Category: knpn-local-news

Alec Pascuzzi

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Oct. 6 marked the recognition of world habitat day, an observance highlighting the state of our towns and cities.

The recognition is used to raise awareness on the importance of safe, affordable and sustainable living for all, as well as the basic right to adequate shelter.

World Habitat Day serves as a reminder that everyone deserves a safe place to call home.

“Having something with awareness like World Habitat Day that really says, ‘You know, a habitat is a place to be,’ whatever that looks like,” said Danielle Brown, the CEO of the YWCA of St. Joseph.

Brown hammered on the fact that everyone needs a place where they can feel at home and safe.

“Some people look at housing alternatively. That’s okay to a point, but we all need something and we all need a place where we can feel safe,” said Brown.

For more information on how to make a difference, visit www.ywcasj.org or www.stjosephunitedway.org.

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Praji Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Safety concerns are growing in parts of St. Joseph — especially in older buildings and neighborhoods.

Many of these worries stem from aging electrical systems or outdated wiring, which can easily overheat or spark a fire and cause damage to the residents and structures.

City Planning Director Nathan Pare said the first step is simply connecting with the owners of those properties.

“Some of them are very excited about that, and some of them we are working with on a daily basis and others have no desire or motivation to do anything about this,” Pare said.

Pare said money is often the biggest challenge. Many of these older buildings need a fair amount of investment before renovation can even begin.

City officials also said they are hoping the situation improves with time and they come up with a proper solution to fix this problem.

Meanwhile, fire safety remains a major concern in these aging buildings. The City’s Plan Review Coordinator, Dale Reuter, said education is key.

He said the City needs to do a better job of educating residents — helping them understand how to properly maintain their homes and prevent the kinds of issues that can lead to fires.

“Too many electrical cords and things of that nature overloading your system, or you may have an older system in your house that needs to be looked at to upgrade,” Reuter said. 

Reuter said when the City gets a report about a fire hazard, there’s a formal process to inspect the property and notify the owner about what needs to be fixed.

According to Reuter, inspections are taken seriously — especially for buildings under renovation.

“We go through and we try to do the inspections and pull permits that they’re supposed to and follow by the rules so the houses are built in a safer way and are up to the codes,” Reuter said.

Fire Inspector Loren Crum said older buildings are more likely to catch fire because, over time, their materials start to wear down, making them more vulnerable to fire hazards.

“Make sure you’re not using extension cords to run your appliances, plug items directly into an outlet or put stuff underneath the rugs and behind the couches to keep things as safe as possible,” Crum said. 

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Local law enforcement arrested Alec M. Gray just after 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, for multiple offenses, including a crash with a Missouri State Highway Patrol vehicle.

Gray, a 24-year-old male, was driving a 2020 Chevrolet 2500, according to an MSHP crash report and probable cause statement.

The crash occurred as the MSHP Patrol vehicle, a 2024 Dodge Durango, was southbound on North 20th Street. Gray was westbound on Howard Street.

After failing to stop at a stop sign, the Chevrolet struck the front driver’s side of the MSHP vehicle, then began skidding and came to rest on its wheels facing east. The MSHP vehicle came to rest on its wheels facing south.

According to a probable cause statement, Gray fled the scene on foot but was captured by the MSHP Lieutenant involved in the crash just after midnight on Sunday, Oct. 5.

The St. Joseph Police Department transported Gray to the Buchanan County Law Enforcement Center.

Local law enforcement performed a series of alcohol tests on Gray. One of which was a Preliminary Breath Test (PBT), which calculated Gray’s blood alcohol content at 0.100%.

Just before 1 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 5, Gray was placed under arrest for driving while intoxicated. He also consented to a chemical breath test, which showed he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.114%.

Gray is facing DWI charges, but was released from jail with conditions. Some of which include: no alcohol, no driving without a valid license and he is required to wear a Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring (SCRAM) device.

