Author: News-Press NOW

Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The City of St. Joseph is moving forward on a high-profile agreement with a new airport operator at Rosecrans Memorial Airport and outlining plans for the construction of new aircraft facilities.

City councilmembers unanimously approved a lease agreement Dec. 8 with Pan-Am Flight Services to serve as the next Fixed-Based Operator (FBO) at Rosecrans Memorial Airport, granting the company authority to provide a wide-range of aviation services for civilian and commercial aircraft at the airport, from refueling and maintenance/repairs to offering flight school and operating facilities to accommodate pilots.

The new lease agreement includes an initial five-year-term with four additional 5-year options to make it a possible 25-year agreement.

Pan-Am Flight Services, which includes local business investor Steve Craig and Gary Patterson with Express Flight, is one part of a revitalized and growing nationwide network of new Pan Am-branded businesses purchased by Craig roughly a year and a half ago, decades after the original Pan Am World Airways ceased operations in 1991.

Pan-Am will assume ownership of the existing FBO complex, which includes a 28,000-square-foot barrel hangar and a 15,000-square-foot aircraft storage/maintenance facility, among other smaller facilities.

“It’s an extraordinary opportunity to utilize that brand in a number of things, to brand a Pan Am FBO here in St. Joseph and have the first one here in the United States,” Craig told News-Press NOW in September.

A separate nonbinding agreement includes unofficial terms and conditions for a wide-range of planned facility improvements by Pan-Am as part of a new FBO complex, which will require approval with future construction contracts.

Pan-Am intends to construct a new 30,000-square-foot hangar that can accommodate both small and large aircraft, as well as larger business jets like the Gulfstream 700. Construction plans include a second smaller hangar and 4,000-square feet of lobby and office space.

A full plan for re-developing the site is set to be finalized by April or May, with construction to begin no later than December 2026 according to the agreement.

This rendering shows the anticipated new facilities site at Rosecrans Memorial Airport, indicating where the proposed hangar would be located on the existing FBO complex.

The move with Pan-Am comes several months after a heavily-scrutinized bidding process that saw multiple FBO bidding groups levy accusations to City Council about an improper bid scoring process for the key airport agreement.

Apex Aero Center was initially selected for the FBO agreement but rescinded its proposal in August just days after Craig accused city staff of improperly scoring bid proposals during a City Council meeting.

A second bidding group, St. Joseph Air Center, which includes FlyTech Pilot Academy co-founder Lute Atieh, has raised separate concerns about the process and the impact it had on the company not being selected. The company is weighing multiple options in wake of the agreement.

“Out of respect for ongoing legal considerations, I am not able to formally comment on the lease at this time. What I can tell you is that we are continuing to evaluate the situation and will take the necessary steps to protect the interests of the airport, its tenants, and the community,” Atieh told the St. Joseph News-Press.

Authorization by the Federal Aviation Administration remains one of the last key hurdles before the city and Pan-Am Flight Services can move forward on the agreement.

Fixed Base Operator Lease AgreementDownload

Click here to follow the original article.

NPG Content Share

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) — Columbia Public Schools held a news conference Monday after filing a lawsuit saying the establishment of charter schools in Boone County is unconstitutional.

The district sued state officials on Monday, alleging that a law allowing charter schools to operate in Boone County is unconstitutional. The lawsuit names the state attorney general and the Missouri State Board of Education.

The lawsuit focuses on one of two groups that want to create a Boone County charter school — Frontier. The Columbia Board of Education has written to the state board opposing Frontier, Columbia board member Suzette Waters said.

Frontier has an application in for its school, while Job Point does not, Waters said.

She said Frontier plans to open a selective school, even though charter schools are supposed to be open to all.

Waters also said the charter school took no local public input and did not plan to even have offices in Boone County.

CPS leaders said the Columbia Board of Education unanimously approved of the lawsuit.

Watch the news conference in full in the player.

Click here to follow the original article.

Click here to follow the original article.

Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The Missouri State Highway Patrol announced the statewide closure of driver examination stations in observance of the Christmas holiday.

MSHP said stations will be closed on Thursday, Dec. 25 and Friday, Dec. 26.

