Category: knpn-local-news

TaMya Bracy

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph Fire Department is conducting its structural fire training.

The training will take place over the next three days on the Missouri Western State University baseball field.

This is the first time the SJFD has conducted this training. It all comes as the department aims to receive credit from the Insurance Services Office (ISO).

The University of Missouri offered SJFD a trailer for its live fire training. Inside the trailer, firefighters will fight a stove and bed fire with a fire hose.

Fire Chief Ivan Klippenstein said it’s important for the fire department to do repetitive training.

“If we train them otherwise, they know what the outcome is going to be,” Klippenstein said. “They know what their moves are going to be. It’s just like in basketball or sports, the repetitive motions. You go back to that repetitive action. That’s why we need to do it as much as we can.”

Klippenstein said this training is especially great for the new firefighters.

“Not only where they get experience for the season, the firemen can work with them and see where they need help or what we need to train them,” he said.

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Praji Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Sixth graders at Eugene Field Elementary brought history to life with a creative “wax museum” project. 

Each student picked a famous figure from history, read a book about them and did research before writing up a report.  

Students also designed backdrops and got into character to present their work to parents and teachers.  

“We learned how to write a thesis and put all the research together and write an essay to make them more comfortable with researching from different sources,” sixth-grade teacher Amberly Howard said.  

Students were encouraged to use both the internet and the popular Who Was biography series to help build their reports.  

They’ll be graded not just on their essays, but also on how well they told their person’s story.  

To make the project extra fun, students also acted as “wax figures” who came to life when visitors stopped by. 

“Whenever people walk by, they have a talking piece. I think students from any grade could do it because it’s so fun to see how it all comes together,” Howard said.  

Howard says the project took about a week, but the focus was on the learning process, not just the final presentation. 

She says since it was their first year doing the project, they weren’t sure what to expect—but they were thrilled with the results.  

“We talked about it last year a little bit, but we weren’t sure if we should and then this year we were like let’s just do it and see how things go and it turned out to be better than we thought,” Howard said.  

For sixth grader Sophia Runge, her favorite part of the project was dressing up as Betty White, whose cat shares the same name.  

“I am feeling really good, I am really excited because my friend is also here and she is dressed up as Eleanor Roosevelt and the other one is dressed up as Elvis Presley,” Runge said.  

Teachers said the project was a big success and they hope students will remember, not just the costumes and fun, but the hard work that made it all possible. 

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Alec Pascuzzi

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Missouri Western State University hosted a blood drive to kick off its homecoming week.

The MoWest Student Nurses Association and the Community Blood Center encouraged students, faculty, staff and the public to roll up their sleeves and help save a life.

“We just wanted to bring the blood drive to campus this week during homecoming to give students the opportunity to give back to the community and just pop in between classes,” said Elizabeth Jenkins of the Student Nurses Association.

MoWest will be hosting its next blood drive during the 2026 spring semester.

The university will also celebrate its homecoming week with an array of different activities happening each day.

The Career Development Center will host its annual Internship and Part-Time Job Fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 30, in MoWest’s Fulkerson Center. The first 50 students will receive gifts.

Also on Tuesday, a Silent Disco will take place from 8 to 11 p.m. in Blum Student Union rooms 218-219.

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Cameron Montemayor

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A leading nonprofit in the Show-Me state is celebrating 10 years of responsible fatherhood efforts this October.

The city of Springfield, Missouri, is set to host a large fundraising dinner and celebration Oct. 16 for Good Dads, Inc, a growing nonprofit organization that aims to assist kids and communities by facilitating responsible fatherhood programs, healthy relationships classes, community development efforts and events.

The theme for this year’s event is Gather ‘Round the Campfire: Fanning the Flames of Fatherhood. Leveraging the cozy nostalgia of roasting marshmallows with Dad during a fall camping trip, Attendees will discover how Good Dads is spreading like wildfire by sharing impactful stories about lives changed.

“We chose the campfire theme because it is a very apt representation of what we’ve experienced as champions of responsible fatherhood,” said Jennifer L. Baker, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and the Founder and Director of Good Dads. “When we started 10 years ago, we only served a small portion of Springfield, but now we have Good Dads chapters now in nearly 20 Missouri communities. Just like a spark that catches and grows into a wildfire, Good Dads is experiencing incredible momentum.”

The event is scheduled to take place at the Oasis Hotel & Convention Center Ballroom with cocktails and games beginning at 5:30 p.m., followed by the full program at 6:30 p.m. Funds raised will go directly back to the mission, allowing Good Dads to continue expanding into more communities, serving more fathers and strengthening more families.

