Category: knpn-local-news

Prajukta Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The St. Joseph School District decided to declare an Alternative Methods of Instruction, or AMI day, on Monday, Dec. 1 due to inclement weather.  

The district pre-planned six AMI days into this year’s calendar and Assistant Superintendent of Academics and Educational Services, Stacia Studer, said it’s important to use those before shifting to traditional snow days.  

“We want to carry the momentum of learning that happens in the classroom. We don’t want that pause in learning,” Studer said.  

Once all six AMI days are used, the district will begin calling snow days, which come with scheduled make-up days. 

Studer said families are given instructional packets at the end of the first quarter so they’re prepared if extreme weather calls for an AMI day.  

“We also provide an electronic link that has all the materials for our six AMI days scheduled for this year and if a student struggles to finish the assigned work from home, they can bring it in the classroom and a teacher will provide support,” Studer added.  

Students have up to five days to complete AMI assignments. Studer noted, many students were already turning in their packets on Tuesday morning.  

Teachers also host a one-hour live office hour on AMI days so students can ask questions or get help with assignments.  

“AMI days provide us with that instructional momentum that, you know, comes with emergencies such as a power outage or a weather-related issue,” Studer said.  

She added that students who lose their printed packets can request a new copy at any time, and teachers are happy to provide replacements. 

SJSD now sits with five AMI days left for the school year.

Click here to follow the original article.

Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Multiple juveniles are believed to be involved in an early morning shooting on Monday near the Pleasant Heights Apartment complex, an incident that resulted in no injuries but notable damage to surrounding property.

The St. Joseph Police Department confirmed an investigation is ongoing into a shooting that occurred Monday around 1:30 a.m. near the 3200 block of South 36th Street at the Pleasant Heights Apartment complex.

No one was injured, but juveniles of an unknown age are believed to have been involved in the incident, one that saw gunfire reportedly strike the exterior of an apartment multiple times, causing damage to the front door and entrance.

Unconfirmed security camera footage posted online by a resident at the complex shows a vehicle driving through the parking lot around the time of the shooting.

Police could not confirm how many juveniles were involved, the suspected ages of the individuals, or if any suspects are in custody at this time. Details on the cause of the incident remain under investigation.

Click here to follow the original article.

Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — As crews demolish the nearly 50-year-old building once filled with childhood memories, the smell of popcorn and family traditions, the St. Joseph community is mourning its loss.

After a fire on June 22 closed B&J Skate Center, one of St. Joseph’s long-time sources of entertainment, the fate of the building came into question.

The fire burned for almost three hours and melted the frame of the building, according to a statement from B&J on Facebook.

Excavating crews were seen tearing down the building on Tuesday afternoon.

The Facebook statement continued, “B&J Skate Center is not going to be back the way it was. We are going to redevelop the land, but it won’t be the same and we know how hard that is.”

B&J said it will share when plans are ready for what’s going to be done at the location at 6421 N. Belt Highway.

Also included in the Facebook statement, the skating rink said that after hosting free Sunday skating sessions for the Noyes Home for Children, any money raised to support B&J in its future after the fire is being donated to the Noyes Home to support future outings for the children.

Click here to follow the original article.

News-Press NOW

By: Alexis Kuhnert

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — Giving Tuesday is a movement created to reimagine a world built on shared humanity and generosity.

Different organizations participate in Giving Tuesday, which falls on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Individuals and groups are encouraged to volunteer their time, money and talents to help their communities in different ways.

The movement was created in 2012 to help streamline more ways to give back.

Second Harvest Community Food Bank is one of the organizations taking part in Giving Tuesday.

While grocery costs remain high, Second Harvest provides food resources to the community.

Mackenzie Bally, Second Harvest marketing manager, said it’s a big day for them as Giving Tuesday starts the holiday season.

“The holidays can be a little bit tougher on some families and some of our neighbors, and so giving back during this time is just really important because you’re able to help those people,” Bally said.

For Second Harvest, every dollar donated provides up to six meals to families and individuals in need.

Anyone interested in participating in Giving Tuesday can not only help Second Harvest, but also the St. Joseph YMCA, the St. Joseph YWCA, the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and more.

Click here to follow the original article.

Cameron Montemayor

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A pair of Missouri legislators are seeking to nullify abortion rights that were enshrined in the state constitution by voters in 2024, going as far as proposing criminal penalties for those involved in the procedure.

