Government

By Chris Fortune The Missouri Office of Administration cleared up any ambiguity about lake ownership in the county. The Buchanan County commissioners met with the Missouri Office of Administration during a video call on Oct. 7 to clarify its access to state-owned lakes. “The bottom line is the state of Missouri said once the lake

By Charles Christian Two St. Joseph landmarks are approaching their 100th year anniversaries, and celebrations will begin almost three years in advance. Both buildings were built in 1927 and were both products of the work of a young artist who would become a nationally renown sculptor, Waylande Gregory. A planning committee has been assembled and

By Jenna Wilson As city officials continue with their Historic Preservation Plan to revitalize neighborhoods, a property on North 19th Street will be getting a spruce-up and become affordable housing units. The city of St. Joseph recently issued $50,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act fund to the multi-family residence at 522 N. 19 St.

By Chris Fortune City council members gave the green light to fix and upgrade a bridge at South 29th Street near Pickett Road, which has been closed to drivers since August. The city council approved $257,785 for the repairs at Sept. 30’s meeting and entered into an agreement with St. Joseph contractor Sprague Excavating Company.

By Chris Fortune Members of the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce focused on the city’s recent successes and the overall economy at the annual Economic Development Summit. Local government leaders and business owners gathered over breakfast for the presentation led by Thomas Hoenig, the former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, who

By NewsPress Now About $2.7 million in upgrades are on the way for the Platte County Courthouse. Commissioners approved a bid with Straub Construction to renovate the building, which was built in the 1860s, beginning in December. American Rescue Plan Act funding is being used for the project as part of the county’s overall plan

By Cameron Montemayor Water protection officials are closing in on the development of the next phase of a long-range plan to put St. Joseph in federal compliance with its wastewater and stormwater management programs, a future with upwards of $200 million in sewer-related projects over the next decade-plus. The city is preparing to unveil and

By Chris Fortune With just over a month to go until Election Day, volunteers at the Buchanan County Democratic and Republican offices say they are seeing a rise in voter enthusiasm. Buchanan County voters are taking to their local party headquarters to buy signs and express their views on the presidential election and Amendment 3,

By Charles Christian People in St. Joseph who meet income requirements may be eligible for a loan and grant program to assist with home repairs and safety. The city’s Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program and Weatherization Grant is guided by requirements from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Mary Kay Griffin, a manager of

By Cameron Montemayor Members of the Opioid Settlement Review Board convened for a virtual meeting to mull a new emergency funding request from a local organization seeking support. Friday’s meeting saw board members unanimously approve a $1,225 funding application from Ryan Hildebrand and Mission House Covenant Community, a nonprofit religious organization helping men who largely

By Chris Fortune Buchanan County is receiving help from law enforcement officials to find who is issuing checks made to look like they are from the county. The county treasurer’s office reconciles checks from the bank every day and noticed some of the checks this month did not match its reports. County fraud protection measures

By Chris Fortune A Buchanan County official gave the green light to contribute funds to the YMCA for its indoor pool project. In August, Presiding Commissioner Scott Nelson approved a $500,000 contribution over three years from economic development funding starting in 2024 and ending in 2026. An additional $100,000 will go toward pool operations for