Government

By Chris Fortune A Downtown building used for chemical mixing and storage soon will meet the wrecking ball. The St. Joseph City Council has approved a bill to demolish the former HPI Products facility at 408 S. Eighth St. after reaching an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency. “That helped the city move forward with

By Cameron Montemayor New developments on the rapidly-decreasing capacity at St. Joseph’s Sanitary Landfill are forcing city leaders to pursue a large rate increase or risk having the landfill potentially fill up by July 2025. City leaders and landfill consultants gathered for a work session Tuesday to review recent findings and recommendations on the current

By Chris Fortune Buchanan County officials have at least two tasks to complete before deciding whether to dredge Lake Contrary. The county opened bids to spray the weeds at Lake Contrary Friday morning which include the cost of the liquid and the application. The county will have about 30 to 60 days to decide on

By Cameron Montemayor Two dozen candidates have thrown their hat into the ring for St. Joseph’s open city manager position. A deadline for submitting applications ended on Sunday with 24 being received by Strategic Government Resources, an international consulting firm hired by the city to carry out the search process. “It was very encouraging to

By Cameron Montemayor The St. Joseph License Office will be closed for two days as part of a statewide upgrade to a new ID and driver’s license system. A local representative confirmed the St. Joseph office will be closed on Friday, Nov. 8, and Monday, Nov. 11, to implement a modernized driver’s license system. The

By Chris Fortune With two weeks to go until Election Day, local candidates across three races met in a forum Tuesday morning. Candidates running for Missouri Districts 10 and 13 representative seats and candidates vying for the Buchanan County western district commissioner seat discussed their goals and stances on ballot issues at Stoney Creek Hotel.

By Chris Fortune Players at the tennis courts and horseshoe area will benefit from more efficient lighting at the Noyes Complex. City council members approved the use of $275,000 in parks sales tax funds to replace the current lights at the 23-acre complex at 402 S. Noyes Boulevard. The current lighting systems covering the 12

By Cameron Montemayor St. Joseph’s growing Hillyard Technical Center will get a boost with American Rescue Plan Act funds approved by city council members on Monday, one of several items included in a packed agenda.  Councilmembers unanimously approved a grant agreement to provide $150,000 in ARPA funds for the facility as it works to complete

By Cameron Montemayor St. Joseph’s growing Hillyard Technical Center will get a boost with American Rescue Plan Act funds approved by city council members on Monday, one of several items included in a packed agenda. Councilmembers unanimously approved a grant agreement to provide $150,000 in ARPA funds for the facility as it works to complete

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