Author: News-Press NOW

Praji Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — As the St. Joseph community comes together to honor survivors of domestic violence in October, local police are also playing a big part in that effort. 

The St. Joseph Police Department has officers specially trained to respond to domestic violence calls. Officers step in to help people in danger and make sure those who need protection get it right away. 

Detective Jullian Cecil said when new recruits go through the police academy, they’re taught the basics of domestic violence response. But once they officially join the department, that’s when they really learn how to handle those cases out in the field.  

“When we arrive on scene, we separate both parties if they are present and try to look at the totality of the case and make any arrests that needs to be made,” Cecil said.  

He emphasized the important role the YWCA plays after a survivor files a report. Once they fill out a short form and answer a few questions, the organization steps in to offer support and connect them with services to help guide them forward.  

He mentioned that over the past few years, the number of domestic-related calls in St. Joseph has remained fairly steady, with no major increase or decrease in cases.  

“This year we are sitting at approximately 700 domestics which has been a trend within the last few years. So if there’s an issue that’s happening in the moment call 911,” Cecil said.  

He said officers completely understand that making a call for help can be difficult — especially if the aggressor is nearby — because it could put the person’s safety at risk.  

Cecil added that there have been several cases where pets were put in danger, with aggressors using the threat of harming the animal as a way to intimidate the other person.  

“We have the services that you can text 911. We would need to know the address and the dispatcher will text but it may be difficult sometimes since we don’t want to make it obvious that you are texting an officer,” Cecil said.  

Cecil emphasized the importance of reaching out for help. Once someone reports a concern, the department can begin investigating the situation from there.  

“You make a call or text a dispatcher and then the dispatcher will send an officer to the scene and they will make contact with whoever made the phone call to understand the scene,” Cecil said.

Cecil also mentioned that if a situation doesn’t warrant an arrest, officers will separate both parties for the night and begin investigating the incident from there. 

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TaMya Bracy

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A local small business has plans to host a family-friendly Fall Festival.

The Kids Kingdom, located at 6968 King Hill Ave., is hosting the festival from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18.

The festival will include games, a trunk and treat, crafts, food and more. All the kids are encouraged to wear their costumes to the festival.

Multiple small businesses will come together to help put on the new festival.

Some of the businesses include: Creatures by Theresa, Cajun Cruiser, Brooklyn’s Creations and more. 

Kaeli Thomas, owner of The Kids Kingdom, said she decided to work with small businesses because she knows how hard it can be to get the word out about new businesses.

“I want to be able to help other small businesses get out there, just like I’m getting out there. So it helps them also get their name out there and also enjoy the fun-filled family event,” she said.

Thomas said her fall festival is different because she is trying to give back to the community and bring back South Side energy.

“We want to show that we’re there for people,” Thomas said. We want to show that we’re able to give back. And so I feel like it gives us a little bit of a difference because we’re wanting to give back.”

Thomas expressed excitement about this event, especially since it’s her first one.

“We’re wanting to go above and beyond. I’m most excited about seeing those kiddos and the smiles on their faces,” she said.

Thomas also said they plan on hosting similar events in the near future.

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Praji Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph Fire Department responded to a garage fire around 4 p.m. Wednesday in the area of Fern Drive and Ferndale Avenue.

The garage is in close proximity to a residence at 3109 Fern Drive in St. Joseph.

Fire crews worked quickly to contain the fire but there were visible signs of damage to the property.  

The battalion chief on the scene said no injuries were reported. Fire investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire. 

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Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A school safety package that Gov. Mike Kehoe signed into law this year requires students to participate in active school shooter drills starting in the 2026-2027 school year.

Before Senate Bill 68 took effect in August, school district staff were only required to participate in active shooter drills.

While the new law does not specify the number of drills that must be conducted each year, it does require student participation.

Under Missouri’s ASIRT statute, teachers and school personnel are required by law to participate in simulated active shooter drills. However, broader training components such as identifying threats or responding to intruders are optional.

A report conducted by ProPublica last year found that most U.S. states require schools to conduct active shooter drills. It identified 13 states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, that do not mandate such drills. While Missouri is among the states that require active shooter drills, the mandate applies only to school staff, not students.

Colorado and Connecticut are known to have had the worst mass school shootings in U.S. history.

The Columbine school shooting in Colorado in 1999 left 13 people dead — 12 students and one teacher.

In Connecticut in 2012, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting took place, leaving 20 people killed.

Senate Bill 68 also requires Missouri schools to develop response plans for armed intruders, natural disasters, and medical emergencies. The law mandates the use of anti-intruder locks and bullet-resistant window film in all new school construction by 2029, if state funding is provided.

Public school districts and charter schools must also report all school safety incidents and credible threats to the Missouri Department of Secondary Education. DESE will be required to maintain a database of reported incidents and threats and share data with the Department of Public Safety.

Under Senate Bill 68, a cellphone ban took effect at the start of the 2025-2026 school year that prohibits students from using their phones during school hours. The policy requires schools to restrict device use during instructional time, with limited exceptions for emergencies and educational purposes.

