Category: knpn-local-news

News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Two busy Buchanan County routes will see roadwork efforts starting on Monday, May 12.

The southbound lane on the Belt Highway (U.S. Route 169) from I-29 to Route FF will be narrowed down to one lane overnight from Monday, May 12 through Monday, May 19, where the Missouri Department of Transportation will work on completing a scrub seal project.

The northbound lane on the Belt Highway (U.S. Route 169) from I-29 to Route FF will be narrowed down to one lane overnight from Monday, May 12 through Tuesday, May 20, where MoDOT will continue its scrub seal project.

Frederick Boulevard (Route 6), from I-29 to the Belt Highway, will also be narrowed down to one lane overnight on Friday, May 16 for the scrub seal project.

Vance Brothers, Inc. was contracted to do the scrub seal work along the Belt Highway and Frederick Boulevard.

For more information on the project, visit MoDOT’s interactive Traveler Map or, contact MoDOT Customer Service at 1-888-275-6636.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Outdoor explorers of all ages will get the chance to participate in three days of near, non-stop activities at the scenic bluffs at River Bluff Trails Park beginning Friday, May 16 in St. Joseph.

From mountain biking and trail-hiking to 5Ks, yoga, photography and all of the classic festival amenities like vendors and food trucks, residents and families will be treated to a weekend filled with adventure at River Bluff Trails Fest, a three-day outdoor festival that takes place Friday, May 16 to Sunday, May 18.

St. Joseph Parks and Recreation Special Events Coordinator Jessica Oshel said the event has grown from a bike-centric event that started in 2022 to an all-encompassing outdoor festival, one that gives both kids and adults the chance to explore nature, hone their skills or participate in competitive races.

“It is such a beautiful location between the bluffs. You’ve got that nice elevation that really overlooks the Missouri River. So you have that beautiful valley next to it,” she said. “So it’s a really cool way to get out and see, even if you’re not a mountain bike family, just see the trails.”

Trail and mountain bikers of all skill levels will have plenty of opportunities to put St. Joseph’s moniker of “St. Flow, Mo” to the test, as a wide-range of long distance, short distance, closed course and obstacle rides will be featured through the 15-mile trail park, along with other locations along the bluffs and St. Joseph, such as the Missouri River and Krug Park.

“With the new pump track and the skill flow area, that’s something really unique that you don’t get with the mountain bike trails,” she said. “We’ve got the mountain biking stuff. Enduro races. We also have the trail running 5K and 10K. But then we’ve got food trucks. And this year we’re adding nature walks with photography and the flora and fauna.”

The event is free to attend, but those looking to participate in organized races must register and purchase tickets. Registration will be allowed the day of the event.

River Bluff Trails Festival race registration websites:

Wheels Up Skills Clinics: Wheels Up @ River Bluffs Trail Fest Learn to Jump May 16 & 17th 2025Root’s Women’s Skills Clinic: Women’s Intermediate Clinic – Roots MTBRace Reg: River Bluff Trails Fest Online Registration

A full schedule of events and festival information can be found at www.facebook.com/RiverBluffTrailsPark and www.facebook.com/events/595671953355189/

Stay with us as we continue to update this story.

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Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, MO. (News-Press NOW) — One St. Joseph School District assistant principal was named the Northwest Missouri Assistant Principal of the Year by the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals.

In a Facebook post on Friday, May 9, the St. Joseph School District congratulated Central High School assistant principal, Shawna Gilliland on the accomplishment.

The post said, “Her dedication, leadership, and commitment to students and staff have earned her this well-deserved recognition”.

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Charles Christian

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — As the bells rang out at the Vatican after the election of Pope Leo XIV as the new Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church, the bells of the Cathedral of St. Joseph could be heard throughout downtown.

Father Stephen Hansen said that he, like much of the world, was surprised that a U.S. born Cardinal, born just in Chicago, is now the pope. However, Hansen said that the message of Pope Leo XIV echoes the care for the poor that his predecessor Pope Francis brought to the church, accompanied by an ongoing emphasis upon peace.

“I loved his constant reference to the word ‘peace’,” Hansen said. “He also emphasized the need to be bridge builders, and to be welcoming.”

Given the new pontiff’s missionary background, having spent many years doing mission work in Peru, and leading the Augustinian religious order of the Church, Hansen said Leo has established himself as a well-respected leader, calling him “well-seasoned.”

Because everyone found out about this unlikely new pope at the same time, even the local diocese was caught a bit off guard. Ashlie Hand, communications coordinator of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City/St. Joseph, said that Bishop Jeffrey Johnston spent much of the day reading up on the background of Pope Leo and preparing to give responses to local media and to the diocese. She added that he would likely have an official statement by the end of the week welcoming the Church’s new leader.

