Category: knpn-local-news

News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph Downtown Library is partnering with the Community Blood Center and the Kansas City Royals to save lives, offering incentives along the way.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, June 23, St. Joseph residents can make an appointment or stop by the Downtown Library, located at 927 Felix St., to donate.

Those who donate can also get a t-shirt and two tickets to a home game, while supplies last.

To set up an appointment, go to savealifenow.org/group and enter the Group Code: EI3N.

Those interested are encouraged to eat, drink and bring a photo ID to be able to donate.

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Jacob Meikel

ST. JOSEPH, MO (News-Press NOW) — On Tuesday, St. Joseph Christian announced the start of a new girl’s soccer program set to begin its inaugural season in the spring of 2026.

Current wrestling coach and former soccer coach at Lafayette Josh Walters was named the head coach of the new program as part of Tuesday’s announcement that took place in the school’s gymnasium. Walters had his ties to St. Joe Christian before taking this opportunity, as he has three children who attend the school. When asked about why the time felt right for him to take on this new challenge at a new school, he also cited the current uncertainty regarding the public schools in St. Joseph.

“With the way things are going with the community and the public schools, I really wanted this school, where all three of my kids go, to continue to grow and do well,” Walters said.

Walters was accompanied by SJCS superintendent and athletic director Nicki Carlson for Tuesday night’s announcement. After being introduced, Walters said at the podium “the Lord has opened many doors for me” over the last 10 years and “I know He has a plan for me here at St. Joe Christian.”

Even though Walters is set to coach the Lions girls soccer team in their first year as a program, Walters is still slated to be the head coach for the Lafayette boys and girls wrestling program for the 2025-26 season.

News-Press NOW will continue to update this story.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Crowds of eager residents gathered Tuesday to witness the start of a much-anticipated project to bring a new animal shelter to St. Joseph.

Shovels officially broke ground Tuesday on the first day of construction for the new $5 million shelter at 3405 S. Belt Highway, next to the St. Joseph Recycling Center, a project 10 years in the making.

St. Joseph Animal Services Manager Holly Bowie called it a surreal day for her, residents and countless animal supporters who have worked tirelessly to advocate and make the project a reality.

“It feels like this isn’t real because we’ve wanted it and needed it for so long. That’s kind of the first emotion is like, ‘This is actually happening,” Bowie said. “We’re just ecstatic.”

With construction now officially a go, Bowie said the goal is to have animal shelter staff move into the new facility in late June of 2026. She praised the nonprofit Friends of the Animal Shelter as being one of the catalysts for the project due to their unwavering support and tireless fundraising efforts over the last 10 years.

FOTAS raised nearly $1.7 million to pair with $3.3 million in Capital Improvements Program funding to finance design and construction.

“I think it was really important that we never gave up and I give a lot of credit to friends of the shelter for that because they drove the train for so long. They pushed for the capital campaign. I’m just really excited to have such a great group to work with,” said Bowie.

E.L. Crawford Construction of St. Joseph is now tasked with building the 13,000-square-foot facility, a significant upgrade of 5,000 additional square feet compared to the aging and outdated facility at 701 S.W. Lower Lake Road.

One request that shelter architect Ellison-Auxier was able to fulfill in its design work was adequate space to house dogs and cats separately to avoid stressing the felines. The new building will also have more areas to visit with adoptable animals.

“Having a new facility that’s got bigger spaces for our animals and being able to separate the animals that are maybe not as well versus the healthy, adoptable animals … versus the animals that have just come in and need monitoring,” said Meghan Casias, a longtime Animal Services volunteer and new board member. “Really, just improving the safety for our animals is a huge thing, not to mention just being more welcoming for our community.”

The proposed shelter is also being designed with a vet clinic as well, a smaller suite capable of providing surgeries and other services carried out by shelter staff, a much-needed addition for the community.

News-Press NOW will update this story.

Animal services volunteers, staff and other community members participate in a groundbreaking ceremony for a new $5 million animal shelter on Tuesday at 3405 S. Belt Highway. Cameron Montemayor | News-Press NOW

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW). — The St. Joseph Health and Safety Council announced it has received additional scholarships for children seeking to attend Safety Town. 

