Melissa Alexis - KOAM News Now

03/28/2025

Emily show Melissa what is new April at Connect2Culture

03/25/2025

Jasmine shows to Melissa why Petey would make a great family addition

03/22/2025

A married pair of med students matched to the same hospital for residency all while preparing for parenthood! Tune in at 9PM on FOX14 to see their journey from being med students at KCU Joplin to Match Day!

Match Day is a huge milestone for medical students where they begin their journey as doctors after 4 years of medical school.

JOPLIN, Mo. (KOAM) -For Brianne Warner and her husband, Zachary, becoming doctors has been a lifelong dream—a dream they’ve had since childhood."It's been since childhood. But we didn't know what

03/19/2025

A fire on March 14th destroyed the Yates Center Health and Rehab facility and now the community is coming to together to offer support. Clothes, furniture and more have been generously donated by community members.
The displaced residents are now living at other nursing homes throughout Southeast Kansas.
Pittsburg Health and Rehab received 7 of the 38 displaced residents.
No residents were injured in the fire and there are currently plans to rebuild Yates Center Health and Rehab.

YATES CENTER, Kan (KOAM) - A fire on March 14th destroyed the Yates Center Health and Rehab facility, leaving many residents displaced.

03/19/2025

The City of Joplin recently added two new storyboards to its Legacy Project. One highlights John C. Cox, known as the "father" of Joplin and one of its earliest settlers. The storyboard is located near where he used to live. His great-great-grandson was in attendance when the storyboard was unveiled. The second storyboard, called "The Unrest," focuses on tensions between early mining camps in Joplin.
Both storyboards aim to educate the public about Joplin's history and are now available for visitors to read.

JOPLIN, Mo. (KOAM) - The City of Joplin has recently added two new storyboards to its Legacy Project.

03/18/2025

Galena voters will have the chance to vote on a $7.5 million bond to fund upgrades to several facilities in the Galena School District, including improvements to Liberty Elementary, including fixes to the HVAC system and water infiltration issues in the Liberty Gym.

If approved, the funding would also go towards new early childhood spaces at Spring Grove, and the Gene Russel Building would be remodeled to provide additional space for special education programs.

If the bond issue passes, it would not result in an increase to the mill levy.
The election will be April 8th.

03/15/2025

🏀 The NCAA Tournament is bringing an influx of visitors to Pittsburg, with athletes, families, and fans filling the city this weekend. A leader at Explore Crawford County says visitors participating in the Pittsburg economy contributes to sales tax and gives the local economy a boost.

The co-owner of TOAST says when students leave for spring break, businesses in the area can experience a slowdown, but the visitors coming to town for the tournament help fill that gap.

The NCAA game kicks off on Friday with Pitt State playing Harding University.

PITTSBURG, Kan. (KOAM) --The City of Pittsburg is having an influx of visitors due to the NCAA Tournament, bringing athletes, families, and fans to town.

03/14/2025

Children’s Miracle Network announced their Champions for Freeman Health System for 2025. Its two brothers who both have Down Syndrome. One of the brothers were diagnosed at birth, then two years later, their family flew to Serbia to adopt their second son who also has Down Syndrome.

CMN has provided them with resources for their medical needs. As champions, the brothers will serve as the face of children treated at the hospital and will help raise awareness about the ongoing need for donations to support the children’s hospital. CMN provides medical assistance that's need based, not income based.

Joplin, Mo (KOAM)--Brice Wurdeman, a father of 7, shared his journey of raising his son Rusk, who was born in 2020 and diagnosed with Down syndrome.

03/13/2025

Carthage will vote on whether to increase their property tax by 55¢ to increase teacher salary. If approved, it will go from $3.05 to $3.60.

Currently Carthage schools have the lowest teacher starting salary of any school in the Ozark conference.

Carthage will vote on a second ballot about a bond towards building an auditorium that will include a storm shelter.

A reason some oppose the ballot is due to it raising the operating tax levy, and some in support of the ballot believe it will benefit the school and its teachers.

Early voting has already started and Election Day is April 8th.

CARTHAGE, Mo. (KOAM) - Carthage voters have two issues on the ballot that will impact the Carthage School District.

03/12/2025

A new Kansas bill could eliminate a tax credit for affordable housing in Kansas. Pittsburg Housing officials say if it becomes a law, it could harm the city's efforts to build more affordable housing, potentially leading to increased homelessness.

Housing like Pittsburg Highlands, Sycamore Village, Pittsburg Seniors, Stilwell Apartments, Re*****on Square, Pittsburg Seniors and more were created through this tax credit.

The Kansas House has approved the bill, its now in the Senate.

PITTSBURG, Kan. (KOAM) --A proposed bill in the Kansas House of Representatives could impact affordable housing in the state of Kansas.

03/10/2025

More low-income housing could be coming to Pittsburg. The proposed project is a 42-unit low-income apartment complex by Vecino Group located next to the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas. 12 units will be reserved for people with a severe, persistent mental illness and or a co-occurring disorder and exiting homelessness. The city commissioners approved of the reccomendation of the Economic Developmentnt Advisory Committee to grant Vecino Group the $170,000 low-interest loan request for construction of the project. Making the project a reality relies on if Vecino Group’s application for funding gets approved by the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation, a decision is expected in August.

PITTSBURG, Kan. (KOAM) --A low-income apartment complex could be coming to Pittsburg.

03/08/2025

Liberty Utilities customers voiced concerns about their rising utility bill at a town hall meeting. Joplin residents brought their bills to address the cost increase. The Liberty President said many of the issues were due to system updates and software upgrades. This meeting takes place amidst an ongoing investigation of Liberty Utilities by the Missouri Public Service Commission. Liberty Utilities, Senator Carter, and the Missouri Office of the Public Council were all in attendance to hear concerns from the public about the issue.

JOPLIN, Mo.(KOAM) --Rising utility bills have become a concern for many Liberty Utilities customers.