Author: News-Press NOW

TaMya Bracy

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Kiwanis Club of St. Joseph is preparing for its 11th annual T.A.K.E. Defense class this weekend.

The workshop will take place from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 11, at the Brookdale Student Ministry, located at 3015 Felix St.

The class is put on by the Ali Kemp Foundation. The instructor, who is part of the foundation, travels around the United States putting on defense classes for women.

T.A.K.E. Defense Training provides girls and women with reality-based, self-defense training.

Erin Bradley, Kiwanis Club member, said this event will serve as a fundraiser for organizations in St. Joseph. T-shirts and tote bags will be available to purchase at the class.

“Not only the Kiwanis Club of St. Joseph, but also the YWCA of St. Joe,” Bradley said. “They will be here at the event as well with a product drive collecting items, hygiene products and that type of thing for the local shelter.”

All donations from the event will go to the Kiwanis Club of St. Joseph and the YWCA St. Joseph.

Bradley said it is important for women and girls to learn self defense because it can be empowering.

“Not only for the techniques when self defense is needed, but how to avoid situations, prevent yourself from being in a situation where you need these techniques,” she said.

The event will also aim to raise awareness about domestic violence, according to the club.

“Women in this community do experience domestic violence and sometimes that’s not acknowledged, and so bringing that awareness to this community, I think is really important,” Bradley said.

There are still some spots available to register for the self defense class. You can register on the Kiwanis Club of St. Joseph’s website.

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Kyle Schmidt

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — In late September, the public noticed over 50 fish floating belly up in the lagoon at Krug Park.

Tory Mason, fisheries biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, said it was due to low dissolved oxygen levels.

“The water temperatures are high, the water holds less oxygen, we get a cloudy day, there’s an algae bloom during that time,” Mason said. “When that algae starts dying off, it uses oxygen.”

A dip in dissolved oxygen is common in northwest Missouri and can be lethal to aquatic animals.

“Sometimes when that process starts, there’s nothing you can do,” Mason said.

When something like this happens, Mason said MDC restocks once the water quality is checked and ready. The plan is to restock the lagoon at the end of October.

“It’s very common, it happens to about every pond in northwest Missouri but as water is cooled, it’s not conductive to the algae blooming anymore,” Mason said. “As the waters cool, it will go away.”

Another contribution to water quality issues is bread thrown into the lagoon. The bread feeds the algae bloom and is another detriment to the oxygen levels.

As the water continues to clear naturally, Mason said trout fishing is still on schedule to start in November.

“Fish kills happen, no one’s to blame,” Mason said. “Mother nature does what she does.”

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — City Councilmembers will take the first step toward approval of a new $5.1 million WoodSpring Suites hotel and conference center in the works near South Belt Highway.

If approved, the 90-room hotel will be constructed at 3909 S. 40th Terrace, next to San Jose Steakhouse on South Belt Highway. Monday’s council meeting includes a first reading to accept a $5,215.53 payment from WoodSpring Suites for future professional services costs and plan review services for the project.

The property was recently rezoned from M-1 light industrial/manufacturing to C-3 commercial to allow for the development of the hotel, the third hotel project announced in the last year in St. Joseph.

Regionally, WoodSpring Suites operates two hotels in Kansas City and one in Topeka. There are more than 260 WoodSpring Suites hotels open across the United States as of July 2025.

New hotel projects in the works in St. Joseph include the $60 million Robidoux Hotel and Conference Center on Frederick Avenue as well as the $7.5 million TownePlace Suites hotel on North Woodbine Road.

Recently opened hotels include the My Place Hotel and the Home2Suites by Hilton Hotel on North Village Drive at the North Shoppes.

SOW 12_Woodsprings Suites New Building Plan ReviewDownload

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Crystal Olney

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Christian Mengel, with the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau, was honored by the Missouri Division of Tourism for his work in the industry.