In a statement, Executive Director Frank Till said, “Thanks to the generous support of Spire Serves, we now have ten additional scholarships available for children interested in attending Safety Town.“

Parents interested in applying for these scholarships are encouraged to visit the St. Joseph Safety and Health Council website to submit their applications.

Scholarships will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to qualified applicants.

Safety Town will be ongoing until Thursday, July 10.

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Jenna Wilson

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Units have been renovated and in just a few short weeks, tiny homes will be available to assist the unhoused across St.Joseph.

“We have four of the ten units completely done,” said Angi Duty, Community Services Director with Community Action Partnership. “We’ve finally started the application process, working with individuals who qualify and we’ll be able to start moving people in by early July.”

The site at 2101 South Eighth Street will offer ten transitional housing units for individuals living under 200% of the federal poverty guidelines.

Officials say applicants should have some form of income to help ensure they can successfully transition into permanent housing.

“We’re kind of looking at their situation, their past housing, age has been a factor, veterans, involvement with other case management and once they get moved in, they’ll be meeting with our caseworker every week to work on whatever barriers are keeping them from permanent housing.”

Tenants will be able to stay in the homes for up to 12 months, which city officials believe is enough time to become financially stable.

“With homelessness, if you don’t have a place to sleep at night, it’s hard to get past those barriers and that’s what we’re hoping to fix,” Duty said. “So we’re really excited to get it up and running.”

The housing development will feature exterior security cameras and is set to begin welcoming residents in early July, officials confirmed.

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Kirsten Stokes

ST. JOSEPH, MO (News-Press NOW) — Mackenzie Porter knows what it’s like to hold the line when the pressure is high.

As a former Division I lacrosse goalie, she stood in the net with nerves of steel, ready to block whatever came her way.

Now, she’s taking that same courage, vision, and faith beyond the crease and into the heart of St. Joseph- with a mission to empower the next generation of girls through the sport that shaped her.

“So I played on my high school team from seventh grade all the way up to my senior year,” Porter said. “But in that time, it was in 10th grade when I committed to play Division I at Rutgers.”

Porter is an account executive at News-Press NOW and is also a high school lacrosse coach.

She’s building the very thing she had growing up in New York: a dedicated lacrosse club.

The club, The Mighty MO League, is still in its early stages, but the vision is clear: create a place where young girls can grow in confidence, develop grit, and find their voice, through lacrosse.

“I want this to be an opportunity for girls to fit in, because that’s exactly what my youth program was for me, and gave me a group of friends that I had all the way up through high school,” Porter said.   

In a city where lacrosse is still gaining traction, Porter’s club could be the spark that lights a movement. One rooted not just in athletics, but in faith. 

“I actually was kind of thinking back to when the Lord first kind of touched my heart and he met me in my mess,” Porter said. “He actually met me at lacrosse practice in my third year here in Missouri through a teammate who asked to pray over me when I was having a really, really hard day.” 

Building a program from the ground up takes a village. Porter is calling on the St. Joseph community to help bring this dream to life through donations of gently-used gear, financial contributions, and community partnerships.

“I have things in there that can go directly to my house. If they wanted to Venmo or donate money, they could reach out to me through that Facebook page as well if they’re looking to help,” Porter said. “I had people who are also looking just to help out coaching, and they never even coached the sport, but they just want to learn.”

If you’re interested in supporting Porter’s girls’ lacrosse club in St. Joseph, visit Mighty Mo Lacrosse on Facebook.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Missouri American Water Corporation has issued a Boil Advisory for parts of Buchanan County due to a water main break.

Repairs began around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 17, and are expected to take around seven hours to complete.

A precautionary Boil Water Advisory has been issued for about 48 hours in the southwest region of Buchanan County.

The Missouri American Water Corporation has issued a Boil Advisory on Tuesday, June 17 for parts of Buchanan County, due to to a water main break

Any water to be used for drinking or cooking should be brought to a rolling boil for three minutes. Water is expected to be good for bathing, washing and other common uses.

Missouri American Water said it will issue a notification when the Boil Advisory has been lifted.

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News-Press NOW

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — On Tuesday, Dan Meers- the original ‘KC Wolf’ announced his retirement after 35 years as the Chiefs’ beloved mascot.