Other than a DWI charge, Gray was also arrested under suspicion of the following charges:

Leaving the scene after an accident

No proof of insurance

Operating a motor vehicle in a careless manner

Resisting arrest

News-Press NOW will continue to provide updates as they become available.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A school bus full of kids ran into a pickup truck just after 3 p.m. on Monday.

The crash happened at the intersection of South Belt Highway and Pickett Road. Around 30 students from Central High School and Truman Middle School were on the bus.

According to law enforcement on scene, the bus driver to not have enough time to stop before hitting a vehicle in front of it. There was also one child from the school bus who sustained minor head and neck injuries due to the incident.

Kids evacuated the bus for observation and safety checks, but were eventually allowed back on board the bus for the route to continue.

Some St. Joseph School District parents were also able to pick their children up from the crash site.

The pickup truck suffered minor damage to its rear, and the school bus suffered minor damage to the bumper.

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News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Chamber of Commerce, in coordination with Main Street St. Joseph, is hosting a business workshop and Downtown open spaces tour on Tuesday, Oct. 7.

The event will begin at 2 p.m. at 801 Felix St. with a workshop titled, “Business Basics: How to Start a Business.”

Annette Weeks, who works with Aspire Business Consulting, will lead the workshop.

A tour will begin at 3 p.m. and include the following locations available for purchase or lease:

801 Felix St.

219 S. 7th St., Suite A

223 S. 7th St., Suite A

716 Felix St.

724 Francis St.

706 Felix St.

111 S. 7th St.

402 Felix St.

619 Francis St.

The tour will end with a networking reception at 5 p.m. at The Den, located at 519 Felix St. The event is free and registration is not required.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Drivers and pedestrians traveling Downtown will see a prominent section of City Hall and Civic Center Park undergoing large renovations this fall.

City officials are preparing to move forward on a $190,000 construction project involving the complete demolition and removal of the existing fountain structure in front of City Hall between Faraon and Frederick streets.

Demolition will include all of the brick, stone and concrete materials by the fountain, including the large concrete retaining wall. Once the site is regraded, a new fountain and circular patio area will be installed with benches. The well-known wheel and wagon statue currently in place will be reinstalled with the new fountain.

The wagon and wheel statue is shown by the fountain in front of City Hall on Monday in St. Joseph.

“One of the things that we’re also wanting to address right now is some possible line of sight problems that we have right now (for drivers), the fountain is kind of elevated compared to the street level,” St. Joseph Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Atkins said. “We’re going to bring it back down the street level.”

The project also includes the construction of a new sidewalk and installation of decorative landscape rocks, in addition to grass being replanted around the concrete fountain structure. The new layout is designed to give the fountain and statue more prominence by relocating the bushes that currently block much of their view.

“It’ll be a lot cleaner look to it. We’re going to have benches placed around it, but nothing that really grows tall that will then block the view of the fountain itself again,” Atkins said.

New fountain materials have already been ordered and demolition work is scheduled to begin this fall. Reconstruction of the fountain will take place during Phase II next spring and will conclude that season.

Atkins expects some minor traffic impacts to occur during the project.

“Frederick really won’t be affected, but this far inside lane here on Walter Welsh Avenue (Faraon Street) will probably be shut down as kind of a staging area,” Atkins said. “Hopefully, it won’t be more than a late spring project to be complete.”

This design rendering, courtesy of Goldberg Group Architects, shows how the new City Hall north fountain and patio will be designed.

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Payton Counts

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Monday kicks off a stretch of back-to-back-to-back supermoons.

Weather permitting for northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri, the full moon will reach peak illumination around 10:47 p.m. CT. 

Even if the clouds are blocking our view, Monday’s full moon holds a special meaning. 

Every full moon has a name that dates back to Native American and Colonial times, passed down through generations, according to the Farmer’s Almanac. The Old Farmer’s Almanac began publishing these names in the 1930s.

