche (R-Kansas City).

Missouri’s District 13 encompasses parts of Platte and Buchanan counties. Elliott will appear on the Republican primary ballot in August.

“I’m running to bring commonsense conservative leadership from Platte County to Jefferson City,” said Elliott. “That means standing with law enforcement, fixing a broken property tax system, protecting life and defending Missouri land and agriculture from foreign control.”

Elliott said security is at the top of his priority list for Missourians, shining a light on supporting law enforcement.

“This area that we call home depends on strong law enforcement to maintain our quality of life, especially as our communities grow,” said Elliott. “I will back the men and women who keep us safe and push backa gainst policies that weaken public safety.”

Elliott also emphasized protecting Missouri’s farmland and food security, highlighting that Missouri families and farmers should control land and food supply, not foreign governments.

Elliott has previously served as a Platte County Commissioner, focusing on infrastructure, public safety and fiscal responsibility during a period of significant development in the Northland.

He currently serves as Vice Chair of the Stanley M. Herzog Foundation board and said he has been active in conservative and faith-based leadership for decades.

Elliott is also a small business owner who grew up on a north Missouri farm. He said his priorities are grounded in real-world experience.

“My wife Julie and I understand the challenges local businesses face, and we know the pressures on farmers dealing with rising costs,” said Elliott. “I’ll be a voice for families and family-owned businesses- not corporate insiders in Jefferson City.”

Elliott said he supports Gov. Mike Kehoe’s efforts to eliminate the state income tax.

“As President Reagan reminded us, ‘Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.’ I intend to do all I can to pass that torch to the next generation and protect the freedoms that allow families, farmers and businesses to thrive.”

Both Elliott and his wife Julie are the parents of two children and grandparents to three grandchildren. They attend Outreach Christian Church and remain active in the community through Parkville Women’s Clinic, Northland Christian Schools and other local organizations.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A high school Eagle scout from St. Joseph was announced as the first recipient of a 2026 scholarship offered through the honorary “Mic-O-Say” tribal scouts organization.

Central High School senior Alex Lawyer, an Eagle scout with Troop 216 in St. Joseph, was recognized as the first winner of the 2026 Patrick L. Newman Mic-O-Say Scholarship, a $1000 scholarship awarded to top scouts at Camp Geiger who display leadership, courage and dedication to scout oath and law.

Lawyer was one of four area students to receive the scholarship this year, including Benton High School senior Cole Kelley, Atchison Eagle Scout Patrick Maderak and North Platte senior Galen Christiansen. 

Following graduation, Lawyer plans to attend a college and major in Environmental Engineering, combining his passion for math and science with the outdoors to reduce impacts of human activity on the environment.

Lawyer’s academic accomplishments include being a member of the National Honor Society, student government and FBLA. His musical talents in orchestra have earned him numerous district and state awards. 

Within scouting, Lawyer has spent three years working on Camp Geiger staff, including multiple unit-level leadership positions. 

The annual scholarship was created in honor of Patrick L. Newman, a longtime scout who served for nearly 30 years on the Tribal Council of the Tribe of Mic-O-Say, and often urged the organization to create an educational scholarship for members. 

Full list of scholarship award winners include: 

Galen Christiansen, 2nd recipient 

Galen Christiansen is pictured in this photo.

Christiansen is an Eagle Scout from Troop 714 in Edgerton, Missouri and is currently a senior at North Platte High School in Dearborn, Missouri. Galen plans to attend the University of Central Missouri where he will major in Aviation.

Galen is a strong leader and athlete with three years of experience working as a member of Camp Geiger staff, receiving the distinct “Staffman of the Year” award in 2025. Galen maintains a very active schedule with Cross Country, Track and Field, Scholar Bowl, National Honor Society, band, choir and the school musical, all while maintaining a cumulative 4.11 weighted GPA. 

Cole Kelley, 3rd recipient: 

Cole Kelley is pictured in this photo.

Kelley is an Eagle Scout and Benton High School senior from Troop 216 in St. Joseph. Cole plans to attend either Missouri Western State University or the University of Central Missouri after graduation, with the goal of majoring in Wildlife Conservation Management. 