Also known as the franchise’s “Director of Shenanigans”, Meers helped build the mascot’s personality from the ground up.

“Dan Meers has been the heart and soul behind KC Wolf for 35 years,” said Clark Hunt, Chiefs Chairman and CEO. “Since joining the organization in 1990, Dan helped establish KC Wolf not only as a source of energy and enthusiasm on gamedays, but as a symbol of pride and passion for all of Chiefs Kingdom. He ensured that his alter ego brought joy to people, young and old, and his deep connection to the Kansas City community has made him a beloved figure to generations of Chiefs fans.”

Meers is a native of St. Charles, Mo., and graduated from the University of Missouri in 1990, where he served as ‘Truman the Tiger’ for four years.

With Truman being known as one of the nation’s top mascots, Meers finished second in the 1988 and 1990 National Collegiate Mascot Championships and was named the top overall college mascot in the country in 1989.

After graduating from the University of Missouri, Meers began his career as ‘Fedbird” with the St. Louis Cardinals, then joined the Kansas City Chiefs full-time in 1990 after the Chiefs introduced their brand new mascot, KC Wolf, in 1989.

Meers eventually became the NFL’s longest-tenured mascot by more than a dozen years.

He performed at 307 regular and postseason games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium and 375 total games, including preseason matchups.

Meers also appeared at six international games as KC Wolf, including four American Bowl preseason games (Berlin, 1990; Tokyo, 1994 and 1998; and Monterrey, 1996) and two regular season international contests (London, 2015 and Frankfurt, 2023). He appeared at all five Super Bowls (LIV, LV, LVII, LVIII, LIX) the club has participated in since the 2019 season, including the three wins (LIV, LVII, LVIII).

KC Wolf was selected for 14 Pro Bowls and participated in nine NFL all-star games during Meers’ tenure.

“To say I’m a blessed man is an understatement. For the past 35 years, I’ve had my dream job. I’ve worked for the team I love, in the city I love, with the people I love. After all these year,s I certainly hope Chiefs Kingdom knows just how much I love and appreciate them. I have memories and stories that will last me a lifetime,” Meers said. “I especially want to thank my family, the Hunt family, the Chiefs organization and the greatest fans in the world for all the love, support, and laughs we’ve shared over the past 35 years. I’m truly a blessed, blessed man!”

Chiefs Kingdom is invited to celebrate Meers’ retirement by sharing their favorite photos and videos of themselves or their families with KC Wolf over the years at www.chiefs.com/wolfmemories.

Meers will continue to be involved with the Chiefs organization as a consultant and backup KC Wolf. The search for the next KC Wolf is underway, with top candidates having already completed interviews with the club.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — One annual cross-country tradition will make its historic stop at the Patee House Museum this weekend.

Each year, the National Pony Express Association recreates the legendary mail route that once connected St. Joseph to Sacramento, California.

Riders relay a mochila carrying commemorative letters across eight states, traveling more than 1,900 miles on horseback, just like they did in 1860.

“The Pony Express is one of the most iconic stories of American grit and determination,” said Gary Chilcote, the museum director a the Patee House Museum. “We’re proud to honor that spirit and invite the community to witness this living history event firsthand.”

The St. Joseph community is invited to witness the arrival of the rider, explore the museum’s rich history exhibits and learn more about the tradition.

The Patee House Museum is open until 4 p.m. and is located at 1202 Penn St. The rider is expected to arrive at the museum by 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 21.

For more information about the event, visit www.ponyexpress.org or contact the Patee House Museum at (816) 232-8206.

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — To teach children the importance and proper methods of safety, Safety Town will be held until Thursday, July 10.

The safety-based program is run by the St. Joseph Safety and Health Council and is offered to kids between the ages of 5-7.

Safety officials like law enforcement officers, firefighters and water patrol will be brought in to teach kids about different safety tactics.

“I went here when I was a kid,” said Meredith Fite, a volunteer. “And I know that it’s really beneficial for all the children. And I really just enjoy being around children myself. So I think that it’s just a good way to be a part of the community and help.”

News-Press NOW’s own Storm Tracker Weather Team will also be participating in Safety Town sessions to keep kids weather-ready.

Safety Town is held in four one-week sessions. All sessions will run from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Keatley Center, located at 1202 S 28th St.

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