Author: News-Press NOW

Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The City of St. Joseph announced it has enacted Phase I of its snow ordinance, as snow continues to accumulate across the region.

Phase I is declared during the first snowfall of the season and stays in effect through the end of winter.

All-season/snow tires or chains are required on vehicles at this time. Drivers who do not have snow tires or chains and become stalled on any street could be ticketed, according to a news release.

The City currently has a dozen crews out salting the streets.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — See an up-to-date list of winter weather closings in the viewing area.

Phase I of the Emergency Snow Ordinance has been put into effect as of 7:59 a.m. this morning and will remain in effect for the remainder of the winter season. Currently, salting operations are underway with 12 trucks out on the routes.

ST. JOSEPH PUBLIC SCHOOLS & ADULT BASIC EDUCATION CENTER: Classes cancelled todayThis is an AMI day. Employees should refer to Scenario A regarding work.

Classes cancelled today:

Cameron R-I: Classes cancelled today

Chillicothe R-II: Campus closed today

EAST BUCHANAN C-I: Classes cancelled today

HELEN M. DAVIS STATE SCHOOL: Classes cancelled today

HELEN M. DAVIS STATE SCHOOL: Classes cancelled today

KING CITY R-I: Classes cancelled today

MARYVILLE R-II: Campus closed today

MID-BUCHANAN R-V: Classes cancelled today.

NORTH PLATTE R-I: Classes cancelled today

STANBERRY R-II [WEB]: Classes cancelled today

UNION STAR R-II: Classes cancelled today

WEST PLATTE SCHOOL DIST: Classes cancelled today

ALL FALLS CITY PUBLIC & CATHOLIC SCHOOLS: Opens 2 hours late

Businesses and organizations closed today:

MARYVILLE SENIOR CENTER: Closed today; The Nodaway County Senior Center will be closed Monday, Dec. 1 due to weather

UCP OF NORTHWEST MISSOURI: Closed today

JOYCE RAYE PATTERSON 50+ ACTIVITY CENTER: Fitness classes and activities are cancelled for Dec. 1.  The fitness center and billiard room is open.

ANDREW COUNTY SENIOR CENTER: Closed today

HOLIDAY PARK AT KRUG PARK: Closed today

NOYES HOME FOR CHILDREN: Closed today

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Danielle Bailey

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Parents and guardians looking to learn how to protect their child in the online world have the chance to hear from an expert.

The St. Joseph Public Library will host cybersecurity expert Byron Gorman in a two-part series at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1, and Wednesday, Dec.11. The first seminar will touch on topics such as online risks and cyberbullying, while the second will focus on online predators.

Gorman has 27 years of experience and expertise in cybersecurity and digital forensics.

The series is adults-only and registration is required. To register, visit the calendar of events on www.sjpl.lib.mo.us. All library programs are free and open to the public.

Those who require ADA accommodations should call the ADA coordinator at 816-232-4038. The series will be held at the East Hills branch at 502 N. Woodbine Road.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A blast of winter weather could bring multiple inches of snow and difficult driving conditions to St. Joseph and surrounding areas Monday.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for portions of east, central and northeast Kansas and north, northwest and west central Missouri from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday.

WHAT: Snow expected. Total snow accumulations between 1 and 3 inches.

WHEN: From 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST Monday.

IMPACTS: Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the Monday morning and evening commutes.

According to the National Weather Service, a system will move through the region most of the day Monday, bringing accumulating snowfall across most of the area. There is some uncertainty with where the band of highest snowfall will occur.

With an onset time possible Monday morning, a Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for areas roughly along and west of Interstate 35. An eastward expansion of this advisory is likely later today. Onset time east of Interstate 35 is expected later in the afternoon Monday.

Impacted counties could include:

Atchison, Kansas, Doniphan, Leavenworth, Wyandotte, Johnson, Kansas, Atchison, Missouri-Nodaway, Worth, Gentry, Harrison, Holt, Andrew, De Kalb, Daviess, Buchanan, Clinton, Caldwell, Platte, Clay, Ray and Jackson.