The law required Columbia Public Schools to expand its policy from last year, when high school students were able to use cell phones outside of class periods.

Last year, the district had a cellphone policy in place that banned phone usage for middle school students all day, including in the bathrooms, hallways and lunch.

To implement the law, during school hours, cellphones must be turned off or on silent mode and stored in their backpacks or lockers.

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Alec Pascuzzi

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Bear Den Boxing Club is bringing a professional boxing event to St. Joseph.

This marks the first professional boxing event to take place in St. Joseph since 2019.

The Bear Den Boxing Club has put on three amateur events in St. Joseph. However, this will mark the first pro boxing event the club has hosted.

“A lot of people want to be a part of this show. We’re very excited about it. It’s a huge, huge opportunity to put on a professional boxing match. And then also adding your amateur team to it. It’s just amazing,” said Byron Polley, owner of The Bear Den Boxing Club.

When Bear Den Boxing opened its doors back in March of 2022, the gym had just five members. Three years later, they are on the verge of hosting a professional event containing seven pro fights.

Not only will this be the first professional event the Boxing Club has put on, but the co-main event will also feature Bear Den boxing co-owner, Colby Courted.

“It’s definitely awesome that, you know, where we came from to what we are. Now that, you know, we can do this, we’ve put on, I think, four amateur shows and, this being the first pro-am that we’re doing, and then I get to be a part of it is special, and it’s awesome that I get to do it,” said Colby Courted, professional boxer and co-owner of The Bear Den Boxing Club.

The pro-amateur event will be held at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15, at the East Hills Mall.

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Associated Press

By JANIE HAR – Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from firing workers during the government shutdown, saying the cuts appeared to be politically motivated and were being carried out without much thought.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco repeatedly pressed the assistant U.S. attorney to explain the administration’s rationale for the more than 4,100 layoff notices that started going out Friday, even though furloughed workers can not access their work emails and there are no human resources specialists to assist with next steps.

“It’s very much ready, fire, aim on most of these programs, and it has a human cost,” she said. “It’s a human cost that cannot be tolerated.”

She granted a temporary restraining order blocking the job cuts, saying she believed the evidence would ultimately show the cuts were illegal and in excess of authority.

Asked for comment, the White House referred The Associated Press to the Office of Management and Budget. The budget office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The American Federation of Government Employees and other federal labor unions had asked Illston to block the administration from issuing new layoff notices and implementing those that were already sent out. The unions said the firings were an abuse of power designed to punish workers and pressure Congress.

“The president seems to think his government shutdown is distracting people from the harmful and lawlessness actions of his administration, but the American people are holding him accountable, including in the courts,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of legal organization Democracy Forward. “Our civil servants do the work of the people, and playing games with their livelihoods is cruel and unlawful and a threat to everyone in our nation.”

Illston’s order came as the shutdown, which started Oct. 1, entered its third week.

Democratic lawmakers are demanding that any deal to reopen the federal government address their health care demands. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson predicted the shutdown may become the longest in history, saying he “won’t negotiate” with Democrats until they hit pause on those demands and reopen.

Democrats have demanded that health care subsidies, first put in place in 2021 and extended a year later, be extended again. They also want any government funding bill to reverse the Medicaid cuts in Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts bill passed this summer.

The Trump administration has been paying the military and pursuing its crackdown on immigration while slashing jobs in health and education, including in special education and after-school programs. Trump said programs favored by Democrats are being targeted and “they’re never going to come back, in many cases.”

In a court filing, the administration said it planned to fire more than 4,100 employees across eight agencies.

In a related case, Illston had blocked the administration from carrying out much of its plans to reduce the size of the federal workforce. But the Supreme Court said the administration could continue firing workers while the lawsuit is pending.

The unions say the layoff notices are an illegal attempt at political pressure and retribution and are based on the false premise that a temporary funding lapse eliminates Congress’ authorization of agency programs.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Hedges said in court Wednesday that the district court lacks jurisdiction to hear employment decisions made by federal agencies. Under prodding by the judge, Hedges said she was not prepared to discuss the merits of the case, only reasons why a temporary restraining order should not be issued.

Illston was nominated to the bench by former President Bill Clinton, a Democrat.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the federal government shutdown at https://apnews.com/hub/government-shutdown.

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News-Press NOW

By: Matt Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri’s attorney general filed a lawsuit Wednesday to stop a vote on a new congressional map passed by the Republican supermajority during a summer special session.

Attorney General Catherine Hanaway filed the lawsuit on Wednesday in federal court for the Eastern District of Missouri. The lawsuit was filed against People Not Politicians, a group that has raised more than $1.7 million in contributions since forming.

The group’s leadership said in a news release Wednesday that it has collected more than 100,000 signatures on its petition to get a question repealing the new map on a statewide ballot. The group’s first initial petition forms were rejected, but Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins gave them the go-ahead Wednesday to start collecting signatures.

In a release, Hoskins said signatures collected before Wednesday could not be used.

