Author: News-Press NOW

Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The Crossing Outreach is holding an open house to celebrate its new office and community center.

The new space, located at 613 S. Seventh St., will be open between 4 and 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 17.

Visitors will be able to see the work being accomplished in the community through volunteers providing food, shelter and other essential services.

Those in attendance will be able to learn how over 1,800 people receive fresh food each week.

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Leah Rainwater

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KQTV) — The Missouri State Highway Patrol announced the graduation of its 124th Recruit Class.

The graduation will take place at 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 19, at the Patrol Law Enforcement Academy’s gymnasium at 1510 East Elm St. in Jefferson City, Missouri. The ceremony will also be live-streamed on the Patrol’s Facebook page.

The 124th Recruit Class reported to the Academy on July 1, 2025. The new troopers will report to duty in their assigned troops on Jan. 5.

The Honorable Robin Ransom, Supreme Court of Missouri, will administer the Oath of Office to the new troopers.

The Honorable David Wasinger, Missouri Lieutenant Governor, will provide the keynote address and Col. Michael A. Turner, MSHP’s superintendent, will also address the class.

The Troop F Color Guard will present the colors and Sgt. Andrew A. Henry with Troop H will perform the national anthem.

Pastor Ken Harland, Clover Road Christian Church, will provide the invocation and benediction.

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News-Press NOW

By: Alexis Kuhnert

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — Ahead of Missouri Western State University’s “Education Day” basketball games, the team toured area schools to promote the second annual event.

This not only allows the basketball players a break from finals, but also allows area students to get to know them.

MoWest, along with their two sponsors, Lehr Construction and Mofett Nursery and Garden Shop, made it possible for the children to have something to take home with them.

Ryan Menley, senior associate athletic director at MoWest, said they handed out t-shirts to students the year prior, but this year, they gave out 5,000 rally towels, which act as a season ticket to any and all MoWest games.

“We want to cultivate the next generation of Griffin fans,” Menley said. “That’s part of the reason we’re doing this, although I do think that our student athletes get as much out of this as the elementary kids that come in, because it is, is an electric atmosphere.”

Whichever section cheers the loudest at the games on Monday, Dec. 15 and Tuesday, Dec. 16, will have the opportunity to ring a bell should the Griffons secure a win.

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By Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) — The USDA said Wednesday that it had approved Missouri’s waiver seeking to exclude candy, soda and other junk food from purchase with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding.

Missouri was one of six states receiving a waiver Wednesday, including Hawaii, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. The USDA approved a waiver requested by Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe in October.

The prohibition includes candy, prepackaged sweets such as snack cakes and juice drinks made from less than 50% fruit or vegetable juice. The changes begin in 2026.

“We are incredibly thankful for Secretary Rollins’ approval of our waiver,” Gov. Mike Kehoe said of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in a news release. “Missouri is proud to partner with the Trump administration on the Make America Healthy Again movement as we refocus SNAP to maximize nutritional health for families while also supporting the abundant agricultural output of our state.”

So far, 18 governors have sought waivers, the release states.

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Prajukta Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) —  The St. Joseph School District’s Finance Committee met Tuesday to take a closer look at the financial report Executive Finance Director Linda Quinley shared with the full School Board on Nov. 24. 

Quinley walked committee members through, not just the district’s financial documents, but also the budgeting process itself — how the district builds its budget, where funding comes from at the local, state and federal levels and what best practices they’re working to follow.  

Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations, Robert Hedgecorth, said the meeting was really about transparency and making sure the community sees the work happening behind the scenes.  

“Give our board an update of where we’ve been in the past, where we’ve come and where she (Quinley) sees projects in the future, not only for our finances, but also how we can best give the board the best information possible,” Hedgecorth added.  

At the meeting, members weighed in on Quinley’s presentation — especially since most of them didn’t have the chance to ask or raise concerns during the Nov. 24 board meeting.  

Committee members pointed out areas where the district could improve and talked about ways to boost public confidence in the district’s financial direction. 

One of the biggest takeaways for Hedgecorth was Quinley’s emphasis on accuracy in budgeting.  

“Any time we give a budget to the board, we want to try to be as accurate as possible…She explained to the board what she thought an accurate budget looked like and what those thresholds were,” Hedgecorth added.  

