Category: knpn-local-news

Carter Ostermiller

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — In February of this year, crews began installing turf on all three high school football fields, a project that was supposed to be finished before the start of the school year and football season.

Now, installation is wrapping up; however, Central’s football game against Benton High School is being played on Saturday, Sept. 6 at Missouri Western State University, after originally being scheduled to be played on Central’s turf.

News-Press NOW spoke to Central High School’s Athletic Director, David Lau, for an update on the field.

“It is coming together nicely. They’re making some really good progress. They have been working on laying down the logos, the end zone lettering. The hash marks they are tying in and cutting in the soccer lines. And so it’s coming together pretty nicely,” said Lau.

Lau said the delay in the field’s completion came because of the weather.

However, Lau is hopeful that the field will be ready for Central’s next home game, against North Kansas City on Friday, Sept. 19.

Lafayette High School officials told News-Press NOW that their field is ready for the home football game against Richmond High School on Friday, Sept. 5.

Benton’s home field is also ready for their games for the season.

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Kyle Schmidt

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Isaac Unruh’s life changed in 2013 after a diving accident placed him in a wheelchair with paralysis in the legs and a lack of ability in the right triceps and hands.

Pushing forward and discovering a paralysis recovery gym in Kansas City helped him shift mindsets.

“They kind of gave me that can-do attitude,” Unruh said. “Sisu, it’s a Finnish word that means to show strength and courage over a long duration of time, whenever the odds are against you. That’s the motto I live by.”

Keeping a strong mindset, Unruh became a co-founder of River Bluff Brewing and became a member of the Measly Mile Mafia. Currently, Unruh is over 1,100 days in a row pushing a mile every day, even competing in group challenges like the Arctic challenge.

“I couldn’t push, I went out and just sat in the snow for 20 minutes and let it snow on me,” He said. “Then I did my mile inside, and they allowed that to count.”

He also works as a real estate agent, or as he said it, “The ‘rolling realtor’ or the ‘wheel estate agent’ with Randolph Realty.”

Unruh said the reason he does it is because the cardio is beneficial for his lungs, heart and it’s important for him to stand still for bone density to make sure his body is functioning as high as it can.

For cardio, he uses a frequent electronic stimulation bike and worked his way up to using an arm bike and now a SkiErg- a cross-country Ski Trainer. For about a year, he has used a manual bike outside every day.

Challenging himself in 2024 to complete his first 5-kilometer race in the St. Joseph Marathon, he made history.

“It was fun because I had a buddy that was running beside me who had my dog who was also running the race,” Unruh said. “It was cool hearing Tara announce your name over the speaker as you’re coming across the finish line and giving you kudos for the progress I’ve made.”

This finish made him the first wheelchair athlete to finish the St. Joseph Marathon 5k, and this year, he has a new goal… To race in the St. Joseph Marathon’s 10k.

“It’ll be a mental challenge, but I’ll have a buddy walking beside me keeping the pace,” Unruh said.

Unruh has also competed in the Ignite 5k for Big Brothers, Big Sisters, as well as the Shamrock 5k.

He credits his family for always being there, as well as the group at River Bluff Brewing and the Measly Mile Mafia.

“Pushed me to actually want to do cardio daily in my situation,” Unruh said. “I just know it’s beneficial and there’s no need to stop it.”

Unruh said he hasn’t changed his training for the 10k and continues to push his mile each day.

“You can make excuses or find solutions is a big one that I go on, and when you’ve been put in a wheelchair, you’ve been given every excuse in the book that you can give somebody,” Unruh said. “I choose not to be the excuse, I choose to find a solution.”

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Kansas City Chiefs fans in St. Joseph and northwest Missouri are looking forward to watching their favorite team play the Los Angeles Chargers tonight in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The game will only be shown on NBC in each team’s local markets. It will not be broadcast on KNPG.

However, local fans can find the game on a few streaming services. It will be shown for free on YouTube. Just log on to YouTube.com and search for the NFL channel.