The Cathedral of St. Joseph held a Rosary prayer gathering on the night of Leo XIV’s election and will host special masses in the coming days.

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Leah Rainwater

MARYVILLE, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Youth ages 15 and under are invited to enjoy a day of fishing alongside first responders who serve Nodaway County.

This is the second year the Nodaway County Sheriff’s Office has put on ‘Fish with a First Responder’.

The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 10 at Nodaway Lake. Registration is free and youth will register on-site upon arrival.

Registered youth will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win prizes.

Fishing poles will be given out to attendees on a first come-first serve basis. Tackle will also be provided. The Nodaway County Cattlemen’s Association is providing the beef for burgers, which will be provided at no cost to those who come out.

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Chris Fortune

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Robidoux Row Museum is giving elementary school kids a history lesson on an event that helped shape the United States today. 

Rock Port Elementary students visited the museum to hear about westward expansion and build upon what they recently learned in class. 

“We spent a lot of time learning about the Oregon Trail and the Santa Fe Trail, the Pony Express, just everything about moving west from the colonies and extending the United States,” fifth grade teacher Danyal Coon said.

Coon found Robidoux Row Museum after researching what learning opportunities were available in the area.

“I knew that they had some great museums in St. Joe, and so this one popped up in my search, and I got to talking to the people that worked here, and it sounded like it would be a great place for students to come learn more about westward expansion,” she said.

Exhibits in the museum give visitors the chance to learn about westward expansion through firsthand accounts of those who traveled west.

“Part of the purchase of Northwest Missouri was actually facilitated by Joseph Robidoux and some of his relations with the Native Americans,” Museum Coordinator Michael Thomas said. “So I think some of that history should be brought to light.”

Some teachers at Rock Port Elementary said, it’s important to provide visual aids for their lesson on the history of western expansion.

“I think it’s important for them to get hands-on experiences because those last a lot longer in your memory than just reading books about it, which is great too, but when you compare the two together, that’s what really sticks,” fifth grade teacher Ciara Hunter said.

The Rock Port Elementary tour wrapped up a busy week at the Robidoux Row Museum, which included a total of four tours.

“I thought I was going to have a sedentary position working in the museum, and it’s been very active,” Thomas said. “The museum has been very lively since it opened up (again in March).”

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Leah Rainwater

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Starting Wednesday, May 14, residents will use a new entrance to drop off items at the St. Joseph Recycling Center on 3405 S. Belt Highway.

This change is planned to be permanent and comes to accommodate the construction of the city’s new Animal Shelter on the property.

Traffic will continue to enter the facility from the Belt Highway, but vehicles will drive down the center aisle between the buildings to access the recycling bins, rather than traveling through the gate at the south end of the property.

Signage and traffic cones will help direct drivers to the new entrance.

Residents will also see a different configuration of the collection bins. Per usual, staff will be on hand to collect and sort items.

Vehicles will continue to exit the drop=off area along the aisle of the north side of the facility.

A groundbreaking for the new Animal Shelter is expected in early summer and construction is scheduled to be complete in June 2026.

The Recycling Center is open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Residents are instructed not to leave items at the center outside of normal operating hours.

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Charles Christian

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — As the details of Operation Relentless Pursuit continue to unfold, a longtime Buchanan County deputy will head up local efforts.

Investigator Billy Paul Miller, who has spent over 35 years in law enforcement, will be the designated investigator for the coordinated law enforcement effort created through Governor Mike Kehoe’s Executive Order 25-02, signed in January of this year.

Specifically, the initiative seeks to locate and apprehend fugitives who are “subject to felony arrests,” according to the Missouri Secretary of State’s website.

Investigator Miller said he and a partner have already started combing through warrants and seeking those who are wanted felons in the area.

“There are violent offenders out there,” Miller said. “That includes a lot of people who have violated probation or parole. . . and others who have not shown up to court.”

The benefit of the executive order is, it provides funding which allows counties and jurisdictions to free up officers to specifically pursue wanted felons. Captain Shawn Collie said this is much more efficient than in the past.

“Fugitives have been something we’ve worked on over the years,” Collie said, “But in the past, we’ve never really had people designated just for fugitives. So, we had to put these aside at times to address more immediate crimes. That’s where Relentless Pursuit comes in.”

Both Miller and Collie said this order has created a stronger sense of partnership statewide, which is especially important when a fugitive flees from one jurisdiction to another.

“Knowing that this is a statewide program gives us more opportunities to target fugitives as a priority when we contact another jurisdiction,” Collie said. “We know there are other designated investigators in other jurisdictions who are keying in specifically on fugitives.”