Examination stations will open for normal hours of operation on Monday, Dec. 29.

Click here to follow the original article.

Leah Rainwater

CLINTON COUNTY, Mo. (KQTV) — A crash involving three vehicles seriously injured two people on a Clinton County highway Sunday evening.

The crash involved a 2012 Chevrolet Colorado driven by an 18-year-old male from Lathrop, Missouri, a 2010 GMC Sierra driven by a 34-year-old female from Polo, Missouri and a 2026 Hyundai Tucson driven by a 60-year-old male from Ostrander, Ohio.

Both the Chevrolet and GMC were eastbound on Missouri Highway 116, two miles east of Lathrop, Missouri, when the GMC began to slow down to make a turn. The Chevrolet then struck the rear of the GMC.

The Chevrolet came to rest on its wheels facing north in the westbound lane of Highway 116 at Northeast Valann Lane. The GMC came to rest on its wheels facing east in the eastbound lane on Highway 116.

The crash occurred at 7:40 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 14, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report.

Approximately nine minutes later, after the Chevrolet was facing north in the westbound lane of Highway 116 at Northeast Valann Lane, the Hyundai struck the driver’s side of the Chevrolet.

The Chevrolet then came to rest on its wheels facing south in the roadway and the Hyundai came to rest on its wheels facing north in the roadway.

The 18-year-old driver of the Chevrolet and the 34-year-old driver of the GMC sustained serious injuries and were transported by Tri-County EMS to Liberty Hospital.

The 60-year-old driver of the Hyundai sustained minor injuries and was transported by the Holt Fire District to North Kansas City Hospital.

All three drivers were wearing seatbelts.

Click here to follow the original article.

Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Missouri Western is offering the public a scientific and holiday-themed look at the retelling of an age-old Christmas story.

The Bushman Planetarium at MoWest is set to hold three public showings of “Mystery of the Christmas Star” this December in the lead up to Christmas.

As part of the immersive experience, viewers will travel 2,000 years into the past to ancient Bethlehem, learning about a scientific explanation for the biblical telling of the star that guided the three wise men to find baby Jesus.

Admission will be $5 for adults and $3 for children 13 and under, as well as students, campus staff, veterans and senior citizens 60 and older.

The first two shows will start at 7 p.m. on Friday Dec. 19 and Saturday Dec. 20 with the third show set for 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 21.

All shows will be presented in the Bushman Planetarium located at 4525 Downs Dr.

Planetarium tickets must be purchased in advance, either online at missouriwestern.edu/planetarium or in person. Please call 816-271-4288 or email planetarium@missouriwestern.edu for more information.

Click here to follow the original article.

Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Midtown St. Joseph is set to ring in the new year with the opening of a wildly popular Mexican restaurant in a well-known former building.

Abelardo’s Mexican Fresh is catering to popular demand and expanding with a second location at 2302 Mitchell Ave. in the former Dairy Queen building, the restaurant confirmed.

The new restaurant is expected to open in January, with an official opening date to be announced in the coming weeks.

Much like the first St. Joseph location at 915 Jonathan Lane, the Mitchell store will include a drive-thru for customers. The restaurant offers a wide range of items for breakfast and dinner, including desserts and sides.

The Jonathan Lane restaurant operates Sunday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to midnight, and 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, often seeing significant business.

Opened in 2002 in Omaha, Nebraska, the restaurant chain now operates close to 70 stores across six states, including Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Oklahoma.

The new Abelardo’s Mexican Food location at 2302 Mitchell Ave. is shown on Saturday in Midtown St. Joseph.

Click here to follow the original article.

Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Missouri Department of Transportation is calling on students and schools to pair their crafts, creativity and trash cans together for a special statewide contest.

To help fight litter, MoDOT is hosting the 2026 “Yes You CAN Make Missouri Litter-Free” trash can decorating contest as part of it’s annual “No MOre Trash!” statewide litter campaign.

Students participating will be tasked with decorating a large trash can with the “No MOre Trash!” logo and a litter-prevention-themed message with an assortment of different materials.

Schools and homeschool programs are permitted to submit one trashcan in each of the following grade categories: K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12.