For fans with paid subscriptions, the game will be streamed on FUBU, NFL+, and YouTube TV. Coverage begins at 7 p.m.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — After a national search, Missouri Western State University has named a new dean of the College of Business and Professional Studies.

Suzanne Kissock, who has served as interim dean of the college since last fall, joined MoWest full-time in 2005. She’s served as assistant dean and legal studies program director in the Department of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies.

Prior to her faculty appointment, she practiced law for 10 years as an assistant public defender and as the supervising attorney for the Juvenile Office of the 5th Judicial Circuit of Buchanan County.

“Suzanne Kissock has served MoWest loyally for more than 20 years, and has built relationships across campus, in St. Joseph and around the state,” said Elizabeth Kennedy, MoWest’s president. “I’m thrilled that she will continue to provide outstanding leadership to the College of Business and Professional Studies.”

Kissock shared about how proud she was to accept her new leadership role.

“I am incredibly honored and humbled by the opportunity,” said Kissock. “I deeply believe in making higher education accessible to all. For the past 25 years, I have taught at Missouri Western, and I have found a family in the Griffon students, faculty, and staff.”

As dean, Kissock will oversee the Craig School of Business, the Departments of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies, Education, Engineering Technology and Military Science/ROTC, as well as the Missouri Western State University Law Enforcement Academy.

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — With the St. Joseph Mustangs in the midst of their off-season, renovations to Phil Welch Stadium will have the team and fans coming back “home” with a slightly different look.

New aluminum bleachers and plastic seats for the reserve box will be installed at Phil Welch, with the same classic color scheme. To support the structures of the seats, new layers of concrete will also be applied.

In discussions with Mustang’s Owner and President, Ky Turner, he noted, the new seats will mark the second major addition to Phil Welch this year. The first came back in March, when a new video scoreboard was installed.

“A big thing we talk about when you come to a Mustangs game at Phil Welch Stadium is it’s like a high school game. A big part of your experience is where you sit,” Turner said. “I know these seats have been here for a long time. We’re pretty excited to see it being done.”

Since the stadium’s inception, dating back to 1939, adjustments and renovations have been made when necessary. However, certain areas have required more attention and extensive work.

Stan Weston, the Mustangs’ director of operations, provided additional context on what has been needed in maintaining an older stadium like Phil Welch.

“In my opinion, the seats are kind of a hazard,” Weston said. “They’re (made) with fiberglass on two-by-ten planks and put in with nails. Those (nails) also pop out. We’ve had to go around the stadium before we start (the season). And then we’ll walk through two or three times a year, just pounding nails back in. It’s so people don’t catch their clothes or their legs on the nails.”

According to recent agendas from St. Joseph City Council meetings, construction company costs totaled $674,611.00.

The purchase and installation of new seating was an additional $336,814.00, for a total cost of $1,011,425 for the overall project.

For longtime fans like Kevin Little, he views the improvements to the stadium as something to be excited about, but still appreciates the older feel of Phil Welch. 

“It reminds me of baseball. You look at all the older baseball movies, are just like this,” Little said. “It adds a little bit to the baseball lore. With the changing of times, you have an opportunity to make it a more quality experience for the participants and the spectators.”

The plan for the old seats is to make them available for Mustangs fans to purchase. Once they are officially on sale, Little intends to be one of the first people in line. 

“I might have one of those (seats) down in my basement,” Little said. “Especially since we have Mustang players stay with us. It’d be a fun little experience to put the stadium seat downstairs where they stay.”

Turner also mentioned the recent renovations at Phil Welch may only just be getting started and teased more changes and upgrades coming to the stadium in the future.

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Carter Ostermiller

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Kansas City Chiefs will play in São Paulo, Brazil, and face the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday to kick off their 2025 season.

Many local St. Joseph bars are planning for the big game. 

Jake’s Steakhouse & Sports Bar is planning a special night.

“We are expecting to have a very decent crowd in here tomorrow. We have some specials going on for the Chiefs game, and we have a KC punch, which is a specialty drink just for the Kansas City Chiefs,” said Jake’s Steakhouse & Sports Bar server Leigh Holland.

