Author: News-Press NOW

Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Anyone facing threats of disconnection from heating or cooling sources will need to act quickly.

Community Action’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Summer Crisis Intervention Program (SCIP) is set to close applications for the program at the end of the day on Tuesday, Sept. 30.

The LIHEAP is a one-time credit that comes from the state to apply as payment for your primary heating source. The SCIP is a crisis fund that requires a termination or disconnection notice in order to apply for those funds. 

When applying for the SCIP, it is critical to have all the proper documentation needed to be eligible for the funds.

“We stress having the right documentation; there’s no delay in the processing,” LIHEAP Manager Heidi Surritt said. “And that way, we don’t have to send out a letter to request that information. It’s things like income documents, account information, social security cards and IDs that’s listed on the back of the application that should be submitted with the application.”

Disconnection notices or applications can be dropped off at the administrative office located at 1322 N. 36th Street, or email to liheap@capstjoe.org

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — St. Joseph police officers will see a new fleet of top-of-the-line vehicles added to the department’s inventory following approval by city officials on Monday. 

Monday’s City Council meeting saw the approval of three resolutions totaling $1 million to purchase 18 new SUVs for the St. Joseph Police Department, including four Chevy Equinox, 14 2026 Chevy Tahoes and necessary equipment — including vehicle laptops — using Police Sales Tax funds.

“This allows them to really respond effectively and efficiently to all different types of situations, to be visible out in our neighborhoods,” St. Joseph Police Chief Paul Luster said. “I think it really shows our commitment to our officers as well as to this community that we are equipping them with the best equipment that that we can.”

New Chevy Tahoes will be deployed as police pursuit vehicles for patrol officers, while the Equinox will be utilized as unmarked police vehicles. Just over $55,000 in funding will come from the department’s School Resource Officer agreement with the St. Joseph School District.

The new SUVs mark the second round of large-scale purchases in the last year to modernize the department’s fleet of aging and outdated vehicles. Councilmembers approved using $1,071,440 in American Rescue Plan Act funds last November to purchase 20 sterling grey 2025 Chevy Tahoes.

“I think we’re almost to the finish line. As you modernize the fleet, it’s expensive on the front end but it’s also really expensive trying to maintain an old fleet of cars,” Luster said. “So in the end, this is really a cost effective way that ultimately will save taxpayer dollars. We want to be thinking five years ahead.”

Council OKs $1 million for road repair projects, $1 million for street maintenance equipment upgrades

Councilmembers gave the green light to use $2 million for multiple roadway improvement projects and a host of related equipment upgrades for the city’s Street Maintenance Department.

Equipment purchases will include $347,117 for a new street sweeper, $355,377 for six 4×4 Chevy pickups and $200,000 for a Caterpillar motor grader, a large commercial machine used for snow removal and alley maintenance operations.

One notable purchase includes using $104,306 in marijuana sales tax funds to purchase one international cab and chassis, also called a half truck, for department operations. The purchase marks one of the first to use marijuana sales tax funds, which up until now have been kept in a restricted fund.

Roadway improvement projects approved by City Council: 

$624,878 for the Easton Road Resurfacing Project, including asphalt and overlay. This portion of road is an addition to the initial 150-by-40-foot section of concrete, creating a continuous run of new road.

$181,848 for concrete street replacement at the intersection of Leonard Road and Easton Road. This project will widen Easton Road east of Leonard by 16 feet for the first 150 feet, providing a safer and more manageable entrance for the heavy over-the-road traffic serving the business park, as well as for citizens and professionals traveling in the area. The remaining portion of the road will be removed and replaced with full-depth asphalt extending to 48th Terrace, upon approval of a separate resolution.

$197,825 to reinforce a section of road near 3801 N. Woodbine Road. This section of Woodbine Road has never had a shoulder and has now begun to erode, creating a drop-off of approximately nine feet at its deepest point, making the area unsafe. The proposed repair includes building up the area with compacted fill dirt placed in lifts, followed by installation of a row of gabion baskets on anti-erosion material with a roll stone cap.

New rules for keeping chickens and fowl on private property

St. Joseph residents will now see revised regulations that loosen restrictions for keeping chickens and fowl on private property. 

Current regulations state that it is unlawful for any person to pen fowl upon any premises within 100 feet of any building or structure of any kind occupied by human inhabitants.

New regulations significantly restructure permitted distances of fowl from neighboring property depending on the number of fowl kept, among other changes.

New regulations for fowl:

Three or less fowl: Must be 25 feet from neighboring residences

Four to six fowl: Must be 50 feet from neighboring residences

Seven to 12 fowl: Must be 100 feet from neighboring residences

Fowl are required to be at least six feet from all property lines and in a fenced enclosure, coop or cage that is maintained and clean at all times in a sanitary manner that mitigates flies and disease.

