Author: News-Press NOW

Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — One of the top specialty cake companies is making the move to St. Joseph.

Nothing Bundt Cakes is set to open its first store in St. Joseph at 5301 N. Belt Highway in the former Bling Glamour store next to GameStop and Panda Express.

Pedestrians will see a large “Baking Soon” sign posted on the front of the building in anticipation of the store. News-Press NOW has reached out to the company for comment on a projected opening date.

Nothing Bundt Cakes is widely regarded as one of the top specialty cake companies in the U.S., with over 600 locations, including one in Kansas City, offering a wide-range of customizable cakes for different occasions.

The company offers a menu with signature and seasonal cakes, including individual-sized options, 8-inch and 10-inch cakes and tiered cakes. Catering is also available for birthdays, weddings, baby showers and corporate events.

Nothing Bundt Cakes was founded in Las Vegas in 1997 by friends Dena Tripp and Debbie Shwetz, quickly growing from a home kitchen for friends and family to their first official store.

Popular flavors include red velvet, lemon, and white chocolate raspberry, along with gluten-free options like Chocolate Chip Cookie and Lemon Raspberry.

A coming soon sign is shown promoting Nothing Bundt Cakes at the planned St. Joseph location at 5301 N. Belt Highway, Suite 5.

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Praji Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The St. Joseph School District Board of Education held another special work session Monday night, as board members continued debating Plan 2R — a revised version of Plan 2B and the plan to keep Lafayette and Central as the district’s two high schools. 

This special work session had a noticeable twist… A large group of Benton High School students showed up carrying posters, quietly filling the room to show their support for keeping Benton open as a high school moving forward. 

Even though public comment wasn’t allowed, their presence sent a clear message. 

Board President LaTonya Williams said she understands how draining this process has been for families, staff and students — and she wants it to end soon.

Williams says she’s pushing for the board to make a final decision by Monday, Nov. 24.  

“I think that we had to put everybody through enough. The admin, kids and the community. If the board is not able to do the job that we are elected to do, then we should just ‘okay, we put a pause on it,’” Williams said.  

At the last meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 12, four board members expressed support for Plan 2B. The remaining three members favored Plan 7B — a model aimed to merge Benton with Hyde and keep Central as the second high school.  

“I mean, logically, when you’re talking about closing schools, in my opinion, there are no winners. It’s only losers. Everybody will lose,” Williams said.  

She also acknowledged that from the outside, the board’s process can look confusing — and sometimes even scattered.  

But she stressed that nothing should be happening behind closed doors and that every step of the process needs to remain transparent to the public.  

“Finally, make a decision. And if we’re not able to come to a consensus, and do nothing. We probably will. I looked at the agenda earlier today, and it is on the agenda because we’re supposed to have a vote. Because this evening it’s only a discussion, not a vote,” Williams said.  

The board will meet again at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at the Troester Media Center. This time, the public will have an opportunity to speak before the board moves into another work session. 

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Griffon soccer team will march into the NCAA Tournament against a familiar foe in the opening round.

The Missouri Western soccer team, fresh of a dramatic victory in Saturday’s MIAA Championship, was named the No. 5 seed in the Central Region of the NCAA Tournament during Monday’s selection show, matching up with MIAA-rival and No. 4 Washburn University.

The Griffons (12-2-7) will face off against the Ichabods (11-3-5) on Friday at 10 a.m. in Mankato, Minnesota.

The Griffons are coming off their first MIAA Tournament Championship in program history, defeating Central Oklahoma 2-1 in overtime on Saturday after wins over rival No. 5-seed Northwest Missouri State and No. 8-seed Northeastern State to make the final.

Tournament Breakdown

The first round of the single-elimination tournament begins on Thursday, Nov. 20.

The two finalists in each region will advance to the third-round competition to be played Nov. 30. Regional champions will meet in the quarterfinal-round to be played Saturday, Dec. 6.

The semifinal and championship games will take place Dec. 11 and 13 at Switchbacks FC Stadium hosted by Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

Tournament dates:

Second round: Sunday, Nov. 23

Third Round: Sunday, Nov. 30

Quarterfinals: Saturday, Dec. 6

Semifinals: Thursday, Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Final: Saturday, Dec. 13 at 2 p.m. ET

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News-Press NOW

By: Alexis Kuhnert

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The King Hill Restoration & Preservation Association has exceeded its goal of repairing 40 obelisks this year.

The association has repaired 73 obelisks so far.

Volunteers worked on resetting four large Hawley obelisks, a family with no relation to United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), at King Hill Cemetery.

Twelve families coordinated and constructed the cemetery at its inception. The Hawleys included. James M. Hawley held a one-sixteenth share of the cemetery in 1868.

In the late 1960s, teenagers vandalized the headstones.

The King Hill Cemetery Restoration & Preservation Association partnered with Brooner Construction and Crane for a four-phase process.

Michael Robertson, co-leader of the association, is also related to one of the founding families that established the cemetery. 

“Those tombstones that we put up the obelisk today, weigh 1400-1500 pounds, is what they weigh,” Robertson said. “Brooner Construction volunteered to come down here with their equipment to pick them up so we can put them together and start rebuilding them.”

The association has also partnered with the Conservation Department to rid the honeysuckle and invasive species, as well as to remove hazardous trees.

Robertson and his wife are grateful for the community support and the help in taking ownership of these projects to care for the cemetery.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Downtown pedestrians will see heavy construction now underway in front of City Hall as part of a transformation for a well-known civic structure.