A stated goal of the Executive Order is to “facilitate the sharing of intelligence and operational plans with relevant agencies,” according to the Missouri Secretary of State’s office. Investigator Miller said this can really speed up the process of catching those who are fleeing from justice.

“Once we identify a fugitive that we are going after, we will use all available resources to go after them,” Miller said. “This includes highway patrol resources, databases, local agencies and even employers.”

Miller added they will also do “leg work,” such as surveillance and door to door operations in order to get fugitives into custody. Overall, the additional resources and enhanced networking the program creates can ultimately lead to more arrests of violent criminals who have fled from justice or have fled from their court appearances, resulting in greater community safety, according to Captain Collier.

In a press release sent out on Friday, May 9, Gov. Kehoe reported, “In it’s first four weeks of operations across Missouri, Operation Relentless Pursuit (ORP) has arrested or assisted in the arrest of 148 fugitives wanted for outstanding felony warrants…The 148 arrests resulted in clearing 251 outstanding arrest warrants.”

Visit our website for more in-depth reporting on Operation Relentless Pursuit.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — City leaders provided an update on the progress of a new animal shelter on South Belt Highway during Thursday’s budget work session.

Officials with the St. Joseph Health Department confirmed that internal demolition work is slated to begin next week. Construction crews with E.L. Crawford Construction are expected to ramp up exterior construction in July on the $5 million facility.

The tentative completion date for the shelter is now being eyed for 2026.

“Hopefully by this time next year or maybe just like mid-summer, we might be completed with the project and moving into a new animal shelter,” Assistant Health Director Kendra Bundy said.

The new shelter is designed with an additional 5,000 square feet of space, moving from the current 8,000-square-foot facility at 701 S.W. Lower Lake Road to an area by the St. Joseph Recycling Center at 3405 S. Belt Highway.

The proposed shelter is being designed with a vet clinic as part of the concept as well, a smaller suite capable of providing surgeries and other services carried out by shelter staff.

“I don’t know if it’s going to open as soon as the shelter will be. We’re still looking at what we needed for that,” Health Department Director Debra Bradley said during the meeting. “The Friends of the Animal Shelter has been instrumental in helping us with that.”

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Chris Fortune

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — As warmer weather arrives, so do efforts to revive a recreational lake on the south side of St. Joseph. 

A Buchanan County project to dredge Lake Contrary is gaining traction, with weed spraying estimated to begin at the end of the month. The county contracted an Oklahoma company for the job. 

“They’ll allow the chemical that goes on there to work its magic, and it’s going to kill the root ball,” Buchanan County Commissioner Ron Hook said. “Everything all the way down. It’s aquatic safe.”

Clearing the weeds is a crucial step toward dredging to prevent weeds from clogging dredging equipment. At a public meeting last August hosted by the county, officials discussed a plan to use an aquatic herbicide called Clearcast. 

It’s just the beginning of an effort to restore what was once a community asset. St. Joseph resident Steven Ball remembers visiting the lake with his family to swim, ride jet skis and go swimming. 

He said the water was not very deep back then, but still, he can’t believe how much the lake has changed since then.

“I can’t bring my kids down here now to go swimming or to have a picnic or to build sandcastles or do whatever, you know, there’s nothing here anymore,” he said.

Lake activities are more difficult to participate in as weeds protrude multiple feet above the lakebed.  Another Lake Contrary resident of nearly 30 years also remembers a livelier lake.

“We used to come boating down here a lot,” Dave Polley said. “I remember a lot of boats coming down here, but you don’t see that much anymore. And people used to go swimming down here a lot, but not that much anymore.”

Less water and more plants have taken away from the lake life. Cattails and other vegetation continue to grow quickly in the area.

“It’s almost desolate out here,” Ball said. “You don’t see nothing going on. It’s a tragedy.”

The contractor completed their survey of the lake, the land and the plants at Lake Contrary earlier this year. They believe all the plants that are alive will be easier to target and ready to spray by the end of May.

“We’re going to put out to all the public that live around this area the day that (the spraying is) going to be done when when we get it so they can do whatever they want to feel that they are safe,” Hook said.

Buchanan County would like to stay in the $6 million range to dredge the lake. Ball believes the project will boost the local economy and inject life into the community.

“It’s going to be a task, of course, but it’s going to put people to work too,” he said. “It’s going to create jobs to do this.”

Hook said the dredging project is important to him because he believes an area the size of Buchanan County needs to have a recreational lake.

One of the final hurdles to overcome before dredging is gaining the final permit from the Army Corps of Engineers. The decision on whether or not to provide a permit is expected any day.

“The county set aside some money to get it done, and we’re ready to move on it,” Hook said. “So just continued prayers.”

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