Entries will be judged by creativity, adherence to contest rules and successfully symbolizing the theme and showcasing logo.

Winners who place first in each grade category will be awarded $200 for their sponsoring schools, qualifying them for a grand prize of $600 along with a trophy for the sponsoring school.

Entries for the contest are free. To take part in the contest, the participating school is required to submit a completed entry form online with up to three photos and a release form online by the deadline, March 12, 2026.

The entry form is available at modot.org/trash-can-contest. For questions or additional information, contact MoDot at 888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636) or visit www.modot.org.

Click here to follow the original article.

Prajukta Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The Savannah R-III School District is speaking out after a concerning incident that happened in the Savannah High School parking lot Thursday afternoon. 

According to the district, two students were involved in a verbal altercation shortly after dismissal.

During the exchange, a third individual—who was not described as part of the original argument—briefly displayed a weapon before leaving the area. 

School administrators were alerted immediately, which prompted a quick response from local law enforcement.  

Officials said the incident was brief, no injuries were reported and there was never an active threat on campus. 

The situation remains under investigation by local authorities in coordination with district officials. 

Click here to follow the original article.

Carter Ostermiller

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce said Monday, Dec. 15, is the last day for shoppers to collect tickets for its annual Shop St. Joseph holiday program.

The shopping program began on Nov. 12, and has a grand prize worth $10,000 and a $2,500 Shop Small Business Bonus given to a person who has shopped at a locally-owned small business with less than 10 full-time employees.

Other local shoppers will be given the opportunity to win second-chance prizes from participating merchants.

Participants must be 18 years of age or older to participate with proof of age, social security number, home address and place of employment (if applicable) to claim their prize. Winners are responsible for any applicable taxes.

Purchases are not necessary to receive a ticket. One ticket per day can be earned for visiting any participating merchants and one additional ticket for every 10 dollar increment on a purchase.

A maximum of 100 tickets may be issued per transaction.

“People think about the winner being whoever wins the $10,000. Really, the winner is the local economy. That’s our goal,” said Kristi Bailey, the director of communications and marketing at the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce.

The prize drawing will be announced on KQ2, and winners will have 24 hours to claim their prizes. Only one number will be drawn for secondary prizes.

To learn about participating merchants and other information, visit the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce.

Click here to follow the original article.

TaMya Bracy

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — Retailers, large and small, have noticed a difference in consumer habits, specifically toward vintage items.

Amy Heath, owner of The Lucky Tiger, a small boutique that sells vintage items, said her holiday sales have been much better than last year.

“People are more interested in buying recycled things, vintage things, that have been things that aren’t being made that are new, and they’re seeing the quality and vintage clothing and accessories and things like that,” Heath said.

Heath also said she’s noticed a difference in customers’ shopping habits.

“Everyone seems to have a little bit more money around the holidays. The sales have kicked up, and people are buying different things,” she said.

Heath said this holiday season, she is not carrying many new items because she didn’t know what to expect this holiday season.

“Usually I’ll have new t-shirts and socks and, you know, gift items that are just traditional Christmas things, and I’ve just cut back on that because it’s a gamble. You never know. And if you don’t sell it, you know, you either up the clearance on it or get rid of it.”

Heath said it’s incredibly important to shop locally.

“I spend money locally. As a business owner, I think it’s really important to have a relationship with your community and then it kind of spreads the word,” she said. “They come back in here, and a lot of local businesses share everyone else’s posts on social media and it’s kind of like a big family in town with local businesses.”

Heath said getting out and visiting small businesses you’ve never been to will help this holiday season.

“When people come and visit our town, they’re not interested in going out to The North Shoppes, maybe to get something that they know that they’re going to get,” she said. “People want to see that our Downtown people want to see our architecture. They want to see the little shops that…that make us, us, the museums and whatnot.”

Heath said Downtown shops have a lot more to offer to shoppers than a computer does.

“I mean, let’s face it, what else are you going to do except for go out and get that holiday feeling shopping,” she said. “Go look at the Christmas lights. There’s a Christmas bar downtown where it’s all decorated up for Christmas.”

Heath said Downtown St. Joseph is growing, and it’s something the community should be positive about.

Click here to follow the original article.