Category: knpn-local-news

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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News-Press NOW

By: Zac Scott

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KQTV) — Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe is preparing for a meeting which may alter the state’s economic status.

Kehoe is preparing a proposal to eliminate the Missouri income tax. Kehoe said the efforts are to keep the money with the Missourians who worked for it.

“We’ve got a well more thought-out plan, and anytime you can let Missourians keep more money in their pocket. It’s always better than government spending it any day,” said Kehoe.

On the surface, it’s a great plan. But questions arise from Kehoe’s statement.

According to the Missouri Office of Administration, Missouri’s approximate general revenue in 2024 was $13.15 billion. Around $9.93 billion-$10.08 billion of the general revenue was paid for by the income taxes paid by Missourians.

Corporations in Missouri put forward $946.6 million into the general fund for their property taxes. Combined, Missouri property taxes make up almost ¾ of Missouri’s general revenue.

The Missouri Office of Administration projected that 2025 income taxes will provide $13.4 billion for the general revenue.

Kehoe said the proposal will be his top priority during the 2026 Legislative Session.

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TaMya Bracy

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — St. Joseph Public Works crews treated the roads with salt trucks throughout the day Monday.

The city declared Phase I, marking the season’s first snowfall, and it remains in effect throughout the winter.

According to the City of St. Joseph’s website, two or more inches of snow are required to fall before plows can hit the roads. St. Joseph received about two inches of snow, according to KQ2 Chief Meteorologist Mike Bracciano.

Fourteen salt trucks treated the streets Monday, each dropping 800 lbs of salt per mile.

Jackson Jones, Superintendent of Streets and Infrastructure, said emergency snow routes take precedence when it comes to treating the roads.

“That would be the ones that what we’re doing on the first wave would be emergencies,” he said. “That’s trying to get where the emergency services can get to within two to three blocks of everybody. So it’s mainly getting routes to the hospitals for every angle of town.”

Jones said crews must remain on the emergency routes until it stops snowing.

“So potentially we’ll still be on the emergency till five.  Then we’ll start on the secondary routes and then finally the district routes,” Jones said. “It could take up to three days, 36 hours if we’re just salting and not plowing to hit every route in town.”

Jones said drivers need to give salt trucks plenty of space on the road.

“The back of that truck does have rock salt being thrown off the back of it, and you don’t want that pepper in your car. So stay away from them. Give them plenty of room,” he said. “Just like your normal driving in slick weather, you want to stay back, you know, get plenty of room, give yourself time to get where you need to go. Drive slow and cautious”.

Jones said patience is an important detail when traveling in inclement weather.

“You have plenty of follow room, drive slow, have a lot of awareness of what’s going on around you and drive carefully,” he said.

During a weather event, crews work two 12-hour shifts, with the shift change at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

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