Author: News-Press NOW

News-Press NOW

By: Noel Hardin

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The United States Postal Service’s (USPS) Operation Santa program continues its 113-year tradition of helping families in need receive Christmas gifts. 

The program allows families to either request assistance or adopt others to provide gifts, operating entirely online through the USPS website.

Tara Jarrett, the strategic communications specialist for USPS, noted that while electronics remain popular requests, traditional toys and basic necessities are equally needed. 

“We still have kids wanting Matchbox cars, baby dolls, and things like that,” Jarrett said. “We also have adults requesting tennis shoes, clothes, coats, or hats for their kids or themselves. There’s a vast array of needs and many options for people to help.”

The postal service emphasizes that, despite running the program for more than a century, thousands of families still require assistance each holiday season, with an equal number of families eager to provide support. 

Letter adoptions begin Monday, Nov. 17, through the USPS Operation Santa website, where participants can register to either request help or fulfill holiday wishes for families across the United States.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Missouri Department of Conservation will have nearly all staff on hand this weekend to assist hunters with Chronic Wasting Disease testing for harvested deer.

Hunters across the state of Missouri are expected to be out in force this weekend for the start of firearms deer season, which begins Nov. 15 and lasts through Nov. 25.

Every deer killed this weekend in certain counties in the CWD Management Zone must go to the nearest testing site, where a lymph node will be removed to check for evidence of the disease. 

Buchanan County does not fall within the CWD management zone. However, multiple surrounding counties in Northwest Missouri require CWD testing.

A spokesperson for MDC said virtually all staff will be working this weekend to facilitate the process in counties throughout the state. CWD sampling only takes a few minutes to complete.

Counties with 2025 Mandatory Sampling include:Audrain, Bollinger, Boone, Callaway, Cape Girardeau, Carroll, Chariton, Clark, Cole, Daviess, Dent, Douglas, Grundy, Harrison, Henry, Howard, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Maries, Marion, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, Osage, Ralls, Randolph, Saline, Scotland, Shannon, St. Charles, St. Clair, St. Louis, Texas, Webster.

For questions about CWD sampling stations in:

Northwest Region — (816) 271-3100 — Carroll, Chariton, Daviess, Grundy, Harrison, pr Livingston counties.

Central Region — (573) 815-7900 — Audrain, Boone, Callaway, Cole, Howard, Maries, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, Osage, or Saline counties.

Kansas City — (816) 622-0900 — Henry or St. Clair Counties.

Tips for Visiting a Mandatory Sampling Station:

Field dress and Telecheck your deer before arrival.

You can bring the carcass or just the head with at least 6 inches of the neck attached. (It is OK to remove the cape before you get to the sampling station.)

The person who harvested the deer must be present.

Be prepared to provide your Conservation Number and point out the location of harvest on a map.

If using a paper permit, have it detached from the deer for easy access. If using the MO Hunting app, have your permit and Telecheck information readily available.

Position the deer in your vehicle with the head and neck accessible.

Freezer Drop locations are closed during opening weekend of the November firearms portion of deer season.

A full list of CWD testing locations in each county can be found on MDC’s website at mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer/chronic-wasting-disease/mandatory-cwd-sampling.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The lands of southwest St. Joseph will soon be transformed into a world of adventure and family-friendly renaissance activities on Saturday.

The Castle Bridge Event Center in St. Joseph is set to host VikingFest 2025 this Saturday starting at 11 a.m., an immersive all-day experience filled with games, performers, merchants and renaissance activities in celebration of Viking culture.

Gates are set to open at 11 a.m. at event center located at 8403 U.S. Highway 59 in St. Joseph.

More than 1,000 people are expected to show out for the second annual gathering with activities in store for all ages, such as face painting and sack races to petting zoos, concerts and ax throwing.

Fans of the Renaissance period and Viking culture will get the chance to participate in a wide range of hands-on activities and reenactments of stories and battles.

Starting at 5 p.m., organizers will light a massive pyre of a Viking ship followed by a metal concert featuring Viking bands like Maggie Moon and Tordenkor, who have prepared a show of “mythic proportions.” Bands will continue to play until 10 p.m.

Unique performances also on the docket include fire dancing and fire-spinning groups like Pyro Flow.

For the safety of everyone on the grounds, no live steel swords, axes, knives, or similar items (including peace-tied) will be allowed at VikingFest unless worn by cast/actors/security with prior approval. Security will be checking credentials throughout the event.

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Praji Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The St. Joseph School District held its third Finance Committee meeting of the year Tuesday afternoon, bringing members together at the district office to brainstorm new ways to boost revenue and cut costs. 