A full list of regulations can be found here on the city’s website. 

City to begin using AI technology to grade road conditions

St. Joseph Public Works and Transportation will deploy the next generation of cutting-edge technology to help grade and improve the condition of St. Joseph’s streets and roadways.

Councilmembers approved a $15,380 ordinance Monday to purchase new AI-powered software from Vaisala Inc, called RoadAI. 

The program operates by recording street surfaces using smartphones while an inspector drives the route. The video is uploaded nightly to a cloud-based AI program with condition ratings being available within hours.

Data is then exported to Excel and imported into Cartegraph — an operations and asset management software platform — for use in determining overlay lists, concrete repair lists and other maintenance priorities.

City Hall scheduled for interior paint job

St. Joseph’s historic administration building is set to undergo a thorough interior paint project with council members approving a $73,399 contract for paint services Monday. 

At present, the hallways and stairwells, including walls and ceilings, are in visible need of plaster repair and repainting. Plaster repairs will be performed on an as-needed basis throughout the hallways, ceilings, and stairwells of the first through fourth floors. Upon completion of repairs, all affected surfaces will be primed and painted to ensure a consistent and refreshed finish. 

Hallway-facing door frames that are not commercial-grade metal will also be painted as part of this scope. Contractor GA Thompson has been hired to carry out the project. 

Other bills approved by City Council

A resolution authorizing the purchase of a new Bobcat Compact Track Loader from K.C. Bobcat in the amount of $77,164 for the Park Maintenance Division, utilizing Parks Sales Tax Funds.

A resolution authorizing the purchase of two 2026 International HV507 cab and chassis to be used by the Sewer Maintenance Division for the total amount of $208,612 from Rush Truck centers.

An ordinance authorizing the execution of a software license and maintenance agreement with Trapeze Software Group, Inc. dba Trip Spark Technologies for the purchase of passenger routing software in the amount of $399,878 and an amendment to the Mass Transit Fund Budget in the amount of $99,878 to allocate the additional necessary funding for the purchase.

An ordinance authorizing an amendment to the General Fund Police Department Budget and the execution of a contract with the St. Joseph Youth Alliance both in the amount of $8,160 to provide alcohol and electronic cigarette enforcement and compliance checks at businesses.

An ordinance to approve the final plat of a major subdivision Entitled “Creek Woods Plat 3” consisting of 15 lots and 1 detention basin located south of South Creek Woods Drive as requested by David Gach on behalf of Creek Woods, LLC. 

Nominations and appointments

Mayor John Josendale nominated three citizens to sit on three different commissions. 

Stephen Davis, 3912 Mansfield Road, to serve as a member of the Tax Increment Financing Commission for a term expiring Sept. 29, 2029; he is filling a vacancy on the Commission.

Brandon Johnson, 1137 Frederick Ave., to serve as a member of the Human Rights Commission for a term expiring Oct. 8, 2028; he will be replacing June Brown, whose term expires Oct. 8, 2025.

Zach Ellis, 149 Countryside Lane, to serve as a member of the Human Rights Commission for a term expiring Oct. 8, 2026; he is filling a vacancy on the commission.

Councilmember Randy Schultz nominates Andersen Adkins, 2602 Union St., to serve as a member of the Tree Board for a term expiring Sept. 29, 2028; he is replacing David Ball, whose term has expired.

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Payton Counts

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Gov. Mike Kehoe signed Executive Order 25-29 declaring a drought alert for Missouri until Dec. 1, 2025. 

At the time the order was signed, the U.S Drought Monitor indicated that all or portions of 85 counties were experiencing moderate, severe or extreme drought.

“This executive order allows our state agencies to step in and direct resources to those struggling with the consequences of drought, while allowing for vigilant monitoring of conditions over the next few months,” Kehoe said. 

Some counties in northwest Missouri are abnormally dry but have not reached the moderate drought stage, making our area not yet under the alert.

However, if dry conditions persist and those areas reach the moderate drought stage, they will be declared under a drought alert in accordance with the Missouri Drought Mitigation Plan.

“Most of the state had a dry August and dry September,” said Missouri State Climatologist Zach Leasor, “We really need a wetter than average October and November to fully recover from the drought.”

Leasor added, he’s not seeing any indication of a wet October, meaning conditions could worsen.

This early response to the pending worsening drought can greatly reduce negative impacts, including increasing wildfires, habitat loss, crop failure, decreased water quantity and quality. 