Missouri State Sen. Mike Moon (R-29) and Missouri State Rep. Burt Whaley (R-138) announced the filing Monday of separate bills, called the Missouri Prenatal Equal Protection Act, designed to completely abolish abortion in the state.

The legislation would recognize the abortion amendment passed by voters in 2024 as a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, making it a criminal offense of murder for those engaged in the procedure.

Abortions would only be legal in situations where the procedure is needed to avert the death of a pregnant woman and once all reasonable alternatives to save the life of the unborn have been ruled out or attempted beforehand, making it one of the most strict anti-abortion proposals in the country.

Despite the passage of Amendment 3 in November 2024 by Missouri voters to enshrine abortion rights into the Missouri Constitution — a measure that passed with 52% approval — access to the procedure remains limited while court cases unfold to decide the constitutionality of a wide range of targeted abortion restrictions.

Such laws are used to make it harder to provide or access abortion, even where the procedure is otherwise legal.

As a result, in-clinic abortions are currently available at three Planned Parenthood clinics in Missouri, while medication abortion is completely unavailable, according to state media reports.

Planned Parenthood and the ACLU are currently pursuing a separate challenge to allow the use of abortion medications such as Mifepristone and Misoprostol.

A high-profile trial over the constitutionality of Missouri’s targeted abortion restrictions is scheduled to begin in January 2026, settling which of Missouri’s abortion regulations will be upheld and which are unconstitutional. A decision one way or another will likely end up before the Missouri Supreme Court.

At the same time, the Republican-controlled legislature has placed a new constitutional amendment for voters to consider in November 2026 that would reverse the results of the 2024 abortion amendment and criminalize abortion in all but a handful of circumstances.

Click here to follow the original article.

Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The Noyes Home for Children is hosting its annual Holiday Open House.

The event provides a way for the community to tour the Noyes Home, as well as enjoy holiday merriment for kids of all ages and the young at heart.

Community members will also be able to see the Noyes Home’s ever-growing “Help Light the Way Donor Wall”.

Courtesy of the Noyes Home for Children.

The event will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 801 N. Noyes Blvd.

The Noyes Home will be filled with music, refreshments and fun activities for the whole family.

Click here to follow the original article.

Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A world of wildlife awaits Northwest Missouri residents this weekend from bald eagles and snow geese to trumpeter swans and hawks.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Missouri Department of Conservation will host the 46th annual Eagle Days event at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, Dec. 6 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A bald eagle takes in the sun during a frigid day at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge in December 2024 in Holt County, Missouri.

The free event gives families and wildlife enthusiasts the chance to explore a 7,350-acre ecosystem filled with migratory birds and waterfowl in the process of traveling south for the winter.

The two-day event also includes live eagle shows every hour courtesy of the World Bird Sanctuary, offering an up-close look at bald eagles that have been rehabilitated from injuries.

Dozens or even hundreds of bald eagles typically congregate at the Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge near Mound City where they can feed on fish and waterfowl. Besides eagles, visitors will be able to see wildlife at wetland pools such as trumpeter swans, geese, ducks, and shore birds.

A bald eagle flies with food at the Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge in Holt County, Missouri in 2023.

Participants will see interpretive stops along a driving tour of the refuge wetlands with conservation partners and wildlife experts on hand to answer questions and provide information. Spotting scopes will be set up at key points along the tour route for visitors to spot wildlife far out on the marshes.

Friends of Loess Bluffs and other conservation partners will have outreach tables on display inside the visitor center. MDC staff, Missouri Master Naturalists, and Loess Bluffs staff will be welcoming visitors and interpreting nature exhibits.

Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge is located in northwest Missouri near Mound City. Take Interstate 29 to Exit 79 south of Mound City then travel south 2 ½ miles on U.S. Highway 159.

More information on the event can be found at mdc.mo.gov/newsroom/usfws-mdc-host-46th-annual-eagle-days-event-dec-6-7-loess-bluffs-national-wildlife-refuge.

A huge flock of snow geese is shown at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge in February 2023 in Holt County, Missouri.

Click here to follow the original article.

Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — Over 16,000 homes and businesses throughout St. Joseph will be checked for potential lead service lines.