The large stone fountain and retaining wall located north of City Hall is being entirely removed and reconstructed as part of a $190,655 Parks Tax-funded project.

Drivers and pedestrians passing Downtown will see much of the previous fountain now demolished as crews begin regrading the site for improved visibility and pedestrian safety. The new fountain structure will be lowered to improve line-of-sight issues for drivers on Frederick and Faraon streets.

A sign informs pedestrians and residents about the ongoing $190,000 project to replace and remodel the fountain by City Hall.

Demolition included all of the brick, stone and concrete materials by the fountain, including the large concrete retaining wall. Once the site is regraded, a new fountain and circular patio area will be installed with benches. The well-known wheel and wagon statue will be reinstalled as part of the new layout.

The project also includes the construction of a new sidewalk and installation of decorative landscape rocks, in addition to grass being replanted around the concrete fountain structure.

The entire project is in line to be complete by spring of 2026.

City Hall is shown on Monday as construction continues out front to replace the fountain structure.

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Carter Ostermiller

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — Looking up in the sky on Saturday, St. Joseph residents may have noticed a special piece of aircraft.

Piloting an F-18 Hornet fighter jet, Lieutenant Commander Kory Hughs, a St. Joseph native, has now retired from the Navy.

Hughs planned to do a special fly-in before the weekend, but was delayed by the government shutdown.

Now, Hughs was able to fly the F-18 one final time into Rosencrans Memorial Airport and receive a warm welcome from his family and local supporters. 

Hughs landed first on Friday and showed off the F-18 while giving a jet tour to locals with his co-pilot, Gary.

“It means a lot, right, growing up in St. Joe, Savannah, all the teachers, all that in a small town having somebody be able to fly one of these aircraft and then bring it back to a town that usually you only see up during airshows,” said Hughs.

Hughs, now 41 years old, says he’ll miss being able to fly his fighter jet, but is looking forward to what retirement has to offer with his family.

“It’s a high-demand environment to be on all that finally not have to get stationed somewhere else. To be able to give back to my family and work with them and see the kids is really the number one goal,” he said.

Hughs’ planned flight for Saturday was personal.

“We’re going to do a pass over Meierhoffer, which is where a lot of my family to include my mom, my dad, my grandparents, have been buried….So we’ll do a flight over that,” said Hughs.

The flight also has a waypoint to visit a friend who had a heart surgery, as well as a fly-by pre-game for Hughs’ Alma Mater, Missouri Western State University.

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News-Press NOW

By: Zac Scott

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The City of St. Joseph wants to bring holiday festivities to every corner of Downtown St. Joseph to get the community in the holiday spirit.

Starting Saturday, Nov. 29, Downtown St. Joseph will feature free carriage rides, festive window displays, a pop-up village and the Downtown Lighting Ceremony. 

On Saturday, Dec. 6, kids will receive free fire truck rides and pictures with Buddy the Elf, along with participating in a hunt to find a Roaming Snowman. 

On Saturday, Dec. 13, the Grinch comes to St. Joseph and will be available for pictures. Kids will get free train rides along with holiday hayrides and Krampusnacht.

Ending Saturday, Dec. 20, Santa’s Petting Zoo will be offering free picture opportunities, and the Pony Express will be taking holiday letters to the North Pole.

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News-Press NOW

By: Zac Scott

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce announced a new Economic Development Summit for St. Joseph businesses.

The summit will feature the Co-Founder of Armada Corporate Intelligence, Dr. Chris Kuehl, as a keynote speaker.

Chamber members can attend the summit for $40, while members of the public can attend for $60, which will include lunch.

The Summit will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at Missouri Western State University’s Fulkerson Center.

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TaMya Bracy

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The City of St. Joseph hosted “Student in Government Day” at EmPowerU.

The event included St. Joseph students from five high schools and nine middle schools who participated in their own student councils.

Students were split into several large groups to talk about community concerns and brainstorm ways the city could be improved, even preparing presentations to share their ideas with city leaders.

Some of the topics the students showcased were: homelessness, reviving East Hills Mall and cleaning up the city.

Mike Schumacher, St. Joseph’s city manager, said the event helps the city hear from the youth in the area.

“So we want to hear from these students and we want to hear what they want to see in St. Joe and what direction they feel this community and the city and where the organization needs to go,” he said.

Schumacher said it feels fantastic to hear all the students’ concerns about the city.

“You know, it’s important that we engage every age bracket in the entire community for input and guidance on what they want to see from city government,” Schumacher said.

Anopa Chikunya, a freshman at Central High School, said seeking opinions from the youth demographic could increase the population.

“It’s important that the youth can say where they would want to live because if they didn’t like where they live when they graduate, what’s going to happen is that St. Joe, when everybody leaves,” she said.

Shae Davison, a junior at Lafayette High School, also shared the same sentiment.

“We want to make St. Joe a better place. Like when we have our kids and we’re like, later on in life, we want to come back and live here.

Schumacher said he wants to see more events like this in the future.

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Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The City of St. Joseph announced Bluff View Drive between Southwest Lower Lake Road and Stockyards Expressway will be closed for Union Pacific railroad crossing work.

The announcement came in a Facebook post on Monday, where the City said the work would begin at 9 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 17.

A detour will be in place on Southwest Lower Lake Road to turn south on Industrial Road, then east on Alabama Street and back north to the Stockyards Expressway.

The closure is expected to last through the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 18 and is weather-permitting.

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