Author: News-Press NOW

Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Missouri Department of Transportation has announced the closure of a heavily-trafficked bridge in St. Joseph until further notice.

MoDOT officials announced in a press release Monday afternoon that the Gene Field Road Bridge over Interstate 29 in St. Joseph is closed after being struck by an oversized load.

The bridge is closed until further notice as crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation evaluate the bridge condition.  

For updated roadway conditions, residents are encouraged to check out the Traveler Information Map at traveler.modot.org/map.

News-Press NOW will continue to update this story.

Click here to follow the original article.

Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — Easton Road will close Tuesday for full-depth concrete replacement and roadway widening project.

City officials announced in a press release Monday that the road will be closed from the east side of Leonard Road, approximately 200 feet east. The work is part of a larger improvement project designed to replace the entire road surface to 48th Terrace.

A detour will be put in place to minimize disruptions during construction. Drivers are encouraged to use Joseph L. Gray Drive to 48th Terrace to Easton Road.

The detour will allow access to all businesses in the area throughout the project’s duration.

Motorists are also encouraged to plan, use caution in work zones and follow posted detour signs.

According to the City of St. Joseph, the Easton Road closure is weather-dependent.

Click here to follow the original article.

TaMya Bracy

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — A new furry friend has joined the Missouri State Highway Patrol, bringing in another tool for the agency.

Toro is a year-and-a-half-old Dutch shepherd and has been with MSHP since September. He’s the second K-9 assigned to Troop H.

Toro stays with his handler, Cpl. Nick Regan, at all times, will only take commands from him and live with Regan, too.

“These are extremely smart dogs compared to the two German shepherds I have at home,” Regan said. “This one is an elite dog.”

Sgt. Shane Hux with MSHP said the K-9 handler is considered a specialist position, and there are a few requirements.

“A minimum of three years with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, good work ethic and a positive attitude are the requirements,” Hux said.

Hux said, despite being a different species, Toro is treated the same as any MSHP trooper.

“Just like we take care of all of our employees. A K-9 for the Missouri State Highway Patrol is a trooper for us,” Hux said. “Any time they’re showing illness, sickness or get injured, they will get veterinarian care.”

Hux said that when Toro retires, he will either live with his handler or be given to another trooper.

“The handler gets the first option of taking that K-9,” said Hux. “Then if that’s not feasible for the handler, then another patrol employee.”

Although Toro is in a line of duty, Regan said he is just like any dog.

“If you have a ball in your hands, that’s all he really wants. You get him working, he goes straight to work, just like any other officer,” Regan said. “He plays around, likes to play with other dogs and plays with my kids well.”

Hux said, overall, the MSHP is excited to have another K-9.

“You know, a K-9 is a great tool for us to have. The K-9 is trained in illegal controlled substances, handler protection and tracking and area searches, he said. “So, what I mean by area searches is evidence recovery. If we’re pursuing someone and they throw out a firearm, or some type of controlled substance,  then it’s very important, you know, to be able to use that tool to cover that distance.”

The MSHP has 11 K-9s statewide, and it will continue to work to add more furry friends to its team.

Click here to follow the original article.

Carter Ostermiller

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — As Veterans Day approaches on Tuesday, Nov. 11, it serves as a day to celebrate and honor those who have served our country. 

In St. Joseph, resides Marine Veteran Don Crigger. Crigger enlisted in the Marines in 1963 and served in the Vietnam War. He also notably participated in three major operations: Reanah, Hard Rock and Starlight.

While stationed in Da Nang, Vietnam, Crigger met someone who he said would soon change his life.

Anthony Colgan, also known as “Tony”, was a Navy Hospital Corpsman in Vietnam. Crigger met Colgan while waiting for a haircut, when he overheard a conversation Colgan was having about hometowns.

To Crigger and Colgan’s surprise, the two had found common ground in their hometown of St. Joseph, but had never met before.

The two became friends and decided to write a letter back home to get questions answered about the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War.

“Tony says…’Well, we need to send a letter back home to the people in St. Joe.’ And I said, ‘Alright.’ And so this is when we started. We started on the letter,” said Crigger.

