Author: News-Press NOW

Praji Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph School District recently took part in the Beginning Teacher’s Assistance Program, also known as BTAP, at Lafayette High School. 

The training was led by Darbie Valenti-Huff and was all about helping new teachers get their careers off to a strong start — offering professional development, mentorship and a chance to build connections with other educators.  

This program is part of the Missouri Teacher Development System, or MTDS — a statewide effort to give educators continuous opportunities to grow.  

“We are able to bring our mentors as extra support, so then when we come back to the school and we want to implement things, we have someone who was there as a veteran,” first-year teacher Arianna Davis said.  

Davis said the training is required for all first-year teachers so they can learn how to recognize students’ needs in the classroom — and put that knowledge into practice during lessons. 

The goal of the training is to boost teachers’ confidence and encourage collaboration that helps build stronger relationships between students and educators in the classroom.  

“Of course, we don’t know everything that’s going on at home, but just being familiar with the signs for each of those things helps us understand our students more,” Davis said.  

Davis said she plans to use some of the techniques from the training to better capture her students’ attention.   

“Being able to take the nontraditional aspects and learning and bringing that to the classroom to help them transition into middle school, I think, is extremely important,” Davis said.  

She said her goal after completing the BTAP program is to grow as a teacher for her sixth graders, so she can serve them better and connect with them on a deeper level.  

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TaMya Bracy

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — On Friday, the City of St. Joseph made an announcement of being awarded $252,000 in federal funding through the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) to improve pedestrian safety at key crossings across the community.

The Safe Crossings of St. Joseph project will cost $315,000, with $252,000 provided through the federal TAP grant and $63,000 contributed by the City of St. Joseph.

The Safe Crossings project was developed in direct response to concerns raised by community members during Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee meetings and the Metropolitan Transportation Plan public engagement process.

The project will install modern pedestrian safety technology at three high-risk locations in the city.

Jackson Lohman, a transportation planner with the City, said the project will help with safety for pedestrians. 

“This is going to help to give them safe marked areas to cross where it otherwise didn’t exist, especially because all three of these crosswalks are in high pedestrian areas with roadways that are either higher speed or heavily trafficked,” he said.

The grant will add a new Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) at St. Joseph Avenue at Krug Park/Parkway Trail. The installation will include pedestrian push buttons, dual-sided LED flashers and high-visibility crosswalk markings.

Parents and staff also identified the need for safer crossings in a Safe Routes to School survey conducted in partnership with the St. Joseph School District.

The grant will add a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) at Hyde Park Avenue near Hyde Park and Benton High School. The additional RRFB will provide safety to children and safety.

Additionally, the grant will replace an outdated pedestrian signal with a Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (PHB) at Spring Garden Middle School. According to the U.S Department of Transportation, the new technology is shown to reduce over 50% in pedestrian crashes.

Lohman said the Hybrid Beacon reduces pedestrian crashes because it’s similar to a red light.

“So hot beacons are like a red light,” Lohmna said. “So it actually, instead of asking traffic to yield, that actually gets them to stop, and it’s treated just like a stoplight would be.”

Public Works is hoping to get the new RRFB and PHB added to the crosswalks in the Spring of 2026.

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Praji Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) –The St. Joseph School District Board of Education was met Monday to discuss the district’s special education policy and an event agreement for Tiny Tot Town. 

The Board met at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22, at the Troester Media Center, located at 3401 Renick St.  

Board members will either approve or deny a motion to implement the Progressive Community Services Funding Application for SJSD’s All Students Achieve (ASA) program, located at Mosaic Life Care. 

“Everyone deserves quality education and it doesn’t matter if they have extra needs and my is that every child or every individual in the community is able to receive equal education,” LaTonya Williams, President of the School Board said.   

ASA is a collaboration between SJSD and St. Joseph organizations, which provide intensive training and development to high school seniors with developmental disabilities. 

Students will gain real-life experience to help them prepare for the job market.  

