Author: News-Press NOW

Charles Christian

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — For the eighth consecutive year, the Veteran’s Home Assistance League is sponsoring a golf tournament in St. Joseph to raise money for the Cameron Veteran’s Home.

The tournament will take place on Thursday, July 17, at the St. Joseph Country Club.

Veteran’s Assistance League member, Mark Horstman said this tournament provides a great opportunity to have fun with friends, while honoring veterans.

“We all enjoy the camaraderie, which golf brings to all of us,” Horstman said. “And we get to know some of the veterans and show appreciation for what they’ve done for us and the sacrifices they have made.”

Former Missouri State Representative and Vietnam Veteran, Pat Conway, has participated in this tournament from the beginning and served for several years on the veteran’s committee in Missouri while a representative from District 10.

He said the funds allow the Veteran’s Home to go beyond what the state budget is able to do.

“We can do only so much with the state budget,” Conway said. “What this does is provide assistance to veterans — things they need — that don’t fall within the parameters of the state budget.”

Volunteer Coordinator at Cameron Veteran’s Home, Allison Dredge, said the funds raised this year will assist in transportation.

“This will be able to purchase vans to go to and from appointments,” Dredge said. “They can also have fun outings like going to a Royals game or other outings they otherwise wouldn’t be able to participate in.”

Dredge added, donations and fundraisers happen all over the state for the Cameron facility, since it is part of the state’s annual budget.

There are three key golf fundraisers in this St. Joseph area each year: one in Cameron, one in Maryville and the upcoming tournament in St. Joseph.

Most of the veterans at the facility are from the Vietnam Era but does include a few Korean War veterans, as well.

Conway and Horstman said, each year an ROTC honor guard and other special moments at the event combine with playing the game to make it a special day.

Hole sponsors often honor a service member or a veteran, and the sponsorship starts at $100 per hole.

The St. Joseph Country Club is located at 50 Ridgeland Road in St. Joseph and questions can be directed to Allison Dredge at her email address: allison.dredge@mvc.dps.mo.gov.

Those interested in participating or sponsoring a hole can also call (816) 649-1622.

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Jenna Wilson

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Missouri House Bill 328, sponsored by Rep. Tim Taylor, R-Bunceton, would allow people with concealed carry permits to bring firearms onto public transit.

HB 328 passed in the Missouri House on Thursday, April 1, and has moved to the Senate, where the Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee held a hearing on Tuesday, April 22.

The bill confirms that eligibility for a concealed carry permit is based on consistently passing required background checks, as well as meeting age and residency criteria.

However, it would reduce the minimum age to obtain a permit from 19 years old to 18 years old.

Rep. Taylor said in an email statement:”It’s time we allow our citizens who use public transportation to exercise the same rights as everyone else in our state. For many gun rights advocates, the current law forces permit holders to disarm just because they choose to ride the bus or train.”

There’s a lot of pushback for HB 328, statewide and locally, with opponents claiming it could lead to more dangerous situations, even for those intended to use a firearm defensively.

“This is far from a good decision — we have kids riding these buses and bullets don’t have names,” said resident Dianna Kelly, who frequents the St. Joseph transit bus service. “And if you’re going to carry a weapon, let people see it instead of hiding it, because anything can happen and someone could get killed for no reason. It all needs to be handled transparently.”

News-Press NOW spoke with other bus riders in St. Joseph, many of whom shared similar concerns, saying that lowering the permit age is only making the problem worse.

“My nephew lost his life over gun,” said resident Dale Cee. “He’s doing 23 years in prison because he wanted to pull a gun out and shoot someone. 18 years old and his life is gone.”

“It could especially be unsafe if someone has a mental illness and gets mad about something that was said to them,” said Emmitt Southwick.

Supporters agree with Sen. Taylor that the bill broadens Second Amendment protections, though they acknowledge and empathize with concerns about public safety.

“I see this as a good thing because people need to be able to protect themselves,” said resident Ronald Smith. “I can definitely see the concern with people who may not know how to conduct themselves because things can go south real quick, but I’m more in support of people being able to have protection.”

“Shootings have been happening way too much in the world today and even in this town,” said Frankie Thompson, another resident. “If this bill passes, we’re going to see the impact quickly.”

“Of course it’s concerning when guns are in the hands of people who are criminal minded but you have to weigh out the pros and cons,” said James Britton. “The world is crazy right now and when you’re in a situation where you need to protect yourself, a firearm could determine the outcome of life or death for you.”

