Author: News-Press NOW

Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Residents of St. Joseph and Savannah will see their hometown on the big screen as part of a special one-night showing for a locally-shot film.

‘A Chrismystery,’ a local film shot in St. Joseph and Savannah, Missouri, in late 2024, will be shown for a special one-night screening at the Trail Theatre at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 4.

This photo shows a poster for ‘A Chrismystery’

The event will see the return of Director Matthew Toronto and co-leading actress Kylee Levien to St. Joseph for an exclusive pre-screening meet-and-greet at 6 p.m. A post-screening Q&A will take place hosted by local film expert Bob Schultz.

Attendees will have an opportunity to hear firsthand about the cast and crew’s experience filming in the area, learn about behind-the-scenes details and explore how both St. Joseph and Savannah played a central part in the movie.

The film is a light-hearted, family-friendly story about a deputy sheriff and her daughter trying to adjust to a new normal in a small town, when all of the town’s Christmas decorations disappear.

“We’re thrilled to have this screening in St. Joseph,” said Christian Mengel, director of communications and marketing at the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau, in a press release. “Last year, we did a lot of advocating for growth in the film industry, and this event is a small celebration of that work coming to fruition. A lot of people in St. Joseph and Savannah assisted with this project in some way, so it’s special for all of them to have an opportunity to celebrate those efforts with Matthew and Kylee in person.”

Access to the meet-and-greet, movie screening and post-screening Q&A was all included in a $5 ticket. All ticket proceeds will be donated to the Museum’s association of St. Joseph, an organization dedicated to strengthening cultural assets in the region, including growth in the film industry.

Seating is limited, but tickets can be purchased on the Trail Theatre’s website www.thetrailtheatre.com/movie/chrismystery, or at the door as occupancy allows.

Visitors at the Trail Theatre are welcome to park in the garage across the street on the west side of 9th Street. Street parking in front of The Trail Theatre is limited, but additional street parking is available Downtown.

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph School District Board of Education has narrowed down a framework for the future of public schools after an extended public hearing Wednesday at Central High School.

Following public comments from many passionate students, parents and supporters from Benton and Lafayette high schools, the board determined that Plan 4BR will be the primary plan brought forward for consideration and final vote.

Gabryel Cunningham, a student at Benton High School, speaks at Wednesday’s special board meeting at Central High School.

Plan 4BR is a modified version of Plan 7B and would have Benton and Central remain in place with four middle schools being maintained. The other plan included a two high school model with Lafayette and Central.

A final vote on the consolidation plan is expected to occur at the Nov. 24 board meeting, along with extensive discussions on district finances.

News-Press NOW will have more on this developing story.

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Praji Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The St. Joseph School District held another public hearing and ultimately agreed to move forward with Plan 4BR — the option supporting a Benton/Hyde and Central High Schools.

The room was packed, and emotions ran high. The community was split on which plan it wanted, and several community members pleaded with the board to either make a decision or slow everything down.  

“Answers to any and every question. Any member of the board could have, or even the community members. I mean, I think. It’s our D-day. It’s either we choose a direction, you know, or we just let it ride as it is,” LaTonya Williams said.  

After some heated back-and-forth and a lot of discussion, board members reached a consensus: Plan 4BR will be the plan they vote on Monday, Nov. 24, with the intention of finally implementing a direction for the district. 

This comes after a busy week of meetings. On Monday, Nov. 17, the board sat down with district leaders to review Plan 2B — the Lafayette and Central model. The conversation led them to take another look at Plan 7B, which has since evolved into Plan 4BR, before making any final decisions.  

“I think on the most part, the members of the board also agree it’s easier to get it in a direction. And then everybody knows, here’s what’s going on. And then only vote on the one plan at the end,” Williams said.  

Williams also stressed the importance of the upcoming financial audit scheduled for the Nov. 24 meeting, especially after so many questions were raised about the district’s finances this year.  

“I know that the district has an audit every year. And that’s also completed, only I mean, okay, so extra eyes on things. Never heard anything. And so I was really glad, you know, when everyone was open to an idea of an extra audit,” Williams said.  

