Category: knpn-local-news

TaMya Bracy

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Missouri State Highway Patrol wants to remind drivers to be more alert on Halloween.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Halloween involves potentially deadly crashes and impaired drivers on the road.

In 2023, nearly half of all crash fatalities on Halloween night were alcohol-related.

MSHP Sergeant Shane Hux said adults should avoid driving on Halloween if they plan on drinking and smoking recreational marijuana.

“If you’re in a big populated area like Saint Joe, there are several rideshares here in town. You know, you have Uber, Lyft, so any type of transportation have a plan in place before you get to where you’re going,” Hux said.

Hux gave tips for adults who plan to drive while wearing a costume.

“If you are wearing a costume, any type of a work situation, or even an adult get-together. Just make sure that it does not block your vision so you can still see the road. That’s very important,” Hux said.

Hux also said the public should be extra cautious when driving on Halloween.

“Expect slow-moving vehicles in neighborhoods and a significant increase in pedestrian traffic. Kids could dart out into the roadway, but it’s also very important for parents to talk to the trick or treaters and make safety a number one priority,” he said.

St. Joseph resident Kali Maloney said she tries to keep her kids close to her while trick-or-treating.

“There’s always cars everywhere, especially on Ashland. It gets really busy and crazy. So to stay close to us, always make sure you don’t go too far and definitely watch the roads down the sidewalk,” Maloney said.

Overall, Hux said safety should be everyone’s top priority.

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Alec Pascuzzi

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of YWCA renovations.

The non-profit organization just finished the construction of its new bathrooms. The project began back in September of 2024.

The YWCA originally had two communal bathrooms for those who utilize the facility. Now they have eight individual bathrooms.

YWCA CEO Danielle Brown talked about the impact these renovations have already had.

“The look on people’s faces when they went into brand new bathrooms. Just to know, this is for me. The staff even, like, it was a boost to the staff to know that we were investing in those people that we serve,” said Brown.

To learn more about the YWCA and its programs, visit www.ywcasj.org.

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Associated Press

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, TIM REYNOLDS and PHILIP MARCELO – Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier are among more than 30 people charged in connection with schemes involving illegal sports betting and rigged poker games backed by Mafia, authorities said on Thursday.

Rozier is accused in participating in an illegal sports betting scheme using private insider NBA information, officials said. Billups is charged in a separate indictment alleging a wide-ranging scheme to rig underground poker games that were backed by Mafia families, authorities said.

The indictment of Rozier and others says there are nine unnamed co-conspirators including a Florida resident who was an NBA player and an Oregon resident who was an NBA player from about 1997 to 2014 and an NBA coach since at least 2021, as well as a relative of Rozier.

The NBA had no immediate comment. The league has investigated Rozier previously and still is looking into the actions of former Detroit player Malik Beasley, one of the sources told the AP.

Rozier was in uniform as the Heat played the Magic in Orlando, Florida, in the season opener for both teams on Wednesday evening, though he did not play in the game. He was taken into custody in Orlando early Thursday morning. The team didn’t immediately comment on the arrest.

A message was left with Rozier’s lawyer, Jim Trusty, on Thursday. Trusty previously told ESPN that Rozier was told that an initial investigation determined he did nothing wrong after he met with NBA and FBI officials in 2023, the sports network reported.

A message seeking comment was left with Billups on Thursday morning.

FBI Director Kash Patel and other law enforcement officials were providing more information at a news conference Thursday.

The case was brought by the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn that previously prosecuted ex-NBA player Jontay Porter. The former Toronto Raptors center pleaded guilty to charges that he withdrew early from games, claiming illness or injury, so that those in the know could win big by betting on him to underperform expectations.

Billups was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last year. The five-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA point guard led the Detroit Pistons to their third league title in 2004 as NBA Finals MVP. Boston drafted the former Colorado star with the No. 3 pick overall in 1997. The player known as Mr. Big Shot also played for Toronto, Denver, Minnesota, the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers. Billups won the Joe Dumars Trophy, the NBA’s sportsmanship award, in 2009 while playing for his hometown Denver Nuggets.