Mengel, who serves as the director of communications for the CVB, was awarded the Film Industry Champion Award at the Missouri Governor’s Conference on Tourism, held Oct. 7 to 9 in Lake Ozark, Missouri.

The Film Industry Champion Award recognizes an individual who works to expand the film industry’s presence in Missouri.

The Show MO Motion Media Tax incentive, along with Mengel’s advocacy for film projects, helped draw film crews to St. Joseph in 2024 for movies like ‘25 Miles to Normal‘ and ‘A Chrismystery.’

Mengel is also credited with reviving the St. Joseph Film Commission and helped the CVB join the Association of Film Commissioners International, according to the Missouri Division of Tourism.

Eight other awards were presented at the banquet, according to a press release from the Missouri Division of Tourism. A full list of winners can be found here.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) –The St. Joseph Public Library is hosting an upcoming Horror Trivia, presented by the Final Girl Book Club.

The event, which will serve as a fundraiser, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, at the Remington Nature Center, located at 1502 McArthur Drive. The doors will open at 5:45 p.m., according to a press release from the St. Joseph Public Library.

The event will feature eight rounds of questions, with prizes for the best team after each round and a grand prize for the winning team. Participants must be 18 years of age or older.

The cost to participate is $90 per table with teams of up to six adults. Participants are encouraged to dress in costume. Those attending the event are allowed to bring their own snacks and non-alcoholic beverages, according to the press release.

To register a team, visit the library’s website or contact Jenna Sanders at 816-232-8151 or jsanders@sjpl.lib.mo.us for more information. Teams can also pay at the door but it is encouraged to reserve a table by paying in advance.

Proceeds from Horror Trivia will be used to support the library’s Archives and Genealogy Collection.

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Rebecca Evans

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — St. Joseph Goats Arena Football is giving local businesses a chance to win big and join the team’s growing community of supporters.

The team has announced a $5,000 Partnership Giveaway for one standout business or organization in St. Joseph or a surrounding community, such as Savannah, Gower, Cameron or Maryville.

Anyone can nominate a business, nonprofit, school or organization that represents the spirit of the community. Submissions will be narrowed down to five finalists by the end of the month and fans will have the final say in choosing the winner.

“Ultimately, our goal is for everyone to benefit from the Goats, whether it’s enjoying watching the team play or growing your own personal business by collaborating with us,” said Ted Sweeney, managing partner of the Goats Arena Football Team. “We’re just here to do whatever we can for everyone in town.”

From there, the chosen business will receive a $5,000 partnership with the team, a boost meant to strengthen local ties heading into the 2026 season.

Organizers encourage everyone to nominate, share and vote.

The Goats played their first year in Kansas City at the Municipal Auditorium. Originally, the team looked at St. Joseph but things didn’t work out. For their second year, the Goats reached out to St. Joseph Civic Arena and the dates worked out. 

“We came up and spent a couple weeks in St. Joe and just fell in love with the place. We knew our team would love being here and the city would love us here,” Sweeney said.

Their regular season begins in May and consists of eight games, with four home games and then up to two playoff games. Playoffs begin in mid-July. 

Sweeney is confident in his team’s ability to secure a playoff spot this year, as last year the team lost a tiebreaker for the fourth seed. 

Tickets start at $15 for general admission and go up to $45 a ticket for 50-yard line seating.

The Goats are supported by their corporate sponsors and money goes directly back into the team. Players are paid by game and include bonuses for wins and statistics. 

“There’s always incentive and that’s part of the reason why you see maximum effort on the field by everyone in Goats uniforms,” Sweeney said.

The Goats host open try outs twice in the winter. There will be one in St. Joseph and one in Kansas City.  

“Whether it’s guys flying in to try out or just people from the area, we want to look at everybody,” Sweeney said.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — We the People 3 Schools is a new political action committee (PAC) raising concerns about a key part in the St. Joseph School District’s long-range plan.