Some of the more well-known full moons from earlier this year include the Sturgeon Moon in August, the Strawberry Moon in June and the Flower Moon in May.

Monday’s full moon is known interchangeably as the Harvest Moon and the Hunter’s Moon. The Harvest Moon is tied to the timing of the autumnal equinox, while the Hunter’s Moon is the full moon that follows it.

Because this moon falls closest to the fall equinox and appears in early October, it’s being recognized as the Harvest Moon.

Brian Bucklein, associate professor of astronomy and physics at Missouri Western State University, said, “Each moon has this kind of traditional name associated with it…September’s is the corn moon, the October full moon is usually called the Hunter’s moon….whichever one the Harvest Moon falls into replaces that one.”

The Harvest Moon got its name because farmers once used its bright light to work later into the night during harvest season. The Hunter’s Moon, meanwhile, signified a time to prepare for winter by hunting and gathering food.

Both names are used interchangeably this year. Major outlets like USA Today are calling it the Harvest Moon, while ABC News is using Hunter’s Moon.

Even if you miss Monday night’s supermoon, Bucklein said, “You’ll still be able to catch the full moon, the day before and the day after. It’ll still look pretty full. It’s just a sliver off from being fully illuminated, so, it’ll still be good for viewing”

Either way, the moon will shine bright — even if clouds end up obscuring the view. But don’t worry, two more supermoons are still on the way, with the next one appearing in early November.

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TaMya Bracy

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Oct. 5 marked the start of Fire Prevention Week, signaling homeowners to go over certain fire safety protocols.

This year’s theme is ‘Charge into Fire Safety: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home.’

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the campaign emphasizes the importance of buying, charging and recycling safely when it comes to lithium-ion batteries.

Andy Peterson, inspector with St. Joseph Fire Department, said you should get out of your home quickly if a fire is caused by a lithium-ion battery.

“The thing about these fires is they burn fast and usually you can’t put them out. So, the best thing is to get out and then call 911 as quick as you can,” Peterson said.

Peterson also suggested trying to charge electronic devices in a safe area that might not catch fire.

“You don’t want to plug your phone in and then stick it under your pillow when you go to bed at night. A lot of times those will take off,” he said.

For the entire month of October, SJFD will be visiting local schools to meet with children and teach them about fire safety.

“We like to hit on the hot points — call 911, have a safe place to meet outside your home when there’s a fire so that everybody knows that the rest of the family is out,” Peterson said.

Lowes and Home Depot in St. Joseph have bins to recycle any lithium-Ion batteries.

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Carter Ostermiller

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — First recognized as the “Day of Unity” in 1981, Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) is observed every October, with the goal of unifying efforts to end domestic violence and raise awareness.

DVAM is recognized nationally by advocacy groups all across the United States.

The YWCA is a nonprofit organization with a mission to eliminate racism and empower women. The group also provides domestic violence support, childcare and youth services.

YWCA Youth Programs Manager, Zach Ellis, said the organization has a few different things they do to recognize DVAM.

“Every Thursday, we are inviting everyone to wear purple and then go ahead and snap a selfie, grab a couple friends who are wearing purple and take a picture and post on social media. We have Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, just hashtag YWCA St. Joseph and Domestic Violence Awareness Month.”

The color purple is used to symbolize unity against domestic violence, and can often be seen with the purple ribbon.

The YWCA plans to do other events this month, such as its resource fair, which will take place later in October.

For more information about the YWCA and its events, you can visit the YWCA website.

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News-Press NOW

HARRISON COUNTY, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A child was taken to the hospital after a dirt bike crash in Harrison County Sunday.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports the crash occurred around 4:25 p.m. in a pasture near the intersection of Route T and 182nd Street, a mile south of Blythedale, Missouri.

An 11-year-old boy riding a dirt bike hit a ditch and was ejected.

First responders took him to Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa for serious injuries.

He had safety gear equipped, according to the crash report.

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