“This year at the dinner, I’m most excited to celebrate our Great Community of the Year contest winners,” Baker said. “Because we believe that fatherhood engagement is, first and foremost, a community-based effort, we knew it was important to recognize the communities in the Show-Me state who banded together, often overcoming many challenges, to bring these programs to their residents.”

The contest encouraged leaders in Good Dads chapters to demonstrate their achievements in Good Dads’ four Great Community pillars: strong schools, robust economies, flourishing relationships and safe neighborhoods.

Three winners: Good Dads chapters in Ava, Rolla and Texas County, were announced this spring.

“What’s remarkable about the work we do is that anyone can get on board with it,” Baker said. “Any community, regardless of its size, can make great strides to better serve the fathers and father-figures who live there. That’s why it’s so important to me that we show the community accomplishments happening throughout Missouri for dads.”

Good Dads serves nearly two dozen communities and 17 chapters throughout the state. The nonprofit hopes to expand its footprint beyond Missouri soon.

The registration-only event is expected to see more than 300 guests. Attendees can look forward to music, food and games all while making a difference for the nonprofit.

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Rebecca Evans

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A new exhibition at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art is putting women artists and their signatures at the center of the story.

“4 Seasons,” now on display through Nov. 2, features the work of Midwest artists Linda Kinder, Darla Zook, Cathie Thompson and Cathy Kline. Their pieces reflect the cycles of nature while also underscoring the resilience and creativity of women in the arts.

“Most of these female artists, this is their sweet spot; they really love capturing moments of everyday life,” said Madison McKinley, Marketing and Communications Manager at the museum. “They are capturing moments in the Midwest, and sometimes it’s overlooked if you see it every day. We live in a beautiful part of the country, and these paintings show that.” 

For generations, women were often barred from formal training, denied gallery space, or forced to publish their work anonymously or under male pseudonyms. The exhibition is a reminder of the enduring strength of women in art, showcasing how much progress has been made and why it matters.

Each artist brings a distinct perspective to the theme, from symbolic interpretations of renewal to explorations of time and memory. Together, their work offers both beauty and a powerful statement on women claiming visibility in the art world.

The Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, located in the historic William-Albrecht home, houses one of the region’s leading collections of American art.

General admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $7 for students. Museum members and children under 6 are admitted at no cost. For more information, visit Albrecht-Kemper.org or call 816-233-7003.

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Charles Christian

ST. JOSEPH, MO. (News-Press NOW) — A local ministry in St. Joseph is literally taking their message to the streets.

Lorey Quaife, along with her husband and son, regularly set up microphones and an amplifier on street corners in and around St. Joseph and sing Christian worship songs.

Quaife said they do this because after years of working together in a non-profit ministry, especially to homeless people, they wanted to find an approachable, non-threatening way to connect to the community.

“I grew up here in St. Joseph, and often the homeless population is seen but not heard,” Quaife said. “By singing and being available for all people to sing with us or simply approach us and talk with us, we feel like we’re doing what the Lord wants us to do: reach people with compassion.”

For the past twelve years, the ministry called “Before You, Lord, International” has come alongside non-profit organizations that assist homeless people and others in need.

Though their approach of worshiping on street corners has gained a negative reputation from some, this family hopes those who encounter them and follow them on social media see a message of welcome that still holds to what they call Bible-based Christianity.

“We are out here to get the word of the Lord out,” Quaife said. “Hopefully, in the future, if God blesses us with a location, we would love to be able to do that, as well.”

Until then, Quaife and her husband said they will continue to minister in the ways that are open to them, including online words of encouragement on their Facebook page, volunteering with local ministries that help others and singing consistently on street corners, especially in the Downtown area.

So far, they say, the response has been positive.

“We started this approach in Minnesota for several years,” Quaife said. “Returning to St. Joseph, the place where I was raised, has allowed us to see more connections, including people stopping to sing with us on their breaks or on the way to work and people asking us for prayer.”

To learn more about the ministry and its goals, the family said simply approaching them when they are singing Downtown is a sure way to connect.

The family can also be followed on their Facebook Page: Before You Lord, International Ministries.

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Praji Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — St. Joseph’s 2nd Annual Fall Spectacular is happening Sunday, Sept. 28, from noon to 4 p.m. at 3602 N. village drive. 

Guests can browse through locally grown pumpkins from Treasure Gardens and stock up for the season. 

And of course, no fall fest is complete without treats—think caramel apples, apple cider, kettle corn, plus plenty of food and drinks from Ricky Dean’s.  