We the People 3 Schools PAC, organized by taxpayers in the district, aims to provide the best learning environment for SJSD students within the confines of the current budget, according to a press release from the committee.

The PAC will to present a plan to the Board of Education that includes:

Preserving Central, Benton and Lafayette high schools.

Preventing overcrowding at the city’s middle and elementary schools.

Reducing commute time for students and bus transportation costs for the district.

A long-range plan that will attract new families to St. Joseph.

Meetings are open to the public and We the People 3 Schools posts the meetings to their Facebookpage.

For more information, residents can contact Dottie Watt at 816-508-7425 or by email at wethepeople3schools@gmail.com.

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Charles Christian

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Area residents will get a unique opportunity to see the legal system in action at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph.

The Western District Court of Appeals for Missouri will hold public hearings starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, in Spratt Hall Room 101 on MoWest’s campus.

The three-judge panel will consist of Judge Janet Sutton, Judge Gary Witt and Judge W. Douglas Thomson. The panel will hear oral arguments on four cases, according to a press release from MoWest.

Suzanne Kissock, an attorney and dean of the School of Business and Professional Studies at MoWest, said the appeals court is different from the lower court proceedings many people are familiar with.

“This event will allow the community to see up close and personal how the appellate court system works,” Kissock said. “It will educate the public about the analysis that goes into the review of lower court decisions.”

The court of appeals reviews cases already decided upon. The judge panel can render review decisions that include affirming the lower court’s decision, reversing the lower court’s decision or remanding the case back to the lower court for additional actions.

The four cases being publicly reviewed at MoWest include a first-degree murder case, a parental rights case and a property dispute case. For each case, lawyers will present reasons for appeal and the panel of judges will render a decision.

“A trial in the traditional sense doesn’t happen at the appellate level,” Kissock said. “The focus of this part of the process is upon the legal doctrines and legal rulings of the cases in question.”

Judge Dan Kellogg, presiding judge for the Fifth Judicial Circuit in St. Joseph, is familiar with this process. He said the appeals court has been taking their process ‘on the road’ for quite some time, and he is glad St. Joseph can witness firsthand what is often an unseen aspect of the legal system.

“Watching the appellate court in action is something you don’t typically see on TV or in the movies,” Kellogg said. “This will be especially important for students enrolled in legal studies courses and those interested in a future in law.”

For more information, including a full description of the four cases to be reviewed, visit missouriwestern.edu/news.

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Rebecca Evans

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A longtime favorite for vintage fashion lovers celebrated a milestone and a comeback over the weekend.

After a challenging summer, a local vintage clothing and accessories store marked 13 1/2 years in business with a celebration and storewide sale Saturday. The shop is located at 718 Francis St.

The Lucky Tiger is known for its mix of vintage clothing, accessories, vinyl records and other unique finds. At the special event on Saturday, shoppers enjoyed 25% off the entire store, including new fall arrivals that the owner said are ‘absolutely stunning.’

“One of the first things that I’ve noticed with fast fashion is they don’t even have a reverse side, it’s just white. That to me is not good quality,” Amy Heath, owner of the Lucky Tiger, said.

Beyond the sale, the celebration was a showcase of what makes high-quality vintage fashion so special. Each piece in the store carries a story, from hand-stitched dresses to durable leather jackets that have lasted decades. In an era of fast fashion, some shoppers are drawn to the craftsmanship and sustainability of vintage clothing.

“Real leather items whether they’re new or vintage, they last forever. You know we’re not going to run out of vintage anytime soon in this town,” Heath said.

Trying on some of the store’s new arrivals reveals that quality firsthand. A 1970s jacket still feels sturdy, with stitching intact and fabric soft. Even small accessories, from vinyls to jewelry, carry a sense of character that only time can give

The celebration featured racks filled with freshly curated collections from recent sourcing trips.

The store, that had to temporarily close back in May, is now open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, offering shoppers a chance to explore a mix of vintage treasures and one-of-a-kind items five days a week.

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