After a shooting at a Texas church earlier this week, other churches around the country are considering what to do if something similar happens.

Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett said many people he’s talked with are searching for answers on how to improve security and prevent something similar from happening locally.  

“I don’t think in this day and age we can… say that it’s not going to happen. It could happen anywhere. My thoughts and comments are of a general nature because obviously I don’t want to speak for other law enforcement agencies and I don’t want to speak for particular churches… or anything like that,” Puett said. “Communication is the key, and that’s going to start with either the clergy person and a group of individuals within the church… to sit down and identify the needs of the church, when are they worshiping, when is the building open, what type of security do they need, what kind of concerns do they have. Communication and planning… and being prepared, what do we do if something happens, who does what, who… directs the children to a safe place.”

Sheriff Puett said he urges anyone who ever knows of any sort of violence being planned, to let law enforcement know so they can work to prevent an event, rather than respond to the aftermath.

“If it’s a situation, whether it’s domestic related or (anything), where you know of someone planning violence or talking about violence whether a school or church, anywhere, please call us, let us know,” Puett said. “The only way we can help and keep this community safe is with the involvement of the community.”

A woman has died after being hit by a grain truck Wednesday morning.

According to Capt. Jeff Wilson with the St. Joseph Police Department, around 10:40 a.m. in the area of Commercial Street and Garfield Avenue, a woman stepped onto the road and was hit by a grain truck. Capt. Wilson said the woman suffered severe injuries and was pronounced dead not long after the incident.

(UPDATE Thurs 10 a.m.) According to police, the death has been ruled a suicide and no other information is being released at this time.

A program encouraging residents to shop local during the holidays kicked off Wednesday.

Shop St. Joseph runs from November 8th through December 18th.

“Shop St. Joe is a buy local holiday program on steroids,” said Natalie Redmond, St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Membership. “It’s designed to be a program that encourages people to remember to support local businesses during the holidays, which helps keep money local. When you go to Kansas City or some other locations or shop online, it doesn’t create the tax dollars to help with St. Joseph. So we really encourage people to be mindful of supporting local businesses during the holidays and we give a kickback for that.”  

Redmond said for every $10 a shopper spends at a local business participating in Shop St. Joseph, they receive a ticket. A drawing will be held December 20th and the person with the winning ticket number could win $10,000.

For more information and a list of participating businesses, click here.

The St. Joseph Police Department is investigating after an armed carjacking early Wednesday morning.

According to Sgt. Brad Kerns, around 1 a.m. in the area of 1200 Angelique St., two black males held a victim at gunpoint and stole the victim’s vehicle. There were no injuries.

Sgt. Kerns said the men were described as being approximately 6’1”, one was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and the other was dressed in all black clothing.

Anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at (816) 238-TIPS.

A St. Joseph School District tax levy proposal was rejected by voters Tuesday.

Unofficial results Tuesday night show 12,414 “no” votes and 4,797 “yes” votes for Proposition 1.

As previously reported, the $1.15 tax increase would have generated an additional $11.5 million dollars in revenue each year and cost the owner of a $100,000 home an additional $218.50 per year in taxes.

Out of 45,743 registered voters, 17,216 ballots were cast.

Polls closed at 7 p.m. after the special election Tuesday. Here are the unofficial results.  Refresh this page for the latest updates as they come in.

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Voter turnout for the special election Tuesday is approaching Buchanan County Clerk Mary Baack-Garvey’s prediction of 40 percent.

As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, of the 45,743 registered voters, 16,927 or 37 percent had cast ballots. The St. Joseph School District tax levy is on the ballot. Polls are open until 7 p.m.

For more information on Election Day and Proposition 1, including interviews with groups on both sides of the issue, click here.

The city of Easton has issued a boil advisory for the entire city due to replacement of a broken water hydrant.

Residents are advised to boil their water for five minutes before drinking or cooking.

According to a news release from the city of Easton, the length of the boil advisory should last until Friday, November 10th.