Triumph Foods has donated nearly 33,000 pounds of meat to Second Harvest Community Food Bank for distribution through its network of 100 partner agencies.

“The 32,700 pounds of meat donated by Triumph Foods comes at an important time of year as the holiday season is upon us,” said Chad Higdon, CEO of Second Harvest Community Food Bank.

According to a press release, the donation of lean high quality pork butts, spareribs, hams, sirloins and other cuts of meat is enough to help provide over 130,000 meals across the 19 counties Second Harvest serves in northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas. This area currently has more than 54,000 individuals who are not sure where they will get their next meal.

“Triumph Foods is always happy to help the many in need in St. Joseph and Buchanan County especially around the holiday season,” said Chris Clark, Communications Manager at Triumph Foods. “We will continue to partner with Second Harvest Community Food Bank and look forward to finding new ways to continue the fight against hunger and food insecurity with them in the future.”

To find out more about Second Harvest, click here or call (816) 364-FOOD.

A giant check was presented to an area teacher Thursday morning who was the winner of the Shop St. Joseph Holiday program’s $10,000 prize.

The winning ticket was purchased at Hy-Vee by 31-year-old Bethany Jenkins, a kindergarten teacher from Troy, Kansas.

St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Membership Natalie Redmond said this is the first time the program has had a regional winner.

“(It’s the) first time we’ve had someone outside of the St. Joseph market win, which is kind of exciting because it means people in the region are shopping St. Joe, and first time Hy-Vee had a winner and we had a record breaking ticket year,” Redmond said.

Almost 1.7 million tickets were distributed this year. In 2016, 1.2 million were distributed. 

Jenkins was presented with a giant souvenir check for $10,000 Thursday morning at Hy-Vee, along with a real check to take to the bank. Jenkins said she shops in St. Joseph and at Hy-Vee regularly, as St. Joseph has the largest retail stores near Troy. She said she will most likely use her winnings to pay some bills and maybe go on a trip.

“She’s super excited to share the big check with her kiddos,” Redmond said. “She is going to buy every kid in her class a little something.”

Hy-Vee has been a part of the Shop St. Joseph program since it began ten years ago.

“I think (Shop St. Joseph) is something that keeps people shopping local,” said Mike Basch, Store Director. “For a lot of the businesses in town it keeps them coming into the store instead of going online and buying something. So I think it’s great just to keep our community and keep the business community growing.”

For a list of second chance prize numbers, click here.

If a shopper has a winning ticket for a second chance prize they must go to the store where they got the ticket to claim their prize. 

(Update 6:19 p.m.) The grand prize Shop St. Joseph winning ticket number 1167869 has been claimed.

A press conference and check presentation will be held Thursday morning.

Shoppers are encouraged to keep their tickets as second-chance prize numbers will be released at the press conference.

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(News release) – The winning number for the Shop St. Joseph program is:

1167869

The shopper with the winning ticket has 24 hours to come forward to claim the $10,000 prize. Shoppers are urged to keep their tickets because if the winner hasn’t come forward by 5 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 21, another number will be announced. This process will continue at 5 p.m. on weekdays until a winner comes forward with the correct ticket. Exclusions include Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

The winner MUST call the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce at (816) 232-4461 during business hours or (816) 261-3610 after business hours to arrange a time to verify the ticket. He or she MUST come to the Chamber office at 3003 Frederick Ave. before 5 p.m. Thursday to claim the prize. The person with the winning ticket should come to the Chamber to have the ticket verified, not a member of the media. Media members cannot verify a winning ticket.

The winner must be 18 or older. Proof of age, Social Security number, home address and place of employment (if applicable) is required to claim the prize. Chamber of Commerce staff, Chamber officers and their immediate family members (dependents living at the same address) are not eligible to win the grand prize. Participating business owners, managers and employees are eligible to win, with the exception of tickets distributed through their own place of business (including other participating locations).

The winner will be responsible for any applicable taxes.

One winning number per each second-chance prize were also drawn Wednesday. Those numbers will be announced after the grand prize ticket has been verified.

Two certified public accountants worked with Chamber staff to provide oversight of the program. 

Almost 1.7 million tickets were distributed this year, which is the most in program history. In 2016, 1.2 million were distributed.This is the 10th year for the local holiday shopping program. The program’s goal is to keep holiday spending in the local economy, so sales tax collected goes back into helping St. Joseph and Buchanan County projects.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (December 20, 2017) Mosaic Life Care announced Wednesday it has released the naming rights sponsorship for Kemper Arena.

