Author: News-Press NOW

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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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The CodeRED public notification system used by Atchison County Emergency Management is currently offline due to a recent cybersecurity incident, the agency said in a public safety announcement today.

Atchison County KS Emergency Management is informing residents that its CodeRED public notification system is currently offline after a reported cybersecurity incident caused damage to the platform.

“At this time, the vendor has not provided a timeline for when the system will be restored. As a result, Atchison County is unable to send notifications through CodeRED until further notice,” a Facebook post from ACEM said.

During this outage, the County will use the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System for emergency, life-safety notifications only, if needed.

IPAWS cannot be used for non-emergency or convenience notifications. The system is federally regulated by FEMA and is reserved strictly for urgent public safety messages.

Residents are encouraged to monitor local news outlets, official County/City websites, and official social media pages for updates and information that would normally be distributed through CodeRED.

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Carter Ostermiller

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — A crash involving an out-of-town tractor-trailer hauling a load caused traffic to back up on northbound Interstate 29 Wednesday morning.

The tractor-trailer crashed into a guardrail on northbound I-29 on South 169 Highway around 8:48 a.m.

“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.

A male in his 30s was operating the vehicle, and there are no reported injuries.

The traffic jam was around 20 to 30 minutes long and was due to the crash blocking traffic in the roadway until a tow truck removed the vehicle.

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Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The 139th Airlift Wing has gained a new set of wings after receiving its first H3 variant of the C-130 Hercules aircraft.

The aircraft arrived on Tuesday, Nov. 4, and was transferred from the Montana Air National Guard’s 120th Airlift Wing. It features NP2000 eight-bladed propellers and avionics upgrades, including an electronic propeller control system.

The transfer is part of a broader divestment program aimed at phasing out older aircraft.

The aircraft will undergo an acceptance inspection, followed by an isochronal inspection before being cleared for flight operations through the 139th, according to Master Sgt. Danny Mears, a production superintendent for the 139th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

A C-130H3 Hercules aircraft assigned to the 139th Airlift Wing, Missouri Air National Guard, sits on the flightline Nov. 5, 2025 at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base, St. Joseph, Missouri.

Mears also said the H3s are anywhere from three to six years newer than the wing’s current fleet of H2.5s.

The aircraft was flown from Montana to St. Joseph by aircrew from the 139th. Maintenance personnel accompanied the mission.

“The plane flew great,” said Lt. Col. Chase Bodenhausen, commander of the 139th Operations Support Specialist Squadron. “The eight-bladed props are quiet, and power adjustments are immediate with the electronic valve-housing as opposed to the mechanical systems we have on the older H2s.”

Crews said, beyond the propeller upgrades, one visible difference inside the cockpit is the location of the radar.

According to Bodenhausen, the radar sits on the dash of the H2 models, restricting the visibility for pilots across the cockpit. The H3 model has the radar on display on the lower right side of the dash for both the pilot and copilot, opening up visibility.

The 139th is slated to receive another H3 variant C-130 from the Illinois Air National Guard in the near future, as the Illinois unit has transitioned to the newer J-model aircraft.

A C-130H3 Hercules aircraft assigned to the 139th Airlift Wing, Missouri Air National Guard, undergoes an ISO inspection Nov. 17, 2025 at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base, St. Joseph, Missouri.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The City of St. Joseph has announced a change in hours of operation for the Animal Services Shelter on Lower Lake Road.

Beginning Dec. 1, the shelter will adjust its hours to Tuesday through Saturday from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The shelter is not open to the public on Sunday or Monday now, but animal redemptions can be scheduled by appointment on those days.

Those looking to adopt can find a complete list of animals at petforu.com

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Local authorities are investigating the cause of a Monday evening house fire that caused significant damage and displaced multiple residents near St. Joseph Avenue.

St. Joseph firefighters were called to a reported structure fire around 7 p.m. Monday at 112 E. Franklin St., and discovered smoke and fire upon arrival.

One person was reportedly inside when the fire broke out but was able to escape the back without injury. The resident was one of multiple people who reportedly occupied the home.

Neighbors told News-Press NOW the front of the home was engulfed in flames before a large group of firefighters were able to bring it under control. Firefighters from Engine 12, Engine 9, Engine 4, Rescue 1, Truck 7, Ladder 5, and Battalion 43 were all dispatched to the scene.

The home has been condemned due to the level of damage sustained from the fire, which is currently under investigation. A fire department official told News-Press NOW it could take several months before a full investigation is complete.

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News-Press NOW

By: Zac Scott

MAYSVILLE, Mo. (KQTV) — The city of Maysville came together to congratulate the opening of a memory care unit at Sunset Home Nursing and Rehabilitation with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Sunset Home, located on 1201 S. Polk St., has been caring for Maysville residents for over 20 years. With the support of the community, Sunset Home opened up a new care unit to serve residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia. 

“We just opened this Alzheimer’s dementia unit. It’s a locked, secured unit. So it is to make sure they are safe and free to wander,” said nursing home administrator Brenda Moore.

Moore said the community has been helping Sunset Home with constant support for each patient and is always looking into more ways to help.

“We are very blessed in this community. We have so much community support, and it is wonderful,” said Moore. “They’ve always been very supportive, very active with our nursing home. We’ll have the kids come by in their tractors. I can’t say enough about how wonderful the community is and the support that we have with them. “

Social Service Director, Rachel Yates, has noticed an improvement in the clinic, with patients already pouring in for care.

“I think Memory Care is a huge need in this community. I’m very glad that we opened this,” said Yates.

Moore said Sunset’s unit is unique in a way that it can house all genders without fear of rooms getting mixed up.

“The way our halls are set up, we can have men and women,” said Morre. “They’re on separate halls, so a lot of units just can accommodate either men or women, and we’re able to accommodate both.”

The Sunset Home memory care unit is open and is accepting patients. For more information, call 816-449-2158.

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