Columbia, Fulton send utility crews to Springfield after severe storms

KMIZ on June 30, 2025

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Severe storms rolled through Springfield, Missouri, on Sunday and some Mid-Missouri cities have offered their services to help.

The cities of Columbia and Fulton announced on its social media pages on Monday that it sent utility crews to Springfield.

“The City of Fulton is proud to support our neighbors in Springfield following the recent severe weather. This morning, members of our team joined a 37-person mutual aid crew deployed to assist with power restoration efforts. We’re grateful for their dedication and proud of the way they represent Fulton—demonstrating what it truly means to proudly serve you, especially when it matters most,” Director of Administration Courtney Doyle was quoted in the Fulton post.

The City of Springfield wrote in a social media post that 37,000 electric customers were without power during the outage’s peak. It wrote that 90 of its own utility crew members worked overnight.

The outage map on the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperative’s website at 6:15 p.m. Monday showed that 3,817 Ozark Electric Co-op customers were without power in Greene County. Another 627 customers from the same co-op were without power in nearby Christian County.

Christion County also saw 125 White River Valley Electric Cooperative customers without power on Monday evening.

The City of Springfield wrote that it expects power to be fully restored by Thursday.

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69-Year-Old Rexburg man killed in Sunday accident near Sportsman’s Gun Range

KIFI on June 30, 2025

News Team

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) — A 69-year-old Rexburg man, Thomas Ray Archibald, died Sunday after a serious two-vehicle collision on West 33, near the Sportsman’s Gun Range.

According to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred just before noon on June 29. Investigators determined that a truck, which was pulling a trailer and traveling westbound, was attempting to turn south onto East Butte Road when it was struck by a second vehicle trying to pass it.

Bystanders and deputies immediately performed CPR on Archibald, the driver of the second vehicle, until emergency medical services arrived. Despite their life-saving efforts, he was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The Madison County Sheriff’s Office extended its deepest condolences to Mr. Archibald’s family. The investigation into the crash is ongoing.

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Think Wild Volunteer Day launches habitat restoration project in Prineville

KTVZ on June 30, 2025

Jillian Fortner

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) — Think Wild invited volunteers to help launch a new habitat restoration project Thursday in Prineville.

The Crooked River Native Plant Stewardship Project, in partnership with Crook County Parks and Recreation, aims to turn a degraded riverside lot into a thriving native garden.

Volunteers assisted with solarization, an eco-friendly, sun-powered method of preparing soil for native planting by laying out tarps over a 20,000-square-foot site adjacent to Crooked River Park.

“We’re getting a good workout in,” said volunteer Kelly Sosa. “Sweaty and tired, but it’s really rewarding seeing it all come together.”

Ecology students from Central Oregon Community College were also there to help out.

“I brought my students out here for a lab to do something engaging with local ecology,” said Dr. Maureen Thompson,  Think Wild’s Beaver Works program manager. “It ended up being a great opportunity because some of these students have never been to Prineville before.”

To volunteer or support the Crooked River Native Plant Stewardship Project, contact Hannah Wuerfel at hannah@thinkwildco.org.

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What will change for Southern Colorado fire departments after the Idaho firefighter ambush

KRDO on June 30, 2025

Michael Logerwell

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -In response to the shooting in Idaho that targeted firefighters who were responding to a brush fire, KRDO13 contacted fire departments in Southern Colorado to gather their reactions and to learn if any of their policies were changing in light of the incident.

Multiple Southern Colorado Fire Departments told KRDO13 that there is no adequate way to prepare for the ambush the firefighters faced in Coeur d’Alene.

According to Cimarron Hills Fire Chief Andrew York, all firefighters are issued body armor that can protect them from gunfire, but a grass fire call does not qualify as a body armor situation.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) confirmed this, saying its firefighters have also been issued body armor, which is usually used when responding to active shooter situations. CSFD agreed that the original call that the Coeur d’Alene Firefighters responded to on Canfield Mountain would not have qualified as a body armor situation for their department either.

“What it does is it creates an additional awareness that we have to slow down, look at the situation from a bigger picture than just what we see with our eyes,” says Deputy Chief Steve Wilch.