Crigger wrote the letter and sent it to his mom with a return address.

After writing the letter, Crigger and Colgan went their separate ways from Vietnam. Time would pass since the letter was sent.

Crigger was then admitted to get surgery in a hospital in Japan, and Colgan was in Spain with the Navy.

While in the hospital, Crigger was in for a surprise.

“Somebody yelled and came in the door and said, ‘Who is Don Crigger?’ It was a mailman…He had four mail bags of letters from people in St. Joe,” said Crigger.

To Crigger’s surprise, his mom had gone to the local newspaper with the letter. In doing so, the St. Joseph community wrote letters of their own to show their support for the boys.

Crigger said the positive letters from home meant a lot because of his experience in the war. He also shared about the negativity soldiers received when they came back home.

At the time, the letters were all delivered to Crigger, but when he was reunited with Colgan in the States, they were able to read and share the positivity.

After the war, Crigger and Colgan remained friends. It wasn’t until 2015 that Colgan passed and was laid to rest at Memorial Park Cemetery in St. Joseph.

“I go by…if somebody has taken the red flag down, then I go get another one and put it in there. So he’s always had a red flag there, and I really miss him,” said Crigger.

This Veterans Day, Crigger wants only one thing from Americans, and that is to say “thank you” to all the men and women who served and are serving our country.

Click here to follow the original article.

Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — St. Joseph transit riders will see a new bus stop added along the main corridor to Downtown.

City councilmembers are expected to vote a $25,000 real estate contract Monday with Goldenho LLC to acquire property at 2001-2005 Frederick Avenue, just west of Lehr Construction

If approved, the city plans to build a new transit bus shelter on the property to help support faster headways, improve overall system reliability and provide a designated space for bus drivers to pull off of Frederick Avenue so passengers can safely access the bus.

This photo shows the proposed location for the new bus shelter on Frederick Avenue.

St. Joseph Transit currently services eight fixed routes within the city limits of St. Joseph and Elwood, Kansas.

The development also comes after the recent launch of a new transit transfer station on East Hills Shopping Center property, by the library.

St. Joseph has seen the number of paid passengers jump from 240,794 in 2023 to 267,976 in 2025, while the number of trips also increased from 299,677 to 325,460, a roughly 14% increase.

Click here to follow the original article.

Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Women’s health has been and continues to be a priority in Northwest Missouri.

Earlier this week, the Mosaic Medical Center formally announced a groundbreaking ceremony would take place Nov. 18 for a new women’s clinic in Maryville, Missouri.

This new facility will feature expanded services for women, including preventive care, obstetrics, gynecology and general wellness care.

Megan Jennings, development officer at St. Francis Hospital Foundation, said expanding services isn’t just to provide additional aid, it’s to prevent unnecessary health complications for women.

“Women across Missouri are unnecessarily dying during the time of pregnancy or postpartum, due to a number of factors,” Jennings said. “Substance abuse and mental health have played a role. And access to care greatly affects our rural communities. Missouri is referred to as a maternity desert.”

This rendering shows a check-up room for the new Mosaic Medical Center- Maryville Women’s Clinic.

Results from a pregnancy mortality review conducted by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services found that from 2018 to 2022, a total of 350 deaths were documented, with an average of 70 women passing away each year while pregnant or within a year after their pregnancy.

The pregnancy-related mortality ratio was 32.3 deaths per 100,000 live births. This is notably higher than the U.S. rate of 22.3.

Additionally, the review panel found that 80% of all pregnancy-related deaths were preventable. 

“It’s caused the state of Missouri to take extreme pause and think about how we begin to address these issues,” Jennings said. “Rural hospitals all across the nation are struggling to maintain maternity services, it’s a challenge to keep open for a variety of reasons.”

The current Maryville clinic is housed within a facility that sees and treats other sick patients. By expanding the space, crowding and overlap will be eliminated.

A rendering of the entrance to the new Mosaic Medical Center- Maryville Women’s Clinic.