The BOE looked at a rental agreement between SJSD’s Parents as Teachers and the City of St. Joseph to lease Civic Arena during the annual “Tiny Tot Town” interactive, simulated community event for kids.  

Civic Arena transforms into a kid-sized city, where children get to play grown-up for the day—running errands, trying out jobs and learning real-world skills in a fun way.  

“It gives kids in the community an opportunity to look at agencies and organizations in the district which shows love and support to them and educate them and help them explore,” Williams said.  

The event was a favorite for families, helping boost enrollment and giving parents and kids a chance to connect in the past.   

Board members also talked about policy GCB-2 that allows the superintendent to make decisions about promotions, demotions and termination of all non-contractual employees in the school district.   

The GCB-2 item on the agenda was brought to the board with concerns regarding staff beginning employment prior to board approval. 

“The board members voted to approve it. And even though I was a no vote I completely support the decision of the board since it was a different changing of policy.”  

Williams says the reason this needed to change was because they did not have good policy compliant in the approval of the hires.  

The BOE will meet again at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 13, at the Troester Media Center. 

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News-Press NOW

CLINTON COUNTY, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Three juveniles were seriously injured in a two-vehicle crash, which occurred in Clinton County on Friday, Sept. 19.

The crash happened at 7:40 a.m. at Route PP at U.S. Highway 69, just three miles north of Lawson, Missouri.

A 17-year-old female driver of a 2014 Ford Escape was going south on U.S. Highway 69, while a 28-year-old male driver of a 2014 Ram 1500 was going north on U.S. Highway 69.

The Ford Escape also had two 15-year-old female passengers.

The driver of the Ram 1500 attempted to turn left onto Route PP when the front of the Ford Escape struck the Ram, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report.

The Ford Escape came to rest in the southbound lane of U.S. Highway 69, facing northwest. The Ram came to rest partially blocking the southbound lane of U.S. Highway 69, facing southwest.

The 17-year-old driver was taken to Liberty Hospital with serious injuries by the Lawson Fire Department. One of the 15-year-old passengers was taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital with serious injuries by the Lawson Fire Department and the other 15-year-old passenger was taken to the Liberty Hospital with serious injuries by the Holt Fire Department.

All drivers and passengers were wearing seatbelts. Both vehicles were totaled in the incident.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Board of Directors of St. Joseph Christian School (SJCS) announced a leadership transition set to take effect next school year.

Now under a Co-Superintendent model, SJCS will return to a single Superintendent model in the 2026-2027 school year.

Current Co-Superintendent and Secondary Principal, Danny Maggart, will step into the Superintendent role. A nationwide search will begin immediately for a new Secondary Principal to succeed Maggart.

Co-Superintendent and Elementary Principal, Rose Dunlap, will serve solely as the Elementary Principal.

Both Maggart and Dunlap have led SJCS through the challenges of COVID-19 and two building campaigns over the past seven years.

Until a candidate is identified to serve as a new Secondary Principal, the current leadership team will continue in their existing roles to ensure a smooth transition.

The shift aims to clarify roles, prevent leadership burnout and further support the school’s mission: “To glorify Jesus Christ by equipping students to impact their world for Him.”

“We are confident that this step will strengthen our ability to serve students and families well into the future,” said the SJCS Board in a written press release.

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Payton Counts

ST. JOSEPH, Mo (News-Press NOW) — Fall has officially arrived, creating excitement for a cool down compared to summer temperatures.

The autumn equinox is a day when daylight and darkness are nearly equal. The word equinox comes from the Latin words aequi, meaning equal, and nox, meaning night. 

Specifically, autumn arrived at 1:19 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, marking an official start to the season.

Back before clocks were invented, the sun’s position had to be tracked in order to tell time. They were able to figure out that there were two days of the year when the sun rises almost due east and sets due west.  

Due to the way Earth’s atmosphere refracts sunlight, we get a little more daylight, but it still comes out to nearly 12 hours for both day and night.

Across the Northern hemisphere, people celebrate the equinox in different ways. 