A big part of the conversation focused on staffing — specifically, how employees are spread out across buildings and whether the district is using its staff as efficiently as possible. 

Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations, Robert Hedgecorth, said the group came up with several creative ideas, including partnering with local businesses.  

“We have a lot of great businesses in our district, so seeking possible businesses for sponsorships to support the district financially, whether it be through advertisements or pamphlets,” Hedgecorth said.  

Another idea that stood out to him was looking into grant opportunities, especially those that help improve school entrances and walkways.  

He noted, many of these grants go unnoticed simply because people don’t realize they exist.  

“A lot of the reasons why we have that finance committee, because there are people in our community that want to help our schools want to see our schools thrive. And so it was a great, you know, brainstorming exercise for us to, go through,” Hedgecorth said.  

The committee also spent time looking at federal funding trends and discussing how to keep the district financially stable moving forward. 

One of the key topics was the district’s hiring justification form — a process that requires departments to explain why a vacant position truly needs to be refilled.  

“Any position where someone might leave a position in the past, we would have just rehired that position because we had it before. If someone leaves, has to have a justification for why we should rehire that position. And that is reviewed by everybody on our cabinet,” Hedgecorth added.  

Hedgecorth said meetings like this are important for keeping communication open and making sure the district is being thoughtful and transparent about its financial decisions — all to strengthen the community.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Shovels are officially breaking ground on two-high profile development projects set to bring new apartments and retail shops to north St. Joseph.

Construction is now commencing on a new 53-unit apartment complex at 4604 Rochester Road, adjacent to North Village Drive, part of a multi-million dollar redevelopment plan for the entire property.

The apartment complex will be located on the north side of the property while a second development project kicks off nearby: a 10,000 square foot retail building for one to six tenants, similar to the completed building at the southeast corner of U.S. 169 and North Village Drive.

There will also be two pad sites constructed for future development at 4700 Rochester Road: one on the northeast corner of N. 169 Highway and North Village Drive. Developers are looking to add new restaurants or other businesses on the sites.

The property at 4700 Rochester Road will have all the necessary infrastructure installed, including site grading and underground utilities.  

The apartment complex is being developed by Peach Way Holdings, LLC of Columbia Missouri. The retail building is being developed by BR & JR Development, LLC of St. Joseph, Missouri.

Raymond Sisson, of BHHS Stein and Summers Real Estate is the exclusive agent for the project.  

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Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The United Way of Greater St. Joseph is calling for volunteers to assist with putting together thousands of shelf-stable Meal Kits for local households in need.

The large-scale effort was made possible thanks to a generous donation from Mosaic Life Care and the Mosaic Life Care Foundation.

Mosaic Life Care recently announced a $50,000 contribution to United Way to support local food programs. The Mosaic Life Care Foundation matched the gift, bringing the total investment to $100,000.

The funds will directly support the purchase of food items and supplies needed for assembling Meal Kits.

To meet the growing need for nutritious meals, United Way has launched its “7 Days of Caring,” a series featuring special Caring Connection volunteer sessions dedicated to assembling 2,100 Meal Kits before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Kits will be shared with area residents.

Volunteer sessions will begin on Monday, Dec. 17 and all sessions will take place at the United Way of Greater St. Joseph, located at 118 S. 5th St.

Session dates and times will be:

5:30 to 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 17

1 to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19

5:30 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20

8:30 to 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 21

9 to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22

1 to 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 24

9 to 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 25

Volunteers are encouraged to sign up in advance. Registration is available at www.stjosephunitedway.org/caring-connection.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation have determined that the damaged Gene Field Road bridge will remain closed until structural improvements can be carried out starting next spring.

The Gene Field Road Bridge over Interstate 29 in St. Joseph was closed on Monday, Nov. 10, after being struck by an oversized load. Following evaluations, crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation have determined that the bridge will remain closed until further notice.

One of the bridge’s four support girders was damaged during the incident, causing it to separate from the bridge deck. Due to this and the pre-existing condition of the bridge deck, the bridge will remain closed to all traffic until it can be replaced.

A project to replace the bridge was scheduled for an October 2026 contractor letting, but due to the incident, the project is now being accelerated to the spring of 2026. The Gene Field Road bridge was constructed in 1962.

More information regarding the project, including details about a public meeting scheduled for December, can be found on the project webpage at: www.modot.org/projects/gene-field-road-bridge-replacement-over-interstate-29-buchanan-county.

