Author: News-Press NOW

Jenna Wilson

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Teachers in the St. Joseph School District were able to get some sweet treats for Teacher Appreciation Week Tuesday morning.

The St. Joseph Police Department and Lodge 3 of the Fraternal Order of Police raised over $1,000 to show their support for educators in the St. Joseph School District. 

“Many of us at the department have parents who are teachers in the district,” said Sgt. Kylee Van Meter of the St. Joseph Police Department. “They’ve always been so supportive of us, and we wanted to do something small to give back and show that we appreciate them and recognize what they do every day.”

Sgt. Jeremy Peters credited Van Meter for coming up with the idea to honor SJSD teachers noting, their hard work made it possible to raise the funds in just three days.

“All of this is being funded completely by donations from our coworkers and our police union,” Peters said. “Our team is amazing when it comes to working together on these kinds of events and it feels good to remind our teachers that they’re doing a great job for our community and kids.”

Local elementary students say this is just a small token of appreciation for what their teachers truly deserve, crediting them for their crucial role in learning and development.     

“Our teachers do a lot for us, said Liam Peters, a student at Skaith Elementary. “When I first started school in kindergarten, I didn’t know much. But now that I’m in third grade, I know a lot more- and that’s thanks to my teachers.”

“It makes me really happy to see our teachers awarded because they teach us and keep us safe,” said Olivia Peters. 

While it’s a rule students are expected to follow year-round, Liam Peters said that his goal this week, along with his classmates, is to stay silent in the classroom when the teacher asks.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Budget preparations for fiscal year 2026 continued for a second day with finances for some of the city’s key departments taking center stage at City Hall.

Tuesday’s work session opened with a breakdown of spending and revenue plans for City Hall’s administrative departments, including the City Manager’s Office, City Clerk, Human Resources, Finance and the newly-created Technology Services Department.

The addition of new IT director Josh Royle — part of a recent staff restructuring effort — and a consolidated hardware purchasing plan have already helped create an additional 20% savings in cost, continuing the city’s emphasis on more long-term cost planning to create financial flexibility and boost efficiency.

Discussions continued with leaders of the city’s Planning and Community Development Department, newly-formed Civic Facilities Department and Parks and Recreation Department providing an overview of 2025 and the year ahead.

With a $22 million budget projected for next year, the parks department is in line to receive one of the biggest funding jumps, a $3.2 million increase primarily for large capital projects and parks maintenance.  The parks department managed a staggering 90 capital projects this past year alone valued at more than $44 million.

“We’ve asked for additional funding this year for security systems for some of our facilities. We’re going to be renovating so many of the facilities, and we’re investing a lot of money into them,” St. Joseph Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Atkins said. “In year’s past we haven’t had adequate security systems … we’re going to hopefully take big strides to correct that issue.”

Atkins said vandalism and property damage continue to be the biggest challenge for the department, with incidents plaguing facilities throughout the park system. New cameras, lock systems and other security measures are being pursued.

Planning and Community Development Director Clint Thompson provided a thorough review of planned policy changes aimed at facilitating new housing and rental properties by incentivizing developers, including a new rental rehab program.

Thompson’s department is expected to see an 8% budget increase next year to $6.4 million to help support heightened efforts to attract and develop housing in St. Joseph. The department will see an additional funding increase of $150,000 to address dangerous buildings.

Monday’s work session marked the second of four public budget meetings scheduled to take place at City Hall over the next eight days. A finalized budget is expected to go before City Council for first reading on May 27 followed by a final vote on June 9.

Stay with us as we continue to update this story.

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Kyle Schmidt

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — St. Joseph native Noah Cameron made his Major League Baseball debut on the last day of April, and for a few days, his name adorned jerseys at Rally House at the North Shoppes.

Cameron is a former Central High School player and now plays in the Royals Triple-A affiliate, the Omaha Storm Chasers.

Receiving inventory specialist Carter Hewitt at Rally House said the shipment came in Monday.

