Author: News-Press NOW

Ashley Luthans

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — High school students learned about the connection between mental health and substance use through a summit hosted by the Youth Alliance on Friday.

The substance use prevention program at emPowerU included freshmen, sophomores and juniors from the St. Joseph public high schools. It includes games and activities, breakout sessions and speakers.

Robin Hammond, executive director of the Youth Alliance, explained more about the purpose of the event.

“We want young people to be educated,” Hammond said. “We want them to learn about the effects of substances on their brain. We know that that really helps them to make better choices if they are armed with information, and we want them to have the right information versus what they might learn from their peers or they might learn online. We want them to know the real truth about it.”

Benton High School junior Joslynne Gromowski attended the event and said the topic is an important one to discuss.

“It’s bringing light onto problems that shouldn’t be hidden,” Gromowski said. “It’s something that we aren’t scared to talk about and stand up for, which I think is really important because we need to be able to bring light to these topics so that people can understand that it’s OK to be in this scenario and it’s OK to get help and it’s OK to understand that it’s normal what you’re going through and there are people around you that are willing to help you.”

Another attendee from Benton, sophomore Savannah Royer, said programs like this are helpful to teens.

“It’s extremely important to spread awareness, but also having the proper education on these things helps you create a more sustainable and effective way of change,” Royer said. “And this overall just helps spread awareness.”

Landon Williams is a freshman at Central High School who has been involved in the Youth Alliance for the past two years. He said the event is beneficial to teens like him.

“To teach kids to not use drugs and to also spread the word to other students or adults that don’t know more about drugs and what it can do to you,” Williams said.

Royer said the summit was not only educational, but it also helped students step out of their shells.

“It was extremely informational, but also it was collaborative,” Royer said. “A lot of these people here I know aren’t comfortable with getting out of their comfort zone … and I feel like a lot of people did get out of their comfort zones today and it was effective.”

Hammond said she wants students to feel like they can make a difference after the summit.

“We want them to feel empowered to make change in their school,” Hammond said. “So, it’s always great to make change in your community and to make your community a better and safer place. But we ultimately want young people to have a voice, and we want them to be able to make their school buildings their safe zone or their safe place.”

Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — St. Joseph could issue $60 million in revenue bonds to help finance the development of two new boutique hotels and one conference center on Frederick Avenue, proposals show.

On Monday, April 14, St. Joseph City Council members will vote on a resolution supporting the issuance of the bonds and other tax incentives as part of an agreement with STJ Hotel Group and property owner Steven Craig.

The massive development project would include 249 hotel rooms and a host of amenities, including fitness centers, lobby bars, restaurants, pools and roughly 12,640 square feet of conference center and ballroom space. Plans include more than 300 parking spaces to accommodate the facilities.

“We’re working with the property owner right now to finalize plans for that site. The ultimate goal is to be ready for the World Cup, to put St. Joseph in the position to be able to attract visitors to the area, to make sure that we have enough hotel rooms to accommodate that overflow from Kansas City.”

The 2026 World Cup tournament is set to kick off next June, with Kansas City being one of just 16 host cities selected across all of North America for matches.

Christian Mengel, director of marketing and communications with the St. Joseph Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, said boutique hotels are a unique amenity that many businesses and corporations often seek when hosting conferences and meetings.

“Conference and meeting space is another huge aspect, especially when it’s on site at a place that has a hotel. Stoney Creek is currently the only place that has a true meeting space with a hotel attached,” Mengel said. “And the boutique hotel, it absolutely adds to our pitching ability for Saint Joseph.”

If approved by council members, the city will help finance the project from the proceeds of the bonds, which would be repaid from revenue generated from the project. The agreement also includes real and personal property tax breaks and sales tax exemptions for the company.

The facilities would be located on a 7.7-acre site at the southeast corner of Woodbine Road and Frederick Avenue, which previously was occupied by the former Ramada Inn, Americas Value Inn and Applebee’s.

As part of the tax break agreement, STJ Hotel Group would pay real property taxes in full in the form of a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) for the duration of construction and the first 15 years after the project is complete. The company would then receive a 50% break for about 10 years afterward.

The agreement also includes personal property tax breaks on project equipment, 100% for years one through 15 and 50% for years 16 through 25. Construction material purchases would also be exempt from local and state sales taxes.

TAX ABATEMENT INCENTIVESDownload

The project marks the second large hotel construction project in the works for the area. TownePlace Suites is in the initial phases of developing a new $7.5 million hotel just a few blocks away at 1401 N. Woodbine Road.