“The crowd was really great. There were so many people that came out and supported last year. Everyone had a great time and we had a lot of great vendors so we are excited this year too,” Hannah Montgomery, local vendor said.  

For Montgomery, the event is about more than shopping. It brings a lot of opportunities for kids to do things with their parents and friends 

Her hopes are to make new connections this year while sharing her trucker hat bar and fanny packs with the community.  

“We just do this on the sides but we are hoping to get the word out . We have a trucker hat bar with fanny packs and we hope a lot of people come out to see all the vendors,” Montgomery said.  

Another vendor, Samantha Morrow, is using the festival to grow her business, which focuses on natural and organic body butter.  

Until now, she’s mostly sold through Facebook, but this event gives her a chance to connect face-to-face.  

“I just thought it would be a great opportunity to reach out to some more people and gain a bigger audience and grow my network and find new customers,” Morrow said.  

For Patricia Oliver, it’s all about building relationships. She’s been part of several craft shows and came to the Fall Spectacular last year as well. 

She says she’s simply hoping people stop by, shop a little, and help spread the word so she can keep coming back.  

“I came last year and I do several craft shows. It helps small businesses because its a connection that you make with people here in town,” Oliver said.  

Along with the vendors, families were looking forward to plenty of fun activities — from free face painting and rides to a petting zoo for the kids.  

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Rebecca Evans

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Ashland United Methodist Church will host a free concert Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m. featuring internationally recognized sitar player Dr. Sanjay Kingi.

The performance is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 27, at the church, located at 2711 Ashland Avenue. The event is open to the public, with donations accepted to help cover travel expenses.

“I will tell everybody to close their eyes, close their fist, sit properly and just keep their mind empty,” said Dr. Sanjay Kingi, “Making them sit with concentration so no matter whatever problem he faces, he just faces it very confidently.”

The sitar is a plucked string instrument originating in India, known for its long neck, sympathetic strings and distinctive resonant sound. It is commonly used in Hindustani classical music.

Dr. Kingi, a physician with a Ph.D. in music, has built a career blending science and art. He is a graded artist with All India Radio and Doordarshan, India’s state-owned broadcasting service, and has performed solo concerts across India, Australia, the Middle East and Europe.

Throughout his career, Kingi has also collaborated with some of the world’s most well-known musicians, including Pandit Birju Maharaj, Ghulam Ali and Anup Jalota. His work includes an ambitious composition setting all 700 verses of the Bhagavad Gita to 700 unique ragas, or melodic patterns.

Organizers describe the evening as an opportunity to experience the meditative and soulful sound of the sitar in a community setting.

For more information, contact Ashland United Methodist Church.

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — To take part in fall festivities, Missouri Western State University’s Pop Culture Club will be holding fall events throughout the season.

Both of the fall-themed events will start at 6 p.m. and will be held at the Rolling Hills Library’s community room, located at 1904 N. Belt Highway.

On Oct. 23, the club will be celebrating Halloween early with Dom Debrincat’s spooky talk, “Puritans in Horror Films.” 

The talk will be followed by a veterans’ day-themed talk titled “We’re proud of you folks, too!’ the World War II American Home Front in Radio and Movies,” with Kaye Adkins.

For more information on both the events, visit Mo Webst’s website at www.missouriwestern.edu/news/2025/09/24/mowests-pop-culture-club-to-host-3-fall-events/

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Alec Pascuzzi

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Saint Joseph Symphony brings two new monthly giving programs to the community, geared toward animal lovers.

The “Meowstro” Circle for cat lovers and “Woof Gang” for dog enthusiasts.

Members of either circle commit to a $10 monthly donation, which provides support for the Symphony’s performances, education programs and community outreach.

In return, members receive themed perks, special recognition and the delight of knowing their “paw-some” contributions keep the music playing all year long.

The furry friends of members will also be spotlighted on the symphony’s website, Instagram and Facebook weekly.

“We know our supporters love their pets as much as they love music,” said Nancy Schmidt-Brunson, executive director of the Saint Joseph Symphony.

Schmidt-Brunson also said, “The Meowstro Circle and Woof Gang bring those passions together in a way that’s fun, meaningful, and makes a real difference for the Symphony.”

These monthly donations help the Symphony and the community in numerous ways, such as providing more inspiring performances as well as expanding outreach programs for the community.

The Saint Joseph Symphony has also partnered with the local animal shelter. At the end of the fiscal year, the Symphony plans to contribute 10% of all donations to the St. Joseph Animal Shelter.

For more information about joining the Meowstro Circle or Woof Gang, send an email to info@saintjospehsymphony.org or call 816-233-770.

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