Lawsuit against People Not PoliticiansDownload

In it, Hanaway asserts that the effort to get the map before voters is unconstitutional because the Missouri and U.S. constitutions give the power to redraw districts explicitly to the legislature.

Hanaway says in a statement that the lawsuit “is about protecting Missouri’s constitutional authority from being hijacked by out-of-state dark money groups.” Missouri Republicans have long complained that Missouri’s initiative petition process allows for groups that don’t report their donations to have an outsized impact on the process.

Republican lawmakers passed the new map, which eliminates one of two Democrat-friendly districts in the U.S. House, during a special September session. The map splits up the Kansas City area and the current Fifth District, a seat held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.

Several lawsuits have been filed to challenge the new map, claiming maps can only be redrawn every 10 years after the census.

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TaMya Bracy

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Medical staff are urging an increase in donations amid a platelet shortage.

According to the Community Blood Center, platelets are very fragile, short-lived blood cells, essential for normal blood clotting.

Platelets must be transfused within seven days of donation, and are always needed in hospitals.

Chelsey Smith, senior director of public relations at the Community Blood Center, said the reason for the shortage is due to a decrease in donor turnout across the country since COVID-19.

“So following the pandemic, what we saw were fewer high school and college blood donors being held, fewer workplace blood drives being held,” she said.

Donating platelets is a much longer process than donating blood. The blood is pulled out, put into a centrifuge then the blood is separated from the platelets.

At the end of the process, blood cells are given back and the platelets are kept by the donation center.

“So when it comes to traumas where people are bleeding out or oftentimes they’ll need platelets in order to help their blood clot, additionally, cancer patients actually represent about a quarter of the blood supply is used to treat cancer patients,” Smith said

Blood and platelet shortages can go hand in hand. When blood donations decline, platelet donations also decline. Smith said the platelet and blood shortage can force hospitals to make difficult decisions.

“This could be postponing elective surgeries,” she said. “It could delay some cancer treatments or treatments for sickle cell patients who rely heavily on blood products. It could also strain trauma and obstetric care. Overall, we work very diligently to maintain the blood supply in such a way that patient care isn’t impacted.”

Smith said donors can provide platelets much more throughout the year than they can red blood cells.

“So you can donate blood every eight weeks up to about six times per year. With platelet donations, you can donate every seven days up to about 24 times per year,” she said.

Not every donor can provide platelets, making collection a little more difficult.

“Women who have been pregnant can sometimes produce a virus known as HLA,” she said. “It doesn’t affect them and it doesn’t affect their baby, but it could impact a patient receiving their platelet product. So we do a lot of testing to determine first whether or not this donor is able to donate platelets,” she said.

Blood centers and hospitals have outlined procedures in place to reduce the effects of blood shortages.

“So when we are in a significant platelet shortage, if we can’t actively in full supply or households with the platelets that they need, we kind of go into that mitigation mode where we determine which patients are the most critical, which patients need these platelets right now. And we make sure those hospitals always have those blood products for them,” she said.

Smith said the Community Blood Center is relying on the community to make donations because it provides over 95% of the hospital’s needs locally.

“So we have been well below that for this entire year. We have not seen a seven-day blood supply at all during 2025,” she said. “That also applies to our platelet supply as well. It’s been critically low for much of the year. So if anybody takes anything away from this, we hope that it’s that we’re relying on you.”

Interested donors can visit the Community Blood Center for more information.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A local organization is celebrating its planting of 100 trees at a tree walk and dedication.

The St. Joseph Persisterhood invites community members to attend the event from 10 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, beginning with a meet at the arbor with stone benches, just off the sidewalk on the west side of Northwest Parkway.

“Walkers, children, dogs, and nature enthusiasts are welcome to join our biannual ceremony.  We’ve been holding these since 2017 when we raised money and planted our first trees,” said Jane Frick, Persisterhood facilitator. “It’s so exciting because this Saturday, we’ll dedicate our ‘centennial’ 100th tree near the trees we planted eight years ago.”

Elizabeth Latosi-Sawin, Persisterhood’s “tree guru,” will lead the tree walk and dedication. She’ll lead the group in a walk along the Parkway, pointing out previously planted Persisterhood trees.

At each newly-planted tree, donors and/or family members will say a few words about those being honored and remembered.

“This is our way of making our community a better, greener place that will be enjoyed for generations to come,” said Frick.

The tree walk and dedication event is open to the public. More information can be found on the Persisterhood’s Facebook.

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Praji Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) —  A local workforce development and education group is gearing up for its My Success Event at the St. Joseph Civic Arena.

The event aims to help high school seniors explore post-secondary options, whether jumping into the workforce or continuing their education. 

Students will get the chance to talk one-on-one with local businesses to learn what career paths are available.  

Colleges and technical centers are also on-site, offering information about training programs and higher education options. 

The My Success Event is offered to Northwest Missouri area high schools and has been taking place since Tuesday, Oct. 14. The final session will take place at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 15.

News-Press NOW will update this story.

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