Government

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

By Chris Fortune Buchanan County officially has guidelines for any future development of solar farms on its land. The Buchanan County commissioners unanimously approved solar farm regulations last week after receiving the final draft in July. It took two years working in tandem with the planning and zoning commission to establish guidelines for large developers

By Cameron Montemayor St. Joseph’s growing mountain bike landscape will see a new and enhanced attraction in the future following approval from city council on Monday. Council members authorized an agreement with American Ramp Company for design-build services for a new pump track at Huston-Wyeth Park using $347,395 in transient guest tax funds. The project

By Chris Fortune City officials are seeking input from the community for the future development of Coleman Hawkins Park. The St. Joseph Parks, Recreation and Civic Facilities department is hosting a community engagement open house at the Felix Street Square concessions building at Felix and Seventh streets on Friday during the Sounds of Summer concert

By NewsPress Now A city official’s interim leadership position has become permanent. Dawn Lanning has been named director of the city’s finance department. A St. Joseph native, she has been with the city since 2000 and served as interim finance director since March 2023. The department has enhanced analysis and reporting, improved the annual budget