The City of St. Joseph announced contractors C.E. Bollmeier, M Con LLC and John Jackson Plumbing LLC, working on behalf of Missouri American Water, will inventory homes and businesses.

The work is part of a year-long, federally required Lead Service Line Inventory Program and Service Line Replacement Program.

Missouri American Water contractors will knock on doors to request a brief inspection of the water service line where it enters the home or business. Letters will be sent ahead of inspections; however, they will be sent to the property owner of record, so renters may not receive them directly.

In 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized the first major update to the Lead and Copper Rule in nearly 30 years.

The update requires water systems to identify and report the material of both the utility-owned and customer-owned portions of each service line and complete a full inventory of all lines, especially in homes built before 1989.

Missouri American Water has reliable records for the utility-owned side of these lines, but it does not have complete information for the customer-owned portion.

Inspections are expected to take a few minutes and will occur Monday through Saturday during daytime hours, according to a news release from the City of St. Joseph.

If a resident is not home, workers will leave a door hanger with instructions on how to schedule an appointment or self-report pipe information. All contractors will carry Missouri American identification and travel in marked vehicles.

Once inventory is complete, Missouri American Water’s contractor will begin contacting and scheduling customers for replacements of lead service lines at no direct cost to the customer.

Missouri American Water said if a service line contains lead, it does not mean the service line cannot be used; the company regularly tests for lead in drinking water, and the water meets state and federal water quality regulations, including services with lead.

Missouri American Water’s 2024 Water Quality Report said crews monitor lead and copper by pulling 60 water samples from customers’ taps every six months. The typical source of metal contamination in water has been due to household corrosion systems.

The water supplier has pledged to replace all lead service lines by 2030, and goes “above and beyond” the federal requirements, according to the news release.

The City said anyone with concerns may call Missouri American Water at 1-866-430-0820 to verify the legitimacy of crews or email MOServiceLineGroup@amwater.com with inquiries.

Contractors will not force entry. If a resident is uncomfortable, they may request a return visit at another time.

Click here to follow the original article.

Associated Press

(AP) — Air travelers in the U.S. without a REAL ID will be charged a $45 fee beginning in February, the Transportation Security Administration announced Monday.

The updated ID has been required since May, but passengers without it have so far been allowed to clear security with additional screening and a warning. The Department of Homeland Security says 94% of passengers are already compliant and that the new fee is intended to encourage travelers to obtain the ID.

REAL ID is a federally compliant state-issued license or identification card that meets enhanced requirements mandated in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Obtaining the ID — indicated by a white star in a yellow circle in most states — means taking more documents to the motor vehicle agency than most states require for regular IDs. It was supposed to be rolled out in 2008 but the implementation had been repeatedly delayed.

Beginning Feb. 1, travelers 18 and older flying domestically without a REAL ID and who don’t have another accepted form of ID on them, such as a passport, will pay the non-refundable fee to verify their identity through TSA’s alternative “Confirm.ID” system.

TSA officials said that paying the fee does not guarantee verification, and travelers whose identities cannot be verified may be turned away. If approved, however, the verification covers a 10-day travel period.

The fee can be paid online before arriving at the airport. Travelers can also pay online at the airport before entering the security line, but officials said the process may take up to 30 minutes.

The TSA initially proposed an $18 charge for passengers without a REAL ID, but officials said Monday they raised it after realizing the alternative identification program would cost more than anticipated.

Other acceptable forms of ID include military IDs, permanent resident cards and photo IDs from federally recognized tribal nations. TSA also accepts digital IDs through platforms such as Apple Wallet, Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet at more than 250 airports in the U.S.

Click here to follow the original article.

Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The Missouri State Highway Patrol shared its winter weather totals after parts of Missouri saw snow Monday.

The total accumulations include Troops A, B, C, D, F, H and I. The numbers exclude Troops E and G.

Across the state, MSHP responded to 817 calls for services, 214 stranded motorists, 358 crashes and 41 injuries.

MSHP also reported one fatality, which occurred in Cole County, a jurisdiction of Troop F.

In the Northwest region, MSHP Troop H responded to eight crashes, where injuries ranged from none, minor and moderate. Further south, MSHP Troop A responded to 13 crashes.

MSHP encouraged drivers to adjust their driving for road conditions and to slow down and stay alert.

Click here to follow the original article.