The deputy told KRDO that no policy at the fire department has changed thus far, but the shocking event will lead to an increased focus and awareness for their firefighters.

“This situation in Idaho has brought to light that first responders…are at risk every day. We don’t take that lightly,” Deputy Chief Wilch said.

The International Association of Firefighters says those two firefighters’ names will be added to the Fallen Firefighters Memorial this September.

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Victim’s family “furious:” Bryan Kohberger accepts plea deal in University of Idaho murders to avoid the death penalty

KIFI on June 30, 2025

Seth Ratliff

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — Bryan Kohberger, the 30-year-old suspect in the brutal 2022 University of Idaho murders, has reportedly accepted a plea deal that would spare him the death penalty in exchange for a guilty plea. This significant development, first reported by NewsNation and corroborated by multiple news sources, indicates a major shift only a month before the upcoming high-profile murder trial.

“It’s true!” — Goncalves Family furiously confirms plea deal

The family of victim Kaylee Goncalves confirmed the agreement on social media, expressing profound anger.

“It’s true! We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho. They have failed us. Please give us some time. This was very unexpected. We appreciate all your love and support,” the family of Kaylee Goncalves wrote on Facebook.

Kohberger is accused of the early morning home invasion killings of four University of Idaho students: Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, in November 2022. The killings sent shockwaves through the small college town and garnered national attention.

According to Brian Entin of NewsNation, who posted on X, “Sources confirm the prosecution has proposed dropping the death penalty in exchange for Kohberger pleading guilty to committing the four murders and serving life.”

At the time of the killings, Kohberger was pursuing a Ph.D. in criminology at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, located just a short drive from Moscow. Authorities arrested Kohberger over a month after the murders, on December 30, 2022, in his home state of Pennsylvania.

This reported plea agreement comes just days after a critical ruling in the case. Judge Steven Hippler recently dismissed a bid by Kohberger’s defense team to introduce an alternate perpetrator theory, a move that could have significantly impacted the trial’s direction.

This is a developing story. Local News 8 is actively working to independently confirm this information and will continue to provide updates as more details emerge.

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Missouri Supreme Court will have new chief justice

News-Press NOW on June 30, 2025

News-Press NOW

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A Springfield, Mo., native will be the next chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court.

W. Brent Powell, who now lives in Kansas City, will replace current Chief Justice Mary R. Russell. Powell was appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court in 2017 and re-elected to a 12-year term in 2018.

Powell earned his undergraduate degree from William Jewell College in 1992, during which he also earned a varsity letter in football. He then earned his law degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia Law School.

Powell has extensive experience in law and trials. He served in the Platte County Prosecuting Attorney’s office and the United States Attorney’s office for the Western District of Missouri.

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Trash pickup, city services in Mid-Missouri impacted by Independence Day

KMIZ on June 30, 2025

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Independence Day is on Friday this year and residential trash pickup will be impacted in a number of Mid-Missouri cities.

Trash pickup normally scheduled for Fridays in Jefferson City, Fulton and Boonville will occur on Monday. However, trash will be picked up like normal on Friday in Columbia, the city wrote in a June 27 press release. Columbia’s landfill, though, will not be open on Friday.

Columbia’s Solid Waste Utility canceled Saturday’s household hazardous waste drop-off, the release says.

Go COMO and JEFFTRAN will not operate on the holiday, though Go COMO will provide a shuttle service from the city’s six downtown parking garages and Stephens Lake Park for the annual Fire In The Sky event. Those shuttles will run from 5-11 p.m.

Regular parking enforcement is suspended in Columbia and Jefferson City. City offices are also closed around the state.

The Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services will be closed Friday and the city’s Activity and Recreation Center will be open 9 a.m.-3 p.m. The Albert-Oakland Family Aquatic Center, Douglass Family Aquatic Center and Lake of the Woods Pool will be open from noon-5 p.m., the release says. The Armory Sports and Recreation Center and Hillcrest Community Center will be closed for the day.

