Category: knpn-local-news

Ashley Luthans

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Noyes Home for Children, in collaboration with the Saint Joseph Woodworkers Guild, is hosting a special fundraiser on May 10, just in time for Mother’s Day.

The Saturday morning woodworking class will culminate in the creation of a wooden planter, along with the addition of soil and flowers.

The event will take place from 10 a.m. to noon at 801 N. Noyes Blvd.

It is $30 per planter, with other materials and flowers included. In order to reserve a spot, visit noyeshome.org/donate (include the word “planter” in the description) or call 816-232-5650.

Click here to follow the original article.

Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Northwest Missouri Master Gardeners will hold their annual plant sale, where shoppers can choose from a huge selections of different plants.

The sale will go from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, April 25 and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 26 at the University of Missouri Extension office at 4125 Mitchell Ave.

All plants will be sold for $3 and shoppers can choose from a variety of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, herbs and more.

A full list of plants for sale can be found on the NWMO Master Gardeners Facebook page.

Click here to follow the original article.

Leah Rainwater

PLATTE COUNTY, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A California man was sentenced to two years in prison for assaulting a police officer after an in-flight disturbance, leading to an emergency landing at the Kansas City International Airport.

A Platte County jury had earlier convicted Juan Remberto Rivas, Jr. of assaulting a law enforcement officer and attempting to escape from custody following a three-day trial in March.

Rivas was a passenger on an American Airlines flight carrying 150 passengers, which departed from Los Angeles on February 13, 2022. The flight was headed to Washington, D.C.

During the flight, Rivas attempted to open a passenger door of the Boeing 737 and voiced threats to kill passengers on the plane.

Other passengers subdued Rivas, and the plane made an emergency landing at KCI. Upon landing, federal and state law enforcement officers took Rivas into custody.

Prosecutors proved at trial that, while being escorted to a police car to be taken to the Platte County Detention Center, Rivas broke free of his handcuffs and assaulted a KCI Airport police officer.

The officer suffered a sprained hand and was forced to wear a splint for two weeks.

Rivas was sentenced to two years in prison for second degree assault of a law enforcement officer and one year in jail for attempting to escape from custody. The sentences will run concurrently.

Rivas had also been charged in United States District Court with interfering with flight crewmembers for his actions aboard the flight. He pleaded guilty and received a 19-month federal sentence.

“This defendant had already pleaded guilty to what he did in the air during this flight,” Platte County Prosecuting Attorney, Eric Zahnd said. “Nevertheless, in Platte County, we will hold anyone who assaults a police officer accountable. Mr. Rivas will now serve time in Missouri prison after he completes his federal sentence.â€

The case was investigated by the Kansas City International Airport Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Zachary McKnight and First Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Mark Gibson.

Click here to follow the original article.

Chris Fortune

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A social services organization is giving volunteers at the local animal shelter a boost, as shelter staff continue to prepare for a move to a new home. 

A social services organization is giving volunteers at the local animal shelter a boost as shelter staff continue to prepare for a move to a new home. 

The Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri presented a $25,000 grant check from its Mary Margaret Hodgin Fund to Friends of the Animal Shelter Tuesday afternoon. 

“When Mary Margaret died, she wanted to support animals and cats into perpetuity, so she set up a fund with us so that every year the proceeds or the interest from that fund go to support animals,” CEO Mary Hinde said. 

The grant money will go toward the spay and neuter assistance program to help pet owners cover the cost of spaying or neutering with a goal of reducing the number of stray animals. 

“We’re kind of rolling it out, trying to expand it,†said Ed Vanover, president of Friends of the Animal Shelter. “This is definitely going to help with that.â€Â 

It’s a timely contribution that comes as shelter staff await construction of a new animal shelter. 

City councilmembers unanimously approved a $4.7 million contract with E.L. Crawford Construction in March to build the new animal shelter at 3405 S. Belt Highway next to the St. Joseph Recycling Center. 

“We’re finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel as far as having a new shelter, and it’s exciting,†he said. “It really is, and the city deserves it.†

Click here to follow the original article.

Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Less than a week ago the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) confirmed the first case of measles in the state.

The case stems from an international traveler passing through Taney County, whose vaccination status is not confirmed. There hasn’t been any exposure since the child arrived in Taney County.