A former “Staffman of the Week” winner, Kelley has held key leadership roles during his time at Camp Geiger. His accomplished resume includes football, track, orchestra, scholar bowl, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Cole Kelley currently holds the No. 1 class rank for his graduating class with an impressive 4.4 weighted GPA.  

Patrick Maderak, 4th recipient: 

Patrick Maderak is pictured in this photo.

Patrick is an Eagle Scout from Troop 53 in Atchison, Kansas, and is currently a sophomore at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas where he is double majoring in Political Science and Business. He hopes to use his college degree to further his studies to attend Law School and become a practicing lawyer.

Patrick has served two years as a member of the Camp Geiger staff and is an active member of his church, maintaining a busy schedule between powerlifting, track and field, forensics and theater. 

The scholarship is available to any Camp Geiger Tribesman of Mic-O-Say who is currently active in the program. Mic-O-Say is an honorary scouts organization founded in 1925 at Camp Geiger by revered scout and Kansas City mayor H. Roe Bartle, interweaving the scout oath of law with elements of Native American culture. 

The scholarship program is entirely funded by private contributions and is managed by the Mosaic Life Care Foundation.

Students entering their senior year of high school or freshman year of college are encouraged to submit an application for Fall 2026 scholarships at micosay.org/scholarships. Scholarship applications must be received by October 15th to qualify for the January award at the Winter Conclave

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Prajukta Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — Missouri Western State University hosted its first military suicide prevention training day to strengthen participants’ ability to identify risk factors and respond appropriately. 

The training was tailored for three groups: counselors, law enforcement officers and MoWest faculty and staff.  

Clinical Psychologist Christina Menager said her goal is to educate therapists, counselors, social workers and psychologists about the military and other service members, as well as their mental health and suicide prevention needs.  

Menager said veterans are present in every community and that it is essential for mental health professionals to understand how to effectively work with this group.  

“Its a public health issue. It affects everyone in this country. It is the second leading cause of death amongst individuals from 18 to 44 (years old),” Menager said.  

She also said suicide rates among veterans are approximately 1.6 times higher than those in the civilian population, underscoring why suicide prevention should be a concern for everyone.  

During the presentation, Menager emphasized that addressing suicide requires empowering all members of the community with the knowledge and skills to respond when they encounter someone experiencing a suicidal crisis.  

“The vast majority of people who die by suicide will never come for mental health treatment or diagnosis and that means you, the everyday person, are really the frontline,” Menager added.  

She noted that before the early 2000s, suicide rates among veterans and service members were lower than those of the civilian population.  

However, beginning in 2001, those rates began to rise and have since surpassed civilian suicide rates.  

“It hasn’t been increasing perfectly. It’s been going kind of up and down, but yes, we have some rate increases,” Menager said.  

Menager said the key challenge is understanding what is driving these rising rates, particularly because suicide data is correlational, making it difficult to determine direct causes.  

She added that multiple factors may contribute, including fewer social safety nets, homelessness, financial and relationship stress, strain at home, and substance abuse.  

“Common myth people have is if someone decided to end their life, they are going to do it. That’s actually not true because when someone decides to end their life quarter of people act in five minutes, half of people act in 20 mins and three-quarters act in 1 hour,” Menager said.  

Director of Military and Veterans Services at MoWest, Gabrielle Falletta, said the presentation was one of the office’s major events of the semester. 

Falletta said she is passionate about bringing attention to the issue and believes events like this are among the most effective ways to raise awareness  

“Generally, what I have seen on campus is that not many faculty, staff or students have come in contact with veterans to be well-versed on the warning signs, so our goals today is to give a baseline knowledge so they can intervene,” Falletta said.  

Falletta said her hope is for attendees to leave with a greater understanding of how common military suicide is and what steps individuals can take to help prevent it.  

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Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The Performing Arts Association announced an award to honor Pat and the late Carroll Cathey with a new honor recognizing donors whose commitment to the arts goes far beyond financial support.

The Pat and Carroll Cathey Arts Support Award was formally introduced at the Association’s monthly board meeting in August of 2025.

“Pat is an expert on Broadway shows, and her insight helped shape our programming for nearly a decade,” Board member Gloria Mason Martin said during the August meeting.