“As soon as he got the call up we ordered them that day and they started making them that day,” Hewitt said.

The store had a limited supply of Cameron jerseys already, and is looking to potentially order more. Hewitt said people came in with stories about knowing the ball player before he became a professional.

“Everybody has some connection to him we hear a bunch of stuff,” He said. “Our UPS driver actually bought a couple because he used to play baseball with him so he came in and bought a couple last night.”

Cameron is back down to the Triple-A team but the act has not slowed down demand. Hewitt said a lot of people have still asked for them, despite Cameron going back down to the Chasers.

He said the St. Joseph Rally House is the only store selling jerseys, but they can also be purchased online or by going to the Rally House Kansas City’s Power and Light District to make a custom jersey.

“I think it is big for St. Joseph, there’s so many people that want them,” Hewitt said. “We had a lot of kids ask for them already because they go to Central or they have a connection with him somehow.”

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Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph Police Department announced the identification and custody status of a suspect linked to multiple burglaries in the region.

Joshua B. Littrell, 42, is currently being held at the Johnson County, Kansas, Adult Detention Center on a burglary warrant out of Mission, Kansas.

Littrell has been identified as the suspect in three recent Downtown St. Joseph burglaries on March 10, as well as the Mark’s Tire and Automotive burglary.

In addition to the local cases, the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) has four active burglary cases against Littrell, and Ray County, Missouri, authorities have an additional burglary case pending against him.

SJPD is working closely with partner across Missouri and Kansas to coordinate the investigation and prosecution of these cases.

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News-Press NOW

ANDREW COUNTY, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Two people suffered serious injuries in an Andrew County all-terrain vehicle crash Monday.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports the crash occurred around 4:25 p.m. off of County Road 363 in Andrew County.

A 78-year-old St. Joseph man driving the ATV lost control, went off the side of the road, and hit a tree, flipping the vehicle.

He and a 6-year-old St. Joseph passenger suffered serious injuries.

Troopers report neither had safety gear equipped.

First responders took both to Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph.

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Chris Fortune

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The latest discussions on a proposed expansion to Buchanan County’s juvenile justice building are centered around Medicaid. 

States have not been able to draw from federal Medicaid funding to treat youth held in local detention centers, but beginning January 2025, states will be required to provide some of these services to youth returning home from incarceration. 

The Buchanan County Commissioners did not believe they had coverage for the juveniles in the detention center after 60 days, but a discussion with representatives from the Missouri Department of Social Services helped clarify the issue Tuesday morning.

“Through this process, we found out that that’s not exactly accurate, that there is some coverage that is offered through Medicaid if it’s off-site treatment,” Eastern District Commissioner Scott Burnham said. “We are still responsible for any onsite treatment.”

Burnham wanted to have the coverage questions answered before moving forward with a proposed county project to expand the Judge Frank D. Connett Jr. Juvenile Justice Center. The expansion would increase the number of beds from six to 24.

“There really wouldn’t be any reason to look to expand if we couldn’t get this thing figured out and covered,” he said.

If a youth in the juvenile justice system remains in detention after 60 days, their Medicaid coverage is suspended. Fifth Circuit Chief Juvenile Officer Linda Meyer said this means that Medicaid is not completely terminated.

“If they do have emergent health care needs that require them to go outside of the facility, there is a chance that their Medicaid coverage can be reinstated to pay for those things,” she said.

Part of the normal process for the county is completing an application for Medicaid for juveniles to ensure they have coverage.  

After Tuesday’s meeting with the Department of Social Services, Meyer now knows it’s not necessary to complete a new application.

“It was important for the county to know how we could mitigate those expenses because that type of care can be extremely expensive when they’re not covered by Medicaid,” she said. “And so we just want to make sure that we have a solid plan in place before we take on more liability.”

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The City of St. Joseph of Animal Services will be holding vaccination clinics throughout the first two weeks of May.