Some believe that individuals should have the right to carry any type of weapon in public areas, including on public transportation.

“Whether it’s a gun, a knife, or any form of protection, every individual needs it — especially when it comes to protecting our women and children,” said resident Ryan Vaughn. “It’s a last-resort option and should be used only when there are no alternatives, and if someone reaches that point, it’s likely because they really felt threatened.”

“As long as it’s concealed, I don’t see anything wrong with carrying a weapon,” said resident Michael Miljavac. “I’ve been in situations where I felt I could’ve been harmed if I didn’t let someone know I was armed. I’m not saying that’s how things should be, but that’s the reality of the world we live in now.”

A similar bill, HB 1708, passed through the Missouri House last year but was abandoned following the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade.

The latest action on HB 328 came on Thursday, April 24, when a Senate committee voted during an executive session to advance the bill to the full Senate for further consideration. The state’s ongoing legislative session runs through May 16.

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Apple Blossom Parade came through town again, with something for the community to enjoy.

The festival has been an ongoing tradition in St. Joseph, dating back to 1924 when the first parade was held to watch the apple blossom tress come into full bloom.

“It’s a St. Joseph tradition,” community member Mark Pickerel said. “The first Saturday of May has always been something people look forward when the calendar changes. It brings the community together. You see a lot of people that you maybe only see that one time of year, here at the Apple Blossom Parade.”

A wide variety of businesses and organizations participated in the parade, including the St. Joseph Fire Department, Missouri Air Guard and finalists from the Apple Blossom Pageant.

The long lasting tradition will continue to be a staple in St. Joseph, as the next parade continues to be an event for the community to look forward to.

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Kendra Simpson

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The nonprofit Community Missions of St. Joseph is spicing things up in its shelter with new weekly cooking courses for its visitors.

Those staying at the Juda or Haven House on Community Missions’ campus every Wednesday, are invited to a cooking class. In these classes, shelter visitors can learn how to prepare, cook and serve meals.

The courses aren’t just for fun, they also teach the men how to care for themselves outside of the shelter.

“We can experience cooking for the real world,” Paul Davis, a visitor of the shelter, said. “Without cooking, you won’t be able to feed yourself. You can’t eat.”

While teaching basic life skills, the cooking classes connect those staying at the shelter and offer a way to meet men facing similar situations.

“You learn and you get to talk to people. It’s fun,” Adam Draper, a visitor of the shelter, said.

Community Missions’ program revolves around helping its visitors get back on their feet by teaching life skills like cooking, cleaning and maintaining a schedule.

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Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The City of St. Joseph’s Animal Services has set dates for this year’s city-wide, low cost rabies vaccine clinics.

The rabies clinics are held during the first two weeks of May at locations across St. Joseph to make clinics easily accessible to the community.

During the clinics, local veterinarians volunteer their time to ensure pets receive the proper administrations, and to certify the vaccine administrations.

Animal Services staff will also be available to assist the public with the new online licensing platform and to administer microchips.

All clinics are from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on:

Monday, May 5 at Lindbergh Elementary School, located at 2812 St. Joseph, Ave.

Tuesday, May 6 at Hosea Elementary School, located at 6401 Gordon St.

Thursday May 8 at Church of the Nazarene, located at 2102 South 22nd St.

Tuesday, May 13 at Skaith Elementary School, located at 4701 Schoolside Lane.

Thursday, May 15 at Mark Twain Elementary School, located at 801 South 31st St.

A rabies vaccine will cost $5. Combination vaccines will also be available and will cost $10, cash only and paid separately to the participating veterinarian.

While normally a $10 cost, microchips will be provided free of charge to citizens of St. Joseph through a grant from Petco Love, as part of an initiative to reduce lost pets in the community, while supplies last.

Pet owners in the City are required to purchase an annual City registration or license for each of their pets.

The St. Joseph Animal Shelter has a new partnership with DocuPet, a leading pet licensing and lost pet recovery platform, to modernize and simplify the pet licensing process for residents.

The new system includes access to DocuPet’s free 24/7 HomeSafe lost pet service, customizable ID tags and secure online pet profiles. The initiative is to help lost pets return home quickly and safely.

Pet licensing is mandatory in St. Joseph, however, licenses will no longer be sold onsite at the low-cost vaccination clinic.

Instead, staff will be able to assist pet owners with the new online process found on the city’s Animal Services website.

The change aims to boost compliance and free up shelter space and resources for animals more in need.

