Public Safety

By Kyle Schmidt Those who look at Missouri State Highway Patrol crash reports online may notice something is missing. Beginning on Nov. 1, the patrol no longer includes the names of those involved in traffic crashes and boating/drowning incidents in the reports posted on its website. Sgt. Shane Hux with the patrol’s Troop H based

By NewsPress Now Officials at the Chillicothe Correctional Center are reporting the death of an inmate. Sheila Phillips, 61, died at the prison at 6:39 a.m. on Nov. 3, of apparent natural causes, officials said. She began serving a six-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter, armed criminal action and tampering with physical evidence from Stone County

By NewsPress Now A Chillicothe, Missouri, teen is hospitalized with serious injuries following a crash Monday morning on Highway V. The accident happened when an 18-year-old driving south on Livingston County Route 251 just east of Chillicothe failed to yield when crossing Highway V and was hit by a westbound truck, according to a Missouri

By NewsPress Now Two Missouri men suffered serious injuries after colliding with a semi Sunday morning. The accident occurred at about 11:39 a.m. on Nov. 3 as an 18-year-old Oregon, Missouri, man drove his truck north on Interstate 29 near Mound City, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report. Troopers say the truck

By NewsPress Now Lake Avenue from King Hill to Alabama will be closed for resurfacing beginning Monday, Nov 4. Two lanes of traffic will remain open during the resurfacing, but there could be temporary lane closures. Work is planned to last all week and drivers are encouraged to avoid the area if possible.

By Jenna Wilson The St. Joseph Safety and Health Council is offering a new driver’s education course for adults. The council felt a growing need for the program locally as many adults driving on the roads don’t understand all the traffic laws. “What I found is some young people don’t get their driver’s license until

By NewsPress Now Residents are being warned not to fall for scam calls from anyone claiming to be a sheriff’s deputy and demanding payment over missed jury duty. Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett said such scams have been active in the area this week. He urges people not to give those making threats by phone,

By NewsPress Now A Gallatin, Missouri, woman suffered serious injuries in a one-car accident on Thursday afternoon.  The accident occurred about a mile from Winston at about 4:56 p.m. as 78-year-old Sylvia J. Berry drove eastbound on U.S. 69, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report. Her car traveled off the road, struck

By Kirsten Stokes The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department will be out this Halloween evening conducting sex offender compliance checks around the area. Before going out on patrol, officers at the law enforcement center had a meal and briefing from 5 to 5:30 p.m. to go over protocol and where each officer will do checks. Sheriff

By Leah Rainwater Although Halloween serves as a night full of fun and frights, the St. Joseph Police Department is giving some safety “tricks” for those out getting treats. In a Facebook post, officials with the SJPD listed ways to stay safe.  That includes making sure that costumes are bright and reflective. Adding glowsticks or

By NewsPress Now St. Joseph police responded to a crash at the intersection of Alabama Street and Memorial Highway early Wednesday morning. Police said a man driving on Alabama got to the train tracks and froze when the signal arm descended. Officers told News-Press NOW that it was unclear if a train collided with the

By Jenna Wilson The November election is sparking theft and vandalism of political campaign signs in Buchanan County. Local campaign sign destruction is seemingly rising ahead of the Nov. 5 election, but residents are reporting incidents on social media rather than to law enforcement — or just keeping them to themselves. Despite people deciding to

By NewsPress Now A St. Joseph man sustained serious injuries following a crash around 6:08 p.m. Monday in Gentry County, just west of Darlington, Missouri. The crash occurred as Michael S. Cole, 56, of Fish Creek, Wisconsin, was eastbound on Route E and Brandon M. Church, 43, of St. Joseph, was westbound, according to a

By Jenna Wilson Police are warning citizens to be on the lookout for credit card skimmers appearing in the community. St. Joseph residents have taken to social media to warn people about the increasing threat of card skimmers in the area after noticing unauthorized charges to their bank cards. Credit card skimmers are illegal devices

By NewsPress Now Two people are in the hospital with serious injuries following a UTV crash early Monday morning in Polo, Missouri. Justin Chapman, 46, of Polo was driving the UTV at 12:40 a.m. in a field south of Templeton Drive with a passenger, Elizabeth Gutierrez, 27, of Holt, Missouri, on board when he hit

By NewsPress Now St. Joseph’s Youth Alliance Partners for Prevention is getting a boost in its efforts to fight drugs with a $625,000 federal grant. The money from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy will help ongoing efforts to prevent youth substance use locally. “We are proud to share this mission and

By Jenna Wilson Andrew County residents will vote on a proposed sales tax Nov. 5 that aims to improve school and public safety in the community. Andrew County officials held a forum ahead of the election to discuss a half-cent public safety sales tax increase that would fund a full-time prosecutor in the county and,

By NewsPress Now The Doniphan County Sheriff’s Department is asking for help in finding out who is behind a string of burglaries of cars and buildings in Troy, Kansas, earlier this week. The burglaries happened in the early morning hours of Oct. 21, and officials are looking for security or doorbell video that shows suspicious

By Leah Rainwater One person was sent to Mosaic Life Care with minor injuries following a crash that deployed airbags on Monday evening.  At approximately 7:10 p.m. the St. Joseph Police Department responded to a call on the 3400 block of Faraon Street heading West.  Parts of the intersection at 36th Street and Faraon, near

By Jenna Wilson The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office will have an increased presence throughout local neighborhoods this Halloween to ensure the safety of community members. “Obviously we are always proactive with our traffic enforcement, but we’re stepping up enforcement in the coming days because we typically have several issues toward the end of October,” said

By Jazmine Knight As more families begin preparing for Halloween, it’s important to make sure you take a few extra precautions to promote safety for all. Frank Till, executive director of the St. Joseph Safety Council starts with costumes. He says the most important thing to consider is if the child can see properly. “If

By NewsPress Now After several months of work, drivers can use the Cook Road Bridge over Interstate 29. The bridge reopened Thursday afternoon, along with the southbound lanes of I-29 below it where crews were finishing work on the project. The bridge has been closed since late June. The bridge’s driving surface was replaced and

By Ashley Luthans The Youth Alliance of St. Joseph is collaborating with Missouri American Water to host a prescription drug take-back event next Saturday. On Oct. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., people can safely dispose of prescription drugs in a spot set up in the East Hills Shopping Center parking lot. The purpose