The clinics offer a low-cost option for pet owners to get their dogs and cats the rabies vaccine, standard combination vaccines and administer microchips. The city is working with the Health Department, Friends of the Animal Shelter of St. Joseph, LLC, and local participating veterinarians to asset in staffing the clinics.

According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, 640 rabies have been documented this year, with five being reported as positive. In comparison to last year, 25 out of the 2,255 cases came back positive.

“The rabies (vaccine) is really important because if your pet contracts it, humans can contract it as well and rabies is 100% fatal,” Senior Animal Care Specialist, Aubrey Silvey said. “It’s really important to have your pet vaccinated against rabies.”

The costs for the services provided are as follows:

Rabies vaccines are $5

Combination vaccines are $10 (cash only, paid to the participating veterinarian)

Microchips are free of charge for citizens of St. Joseph by way of a grant from Petco Love.

The next clinic will be held later today at Hosea Elementary School located on 6401 Gordon St.

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Jenna Wilson

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph Police Department is inviting anyone interested in a Law Enforcement career to participate in their upcoming new hire testing.  

SJPD currently has 18 positions open with the department they would like to see filled soon. 

“Currently, we have 11 people in our hiring process or background investigations,” said Sgt. Jeremy Peters with the SJPD. “So realistically, if everything works out, we should be down to about seven positions and we’d like to see all of those filled.”

Candidates will complete a written exam covering reading, writing, grammar, and math, followed by a physical agility test. Those who pass both will advance to a panel interview with department leaders.

SJPD emphasizes they are seeking individuals who will be an asset to the team and uphold the department’s high standards.

“Of course, we want people with good integrity and who are self-motivated,” Peters said. “We’re always looking to add to our staff with people who want to get out into the community and make a difference.”

The hiring test will take place on Saturday, May 17 and will be the test where candidates can qualify to get into the local police Academy this summer in July. Tuition and costs for the police Academy training, which will be held at Missouri Western State University’s campus, will be fully covered. 

“If we decide to hire an individual, we’re going to make sure that the academy gets paid for,” Peters said. “While they’re attending the classes, they’re going to make about $18 an hour to go to school along with accruing benefit time.”

New hire testing will start at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 17 at the St. Joseph Police Department, located at 501 Faraon Street.

Students are guaranteed to start earning vacation, holiday and sick leave while in the academy.  

To apply online, visit https://stjosephmo.gov/637/Join-SJPD.  

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order ending federal funding for NPR and PBS, public broadcasting stations in Mid-Missouri stations are bracing for impact.

Trump alleged in Thursday’s executive order that public stations were biased and “government funding of news media in this environment is not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence.”

Under the order, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting board will stop direct funding to NPR and PBS and will stop any future funding to the organizations. This includes any remaining grants or contracts. A legal battle lies ahead.

“We are currently exploring all options to allow PBS to continue to serve our member stations and all Americans,” PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger said in a statement Friday.

NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher in a statement called the order an affront to the First Amendment.

“With the creation of the Public Broadcasting Act, Congress explicitly forbade ‘any department, agency, officer, or employee of the United States to exercise any direction, supervision, or control over educational television or radio broadcasting,’” Maher said in a statement posted to NPR’s website. “This independence has informed the role of public broadcasting in the American interest for more than half a century.”

Public broadcasting in Mid-Missouri includes radio stations KBIA and KOPN in Columbia and television station KMOS in Warrensburg. KBIA reportedly has 30,000 listeners per week, KOPN reaches around 200,000 people and KMOS reports reaching nearly 1 million people, each station reports.

Both NPR and PBS are considering legal action as both entities are private and protected from government interference, CNN wrote on Friday. According to CNN, the CPB disburses $535 million in taxpayer funds to public radio and TV stations. This is first approved by congress and typically done a year in advance.