As the district reaches its halfway point through the school year, Hedgecorth said they’re able to look more closely at financial projections, both for how this year may end and what next year’s budget could look like. 

Those projections include factoring in the upcoming school consolidation plan and estimating expenses for each location.  

“Looking at our school consolidation plan and seeing what our expenditures will be for those individual locations for next year and…already start the planning process for presenting our budget to the board for next year,” Hedgecorth said.   

According to Hedgecorth, families shouldn’t expect any personal financial impact from the district’s efforts to get fiscally healthier.  

He added that the district knows community members want to see their tax dollars used responsibly.  

“There weren’t any type of changes in school fees that might be coming down the line or anything like that. That was not that’s not how we’re looking to get fiscally healthy,” Hedgecorth said.  

Hedgecorth said it always helps to have more people in the room during financial meetings: board members, finance committee members, anyone involved — because the more voices they hear, the better the district can understand different perspectives.  

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The State of Missouri and the U.S. Department of Education have reached a proposed settlement over the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness program.

The Education Department said Tuesday in a news release that the state has agreed not to enroll new borrowers in the SAVE student loan debt forgiveness plan, deny any pending applications and move anyone with a SAVE plan onto a repayment plan.

A federal judge must approve the settlement agreement.

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway posted on social media platform X that she supports the agreement.

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TaMya Bracy

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — With winter coming, local homeowners and renters will start to see an increase in their energy bills.

Energy costs typically rise in the winter due to heating, increased indoor time and increased use of hot water, among other factors.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Manager (LIHEAP), Heidi Surritt, said homes that are not energy efficient can play a role in higher heating bills.

“You have drafty homes, and that tends to make your utility bills go up. So over the years, it gets worse,” she said. “Maybe your bills are higher, you know, from one year to the next.”

Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph (CAPSTJOE) offers the LIHEAP program. It serves as a one-time state credit to apply as payment for a primary heating source.

CAPSTJOE also offers $800 in crisis funds for anyone whose service was turned off or is in threat of disconnection.

Surritt said residents can contact suppliers to get cold-weather quotes.

“There’s a cold weather rule in Missouri from November to March, so that makes payment plans a little more flexible and we can use that,” she said. “They’ll take a lesser amount to keep our service on or get it reconnected during those months.”

Spire Energy also has the Dollar Help program, which invites customers to donate a dollar or more.

Vonda Cotton, Spire community outreach specialist, said the program has a positive impact on families.

“Families with small children, seniors, so on and so forth. So it’s a really good program where customers can go in and donate that extra dollar or more,” she said.

Surritt said CAPSTJOE’s LIHEAP program and Spire’s Dollar Help program are used together to help households in need.

“If you qualify for the LIHEAP program, you would also qualify to get those funds,” she said. “So we tend to reserve those funds for people who have already lost gas, heat and we try to use those with our LIHEAP funds to get the heat back on for the winter.”

Cotton shared tips on how households can reduce their heating costs.

“I would say definitely looking to…uh, covering those thresholds is keeping the thermostat at a set temperature all year round or how comfortable it is for you,” she said. “Look at weatherizing your home and look at maybe even a smart thermostat or some type of smart devices and…making sure you’re keeping tabs on your usage.”

Surritt said CAPSTJOE has additional resources and can point you in the right direction.

“We have lots of resources that we can use, and we can put you in contact with anyone,” she said. “If we’re not able to help, we can put you in contact with the right people.”

For more information on LIHEAP and the Dollar Help program, visit the CAPSTJOE and Spire websites.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Academic achievers from all five St. Joseph high schools and surrounding areas were unveiled as finalists for prestigious local scholarships this weekend.

Eight women and eight men were selected as finalists for this year’s $1,000 scholarship awards as part of the Cotillion for Achievement Class of 2026, including students from Lafayette, Benton, Central, Bishop LeBlond and St. Joseph Christian, among others.

The 16 finalists were selected based on their scholastic achievement, extracurricular activities, community service involvement and writing skills. Finalists were announced as part of the annual Cotillion reception on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, at the Joyce Raye Patterson 50+ Senior Activity Center.