Williams added, she’s already been vocal throughout this process and chose her preferred plan weeks ago. At this point, she says her focus is on doing what’s best for students in the community.  

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Two St. Joseph women were arrested on North Belt Highway this afternoon as part of a narcotics investigation that led to a sizable quantity of fentanyl being seized.

Officials with the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force confirmed the arrest of two women around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday near a parking lot by Hy-Vee and Thrift World on North Belt Highway.

One of the women, 26-year-old Tyra Rich of St. Joseph, was apprehended without incident on multiple felony warrants for parole and probation violations. Investigators later found a large quantity of fentanyl as well as a firearm inside a vehicle operated by her and the other women, leading to subsequent charges.

Authorities have not released the identity of the second woman involved as specific charges have not yet been filed. Multiple pedestrians told News-Press NOW they witnessed a heavy law enforcement presence conducting their investigation on Wednesday.

Capt. Shawn Collie with the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force said multiple law enforcement agencies were involved, including the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Special Operations Division, which includes the Career Criminals Unit and Drug Strike Force, as well as the St. Joseph Police Department Street Crimes Unit.

“Anytime we get fentanyl off the street, we’re happy. But unfortunately, more and more we’re seeing larger amounts of fentanyl being seized. Which is kind of the case today,” Collie said.

Collie said local authorities also received valuable assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

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News-Press NOW

By: Zac Scott

MARYVILLE, Mo. (KQTV) — The Maryville Fire Department is looking for new members for its volunteer unit.

The department is trying to increase its volunteer roster to 30 firefighters. Volunteers would be given a pager to be called in to assist with fires, along with two trainings each month taking place on the first and third Monday. 

Maryville Fire Chief Jace Pine said he’s looking for enough volunteers for the unit who will be needed in every community.

“You know these 10 people might be at work, doing something they can’t leave work, or might be out of town,” said Chief Pine. “The community truly needs that response. They truly need people to give up their time to serve.”

Pine said any community will accept new volunteer firefighters and won’t turn away help. Anyone interested in joining the unit can visit the Maryville Fire Department’s website.

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TaMya Bracy

SAVANNAH, Mo. (KQTV) — The Savannah High School Meats Science Team placed fourth in the National Future Farmers of America (FFA) Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana.

This comes after the team won first place at the State FFA Career Development Events (CDE). The team consists of four girls, Mackenzie Schmutzler, Reagan Rodgers, Addison Neiderhouse and Kaylea Farrell.

FFA Advisor and Savannah High School Teacher, Jeff Baumann, said going into the week of nationals, the objective was for the girls to prepare while also enjoying their time.

“We spent almost our…I would say, our entire time, our job was to have fun, enjoy the week, enjoy the…Enjoy the opportunity to represent their state as the as their state meats winning team,” he said. “But this team, they wanted to be as prepared as possible.”

Baumann said the girls woke up in high spirits on competition day.

“They weren’t nervous. They, you know, they were prepared, they were ready to go, and they had a good mindset. So we knew going into it that there was definitely an opportunity to succeed,” he said.

Baumann expressed how he felt about the girl winning nationals.

“I was excited for the girls. I was extremely happy and, you know, just proud to be a part of that, proud to be a part of that event for those girls in their lifetime, something that they will never forget and that I won’t either,” he said.

Rodgers spoke about the team’s overall experience at nationals.

“It was definitely exciting and nerve-wracking all at the same time. We went up a couple of days before and got to work out at the University of Illinois, so that was really helpful,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers said it was even nerve-racking as they headed to the stage for the award ceremony.

“As it went on, it was just like grateful that we had the ability to do what we did. I think that was most of it,” Rodgers said. “I think it’s like just not knowing what to expect and all that to a challenge.”

Schmutzler said the team wasn’t aware they would place top four before going on stage.

“We didn’t know what place we got. Same with individual (awards). We didn’t know what place you got out of those. So we were all so excited. I liked how they did that. So like, we still had anticipation when we got on stage,” Schmutzler said.