A 2023-24 financial statement reports that the KMOS’s total operating expenses for the year were a little more than $3 million. The station’s financial reports found that more than $1 million in their funds was from public broadcasting entities like CPB and fewer than $200,000 were from state departments. More than $400,000 were from subscribers.

General Manager of KMOS-TV Josh Tomlinson said the station is currently not seeing any impacts, but worries for the long-term.

“We also represent a largely rural area, our coverage area, 15% of it is in communities of 2,500 or last,” Tomlinson said. “While they’re give as much as possible and we’re grateful for every dollar of it, if we were to lose our federal funding, it would be devastating to KMOS because there is not a source of income within our viewing area to replace that money.”

Along with airing some nationally distributed PBS programs, KMOS also produces Missouri-specific shows that touch on local culture as well as politics.

“We may not have something for somebody all of the time, but we definitely have something for everybody at some of the time,” Tomlinson said. “We carry a show called ‘This Week in Missouri Politics’ that is produced by the Missouri Times and it is all about Jefferson (City), the legislature in Jefferson City, and some people perceive that as a right wing show but it’s only because we have a Republican super majority.”

A major concern Tomlinson has is the possibility of weather coverage being impacted.

“We cover a broad swath of central Missouri in Missouri, in 33 counties, nearly a million people and we have automated weather alerts that go out whenever there’s a tornado or a thunderstorm,” Tomlinson said. “In some of those areas where the only station that they can get, and so that would be one of the areas that was impacted.”

Tomlinson said that the station is currently making plans for future funding.

Executive Director of KOPN Dylan Martin said that he expects the station to stay afloat despite any impending cuts. He credits listener support with more than 50% of the station’s budget coming from public donors. The station also has a contingency plan with its board.

“I’m confident that we can weather the storm, but it’s going to hurt the public radio system as a whole and definitely create some some stresses here,” he said.

Martin similarly shared concerns for communities needing weather coverage and hearing from those in the area.

“These stations are the only source of not only news, information, culture, even entertainment, but they are also the outlets for the emergency alert system, those the tornado warnings and flash flood warnings that that people need to stay safe,” Martin said. “We reach a lot of those small communities and what we offer is, it’s right in our mission, we want to give a platform to underrepresented voices.”

KOPN similarly runs nationally distributed programs, as well as local shows.

“We’re providing options and we’re providing different ideas, different perspectives, and definitely don’t all align, they, they often contradict each other,” Martin said. “On Wednesdays at 10 a.m., we have a show called’ Open to Debate’ that actually spends an hour presenting a moderated debate between people with two totally different points of view on a subject.”

Martin added he is most concerned about the station’s volunteer training program possibly being impacted.

“That’s one of the things I’m most proud of about KOPN and one of the things that I would be most sad to see lost is just our volunteer training program. We sort of specialize in training people in… putting people in the broadcasters and training them  to become broadcasters,” he said.

“That is one of the most impactful things we do, is just providing that just sort of bootstrap kind of education, I guess you’d say, teach people (the) art and science and the law of radio.”

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CNN Newsource

By Lauren Mascarenhas, Pete Muntean and Rene Marsh, CNN

(CNN) — More than a week of delays at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey were caused after air traffic controllers lost communication with aircraft they were supposed to be controlling, and as a result took leave government employees use after experiencing traumatic situations.

The controllers in Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control, which coordinates planes arriving at Newark, “temporarily lost radar and communications with the aircraft under their control, unable to see, hear, or talk to them,†on Monday April 28, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said in a statement shared with CNN.

The connectivity between Federal Aviation Administration radar and the frequencies that air traffic controllers use to manage planes flying in and out of the airport “completely failed,†a source with knowledge of the situation said.

At least five FAA employees took 45 days of leave as a result of the incident, sources tell CNN.

On Monday, the FAA acknowledged that the agency’s “antiquated air traffic control system†is affecting its workforce.

“Some controllers at the Philadelphia TRACON who work Newark arrivals and departures have taken time off to recover from the stress of multiple recent outages,†the FAA said in a statement.