The 49-year-old Billups is in his fifth season as Portland’s coach, compiling a 117-212 record. The Trail Blazers opened the season Wednesday night at home with a 118-114 loss to Minnesota.

A game involving Rozier that has been in question was played on March 23, 2023, a matchup between the Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans. Rozier played the first 9 minutes and 36 seconds of that game — and not only did not return that night, citing a foot issue, but did not play again that season. Charlotte had eight games remaining and was not in playoff contention, so it did not seem particularly unusual that Rozier was shut down for the season’s final games.

In that March 23 game, Rozier finished with five points, four rebounds and two assists in that opening period — a productive quarter but well below his usual total output for a full game.

Posts still online from March 23, 2023, show that some bettors were furious with sportsbooks that evening when it became evident that Rozier was not going to return to the Charlotte-New Orleans game after the first quarter, with many turning to social media to say that something “shady” had gone on regarding the prop bets involving his stats for that night.

A prop is a type of wager that allows gamblers to bet on whether a player will exceed a certain statistical number, such as whether the player will finish over or under a certain total of points, rebounds, assists and more.

Durkin Richer reported from Washington, and Reynolds reported from Miami. Associated Press reporters David Collins in Hartford, Conn., and Larry Lage in Detroit contributed.

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Carter Ostermiller

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A single-car accident at the intersection of Alabama Street and King Hill Ave caused a traffic snarl and resulted in one person being transported to the hospital on Thursday morning.

The accident happened around 7:19 a.m.

“The white SUV was northbound on King Hill. As it passed over, Alabama went off the roadway, struck two separate light poles and a, no parking sign before coming to rest on top of the second base of the light bulb. And, right now, it’s possibly, medical condition for the leading up to what caused the crash,” said Sgt. Patrick Zeamer with the St. Joseph Police Department.

Police and safety crews were on the scene, with roads closed, for a little over an hour while they cleaned.

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News-Press NOW

CLINTON COUNTY, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — One man is dead and another was taken to the hospital after a crash in Clinton County, Missouri Wednesday.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports the crash occurred around 5:15 p.m. on Missouri Route 33, about 2 miles from Lathrop, Missouri.

A 58-year-old driver from that town was working his way around a curve when a 55-year-old driver, also from Lathrop, crossed the center line.

The first driver slowed and swerved to avoid a head-on collision, but the cars crashed anyway.

The Clinton County Coroner pronounced the 55-year-old man dead minutes later.

He was not wearing a seat belt.

First responders took the 58-year-old man, who was wearing a seat belt, to Liberty Hospital for moderate injuries, according to the crash report.

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Carter Ostermiller

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — At the local Rolling Hills Library from 6 to 7:30 P.M. on Wednesday, Oct 22, The Persisterhood of St. Joseph gathered to discuss local and national issues.

The main topic of their discussions tonight revolved around the local health concerns in Northwest Missouri and the impacts of the Trump administration.

The meeting featured local experts, including Charles Mullican, an instructor at the UMKC School of Medicine, Diane Waddell, a retired family nurse practitioner, and Mike Poore, Mosaic’s chief executive officer.

The Trump Administration’s policies, such as the ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ were among the topics discussed regarding their impact on rural hospitals.

“There’s a study from the University of North Carolina that actually went to Congress that predicted close to 800 rural hospitals were closed across the country because of the BBB,” said Poore.

Health coverage concerns were also mentioned due to the federal government shutdown and cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, impacting Missouri.

“People are going to fall off, and we’re going to return to a state that is shameful for the United States to have that large and uninsured population,” said Mullican.

The meeting also touched on the recent ‘No Kings Protests’ and their impact, as well as having Kennedy Moore, the Senior Manager of Field and Programs from the Abortion Action Missouri network, to share the risks of the potential abortion ban in Missouri.

“Corrupt politicians are trying to trick voters into banning abortion all over again, don’t fall for it, you need to vote no on 3,” said Moore.

Persisterhood plans to meet on Wednesday, Dec. 12, for its final meeting of the year.

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TaMya Bracy

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) —  The Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph is now accepting applications for its Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

The LIHEAP is a one-time credit that comes from the state to apply as payment for a primary heating source.

