Editorials

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — One thread connects many of St. Joseph’s problems. Crime, jobs or schools? Those are big issues, but a deeper look reveals something else. Since the bogus Census count of 1900, population loss has been a thorn in the community’s side. It’s not just a matter of pride. Growing communities

The trouble with running a school bond issue comes the day after the election. If voters reject the proposal, then school officials and board members are in the awkward position of walking back all those previous statements about inadequate facilities or education being at a crossroads.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Spring’s arrival allows us to break the clutches of winter with long walks, cookouts, baseball and other outdoor activities. It also brings the roar of motorcycles, which was easily noticeable as soon as the mercury cracked 50. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for St. Joseph to experience its first

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — No one ever said building one (or two) new high schools would be easy. Not in this city. To win voter approval, supporters of Proposition 2 must navigate voter mistrust, antipathy for property taxes and resistance to change. If only you could heat those old buildings with nostalgia. Less

The somber decorum of the Missouri Senate has little in common with the boisterous, rainbow-flag-waving crowd at City Hall. Both groups, however, share a preoccupation with transgender individuals. The Democratic Party LGBTQ+ Caucus led a demonstration last weekend outside St. Joseph’s City Hall where protesters waved signs that read, “Trans Lives Matter” and “Trans Equality.”

By NewsPress Now St. Joseph enters the new year with new leadership ready to take the helm in local government and public education. Mike Schumacher was hired as city manager and is expected to begin his duties around Jan. 21. Ashly McGinnis was named superintendent of the St. Joseph School District and takes over for

By NewsPress Now The grand opening of the InspireU Children’s Discovery Center gives the community plenty to celebrate. The Mosaic Life Care Foundation led the fundraising effort to renovate the Plymouth Building and develop an interactive experience with exhibits for families with children ages 10 and younger. In terms of fundraising and community support, the

By NewsPress Now On Oct. 1, a press release from Northwest Missouri State University proclaimed that enrollment had surpassed 9,000 for the second straight year. It was a true statement, but a closer reading of the release showed that the total headcount had actually dropped 5.3% from the previous year. Northwest tried to put a

By NewsPress Now Imagine if Mayor John Josendale had a hotline on his desk that allowed him to make one emergency call to a former municipal leader. Josendale might choose David Jones, the mayor who took his share of lumps after proposing a franchised trash service in St. Joseph. The advice from Jones might be,

By NewsPress Now One of St. Joseph’s endearing quirks involves the frenzied response to any new restaurant or fast-food opening. On one occasion, police established traffic control for the crowds at a highly anticipated Belt Highway eatery. St. Joseph loves its fast food. Many in our community also love Donald Trump, so much so that

By NewsPress Now We’ve all heard the promises to “bring manufacturing back.” This kind of talk produces an extra sting in St. Joseph, a city that lost its share of manufacturing jobs two decades ago. After the factory doors closed for good, it didn’t take long for the politicians to insert industrial renewal into the

By NewsPress Now Tony Luetkemeyer voiced confidence and enthusiasm following his election to the second-highest leadership position in the Missouri Senate. Luetkemeyer, a Republican who represents Buchanan and Platte counties, enters the 2025 legislative session with reason for optimism. He will serve as majority floor leader in a GOP leadership team that includes Sen. Cindy

By NewsPress Now As election results came in Tuesday night, one thing became abundantly clear. About half the population will believe the country is doomed following Donald Trump’s victory. A Kamala Harris victory would have prompted the same “sky-is-falling-in” reaction from the other half of the electorate. Maybe that’s the one unifying element in this

By NewsPress Now It would be easier to support Amendment 2 if the gambling industry just said that Missourians deserve to join 38 other states that trust their citizens to place a wager on Sunday’s game. That would be a true statement. Amendment 2, if it passes in Tuesday’s general election, would legalize sports betting

By NewsPress Now Some politicians appear to come from nowhere when they run for office. Josh Hawley is not one of them. The senior senator from Missouri gives the impression of someone whose political strategizing began in junior high. Hawley’s ambition and his embrace of the spotlight is something that critics never fail to point