For some, it’s simply grabbing your favorite fall-flavored coffee. For others, it may mean festivals, food and traditions. 

The “Wheel of the Year” is a symbolic cycle of eight seasonal festivals that dates back to ancient Celtic culture.

“There are three harvest festivals,” said Summer Kemmey, owner of Traveler’s Hearth. “There’s the Lughnasadh, which is the first harvest, and then there’s Mabon, which is the autumn equinox, and then the Samhain, which is what we call Halloween.”

The calendar is meant to connect with nature and its cycles.

Mabon, in particular, emphasizes balance as it takes place during a time of nearly equal days and nights.

The Celts used it to give thanks to the natural world for a plentiful harvest and a time to reflect on the months past and how to reset going forward.

Today, celebrations vary depending on culture and community. But no matter how you celebrate the day, the equinox carries the same reminder as it did in ancient times — winter is right around the corner.

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Charles Christian

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Banking scam texts are being reported in the St. Joseph area, following nationwide trends of scammers trying to fish for personal information and money via texts.

Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett said that scammers are continuing to find ways to extract information through deception and fear, often sending scam texts to vulnerable populations.

“I think the biggest point to make is what scammers do is rely on fear,” Puett said. “So, do not engage, do not provide them any information, like birthdates and socials.”

Texts asking for money or making threats should be avoided.

Puett also said that law enforcement on the city and county levels are experiencing more training on cyber crimes, including crimes involving texts. So, they are relying on public media and other educational opportunities at all age levels to help combat the issue.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers reported losing around $470 million due to scams in 2024.

Experts hope that communities become more aware and are able to cut that number significantly in the future.

Sheriff Puett said informing law enforcement of the scams received, including using the tip line at 816-238-TIPS, will ensure that the scam attempt gets to the proper investigating body.

Meanwhile, following the basic rule of never clicking on unknown links or sharing personal data (especially financial data) through text or online should be the rule of thumb.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — In a press release sent to News-Press NOW, the City of St. Joseph, on behalf of the St. Joseph Health Department, announced medical information may have been compromised in its June security breach.

An investigation was completed, following the incident, on Sept. 4; however, it was determined that certain files may have been acquired without authorization.

The City found no evidence of patient information being misused during its investigation.

Information acquired may consist of: first and last names, date of birth, driver’s license number or state identification number, passport number, Social Security number and medical diagnosis of treatment information.

The City is providing a written notice to individuals whose personal health information was impacted. It also said the types of information affected were different for each individual.

In the written press release, the City said it “has no reason to believe that any patient’s information has been misused as a result of this event.”

City Health press releaseDownload

Upon detecting the incident, the City has investigated with IT specialists and confirmed the security of its network environment. The City has also notified St. Joseph law enforcement and made immediate enhancements to its systems.

Individuals seeking more information or questions about this incident are encouraged to call 1-833-844-5829 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

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Alec Pascuzzi

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Saint Joseph Symphony recently launched a new program known as “Play It Forward”.

Through “Play It Forward,” The Saint Joseph Symphony will donate tickets to community members who may not be able to attend.

The program partners with schools, social service agencies and other community organizations to make sure everyone can experience the Saint Joseph Symphony.

“Music belongs to everyone,” said Nancy Schmidt-Brunson, the executive director of the Saint Joseph Symphony. “When someone ‘plays it forward,’ by donating a ticket, they’re not just giving a seat in the concert hall- they’re giving inspiration, joy, and a memory that could last a lifetime.”

The Saint Joseph Symphony is encouraging the community to get involved.

When purchasing tickets, simply add a “Play It Forward” donation or visit saintjosephsymphony.org to make a direct contribution.

For more details about the program, call 816-233-7701.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — St. Joseph residents are invited to a Financial Literacy event taking place on Monday, Oct. 13.

While banks will be closed on Columbus Day, employees at Equity Bank will be hosting the event from 9 to 11 a.m. at the St. Joseph YWCA, located at 304 N. 8th St.

For more information about the event, call Equity Bank at 816-233-6111.

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