Residents experiencing worsening drought conditions can submit information at www. droughtimpacts.unl.edu/Tools/ConditionMonitoringObservations.aspx

The U.S Drought Monitor is updated every Thursday.

To find the most up-to-date map, go to www.drought.gov/states/missouri.

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Kyle Schmidt

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The 7th Annual Coffee Crawl is set for Saturday, Oct. 4, in Downtown St. Joseph.

Beginning at the Art Attack Studio, the event will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 16 Downtown businesses will feature their own unique array of specialty coffees.

The businesses include: Alchemy Tea Company, Art Attack Studio, Creative Arts Production, Downtown Frames, Felix Street Gourmet, Garden Gate Flowers, Hazel’s Coffee Bar, Juniper Lane Home Decor, Manic Snail, Mod Podge Boutique, Nesting Goods, Polished & Pampered Salon, Schweetz Candy Company, The Den, The Frog Prince and The Story Collective.

Wristbands to participate cost $15 and can be purchased at the Dance Arts Center, located at 1902 Jules St., or online at Eventbrite.com.

Crawlers will get the chance to meet their favorite characters, including Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, The Wizard and the Wicked Witch. The Wizard of Oz will be performed live at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31 at the historic Missouri Theater.

Proceeds from the Coffee Crawl will be used to offset production costs.

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Kyle Schmidt

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Lee Ann Blazer, Crystal Bupp and Cole Soptic have joined the Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri, Inc. board of directors.

Blazer currently serves as the retail manager at the Mound City location of Nodaway Valley Bank. Working in the banking industry for 14 years, Blazer is happy to be involved with the Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri and looks forward to meeting new people, networking and improving communities.

Bupp currently serves as the city administrator for Milan, Missouri. Before her administrator position, Bupp was appointed as the deputy director of legislative affairs at the Missouri Department of Economic Development. Working in leadership positions in the governor’s office, the following year she eventually worked her way led her to serve as the executive director of the Missouri Democratic Party in Jefferson City and as the state director for a presidential candidate during the 2016 elections.

Soptic currently works for Farmers State Bank and serves on numerous community boards. His achievements include: Eagle Scout Award, Paul Harris Fellow Award and graduation from the leadership Northwest Missouri class of 2023.

“The Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri, Inc. is a public charity with a mission to improve the quality of life in Northwest Missouri by promoting and facilitating charitable giving,” said the press release.

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TaMya Bracy

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph Fire Department is conducting its structural fire training.

The training will take place over the next three days on the Missouri Western State University baseball field.

This is the first time the SJFD has conducted this training. It all comes as the department aims to receive credit from the Insurance Services Office (ISO).

The University of Missouri offered SJFD a trailer for its live fire training. Inside the trailer, firefighters will fight a stove and bed fire with a fire hose.

Fire Chief Ivan Klippenstein said it’s important for the fire department to do repetitive training.

“If we train them otherwise, they know what the outcome is going to be,” Klippenstein said. “They know what their moves are going to be. It’s just like in basketball or sports, the repetitive motions. You go back to that repetitive action. That’s why we need to do it as much as we can.”

Klippenstein said this training is especially great for the new firefighters.

“Not only where they get experience for the season, the firemen can work with them and see where they need help or what we need to train them,” he said.

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Praji Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Sixth graders at Eugene Field Elementary brought history to life with a creative “wax museum” project. 

Each student picked a famous figure from history, read a book about them and did research before writing up a report.  

Students also designed backdrops and got into character to present their work to parents and teachers.  

“We learned how to write a thesis and put all the research together and write an essay to make them more comfortable with researching from different sources,” sixth-grade teacher Amberly Howard said.  

Students were encouraged to use both the internet and the popular Who Was biography series to help build their reports.  

They’ll be graded not just on their essays, but also on how well they told their person’s story.  

To make the project extra fun, students also acted as “wax figures” who came to life when visitors stopped by. 

“Whenever people walk by, they have a talking piece. I think students from any grade could do it because it’s so fun to see how it all comes together,” Howard said.  

Howard says the project took about a week, but the focus was on the learning process, not just the final presentation. 

She says since it was their first year doing the project, they weren’t sure what to expect—but they were thrilled with the results.  

“We talked about it last year a little bit, but we weren’t sure if we should and then this year we were like let’s just do it and see how things go and it turned out to be better than we thought,” Howard said.  

For sixth grader Sophia Runge, her favorite part of the project was dressing up as Betty White, whose cat shares the same name.  

“I am feeling really good, I am really excited because my friend is also here and she is dressed up as Eleanor Roosevelt and the other one is dressed up as Elvis Presley,” Runge said.  