“Someone going in for prenatal care may sit in the same waiting room as someone that could have COVID-19, influenza, pneumonia or something else,” Jennings said. “We’re putting our pregnant moms at risk and their child at risk. Our biggest priority was to separate the clinic into its own comprehensive space. That allows us to expand upon the services that we’re providing and creating something that’s comprehensive for all women through all ages.”

After the groundbreaking, the demolition and start of the construction of the facility will take place on Jan. 1, 2026. Completion is expected to be sometime in October of 2026.

Click here to follow the original article.

Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Gardeners and plant enthusiasts will have the opportunity to stock up on greenery and assist campus students at the same time next week.

The Missouri Western biology department is inviting residents to participate in a plant sale scheduled for Monday, Nov. 10 at the Remington Atrium on campus.

The sale is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m.. All plants made available will be sold on a first-come first-served basis while supplies last.

Proceeds from the sale will go toward the MoWest Campus Cupboard, a resource available to help students in need of perishable and nonperishable food, household and personal care items.

Those with additional questions are encouraged to visit: https://www.missouriwestern.edu/news/2025/11/03/mowest-biology-plant-sale/

Click here to follow the original article.

Carter Ostermiller

HIGHLAND, Kan. (KQTV) — Highland Community College hosted its grand opening for the Beulah Gilmore Memorial Hall.

The building was gifted to the college by alumnus Larry Gilmore in May this year. The museum features a collection of vintage cars, classic tractors, artwork and more.

“This collection represents, really, a lifetime of Larry’s collectibles. Larry was a teacher in Olathe (Kansas). He taught math and science, but he was also a master craftsman in woodworking,” Executive Director Keith Jaloma said.

The building is named after Gilmore’s mother, Beulah, in honor of her memory.

“What a gift for the community…We just want to show it off as much as we can and honor Beulah and thank and recognize Larry Gilmore for this wonderful gift,” said Jaloma.

According to Jaloma, the museum is the second largest gift in their college’s history.

Personal tours are available from 9 to 11 a.m. on the first Saturday of every month. Those interested can book a tour by calling 816-872-8729.

The museum is located at 502 W. Colorado St. in Highland, Kansas.

Click here to follow the original article.

Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Two fire departments are hoping to strengthen ties with a new agreement up for first reading at Monday’s City Council meeting.

The St. Joseph Fire Department and the Doniphan County Fire Protection District #4 in Elwood, Kansas, are nearing a partnership that would allow the two to provide emergency services in the other’s jurisdiction for a five-year period.

Services would include requests for assistance, directions to incident scenes and other mutual aid opportunities. The proposed ordinance on Monday’s agenda for first reading outlines the full terms under which each will provide fire emergency services in the other’s jurisdiction.

Data from October shows SJFD had roughly 128 personnel on staff, a strong figure that includes 51 firefighters, 33 drivers, 33 captains, three fire Inspectors, three Battalion Chiefs and five Fire Administration positions.

A total of nine different fire stations — many of them new — span the city.

News-Press NOW will continue to update this story.

Click here to follow the original article.

News-Press NOW

By: Darren Doyle

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) Preparation for the Holidays is already underway, along with the Missouri Western Student Athlete Alliance Council (MWSU SAAC) and their Griffs Giving Gifts campaign.

MWSU SAAC gives back to local families through the local Adopt-a-Family program. In early December, the group pools its money to go shopping, wrap gifts and then provide holiday gifts to their adopted family all in one night. 

This long-standing tradition is a proud one for MWSU SAAC Vice President Emma Salker.

“Do something that you want other people to do and follow. It’s kind of like the golden rule: do good, and others will too. If you leave an impact, other people are going to look up to that,” said Salker, the senior Volleyball player. “They’re also going to want to do what you did, making it known how wonderful an experience it is, not only for the student athletes, but also for those families”. 

For those who would like to contribute, there are many ways to donate, including through the QR code in the article photo.  

Community members can also donate cash or a check in person at the Athletic Office on MoWest’s campus, located at Spratt Memorial Stadium. Checks can be made out to MWSU SAAC. 

MoWest Athletics can also be reached at 816-271-4481 for donation drop-off availability. 

Click here to follow the original article.