Rodgers expressed gratitude for being on the team.

“Just like our team, this year has been so great. Being a freshman, I was really grateful for, like, the level of commitment of my teammates, but I couldn’t think of a better way to start my high school career than with the team,” she said.

Baumann said the girls have done great service for the Savannah FFA chapter.

“They’ve represented our community at a national level, which I think is awesome for them,” said Baumann. “They are super proud to do that…They are again, they are a team that has school pride and school spirit, so they’re happy to do it only for themselves, but for their for their own other FFA students, for their advisors, for their for their name on the back of the jacket.”

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Some of the top Division II volleyball teams in the country are set to clash in St. Joseph for the right to be called the MIAA Tournament Champion this week. 

St. Joseph Civic Arena will play host to the 2025 MIAA Volleyball Championships this Thursday with the No. 2-seeded hometown Griffons kicking off the tournament against No. 7 Pittsburg State at noon. 

This marks the fourth consecutive year that St. Joseph will host the MIAA Volleyball Championships at Civic Arena.

No. 2 Missouri Western vs. No. 7 Pittsburg State | Noon, Thursday

The Griffons enter the postseason as the No. 2 seed after finishing the regular season with a 21-6 record. Prior to the tournament they were on 12-game winning streak before falling to Nebraska Kearney in the last game of the regular season.

Missouri Western is led by junior Anna Weberg and Emma Salker. Weberg is ranked third in the conference in digs (5.13 digs per set) while Stalker is ranked fifth in blocks (1.17 blocks per set).

For the Gorillas, this marks their return to the MIAA tournament for the first time since 2022. This past season they finished 13-14 as the No. 7 seed and lead the conference in total blocks (298) with an average of 3.07 blocks per set.

Spearheading their postseason return are seniors Anna Dean and Josie McCroskey. Among the conference stat leaders, Dean ranks first in blocks (1.55 blocks per set) and McCroskey is fourth in digs (5.08 digs per set).

The Griffons have defeated the Gorillas in the last six consecutive meetings. The last time the Gorillas defeated the Griffons was Oct. 14, 2022 in St. Joseph.

No. 3 Washburn vs. No. 6 Central Missouri | 2:30 p.m. Thursday

The Ichabods and Mules face off for just the second time this season, where the Ichabods completed a sweep.

At 24-3, Washburn comes into the tournament riding a 3-game win streak, with 2 of the 3 games coming against other ranked tournament participants in No. 8 Fort Hays and No. 5 University of Central Oklahoma.

Of all participating teams they rank first in nearly every team statistics except opponent blocks (2nd), blocks (4th), opponent service aces (7th) and digs (9th).

On the Mules side, they finished the year at 20-7 while also carrying over a 3-game win streak. They are led by redshirt senior Grace Winkelmann who ranks second in digs per game (5.36).

No. 1 Nebraska-Kearney vs. No. 8 Fort Hays State | 5 p.m. Thursday

The second contest of the day will be a rematch from last years quarterfinals, a match that saw the Lopers sweep the Tigers in three sets.

As the No. 1 seed, the Lopers enter the tournament with the a conference-best record of 26-3 and are riding a two-game win streak.

As a team, Nebraska Kearney is highly ranked in many statistical categories, including hitting percentage (2nd), assists (2nd), opponent assists (5th), kills (2nd), blocks (2nd), opponent service aces (1st), digs (4th), and opponent digs (5th).

Graduate student Peyton Niffs leads all players in the conference in assists (11.39 assists per set).

The Tigers enter with a 16-12 record and are coming off a win in their regular season finale over Northwest Missouri State. Fort Hays ranks second in opponent service aces (0.96).

No. 4 Central Oklahoma vs. No. 5 Emporia State, 7:30 p.m. Thursday

Central Oklahoma comes into the tournament at 26-4 facing off against Emporia State (21-6) in a rematch of last years MIAA quarterfinals, a one sided affair that Central Oklahoma won 3-0.