Impacted cities could include

Maitland, Lansing, Maysville, Kansas City Kansas, Liberty, Kansas City, Tarkio, Plattsburg, Bethany, Fort Leavenworth, Braymer, Weston, Lawson, Osborn, Atchison, Polo, Olathe, Leavenworth, King City, Lenexa, Cameron, Riverside, Stanberry, Craig, Platte City, Richmond, Grant City, Elwood, Breckenridge, Maryville, Albany, Forest City, Clarksdale, Stewartsville, Overland Park, Union Star, Jamesport, Kearney, Gladstone, Independence, Weatherby Lake, Excelsior Springs, Highland, Mound City, Fairfax, Troy, Wathena, Oregon, St. Joseph, Country Club Villa, Stanley, Savannah, Gallatin, St. Joseph Airport, Hamilton, Parkville, Rock Port, Lathrop, and Shawnee.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS

Those who must drive are advised to slow down and use caution while traveling.

The latest road conditions in Kansas can be obtained by calling 511 and in Missouri by visiting traveler.modot.org.

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Carter Ostermiller

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — On Saturday, Nov. 29, Lanham Music hosted the 3rd Nate Karr’s Guitars for Kids Giveaway.

Children gathered around local Jay Kerner to receive a free guitar. The giveaway got it’s name form Kerner’s late friend.

“My late friend Nate Karr and I had a band, and we gave away some guitars the Christmas before he passed away. We didn’t know he was going to pass away, but we had such a good time doing it…And then when we lost him, we just continued to do it,” said Kerner.

Each child who entered the giveaway was given a chance to pick one guitar of their choice after Kerner selected their name from a box. The event is something that Kerner deeply cherishes.

 “You can be involved with a lot of different charity activities. You can donate to a lot of things. You can be on boards, you can do a lot of things with a charitable attitude, but handing a kid a guitar that really wants a guitar, that’s more fun than about anything I’ve been involved with,” said Kerner.

Kerner partnered with Lanham to host the event, and when word spread around, donations came in.

 “I’ve donated a few of them that we’ve found over the summer, but the vast majority of them have just come from generous people that know about the project and have been willing to donate,” said Kerner.

The giveaway was an opportunity for newcomers Naomi and Elijah Mobile, who finally got their hands on their very first guitar. The two siblings plan to learn the instrument together and are eager to get started.

 “We’re going to work together. I’ve been wanting to learn for a while, so I’m really happy I had this chance,” said Naomi Mobile.

After giving away nine guitars on Saturday, Kerner says they have been successful in giving away 106 guitars since they started, and with the help of Lanham Music, they have no plans to stop.

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Danielle Bailey

TRENTON, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Music lovers have the chance to see twelve Missouri communities represented at an upcoming performance.

The Grand River Valley Choir and Orchestra’s annual Winter Concert, “Once Upon a December,” will be held at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, in Trenton, Missouri, at the Trenton R-IX Performing Arts Center. Admission is free thanks to the Donors Club and anonymous donors.

Some of the communities represented include St. Joseph, Chillicothe, Gallatin, Cameron and Pattonsburg. A chance to meet the musicians will take place following the concert in the Trenton High School Commons.

Concert-goers have the opportunity to hear classic Christmas tunes like “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” from the orchestra and newer songs such as “Festival of Christmas” from the choir. The orchestra is headed by Trenton High School graduate Raymond Linville and the choir is under the direction of Linda Arnold.

GRVCO is a non-profit organization that relies on donations. Information about the Donors Club will be available at the door. 

Special collections will benefit Wright Memorial Hospital Foundation.

Visit grvco.com or the Grand River Valley Choir and Orchestra Facebook page for more information.

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Carter Ostermiller

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — For many Americans, the end of Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season.

For those who celebrate Christmas, the holiday isn’t the same without a Christmas tree.

Schweizer Orchards, known for its apples, begins its Christmas tree season every November.

“It’s always the time of year when people get done with their Thanksgiving, usually done with their Black Friday shopping, or in between it, and this is the time they start to come out and pick the perfect Christmas tree,” Schweizer Orchards Owner Cory Schweizer said.

Schweizer shared his opinion of real trees versus artificial ones, saying nothing will compare to having a real tree.

“A real tree is a natural tree that it’s destined to become a Christmas tree, so you can always get the fragrance. It makes sense. You can actually smell it. And, there is no oil products in there. So this is a fresh real tree. So it was actually designed to be a Christmas tree,” said Schweizer.