Jake’s is also planning live music at 7 p.m., with the Chiefs game also kicking off at the same time.

Local bar Tipps is planning their own special for this Friday.

Co-owner Lindsey Bernard is really excited about their new shot.

“We’re going to have the pineapple upside-down shot for $3. And we put it all together. It really represents the Chiefs’ color, so we’re excited about that one,” said Bernard.

The expectation is that the red kingdom will be well represented at St. Joseph Bars this Friday.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Marine Corps veteran and retired St. Joseph police detective Paul Gatewood has announced his candidacy for the District 10 seat in the Missouri House of Representatives.

Gatewood will appear on the Republican ballot. He will bid to replace the current District 10 representative, Bill Falkner. Falkner faces term limits and will leave the House after the next session.

“Politics was never in the forecast for me,” Gatewood said. “However, I am increasingly concerned about what kind of future my children and grandchildren are inheriting. I want to ensure that Missouri remains a place of opportunity and prosperity under the guidance of traditional American values.”

Currently, Gatewood serves as the Evidence Unit Manager for the SJPD. He said he staunchly opposes any efforts to “defund the police,” and promises to work hard to ensure police departments and sheriffs’ offices across the state are well-equipped.

In addition to coaching youth sports, Gatewood has also volunteered as chairman of the Joint Veterans Committee and serves on the St. Joseph Museums Board.

“Being involved in local activities is both a pleasure and a calling,” he said. “I believe those who are blessed are to bless others—and I have been so blessed to be a father of eight wonderful children and a grandfather of nine grandkids.”

Thus far, the 10th District race has drawn plenty of interest. Earlier this year, Republican Skylar Smith and Democrat LaTonya Williams announced their candidacies.

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TaMya Bracy

SAVANNAH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) – With the Savannah Aquatic Center closing down after its final season of being open, both Savannah officials and community members are working to defy the odds and keep hopes high with a new pool.

The Andrew County Aquatics Initiative, a campaigning platform looking to build a new swimming pool in Savannah, is pursuing a $500,000 Land and Water Conservation matching grant from the Missouri State Parks.

The original and existing facility, which was built 61 years ago, was funded by the same grant.

Diane Gould, the pool manager at the current pool location, said even though they will be building a new facility, officials want to keep it in the same location due to nostalgia.

“Our community has had this spot as our summer hangout for so long,” Gould said. “We’d like to kind of keep hold on to that.  It also is accessible to all the kids in town by foot, by bike, and we wanted to make sure that the most as many kids as possible can access it and have a good time here.”

Gould said the pool has been raising money for the last few weeks, and it is already receiving many donations.

“It’s only been a couple of weeks and we are close to $35,000,” Gould said. “We got a really generous donation from Analisa Duncan, who is always a big supporter in our community.  But other than that, it’s really been from a lot of mom and pops and just residents who are wanting to see this happen.”

The pool is hosting an event on Saturday, Sept. 6 to raise more money. Gould said she is hopeful that by the end of Saturday, they will raise $50,000.

“We’re going to spring forth from that guns blazing, and keep finding people who want to make sure that the kids in this town continue to have a place to be in the summer for the next 61 years,” Gould said.

Currently, the pool doesn’t have an idea of what their new facility will look like, but they are hoping to get opinions from the community. Gould said the main priority is for the pool to be sustainable.

“We are going to be able to maintain it and have scheduled repairs and maintenance taken care of,” she said. “We want to make sure that whatever we do stays nice for years.”

Gould also said kids in the community are heartbroken knowing they won’t have a community pool to swim in next year.

“I just sit and think about, ‘What are they going to do if they don’t have this place and how is that going to impact those kids individually as well as the community?'” Gould said.  “So I think I want the kids to know that there are adults in this town who want for them, desperately.  And we’re going to do everything that we can and work as hard as we can to make sure that they get it,” she said.

