Month: July 2025

John Ross

An ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Alert Day has come to an end early Saturday morning after a line of strong to severe storms tracked through the area.

Severe storms were most widespread in western Missouri, where 70+ mph wind gusts were reported near Kansas City. The line of storms weakened as it rolled through Mid-MO in the early overnight, but flood alerts were still activated as heavy rain pounded parts of the area.

The weekend ahead will carry more scattered chances of rain, but no severe storms are expected.

SETUP

An upper level trough will drag a surface cold front into northeast Kansas and northwestern Missouri late Friday. We will be hot and humid ahead of this, which will contribute to high levels of instability ahead of the front. The front is not incredibly strong but it will serve as a focus for storm development through the evening. As the evening progresses, the storms will grow and spread to the southeast with access to just enough energy and wind support.

The timing of storms locally will greatly impact the expected hazards. A later arrival gives us a short window of instability (energy) before much of it is lost with sunset. If storms develop closer to mid-Missouri, we can expect them to be stronger.

Either way, the storms will be strongest in the northwest, and weaken with time as they spread southeast. Columbia and Jefferson City will have a chance for severe storms, but the main concern will be gusty winds.

FUTURETRACK

HAZARDS

The greatest risk area will be along and north of a line from Marshall to Paris. This is where surface instability, or storm energy, will be greatest near these storms. This is where an isolated tornado will be possible. However, a more likely impact will be localized hail and damaging winds. These are the threats that may linger with the strongest storms as they weaken and push southeast towards Columbia and Jefferson City. The overall threat for severe weather in Columbia and Jefferson City is very low. The severe impacts from Friday’s storms are largely expected north of I-70.

Strong winds are the main concern, but a tornado cannot be ruled out early in the evening. The tornado threat will likely end early and will not require you to stay up all night.

A secondary risk would be the potential for areas of isolated flash flooding as some storms could move over the same areas more than once, and we’ll see strong low level winds coupled with high atmospheric moisture content to aid in higher rainfall rates.

Make sure to have the ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather App downloaded if you have outdoor plans Friday night.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gov. Mike Kehoe has repealed certain provisions of Proposition A, by signing House Bill 567 into law.

Kehoe signed the measure into law Thursday afternoon at the State Capitol.

Proposition A passed in November 2024 with support from more than 57% of Missouri voters, and it took effect on May 1. It guaranteed workers one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. However, two weeks later, on May 14, Republicans forced a vote to repeal the sick leave portion of the bill.

There were concerns about Proposition A’s legality, and a lawsuit was filed shortly after it was approved by voters. The lawsuit claimed that voters were misled in the initiative petition used to get Prop A on the ballot.

Yellow Dog Bookstore owner Joe Chevalier has been in business for 12 years and has three part-time employees. He says he will continue to offer paid sick leave, but the overturn is a disappointment.

“I’m really disappointed with the Republicans in the legislature and overturning the will of the voters,” Chevalier said.

However, Chevalier said the change in law puts other workers in a tough spot.

“You have to make that choice of working while you’re ill and getting paid and staying home and getting paid and for many people, that’s really not an option,” Chevalier said.

President and CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce Kara Corches believes the change will protect Missouri’s economy overall.

“We applaud Gov. Kehoe signing this bill into law because it was incredibly vital to protect our business climate,” Croches said. “By signing this bill, we knew Prop A as passed in 2024 was indeed a job killer, so we are really pleased to see this across the finish line and signed into law to protect businesses and jobs in our state.”

Mandated sick pay will no longer be required for businesses after Aug. 18. It will then be up to each employer to decide whether to continue offering the benefit.

Corches said the law created limits for employers, especially in certain industries.

“You can’t ask why they are sick, which is problematic if you think about a health care setting or a food setting where you do have to know why someone is out sick in case they have communicable disease,” Corches said.

For Chevalier, he says if his small Columbia bookstore can offer paid sick leave, so can other businesses. He says it helps businesses in the long run.

“Your success depends on the people who work for you, and if they’re happy, if they feel taken care of, they’re going to do better work and the business will prosper from that,” he said.

However, Corches says mandatory paid sick leave would have hurt Missouri businesses’ budgets. She said more than 550 businesses joined the chamber to oppose Prop A.

HB 567 raises the minimum wage to $13.75 per hour this year, then to $15 starting in 2026. Thursday’s signing, however, eliminated a future increase to minimum wage.

Supporters of Prop A have filed papers to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot during the 2026 election cycle. If passed, it would reinstate the paid sick leave mandate and the increase to minimum wage.

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Matthew Sanders

Holts Summit police made it public this week — the department’s officers cooperated with federal authorities in an immigration enforcement operation that led to three arrests.

Details were scarce on the Homeland Security operation — the local government referred questions to the federal government, which provided no answers. However, it’s part of an enhanced immigration enforcement effort that is taking place across the country.

Some argue local police have no place in immigration enforcement. Others think they’re vital.

What do you think? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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