As previously reported, Mosaic Life Care announced a transaction that sends six of Mosaic’s eight Northland health clinics to Saint Luke’s.

“As we built-out our Kansas City strategy, the Kemper Arena sponsorship was a terrific complement,” said Mark Laney, MD, CEO of Mosaic Life Care. “Now that Saint Luke’s has acquired the majority of our thriving Kansas City health clinics, it makes good financial sense for us to relinquish the naming rights to the arena. We have been working with Steve Foutch and his team throughout this process.”

Foutch Brothers, LLC, purchased Kemper Arena from the city of Kansas City earlier this year. The company expects to invest millions of dollars constructing a multi-purpose sports complex open to all ages and skill levels.

“While we’re very excited about our plans for Kemper, we’re disappointed that Mosaic won’t be our sponsorship partner,” said Steve Foutch, CEO, Foutch Brothers. “We completely understand their rationale and we wish them continued success.”

One person is dead after a house fire Tuesday night.

According to St. Joseph Fire Department Fire Inspector Steve Henrichson, the fire at 709 East Highland Avenue was reported at 7:40 Tuesday night. Fire crews were on scene until around midnight.

Henrichson said one female was killed. Another resident of the house was at work at the time of the fire.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation and Henrichson said an autopsy is planned for Wednesday.

After a six month Drug Strike Force investigation, several arrests were made on Tuesday.

Drug Strike Force members and the St. Joseph Police Department Street Crimes Unit and Patrol executed the arrest warrants after the investigation into the distribution of illegal prescription pills and heroin.

According to Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett, of the 12 drug investigation arrest warrants issued, eight are in custody and four are still being sought. With the eight drug investigation arrests, 24 other wanted individuals were arrested for a total of 34 outstanding felony arrest warrants.

The arrests Tuesday also led investigators to four new felony drug investigations, two state fugitives from justice and one federal fugitive from justice.

Saint Luke’s Health System, in conjunction with Mosaic Life Care, announced Tuesday it will assume ownership of six Mosaic Life Care clinics in Kansas City.

“Saint Luke’s is committed to providing high quality care to patients across the Kansas City metro in the communities where they work and live,” said Melinda L. Estes, MD, president and CEO of Saint Luke’s Health System. “Acquiring these six facilities will allow us to immediately expand and improve access to Saint Luke’s care for families in the Northland.”

According to a news release, this acquisition represents the latest in a series of strategic expansions for the health system. In the last 24 months, Saint Luke’s has dramatically increased its presence in Kansas City, opening two Saint Luke’s Multispecialty Clinics at Mission Farms and Blue Springs and 13 Convenient Care clinics housed inside Hy-Vee and Price Choppers around the metro. On Dec. 13, Saint Luke’s broke ground on the new Saint Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute designed to be a destination hospital offering the most advanced therapies and equipment for rehabilitation patients in the region.

Tuesday’s announcements pave the way for Mosaic to achieve a tighter focus on delivering health care for the 41-county service area in and around the St. Joseph-based hospital. Mosaic Life Care will continue to grow its local presence and infuse capital into the St. Joseph campus. Several projects are on the docket, including expansion and relocation of its Intensive Care Unit and a greater focus on cancer care and women’s health. Additionally, like its efforts in Kansas City, Mosaic Life Care will continue pursuits to provide innovative health care in its communities.

“These transactions are a win for Mosaic Life Care, a win for Saint Luke’s, and most importantly, a win for our patients,” said Mark Laney, MD, CEO, Mosaic Life Care. “Saint Luke’s is a trusted provider with an excellent reputation and comprehensive capabilities. The integration of health clinics and a hospital system just makes a great deal of sense—financially, but more importantly, for the best patient experience.”

Saint Luke’s will acquire the following facilities from Mosaic Life Care:

Highland Plaza, Parkville, Platte City, Smithville, Burlington, and Shoal Creek.

At this time, Mosaic Life Care will continue clinic operations at the Excelsior Springs and Kearney locations. Financial details of the Saint Luke’s Health System – Mosaic Life Care transaction are not being disclosed.

As part of the transaction, Saint Luke’s will acquire the Mosaic Life Care physicians and office staff at each facility and anticipates little or no impact to employees, which should result in a seamless transition of care for current patients. Saint Luke’s and Mosaic Life Care anticipate the change of ownership to be completed by the end of April 2018.