By NewsPress Now This coming Monday, anyone turned away from a locked government building might want to ponder a famous Jeffersonian maxim. “The best government is that which governs least.” Some local government officials, along with state and federal offices, certainly put the second half of that philosophy into practice. (No one is quite sure

By NewsPress Now The city of St. Joseph made a significant move in narrowing the potential sites for a future multi-sports complex to Missouri Western State University. There were plenty of good reasons to pursue the proposed sports complex at the East Hills Shopping Center, mostly due to site access, available utilities and the opportunity

By NewsPress Now This is the time of year when people enjoy a good scare. In the horror genre, the best movies contain a false ending. The characters may believe the crisis is over, but the audience knows better. Sure enough, here comes Jason or Michael with a chainsaw or an ax. Northwest Missouri farmers

By NewsPress Now Every so often, a presidential or vice presidential debate produces a zinger that transcends the current race and goes down in history. Ronald Reagan was a master of the one-liner. In 1984, he stood on the debate stage and answered questions about his age with the memorable response, “I am not going

By NewsPress Now Those who live or work near the Missouri River will never forget the years of 1993, 2011 and 2019. That’s when the surging river overtopped levees, causing massive flooding that destroyed crops and property and left major highways impassable for months. Those years are memorialized in government data on the Missouri River

By NewsPress Now On Nov. 5, Missouri voters weigh in on the race for the White House and determine the fate of ballot measures on abortion, sports gambling and the minimum wage. These high-profile issues will dominate the last nine weeks of the election cycle and drive record-high turnout. By contrast, Amendment 6 will likely

By NewsPress Now Inflation, when it involves food, is an equal-opportunity misery. That isn’t necessarily the case with unemployment or even mortgage rates. If you’re fortunate enough to have stable employment or you aren’t in the market for a house, it’s possible to go on your merry way even as joblessness or borrowing costs accelerate.

By NewsPress Now The first day of school is like opening day in Major League Baseball. No matter how things went last year, a fresh start brings a new sense of optimism. Of course, just like a 162-game season becomes a real grind, a nine-month school year is a lot of hard work. Eventually, the

By NewsPress Now If you build it they will come. Except in Downtown St. Joseph. New developments fall into disrepair or disuse despite giddy promises of Downtown’s renaissance. If this is a renaissance, it might be the early part with the plague still hanging around the streets of Florence. In St. Joseph, the long march

By NewsPress Now When contemplating this year’s tumultuous presidential election campaign, consider one startling piece of information. It’s not even Labor Day. Who knows what kind of October surprise is in store for us? An economic downturn and a wider war in the Mideast are possibilities that would jolt the campaign and make things more

By NewsPress Now The Interstate 229 double-decker bridge looms large on the western edge of St. Joseph. In the not-too-distant future, this bridge will exist only in personal memories and on social media pages devoted to the “good old days.” It’s debatable how good those days really were. Downtown’s demise roughly coincided with the bridge’s

By NewsPress Now A proposed 60% pay increase should send morale through the roof, but some observers noticed a surprisingly tepid response to a significant development in starting salaries for Missouri teachers. It isn’t that school officials lacked appreciation for legislation that seeks to raise starting pay from $25,000 to $40,000 in Missouri, where teaching

By NewsPress Now If a large employer is considering an expansion, some sort of tax incentive would be offered. If the Chiefs need updates to their training facility, local officials would move heaven and earth to make it happen. Younger Americans aren’t shy about advocating for student loan forgiveness, pointing out how the cost of

By NewsPress Now Buchanan County’s legislative delegation should send a big “thank you” bouquet to the person who picked the morning of June 28 for a public affairs gathering to discuss the 2024 regular session in Jefferson City. Lawmakers were able to walk into the Stoney Creek Hotel and talk up all the money they

By NewsPress Now Joe Biden entered the June 27 presidential debate with one job to do. He needed to appear mentally sharp and vigorous enough to dispel any notion that he is not up to the task of a second term. The 81-year-old president failed miserably. His befuddled appearance and incoherent answers amplified concerns about