Teachers said the project was a big success and they hope students will remember, not just the costumes and fun, but the hard work that made it all possible. 

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Alec Pascuzzi

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Missouri Western State University hosted a blood drive to kick off its homecoming week.

The MoWest Student Nurses Association and the Community Blood Center encouraged students, faculty, staff and the public to roll up their sleeves and help save a life.

“We just wanted to bring the blood drive to campus this week during homecoming to give students the opportunity to give back to the community and just pop in between classes,” said Elizabeth Jenkins of the Student Nurses Association.

MoWest will be hosting its next blood drive during the 2026 spring semester.

The university will also celebrate its homecoming week with an array of different activities happening each day.

The Career Development Center will host its annual Internship and Part-Time Job Fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 30, in MoWest’s Fulkerson Center. The first 50 students will receive gifts.

Also on Tuesday, a Silent Disco will take place from 8 to 11 p.m. in Blum Student Union rooms 218-219.

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Cameron Montemayor

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A leading nonprofit in the Show-Me state is celebrating 10 years of responsible fatherhood efforts this October.

The city of Springfield, Missouri, is set to host a large fundraising dinner and celebration Oct. 16 for Good Dads, Inc, a growing nonprofit organization that aims to assist kids and communities by facilitating responsible fatherhood programs, healthy relationships classes, community development efforts and events.

The theme for this year’s event is Gather ‘Round the Campfire: Fanning the Flames of Fatherhood. Leveraging the cozy nostalgia of roasting marshmallows with Dad during a fall camping trip, Attendees will discover how Good Dads is spreading like wildfire by sharing impactful stories about lives changed.

“We chose the campfire theme because it is a very apt representation of what we’ve experienced as champions of responsible fatherhood,” said Jennifer L. Baker, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and the Founder and Director of Good Dads. “When we started 10 years ago, we only served a small portion of Springfield, but now we have Good Dads chapters now in nearly 20 Missouri communities. Just like a spark that catches and grows into a wildfire, Good Dads is experiencing incredible momentum.”

The event is scheduled to take place at the Oasis Hotel & Convention Center Ballroom with cocktails and games beginning at 5:30 p.m., followed by the full program at 6:30 p.m. Funds raised will go directly back to the mission, allowing Good Dads to continue expanding into more communities, serving more fathers and strengthening more families.

“This year at the dinner, I’m most excited to celebrate our Great Community of the Year contest winners,” Baker said. “Because we believe that fatherhood engagement is, first and foremost, a community-based effort, we knew it was important to recognize the communities in the Show-Me state who banded together, often overcoming many challenges, to bring these programs to their residents.”

The contest encouraged leaders in Good Dads chapters to demonstrate their achievements in Good Dads’ four Great Community pillars: strong schools, robust economies, flourishing relationships and safe neighborhoods.

Three winners: Good Dads chapters in Ava, Rolla and Texas County, were announced this spring.

“What’s remarkable about the work we do is that anyone can get on board with it,” Baker said. “Any community, regardless of its size, can make great strides to better serve the fathers and father-figures who live there. That’s why it’s so important to me that we show the community accomplishments happening throughout Missouri for dads.”

Good Dads serves nearly two dozen communities and 17 chapters throughout the state. The nonprofit hopes to expand its footprint beyond Missouri soon.

The registration-only event is expected to see more than 300 guests. Attendees can look forward to music, food and games all while making a difference for the nonprofit.

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Rebecca Evans

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A new exhibition at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art is putting women artists and their signatures at the center of the story.

“4 Seasons,” now on display through Nov. 2, features the work of Midwest artists Linda Kinder, Darla Zook, Cathie Thompson and Cathy Kline. Their pieces reflect the cycles of nature while also underscoring the resilience and creativity of women in the arts.

“Most of these female artists, this is their sweet spot; they really love capturing moments of everyday life,” said Madison McKinley, Marketing and Communications Manager at the museum. “They are capturing moments in the Midwest, and sometimes it’s overlooked if you see it every day. We live in a beautiful part of the country, and these paintings show that.” 

For generations, women were often barred from formal training, denied gallery space, or forced to publish their work anonymously or under male pseudonyms. The exhibition is a reminder of the enduring strength of women in art, showcasing how much progress has been made and why it matters.

Each artist brings a distinct perspective to the theme, from symbolic interpretations of renewal to explorations of time and memory. Together, their work offers both beauty and a powerful statement on women claiming visibility in the art world.

The Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, located in the historic William-Albrecht home, houses one of the region’s leading collections of American art.

General admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $7 for students. Museum members and children under 6 are admitted at no cost. For more information, visit Albrecht-Kemper.org or call 816-233-7003.

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