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Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Missouri Western State University will celebrate the achievements of 350 graduates during two spring commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 10.

Ceremonies will take place in the MWSU Fieldhouse in the M.O. Looney Complex. Graduations is free and open to the public.

MWSU will confer 290 undergraduate degrees and 60 graduate degrees. Graduates come from Missouri and 19 other states, as well as seven foreign countries.

The first ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. and will celebrate graduates from the College of Science and Health. Doors will open at 10:15 a.m.

The second ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. and will celebrate graduates from General Studies, the College of Business and Professional Studies and the College of Liberal Arts. Doors will open at 2:15 p.m.

A brief reception will follow each ceremony in the Looney practice gym. The reception is sponsored by the Missouri Western Alumni Association.

Tim Houlne, a graduate from 1986, will be the commencement speaker for the spring 2025 commencement. Houlne graduated from MWSU with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

The Houlne Center for Convergent Technology was named in appreciation of Houlne’s generous contribution to its construction and operation.

Student representatives Viola Toma and News-Press NOW’s Kendra Simpson will also speak at their respective ceremonies.

Toma, from Kansas City, Mo., will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and will speak at the 11 a.m. ceremony. Toma has overcome homelessness and battled cancer on her road to success. As a non-traditional first generation student and a single parent, Toma still carved time out to volunteer at Head Start through Community Action Partnership St. Joseph.

Simpson, from St. Joseph, Mo., will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Convergent Journalism and Public Relations and will speak at the 2 p.m. ceremony. Simpson served as news editor and editor-in-chief for Griffon Media, and was awarded several state and national awards for her work. Simpson now serves as a multimedia journalist and weekend anchor for News-Press NOW.

Other public commencement-related activities include”

Physical Therapy Assistant Pinning Ceremony at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 9 at the Kemper Recital Hall in Spratt 101

Respiratory Therapy Pinning Ceremony at 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 10 at Murphy Hall 2nd Floor

Nurses Pinning Ceremony at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 10 at the Fulkerson Center

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Kirsten Stokes

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The U.S Department of Education will officially resume collecting defaulted federal student loans on Monday, May 5, marking the end of a three-year pause, which began during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For thousands of Missourians, and particularly residents of St. Joseph, this could mean renewed pressure from loan services, especially for those whose loans are currently in default.

However, for St. Joseph resident Lorna Davis, the deadline will be of no concern as she believes its starts with making smart decision before taking loans.

“It’s a matter of catching it beforehand and deciding if you want to go to a four year school and if you’re actually going to stick with it,” Davis said. “If there is any way to avoid them, I think that’s best.”

The pause, which began in March 2020, offered temporary relief to more than 40 million borrowers, halting interest accrual and collections on defaulted loans. But starting this month, collections on federally held student loans in default are restarting, with garnishments of wages, tax refunds and Social Security benefits once again on the table. 

In an April interview with Fox Business, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon urged Americans to act swiftly. “It’s very simple, we’ve announced that by May 5, you must start to repay your loan,†McMahon said. “This is not meant to cause hardship. There are several different payment plans available.†

What This Means for St. Joseph Residents 

According to the most recent data from the Department of Education, Buchanan County has a significant number of residents with student debt, and many of those loans are currently in default. Local borrowers who have fallen behind could now face renewed garnishments or negative credit reporting if they do not act quickly. 

For St. Joseph resident Beth Crumpler, the return to repayment is daunting. “Right now I haven’t been navigating them because I haven’t had to pay with the forbearance going on,â€Crumpler said. “But I’m just going to have to work probably until the day I die. I’ll just be working to pay what I have to pay.”

The Fresh Start initiative, a temporary program from the Department of Education, allows borrowers in default to return to good standing and avoid collections. Borrowers can: 

Remove the default status from their loans, re-enter regular repayment plans, restore eligibility for federal financial aid, and prevent wage or benefit garnishment. 

Borrowers must act soon, as Fresh Start is not automatic. To enroll, visit myeddebt.ed.gov or contact your loan servicer. 

“I don’t know if it was worth it to have the loans but college prepared me for my job absolutely,” Crumpler said.

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Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW ) — The United Democrats of Northwest Missouri Club will hold it’s annual Truman dinner celebration on Tuesday, May 6.

The event will be held at Bandana’s Bar-B-Q, located at 4225 Frederick Ave.

Social hour will begin at 5:30 p.m., where attendee’s will be able to order food. The event will start at 6:30 p.m.