Traffic Impacts:

Gene Field Road is closed at the bridge over Interstate 29. Due to an ongoing City of St. Joseph project on Woodbine Road, traffic is restricted between Karnes and Cook Road.

The city has implemented a detour directing motorists on the east side of the bridge travel east on Gene Field Road to Bishop Road, then go north on Cook Road.

For more information, please visit www.stjosephmo.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx.

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News-Press NOW

By: Alexis Kuhnert

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — One local business distributes fresh food from local stores to over 1,800 people each week, in an effort to meet the challenges of hunger throughout the community.

Crossing Nutrition Center is stocked with fresh food from Sam’s Club, North Belt Walmart, Hy-Vee and Price Chopper. It’s then distributed on Wednesday and Friday mornings to the community.

This center has been in the area for seven years and serves as a second site for fresh food distribution in a partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank.

There are no qualifying criteria for those who come in. To get in the system, the center only needs registration and to see identification for each individual in a household.

Roger Lenander, executive director of Crossing Outreach, said individuals should receive a barcode to scan after registration. After scanning in, households will get a food box providing them with one to two days’ worth of meals each week.

“We redirect to people’s homes to help getting fresh food, about one million pounds a year that would go to our landfill,” Lenander said.

In 2024, Crossing Outreach served 78,347 individuals with its program. The program can meet the needs of patrons coming in 90% of the time, before it runs completely out of food.

Right now, the program is in need of food coolers, something interested community members can help with by visiting crossing-outreach.org/donate/.

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Alison Patton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Cole County judge was supposed to hear arguments Thursday on a redistricting lawsuit filed by a group that wants to get the governor’s “Missouri First” map on the 2026 ballot, but an intervenor stepped in and was granted a judge change.

Put Missouri First is a political group backing the new congressional map, and has now pushed the trial to Nov. 21.

People Not Politicians attorney Chuck Hatfield said intervenors can be anyone who has a stake in the lawsuit.

An attorney for Put Missouri First said the stake for his client is campaign money and advocacy–as in wanting to protect the congressional map.

According to the Missouri Ethics Commission, the group received $50,000 from the National Republican Congressional Committee and another $50,000 from the Republican National Committee. Put Missouri First received both contributions on Nov. 5.

Hatfield said Thursday’s actions were out of line.

“The shenanigans that are happening here are unprecedented. They’re ridiculous and they’re undemocratic,” Hatfield said.

People Not Politicians sued Secretary of State Denny Hoskins for failing to approve a referendum to overturn the new congressional map passed by the Missouri General Assembly.

The group argues this is illegal because the form was rejected — not for its content, but because the governor didn’t sign the new congressional maps into law, which People Not Politicians says is the problem.

The state argues this lawsuit is no longer relevant because Hoskins has already approved the referendum for circulation, according to pretrial briefs.

People Not Politicians Executive Director Richard von Glahn said 92,000 people signed the referendum petition before Hoskins approved it.

“Because of these delays and tactics, they’re not sure if they should sign the petition a second time or not, and the secretary of state has insinuated that if they do, they’re breaking the law,” von Glahn said.

Hoskins approved the exact ballot language that was submitted before and was rejected. von Glahn said signatures can be collected as soon as it’s submitted.

Shortly after approving the referendum, Hoskins filed a federal lawsuit to stop the petition from circulating, arguing that a referendum can’t be done on congressional redistricting. A federal judge is set to hear those arguments in November.

When Hoskins approved the referendum, he said in a press release that any signatures collected before approval are invalid. People Not Politicians will argue in Thursday’s trial that signatures can be collected once the form has been submitted.

The state will argue that it is a moot point because signatures haven’t been submitted yet, according to the pretrial brief.

The new congressional map is likely to cut out a Democratic seat in Congress.

During Wednesday’s trial, on a separate redistricting lawsuit, the state claimed the lawsuit was a political matter, saying the plaintiffs were upset with the state’s move to redistrict and the political gains in Congress.

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News-Press NOW

By: Darren Doyle

CLINTON COUNTY, Mo. (KQTV) — Clinton County PWSD #4 announced an extension to a boil advisory on their social media page Tuesday evening, due to a larger-than-expected repair area.

Water district officials posted on its social media page Tuesday, Nov. 11, about a water main that had been hit near 228th Street and Atchison Road in Clinton Township.

During the last update, officials believed the outage only affected two homes near the main. 

The advisory was expected to conclude on the evening of Nov. 13; however, it’s now been extended until 8 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 17.

The Clinton water district plans to continue to flush mains during this outage; however, it advises any nearby homes with low pressure to boil water until Monday night. 

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