The inaugural award was presented to Pat and Carroll Cathey in recognition of their advocacy and dedication to the Performing Arts Association and the cultural life of the community.

Pat Cathey served on the Performing Arts Association board several years back and was the chair of the Programming Committee, where her leadership played a key role in bringing high-quality, nationally recognized performances to St. Joseph.

Both Pat and Carroll Cathey have been supporters of the Association, continuing their advocacy even today.

Carroll passed in late 2025, but the creation of the award not only serves as a recognition of the couple’s shared passion for the arts and their belief in the power of live performance to strengthen the Performing Arts Association.

“This award is an effort to turn the spotlight off the stage and onto the people who make the performances possible,” said Paul “Gibby” Gibson, the president of the Performing Arts Association. “Our donors deserve attention, respect and appreciation for their commitment. This honor exists to recognize individuals whose support goes beyond generosity and becomes tru partnership.”

The Performing Arts Association has a long history of presenting national touring artists, Broadway productions, concerts and family programming.

Through community partnerships, volunteer leadership and donor support, the Association reaffirms its commitment, not only to excellence on stage, but also to honoring the individuals whose passion and advocacy sustain the arts behind the scenes.

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Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The AFL-CIO Community Services said the 2025 Adopt-A-Family Christmas Program concluded, marking a momentous milestone.

The program has assisted over 100,000 individuals over the past 43 years, providing holiday support to families and individuals facing financial hardship throughout Northwest Missouri and Northeast Kansas.

The Adopt-A-Family program was first started in 1983 following a heartfelt request shared on local radio. A K-Jo DJ encouraged listeners to consider adopting real people in need for Christmas rather than popular holiday toys like Cabbage Patch Kids.

In the first year, 243 individuals were adopted through the program.

Since its inception, the program has connected thousands of donors with families and individuals in need, ensuring children wake up to gifts on Christmas morning and households have essential items during the holiday season.

Each year, community members, businesses and volunteers come together to provide gifts, clothing, food and household necessities, reinforcing the spirit of generosity and solidarity defining the program.

For more information about the Adopt-A-Family program and how to get involved, visit the agency’s website at helpmenow.org.

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Prajukta Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The St. Joseph School District’s finance committee met Tuesday to take another closer look at the district’s financial statement audit from KPM. 

Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations Robert Hedgecorth said the goal was to give committee members time to really sit down together and review the information.  

While KPM had already spent a good amount of time going over the audit during a board meeting, Hedgecorth said he wanted another opportunity to walk through parts that could be confusing.  

“I gave everyone a printout, and they can go over it and dig deep into the information and then email me or give me a call if they have any questions about any other pieces in the audit,” Hedgecorth said.  

He added that it’s important for committee members to fully process the numbers, especially since there are several misconceptions circulating in the community.  

Hedgecorth said there’s always room for improvement, and he makes it a point to ask auditors for feedback on how the district can strengthen its processes and procedures.  

“We talked through those things today at the meeting and got their feedback on it and what we could do to be better moving forward,” Hedgecorth added.  

Hedgecorth also touched on the two new high schools in the district and why that option may be less likely in the future.

“Its more complex formula than this, but you cannot borrow for more than 15% of your assessed evaluation in total. That’s a state statute and so the cost of a new high school, we wouldn’t have the bonding capacity to do that out of our general obligation fund,” Hedgecorth said.  

He said the district could technically borrow through Certificates of Participation, or COP debt, on top of the maximum general obligation amount, but it would result in a significant increase to the tax levy—something the district wants to avoid.  

Instead, Hedgecorth said SJSD needs to focus on long-term planning.  

“We need to work backwards, then, to ensure what bonding capacity we have to establish the funding for those buildings. If we wanna use some COP debt to support those project then we would have to pass that as a tax levy increase,” Hedgecorth said.  

Hedgecorth said another option is being strategic about how facilities are designed and built to help fund projects without raising taxes.  

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Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — St. Joseph’s Chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians donated $5,000 Tuesday afternoon to help Second Harvest Community Food Bank.