Schweizer and his family have been Christmas tree farming since 2000, and the tradition extends beyond just the tree. The orchard offers photo ops, hay rides and more in its store.

Cut and pre-cut trees are now available every weekend from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — More than 40 senior citizens will receive a helping hand this holiday season thanks to local residents and the city’s longest-standing social service organization.

InterServ Community Programs had 41 seniors referred to the program and all of them have been adopted by someone in the community prior to Thanksgiving.

While nearly all the seniors are adopted on a yearly basis, Resource Development Director Rachel Kretzer explained that this year it happened a “little quicker” than normal.

“All 41 of our seniors have been adopted since early last week and have been assigned an angel. That makes us really excited,” Kretzer said. “Our senior referrals came from the Meals on Wheels, in-home caregiver services, congregate meal services, and our senior counseling. The angels have been matched with their wish list and have started shopping. We hope to deliver all of those gifts before Christmas.”

Anyone interested in sponsoring a senior meal can make a donation of $7.50 to Interserv’s Meals on Wheels and meal services programs.

“All of our programs are geared towards helping seniors,” Kretzer said. “Any contribution you make not only helps now it also helps in the future,”

More information can be found by contacting Kretzer at 816-238-4511 or by emailing her at rkretzer@interservstjoe.org

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Praji Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — After the St. Joseph School District Board of Education voted on Nov. 24 to move forward with Plan 4BR, the Benton and Central High School model, Superintendent Ashly McGinnis said it’s important than ever for families to understand why this plan was chosen. 

McGinnis said the main push for moving to a two–high school model comes down to academics and the ongoing national teacher shortage, which has made it difficult to fully staff all three high schools. 

“The original reason… were to right-size our district, meaning we have some extra space that we’re not using and we need to be more efficient as a school district,” McGinnis said.  

She added, the district’s financial situation also played a major role, highlighting how consolidation brings some needed relief. 

According to McGinnis, the changes will help the district operate more efficiently while offering equal academic and extracurricular opportunities to students — all while reducing costs.  

“By reducing three high schools to two high schools, we’ll be able to consolidate some of that staffing, which will result in financial savings,” McGinnis added.   

McGinnis acknowledged the uncertainty families have felt over the past few months. While she knows the decision may be disappointing for some, she believes having a clear direction brings a sense of relief for both students and staff.  

“We have to be thinking 15 years down the road, what do we want our district to look like? The thought of having a new high school in our community, I think, is…is on the horizon in the future.”  

She also stressed the importance of giving students access to modern facilities so they can stay competitive with neighboring districts and help attract more families to the community. 

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News-Press NOW

By: Darren Doyle

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — St. Joseph Griffons Ice Hockey is taking in its tradition of bringing familiar faces together for the Holidays.

The alumni games took place on Wednesday, Nov. 26, at Bode Ice Arena, where attendees were able to give back to the community.

Admission to all St. Joseph Youth Hockey Association games is usually free; however, each person in attendance brought one non-perishable item as their entry fee.

All the food collected at the end of the night was donated to Second Harvest Food Bank in St. Joseph. 

For second-year SJYHA President Adam Danner, seeing a large turnout of familiar faces supporting the community makes the event worthwhile.

“There’s a lot of people in our community that sponsor this program, so we appreciate them a lot,” Danner said. 

For the SJYHA, hockey isn’t only a sport; it’s a way to teach the younger generation about character. Wednesday saw returns of some players who had kids watching them retake the rink. 

Returners like Curran Stuck, who has only been away from the team a couple of years, credit the opportunities given during his days as a Griffon at Bode Ice Arena. 

“It taught me to be a leader and to help people, because doing the (Try Hockey for Free events) and helping many kids, like learn about hockey and like develop their skills and stuff, I think it taught me to be a great leader,” Stuck shared. 

The biannual “Try Hockey for Free” event will return to Bode Ice Arena on Dec. 6.

The event allows youth of most ages to try hockey drills free of charge and will take place from 3:15 to 3:45 p.m.

Interested individuals and families can visit the St. Joseph Youth Hockey Association’s Facebook page for more information about upcoming events and teams.

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