The students will now participate in leadership and community service seminars, plus waltz lessons, in January 2026.

The top male and top female finalists will be selected to receive a $2,000 scholarship, which is awarded at the Cotillion for Achievement Scholarship Ball on Feb. 21, 2026.

Female Finalists:

Eliana Arambula — Benton

Hannah Bailey — Mid Buchanan

Doaa Hamdouni — Central

Tawnie Hamm — Lafayette

Gracie Ide — Bishop LeBlond

Presli Punzo — De Kalb

Abigail Roe — Benton

Mallorie Wilcox  — Saint Joseph Christian

Male Finalists:

Carlton Crumb II — Savannah

Asav Gupta — Central

Cole Kelley — Benton

Alexander Lawyer — Central

Adrian Parmenter — Lafayette

Tommy Phan — Central

Jack Roth — Savannah

Cole Schweizer — Savannah

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph Goats wrapped up their inaugural season at Civic Arena back in July, but preparations for the 2026 season are in full swing.

The Goats will be opening a new seasonal store on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at the East Hills Shopping Center with team clothing, footballs, memorabilia lining the shelves and highlights of the Goats season being shown on the TV. This includes game-worn jerseys from every game this year, which will be sold in store only for $75.

A St. Joseph Goats helmet and jersey are pictured in this photo inside the team’s new store at East Hills Shopping Center.

“We’re excited to offer the jerseys for sale,” St. Joseph Goats Managing Partner Ted Sweeney said. “St. Joseph loves their history and we had the opportunity to have them own some of it. We’re going to have to buy new jerseys (for next season), that will vary a little bit compared to this years. But we’re more than happy to give people a piece of this past season.”

Sweeney added the team’s continued brand development is a product of the overall success and growth of Arena League Football.

“In terms of growth, the league has expanded,” Sweeney said. “We have three expansion teams coming on (for the new season). “And in terms of the Goats, we’ve been growing since we got here by partnering with local businesses. And we don’t see it stopping any time soon.”

The seasonal store will be open through the holidays Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. After the holidays, the store won’t reopen until May when the Goats kickoff their second season in St. Joseph.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the store would be open on Friday, it has now been corrected to Wednesday. We apologize for this error.

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Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The St. Joseph School District saw three people file for two Board of Education seats up for grabs on the first day of filings.

Candidates Jacob McMillian, Cynthia Cook and Deborah Schmuck all registered on Tuesday.

The two open seats, both currently occupied by Tom Richmond and Whitney Lanning, will be for three-year terms.

Any person interested and qualified to run for a position on the School Board in the April 7, 2026, election is encouraged to apply.

Qualifications to apply are:

Be citizens of the United States of America

Be voters of the district

Have resided in Missouri for a minimum of one year immediately preceding their election or appointment

Be at least 24 years of age

Not be delinquent in the payment of any state income taxes, personal property taxes, municipal taxes or real property taxes on their place of residence. If an applicant is a past or present corporate officer of any fee office, that office cannot be delinquent in the payment of any taxes owed to the state

Have not been found guilty of, nor pled guilty to, a felony under the federal laws of the United States of America or to a felony under Missouri law or an offense committed in another state that would be considered a felony in Missouri

Have not been convicted of or entered a guilty plea for the offense of assault in the first or second degree, or the offense of harassment in the first or second degree, where such assault or harassment occurred on school district grounds

Not be registered or required to be registered as a sex offender

Have filed, or the treasurer of an existing candidate

Have filed, or the treasurer of an existing committee has filed, all required campaign disclosure reports with the Missouri Ethics Commission, when applicable, for all previous elections in which they were candidates.

Persons interested may file at the St. Joseph School District’s Administrative offices, located at 1415 North 26th St.

Filings will continue during SJSD’s regular business hours, which are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The district said the hours are subject to change.

Filing will not occur on days when SJSD’s offices are closed due to inclement weather or due to an unforeseen event in which the district would need to close.

So far, the district offices will be closed from noon on Tuesday, Dec. 23, through Monday, Dec. 29.

The last day for candidates to file is from 3 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 30.

Candidates with questions should call 816-671-4003 or email donnabaker@sjsd.k12.mo.us.

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