After the one-time payment, if the household is disconnected or in threat of disconnection, they can bring a disconnection notice in over the winter and CAPSJOE can help with up to $800 in additional crisis packages.

The program is a crisis fund that requires a termination or disconnection notice in order to apply for those funds. 

Last winter, CAPSJOE helped 2,047 households with preventing disconnection or restoring terminated services.

CAPSJOE will be accepting winter LIHEAP applications on two different dates.

On Oct. 1, the organization will only accept applications for any member of the household over the age of 60 or any member of the household who has a disability.

On Nov. 1, the organization will accept applications from all other households.

CAPSTJOE Community Relations Director, Kayla Marmaud, said participants must bring the required documents with their application.

“So we require a Social Security card for our household members. The previous months’ income copies of gas and electric bills and then if they have all that with us, that helps speed up the process, the application process,” she said.

Applications can take about 30 days to process. October applicants won’t see credit until after November, and November applicants won’t see credit until December.

Marmaud said this program is important for low-income families in St. Joseph because the winter months have been known to cause financial hardships.

“Heating and cooling bills kind of go up, and it’s just helping them to kind of take the stress off of them to be able to pay those bills and make sure that they stay warm in the winter,” she said.

The LIHEAP winter program runs until the end of May. Applications are available in person and online.

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The City of St. Joseph Parks and Recreation held a public meeting last week regarding the John Lucas Enhancement Project.

Among the topics discussed were improvements to the deck area of the park, updated curbs, railing, playground upgrades and resurfaced basketball courts.

“We sometimes almost have tunnel vision when we’re looking at these types of projects,” Parks Director Jeff Atkins said. “That’s why we like to have the public sessions, to kind of broaden our vision a little bit, cover the things that were missing.”

In showing designs of potential playgrounds, Atkins added that input is wanted from people of all ages.

“To get the opinion of a 5 or 6 year old when you’re designing playgrounds, that’s awesome, right,” Atkins said. “I’m a grandpa. I don’t know what kids want to play on. I think I do, but when you hear it from a kid, that’s when it’s really important.”

Some of the renovations and improvements will be dependent on a $500,000 Land and Water Conservation grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

The grant will be submitted in November but official approval will not be confirmed until November 2026. If approved, construction would not break ground until 2027.

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Alec Pascuzzi

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph Civic Arena is set to become home to another major sporting event.

In 2027, the men’s and women’s Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships (GLVC) will be held at the Civic Arena through 2029.

This is a major step forward for the St. Joseph Sports Commission from a sporting standpoint. But also for the city of St Joseph from an economic point of view.

“You have multiple teams, people coming from multiple states coming in to spend money and spend a lot of money because it is those overnight, hotel dollars that leads to restaurants, that leads to, ‘Hey, this is a once in a lifetime event for us. Let’s make the most of it and do something special’,” said Christian Mengel, director of communications at the St. Joseph Sports Commission.

More information regarding the 2027-2029 GLVC Conference Championships can be found on the St. Joseph Sports Commission’s website.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Local residents will see the first in a new series of magazine-like newsletters delivered to their mailboxes starting this year.

The new 24-page publication, titled “City Connect”, provides residents with the latest information on everything from city operations and services to ongoing construction projects at places like Krug Park.

Copies are currently being printed and bundled in preparation for delivery in the first half of November.

“It’ll go to every mailbox in St. Joe, residential and business. We’re going to make sure and communicate with every single resident and business owner here in St. Joe,” City Manager Mike Schumacher said.

Residents will see two newsletters delivered each year in the spring and fall. No subscriptions or payments are required.

The new initiative is being spearheaded by the city’s Communications and Community Engagement Department, part of a revamped effort to boost communications following feedback from a wide-ranging community survey issued earlier this year.

“One of the greatest things about this effort was each director came up with the content on their page and then kind of pulled their team together (and said) ‘What do you think our customers want to hear more about?'” City Manager Mike Schumacher said. “We look forward to feedback on it.” 

From the latest construction and bridge projects to operations in the city’s major departments, the newsletter gives residents the chance to learn about a number of services and engage with the latest activities.

“A lot of it is talking about the services that we offer. Not everyone knows everything the City of St. Joe offers to this community,” Schumacher said.

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