The Jefferson City Council meeting on Monday, July 7 is canceled and its next meeting will be Monday, July 21.

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Kehoe vetoes $11 million in Ashland sewer system improvements

KMIZ on June 30, 2025

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gov. Mike Kehoe approved the state’s $50.8 billion budget on Monday.

The approval of the budget included 208 vetoes, totaling $2,233,729,313; according to a list of vetoes provided by the governor’s office. A press release says that nearly $300 million in general revenue was cut, and 32 expenditure restrictions totaling $211 million in general revenue.

Some notable vetoes include $11 million for sewer system improvements in Ashland, $2 million in Highway 63 improvements in Columbia, $1 million for Harrisburg Sewer system extensions and $500,000 for storm water improvements in Boone County.

Kehoe vetoed $4 million for the construction of a youth sports park in Boone County out of the $12 million that was added for the project, the list indicates.

Greg Logsdon, who is on the board of the Mid-Missouri Sports Park, told ABC 17 News that the group is thankful for the $8 million, which will be used to build an indoor basketball gym off of East Broadway, near El Chaparral Avenue.

Logsdon said that eight youth basketball courts will be built for local and national events.

A list provided by the governor’s office show s that $760,000 for a Columbia mobile structural fire training unit was struck down, as was $500,000 for the Welcome Home Program and $120,000 for the Columbia Housing Authority.

View a full list of the vetoes in the document below.

Fiscal_Year_2026_Veto_SummaryDownload

Check back for updates.

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Barry Morphew, Colorado man accused of killing his wife, has been extradited

KRDO on June 30, 2025

KRDO News

ALAMOSA COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — The 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office says Barry Morphew, a Colorado man accused of killing his wife, has been extradited back to Colorado from Maricopa County, Arizona.

Prosecutors say he is in custody at the Alamosa County Jail. His first appearance in court is scheduled for Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.

Earlier this month, prosecutors filed first-degree murder charges against Morphew. Morphew faced charges years ago, but they were ultimately dropped in 2022. The case faced a tumultuous journey, with accounts from those involved saying it was “botched” due to the actions of Linda Stanley, the prosecutor on the case, who was later disbarred. Morphew’s defense said that Stanley’s team hid evidence from the defense.

On May 10, 2020, Suzanne Morphew supposedly went on a bike ride in Chaffee County and never returned. A neighbor reported her missing, and her bike and helmet were eventually found along the side of the road the day she disappeared. Suzanne’s remains were later found in 2023.

When her husband’s charges were originally dismissed, it was known that the case could head back to court again if there was new evidence.

In Morphew’s recent indictment, prosecutors say his wife, Suzanne Morphew, died by “homicide by unspecified means in the setting of butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine (BAM) intoxication,” – three drugs commonly used as animal sedatives. Prosecutors say law enforcement located a locked gun safe in the Morphew residence, which held a tranquilizer rifle. Investigators also discovered packages of darts in the safe, and found a needle cap for one of those darts in the Morphews’ dryer.

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Local organizations ‘highlighting the power of coaches’

News-Press NOW on June 30, 2025

News-Press NOW

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Joseph Company will host a Head Coaches’ Summit to bring together leaders who are committed to shaping culture and driving meaningful change.

The summit will take place at 7:15 a.m. on Tuesday, July 15, at inspireU’s third-floor event space, located at 521 Felix St.

The gathering brings together leaders of the arts, athletics, business, education, government, healthcare and non-profits.

The event will begin with coffee and conversation, followed by a keynote session titled “One Team, One Mission”, featuring St. Joseph City Manager Mike Schumacher and St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce President Natalie Hawn.

Wes Simmons will then introduce the theme “Becoming St. Joseph: The City of Coaches,” highlighting the power of 3D coaching principles to influence individuals, organizations and entire communities.

Attendees will also hear real-world examples, such as how the St. Joseph Police Department is incorporating coaching into its leadership culture and will be treated to a walk-through of inspireU’s new Children’s Discovery Center.

The morning will wrap up by 9:00 a.m.

For more information, visit The Joseph Company’s website at thejosephcompany.com/events/head-coaches-summit/.

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