The FAA also said it is updating its automated system to be more resilient and is working to safeguard telecommunications equipment in the New York area.

The staffing delays have pushed into an eighth, and unprecedented day.

“While we cannot quickly replace them due to this highly specialized profession, we continue to train controllers who will eventually be assigned to this busy airspace,†the FAA said.

By Monday afternoon, more than 150 flights into or out of the airport were canceled, with more than 250 flights delayed, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.

The FAA issued a brief ground stop at Newark Airport early Monday morning due to low cloud cover, which has since been lifted, but the agency is still forecasting nearly four-hour delays for inbound flights.

The FAA has indicated it expects more delays at the airport Monday due to the air traffic control staffing issues.

The nationwide air traffic controller staffing shortage was compounded by over 20% of FAA controllers who “walked off the job†at Newark Airport, according to a statement Friday by United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby.

The comments angered some in the aviation community.

“The controllers did not “walk off the job†as it has been reported by the media,†the controller’s union responded Monday. “Due to the event, the controllers took absence under the Federal Employees Compensation Act. This program covers all federal employees that are physically injured or experience a traumatic event on the job.â€

“The controllers didn’t just walk off the job they were traumatized, their equipment failed,†the source with knowledge of the situation said. “It’s written in the regulations if they experience a traumatic event —they can take time off to go see psychiatrist.. the people working that day did that.â€

On Monday, Canadian travelers Greg Marszalek and Stephen Lance were grounded at Newark Airport by multiple delays on their way home from celebrating their fortieth birthdays in Manhattan.

After two flight delays before early afternoon, they told CNN’s Brynn Gingras they might forgo air travel altogether if they face another.

“We can rent a car and just drive up to the border. Ottawa’s pretty close to the border,†Marszalek said.

Peter Goelz, former managing director of the National Transportation Safety Board, said the situation at Newark airport is “ridiculous.â€

“We have a very safe system, but anytime it’s stressed like this, where you have controllers who are feeling under maximum pressure, it impacts safety – and people have a right to be concerned,†Goelz told CNN.

“I’m not sure I’d want to fly out of Newark over the next week or 10 days. I might choose an alternate route, because you cannot expect humans to function at their highest level for sustained periods of time with this kind of pressure on them,†he added.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, from New York, said Monday he directed the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General to look into the issues at Newark before they extend across the nation.

“The chaos at Newark could very well be a harbinger if issues like these aren’t fixed, and if the FAA can’t get real solutions off the ground,†Schumer said.

Schumer cited firings at the FAA due to cuts by the Trump administration and said the agency has had little response to his concerns.

“We’re here because the FAA is really a mess. This mess needs a real forensic look, a deep look into it,†Schumer said, adding that Newark’s air traffic controllers have long warned the FAA of problems at the airport.

Old technology is another reason for the airport’s recent obstacles, according to Schumer, who cited burnt copper wiring as an example.

“Why are we using copper wire in 2025? Have they heard of fiber?,†Schumer said.

About 225 flights into or out of Newark Airport were canceled over the weekend, with more than 950 flights delayed, according to FlightAware.

Multiple factors have come together to create a nightmare travel week at the airport, including an air traffic controller shortage, a walk-off by air traffic controllers last week, runway closures and outdated equipment.

Many of the affected flights have been through United Airlines. Kirby addressed the challenges in a statement Friday.

The control facility responsible for traffic at Newark has been “chronically understaffed for years,†Kirby said.

Kirby also said technology used by FAA air traffic controllers to manage planes coming in and out of Newark failed on multiple occasions last week, resulting in delays and cancelations that left thousands of customers with disrupted travel plans.

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said Friday the outdated air traffic control system used by the airport contributed to the delays, pledging to implement a new system – one that could take three to four years to get working.

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Chris Boyette, Carolyn Sung and Zoe Sottile contributed to this report.

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