The group, made up of Catholic men of Irish heritage, said its reason for helping Second Harvest goes back.

“The Irish are no strangers to hunger, so one of our local supporters that we support a lot is Second Harvest,” said Dennis Delaney, chapter president. “We just felt like…we had some funds available and we thought that would be the best place to put it.”

Former chapter president and current historian, Shane McDonald, said the effort the organization puts in to lend a hand goes beyond just one day.

“This is something we do. We think about it all year long,” said McDonald. “We start thinking about this around St. Patrick’s Day, and usually dedicate some of our funds from the St. Patrick’s Day parade to Second Harvest, too. So we think about this organization a lot.”

Both Delaney and McDolad said the chapter doesn’t have an exact date for this year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade yet, but that it will be sometime in mid-March.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A Republican state senator is pushing for the creation of a new state commission and grant program to provide support for vehicle theft prevention efforts from law enforcement.

Legislation filed by Missouri state Sen. Curtis Trent, R-Battlefield, seeks to establish a new Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Commission, a new entity responsible for awarding grants to law enforcement agencies to help improve and support motor vehicle theft prevention programs, or programs for prosecuting motor vehicle theft crimes.

A St. Joseph Police vehicle with flashing lights is shown on Frederick Avenue in 2023.

The bill, which had a first reading Jan. 7, would create a new 12-member governor-appointed board to oversee the commission and approve applications. The Highway Patrol would also provide administration, management, and organization of the Commission’s activities.

Law enforcement agencies or qualified applicants could receive grant awards for up to three years as part of the measure, called Senate Bill 1181. Any grants awarded by the commission would have to be approved by the Director of the Department of Public Safety prior to any such allocation.

Grants being pursued for multi-jurisdictional programs would be given priority under the legislation. The measures also seeks to promote statewide planning and provide support to local prosecutors and multi-jurisdictional task forces.

If approved, the grant program would take effect in August of 2026. Provisions in the program would sunset in 2032 unless reauthorized by the Missouri General Assembly.

A second component of Senate Bill 1181 would also make it a class D felony to manufacture, sell or possess a motor vehicle key programming or emulating device or a relay attack device.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Staff and faculty at Missouri Western State University will receive hands on training this week to strengthen their ability to recognize warning signs of suicide and respond appropriately.

MoWest announced it will host a Military Suicide Prevention Training Day on Wednesday, Jan. 14 in Murphy Hall, room 201.

Training sessions will be tailored to particular groups within the university, including counselors, law enforcement officers and MoWest faculty and staff.

“This training day is focused on strengthening our collective ability to recognize risk, respond appropriately, and connect service members, veterans, and students with the support they deserve,” said Gabbie Faletta, director of the Center for Military and Veterans Services, in a news release.

Training groups and times include:

Counselors: 8:30-11:30 a.m.

Law enforcement officers: 12:45-1:45 p.m.

MoWest faculty and staff: 2-3 p.m.

The event is sponsored by the MoWest Center for Military and Veterans Services, the MoWest Counseling Center, the MoWest Social Work program and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

For more information, email Falletta at gfalletta@missouriwestern.edu, or call 816-271-4111.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A leading nonprofit is encouraging the community to help connect local students with a reading experience through a variety of upcoming programs.

United Way of Greater St. Joseph announced its longstanding “Reading Adventure” program with local elementary schools this winter, including Carden Park, Coleman, Hosea, Lindbergh, Parkway, Pershing and Pickett.

As part of the program, United Way is calling for volunteers to read with students during the second semester as well as for books to be given to support students through a variety of programs.

Each program is held at a different time, and volunteers are needed in January and February to read with students. Volunteers can choose to read once, several times or take part in a regular schedule.

Books will also be provided to students in the program to encourage reading at home.

More than 700 people have volunteered for United Way’s Reading Adventure since it was launched in 2011, helping students maintain reading skills over the summer months and during the school year.

The program follows a model that has been successfully used by HOPE Outreach Ministries, Inc. for many years.

Individuals and organizations interested in volunteering to read or donating books can contact Jodi Flurry at 816-364-2381 or jodi.flurry@stjosephunitedway.org, or register online at stjosephunitedway.org/pie.

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