If Thursday’s rematch unfolds the way their most recent matchup went, fans will be in for a back-and-forth affair. The Bronchos narrowly defeated the Hornets in five sets during the second-to-last game of the regular season Nov. 13.

The Bronchos lead all teams in the conference in digs with an average of 19.86 digs per match. Their team leaders include Kaitlyn Parrott (1st in digs), Kamryn Glover (1st in aces) and Sydney Huck (1st in kills).

For Emporia State senior Boglarka Rady is fifth in digs per game. As a team the Hornets rank third in opponent assists (10.40) and 4th in opponent hitting percentage (0.163).

The St. Joseph Civic Arena is pictured on Wednesday in preparation for the MIAA Volleyball Tournament in Downtown St. Joseph.

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Carter Ostermiller

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — Driving drowsy behind the wheel can be just as dangerous as driving intoxicated, but it’s often not as cautioned.

According to the U.S. Department of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), “after 17 consecutive hours awake, impairment is estimated to be equivalent to having a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .05.”

Earlier Wednesday morning, a tractor-trailer crash occurred on the I-29 interstate. 

“Appears to have went to sleep. The wheel drifted. Hit the guardrail. Came across the roadway, hit the other guardrail, and came back to rest in the roadway,” Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett said.

Luckily, no injuries were reported, but according to the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department, the cause of the crash was due to the driver being asleep.

“Driving sleepier, drowsy actually mimics impaired driving. So their reaction time is delayed. All of those things are just as dangerous as being intoxicated or impaired,” Buchanan County Captain Michael Hess said.

The sheriff’s department recommends the best thing to do is to get a good night’s sleep or to pull over if the drowsy feeling is overwhelming.

Other solutions, compared to drowsy driving, can be to drive with a friend, have caffeine in moderation and plan ahead.

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Praji Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — InterServ is keeping a long-standing tradition going by handing out turkeys and a bag of sides Thanksgiving sides to community members.

This year, InterServ handed out 150 vouchers a few weeks prior. Those who received signed vouchers were able to pick up food packages Wednesday.

Jan Stone, InterServ’s individual and family services manager, said the tradition dates back many years, and it’s even more meaningful now, as the need in the community grows. 

“We do rely heavily on donors, and we have a wonderful donor who has donated the turkeys. And then we have funding throughout the year that people donate and that we kind of put back,” Stone said.  

The giveaway ran from 1 to 3:45 p.m. While Stone said she doesn’t expect anything to be left over,  anything not given out will go straight back into the food pantry’s regular stock for local families who need it.    

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News-Press NOW

By Zac Scott

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — With winter approaching, the St. Joseph School Department is searching for more bus drivers.

First Student School Bus Driver Jennifer Johnson has been transporting students for more than half a decade.

Johnson said, being the first person students see on their way to school gives her a chance to change their day for the better.

“I feel like us being a smiling face that they get to see every single morning and afternoon, a consistency  I feel like the kids really need in their lives, and so being able to help be consistent with some of the kids is just I really… I think that’s very important,” said Johnson

School bus drivers like Johnson assist local parents with transporting their students under different circumstances.

“Not all the parents have vehicles to get them to and from school. So, if we don’t have enough drivers, they’re just not going to get to school,” said Johnson.

First Student Location Manager Mark Alexander directs buses to give drivers the safest way to get students to school and back.

Alexander said school bus drivers are essential to the community, not because of who they transport, but what they transport students to.

“We are a part of this community, and not only do our children and grandchildren ride this bus,” said Alexander. We provide transportation for children to get them to school, to gain that education, to be successful, and to become great contributors to our own community.”

There is a stigma about school bus drivers being an underappreciated job. Alexander believes keeping students safe on their way to school will shut down the stigma.

“Individuals believe that a bus driver is a very thankless job and that they don’t want to drive a school bus because of the children,” said Alexander. You know what? Children are, children, right? And they’re going to be who they are. It just depends upon how you manage that bus, to keep your children in line and keep them safe.”

First Student is willing to work with anyone willing to transport the future of St. Joseph, safely, back and forth from school.

More information about job openings is on the First Student website.

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