High school senior Carlton Crumb is on the swim team and he uses the pool for practice. He thinks it’s awesome that the pool is raising money.

“I hope that does happen. I hope we do get a new pool so kids just like me can learn how to swim,” Crumb said. Though that is a foundational ability. And then as well as be on the swim team and  make new friends and build those friendships that will last a lifetime,” he said.

The pool is looking to raise $50,000 by the end of Saturday.

For more information, on where you can donate you can visit their website.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — City councilmembers will not convene for the next regularly scheduled meeting this September due to a statewide conference in St. Charles, Missouri.

A city council meeting scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 15, has been canceled due to multiple members of City Council and city staff planning to attend the annual Missouri Municipal League Conference.

The conference is being held in St. Charles, Missouri, from Sept. 15 to Sept. 17.

A resolution to cancel the meeting was formally introduced and approved by councilmembers at the July 7 meeting.

The next regularly scheduled City Council meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 29.

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News-Press NOW

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) –

The Missouri NAACP is suing Gov. Mike Kehoe to stop a special session on congressional redistricting, arguing that the move is unconstitutional and racially motivated.

The NAACP and two Missourians, including a Columbia woman, filed the lawsuit Wednesday afternoon in Cole County. The group is seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent lawmakers from moving forward.

“The last census was 2020, and maps were redrawn in 2022. We don’t do it again until the next census,” said Rod Chapel, attorney and president of the NAACP Missouri State Conference. “By asking lawmakers to come back and redraw violates the Missouri Constitution.”

Kehoe called lawmakers back to Jefferson City last week to redraw the state’s congressional districts in an effort to retain GOP control of the U.S. House. State House lawmakers gaveled in Wednesday afternoon and set a Thursday hearing on the proposed map.

The new map primarily alters the 5th Congressional District, stretching it out of Kansas City and into parts of mid-Missouri. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat from Kansas City, currently represents the district. He is one of two Democrats in Missouri’s congressional delegation, while Republicans hold the other six seats.

Chapel said the redistricting push carries racial undertones.

“Nationwide, we are seeing a movement where Black and brown voices are being silenced,” Chapel told ABC 17 News.  “Communities perceived as Black and brown, Kansas City and St. Louis, are being subjected to their votes being taken away, their political power being taken away so that a few political fat cats can have the things that they want.”

NAACP-v-KehoeDownload

The lawsuit said Missouri would suffer “irreparable harm” if the special session was allowed to proceed, the standard needed to get a judge to issue a temporary restraining order to stop the session. Lawmakers are paid daily for their time at the Capitol, and citizens would need to travel to and from the Capitol in order to participate in hearings, which Chapel said would cost the state time and money for a session that may be unconstitutional.

“We can see that on a plain textual argument from the Missouri Constitution, that what’s happening here is inappropriate,” Chapel said.

Other states, like California, have pushed back against President Trump with redistricting efforts of their own. However, Chapel says one of the key differences is that Missouri has a travel advisory for minority residents and visitors, which the NAACP first issued in 2017 and has never rescinded. An example he gave is former Attorney General Andrew Bailey refusing to release racial disparity data, despite it being required by law.  He says that Missouri’s redistricting efforts are a clear attempt to take political power from black communities in St. Louis and Kansas City. 

“It tells folks who are Black, brown, and frankly, of any persuasion, that if you’re here in Missouri, you can be treated differently,” Chapel said. “The criminal justice system has a whole different set of outcomes for you.”

Some citizens joined the NAACP’s push against the session, including St. Louis resident Juanuta Storey, who drove over 100 miles to the Capitol to protest.

“I don’t care what party you are affiliated with when your rights are taken away, there’s no longer a democracy,” Storey said. “We just want our rights. And I think if we can all agree on that, just the simple right to vote. That’s all I’m asking for. Keep my right to vote, keep it fair, keep the elections fair.”

Storey said she sees the fight over redistricting as part of a broader erosion of democratic values.

“We’ve become the divided states of America, and it’s sad,” she said. “We are the United States of America. United we are stronger.”

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