“The person is from a foreign country,” Dr. George Turabelidze of the Missouri State Health Department said. “They were traveling for a few days to Missouri and they happened to develop measle symptoms upon arrival. And they came straight to health care. That’s where the diagnosis was made. And most of the exposures were limited to healthcare personnel”

Locals, like Franklin Voorhes, aren’t concerned about the recent case spreading. If anything, Voorhes believes it should serve as a reminder to be informed on the significance of vaccinations.

“I think anybody who is unvaccinated probably didn’t get the benefit of education of how vaccines work and what vaccines are,” Voorhes said. “At the end of the day, it’s a personal choice, but I’m not going to make anyone get vaccinated. I do question the decision making process of the education that somebody has if they’re not vaccinated.”

If you or someone close to you thinks they have come in contact with the measles, it’s recommended to quarantine and notify a health care provider prior to being tested. 

Click here to follow the original article.

Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Nominations are now open for the 2025 Team Player Award from United Way of Greater St. Joseph, in partnership with the St. Joseph Mustangs.

The award was created to celebrate and spotlight the powers of volunteerism and recognizes individuals or groups who selflessly support non-profit organizations throughout the St. Joseph area.

Each Friday during the 2025 St. Joseph Mustangs season, one volunteer or volunteer group will be recognized on the field during pregame festivities.

Honorees will receive admission for themselves and a guest to the game, a certificate of appreciation and a commemorative United Way T-shirt.

The deadline to nominate is Tuesday, May 6.

To submit a nomination, visit https://bit.ly/UWteamplayer25, or our website, www.stjosephunitedway.org.To learn more about the St. Joseph Mustangs and to see their 2025 schedule, visitwww.stjoemustangs.com.

Click here to follow the original article.

Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — St. Joseph residents will not see a bond measure at the polls this year to help finance a large-scale youth sports complex on the campus of Missouri Western State University, but key discussions and project planning will continue.

City officials have elected to push back their timeline by at least one year to decide whether to pursue a general obligation bond measure to finance the complex, a potential $85 million to $105 million joint project between the city and university. The city had previously set a May deadline to make its decision with the St. Joseph School District also pursuing its Proposition 2 bond measure in April.

“There is a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure that council has enough information to make an adequate decision,” said Clint Thompson, director of planning and community development. “However, as a result of moving that issue further out in the timeline, there is still work ongoing on the project.”

Additional information on cost projections and a plan for how bonds would be repaid still have to be determined before city officials elect to pull the trigger, among other factors to weigh. The complex is being targeted for a 70-acre plot of land on the northern portion of Missouri Western’s campus adjacent to Faraon Street.

With a timeframe on a decision now pushed back, Thompson said one goal over the coming months is to explore additional economic activity that could be paired with the complex, activity that would generate additional revenue and limit how much a bond measure and its tax increase would impact residents.

Just as important, additional time will be used to evaluate all of the community’s existing needs and determine the extent to which added debt would impact services, taxing entities and infrastructure like sewers and roads.

“That’s one thing that I think this council will be looking into is: How is that debt paid back? What’s the cost to the resident?” Thompson said. “How can we ensure that those costs are met before we go out and take on additional debt that may be serviced by the taxpayer?â€

St. Joseph is several years into the process of developing the complex, a potential dual indoor and outdoor project capable of hosting dozens of tournaments and events while boosting community sports growth through new programs and state-of-the-art facilities.

Early plans have called for a variety of courts for volleyball and basketball, fields for baseball and softball and a host of additional amenities for fitness and training.

A common tool used by governments to fund major infrastructure projects like bridges, parks and public buildings, general obligation bonds — which the city intends to use to finance the complex — are backed by a government’s pledge to use general and tax revenues, typically in the form of property tax increases to repay bondholders. In most cases, the bonds are repaid over 20 years.

GO bonds differ from other financing tools like revenue bonds, which are attached to revenue generated from the project itself or other income sources.

“The city has not issued debt previously through that type of mechanism in the past,†Thompson said. “The youth sports facility would be a great community benefit. However, is it a benefit that would be in line with other potential needs in the community? I think that’s what we’re going through the process right now.â€

City council members previously approved a $129,500 contract on Dec. 9 with project developer/consultant Sports Facilities Development to ramp up preliminary planning and analysis following earlier feasibility studies.

SFD, a Florida-based developer, has helped create and manage indoor and outdoor facilities like the AdventHealth Sports Park in Shawnee, Kansas, and the Cooper Sports Complex in Springfield, Missouri.

Click here to follow the original article.