Historian and NW Missouri League of Women Voters president, Jenna Sanders will deliver the keynote, “Truman and Post WWII Tariffs”.

The dinner is open to the public. To receive additional information, attendee’s are directed to contact Jill Miller, the president of the United Democrats Club at milljill@stjoelive.com, or by calling (816) 271-3405.

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Revisions for the traffic signal system on North 22nd Street and Frederick Avenue will start up on Monday, May 5.

Both sides of Frederick Avenue will be closed as construction begins at 8 a.m. on Monday. The signal system is being replaced and new mast-arm poles will be installed.

“There may be portions of them being worked on throughout the time frame there,” Superintendent of Streets and Infrastructure Jackson Jones said. “The poles might be up and the signals might be working, but there will still be restoration work going on, such as new ada corners. It will give the whole intersection a clean, fresh look.” 

The current signalized intersections were meant to be temporary solutions and replacements for them have been a frequent item of discussion.

The project is slated to be completed by June 27th, pending weather delays.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Decades of recovery efforts are bringing one of the Missouri’s endangered and longest-living fish back to prominence according to new findings this spring.

Capable of growing up to 8 feet long and weighing 300 pounds, lake sturgeon once thrived in the Missouri River before being driven to the brink of extinction by overfishing and habitat loss in the late 1800s, to the point where the fish was deemed incapable of recovery by the mid-1900s.

In a significant development, the Missouri Department of Conservation confirmed last week that lake sturgeon spawning, or the release of eggs, was witnessed in the wild for the fourth consecutive year in West Alton, located in southeastern Missouri around St. Louis, a major development for recovery programs that first began in 1984.

“It’s very exciting because these long held stocking efforts that we’ve done, since the 80s, is with the hope that we would kind of stabilize the populations and continue to work to what they need to have self-sustaining populations on their own,” MDC Northwest Staff Scientist Kasey Whiteman said. “Any time that we can find natural reproduction going with a species that has been struggling for a long time, that’s a success.â€

The fast-moving bottom feeder is one of the largest fish in North America and can reach up to 150 years old. As a result, it takes 20 to 30 years before slow-growing lake sturgeon are capable of spawning for the first time.

Widespread coordination and conservation efforts between MDC and the Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and volunteer citizens have been instrumental in developing an effective habitat restoration plan for the fish that dates back more than 150 million years.

Conservation measures include protection from fishing, habitat restoration, river management and research, among many other efforts. The most widespread recovery program was the stocking of captive lake sturgeon, which was done by transferring eggs from Wisconsin down to Missouri hatcheries. Stocking programs have largely occurred in central Missouri down to St. Louis.

“They’ve been working with the Corps to actually mimic those (conditions) … being modified in a way that we’ve seen consecutive years of spawning gives us hope that we’re looking in on something important here that maybe is possible to mimic in other locations as well so that they can actually spawn in other places,†he said. 

The fish, which historically occurred in the Mississippi, Missouri, and lower Osage rivers, was classified as endangered in Missouri in 1974. 

Whiteman said continued efforts to improve lake sturgeon habitat on Missouri rivers will be the most effective way to ensure successful spawning and population growth long term. Captive breeding is only effective if the environment they’re being released into is conducive for repopulation. 

“Based on the current conditions of the river we don’t see them make it much past 20 or 25 years old,†Whiteman said. “They need all the different components of those big rivers to be successful. And so the uniqueness and challenge with these species of fish is that there’s so much work that has to be done with partners so that we can all make the habitat better.â€

Statistics compiled by the U.S. Fish Commission in 1899 show that 50,000 pounds of lake sturgeon were harvested commercially from the Missouri and Mississippi rivers in 1895.

Although most MDC research in St. Joseph is geared toward conservation of other sturgeon species, Whiteman said the lake sturgeon’s ability to travel long distances allows for supplemental research efforts to take place locally.  

“We do see them occasionally … we can go out when we’re trying to track our pallid sturgeon or other fish and when we come across the lake sturgeon, we can collect the information on that and share that information with our counterparts that are more in depth in some of the deeper studies. So there’s a lot of overlap in our research of what we do.â€

A stable population of lake sturgeon in Missouri would also provide a unique and enticing recreational sport fishing opportunity for anglers, similar to what Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota offer. 

“Getting them to spawn is just half the battle, you know, getting the fish to hatch out and actually recruit to the system is the next part of the equation,†Whiteman said. “A realistic range would be all the open parts of the river system on the Mississippi and Missouri to the extent where the fish can still make passage and move.”

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